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.
-
Sponsored Thinking of retiring in Thailand long-term? Here’s your health checklist before the move
Thinking of retiring in Thailand long-term? Thailand is a popular choice for retirees because of its beautiful landscapes, warm climate, and affordable living. Cities like Chiang Mai and coastal areas offer a relaxed lifestyle with friendly communities. The country also...
-
Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Gambling talk hits tourism tables; B2trn transport plans; No visas for Gulf medical tourists
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Kingdom must consider legalised gaming soon, tourism forum hears The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: The nation’s pre-eminent gathering of tourism and travel-industry experts has concluded that while Thailand looks headed for its best year ever for tourist numbers and revenues, action to legalise gaming, improve infrastructure and…
-
Phuket jet-ski operator nabbed, denies anchor attack
PHUKET: Police have apprehended the Phuket jet-ski operator who reportedly swung an anchor angrily at the head of a German tourist at Kata Beach on Monday (story here). Named only as “Mr Buntoon”, age 33, the operator was brought in for questioning by Karon Police yesterday. “He confessed that he run over the German man’s belongings with the jet-ski trailer…
-
Phuket Gazette World News: Tsunami devastation; Pompeii mafia; SA gang rape victim dies; Syrian rebels advance; Greeks fight for food
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Tsunami kills 7, destroys hundreds of houses in the Solomon Islands Phuket Gazette / WiresPHUKET: The major earthquake that struck near the Solomon Islands yesterday, triggered a tsunami that destroyed entire villages and claimed the lives of at least seven people, officials confirmed today.The 8.0-magnitude earthquake struck…
-
One dead, one injured in Phuket construction landslide
PHUKET: One man is dead and another injured after a landslide buried them while they were building a retaining wall high in the hills of Patong late yesterday afternoon.The two men were working in a trench about two meters deep when the land beside them gave way, burying them alive, explained Lt Thawatchai Srimai of the Patong Police.Rescue workers called…
-
Phuket Gazette World News: Solomon tsunami kills 5, more deaths likely
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Tsunami kills at least five in Solomons after big Pacific quake Phuket GazettePHUKET: The powerful 8.0 magnitude earthquake that triggered a tsunami today killed at least five people, including a 10-year-old boy, in a remote part of the Solomon Islands.The quake struck 340 km east of Kira…
-
Party monk defrocked over drugs, sex romp in Phuket
PHUKET: A monk and two female friends having a sex party in a Patong hotel room were busted by police for drug use yesterday, and the monk was subsequently defrocked. After receiving a tip from local residents, police raided a hotel room at the southern end of Patong Beach. “We went to the location provided and found a monk and…
-
Phuket Gazette World News: Pacific tsunami alert lifted
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Tsunami threat lifted after big South Pacific quake Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: A powerful 8.0 magnitude earthquake struck near the Solomon Islands earlier today, triggering a small tsunami that swept into isolated island communities and sparked tsunami alerts across the South Pacific that were later cancelled.Damage reports…
-
Phuket Gazette World News: Small Tsunami Hits Solomons After Major Quake
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Small Tsunami Hits Solomons After Major Quake Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: A small tsunami hit the Solomon Islands this morning after a major 8.0 magnitude undersea earthquake sparked a tsunami warning for several South Pacific island nations and placed many more nations including Australia and Indonesia on…
-
Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Andaman erosion; avian flu alert; Poh pardon; polls to please
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Officials eye Andaman coastal erosion The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The Marine and Coastal Resources Department is formulating plans to tackle coastal erosion in six Andaman Sea provinces. The most severe erosion was found in Tambon Saladan on Krabi’s Koh Lanta, where five meters of…
-
Phuket parents join “fight club’
