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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Managing medical expenses in Thailand is important as healthcare costs continue to rise. The country’s healthcare system includes both public and private options, but even with the Universal Coverage Scheme (UCS) for citizens, many still face high out-of-pocket medical expenses....
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Portuguese Man-of-War back at the beaches
PHUKET: Sirinath National Park chief Kitiphat Tharapiban said today that ‘water activities’ have been suspended at Phuket’s Nai Thon, Layan and Nai Yang beaches after blooms of Portuguese Man-of-War siphonophore were spotted in the national park area on Friday (September 23). “Stings from the Portuguese Man-of-War can be fatal so we have closed the beaches and posted warning notices where…
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Road Rage: Teen shoots at truck in Phuket Town
PHUKET: A teenage motorcyclist was arrested on Saturday evening for shooting at a 6-wheeled truck in the heart of Phuket Town. The 18-year old reportedly shot at one of the truck’s wheels in anger after, he claims, it nearly ran him over. “We had a report about the shooting on Srisana Road in Phuket Town at 4pm,” said Phuket City…
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New Phuket Air Terminal: Transport Minister acknowledges barrage of angry complaints
PHUKET: A stream of harsh complaints about the new terminal at Phuket International Airport prompted a visit by Transport Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith on Saturday. Long lines, delays, the lack of essential equipment, insufficient and confused personnel, and angry passengers have all marred the opening days of the new facility (story here). Mr Arkhom acknowledged that airport staff were dealing with…
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New look for Laguna Phuket Triathlon
PHUKET: This year’s Laguna Phuket Triathlon has a new look and a new bike course for the international athletes heading to the island to compete in a 1.8-km swim, 50-km bike ride and 12-km run at the Laguna Phuket resort on Sunday, November 20. The organizers celebrated the triathlon’s 23rd anniversary by unveiling its fresh new look for participating athletes…
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Woman flips car to save jay-walking dog
PHUKET: A woman was charged with reckless driving after she smashed into an electric pole on Chao Fa West Road, trying to avoid a jay-walking dog on Saturday. “Chuangkwan Pantanakitvibun, 24, was on her way from the Land & Houses apartment complex to Phuket Town at about noon, when she saw the dog crossing the street and swerved left to…
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Opinion: Gov Chamroen bids farewell
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada has been leading our island for a year. He is now leaving us to take up his new position as the governor of Nakhon Sri Thammarat. Here is his last letter to Phuketians. It has been a year since I took up the position of governor in my hometown. It has been a great year…
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Teen thief nabbed for Phuket Town car break-ins
PHUKET: Police arrested a 16-year-old boy yesterday who they allege is behind a string of car break-ins and robberies in Phuket Town. On August 27, the suspect reportedly smashed the window of a Chevrolet and stole about 50,000 baht in cash and other belongings from inside the car. Another car was broken into and 6,000 baht cash was stolen from…
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New bridge to Koh Lanta approved
KRABI: Construction of a bridge linking Koh Lanta with the mainland in Krabi has been approved by the central government, it was announced last week. The new 1.5km bridge is to stretch from Hua Hin Pier on the mainland to Klong Maak Pier on Lanta Noi. The crossing will facilitate the approximately five million tourists visiting the island annually, who…
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Pole position for speeding Phuket driver
PHUKET: A Phang Nga man landed himself in Thalang Hospital after losing control of his Toyota Yaris while speeding along Thepkrasattri Road this morning. The driver reportedly lost control of the vehicle and slammed backwards into a lamppost on the Northbound curve of the island’s main thoroughfare near the Sai Kaew Beach entrance in Mai Khao, shortly before 10am. Rescue…
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New British Ambassador makes first visit to Phuket
PHUKET: British Ambassador Brian Davidson made his first official visit to the island today. The ambassador met with Phuket Vice Governor Chokdee Amornwat this morning at Phuket Provincial Hall. At the meeting with provincial officials, Ambassador Davidson highlighted concerns over public safety in Phuket, raising his worries over the island’s jet-ski operators, taxi mafia, the lack of public transportation and…
