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.
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Sponsored The hidden costs of ignoring pre-existing conditions in Thailand
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Video report: Homeschooled siblings claim bronze at international competition
PHUKET: Two homeschooled youngsters from Phuket won bronze medals at the Malaysian International Young Inventors Olympiad (MIYIO) this month for their innovative automated plant-watering invention. Nattaya Sompranon, 14, and Phimphan Sompranon, 10, invented the ‘Smart Watering Controller’, which automatically waters plants when the humidity in the soil is low. The young Phuket-based inventors were among more than 280 teams competing…
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Mission Accomplished: Phuket Aussie sets world record with Row2Rio
PHUKET: After 3,400 miles and 55 days at sea, the four extraordinary rowers on the Row2Rio team set a world record after powering their way across the Atlantic. “We departed Portugal and have landed safely in Brazil to an emotional reunion with family and friends,” wrote Luke Richmond, Aussie expat and head coach at Unit 27 in Phuket, yesterday. In…
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Thousands make first crossing on foot between Krabi islands
KRABI: Thousands of members of the public turned out on Saturday to make the first crossing on foot between Lanta Noi and Lanta Yai islands, with the official opening of the recently completed Lanta Bridge in Krabi. Krabi Governor Pinit Boonlert chaired the opening ceremony of the 400-million-baht bridge. The event was titled ‘Starry Night Over Lanta Bridge’. “It was…
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New B650mn sports complex planned for Krabi
KRABI: Ao Nang in Krabi is to get a brand new 650-million-baht sports complex, local officials have confirmed. “We drew up the plans for the 3,000-seat stadium about six years ago and have recently received partial funding of 87.4mn baht from the Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT),” said Ao Nang Administration Organization (OrBorTor) President Pankum Kittithonkun. “Preliminary plans for the…
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Indonesia to set up ‘Crisis Center’ after Philippine Kidnappings
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Indonesia to set up “crisis center” after Philippine kidnappings Phuket Gazette / Reuters JAKARTA: Indonesia will set up a crisis center, headed by President Joko Widodo, to handle security situations involving its citizens overseas, a senior minister said on Monday, following recent abductions of Indonesian sailors…
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Phuket Immigration not demanding social media account details – yet
PHUKET: Immigration forms asking foreigners to detail their regular hangouts, social media accounts, bank accounts and other personal information are not being used in Phuket, according to a source in the local provincial Immigration office. “The form is only being used in Bangkok, at least until further notice,” the local Immigration officer told Phuket Gazette on condition of anonymity today.…
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Baba Museum artwork to be removed amid outcry
PHUKET: A controversial mural painted on the wall of the Phuket Baba Museum will be removed by the artist following a public outcry. Painted on one of the city’s most historic buildings, the ‘Three-Eyed Kid’ garnered mixed public opinions since its unveiling on April 10. Through social media, residents criticized the artwork’s placement at what was formerly the Standard Chartered…
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Video is the future of digital ads
PHUKET: Digital ad spend is projected to be 9.9 billion baht this year, up almost 25 per cent from last year as a direct result of advertisers shifting from traditional media like print and television to digital media and online marketing. This is believed to be partly because of the cheaper cost of digital advertising and partly because it’s much…
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Phuket worker camp raid turns up guns, drugs
PHUKET: Police arrested three suspects for possession of drugs and illegal firearms during a raid on a worker camp in Phuket yesterday. Two of the Thai suspects were named as Chatchana Poosangka, 29 and Nattapong Rithidet, 19. A 16-year-old minor was not named. “We had been keeping an eye on the camp as a number of teenagers were visiting it…
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Phuket orangutan in critical condition
PHUKET: An orangutan recently confiscated from Phuket Zoo is in critical condition. The beloved 13-year-old orangutan Milo was moved from the Phang Nga Wildlife Nursery Station to the intensive care unit of the Pasupalun Livestock & Wildlife Hospital in Kanchana Buri on Thursday. “Initial tests have shown that her red blood cell count is very low. She also has vitamin…
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Military summons Phuket sea gypsies, activists over land dispute
PHUKET: A total of twelve sea gypsies and human rights activists have been summoned by the 41st Military Circle for questioning about an on-going land dispute between Baron World Trade Company and a sea gypsy community in Rawai. An official letter, issued on April 20, was sent to Rawai sea gypsy community leader Ngeem Damrongkaset. It summoned nine sea gypsies…
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Bangladesh Bank exposed to hackers by cheap switches, no firewall
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Bangladesh Bank exposed to hackers by cheap switches, no firewall Phuket Gazette / Reuters DHAKA: Bangladesh’s central bank was vulnerable to hackers because it did not have a firewall and used second-hand, $10 switches to network computers connected to the SWIFT global payment network, an investigator…
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Finance: The right time to get back into the stock market
PHUKET: While all of my long term clients (and myself) have been in cash for some time, there will be a time to get back into the stock market, but when will that be? To recap recent market action: major United States and global indices have already moved higher off their panic February lows, led by retail, gold, materials and…
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Tourists escape another Phuket bus fire
PHUKET: A group of Chinese tourists narrowly escaped serious injury after fleeing a burning tour bus in Karon yesterday. “The driver was en route from the airport to Patong via Karon at about 5:30pm. After spotting thick, black smoke emanating from the back of the bus, the driver stopped and evacuated the 24 tourists,” said Lt Col Sathid Noorit of…
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Phuket Lifeguard Club signs B22mn contract ahead of monsoon season
PHUKET: The Phuket Lifeguard Club (PLC) renewed its contract last month, extending the island’s life-saving services through the southwest monsoon season, when the waters are most tempestuous. PLC President Prathaiyut Chuayuan told the Phuket Gazette that the 22-million-baht contract with the Phuket Provincial Administrative Organization (PPAO) will end in 10 months, on January 20 next year. “The budget for our…
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Ministry of Farang Affairs: Finding a wife in Thailand
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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Asleep at the wheel: driver hits eight motorbikes in Phuket
PHUKET: A pick-up truck driver, who fell asleep at the wheel, flipped his vehicle into eight motorbikes and another truck parked along Thepkrasattri Road early this morning. “Wasan Wijitwithayakul, 46, confessed to having dozed off while heading home to Thalang from Bang Neow Shrine in Phuket Town,” Lt Col Chaliao Thaihoo of the Phuket City Police said. Mr Wasan was…
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Opinion: Will clubbing Phuket’s beach venues prove to have been worth it?