PHUKET: Two parents tired of having their boy picked on by a gang of students at school took matters into their own hands today by turning up at the school and “slapping” the five bullies. They have since been charged with assault. Sgt Paritat Duangkamol of the Thalang Police was called to Muang Thalang School at 8:10am. Outside the principal’s…
-
Phuket Police search for jet-ski operator after anchor attack on German tourist
PHUKET: Karon Police are looking for a jet-ski rental operator at Kata Beach who yesterday allegedly swung an anchor at the head of a German tourist.When contacted by the Phuket Gazette, Col Werawat Juntharavijit*, Acting Superintendent of the Karon Police, today said he had yet to be informed of the incident.“I have not received a report about this. I will…
-
Racha residents call for Phuket officials to fulfill old promises
PHUKET: The ongoing struggle to protect the beauty and environmental health of the tourist-popular Racha Yai Island, about 25 kilometers south of Phuket, continued yesterday in a meeting with Vice Governor Sommai Prijasilpa. Santi Chandi, representative of Racha Yai residents, asked the vice governor to solve the problems she had promised to solve at a meeting in May 2012. At…
-
Phuket Gazette World News: Alabama hostage standoff ends with child freed
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Alabama hostage standoff ends with child safe, gunman dead Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: The FBI stormed an underground bunker in rural Alabama on Monday, safely rescuing a 5-year-old boy held hostage for nearly a week and leaving his kidnapper, who had also killed a school bus driver,…
-
Phuket Gazette Sports: Global soccer fixing scam exposed
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World sports news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Investigators expose global match-fixing network Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Hundreds of soccer matches have been fixed in a global betting scam run from Singapore, police said on Monday, in a blow to the image of the world’s most popular sport and a multi-billion dollar industry.…
-
Phuket Gazette World News: Syrian peace call; Berlusconi Bunga; Pirates seize tanker; Belgian child killer appeal
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international communitySyrian Opposition chief calls to offer Assad peaceful exitReuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Syrian opposition leader Moaz Alkhatib urged Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government on Monday to start talks for its departure from power and save the country from greater ruin after almost two years of bloodshed.Seeking to step…
-
Phuket to crack down on businesses using nominee shareholders
PHUKET: An inspection team from Bangkok will be arriving in Phuket to help local officers investigate businesses with foreign owners that are suspected of using nominee shareholders, Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut announced at a meeting this afternoon. About 3,700 “foreign-owned” business are registered in Phuket, explained Department of Business Development Phuket Office chief Nimit Kangkajit at the meeting. “Of course…
-
Breaking News: Phuket fugitive Dane “Denny’ Knudsen arrested
PHUKET: Patong Police Superintendent Chiraphat Pochanaphan has confirmed to the Phuket Gazette that wanted Danish national Dennis Mark Knudsen, 24, has been arrested by Phuket Police. Mr Knudsen was wanted for breaking bail conditions after he failed to appear at Phuket Provincial Court on January 22 to resolve a dispute with Australians John Cohen and Adam Shea about a “big…
-
Thailand Futsal: Phuket United sunk by Navy
PHUKET: A second-half hat trick from Phuket United’s leading scorer, Jackson Santos, was not enough for his side to beat the Royal Navy FC, who walked away 5-3 winners in a futsal league match on Saturday evening in Bangkok. The match, played at Bangkok’s Fashion Island futsal arena, was both side’s 18th of 30 league matches in the Thailand Futsal…
-
Phuket Gazette World News: Mexico Pemex blast toll reaches 36
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Mexican rescue workers found three more bodies over the weekend amid the rubble of a deadly blast that tore through state oil firm Pemex’s main office complex, the government said, as search efforts appeared to near a close. The death toll from…
-
Phuket FC silence the Surat Thani ‘Roosters’
