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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Dokset murder trial postponed for want of a translator
PHUKET: The murder trial of Stein Havard Dokset was due to continue yesterday but was postponed until August 22 after it was discovered that no court translator was available. Mr Dokset, accused of murdering his ex-girlfriend Rungnapa Suktong and leaving her remains in a trash bin for months, appeared at Phuket Provincial Court yesterday at 9am (story here). After a…
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Aussie life savers dive in to boost Phuket beach guard training
PHUKET: The Phuket Lifeguard Club (PLC) yesterday announced it has joined with the renowned Surf Life Saving Australia (SLSA) to develop world-class public education programs that aim to improve water safety and reduce the number of drownings on Phuket’s beaches. This week, six senior lifeguard trainers from Phuket beaches and resorts worked with SLSA Community Education Manager Anthony Bradstreet to…
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Phuket Sports: Rotary Club of Patong paired up with Laguna for fun in the sun
PHUKET: On Friday March 1, the Rotary Club of Patong Beach held a charity golf tournament at Laguna Phuket Golf Club. A total of 66 players braved the brutal heat to battle for prizes in several categories. Singles winner was Best Wannamakok with 36 stableford points. The winning pair were Keith Bennet and Sandor Levai. The winning team were Martin…
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Dutch tourist retracts Phi Phi rape report
PHUKET: A Dutch woman who reported to police that she was raped on Monday while on holiday on Phi Phi Island, near Phuket, recanted her story yesterday. The 25-year-old woman told police that she and a friend arrived on Phi Phi on Monday and checked into a hotel. “She then went alone to a bar by the beach,” said Krabi…
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Phuket Poll: Russian tourists equals “No money, no matter’
PHUKET: In the latest Phuket Gazette online reader poll, asking whether the tourism infrastructure in Phuket is sufficiently developed to handle all the Russian visitors, 44% said it doesn’t matter, because very little Russian money reaches the pockets of Phuket residents anyway. The remaining responses were evenly divided between those who believe the infrastructure for Russian tourists is sufficient, those…
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Phuket tourists warned about illegal slow loris touts
PHUKET: A seven-day educational campaign against profiteering from slow lorises and other wildlife is now underway on the streets of Patong. Last night about 30 government officers handed out English-language brochures on the illegal use of wildlife in one of the most tourist-dense areas of Phuket, between Loma Park and Soi Bangla in Patong (map here). The officers were from…
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Phuket Gazette Sports: Chelsea face second exit as Spurs trounce Inter
Tottenham thump sorry Inter, Chelsea stung Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Tottenham Hotspur trounced a sorry Inter Milan 3-0 in the Europa League yesterday while last year’s European champions Chelsea were humbled 1-0 by Steaua Bucharest after being stung by a Raul Rusescu penalty.Big-spending Russian pair Zenit St Petersburg and Anzhi Makhachkala failed to manage a goal between them. Zenit lost…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Brazil nightclub fire toll climbs; 31 militants slain on Borneo; China land grab
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Victim from Brazil nightclub fire dies, 16 still hospitalized Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: A young woman died yesterday from injuries sustained during a January 27 fire at the Kiss nightclub in southern Brazil, bringing the death toll from the college town tragedy to 241, Brazil’s health ministry…
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Phuket protest delivers possible reprieve for Muslim teacher sacked for joining Hajj
PHUKET: About 100 parents, students, community leaders and other Muslim residents from across Phuket gathered in front of Muslim Wittaya School on Thepkrasattri Road in Koh Kaew this morning to protest a teacher being sacked for taking unapproved leave to join the Hajj. The protesters called for the school board to recast their decision to sack Parinya Payadsub, a respected…
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Man dies in reservoir after sacrilegious “wicky leak’
PHUKET: The death of a man who apparently went insane and dived into a reservoir is the talk of a village in the province of Roi Et, in the northeast of Thailand. Villagers of Nonrang, in Muang District, believe the cause of the strange death of 32-year-old Daorueang Chaiyahong was his sacrilegious antics at a company party on New Year’s…
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Phuket Opinion: Dumping drugs for scouts’ honor
PHUKET: Rapin Nichanon, 58, has been the Provincial Prison Chief since 2011. Originally from Nakhon Sri Thammarat, he served as the director of Krabi Provincial Prison before moving to Phuket. Here, he talks about how successful the prison’s “scout training courses” (story here) are in helping drug users become valuable citizens: We have been holding our “scout training” courses for…
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Hail Phuket Provincial Hall
PHUKET: Protests over the recently-unveiled plan to build a new 465-million-baht Phuket Provincial Hall (story here) strike us as quite surprising, especially the fact that self-described “local people” are leading the opposition: virtually all of the land in the immediate vicinity belongs to the state. Few would argue the need for a larger provincial hall complex on Phuket. Various plans…
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Reflecting on currency exposure
PHUKET: If you are a long-term expatriate living in Phuket, Thailand, you have probably seen the Thai baht appreciate significantly against your home currency – a trend that will likely continue for the foreseeable future. This appreciation (along with an average inflation rate of 2.7% since 2000) makes it increasingly expensive to live in Thailand at a time when you…
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Thailand Futsal: Phuket United win four in a row
PHUKET: The Pearl of the Andaman won their fourth straight futsal league match last night, defeating Prachin Futsal Club (5-3) in a thrilling match in Phuket Town. Played at the Saphan Hin Indoor Sports complex, the match was both sides 27th match of the 30-fixture GMM Sport Thailand Futsal Premier League 2012-2013 season. The visiting team broke the ice early…
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US Embassy to stage “outreach visit’ to Phuket
