News
Stay up-to-date with the latest news from across Thailand and beyond with The Thaiger. Our dedicated team brings you breaking news, in-depth analysis, and exclusive stories from this stunning part of the world, covering a diverse range of topics, including local politics, business, culture, and tourism. Keep yourself informed about the Kingdom’s rich history, stunning landscapes, and thriving expat communities, as well as updates on events, attractions, and transportation.
The Thaiger is your essential resource for staying connected with Thailand’s captivating blend of tradition and modernity. To remain in the loop with the country’s most trusted news source, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on social media.
-
Sponsored Mark One Tailor: The best bespoke tailor in Khao Lak
When it comes to high-quality bespoke tailoring in Khao Lak, Mark One Tailor stands out as one of the most trusted names. With decades of experience, this tailor shop has built a solid reputation for exceptional craftsmanship, premium fabrics, and...
-
Blue Canyon nominated for Hertz awards
PHUKET: Blue Canyon Country Club is one of six resorts in the region nominated for the titles of “Asia-Pacific Golf Resort of The Year” and “Asia-Pacific Golf Course of the Year” in the prestigious Hertz International Golf Travel Awards 2000. Only one other Thai golf club, the Laem Chabang International Country Club, received a nomination, in the golf course of…
-
Thailand shrugs off Y2K fears
BANGKOK (AFP): Thailand shrugged off fears it has acted too late to combat the millennium computer bug Friday, but advised citizens to stockpile food ‘just in case.’ Deputy Prime Minister Trirong Suwankiri hit out at claims that the United States and other nations do not trust Thailand’s effort to beat the Y2K bug. “Nobody trusts each other; we also do…
-
Bank loses B350,000 to theft in car park
PHUKET: Nearly 350,000 baht was stolen from a vehicle in the Lotus superstore parking lot on Wednesday afternoon. The vehicle belonged to a senior bank employee. Pol Maj Amnaun Kraiwutthinan of Phuket Town Police Station told the Gazette that Vinai Wongkampoo, assistant manager at the Phuket Branch of Bank Thai (formerly the Saha Bank), and Urai Taweekul, a co-worker, had…
-
Norwegian tourist killed in bike crash
PHUKET TOWN: A Norwegian tourist died in a motorbike crash on Tuesday, the day he arrived to begin his holiday in Phuket. The dead man, named by police as Aunrik Hakon, 40, was involved in an accident just before 11 pm in front of the Prasat Witthaya School on Wichit Rd. Police believe that Mr Hakon, who was staying at…
-
Fast Eddy wins Patong mini-marathon
PATONG: “Fast Eddy” Ou of the Hash House Harriers made it two years in a row when he won the “Fun Run” Mini-Marathon held to mark the beginning of the tourist season on Monday. Fewer than 50 runners took part in the 16-km race which went from the football field on Thaweewong Road to the Karon traffic circle and back.…
-
Hospital appeals for type A+ blood
PHUKET TOWN: Wachira Hospital has issued an appeal for type A+ blood after a young man was severely injured in an accident today. The hospital currently has just two bottles of A+ in its blood bank, and expects to use more during operations to be performed on the youth tomorrow (Wednesday). Anyone wishing to donate A+ blood is asked to…
-
France wins Junior Pétanque Championships
SAPHAN HIN: France on Sunday recaptured the Seventh World Junior Pétanque Championship title after a lapse of six years, with a convincing 15-6 win over Switzerland. The French team – Ludovic Labrue, 17, Alexandre Ruffo, 17, Romaine Scultore, 15, and Nicolas Taviand, 17 – used a variety of strategic moves in “pointing” and “shooting” that experts agreed showed maturity beyond…
-
City’s water to be suspended on Thursday
PHUKET TOWN: The town’s water supply will be suspended for 15 hours on Thursday (4 November) so that tanks at the waterworks can be cleaned, the Municipality announced yesterday. Mayor Phumisak Hongyok said that supply will be suspended from 9 am to midnight. He advised anyone using mains water to ensure that they keep an adequate supply in their homes…
-
World News: Face of Bashar al-Assad’s government flees – diplomat
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Syrian spokesman flees country: diplomat Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A Syrian foreign ministry spokesman, who was the most public face of Bashar al-Assad’s government as it battled a 20-month-old uprising, has fled the country, a diplomat in the region said yesterday. Jihad al-Makdissi, who is in…