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Local airlines ban use of Samsung Galaxy note 7
PHUKET: Several international and domestic carriers, including Thai Airways, Nok Air, Thai Lion air, Bangkok Airways and Air Asia, have banned the use of Samsung Galaxy Note 7 mobile phones on board their aircraft, following reports of the device ‘exploding’ surfaced after its launch last month. Airports of Thailand Plc (AOT), which operates the Kingdom’s major airports, including Phuket International…
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Ministry of Farang Affairs: The power of amulets
The Ministry of Farang Affairs is a one-stop shop where foreigners in Thailand can learn all they need to know about living here. No, we’re not talking about work permits, visas or taxes. We’re talking about day-to-day life in the Land of Endless Shocks and Riddles, of Blur, Befuddlement and the Bizarre. Stay tuned for weekly insights from Minister Stephff.…
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Phuket Vegetarian Festival 2016 schedule announced
PHUKET: The controversial Phuket Vegetarian Festival, one of the most widely-celebrated events in Phuket each year, is being held from October 1-9 at various shrines and locations throughout the island. Held in the ninth month of the lunar calendar, the festival features a host of events and draws large crowds to Phuket each year (story here). The Phuket City Municipality…
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Australian schools to lure Phuket students
PHUKET: The Australian Education Assessment Services (AEAS) and CETA Worldwide Education are hosting the ‘Australian Boarding and Day Schools Exhibition 2016’ at The Westin Siray Bay Resort & Spa on October 2. The exhibition will showcase at least six Australian schools, including Avalon College, Billanook College, St Catherine’s School, St Leonard’s College, Trinity Grammar School and Wesley College. The event…
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Bangkok surpasses London as world’s top destination city
BANGKOK: The Thai capital, projected to welcome 21.47 million international inbound visitors this year, has been awarded the ‘World’s Best City Award’ for the fourth year in a row. The awards are organized by Travel and Leisure magazine. According to the annual Mastercard Global Destinations Cities Index released today, Bangkok edges out second-ranked London, which is set to welcome 19.88…
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Passenger recalls Phuket runway accident
PHUKET: Mongkunkit Phongnarisorn sat in a window seat aboard the Thai Airways flight that ran off the Phuket Airport runway last night. The Phuket-based businessman was returning from Bangkok aboard flight TG221. “Everything seemed to be going perfectly normally,” Mr Mongkunkit told the Phuket Gazette today, adding that he travels regularly for work. Things began to get interesting when the…
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Boat operator rescued after fierce waves capsize longtail
PHANG NGA: A longtail boat operator was pulled from Phang Nga Bay yesterday after his longtail boat capsized in the heavy surf. Sawek Wansadee, 32, left the pier at Hat Noppharat Thara, Phi Phi National Park, at about 9am. He told the Phuket Gazette that he quickly found his little low-profile longtail taking a beating from waves of about two…
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Ya bah-peddling duo arrested in Krabi
KRABI: A ya bah (methamphetamine) peddling duo was arrested at a palm tree plantation in Krabi yesterday. Lamthap Police officers had been keeping an eye on Nakhon Promsaeng, 37, and Thongkan Duangkaew, 33, since the beginning of this month, due to suspicions that they might be selling drugs to teenagers. “We arrested the duo with 54 ya bah pills at…
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Clampdown coming on zero-dollar tourism
PHUKET: The China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) has promised to clamp down on ‘zero-dollar tourism’ following an inspection tour of several touristic venues in Phuket on Tuesday. CNTA chief Wang Chiao Fong and an entourage of Chinese officials were accompanied by Ministry of Tourism and Sports Phuket Office Director Sirawee Waloh as they visited jewelry stores and tourist spots. The…
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Phuket-bound plane veers off runway
PHUKET: A flight from Bangkok skidded off the runway while landing at Phuket International Airport yesterday evening. Thai Airways flight TG 221 departed from Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport at 6:15pm, bound to arrive in Phuket at 7:35pm. An official statement issued by Thai Airways says that “poor weather” conditions and visibility were reported at the time of the flight’s arrival…
