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.
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Phuket Gazette: National tourism update
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PM demands action to ease congestion at Suvarnabhumi Phuket Gazette / The Nation PHUKET: Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra yesterday ordered agencies to expedite measures to alleviate the congestion at Suvarnabhumi Airport. After inspecting the problem-plagued Bangkok airport, PM Yingluck said a committee would be formed to…
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Phuket Gazette: Thai sports news
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Thai Premier League can follow in EPL’s footsteps: Everton chief Phuket Gazette / The Nation PHUKET: The Thai Premier League could one day become as successful as the English Premier League (EPL), but the country has to be patient, Everton’s chief executive officer Robert Elstone said…
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Phuket poll: Will Patong “safety zone’ plan reduce tourist complaints?
PHUKET: Deputy National Police Gen Pansiri Prapawat recently announced a bold “Safety Zone” plan for Patong under which strict law enforcement would help reduce tourist issues related to tuk-tuks, jet-skis and personal safety – including assaults on tourists. What do you think will be the effect of this in the long-term? To have your say in Phuket’s most popular online…
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Pickup crashes into Phuket beer garden, 8 injured
PHUKET: Eight people were injured and numerous vehicles damaged when an out-of-control pickup truck full of Burmese workers slammed full force into a restaurant on Monday night. At about 10pm, Phuket City Police were informed of an accident at the River Beer Garden on Pracha Uthit 1 Road, which runs parallel to the bypass road in Rassada subdistrict. Police led…
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Man found dead floating in the sea with 13 stab wounds
PHUKET: Police believe the stab-riddled body of a man recovered in the waters off of the Rassada Fishing Port this morning is that of a Burmese fisherman. Phuket City Police at 7.30am received a report from staff at the Por Phichainava Company Pier, off Sri Sena Road in Rassada, about a body floating face-down just offshore. Led by Lt Col…
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Hand Foot and Mouth disease – Kingdom on alert
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Hand Foot and Mouth disease – Kingdom on alert Phuket Gazette / The Nation PHUKET: According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP) in the US Hand Foot and Mouth disease (HFMD) usually affects infants and children younger than 5-years-old, though it can sometimes…
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Counterfeit luggage bagged in Phuket
PHUKET: Customs Department investigators on Sunday intercepted a shipment of counterfeit luggage with an estimated street value of more than 900,000 baht, but no arrests were made. At a press conference held at the Port Customs House yesterday, Phuket Investigation and Suppression Unit chief Jaroen Chamnigarn revealed that 351 copies of famous brand-name suitcases and bags were recovered in an…
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Phuket Raceweek is ready to set sail
PHUKET: Cape Panwa Hotel Phuket Raceweek 2012 opens its doors tomorrow with a glittering first night party, sponsored by Mount Gay Rum, followed by the start of racing Thursday morning in what is forecast to be perfect ‘champagne sailing’ conditions. Coming into its ninth year Phuket Raceweek comprises of four days of world-class yacht racing and four nights of beachside…
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Thailand News: Cristiano Ronaldo has a special message for Thai fans
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Holidaying Cristiano Ronaldo has special message for Thai fans Phuket Gazette / The Nation PHUKET: A sun-tanned Christiano Ronaldo delivered sweet lines for Thai fans after renewing a multi-million baht contract to represent Toyota Hilux Vigo Champ as its brand ambassador yesterday. Over 300 journalists descended…
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Crackdown on illegal loan sharks called for
PHUKET: A Rassada Municipality council member called for a crackdown on loan sharks after his brother was attacked and brutally beaten by a group of armed men he claims were hired by illegal moneylenders. Rassada Municipality council member Chainarong Pillavas and his brother Suthipong Pillavas, who claims to have been attacked by some 20 thugs hired by the loanshark, made…
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Phuket Live Wire: Why the Internet died
PHUKET: It is my sad duty to report to you how and why the Internet died last Monday (July 9). The DNSChanger virus took down the internet, and I for one will lament its passing. All of the major news sources warned you about it. Huffington Post said, “The end is nigh, according to the FBI. Internet Doomsday will strike…
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Chinese snorkeler saved in chopper rescue is recovering
PHUKET: The Chinese snorkeler who was found face-down and unconscious in the water off Koh Racha Yai, just one day after the Royal Thai Navy opened a helipad at Koh Racha Yai, is recovering well. The facility was used to airlift the unconscious Chinese tourist back to the main island for emergency medical treatment. The Third Naval Area Command received…
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Nong Som cremated
PHUKET: Sunisa “Nong Som” Saiyoy, 17, who was strangled to death in her home on July 10, was cremated yesterday at Wat Tai. Family members, classmates from Wichit Songkram School, Chalong Mayor Samran Jindapol and Chalong Municipality council members attended the afternoon ceremony. At the ceremony Khaneung Saiyoy, Nong Som’s father, thanked the police for quickly finding the killer Kittikhun…
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Phuket Gazette: HFMD blamed for deaths in Cambodia
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Hand, foot and mouth disease blamed for 54 deaths in Cambodia Phuket Gazette / News Wires PHUKET: A severe form of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) is believed to have been responsible for the deaths of more than 50 children in Cambodia in recent months,…
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More parking, CCTV for Phuket Bus Terminal 2
PHUKET: The committee responsible for operation of Phuket Bus Terminal 2 say the station will soon get additional parking and CCTV cameras. The announcement came following a meeting on Thursday of the ten-person committee that oversees operation of the station, which opened in April this year, 28 months after it was completed. Phuket Land Transport Office (PLTO) chief Teerayut Prasertpol…
