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.
-
Sponsored Top 10 reasons for expats to get a comprehensive health insurance in Thailand
Moving to Thailand offers a prospect full of excitement and adventure, but in the same vein, if any injuries were to occur (and god forbid it does), the local healthcare system can be confusing at first glance for many expats...
-
Essence of life endangered in Phuket
PHUKET: It is sad, but not surprising, that it took a recent public intervention to finally stop a well-known local Phuket businessman from backfilling an important water storage reservoir on the island. Given our nation’s growing reputation internationally as a hotspot for protests, it is difficult to fathom why so few demonstrations on the island are ever fomented by the…
-
Rescuer recovering from fumes that killed Phuket sewer workers last week
PHUKET: The rescue worker who passed out while attempting to save four workers who died in a Phuket Town sewer on March 26 is recovering in the hospital and will be discharged in a week. Jessada Janpen, 25, was one of the first to arrive on the scene, and immediately descended into the sewer to rescue the maintenance workers. Although…
-
Video Report: Phuket crepe maker meets the stranger who saved him from sharks
PHUKET: It was an emotional meeting last week between the man who lost his only source of livelihood – a sidecar outfitted to make crepes – and the New Zealand woman who gave him the money he needed to avoid borrowing cash from loan sharks to buy a new one. Crepe vendor Prayoon Impuang, whose sidecar was consumed by flames…
-
Foreigners in Phuket: Dive shop blitz clarifies instructors’ work descriptions
PHUKET: Foreign dive instructors’ job descriptions were clarified during an inspection led by Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut in Patong today, as the Public-sector Anti Corruption Commission (PACC) investigates allegations that police were extorting money from them due to ambiguities in work permits (story here). “We only came to check work permits and clarify the information within them to the employees.…
-
Another Phuket workplace fatality: Shrimp farm worker found dead in boat
PHUKET: A Myanmar national was found dead this afternoon at the Sri Soonthorn shrimp farm where he worked, marking the fifth work-related death within two weeks in Phuket. The body of Nyi Paing, 25, was found on a boat in one of the farm’s ponds by a co-worker after he did not return from his morning work routine, Lt Col…
-
Phuket Gazette sets record with 108-page issue
PHUKET: The Phuket Gazette hit the newsstands with a resounding thump today with a record-breaking 108 pages. This week’s issue of the island’s leading English-language newspaper is packed with content, boasting the 32-page China Daily Asia Weekly, a world-class publication built in Hong Kong; the 16-page Russia Beyond The Headlines (RBTH), published by the renowned Moscow-based Rossiskaya Gazetta; and an…
-
Tomorrow at Surakul Stadium: Phuket FC VS Bangkok FC
Brave the rain and come join the thousands who will make it out to Surakul Stadium in Phuket Town tomorrow to cheer on your local professional football team, Phuket FC. The number five Phuket FC Ronins will host number three Bangkok FC with kick-off at 6:30. Tickets are 100 baht. Bring enthusiasm and an umbrella!
-
Phuket lifeguard president threatens to cut number of guards
PHUKET: The president of the island’s lifeguard club is threatening to slash the number of guards on Phuket beaches by 20 per cent, despite a 10 per cent increase in government funding. “We have yet to decide whether we will agree to the 22mn baht contract,” Phuket Lifeguard Club President Prathaiyut Chuayuan told the Phuket Gazette. “If we renew the…
-
Teenagers arrested for Phuket gang execution
PHUKET: Police have arrested nine gang members, including six juveniles, for the murder of a rival teenager who was gunned down and hacked to death in Rassada early yesterday morning. Lt Col Somsak Thongkliang of the Phuket City Police named the adult suspects as Kiat Phanthong, 21; Panumas Ladnalao, 19; and Warawoth Malsu, 18. “We are still searching for Saksit…
-
Phuket Gazette World News: Ukraine accuses ex-president over sniper deaths
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Ukraine accuses ex-president over sniper deaths Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Ukraine’s prime minister on Thursday blamed ousted President Viktor Yanukovich for the deaths of dozens of anti-government protesters shot by police snipers and urged Russia to hand him over to face charges. Arseny Yatseniuk made…
-
Phuket Gazette World News: U.S. Army names Fort Hood shooter, says had mental illness
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community U.S. Army names Fort Hood shooter, says had mental illness Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The soldier suspected of shooting dead three people before killing himself at the Fort Hood Army base in Texas was identified as Ivan Lopez, a man battling mental illness when he…
-
Phuket Gazette Thailand News: WWII bombs found; Red shirts in Bangkok; PDRC warrants revoked
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Authorities warn of more buried WWII bombs The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Live World War II aerial bombs have been excavated at various construction sites, prompting authorities to warn against any attempts to tinker with strange metal objects. One was found during construction of the…
-
Krabi resort closes doors, police seeking arrest warrant
PHUKET: Police are seeking an arrest warrant for the managing director of a Krabi resort that recently turned away 50 guests with prepaid bookings (story here). “An arrest warrant for Managing Director Prateep Kaewnont is imminent,” said Krabi Police Superintendent Phrutthipong Nutchanart said. Nitikorn Pissawong, one of two employees assigned by the owner to look after the Phuphranang Resort, explained…
-
Phuket cigarette vendor to receive new leg
PHUKET: The Prostheses Foundation of HRH The Princess Mother has approved a new prosthetic leg for Wilaiwan “Wan” Damnui, a Phuket cigarette vendor born with a deformed leg and no hands. “I was notified by the Prostheses Foundation of HRH The Princess Mother that Ms Wan would indeed receive a new, free prosthesis,” confirmed Pornsri Suthanaruk, Director of the Regional…
-
US embassy consular outreach clinic coming to Phuket
PHUKET: The Consular Section of the American Embassy in Bangkok will hold an Outreach Visit at Le Meridien Hotel in Karon on April 30. Consular staff will be available from 8am to midday to provide the following services: • Passport renewal applications (US$110 or 3,410 baht for adult passports, US$105 or 3,255 baht for a minor’s passport). • Notarial Services…
