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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Bars asked to observe alcohol ban
PHUKET: As a mark of respect for Asarnha Bucha and Buddhist Lent this Thursday and Friday, respectively, bars and other sellers of alcohol on the island are being asked to observe an alcohol ban on the two Buddhist holidays.Businesses are asked not to serve alcohol from midnight on Wednesday night until midnight on Friday night.Kathu Police Superintendent Col Grissak Songmoonnak told…
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Treasury Dept gets moving on ICEC
PHUKET: Nine months after a provincial government committee decided on a 350-rai plot of Treasury Department (TRD) land in Mai Khao as the preferred site for the Phuket International Convention and Exhibition Center (ICEC), the TRD has now decided the project needs prompt action.Pitak Direksoonthorn, Director of the TRD’s State Property Administration Office, on Wednesday met Phuket Governor Niran Kalayanamit…
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Youngster yachtie wins Raceweek photo contest
PHUKET: Local yachtie Mia Gillow, 23, has won the Six Senses Phuket Raceweek Photo Contest, winning her three nights’ stay in a Studio Garden View room at The Evason Phuket & Six Senses Spa during the annual regatta. Miss Gillow’s photo of Living Doll on a charge running downwind at Geelong Race Week in Australia early this year has also…
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Inaugural multihull regatta underway
CHALONG: Crews racing in the inaugural SEA Property Multihull Championship got off to an easy start this morning with catamarans and trimarans crossing the start line in light winds.Although the regatta entails only two days of racing, it has attracted a large number of local multihulls, including many of the Phuket designed and built Firefly 850s.Among the Fireflys, which are competing…
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Chalong Pier operator to quit contract
PHUKET CITY: Following allegations of not fulfilling obligations laid out in the concession offered by the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor), Choke Aree Tour Co Ltd has asked to annul the contract to operate Chalong Pier.At a meeting at the OrBorJor offices in Phuket City on July 3, OrBorJor President Paiboon Upatising said that Choke Aree received 300,000 baht a…
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Lucky escape no laughing matter
RAWAI: Twelve staff from Tamarind Bar on Wiset Rd miraculously escaped fatal injuries when the pickup truck they were traveling in careened off the road and smashed into a power pole, causing passengers to be thrown from the vehicle about 1 am today.Eye-witnesses said the four-door Toyota Hilux Vigo was northbound on Wiset Rd when its left wheels came off…
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Thailand’s rich get richer: Forbes
BANGKOK (The Nation): Despite the political and economic uncertainties, Thailand’s 40 richest people have proved to be a stable lot as old names remain on Forbes‘ 2008 list, and some have become even wealthier.Chaleo Yoovidhya, with a net worth of US$4 billion (Bt135 billion), returns to the No 1 spot – up $500 million from last year – thanks to…
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PAD members march on Provincial Hall
PHUKET CITY: The People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) marched through Phuket City this afternoon on their way to deliver a letter expressing disappointment at the central government’s handling of the Preah Vihear Temple saga.About 300 PAD members led by PAD leader Natjarong Ekpermsup met at about 1:30 pm in front of the Tourism Authority of Thailand office on Thalang Rd…
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THAI resumes Tokyo-Phuket flights
PHUKET: Thai Airways International (THAI) has announced it will resume operating direct flights between Tokyo and Phuket from July 17.Flight TG 671, which will operate directly from Tokyo to Phuket to Bangkok, was suspended in February 2005 as passenger numbers plummeted after the tsunami.THAI will operate two flights a week – on Thursday and Saturday – departing Tokyo at 10…
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Rassada Municipality officer shot dead
RASSADA: Police believe the killing of Rassada Municipality officer Surin Inkaew, 23, who was found shot dead in his rented room early on Saturday, was motivated by ya bah (methamphetamine).Capt Sathit Noorit from Phuket City Police Station told the Gazette that he was notified of the shooting at 4:20 am.Police arrived at the ground-floor apartment, about 500 meters from Rassada…
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Foreign Minister resigns
