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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Three dead as family car returning from Vegetarian Festival slams into tree
PHUKET: Three people are dead and a mother and her two children are in hospital after the car they were traveling home in from the Phuket Vegetarian Festival slammed into a tree late yesterday afternoon.Duty officer Eakkaphob Phoothong of the Takua Thung Police in Phang Nga received a report of the accident at about 4pm.At the scene, about 500 meters…
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Phuket mother returns to nurse abandoned newborn
PHUKET: The mother who abandoned her newborn girl, delivered into the world at Thalang Hospital last Friday, has returned to the hospital to nurse her child. However, she has yet to decide whether she will keep the baby. “The mother’s still sick – very tired,’ said Phuket Provincial Health Office Deputy Director Wiwat Seetamonotch this afternoon. “She has had no…
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Phuket Governor marks Chulalongkorn Day
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut this morning led an assembly of officials in a ceremony to honor Chulalongkorn Day, known in Thai as Wan Piya Maharat. The ceremony, held at the “Chulalongkorn the Great” monument at Phuket Provincial Hall, began at 8am. Officers adorned the statue with flowers and speeches were made honoring the great achievements of HM King Chulalongkorn.…
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Paris Hilton hails Phuket New Year’s beach party
PHUKET: Hotel heiress Paris Hilton dropped into Bangkok for her first visit to the Kingdom yesterday to publicly endorse the Sydictive Element New Year’s party set for Phuket’s Surin Beach. The New Year’s Eve bash will run from December 30 to the first sunrise of 2013, and has already booked a number of world-class artists and DJs, including Basement Jaxx,…
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Healthy newborn girl abandoned at Phuket Hospital
PHUKET: The Phuket Public Heath Office (PPHO) has made a public appeal for any information that may locate a woman who disappeared from Thalang Hospital shortly after giving birth to a baby girl on Friday. PPHO Deputy Director Dr Wiwat Seetamonotch said that the 32-year-woman presented herself at Thalang Hospital on Thursday. “She gave her name as Patcharaporn Hawang, but…
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World News: Ivory siezure; Poison fumes hit pax at airport; Hit-and-runs kill 1, injures 13 in Wales
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Hong Kong confiscates 1,200 pieces of ivory tusks in record haul Phuket Gazette / News WiresPHUKET: More than 1,200 pieces of ivory tusks which were being smuggled in containers shipped from Africa were confiscated in Hong Kong last week, making it the region’s largest ever seizure of…
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Thailand News: Petty officer killed and 3 troops seriously wounded in IED attack
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Rebels hit Tak Bai in lead-up to anniversary Phuket Gazette / The Nation PHUKET: Just days before the eighth anniversary of Narathiwat’s Tak Bai massacre, the province erupted in violence over the weekend, with attacks continuing yesterday after five simultaneous incidents in the Tak Bai district…
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World News: Young elephant crushes keeper at Sydney zoo
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Australian zookeeper crushed by young elephant at Sydney zoo Phuket Gazette / News WiresPHUKET: An Australian zookeeper remains in critical, but stable, condition in a Sydney hospital after a young male elephant she had cared for suddenly crushed her during a routine training session. The incident happened…
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Phuket Poll: Should foreigners “pay’ for visa runs with blood?
