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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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  • Text messages may offer clues in fatal fall of Finnish tourist

    Text messages may offer clues in fatal fall of Finnish tourist

    PHUKET: Police investigating the death of a 19-year-old Finnish woman, who fell from the rooftop of a Patong guesthouse last month, have so far ruled out foul play in her death. However, they are hoping that her final text messages will reveal clues about her state of mind that night. Ida Maria Bexar fell from the rooftop of the Good…

  • Loose flip-flop causes flip out near monument

    Loose flip-flop causes flip out near monument

    PHUKET: A barefoot truck driver who flipped his vehicle near Heroines’ Monument last night said he lost control because his loose shoe got in the way when he tried to hit the brakes. “Subin Kulmuangdoan, 31, was driving back after delivering mushrooms in Patong at about 11:50pm,” reported Capt Santichai Srimai of the Thalang Police. “As he approached the monument,…

  • Quake kills 272 along devastated Ecuador coast | Thaiger

    Quake kills 272 along devastated Ecuador coast

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Quake kills 272 along devastated Ecuador coast Phuket Gazette / Reuters Ecuador: The death toll from Ecuador’s biggest earthquake in decades soared to 272 on Sunday as survivors cobbled together makeshift coffins to bury loved ones, lined up for water and sought shelter beside the rubble…

  • Myanmar president frees 83 political prisoners | Thaiger

    Myanmar president frees 83 political prisoners

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Myanmar president frees 83 political prisoners Phuket Gazette / Reuters YANGON: Myanmar’s new president has pardoned 83 prisoners held for political crimes, officials said Sunday, just weeks after the first government in half a century not connected to the military took office. The order, signed by…

  • Rip currents wreak havoc at Nai Harn, one swimmer in ICU

    Rip currents wreak havoc at Nai Harn, one swimmer in ICU

    PHUKET: A woman is on life support after being pulled unconscious from the waves of Nai Harn yesterday afternoon. Vachira Phuket Hospital staff declined to name the woman, who is thought to be in her 20s. “She was swimming in a red-flag zone with a group of about six other people. In total, there were about 20 Thai people in…

  • Algae to blame for murky water in Patong Bay

    Algae to blame for murky water in Patong Bay

    PHUKET: The cloudy green-colored surf off Patong Beach is a normal occurrence caused by an annual algae bloom, not pollution, officials confirmed today. Vice Governor Kajornkiet Rakpanitmanee made the reassurances today after members of the public became concerned that untreated wastewater was to blame for the usually clear water in Patong Bay turning a muddy green-brown color in recent weeks.…

  • Power pole collision kills rider in Cherng Talay

    Power pole collision kills rider in Cherng Talay

    PHUKET: A motorcyclist was killed in a high-speed collision with a roadside power pole in Cherng Talay this morning. Two people were on the motorcycle when it hit the pole along the road from Layan Beach to Ban Don. The other rider, who was wearing a crash helmet, survived, but suffered severe injuries. “The accident occurred at about 6:45am. Boontan…

  • Phuket Instagram enthusiasts to join Worldwide InstaMeet

    Phuket Instagram enthusiasts to join Worldwide InstaMeet

    PHUKET: Phuket Instagrammers can celebrate Earth Day with other photography enthusiasts at the Phuket meet-up of the Worldwide InstaMeet 13 on Saturday, April 23. Going by the official hashtag #LifeOnEarthWWIM13, this year’s meeting aims to inspire Instagrammers to discover the beauty and wonder of our planet, in celebration of Earth Day (story here). An ‘InstaMeet’, or meeting of Instagram enthusiasts,…

  • Rotting whale carcass could still reveal clues

    Rotting whale carcass could still reveal clues

    PHUKET: Marine biologists are hoping that the rotting carcass of a five-tonne whale, found washed up yesterday on Lampi Beach, Phang Nga, will reveal clues about how it died. Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) staff had been looking for the dead cetacean, ever since it was spotted floating off Koh Bon in the Similan National Park by a tourist on…

  • Patong Girl wins Grimme Award

    Patong Girl wins Grimme Award

    PHUKET: The Grimme Institute in Germany awarded its prestigious Grimme Prize to the lead Thai actress in the movie Patong Girl for her stellar performance in the trilingual film set in Phuket. Aisawanya Areyawattana flew to Marl, Germany to join other cast members on April 8 for the award ceremony, which was broadcast on German television. The Thai-German co-production is…

