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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Phuket police go to town on drug dealers
PHUKET: After Phuket police officers swooped on two suspected meth dealers in Chalong on Friday night, fellow police in Phuket City arrested seven people on drug-related charges over the weekend. At a press conference today, Phuket City Police Superintendent Chote Chidchai said that a team of anti-drug officers seized 60 ya bah (methamphetamine) pills and more than 40 grams of…
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Phuket’s “Grumpy Old Men’ on mercy mission for flood victims
PHUKET: What started off as a conversation between Phuket businessman Paul Newson and his wife and business partner Skulna “Bird” Varayu has quickly developed into a relief effort to assist flood victims in the Central Thailand province of Nakhon Sawan. The original idea focused on helping immediate family in Nakhon Sawan, but the concept quickly snowballed into a larger effort…
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Phuket police swoop on two meth dealer suspects
PHUKET: Two suspected Phuket drug dealers have been busted by Chalong police. The young men were nabbed while in possession of methamphetamines during two different sting operations over the weekend. Police Lt Col Charan Bangprasert and Chalong police officers presented the two accused dealers to the media at Chalong Police Station on Saturday. The arrests were made after Chalong police…
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Phuket mob rises after accident kills two
PHUKET: Phuket’s top officials have called an emergency meeting today to discuss new strategies for road safety at the Kor En curve on Thepkrasattri Road after an accident there yesterday killed one woman and an infant on a motorbike. The curve, on the main road to Phuket Airport the main resort areas on the island and Phuket Town, was the…
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Wildfire destroys dozens of homes in Reno, Nevada
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A wildfire which broke out near Reno in Nevada this week has destroyed dozens of homes and forced thousands of people to evacuate, officials say. The fire was more than 80 percent contained as of this morning. The fire broke out in the…
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Phuket transport chief puts brakes on negligence
PHUKET: Phuket Provincial Land Transportation Office (PLTO) chief Terayout Prasertphol has announced strict new measures that will hold tour bus companies responsible for the mechanical safety of their vehicles.Under the new measures, tour bus companies stand to have their commercial passenger permits revoked entirely, meaning the companies’ right to operate any commercial passenger vehicles will be terminated, chief Terayout told…
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PHUKET OPINION: Patong-style wisdom faces the fragrance
PHUKET: The plan by Patong Mayor Pian Keesin to install a fertilizer factory at the Patong Wastewater Treatment Plant must be heralded as good news. (See page 3, current issue of the Phuket Gazette. Digital subscribers click here to download the full newspaper.) Just the week before Mayor Pian made his announcement, the Gazette received reports of yet another “chocolate…
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THAI flights to Phuket still operating “as usual’
PHUKET: Thai Airways International (THAI) is still operating its full schedule of regular flights between Bangkok and Phuket – for now. An officer from the ‘Enterprise Communication Department’ of THAI, asking not to be named, told the Phuket Gazette, “I have yet to receive any news about reductions in flights to Phuket.” Her statement was in response to a report…
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Patong Carnival ready to rock Phuket
PHUKET: Phuket’s premier tourist party town of Patong is gearing up for its annual carnival to be held from December 15-20. Run by the Patong Municipality, the annual festival draws thousands of travellers from all over the world and marks the start of the high season in Phuket, which traditionally runs from December to February. Much of the entertainment will…
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Phuket tourism chief calls for “flood travel advisories’ to be lifted
PHUKET: The Phuket Tourist Association (PTA) has asked for the cooperation of foreign governments to reduce and/or lift travel advisories and warnings issued for Thailand. PTA President Somboon Jirayus told the press on Thursday that sensationalized images presented through foreign media have caused a decreasing number of tourists to come to Phuket. “Flooding images in the foreign media have [negatively]…
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Jailed Brit swindler Paul Ridden free of Phuket charges
PHUKET: Former Phuket expat Paul Ridden, who earlier this week was sentenced to four years in jail for fraud and deception charges in the UK, will not face any charges for any alleged fraud committed on Phuket. Lt Col Boonlert Onklang, Duty Officer at Chalong Police Station, today told the Phuket Gazette that not a single complaint in writing was…
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FIFA unbalanced
PHUKET: Six Caribbean Football Union officials have received bans from the sport and been fined as a result of breaching ethics rules, according to FIFAs’ website today. Patrick John, Vincent Cassell, Raymond Guishard, Noel Adonis, Tandica Hughes and Everton Gonsalves were handed suspensions from FIFAs’ ethics committee of between two years and one week and had to pay fines ranging…
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Phuket targets Brazil as tourism source market
PHUKET: Brazilians are among the latest target group of tourists to be lured to Phuket and the Andaman region. Speaking yesterday at a press conference for the Andaman Travel Trade 2011 exhibition, TAT Deputy Governor for International Marketing Juthaporn Rerngronasa highlighted the South American country as an expanding market for incoming tourism. “There will be 10 operators from Brazil to…
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Weird World News: Teens tampon booze craze, man sues dating company for “ugly’ brides and prisoner uses guts for glory
PHUKET: This week’s weird news round-up is a subtle blend of depraved, deplorable and detestable happenings from the around the globe. Health Risk: Teens using vodka-soaked tampons to get drunk PHOENIX Police say a craze that involves teenage girls dousing tampons with vodka and inserting them into their “parts” to get drunk is on the rise and needs to be…
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Tonight, tonight: Election alcohol ban in Phuket
PHUKET: The sale of alcohol will be prohibited across much of northern Phuket tonight and tomorrow as six Tambon Administration Organizations (OrBorTor) go to the polls. Phuket Election Committee (PEC) Director Kittipong Thiengkunagrit confirmed that the “dry zones” will be the electorates of Koh Kaew, Kamala, Cherng Talay, Thepkrasattri, Mai Khao and Sakoo. In line with election law, the sale…