PHUKET: Last month a contributor to the Phuket Gazette‘s online forum raised a very interesting suggestion concerning blood donations in lieu of visa runs. Even the Acting Director of the Phuket Regional Blood Bank, Pornthip Rattajak, saw merit in the idea, especially considering that foreigners with Rhesus-negative blood groups are especially welcome to make donations, as those types are very…
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Pressure mounts on PM Yingluck to review Phuket ICEC cancellation
PHUKET: Phuket MP Anchalee Vanich Thepabutr and Phuket’s sole representative senator, Thanyarat Achariyachai, are calling for Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to review the decision by Cabinet to cancel the 2.6-billion-baht project to build a Phuket International Convention and Exhibition Center (ICEC). Ms Anchalee posted the news that the decades-old project had been shelved on her Facebook page on Thursday.…
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Patong CCTV nabs Phuket gold thief
PHUKET: As the Patong Safety Zone and its mass of CCTV cameras continue to be networked, Phuket Police on Thursday arrested a teenage man for stealing a gold necklace worth about 25,000 baht after the license plate on his getaway motorbike was caught on a shop camera. Patong Police officers led by Lt Col Somsak Thongglieng and Sub Lt Chusak…
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Phuket hospitals defend fractured pricing
SPECIAL REPORT PHUKET: Top officials at the recently opened Phuket Provincial Hospital this week defended the facility’s practice of charging foreigners greatly inflated fees compared to its prices for Thais. The Phuket Gazette spoke to Phuket Provincial Administrative Organization (PPAO) Vice President Chawalit Na Nakorn, who is also on the Provincial Hospital’s board of directors, about the large gap between…
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Cruise liner rallies against paying Phuket port extra fees
PHUKET: The representative of a major cruise line operator that brings thousands of tourists to Phuket each week has lobbied Provincial Hall to stop the company from having to pay “extra fees” levied every time the Phuket Deep Sea Port is double-booked. At a meeting headed by Phuket Vice Governor Somkiet Sungkaosuthirak on Wednesday, Thanin Thumsuwan of Thoresen Shipping and…
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Phuket Opinion: When healthcare becomes a social insecurity
PHUKET: The in-depth report of local hospitals charging foreigners more than Thais for all forms of healthcare (click here) should not come as a surprise to any long-term expats living in Phuket. The practice of two-tier pricing is so deeply entrenched into the local social fabric that the national parks have established it as a formal policy. Even the Phuket…
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Phuket Vegetarian Festival “ma song’ unruffled by media coverage
PHUKET: Phuket native Peerapong Buapetch, 27, spends the majority of his year as a handyman for a local hotel. However, once a year he is called on to take part in one of the most important cultural events in Phuket – the Vegetarian Festival, which this year draws to a close on Tuesday. Chosen by the Chinese god Guan Yu…
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World Sports: Pietersen to come back with a bang: Flintoff
PHUKET: Kevin Pietersen is likely to come out with all guns blazing when he returns to the England squad for next month’s test series in India, former team mate Andrew Flintoff said yesterday.The South African-born batsman was recalled by England this week after being dropped following a controversial text-message row.“When Kevin’s got a point to prove he usually proves it…
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Nong Som killer forensic test results “imminent’: Police
PHUKET: Phuket Police expect in the coming days to receive the results of forensic tests that will clear the way for bringing to trial the confessed killer of 17-year-old Sunisa “Nong Som” Saiyoy. Nong Som’s parents returned from their fruit stall in Phuket Town on the night of July 10 to find their daughter dead in her bedroom at the…
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Plans unveiled for new, B450mn Phuket Provincial Hall
PHUKET: Plans to spend 450 million baht on a new Phuket Provincial Hall took a leap forward this week with the announcement of official approval to clear the 14-rai site on the corner opposite the current building (click here for map). Construction of the new center of administration for the island is hoped to begin next year. Years in coming,…
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Phuket orphanage gets bikes from Quest
PHUKET: Singaporean-based bankers recently brought joy to youngsters from a Phuket orphanage, in a unique training program devised and staged by Laguna Resorts & Hotels’ corporate team building organization, Quest. Over 210 senior management and staff of the Singapore-based Swiss bank took time out from their recent conference in Phuket, to spend a morning at Baan Sosa Orphanage in the…
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World News: Presses to stop at Newsweek as publication goes digital-only
