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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Phuket set to celebrate Queen’s Birthday, Mothers’ Day
PHUKET: A host of special ceremonies are being held at different locations across the island to honor and celebrate HM Queen Sirikit’s 80th birthday and to celebrate Mothers’ Day on Sunday, August 12. Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha on Wednesday presided over the opening ceremony of a tree-planting event at King Rama 9 Park (Suan Luang) in Phuket Town to honor…
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Phuket Sports: Pair share Thailand Open lead
PHUKET: Korean Kim Hyung-tae and Japan’s Yasunori Yoshida made the most of near-perfect conditions yesterday to shoot eight under 64s and share a one-stroke lead after the opening round of the Thailand Open at Suwan Golf & Country Club.The winner of the Open will receive US $1 million in prize money.Early-starter Kim laid down a marker with nine birdies and…
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Resort developers charged over island land encroachment
PHUKET: Following the July 31 high-profile raid on a resort under construction on Rang Noi Island, off Phuket’s east coast, the Natural Resources and Environmental Crime Suppression Unit (NREC) has pressed charges against the developers for encroaching onto protected forest land. Kan Krao Company and Bridge Rang Noi Company were both charged yesterday with “possession [of] forest [land] without permission”.…
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Silence shrouds release of Phuket baby elephant DNA test results
PHUKET: The DNA test results expected to determine the legality of three baby elephants seized from camps in Phuket were expected to be announced in the first week of June, but have yet to be released confirmed the Regional Natural Resources and Environment Crime Suppression Division. On May 31, Watcharin Phusit, the superintendent of the regional Natural Resources and Environment…
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Top Muay Thai bouts to honor Queen’s Birthday
PHUKET: Thai kickboxing fighters will face-off in six World Muay Thai Council (WMC) championship bouts in Phuket on Sunday in celebration of HM Queen Sirikit’s 80th birthday.The event starts at 5pm and will be held at Bangla Boxing Stadium in Patong, which has a capacity of 3,000 people.VIP ticket prices start at 2,500; ringside tickets are 2,000 baht and stadium…
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Mars News: Plate tectonics found on the red planet
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Marsquakes? California scientist discovers plate tectonics on Mars Phuket Gazette / News Wires PHUKET: A California scientist has discovered that Mars has at least two plate tectonics, contrary to popular belief that the Red Planet is too small, and its interior too cold, to host plate…
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Thailand News: Myanmar allows visits to Thai detainees
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Myanmar allows relatives to visit Thai detainees for first time Phuket Gazette / The Nation PHUKET: For the first time since their arrests on July 4, almost all of the 92 Thais detained in Myanmar were given a chance to meet with their relatives yesterday. The…
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Thailand News: Reward for Chiang Mai rape-murder case; Drunk driving law tightened; Going for gold
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community British victim’s mother offers Bt493,000 for infomation Phuket Gazette / The NationPHUKET: The mother of a British woman who was raped and murdered in Chiang Mai 12 years ago yesterday offered 10,000 British pounds (nearly 493,000 baht) to anyone who comes forward with information leading to an…
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Burmese worker nabbed for Phuket gold heist
PHUKET: Phuket Police today arrested a Burmese man who robbed a gold shop in Karon last night and made off with nearly two kilograms of solid gold, despite being shot by the shop owner. Burmese national Lacheman Kumar, 19, was arrested this morning at his home in Patak Rd Soi 10 in Karon, where he lived with his father, mother…
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Battle against rising prices continues with Blue Flag Fair in Phuket Town
PHUKET: The Department of Internal Trade (DIT-Phuket) kicked off its latest “Blue Flag Fair” in Phuket Town this afternoon. DIT-Phuket chief Supacha Bunthalit said the three-day event will feature 150 booths offering a wide variety of consumer goods at below normal market prices, including food products, garments, sheets, bedding and much more. The event is being held in the Mazda…
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Nearly blind prisoner escapes hospital after surgery
PHUKET: Escaped prisoner Nantachai Boomrak, 23, having absconded from Vachira Phuket Hospital on August 4, found himself back behind bars the next day. Mr Nantachai was originally placed in the hospital by Provincial Prison Chief Rapin Nichanon, who said doctors had informed him that Mr Nantachai would go blind if he did not receive immediate treatment for cataracts.“The Phuket Prison…
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Phuket Live Wire: Don’t get mugged by your mates
PHUKET: I have been holding off writing about more email scams, waiting so I can write about nailing somebody and getting them thrown in jail. So far, no luck. But in the past week I’ve received two messages from people I know, here in Phuket, who have had their email accounts hijacked. That’s quite a coincidence – if it is…
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Olympics Update: Thailand gets 2nd medal; Kaew wins; Rangsiya still has a chance
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Taekwondo fighter Chanatip hands Thailand bronze Phuket Gazette / The Nation PHUKET: Chanatip Sonkham made Thailand proud this morning as the 21-year-old from Phatthalung mercilessly crushed Elizabeth Zamora Gordillo from Guatemala 8-0 in the bronze-medal match of the women’s Taekwondo 49kg class in the 30th Olympic…
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Phuket tourism roadshow in Japan “well received’
PHUKET: Recently returned from a week-long tourism fact-finding tour in Japan, Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha has told the media that the “Amazing Thailand in Japan” roadshow impressed the Japanese tour operators in the three cities they visited. Organized by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) and coordinated by the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (PPAO) and the Phuket Tourist Association (PTA),…
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World News: Daring rescue mission in Antarctica
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Australia to the rescue in Antarctica Phuket Gazette / News Wires PHUKET: An Australian rescue plane took off from New Zealand yesterday evening to carry out a daring rescue mission in Antarctica, where an American citizen at a research station is in urgent need of surgery,…
