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Thailand news, politics, business, crime, lifestyle, and tourism—stay updated with breaking news and in-depth analysis from Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, and beyond.
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Sponsored See the best of Northern Thailand this winter on a budget
The Thaiger key takeaways Peak season brings higher prices, but smart planning and local know-how can help you experience Northern Thailand affordably. Chiang Mai, Pai, and Chiang Rai offer plenty of free or low-cost attractions, from temples and canyons to...
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Phuket Sports: Rory continues to roar; Golf tip
PHUKET: This week marked the second of golf’s FedEx playoffs, with the PGA’s Deutsche Bank Open at the Tournament Players Club, Boston. The parkland golf course with narrow curving fairways requires more precision than power off the tees and tests players accuracy and short games more than their all out power games. Only 100 players from the FedEx points list…
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Phuket Sports: Italian Grand Prix preview
PHUKET: In my last article I said I thought Hamilton would be a very strong contender at Spa together with Räikkönen, Rosberg, Michael Schumacher, Romain Grosjean and Jenson Button. I said it looked hard for Ferrari and Red Bull to shine, but also said “Who knows“? In the event Lewis Hamilton, Sergio Perez and Fernando Alonso were shunted off the…
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B100bn up for grabs: Krabi told to prepare for AEC 2015
PHUKET: With 100 billion baht (US$ 3 billion) requested by government agencies for Thailand’s preparation for the Asean Economic Community (AEC) in 2015, private and government organizations in Krabi were called on yesterday by the Asean Secretary-General to step up their efforts in order to establish a “central role” in the Andaman. “Krabi will have an advantage over several other…
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Phuket Park chief files complaint against “Encroacher No 5′
PHUKET: The new chief of Sirinath National Park, Cheewapap Cheewatham, has filed a police complaint against another landowner for allegedly encroaching on national park land. The complaint, against the fifth landowner of the 10 plots raided on August 15, accused two companies of encroaching on five rai of state forest land. The two companies are allegedly controlled by the same…
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Phuket gets ready for tourism boom with “Big Cleaning Day’
PHUKET: The three district offices covering the entire island staged cleanups at public areas across Phuket yesterday as part of the “Big Cleaning Day” initiative. More than 500 people, including government officers, staff from private businesses as well as local students and residents, gathered at Saphan Hin Park in Phuket Town, where the Muang District Office held its activity under…
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Phuket ocean trash inflicting mayhem on turtles
PHUKET: A turtle with one flipper severed and another suffering a deep cut inflicted by discarded fishing nets was recovered from Karon Beach yesterday. The discovery brought to 24 the total number of turtles rescued from Phuket and Phang Nga beaches in the past two months alone. Lifeguards patrolling Karon Beach found the turtle stranded in the sand near Karon…
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World News: US Jobless claims fall
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community U.S. businesses step up hiring as jobless claims fall Phuket Gazette / News WiresPHUKET: Initial claims for unemployment insurance in the United States fell to 365,000 in the week ending September 1, a decrease of 12,000 compared to the previous week, according to figures released by the…
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Thai Smile launches new Phuket routes
PHUKET: Thai Smile Air, the new regional sub-brand of Thai Airways International (THAI), will launch daily direct flight services from Phuket to Bangkok and Chiang Mai starting next month. Prasert Tanhansa, manager of the THAI district sales office in Phuket Town, announced the new flights yesterday.“We are going to start one daily round-trip from Phuket-Chiang Mai-Phuket and Phuket-Bangkok-Phuket on October…
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Patong Hospital staff get wet for fire safety
PHUKET: As the rain continued to drench Phuket, staff at Patong Hospital this afternoon staged their annual fire and evacuation drill. “The exercise simulated a fire starting in a medical storeroom in a building next to the inpatient ward. The flames spread into the recovery ward, forcing us to evacuate the entire inpatient building,” explained Hospital Director Phumin Silapunt. As…
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Phuket baby elephant probe sparks raids
