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.
-
Sponsored Planning to extend your Thai visa? Why health insurance is more important than ever
If you plan to stay longer in Thailand, having health insurance is now more important than ever. Thai immigration often asks for proof of medical coverage when you apply to extend your visa. This applies to many types of visas,...
-
Prison Products Fair underway in Phuket
SAPHAN HIN, PHUKET: There are only four days remaining in the 6th annual Prisoners Product Fair taking place at the central stage area at Saphan Hin. A wide variety of sturdy, handmade products including tables, wardrobes, beds and baskets are on display. Items made by Thai prisoners from the 14 provincial prisons in the southern region, as part of their…
-
Phuket crime: 50,000 baht reward for clues in Australian assault case
PHUKET CITY: It has taken a phone call from the Australian diplomatic mission, but Phuket Police are now renewing efforts to catch the man responsible for a horrendous knife attack on a young Australian man several months ago.In early February this year, 20-year-old Jamie Shackleton was left with terrible facial injuries after being slashed in the face with a machete…
-
New medical science center opens in Phuket
SRISOONTHORN, PHUKET: The Public Health Ministry opened a new front in the war against infectious disease in Phuket late last week with the opening of the new Phuket Medical Science Center. Public Health Minister Witthaya Kaewparadai presided over the June 11 opening ceremony, which was attended by more than 200 public health volunteers as well as Phuket MPs Tossaporn Thepabutr…
-
Elite guard in alleged sodomy of senior, 71
TRANG: Police have arrested a People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) guard for the alleged rape of a 71-year-old man. The shocking announcement was made on June 11 by Thian Banthip, deputy superintendent of the Muang District Police in nearby Trang province. Lt Col Thian identified the alleged rapist as 44-year-old Phuan Thajeen, a member of the PAD’s elite “Srivichai Warriors”…
-
Swine flu cases surpass 200 mark
PHUKET CITY / BANGKOK: Thailand yesterday reported 51 new cases of swine flu, bringing the total number to 201, Public Health Ministry spokesman Suphan Srikamma has announced. Education Minister Jurin Laksanavisit said that nine schools have suspended classes to prevent spreading of the flu, all in or around Bangkok. Among them are such prestigious schools as St Gabriel’s, St Francis…
-
Phuket “Big Cleanup” now underway
PATONG, PHUKET: Public health workers in full anti-contamination gear sprayed and fumigated Soi Bangla yesterday in a bid to prevent the spread of contagious diseases like swine flu and chikungunya. The high-profile initiative followed a single confirmed case of swine flu infection by a staff member at a Patong disco last week. Tourists and local businessmen alike were curious about…
-
Phuket to Montana: Thanks for a great event!
(PHUKET): Phuket’s tourism industry is currently mired in the low season doldrums and there has been little to report in recent weeks to buoy enthusiasm. There has been plenty of talk recently of abysmal occupancy rates, imminent staff layoffs and factors conspiring to keep tourists away – from swine flu to the recent spate of drownings. Given the malaise, the…
-
Aussie romps to second Laguna Phuket marathon win
CHENG TALAY, PHUKET: Reigning Laguna Phuket International Marathon champion Stephen Paine of Australia defended his crown in style yesterday, leading from start to finish on his way to an impressive win at Laguna Phuket. A record 4,500 runners and walkers from more than 25 countries gathered at Laguna Beach Resort in the early hours of Sunday to contest five separate…
-
Phi Phi tourist deaths remain a mystery, autopsies inconclusive
The Royal Thai Police Institute of Forensic Medicine in Bangkok has concluded its examination of tissue samples from two young women who died mysteriously on Koh Phi Phi early last month. The evidence is inconclusive. Deputy chief of Krabi Public Health Office Dr Buncha Kahkhong said that the autopsies failed to turn up anything that could have caused the deaths…
-
Free training at Phuket Meditation Center today
