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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Poll: What is Phuket’s top tourist attraction?
PHUKET: Let’s face it, Phuket has so many tourist attractions that most visitors to the island do not have enough time to see them all during their stay. Given this fact, the latest Phuket Gazette online poll asks our esteemed readers which of five very popular tourist destinations on the island they think the number one “must see” attraction. And…
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Phuket, Krabi road show ‘refloats’ tourism from Middle East
PHUKET: A consortium of Phuket and Krabi tourism representatives have just returned from the Middle East where they spearheaded a road show to boost tourists’ confidence in visiting Thailand.“The floods scared so many tourists who planned to visit Thailand. Many of them even canceled their trips since they thought it was that bad,” said Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) President…
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French girls rescued from Phuket red light district
PHUKET: Excellent field work by Phuket Tourist Police Volunteers has led to the rescue of two preteen French girls thought to have been living on the streets of Phuket for up to eight months. Using photos supplied by the French Embassy, Phuket Tourist Police Foreign Volunteers were asked to keep an eye open for the two sisters, ethnic Moroccans aged…
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Phuket schoolgirl vanishes after Facebook session
PHUKET: A distressed mother is appealing to the Phuket public for help in finding her 12-year-old daughter, who has been missing since Tuesday. The mother, 43-year-old Samruay Saenthaweesuk, reported her daughter Samudchaya “Nong Pin” Yanpunya missing with the Phuket City Police on Tuesday. Mrs Samruay also contacted the Phuket Reporters’ Club at Phuket Provincial Hall yesterday asking for help. She…
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Bill Gasson and the origins of Phuket’s King’s Cup Regatta
PHUKET: With race day four hosted by AIA Thailand and Centara Grand Beach Resort Phuket underway, we take a look at one of the personalities that has contributed to the success of the King’s Cup Regatta. Three sailors hold the distinction of winning the racing division of the Phuket King’s Cup four times in its 25 year history. These stalwarts…
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Patong cricket clinic open for Phuket league
PHUKET: The fourth match of the Island Furniture League season saw last year’s champions, Patong, take on Island Cricket Club (ICC) on Sunday at the Alan Cooke Ground (ACG).Following an upset against Laguna in the first match of the season, Patong were determined to get their league campaign back on track.However, a number of key players were not on the…
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Royal Pardon: 155 released from Phuket Prison today
PHUKET: Over 150 inmates were released from Phuket Provincial Prison this morning following the Royal Pardon decreed by HM The King on the occasion of his 84th birthday on December 5. Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha and Phuket Provincial Prison Director Rapin Nichanon presided over the release ceremony this morning, when 155 inmates were freed. A Buddhist monk was on hand…
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Phuket Police need help from tourists: investigator
PHUKET: Foreign tourists who are victims of crime in Phuket all too often leave the country before police can investigate their claims, allowing perpetrators to continue roaming the streets in search of new victims, a Patong Police investigator has said. “I want foreign tourists who are victims of crimes in Phuket to cooperate with us when we investigate their cases,…
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Phuket’s Klong Krata reservoir project delayed by rain
PHUKET: Work on Phuket’s third major reservoir is behind schedule, but officials expect the Klong Krata project in Chalong to be completed on schedule by January next year. Project engineer Nattakom Nookhom of the Region 15 Irrigation Office in Surat Thani said rain has put the work significantly behind schedule. “According to the work schedule we should be near the…
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Phuket lifeguard dies off Karon Beach
PHUKET: A Phuket lifeguard died yesterday morning in the waters off Karon Beach Phuket after assisting a kite surfer in distress. After helping the surfer back to safety in front of the Centara Grand Beach Resort Phuket, lifeguard Pongsatorn Sea-Lim, 43, passed away from apparent exhaustion trying to return to shore himself, according to resort General Manager Denis Thouvard. Mr…