  • Korean airline pilot dies after pre-flight check

    Korean airline pilot dies after pre-flight check

    PHUKET: The assistant captain of an Eastar Jet aircraft died shortly after complaining of breathing difficulties while preparing for departure from Phuket today. “South Korean pilot Hyunsoo Lim, 41, died in the emergency room at Thalang Hospital at about 8:20am,” said Lt Suporn Muangkai of the Thalang Police. “His co-workers told us that they were conducting pre-flight checks at about…

  • Milo the orangutan on the mend [video] | Thaiger

    Milo the orangutan on the mend [video]

    PHUKET: Milo, an orangutan recently confiscated from Phuket Zoo and moved to the Phang Nga Wildlife Nursery Station, is on the mend from a debilitating blood disorder. “Her legs became weak, she could not walk and did not want to eat,” explained Songkrit Jearanasin, a vet at the station. “After analyzing her blood, we confirmed that she had vasculitis.” Vasculitis,…

  • Protesters clash with police in Paris | Thaiger

    Protesters clash with police in Paris

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Protesters clash with police in Paris Phuket Gazette / Reuters PARIS: Protesters attacked shop windows and cash dispensers in the east of Paris on Thursday, a Paris police spokeswoman said. “There are 300 people currently causing very important damage,” the spokeswoman said, adding that a police…

  • Swede dies in big bike crash, first death in Phuket road-safety campaign

    Swede dies in big bike crash, first death in Phuket road-safety campaign

    PHUKET: A Swedish man died in a motorcycle accident on his way across Thepkrasattri Bridge in Phuket yesterday evening. The death of Johnny Daniel Soederstroem, 41, marks the first death of the ‘Seven Days of Danger’ road-safety campaign in Phuket, which coincides with Phuket Bike Week. “He was riding a Honda CB650F, which crashed into the concrete railings along the…

  • Local fishermen dish out ‘fishy’ details

    Local fishermen dish out ‘fishy’ details

    PHUKET: Anchovies may be small fry, but they are big business for some fishermen operating out of Phuket’s main fishing port. Known locally as ‘pla ching chang’, anchovies have been a steady source of income for the last 40 years for fishing boat owner Kumnueng Dumead. However, business is not always plain sailing, especially during the rainy season. “During the…

  • Neighbors break down door to stop condo fire

    Neighbors break down door to stop condo fire

    PHUKET: Neighbors at a condominium in Phuket Town helped put out a fire, before firefighters arrived to finish the job last night. The fire broke out in one of the units on the tenth floor of Supalai Park condominium on Nakorn Road at about 10:30pm, confirmed Lt Chatree Vetrangsi of the Phuket City Police. The owner of the unit was…

  • Governor concerned about failure to arrest Phuket speed demons

    Governor concerned about failure to arrest Phuket speed demons

    PHUKET: With zero arrests made in Phuket for speeding violations by day three of the ‘Seven Days of Danger’ road-safety campaign, the Phuket Governor has demanded that officers step up their attempts to catch speed demons in the act. “Zero arrests for speeding is good, if that means nobody is speeding. However, I am not confident that this is the…

  • Battling the HIV/AIDS stigma

    Battling the HIV/AIDS stigma

    PHUKET: Eighteen year old ‘Nok’ is a normal, healthy-looking school girl struggling to cope with a dark past brought about by the shame and stigma of being diagnosed HIV positive. She found out she had contracted the disease when she became pregnant at 15 years old. “I was scared and confused. I asked my parents for help and they made…

  • A Decade Ago: Songkran, road-safety and dive regulations

    A Decade Ago: Songkran, road-safety and dive regulations

    PHUKET: Despite having significantly fewer people, fewer cars, fewer motorbikes and fewer tour buses on the island ten years ago, the Songkran ‘Days of Danger’ safety goals were much more reasonable. As has become the trend over the last few years, Phuket is joining the nation in a ‘Seven Days of Danger’ campaign this year with the unrealistic provincial goal…

  • Opinion: Legalizing Phuket’s illegal laborers

    Opinion: Legalizing Phuket’s illegal laborers

    Kriengkrai Arpabuthsayapan is the head of the Phuket Provincial Office of Labor Protection and Welfare, a position he has held since May 2015. From Surin Province, Mr Kriengkrai has worked in the field for more than 15 years, serving in many provinces during his career. He graduated with a Master’s Degree in Labor and Welfare Development from Thammasat University. Here…