-
Four crushed to death in truck accident
CHALONG: Four construction workers from Phuket were crushed to death and two others were seriously hurt when a 10-wheel truck crashed on Patak Rd in Karon on Saturday. Pol Capt Sanae Panmee of Chalong Police Station told the Gazette that the truck was carrying a 3½-ton excavator as well as 10 construction workers, four in the cab with the driver…
-
Raids net two ya bah dealers in one day
PHUKET TOWN: Police nabbed two ya bah dealers on Thursday in two separate raids. The first arrest came after Pol Maj Searmpan Sirikong, inspector of the Special Team at Phuket Town Police Station, received information that a house on Soi Suknirun, off Chao Fa Nai Rd, was being used by drug dealers to sell ya bah. Police raided the house…
-
Lotus road chaos “could last a month’ – police
SAM KONG: With traffic backed up in all four directions at the ‘Lotus intersection’ again last night, Phuketians are getting a good taste of motoring Bangkok-style. The narrow Phra Phuket Rd, running east from the notorious junction with the Bypass Rd, was blocked all the way to the traffic lights at Yaowarat Rd, a distance of close to two kilometers.…
-
Drug cases top crime league
PHUKET: Drug cases overtook gambling in the first three weeks of this month in the list of crimes reported. However, gamblers once again topped the league for the number of people arrested. The Phuket Provincial Office reported 64 cases or drug possession or trafficking between October 1 and 21, with 69 people arrested. Cases involving ya bah, which are counted…
-
Airport much busier than last year
PHUKET: If figures just issued by the Phuket International Airport are anything to go by, this year’s high season could be another big one. The numbers for September show that 210, 343 passengers arrived or departed through the airport, an increase of more than 7% on the same month last year. Although passengers on domestic flights totaled 131,443, a decrease…
-
Tourist couple wake to burglary nightmare
CHALONG: A Swedish couple on holiday in Karon woke up in the early hours yesterday to a nightmare: a burglar in their room holding their three-year-old daughter with his hand over her mouth. The Winnheds, in their 30s, were woken by a noise in their room and sat up to see the burglar with their daughter in his arms. Mrs…
-
Lotus opening creates massive traffic jams
PHUKET: Lotus yesterday opened its new super store on the edge of Phuket Town, the company’s 17th in Thailand. The “soft” opening caused huge traffic jams in all direction as shoppers rushed to check the place out. Grinning widely, Gwyn Sundhagul, Senior Vice President of Operations, admitted that the company, which is majority-owned by British retailing giant Tesco, had underestimated…
-
Taiwan team wins Phuket Soccer Cup
KO KAEW: The Kaohsiung 100 Pacers set a pace that proved too hot for the Lions Singapore in the finals of the 1999 Phuket International Football Cup at Dulwich International College last weekend. The Lions had no chance to respond to the Pacers’ 1-0 lead by half-time. And when the Pacers slammed home another in the last few minutes of…
-
14 hurt as police turn dogs on tapioca protest
BANGKOK (AFP): Fourteen people were injured today when riot police turned dogs on thousands of tapioca farmers blockading Government House in Bangkok. Witnesses said police moved to break up the protest after demonstrators, who have been surrounding government offices for 24 hours, crossed a bridge leading to the entrance of the building. Dog handlers advanced on a line of women…
-
Korean tourist drowns off Coral Island
RAWAI: A tourist from South Korea on a day trip to Koh Hei, (Coral Island), drowned yesterday afternoon. Police named the dead man as Hong Joonhan, 27, who was on holiday with his wife. Despite the heavy seas, the couple went swimming and Mr Hong disappeared. His body was not found until an hour later. An autopsy at Wachira Hospital…
-
Last call for listings for local “yellow’ pages
PHUKET TOWN: The deadline for listings in the Year 2000 Gazette Guide is 5 pm, Friday, November 12. Local businesses are urged to enter (or check/update) their listings by going to https://thethaiger.com/guide/form.asp as soon as possible before that date. Listings, or alterations to listings, received after the deadline will not appear in the 2000 Gazette Guide, (although they will be…
