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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123 dengue cases in Phuket
PHUKET: There are 123 confirmed cases of dengue fever in Phuket, public health workers have confirmed. Dr Narinrat Pitchayakamint of the Phuket Public Health Office said the number of cases is higher now than this time last year. According to Ministry of Public Health statistics, Phuket currently ranks 11th out of Thailand’s 76 provinces in terms of incidence of infection,…
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Beware “The Next Phuket”
Phuket NEWS Hound – A daily digest of news from around the world compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PHUKET: A lead story on major travel site CNN Go this morning says that Phuket is set to receive some stiff competition as a number of other destinations are being touted by developers and local governments as the “next-generation”…
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Ferret outruns Fox in Pattaya regatta
PHUKET: Local sailor Scott Duncanson and his crew on The Ferret left it until the last two races on the final day of racing to win the 2010 Platu Coronation Cup at the Top of the Gulf (TOTG) Regatta held off Jomtien Beach, near Pattaya, April 30 to May 4. The Ferret was one point behind main rival Rolf Heemskerk’s…
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Young couple killed in Phuket horror smash
RASSADA, PHUKET: An 18-wheel truck reversing on the bypass road last night caused a car to hit a young couple’s motorbike at high speed, killing them both. Witthaya Kwianyon, 22, and his 18-year-old girlfriend Panatda Butrasan were killed instantly after their bike lost its balance and collided with the truck. The car, driven by 40-year-old Korean national Lee Joong Park,…
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Free ICT training in Phuket tomorrow
WICHIT, PHUKET: Software Park Phuket is holding free weekly activities for people interested in building the local ICT community and putting the latest, most effective computer technology to work on the island. The organizers are trying to bring together people who want to learn state-of-the-art techniques with sessions that range from explaining new technology to real-life experiences with computer systems…
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Ill winds for Phuket property? Watch China
PHUKET OPINION: Asian stocks were mixed yesterday due to investor concerns that Chinese moves to slow a soaring property market will undermine economic growth and recovery for the region, including Phuket. On Monday, China increased the deposit reserve requirement ratio for most banks for the third time this year, the latest in a series of measures aimed at cooling the…
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Phuket needs marketing independence: PTA
PHUKET: With the local economy continuing to suffer because of political strife elsewhere in the country, it is time for Phuket to take a more independent approach to destination marketing, one tourism industry analyst says. Bhuritt Maswongsa, vice president for marketing of the Phuket Tourist Association (PTA), said the average occupancy rate in Phuket for April 2010 was about 70…
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Dugong in decline off Phuket
PHUKET: The fishing industry continues to take its toll on Thailand’s highly endangered dugong population, with at least three deaths so far this year. Dugong researcher Karnchana Adulyanukosol of the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) said two dugong carcasses were recovered in waters off Trang in January and sent to the PMBC for autopsy. Both animals were likely killed by…
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Last chance for peace?
PHUKET: Is the light at the end of the tunnel that of a train coming our way? The answer depends on how the red shirts, who have been tired, dispirited and discredited, respond today to Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva’s unexpected offer to hold a general election on November 14. Whether the 30-minute national address last night is a game-changing moment…
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Fino finito: arson in Phuket
KATHU, PHUKET: Police are investigating a fire in Phuket early Sunday morning that destroyed a roadside tour counter and a motorbike. Kathu Police Duty Officer Jongserm Preecha today confirmed reports of an arson attack at about 4:30am at the Krisda Travel Service counter on Soi Chaiwat, off Phra Barami Road at the north end of Patong. The fire was reported…
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Patong split over tunnel plan
PHUKET: Patong residents are divided over the controversial plan to bore a road tunnel under Patong Hill, a recent public hearing revealed. Local residents voiced their opinions on April 27 when a public hearing on the issue was held at the Phuket Graceland Resort. Around 700 residents, municipal officers from Patong and Kathu, the project development team and other stakeholders…
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FC Phuket to face Surat Thani
PHUKET: The FC Phuket Southern Sea Kirin picked up a point with a scoreless draw at Hatyai yesterday, but fell to second place after Trang FC beat Yala at home 1-0 to secure the top spot. Meanwhile, Surat Thani are just two points behind in third with a game in hand after beating Chumphon FC at home 3-2. The results…
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Tsunami safety: Phuket not ready
PHUKET OPINION: The confusion following the 7.8 magnitude earthquake in northern Sumatra last month highlights the urgent need for better disaster preparedness at every level in Thailand, from the people at the National Disaster Warning Center (NDWC) right on down to local Phuket officials and hotel staff. The latest (April 7) false alarm was not the first. The public panic…
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Phuket tragedy ends in hope
Phuket NEWS Hound – A daily digest of news from around the world compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PHUKET: Noah Yelizarov, the 18-year-old who died in a freak accident in Phuket in October 2004, can rest in peace knowing that others will be spared his tragic fate. He was electrocuted when he inadvertently touched a live wire…
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Phuket not immune to red damage
PHUKET: The toxicity for tourism of the Bangkok protests, initially characterized in some quarters of the Phuket hospitality industry as being for Bangkok only – or certainly for Bangkok mainly – has now come home to roost. The cost to Thai tourism nationally since the red shirt protests began is now estimated at 233 million dollars (7.7 billion baht) in…
