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.
-
Sponsored Do foreigners get free healthcare in Thailand?
Thailand’s healthcare system is well-regarded across Southeast Asia, with options ranging from public hospitals to world-class private facilities. But when it comes to foreign residents or tourists, healthcare access isn’t as straightforward. So, do foreigners get free healthcare in Thailand?...
-
Phuket protest underway, thousands expected to join
PHUKET: Organizers expect over 3,000 people to gather in central Phuket Town today in support of the anti-government “shutdown” now going on in Bangkok. One group is already assembled on the grounds of Provincial Hall (map here), and another group is marching through town to Saphan Hin. “Suratin Liang-udom, the former mayor of Rassada, will lead the group at Provincial…
-
And the winners of the Boat Show lucky draw are…
PHUKET: This year’s edition of the annual Phuket boat show (PIMEX), which closed late yesterday, offered solid testimony to the improving global economy and the renewed vibrance of the marine leisure industry in Asia, particularly at its hub – Phuket. Full car parks, full restaurants and lots of action in the booths and berths at the Royal Phuket Marina –…
-
Phuket Gazette World News: Russia says militants seized with bomb in south
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Russia says militants seized with bomb in south Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Five members of a banned militant group were arrested in southern Russia on Saturday and a homemade bomb packed with shrapnel was defused, in another security scare weeks before the Winter Olympics in Sochi.Islamist militants…
-
Phuket Gazette World News: Turkish PM pushes judicial reforms after parliament punch-up
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Turkish PM pushes judicial reforms after parliament punch-up Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan vowed on Sunday to forge ahead with judicial reforms which prompted a fist fight in parliament, denying he was trampling on the constitution as the government battles a damaging corruption…
-
Phuket Gazette World News: French first lady in hospital after reports of Hollande affair
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community French first lady in hospital after reports of Hollande affair Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: French first lady Valerie Trierweiler has been admitted to hospital following reports of an affair between President Francois Hollande and an actress, but will be discharged on Monday, sources said on Sunday.The daily…
-
Phuket Gazette World News: Iran sanctions lifted under nuclear peace deal
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Deal on curbing Iran’s nuclear activity to take effect January 20 Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: A deal for Iran to freeze parts of its nuclear programme in return for sanctions relief will take effect on January 20, giving world powers and Tehran six months to agree a…
-
Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Bangkok shutdown begins; Pheu Thai objects May 4 polls; Businesses ready for downturn
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Stage set for huge Bangkok shutdown The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: The People’s Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) will today begin their Shutdown operation to try to seize seven sites in Bangkok at 9am after a series of blockades at state agencies – in a bid to paralyse…
-
Phuket’s Paul ‘DJ Doris’ Norris dies in motorcycle accident
PHUKET: Paul Norris, Phuket’s renowned ‘DJ Doris’ on Phuket Island Radio 91.5FM, died in a motorcycle accident early this morning. He was riding home when his motorbike and a taxi collided at an intesection on Chao Fa West Road in Chalong at about 2am, police confirmed. Mr Norris was well known and much loved by his many friends and fans…
-
Phuket celebrates Children’s Day
PHUKET: Today is Children’s Day, and youngsters across the island are being feted with games, prizes, and free food and drink in the annual celebration. In Phuket Town, Governor Maitri Inthusut hosted activities at his official residence, including a tour, while other events were underway at Provincial Hall and Saphan Hin. At a celebration sponsored by Phuket Marine Police, the…
-
Phuket Gazette World News: U.S. to withdraw diplomat from India as dispute festers
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community U.S. to withdraw diplomat from India as dispute festers Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: The United States said on Friday it would withdraw one of its diplomats from New Delhi at India’s request after Washington effectively expelled an Indian envoy at the centre of a dispute between the…
-
Phuket Gazette World News: Celebrations in Central African Republic as leader resigns
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Celebrations in Central African Republic as leader resigns Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Central African Republic’s interim President Michel Djotodia caved in to international pressure and resigned on Friday after failing to halt inter-religious violence, drawing thousands onto the streets in celebration.The resignations of Djotodia and his Prime…
-
Phuket Gazette World News: Falluja residents flee feared Iraq army assault
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Bewildered Falluja residents flee feared Iraq army assault Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Iraqis fleeing from Falluja question whether the masked gunmen who overran their city 10 days ago are really al Qaeda-linked militants as the government says, but fear their presence will draw a ferocious response from…
-
Tiger Disco trial over inferno deaths to start next month
PHUKET: The long-awaited manslaughter trial over the deaths of four people in Patong’s Tiger Disco inferno, in August 2012, will begin next month. Tiger Group CEO Piya Isaramalai and Sara Entertainment Co Ltd each face a charge of causing death through negligence under Section 291 of the Thai Criminal Code, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in jail.…
-
Phuket ‘backpack bomb’ fears disarmed by underwear
PHUKET: A lottery ticket seller raised the alarm of a potential backpack bomb outside of a Phuket bank yesterday. However, a police investigation revealed only various female garments, including underwear. “She saw a teenager put several things in the bag and then drop it near the stairs of the Kasikorn Bank branch on Chana-Charoen Road. She got scared, and asked…
-
Phuket Election Commission seeks to re-open candidate registration