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Newsweek to end print publication after nearly 80 years Phuket Gazette / News WiresPHUKET: Newsweek, one of the largest weekly news magazines in the United States, yesterday announced it plans to end its print publication after nearly 80 years and transition to an all-digital format. The last…
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Phuket illegal taxi amnesty to end November 1
PHUKET: All illegal taxis operating in Phuket must be “stickered” and in the process of becoming legal by November 1, said Phuket Vice Governor Chamroen has announced. “There are still 2,882 illegal taxi cars in 186 taxi centers in Phuket. Only 150 have completed the [licensing] procedure and have been issued green plates,” V/Gov Chamroen told a meeting of officials…
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Phuket Sports: King’s Cup Regatta tacks windsurfing onto schedule
PHUKET: THE Phuket King’s Cup Regatta plans to reintroduce windsurfing as one of its competitive classes this year. The newly announced Windsurfing Class is held in cooperation with the Windsurfing Association of Thailand (WATH), with races taking place over four days from December 2 to 5. About 14 sailors from the Thai national team will join the windsurfing competition, including…
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Kathu Mayor contenders face off for Phuket election
PHUKET: Hundreds of people turned out at the Kathu Municipality offices yesterday in support of their preferred candidates for the upcoming election for Kathu Mayor and the Kathu Municipal Council to be held on November 18. Running for re-election is Chaianan Sutthikul and his *Rak Kathu (“Kathu protectors”) party. Leading the charge against Mr Chaianan is two-time former Kathu Mayor…
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Couple killed in hit-and-run, 4-month-old son survives
PHUKET: Both parents of a 4-month-old boy died last night after a hit-and-run driver struck their motorbike in Chalong. The baby boy, who was also on the motorbike, suffered no serious injuries. Lt Col Boonlert Onklang of the Chalong Police rushed to the scene with officers from the Phuket Provincial Administrative Organization tourist rescue center and Phuket Ruamjai Foundation rescue…
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Phuket Hard Rock punts to reopen tonight
PHUKET: Following the breaking news of a fire at the Hard Rock Cafe in Patong this morning, the Phuket Gazette has learned that the operators of the global brand-name venue are hoping to reopen tonight. The fire was contained to the large neon sign attached to the front of the building. The iconic electric guitar sign and the stage area,…
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Thai Post stamps on 7-Eleven rumors
PHUKET: Readers of Queer News may know someone collecting the “Love Thailand” stamps currently being given out with purchases at 7-Eleven convenience stores across the country. The stamps can be exchanged for a variety of prizes, including light bulbs, whitening cream and even a satellite receiver box from media company True. The one thing they can’t do is send letters.…
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Phuket Hard Rock Cafe catches fire after spark from iconic guitar sign
PHUKET: Fire broke out at Phuket’s Hard Rock Cafe on Rat-U-Thit 200 Pi Road in Patong at about 9am today after a spark reportedly jumped from the iconic electric guitar neon sign and started the blaze.No injuries have been reported so far. However, early estimates of the damage have been reported at about 6 million baht.The fire was discovered by…
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Phuket Vegetarian Festival street processions in full swing
PHUKET: Sapam Shrine held their street procession today with some 2,000 spectators lining the route to watch ma song (spirit mediums) and to pay their respects to highly revered Chinese gods. The street procession departed Sapam Shrine at 7am and marched through Phuket Town, ending up at Saphan Hin. Before the procession got underway, Phuket City Municipality had issued a…
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Gambling “spectators’ to appeal to Phuket governor for clemency
PHUKET: A gambling raid on a residential home about 200 meters from Baan Kathu School yesterday netted 21 arrests, but most of the people taken into custody will appeal to the governor to have the charges dropped on the basis that they were “only watching”. Lt Col Serm Kwannimit of the Thung Thong Police told the Gazette that police raided…
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Phuket marine agency checks dead whale shark samples for heavy metal contamination
PHUKET: Staff from the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) were deployed to Koh Lanta Yai on Sunday after receiving a report from the Royal Thai Navy Maritime Security Center that an eight-ton whale shark had washed ashore at Klong Nin Beach. From his office at the PMBC, Dr Kongkiat Kittiwattanawong, who heads the Endangered Species Unit (ESU), told the Phuket…
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