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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Sponsored 5 ways retirees in Thailand lose money (and how to stop it)
Retiring in Thailand can be affordable and enjoyable, but many retirees lose money due to common mistakes. High living costs, scams, and unexpected expenses can quickly drain savings. There are five ways that retirees in Thailand can lose money and...
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Rugby Six Nations: England to face Welsh dragon’s fire
PHUKET: England must “smash everything in red”, maintain cool heads and silence a raucous Millennium Stadium crowd when they meet Wales in their Six Nations championship opener in Cardiff on Friday (kickoff 3:05am Saturday, Phuket time), England World Cup winner Neil Back said. Stuart Lancaster’s side suffered a humiliating 30-3 defeat on their last visit to the Welsh capital in…
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Hunt on for Bangkok bomber ‘Dragon’
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Hunt on for Bangkok bomber ‘Dragon’ The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: One of the two men suspected of planting and detonating two pipe bombs near Siam Paragon shopping mall in Bangkok last Sunday has been identified by his alias “Dragon” and he is reportedly based…
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Jordan military jets pound IS as king comforts pilot’s family
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Jordan military jets pound IS as king comforts pilot’s family Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Jordanian fighter jets pounded Islamic State targets in Syria on Thursday, before roaring over the hometown of the pilot killed by the militants while King Abdullah consoled the victim’s family. A…
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Phuket Police nab serial burglars in Thalang
PHUKET: Two Phuket burglars thought to have been involved in a series of recent robberies of homes in Thalang have been arrested, police announced today. The master thief, 26-year-old Saroj Seubsot, and his accomplice Prasert Thothip, 20, were detained after police discovered a large number of items at Mr Saroj’s house that were linked to the robberies. “Mr Saroj confessed…
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Opinion: Taking surf safety seriously
PHUKET: Kudos to Phuket Tourist Police volunteer Simon Luttrell for providing lifeguards with multi-language warning cards to help keep foreign tourists out of the surf in dangerous conditions. His generous action, though, raises the question of why local authorities and tourism agencies did not take similar action years ago. The cards (story here) address one of the key reasons why…
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Opinion: Phuket Tourist Police should be your first call
Maj Urumporn Koondejsumrit has been chief of the Tourist Police since 2012. He earned a master’s degree in science in criminal justice for leadership from Sam Houston State University in Texas before graduating from the Royal Police Cadet Academy. Here, Maj Urumporn advises tourists to be alert in order to avoid becoming victims of a crime, and promises that Tourist…
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Migrant worker found dead in empty elevator shaft
PHUKET: The body of a migrant worker was found at the bottom of an empty elevator shaft at a construction site in Cherng Talay last night. Police arrived at the scene, a Castlewood Group construction site on Soi Khok Tanot 12, at about 7pm to find the body of Myanmar national San Hla @ Nai, 34, floating face down in…
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Phuket laborer slashes girlfriend’s neck in jealous rage
PHUKET: A laborer was apprehended by fellow workers at an on-site construction camp in Rawai yesterday, after he slashed his girlfriend’s neck with a kitchen knife in a fit of jealous rage. The woman, a Myanmar national named by police only as Ms Yorla, 25, is still recovering at Vachira Phuket Hospital, said Capt Patiwat Yodkwan of the Chalong Police.…
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Phuket Old Town plays host to Sketchwalk 2015
PHUKET: Some of Phuket’s most beautiful and historical locales will play host to the second annual Phuket Old Town Sketchwalk event this year from February 20 to 23. The Phuket Old Town Sketchwalk – organized by the Phuket Sketchwalk Club, Phuket City Municipality and The Attitude Club Co Ltd – will feature many special events, including sketchwalks in Phuket Old…
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Phuket teacher answers prayers of mum with deaf son
PHUKET: The deaf man who disappeared from his family home last week has been found alive and well, and may soon undertake schooling thanks to a teacher at Phuket Punyanukul School for special children. Therdsak Sankaeo, 22, disappeared from his home in Phuket Town on January 27, prompting his mother, Ms Saithong, to make a public plea to find him…
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Opinion: Jet-skis: a hazard for everyone
PHUKET: This letter goes out to Lt Col Chatchai Sakdee of the Phuket Marine Police. Dear Col Chatchai: My wife and I have been visiting Thailand on our yacht on and off now for the last four years and generally love it. There is one matter, though, that I would like to draw to your attention: jet-ski hazards to anchored…
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Patriots Super Bowl XLIX champs, Seattle in shock
PHUKET: The New England Patriots sealed a come-from-behind victory, 28-24, over the defending champions Seattle Seahawks with a goal line interception in the final seconds on a pass play that will go down as one of the most questionable offensive play calls in NFL playoff history. This was a game for the ages and one with more ebb and flow…
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Police see political overtone in pipe bombs
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Police see political overtone in pipe bombs The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The twin pipe bombings near Siam Paragon shopping mall in Bangkok last Sunday night were “very similar” to two other bombing incidents – the explosion at Samarn Metta Mansion in Nonthaburi in 2010,…
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TransAsia plane crash in Taiwan leaves 31 dead, 12 missing
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community TransAsia plane crash in Taiwan leaves 31 dead, 12 missing Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A TransAsia Airways (6702.TW) plane with 58 passengers and crew on board careened into a river shortly after taking off from a downtown Taipei airport on Wednesday, killing 31 people and…
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Police bust yields more than 14 kilos of kratom
PHUKET: Police arrested two kratom dealers and one user yesterday, following a tip-off that netted more than 14 kilograms of kratom leaves and a list naming more than 100 kratom customers. Lt Col Sutthichai Thianpho of the Patong Police led the raid that took detectives to the house of a suspected dealer in Soi Phra Barami 9. “On arriving in…
