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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Medical company steps in to help Phuket kickboxer fight for recovery
PHUKET: An international medical company has made a pledge to find the “best treatment” for an Australian muay thai fighter whose father fears was not in a motorbike accident as Phuket police believe, but was beaten and left for dead. Daniel Ketley, 22, was rushed to hospital in the early hours of June 8 after he was found in Nai…
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Phuket teenager hangs self after break-up with girlfriend
PHUKET: Police are treating as suicide the death by hanging of a 19-year-old construction worker in Phuket Town yesterday. Phuket City Police received a report at 1:15pm of man found hanged in a room on Soi Hatchana-Nivet on Srisena Road, Talad Yai. Police and Kusoldharm rescue foundation workers went to the scene and recovered the body of the teenager, Danupong…
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Bangkok squad called in to catch Phuket “bag snatch killer’
PHUKET: More than 50 police officers, including a team from the Crime Suppression Division in Bangkok, have been dedicated to catching the two men who attacked Australian tourist Michelle Smith, 60, who was stabbed to death in Kata last night. Ms Smith died after being stabbed in the chest, puncturing her heart and a lung, when a bag snatch attempt…
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Phuket Business: When the financial gate slams shut
PHUKET: Since I’m often writing about how I like alternative investment strategies, it may be a good idea to do a few pieces on the features of funds available to managers when they open. This will help you understand what can happen when you invest in such a fund. This week is about gates – since most alternative funds write…
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Off-duty cop accused of Phuket street killing gets bail
PHUKET: The off-duty cop who shot a man dead in Phuket Town on May 5 has been granted bail. Though some details about the case have come to light, the exact cause of the argument that led Cpl Rachaporn Semaksorn to shoot Eakkasit Sangangam in the head ,on Phun Pol Soi 11 in Phuket Town, is still unclear. “The shooting…
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Phuket Business: CPI rise slows down; Rice stocks pile high
PHUKET: THOUGH the cost of living in Thailand continues to rise, the rate of increase over the past three months has slowed, Consumer Price Index (CPI) figures indicate.Compiled and released by the Ministry of Commerce (MoC), the CPI national average nudged up 0.45 points to 115.23 in last month, a month-on-month increase of 0.39%.Calculated by comparing current average prices of…
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Phuket Business: Trade booming
PHUKET: Two-thirds of the way into the government’s current fiscal year, international trade in Phuket is thriving, with the value of both imports and exports looking likely to surpass last year’s record-high performance. Phuket Customs’ records through to May 31 show that the value of exports in 2012 (October 1, 2011 to September 30, 2012) is now at 11.11bn baht…
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Burmese fisherman, electrocuted at sea, returned to Phuket
PHUKET: Two Burmese fishermen working on a local fishing boat were brought to Phuket’s Rassada Pier yesterday, after apparently being electrocuted at sea.Once notified, police and Kusoldharm Rescue Foundation workers rushed to the scene to find grieving relatives surrounding the two bodies.“Mr Kham, 25, and Mr Wan, 27, were pulling a fishing net from the sea, when Mr Kham touched…
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Phuket Sports: 7 races, 7 winners
PHUKET: THE Canadian GP was a magnificent race for Hamilton. Team strategy was absolutely right, and the driving was superb. The decider was tyre strategy. Vettel and Alonso ran a one-stop strategy for Red Bull and Ferrari respectively, while most drivers went for a two stopper. The strategic question was whether the time and track position gained by saving a…
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Phuket Sports: “Clubbin it’ the correct way
PHUKET: There are always an infinite number of excuses in golf for hitting a bad shot, but few sound more irrational, perhaps, than actually blaming your clubs. But is it really that irrational? No, strangely enough it is not! Having your golf clubs fitted specifically for your own swing really can have a massive impact on your whole game, and…
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Phuket Sports: Pietersen – draw card or drawback?
PHUKET: Kevin Pietersen, who has a reputation for dropping bomb shells – and not just while he is at the crease – has announced his retirement from limited overs cricket. Surprising? Yes, considering the fact that “KP” (as he is known to followers of the game) was voted ‘Player of the Tournament’ in England’s Twenty20 triumph at the last World…
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Phuket Sports: Seventh heaven for Phuket marathon winner
PHUKET: THE seventh annual Run Paradise Laguna Phuket International Marathon (LPIM) took place in the early morning hours of Sunday, June 10, with over four thousand participants of varying ability taking part. The event, sponsored by the Phuket Gazette, was divided into five categories: the grueling full marathon of 42 kilometers; the half marathon of 21km; the 10.5km run; the…
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Phuket Gazette: Ecuador to decide Assange’s asylum request today
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Ecuador to decide on Assange’s asylum today Phuket Gazette / News WiresPHUKET: The Ecuadorian government could make a decision today on the fate of Julian Assange, founder of the controversial whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks, an official said late yesterday. Assange had requested political asylum at Ecuador’s embassy in…
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Cheap eats: Phuket curry shops get Blue Flags
PHUKET: Three curry shops in Phuket have been issued “Blue Flag” signs confirming them as cheap, high-quality and hygienic by the head of the Department of Internal Trade office in Phuket (DIT-Phuket). The shops were the first to receive the Blue Flag signs, handed out on Tuesday, as part of the ministry’s latest initiative to keep rising consumer prices in…
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Phuket: Lord of the flies
PHUKET: The Phuket Chamber of Commerce (PCC) has voiced its concern over the increasing number of flies found swarming across the island, which the chamber fears could affect the island’s tourism industry. PCC Deputy Secretary General Charan Sangsarn raised the issue at a meeting held at the Phuket office of the National Economics and Social Development Board. “We have received…
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Boxing title fight to raise funds for Phuket sea turtle research
