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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More Phuket drownings ‘inevitable’
KARON, PHUKET: In the wake of the drowning of a Russian man at Karon Beach in Phuket, a local leader has warned that “more will die in the days to come.” Karon village chief Winai Chitchiew said more drownings were inevitable because beach guards were under-equipped, underpaid and couldn’t guarantee tourists’ safety. At least 10 people have drowned off Karon Beach…
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Phuket surprise: Massive fee hikes for work permits mooted
PHUKET: The Phuket Gazette has learned that recent rumors of substantial increases in work permit fees may be well-founded. Discussions are underway in the Department of Employment that could once again lead to massive hikes in these annual fees. The current fee for a new work permit, or renewal of a one-year permit, is 3,000 baht. The office of Thanawan…
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Two more sick turtles found in Phuket
KATA, PHUKET: Two stricken turtles have been found in Phuket over the past two days. Fishermen found an injured olive ridley turtle missing its front-right flipper floating in the sea off Kata Beach yesterday evening. Dr Patcharaporn Kaewmong, a Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) vet, said the turtle was hit by a boat motor, severing the flipper. The roughly 15-year-old…
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Dr Preecha returns to Phuket
PHUKET CITY: An old Phuket hand made a welcome return to the island on Saturday when former governor Preecha Ruangjan opened a new OTOP fair at Central Festival Phuket. The ‘All Thailand OTOP/OPOP Festival’ features products from 14 different provinces around the country. Dr Preecha was representing Phitsanulok province, which he now governs. Dr Preecha was governor of Phuket for…
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OPINION: Is xenophobia damaging Phuket’s prosperity?
A recent front page story in the Bangkok Post claiming foreigners control 90 percent of Phuket’s beach land through Thai nominees stopped many expats in their tracks.The truth of the claim – by the authors of a new study into foreign land ownership in Thailand – is difficult to verify.The authors of the research, a team from Sukhothai Thammathirat Open…
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Minister went missing off Phuket, now back safely
PHUKET: A government vice-minister fell foul of the terrible weather conditions currently spoiling many a tourist’s Phuket vacation when the speedboat returning him from Koh Racha Yai to Phuket got lost in the rain yesterday. Commerce Vice Minister Veerasak Jinarat’s boat set out at around noon. Shortly afterwards, the Immigration officer steering the boat reportedly became confused because of the…
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Patong mayor helps fill the gap
PATONG, PHUKET: A large sinkhole which opened up on the route from Phuket City to Patong following torrential rain last night received quick attention thanks to the vigilance of one Patong Municipal official. The mayor of Patong himself, Pian Keesin, happened to be heading down Phra Baramee Road towards Patong at about 5pm – just as the surface of the…
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Phuket Yamu back on track
PHUKET: Construction of the stalled Yamu Hotel and Residences development on the East coast of Phuket is set to restart later this year. The revival of the über-luxury development is the result of a new partnership between the project’s developer Campbell Kane and Evolution Capital PCL, which is listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET). Construction is expected to…
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FIFA president to open Phuket football center
PHUKET: FIFA President Joseph ‘Sepp’ Blatter is set to visit Phuket next month as part of a whistle-stop three-day visit to Thailand. Mr Blatter will travel to Phuket on September 15 to participate in the grand opening ceremony of the Tsunami Memorial Football Center with Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop. Built at the Baan Ao Nam Bor School near Ao Makham,…
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Weekend washout forecast for Phuket
PHUKET CITY: Those hoping to spend this weekend basking in sunshine on Phuket’s beaches will be disappointed, if the Met’s predictions are anything to go by. The weekend is expected to be a washout. Chokchai Patarayongphaisarn, a Phuket Meteorological Department forecaster, predicted the heavy rain pouring down over Phuket would continue until Wednesday. And there was worse news to come.…
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Best Western enters Laguna Phuket
PHUKET: Hotel chain Best Western has been signed to manage the Allamanda phase 2 and 3 condo hotel, which is to be re-branded as the Best Western Laguna Phuket Resort. A re-launch of the hotel will be in place by October. With 120 keys in their rental pool, the property will complement a number of other flagged Best Western hotels…
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Phuket police bust fish poaching ring
RAWAI, PHUKET: Phuket Marine Police officers busted a tropical fish poaching ring on Tuesday, seizing hundreds of valuable aquarium fish and coral blooms from a house in Rawai. Police said the owner of the house, Suthee Sirisaringkarn, hired local fishermen to illegally catch the fish, many of which were worth up to 2,000 baht each. Around 200 living coral blooms…
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Phuket practices for protests
PHUKET: About 1,300 police officers battled it out with ‘protesters’ near Phuket International Airport this afternoon in a mock riot as part of a regional security drill. The simulated riot was a scripted scenario in which a mob of about 400 protesters aimed to force the closure of Phuket’s airport, protesting against construction of a casino in Phuket. The protesters…
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New condos set to tempt Phuket’s golfers
KATHU, PHUKET: The 61-unit Green Golf Residence Condominiums are located in Kathu, in the heart of Phuket. They’re complemented by a full array of facilities and provide easy access to Phuket’s international schools, shopping centers and hospitals. The complex is a 15-minute drive from Patong. Developed by Tamarind Bay Co., Ltd, work on the project began in December last year…
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Phuket governor dishes out money, advice
PHUKET CITY: After dishing out 156,000 baht in cash to some of the island’s poorest families at a ceremony at the Phuket City Municipal Offices this week, Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop dished out some advice. Phuket’s poor must work harder, stop gambling and not spend so much time watching bird singing contests, the governor told his audience. Otherwise, he said,…
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Phuket governor responds to explosive land claim
PHUKET CITY: The governor of Phuket, Wichai Phraisa-ngop, on Tuesday responded to explosive claims by a Thai research body that foreigners own 90 percent of the island’s beach land. The Thailand Research Foundation announced the results of its research into land ownership at a seminar attended by economics and law scholars last week. The Bangkok Post quoted Siriporn Sajjanont, a member…
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Andaman Sea storms sink Thai bulk-carrier
PHUKET: A Thai bulk-carrier ship transporting millions of baht worth of teak from Burma sank in the Andaman Sea just off Phang Nga province on Sunday. All crew on board the Chart 1 managed to escape on inflatable rafts. Vice Admiral Narong Tesvisarn, Commander of The Third Naval Area Command in Phang Nga, received a distress call from the crew…
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Phuket cultural heritage on display next month
THALANG, PHUKET: The Thalang National Museum will hold a free exhibition of antique beads from Phuket and around the Andaman region next month. The museum will display jewelery owned by collectors from around the South, including Phuket, Surat Thani and Krabi. The exhibits, which are hundreds of years old, will not be for sale, but visitors will be able to…
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OPINION: Do foreigners really own 90% of Phuket’s beach front?
