News
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 Thailand health insurance that covers chronic conditions: What expats need to know
The Thaiger key takeaways Managing chronic conditions in Thailand requires health insurance that covers specialist visits, medications, tests, and hospital stays. Cigna offers high-coverage plans with access to top hospitals, direct billing, and telemedicine support for convenient long-term care. Expats...
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Five days adrift: foreigners rescued from sailing yacht
PHUKET: The Royal Thai Navy (RTN) on Sunday assisted with the rescue of four foreigners who had been adrift at sea on a damaged sailing yacht for five days. The Canadian and British sailors were aboard the Malaysian-flagged yacht Kiss when the engine stopped working. Shortly thereafter, the lead mast on the boat cracked, followed by the sail ripping after…
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Foreigners suspected of vandalizing iconic Phuket locations
PHUKET: Police are hunting two foreigners suspected of tagging numerous scenic and iconic locations in Phuket with graffiti, following a burst of outrage on social media. “We are aware of the situation and are working on co-ordinating our efforts with other police stations on the island,” said Tah Chat Chai Police Superintendent Somchai Sanprasert. “There are photos of two foreign…
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Spectre of joblessness puts focus on Beijing as it sets new 5-year plan
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Spectre of joblessness puts focus on Beijing as it sets new 5-year plan Phuket Gazette / Reuters BEIJING: Job destruction from a slowing Chinese economy and reform of bloated state enterprises will put pressure on policymakers to come up with measures to create employment as Beijing…
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Google says it bears ‘some responsibility’ after self-driving car hit bus
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Google says it bears ‘some responsibility’ after self-driving car hit bus Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Alphabet Inc’s (GOOGL.O) Google said on Monday it bears “some responsibility” after one of its self-driving cars struck a municipal bus in a minor crash earlier this month. The crash…
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American found dead in Phuket villa
PHUKET: Police do not suspect foul play in the death of an American expat who was found dead in his Rawai villa yesterday afternoon. “Stephen Francis Emma, 60, was discovered by his gardener,” said Capt Wuttiwat Liang-boonjinda of the Chalong Police. “Mr Emma last spoke to his gardener on Friday when he told him that he went to the pharmacy…
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Phuket food top of the tags on Instagram
PHUKET: Though the sultans of Instagram selfies reign in London, it’s Phuket food that gets the most publicity on the social media giant, according to research by airport transfer company Hoppa. “In the modern era, the holiday experience doesn’t just live in the moment and in the memory, it isn’t even resigned only to traditional photo albums… Because now, the…
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Light rail plans revised amid safety concerns
PHUKET: Plans for Phuket’s multi-billion-baht light rail project are being revised again to ensure better safety for motorists using the roads running alongside the proposed track routes, it was announced last week. The Highways Department, under the Ministry of Transport, has requested that the Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning (OTPP) modify the numerous level crossings planned along…
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Bus driver, allegedly on drugs, injures 20 students
PHANG NGA: A bus driver transporting tour guide students is suspected of being high on drugs when he lost control of his vehicle, flipping it and slamming into trees on the roadside. The bus was carrying 35 students from Far Eastern University in Chiang Rai on their way to participate in a training course for tour guides in Phuket, Phang…
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Phuket Zoo stonewalls orangutan investigators
PHUKET: Phuket Zoo management is stonewalling officials investigating the case of Milo, a 13-year-old orangutan. “The Zoo manager, Surapong Chanthaweewong, has refused to answer any questions with regard to how the orangutan was obtained, cared for, or ‘released into the wild’,” said Piyawat Sukhon, chief of the Khao Phra Thaeo Non-hunting Zone. “He simply told us that we should continue…
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SUP champion comes to teach paddling in Phuket
PHUKET: Champion standup paddleboarder and founder of the Stand Up Paddle Athletes Association (SUPAA), Chase Kosterlitz, starts a five-day standup paddleboard (SUP) clinic tomorrow. “Chase has a wealth of paddling knowledge and has competed at the elite level for a number of years. His depth of paddling experience and his ability to teach offers a great opportunity to learn. Whether…
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Tourist drowns in Karon
PHUKET: Lifeguards pulled the body of a tourist from the waters off Karon yesterday. “I saw the man floating face down about 100 meters from the swimming area,” said lifeguard Mongkol Tanpisamai. “We immediately dispatched a rescue boat to retrieve him. We provided CPR – however, I’m certain he was dead when we pulled him from the water.” Though the…
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Aussie expat adventurer undertakes record-setting row across Atlantic
PHUKET: Australian head coach at Phuket’s Unit 27, Luke Richmond, has joined a team of three extraordinary adventurers as they attempt to set a Guinness World Record by rowing more than 6,000km of open sea, travelling from Portugal to Brazil. Mr Richmond – already in peak condition from incorporating a NeuroPhysics training program from Ken Ware into his weekly schedule…
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Video Report: Orangutan saved, new laws needed
PHUKET: Last week’s rescue of the Phuket Zoo orangutan, Milo, led to a firestorm of social and political activity bolstering efforts to close legal loopholes abused by exotic animal traders in Thailand. An amendment to the Wildlife Preservation and Protection Act BE 2535 (1992) that will require those who posses animals named on the Convention on International Trade in Endangered…
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500-strong police force arrests Krabi squatters
KRABI: About 500 Krabi police officers joined a mass raid to arrest about 100 oil palm squatters on Thursday. “We surrounded the area to check on the squatters who were trying to claim the land as their own after the previous owner’s license expired,” said Plai Phraya Police Superintendent Chamnan Chamnankij. “These people were still living on the plantation after…
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Indian man kills 14 members of own family, then hangs himself