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Bangkok shopping malls step up security after bomb blasts
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Bangkok shopping malls step up security after bomb blasts The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: MAJOR MALLS in prime shopping areas in Bangkok have stepped up security measures after bomb incidents on Sunday. Nattakit Tangpoonsinthana, executive vice president for marketing at Central Pattana (CPN), said the…
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Warrants for Bangkok bomb suspects expected today
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Warrants for Bangkok bomb suspects expected today The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Arrest warrants are expected to be issued today for two men suspected of planting and setting off twin pipe bombs near Siam Paragon shopping mall in Bangkok on Sunday night. Information about the…
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Jordan vows revenge for ISIS burning alive captured pilot
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Jordan vows revenge for ISIS burning alive captured pilot Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Islamic State militants released a video on Tuesday appearing to show a captured Jordanian pilot being burnt alive in a cage, a killing that shocked the world and prompted Jordan to promise…
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Serial rapist of elderly put on CSD ‘most wanted’ list
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Serial rapist of elderly put on CSD ‘most wanted’ list The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The Crime Suppression Division (CSD) has put the much-sought serial rapist who assaulted several elderly women in recent years on its “most wanted” list and has issued details of his…
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NACC revokes land deeds for iron smelting plant in Prachuap
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community NACC revokes land deeds for iron smelting plant in Prachuap The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) has ruled that land-right documents for 11 plots in Prachuap Khiri Khan province were issued illegally and should be revoked. Prachuap Pattana Development Co Ltd,…
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New tour guide regulations rolled out at Phuket airport
PHUKET: The Ministry of Tourism and Sports (MOTS) Phuket Office is cracking the whip on tourism businesses in Phuket, conducting island-wide raids and imposing stricter requirements for tour companies. “We checked the documents of tour companies and guides collecting incoming tour groups from Phuket International Airport, but did not find any illegal activity,” Santi Pawai, director of the MOTS Phuket…
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Two Aussies plunge from waterfall, one killed
PHUKET: One Australian is dead and another remains under observation in hospital after falling from Nah Muang Song Waterfall in Koh Samui on Sunday evening. Hugh Smith, 24, was pronounced dead on arrival at Bangkok Hospital Samui after he andBenjamin Thomas Kemp, 20, plunged about 60 meters down from the waterfall. Rescue workers spent about two hours transporting the men…
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Phuket Marine Police step up human-trafficking raids on fishing boats
PHUKET: Marine Police searched six Phuket fishing boats today and checked the documentation of 155 crew in their efforts to stamp out human trafficking in the region. The mass raid targeted vessels at the Tah Jeen Canal, near the fishing port area in Rassada, where Marine Police arrested two Myanmar nationals last night. “We found no illegal workers today,” said…
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Video Report: Police raid massage parlors for human trafficking, child prostitution
PHUKET: Police came up empty-handed in a series of raids on massage parlors in Phuket Town in search of human-trafficking victims and underage sex workers last night. “We had more than 300 officers checking massage parlors at Phun Phol Plaza, and along Soi 11 and Phun Pol Road,” Phuket City Police Deputy Superintendent Khunnadet Nanongkhai told the Phuket Gazette this…
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Video Report: Thousands crowd launch of Laguna Market
PHUKET: More than 4,000 people turned out for the launch of “Laguna Market on First” at Laguna Grove in Cherng Talay on Sunday. The four-hour market generated an estimated 1.2 million baht, as more than 200 local vendors plied their goods. “I am delighted to see that the market attracted both [people from] the local communities and tourists,” said Ravi…
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Registration of ivory ‘aimed at killing trade in African tusks’
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Registration of ivory ‘aimed at killing trade in African tusks’ The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A new law requiring people who own locally sourced ivory to register with the government is meant to separate them from people who own ivory from Africa, Nipon Chotibal, director-general…
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Six suspects arrested, accused of being part of network to overthrow monarchy
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Six suspects arrested, accused of being part of network to overthrow monarchy The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Six suspects were arrested yesterday in connection with alleged involvement in the Bunpodj network’s plot to overthrow the monarchy. The arrests were carried out by police from the…
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Hunt for Bangkok bombers begins
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Hunt for Bangkok bombers begins The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Security will be heightened across the country following double explosions in Bangkok’s shopping district on Sunday night as police hunt for at least two culprits believed to have been recorded on surveillance cameras. Prime Minister…
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No Phuket security boost in wake of Bangkok bomb blasts: Police
PHUKET: There will be no boost in security by police following the two bomb blasts outside the Siam Paragon shopping mall in Bangkok last night, one of Phuket’s top cops confirmed to the Phuket Gazette today. Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha earlier today ordered police in the capital to ramp up security following two pipe bombs detonating on a pedestrian…
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Bill Barnett launches new book: Collective Swag
PHUKET: The Phuket Gazette‘s “Island Fever” columnist, Bill Barnett, is back with his third book, Collective Swag, a phantasmagorical collection of rabid essays on everything from the evils of low-cost travel to blunders in modern architecture. Reading his frantic, caffeine-charged chronicle of life on the road throughout the Indian subcontinent and the Asia-Pacific region is a sure cure for elevator…
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