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. The Thaiger delivers the latest national news that matters.
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Sponsored How to reduce out-of-pocket medical expenses in Thailand?
Managing medical expenses in Thailand is important as healthcare costs continue to rise. The country’s healthcare system includes both public and private options, but even with the Universal Coverage Scheme (UCS) for citizens, many still face high out-of-pocket medical expenses....
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Lifeguard chief says budget cut will not impact service quality
PHUKET: The quality and number of lifeguards in Phuket will remain unaffected in the new contract despite a 10 percent cut in the budget, the president of the Phuket Lifeguard Club (PLC) told the Phuket Gazette today. Public concern about the budget cut for Phuket’s lifeguards has been voiced by both the local and international communities here, with the California-based…
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Another taxi driver kills another motorcyclist in Phuket
PHUKET: A motorcyclist was killed late last night in a head-on collision with a taxi in Cherng Talay. Lt Col Rassada Kluengwong of Cherng Talay Police received reports of the incident at about 1:50am. “We arrived to find the body of 43-year-old Sarayuth Duangjan lying face down on the asphalt in the middle of the road,” said Col Rassada. “Rescue…
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Police hunt for shooter of injured Burmese woman
PHUKET: A woman was shot during a ya bah (methamphetamine) ‘exchange’ at a Burmese workers’ camp yesterday morning. Capt Kraisorn Boonprasob of Thalang Police received reports of the incident from 41-year-old Mongkol Wongpradit, the caretaker of the camp located in Thalang. “Chan, a worker at the camp, told us that two Thai men on a white motorbike approached him and…
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Phuket officials request hotels, vendors to curb flow of wastewater
PHUKET: Cherng Talay officials have asked hotels and vendors to stop the discharge of wastewater onto Surin Beach. The request was issued after locals voiced concern on Sunday over stinking, trash-bearing wastewater flowing from a large sewage pipe near the beach. “We have had this problem for at least a year now, but now it has worsened terribly,” complains a…
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Man killed in bike crash at Bang Wad dam
PHUKET: A 37-year-old man was killed in a bike crash at Bang Wad dam near Phuket Provincial Waterworks Authority last night. Kathu Police officers and rescue workers arrived at the scene about 10:30pm to find the body of the victim, named Teerayut KittiKhun, lying on the road with his bike thrown to the side. “Rescue workers administered CPR [cardiopulmonary resuscitation],…
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Ministry of Farang Affairs: Burning in Thai Hell
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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Opinion: Need to practice responsible journalism
PHUKET: As a regional tourism and transport hub, Phuket has an important role to play in easing the hardship of the hundreds of thousands of people who have been affected by the worst flooding in the Thai south in decades. Our island is fortunate to have been spared the kind of severe flooding that has stricken much of the region…
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Routine bus inspection yields four drug, alcohol-related arrests
PHUKET: A routine inspection of a passenger bus resulted in four seemingly unrelated arrests at Tah Chat Chai checkpoint yesterday. A passenger, back-up driver and bus attendant were apprehended for possession of drugs, whereas the bus driver was arrested for drunk driving and driving with an expired licence. “The bus was headed from Nong Khai to Phuket. We stopped it…
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British couple say they were ‘raped and robbed’ in Phuket
PHUKET: A British couple have alleged that they were robbed and raped while visiting Phuket during the Christmas and New Year’s holidays. The couple, who were named by Belfast Live as Gerald Drumgoole and Michael Burnett, said they were attacked and robbed of 400 pounds and their iPhones after their drinks were spiked at a Phuket bar on New Year’s…
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Phuket prepares to celebrate Children’s Day 2017
PHUKET: Prepare for the hustle and bustle of a day full of entertainment and fun activities as Phuket celebrates Children’s Day tomorrow. The first Children’s Day in Thailand was held in 1956, and since then government leaders have annually branded the event with a slogan. Celebrated on the second Saturday of every year, the slogan created by Prime Minister Gen…
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Drunk foreigner hits parked car and runs off into the woods
PHUKET: A drunk foreigner ditched his car and ran off into the woods after he smashed into a parked vehicle in Kathu yesterday. Lance Corporal Prawattinun Fuengfoo of Kathu Police received reports from locals at Bang Thong Village, who claimed that they tried to chase down the intoxicated driver of a white Toyota Vios but could not catch him. “The…
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Construction company ‘warned’ for discharging wastewater
PHUKET: A building contractor, KMIT Construction, was let off with a warning for discharging murky brown rainwater onto Tri Trang Beach today. Patong Municipality officials went on site to investigate the source of the brown water flowing directly onto the beach, following complaints regarding the issue by concerned local residents who may have thought it was bio-contaminated. The locals told…
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Audits, vendor registration among proposed beach management rules
PHUKET: Following the Royal Thai Navy’s ruling declaring raised beds of sand at Patong Beach ‘illegal’, local officials emphasized beach management rules and mulled new measures at Phuket City Hall yesterday afternoon. The meeting was chaired by Phuket Vice Governor Sanit Sriwihok and other officials in attendance included Kathu District Chief Sayan Chanachaiwong, Patong Mayor Chalermluck Kebsub, police and army…
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Arrest warrants issued for university students in police scandal
BANGKOK: Dozens of medical and engineering university students now face arrest warrants for their alleged roles in cheating during police officer entrance exams last month at the Metropolitan Police Bureau (MPB). Criminal arrest warrants were issued today for about 51 university students and a Bangkok city regulation enforcement officer, after MPB Training Centre Chief Colonel Uthen Nuiphin filed cheating complaints…
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Bang Ku Underpass to open temporarily during Royal visits
