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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Two more Burmese murdered
PHUKET: Two Burmese men were killed in Phuket over the Songkran holiday, in separate violent attacks. Early Sunday morning, Phuket Town police received a call from residents of Soi Siang Tai, complaining about the noise of men fighting. Police arrived an hour later and found lying in the soi the body of a man who was later identified by workers…
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Water shortage imminent, says Mayor
PHUKET TOWN: Phuket Town Mayor Phummisak Hongsyok has warned that Phuket faces a shortage of water within five years, and that not enough is being done to solve the problem. At a press conference yesterday the Mayor complained that Phuket’s infrastructure is not being developed to keep up with the increasing demand from local residents and tourists. “Phuket is a…
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Solution proposed for mangrove encroachment
PHUKET: Governor CEO Pongpayome Vasaputi has proposed assigning small plots of public land to poor people in order to stop further encroachment into Phuket’s dwindling mangrove forests. Gov Pongpayome said in a recent announcement that he had received several complaints about families setting up homes in the mangroves of Phuket. To solve the problem, he recommends building small “villages” with…
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Girls, 13 and 14, busted for ya bah
THALANG: Marine Police officers arrested a 13-year-old girl Tuesday afternoon after she picked up a package containing ya bah (methamphetamine) and heroin from the Thalang post office. Police had received a tip-off alleging that the girl, who was accompanied by a 14-year-old girl friend, was acting as a drug courier for her father, Usman. Police watched her movements for several…
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Police puzzled by multiple monikers
PHUKET TOWN: Police have been trying to figure out whether a man they arrested on Monday is mad, or just crazy like a fox. Pol Lt Prasaan Tovorn of Phuket Town Police Station explained to the Gazette that he and other motorbike police officers were on patrol in Soi Imjit 1 in the early hours of Monday morning when the…
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Boat safety boost for Songkhran
PHUKET: The Phuket office of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) said yesterday it will be stepping up boat safety measures during this year’s Songkhran festival. Napasorn Kakai, Assistant Director of the local office of the TAT, said that arrangements have been made for officers from the Phuket Harbor Office, the Marine Police and the Tourist Police to be stationed…
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American diver dies in cave
KRABI: The Royal Thai Navy today returned to Phuket with the body of American tourist Jeffrey S. Gall, 48, who disappeared March 25 while diving in a cave off Koh Ha Yai. Pol Lt Col Prasopchai Bunluesil, Deputy Superintendent of Phuket Marine Police, told the Gazette today that Mr Gall was on vacation with his wife, staying on Phi Phi…
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Meatball vendor killed in robbery
THALANG: The body of a meatball vendor was found by villagers at the side of Thepkrasattri Rd last night. Police believe he was killed in the course of a robbery. The man has been identified as 38-year-old Charoon Sura, a resident of Thalang. Pol Maj Pornthep Phutluecha of Thalang Police Station told the Gazette that villagers called police at about…
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Gov leads raid to “save gambling children’
PHUKET TOWN: Governor CEO Pongpayome Vasaputi led a raid on a gambling den in Poonphol Night Plaza on Saturday night after receiving a letter from parents worried about children gambling. Arriving at the address at about 7:30 pm, officers found 20 men, one woman and two boys, aged 14 and 16, in a room watching a soccer match. In the…
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Health Chief in plea for safe Songkhran
PHUKET: Dr Wanchai Sattayawutthipong, Chief of the Phuket Provincial Health Office, has urged people to be particularly careful on Phuket’s roads during this year’s Songkhran festival. Citing statistics showing the rising numbers of dead and injured during the period in each successive year, Dr Wanchai urged everyone to take care when driving, to use safety belts or helmets, and not…
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“Women auction parties’ report denied
PHUKET: Col Apirak Hongtong, Superintendent of Phuket Immigration Police, yesterday emphatically denied a newspaper report alleging that regular parties are held in Phuket at which Thai women are auctioned off to foreigners. His comments followed the publishing of a front-page article on Thursday in a local Thai newspaper. The paper named Col Apirak as its source for the story. Col…
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Schoolboy in love triangle machete attack
PHUKET TOWN: A high school student has been charged with attempted murder after allegedly chasing two fellow students on a motorcycle and slashing one of one them with a machete. Pol Lt Kittitat Dangnui, of Phuket Town Police Station, told the Gazette that police were called into Wachira Phuket Hospital at about 1 am Thursday to investigate an incident involving…
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Bus service a big hit
PHUKET TOWN: After just four days of operation, Phuket’s first public bus service has received generally glowing reviews. Samroeng Chaisorn, Vice Chief Executive of the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor), told the Gazette today, “We are very pleased; it is going very well. The other day, myself and some of my team hopped on a bus and, to our surprise,…
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Seven Wonders get green light
PHUKET TOWN: A seven-week schedule of festivities was announced yesterday as part of a plan to attract more visitors to Phuket Town’s historic downtown area. The “Seven Wonders of Phuket” festival will start on April 21, and will run for the following six Sundays. JSL Co won the right to organize the festival with its concept of promoting a “Green…
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Don&’t bore your guests – Gov
PHUKET TOWN: Governor CEO Pongpayome Vasaputi today urged organizers of events in Phuket to be aware of what their guests are likely to enjoy, and not to bore them with endless speeches and other formalities. His remarks came at an all-day seminar held at the Royal Phuket City, focusing on Tourism Destination Preservation and Being A Good Host. Gov Pongpayome…
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Parks launch underwater self-guided tours
