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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Managing medical expenses in Thailand is important as healthcare costs continue to rise. The country’s healthcare system includes both public and private options, but even with the Universal Coverage Scheme (UCS) for citizens, many still face high out-of-pocket medical expenses....
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Island View: The perks of parking are ready to be reaped
PHUKET: Friends often whine to me about the traffic issues in Phuket Town, usually about how difficult it can be to get in and out of town during morning and evening rush hours. But I had no idea just how implausibly gridlocked the center of town can become, until I scheduled a lunch meet there. We were booked to meet…
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Phuket going ‘smart’ with B430mn initiative
PHUKET: The province is forging ahead to develop ‘smart city’ status with a 430 million baht initiative launched earlier this year. Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak gave the green light on March 21 to launch the pilot project. “The Thai government had been developing a smart-city concept, focusing on information-technology systems, which would become the foundation for the economy, society…
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Law enforcement goes digital in effort to curb land fraud
PHUKET: The Department of Special Investigations (DSI) announced it will launch a mobile application, allowing users to evaluate properties remotely before buying or selling land. The ‘DSI Map on Mobile’ application is expected to debut within the next couple of months.This announcement comes after a string of land raids, prosecutions of incorrect or falsified land documents and the revocation of…
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Off-duty officers killed in Saturday shootout
PHUKET: Two police officers are dead following an off-duty shootout in Phuket Town in the early hours of Saturday morning. Col Peerayuth Karajedee of Phuket City Police reported that officers were arguing with each other outside the Huapan bar, near the Seahorse Circle in town. According to witnesses, Kathu police officer Lance Corporal Wongsathorn Theparan, 21, visited the venue with…
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Video Report: Surin reopens for 70th anniversary of HM King’s coronation
PHUKET: More than 5,000 people, including government officials, military officials and yellow-clad locals, poured onto Surin Beach for its grand reopening on the 70th anniversary of HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s coronation yesterday. The beach’s reopening comes after the April demolitions of private structures, found to be illicitly operating on public land (story here). The renovated beach was renamed as ‘Rajabhakti…
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Truck driver charged for crushing 79-year-old to death
PHUKET: A 79-year-old motorcyclist was crushed to death when he collided with a garbage truck in Mai Khao yesterday. “The accident occurred near Baan Kor En School. The man’s motorbike was wedged under the front right wheel of the truck. His body was stuck to the back left wheel,” said Tah Chat Chai Police Deputy Superintendent Sarit Bootnongsaeng. Mee Doomlak,…
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Sea gypsies break down over letter ‘misunderstanding’
PHUKET: Rawai sea gypsies were left distraught yesterday afternoon, after the Region 4 Army deputy commander Kunnawut Morkaew left Phuket Provincial Hall without accepting a letter they had prepared for him. “We have been waiting to submit the letter all day. We don’t understand why the general left without accepting it,” a member of the group said. A meeting between…
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Future of Brexit and British pensions
PHUKET: The possibility of the UK leaving the European Union is a subject of hot debate among the British. Most of the debate revolves around the implications for the future within the UK itself but not much is said of what kind of implications this could have on expats. For the most part, things will change very little either way…
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Opinion: Education key to “Smart City’ success
PHUKET: Given its present status as a mass tourism destination, Phuket has potential for development as one of the enthusiastically-dubbed ‘Smart Cities’. In the broader sense, however, the real key to our future success in this digital age lies in raising local educational standards. Previous successive governments have trumpeted similar grandiose schemes, but without adequate funding or ever directly addressing…
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Facial reconstruction for Phuket boat crash victim
PHUKET: A Chinese tourist injured in the boat collision that killed two tourists and left 18 others wounded is receiving facial reconstructive surgery at Bangkok Hospital Phuket, hospital officials confirmed today. The patient, Mr Zigang Zhu, 29, was referred to Bangkok Hospital from Phuket Provincial Hospital.Staff reported that Mr Zhu sustained multiple fractures, multiple wounds to his right leg and…
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Gov, officials inspect mall’s crumbling columns
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada inspected the crumbling pillars at Jungceylon mall yesterday, urging the public not to panic. Jungceylon CEO Prawit Janyasitikul confirmed yesterday that four concrete pillars were found to be damaged in the mall’s basement indoor market, the Port Zone. The area was immediately closed off (story here). Public outcry began after an anonymous source posted pictures…
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Patong serial snatcher arrested
PHUKET: Police arrested a serial purse snatcher in Patong yesterday, after tracking his whereabouts with CCTV footage. Police apprehended Nissan Islam, 21, as he was driving from Kamala to Patong. “A woman reported that a man on a motorbike snatched her purse and fled while she was walking on Soi Kebsab last week,” said Col Chaiwat Auikam of the Patong…
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Phuket FC pres furious after false reports of club’s bankruptcy
PHUKET: The president of the Phuket Football Club (Phuket FC) is fuming after news reports about the club’s alleged financial troubles went public earlier this month. Reports stated that management owed club players and staff two months in back pay, amounting to more than 1.6 million baht. Reports also stated that electricity services were cut at the team’s headquarters, after…
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Woman upset with daughter jumps down a well
KRABI: Krabi locals yesterday reported a woman jumping into a well behind Ao Leuk Police Station. “Sawat Bootkrajong, 59, reportedly jumped into the five-meter-deep well, due to a domestic dispute involving her daughter’s return to her hometown in Ratchaburi,” said Pornthip Paklang of the Ao Leuk rescue team. Rescue workers spent about 40 minutes negotiating with Ms Sawat, before convincing…
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Experts meet challenge of sustainable development in honor of HM King
