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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First technical flight arrives at Phuket Airport’s new terminal
PHUKET: Phuket International Airport rolled out the red carpet at Terminal 2 yesterday to welcome passengers arriving on the first ‘technical flight’ to disembark at the new terminal. Airports of Thailand President Nitinai Sirismatthakarn along with Phuket Airport Director Monrudee Gettuphan personally welcomed the passengers and other airport staff. A violinist serenaded the passengers for the Valentine’s Day-themed event, which…
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Two more suspected IUU fishing boats seized south of Phuket
PHUKET: Two Thai fishing vessels arrived at Phuket Deep Sea Port yesterday, after being seized under suspicion of illegal, unreported, unregulated (IUU) fishing and escorted back by the Royal Thai Navy. “The two boats were captured at about 9pm on Saturday night, about 96 nautical miles south of Phuket. Both had failed to report at Phuket’s Port in-Port out Control…
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Sky lantern sets Phuket hillside ablaze
PHUKET: A sky lantern released on Valentine’s Day left the hillside between Ya Nui and Nai Harn Beach in flames. “The lantern was released from Promthep viewpoint. However, a shift in the wind caused it to crash back into the hill,” explained Jessica Lee, who witnessed the event from a sailboat anchored off Nai Harn. It took firefighters more than…
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Phuket tourist dies after resort swimming pool incident
PHUKET: A Chinese tourist was pronounced dead at Phuket International Hospital after she was recovered unconscious from a Phuket resort swimming pool yesterday morning. Police asked the Phuket Gazette not to reveal the identity of the 61-year-old woman, who was quickly pulled out of the water by hotel staff and given CPR [cardiopulmonary resuscitation], explained Lt Charus Lempand of the…
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German charged for Polish pedestrian’s death in Phuket
PHUKET: A German man is out on bail after being charged for fatally colliding with a Polish pedestrian in Chalong. Miroslav Slanina, 73, ran into Malgorzata Regina Szczygiel, 44, while she was crossing the road in front of Soi Thao Daeng on Wiset Road about 8pm* on Saturday night. “Mr Slanina was taken to Chalong Police Station and charged with…
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As Indonesia hunts down Islamic State, homegrown jihadis regroup
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community As Indonesia hunts down Islamic State, homegrown jihadis regroup Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: As Indonesian counter-terrorism forces hunt down supporters of Islamic State following last month’s gun and suicide bomb attack in Jakarta, a quiet resurgence is unfolding of a homegrown radical network with a…
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Putin, Obama agree on cooperation to implement Syria agreement
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Putin, Obama agree on cooperation to implement Syria agreement Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Barack Obama agreed to intensify diplomatic and other cooperation to implement an agreement on Syria struck at talks in Munich, the Kremlin said on Sunday.…
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New Zealand’s Christchurch rocked by 5.7 magnitude quake, cliffs collapse into sea
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community New Zealand’s Christchurch rocked by 5.7 magnitude quake, cliffs collapse into sea Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: A strong 5.7 magnitude earthquake struck near Christchurch in New Zealand on yesterday, causing cliffs to collapse into the sea but no major damage to the city, which was…
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Bigger budget needed to boost Phuket image
PHUKET: The central government needs to reassess how it determines Phuket’s budget due to the vast number of tourists for which the island’s infrastructure needs to cater, said Phuket Honorary Consul for Nepal Pranee Sakulpipatana at a seminar on the island’s image on Friday. “The central government calculates the budget for the island based on its registered residential population of…
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German found dead in Rawai rental room
PHUKET: Chalong Police are investigating the death of a German national found dead in his rented room in Phuket on Friday. The body of Sven Rzezaczka, 47, was discovered at 11am, after a reported drinking session with friends the night before. “Mr Rzezaczka’s body was found lying face down on the bed with his knees on the floor. There was…
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Tourist dies scuba diving in Phi Phi national park
PHUKET: A tour company, a boat operator and a British dive professional are all in hot water after a tourist died in their care while scuba diving in Phi Phi national marine park yesterday. Chinese national Minghua Jiang, 62, was recovered unconscious at about noon while scuba diving for the first time near Koh Poda (Koh Yawasam), which is part…
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Phuket land owners offer sell-off solution for sea gypsy conflict
PHUKET: Exasperated by the never-ending battle over land ownership rights with the sea gypsy community in Rawai, some land owners involved have offered to sell their plots to the government in order to resolve the dispute. Weerachai Tantiwattanawalop, who claims to own five rai of land currently occupied by the sea gypsies, said he and other land owners were planning…
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More than five dozen helmet-less drivers arrested in Phuket
PHUKET: Phuket traffic police made 64 arrests in the first week of the ‘One district, One road, with 100 per cent helmets’ campaign. The new campaign was launched on February 1 in an effort to improve Phuket’s road safety. Helmet-less drivers caught at checkpoints across the island had their bikes seized and were escorted to the police station to view…
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BISP student takes title at Thai National Tennis Tournament
PHUKET: British International School Phuket (BISP) RPT Tennis Academy player James Van Herzeele won the Thai National Tennis Tournament for Boys 14 and under on February 7 at the Lawn Tennis Association of Thailand and was selected to represent Thailand. Held from February 3 to 7, the tournament included the top 16 tennis players in Thailand, boys 14 and under,…
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Kamala Beach cleared of trash
PHUKET: Kamala Beach is looking cleaner after trash was cleared from its sands by local authorities acting on demands from nearby business operators. Kamala Administration Organization (OrBorTor) responded to reports sent to the Phuket Gazette about rubbish piling up at the beach by swinging into action with two brand new ‘green’ garbage trucks. Until recently, the municipality was barely getting…
