Bangkok News
Dive into the latest happenings in Bangkok with The Thaiger. Our team delivers up-to-date news, insightful analysis, and exclusive stories from the heart of Thailand’s dynamic capital. Keep your finger on the pulse of Bangkok’s ever-evolving political, economic, and cultural scene, as well as its thriving entertainment and nightlife. Stay informed about local events, transportation updates, and expat experiences in this vibrant metropolis.
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Vietjet launches new routes from Phuket to Bangkok, Chiang Rai
PHUKET: Vietnamese low-cost airline Vietjet announced its ‘domestic debut’ in Thailand on September 6 and the launch of new flight routes from Phuket to Bangkok and Chiang Rai this month. The ‘new-age’ airline already flies from Bangkok to Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi and operates 53 routes in Vietnam and to Thailand, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, China and Myanmar…
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One killed in small plane crash in Bangkok
BANGKOK: The pilot of a small plane was killed and four others were injured in a crash in Bangkok yesterday. The plane, a 10-year-old Piper Chieftain registered as HS-FGB, belonged to Rabbit Wings Co Ltd. It was reportedly travelling from Nakhon Ratchasima province to Suvarnabhumi Airport when it crashed a few kilometers north of the runway. The people on board…
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Phuket V/Gov pushes Bangkok reps to buy disputed land
PHUKET: Phuket’s Vice Governor yesterday advocated national intervention in the ongoing land dispute between private property developer Baron World Trade Co and the sea gypsy community in Rawai. Vice Governor Prajiad Aksornthammakul encouraged the National Reform Steering Assembly (NRSA) to convince Bangkok to buy up the disputed property near Rawai Pier from the developer. The ongoing land dispute surrounding the…
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Massive blaze breaks out at Bangkok cinema
BANGKOK: A faulty billboard was blamed for sparking a massive fire at the Major Cineplex in the Central Pinklao shopping mall in Bangkok this morning. Police said the fire broke out at 11:15 and within 20 minutes had caused the third-floor roof to collapse, just as a team of firefighters pulled out of the building. No one was trapped inside…
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Patong Bay water sent to Bangkok for testing
PHUKET: Officials have recently collected samples of water in Patong Bay and sent them to Bangkok to determine whether it is pollution or algae that has caused the sea water to turn brown. Akkarawat Hirunphun, an environmental specialist in the Phuket-based Regional Environmental Office, and his staff inspected the green-brown water along the Patong coast (story here) for contamination. “We…
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Surin Beach businesses beg Bangkok to stop demolition
PHUKET: About 20 evicted Surin beachfront shop owners appealed to the Justice Minstry in Bangkok yesterday in hopes of stopping or delaying the demolition of their restaurants, shops and clubs. Ma-ann Samran, president of the Cherng Talay Tambon Administration Organization (OrBorTor), told the Phuket Gazette today that he is aware of the complaint, but was not worried about it. “We…
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Bangkok Ombudsman pushes for Samkong underpass completion
PHUKET: After months of delays, the Samkong underpass is expected to be open later this month and be fully operational by May, it has been confirmed. Inspectors from the Ombudsman Office in Bangkok visited the construction site yesterday and confirmed the underpass should be open to traffic within the next few weeks. Boon Tapanadul from the Bangkok Ombudsman Office was…
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Eight killed, seven injured at SCB head office in Bangkok
BANGKOK: At least eight people were killed and seven injured in a freak accident at the Siam Commercial Bank (SCB) head office in Bangkok last night. The incident, which was initially thought to be a fire or gas cylinder explosion, was announced to be a fault in the fire extinguishing system in an emergency press statement released by the bank…
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Bangkok boat explosion prompts safety overhaul
BANGKOK: The Marine Department plans to require the owners of commuter boats to check the engine and fuel system of vessels twice a year, in the wake of an explosion on a commuter boat on Bangkok’s Saen Saeb Canal on Saturday that injured 71 people. Boat owners were previously required to perform the check annually. Marine Department Deputy Director-general Nat…
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Bangkok Airways flight postponed due to “bomb’ scare
PHUKET: Panic ensued on a Bangkok Airways flight when cabin crew feared a bomb threat after overhearing a conversation between a group of passengers yesterday afternoon. Staff on Bangkok Airways flight PG 924 from Bangkok to Phuket reported that prior to take-off, four passengers on the flight were overheard talking about ‘explosions’ with each other, said Sirote Duangratana, the general…
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MERS patient being treated in Bangkok