PHUKET: The Consular Section of the American Embassy in Bangkok will hold an “Outreach Visit” at Le Meridien Phuket Beach Resort in Karon (map here) on March 15. Consular staff will be available from 8am to midday to provide services on: • Passport renewal applications (US$110 or 3,520 baht for adult passports, US$105 or 3,360 baht for a child’s passport).…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Venezuela mourns Chavez; Kenyans tense over polls; Syria exodus; Vietnam dumps fat cops; Borneo uprising upended
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Venezuelans parade Chavez’s coffin, prepare for vote Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Weeping and shouting, a sea of Hugo Chavez’s supporters paraded his coffin through the streets of Caracas on Wednesday in an emotional outpouring that could help his deputy win an election and keep his self-styled socialist…
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Phuket taxi driver confesses to assault, abduction – denies rape
PHUKET: A Phuket taxi driver has confessed to beating and abducting a karaoke hostess before stealing her valuables and leaving her tied up in a Phuket hotel room.However, he has denied the rape charge filed against him by the woman.Phuket City Police arrested Suksan Mornamrong, 28, at his rented home in Koh Kaew for the alleged rape on Monday night…
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Russian tourist struck down by Phuket bus
PHUKET: A Russian tourist suffered head and leg injuries when he was hit by a ‘pink bus’ in the middle of Phuket Town yesterday.The tourist was named as Kirill Kulagin by Lt Col Yongyuth Kongmalai, a deputy superintendent at Phuket City Police Station.“The man was hit by an OrBorJor [Phuket Provincial Administration Organization] pink bus at about 10am, when he…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Forbes super-rich list now has 10 Thais
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community 10 Thais on Forbes’ super-rich list, up from five last year Phuket Gazette / The Nation PHUKET: Thai billionaires have seen their wealth skyrocket in a year, with 10 making it into Forbes’ list of the wealthy, compared with just five last year (click here for…
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From the PGA to Phuket
PHUKET: Golf is a sport that has surrounded Michael Brasier all his life. His father, Brett, is a PGA professional and growing up, Michael would watch him teach golf at various clubs around the world, including the Vines in Australia. It was only natural that Michael would follow his father into the sport: playing on the PGA tour, teaching golf…
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Phuket Business: AMCHAM to host US taxation seminar in Patong
PHUKET: If you are an American and are baffled by the US tax regime on overseas residents, then you do not want to miss an AMCHAM (the American Chamber of Commerce) seminar on Friday (March 8), at the Holiday Inn Patong. John Andes, tax partner at KPMG Thailand, will provide an overview of US taxpayers’ 2012 US income tax and…
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Myanmar Navy makes historic visit to Phuket
PHUKET: Under a tight program, Capt Aung Zaw Hlaing, Commander of Myanmar Number 1 Fleet, still made time for an exclusive interview with the Phuket Gazette during the navy’s historic first diplomatic visit to a foreign country (click here for story). “We are very pleased to be here. It is the first time our ships have visited Thailand,” Capt Hlaing…
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Phuket Business: A land of opportunity
PHUKET: The island emerged last year as Thailand’s strongest hotel market, according to a recent report by Jones Lang LaSalle. The report, entitled Spotlight on Thailand – Hotel Investment Market said that as of December 2012, year-to-date (YTD), Phuket had an occupancy rate of 72.4%. Meanwhile, it said that the Average Daily Rate (ADR) was 3,902 baht, which resulted in…
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Phuket Business: French ambassador to boost SMEs
PHUKET: The new French Ambassador to Thailand, Thierry Viteau, made his first visit outside of his station in Bangkok recently to discuss in Phuket the need to strengthen relations in the tourism market. “Phuket and Nice in France have been ‘sister cities’ since 1989; I want to take this opportunity to re-strengthen and renew our relations,” Amb Viteau, who assumed…
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Laguna Phuket Golf Club gets an upgrade
PHUKET: The Laguna Phuket Golf Club will begin a comprehensive course upgrade on July 1, aimed at significantly improving its complete golf experience as a world-class, five-star golfing facility.The entire project is estimated to take a maximum of 18 months to complete, with the upgraded 18-hole course scheduled for full operation by January 1, 2015.”During recent years the combination of…
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Phuket Gazette National News: Thailand may oppose protection of sharks, manta rays
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Thailand set to oppose protection of sharks and manta rays Phuket Gazette / The NationPHUKET: Thailand will be juggling several hot-potato wildlife issues as it hosts the 16th Conference of the Parties to CITES, the ‘Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora’,…
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Phuket Gazette Sports: Man Utd out as Ronaldo scores winner
Ronaldo returns to knock out United Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Former Manchester United hero Cristiano Ronaldo scored the winner against his old club to give Real Madrid a 2-1 victory at Old Trafford and a place in the Champions League quarter-finals last night. United, 1-0 up in the game after Real defender Sergio Ramos put through his own goal…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Venezeula’s Hugo Chavez loses battle with cancer
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Obituary: Hugo Chavez – socialist showman who transformed Venezuela Reuters/ Phuket Gazette PHUKET: At two defining moments of his rule, Venezuela’s theatrical leader Hugo Chavez took a small silver crucifix from his pocket and held it above his head. Both marked a quasi-religious “return” for the…
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Phuket Gazette World Sports: Preview of Champions league clash – round 2
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Sports news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Manchester United’s Jones ruled out of Real match Reuters/ Phuket GazettePHUKET: Manchester United’s Phil Jones will miss the Champions League last 16 second leg at home to Real Madrid after failing to recover from an ankle injury, manager Alex Ferguson said.The versatile defender or midfielder suffered the…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Draconian IS Act to be lifted; Pollsters puzzle; Worawi confident
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community ISA to be lifted in five southern districts Phuket Gazette / The Nation PHUKET: To bolster dealings in the South between authorities and insurgent groups, the draconian Internal Security Act will be revoked in five districts in three provinces and replaced by the softer emergency decree,…
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