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 Do foreigners get free healthcare in Thailand?
Thailand’s healthcare system is well-regarded across Southeast Asia, with options ranging from public hospitals to world-class private facilities. But when it comes to foreign residents or tourists, healthcare access isn’t as straightforward. So, do foreigners get free healthcare in Thailand?...
-
Pedophile Darling released and deported
SCOTLAND: James Fraser Darling, arrested in Phuket five years ago on pedophilia charges, is back in Scotland after being given an early release and being expelled from Thailand, according to the Scottish newspaper, the Daily Record. Darling, 51, was convicted of sexually abusing nine sea gypsy boys aged between eight and 15, and was sentenced to 33 years in jail.…
-
Journalists slam government over press freedom
BANGKOK (AFP): Thai journalists and academics have attacked the government over what they say is an unprecedented attempt to control the press and curtail media freedom, a report said today. At a meeting organised by the Thai Journalists Association, participants accused Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s administration of using its business links and strong mandate to intimidate the media. “Unlike in…
-
HRH Princess Chulabhorn here tomorrow
PHUKET: HRH Princess Chulabhorn Valayalaksana will arrive in Phuket tomorrow (August 16) for a three-day visit, which will include a performance in a concert of traditional Chinese music and dance at the Royal Phuket City hotel in Phuket Town. Her Royal Highness will arrive from Chiangmai at 11:30 tomorrow morning, going first to the Dusit Laguna Resort Hotel and then,…
-
Safari firm ordered to move elephants
RAWAI: Baanchang Safari Phuket was today given until October 1 to remove its 13 elephants from premises next to a local school, or face prosecution. The order was given at a meeting at the offices of the Rawai Tambon Administration Organization (OrBorTor). “Muang Phuket School lodged an official complaint about the elephants and we asked for them to be removed…
-
Thailand and Burma discuss narcotics
CAPE PANWA: High-level talks between top officials from Thailand and Burma on narcotics problems started today at the Cape Panwa Hotel. The two-day meeting, between officials from Thailand’s Office of the Central Narcotics Board and its Burmese counterpart, the Central Committee for Drug Abuse Control, is the fifth such meeting. The venue alternates between the two countries. Gen Thammarak Isarangura,…
-
Call for flood-relief donations
PHUKET TOWN: The Phuket Provincial Public Welfare Office (PPWO) today urged the public to donate water, food, clothing and cash for the thousands of people left homeless by the recent floods in northern Thailand and Isarn. Worst hit in the floods were seven villages in Phetchabun province’s Lom Sak district. Agence France Presse reported this afternoon that 90 corpses have…
-
Environmentalist warns of action over expo center
MAI KHAO: Thanu Naep-nien, spokesperson for the environmentalist group Wildlife Fund Thailand, today warned that action will be taken if protected sea turtles that lay their eggs on Nai Yang Beach, in Sirinart National Park, are affected by the proposed international convention and exhibition center (CEC). “If the site is near Nai Yang beach, it will affect every sea turtle…
-
Christina Aguilar booked for StarAid 2001
CHERNG TALAY: One of Thailand’s most popular singers, Christina Aguilar, will be headlining this years’ StarAid 2001 charity gala dinner, which will be held at the Sheraton Grande Laguna Phuket on September 29. Ms Aguilar will perform two 30-minute sets, accompanied by her own band and four dancers. Also performing will be the Phuket-based Safari Band. In addition to the…
-
Major drug dealers busted
THALANG: Acting on a tip-off, police yesterday arrested Thanakrit Channum and his wife Aroon, and Rorchad Utsaha, and seized 11,720 tablets of ya bah (methampthetamine) with a street vale of around 1.75 million baht. Thalang police had been informed that a lot of ya bah was circulating in Baan Pru Somparn and that one of the traffickers was a police…
-
Murder-suicide in Kuku
