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 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 car crashes into overpass, 1 dead
PHUKET: A Phuket man was killed instantly this morning when his car slammed full force into a pedestrian overpass on Thepkrasattri Road in Thalang District. Thalang Police were informed of the latest tragedy on Phuket’s deadliest road at 2:20am. Duty officer Somchai Nuboon, police and Kusoldharm Foundation rescue workers raced to the scene, on Thepkrasattri northbound in front of the…
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Michelle Smith murderers still unidentifed: Phuket Police
PHUKET: One of the most intensive manhunts in Phuket’s history continues as police scour the island for the two men responsible for the shocking, stabbing murder of Australian travel agent Michelle Smith. Although police have numerous images and descriptions of the pair, their identities remain unknown, police confirmed today. Following a re-enactment of the crime near the Kata Thani Hotel…
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Bt300,000 reward for info leading to killers of Aussie tourist in Phuket
PHUKET: A 300,000 baht reward was offered yesterday for any information leading to the arrest of the snatch thieves that murdered Australian Michelle Smith earlier this week. The reward was announced by National Police Advisor Gen Chatchai Potranan; Police Region 8 Commissioner Santi Pensute, and Kata Thani Hotel and Beach Resort Director Sombat Atiset at a meeting in Phuket yesterday.…
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Pungent piggery prompts Phuket petition
PHUKET: Residents of a residential housing estate in Thalang have filed a letter of complaint to Phuket Provincial Hall, charging that filth from a nearby pig farm is contaminating the local water supply and casting a putrid pall over their community. Representatives of The Valley 2 housing estate in Srisoonthorn said they decided to file a formal complaint at the…
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Myanmar to lure Mice to Phuket
PHUKET: The emergence of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) and the opening-up of neighboring Burma will generate more high-yield visitors for Phuket and Thailand in general, delegates attending a recent tourism industry conference were told. Emerging opportunities, as well as accompanying challenges, were the primary topics of discussion at the first Thailand MICE International Forum (TMIF) held in Bangkok on…
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Phuket Sports: Olympic torch update
PHUKET On its way to London, the Olympic Torch traveled aboard the Tern one of the oldest steamers on Lake Windermere, England’s longest lake. The torch was carried by local schoolgirl Stephanie Booth on the vessel, which is operated by Windermere Lake Cruises. Managing Director Nigel Wilkinson said “The Tern was built in 1891, 5 years before the start of…
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Phuket Election: Kata-Karon set for July 15 polls
PHUKET: Registration closed yesterday for candidates to enter the Karon Municipality mayoral and council election, to be held on July 15.Tawee Thongcham, who has served as Karon Mayor for the past eight years, is running for re-election to his third term in office.His only contender in the poll is Narong Natang.Both men, accompanied by their prospective council teams, turned up…
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Phuket yachting legend Rolly Tasker dies, at 86
PHUKET: Australian yachting icon and long-term Phuket resident Rolly Tasker has died, age 86. Staff at the Rolly Tasker sail loft on Chao Fa West Road today confirmed that Mr Tasker passed away in Australia overnight (Phuket Time) after a long battle with cancer. The general manager of the loft, Michael Tasker (no relation), who had been working for Mr…
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Phuket update: Krabi Police tight-lipped over Belanger case
PHUKET: The governor of Krabi has named the provincial police commander as the only person authorized to release information to the media concerning the deaths of Noemi and Audrey Belanger, Canadian tourists who died of apparent poisoning on Phi Phi Island last week, the Phuket Gazette has learned. Recently-released media reports have revealed that the hotel’s CCTV system captured images…
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Phuket Gazette: Gender inequality; Public debt; 4 Forbes’ heroes
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Gender inequality still a problem among police cadets, say female students Phuket Gazette / The Nation PHUKET: The Royal Police Cadet School is proud of a recent workshop it conducted on ending violence against women in the community. However, in practice, its female students still experience…
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Phuket Business: Why Facebook was never a sure thing
PHUKET: Personally speaking, I have never been one to jump on the Facebook band wagon. I just do not get the whole ‘let the world know what you are doing on an hourly basis’ scenario. Don’t get me wrong, this is a very useful application when, like ourselves, we enjoy the sun-soaked shores and we want to keep in touch…
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Phuket Live Wire: Goodbye to CAT EV-DO; Tips for iPad; PCs4Kids update
PHUKET:I remember the day well. October 1, 2007. The people at CAT let me take a sneak peek at their new “AirCard” service – the first wireless broadband service in Phuket. I’m sad to say that, by the end of this year, that service will be officially phased out. I call the service “EV-DO”, although the technology is actually called…
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Medical company steps in to help Phuket kickboxer fight for recovery
PHUKET: An international medical company has made a pledge to find the “best treatment” for an Australian muay thai fighter whose father fears was not in a motorbike accident as Phuket police believe, but was beaten and left for dead. Daniel Ketley, 22, was rushed to hospital in the early hours of June 8 after he was found in Nai…
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Phuket teenager hangs self after break-up with girlfriend
PHUKET: Police are treating as suicide the death by hanging of a 19-year-old construction worker in Phuket Town yesterday. Phuket City Police received a report at 1:15pm of man found hanged in a room on Soi Hatchana-Nivet on Srisena Road, Talad Yai. Police and Kusoldharm rescue foundation workers went to the scene and recovered the body of the teenager, Danupong…
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Bangkok squad called in to catch Phuket “bag snatch killer’
PHUKET: More than 50 police officers, including a team from the Crime Suppression Division in Bangkok, have been dedicated to catching the two men who attacked Australian tourist Michelle Smith, 60, who was stabbed to death in Kata last night. Ms Smith died after being stabbed in the chest, puncturing her heart and a lung, when a bag snatch attempt…