PHUKET CITY: A Middle Way meditation session will take place today at the Phuket Meditation Center next to Suan Luang Park, starting at 1:30 pm. The teaching monk is Phra Thada Jaranatharou. Fluent in English, Phra Thada graduated with honors with a bachelors’ degree industrial electrical technology from King Mongkut Institute of Technology, Thailand’s top engineering school. Phra Thada is…
-
Phuket tourism industry braces for swine flu impact
PHUKET CITY: A vice-president of the Phuket Tourist Association has warned that travelers and the general public could be frightened by the heightened level of alert for swine flu, which the WHO raised from phase 5 to phase 6, the highest level, on Thursday. Phuket Tourism Association Vice-President for Marketing Bhuritt Maswongsa also noted that despite the phase 6 warning,…
-
Amateur Photo Contest offers free stay at Phuket resort
Fancy yourself as a photographer? Got a snap that says it all about Phuket lifestyle? If so, you could win a FREE three-night stay at the Evason Phuket & Six Senses Spa in Rawai, during the Six Senses Raceweek from July 22-26. Send us your best digital photo depicting Phuket lifestyle for the chance to win your three nights at…
-
World Blood Donor Day 2009 in Phuket
PHUKET CITY: The Phuket Chapter of the Thai Red Cross Society is encouraging people to make merit by donating blood on June 14, World Blood Donor Day. The event, organized by the Blood Bank at Vachira Phuket Hospital, will take place at Bangkok Hospital Phuket on Yaowarat Road in Phuket City starting at 1pm. The World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes…
-
Phuket marine life to benefit from dugong conservation MoU
PHUKET: After two years of lobbying by the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC), the government has finally agreed to sign an international memorandum of understanding (MoU) aimed at protecting the endangered dugong population in Thai waters, the Gazette has learned.Kanjana Adulyanukosol of the Phuket Marine Biological Center’s Endangered Species Unit said the government is now ready to sign the memorandum,…
-
Phuket fitness center goes bust
PHUKET: Members of the Easy Fitness Center on Chao Fa West Road in Phuket were left without a gym on April 30, when repossession teams, under police supervision, seized fitness equipment valued at several million baht, forcing the center to close.The center, which opened in 2005, offered a variety of fitness classes with membership fees ranging from Bt7,200 for three…
-
Swine Flu: Phuket facing further downturns in tourism
BANGKOK / PHUKET: A Bangkok school will today be partially closed for three days after an 11-year-old boy came down with type-A (H1N1) influenza in what is the second known case of local infection in Thailand. Thirteen of his classmates have also developed a fever. Deputy Public Health Minister Manit Nopamornbodi said the Bangkok student, whose name was withheld, had…
-
Sea debris killing Phuket sea life: marine expert
PHUKET CITY: A leading marine biologist has warned that the dumping of debris into the waters of Phuket, Phang Nga and Krabi is harming marine species in the region. Speaking at an event to mark the United Nation’s first-ever official World Oceans Day on Monday, researcher Kanjana Adulyanukosol of the Phuket Marine Biological Center’s Endangered Species Unit said that sea…
-
Hong Kong man ill with swine flu after Phuket holiday
PHUKET CITY: A 33-year-old man from Hong Kong fell ill with human swine influenza following a stay on Phuket, the Gazette has learned. The Hong Kong Department of Health said the man visited Phuket with a friend from June 4 to 8. He reportedly developed a cough on June 7. The travelers returned to Hong Kong on Dragonair flight KA213…
-
Phuket Gov to launch “Project Palmyra”
PHUKET CITY: In an effort to beautify two of the island’s main roadways, the Phuket governor is keen to plant scores of Palmyra palm trees along Thepkrasattri Road and the bypass road. At a recent meeting at Phuket Provincial Hall, Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop raised the idea with representatives of agencies slated for involvement in the project; most seemed to…
-
Phuket enchanted by MSU orchestra
PHUKET CITY: Music lovers in Phuket were granted a rare treat over the past weekend: two performances by the world-class musicians of the Montana State University (MSU) Symphony Orchestra. Under the direction of internationally renowned Japanese conductor Shuichi Komiyama, the 85-member orchestra kicked off with a rousing medley arrangement entitled Go West. Certainly not to be confused with the Pet…
