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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Retiring in Thailand can be affordable and enjoyable, but many retirees lose money due to common mistakes. High living costs, scams, and unexpected expenses can quickly drain savings. There are five ways that retirees in Thailand can lose money and...
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Moscow-bound flight grounded at Phuket airport after passenger voices fears
PHUKET: A flight from Phuket to Moscow was evacuated yesterday after a passenger said he felt threatened. The captain of Russia’s Nordwind Airlines called the airport office to request an emergency inspection after Alexander Nozof, 25, said he felt threatened for reasons that were unspecified. Monrudee Gettuphan, director of Phuket International Airport, denied rumors that the plane had been hijacked.…
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Checkpoint police nab 21 taxi drivers, most for poor dress sense
PHUKET: Police have arrested a total of 21 taxi drives at a checkpoint in Patong in the past two days, 19 of whom were fined for being inappropriately dressed. Patong traffic policeman Ekkarat Plaiduang and Tourist Police Chief Urumporn Koondejsumrit led the checkpoint in front of the Patong Police Station in order to crack down on fixed-price taxi services and…
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Finance: Building a larger stream of future income
PHUKET: I am often contacted by people without massive amounts of cash asking me what they can do to prepare for the future. Early in my career I tended to take the approach most people in the industry do, which is to focus on the rich and let everyone else know that you are sorry about not being able to…
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Ministry of Farang Affairs: Speeding Taxi Drivers
The Ministry of Farang Affairs is a one-stop shop where foreigners in Thailand can learn all they need to know about living here. No, we’re not talking about work permits, visas or taxes. We’re talking about day-to-day life in the Land of Endless Shocks and Riddles, of Blur, Befuddlement and the Bizarre. Stay tuned for weekly insights from Minister Stephff.…
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Visa overstayers get a watery warning from Immigration
PHUKET: Water bottles with labels displaying the newly implemented overstay rules will be handed out to attendees at a public meeting with Immigration Commissioner Natthorn Phrosunthorn next week. The meeting, to be held at Boat Lagoon on March 25, is aimed at clarifying the new rules as part of the Immigration Bureau’s national campaign on reinforcing rules on foreigners who…
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![Opinion: Time to rethink Thailand’s wildlife protection laws [video] | Thaiger](data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0naHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmcnIHZpZXdCb3g9JzAgMCAxNDQgMjIwJz48L3N2Zz4=)
Opinion: Time to rethink Thailand’s wildlife protection laws [video]
PHUKET: The online petition by the Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand (WFFT) calling for an end to the illegal use of protected animal species as photo props by touts working in tourist destinations in Thailand deserves the full support of locals, expats and tourists. The petition statement summarizes just how damaging this illegal trade is to the many affected species. These…
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Tougher rules introduced to curb cheating taxi drivers
PHUKET: Phuket taxi drivers are facing tough new regulations and harsher punishments in a renewed effort to prevent them from overcharging and cheating customers. The new regulations are aimed predominantly at taxi drivers based at Phuket International Airport, where cabbies are frequently accused of refusing to turn on their meters, overcharging and making unwanted diversions, said Jaturong Kaewkasi, chief policy…
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Demolition day announced for buildings on Phuket beaches
PHUKET: Local authorities have today announced a final deadline for businesses encroaching on public land at Surin, Lay Pang and Layan beaches, informing business owners that they have to demolish all illegal buildings by next month. “We have decided, once and for all, to demolish the premises of private businesses encroaching on public land at all three ot these Phuket…
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SeaWorld to end controversial killer whale breeding program
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community SeaWorld to end controversial killer whale breeding program Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: SeaWorld said on Thursday it will stop breeding killer whales in captivity, bowing to years of pressure from animal rights activists, but the orcas already at its three parks will continue performing as…
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S. Korea suspects second projectile launched by N. Korea
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community S.Korea says suspects second projectile launched by N.Korea Phuket Gazette / Reuters SEOUL: South Korea’s military said it suspects North Korea fired a second missile this morning, after the North earlier launched a projectile that flew about 800 km (500 miles) and into the sea off…
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Vessel accused of dumping waste off Krabi
KRABI: A large vessel commissioned by the Krabi government to dredge near the Krabi Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) pier received some bad publicity this week after a Facebook user accused it of dumping waste into the Andaman. The photos posted by the Facebook user, showing black ‘wastewater’ surrounding the vessel, quickly went viral. However, the Krabi Marine Office was quick…
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Dutchman dies in three-vehicle smash
PHUKET: A 45-year-old Dutch man died in a three-vehicle crash in Phuket last night, which also left an unidentified Thai woman severely injured. Witnesses told police that a collision between the Dutchman and a Thai woman riding a motorcycle near Chalong Circle caused the man’s bike to cross over the road into oncoming traffic and collide with a bus. Witnesses’…
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Man killed in Phuket defending shoes
PHUKET: A man was killed after allegedly attempting to defend his shoes from a thief in Phuket this morning. “Neighbors told us that Niwat Linooi, 24, caught someone trying to take his shoes from in front of his home and allegedly punched the thief,” said Lt Col Suchart Meelampong of the Phuket City Police. The man then supposedly called out…
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North Korea sentences U.S. student to hard labour; Washington condemns punishment
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community North Korea sentences U.S. student to hard labour; Washington condemns punishment Phuket Gazette / Reuters SEOUL: North Korea’s supreme court sentenced American student Otto Warmbier, who was arrested while visiting the country, to 15 years of hard labor on Wednesday for crimes against the state, a…
