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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Sponsored 9 most common health issues covered by insurance for expats in Thailand
Thailand is a popular destination for expats due to its affordable lifestyle and excellent healthcare system. However, settling in a new country often brings health concerns. To ensure you’re covered for the most common medical needs, understanding what expat health...
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Man fires gun in Phuket shellfish dispute
PHUKET: A Myanmar national was beaten to the ground inside a Phuket school after having discharged a firearm in a shellfish dispute at a nearby local market today. The 20-year-old man, named by police only as ‘Suriyan’, allegedly pulled the homemade gun on 64-year-old fresh food vendor Somjai Utsaha. “Mr Suriyan allegedly attempted to shoot Mr Somjai after he refused…
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Finance: How to meet the right people for success
PHUKET: They say you can determine a man’s income simply by taking the average of the four or five people with whom he spends the most time. I am not sure how scientific the study was that has produced this timeless piece of advice, but the general concept is easy to validate if you look closely at the people you…
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Phuket to splash out B450k for animatronic Sea Gypsy Museum exhibit plans
PHUKET: Local officials are searching for a private company to draw up the exhibit plans for the soon-to-be animatronic Sea Gypsy Cultural Center, Rassada Municipality Chief Administrative Officer (palad) Dechakanee Leelanont told the Phuket Gazette today. “The Phuket Rajabhat University study group concluded their research into the history of the sea gypsies and the viability of using a 4D-exhibit model…
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A Decade Ago: Airline safety no April fools joke
PHUKET: The April 1, 2006 edition of the Phuket Gazette was no joking matter, as the European Commission (EC) blacklisted the now-defunct Phuket Airlines due to safety concerns. However, even as the Gazette went to press a decade ago, the company had applied to launch another airline, to be called Holiday Airplanes. Phuket is no stranger to horrific airline crashes,…
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Ministry of Farang Affairs: Petting every dog you see
The Ministry of Farang Affairs is a one-stop shop where foreigners in Thailand can learn all they need to know about living here. No, we’re not talking about work permits, visas or taxes. We’re talking about day-to-day life in the Land of Endless Shocks and Riddles, of Blur, Befuddlement and the Bizarre. Stay tuned for weekly insights from Minister Stephff.…
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Island View: Age does not dictate adulthood
PHUKET: Turning 18 in the UK is widely accepted as entering adulthood. You can drive, vote, get married and buy a round of drinks for your mates and yourself – all on the same night, if you like, and it would be perfectly legal to do so. Here in Thailand though, the laws surrounding alcohol consumption and various other adult…
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Phuket to get two of eight new marinas planned for the south
PHUKET: Two new marinas are to be built in Phuket as part of the government’s plan to stimulate economic growth by turning Thailand into a marine leisure hub in the ASEAN region. The marina development plan, announced by Transport Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith, includes construction of eight new marinas – four in the Andaman Sea and four in the Gulf of…
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Business Buzz: Oversaturation of Facebook groups
PHUKET: One of the great benefits of Facebook is that due to the sheer number of people using it, it has become a marketer’s dream to easily and cheaply connect with potential customers and to market products and services with great results. But has it now reached the point of over-saturation? A classic case in point is the use of…
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Opinion: ATUS protecting the dive industry
Ratanaporn Promchoo, 35, is the president secretary of the Association of Thailand for Underwater Sports (ATUS) and has been working with the ATUS for ten years. She graduated from Rajabhat Nakhon Sri Thammarat University with a bachelor’s degree in science. Here she talks about what the ATUS does to help promote and protect the dive industry. PHUKET: ATUS was founded…
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Monkey attacks on tourists spark official action
PHUKET: Park officials concerned about the changing behavior of macaque monkeys on Monkey Beach have erected signs urging tourists not to feed the wild animals. “When the monkeys see a tour boat stop, they gather and move toward the tourists. If the tourists don’t have any food, the monkeys get agitated, sometimes biting or scratching them,” explained Sarayuth Tanthien, chief…
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Video Report: Beach Volley Festival Phuket hailed slamming success
PHUKET: The Thai national team was knocked out of the professional men’s final of the Thailand Beach Volley Festival Phuket as the USA/Brazil team dug into the sands and spiked a win against the Russian/Guam team. Brian Chappy and Danillio Lamparlio took the top place in the men’s finals. The professional women champions were Yupa Phukrongploy and Orawan Auying. Nearly…
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Tsunami towers at popular Phuket beaches fail to sound
PHUKET: Five of the 19 tsunami warning towers in Phuket failed to work properly during the tsunami and earthquake drill yesterday afternoon. “The warning towers in Kata and Karon failed to sound, while the one in Mai Khao couldn’t be heard from 500 meters away,” said Trakul Thotham, director of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) Region 8…
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Reader Photo Contest: Dumped in Paradise
PHUKET: We want to know the story behind your trashy pictures… and we’ll reward you for it. The Phuket Gazette is proud to announce the launch of ‘Dumped in Paradise’ – an eight-week competition where we are calling on you to help get Phuket out of the trash can. The procedure is simple: Step 1: Take a photo of waylaid…
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Video Report: Ultraman champ splashes into ‘Swim Around Phuket’
PHUKET: Swedish Ultraman World Champion Jonas Colting splashed into Phuket’s waters this morning with the goal of swimming around the entire island in eight days. Mr Colting led a group of swimmers, including four-time triathlon World Champion Chris McCormack, on the first leg – 14 kilometers – of the ‘Swim Around Phuket’ challenge. The endurance swim will take place from…
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Tears flow as Myanmar swears in first president with no army ties in more than 50 years
