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 5 ways retirees in Thailand lose money (and how to stop it)
Retiring in Thailand can be affordable and enjoyable, but many retirees lose money due to common mistakes. High living costs, scams, and unexpected expenses can quickly drain savings. There are five ways that retirees in Thailand can lose money and...
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Pregnant Aussie teenager beaten, robbed in Phuket ladyboy attack
PHUKET: A pregnant Australian teenager was beaten and robbed by four Thai ladyboys in Patong early yesterday morning. The victim, 19-year-old “Bonnie May”, asked that the Phuket Gazette use only her nickname out of fear or reprisal by the gang of ladyboys, who she said attacked her for no reason after she asked them for directions. Speaking to the Gazette…
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Fire forces evacuation of Phuket Town theater complex
PHUKET: An electrical fire caused a panicked evacuation from a cinema complex in the heart of Phuket Town last night, but no injuries were reported. Staff at the Coliseum Paradise Mutliplex cinemas at Ocean Shopping Mall noticed smoke billowing from two electrical transformers on a fourth-floor control room at about 7pm. They tried to cool the transformers with fire extinguishers,…
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Racism gets the boot
PHUKET: “We want to make sure football is all about a power to do good, rather than anything else.” UK prime minister David Cameron vowed to rid football of racism during an anti-discrimination summit held at Downing Street recently. “What happens on the field influences what happens off the field. You see children as young as six imitating the behavior…
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Phuket tourist cheats spark foreign diplomat intervention
PHUKET: Foreign diplomats representing at least six countries are to meet Tourism and Sports Minister Chumpol Silpa-archa to address the growing problem of cheats and swindlers targeting Phuket tourists. The news was reported through state news agency the National News Bureau of Thailand. Tourism and Sports Ministry Spokesperson Watchara Kannika announced that EU Ambassador David Lipman, Head of the Delegation…
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Phuket Police investgate mysterious roadside death
PHUKET: Phuket Police are investigating the mysterious death of a 27-year-old Nakhon Sri Thammarat man found dead in his pickup truck parked by the side of a road yesterday. The body, identified by police as that of Phumin “Min” Inthongkham, was found at about 6pm in his Nissan NV pickup parked along Rassadanusorn Road, near the border of Rassada and…
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Phuket Police net 16 “shrimp-fish’ losers
PHUKET: Phuket City Police last night raided an apartment building in Chalong, arresting 16 people for gambling on the popular “shrimp-fish” board game and seizing over 400,000 baht in cash. The raid, led by Phuket City Police Deputy Superintendent Serm Kwannimit, caught gamblers off-guard at a makeshift gambling den set up in an eighth-floor room at the Santiphap apartment complex…
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Phuket Gazette: Myanmar lifts ban on Suu Kyi; Malaysia willing to help Thailand; Request for Iranian
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Myanmar lifts government ban on Suu Kyi rallies PHUKET (News Wires): Myanmar election authorities have lifted a ban on rallies by opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi after the National League for Democracy (NLD) complained about the restrictions, a Burmese news organization in exile reported yesterday.…
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Phuket Gazette: Rebels release UN peacekeepers; UN calls on Israel to release prisoners; Inmates escape
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Rebels release peacekeepers in Sudan’s DarfurPHUKET (news Wires): More than 50 international peacekeepers and other personnel who were blockaded by rebels in northwestern Darfur on Sunday have been allowed to leave, officials at the African Union-United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) confirmed yesterday.The 55-person peacekeeping contingent was…
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Krabi tourist vans slam into fallen karst boulder
PHUKET: A boulder weighing at least one tonne plummeted off a roadside karst near the tourist-popular Ao Nang beach in Krabi this afternoon. The boulder landed in the middle of the road between Krabi Town and Ao Nang, leaving a 30-centimeter deep crater in the road surface, and splintered into smaller boulder fragments. Unable to stop in time, a tourist…
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Phuket Update: Phi Phi stabbing suspect pleads not guilty
