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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FC Phuket trounce Thai Honda, Thawin breaks leg
PHUKET: FC Phuket played their best performance of the year last night, delighting the faithful at Surakul Stadium with a 6-1 rout of Thai Honda. The Southern Sea Kirin opened the flood-gates early with Nene Bi Tra Sylvestre netting a header from close range at just three minutes. Thawin Butsombat scored just before halftime to put FC Phuket up 2-0,…
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USS Ronald Reagan strike group anchors off Phuket
PHUKET: The nuclear-powered US Navy aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan dropped anchor in Ao Makham today ahead of about 7,000 US Navy servicemen who will be taking shore leave in Phuket. Accompanying the 332-meter supercarrier are the guided-missile cruiser USS Chancellorsville and the destroyer USS Preble, altogether designated as the ‘USS Ronald Reagan strike group’. The convoy recently completed its…
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Phuket earthquake fears prompt residents to leave homes
PHUKET: Though it did very little damage to anyone in Phuket, a 4.4-magnitude earthquake in the Andaman Sea about 80 kilometers from the resort province sparked fear in some neighborhoods. Damaged tiles in a house south of Phuket Town prompted the residents of the area to leave their homes. “My wife received an SMS on her mobile phone about an…
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Phuket Opinion: Captive dolphins pitied, even in the Land of Smiles
PHUKET: The recent announcement that a Canadian investor has sought provincial support for his plan to develop a 900-million-baht aquarium, resort and retail facility in Rawai has generated much debate over the ethics of keeping dolphins in captivity. Soon after the announcement that dolphin performances were slated to be among the attractions at the aquarium, forum comments and letters arguing…
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Phuket police nab meth ‘delivery man’ at Tesco
PHUKET: Phuket City Police yesterday arrested a drug mule with 2,000 ya bah (methamphetamine) pills and 197.14 grams of ya ice (crystal meth), with a street value of about 1.1 million baht. The arrest followed the initial arrest of Jamnong Chumplub, from Nakhon Sri Thammarat, who was found in possession with 10 ya bah pills in an earlier raid. During…
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Pacific navies in Phuket discuss disaster relief, nuclear meltdown
PHUKET: The third and final symposium of major human aid agencies and 16 navies covering half the world drew to a close in Phuket yesterday, with representatives focusing on naval involvement in providing relief to disaster-struck areas, including nuclear meltdowns. The symposium, titled the third Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief (HADR) of the Western Pacific Naval Symposium (WPNS), was held…
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Phuket Airport international arrivals up 25%
PHUKET: Phuket is enjoying record numbers of foreign tourists in 2011, according to official statistics. The number of international passengers arriving at Phuket Airport January through March totaled 654,009, up 25.1% over the same period in 2010, according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT). This included a growth of 31.3% (228,768) in January, 24.3% (231,326) in February and 21.6%…
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US Forces “love Phuket’
PHUKET: The first of four US Navy warships arrived yesterday, signalling the imminent landing of more than 5,000 US servicemen and women on recreational leave in Phuket this weekend. Douglas Robinson, Assistant Attache, Force Protection Detachment at the US Embassy in Thailand, met Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha at Provincial Hall yesterday to formally inform him of the convoy’s arrival. The…
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Phuket Police arrest three for killing of Thalang teen
PHUKET: Police have arrested three young men who have confessed to the stabbing murder of Phuket teen Thawatchai “Ton” Maelanon, whose body was discovered in a rubber plantation in Thalang on March 26. At a press conference at Phuket City Police Station this morning, Phuket Provincial Police Commander Pekad Tantipong identified one of the three suspects as 23-year-old Apirak “Khao”…
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Phuket Gazette partner Nation Group wins top Asian media awards
PHUKET: The Nation Multimedia Group, of which the Phuket Gazette is a part, won two key prizes at the 10th Asia Media Awards ceremony in Bangkok last night. Photographer Watcharachai Klaipong won gold for his photo of emergency relief being delivered to stranded flood victims. “After seeing all the entries in this award category, I feel very proud of my…
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PHUKET REMINDER: Witness history as Prince William ties the knot with Kate Middleton
PHUKET: The British royal wedding is not to be missed. In fact, it will be almost impossible to miss. With 7,500 registered media providing coverage, an estimated two billion viewers worldwide are expected to watch Prince William and Kate Middleton tie the knot live on TV broadcasts and via the internet today. Here’s how to add your eyeballs to the…
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Phuket beach thief behind bars
PHUKET: A South African man is spending tonight behind bars in Phuket after being caught stealing from tourists at Nai Harn Beach today. The man, who police named as 27-year-old Steven Standen, was grabbed by lifeguards after a beach operator spotted him stealing a digital camera from a bag belonging to Australian tourists frolicking in the water. “I saw him…
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Phuket meth mule reined in with B800k stash
PHUKET: A man was arrested by Phuket authorities yesterday while trying to smuggle onto the island 2,000 ya bah (methamphetamine) pills hidden in Vitamilk cartons. At a press conference to announce the arrest today, investigating officers told the Phuket Gazette that the total street value of the haul was about 800,000 baht. An informant tipped off Phuket patrol police that…
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Phuket police face mandatory meth tests
PHUKET: Every police officer in Phuket will undergo mandatory testing for ya bah (methamphetamine) by the end of the month, the provincial police commander announced this morning. Maj Gen Pekad Tantipong told the Phuket Gazette, “Every police station must urine test every officer under their command by May 1. The order was issued by Provincial Police Region 8 at the…
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Lifeguards return to Phuket beaches
PHUKET: The lifeguards patrolling Phuket’s beaches have returned, and, as promised, with more lifesavers and jet-skis. The contract between the Phuket Lifeguard Club (PLC) and the Phuket Provincial Administrative Organization (OrBorJor) came into force on April 2, just in time for the dangerous wet season, and expires April 1, 2012. The lifeguards patrol between 9am and 7pm at 13 beaches:…
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30-kilo python plucked from Phuket village
PHUKET: Villagers in Thalang who had been trying to catch a pesky python for weeks finally hit pay dirt yesterday, when the serpent slithered into their sleepy Phuket village just before sundown. Residents of Baan Lipon in Srisoonthorn subdistrict Village 8 told the Phuket Gazette that the snake was often seen lurking around the lake near their village and the…
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Phuket Property: Where’s the ‘Sweet Spot’?