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Same-same but different at new terminal
PHUKET: Long lines, delays, non-existent essential equipment, a lack of personnel and confused travellers have all marred the opening days of the Phuket International Airport’s new terminal. Phuket airport officials admitted the new terminal’s immigration systems are not working, even after test flights from China and the terminal’s official September 16 opening by Thailand’s Prime Minister (story here). Somsak Pakdeerak,…
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Teens busted for bike thefts
PHUKET: Two teenagers suspected of stealing a total of nine motorbikes in the past few months were arrested in Phuket Town on Sunday. The boys – one a 14 year old, the other a 17 year old – were apprehended when Phuket City Police responded to a 3am report of an accident on Surin Road in Phuket Town and found…
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Rendered images of Rajabhakti Park released
PHUKET: Rendered images of the plans for Surin Beach, officially reopened as ‘Rajabhakti Park’ in June (story here), were released to the public this week. Phuket Vice Governor Chokdee Amornwat said modestly that officials are looking to make it the “most beautiful beach in the world”. The estimated project budget is more than 800 million baht. “Surin Beach is already…
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Outrage over dolphin death prompts ultimatum
KRABI: Locals in Krabi Province were outraged over the weekend after a social media post went viral yesterday. The post shows a dead baby dolphin caught in an illegal coastal fishing net system. A user on the social networking application ‘Line’ shared the photographs, taken in the Khao Khram sub-district’s Tah Paree Bay. After examining the calf, a Marine official…
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Double motorcyclist deaths shrouded in mystery
PHUKET: Two motorcyclists died in two separate mysterious accidents on Thepkrasattri Road in the early hours of Sunday – one a woman in her mid twenties, the other a man, also in his mid twenties. Police responded to the first accident in Koh Kaew on the northbound lanes of the road at about 2.30am. “We received a report that there…
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PM’s visit dashes sea gypsies’ hopes for land dispute resolution
PHUKET: A minister of the Interior sank provincial officials’ hopes for the potential resolution of one of Phuket’s longest-running conflicts, during a ‘state visit’ by Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-Cha to the island on Friday. Decades-long disputes between the Rawai sea gypsies and developers in the island’s southernmost municipality had entered a new round of government-mediated negotiations in February when Governor…
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Debt-burdened Krabi vendor found dead
KRABI: A local Krabi resident walked into a blood bath on Saturday morning when he entered his room to find the body of his wife, who had asked to be left alone the night before. Sudrak Khumsuk, 33, found 28-year-old Supranee Wangthanom with a gunshot wound to the head and a four-page note on the bed next to her. The…
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Krabi tourism gets airlift from Asian influx
KRABI used to flip-flop between having a regimented high-season – catering to winter snowbird visitors from Scandinavia and Europe – and a low-season during which many hotels even scrapped breakfast buffets. However, the latest research by C9 Hotelworks reveals skyrocketing airlift is edging the market towards being a year-round destination. The C9 Hotelworks ‘Krabi Hotel Market Update 2016’ report reveals…
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Unidentified man in critical condition after bike crash
PHUKET: An unidentified white male was seriously injured when he crashed his bike into a roadside barrier near the Muslim graveyard in Kamala about 12:40pm today. The injured driver was rushed to Patong Hospital where he remains in critical condition from head injuries, said Capt Prasert Thongprom of Kamala Police. Witnesses at the scene said the victim was heading from…
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Self-taught snake catcher nabs five-meter-long king cobra
KOH LANTA: A five-meter long king cobra discovered by an 11-year-old girl was caught by a Koh Lanta local yesterday evening. Worawut Longasun says he has trained himself to capture snakes by watching videos on television and YouTube. The snake was found in the storage area of Aree Wansuk’s house by her daughter who spotted the reptile’s tail while playing…
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