PHUKET: A Thai man accused of stabbing a young British tourist on Phi Phi Island last year pleaded “not guilty” to charges of attempted murder before Krabi Court yesterday. The suspect, 23-year-old Hamed Poonyung, has been charged for the attempted murder of Nicholas Palmer, also 23, during a beach party in October last year. Mr Hamed appeared before Krabi Provincial…
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Phuket tourism shrugs off Bangkok blasts: PTA
PHUKET: The recent bombings in Bangkok have not resulted in cancellations of hotel bookings in Phuket and the island’s tourism industry prospects for 2012 remain strong, the Phuket Tourist Association (PTA) has announced. Barring a “major incident”, Phuket can expect to have strong tourist arrival figures from both Europe and Asia throughout 2012, PTA President Jirayus Somboon told the Gazette.…
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Phuket business: Inflated eats; Flower sales bloom; Kata – Karon branded green; Taiwan bar raised
PHUKET: In light of the continuously rising cost of living, accounting books of rice and noodle vendors across Phuket and Thailand could become subject to increased audits this year. As of yesterday the Department of Internal Trade (DIT) issued official price cap suggestions for 10 common Thai menu items to be priced under 35 baht. These include rice dishes served…
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Phuket business: FC Phuketonomics: ball business
PHUKET: Despite having nearly been dissolved due to swelling debts, FC Phuket 1688 Co Ltd generated the fifth highest turnover out of 18 Division 1 clubs, statistics released by the Thai Premier League (TPL) have revealed. Concluding last month, the 2011-2012 season’s tallied receipts show that the Southern Sea Kirin had generated more than 2.8 million baht, which equates to…
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Phuket business: Skyscrapers and economic woe
PHUKET: There’s an economic-cycle theory based on the link between the building of skyscrapers and economic strife. Guess what it’s called? Correct: the Skyscraper Index. While many trends and theories these days are based on cycles, this economical theory is based on the completion of skyscrapers. So what is this theory and does it have any credibility? Let’s first unravel…
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Phuket Live Wire: Keeping malware at bay for free
PHUKET: Continuing the series answering questions I hear most often from PC users here in Phuket, I have a very unpopular choice for antivirus (AV) software. Here’s the question: “Woody, I got a copy of (one of the major antivirus products) when I bought my new PC. It worked fine for six months, but now it wants money. I tried…
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Phuket poll: Irksome complaints by foreigners
PHUKET: Foreigners in Phuket, both tourists and residents, have developed somewhat of a reputation for complaining over the years. The latest Phuket Gazette readers poll, online now, asks readers: Which of the following topics are you most tired of hearing foreigners in Phuket complain about? And the nominees are: • Overpriced alcohol• Double-pricing (when foreigners pay more than Thais)• Tuk-tuks,…
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Tremor hits Phang Nga, no damage reported
PHUKET: Coastal residents of Takuapa District in Phang Nga were put on alert this morning following a minor earthquake. The event turned out to be a localized tremor that caused no damage, not the effects of a larger event further away like the tsunami-causing quake that devastated Phuket and the entire Andaman coastline in 2004. Somkiat Intorrajan, director of the…
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Phuket Sports : Keeper’s ball; France leapfrog into first
PHUKET: Goalkeepers are a breed unto themselves. Both hero and villain, as with any position on the playing field. But one characteristic of a goalkeeper that can never be doubted is that of bravery. The last line of defense, the last hope when all seems lost, that is a goalkeeper. It may sound daunting, but the thrill of making a…
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Paddling Lanta to Phi Phi
PHUKET: Relieved but exhilarated five paddleboarders successfully finished their 32-kilometer paddling challenge from Koh Lanta to Koh Phi Phi earlier this month. In a time of 4 hours and 32 minutes on February 3, the “Stand Up Paddle” (SUP) team successfully laid their boards to rest on Phi Phi Don. Team members were Starboard team rider, Lina Augaitis; Owner of…
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Village go coco-nuts over Patong defeat