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Phuket red shirt leader speaks
PHUKET: About 40 Phuket residents remain part of the United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD) protest in Bangkok, now in its 51st day at the Rajprasong intersection in Bangkok. Speaking to the Gazette by mobile phone from the protest site this afternoon was Phuket red shirt leader Wisut ‘Ae Inside’ Tangwittayaporn, who has been part of the protest since…
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Fake gun, real crime in Phuket
PHUKET: Two young men carried out at least 10 muggings using a gun-shaped cigarette lighter before their arrest in Phuket on the morning of April 25, according to Phuket Police. Chaiyut ‘Daeng’ Sangthong and Umpon ‘Bao’ Meelert, both 21, were picked up by Phuket City Police officers after allegedly robbing a couple the night before. The suspects allegedly attacked Chitpon…
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Phuket to see fewer Singaporeans
Phuket NEWS Hound – A daily digest of news from around the world compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PHUKET: Holidaymakers from Singapore have been avoiding crisis-stricken Thailand, most notably Phuket which is only an hour and a half’s direct flight away from the Lion City. Outbound tour agencies in Singapore are reporting a decline of up to…
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Danish steakhouse blaze in Phuket
PATONG, PHUKET: Damages from a fire that broke out in the kitchen of a Danish steakhouse yesterday could run as high as one million baht, the owner says. The fire started about 10:30am in the kitchen of the Fundue House restaurant on Soi Patong Resort, off Soi Bangla. No one was harmed in the blaze. The fire caused extensive damage…
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Phuket throat slasher suspect arrested
PHUKET: A young man arrested in Phuket for the murder of Pirasak Pongchoo has confessed to slashing the man’s throat after enduring a month of sexual abuse. The badly decomposing body of the 43-year-old was found at his rented room on Wichit Songkram Road, Soi 1 on Monday. For the initial report click here. Surat Thani Police arrested Watcharin Srinin,…
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Lost shopping bag still with Phuket Governor
PHUKET TOWN: Will the owner of two newly-purchased women’s purses please step forward? The Phuket governor is holding them for you. The handbags were among a small cache of items returned by an honest taxi driver in Patong last week. The purses were found in a paper bag along with two pearl rings, a pair of sunglasses and a slip…
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Phuket included in US travel warning
PHUKET: In the latest blow to the Phuket tourism industry, the US State Department has added its name to the growing list of foreign missions recommending that its nationals avoid travel to Thailand at this time. “Due to escalating violence in central Bangkok, demonstrations in Chiang Mai, and other incidents throughout Thailand, all US citizens should avoid nonessential travel to…
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Yellow shirts active in Phuket
CAPE PANWA, PHUKET: Around 100 yellow shirted members of the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) gathered at the navy base at Cape Panwa yesterday to deliver a letter to the military demanding tough action against the red shirt protesters in Bangkok. PAD members led by Somnuk Tuito and Ms Aparat Chartchutikumjorn gave the letter to Vice Admiral Chumnum Ajwong of…
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Senators tour Phuket mangrove encroachment site
WICHIT, PHUKET: A Senate committee gave its support to Wichit Municipality Tuesday in its bid to secure proper permits for a road and football field it built illegally on mangrove forest land. Led by Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Environment chairman Surachai Liangboonlertchai, the committee members traveled to view the alleged encroachment, which covers five rai. Access to the…
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Police babysat booze over Songkran
THAILAND: In a bid to cut the number of accidents during this year’s Songkran Festival, Thailand’s highway cops launched an innovative scheme: ‘Entrust Your Liquor With The Police’. Drinkers who couldn’t trust themselves to stay off the wheel were invited to leave their booze collections at any of 227 Highway Police offices around the country. The service was free, with…
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High fliers in Phuket
Phuket NEWS Hound – A daily digest of news from around the world compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PHUKET: From May 21-23, Phuket will be playing host to its first-ever paragliding competition. Approximately 40 contestants from countries around the world are expected to arrive for the event. Among the challenges that will await the contestants are spot…
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Thai sailor dies in Phuket motorbike accident
RASSADA, PHUKET: A naval conscript on furlough died in a motorbike accident on Koh Sireh last night. The body of 22-year-old Kij Srichan was found by his father near the clock tower on the Koh Sireh ring road around midnight. Police think that Mr Kij, who was stationed at the Satthahip Naval Base in Chonburi, was killed instantly of a…
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Throat slash murder in Phuket
PHUKET: A 43-year-old man was found murdered in an apartment in Phuket Town yesterday afternoon. Police believe Pirasak Pongchoo, from Phatthalung, may have been killed in anger by his male partner for sleeping with another man. Mr Pirasak’s body was found wrapped in bedsheets in the toilet of his rented room on Wichit Songkram Road Soi 1 around 2:30pm. His…
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Phuket to host AFC Cup match
PHUKET TOWN: Instability in Bangkok is once again sending an Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Cup match Phuket’s way. Thailand FA Cup 2009 champions Thai Port FC and NT Realty Wofoo Tai Po of Hong Kong are set to face off in an AFC Cup Group H match tomorrow night at Phuket’s Surakul Stadium. Kick-off is at 6:30pm. Thai Port FC…
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Fake ring puts Phuket woman in jail
PHUKET: Police arrested a woman in Chalong on Saturday for selling a fake gold ring to a gold shop. When she sold the item to the Chao Fa Gold Shop on Chao Fa East Road for 8,200 baht, another shop, allegedly, had already told 25-year-old Sajee Sutthiprapha that the ring was a fake. Phuket’s Chalong Police arrested Ms Sajee, who is…
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