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Missing Swede may be in Phuket: daughter
PHUKET: A Swedish woman is asking Phuket Gazette readers for information to help locate her father who has gone missing and is believed to be in Thailand. The father, Tommy Nyberg, is 60 years old with blue eyes and thinning reddish-brown hair, thin on the top of his head but still thick on the sides. He has a birthmark the…
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Thanyapura Phuket to host Holiday Night Market
PHUKET: Phuket’s Thanyapura Sports and Leisure Club (TSLC) will host a “Holiday Night Market and Festival of Lights” on Friday from 5pm onwards. Those attending can enjoy an array of canapé delicacies, drinks from the bar and live acoustic sounds as the sun sets while awaiting the lighting of a uniquely decorated Christmas Tree at 7pm. Also on the same…
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Phuket called on for urgent blood donation to help Russian tourist
PHUKET: Vachira Phuket Hospital is in urgent need of donations of blood type A-negative so doctors can perform an operation on a Russian tourist injured in a motorcycle accident. “Anyone who has – or knows of anyone with – blood group A-negative is urged to visit Vachira Phuket Hospital and donate blood in order to allow the tourist to receive…
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Austrian tourist stabbed, robbed by Phuket youth gang
PHUKET: An Austrian tourist is recovering from a punctured lung and other injuries sustained in a brutal robbery attack by four knife-wielding youths in Phuket yesterday. Patong Police identified the victim as Rupert Wilhelmstatter. Mr Wilhelmstatter, in his 50s, was returning by motorbike to his hotel in Patong at 1:45pm when the attack occurred. He was returning from Paradise Beach,…
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Phuket Yacht Haven staff praised for averting marina fireball
PHUKET: A power boat berthed at Yacht Haven Marina in Phuket went up in flames last night, but heroic action by staff at the facility minimized the damage to surrounding vessels as they were able to tow it safely out to deeper water. No injuries were reported. Phuket Kusoldharm Foundation emergency rescue workers, called to the scene at 7:45pm, watched…
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Phuket King’s Cup Regatta: Pong rebounds with win, Premier leads the way
PHUKET: Hannes Weimer’s Team Premier surged to the top of the IRC Zero standings to lead the class with five points after the second day of yacht racing today in the 25th Phuket King’s Cup Regatta. Frank Pong’s Jelik II fought back from two fourth-place finishes yesterday to win today’s Race Three in good winds at the start line, easing…
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Phuket police step up student road safety campaign
PHUKET: Officers at Phuket’s Kathu Police Station today stepped up their campaign to have students at Kathu Witthaya School use the pedestrian bridge instead of risking life and limb by crossing the busy road in front of the school. Tung Tong Police Superintendent Col Kraitong Chantongbai told the Phuket Gazette that nearly every day he receives reports of students being…
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U.S. FAA chief on leave after drunk driving arrest
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Randy Babbitt out of the cockpit for now Phuket Gazette / News Wires PHUKET: U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator Randy Babbitt took a leave of absence yesterday afternoon after police revealed he was arrested for drunk driving over the weekend, officials said. Babbitt was arrested…
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Pardoned: Phuket Prison population to plummet 10%
PHUKET: More than 200 inmates at Phuket Provincial Prison will be back on the streets soon, following the Royal Pardon decreed by HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej on the occasion of his 84th birthday yesterday. Phuket Provincial Prison Director Rapin Nichanon said prison officials were still reviewing the paperwork and could not give an exact figure on how many inmates would…
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Phuket Marine Office to set up holiday safety center
PHUKET: To ensure tourist safety during the upcoming New Year holiday period, the Phuket Marine Department office will step up inspections and open a safety center at its office in Wichit, the agency has announced. Phuripat Theerakulpisut, chief of the Marine Department Region 5 office, said his agency is gearing up for an expected large influx of tourists over the…
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Raelert and Rollison reign supreme at Laguna Phuket Ironman
