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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. WELCOME TO THE THAIGER Our website has skyrocketed in new user from 275,000 page views per month at the start of 2018 to 2.1 million page views in February 2019, representing more than 1.3 million sessions. (Google Analytics) The Thaiger crosses a number of platforms including the main website, a smartphone App, Facebook pages, YouTube Channel, Instagram, Twitter and…
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Cockfighting purse largest in Thai history
PHUKET: Two veteran roosters in Samui’s cockfighting ring drew the largest bets in Thailand’s history yesterday. Cockfighters from Chumporn, Ranong, Surat Thani, Nakhon Si Thammarat and Samui circled around the Baan Lipa Yai ring yesterday afternoon, cheering and placing more than 2 million baht in bets. The headlining fight, between an eight-month-old gamecock from Chumporn named Hua Pok, and a…
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New Phuket governor arrives
PHUKET: Newly appointed Phuket Governor Dr Chokchai Dejamornthan and his wife Raweewan Dejamornthan, who is the new president of the Phuket Red Cross, received a warm welcome on their arrival in Phuket this morning. About a hundred people from both government and the private sector showed up to welcome the couple at Phuket airport at 10:30am. In keeping with tradition,…
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Ministry of Farang Affairs: Showing off your work ID
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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Opinion: Confusion at new airport terminal
PHUKET: Confusion among passengers following the recent opening of the International Terminal at Phuket Airport demonstrates a disappointing lack of readiness on the part of Airports of Thailand (AoT), Phuket Immigration and other related agencies. While it would have been naive to expect that such major changes to airport operations could come off without a hitch, the lack of manpower…
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Burmese dies from anal injuries
KOH SAMUI: A Myanmar man died Wednesday afternoon in Koh Samui, nine days after he was admitted to hospital with a torn anus, anal inflammation and a blood infection from a torn intestine. Capt Issaret Saneangwan of Samui Police received reports regarding the deceased from Samui Hospital. “Thirty-year-old Mueang Santoo had passed away about an hour before we arrived at…
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Phuket Airport Road: Landslide plan to be revealed next month
PHUKET: A plan to prevent landslides along the road running parallel to the runway at Phuket International Airport is expected to be completed by next month. The need for a plan came about when continuous rains on August 31 loosened the earth on the 141-meter-tall hill (Khao Bo Sai), and caused a landslide that spilled onto the road (story here).…
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Task force shuts down illegal gambling ring in Krabi
KRABI: A joint task force arrested 66 suspected gamblers and confiscated over half a million baht worth of gambling paraphernalia during a raid of a local gambling den in Krabi yesterday. More than 30 officials from Nua Khlong Police, along with 16 military personnel, marched into the middle of a rice field at Pakasai sub-district of Nua Khlong District, where…
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Floating officials visit flooded village
KRABI: Villagers in Ao Luek district have been using boats to get to and from their houses after torrential flooding has left their neighborhood under water for the past month. Following complaints filed with the Ao Luek Administration Organization (OrBorTor), Ao Luek District chief Chaiwut Buathong examined the site on Tuesday. Approximately 300 meters of roadway have been flooded in…
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Man ‘bathes’ in pothole to push road repairs
PHUKET: A Krabi local ‘bathed’ in a pothole Tuesday morning as a sarcastic act of protest against the condition of the roads in the area. The man, who calls himself ‘Rosemary’, is 53-year-old Payong Noosiri. Several surprised locals watched as Mr Payong took pictures of himself bathing in a pothole in Krabi’s Baan Lamthap village. Mr Payong said he was…
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Arrest warrants issued for ATM hackers
PHUKET: Police issued two more arrest warrants on September 26 for Russian suspects wanted in connection with the nation-wide ATM fraud that ripped off over 12 million baht from Government Savings Bank (GSB) ATMs. The group of foreigners travelled around the country using specially-engineered credit cards to overcome safety precautions and empty ATMs in Phuket, Phang Nga, Surat Thani, Phretcha…
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Phuket Gazette Radio is here, launched at 0500 today
PHUKET: It’s here, and it’s on a mission with news all day. News remains the Gazette’s reason for being, just as it’s always been, since 1993. Our flagship show, ‘The News Room’, takes you deep inside the local news, issues and events that matter to Phuketians. Here you’ll also get the important regional and international stories that the island’s cosmopolitan…
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Teenager killed in “double hit-and-run’
PHUKET: A teenager was killed and another man injured in a ‘double’ hit-and-run collision at about 1:15am today on Thepkasattri Road. The victim, Noppadol Yaprajan, 19, was riding pillion with his friend Sirichai Witsuma, 20, when the accident occurred. “Mr Sirichai told us that an 18-wheeled truck hit their motorbike in front of the Democratic Party Office, causing Mr Noppadol…
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Body of Swedish man found hanged in Kamala hotel room
PHUKET: Staff at the Kamala Regent Resort found the body of a Swedish guest hanged by the neck in the bathroom of his hotel room yesterday afternoon. The 47-year-old Swede was wearing only a hotel bathrobe and found in a kneeling position, leaning forward, with a taut rope around his neck that was strung up on a part of the…
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Victim of Bangkok gang may be elderly European
PHUKET: A scan of body parts found in a refrigerator during a raid last week on a building in Bangkok’s Sukhumvit Soi 56 suggests it was an elderly European man who was dismembered by an electric saw, Dr Udomsak Hoonwichit, of Chulalongkorn University’s faculty of medicine, said yesterday. The deceased man’s DNA will be collected for identification and given to…
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Portuguese Man-of-War back at the beaches