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Tears flow as Myanmar swears in first president with no army ties in more than 50 years Phuket Gazette / Reuters NAYPYITAW/YANGON: Members of Aung San Suu Kyi’s victorious National League for Democracy (NLD) were in tears on Wednesday as Myanmar swore in its first president…
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Seven charged in home invasion murder of U.S. lottery winner
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Seven charged in home invasion murder of U.S. lottery winner Phuket Gazette / Reuters GEORGIA STATE: Seven people have been charged in the murder of a 20-year-old forklift operator who was killed in his home two months after winning nearly a half million dollars in a…
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Animal welfare campaigners resubmit Milo case
PHUKET: National park officials yesterday resubmitted to Phuket police the alleged wildlife-trafficking case of Milo the orangutan. Officials spent a month preparing the case after it was initially rejected due to lack of evidence. Phuket Zoo management stonewalled officers investigating the disappearance of the 13-year-old orangutan ahead of a raid, and her subsequent discovery in a locked cage deep in…
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Don’t panic: Phuket tsunami drill this afternoon
PHUKET: The national anthem will be broadcast from all 19 tsunami warning towers throughout Phuket at 1:30pm today as part of the island’s annual tsunami practice drill. Authorities this year have opted to play the national anthem, instead of the usual multi-lingual warnings that would be used in a real event, in order to avoid panic and confusion among the…
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Phuket investors dream big with world’s highest Ferris wheel
PHUKET: The world’s highest Ferris wheel will be built in Phuket, investors announced this afternoon. “The Giant Ferris Wheel will break the record for the highest Ferris wheel in the world. It will be Phuket’s land mark,” said Igor Protasov, the chief executive officer for Thai Business Development Co Ltd (TBD). Currently, the highest Ferris wheel in the world is…
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Phuket drug bust leads to two arrests, four still at large
PHUKET: Thalang Police arrested two women and are searching for four other suspects after a raid yielded more than 40 kilograms of kratom leaves in Mai Khao last night. Police were alerted to the goings-on when neighbors filed a complaint about suspected drug activity at the residence. “When we arrived, we saw four men flee the scene,” said Thalang Chief…
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B3mn Phuket longtail bursts into flames
PHUKET: Police suspect a battery caused an explosion and subsequent fire that destroyed a longtail boat worth 3 million baht in Phuket last night. “The boat was parked along a section of mangrove forest near the Bang Rong Pier in Pa Khlok when it caught fire at about 11pm,” said Phuket Marine Police Chief Panya Chaichana. “There was nobody on…
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Karon power sub-station nearly complete
PHUKET: The Karon power sub-station, set to open in June, is 95 per cent complete, confirmed the Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA). “Due to the rapid growth of tourism on the island, we are no longer able to ensure enough power is getting to those who need it in Rawai, Kata and Karon,” explained Patong Sub-station Deputy Manager Atipong Thongyun. “The…
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Finnish woman died after night out in Patong
PHUKET: Police are still piecing together the circumstances around the death of a teenage Finnish woman whose body was found in Phuket yesterday afternoon. Ida Maria Bexar, 19, fell from the rooftop of the Good Dreams Guesthouse onto the roof of a nearby building in the early hours of the morning. However, her body was not discovered until that afternoon…
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Egyptair passenger plane hijacked, forced to Cyprus
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Egyptair passenger plane hijacked, forced to Cyprus Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: An Egyptair domestic flight from Alexandria to Cairo was hijacked on Tuesday and landed in Cyprus, Egyptian officials and Cyprus state radio said. The Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation reported that 55 passengers were on board…
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Suspected Phuket meth user dies behind bars
PHUKET: A man arrested for the possession of ya bah (methamphetamine) early this morning was pronounced dead about an hour after being put behind bars in Phuket. Yagareeya Hadohloh, 29, was picked up for the possession of one ya bah pill in Patong. He was processed and put in a Patong Police Station cell just after midnight. At about 1:15am,…
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Body on Phuket beach identified as British superyacht builder
PHUKET: Police have identified the body found on a Phuket beach this weekend as the British builder of the 31-meter superyacht Raja Laut. The body of Georges E K Carraz, 66, was found on Surin Beach by two passersby at about 7am on Saturday (story here). Nearby, police found a rental car in the name of Winai Sawatdeesarn. “Mr Winai…
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Breaking News: Foreigner in fatal plunge from Patong guesthouse
PHUKET: A foreign woman was killed after falling from Good Dreams Guesthouse in Patong this afternoon. “At this point, we are unsure if the woman fell from the balcony of a room or the roof of the building. Either way, she landed on the roof of a nearby building,” said Sampawat Wannasangkam from the Patong Office of Department of Disaster…
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Divers to cough up extra cash for Phi Phi marine park fee
PHUKET: Officials expect to start collecting an additional 200 baht per diver in April for those plunging below the surface of the Phi Phi marine national park. Park officials currently collect a national park fee of 400 baht per person. However, scuba divers will now have to pay a total of 600 baht, confirmed Sarayuth Tanthien, chief of the Hat…
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Suicide bomber targeting Christians kills 65, mostly women and children, in Pakistan park
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Suicide bomber targeting Christians kills 65, mostly women and children, in Pakistan park Phuket Gazette / Reuters PAKISTAN: Pakistani authorities launched a hunt on Monday for militants behind a suicide bomb that killed at least 65 people in an attack that targeted Christians and was claimed…
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A decade ago: Trash, pies and assassinations
PHUKET: Mark Twain had it right when he wrote, “There is no such thing as a new idea. It is impossible. We simply take a lot of old ideas and put them into a sort of mental kaleidoscope. We give them a turn and they make new and curious combinations.” Sometimes, especially in Phuket, it doesn’t seem that we even…
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