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Phuket Rotary polio campaign: 10,000 kids to get free vaccines
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Public Health Office (PPHO) and local Rotary Clubs aim to vaccinate about 10,000 children living on the island, free of charge.Orachorn Saisrithong, district governor of Rotary International (RI) District 3330 covering all of Southern Thailand and parts of Central Thailand, said that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has awarded a US$355-million grant to RI’s Polio…
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Phuket’s ‘troubled lovers’ rumoured to be alive in Surat Thani
PHUKET: Rumors have surfaced that the “troubled lovers”, who were believed to have jumped to their deaths from Phuket’s Thepkrasattri Bridge last month, have been spotted together in Surat Thani Province, police said. “I have heard rumors that the couple survived the jump and they are now living together in Surat Thani Province. I have no proof of anything, so…
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Investigation launched into Phuket police brutality
PHUKET: Police have launched an investigation into their own after a young man yesterday alleged several officers repeatedly beat him and produced false evidence after his arrest. Chalermporn Keawmanee, 20, appeared at the Damrongtham Center [Ombudsman’s Office] yesterday alongside his father, Kaset Keawmanee – owner of NS Cable TV in Surat Thani – to request an investigation into events that…
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Phuket seafood prices to fluctuate regardless of wage increase
PHUKET: Minimum wage rises may not have a major impact on the wholesale price of seafood, which will continue to fluctuate due to a number of economic and seasonal factors, Phuket fishery industry representatives have said. Wiroj Wasinwasukul, the manager of the Por Pichai Fishing Port in Rassada, was insistent that wholesale seafood prices will not rise specifically because of…
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Phuket teacher crisis appeal sparks flood of applicants
PHUKET: The Director of the Phuket Primary Educational Office has called for all people wanting to apply for positions as English teachers at government schools in Phuket Town to contact the schools directly. Dr Jian Thongnoon announced the news in the wake of the Phuket Gazette posting online its story about the shortage of English teachers at Phuket schools reaching…
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FIFA President denies racism in football
PHUKET: “There is no racism [on the field], but maybe there is a word or gesture that is not correct. The one affected by this should say, ‘this is a game’ and shake hands.” FIFA President Sepp Blatter denies racism exists on the pitch during football matches and the odd misplaced comment could easily be forgiven and forgotten with a…
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Official offers homemade fix for Phuket’s water sources
PHUKET: As Phuket enters its tourism high season, the annual period when local water sources are depleted at great rates to cope with the huge influx of people onto the island, one local official has spoken out on Phuket’s water issues and the critical factors in resolving them. Nanyaroon Yadee, 50, of the Pa Khlok Tambon Administration Organization (OrBorTor) Public…
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Phuket student killed, classmate injured in truck crash
PHUKET: A 16-year-old Phuket student is dead and her classmate is in hospital after a six-wheeled truck collided with the motorcycle they were riding in Phuket Town today.Capt Thada Sodarak of Phuket City Police said officers received a report of the accident at 12:30pm.The accident happened at the junction from Phuket Road to Saphan Hin, near the Phuket Immigration Office,…
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Rebranded Strategic Airlines continues Phuket flights
PHUKET: Australian Low Cost Carrier (LCC) Strategic Airlines today launched its rebranding as Air Australia, offering special rates to Phuket from AUS$329. The reinvented LCC revealed the news earlier this month, showing off its new-look livery and flight attendant uniforms while emphasizing a commitment to bring Australia a fresh approach to affordable air travel. Strategic Airlines, founded in 2009, has…
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Phuket Live Wire: 3G or not 3G, and what’s 3G+?
PHUKET: First the good news: CAT, like TrueMove-H, is coming out with an HSPA+ service. As you may recall, HSPA+ is the only real “3G” available in Thailand and, at least in theory, it should be substantially faster than other “3G” services currently available – including, confusingly, the service CAT currently calls “3G.” Confused? Yeah, I understand. Let’s start with…
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Another major quake off Indonesia
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Strong earthquake strikes off eastern Indonesia, causing panic Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A strong earthquake struck the Molucca Sea in eastern Indonesia yesterday afternoon, causing panic but no damage or casualties. The 6.4-magnitude quake at 1.05pm local time (11:05am Phuket time) was centered about 69 kilometers (42…
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First blood goes to Laguna in league opener
PHUKET: The highly anticipated Island Furniture Cricket League’s maiden match at the new Alan Cooke Ground (ACG) did not fail to disappoint on Sunday with a great exhibition of fielding and batting provided by both Laguna CC and Patong CC.However it was a more consistent performance by Laguna that eventually decided the victory.Laguna were put into bat on a damp…
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John Terry wants to come out
PHUKET: “Being captain is about coming out and facing up to it.” England and Chelsea captain John Terry is keen to open up and take it like a man regarding claims he abused Queens Park Ranger player Anton Ferdinand with racist remarks. The query here must be why, after Terry’s last controversy of allegedly having an affair with an England…
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Bangkok floods boost Phuket short-term rentals
PHUKET: The hospitality and real estate sectors in Phuket are currently benefiting from one of Thailand’s worst floods in a century. A report released by professional services real estate firm Jones Lang LaSalle stated that Bangkok’s housing market has been hit particularly hard by flooding with many major housing areas across the capital are now under water. This has resulted…
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Phuket’s BIS tourney a success
PHUKET: The British International School (BIS) held its10th annual international 7-a-side football tournament in perfect conditions on November 4 and 5. Over 700 players from 25 schools participated in the competition with all teams exhibiting good footballing skills and excellent sportsmanship. Schools, clubs and projects from all over East and South East Asia traveled from as close as Pa Khlok…
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