PHUKET: The inspection of elephant camps in Southern Thailand, geared to ensure that all pachyderms on the premises are legal, started on Monday and will include searches of the locations in Phuket where elephants were seized earlier this year. “We received an order on Monday from National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department [DNP] Director-General Damrong Phidet to send Regional…
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Weather warning issued for Phuket, Andaman
PHUKET: The Thai Meteorological Department (TMD) has issued its second weather warning in 24 hours for Phuket and other provinces along the Andaman coast, advising the public to beware heavy rain, rough seas and possible flooding. The latest advisory, issued by the Southern Meteorological Center at Phuket Airport at 11am today, repeated the TMD’s warning of “abundant rain to very…
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“It’s a huge challenge…”
“It’s a huge challenge – probably the biggest I have ever undertaken, especially in such a short timeframe”. PHUKET: The 34-year-old former England cricketer, Andrew Flintoff, has been training with boxing legend Barry McGuigan and his son Shane McGuigan in preperation for his boxing debut on November 30. The popular 6’4 cricket legend is yet to announce his heavyweight opponent…
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Phuket Police bust heroin dealers in Cherng Talay
PHUKET: Police in Phuket yesterday arrested a heroin dealer from Narathiwat, in Thailand’s troubled Deep South, seizing more than 80 grams of the drug as well as a stash of dried marijuana from one of his agents.The arrest was announced at a press conference led by Cherng Talay Police Superintendent Jirasak Siangsak yesterday morning. Col Jirasak presented to the press…
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Viagra facing stiff competition in Thailand
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Thai version of ‘Viagra’ to be launched next month Phuket Gazette / The NationPHUKET: The Government Pharmaceutical Organisation (GPO) will launch its erectile dysfunction drug “Sidagra” on October 15 at a fraction of the price of Viagra.The treatment for the men’s disorder has already been registered with…
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World News: Separatist Parti Quebecois victory sparks shooting – 1 dead
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Gunman kills 1 during victory speech of Quebec’s first female premiere Phuket Gazette / News Wires PHUKET: A gunman opened fire outside a building where Canadian politician Pauline Marois was addressing her supporters after being elected the new premiere of Quebec, police said. One person was…
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Phuket Sports: US Open – Federer out, Murray through
PHUKET: The US Open is about to get into the business part of the tournament and some of the world’s best tennis players are still in with a shout of the title. Roger Federer, who was gifted entry to the quarterfinals as his fourth round opponent Mardy Fish retired before the match due to health reasons, has been knocked out…
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Phuket Business: The tree that bears fruit
PHUKET: At the helm of Anuphas Vividhkarn Co Ltd’s CSR program is Montavee “Tommy” Hongsyok. The 35-year-old Assistant Managing Director of Phuket’s exclusive Honda dealership follows in the footsteps of his father, Montri Hongsyok, an accomplished executive and respected community figure in Phuket. Following is a Q&A session that the Phuket Gazette recently had with Tommy about the Honda dealer’s…
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Ghostly visit leads man to mom’s body
PHUKET: A man in Ayutthaya claims he discovered the gruesome body of his own recently murdered mother after her ghost came back to tell him what had happened to her. The body of Mrs Sukkhapha, 56, (full name not reported) was discovered in a field on July 31. She had been sexually mutilated. Mrs Sukkhapha’s remains were found in a…
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Vachira Phuket Hospital staff scrub up
PHUKET: Staff at Vachira Phuket Hospital yesterday staged a hand-washing contest and other fun activities to highlight the importance of basic hygiene in combating the transmission of infectious diseases.Hospital Director Dr Jessada Chungpaibulpatana presided over the event, dubbed “Clean Hand Project II”.The project was held to remind all staff of the hospital, the largest on the island, about the importance…
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World News: Destruction in Syria is reaching ‘catastrophic proportions’: UN envoy Brahimi
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community UN envoy says destruction in Syria is reaching ‘catastrophic proportions’ Phuket Gazette / News WiresPHUKET: The new Joint Special Representative of the United Nations (UN) and the Arab League on the Syrian crisis, Lakhdar Brahimi, yesterday said the death toll as a result of the ongoing civil…
