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.
-
Sponsored Best facial treatments in Bangkok for radiant skin
If urban life has left your skin feeling as stressed as the Friday evening rush hour, there’s no reason to let it dampen your spirits. The answer to your skin's prayers might just involve less commuting and more pampering. Thankfully,...
-
Phuket FC neutralize Big Bang in season opener
PHUKET: Kicking off the Thai Premier League (TPL) Yamaha One 2013 season, Phuket FC played their season opener out to a 1-1 draw away against Big Bang Chula United (BBCU) on Saturday evening in Bangkok. Played at the Army Stadium, the match was watched by little more than 300 fans, with several dozen Phuket fans making the trip. Relegated last…
-
Phuket mob surrounds British expat who hit motorcyclist
Correction: The original story yesterday named the driver, as repeatedly confirmed and spelled out to our reporters by Thalang Police Sub Lt Niphon Temsang, as “Martin Ian Potter”. His reports of the surname were incorrect. The driver charged over the incident was Martin Ian Foster, who reportedly works in the hotel industry on Koh Maphrao. The Gazette obtained the correction…
-
Phuket Police raid cockfight
PHUKET: Police broke up a cockfighting match near a rubber plantation in central Phuket yesterday, arresting 16 men and confiscating two roosters and 220 baht found at the scene. The number of men attending the matches had grown steadily over the past few weeks, causing local residents to complain to police, who sent an undercover agent to discover the time…
-
Phuket blood bank launches March mobile donation drive
PHUKET: The Phuket Chapter of the Red Cross Society has announced its schedule of mobile donation clinics for the month of March. The Phuket Regional Blood Center (PRBC), often called upon to save the lives of Thais and foreigners, is low on stocks of blood type A. “We need to maintain a daily minimum stock of 200 units of A,…
-
Southern Resurgence: Drug cocktail 8×100 makes a comeback
PHUKET: The police crackdown on the indigenous plant kratom, a mild narcotic, is taking its toll, with youngsters now reportedly turning to longkong leaves in order to make a new version of the long-known drug cocktail “4×100”. The new recipe using longkong leaves even sports a new, improved nickname: “8×100”. “Kratom leaves are the main ingredient of the original “4×100″…
-
Phuket Gazette World News: Kenya elections; Pope vote; Borneo violence; QEII cancels Welsh appearances
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Kenyans to vote in tense head-to-head presidential race Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Kenyans vote today in a presidential election that will test whether the east African nation can restore its reputation as one of Africa’s more stable democracies after a lethal ethnic rampage erupted following the 2007…
-
Breaking News: Democrats win Bangkok election, Yingluck concedes defeat
PHUKET: Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has conceded defeat in the election today for Bangkok Governor, handing the election win over to Democrat candidate Sukhamband Parabitra.PM Yingluck publicly announced the defeat at 6:15pm after the ongoing count of votes at the polls showed that Sukhamband had amassed more than a million votes while leading Pheu Thai rival Pol Gen Pongsapat Pongcharoen…
-
Under Investigation: Phuket villagers foraging for turtle eggs
PHUKET: The safety of turtle eggs in a protected nesting ground at the northern tip of Phuket is under investigation by the Mai Khao Marine Turtle Foundation. The Phuket Gazette contacted the foundation after a reader reported seeing turtle tracks and people probing for eggs in the area between Maikhao Dream Villa Resort and Spa and Maikhao Beach Bungalows (map…
-
Pharmacy raid nets 24 youths in cough syrup blitz
PHUKET: A raid on a Phuket Town pharmacy early yesterday evening turned into a bumper haul for officers as they arrested a procession of youngsters turning up to buy cough syrup specifically to make the local drug cocktail “4×100”. Following an order by Muang District Chief Supachai Pochanukul, the 15 officers arrived at the Pharma Sure drug store on Si…
-
Phuket Sports: TNT blown away in a flash by Gordon
PHUKET: In the first match of the second round, the Village took on the TNT at the Alan Cooke Ground (ACG) last Sunday. The Village, last season’s runners up, were desperate to record their first win of the season, while TNT were looking to progress further up the ladder to challenge the top teams of Patong Cricket Club and Laguna.In…
-
Phuket Sports: Southern Sea Warriors reinforced ahead of season start
PHUKET: In their first fixture, Phuket FC, taking on the new nickname this year as the “Southern Sea Warriors” are set to play Big Bang Chula United (BBCU), a team relegated last year from the TPL. The match will kick off today at 6pm at the Army Stadium in Bangkok, BBCU’s home pitch. The Southern Sea Warriors’ first home match…
-
DNP outlines conservation issues to be presented to CITES
PHUKET: In town yesterday for the investigation into encroachment on Phuket’s Sirinath National Park (story here), Manopat Huamuangkaew, the director-general of the National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department (DNP), took time to hand out pro-conservation pamphlets to tourists at Phuket International Airport. The pamphlets also advertise the 16th annual Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna…
-
Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Bomb blasts wound Southern peace talks; Bangkok election; ‘Wannabe Myanmar’ line up
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Narathiwat rocked by two blasts The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Two vehicle bombs in a span of five hours yesterday rocked Narathiwat’s Muang district less than 24 hours after the signing of an agreement in Malaysia between Thailand’s security authorities and four people purportedly representing insurgent groups…
-
Phuket Gazette World News: China execution parade; Italy unravels; Syrian scuds; Cardinals pick new Pope
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community ‘Execution parade’ of four behind Mekong murders angers Chinese Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: An “execution parade” on China’s state television of four foreign men sentenced to death for killing 13 sailors on the Mekong River caused anger in China on Friday, with many people saying it was…
-
Phuket Police hunt continues for Jintana killers