BANGKOK (The Nation): Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama announced his resignation today, with effect from July 14. Speaking at a press conference at the Foreign Ministry, Noppadon insisted that he and the Foreign Ministry had done the right thing regarding Thailands’ stand over the registration of Preah Vihear Temple as a world heritage site.But he said he had to resign because he could not…
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TAT lowers tourism projections
BANGKOK (The Nation): The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has sharply cut its projections for the number of international visitors and tourism revenue next year due to soaring oil prices, which are discouraging international travel and have led to cuts in inbound flights.It targets only a 3.3-per-cent growth in the number of international visitors in 2009, a sharp downward revision…
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Clams, fish move into new digs
CHALONG: A group of Chalong villagers and Erawan Group staff on Friday released more than 1,000 rare marine creatures into Chalong Bay as part of an initiative to support marine populations off the coast of Phuket.Sutha Prateep Na Thalang, leader of a Chalong fishermen’s group, said, “There aren’t many of these animals left in the water because of all the…
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Dolphins rescued from receding tide
CAPE PANWA: Three rough-toothed dolphins were rescued after they were found stranded on mud flats created by the receding tide at Ao Makham on Saturday.The rescue comes one week after the carcass of a female striped dolphin was discovered washed ashore at Baan Dan in Thalang and nine days after a pod of false killer whales beached at Koh Racha.The…
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Pian runs for re-election as Patong Mayor
PATONG: Pian Keesin on Friday announced he will defend his seat as Patong Mayor at least one more time in the Patong Municipality election to be held on July 27. Khun Pian will be leading the charge for the Rak Patong (Love Patong) party, contesting the mayoral election against Somkiet Kuru of the Patong Gao Na (Patong Progress) party. Campaigning…
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Nok Air slashes Bangkok-Krabi route
BANGKOK (The Nation): Nok Air’s daily Bangkok to Krabi flight was one of three routes dropped by the domestic airline on July 1 in an effort to reduce costs. Services from Bangkok to Chiang Mai and to Ubol Ratchathani were also terminated.Travelers already booked on flights for those routes are being transferred to Thai Airways International and Thai AirAsia flights,…
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Health chief warns of dengue
PHUKET: Provincial Health Office chief Dr Paisan Worrasathit has issued a warning for people on Phuket to protect against contracting dengue fever, which sees a spike in the number or people contracting the disease each year during the rainy season.Currently, 200 islanders are suffering from the disease, and one victim recently died, Dr Paisarn said.He added that dengue fever was…
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Thai Airways being torn apart from within
BANGKOK (The Nation): Although the board of directors at Thai Airways decided to reinstate its president, Apinan Sumanaseni, last week, the national carrier’s internal problems are still far from resolution. Executives and staff members have been divided largely because of internal conflicts that have arisen from criticism of the board’s major decisions.For instance, THAI will stop direct flights between Bangkok…
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Busted “Ice Boy’ spills the beans
PATONG: Kathu Police Superintendent Col Grissak Songmoonnak and four Drug Suppression officers from Kathu police station arrested four ya bah (methamphetamine) and ya ice (crystal methamphetamine) dealers on Tuesday night.Krisada “Boy” Seangrot, 19, from Nakhon Sri Thammarat, was arrested at 8.30 pm at the fountain in front of Jungceylon shopping center in a sting operation in which police arranged to…
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Major Chalong blackout tomorrow
CHALONG: The Phuket Provincial Electricity Authority (PPEA) has announced a scheduled blackout for tomorrow (July 4) in order to continue its work on high-voltage power lines.The blackout, from 9 am to 5 pm, will affect Chao Fa East Rd, from De Wara Thani Village, Soi Taiad, Land & Houses Park (Seewalee 3 and 4), Choke Thip Villa, Soi Jarin-U-Thit and…
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Residents cash in on recycled bottles