PHUKET: In a crucial Phuket Island Furniture League match, Patong and the Village faced each other at the ACG with both teams needing a win to boost their hopes of a showdown with title favorites, Laguna CC. Undefeated so far this season, the Village knew that taking points from Patong would effectively end the reigning champions expectations of at least…
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Sweet sixteen in Phuket’s AFL round four
PHUKET: Cancelled and postponed games meant only two matches were played in round four of the Phuket Adult Futsal League presented by Thanachart Bank. Despite only two games on the card, sixteen goals were scored to ensure an exhilarating night of football. TSLC and SGS faced off in the first encounter with the home side looking to keep their unbeaten…
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Goals galore in Phuket Super Six league
PHUKET: The new Phuket Super Six League (PSSL) exploded into action with 41 goals recorded over just four games on its opening night at Football Island. Alberto Mancuso’s Ristorante Rugantino began the net-busting frenzy by knocking Joseph Arimathea’s young Eden FC team out of the park on a 10-0 scoreline. The experienced Italian team took an early lead from a…
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Royal Thai Navy intercepts 27 Phuket-bound Burmese
PHUKET: The Royal Thai Navy Third Area Command arrested 27 Burmese en route to Phuket aboard a fishing boat off the coast of Ranong on February 10. The group were charged with entering the country illegally and were taken ashore to be prepared for deportation. The arrest was made by the staff of HTMS Chonburi under the supervision of Lt…
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Slapping, spitting, boxing and bottling
PHUKET: “He’s blown his only chance, the last thing you want to do is pick a fight with Vitali.” Adam Booth, the boxing trainer of Britain’s David Haye (former WBA heavyweight champion), said Dereck Chisora lost any hope of beating WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko when he slapped him at Friday’s weigh-in… before their fight. British boxer Chisora, born in…
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Sunday Opinion: Swift actions to regulate Phuket crime
PHUKET: Efforts by the Phuket Provincial Office and related agencies to tackle the problem of unregulated “swiftlet ranching” are admirable in their foresight, but regrettable in approach. (See here to read “Tourism finds swiftlet avaries difficult to swallow”). As many residents of this island are aware, mainland Chinese are one of the largest and most rapidly growing segments of the…
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Tourism finds Phuket swiftlet aviaries difficult to swallow
SPECIAL REPORT Having caused problems in other regions of Thailand, the growing number of swiftlet barns in Phuket came under scrutiny at Phuket Provincial Hall last week. Officials have decided to set up ‘zones’ for the business – despite the fact that it is illegal. The Phuket Gazette‘s Stephen Fein and Warisa Temram report. PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Office will…
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Patong Carnival tops poll as Phuket’s top funfair
PHUKET: The annual Patong Carnival is Phuket’s top free funfair according to a recent readers’ poll by the Phuket Gazette. The two-week poll, launched late last month, asked readers, “Which of the following annually-staged free events do you most enjoy?” Patong Carnival ranked as the top response, garnering 59.7% of votes overall. The Old Phuket Town Festival ranked second with…
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Phuket experts date Krabi relics at 3,000 years old
PHUKET: A trove of ancient artifacts unearthed in Krabi recently could be up to 3,000 years old, experts at the Fine Arts Department Office in Phuket have estimated. Reporters invited by a village headman in Baan Klang subdistrict, Ao Luek, were the among the first to view the items, discovered by residents of Baan Khao Ngam village last week. Ban…
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Chlorine gas guests return safely to Phuket resort
PHUKET: All the guests affected by the chlorine gas cloud at the Phuket Orchid Resort in Karon this morning have safely returned to the resort, it was announced at a press conference this afternoon. “Every single person taken to hospital has returned to the resort. Not a single person has checked out. They are all okay,” said resort general manager…
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Dozens injured in Phuket resort pool chlorine “blast’
PHUKET: Dozens of tourists and resort workers were rushed to hospital this morning after a mix of pool cleaning agents “exploded” into a cloud of gas beside a pool at a Phuket resort.Staff at the Phuket Orchid Resort in Karon confirmed to the Phuket Gazette that the cloud of gas was formed by a mix of chlorine and other cleaning…
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