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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Massive quake hits Indonesia, tsunami warning issued
JAKARTA (Nation, DPA): A powerful earthquake jolted parts of Indonesia’s Java and Sumatra islands at 6:10 pm this evening, prompting Indonesian government authorities to issue a tsunami warning. The Thai Meteorological Department said the earthquake that hit Indonesia happened at the same active fault that triggered tsunami on December 26, 2004. “This is very dangerous situation. We have to watch…
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Baby killers out on bail
PHUKET CITY: Two youths arrested for the grisly murder of a two-year-old girl and her nanny during a botched robbery attempt in Rassada on June 22 are back on the streets after having been bailed out of jail by relatives, the Gazette has learned.The two teenagers, a 15-year-old student at Phuket Technical College (PTC) and his 17-year-old friend, confessed to…
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Investigation launched into prison death
PHUKET CITY: Phuket City Police are investigating the death of an inmate who died on the way to hospital yesterday afternoon after suffering blows to the head and body with a heavy object.Phuket Provincial Prison Director Paisal Suwanraksa has confirmed that the victim was 38-year-old Sakulthep Konkaew, a Chiang Rai native who last year began serving a two-and-a-half year sentence…
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Phuket rated Thailand’s first “hygienic” fishing port
RASSADA: Following recent renovations, Phuket Fishing Port is being hailed as a model for hygienic port operations and is set to become Thailand’s tuna export hub after successfully qualifying as the country’s first certified “hygienic” fishing port.Port Manager Pramual Rakjai announced at the monthly Governor Meets The Press event on September 3 that following inspections by the Fishery Department in…
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Woman found dead at Chalong Pier
CHALONG: A body found by local fishermen yesterday morning was of a Thai woman who apparently committed suicide by jumping into the sea at Chalong Pier, police say.Lt Col Chana Suthimas of Chalong Police Station today told the Gazette that a group of fishermen alerted police after they found the body of a woman floating near fishing boats at Chalong…
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One dead after double ride-by shooting
PHUKET CITY: Two ride-by shootings on Sunday night left one dead and two seriously injured in what police believe are gang-related incidents, said Pol Lt Col Somkid Boonratof Phuket City Police Station.Chaiwat Jaemjan, 21, was riding his motorcycle on Damrong Rd, when he was shot by a member of a gang of about eight youths on motorcycles, said Col Somkid.Friends…
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Serial burglar nabbed
PHUKET CITY: After a series of unsolved home burglaries, Phuket City Police finally arrested 28-year-old Wirat Nookue at his home in Rassada Village 3 on September 8.Stolen goods valued by police at 600,000 baht were recovered.At a press conference yesterday, Phuket City Police Superintendent Pol Col Nos Svettalekha explained that Wirat, described as a “dealer in used goods”, was spotted…
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Man arrested for Koh Kaew murder
PHUKET CITY: Police have arrested and charged one of two suspects wanted for the beating murder of a disabled man in Koh Kaew on the night of September 2.Police identified the suspect as Somyot Longlode, 22, apprehended in Phang Nga’s Koh Yao District at about 5 pm Thursday night.Case investigator Pol Lt Theeradet Jiraksa of Phuket City Police told the…
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Sarasin Bridge to close on Halloween
PHUKET: The Sarasin Bridge will be closed from midnight October 31 to midnight November 1 so that a key scene for a Thai-language feature film can be filmed on location.The bridge will be closed so that the opening scene of a romantic comedy, given the in-production name Valentine, can be filmed.The scene will involve a car accident during which lead…
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One million mangrove trees pledged for Phuket
PHUKET CITY: Phuket is due an injection of greenery with the news that a memorandum of understand (MOU) has been signed by Deputy Prime Minister Paiboon Watthanasiritham stating that one million mangrove trees will be planted around the island between now and the end of 2009 as part of the nationwide Yoo Dee Mee Suk (“Good Life and Happiness”) program.Mangroves…
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Phuket to host “sufficiency education’ expo
PHUKET CITY: Phuket Rajabhat University (PRU) will host a regional conference and exhibition demonstrating how to implement sufficiency economy practices with respect to education in the South from September 13 to 14.The exhibition will include explanations and discussion on applying His Majesty the King’s sufficiency economy philosophy and policy in public and home schools. Four home schooling Phuket families will…
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Cops nab rape, robbery gang
TUNG TONG: Police have arrested a gang of six youths who last week forced their way into two homes in Kathu, where they stole cash and valuables and gang-raped one female occupant at knifepoint.The arrests were announced during a press conference led by Phuket Provincial Police Commander Maj Gen Decha Budnampetch at Tung Tong Police Station late Tuesday afternoon.The suspects…
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Capsized tour boat “not overcrowded’ – Marine Police
PHUKET: The ill-fated tour boat that capsized and sank in stormy seas off the Phi Phi Islands yesterday was not overloaded at the time of the disaster, Krabi Marine Office Chief Suriya Kittimonthon told the Gazette today.The 17.4-meter vessel was not overcrowded and a vessel of that size would normally be rated for about 60 passengers, he said.However, documents held by…
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Phuket Airport to stage disaster drill
PHUKET: A full-scale, emergency-response drill will take place at Phuket International Airport on Thursday as part of Phuket Airport’s Emergency Plan Exercise 2007 (PEMEX 2007).Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Phuket International Airport Director Sq Ldr Pornchai Eua-aree said the exercise, to begin at 10 am, is being co-organized by Airports of Thailand Plc (AoT).Taking part will be 14…
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Morning blaze ravages Patong shophouses
PATONG: A shophouse fire along the beach road in Patong gutted 10 small vendors’ shops before dawn on Monday. It was the third such blaze in the past 15 months. No injuries were reported.Police Station Superintendent Pol Col Grissak Songmoonnark told the Gazette that the fire broke out at about 5 am inside a shophouse located between the Holiday Inn…
