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 Is private health insurance in Thailand worth it? Real costs vs risks explained
Thailand has a strong healthcare system with both public and private options. Public hospitals offer affordable care, but many people, including expats, choose private health insurance for faster service, modern facilities, and more treatment choices. To decide if private health...
-
Nigeria’s Boko Haram threatens to sell kidnapped schoolgirls
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Nigeria’s Boko Haram threatens to sell kidnapped schoolgirls Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The leader of Boko Haram on Monday threatened to sell more than 200 schoolgirls his Islamist militant group kidnapped in northeastern Nigeria last month. Boko Haram militants stormed an all-girl secondary school in…
-
Thailand News: Big quake rocks north; Crowds honor HM The King; D-Day for Yingluck
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Big quake rocks North The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: People in Chiang Rai’s Phan district ran out of their homes and buildings in panic as ground in the far North shook during a 6.1-magnitude earthquake yesterday. The quake was so strong it could be felt…
-
Video Report: Phuket police extortion charges true, PACC says
PHUKET: The Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) has proposed that two Chalong Police officers be charged for the extortion of members of the dive community following the conclusion of their investigation in Phuket (story here). “We have collected enough evidence to prove that the allegations of extortion filed by 41 members of the Phuket dive industry are true,” said PACC…
-
Phuket police recover 100,000 baht of sea fan jewelry
PHUKET: A man smuggling sea fan jewelry into Phuket was arrested at Phuket’s main bus station yesterday afternoon. Acting on a tip-off, police apprehended Sarayut Maneerat, 39, at about 1pm, when he got off a bus from Krabi. Officers found 111 pieces of jewelry made from sea fans, a protected marine animal, in his backpack. The items included 102 bracelets,…
-
Wanted Phuket woman arrested for stealing 52 cars
PHUKET: A woman wanted for car theft since 2012, with outstanding arrest warrants in every district of Phuket, was arrested yesterday in Cherng Talay after being recognized by police. “Sukanya Chanthanarak, 40, had five arrest warrants in Cherng Talay alone. Her face was familiar to area police,” said Lt Col Sommai Onkham of the Cherng Talay Police. Ms Sukanya rented…
-
Women’s tennis star succumbs to liver cancer
PHUKET: Former British women’s number one Elena Baltacha has died at the age of 30 from liver cancer, the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA)announced on Sunday. “The news of the death of Elena Baltacha, one of the shining lights of British women’s tennis of recent generations, is devastating to everyone who has ever had the privilege to know her, play against…
-
Surf’s up in Khao Lak
PHUKET: After crossing the bridge off the island, the sense of immediacy, impatience and the hustle and bustle of Phuket fades quickly. The pace of life slows to what is expected of a tropical island. Dozens of people experienced this as they made their way to Khao Lak for the first annual Khao Lak Surf Competition last weekend. They drove…
-
Thailand News: EC prepares for July 20 poll; Village chiefs free Defence HQ; Huge turtle haul at Bangkok airport
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community EC to push ahead with plan for poll The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The Election Commission is pushing ahead with plans for a national election on July 20 and is set to draft a Royal Decree to begin the process, after a proposal by opposition…
-
Krabi Kayaking competition underway
PHUKET: The Krabi-Enlive Sea Kayak Thailand Championship and the 3rd Sea Kayak Asian Cup are under way. The two events were organized to enable canoeing and water enthusiasts to showcase their skills, to raise awareness of ecotourism, and to help cultivate a culture of sustainable tourism in Krabi, said TAT Governor Thawatchai Arunyik. “These fun events are being held to…
-
Policing a Protestocracy
PHUKET: Few stories in recent memory better reflect the collective failure of local police to maintain law and order than the recent blockade of Thepkrasattri Road by residents of Thalang (story here). The closure paralyzed traffic in the north of the island for more than eight hours, inconveniencing untold thousands of visitors – many of whom will never choose to…
-
Time for a resolution checkup
PHUKET: The Thai New Year has come and gone, and I can’t help but think about the resolutions I made for my own new year in January. For Westerners like me, the half-year point is quickly approaching and thoughts of resolutions made in good faith on January 1 are probably a distant memory. As I stared into the face of…
-
Public transport and closing legal loopholes critical, says Phuket’s new Senator
Phuket Senator Chaiyot Punyawai, 47, officially became Senator of Phuket on April 10. A graduate in law from Ramkhamhaeng University and now studying for his master’s in law, Senator Chaiyot works in a local law firm and is the president of the Phuket branch of the Lawyers Council of Thailand. Here, Mr Chaiyot talks about the role of senators and…
-
Italian man found hanged in Patong
PHUKET: The body of an Italian man was found hanged from a rooftop steel bar at the Happy Apartment building in Baan Nanai Patong yesterday. Roberto Becchetti, 46, was last seen in the building carrying a coil of nylon rope about two hours before his body was discovered in a narrow gap between the apartment building and the building next…
-
Leaders from paradise isles to meet in Phuket ahead of ITOP forum
PHUKET: Island leaders from around the world will arrive in Phuket at the end of the month in order to prepare for their 18th annual forum, to take place at the Laguna Phuket resort complex in August. The group, called the Inter-Island Tourism Policy Forum (ITOP), formed in 1997 after officials of Jeju, Bali, Hainan and Okinawa agreed that leaders…
-
Phuket Employment office to hold seminar on dive professionals’ work permits
PHUKET: The Phuket Employment Office (PPEO) will be holding an eight-hour seminar on May 22 at the Royal Phuket City Hotel in Phuket Town to clarify regulations and work permits for dive professionals. The seminar comes as a Public-sector Anti Corruption Commission (PACC) team continues its investigation into allegations that Chalong Police used legal loopholes in work permits to extort…