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Indian man kills 14 members of own family, then hangs himself Phuket Gazette / Reuters NEW DELHI: A man in India stabbed 14 members of his own family to death, including seven children, before hanging himself, police said on Sunday, in one of the country’s worst…
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Up to 70,000 migrants may be trapped in Greece next month – migration minister
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Up to 70,000 migrants may be trapped in Greece next month – migration minister Phuket Gazette / Reuters ATHENS: The number of refugees and migrants trapped in Greece may reach 70,000 in coming weeks, Greece’s migration minister said on Sunday, adding that a NATO plan to…
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Twin suicide bombing kills 70 in Baghdad’s deadliest attack this year
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Twin suicide bombing kills 70 in Baghdad’s deadliest attack this year Phuket Gazette / Reuters BAGHDAD: A twin suicide bombing claimed by Islamic State killed 70 people in a Shi’ite district of Baghdad on Sunday in the deadliest attack inside the capital this year, as militants…
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Officials investigate Kamala Beach encroachment allegations
PHUKET: Officials are looking into allegations that vendors at Kamala Beach are encroaching beyond the ’10-percent zone’, which was established to restrict commercial activities to a small portion of the popular Phuket beach. An anonymous tip-off from a Phuket expat alleged that beach chairs, umbrellas, food stalls and tents have spread beyond the demarcation poles of the 10-percent zone. Photographic…
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Cobra takes stand in Phuket bathroom
PHUKET: It was fright night yesterday for a woman in Phuket Town when she was confronted by a two-meter-long cobra that had taken up residence in her bathroom. The woman entered the room at about 11:30pm without switching on the light. In the darkness, she heard a slithering and hissing sound behind her. When she did turn the light on,…
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Indian villages ban single women from owning mobile phones
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Indian villages ban single women from owning “distracting” mobile phones Phuket Gazette / Reuters MUMBAI (Thomson Reuters Foundation): Several villages in the western Indian state of Gujarat have banned girls and single women from owning mobile phones, saying the devices distract them from their studies. A…
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Patong awaits bid to bury beachfront cables
PHUKET: The project that will see unsightly power cables along Patong’s beachfront moved underground is awaiting finalization of the bidding process. The 230-million-baht project will be jointly funded by the Phuket Provincial Electric Authority (PEA) and the Patong Municipality (story here). “Contractors have submitted their bids to the PEA headquarters in Bangkok and one will be chosen by March,” confirmed…
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National balloon and music festival coming to Phuket
PHUKET: Hot air balloons will be filling the sky above the island during the Songkran holiday this April for the very first ‘Phuket Thailand Balloon Music Festival’. At least 20 hot air balloons are expected to take part in the national balloon fiesta, to be held April 14-17 at Phuket Paradise Park, near the British International School Phuket (BISP). Balloon…
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Business Buzz: How to master email marketing
PHUKET: Other than branding, one of the primary functions of social media marketing is to create a database of potential customers. But building the database is only the first step, so what do we do with it once we have it? I have previously discussed the importance and value of your database; now I am going to show you how…
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Russian demand to drive increase in Phuket-bound flights
PHUKET: The island will reportedly be doubling its weekly flights to and from St Petersburg, Russia, due to a sharp increase in demand, a national-level government spokesperson said. During last week’s Thailand-Russia aviation conference held by the Ministry of Transportation in Bangkok, officials agreed to increase the overall weekly flights between Thailand and Russia from 42 to 70, Deputy Spokesman…
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Formula 1 powerboat race coming to Phuket
PHUKET: The Ministry of Tourism and Sports (MOTS) has good news for water-sport enthusiasts as Phuket plans to host a Formula 1 powerboat race in November to promote the island as an international tourist and water-sport destination. “This is a joint venture between Thailand and Singapore. The expected date of the event is November 4-6,” MOTS Phuket Office Director Santi…
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Phuket officials confirm no troubled waters for bridge players
PHUKET: Phuket police have confirmed that playing bridge in Phuket is not illegal as long as there is no gambling involved. The confirmation follows reports of police and military officers raiding a bridge club earlier this month in Pattaya, which led to the arrest of 32 foreigners, including an 84-year-old Dutch woman (story here). “I was unaware of the arrests…
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Finance: Understanding stop loss orders
PHUKET: With global stock markets off to a rough start this year, it’s time to take a closer look at stop loss orders and how they can help as well as hinder you from achieving your investment goals. So what exactly are stop loss orders? A stop loss, or simply a stop order, is an automatic trade placed in advance…
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Ministry of Farang Affairs: Crossing compassion wires
The Ministry of Farang Affairs is a one-stop shop where foreigners in Thailand can learn all they need to know about living here. No, we’re not talking about work permits, visas or taxes. We’re talking about day-to-day life in the Land of Endless Shocks and Riddles, of Blur, Befuddlement and the Bizarre. Stay tuned for weekly insights from Minister Stephff.…
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U.S., backed by China, proposes tough N. Korea sanctions at UN
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community U.S., backed by China, proposes tough N.Korea sanctions at UN Phuket Gazette / Reuters UNITED NATIONS: The United States presented a draft Security Council resolution on Thursday that it had negotiated with China, that would dramatically tighten existing restrictions on North Korea after its Jan. 6…
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Canadian teacher re-arrested for sex abuse to return to Jakarta prison
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Canadian teacher re-arrested for sex abuse to return to Jakarta prison Phuket Gazette / Reuters JAKARTA: A Canadian teacher is expected to return to a Jakarta prison on Friday, a family member said, a day after Indonesia’s Supreme Court overturned his acquittal on charges of sexually…
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