PHUKET: Sirinath National Park chief Kitiphat Tharapiban said today that ‘water activities’ have been suspended at Phuket’s Nai Thon, Layan and Nai Yang beaches after blooms of Portuguese Man-of-War siphonophore were spotted in the national park area on Friday (September 23). “Stings from the Portuguese Man-of-War can be fatal so we have closed the beaches and posted warning notices where…
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New Phuket Air Terminal: Transport Minister acknowledges barrage of angry complaints
PHUKET: A stream of harsh complaints about the new terminal at Phuket International Airport prompted a visit by Transport Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith on Saturday. Long lines, delays, the lack of essential equipment, insufficient and confused personnel, and angry passengers have all marred the opening days of the new facility (story here). Mr Arkhom acknowledged that airport staff were dealing with…
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New look for Laguna Phuket Triathlon
PHUKET: This year’s Laguna Phuket Triathlon has a new look and a new bike course for the international athletes heading to the island to compete in a 1.8-km swim, 50-km bike ride and 12-km run at the Laguna Phuket resort on Sunday, November 20. The organizers celebrated the triathlon’s 23rd anniversary by unveiling its fresh new look for participating athletes…
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Russian tourist dies at Karon
PHUKET: A Russian tourist died Saturday afternoon, shortly after bring pulled out from the waves by rescue workers at Karon Beach. “Police received reports about 3:30pm that Urosov Roman, 43, had been pulled from the water near the Naka statue,” said Karon Police Captain Weerayuth Thansirisukhaworakul. Mr Roman’s wife, who declined to be named, told police she was lying on…
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Woman flips car to save jay-walking dog
PHUKET: A woman was charged with reckless driving after she smashed into an electric pole on Chao Fa West Road, trying to avoid a jay-walking dog on Saturday. “Chuangkwan Pantanakitvibun, 24, was on her way from the Land & Houses apartment complex to Phuket Town at about noon, when she saw the dog crossing the street and swerved left to…
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Teen thief nabbed for Phuket Town car break-ins
PHUKET: Police arrested a 16-year-old boy yesterday who they allege is behind a string of car break-ins and robberies in Phuket Town. On August 27, the suspect reportedly smashed the window of a Chevrolet and stole about 50,000 baht in cash and other belongings from inside the car. Another car was broken into and 6,000 baht cash was stolen from…
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New bridge to Koh Lanta approved
KRABI: Construction of a bridge linking Koh Lanta with the mainland in Krabi has been approved by the central government, it was announced last week. The new 1.5km bridge is to stretch from Hua Hin Pier on the mainland to Klong Maak Pier on Lanta Noi. The crossing will facilitate the approximately five million tourists visiting the island annually, who…
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Three injured in Yamu boat fire
PHUKET: Three men were injured when their speedboat caught fire off Yamu Pier in Pakhlok at about 9:15 this morning. One of the men sustained serious injuries, including a broken leg and burns across 40-50 per cent of his body, according to emergency responders. The three-engine speedboat, registered to CC Blue Marine, reportedly caught fire while the three crew members…
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Pole position for speeding Phuket driver
PHUKET: A Phang Nga man landed himself in Thalang Hospital after losing control of his Toyota Yaris while speeding along Thepkrasattri Road this morning. The driver reportedly lost control of the vehicle and slammed backwards into a lamppost on the Northbound curve of the island’s main thoroughfare near the Sai Kaew Beach entrance in Mai Khao, shortly before 10am. Rescue…
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Local airlines ban use of Samsung Galaxy note 7
PHUKET: Several international and domestic carriers, including Thai Airways, Nok Air, Thai Lion air, Bangkok Airways and Air Asia, have banned the use of Samsung Galaxy Note 7 mobile phones on board their aircraft, following reports of the device ‘exploding’ surfaced after its launch last month. Airports of Thailand Plc (AOT), which operates the Kingdom’s major airports, including Phuket International…
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Ministry of Farang Affairs: The power of amulets
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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Opinion: Boosting startups in Phuket
PHUKET: The new Ministry of Digital Economy and Society shows the correct spirit in supporting and promoting startup businesses through its recent Startup Thailand 2016 activities here in Phuket. Our island has enormous potential as a hub for digital technology outfits, but fostering success for local startups in competitive international markets will require a much more ‘international outlook’ than many…
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Phuket Vegetarian Festival 2016 schedule announced
PHUKET: The controversial Phuket Vegetarian Festival, one of the most widely-celebrated events in Phuket each year, is being held from October 1-9 at various shrines and locations throughout the island. Held in the ninth month of the lunar calendar, the festival features a host of events and draws large crowds to Phuket each year (story here). The Phuket City Municipality…
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Bangkok surpasses London as world’s top destination city
BANGKOK: The Thai capital, projected to welcome 21.47 million international inbound visitors this year, has been awarded the ‘World’s Best City Award’ for the fourth year in a row. The awards are organized by Travel and Leisure magazine. According to the annual Mastercard Global Destinations Cities Index released today, Bangkok edges out second-ranked London, which is set to welcome 19.88…
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Passenger recalls Phuket runway accident
PHUKET: Mongkunkit Phongnarisorn sat in a window seat aboard the Thai Airways flight that ran off the Phuket Airport runway last night. The Phuket-based businessman was returning from Bangkok aboard flight TG221. “Everything seemed to be going perfectly normally,” Mr Mongkunkit told the Phuket Gazette today, adding that he travels regularly for work. Things began to get interesting when the…
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