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 Long-term life in Thailand? 5 reasons private health insurance pays off in the long run
Thailand is a great place for expats and retirees, offering a warm climate, affordable living, and rich culture. However, healthcare can be tricky for foreigners since they aren’t eligible for public health coverage, and private care can be expensive. Private...
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Police ignore NHRC summons over Koh Tao rape-murder case
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Police ignore NHRC summons over Koh Tao rape-murder case The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Police officers failed to show up before the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) yesterday to answer questions related to the alleged torture of two Myanmar suspects, who are charged with murdering…
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PM wary of ‘mirror council’ checking reforms
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PM wary of ‘mirror council’ checking reforms The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha yesterday warned the newly-established Thailand Reform Institute (TRI) against staging political activities that might be deemed illegal and give rise to more national conflict. Announcing the establishment of the…
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Last international forces airlifted from key base in Afghan south
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Last international forces airlifted from key base in Afghan south Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A fleet of planes and helicopters airlifted the last U.S. and British forces from a key base in southern Afghanistan on Monday, a day after the international coalition closed the massive…
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Phuket urged not to panic over terrorist watch in Southern Thailand
PHUKET: A security official has urged the public not to panic after it was announced that Phuket police were on high alert due to an international terrorist who might be trying to enter Southern Thailand. “I received an alert last night from officials who are hunting Indian national Jagtar Singh Hawara, and forwarded it to officers at my base,” Deputy…
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Bag it up, Phuket
PHUKET: This island seems willing to bag, and double bag, almost anything – except what’s most important. The speed with which a single bottle of cola is dropped into a completely unnecessary plastic bag is astonishing. Simply asking a customer if they need a bag would show a much needed, and improved, awareness of the amount of packaging products we…
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Hardwood only: sex toy found lodged in sacred cave
PHUKET: Krabi officials removed a large, pink faded sex toy from a sacred cave this morning, after it was found mixed with traditional carved wooden phalluses. The offending item, discovered in Phra Nang Cave, started local tongues wagging when a photo of it residing in the cave appeared on a foreign website. “We believe it was left there by a…
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Bad news in Phuket
PHUKET: There’s been a lot of death in Phuket lately. It seems that stories about death and violence have been pouring in on a regular basis over the past several weeks. There was the drug-crazed maniac who chopped up his friend with a meat cleaver and tried to do the same to his girlfriend, and himself. Then, there was the…
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Planning for the future in Phuket – even if it’s morbid
Larry Amsden, 76, is a charter member of the Rotary Club of Patong Beach, which was started in 2000 and chartered in 2001. He has been a witness to the tragedies and joys that have developed on the island over the past 19 years. Here, he talks about the importance of a last will and testament for all adult expats…
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A Phuket Fable: The bowed tree and the bow saw
PHUKET: In my little piece of jungle there was a tree that had grown so verdant it had bent double with the weight of its leaves and mass of branches, so that its top-most twigs had tangled with the grass around its base. The tree’s lopsided state was also the result of a taller tree spreading its branches above and…
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American attacked, found lying on Phuket beach
PHUKET: Police are working on solving the mystery surrounding an American who was attacked and left bleeding on a Phuket beach on Saturday morning. Joggers on Karon Beach found Jonathan Mark Lemley, 28, unconscious on the sand with head injuries. “Mr Lemley was dressed in sportswear,” Phuket Provincial Police Commander Patchara Boonyasit told the Phuket Gazette. “He was taken to…
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Sumatra earthquake no cause for Phuket alarm, say experts
PHUKET: An earthquake off northern Sumatra this morning measuring 5.3 in magnitude poses no threat of a tsunami in Phuket, Group Captain Somsak Khaosuwan, director of the National Disaster Warning Center, has confirmed. “There is no need for people in Phuket to panic. The earthquake in Indonesia at 7:02am will not result in a tsunami here,” he told the Phuket…
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Frenchmen, Nigerian snared in Phuket B1mn cocaine, marijuana busts
PHUKET: Police netted three foreign and three Thai drug suspects, and seized more than 1 million baht of cocaine and marijuana in two separate busts in Phuket over the weekend. Officers made the first arrests on Saturday when they were called to a residence in Sabai Village in Kathu after neighbors reported sounds of a fight. “At 1:40am, police arrived…
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Makeup artist found dead in bed
PHUKET: A man was found dead at his rented apartment with dried blood around his mouth on Friday morning, but police said there were no signs of a struggle. “Thinnakorn Hormsai, 35, from Sakon Nakhon, was found dead lying in bed at his apartment on Narison Road in Phuket Town with blood stains around his mouth,” said Lt Col Kritsana…
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No signs of Ebola in dead Briton in Phuket
PHUKET: Laboratory tests on the body of British national Martin Clark, 68, who was found dead in his Phuket condo last Thursday after returning from Nigeria, showed no signs of the deadly Ebola disease. Dr Thiravat Hemachudha, director of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Research and Training on Viral Zoonoses, said yesterday that separate tissue tests by German and Chinese…
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Phuket precautions taken, but Brit visited “Ebola-free’ Nigeria
PHUKET: As a precaution, Phuket Provincial Public Health Office (PPHO) officials are watching 25 people who were involved in inspecting and moving the body of a British national that medical experts are testing for the Ebola virus (story here). “They all have to pay special attention to their health and have to report to the PPHO once a week, at…