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Visas, taxes tangle up superyacht charter licence
PHUKET: There will be further delays in Thailand rolling out the highly-anticipated foreign-flagged superyacht charter licence, industry representatives were told at at Thailand Yacht Show forum on Wednesday. Though the regulations and rules with regards to the actual superyacht charter licence were hammered out on August 10, a number of related issues remain as hurdles for superyacht owners, explained Somchai…
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Phuket sea gypsies take land case to capital
PHUKET: Sea gypsies in Rawai have taken their case to the capital to plead for intervention from the country’s top brass, after being threatened with eviction from beachfront land by developer Baron World Trade Co Ltd. Representatives from the sea gypsy community handed a letter to Deputy Prime Minister Gen Prawit Wongsuwan on Wednesday, but did not get an immediate…
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Beijing offers support for Hong Kong after New Year violence
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Beijing offers support for Hong Kong after New Year violence Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: China’s central government firmly supports Hong Kong authorities and police in safeguarding public order and punishing those who break the law, the foreign ministry has said in Beijing’s first reaction to…
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S.Korea: North responsible for consequences from Kaesong shutdown
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community S.Korea: North responsible for consequences from Kaesong shutdown Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: South Korea said on Friday that North Korea would be held responsible for any consequences after the North kicked out South Korean workers and froze the assets of companies at the jointly run…
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World’s most polluted city, Delhi, plans new limits on car use
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community World’s most polluted city, Delhi, plans new limits on car use Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: The Delhi government plans another round of tough measures to restrict the use of private cars and clean up toxic air in the Indian metropolis, the world’s most polluted city.…
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Hundreds of passengers skate through Krabi immigration during blackout
PHUKET: About 800 international arrivals breezed through Krabi Airport immigration on Wednesday due to a six-hour blackout that caused the computer systems to shut down. “Immigration officers had to manually take down passenger information, and later enter it in the system when it was back up and running,” confirmed Attaporn Nuangudom, director of Krabi International Airport. The loose security measures…
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Historical Phuket park gets B42mn injection
PHUKET: The Thalang Historical Park is set to receive a 42-million-baht makeover by the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (PPAO). “With the budget, we will renovate 10 rai of land around the park. We had initially submitted the proposal to officials during then-PPAO President Paiboon’s visit last year, as he was intent on putting the land to productive use,” said Watcharin…
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Phuket melon mayhem takes hours to cleanup
PHUKET: An out-of-control pick-up truck carrying more than 50,000 baht worth of watermelons collided with a power pole in Thalang earlier this week. “There were smears of fruit everywhere on the road. It took rescue workers and police officers about an hour to clear it all up,” said Lt Kraisorn Boonprasop of the Thalang Police. The truck driver, 41-year-old Veera…
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British Embassy to host seminar on sensitive handling of sexual assault victims
PHUKET: The British Embassy will be hosting a seminar on sensitively handling sexual assault victims in Phuket on February 25. “The British Embassy and Royal Thai Police are going to host the seminar, titled ‘Victim Handling Protocols when Dealing with Rape and Sexual Assault Cases’,” said Martin Carpenter, British honorary consul for Phuket. The employees of the Phuket Public Health…
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Galileo Maritime Academy sends ambassadors to TYS
PHUKET: Thalang’s Galileo Maritime Academy is shining at the first-ever Thailand Yacht Show. Founded in 2012 by Brian Murray, a career chief engineer in the British Royal Navy and a superyacht captain for 30 years, Galileo offers courses that combine skill sets from the hospitality trade to the skills needed for working as superyacht crew. “The Thailand Yacht Show is…
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Battling boat show inertia
PHUKET: In a region already swamped with boat shows, the development of a new show has not been an easy undertaking, admitted Andy Treadwell, managing director of 3L Events, organizers of the Thailand Yacht Show (TYS) 2016 as well as the Singapore Yacht Show. The biggest problem with launching such a show is convincing the industry that you know what…
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Opinion: Directing ships of cash to Phuket
PHUKET: After months of reporting one marine mishap after another, the inaugural Thailand Yacht Show (TYS) comes as a refreshing and long overdue reminder of just how important the marine leisure industry is to the island – and why all sides need to work harder to further develop the province into the true marine hub of the region. Phuket’s marine…
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More than 5 dozen tourists saved after speedboat sinks
PHANG NGA: More than five dozen tourists were safely rescued after their overloaded speedboat sank near the Similan Islands yesterday evening, reported officials. The 50-passenger boat, owned by the Rak Talay tour company, was carrying 63 tourists at the time of the incident, said Phang Nga Marine Police Chief Jakkree Mekumphonsuit. “According to the captain, they were headed back to…
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Massive granite slab kills one, critically injures another
PHUKET: One Myanmar national was killed and another seriously injured last night after an enormous slab of granite that they were delivering fell on them. Mong Mia, 23, was part of a four-man crew unloading the slabs in a warehouse in Kathu, when they lost control of a piece they were carrying, estimated to weigh between 300 to 500 kilograms.…
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World’s top scientists pledge to share all findings to fight Zika
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community World’s top scientists pledge to share all findings to fight Zika Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Thirty of the world’s leading scientific research institutions, journals and funders have pledged to share for free all data and expertise on Zika to speed up the fight against an…
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