  • Earthquake hits Myanmar, no immediate reports of major damage | Thaiger

    Earthquake hits Myanmar, no immediate reports of major damage

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Earthquake hits Myanmar, no immediate reports of major damage Phuket Gazette / Reuters YANGON: An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.9 struck northwestern Myanmar on Wednesday, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said, sending strong tremors through Myanmar, eastern India, Bangladesh and parts of Nepal. There were…

  • Facebook’s next frontier: chatbots, live video | Thaiger

    Facebook’s next frontier: chatbots, live video

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Facebook’s next frontier: chatbots, live video Phuket Gazette / Reuters SAN FRANCISCO: Facebook Inc said yesterday that it has opened up its Messenger app to developers to create “chatbots,” hoping that by simulating one-on-one conversations between users and companies it will expand its reach in customer…

  • Island View: Plea to Phuket bikers

    Island View: Plea to Phuket bikers

    PHUKET: I don’t tend to be a conspiracy theorist. However, it is evident that motorbike drivers in Phuket have some sort of LINE or Facebook group in which they plot how to subtly commit suicide and irritate those of us with cars. The only other explanation is the hundredth monkey effect, which is described on Wikipedia as “a purported phenomenon…

  • Finance: What is a contrarian investor to do these days?

    Finance: What is a contrarian investor to do these days?

    PHUKET: If you read my columns regularly, you know that I like to try to approach investing from a contrarian viewpoint. This basically means going against the crowd and the current trend, or essentially buying things when they are beaten and battered down and selling when everyone else loves them and thinks the run will last forever. So what does…

  • Opinion: Skewing statistics – the positive and negative

    Opinion: Skewing statistics – the positive and negative

    PHUKET: The recent revelation that Phuket has the highest reported incidence of human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/Aids) cases in Thailand should be a cause for concern and increased personal awareness, but not panic. As pointed out by the local Provincial Health Office, Thailand’s province-based statistical reporting of national trends in the global HIV/Aids pandemic has been…

  • “One Last Party’ before iconic Phuket beach clubs get demolished

    “One Last Party’ before iconic Phuket beach clubs get demolished

    PHUKET: With the demolition of two of Phuket’s most iconic beach clubs on Surin Beach imminent, it’s time to pull out your sexy white clothes for Twinpalms Group’s ‘One Last Time’ beach party at 8pm on Saturday. “It will be our last chance to say thank you to those who have enjoyed, over the years, the utopia that rose along…

  • Two French women injured in Phuket taxi crash

    Two French women injured in Phuket taxi crash

    PHUKET: Six people, including two French tourists, were injured after a car slammed into a Phuket taxi yesterday evening. “Witnesses explained that the northbound Honda City flipped over as it hit the median, slamming into the green plated Toyota Altis in front of the PTT petrol station in Baan Muangmai on Thepkrasattri Road,” said Capt Santichai Srimai of the Thalang…

  • 48 vehicles seized by day two of Phuket road-safety campaign

    48 vehicles seized by day two of Phuket road-safety campaign

    PHUKET: A total of 48 vehicles were seized during the first two days of the ‘Seven Days of Danger’ safety-road campaign in Phuket, as officers fight to keep the death toll on some of the most dangerous roads in the world at zero. In the first two days of the national campaign, there were 15 accidents and 18 injuries in…

  • Officers hunt for dead whale in Similan National Park

    Officers hunt for dead whale in Similan National Park

    PHUKET: National park officers are searching for a large whale carcass spotted off Koh Bon in the Similan National Park on Saturday. “We have received pictures of the whale, which was reportedly already sunburned and foul-smelling. However, we’ve yet to locate the animal,” said Nut Kongkasorn, chief of Mu Ko Similan National Park. National park officers are hoping to recover…

  • Andaman tour guides rally against illegal foreign workers

    Andaman tour guides rally against illegal foreign workers

    PHUKET: About a hundred Thai tour guides from the Andaman Guide Association gathered at Phuket Provincial Hall on Monday to protest against foreigners ‘stealing their jobs’. The group, led by Andaman Guide Association head Krich Thepbamrung, submitted a letter outlining their demands to Phuket Vice Governor Prajiad Aksornthammakul. “We urge the government to preserve these jobs, which are strictly reserved…