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Special Report: Phi Phi cries for help
SPECIAL REPORT PHUKET: Officials are pleading for help in tackling the array of environmental disasters that plague the tourist-popular Phi Phi archipelago – especially its largest island, Phi Phi Don. Considering the more than 1,000 visitors that arrive on the island daily – a number that does not include the uncounted number of tourists who arrive directly on the beaches…
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Building and managing your portfolio
PHUKET: In prior articles, planning for and managing retirement was discussed. The key is getting to the end goal, which is to have a worry-free retirement. Once retirees have gone through the steps, all that’s left is to build and manage their portfolios. Portfolio management is perhaps the most critical aspect to any retirement. With the help of a trusted…
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Phuket Opinion: Tourism meets toilet humor
PHUKET: Efforts by the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) to clean up corruption in Phuket have had some dramatic results, steering the island toward sustainability – at least for the time being. Unfortunately, some smaller destinations, including the Phi Phi Island chain, continue to suffer from unregulated development and mass tourism on a scale that has led to…
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Phuket medical experts work to rule out Ebola in death of Brit
PHUKET: A Disease Prevention team from the Phuket Provincial Public Health Office (PPHO) is working to rule out Ebola as the cause of death for a British expat recently returned from Nigeria. Martin John Roberts Clark, 68, returned to Phuket on October 7. He was found dead in his condo on Thursday afternoon. “Our team was there yesterday to collect…
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Phuket speedboat crash victim to undergo spinal cord surgery
PHUKET: A Tunisian national will undergo surgery in Phuket for severe injuries sustained to his spinal cord during the horrific speedboat crash that killed two Korean tourists last weekend (story here). Ali Bouzgarrou, 67, who had been in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) Hospital, was moved to Bangkok Hospital Phuket yesterday for the surgery.…
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Triple Tribute: Beyonce, Michael Jackson and Rihanna clones coming to Phuket
PHUKET: Triple Tribute, direct from London, will arrive on the fair shores of Phuket to pay homage to the infectious music of Beyonce, Michael Jackson and Rihanna at Laguna on November 15. Triple Tribute is a musical bonanza of powerful vocals, explosive dance routines and stunning costumes, which will accompany the artists’ top hits, anthems and ballads. “Sasha Fierce” named…
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Frenchman, 70, fights off armed robbers in Phuket
PHUKET: A 70-year-old French national fought off a pair of teens attempting to rob his female companion at knife-point in Phuket last night. David Estermann and his friend, Aurelie Allain-Lebreton, were driving along Soi Suksan 2, a poorly lit road in Rawai, when they were forced to a stop by the two teens. “They stopped their bike in front of…
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Heavyweight bike brands gearing up for Phuket market
PHUKET: Despite a fall this year in Thailand’s overall sales of motorcycles and automotive parts, big-bike sales are continuing to thrive. In Phuket, a relatively new destination for bikes over 500cc, brands like Ducati and Triumph are pushing the companies’ marketing strategies to make their famed machines accessible to everyone. “Ducati’s market strategy is to move toward developing models that…
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Phuket honors HM King Chulalongkorn
PHUKET: The life and achievements of HM King Chulalongkorn were commemorated in a ceremony at Phuket Provincial Hall yesterday. Govenor Nisit Jansomwong led an assembly of officials in adorning the “Chulalongkorn the Great” monument with flowers. After the ceremony and speeches, Governor Nisit presented five 10,000-baht prizes to students who won an “Abolition of Slavery in Thailand” drawing competition, which…
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Phuket officials conduct safety inspection after fatal speedboat crash
PHUKET: Marine Department officials inspected boats at the Royal Phuket Marina yesterday in an effort to boost tourists’ confidence in the safety of speedboat tours following a horrific crash that killed two Korean tourists on Sunday (story here). Jiraporn Jantarasiri, deputy director of the Marine Department, led officials to the marina for an unannounced safety spot check. “All boats were…
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Officials hope tourists dig Phuket tin-mining festival
PHUKET: Phuket residents and tourists have been invited to join a three-day festival in Srisoonthorn to celebrate Loy Krathong and honor the island’s tin-mining history. The event will be held at the Bang Maruan Lagoon, which is located next to the site of the old Bang Maruan Mine in the center of the island, from November 4 to 6. “Locals…
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Future of Phuket’s jet-ski operators to be decided next week: officials
PHUKET: Jet-ski operators will meet with the Phuket Marine Office on Monday to discuss their fates, following a decision last week that has allowed them to temporarily park their craft on Kamala Beach (story here). “We have assigned the Phuket Marine Office to take responsibility of the issue concerning jet-ski management, as the operators must seek permission from the office…
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Dubai Petanque returns to Phuket to make amends for last year
PHUKET: Dubai Petanque returns to Thailand to take on teams from Phuket and France in a two-day round-robin tournament starting on November 1. Phuket Petanque Club last November shook Dubai Petanque with a 48-20 win, and there is no doubt that Dubai will be looking for revenge. The three-way contest will be a modification of last year’s Grand Slam Tournament,…
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Phuket’s top brass declare beaches ready for high season
PHUKET: The island’s beaches are ready for the incoming high season, top-ranking Phuket-based officials announced yesterday. “We are confident that we have nice, beautiful beaches to which we can welcome tourists from all over the world,” said Sayan Prasongsamrej, commander of the Royal Thai Navy Third Area Command. However, Vice Admiral Sayan noted that the beach battle has not yet…
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Phuket motorist run over, killed on Patong Hill
PHUKET: A man was run over by a large truck* after he fell off his motorbike on Patong Hill this afternoon. “We received a report that a man was killed instantly after being hit by a large truck. This is all the information we have at the moment,” a Patong police officer confirmed to the Phuket Gazette. “Police and rescue…
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