CHERNG TALAY: A joint project by the Cherng Talay Tambon Administration Organization (OrBorTor) and bottle-recycling company Bangkok Glass Co launched in January seems to have hit a snag, a Gazette investigation has found. Since collection efforts have begun, the estimated 190-240 tons of glass waste that the OrBorTor was anticipating to collect from 7-Eleven shops and other businesses has shrunk…
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Chalerm avoids mob in Phuket
PHUKET: To avoid a welcoming party of about 1,000 protesters waiting for him at Phuket International Airport last night, controversial Interior Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung diverted his plane to land in Krabi.After he landed there at 8:15 pm, K. Chalerm checked into the Krabi Meritime Resort.He reportedly checked out of the hotel at 3 am today.Chalerm is due to deliver his new policies to…
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Assassination plot dismissed
BANGKOK (The Nation): Navy Commander-in-Chief Admiral Sathiraphan Keyanon yesterday played down a claim about a possible plot to assassinate ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, saying it should not be treated seriously.Sathirapan was reacting to comments by retired supreme commander General Chaisit Shinawatra who claimed last weekend that Thaksin’s opponents may have put out a contract on him.He said the matter did…
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Provinces ordered to be on alert for leptospirosis
BANGKOK (The Nation): The Public Health Ministry has ordered all provinces to be on the alert for the emergence of leptospirosis after it found 587 current victims of the disease. Of those infected, 15 have died.Dr Prat Boonyawongvirot, the ministry’s permanent secretary, said yesterday that most cases were found during the rainy season. People who wade through floodwater with cuts…
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Striped dolphin dies at Mai Khao
MAI KHAO: The carcass of a female striped dolphin was discovered washed ashore at Baan Dan on Saturday morning – two days after 11 false killer whales beached at Koh Racha. Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) staff retrieved the dead animal and moved it to the PMBC at Cape Panwa after being notified by a villager at about 7 am.…
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1,000 policemen deployed to protect Government House
BANGKOK: (The Nation): Some 1,000 policemen have been deployed to protect Government House this morning after the Civil Court ordered protesters yesterday to stop using amplifier systems and blocking the roads.Metropolitan Police Commissioner Lt-Gen Assavin Kwanmuang said he ordered the stepped-up security at Government House because he expected that the PAD would move its stage there as a result of the Court’s…
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Airlines to cut long-haul flights to Thailand
BANGKOK (Nation): Major airlines including Thai Airways International will cut long-haul flights to Thailand next year in line with a forecast 12% drop in the number of inbound tourists, the Association of Thai Travel Agents (ATTA) has announced.ATTA president Apichart Sankary said that although the Tourism Authority of Thailand has set a target of 17 million visitors next year, only 15…
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Cherng Talay OrBorTor rallies against illegal billboards
CHERNG TALAY: Ma-an Sumraan, Vice-President of the Cherng Talay Tambon Administration (OrBorTor), has launched a campaign to rid his neighborhood of all illegal billboards.Cherng Talay OrBorTor officials have started pasting warning notices on offending billboards as part of K. Ma-an’s “soft” approach to the problem.However, some people have interpreted the warning notices as somewhat hostile and simply ripped them off…
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Storm-stricken “Moonstar’ found
AUSTRALIA (ABC, Perth Now): A search plane this morning found the missing 13.5-meter sailing yacht Moonstar, which was badly damaged in a storm on Friday night and began taking on water. The yacht is believed to be about 140 kilometers off Fremantle, south of Perth. The yacht is also believed to be the same Moonstar that was rescued off Patong by…
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Evicted Vises Hotel tenants seek top-level redress
PHUKET CITY: After being told by Kathu Police last week that their forced eviction is not a police matter, long-term tenants of the Vises Hotel in Patong on Friday filed a complaint with the Phuket Consumer Protection Board at Provincial Hall.The tenants were met by Prapan Chansaeng, who explained to them that by law a hotel can rent rooms only on a daily…
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