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.
-
Sponsored Long-term life in Thailand? 5 reasons private health insurance pays off in the long run
Thailand is a great place for expats and retirees, offering a warm climate, affordable living, and rich culture. However, healthcare can be tricky for foreigners since they aren’t eligible for public health coverage, and private care can be expensive. Private...
-
Police kill “50-hit’ assassin in shoot-out
TRANG: The fugitive ex-policeman wanted in connection with the murders of Prasert and Thavorn Trairat, the parents of Thepkrasattri Mayor Prasong Trairat, was killed by police in Trang early this morning after a high-speed chase during which a grenade was thrown, followed by a 12-hour manhunt in a forest and a final gun battle. Police, who have been searching for…
-
Tourism industry to protest oil pipeline plan
PHUKET: Vice-Governor Vinai Buapradit will represent Phuket at what promises to be a heated meeting on Friday with Ministry of Energy (MoE) officials to discuss a proposed oil pipeline from Tab Lamu in Phnag Nga to Nakhon Sri Thammarat. The proposed 240-kilometer pipeline, known as the Strategic Energy Landbridge, is intended to link oil production sources in the Middle East…
-
Friends mourn murdered dive master
PHUKET: Members of the dive community in Kata and friends of dive master Chompoonut “Jeab” Kobram, 23, are mourning her loss after she was found stabbed to death in a Pattaya apartment on Friday. Police in Bang Lamung District, Pattaya, have arrested and charged Sam Van Treeck, a 24-year-old Belgian, with her murder. K. Jeab, who came from Buri Ram…
-
Democrat rallies draw thousands
PHUKET CITY: Thousands of people who turned up for two Democrat Party rallies on June 25 and 26 heard a speech by Democrat Party deputy leader Jurin Laksanavisit in which he berated the Thai Rak Thai government as a failure, and outlined his party’s platform for the upcoming general election. The well-attended rallies were held on consecutive nights, the first…
-
Commander “satisfied’ with police reforms
PHUKET CITY: Six months after Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra called for improvements to police practices nationwide, the Commander of Police Region 8 (which includes Phuket) says he is satisfied with the progress the region’s police have made in their efforts to reform themselves an d improve their public image. Pol Lt Gen Somsak Buppasuwan, Surat Thani-based commander of Police Region…
-
16 die on roads in May
PHUKET: Traffic accidents remain the No 1 killer in Phuket, with 16 people dying as the result of accidents on Phuket’s roads in May. Twelve of the 16 who died were riding motorbikes. According to the latest statistics from the three government hospitals in Phuket – Wachira, Thalang and Patong – 1,045 people were injured in road accidents in May.…
-
Thank you, 29 million times
PHUKET CITY: Pol Col Chalit Thintanee, Superintendent of Kathu Police Station, yesterday received a bouquet of flowers to show appreciation for his arrest of a postman from Sakhon Nakhon who had stolen 29 million baht. The postal worker, Wirachai Gaiseeta, was in charge of the remittances section of the Sakhon Nakhon Post Office, and diverted money intended for remittances into…
-
No second runway “in near future’
PHUKET: Lt Cdr Boonchart Prompoon, Director of the Airports Authority of Thailand, Phuket, has denied reports in national newspapers that Phuket International Airport is to get a second runway in the near future. Cdr Boonchart told the Gazette today that there are no plans for a second runway but that the existing runway will be extended from its current 3,000…
-
Immigration website launched in 10 languages
PHUKET: Phuket Provincial Immigration Office (PPIO) has launched its revamped website, which now includes information about Immigration regulations and procedures in 10 languages. The website, found at https://www.phuketimmigration.com , now has Immigration information in Thai, Swedish, Russian, English, German, Norwegian, Japanese, Italian, French and Korean. Besides general immigration information for foreigners wanting to enter or stay in Thailand, the website…
-
Pian “wins’ Patong election