BANGKOK: Thailand believes it can contain the dreaded Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) virus after the country’s second case involving an elderly Omani was confirmed. “After receiving treatment for one week in his homeland without his condition improving, he refused to wait for lab results and immediately left for Thailand,” Public Health Minister Piyasakol Sakolsatayadorn said yesterday. The 71-year-old man…
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History: Bangkok for the holidays raises query about Victory Monument
PHUKET: People who live in Bangkok are probably familiar with the Victory Monument. For those visiting, however, there is a good chance you will spend some time stuck in traffic in this famous circle, and this might cause you to contemplate what it commemorates. One of Bangkok’s iconic landmarks, the Victory Monument is located at the intersection of Phahonyothin Road,…
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Bangkok bomb suspects set to be indicted
BANGKOK: The Military Court’s prosecutors are expected to indict the two suspects accused of involvement in the two bomb explosions in Bangkok in August, the lawyer for one of the suspects said yesterday. Kanchai Choochart, representing Bilal Muhammed, 24, said he would outline the defense plan once his client had been indicted. He was speaking at the Military Court after…
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Looking Back: Understanding Bangkok blast point
PHUKET: The Erawan Shrine is a revered place of worship located in the heart of Bangkok. Flanked by some of the capital’s best malls and five-star hotels, the shrine is frequented by hundreds of Thai and foreign devotees every day. On a typical day, the shrine is crowded with people who come to offer their prayers. There is a thin…
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Bangkok Hospital Group aims to broaden medical tourism with new facility
PHUKET: One of the primary reasons the Bangkok Hospital Group purchased Phuket International Hospital for 3.61 billion baht last year was to bring the hospital’s exceptionally strong aesthetic surgery branch into the fold, explains Sanguan Kunaporn, the Director of the Phuket Plastic Surgery Institute at Phuket International Hospital. This month, the group will stage the soft opening of a new…
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Up in the Air: Bangkok Airways spreads its wings
PHUKET: Bangkok Airways finally launched a daily flight service connecting Phuket and Hat Yai with an inaugural launch ceremony after touchdown at Hat Yai Airport on October 11. As previously reported by Up in the Air, the link between south Thailand’s two busiest airports is long overdue. There are thousands of people from Songkhla and surrounding provinces who have been…
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Phuket real estate shrugs off Bangkok slowdown
PHUKET: In terms of property, Phuket seems to be worlds away from Bangkok, where the market has experienced a slowdown, mostly because the island is more affected by events outside of Thailand than inside the Kingdom, Robert Collins, managing director of Savills (Thailand), said earlier this week. Because the Bangkok market has dipped, three real-estate associations recently urged the government…
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Malaysia arrests three suspects in connection with Bangkok blast
PHUKET: Malaysia has arrested three suspects in connection with the investigation into a bombblast in central Bangkok last month that killed 20 people, police chief Khalid Abu Bakar said on Monday. Two Malaysians and a Pakistani national were arrested and were assisting with the investigation, Khalid told reporters. “We believe the suspects can help in the investigation our arrest was…
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Bangkok Bank warns of viral fraud
PHUKET: Bangkok Bank has issued a warning about malicious software designed to make bank transactions from the accounts of customers who have registered for their online banking service, ‘Bualuang iBanking’. Bangkok Bank’s warning explained that false messages have been sent to iBanking customers via SMS, MMS and emails purporting to be from the bank. The messages ask the receiver to…
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Phuket arrivals rise despite Bangkok bomb
PHUKET: The total number of passengers arriving at Phuket International Airport this week has increased compared with the same period last year, President of Phuket Tourism Association Sathirapong Na Takuatung said at a meeting held yesterday to discuss the aftermath of Monday’s bombing in Bangkok. “We are concerned about the number of tourists dropping, but the number of tour groups…
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Phuket increases security following Bangkok bombing
PHUKET: Governor Nisit Jansomwong this morning urged Phuket residents and tourists not to panic about the devastating bombing of a tourist destination in Bangkok that killed at least 20 people and injured more than 100 last night. “We have boosted security throughout the island. There is no need to be afraid,” Governor Nisit told the Phuket Gazette. “We are increasing…
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Five reported dead in Bangkok bombing
BANGKOK: A bomb exploded in the center of Bangkok today, police said. The media has reported five people were killed and 20 wounded. The blast, near a shrine at a major Bangkok intersection, was caused by a bomb, police chief Prawut Thawornsiri said.
