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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Monk kills monk
PHUKET: A monk was stabbed to death after boasting that the talismans (amulets) hanging from his neck made his skin impenetrable to weapons. Phra Sunantha Phongsu-wan, 44, died in hospital earlier this month from a single stab wound to his chest. Witnesses reported that the previous evening Phra Sunantha and his friend Phra Sathien Khamphira, 55, had been at Samnak…
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Doctor gunned down in Phuket Town
PHUKET TOWN: A well known doctor was gunned down in a drive-by killing outside his own clinic in Phuket Town today. Police found the body of Dr Somchai Wongbunterng, 47, on the sidewalk outside Somchai International Clinic on Wichit Songkhram Road in Phuket Town around midday. He had been shot in the head. Phuket City Police Deputy Commander Komol Wattraporn…
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Aussie tourist on Phuket drugs rap
CHALONG, PHUKET: An Australian tourist was one of five drug suspects paraded by Chalong Police at a press conference in Phuket yesterday afternoon. Richard Beaver, 28, was allegedly caught with 0.9 grams of dry marijuana by police on Tuesday night. Mr Beaver was stopped on Soi Samakee 2 off Saiyuan Road at around 11:30pm. The tourist allegedly told police he…
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Phuket bemused as protests fizzle
Phuket NEWS Hound – A daily, pocket-sized packet of news from around the world, compiled by Phuket Gazette reporters for foreigners who want it short, sharp and straight to the point. PHUKET: The mass anti-government rally in Thailand appears to be losing steam. Tens of thousands have returned to their farms. They drew nowhere near the promised million protesters. But…
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Dam fine: Phuket beauty spot gets overhaul
KATHU, PHUKET: Bang Wad Dam, one of Phuket’s most popular leisure spots, is getting a huge overhaul to turn it into a fully fledged recreational park. A project is underway to add a new drainage system, a new bike path, new landscaping and build what is being called “the most beautiful toilet in Phuket.” Overseeing the makeover is Phuket Irrigation…
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News Hound: Protests waning, Phuket remains quiet
Phuket NEWS Hound – A daily, pocket-sized packet of news from around the world, compiled by Phuket Gazette reporters for foreigners who want it short, sharp and straight to the point. PHUKET: Protesters spilled what they say is their own blood at the gates of Thailand’s Government House late yesterday in what canada.com described as “a colourful act of political…
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Phuket’s Ironman to climb Mont Blanc – for local charity
PHUKET: Les Bird’s teeth are clenched, muscles taut and body drenched in sweat as he sprints the last leg of his training hike to the summit of Nakkerd Hill in Chalong. As he heaves off his 40 kilogram bag and glances at his watch, Les scolds himself for finishing his training hike in under an hour. “I need to slow…
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Phuket vaccination drive for cats and dogs
PHUKET : More than 100 injection centers have been set up across the island in a drive to vaccinate Phuket’s dogs and cats against rabies. The livestock office-led campaign began on February 16 and will wrap up April 28. Centers are operating daily except for weekends and public holidays. “Instances of infection in dogs seem to be on the decline,”…
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Norwegian’s nose broken in Phuket punch-up
KATA, PHUKET: A 69-year-old Norwegian tourist sustained a fractured nose and other facial injuries after he was reportedly attacked while enjoying his morning coffee in Phuket on March 12. Kristian Kristiansen claims he was sitting on the porch of his ground floor room at Moon Shine Apartments in Kata when he was approached by a leather-clad Thai man with long…
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Phuket NEWS Hound: Protest Updates
Phuket NEWS Hound – A daily, pocket-sized packet of news from around the world, compiled by Phuket Gazette reporters for foreigners who want it short, sharp and straight to the point. Thai Prime Minister won’t step down PHUKET: Thai PM Abhisit Vejjajiva appeared on national television yesterday to reject a demand from demonstrators that he resign by midday and call…
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Phuket tourism industry unfazed
PHUKET: The tourism industry in Phuket has not been affected by the red shirt protests in Bangkok, according to the vice president of the Phuket Tourist Association. Mr Krisada Tansakul said the island-wide hotel occupancy rate is at about 65%. “That’s good compared to the March rate last year,” he said. “Patong is faring especially well with a rate of…
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FC Phuket top of the league
PHUKET: FC Phuket are top of Division Two (southern section) after an emphatic 2-0 victory over previous league leaders Satun Utd on Saturday. Even more encouraging for FC Phuket fans – who turned out in record numbers to support their team at Surakul Stadium – was the manner of the performance, with the Sea Kirin dominating the game from start…
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OPINION: Lack of lifeguards intolerable
PHUKET: When it comes to showing visitors a good time, Phuket is hard to beat. But when it comes to keeping them safe, the verdict has to be: ‘Must try harder’. Much has been written recently about the ongoing carnage on the island’s roads, but during the high season now ending we’ve heard less about Phuket’s second most prolific killer,…
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Body identification easier after Phuket tsunami
Phuket NEWS Hound – A daily, pocket-sized packet of news from around the world, compiled by Phuket Gazette reporters for foreigners who want it short, sharp and straight to the point. PHUKET: The slow body identification process that occurred in Phuket after the 2004 tsunami has motivated researchers in Perth to build a database of skeletons to help identify bodies…
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Phuket calm, but red shirts alarm Bangkok
PHUKET: The Thai government will likely enforce a state-of-emergency decree today to cope with the escalating security problem in Bangkok after tens of thousands of provincial protesters arrived in the capital yesterday. A state of emergency, which would be on top of the current implementation of the Internal Security Act (ISA), would empower the military to fully take charge of…
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Phuket caddies end protest