PHUKET: Police are continuing to question individuals over the murder of Jintana Mahattanapak as they await the results of CCTV-footage analysis being conducted in Bangkok (story here). “Experts in Bangkok are still trying to extract information, that will lead to the arrests of the killers, from the CCTV footage we sent them. However, we have yet to be able to…
-
DNP chief bolsters support for Phuket park probe
PHUKET: The recently installed Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) Director-General Manopat Huamuangkaew arrived in Phuket yesterday to hear firsthand the update on the investigation into 14 plots allegedly encroaching on Sirinat National Park on Phuket’s west coast. “So far we have investigated the land documents of 14 plots of land and found that all were issued…
-
DSI launches fresh attack on illegally issued Phuket land title deeds
PHUKET: The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) stepped in last week to expedite the ongoing investigation of illegal land encroachment in Sirinart National Park. Acting on a complaint from The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP), whose own investigation seemed to ground to a halt last year when an expected 366 investigators from Bangkok failed to arrive,…
-
Thailand Futsal: Andaman Pearl clamp down on Killer Bees
PHUKET: The Andaman Pearl are floating high following back-to-back wins in the past week. Topping off Sunday’s away win to Samut Songkhram (2-6), Phuket’s latest victory was earned at home on Wednesday night against Nonthaburi FC (5-3). Played at Phuket’s Saphan Hin Indoor Sports Complex, the match was both sides’ 25th match of the 30-fixture GMM Sport Thailand Futsal Premier…
-
Mother of savaged pit bull victim presses criminal charges
PHUKET: Criminal negligence charges were filed this week against the owners of the three pit bull terriers that mauled a man outside his own Phuket home in early February. Tiansak Aikpaiboon, 33, was savaged by three of his neighbor’s five pit bulls right in front of his home in Suan Thai Village, behind Wichit Songkram School near Central Festival, at…
-
Phuket Opinion: Fluctuating prices hard to swallow
PHUKET: No one likes being ripped off. Phuket, like many popular tourist destinations, has its fair share of scams, so living here year-round can be frustrating unless you have mastered the language. During my daily lunch break I often drive to a nearby shopping center to order a quick and filling meal at the food court there. I usually order…
-
Phuket Opinion: Praise for the little ‘Heroes’ of Phuket
PHUKET: Although accorded little, if any, attention in the local media, the recent winning of a national championship in the “To Be Number One Teen Dancercise 2013” competition by a team of young dancers from the Baan Bangneaw Municipal School in Phuket Town deserves a great deal of recognition and praise. It was a considerable achievement, the first ever by…
-
Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Thailand agrees to talk peace with southern insurgent group
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Thailand agrees to talk peace with southern Muslim rebel group The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Thai security officials on Thursday signed a deal to start peace talks with a Muslim rebel group involved in escalating violence in the southern provinces that has killed more than…
-
Phuket Gazette World News: 4 dead in Swiss shooting; Pope farewell; Jihad Jane extradition; Syria aid
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Death toll from Swiss shooting rises to four Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A fourth person has died in hospital from injuries sustained in a shooting at a Swiss wood processing plant near the city of Lucerne, police said on Thursday. A 42-year-old factory worker opened…
-
Miss Universe smashes pirated products in Phuket
PHUKET: Miss Universe 2005 Natalie Glebova joined officials as they destroyed pirated goods worth about 216 million baht in a ceremony in Phuket today, which was held to demonstrate Thailand’s dedication to protecting intellectual property rights.“We are here to increase the awareness of consumers about counterfeit designer goods and to encourage them to say ‘no’ to pirated products. By completely…
-
Thailand News: Thai national and 3 others face execution for Mekong murders
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community China to execute four over Mekong murders Phuket Gazette / The Nation PHUKET: China plans to execute alleged Golden Triangle drug lord Nor Kham and three accomplices after their death sentences were approved by the nation’s highest court, state media said today. The executions would be…
-
Phuket Gazette Sports: Swimming great wants life bans
Fraser wants life ban for Australian 4x100m swimmers Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Swimming great Dawn Fraser wants life bans imposed on members of the Australian men’s 4x100m freestyle relay squad who admitted using a banned sedative in a bonding session before last year’s London Olympics. James Magnussen and team mates Matt Targett, Eamon Sullivan, Cameron McEvoy and Tommaso DOrsogna…
-
Man dies in second Phuket hit-and-run in two days
PHUKET: A 21-year-old security guard from Phattalung has died after the motorcycle he was riding was struck by a car on the road from the Heroines’ Monument (map here) to Pa Khlok late last night. He was the second person to be struck down in a hit-and-run in Phuket in two days (see story here). Thalang Police Duty Officer Chatree…
-
Phuket Gazette office closed today
PHUKET: The Phuket Gazette would like to inform our readers and advertisers that our office in Koh Kaew had to be closed today, Thursday, February 28, due to yet another all-day blackout in the area to upgrade power lines. The blackout affects Soi Harn Farang and Soi Koh Kaew 33, and may affect adjoining areas that are supplied electricity from…
-
Phuket Gazette World News: Pope leaves quietly as cardinals plan future
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Low-key departure as pope steps down and hides away Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Pope Benedict slipped quietly from the world stage today after a private last goodbye to his cardinals and a short flight to a country palace to enter the final phase of his life “hidden…
-
DSI raids Phuket building supplies operator
PHUKET: Officers from the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) today raided a local construction supply company suspected of stealing sand from a National Forest to sell for use in Phuket’s booming property industry.The DSI made headlines last week for investigating illegal land title deeds in Sirinart National Park, on Phuket’s west coast.The raid started at 8am today when DSI chief…
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.