PHUKET: AMCHAM Thailand’s Greater Phuket Chapter in cooperation with Property Report South East Asia invite you to a seminar at which a group of Thailand’s leading property experts will discuss the resort markets of Greater Phuket, Koh Samui, Pattaya and Hua Hin. Learn who’s hot and who’s not, and share some insights into what is the sweet spot in today’s…
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Phuket workers fight extradition for Aussie murder
PHUKET: Two former employees of a Phuket Town restaurant are fighting extradition to Australia, where they are wanted for the 2009 stabbing murder of an Australian man in Melbourne. The pair, 28-year-old Surad Seehaverachart and Thatiya Cherdphutham, 25, are wanted for the May 2009 stabbing murder of 29-year-old Luke Mitchell outside a nightclub. Surad was arrested by three officers stationed…
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Phuket prepped to host 4th Asian Beach Games
PHUKET: Organizers of the 4th Asian Beach Games (ABG), to be held in Phuket in November 2014, met in Phuket earlier this month to finalize various arrangements and express confidence that the island could successfully host the 16 or 17 core competitions that will make up the event. The ABG is being organized by the various committees of the Olympic…
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Phuket Live Wire: Debunking 3G in Phuket
PHUKET: Anyone working in IT in Thailand should try very hard not to use the term “3G”. The scientific-sounding “3G” rates as a marketer’s dream come true. It reeks of sizzle and bling. And, the way it’s being tossed about, it means absolutely nothing. You would presume that 3G is better than 2G and not as good as 4G, yes?…
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Phuket Fun Fly is back
PHUKET: Phuket Fun Fly, the paragliding competition that captivated tourists and local residents alike in May last year, will return to the skies above Nai Harn Beach and Phromthep Cape from June 23 to 26. Among the activities, to be held from 8am to 6pm each day, will be spot landing and fun fly competitions as well as beach activities…
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Did freak storm save FC Phuket’s skin?
PHUKET: FC Phuket was enduring a 5-2 drubbing by Bangkok FC in the capital on Sunday when the match was abandoned seven minutes before full time due to a freak storm that made play impossible. There was some confusion over what the ruling meant for the fixture. Bangkok FC, currently languishing third-from-bottom in Thai Division 1, has asked that the…
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Case of the crabs: Phuket expert speaks out
PHUKET: The Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) has identified overfishing as a likely cause of the millions of crab larvae washing ashore on Phuket beaches on Friday. The tiny sea creatures that washed ashore at Kata and Karon Beaches were crabs, not krill as originally reported, explained PMBC Director Wannakiat Thubthimsang, who took live samples from the beach on Friday.…
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Phuket rain blamed for “Saturday night spins’
PHUKET: Heavy rains in Phuket’s Thalang District on Saturday night left a passenger van on its side and a pickup truck badly damaged in separate incidents. All five occupants walked away with only minor injuries. One of the crashes occurred on Route 4027 in Pa Khlok at about 11am. A silver passenger van driven by 31-year-old Suthee Jareornpakdee was transporting…
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Phuket Conundrum: Can greed and thuggery win the battle for tourists?
PHUKET: Issues affecting tourist safety and welfare in Phuket and other popular destinations in Thailand have rightly dominated the news in this week’s issue of the Phuket Gazette. It is difficult to overestimate the importance of tourism to the Thai economy. The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) recently announced that it plans for a record number of tourists, over 17…
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Millions of krill blanket Phuket beaches, spark tsunami fears
PHUKET: Millions of krill yesterday washed up on the shores of Kata and Karon Beaches on Phuket’s west coast, sparking fears among local residents of an impending tsunami. The krill were first noticed at about 4pm. Onlookers told the Phuket Gazette that some were still alive at that time, but later died. “They were orange and each had a pair…
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Workplace raids to uphold women and child worker rights in Phuket
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Office of Labor Protection and Welfare will lead a campaign, including raids of business places, to ensure the rights of child and women workers are being upheld, it was announced today. The office plans to inspect at least 500 workplaces comprising 16,741 laborers, including 260 known unregistered workers, Phuket Labor Protection and Welfare office chief Kittipong…
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Mother watches as her son drowns in Phuket lagoon
PHUKET: A mother watched helplessly today as her son drowned in a tin mine lagoon behind the family home north of Phuket Town. Kusoldharm Foundation rescue workers and Phuket City police officers arrived at the scene, in Soi Haad Saen Suk 2 in Rassada, at about 10:30am. It took them about an hour to retrieve the body of Weeranan Sae-Ong,…
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Three girls saved from Phuket rip tide
PHUKET: Three teenage girls were spared the dangers of a strong rip tide at Nai Harn Beach yesterday afternoon. All three were on family trips to the beach, explained the mother of one of the girls. “We were waiting for our somtam on the shore while the three girls went swimming. “A few minutes later, I heard someone blowing a…
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Phuket police nab notorious “Junior’ gang
PHUKET: Police last night arrested six members of a teenage gang known for allegedly committing many robberies and often threatening to kill their victims if they did not co-operate. Known as the “Junior Gang”, the four teenage men and two teen women were charged with committing gang robbery and being in possession of unlicensed firearms. All six confessed to the…
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