PHUKET TOWN: Two bodies were discovered yesterday morning in a rented room on Soi Tah Cheen, Baan Kuku, apparently the victims of a murder-suicide. Pol Lt Kanuang Pitakkulthorn of Phuket Town Police Station told the Gazette that police broke down the door to the room after receiving complaints from neighbors about a bad smell. Inside, they found the body of…
-
International call rates slashed
PHUKET: The Communications Authority of Thailand (CAT) has announced that it has cut its overseas call rates between 7% and 40%. In addition to these savings, those making international calls between 7 am and 9 pm on Sundays receive a further 20% discount. Phone calls to Australia and North America now cost 22 baht a minute at peak rate (between…
-
Phuket chosen for experiment in bureaucracy
PATTAYA: Phuket is one of five provinces chosen for a one-year experiment in bureaucracy that will see them run, not by governors, but by Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) who will have much greater autonomy. At a seminar on bureaucratic reform in Pattaya over the weekend, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra proposed the idea of provincial CEOs with greater flexibility to manage…
-
Expo Center to be at Mai Khao
MAI KHAO: It has now been confirmed that the site for Phuket’s international convention and exhibition center will be a spread of 2,800 rai of state-owned land near the Sirinart National Park on Mai Kao beach, in the north of the island. Local officials confirmed that an inspector from the Interior Ministry was in Phuket today to survey the land.…
-
German tourist drowns at Nai Harn
NAI HARN: Olaf Gerlach, a 30-year-old German tourist, drowned off Nai Harn beach on Wednesday afternoon. Pol Maj Jetsada Sangsuri told the Gazette that a Thai local resident saw Mr Gerlach swimming alone around 4 pm. He was pushed underwater by a large wave and then a current carried him out to sea. The Thai man took a speedboat out…
-
Ex-mayor’s detention extended
PHUKET TOWN: The former mayor of Patong, Dr Anan Ananthanawat, has been remanded in custody for a further 12 days, this time in the Phuket Provincial Prison, while police continue investigations into charges against him. Yesterday, armed with a search warrant, officers took Dr Anan to his house on Mae Luan Rd, Phuket Town. What they found astonished them, said…
-
Thaksin cleared of financial wrongdoing
BANGKOK (AFP): By the tightest of margins, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was this afternoon found not guilty in a historic assets concealment case that threatened to bar him from political office. In a surprise decision, the Constitutional Court’s 15-member panel voted eight to seven to clear Thaksin of the charges. “Thaksin will continue to be prime minister, by a vote…
-
TOT launches B0.50-a-minute service
PHUKET: The Telephone Organization of Thailand (TOT) has raised the bar in its battle against fixed-line and mobile phone rivals by chopping prices for those using its Y-tel 1234 service. It is now offering long-distance calls within Thailand for as little as 50 satang a minute during August and September. The 50-satang charge applies on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays,…
-
Gambling still the No. 1 vice
PHUKET: Gambling remains Phuket’s favorite illegal pastime with 276 people being arrested in 82 raids between July 1 and July 25, according to the latest statistics released by police. Narcotics held the No. 2 spot with a total of 79 arrests for the period, of which 61 involved ya bah (methamphetamine). The statistics show that 781 tablets of the drug…
-
Passenger figures up on last year
PHUKET: Passenger throughput at Phuket International Airport was up in June by 7.56%, compared with the same month last year, according to figures just released by airport officials. The statistics show that 224,178 passengers arrived at or departed from the airport, compared with 208,426 last June. The number of international passengers rose by 9.19% to 98,623, while the number of…
-
National players dominate volleyball contest
SAPHAN HIN: One hundred and thirty-two volleyballers blocked, dug and spiked their way through the First Annual Phuket Town Municipality Beach Volleyball Competition, which was held at Saphan Hin over the weekend. The tournament was dominated by the three Cheua Saphan Ruam teams, each of which included players from Nakhon Sri Thammarat who are in the Thai national squad. In…