PHUKET: The demolition of the government-built buildings along Surin’s beachfront, which once housed a number of iconic Phuket beach clubs, marks the end of an era on the island. Unlike numerous other beach venues that have been demolished since the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) started to sweep opportunistic, mafia-style business ventures from Phuket’s sands, tearing down these…
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Must stamp out illegal migrant camps, says Phuket V/Gov
PHUKET: Local officials must prevent illegal migrant camps from popping up along construction sites throughout the province, Phuket Vice Governor Prajiad Aksornthammakul said on Tuesday. “Foreign workers build their shacks in and around local communities. They live in unhygienic conditions that spread disease, and indulge in the illegal trade of vegetables, fish and drugs,” said Vice Governor Prajiad Aksornthammakul. The…
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Excuse Buster: The hidden health dangers of fungi
PHUKET: “It is ironic that this humble fungus, hailed as a benefactor of mankind, may by its very success prove to be a deciding factor in the decline of the present civilization”, said Dr John I Pitt, in The Genus Penicillin, 1979. ‘Antibiotics save lives.’ But has our overuse of antibiotics for killing bacteria contributed to creating a dangerous internal…
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Phuket voted 8th among world’s top 10 islands
PHUKET: Phuket has won eighth place among the world’s top 10 islands in the latest reader survey conducted by travel review website TripAdvisor. Phuket was described by TripAdvisor as an island with “blue lagoons and salmon sunsets [that] make for a dream-like atmosphere, and indeed, a vacation here can feel a bit surreal”. It also said: “Water sports are the…
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Video Report: Portraits of Princess on show in Phuket Town
PHUKET: An exclusive collection of portrait photographs of Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn is on display at two exhibition venues in Phuket Town throughout April. Photographs by esteemed national artist Nitikorn Kraivixien, who is the president of The Royal Photographic Society of Thailand, are on show at the Baba Museum (Peranakan Nitat) and the On-On Hotel on Phang…
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Video report: New demolition plan brings Surin businesses to the ground
PHUKET: A number of iconic beach clubs on Phuket were crushed during the demolition of the shop houses along the Surin Beach boardwalk yesterday (story here). “We are not ruining Surin Beach; we are returning it back to the unobstructed, beautiful beach it once was,” Phuket Vice Governor Chokdee Amornwat insisted, attempting to explain to a group of stunned tourists…
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Songkran crime sweep nets hundreds of suspects
PHUKET: More than 1,500 arrests related to drug, illegal firearms, gambling and other criminal activities were made in Phuket and the surrounding provinces between April 1 and 17. “In the raids, a total of 171 suspects were arrested for firearms offences. A total of 165 unregistered guns were seized along with 750 rounds of ammunition, as well as two bombs…
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Communist Laos appoints new president, prime minister
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Communist Laos appoints new president, prime minister Phuket Gazette / Reuters BANGKOK: Laos’s National Assembly on Wednesday appointed Communist Party chief Bounnhang Vorachit as the country’s new president and named foreign minister Thongloun Sisoulith as prime minister. The picks are seen by many analysts as a…
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Thai police say 15 bomb suspects at large as two appear in court
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Thai police say 15 bomb suspects at large as two appear in court Phuket Gazette / Reuters BANGKOK: Thai police cannot find 15 suspects in connection with a bomb at a shrine in Bangkok last year that killed 20 people, an officer said on Wednesday, as…
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Belgium says seen signs that IS has sent more fighters to Europe
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Belgium says seen signs that IS has sent more fighters to Europe Phuket Gazette / Reuters BRUSSELS: There are signs that more Islamic State inspired militants have been sent to Belgium and Europe, Belgian authorities said on Tuesday, maintaining the country’s threat status at the second-highest…
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Phuket man injured in drive-by shooting
PHUKET: One man was injured in a drive-by shooting in Srisoonthorn yesterday. “Weerachart Laloy, 20, was shot twice on his left hip at about 6pm,” said Lt Suporn Muangkai of the Thalang Police. Mr Weerachart was riding pillion behind his friend Nattapong Kerdthai at the time of the attack. Mr Nattapong rushed him to the emergency room at Thalang Hospital.…
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Breaking News: Surin Beach demolition underway
PHUKET: Demolition of the last remaining buildings along Surin Beach is underway. Phuket Vice Governor Chokdee Amornwat and Cherng Talay Tambon Administration Organization(OrBorTor) President Ma-ann Samran, accompanied by military personnel, were on site as a backhoe digger began pulling apart the buildings that once housed beachfront shops, bars and restaurants. “Finally, the day we have been waiting for has arrived…
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Phuket bomb squad called to Daorung Intersection
PHUKET: A bomb disposal squad was called on to deal with an abandoned suitcase at the Daorung Intersection in Wichit this afternoon. Passing motorists, fearing that the lone suitcase lying in the road might be a bomb, took snapshots, which quickly went viral on social media. “Luckily, the case was empty,” said Lt Prachpong Keawkamjan, head of the Phuket Provincial…
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