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Phuket Business: When the financial gate slams shut
PHUKET: Since I’m often writing about how I like alternative investment strategies, it may be a good idea to do a few pieces on the features of funds available to managers when they open. This will help you understand what can happen when you invest in such a fund. This week is about gates – since most alternative funds write…
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Off-duty cop accused of Phuket street killing gets bail
PHUKET: The off-duty cop who shot a man dead in Phuket Town on May 5 has been granted bail. Though some details about the case have come to light, the exact cause of the argument that led Cpl Rachaporn Semaksorn to shoot Eakkasit Sangangam in the head ,on Phun Pol Soi 11 in Phuket Town, is still unclear. “The shooting…
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Phuket Business: CPI rise slows down; Rice stocks pile high
PHUKET: THOUGH the cost of living in Thailand continues to rise, the rate of increase over the past three months has slowed, Consumer Price Index (CPI) figures indicate.Compiled and released by the Ministry of Commerce (MoC), the CPI national average nudged up 0.45 points to 115.23 in last month, a month-on-month increase of 0.39%.Calculated by comparing current average prices of…
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Phuket Business: Trade booming
PHUKET: Two-thirds of the way into the government’s current fiscal year, international trade in Phuket is thriving, with the value of both imports and exports looking likely to surpass last year’s record-high performance. Phuket Customs’ records through to May 31 show that the value of exports in 2012 (October 1, 2011 to September 30, 2012) is now at 11.11bn baht…
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Burmese fisherman, electrocuted at sea, returned to Phuket
PHUKET: Two Burmese fishermen working on a local fishing boat were brought to Phuket’s Rassada Pier yesterday, after apparently being electrocuted at sea.Once notified, police and Kusoldharm Rescue Foundation workers rushed to the scene to find grieving relatives surrounding the two bodies.“Mr Kham, 25, and Mr Wan, 27, were pulling a fishing net from the sea, when Mr Kham touched…
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Phuket Sports: 7 races, 7 winners
PHUKET: THE Canadian GP was a magnificent race for Hamilton. Team strategy was absolutely right, and the driving was superb. The decider was tyre strategy. Vettel and Alonso ran a one-stop strategy for Red Bull and Ferrari respectively, while most drivers went for a two stopper. The strategic question was whether the time and track position gained by saving a…
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Phuket Sports: “Clubbin it’ the correct way
PHUKET: There are always an infinite number of excuses in golf for hitting a bad shot, but few sound more irrational, perhaps, than actually blaming your clubs. But is it really that irrational? No, strangely enough it is not! Having your golf clubs fitted specifically for your own swing really can have a massive impact on your whole game, and…
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Phuket Sports: Pietersen – draw card or drawback?
PHUKET: Kevin Pietersen, who has a reputation for dropping bomb shells – and not just while he is at the crease – has announced his retirement from limited overs cricket. Surprising? Yes, considering the fact that “KP” (as he is known to followers of the game) was voted ‘Player of the Tournament’ in England’s Twenty20 triumph at the last World…
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Phuket Sports: Seventh heaven for Phuket marathon winner
PHUKET: THE seventh annual Run Paradise Laguna Phuket International Marathon (LPIM) took place in the early morning hours of Sunday, June 10, with over four thousand participants of varying ability taking part. The event, sponsored by the Phuket Gazette, was divided into five categories: the grueling full marathon of 42 kilometers; the half marathon of 21km; the 10.5km run; the…
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Phuket Gazette: Ecuador to decide Assange’s asylum request today
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Ecuador to decide on Assange’s asylum today Phuket Gazette / News WiresPHUKET: The Ecuadorian government could make a decision today on the fate of Julian Assange, founder of the controversial whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks, an official said late yesterday. Assange had requested political asylum at Ecuador’s embassy in…
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Cheap eats: Phuket curry shops get Blue Flags
PHUKET: Three curry shops in Phuket have been issued “Blue Flag” signs confirming them as cheap, high-quality and hygienic by the head of the Department of Internal Trade office in Phuket (DIT-Phuket). The shops were the first to receive the Blue Flag signs, handed out on Tuesday, as part of the ministry’s latest initiative to keep rising consumer prices in…
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Phuket: Lord of the flies
PHUKET: The Phuket Chamber of Commerce (PCC) has voiced its concern over the increasing number of flies found swarming across the island, which the chamber fears could affect the island’s tourism industry. PCC Deputy Secretary General Charan Sangsarn raised the issue at a meeting held at the Phuket office of the National Economics and Social Development Board. “We have received…
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Boxing title fight to raise funds for Phuket sea turtle research
PHUKET: A World Boxing Organization (WBO) title fight will take place at Nai Yang Beach next month to raise funds for sea turtle preservation projects in Phuket and other provinces along the Andaman coast.Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha, Government Spokesman Prompong Nopparit and other dignitaries announced the five-bout card that will take place in Sakoo on July 6.The two-hour event will…
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Tourist fights for life after near-drowning in Phuket
PHUKET: A foreign tourist who was swimming in an area marked by red warning flags was pulled from the water off Nai Harn Beach yesterday afternoon and rushed unconscious to Vachira Phuket Hospital. Jula Nontree, chief lifeguard for Kata, Karon, Nai Harn and Patong Beaches, told the Phuket Gazette that the incident occurred in front of the Phuket Yacht Club…
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Trailer overturns on Phuket Town bypass road
PHUKET: A tractor trailer overturned on the bypass road skirting Phuket Town late this afternoon, leaving the road surface covered in energy drink and creating a tailback. No injuries were reported.Rawin Hangnark, the 42-year-old driver of the cab and flatbed rig, told the Phuket Gazette he was travelling in the left southbound lane en route to Chalong with two other…
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