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 How to reduce out-of-pocket medical expenses in Thailand?
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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Krabi thief chops off cow’s tail
KRABI: A Krabi villager was dismayed to discover that an unknown thief had chopped off and stolen his cow’s tail when he left the animal out to graze overnight. Udom Yala, 37, a villager from Khao Khram in Krabi, said that his cow is still in pain, despite the incident having taken place three months ago. The 13-year-old cow, named…
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Cruise ship port for Samui
SAMUI: Government officials are getting excited about making Koh Samui a hub for cruise ship tourism to Thailand. Officials met with private-sector cruise ship experts while touring a ship docked off of Samui’s gulf coast yesterday. The tour comes after last week’s announcement by the government in Bangkok that it has approved a plan to build a cruise port on…
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Phuket traffic nightmare: Number of island-based tour buses to double
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada announced on Saturday that a whopping 100 new tour buses will be added to the province’s transportation network next month. Speaking at the Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort & Spa in Karon, the governor said that the approval of these buses is the first step in a much larger tourism promotion endeavor that would see the…
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Buses aim to compete with low cost airlines
PHUKET: THE Transport Company Limited has launched one hundred new 15-meter-long buses to compete with the rapidly rising number of flights on low-cost airlines, the company revealed on its 86-year anniversary earlier this month. “The new buses contain extra-comfortable seats; lockers above every seat; free wifi; and a modern entertainment service for watching movies and sports matches,” said company chairman…
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On Deck: Better co-ordination in the marine industry
PHUKET: Almost three weeks of back-to-back yachting events in Phuket sounds great, right? December is set to be a veritable orgy of regattas, boat shows, lavish cocktail parties, gala dinners, pomp and glam – it’s an all-out marine love-in and it starts with the 30 year old Phuket King’s Cup Regatta from December 3-10 at Kata Beach Resort & Spa.…
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Rose renews role as official TYS Ambassador
PHUKET: The Thailand Yacht Show (TYS) team has announced that Rose Maitland-Smith has renewed her role as the show’s official Ambassador. The second TYS, for which the Phuket Gazette continues as National Media Partner, is set to take place at Ao Po Grand Marina, December 15-18. The show will give visitors access to a large cross-section of exhibitors, including international…
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Governor’s Letter: Improvement plans for Phuket
PHUKET: Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada assumed his role as Phuket Governor on September 30, 2015. He is a Phuket native with a Master’s degree in political and administrative science from the National Institute of Development Administration. Last month, he was awarded the honor of ‘best drug fighting governor’ by the Deputy Prime Minister. Here, he talks about his plans to improve…
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Business Buzz: Keeping up with tech trends
PHUKET: If you’ve been following this column regularly, then you will be aware of the statistics on the soaring increases in use of the Internet and Social Media in recent years. Coupled with this is the substantial increase in the use of smart phones. Many platforms such as YouTube and Facebook have now specifically set up self-filling forms to assist…
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Phi Phi fellatio puts couple in trouble
PHUKET: A farang couple surrendered to police yesterday after a video of them engaging in oral sex at a Phi Phi Island swimming pool went viral earlier this month. The Irish man and American woman were caught by locals at poolside on July 18. The video, which lasts about two minutes, shows locals asking the couple in poor English peppered…
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Island View: A little help is all I asked for
PHUKET: A few days ago, I had some business to take care of in Cherng Talay. On the way back, my car started smoking up and shut down in front of the 7-eleven near the Heroines’ Monument. I was a bit shocked and turned on the hazard lights for the safety of other drivers. I exited my car and asked…
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Phuket disgrace: plastic pollution in the Andaman
PHUKET: My concerns over plastic pollution were stimulated anew by an excellent analysis in the China Daily called ‘Drowning in Plastic’, and also by the cover story in a recent edition of the Phuket Gazette in which a seasoned local fisherman expressed surprise at the decline in fish catches in our seas. The main contributor to that story – the…
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Migrant parents refuse to cremate daughter
KOH SAMUI: The father of a four-year-old girl killed by a pickup truck in a temple has stated he will refrain from cremating her body until his family receives compensation. In Thailand, it is customary to cremate the body of the deceased after their funeral rites are administered. The Burmese parents, Zo Ao, 49, and Cho Ma Rui, 43, held…
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Ministry of Farang Affairs: Time of service delivery
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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Opinion: Reconsidering our stance on plastic marine pollution
PHUKET: The current government has made a commendable effort in convincing the European Union (EU) and other international observers that it will impose some order over illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) practices in the Thai fishing industry. The fact remains, however, that bureaucrats from Brussels to Bangkok have little to no control over the commercial forces that are turning our…
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Thai businesses gearing up for Myanmar investment
PHUKET: Before a crowd of around 100 Thai business people, General Chetta Thanajaro, a former commander in the Royal Thai Army, urged Thai’s to band together with bellicose rhetoric. “Let’s drive our country forward,” Gen Chetta told the congregation at Boat Lagoon. “Our nation has been abandoned for too long. We, the Thai people, were fighting each other. I believe…
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Biz Chat: The four Ps of marketing