PATONG: Former mayor Pian Keesin, leader of the Rak Patong Party (RPP), beat rival Songserm Kepsap of the Patong Progress Party (PPP) by just 147 votes in the replay of municipal elections held yesterday. The results have yet to be confirmed by the Central Election Commission, which declared the previous election void. Of the 9,213 Patong residents eligible to vote,…
-
Fake visa stamps probe faltering
PHUKET: The investigation into the alleged issue of 20 fake entry permits by a Phuket-based visa service company appears to have stalled at the Sadao Police Station, which is now in charge of the case. Last December Phuket Immigration officers seized 20 passports with forged exit and entry stamps during a raid on the visa and accounting company, but were…
-
D-day for Phuket strays
THALANG: The great round-up of stray dogs in Phuket destined for the island’s new dog pound will start on Monday and is expected to continue until August 11. Phuket Provincial Livestock Office (PPLO) Chief Sunart Wongchawalit announced the plan at a meeting with other provincial officials yesterday at the Phuket Provincial Hall. More than 1,000 stray dogs will be brought…
-
Land official murder case stalled
PHUKET: The investigation into the murder in April last year of land official Pongtorn Hiranyaburana has gone cold and police officials have stopped interrogating witnesses, citing lack of evidence. Pol Col Ronapong Saikaew, Superintendent of Investigation of Police Region 8, told the Gazette today, “We have to investigate more and check to see if the evidence found at the scene…
-
Spas get a healthy boost
PHUKET CITY: Jurai Skulpuak, Head of the Health Consumer Protection Division of Phuket Provincial Health Office (PPHO), yesterday announced that spas that have been approved by the PPHO as “health business” will not be classified as “entertainment” venues. K. Jurai told the Gazette, “Spas will not be forced to comply with the same legal health requirements as massage parlors, and…
-
Rawai vendors ordered to leave
RAWAI: Roadside vendors along Rawai Beach, where the issue of illegal vendors has been a persistent irritant for years, have been given eviction notices and have until July 3 to leave. On that date, officers of Rawai Tambon Administration Organization and the Muang District Office will check whether they have moved. If they have not, they will be forcibly removed,…
-
Dead whale washed ashore
NAI YANG: A dead sperm whale washed up on Nai Yang Beach last night. The whale, 10 meters long and weighing around 3 tonnes, is thought to have been about 40 years old when it died,. Kongkiat Kittiwattawong, a biologist at the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) in Cape Panwa, told the Gazette, “It was impossible to determine very much…
-
New election ordered for Patong
PATONG: Thailand’s Central Election Committee (CEC) has declared the Patong Municipal elections of February 8 void and handed “yellow card” warnings to both parties in the poll. On June 11, the decision was passed to the apparent winners, the Patong Progress Party (PPP) of Songserm Kepsap, and to the rival Rak Patong Party (RPP) of Pian Keesin. A new election…
-
Leading researchers to attend Aids talks
NAI YANG: Professors John and Deborah Greenspan, acknowledged as being among the world’s leaders in the field of oral manifestations of HIV infection, will attend the 5th World Workshop on Oral Health and Disease in Aids conference at the Pearl Village Hotel from July 6-10. The couple have been involved in HIV research since the early 1980s when the first…
-
Port Blair talks end in optimism
PORT BLAIR: Talks between a visiting Thai delegation and their counterparts in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands ended with no decisions but on a distinctly positive note. The 63-strong Thai delegation, including local and central government representatives, private sector figures and naval personnel, and led by Phuket Governor Udomsak Usawarangkura, visited the islands’ capital, Port Blair, from Friday to Sunday.…
-
Jilted tourist hangs himself