-
Phuket counts cost of storm damage
PHUKET: Provincial officials have today been counting the cost of repairing damage caused by the tropical depression which has buffeted Phuket over the past few days, and which has now moved away into the Andaman Sea. Electricity company staff spent the day working to repair downed power lines and blown transformers in parts of Phuket Town, Patong, Ao Makham, Kata-Karon…
-
Weather blocks roads, cuts power and phones
PHUKET: The wet and windy weather of the past few days has caused flooding in several parts of the island, and knocked out power and telephones in a number of locations. Several roads have also been blocked by fallen trees or utility poles. The Bypass Road around Phuket Town was blocked this morning by a fallen tree, while another tree…
-
Australian tourist drowns off Kata Noi
KATA: A 57-year-old Australian tourist named by police as Ian Branwell drowned in heavy waves off Kata Noi beach on Friday morning. Mr Branwell was staying with his wife at the Kata Thani Hotel. The couple went swimming mid-morning. Mrs Branwell, who last saw her husband floating on his back, noticed that he had disappeared and summoned help. A beach…
-
20 dead, 709 hurt in traffic accidents
PHUKET: Twenty people died in traffic accidents in Phuket between August 20 and September 20, according to statistics from the province’s three government hospitals. Of these, 17 were on motorcycles and three were in cars. Ampaipan Pawawattananusorn, the Professional Nurse at the Phuket Provincial Health Office, reported that 709 people were injured on the roads during the same period. Of…
-
Mayor slams environmentalists over trash
PHUKET TOWN: The Mayor of Phuket Town, Phumisak Hongyok, has responded angrily to criticism by environmentalists of the town’s garbage incinerator, which began operations just a couple of months ago. At a recent conference in Phuket Town, organized by such groups as Greenpeace and the Phuket Environmental Protection Group, Dr Paul Connett, chemistry professor from the University of St Lawrence…
-
Man arrested for British tourist’s murder
BANGKOK (AFP): A 31-year-old man has been arrested in Bangkok on suspicion of murdering a British tourist and seriously wounding his travelling companion, police said today. Saichon Lomgun was arrested late on Thursday in a hotel in downtown Bangkok and charged with premeditated murder and carrying an unlicensed gun. “The suspect has cooperated with police and we expect to conclude…
-
Chuan sacks driver after seizure of pirated CDs
BANGKOK (AFP): Thai Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai has sacked his driver after police seized pirated compact discs which were about to be delivered to his official residence, police said this afternoon. Police guarding Chuan’s home said they made the bust as Malaysian national Liew Chee Kong, 41, arrived at the prime minister’s residence to allegedly hand over 80 illegal CDs…
-
Investigator gives evidence in Tong trial
PHUKET TOWN: The prosecutor in the trial of five men accused of participation in the June 24, 1997 murder of American Danis Wayne Tong today called Pol Capt Thanet Poungmanee, investigation inspector of Chalong Police Station, to the witness stand. The trial was adjourned until November 5. On trail are Manit Panme, Pratin Praktong, Prajuab Sukkong, Pairat Raksawong, and Hugo…
-
Tourist Police move to new offices
PHUKET TOWN: Phuket’s Tourist Police have moved their headquarters to new offices in the Srisuchart Grandview project on the Bypass Road, about one kilometer south of the Gems Gallery. The new address is 100/31-32 Bypass Rd, Tambon Rassada, Muang, Phuket. The office also has new telephone numbers: 355015 and 254693.
-
Thai team “favorite for pétanque victory’
PHUKET: The two Thai teams that will compete in the World Junior Pétanque Championships at the end of next week reckon they should be favorites to win the tournament, based on their performance in training and their experience in overseas competitions. Prarot Thongpratet, vice-secretary of the Thailand Pétanque Association, said, “Thailand has been runner-up three out of the five times…
Don't forget to check out some other things to do in Thailand - get help starting a business or finding a job in Thailand, buy Thailand property, rent a yacht or book a medical procedure worldwide.