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Phuket Live Wire: Wait until Christmas
PHUKET: Last week I talked about the direction the computer industry is headed as we barrel along toward the Christmas season. If you’re thinking about buying any new electronics – computer, tablet, phone, maybe even a TV – it would be worthwhile to stay on top of developments between now and Christmas. Some of the stuff coming down the pipe…
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Weather advisory for Phuket, Andaman Coast
PHUKET: The Thai Meteorological Department has issued a weather advisory for the six Andaman Coast provinces of Ranong, Phang Nga, Phuket, Krabi, Trang and Satun.Southwest monsoonal conditions prevailing over the west coast will bring wind gusts and heavy to very heavy rain in some areas. Flash flooding may occur in risk areas; people are advised to proceed with caution. Wind-driven…
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Phuket Business: Pineapples please
PHUKET: A pineapple trading center was opened in Phuket recently in a move aimed at centralizing provincial supply of the fruit, and thus increasing its market penetration potential across Southeast Asia. Vinai Kwankaew of the Phuket Agriculture Office said that pineapples have become the province’s most significant revenue-generating fruit. Phuket pineapples are known for their sweet flavor, tasty and yellow…
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Phuket Business: Beware of the hammer and nail approach
PHUKET: There is a very famous quote that often comes to mind when speaking with many of my colleagues in the wealth management industry: “When the only tool you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail”. Unfortunately many advisers fall into this trap, and despite the fact that everyone’s situation is different, they will recommend the same solution…
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Phuket Business: Beer, wine and automobile excises poised for revision
PHUKET: In light of Cabinet’s recent approval of tax hikes for cigarettes and liquor, the Excise Department is now looking to increase revenue shares from the trade of beer, wine and automobiles.Quoted in a report by the Nation, Benja Louichareon, director-general of the Excise Department, said, “The department is also looking at whether it should increase tax on beer and…
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Phuket Business: AMCHAM affirms commitment to saving the environment
PHUKET: The American Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM) Greater Phuket Chapter assembled at Holiday Inn Patong for its third meeting of the year recently. Organized in conjunction with environmental organization, SEEK, the evening’s discussions focused on ways that hospitality and tourism stakeholders can implement “Green Tourism” practices while reducing operational overheads and thus increasing profit margins. The meeting followed an all-day,…
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Body of Burmese worker found at Phuket construction site
PHUKET: The decomposing body of a worker from Myanmar was left undiscovered at a Phuket construction site for at least three days before being found late yesterday afternoon. Thalang Police were notified of the body at 6:15pm. Arriving at the scene with Phuket Kusoldharm Foundation workers, police found the body pinned between a wall and some metal scaffolding at the…
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DNA tests confirm French tourist as Tiger Disco fire victim
PHUKET: The Royal Thai Police Institute of Forensic Medicine in Bangkok has confirmed that the fourth – and last – victim to be identified from the Tiger Discotheque fire in Phuket on August 17 is that of French tourist Emmanuel Becard, aged 30. Friends of Mr Becard reported him as missing the day after the fire, which killed four people.…
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Hunt continues for suspect in Phuket Police shooting
PHUKET: Chalong Police continue to search for a suspect who remains at-large following the June shooting of an on-duty officer in a live music venue in Phuket. Lt Col Boonlert Onklang of the Chalong Police told the Phuket Gazette today (September 4) that his officers are still searching for Phiromchai “Un” Tuaktham, the only one of five suspects wanted in…
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French tourist killed, another comatose in Phuket motorbike crash
PHUKET: One French tourist is dead and another remains in a coma after the motorbike they were riding crashed on the beach road in Karon before dawn yesterday.Chalong duty officer Boonlert Onklang said that police were informed of the accident, at a curved section of the beach road near the Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort, at 3.40am. Arriving at the scene,…
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