PATONG: A young Norwegian tourist was found hanged in his room at the Baan Pornpateep rooming house on Taweewong Rd, Patong, at about 12.30 pm on Friday. Thomas Andreassen, aged about 21, apparently attached a rope to the shower head in the bathroom and hanged himself after his heart was broken by his Thai girlfriend. Pol Lt Col Chawalit Niemwadee…
-
Skeleton believed to be missing Dutchman
CHALONG: A skeleton found yesterday evening near Yanui Beach is believed to be that of missing Dutch dive instructor David Wiewel. Local people found the remains at about 5pm while looking for shellfish, said Pol Col Chalit Kaewyarat, Superintendent of Chalong Police Station. The colonel said that it was impossible to tell from the remains whether foul play was involved,…
-
Michael Learns To Postpone
CHERNG TALAY: Danish pop group Michael Learns To Rock have postponed their charity concert, slated to take place at Laguna Phuket on July 2, due to unforeseen scheduling problems. Announcing the postponement, Laguna Hotels & Resorts said today that ticket holders could obtain refunds at the Canal Village Shopping Centre, which is open from 9 am to 5 pm daily.…
-
World tournament will be a great success – Fifa
PHUKET CITY: Some training fields may lack toilets and dressing rooms, and the upgrade of Phuket’s Surakul Stadium has been delayed by rain. But John Schumacher, chief media officer of the International Federation of Association Football (Fifa), said yesterday he expects the final rounds of the Fifa U-19 Women’s World Championship 2004, to be played in Thailand in November, will…
-
Great ball of fire!
KOH SIREH: When firefighters responded to a call from the 100-year-old Muslim community on Koh Sireh at about 4:30 on the morning of May 24, little did they know that they were about to witness a gaseous and ghostly apparition. It took city and provincial firefighting units about 30 minutes to extinguish the blaze at 12/24 Soi Si Sena and…
-
Dark times for black dogs
SRISAKET: Black dogs in Nongsimai Village 2 were slaughtered recently after a local shaman convinced villagers that soaking string in the blood of a black dog and wrapping it around their homes would offer protection from the dreaded phi porp – a female ghost that kills married men and eats their innards. After two village men died in mysterious circumstances,…
-
Six land plots seized for encroachment
PHUKET CITY: Six plots of land in Muang District “belonging” to two people were seized today in a massive operation led by the Minister of Justice, Pongthep Thepkanjana. K. Pongthep was accompanied by the Secretary of the Anti-Money Laundering Office, Pol Maj Gen Pirapan Premputi; the Chief of the Crime Suppression Police, Pol Maj Gen Kosin Sintao; and even the…
-
Heavy rain and wind bring blackouts
PHUKET: Blustery winds and torrential rain led to blackouts in parts of Phuket yesterday when landslides and trees felled by strong gusts brought down power lines. TV and radio stations on Rang Hill in Phuket City were off the air for around 12 hours when two power poles came down. Engineers from the Phuket Provincial Electricity Authority (PPEA) restored power…
-
Beauties in the beastly weather
PHUKET: The 40 contestants in the Miss Siam 2004 competition are in Phuket as part of their preparation for the contest, which takes place on June 12 in Bangkok, with prizes worth more than 3 million baht for the winner, plus a place in the Miss Tourism International competition. Apart from posing for the usual plethora of photos in various…
-
Bail insurance now available
PHUKET: Insurance companies in Phuket now offer “bail insurance” policies providing cover of up to 100,000 baht for a premium of just 700 baht, the Phuket Provincial Insurance Office (PPIO) has announced. Sanong Sangsiriklanganakul, Director of the PPIO, said “The policies are aimed at Thai citizens – or foreigners living here – who don’t have recourse to the large amounts…
-
Malaysian tourist “killed himself’
PATONG: Chong Chee Kian, 37, was found dead in his room at the Phuket Palace Hotel on Sirirat Rd yesterday. He appeared to have committed suicide by eating rat poison. Pol Col Chalit Thintanee, Superintendent of Kathu Police Station, told the Gazette today that police had received a call from the hotel’s manager, who explained that staff had found Mr…
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.