-
Phuket motorcyclist struck and killed picking up his bike after spill
PHUKET: A 19-year-old fell off his motorbike near Phuket International Airport early this morning and was hit by a car and killed while he was trying to right his bike. Rescuers responded to the call just after midnight and found the body of Atthaphon Prasobsaeng on Route 4026, which joins Thepkrasattri Road to the road to the airport. “The accident…
-
Phuket Gazette World News: U.S. calls for end to humanitarian curbs in Myanmar’s Rakhine
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community U.S. calls for end to humanitarian curbs in Myanmar’s Rakhine Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The United States called on Myanmar on Wednesday to lift travel restrictions on U.N. and other humanitarian staff to allow them to resume work in the country’s Rakhine State, which has…
-
Phuket Gazette World News: Chile assesses damage after massive quake, tsunami
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Chile assesses damage after massive quake, tsunami Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Chilean authorities on Wednesday were assessing the damage from a massive earthquake that struck off the northern coast, causing a small tsunami, but the impact was mostly limited, according to early indications. Thousands of…
-
Phuket Gazette World News: Search for missing Malaysian jet drags on, as probe narrows to crew
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Search for missing Malaysian jet drags on, as probe narrows to crew Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Malaysian police have ruled out involvement of any passengers in the disappearance of a missing jetliner, while Australian officials warned bad weather and a lack of reliable information were…
-
Phuket Gazette Thailand News: WWII bomb kills seven; Court votes for Yingluck trial; CAPO eyes war rooms for Saturday Bangkok rallies
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community WWII bomb kills seven The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: an explosion ripped through a scrapyard in Bangkok’s Bang Khen district yesterday, killing seven victims and injuring 20 others, after workers unknowingly cut open an aerial bomb from World War II. “Such a bomb usually weighs…
-
Video Report: Phuket beach chair mogul pushes solutions to beach space battle
PHUKET: The Nai Harn Beach Chair Club president took to the sand on Saturday in an attempt to dissolve lingering tension between lounge chair operators and a group of expats after a conflict erupted on March 15 over shared beach space. Two weeks ago, during the “Clean the Beach Boot Camp” at Nai Harn Beach, a battle over space flared…
-
Chalong top cop out after Phuket divers’ extortion charges
PHUKET: Graft charges levied against Chalong Police officers by the dive community have resulted in the transfer of the Superintendent of the Chalong Police Station to Thalang. “I moved Col Krittapas Dazintharasorn out of Chalong partly because of the extortion charges (story here), but also because he has been there a long time and developed close relationships with his men,…
-
Phuket top cop confident body found is of missing Russian
PHUKET: Provincial Police Commander Ong-art Phiewruangnont today said he is “80 per cent sure” that the decomposed body found on Saturday (story here) is that of missing Russian Alexey Slabinskiy. The skull had been separated from the body and was no longer identifiable, and police are seeking to identify the remains with DNA tests and through dental records. “We are…
-
Thalang thrash Laguna in Phuket’s JLL League cricket
PHUKET: In the much anticipated JLL League match on March 30, the Thalang Cricket Team defeated Laguna by 90 runs and now have an insurmountable lead in the Jones Lang LaSalle League points championship. Laguna, last year’s champions, haven’t been beaten in a JLL league match in the past two seasons but had no answers to Thalang in this match.…
-
Phuket Poll: How good is Phuket Airport?
PHUKET: First impressions are critical in how people remember their holidays, and officials at Phuket International Airport are hoping that 12 million travellers judge their facility favorably this year. The sole runway and the main terminal cater to about 210 flights and 32,000 passengers per day. The main terminal can support up to 2,400 passengers per hour, but rush periods…
-
No charges yet in Krabi boat collision case
PHUKET: Police have yet to charge anyone involved in the speedboat crash that occurred off the coast of Krabi in February, as they have not been able to determine fault, confirmed Sophon Kongthong of the Krabi City Police. Six people were injured, two of whom were hospitalized, after the Chainartnumchork 8 and the The Pimmasa 5 collided near the popular…
-
Package tour purchasers beware, says TAT
PHUKET: Fifty tourists recently found themselves abandoned by a resort, without rooms to check in to, after buying low-price tour packages, prompting the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Krabi to issue a warning to tour buyers. “Several tourists booked and paid for Krabi tour packages at a travel fair in Bangkok, and even received booking confirmations. But when they arrived…
-
Phuket Gazette World News: NATO suspends cooperation with Russia over Ukraine crisis
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community NATO suspends cooperation with Russia over Ukraine crisis Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: NATO suspended all practical cooperation with Russia on Tuesday in protest at its annexation of Crimea and ordered military planners to draft measures to strengthen its defences and reassure nervous eastern European countries.…
-
Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Gunfire slays protester; Min Buri bomber identified; Military urges Songkran talks; PM calls witnesses in graft probe
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Gun attack targets anti-govt protesters The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: One protester was killed and four others injured yesterday when gunmen fired in broad daylight at their convoy while travelling on an expressway in Nonthaburi province, in a further inflammation of the political conflict. The…
-
Officers to inspect all Phuket dive shops, instructors as part of police extortion probe
PHUKET: Extortion charges against the Chalong Police have led to a proposed inspection of every dive company and working instructor in Phuket. Groups led by Phuket Employment Office staff will check the work permits of all 190 dive instructors working at the 114 dive companies on the island, Governor Maitri Inthusut said today. The immigration documents of customers will also…
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.