-
Chain of raids nets 1,800 ya bah pills
PHUKET TOWN: The arrest on Friday afternoon of a woman found in possession of four tablets of ya bah led to Phuket Town police arresting three more people within hours and netting more than 1,800 tablets of the drug. The chain of seizures started with the arrest of Omaporn Sornnon, 26, from Khon Kaen, at 2 pm on Friday, after…
-
Thais dominate Malaysia in friendly sports
PHUKET: About 200 Malaysian immigration officers were in Phuket on Tuesday to compete in the now traditional friendly clash, the Annual Thai-Malaysian Immigration Department Games, at the Saphan Hin sport center. The games consisted of badminton, table tennis, sepak takraw, bowling, soccer and golf. The home side dominated the badminton, winning the men’s and women’s singles, the men’s doubles and…
-
New Chamber Chairman slams smear attempt
PHUKET: Pamuke Achariyachai, the new chairman of the Phuket Chamber of Commerce, today called a press conference to slam a report in the national newspaper, Matichon. The report, in this morning’s issue of the newspaper, quoted an unnamed member of the Chamber as saying, “It’s such a shame. The Chairman of the Chamber should be a person of good image,…
-
TAT launches Phuket web site
PHUKET: The local branch of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) today announced the launch of its own web site, https://www.phukettourism.org. The web site contains tourism-related information such as details of hotels, festivals, events, businesses and tourism services in Phuket, Phang Nga and Krabi. Patpong Abhijatapong, Deputy Governor for Marketing of TAT, told a press conference at the Royal Phuket…
-
State land to be freed for development
PHUKET TOWN: The Treasury Department will at the end of August call for tenders to develop two plots of government-owned land in Phuket Town. Prasit Seubchana, Phuket Provincial Treasurer, explained that the private development of such land is one of the policies of the Thaksin government, which sees it as a way to encourage investment and generate revenue for the…
-
Gov to stay in Phuket for now
BANGKOK: Despite strong lobbying for Phuket Provincial Governor Pongpayome Vasaputi to be appointed Director of the Southern Border Administrative Center (SBAC), the Cabinet has handed the controversial job to the front-runner, Banyat Jansena. Muslim community leaders and teachers in the South of Thailand had lobbied for Gov Pongpayome to get the job because of his track record of dealing with…
-
Pamuke the winner in Chamber chaos
PHUKET: Pamuke Achariyachai, President of the Kata Group of Hotels, was elected Chairman of the Phuket Chamber of Commerce today, following three months of confusion that climaxed in the resignation yesterday of his predecessor, Charn Wongsatayanont, Managing Director of Phuket Jet Tour. K. Charn resigned as the result of a protest from a member that the former chairman’s membership and…
-
Judge denies bail for ex-mayor
PHUKET TOWN: Accompanied by a heavy police escort, the former mayor of Patong, Dr Anan Ananthanawat, yesterday made his first appearance in the Phuket Provincial Court on charges relating to the slaying of an ex-policeman in Phuket Town in December 1998. Pol Col Paween Pongsirin, superintendent of Phuket Town Police Station, told the Gazette that the police requested that the…
-
Fugitive ex-mayor surrenders to police
PHUKET TOWN: The former mayor of Patong, Dr Anan Ananthanawat, surrendered to police on Saturday, nearly two years after a warrant was issued for his arrest on charges of involvement in the murder of an ex-policeman. Pol Col Paween Pongsirin, superintendent of Phuket Town Police Station, told the Gazette that he received a phone call from Dr Anan’s lawyer on…
-
Vicious murder at fishing port
KOH SIREH: The body of a viciously murdered man was found washed ashore behind Asia Stannum Co Ltd at Laem Tokkae, near the fishing port, on Thursday. Pol Maj Jiradaej Kawinkij of Phuket Town Police Station said that he arrived at the scene to find the 25- to 30-year-old man lying face down. The victim was dressed in a black-and-white…
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.