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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Aussie killed in Phuket Land Rover plunge
PHUKET: A driver lost control of a jeep full of tourists heading down Big Buddha Hill, killing a 26-year-old Australian man who was on his honeymoon in Phuket. The deceased’s name is known, but is being withheld pending notification of next of kin. Several other tourists were injured in the accident, which happened at about 11am this morning. The condition…
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45 murders in Phuket in 2009
PHUKET: Crime statistics compiled by the Phuket Provincial Police reveal 45 murders and 310 cases of manslaughter on the resort island in 2009. Based on the official population of just over 320,000, the figures put the total number of instances of murder and manslaughter at an alarming rate of more than one victim per 1,000 residents over the year. However,…
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Danes arrested on work permit violations
PHUKET TOWN: The Thai Hotels Association has sought help for a Patong-based tour company whose Danish employees were arrested for working illegally late last month. Tan Chee Kiong, vice president of the Thai Hotels Association (Southern Chapter), on Tuesday morning went to Phuket Vice Governor Tri Augkaradacha to plead the company’s case. The company, the local affiliate of a large…
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Phuket begins swine flu vaccinations
PHUKET TOWN: Doctors and nurses at Vachira Phuket Hospital on Monday became the first island residents to receive swine flu vaccinations. The hospital has joined others around Thailand in kicking off the nationwide vaccination campaign, which aims to reduce the number of victims of an expected second wave of A(H1N1) influenza. Dr Krit Sakulpat, Head of Community Medicine at Vachira…
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Bars demolished in Kata, Phuket
KARON, PHUKET: Patrons of five small bars in Kata will have to find new watering holes, after police and other security forces yesterday forced the owners to vacate their premises and had them torn down by heavy machinery. Representing landholding firm Yee MR Company Ltd, Attorney Chayapat Boonnak appeared at Chalong Police station at 8:30 yesterday morning with a court-issued…
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Young mom killed in Phuket hit-and-run
PHUKET: A young mother riding a motorbike was killed instantly in a head-on collision with a car in Srisoonthorn early yesterday morning. Maj Sekson Komsakorn of the Cherng Talay Police identified the deceased as 26-year-old Dok-aor Ponsri, a native of Ubon Ratchathani. After receiving a report of the accident just before 2am, Kusoldharm Foundation workers rushed to the scene to…
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Phuket to catch first glimpse of eclipse in Thailand
PHUKET: A partial solar eclipse on Friday will be visible in Phuket before any other province in Thailand, scientists say. Asst Prof Dr Sakshin Bunthawin, head of the Biotechnology of Electromechanics Research Unit at Prince of Songkla University Phuket Campus, said the eclipse will begin at 1:51pm and reach its peak at 3.28pm, at which time 57% of the sun’s…
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Police to tackle Patong traffic woes
PATONG, PHUKET: In a bid to solve the worsening traffic problems in Patong, police are considering establishing a vacant lot behind Jungceylon as a center for the local car hire industry. Many car rental companies are presently based along the heavily congested beach road, occupying much of the public parking spaces there. Col Jakkawat Boonthaweekulsawat, head of the Kathu Police…
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Phuket mourns Mel Purdue
PHUKET: Friends and family are mourning the loss of Briton Mel Purdue, who died at Phuket International Hospital late Sunday night at the age of 55. Mr Purdue died from organ failure after a year-long battle with Hepatitis C. He is survived by his wife of over 20 years, Elizabeth Purdue, his girlfriend Rowena ‘Vicky’ Nonez and his brother Michael,…
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Winner of Phuket Red Cross raffle announced
PHUKET: The Phuket chapter of the Thai Red Cross Society has announced the winners of the top two prizes in its annual charity raffle, the drawing for which took place on Saturday night at the Red Cross Fair at Saphan Hin. The winner of the first prize, a 2.7-million-baht detached home in the Phanason Parkville 3 housing estate in Srisoonthorn,…
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Phuket mini-marathon on February 7
WICHIT, PHUKET: Wichit Municipality will host its fourth annual ‘mini-marathon’ on February 7, with races over two distances. Wichit Mayor Kreetha Saetan said the event is meant to teach young people how to spend their time productively, support healthy drug-free lifestyles and – of course – support tourism. Races will start in front to the Wichit Municipality offices on Chao…
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Hanged man once a wealthy Phuket expat
PHUKET: The body of a man found hanged in a wooded area of Rawai last Wednesday has been identified as a native of Hamburg, Germany. Police have so far been unable to confirm the exact spelling of his name or his age, as no documents identifying the deceased were found. Officials at the German Embassy told the Gazette today they…
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B17m for Andaman Sea Rescue
PHUKET: The Andaman Sea Rescue Service (ASRS) has received a budget of more than 17 million baht to spend on new lifesaving equipment, though officials don’t expect to receive the new gear until the third quarter of this year. The ASRS carries out sea rescues off the coasts of five of Thailand’s six Andaman provinces: Phuket, Krabi, Phang Nga, Ranong…
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Panther on the loose in Chumphon
CHUMPHON: A huge black panther has been attacking livestock in a village next to a national park in Muang District. Local resident Sanguan Damsanit told reporters on January 6 that he saw the animal on New Year’s Day in a field in Tambon Tha Yang. Mr Sanguan, 55, said that when he went to round up his eight head of…
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OPINION: CCTV expansion in Phuket: Is it warranted?