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Tawee Thongcham re-elected Karon Mayor
PHUKET: The preliminary vote count in yesterday’s Karon Municipality elections shows that Tawee Thongcham has been re-elected as Karon Mayor, with 2,388 votes from the 3,929 voters who showed at the polls. Mr Tawee’s only opponent in the election, Narong Natang, secured 1,345 of the votes. Yesterday’s result marked Mr Tawee’s third successive win as Karon’s mayor. Almost 73 per…
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Phuket Deep Sea Port ‘not deep enough’
PHUKET: In an effort to kick-start the stalled Phuket Deep Sea Port expansion project, the head of the local Marine Department Office escorted representatives from two major cruise line companies to a meeting with Governor Tri Augkaradacha on July 12 to discuss the problems encountered by large ships using the facility. Located at Cape Panwa, the deep sea port has…
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Phuket Business: Google extending online reach for local businesses
PHUKET: Celebrating its inaugural year and 100,000 new businesses online, Google Thailand’s ‘Thai Businesses Go Online’ program (TBGO) has paved the way for the next stage in the evolution of an economically prosperous online ecosystem. Highlighting TBGO’s success, the IT and Marketing mega-icon’s country office reported that it has attracted more than 100,000 participants nationwide in a year – far…
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Phuket Sports: Thailand’s Olympic hopefuls
PHUKET: Since the arrival of the Olympic Torch in the United Kingdom during May, anticipation for the games has continued to grow. The torch is being carried across the UK by around 8,000 people ranging from athletes such as Sir Steve Redgrave, local people and celebrities. The torch will finish its 70 day relay by lighting the flame that will…
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Toyota races back to Phuket
PHUKET: The Toyota Motor Sport Series is set to return to Phuket with organizers hoping to repeat the resounding success of last year’s edition. This year’s program was announced last week at a press conference held at the Royal Phuket City Hotel. Presiding over the conference were Phuket V/Gov Sommai Prijasilpa and Vice Director of Toyota Motor Thailand Company Nikorn…
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Phuket FC scorched by ‘Fire Power’, Joksic resigns
PHUKET: Serbian national Milos Joksic has resigned from his post as Phuket FC head coach, with a former Thai national team defender expected to fill in the vacancy immediately. First reported in Thai language on the Nok Sanarm website, the announcement comes at the climax of a tiring week marked by three back to back losses – the last two…
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Harsher sentencing the best approach to violent crime: Phuket poll
PHUKET: Readers see harsher sentences for convicted criminals as the best deterrent to violent crime in Phuket, the results of the latest Phuket Gazette online readers poll revealed. The poll was launched in the wake of a particularly heinous crime that rocked the island last month: the slaying of Australian travel agent Michelle Smith in Kata. Given these crimes and…
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Phuket Opinion: Journalistic ethics cannot be digitized
PHUKET: One memorable scene from the 1939 classic The Wizard of Oz is the moment when Toto pulls back the curtain to reveal that the “mighty and all-powerful Oz” is no more than an ordinary man who, by circumstances beyond his control, finds himself thrust into a position of power that he never sought or wanted. This revelation may come…
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Phuket mob bays for blood at ‘Nong Som’ murder reenactment
PHUKET: There was a wild scene in a normally quiet Phuket suburb this morning, where more than 60 security officers were needed to prevent an irate crowd from lynching the man who murdered 17-year-old Sunisa “Nong Som” Saiyoy on Tuesday. Confessed killer Kittikhun Wonghajak arrived at the home of the late Nong Som at 10am today under the protection of…
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Phuket Sports: F1 – A quick look back
PHUKET: The next race will be at the Hockenheimring and will mark the half way point of the F1 season, so it’s a good time to sit back and review where everyone is. At the start of the season, McLaren looked unbeatable except by error. They seemed exhausted by Silverstone. Why? Because Ferrari and Red Bull had upgraded their aerodynamics,…
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‘Creative Tourism’ seminar in Phuket next week
PHUKET: In preparation for the measures of the Asean Economic Community (AEC) set to take effect in less than three years, the Phuket Tourist Association (PTA) will host a seminar on Friday, July 20 to promote sustainable tourism under the concept of “creative tourism”. Among the distinguished guests invited to speak are former Bangkok Governor and current Democrat Party deputy…
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Bus from Phuket to Narathiwat crashes in Phang Nga
PHUKET: A tour bus full of school directors from Narathiwat province overturned in Phang Nga late this morning, causing numerous injuries, but fortunately no deaths. The bus was en route to Krabi when the accident occurred on a sharp curve known locally as “Chong Kub Tha Yu“, located on the road from Lo Yung to Tha Yu in Takua Thung…
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B500 million Phuket Historical Park approval given
PHUKET: The approval for the 500 million baht Phuket Historical Park project was announced in a meeting at Provincial Hall on Tuesday. The project, which is to be established on 96 rai of land in Thalang, will be managed by the Public Works, and Town and Country Planning, Phuket Office with the cooperation of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports,…
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Full budget for Chalong hospital project unlikely to materialize
PHUKET: The mayor of Chalong handed a formal letter of complaint to Public Health Minister Witthaya Buranasiri for the ministry’s failure to provide 186 million baht in funding for the establishment of a new hospital. The financial package, provisionally agreed to by the Cabinet at the mobile meeting on Phuket in March, was to turn the “Chalong Health Promoting Station”…
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Drug-addicted thief confesses to murder of Phuket teen “Nong Som’
PHUKET: Security is expected to be very tight in Chalong this morning, when police and the confessed drug-addicted killer of 17-year-old Sunisa “Som” Saiyoy re-enact the brutal strangling, attempted rape and robbery that took place on Tuesday. Confessed murderer Kittikhun Wonghajak, who goes by multiple aliases including “Aek”, “Mac” and “Goong”, told the press yesterday that he did not intentionally…
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