PHUKET: The Phuket Election Commission (PEC) has sent a formal request to Bangkok asking for permission to re-open registration so more candidates can contest the February 2 national election. “It’s not fair to hold an election with only one candidate. There is no choice for the people,” Tassaneeya Srirattanaprapan, chief of the PEC’s Political Party Division, said at a news…
-
Phuket Customs yet to enforce new rules for boat stays
PHUKET: Phuket Customs will hear the opinions of representatives from throughout Phuket’s marine industry before deciding whether or not to enforce new regulations that would reduce boat stays in Thailand to two months. The new rules were announced by Phuket Customs Chief Nanthita Sririkub in a meeting at Provincial Hall yesterday. “According to new regulations handed down from Bangkok on…
-
Phuket greenlights trial ban on buses over deadly Patong hill
PHUKET: Within two weeks, buses and trucks headed to Patong will be barred from using the Patong Hill road, government officials and bus operators agreed at a meeting yesterday. The one-month trial ban will force most heavy vehicles to choose alternate roads into Patong, but will permit them to use the hill road when they exit the resort town. Not…
-
Murder fugitive in Phuket land dispute surrenders to police
PHUKET: The man wanted for shooting dead a rival in a land dispute yesterday surrendered to Phuket police last night. Supongdeth Vetchatam, 53, presented himself at the Phuket City Police Station at about 7:30pm. He brought with him his lawyer and the murder weapon – a Smith & Wesson .357 revolver. Mr Supongdeth told police that he fatally shot Echa…
-
Phuket Gazette World News: Fidel Castro, 87, makes rare public appearance
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Fidel Castro, 87, makes rare public appearance Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Former Cuban President Fidel Castro made a surprise appearance on Wednesday evening at the opening of a Havana cultural centre sponsored by one of his favourite Cuban artists.State television on Thursday broadcast images of Castro arriving…
-
Phuket Gazette World News: Security alert in southern Russia after at least five bodies found
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Security alert in southern Russia after at least five bodies found Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Russia has put security forces on combat alert in the southern Stavropol region after the discovery of at least five corpses with gunshot wounds and an explosive device there barely a month…
-
Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Protests may cost B40bn; Tourism fears rise; Army maintains no coup; OAG stirs elections wasteful
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Prolonged siege may cost Bt40 bn The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: The Bangkok Shutdown is expected to whack Bt40 billion off the economy or 0.2 percentage point off its growth as consumers cut back on daily living and travel expenses, according to the University of the Thai…
-
Deadly Phuket shooting over land, say police
PHUKET: Police believe a conflict over land was the motive for the deadly shooting in Phuket today. Echa Yala, 49, was shot dead while out in his garden, not far from a lagoon, after having a heated argument with a man who arrived in a white Toyota Fortuner (story here). “There were two men in the Fortuner. One man walked…
-
Aussie fraud, embezzlement trial to start in June
PHUKET: Rell Hayes, the Australian founder of the Stoney Monday Oasis Hotel in Phuket, has denied criminal charges of embezzlement and six counts of fraud involving more than 80 million baht. His defense will be heard in court when his trial begins on June 10. Rell Vivien Hayes, 51, was arrested in Krabi in November after Phuket Provincial Court issued…
-
BREAKING NEWS: Phuket man gunned down in garden
PHUKET: A 49-year-old man was shot dead in his garden at about 1pm today near Koh Keaw Soi 10.Police are now hunting for the shooter, who reportedly fled the scene along with another man in a white Toyota Fortuner.The victim’s wife reported hearing a gun fire three times, before she ran to the garden to find her husband, Echa Yala,…
-
Lethal Phuket tour bus crash prompts B10mn budget to fix road
PHUKET: The Phuket Highways Office has secured 10 million baht to widen the road at the bottom of Patong Hill in the hope of preventing further fatal bus crashes caused by brake failure. The announcement follows a runaway tour bus slamming into five vehicles, including one motorcycle, killing two people and leaving 26 others injured on December 29 (story here).…
-
Phuket Opinion: Protesters impose will outside political sphere
PHUKET: This year’s Red Cross Fair ended on a bitter note, with incidents of lethal violence near the fairgrounds and a political protest that prevented one of Thailand’s most famous rock stars from taking the stage (story here). The last-minute cancellation of a scheduled performance by Sek Loso left scores of excited fans deeply disappointed, once again demonstrating that Phuket…
-
Phuket Town sleeping python not left to lie
PHUKET: A python found taking a nap in a Phuket Town kitchen was escorted to more natural surroundings by rescue workers early this morning.When Anchalee Boonjit returned home from work at about 1am today, she realized that all was not right.“I heard a sound in my kitchen,” she said. “When I went into the room, I saw a snake on…
-
Phuket Business: Boat Avenue, Villa Market opens in Cherng Talay
PHUKET: It’s been too long – residents of Laguna Phuket, Cherng Talay and Bang Tao, who had been travelling all the way to Tesco Thalang to do most of their shopping, were forced to undertake expeditions to the well-stocked markets in the south of the island to buy hard-to-find imported goods. But with the grand opening of the Boat Avenue…
-
Phuket Filipina in 5-month legal limbo
PHUKET: A Philippine national charged with working in Patong illegally was forced to wait in legal limbo for five months before her case was put in front of a Phuket judge.In the meantime, she remained stuck in Thailand without a work permit, or legal way to support herself.Melanie Beleno, 35, was arrested on July 4 when Immigration Police went to…
-
Phuket faces 40 per cent drop in Chinese tourist arrivals in January
PHUKET: Officials expect the number of Chinese tourists coming to Phuket to drop by 40 per cent this month, despite the fact that Chinese New Year falls on January 31.Chinese New Year traditionally brings a boost in Chinese tourism to Thailand, but this year fewer tourists from Greater China, including Hong Kong and Taiwan, are expected to celebrate the holiday…
Don't forget to check out some other things to do in Thailand - get help starting a business or finding a job in Thailand, buy Thailand property, rent a yacht or book a medical procedure worldwide.