PHUKET: Michael Raelert’s dazzling performance and character shone through at a wet and overcast Ironman 70.3 Asia-Pacific Championship for the German to take the 2011 title at Laguna Phuket and in the process demolished the course record. When most consider a cautious approach to navigating Phuket during inclement conditions, the two-time Ironman 70.3 world champion powered through the 1.9km swim,…
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Thai Division 1 football: FC Phuket 0 – 2 Chanthaburi FC
PHUKET: FC Phuket lost their third home game of the season yesterday, going down 2-0 to Chanthaburi FC in front of a smaller-than-expected crowd of about 2,400 fans at Surakul Stadium. In a match that saw both sides enjoy good scoring chances in both halves, it was Chanthaburi FC that drew first blood at 36 minutes, when Rattaphon Sae-tan jumped…
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Phuket news: 26,000 prisoners get Royal Pardon
PHUKET: In a show of compassion, HM The King today issued a royal command pardoning some 26,000 prisoners nationwide. The decree, signed by His Majesty, was based on the one initiated last year by the Democrat Party-led government. In a statement published in the Royal Gazette, His Majesty said the convicts should be given a second chance. This year’s pardon…
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Phuket united in birthday wishes for HM The King
PHUKET: Scores of civil servants dressed in pink gathered at Queen Sirikit Park in Phuket Town this morning to take part in an alms-giving ceremony to honor the 84th birthday of Thailand’s beloved monarch HRH King Bhumibol Adulyadej. The ceremony, which got underway at 7am, was presided over by Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha and his wife Mrs Nalinee Augkaradacha in…
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Boats to show at PIMEX 2012 valued at US$50mn
PHUKET: Boats confirmed for display at the Phuket International Boat Show 2012 (PIMEX) have a combined value of more than US$ 50 million (approx 1.5 billion baht). To be held at the Royal Phuket Marina from March 29 to April 1 2012, this ninth edition of PIMEX is organized by Informa Yacht Group. PIMEX brings leading boat brands, yachting products…
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Kings Cup Regatta to generate B600mn for Phuket
PHUKET: This year’s Kings Cup Regatta is expected to rake in 600 million baht for Phuket. Presiding over a press conference to promote this year’s event, Phuket Governor Tri Aukaradacha last week said that this year’s revenue for the province is likely to exceed that of last year’s edition. Noting that last year’s regatta generated about 550 million baht for…
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Phuket Business: Uncertain future for electronic billboards
PHUKET: Commuters in Phuket have witnessed a gradual upgrade in roadside scenery over the last few years. Advertising and media communications are steadily evolving, and many will have noticed traditional print billboards gradually being replaced with animated, digital versions at various traffic junctions around the island. Indeed, the emergence of Light Emitting Diode (LED) technology represents a sign of the…
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Korean tour operators to partner with Phuket
PHUKET: Korean honorary consul Tossaporn Thepabutr recently warned local officials to prepare for an influx of Korean tourism operators coming to set up shop in Phuket. “More Korean company owners are looking at moving their operations to Phuket because of the floods in Bangkok. Phuket is considered much safer,” he said. “Many Korean businesses will join Thai operators to form…
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Dewa Phuket wins 7 awards
PHUKET: Dewa Phuket, the boutique resort at Nai Yang beach, bagged seven awards at the ‘2011–2013 Hospitality Asia Platinum Awards’, or HAPA. The HAPA Southeast Asian regional ceremony, which took place on November 17 and 18 in Singapore, welcomed hospitality sector representatives from Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, and the Philippines. Created by World Asia Publications in 2002, HAPA recognizes…
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Phuket marks HM The King’s Birthday
PHUKET: Thousands of people turned out at Queen Sirikit Park for the morning service to honor the 84th birthday of HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej today. Offering their blessings were 85 monks from temples across Phuket as well as Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha and his wife Mrs Nalinee, who is also president of Phuket Red Cross. Proceedings began at 7am, with…
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