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Up in the air: Bangkok Airways flies to Hat Yai
PHUKET: Bangkok Airways will launch a new service between Phuket International Airport (HKT) and Hat Yai International Airport (HDY) starting in late October. Tasara Taksinapan, the carrier’s media relations manager, recently confirmed the new route with the Gazette’s ‘Up in the Air’, but said that the carrier had yet to issue an official press statement about the service, which will…
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Blazing Saddles: Bicycling in Bangkok
PHUKET: I have long believed the bicycle represents something of a magical chariot with the ability to unleash serendipitous experiences at many turns. So it proved on my last visit to Bangkok, where I had flown to spend some time with my 22-year-old daughter, Olivia, who stopped there en route from Sydney to London. Now it’s probably no coincidence the…
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Foreign crewmen rescued in Bangkok
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Foreign crewmen rescued in Bangkok The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Twelve Chinese and Myanmar crewmen aboard a cargo ship stranded on the Chao Phraya River were rescued yesterday. Rachen Rangmarerng, head of the Port Authority of Thailand’s labor union, said the crewmen, seven of who…
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Bangkok-Phuket bus flips in Krabi, 20 injured
PHUKET: A bus travelling from Bangkok to Phuket overturned in Krabi early this morning, leaving at least one woman seriously injured. Officers arrived at the scene of the crash, in the Khao To area in Krabi’s northernmost district Plai Praya, at about 6:30am. “The driver had fled the scene,” said Capt Prasert Jamsai of Plai Phraya Police. “The bus belongs…
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Bangkok governor takes the blame for flash floods
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Bangkok governor takes the blame for flash floods The Nation/ Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Fuming from the public and social media griping over the flash flood that paralysed much of the capital on Tuesday, Bangkok Governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra yesterday confessed to failing to take precautionary measures like…
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Bangkok’s dummy police to go ‘smart’
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Dummy police to catch traffic offenders next month The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Starting next month, dummy traffic officers on some of Bangkok’s roads will officially become “smart”, as they will be able to catch violators red-handed via a newly introduced tech system. The so-called…
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“Missing’ Austrian tourist in Phi Phi surfaces in Bangkok
PHUKET: An Austrian tourist reported missing on Phi Phi island has surfaced safe and sound in Bangkok. Mario Schatz, 23, was reported missing to Krabi Tourist Police yesterday. “He came to Ton Sai with three friends on Wednesday. His friends told us that at about 2pm he went to do some laundry and never came back,” a Krabi Tourist Police…
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Phuket governor remains calm despite beach protest in Bangkok
PHUKET: Governor Nisit Jansomwong has asked that all information about the beach vendor protests in Bangkok be sent to him in Germany. “Governor Nisit has not made any comment or instructed us to take any direct action at this point. I believe we will discuss this problem together after he flies back to Phuket,” Vice Governor Somkiet Sangkaosuttirak told the…
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