SIMILANS: The marine national parks at the Similan and Chumphon islands have each launched an underwater trail along which divers can enjoy a self-guided tour of corals and other underwater marine life. Divers will be handed three plastic cards with the pictures and names of the many corals and tropical fish they are likely to see as they travel the…
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Man found shot dead in palm plantation
THALANG: The battered body of a man was found by villagers in a palm plantation in Thalang on Friday. Pol Maj Pornthep Phutluecha of Thalang Police Station said that the man, estimated to have been 30 to 40 years old, was wearing navy blue trousers and a T-shirt. His arms were raised over his head and handcuffed together. He had…
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Aliens top gambling in arrest figures
PHUKET: Illegal immigrants topped the arrests statistics last month, with 421 people caught in raids from March 1 to 24, according to the latest figures released by police. Gambling dropped from its customary number-one spot, with 273 arrested in 91 raids, up from 176 arrests made in 82 raids during for the same period in February. Arrests for drug-related offences…
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Prison still brimming with drug offenders
PHUKET TOWN: Statistics released by Provincial Prison officials last week show that narcotics offenders, or those awaiting trial on drugs-related charges, make up more than half of the prison population. Of the 1,247 inmates, 523 men and 119 women are in for narcotics offenses. Of the remaining prisoners, 217 are being held for theft, 136 for murder or attempted murder,…
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Nation takes stake in Phuket Gazette, joins board of directors
PHUKET: Pana Janviroj and Prasert Lekavanichkajorn have joined the board of directors of The Phuket Gazette Co Ltd following the acquisition of a 19.7% interest in the local newspaper by the Nation Multimedia Group Pcl (NMG). Khun Pana is editor of ‘The Nation’ and Khun Prasert is the paper’s chief operating officer. With a Master’s Degree in economics from Tuft’s…
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Eco-tour firms protest tuk tuk ‘bullies&’
PHUKET TOWN: About 70 staff from five eco-tour companies gathered in front of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) office on Phuket Rd last night to protest the “bullying” behavior of tuk tuk drivers in the Kata-Karon area. The protest blocked traffic for about an hour. Anupharb Thirarath, director of the TAT Phuket office, was handed a letter by the…
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Employers turn in 126 “unemployables’
PHUKET: In the latest development of the government’s crackdown on illegal aliens, 126 Burmese have been rounded up and will be shipped back to Burma within the next few days. Phuket Immigration made the arrests after tip-offs from Phuket employers. Three days ago, police publicly urged employers to tell police of any Burmese who are not fit to work as…
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Four arrested for credit card offenses
PHUKET TOWN: Police have nabbed one Malaysian and three Thais suspected of a major credit card fraud and forgery operation. Lee On Chin, a 49-year-old Chinese Malaysian, and Kiattikorn Rakkaew, 33, were arrested Tuesday in front of Daeng Plaza Hotel on Phuket Rd while using credit cards to draw money from an ATM machine. Prajak Nalita, 32, was arrested the…
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Another runaway bus on Patong Hill
PATONG: Twenty-six people were injured yesterday afternoon when a bus careered off the road and into a wall at the bottom of Patong Hill. Aboard the bus belonging to Chiang Mai tour company Udom Tour were 39 Thai passengers, aged from 40-60, who were on a 10-day tour of the South. Pol Serg Maj Suthep Sukeaw, of Kathu Police Station,…
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B2m damage in three-home blaze
PHUKET TOWN: A kitchen fire raged out of control and gutted three units of a two-story townhouse complex in Moo Baan Karn Kaeha yesterday afternoon. Total damage is estimated at more than 2 million baht. Five firefighters took nearly one hour to put out the blaze. No injuries were reported. The fire started in the kitchen of one of the…
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Koreans can be interpreters, not guides – Gov
PHUKET TOWN: In response to a long-standing dispute between Thai guides and Korean tour operators, Governor CEO Pongpayome Vasaputi yesterday announced that 99 Korean nationals will be allowed to register as tour-guide interpreters. The announcement was made at a meeting, attended by local government officials and Korean tour operators, which was arranged to resolve months of conflict. The conflict arose…
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Police officer robbed during Phuket stay
PHUKET TOWN: An Immigration Police officer from Surat Thani, working in Phuket on assignment, had his jewelry and his gun stolen from his hotel room at the S.T. Hotel on Sakdidet Rd on Saturday night. Pol Lt Parichat Jaturonphan, of Phuket Town Police Station, said that Pol Capt Sudjarit Vongsakate was staying at the hotel with his family. Lt Parichat…
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Immigration scandal officer to be prosecuted
BANGKOK: Investigations into the corruption scandal at the Patong Immigration Office have already nailed one officer, according to a highly-placed source in the Immigration Department in Bangkok. The source, who requested anonymity, told the Gazette today, “One Immigration officer [from Phuket] has been found to have behaved incorrectly. We will be bringing criminal charges against him. “Another officer is still…
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Lucky Complex operator out of luck
PHUKET TOWN: The Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) has taken back management of the abandoned Lucky Complex in Saphan Hin after the company in charge of running it failed to pay rent on the building for more than two years. OrBorJor officials, including the president, Dr Prasit Koeysiripong, went to inspect the Lucky Complex on Saturday, shortly after the OrBorJor…
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Patong to get power boost
PATONG: To reduce the number of unscheduled blackouts in Patong, the Phuket Provincial Electricity Authority (PPEA) has installed a new substation opposite the Holiday Inn on Rat-U-Thit 200 Pi Rd. The substation – which has yet to be hooked up to the town’s power supply – has the capacity to boost power supply in the area from 33 kilovolts to…
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