PHUKET: The front page story in today’s Bangkok Post which quotes a leading research body as saying foreigners own 90% of Phuket’s beach front land has certainly struck a sour note against foreign ownership of land in Thailand. The study, which was put together by the Thailand Research Fund, quotes a professor from Sukhothai Thammathirat University who says these holdings…
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Phuket’s sea gypsies face strict regime to repay debt
RAWAI, PHUKET: Many Moken sea gypsies living in a village close to Rawai Beach are still heavily in debt to violent loan sharks, despite the actions of a community organization which paid off more than half a million baht’s worth of their debts earlier this month. Now, the villagers have agreed to strict new rules aimed at helping them pay…
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Power cuts in Phuket tomorrow
PHUKET CITY: The Phuket Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) has announced there will be power cuts in some areas of the island tomorrow between 9am and 4pm. The cuts are required so maintenance on high-voltage wires can be carried out. Affected areas will include: Chao Fah West Road, east of Phuket Power Distribution Control Center 2, Thinawut Village Project 2, Thinawut…
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Phuket tsunami drill a success: Suthep
PHUKET: Phuket’s tsunami warning towers sounded the alert yesterday morning, sending crowds running down Soi Bangla to the higher ground further inshore. The exercise was all part of a full-scale tsunami warning and evacuation drill, which Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban pronounced a resounding success. “This will help tourists trust our tsunami warning system and encourage them to return to…
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Phuket to become AirAsia regional hub
PHUKET CITY: Thai AirAsia will begin direct flight services to Phuket from several new major cities in the region starting by the end of the year, the low-cost carrier has announced. AirAsia will base five aircraft at Phuket International Airport as part of its plan to establish Phuket as an aviation hub, Thai AirAsia CEO Tassapon Bijleveld told a press…
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Phuket’s ‘Coral Reef Squadron’ 90% destroyed: TDA
PHUKET CITY: Phuket’s ‘Coral Reef Squadron’ sunk off Bang Tao Bay last November is 90 percent missing or destroyed, the Thai Dive Association admitted today. Rainer Gottwald, head of the Thai Dive Association (TDA) technical committee, said TDA divers visited the site on Wednesday and were only able to find one of the 10 aircraft that formed the artificial reef.…
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Phuket tsunami evacuation drill this morning
PHUKET CITY: There will be a a full-scale tsunami warning and evacuation exercise in Phuket this morning starting at 10am, the National Disaster Warning Center (NDWC) has announced.The drill, to run until 12 noon, will also be conducted in Phang-Nga, Krabi, Ranong, Trang, and Satun provinces. This is only a drill. Warning tower alarms will go off in all participating areas. The Phuket exercises…
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Phuket’s men of the cloth in plastic purgatory
PHUKET CITY: With the landfill at Saphan Hin continuing to pile up at the alarming rate of about 300 tonnes of waste per day, the provincial government hopes a new campaign promoting the use of cloth bags will help cut down the waste stream until a second incinerator is completed. The island’s sole incinerator, built and operated by Phuket City…
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“Lovely Road, Lovely Phuket’ project launched
WICHIT, PHUKET: Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop presided over a tree-planting ceremony along the new road from Wichit to Kathu on Tuesday morning. Dubbed the ‘Lovely Roads, Lovely Phuket’ project, the initiative is one of many around the island in recent weeks marking the birthday of HM Queen Sirikit on August 12. Also in attendance was Senator Phummisak Hongyok, whose Anuphas Vividhkran…
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Mangroves planted in Phuket to honor HM The Queen
PA KHLOK, PHUKET: More than 200 villagers took part in a mangrove planting ceremony in Phuket yesterday to mark the birthday of HM Queen Sirikit. The event was organized by the Pa Khlok Tambon Administration Organization and presided over by its president, Atipong Kongnam. Also taking part were students from the Weerasatri Anusorn Primary School, Phuket Panyanukul School for special…
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Dangerous dogs rounded up in Phuket City
PHUKET CITY: Phuket City vets rounded up a group of vicious stray dogs at a temple today following complaints that the dogs were biting worshipers and killing local cats. Phuket City Municipality veterinarian Boonsom Roongudom and two helpers took away at least 10 dangerous dogs from the grounds of Wat Langsarn in Phuket City this morning. The dogs were taken…
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Asean summit venue to be finalized on Monday
PHUKET CITY: Confusion reigns over the siting of the Asean Summit scheduled for October 23 to 25, with Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva telling the state-run Thai News Agency that the venue site will not be finalized until next Monday. Mr Abhisit said yesterday that the agencies involved will meet on August 24 to consider the timetable and venue for the…
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