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.
-
Rules announced for Phuket beach development
PHUKET: Local residents have been forbidden to make any changes to the island’s new beachscape by order of Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut. “If anyone tries to alter the beach landscapes or is caught violating the details of this order, they will face legal action,” the provincial order read. The order also provided the sole circumstances under which the beach could…
-
Ousted Patong beach vendors promised employment-advice meeting
PHUKET: The more than 1,000 Patong beach vendors dislodged from the sands today have been promised a meeting with Patong Municipality and Army officials to discuss how they may continue earning a living without encroaching on public land. The vendors were served eviction notices yesterday and given a Friday deadline for removing all illegal structures from the beach. More permanent…
-
No crackdown on Patong nightlife, assures Phuket’s top-ranking soldier
PHUKET: The top-ranking soldier on the island confirmed to the Phuket Gazette today that the army and the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) have no plans to crack down on the Patong nightlife industry. “We haven’t even considered it,” Maj Gen Peerapol Wiriyakul said. “We understand that Patong is a tourist destination, and we would prefer to just…
-
Phuket Governor cleans Karon Beach, urges beachgoers to obey red flags
PHUKET: While leading a mass beach cleanup at Karon this morning, Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut urged tourists to heed the red flags posted along the waterline. “Beach guards have told me that tourists ignore the red flags,” Governor Maitri said. “This is very dangerous. We would like tourists to enjoy Phuket without putting themselves at risk. Please listen to the…
-
Indonesians vote for new president
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Indonesians vote for new president Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Indonesians began voting in a presidential election on Wednesday that has become a closely fought contest between the old guard who flourished under decades of autocratic rule and a new breed of politician that has emerged…
-
Rape-and-murder convicts must face death: netizens
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Rape-and-murder convicts must face death: netizens The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Concerned netizens have called for mandatory death sentence for rape-and-murder crimes, in an angry and swift reaction to the tragic rape and murder on Sunday night of a 13-year-old victim by a State Railway…
-
Girl’s killing unleashes media storm for law reform
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Girl’s killing unleashes media storm for law reform; SRT chief under pressure to quit The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Social media has been in overdrive since midnight Monday when Wanchai Sangkhao, 22, an employee of the State Railway of Thailand, allegedly confessed that he had…
-
Girl raped, murdered on train: SRT employee says he was drunk when he did it
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community SRT employee says he was drunk when he inflicted crime The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A NEW employee of the State Railway of Thailand has claimed he was drunk when he raped and killed a 13-year-old passenger on a Bangkok-bound train early on Sunday.Wanchai Saengkhao,…
-
Eight hurt as Yala insurgents open fire on passenger bus
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Eight hurt as bus guards battle insurgents in Yala The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Suspected insurgents yesterday opened fire at a passenger bus, injuring eight passengers as guards on the bus fought them off in Yala’s Krong Penang district. Bus driver Winai Preechachote told police…
-
Ruthless Germany stun the world with rout of Brazil
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Ruthless Germany stun the world with rout of Brazil Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Germany inflicted the most shocking result in World Cup history when they crushed hosts Brazil 7-1 in a semi-final that brought grief to millions of home fans and caused utter astonishment around…
-
Immigration looks to enforce life ban for overstays within weeks
PHUKET: New penalties that will lead to some foreigners caught overstaying their permits-to-stay being blacklisted from re-entering Thailand for life may be introduced before the end of the month. The news follows reports of a new form, titled “The Acknowledgment of Penalties for Visa Overstay”, being distributed to all immigration checkpoints throughout the country. The new proposed penalties are listed…
-
Armed soldiers join inspection of abandoned Phuket resort
PHUKET: The investigation into land encroachment at Phuket’s Sirinath National Park continued today as officials – including about 30 armed Army personnel – inspected an abandoned resort, with national media in tow. The property, Phuket Peninsular Spa & Resort, is on the original list of 10 – which has now grown to 14 – that have long been under investigation…
-
Typhoon churns towards Japan, prompting calls to evacuate
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Typhoon churns towards Japan, prompting calls to evacuate Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Hundreds of flights were cancelled in Japan and more than 500,000 people urged to evacuate as a powerful typhoon brought torrential rain and high winds to southwestern islands and was forecast to reach…
-
Myanmar thugs threaten farmers at gunpoint in Phuket land grab
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut led about 50 Army and Navy armed personnel yesterday to investigate claims by villagers in Wichit that a gang of thugs from Myanmar hired by an “influential person” had threatened them at gunpoint to vacate their land. The sortie into the Nakkered Hills National Forest, near the Bang Wad Reservoir, took place after 20 families…
-
Nicaragua approves route for $40bn canal linking oceans
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Nicaragua approves route for $40bn canal linking oceans Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A Nicaraguan committee approved a proposed route on Monday for a $40 billion (129.6bn baht) shipping channel across the Central American country that would compete with the Panama Canal. The committee of government…
-
Breaking News: Phuket land verification center to end national park encroachment