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Agreement reached over illegal Korean guides
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Niran Kalayanamit, representatives of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Southern Region 4 office and representatives of Korean tour operators yesterday agreed on the conditions to be included in a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that will ensure that Korean tour operators hire Thai guides. Signatures to the MOU will be Governor Niran, TAT Southern Region 4 office…
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Disabled man beaten to death
KOH KAEW: Police are seeking arrest warrants for two men wanted in connection with the murder of a disabled man that took place along Thepkrasattri Rd about 8:30 pm Sunday night.Phuket City Police Duty Officer Pol Lt Theeradet Jiraksa, who is responsible for the investigation, identified the victim as 23-year-old Somchai Mingpijaan, an employee of the Michelin tire store on…
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Israeli man drowns as Phi Phi dive boat capsizes
PHI PHI ISLANDS: An Israeli tourist died this morning when a boat sank off Maya Bay after becoming overwhelmed by stormy conditions.The boat was returning to Koh Phi Phi Don from a diving trip, said Suriya Kitimonthon, chief of Krabi Marine Office.Fifty-five tourists were out diving when Suriyan Sroyson, captain and owner of the Jor Kingfisher, noticed dark clouds beginning…
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Chalong Circle blaze claims five motorbikes
CHALONG: A fire at Chalong Circle before dawn on Thursday reduced five motorcycles to charred frames.The fire, reported to police about 4:30 am, quickly engulfed five motorbikes parked side-by-side in front of the “Ha Yak Mobile” mobile phone shop, opposite the Bank of Ayudhya Chalong branch.Pol Capt Parichat Jaturonphan of the Chalong Police told the Gazette that three of the…
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“Compromise’ reached on illegal Korean guides
PHUKET: South Korean Ambassador Han Tae-Kyu met Phuket Governor Niran Kalayanamit yesterday to discuss the thorny issue of Korean tour guides working illegally in the province, but with few tangible results other than an agreement “to compromise”on the issue.Meanwhile, the terms of a proposed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to be signed by Korean tour operators in Phuket are under review…
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Yellow-top brigade rides safe
PHUKET: In a bid to promote safety on Phuket’s roads, the Phuket Provincial Office and the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM-Phuket) joined a nationwide campaign on Tuesday to persuade more riders to wear crash helmets.As part of the celebrations of HM Bhumibol Adulyadej’s 80th birthday this year, Bangkok-based Road Accident Victims Protection Co Ltd is producing motorcycle helmets…
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Wai the need for violence?
PHITSANULOK: Religious institutions are intended to be places of peace and goodwill, but a temple in Phitsanulok recently proved to be anything but when a monk who thought a nun had disrespected him responded by beating her. At 9 am August 21, Maechi Phronchon Chomphukpan, 53, a nun at Wat Ban Khek in Nakhon Thai District, walked into the local…
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Bounty of bras reveals a sad tale
ROI-ET: Stories of men dying in strange circumstances while dressed in women’s clothing are not so unusual. A few years ago the BBC reported that an up-and-coming UK Conservative Party Member of Parliament was found dead with “a black bin liner over his head and wearing stockings and suspenders”. Police in Roi-Et Town, however, were initially left a bit flummoxed…
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Temples tricked by ladyboy’s lies
SAMUT PRAKAN: The life of a Thai ladyboy is full of challenges that most members of Thai society could hardly fathom – let alone deal with. On the bureaucratic front, this can be seen from the current debate raging on whether to let those who have undergone “sex reassignment surgery” use the title “Miss” on their ID cards. Before it…
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Super-sized surprise
BANGKOK: Following a report by a 30-year-old woman on July 25, Buppharam police thought they had a rapist at large. Upon more detailed questioning of the suspect, it turned out that the large problem was actually the size of the man’s member. A woman, who police named only as “K. Phen”, 30, told police that a taxi driver had taken…
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A severed engagement
PHUKET: On August 1 a man was admitted to Phuket International Hospital with an unusual injury: his penis was almost completely severed after his fiancee, suspicious that he was still seeing an ex-girlfriend, attempted to cut it off. The incident was reported to Capt Sathit Noorit, Duty Officer at Phuket City Police Station, who led an investigation team to the…
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Guns, drugs and an empty casket
NAKHON SRI THAMMARAT: When a funeral goes on for several weeks and is protected by a gang of armed men, you can usually bet that it’s for someone important. But a funeral in Thung Yai held for a fictitious money-spinning witch doctor left villagers confused when the funeral’s organizers started selling “lucky” lottery tickets. The funeral was reported to the…
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Conman captured at local cockfight
KAMALA: After a two-month search, a local trickster who conned a 55-year-old woman out of a million baht in a land scam was finally arrested – at an illegal cockfight in Nakhon Sri Thammarat. Lt Col Monsak Srisuwan from Kamala Police Station said that Phuket City Resident Benja Wongdara had been trying to sell a plot of land. K. Benja…
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Spice scare threatens local producers
PHUKET (Nation): Tests on southern-style shrimp-chili paste and spicy-fish curry samples from Phuket, Phang Nga and Krabi found that about half contained microbes or excessive levels of preservatives, a researcher from the Ministry of Public Health’s Regional Medical Sciences Center in Phuket said on Tuesday.News of the findings could affect sales of the foods, which are often sold as souvenirs…
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Half of Phuket’s population still unregistered
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Niran Kalayanamit’s campaign to encourage people to register themselves as citizens of the island resulted in some success this month, with Phuket’s official population increasing by 1,231 to 324,891 people between July 21 and August 20.Launched last year, the campaign seeks to increase the number of Thai citizens whose names appear on household registration forms.Muang District saw…
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