-
Taiwanese tourist drowns at Koh Yao Yai, off Phuket
PHUKET: A Taiwanese tourist drowned at Koh Yao Yai yesterday after waves pulled him out to sea. Chung-Hsin Lu, 64, was swimming with a friend at about 2pm when the pair started struggling in deep water. Bystanders were able to rescue Mr Lu’s friend, but Mr Lu disappeared below the surface and could not be found, says a Kusoldharm rescue…
-
Five in ATM skimming network arrested in Phuket
PHUKET: Five foreigners believed to be part of a skimming network stretching across Thailand were arrested in possession of multiple credit cards under different names and 700,000 baht in cash yesterday. Three were caught in the process of skimming an ATM in Karon. The other two were apprehended as they were allegedly attempting to evade officers. The men were named…
-
Police rescue driver from mob after two killed at Phuket’s ‘hundred bodies curve’
PHUKET: Police yesterday quickly whisked away the driver of a six-wheeled truck that killed two people and injured four others at Phuket’s notorious “100 bodies curve” on Chao Fa West Road, to spare him from the wrath of an angry mob. Uthai Pilaput told police that he was heading northbound at about midday when he lost control on the wet…
-
Black market coral trade takes hit as police seize more than 600 live samples in Phuket
PHUKET: Chalong Police are hunting coral poachers who abandoned a long-tail boat containing more than 600 illegally cut pieces of coral that were destined for the black market. Officers rushed to the scene yesterday morning after being tipped off by locals who had watched the suspects carry the coral ashore. Locals told officers that the suspects were waiting to meet…
-
Win a free flight with the Gazette Reader Survey 2014
PHUKET: In the 20 years since our launch on May 4, 1994, the Phuket Gazette has evolved from a 12-page monthly, hand delivered by its founder to Phuket’s then tiny expat community, into the 80-page weekly that it is today as part of the island’s leading multimedia news organization. We’ve been here for our readers through natural disasters, coups, booming…
-
Ukraine attacks rebel city, helicopter shot down
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Ukraine attacks rebel city, helicopter shot down Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Ukrainian forces attacked the rebel-held city of Slaviansk before dawn on Friday and pro-Russia separatists shot down at least one attack helicopter, killing a pilot, in a sharp escalation of the conflict. Describing the…
-
Australian police minister resigns over corruption inquiry
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Australian police minister resigns over corruption inquiry Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The police minister of Australia’s most populous state resigned on Friday after being linked to a plot to illegally funnel political donations from a property development group owned by embattled Australian tycoon Nathan Tinkler.…
-
Video Report: Phuket farmers gearing up for National Goat Fair
PHUKET: Local farmers are gearing up for the 11th annual National Goat Fair, which will be held in Cherng Talay from May 23-25. The fair will provide an opportunity for farmers to exchange knowledge, learn from experts and showcase their products. “The main goal of the event is to urge goat farmers to continue developing better breeding techniques to maximize…
-
Former Phuket art teacher, turned alcoholic, found dead at public park
PHUKET: A former art teacher at Phuket Rajabhat University was found dead near the new indoor sports stadium in Saphan Hin yesterday. The body of Prasit Songkramma, 57, was found at about 2pm by Ngaojai Kusuya, a 50-year-old cleaner at the stadium. “At this stage we believed he died from heatstroke and, from what we have learned, he was an…
-
Malaysia releases missing plane report, reveals confusion
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Malaysia releases missing plane report, reveals confusion Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Malaysia on Thursday released its most comprehensive account yet of what happened to missing Flight MH370, in a preliminary report that detailed the route the plane probably took as it veered off course and…
-
Pro-Russians storm prosecutor’s office in Ukraine’s Donetsk
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Pro-Russians storm prosecutor’s office in Ukraine’s Donetsk Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Pro-Russian protesters stormed the prosecutor’s office in the separatist-held city of Donetsk on Thursday, hurling rocks, firecrackers and teargas at riot police defending officials the rebels accused of working for Kiev’s Western-backed leaders. To…
-
Thailand News: Lese Majeste upheld; Thailand slammed over Rohingya; DSI seeks to arrest 58 protest leaders
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Appeals Court upholds lese majeste sentence The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The Appeals Court yesterday upheld a two-year lese majeste prison sentence against Jeng Dokjik for his speech during a red-shirt rally on March 29, 2010. The court said the sentence would not be suspended…
-
Road-rage bus driver lynched, stabbed
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Road-rage bus driver lynched, stabbed The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A bus driver was lynched and fatally stabbed after he allegedly stole a minibus and crashed into 12 vehicles – including four taxies, a motorcycle and a fruit-vending cart – during a road-rage incident in…
-
Cambodian police find body believed to be missing Canadian journalist
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Cambodian police find body believed to be missing Canadian journalist Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Cambodian police discovered a body on Thursday thought to be that of being missing Canadian journalist and author Dave Walker who disappeared in February, police and friend of Walker’s said. Veteran…
-
China bombing: Two attackers among three killed
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Two attackers among three killed in China bombing Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Two of the assailants who carried out a bombing in western China were among the three people killed, state media said on Thursday, in an attack which also wounded 79 and has raised…
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.