PHUKET: A land legality verification center will be established on Thursday to help investors be assured that the property they are purchasing is not encroaching on national park land or Phuket’s famed beaches. “We will set up a center where prospective investors can establish that the land documents, as well as the land they are looking to acquire, are legal,…
-
Ministry looks into Cambodia kidney scandal
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Ministry looks into Cambodia kidney scandal The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The Thai Public Health Ministry is looking into a report published in The Cambodia Daily about a Cambodian woman allegedly running an organ-transplant racket in which she reportedly persuades people to sell their kidney…
-
Girl, 14, raped, body dumped from train
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Girl, 14, raped, body dumped from train The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The body of a 14-year-old Kochakorn “Kaem” Pitakjumnong, who disappeared from an overnight train from Surat Thani to Bangkok on Sunday, was found among bushes about two metres from the tracks in the…
-
Brazil without captain as nation awaits Germany clash
PHUKET WORLD SPORT – World sport selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Brazil without captain as nation awaits Germany clash Reuters/Phuket Gazette Brazil will be without captain Thiago Silva for their World Cup semi-final against Germany after FIFA on Monday rejected an appeal against his yellow card, denting home hopes of lifting the trophy for the sixth time.…
-
Sihasak to brief UN’s Ban Ki-moon on Thailand’s post-coup status
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Sihasak waiting to brief UN chief The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A delegation led by Foreign Ministry’s permanent secretary Sihasak Phuangketkeow was, as of yesterday, still waiting for a meeting with United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to be confirmed. They hope to update UN…
-
Phuket Airport Immigration denies “express lane’ corruption
PHUKET: Royal Thai Navy officers today called into question alleged corrupt practices by immigration officials at Phuket International Airport, such as soliciting cash payments from tourists. “We have heard that many immigration counters are not open when tourists arrive on international flights, so officers are supposedly soliciting money from them to use a ‘VIP’ lane to avoid the long queues,”…
-
Coup leaders invite corruption complaints from Phuket
PHUKET: The island’s representatives of the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) are inviting residents and tourists to file anonymous complaints of suspected corruption, as well as suggestions for coup leaders on how to improve the country. Any complaints filed as highly confidential will be treated as such, the island’s leading authorities have assured. “You can report any trouble…
-
Phuket Airport shops given three days to clean up, or get out
PHUKET: Owners of the stores operating inside Phuket International Airport have until Thursday to present official proof from the Airports of Thailand (AoT) that they have permission to operate, or see their shops shut down, a Navy captain has warned. “Any airport shops open past the deadline without the appropriate papers posted at the store, or found selling products not…
-
Phuket begins fight against slavery on fishing boats
PHUKET: The nationwide push to eradicate slavery in Thailand’s fishing industry started in Phuket today as the Phuket Provincial Employment Office (PPEO) began to receive lists of migrant workers employed in the field. Following the order by the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), fishing boat operators have until July 21 to report the names of their migrant workers…
-
Italian tourist in Hong Kong graft trial under Phuket Police protection
PHUKET: The Italian tourist stabbed in a random gang attack in Phuket last week has been placed under 24-hour police protection. Antonio Papaleo, 44, was stabbed twice in the abdomen during a bungled bag snatch at 3am last Thursday. At last report, police had arrested seven of the nine suspects, most of them teenagers (story here). Mr Papaleo arrived in…
-
Cape Panwa Hotel Phuket Raceweek just around the corner
PHUKET: Phuket is ready to host the award-winning Cape Panwa Hotel Phuket Raceweek from July 16 to 20 off the Island’s southeast coast. The season-opening event of the prestigious 2014/15 Asian Yachting Grand Prix – a series of 12 of the best regattas in Asia – Raceweek is set to welcome one of the most competitive fleets in the Regatta’s…
-
Breaking News: Army launches offensive against Phuket Airport taxi drivers
PHUKET: Soldiers, Navy personnel and a battery of local officials arrived in force at Phuket International Airport this morning to launch a campaign to arrest all taxi drivers illegally picking up passengers at the facility. Security personnel barred any taxis from exiting the airport car park without first obtaining permission to leave. “We have a list of all the drivers…
-
No typhoon, but heavy rain and big waves lead to Phuket boat warning
PHUKET: Heavy rain and wave heights that could reach four meters have led Phuket authorities to issue a small boat warning in effect through Thursday. “We are monitoring the waves, which are expected to be about 2-4 meters high,” said Santhad Panbanpeaw, director of the Thai Meteorological Department’s Phuket Office. “Small boat operators must be cautious and check the weather…
-
Turkish tourist ignores red flags, drowns
PHUKET: A Turkish man yesterday became the sixth person to drown in Phuket waters this year. Yalcin Dagdelen, 45, a guest at Le Meridien Phuket Beach Resort, had been warned by hotel beach guards not to go swimming, but entered the water anyway, Kata-Karon lifeguard chief Uten Singsom told the Phuket Gazette. “The waves were very strong. Mr Dagdelen was…
-
Phuket police welcome stricter traffic law regulations
PHUKET: Phuket police have voiced their support for the recently announced national clampdown on traffic scofflaws. Announced by Bangkok’s Deputy Metropolitan Police Commissioner Adul Narongsak on June 25, the clampdown would mean tougher measures against those who ignored traffic tickets and repeat violators of traffic laws (story here). Electronic tickets would be issued, allowing police and land transport offices to…
Don't forget to check out some other things to do in Thailand - get help starting a business or finding a job in Thailand, buy Thailand property, rent a yacht or book a medical procedure worldwide.