KATHU, PHUKET: Some 200 golf caddies at the Loch Palm golf course in Phuket have ended a two-day protest over the dismissal of their ‘caddy master’. Most are now back to work. The women, who began their sit-in protest at 4:30am on Thursday, originally insisted they would not return to work at the course in Kathu until the man was…
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Readers’ Poll: Majority drink and drive in Phuket
PHUKET TOWN: A majority of Phuket Gazette readers have operated a motor vehicle in Phuket while under the influence of alcohol, according to the latest readers’ poll. A total of 844 readers cast votes in the survey. Overall, 36.7% of readers have driven under the influence “many times”, while just over 32% have done so “a few times”. Roughly the…
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March blood drive in Phuket
PHUKET TOWN: The Phuket Chapter of the Thai Red Cross Society has announced the following dates and times for its mobile donation clinics for March: March 16 (1pm to 4pm): Banthai Beach Resort & Spa, Patong March 18 (1pm to 4pm): Andaman Cannacia Resort & Spa, Kata March 19 (1pm to 4pm): Diamond Cliff Resort & Spa, Patong March 25…
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Phuket’s Nai Harn buzzing with bikers
RAWAI, PHUKET: Nai Harn Beach was bustling with bikers last night as riders from around Phuket kicked off the first annual Nai Harn Bike Event. The two-day party welcomes all biking enthusiasts and showcases the most impressive motorcycles on the island, whether traditional or modified. Hogs on show include Harley Davidson Choppers, Fat Boys and Heritage Softails, as well as…
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Jazz dinner in Phuket: philanthropy in full swing
PHUKET: Making a special Phuket appearance, the Stockholm Jazz Orchestra hits town for two nights in the last two weeks of March. Performances are scheduled for March 20 at the Adamas Resort and Spa on Nai Yang Beach and March 27 at the Metropole Hotel in Phuket Town. The popular big band orchestra is led by founder and veteran trumpet…
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Phuket cop to end greasy traffic fines
PATONG, PHUKET: In a move sure to win the hearts of foreigners, Patong’s new top police officer says he’ll end the longstanding practice of levying higher traffic fines against tourists and other foreigners than are levied against Thais. Kathu Police Superintendent Arayapan Pukbuakao, who took over from Col Grissak Songmoonnark last month, said traffic fines in Patong were ‘very high’.…
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Tourists to be routed to Phuket
Phuket NEWS Hound – A daily, pocket-sized packet of news from around the world, compiled by Phuket Gazette reporters for foreigners who want it short, sharp and straight to the point. PHUKET: Government sectors have teamed up to create the National Tourist Assistance Center (NTAC) to help tourists during the current mass rally against the government in Bangkok. Conducted by…
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Police enlist public as Phuket’s eyes and ears
PHUKET: Fearing that political groups may try to cause disruptions in Phuket during the red shirt demonstrations in Bangkok, the police are enlisting members of the public as their roving eyes and ears. Through a project called ‘News for Security’, the police are asking citizens to spot suspicious packages and unusual behavior, and to report it to the authorities. This…
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Phuket Chinese cemetery ablaze again
PHUKET TOWN: Firefighters used almost 9,000 liters of water to put out flames that raged in the Chinese cemetery on Rang Hill in Phuket Town today. Ten firefighters in three trucks rushed to the scene after the fire started at about 1pm. It took them around half an hour to bring the inferno under control. Arthit Phromsiri, head of the…
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NEWS Hound: Travel update for Thailand
Phuket NEWS Hound – A daily, pocket-sized packet of news from around the world, compiled by Phuket Gazette reporters for foreigners who want it short, sharp and straight to the point. PHUKET: Government-owned Thai media conglomerate Mcot reports that Bangkok’s major airport Suvarnabhumi has issued an advisory warning passengers check in 3 hours in advance for international flights, and 2…
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Phuket’s new reservoir project: Klong Krata
CHALONG, PHUKET: The Klong Krata Reservoir project has been delayed by several months while the agency responsible awaits approval to use Forest Department land needed for construction. The 600-million-baht project will see the construction of a 25-meter-high dam spanning 730 meters across the existing Klong Krata stream, creating a 430-rai reservoir and recreational area. The Klong Krata catchment area comprises…
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NEWS Hound: New property tax moots exemptions for Phuket
Phuket NEWS Hound – A daily, pocket-sized packet of news from around the world, compiled by Phuket Gazette reporters for foreigners who want it short, sharp and straight to the point. PHUKET: The Fiscal Policy Office has completed drafting a new Land and Building Tax Law which requires owners of non-commercial land and buildings to pay tax of no more…
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No takers for Phuket beach guard contract
PHUKET: Despite sweetening the terms of reference, the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (PPAO) has once again failed to attract a single bidder for the tender to supply lifeguards at the island’s beaches. An officer at the PPAO supply unit yesterday confirmed that although two companies purchased the bid plans, they failed to show at the scheduled bid opening date on…
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NEWS Hound: Phuket to smell good next month
Phuket NEWS Hound – A daily, pocket-sized packet of news from around the world, compiled by Phuket Gazette reporters for foreigners who want it short, sharp and straight to the point. PHUKET: From April 22-26, The Pavilions in Phuket will hold ‘Passion For Perfume’, a unique three-day programme designed specifically for couples to indulge in the sensual pleasures of scent.…
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Frenchman fleeced in Phuket banking bungle
CHALONG, PHUKET: A Frenchman is demanding damages from his Thai bank after it let another man with the same name empty his account of at least 164,000 baht. One day last November, Claude Alfred Francois Marie Prigent walked into the Siam Commercial Bank branch in Chalong and asked for a new ATM card and bank book. The bank obliged. But…
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