PHUKET: A World Boxing Organization (WBO) title fight will take place at Nai Yang Beach next month to raise funds for sea turtle preservation projects in Phuket and other provinces along the Andaman coast.Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha, Government Spokesman Prompong Nopparit and other dignitaries announced the five-bout card that will take place in Sakoo on July 6.The two-hour event will…
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Tourist fights for life after near-drowning in Phuket
PHUKET: A foreign tourist who was swimming in an area marked by red warning flags was pulled from the water off Nai Harn Beach yesterday afternoon and rushed unconscious to Vachira Phuket Hospital. Jula Nontree, chief lifeguard for Kata, Karon, Nai Harn and Patong Beaches, told the Phuket Gazette that the incident occurred in front of the Phuket Yacht Club…
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Trailer overturns on Phuket Town bypass road
PHUKET: A tractor trailer overturned on the bypass road skirting Phuket Town late this afternoon, leaving the road surface covered in energy drink and creating a tailback. No injuries were reported.Rawin Hangnark, the 42-year-old driver of the cab and flatbed rig, told the Phuket Gazette he was travelling in the left southbound lane en route to Chalong with two other…
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Pickup slams Heroines’ Monument in Phuket, one dead
PHUKET: Police believe that the driver of a pickup who died after slamming his vehicle into the Phuket Heroines’ Monument before dawn yesterday fell asleep at the wheel. Thalang Police were notified of the accident at Phuket’s most iconic roundabout just before 4am yesterday. Arriving at the scene, they found the wreckage of a black Mitsubishi pickup against a roadside…
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Scrappy Phuket FC beat Bangkok FC, 2-1
PHUKET: Phuket FC recorded their first home win of the season last night with a scrappy 2-1 win over mid-table side Bangkok FC. Despite gorgeous weather, only 1,200 paying fans turned up for the 6:30pm kickoff at Surakul Stadium, which got a number of improvements thanks to its recent hosting of the 28th National Youth Games. The most notable of…
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Phuket annual Prison Fair underway
PHUKET: The ninth annual Prison Products Fair is underway at Saphan Hin. On display and for sale is a wide range of hand-made products crafted by prison inmates from 14 provincial prisons across the southern region as part of their vocational skills training. “The fair is held to show prisoner’s works to the public. It is made possible by cooperation…
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Phuket Light Rail: All stop at feasibility studies
PHUKET: The Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning (OTP) will ignore all feasibility studies conducted by companies that have expressed interest in developing a light-rail system in Phuket. Thenews was delivered by Kobkul Motana, the assistant director of the Bureau of Regional Transport and Traffic Promotion under of the Ministry of Transport’s OTP department, on Friday. Ata meeting…
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Phuket Poll: How can we effectively warn tourists of drowning dangers?
PHUKET: The disappearance of an American student Joshua Shane, who went swimming with friends at Patong Beach on Tuesday night, once again raises the issue of how best to warn tourists about the dangers of swimming along Phuket’s west coast beaches during the monsoon season. Reliable sources told the Phuket Gazette that the group of students who entered the surf…
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Phuket Opinion: Corruption and the duality of man
PHUKET: Every now and then, local officials do things that either stun the Phuket Gazette’s readers or slide right past them. The news stories this week about the push to establish a “Chalong Hospital” and the projected opening of the Patong Tunnel both highlight a phenomenon often overlooked – that sometimes officials do have the public interest at heart. Local…
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Canadian sisters found dead in Phi Phi hotel room, poisoning suspected
PHUKET: Police are investigating the cause of death of two Canadian sisters found dead in their hotel room on Phi Phi Island yesterday afternoon. Lt Siwa Saneha of Phi Phi Island Police Station told the Phuket Gazette, “We received a report at about 9pm yesterday, that two tourists’ bodies were found in the same hotel room at the Phi Phi…
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Phuket marks World Blood Donor Day
PHUKET: The Phuket Red Cross this weekend is continuing its donation drive as part of its role in the World Health Organization (WHO) “World Blood Donor Day” campaign. Hundreds of donors turned out at the Phuket Regional Blood Center (RBC), operated by the Phuket Red Cross, on Thursday to mark the WHO international day, observed around the world on June…
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Officials push for new Phuket hospital
PHUKET: Officials are pushing for the public health clinic in Chalong to be upgraded to a fully equipped hospital in order to reduce the number of people dying en route to emergency wards at major hospitals in Phuket Town. Clinic Director Ruedee Suriya told the Phuket Gazette that on average two people every month die while on their way to…
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Phuket City top cop transferred
PHUKET: Phuket City Police Superintendent Chote Chitchai has been transferred to Takua Thung Police Station in Phang Nga province, just north of Phuket.The transfer comes after Col Chote was temporarily suspended from duty on May 5 following allegations of underage staff working in Phuket Town clubs and entertainment venues.Acting Superintendent of Phuket City Police Sakchai Limcharoen also confirmed to the…
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Phuket City Police issue reminder: election alcohol ban in Phuket Town tonight
PHUKET: Phuket City Police Superintendent Sakchai Limcharoen this afternoon reminded operators of bars, restaurants, nightclubs and other entertainment venues in Phuket Town that a ban on the sale of alcohol will come into effect within Phuket City limits from 6pm today. “Due to the Phuket City Municipality election tomorrow, alcohol sales will be banned from 6pm tonight until midnight tomorrow…
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Aussie woman jailed for false rape report in Phuket
PHUKET: Phuket Provincial Court today sentenced a 21-year-old Australian woman to 15 days in jail for falsely reporting that she was raped in Patong on Sunday. In her report to Patong Police, 21-year-old Stevie Rochelle Bamford claimed she was attacked by three men while taking a tuk-tuk back to her hotel at about 2am. However, CCTV footage taken at the…
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