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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More than 3,000 ya bah pills seized in May
PHUKET: Statistics released by the Phuket Provincial Police show that 3,183 ya bah (methamphetamine) pills were seized by police, with 71 arrests made in connection with the drug, between May 1 and 25. Seizures of ecstasy were also up on last month’s figures. In total, 121 people were arrested on drug-related charges. The second most commonly seized intoxicants were solvents…
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Market launched to honor HM The King
PHUKET CITY: An open-air market is being held from 9 am until midnight at Queen Sirikit Park on Thalang Rd as part of the activities being held around the island to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of HM The King’s ascension of the throne. The market, organized by the Phuket Provincial Commercial Office (PPCO) and the Phuket Market Vendors’ Association, opened…
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Official denies extortion and bodily harm charges
CHALONG: Sassiri Klinhom, a district official from Surat Thani, presented himself to Chalong Police Station on June 1 to deny charges of extortion and causing bodily harm.Pol Lt Col Jessada Sangsuree told the Gazette that at about 10 am on May 29, he and other officers responded to a call saying that a woman had been found handcuffed and drugged…
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Police Chief warns of increasing petty crime
PHUKET CITY: Phuket Provincial Police Commander Pol Maj Gen Decha Budnampeth has ordered police in the province to step up their vigilance against petty crimes.He has also urged the public to help officers by informing them of any crimes they witness, especially in the run-up to the month-long soccer World Cup.Gen Decha said, “All police officers should be more attentive…
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Blue Canyon out of bankruptcy
BANGKOK: The Central Bankruptcy Court (CBC) in Bangkok today announced its decision to allow Murex Co Ltd, the holding company for Blue Canyon Country Club (BCCC), to officially exit the debt restructuring process it has undergone under the court’s administration.BCCC, in an official release, stated, “The Plan Administrator of Murex, BC Golf Resort Management Co Ltd, has been instrumental in…
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Swiss man found dead in pickup
CHALONG: A Swiss man was found dead in the driver’s seat of his pickup truck on Chao Fa East Rd on Monday. The 63-year-old man, identified by police as Johann Kupreest, was discovered slumped at the wheel with the engine off and the windows and doors locked. Local residents noticed the unconscious Mr Kupreest and tried to assist him, but…
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Land crackdown targets Thai shareholders
BANGKOK: The Ministry of Interior has ordered a crackdown on property companies attempting to circumvent Section 74 of the Land Act in order to allow foreigners to control land ownership.Section 74 states (unofficial translation): “In the process of registering [land] possession rights and contracts between parties … officers have the power to investigate both parties and call them for questioning…
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Hotel buying spree continues
PHUKET: Central Hotels & Resorts (CHR), which last month announced that it had bought the Islandia Park Resort in Karon for more than a billion baht, has also bought the Jiva Resort & Spa in Kata.This most recent purchase brings the number of properties CHR owns in Phuket to four; the company’s other properties in Phuket are the Central Karon Village…
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Document forging gang arrested
PHUKET CITY: Two Burmese men and a Thai woman have been arrested for producing fake work documents to sell to illegal immigrants. The two men, Sommay Mahapong, 24, and So (last name unknown), 25, and the woman, Nipaporn Boonbunjob, also 25, were arrested in their Phuket City apartment where document-forging equipment was also found and seized. Pol Maj Pheeranat Chatinkaew,…
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Reserve water pipeline to be complete by end of June
KATHU: The 17-kilometer pipeline to tap water supplies from the Hitlor and Manik lagoons in Tambon Srisoonthorn is now about 80% complete and should be finished by the end of June. The 60-million-baht pipeline is part of the Phuket Provincial Water Supply’s (PPWS) short-term plan to fight water shortages on the island. PPWS Manager Sayan Wareearoonroj told the Gazette today,…
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Gov moves to unite dog welfare bodies
PHUKET: Governor Udomsak Usawarangkura has appointed a committee to try to solve the problem of stray dogs in Phuket. One main responsibility of the new Stray Dog Committee will be to promote coordination between the various government bodies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) who, Gov Udomsak believes, are not cooperating efficiently.Dr Prasit Koeysiripong, the newly appointed Chairman of one of the…
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New terminal opened at Krabi International Airport
KRABI: Phumtham Vejyachai, Deputy Transport Minister, officially opened a new four-floor domestic-passenger terminal at Krabi International Airport on May 18. Pisarn Jinacharn, Director of Krabi International Airport, said “The terminal has been built for domestic passengers and has many facilities such as restaurants, banks, taxi services and car rental offices. It has an area of 10,593 square meters and a…
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Chetwynd-Talbot gets 10 years for murder
PHUKET CITY: Briton Paul Chetwynd-Talbot was sentenced to 10 years in jail today for the murder of his girlfriend, Debra O’Hanlon, on July 31 last year in the Patong room the couple shared at the time.The 32-year-old accused and his lawyer, Somsak Chattay, had hoped for a reduced charge of manslaughter, arguing that Chetwynd-Talbot had not intended to kill Ms…
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Er, what’s my name today?