PHUKET: The dictionary definition of marketing is ‘the action or business of promoting and selling products or services, including market research and advertising’. Through the next series of articles, we will discuss the concept of ‘marketing mix’ and the ‘4 Ps’, particularly as they apply to small businesses. These are product, price, place and promotion. Any freshman marketing student will…
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Opinion: New highways chief talks improvement plans
PHUKET: Patiwetwottisak Sookhii, originally from Nonthaburi, is the new director of the Phuket Highways Office. He assumed his position last month and was director of the Prachuap Khiri Khan Highways Office before that. He graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Prince of Songkla University and a Master’s degree in transport from Kasetsart University. Here, he talks about…
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Bike crash at Bang Khu construction site
PHUKET: A Thai man is unconscious in Vachira Hospital after crashing his motorbike into a guardrail at the Bang Khu underpass in the early hours of the morning. Maj Somchai Nuboon of the Phuket City Police reported that officers received calls from locals about a motorbike that had fallen into a three-meter-deep ditch at 5:20am. Police found the driver, Kittikorn…
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Tourist Police Chief: job well done
PHUKET: Tourist Police Commander Surechet Hakpan and Phuket Provincial Police Commander Teeraphol Thipjaroen inspected officers and held a press conference to discuss the tourism situation on the island yesterday. “We came here to visit our brothers in the force, the Phuket Tourist Police,” Major General Surachet said. “We are here to support them, and our missions are only completed through…
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Record-breaking turnout for Day 1 of 2016 Cape Panwa Raceweek
PHUKET: Perseverance and patience were the skills in most demand on Day 1 of the 2016 Cape Panwa Hotel Phuket Raceweek as Principal Race Officer (PRO) Simon James and his on-water team tracked around Chalong Bay and surrounds in search of wind. It was testing and trying for the record 47-boat fleet and 500+ sailors. As 14:00 approached, the PRO…
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Big lizard surprises swimmers at Kata beach
PHUKET: Swimmers at Kata Beach were shocked when a monitor lizard joined them for a swim yesterday afternoon. Panic soon turned to amusement for the crowd of tourists who gathered to get a glimpse of the native wildlife as they began snapping photos. The lizard complied with their wishes for awhile, but then crawled off to a nearby brook. —…
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How much would you pay for a Phuket pineapple?
PHUKET: Pineapples, batik, goat milk and lobster will be branded and promoted by Pracha Rath Rak Samakkee to help boost the province’s grassroots agricultural economy. Pracha Rath Rak Samakkee Phuket was first launched on March 31, as a government-backed corporation with the aim of developing and promoting the province’s strengths, such as tourism, agriculture and locally-produced goods under the One…
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Beached yacht at Ao Nang refuses to budge
KRABI: Officials and volunteers on Wednesday made another attempt to salvage a yacht that has been grounded at Ao Nang Beach since July 6, after breaking free of its anchoring during a storm. The vessel’s owners, a Russian man and his Ukranian partner, were on the mainland when the boat went adrift. Alexander Travkin, 31, and Julia Mironova, 29, say…
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Halal food expo at Sapan Hin this weekend
PHUKET: A plethora of halal food is being served up at Sapan Hin from tomorrow through Sunday, July 24, by more than 80 vendors from southern provinces under the OTOP (One Tambon One Product) initiative. “As well as a fantastic variety of spicy food and southern-Thai-style cuisine, cultural performances and other forms of entertainment are planned for the three-day festival…
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Broken power pole poses danger to public
PHUKET: A damaged roadside utility pole near the Jui Tui Shrine in Phuket Town is posing a danger to pedestrians. Broken at the base and revealing bent rebars, the power pole is in danger of toppling over. Sirisak Skoonsorutcha, chief of Phuket’s Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM), said yesterday that the Phuket Electricity Authority had been notified and…
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Australian, 30, found dead in Rawai room
PHUKET: The decomposing body of a 30-year-old Australian was found in an apartment room in Rawai yesterday morning after the landlord called police about a bad smell coming from the room. Police entered the room on the second floor of the apartment complex at 10:05am to find the body with a bloody mouth lying on the bed. They also found…
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Phuket marine chief replaced – again
PHUKET: Phuket Marine Office chief Surachai Burapanontachai is to be transferred at the end of July to the Marine Department headquarters in Bangkok. Mr Surachai will be taking up the position as the department’s acting secretary. Mr Surachai is scheduled leave his post here next week after handing over his duties to his replacement, former Samut Prakarn Marine Office chief…
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Naka Noi land dispute settled, as Land Department Gen revokes ownership
The Land Department has concluded a Naka Noi land ownership dispute by revoking land ownership documents held by Six Mountain Company Co Ltd. Land Department Director-General Apinun Suetanuwong told the Phuket Gazette that he would side with the standing committee presiding over the dispute on July 14. That committee found that the NorSor3Kor of 24 rai held by the company…
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Krabi lawyer charged for speaking out against referendum
KRABI: A Krabi lawyer surrendered himself to the police on Saturday after he became a ‘wanted’ man for breaching the Public Referendum Act via a Facebook post. Chuwong Maneekul, 51, expressed his opposition to the referendum and its authors on his Facebook page about two weeks ago. “I posted the status to express my feelings without any hidden agendas, but…
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Koh Lanta Yai vice president nabbed in B20mn bribery sting
KRABI: Koh Lanta Yai Administration Organization (OrBorTor) vice president Anusorn Wangphon was arrested yesterday in an anti-corruption sting operation. The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) allege that the 49 year-old official requested 20 million baht from a businessman in exchange for the issuance of land title deeds. The operation was led by NACC Assistant Secretary-General Colonel Ittiphol Kitsuwan, who said Mr…
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