PHUKET: On the face of it, the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization’s (PPAO’s) funding of 53 more closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras at a cost of 17 million baht seems a wise use of taxpayer money, which could provide a needed boost in security, albeit initially to Phuket Town residents only. Numbers alone justify the increased use of ever-improving CCTV technologies in…
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Phuket kids have their way on Children’s Day
PHUKET: It was a busy day for kids in Phuket today, which is National Children’s Day in Thailand. There were numerous prizes and giveaways all over the island: Jungcyelon, Rajabhat Phuket University, Bangkok Hospital Phuket, Phuket Provincial Hall and the new provincial bus terminal in Rassada, to name just a few. It was mostly fun and games, but there were…
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Phuket Red Cross raffle results
PHUKET CITY: The main stage area at Saphan Hin was packed with excited punters last night when local VIPs drew the winning numbers in the annual Red Cross Fair charity raffle. The top prize for the first time ever in Thailand was a detached house on 56 square wah of land in the Phanason Parkville 3 housing estate off Thepkrasattri…
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Phuket Luxury property sales top Bt1.1bn
PHUKET: Phuket’s luxury property market saw transactions worth 1.1 billion baht for the period of July through November last year, according to market research by leading Thai consulting firm C9 Hotelworks.A growing resale sector accounted for 50 percent of the sales.According to Bill Barnett, Managing Director of C9, “There was an absence of new high-end product in 2009, which propelled the secondary…
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Course set for “fun’ regatta
PHUKET: The Phang Nga Bay Regatta 2010, one of the world’s most scenic sailing events, will be the center for the Southeast Asia’s yachting community this February 3-7.Encompassing four days of racing and five days of partying that covers the three provinces of Phuket, Phang Nga and Krabi, the regatta’s success in past years has helped it earn the nickname,…
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Kamala Fest 2010 underway in Phuket
KAMALA, PHUKET: The three-day Kamala Fest 2009 got underway this morning with a fishing competition, followed by a fancy parade in the afternoon. The official opening ceremony will be at the auspicious time of 6:39pm, when Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop will ring a bell to declare the festival open. There will also be a fireworks display. Song and dance performances…
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Phuket tourism in high gear with last-minute bookings
PHUKET: For the last few weeks, a steady rise in the island’s hotel reservations indicate a strong start for the 2010 tourism season.According to the Phuket Tourist Association, which since 1980 began monitoring information and trends for the island tourism industry, hotel bookings have increased considerably compared with the same period last year.According to Phuket Tourist Association president Somboon Jirayut,…
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Phuket kids have their day
PHUKET: Tomorrow is Children’s Day. Around Phuket, many government, public and commercial venues will be putting on free entertainment for the island’s little people and their families. Normally restricted government offices will open their doors and to allow young visitors inside for educational tours and information. Strong moral values, health and education are an important message promoted and rewarded on…
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PIMEX International Boat Show begins
PHUKET: The latest gleaming luxury yachts, water craft, sailing equipment and other hi-tech marine products are on show at Royal Phuket Marina’s exhibition hall for this year’s PIMEX International Boat Show, which officially opens tomorrow.From Friday through Sunday, 45 luxury yachts and 80 exhibiting companies are welcoming potential buyers, families, hard-core boat junkies, or anyone just curious about all the…
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Love triangle turns deadly in Phuket
PHUKET: Police have arrested two people for the brutal stabbing murder of a Kathu town council member in a Phuket Town hotel late yesterday afternoon. Lt Col Pitakpon Sompong said staff at the Park Inn Hotel on Luang Phor Rd contacted police at 6:30pm yesterday to report a heated argument taking place inside Room 30. Just as police were arriving…
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Canadian confesses, pays fine at Phuket Court
PHUKET: Canadian tourist Ivan Bob Anwar, who was involved in a punch-up with a Patong tuk-tuk driver earlier in the week, has been ordered to pay a 1,000 baht fine after confessing to assault charges. Mr Anwar, 51, paid the fine at Phuket Provincial Court earlier today after pleading guilty to charges of assault against tuk-tuk driver Tassanarit Damthong, 30.…
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Phuket City police nab thieving teens
PHUKET CITY: Phuket City Police on Tuesday morning held a joint press conference to announce the capture of four young men arrested on various theft charges. Phuket Provincial Police Commander Pekad Thantipong presented the first suspect, identified as 23-year-old Thepkrasattri resident King Polasan. Despite the first name, the youth’s recent actions were anything but regal. Mr King was arrested at…
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Hollywood-style bar brawl in Patong
PHUKET: A bar in Patong was wrecked this morning when a vicious fight broke out between two gangs at 3am.The men, numbering at least ten, were all young and muscular and smashed wooden chairs and bottles over each other in the fight on Soi Happy off Rat-U-Thit 200 Pii Road, said Phuket Immigration Volunteer Mr Robin Lee.Three police officers, including…
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UPDATE: Phuket tuk-tuk assault case
PHUKET: A Patong tuk-tuk driver charged with assault for allegedly beating a Canadian tourist has been granted bail. Tassanarit Damthong, 30, handed himself in at Kathu Police Station at 3pm on Tuesday. He was arrested and charged with the assault of Canadian tourist Ivan Bob Anwar, 51. Mr Anwar claimed he was punched five times after refusing to pay 150…
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Fabio: Grazie Mille Phuket
KAMALA, PHUKET: Italian tourist Fabio Fanzani was reunited with his lost wallet today after an appeal was launched on this website yesterday. Kamala Police had been trying in vain to contact the owner of the wallet after it was found by a Thai tourist, Ms Khanungnit Kwanyao, at Surin Beach and handed over to authorities over a week ago. When…
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More tuk-tuk trouble in Phuket
PATONG, PHUKET: A Canadian tourist was hospitalized after being punched repeatedly in an attack involving a tuk-tuk driver yesterday afternoon. Ivan Bob Anwar, 51, told the Gazette that he was punched five times in the attack, which resulted in a large gash above his left eyebrow requiring five stitches. He also sustained a bloody nose and bruising to his face.…
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