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Trump warns of riots, pulls plug on Republican presidential debate
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Trump warns of riots, pulls plug on Republican presidential debate Phuket Gazette / Reuters PALM BEACH: Florida, U.S. Republican front-runner Donald Trump warned on Wednesday of riots if he is denied the party’s presidential nomination and pulled the plug on a scheduled debate among candidates, raising…
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Fortuner driver cleared of hit-and-run charges
PHUKET: Police cleared a suspected hit-and-run driver of any involvement in the accident that killed one and injured two in Wichit on Monday morning (story here). Witnesses told officers that a Toyota Fortuner of an unknown color was heading toward Phuket Town when it struck Narakorn Onthong, 30, and Pa Yasamut, 54, before crossing lanes and fatally injuring 17-year-old Sittichai…
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Jungceylon security guard returns tourist’s lost cash
PHUKET: A forgetful tourist in Patong was lucky to have a big wad of cash returned to him on Monday after leaving an envelope containing 350,000 baht at the Jungceylon shopping center. The abandoned cash was found by Madae Mateha, a security guard working at the mall. “Ms Madae found the envelope in a shopping cart near the elevator on…
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Krabi kratom thief found dead near tree
KRABI: Police have not ruled out foul play in the death of an unidentified man who was found dead in Krabi yesterday. Police found the shirtless body of the man lying on the ground, clutching kratom leaves in his hand, near an empty bungalow in Khlong Thom. “We believe the man received a fatal electric shock, as about two meters…
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Police kill gunman in Brussels siege linked to Paris attacks
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Police kill gunman in Brussels siege linked to Paris attacks Phuket Gazette / Reuters BRUSSELS: Belgian police killed a gunman after several officers were wounded on Tuesday in a raid on a Brussels apartment linked to investigating November’s Islamist attacks in Paris, public broadcaster RTBF said.…
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Argentina sinks Chinese trawler fishing illegally
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Argentina sinks Chinese trawler fishing illegally Phuket Gazette / Reuters BUENOS AIRES: Argentina’s coast guard has sunk a Chinese trawler that was fishing illegally within its territorial waters, the coast guard said on Tuesday, marking a first test for relations between President Mauricio Macri and Beijing.…
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Police seize knock-off goods worth B500,000 in Patong
PHUKET: Officers from the Economic Crime Suppression Division (ECD) seized pirated goods worth 500,000 baht at a market stall in Patong on Monday night. Acting on a tip-off, ECD and Patong police officers discovered fake brand-name products being sold at a stall in Baan Thai Market, said ECD Maj Apichat Amornpradit. “The stall was selling counterfeit glasses, shirts, bags and…
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Property Watch: Less is more for Koh Samui
PHUKET: We live in a world where percentages seem to matter and growth dominates our horizon. I still recall growing up and marking off on a wall in our house how tall I was. I could not wait to be older, and the irony today is how I wish that I could instead roll back the clock. In Phuket’s crowded…
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Phuket property management firm shrugs off “military threats’
PHUKET: Unhappy foreign tenants will be filing an official letter of complaint with the Department of Special Investigations (DSI) and the Army as they battle a property management company on the island. The move follows the tenants allegedly bringing representatives of the DSI and Army onto the property to ‘resolve’ the dispute with the company. “If we were to receive…
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Last toothfish poaching vessel of ‘Bandit 6’ sunk
PHUKET: Authorities in Indonesia have sunk the last of the ‘Bandit 6’ toothfish-poaching vessels, the Viking. Sea Shepherd representatives were on the ground to film the sinking of Viking, which marked the end of over a decade of toothfish poaching in the Southern Ocean at the hands of the Bandit 6, and the conclusion of Sea Shepherd’s Operation Icefish 2015-16.…
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Open your heart and home to a soi puppy, kitten or cat
PHUKET: Start sorting out your documents and make some more room in that big heart, because the Soi Dog Foundation is holding an adoptions event at its shelter in Mai Khao between 9am-noon on March 19. The event will focus on puppies, kittens and cats. “Right now the shelter is bursting at the seams with puppies and cats. There are…
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Sea gypsy assault case headed to Phuket prosecutor
PHUKET: Police say they will hand over the sea gypsy assault case to the Phuket public prosecutor this week. More than 30 Rawai sea gypsies were injured in a violent confrontation with private investors from Baron World Trade Co Ltd in January (story here). Six suspects allegedly involved in the attack have surrendered and been released on bail (story here).…
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Phuket police hunt hit-and-run truck driver
PHUKET: Police are hunting a truck driver who ran over two men on a motorcycle, killing one and critically injuring the other, near the underpass at the Central Festival Phuket intersection this morning. “At the scene, there were two victims lying in the road and a badly damaged motorbike nearby,” said Lt Patcharee Wongboon of the Wichit Police. “Witnesses said…
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Phuket welcomes new acting marine chief
PHUKET: The new acting chief of the Phuket Marine Office has been named as Surachai Burapanontachai. Mr Surachai was transferred from the Samut Songkhram Marine Office where he served as its chief, to fill the position left open by former Phuket Marine Chief Phuripat Theerakulpisut, who was transferred to Nonthaburi on February 26 (story here). “I am glad to be…
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Four Breitbart journalists quit after alleged Trump rally assault
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Four Breitbart journalists quit after alleged Trump rally assault Phuket Gazette / Reuters United States: Two reporters and two editors from Breitbart News resigned to protest how the conservative website handled an alleged assault last week on one of the reporters by a senior aide to…
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Congo militias kill two rangers in park for mountain gorillas
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Congo militias kill two rangers in park for mountain gorillas Phuket Gazette / Reuters KINSHASA: Militia groups in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo have killed two park rangers in one of the world’s last sanctuaries for the endangered mountain gorilla, the park said on Monday. A…
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