In some places a person who frequently changes his or her name might fall under suspicion of illegal activity. But in Ubon Ratchathani Province’s Phibun Mungsaharn District it is the pillars of society – school teachers and other career bureaucrats – who change their names most often. Teachers in the district have been heading for the local registrar’s office in…
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Errant abbot
An abbot in Lampang was nabbed by a group of villagers while he was sneaking back into the wat at 4:30 am after a tryst with his paramour, a local widow. The 50-strong mob confronted the 43-year-old abbot, who was described as being “a bit on the chubby side”, and his 49-year-old paramour as she was dropping him back at…
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New rules reduce sailboat confusion
PHUKET: The Marine Department has announced that Thai-registered sailing vessels with a length of 16 meters (52.4 feet) or less no longer need to have a Thai skipper or crew on board when in Thai waters.Phuket Marine Office Chief Surin Theerakulpisut told the Gazette today that the new rule came into effect on March 1.Vincent Tabuteau, Managing Director of Asia…
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Phuket-based TV correspondent dies
SURAT THANI: Phuket-based TV correspondent Colin Hillis died on Saturday after a seizure and fall while walking to the Koh Samui ferry in Don Sak. He was 41.The Scottish-born reporter worked with Lanarkshire Television as anchor on its nightly magazine program Live@6 and was also a newscaster for the station between 1999 and 2001. Earlier in his career, he was…
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Weekend storms damage 35 houses
PHUKET: Around 35 houses were damaged during storms over the weekend, which caused damage around the island estimated at more than 3 million baht.The Phuket Office for Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (ODPM) reported that heavy rain and strong winds during Saturday night and in the early hours of Sunday toppled trees and electricity pylons, damaging buildings and cars and causing…
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Rugby 10s tourney moves to Phuket City
PHUKET CITY: The 8th Molly Malone’s Phuket International Rugby 10s tournament, originally to have been played at Karon Municipal Stadium this Saturday and Sunday, will now be held at Sanam Chai, opposite Phuket Provincial Hall on Narisorn Rd.Tournament organizer Patrick Cotter, of the Phuket Vagabonds FC, told the Gazette that at about 3 pm today that he finally written received…
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3 arrested on smuggling charges
RASSADA: Two Thais and a Taiwanese citizen have been arrested for their involvement in smuggling cigarettes and batteries into Phuket.The contraband, seized along with the trio in a raid by officials from the Phuket Area Excise Office (PAEO), is estimated to be worth 5 million baht, the richest smuggling seizure in five years in the province.Led by Surat Sangnej of…
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Missing fishermen safely home
AO MAKHAM: Two Thai fishermen missing after their boat sank on Tuesday night have returned home safely after being in the water for more than 20 hours. The men managed to climb ashore at Ao Makham yesterday evening after having drifted around the length of the island.The fishing boat Sin Piphat sank in rough seas about 13 miles west of…
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Phuket-Spanish team wins tsunami memorial contest
BANGKOK: A design by Naga Concepts of Phuket in collaboration with Disc-O of Spain, and entitled “Mountains of Remembrance”, will be used in building the tsunami memorial at Haad Lek in Lamru National Park in Phang Nga, caretaker Deputy Prime Minister Suwat Liptapanlop announced today.The Spanish team of architects – Ana Somoza, Juana Canet, Disc-o Architecture, Eva Sebastian Pena, Angel…
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Migrant laborer rules “to be relaxed’
PHUKET: The complicated and much-maligned system for employing migrant laborers from Myanmar, Laos or Cambodia is to be overhauled, Boonchock Maneechot, Chief of the Phuket Provincial Employment Services Office (PESO), has announced.Previously, employers wanting to hire workers had to pay a “guarantee” of either 10,000 or 50,000 baht per worker, depending upon the immigration status of the worker.However, at a…
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Lovers slain during beach tryst
NAI YANG: A couple have died after being brutally attacked yesterday while they were enjoying a secret rendezvous on Nai Yang Beach in the early hours.Pol Lt Col Sakchai Limchareon, Deputy Superintendent at Tah Chat Chai Police Station, told the Gazette today, “The man was Chian Petcharat, 59, and the woman was Sriprai Chai-intha, 40. Both of them were married…
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Crocodile Disco to reopen as go-go bar
PATONG: Crocodile Disco, which was gutted by fire in March, will reopen next year as an a-go-go venue, Amnuay Kuabkum, former Manager of Crocodile Disco, has told the Gazette.The fire, which broke out early on March 13, caused damage estimated at 40 million baht to the three-story complex, located at the end of Soi Moulin Rouge. The soi, more commonly…
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Mövenpick signs up to run Crowne Plaza
KARON: Swiss-based Mövenpick Hotels and Resorts (MH&R) has signed a management agreement with Kingdom Hotel Investments (KHI) to run the Crowne Plaza Karon Beach resort, which KHI bought recently for 3.7 billion baht.On June 28, the resort, which has 186 villas and 166 guest rooms, as well as 30 apartments for lease, will become the Mövenpick Resort & Spa Karon…
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Soi Dog Foundation and Livestock Office bury the hatchet
PHUKET: There was a time, not so long ago, when the Soi Dog Foundation (SDF) and the Phuket Provincial Livestock Office (PPLO) fought like cats and dogs. Now, however, they have buried the hatchet.Members of the board, headed by its new President, Dr Prasit Koeysiripong, met with PPLO chief Dr Sunart Wongvorachart recently for what they described afterward as “extremely…
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Phuket-Port Blair “sister city’ status under threat
PHUKET CITY: Phuket Governor Udomsak Uswarangkura will move to revoke the “sister city” status of the Andaman & Nicobar Islands if trade proposals to be discussed next month fail to bear fruit.Governor Udomsak told the Gazette that the “sister-city” relationship, ratified by the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two parties on June 29 last year, should…
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Saxberg body sent to Bangkok for autopsy
PHUKET: The body of Canadian Lorne Saxberg, who apparently drowned on Saturday while snorkeling off Koh Khai, in Phang Nga Bay, was sent to Bangkok today for forensic tests to determine what caused his death.An officer of the Phuket Police Station, who spoke to the Gazette on condition of anonymity, said, “We have yet to receive the results of the…
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Sneaky thief
BANGKOK: After waking up to find that their house had been broken into, a high-society couple in Bangkok were left more than a little confused when they discovered that the thief had ignored a selection of diamond and gold jewelry – instead making off with more than 20 pairs of shoes. The crime scene, an elegant European-style house that had…
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