PHUKET: The Southern Sea Warriors’ 4-1 preseason friendly win against the Surat Thani FC ‘Roosters’ last night gave a number of trialists the chance to impress the Phuket coaches and fans. Of the try-out players, Japanese midfielder Yone stood out the most. The tall midfielder was an imposing presence in the center of the pitch linking up play well and…
-
Teaching Russian-language skills the key to resolving Phuket discord
PHUKET: A solution to the anti-Russian sentiment spreading rapidly in Phuket is Russian-language classes, the Russian Federation’s Deputy Honorary Consul in Phuket, Santi Udomkiratak, has told the Phuket Gazette.“Lack of Russian-language skills is a big part of the Russian issue here, and it’s been a problem for a very long time,” Mr Santi said.“There are very few Thai people who…
-
Lucky police traffic stop nets wanted felon, drugs and guns
PHUKET: A random stop of two men at a checkpoint in Phuket Town on Thursday night netted Phuket Police drugs, guns and a man wanted on an attempted murder charge. Police stopped Narongsak Dang-ngam, 36, and Nikom Srisoi, 45, at 11:30pm at Soi Surin 3 in Phuket Town (map here). “Mr Narongsak was driving a pick up truck and Mr…
-
Phuket Red Cross calls for A, B, Rh- blood donations
PHUKET: The Phuket Red Cross is calling for people across the island to join its Valentine’s Day blood drive to help replenish dwindling stocks at the blood bank in Phuket Town. The Phuket Regional Blood Center (PRBC), often called upon to save the lives of Thais and foreigners in urgent need of medical help, is low on stocks of blood…
-
Chinese New Year, Valentine’s Day to inject B2bn into Phuket economy
PHUKET: More than 300,000 tourists are expected to visit Phuket this month for Valentine’s Day and Chinese New Year, altogether providing a boost of more than 2 billion baht to the Phuket economy. Chanchai Duangjit, director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Phuket office, told the Phuket Gazette that tourists from China make up the majority of hotel bookings…
-
Phuket Police Deputy Commander: Gun Control Still Within our Grasp
PHUKET: Phuket Provincial Police Deputy Commander Arun Kaewvatee, 52, is originally from Ron Phibun District in Nakhon Sri Thammarat, a province well known throughout Thailand for gun use. Col Arun has been Deputy Commander of Phuket Provincial Police for a year. Here, he talks about illegal guns and gun ownership in Phuket. I do not consider illegal guns to be…
-
Phuket Opinion: Stem the growing tide of gun crimes in Phuket
PHUKET: The recent surge in the number of violent crimes involving firearms needs to be addressed by authorities immediately, otherwise Phuket’s self-designated sobriquet “Pearl of the Andaman” risks being inadvertently changed to “Arsenal of the Andaman”. Few regular readers of the Phuket Gazette will have failed to notice an apparent upsurge in gun crime this high season. This is perhaps…
-
Phuket Sports: New Laguna triathlon
PHUKET: Challenge Family recently announced a partnership with Asia’s longest running triathlon, Laguna Phuket Triathlon (LPT), and in so doing, revealed its commitment to developing a series of half and full distance events throughout the region. LPT has been attracting the sport’s legends to the stunning tropical island for two decades. In 2013 it will celebrate its 20th anniversary with…
-
Phuket van driver rewarded for returning tourist’s lost B124k
PHUKET: A Phuket tour driver has received high praise from the governor for returning 124,000 baht and US$433* that an Indonesian tourist left behind in his tour van.Sarawut Sompan, 24, works for the Sai Lom Club van team in Chalong. On Thursday night, he picked up two tourists, Indonesian and Thai, at the Phuket Merlin Hotel in Phuket Town and…
-
National corruption probe into police housing arrives in Phuket
PHUKET: Royal Thai Police Department of Special Investigation (DSI) Director-General Tharit Pengdit arrived in Phuket yesterday as part of his investigation into the stalled construction of 163 police housing apartment blocks across the country.With him was Government Spokesman Prompong Nopparit, who is also vice president of a parliamentary anti-corruption committee set up by Pheu Thai.“We will be looking at the…
-
Phuket Sports: Taekwondo tourney proves a knockout
PHUKET: The inaugural Phuket International Choi Yong Seok Taekwondo Championship was held at the Saphan Indoor Sports Complex last weekend, starting with the mandatory Gangnam Style dance. The event attracted more than 1,500 competitors from Thailand, Korea, Russia, Kuwait and Australia, among others. Traditionally held in Bangkok, the organizer, and Thailand’s national taekwondo coach, Choi Yong Seok, says he wanted…
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.