-
Phuket Health and Wellness Festival
PATONG, PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Public Health Office, in association with the Phuket Spa Association, public and private hospitals, and government agencies in Phuket, will hold the Phuket Health and Wellness Festival 2009 from June 11 to 13 at Jungceylon Shopping Complex in Patong. The event, an expansion of the Andaman Spa Invitation held since 2006, is aimed at promoting…
-
Phuket gets another toy library from the Phuket Community Foundation
Community Foundations (CFs) are a powerful force for doing good in society. They are also financial powerhouses. For example, Rotary has total worldwide assets – that is, investments from which Rotary clubs draw an income – of around US$700 million. In contrast, the Tulsa Community Foundation alone has assets of US$3.l7 billion, and the top 10 in the US have…
-
Phuket says farewell to Steve Swan
PATONG, PHUKET: A cremation ceremony was held last week for US serviceman Steve Swan, who survived for three weeks following a motorcycle accident on April 30 but died from complications on May 22. The following obituary is provided by Lee Thayer, also a retired US Navy serviceman and, together with Steve, an owner of the Crow’s Nest Bar on Soi…
-
Letter from Phuket to the World Boxing Council
PHUKET: The Phuket Gazette‘s editorial this week comes in the form of an open letter to World Boxing Council (WBC) President Jose Sulaiman on the topic of race-based pricing at the world title fight held at the Bangla Boxing Stadium in Patong, Phuket on May 29. Dear Mr Sulaiman: As you are no doubt aware, WBC champion Oleydong Sithsamerchai recently…
-
Phuket Lions club a roaring success
PHUKET: The Lions Club of Patong Beach celebrated their Charter Night on May 29. Almost 80 Lions from clubs throughout Thailand watched on as Charter President Lion Rohn-Napa Kanjanayothee and First President Claude de Crissey were officially presented with their club Charter by former district governor Somchai Chirayus.Lions Clubs International has more than 1.4 million members in over 44,500 clubs…
-
Paiboon’s fraud case starts June 23
PHUKET CITY: The Region 8 Court of Appeals will on June 23 examine witnesses and preliminary evidence in the electoral fraud case against suspended Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (PPAO) president Paiboon Upatising and teammate Sawat Muchawej. Mr Paiboon and Mr Sawat were handed yellow cards by the Election Commission (EC) in Bangkok on March 19. For our previous report, click…
-
Australia and New Zealand education expos in Phuket
PHUKET CITY: Antipodean cousins New Zealand and Australia are set to go head-to-head in pursuit of young minds later this month, with both countries hosting education expos in Phuket. On June 16, the New Zealand Education Center and the New Zealand Embassy will host the New Zealand Education Fair 2009 at the Phuket ICT Skill Development and Learning Center at…
-
Frenchman and Thai drown in Phuket
KARON, PHUKET: A Frenchman and his Thai companion drowned while swimming in heavy surf off Karon Beach yesterday afternoon. After the deaths were reported to Chalong Police, rescue workers from the Phuket Ruamjai Kupai Foundation, Phuket Tourist Rescue Center and Karon Hazard Prevention Unit rushed out on surfboards and boats to find the victims. After about 20 minutes they found…
-
Eggciting find for Phang Nga villagers
PHANG NGA: A wave of excitement has swept through a village in Phang Nga province over the discovery there of a giant egg of unknown origin. Maitree Yaifai, of Village 2, Tambon Kheuk Khak in Takua Pa District, said he found the egg in a dry patch of grass not far from his house when he was out fishing. The…
-
17 killed, 30 injured in Krabi bus accident
PHUKET CITY: A chartered bus taking officials of the Samut Prakan Provincial Administrative Organization on a study tour overturned in Krabi this morning, killing 17 and injuring 30 passengers. The accident occurred at 6:30 am on the Phanom-Khao Tor Road in Krabi’s Plai Phraya district. Twelve passengers died at the scene; five more died at hospitals. Thirty other passengers were…
Don't forget to check out some other things to do in Thailand - get help starting a business or finding a job in Thailand, buy Thailand property, rent a yacht or book a medical procedure worldwide.