BANGKOK: The nation’s top environmental experts and planners met in Bangkok this week to address the challenges faced in bringing about sustainable development in Asia, in a conference held in honor of His Majesty the King of Thailand’s 70th Anniversary of his accession to the throne. The two-day seminar, dubbed ‘Sustainable Development Challenge in Asia’, was held at the Dusit…
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Boat captains drug tested, face charges
PHUKET: Two boat captains will face reckless driving charges, after a boat collision that killed two tourists and wounded 20 more, officials confirmed today. Phuket police said they are drug testing both captains, and will wait to press charges until they receive the results. Both boat operators blamed heavy rain for the incident. Police identified the dead tourists as Liang…
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Police seize protected species from Hua Hin Zoo
HUA HIN: A police raid at Hua Hin Zoo in Prachuap Khiri Khan province yesterday led to the confiscation of more than 100 animals, The Nation reports. The raid was launched as part of a crackdown on illicit animal trades, after investigations into the Tiger Temple lead to the discovery of animal parts and corpses (story here). The Department of…
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Blinding light at intersection disgruntles locals
PHUKET: Wichit Municipality has asked the advertising company operating an LED billboard at the Central Festival Intersection to dim their sign, after receiving complaints from commuters. Wichit Mayor Kreetha Chotwitpipat said locals have sent in complaints to his office that too much light emanates from the billboard at the Central Festival-Darasamuth intersection, particularly at night. “At this stage, we have…
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Suspects in Patong killing captured
PHUKET: Police have captured two men allegedly involved in a Patong cafe brawl that left one dead and another injured on Tuesday. Police said the two men were apprehended after one man turned himself in and revealed the location of his accomplice. “We received reports that the primary suspect, Nattasak Srimok, 24, and his friend Issara Boontos, 25, were fleeing…
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Thai, Laos leaders meet in Phuket to combat human trafficking
PHUKET: Thai and Laos officials are currently engaged in talks to discuss solutions to prevent human trafficking between the two countries. Phuket Vice Governor Chokdee Amornwat addressed participants at the five-day conference being held at Cape Panwa Hotel until tomorrow. “In 2005, our two nations signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to prevent human trafficking and help the victims, especially…
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Two dead, 20 injured in speedboat collision [video]
PHUKET: Two tourists were killed and about 20 injured, many of the seriously, when two speed boats loaded with tourists collided near Phi Phi about 12:30pm today. The boats, named Chanakit 856 and Hongfah 20 were carrying 36 and 26 passengers respectively. The bodies of the dead tourists and the injured were ferried back to Phuket’s Rassada pier where emergency…
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Surin Beach reopens tomorrow as Rajabhakti Park
PHUKET: Surin Beach is to be officially reopened as Rajabhakti Park tomorrow, in a ceremony to commemorate the reign of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who ascended the throne on the same date in 1946. Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada has invited Phuketians to dress in yellow and attend the public event at Phuket’s ‘Beach of Honor’, which King Bhumibol visited…
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Opinion: Extending tourism benefits to locals
Charan Sangsarn has been the Secretary General of the Phuket Chamber of Commerce since 2014. He’s earned Bachelor’s degrees from the Faculty of Law, Ramkhamhaeng University and Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University, as well as one from the Faculty of Public Administration, Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University. He also has a Master’s degree in Political Science from Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University and…
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Patong cafe clash leaves one dead
PHUKET: One man is dead and another wounded after they were attacked outside a karaoke venue in Patong during the early hours of the morning. According to Patong police reports, the fight began in the Mon Can Cafe at 2:30am. “Rachan Banlangsuang, 32, said he was finishing a shift waiting tables at the cafe, when he and the cashier, a…
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Russian man found hanged in Patong hotel room
PHUKET: Police are investigating the death of a Russian man who was found hanged by the neck in a room at a Patong hotel yesterday. Hotel staff found Ivan Romankin, 29, at about 5:20pm, hanging from a steel beam. Patong police refused to release the name of the four-storey hotel. They suspect Mr Romankin had been dead for six hours…
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Body of missing Phuket fisherman found in Phang Nga
PHUKET: A Phuket fisherman’s body was found in Phang Nga this morning, after he was reported missing from Mai Khao yesterday. Aroon Singkhala, 63, disappeared during a fishing trip at a mangrove forest at Mai Khao, confirmed Sarit Bootnongsaeng, deputy superintendent of the Tah Chat Chai Police. “He went missing in the morning. When he did not return in the…
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Second turtle killed by propellers in Krabi this week
KRABI: Marine officials are urging boat operators to slow down and take greater care while plying Phang Nga Bay, after the body of a green sea turtle washed ashore in Phi Phi National Park on Saturday. Officers believe the endangered animal was killed by a boat propeller. “The turtle is about 90 centimeters long and weighs about 40 kilograms. The…
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Island View: Phuket’s perennial road-flooding problems during rainy season
PHUKET: With the return of the rains last week, Phuket’s perennial road-flooding problems also made a dramatic comeback. But not on one stretch of highway that has been blighted for over a decade by impassably deep puddles. The junction by the TOT’s main office on Chao Fa West was transformed into a no-go lake with every heavy tropical downpour –…
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Airport axe-man charged, gets licence suspended [video]
PHUKET: An axe-wielding taxi driver was arrested hours after a video of him at Phuket International Airport was published on Facebook on Saturday. “The video, uploaded by Woratat Wuttikorn, shows 45-year-old Nuttawut Chidjui waving the axe before putting it back in the vehicle,” confirmed Deputy Superintendent Lt Col Bundit Khaosutham of the Tourist Police Region 5. This rude taxi driver…
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Phuket international school eyed for takeover
PHUKET: The British International School Phuket (BISP) is in talks with global education provider Nord Anglia, which is making a bid to take over the school’s operations. In a letter addressed to parents last week, BIS CEO Apiwat Ourairat stated that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between the school and Nord Anglia over the potential lease of…
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