PHUKET: One northbound lane of the Bang Ku Underpass will be open from January 14-20 to ease the flow of traffic during two upcoming Royal visits next week. “We have received a request from traffic police to temporarily open the lane, as Her Royal Highness Princess Ubolratana will visit the island on January 16 and Her Royal Highness Princess Maha…
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Phuket’s serial top-up machine thieves caught red-handed
PHUKET: Two cellphone top-up machine thieves were charged in Thalang yesterday after they confessed to committing the act at least six times in order to obtain money to buy the locally illicit drug krathom. A 22-year-old suspect named by police as Attaphol Panyasak, accompanied by a minor, were seen stealing the machines on CCTV. “We had received reports over the…
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Leaky Phuket domestic terminal pictures go viral
PHUKET: Pictures of plastic buckets put in place to collect water leaking from the roof of Phuket International Airport were posted on social media yesterday. A Facebook page titled Siang Prachachon Khon Phuket (The Voice of Phuket Citizens) shared a post with the caption: “This is the condition of the walkway at Phuket International Airport. There are holes in the…
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Chinese national dead in Phuket after motorbike crash
PHUKET: One man died while another was injured following a motorbike crash in Karon early this morning. Two Chinese nationals, named Yang Dong, 36, and Hengquan Zhang, 22, were found lying on the ground in pools of blood at the Karon beachfront near the ‘Beyond Resort’ hotel at about 2am. “By the time the ambulance arrived, Mr Dong had already…
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Cardiac arrest victim prompts emergency landing at Phuket International Airport
PHUKET: A Malaysian man was pronounced dead, after an emergency landing of his Malaysia-bound flight at Phuket International Airport last night. The Turkish Airlines flight was on its way to Kuala Lumpur from Turkey, but the 60-year-old passenger’s troubled breathing prompted aircraft staff to seek medical attention for him in Phuket. “He was rushed straight to Thalang Hospital, where he…
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Koh Racha receives new buoys, artificial coral
PHUKET: Fifteen new buoys and sets of artificial coral were installed at Koh Racha yesterday, following the allocation and approval of a 300,000 baht budget for environmental preservation by the Marine and Coastal Resources Conservation Department (DMCR). In recent weeks, Koh Racha has seen a spate of environmental issues, including coral damage (story here), fish feeding and coral theft by…
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Police hunt for foreign woman caught stealing on CCTV
PHUKET: Police are hunting for a foreigner who stole merchandise from a souvenir shop in Patong last week. CCTV footage of the incident was shared on social media by Facebook user Wiyada Wittayatantithem on Sunday, with a caption that read: “Please beware of this foreign woman. She stole things from a store in Patong and then signaled to a foreign…
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Fisherman dies after boat capsizes in rough seas
PHUKET: The corpse of a local fisherman was found near the Koh Sirey Bridge yesterday evening. Locals gathered around the pier as the body of Wirot Thongrueng, 56, was brought to shore. “His capsized boat was found near a mangrove forest in the area, while his body was found near the bridge. His lungs were filled with water, so we…
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Two Italians charged for disrespecting Thai flag
KRABI: Two Italian tourists were arrested on Sunday after CCTV footage showing them disrespecting the Thai flag and damaging public property in Krabi emerged on social media the day before. The video shows the men – named Ian Gerstgrasser and Tobias Gamper – pulling down the flags and dragging them on the ground. The footage has been shared thousands of…
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Thalang locals ask for help following spree of burglaries
PHUKET: Thalang locals are urging police to investigate a spate of robberies that reportedly took place on several occasions last month in their area. The inhabitants of Moon Baan Phanason Park Ville 3 in Srisoonthorn yesterday appealed to officials to attend to the matter, claiming that cash from over ten houses had already been stolen and asked why the burglars…
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Siriraj to boost breast cancer patient survival
BANGKOK: Siriraj Hospital aims to greatly boost the chances of survival for breast cancer patients within the next five years, one of its senior medical experts said yesterday. Dr Prasit Watanapa, dean and director of Mahidol University’s Siriraj Medical School, said the faculty aimed to ‘defeat’ breast cancer completely for first stage cancer patients with a 100-per-cent survival rate. “For…
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Phuket serial thief finally apprehended
PHUKET: A serial thief who broke into nearly two dozen vehicles during the New Year’s holidays was apprehended on Saturday. Phuket Provincial Police Commander Teeraphol Thipjaroen, along with his team, spoke at a press conference at Phuket Provincial Police Station yesterday regarding the arrest of the suspect, Ging Phonsae. “In two months, Mr Ging broke into cars in Phuket Town,…
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Tourist injured in old school bar fight at Bangla Road
PHUKET: An Indian tourist was injured after a friendly banter with bouncers turned into an argument on Bangla Road on Saturday night. The tourist, named by police as Rauka Ayush, was punched in the face at least three times and was taken to Patong Hospital before police arrived at the scene. “We called the bouncers, Sarawut Samroengkit, 23, and Wanchalerm…
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Four rescued after boat sinks in stormy weather
PHUKET: Four people were safely rescued after their boat sank due to strong waves at Koh Racha Noi yesterday morning. The Thailand Maritime Enforcement Coordinating Center Area 3 (Thai-MECC 3) received reports of the incident about 10:30am yesterday. “A fishing boat named Thepsiri, whose owner was named as Sirisak Seethep, left the shore last week with four crew members on…
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Ministry of Farang Affairs: New Year’s Resolutions
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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Unidentified Thai man found hanging in Pa Klok
PHUKET: An unidentified Thai man was found hanging in a house in Pa Klok this morning. Lt Sunan Petnhu of the Thalang Police received the report about 9.20am. “When we arrived we saw the body of the 25 to 30-year-old man hanging by rope on the first floor of the two-storey house. He was about 165cm to 170cm tall, wearing…
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