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Thai Jonah: the fishy tale of Rewat Nongwong
PHUKET: A 24-year-old man who claims he have spent three days underwater without dying was the subject of a miracle, according to some Ayutthaya residents who believe his tale. To others, including rescue workers who spent three days looking for him in the filthy Chao Praya River, the man, Rewat Nongwong, is a liar – one who should face criminal…
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Prosecutor calls for new evidence in off-duty police shooting
PHUKET: The off-duty police officer alleged to have shot and killed a man in Phuket Town on May 5 has been placed on inactive duty pending a review of new evidence by the Provincial Prosecutor’s Office. The officer, Cpl Rachaporn Semaksorn, was assigned to the Patong Police at the time of the incident, during which it is alleged he shot…
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FC Phuket host Navy tonight
PHUKET: Beleaguered supporters of Phuket FC will be glad to return to the friendly confines of Surakul Stadium this evening, when their beloved Islanders will take on 7th-placed Navy. Kickoff is at 6:30pm. The match will be a reunion of sorts for the three Phuket cheer squadrons – The Hulks, The Mask and The Hardcore – who got an unusual…
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BREAKING NEWS: Michelle Smith killers get life in prison
PHUKET: The two men charged with killing 60-year-old Australian tourist Michelle Smith in a bungled bag snatch in Phuket on June 20 have been sentenced to life in prison. The sentences were handed down at Phuket Provincial Court this afternoon. The judge presiding over the three-day trial commuted death sentences to lifetime imprisonment after both men pleaded guilty. Surasak Suwannachote…
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World News: Syrian PM Riyad Hijab defects; Amnesty raises concerns
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PM Riyad Hijab defects from Assad regime Phuket Gazette / News WiresPHUKET: Syrian Prime Minister Riyad Farid Hijab on Monday announced his defection from the Assad government and said he is joining the opposition, his spokesman told reporters. It is the highest-profile defection since the uprising began…
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Surin dared killer into bag snatching, court told
PHUKET: The man who wielded the blade in the bungled bag snatch in which Australian tourist Michelle Smith was killed on June 20 was teased into it by his accomplice, the Phuket Provincial Court heard today. In presenting police evidence in the charges against the accused, Surasak Suwannachote and Surin Tadthong, Lt Col Boonlert Onklang of Chalong Police today read…
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57 candidates to contest Phuket OrBorJor election
PHUKET: The registration period for the upcoming Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) council election, to be held on August 26, closed on Saturday with 57 candidates registering to contest the 24 council seats available.OrBorJor Chief Administrative Officer (Palad) Manop Leelasuthanon said the registration period, which opened on July 31, “received a great deal of attention from a great many people”.In…
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Raid on suspected Phuket casino ‘not spiteful’: Environmental Crime chief
PHUKET: The investigation of a suspected casino under construction on Rang Noi Island, just off the coast of Phuket Town, was carried out last Tuesday without prejudice and was not intended to defame or spite anyone, the top officer leading the raid has told the Phuket Gazette. Armed with a search warrant issued by the Phuket Provincial Court, more than…
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Patong political hopefuls flock to register candidacies
PHUKET: It was a busy morning at the Patong Municipality Offices yesterday, when two rival teams of Phuket politicians registered their candidacies for the upcoming municipal election scheduled for September 2. Incumbent Mayor Pian Keesin led his blue-shirted Rak Patong (“Love Patong”) team to the office, while rival mayoral candidate Kittisan Kuru led his yellow-shirted Patong Gao Na (Patong Progress)…
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Online poll highlights fears of Phuket property “bubble’
PHUKET: A majority of Phuket Gazette online readers feel that real estate prices in Phuket will fall over the next five years due to oversupply, according to the most recent online poll. A total of 1,868 readers who took part in the 12-day poll were asked: Tanan Tanpaiboon, former head of the Phuket Real Estate Association, recently warned that over-development…
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Phuket Police investigate apparent stabbing suicide by Swiss expat
PHUKET: Police in Phuket are investigating the apparent suicide of a Swiss expatriate found with a fatal knife wound to the chest in his rented home in Rawai yesterday. Chalong Police at 11:30am were notified that a male Caucasian had taken his life by a stabbing at a home on Soi Naya. Arriving at the scene with Phuket Ruamjai Kupai…
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Accomplice to Michelle Smith’s killer changes plea, admits guilt
PHUKET: The man who drove the motorbike, used in the attack that led to the death Australian tourist Michelle Smith on June 20, changed his plea today after initially denying all charges against him. At the beginning of today’s court proceedings, Surasak Suwannachote admitted to his part in the crime and pleaded guilty to the charge of “gang robbery causing…
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Emirates to launch Dubai – Phuket daily flight service
PHUKET: Emirates, one of the world’s fastest growing airlines, continues its network expansion with the announcement of the start of daily services to Phuket in Thailand. Phuket, the largest island in Thailand, will, from December 10, become Emirates’second destination in Thailand. To be serviced by a three-class Airbus aircraft, flight EK378 will depart Dubai at 12:45pm and arrive at Phuket…
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Phuket Business: Football Club sales steady
PHUKET: Business was steady for Phuket FC during the first half of the 2012 season, with the club’s accounts revealing nearly a million baht in revenue. Accounts for the 18-team Thai Yamaha One soccer league (Division 1), recently released by league’s mother company, Sponsor Thai Premiere League, show that Phuket FC generated a gross revenue of 976,830 baht from March…
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Phuket Business: India, Vietnam rice exports to surpass Thailand in 2012
PHUKET: A Thai trade researcher has concurred with a recent prediction by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) that India and Vietnam will export more rice than Thailand this year. Thanawan Phonwichai, the Director of the Business and Economics Forecasting Center at the Thai Chamber of Commerce University said that Thailand is expected to lose its crown as the…
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