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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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Sponsored Bangtao, Phuket: The neighbourhood expats and investors are eyeing in 2025
Bangtao didn't become Phuket’s most talked-about neighbourhood overnight. For a long time, it was a quiet place on the island’s west coast where locals walked their dogs at sunrise and tourists flocked to sunbathe along its eight-kilometre stretch of beach....
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Officials, volunteers team up to restore damaged coral
PHUKET: More than two dozen officials and volunteers came together to replace broken and damaged coral on Koh Khai Nai and Koh Yao Noi in Phang Nga this weekend. A joint task force from the ‘Office of Marine and Coastal Resources Conservation’ (OMCRC) in Phuket and Phang Nga, along with volunteers and representatives from tour companies, undertook the initiative. “Heavy…
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Man attacked by wild monkeys at Khao Toh Sae
PHUKET: A 52-year-old man was attacked by a troop of monkeys in Phuket at Khao Toh Sae (also known as ‘Monkey Hill’) this morning. The victim, a Thai man named by rescue workers only as ‘Lee’, had bought peanuts to feed the monkeys. While walking up the hill, the monkeys tried to snatch the peanuts from his hand. Mr Lee…
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Cape Panwa Hotel Phuket Raceweek 2017 underway
PHUKET: A busy day on the water yesterday saw some excellent competition, close calls and racing incidents which resulted in a busy evening later for the Protest Committee onshore. The sailors were happy to be back out on the water as a forecast-defying 8-10 knot breeze got the fleet underway on Day 2 of the Cape Panwa Hotel Phuket Raceweek…
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Two Phuket nightlife venues raided, charged with operating illegally
PHUKET: Officers from the Crime Suppression Division yesterday raided two nightlife venues in Phuket Town for providing services to underage customers and operating without a proper permit. “We found two illegal venues during the raid. The first one was ‘Room Bar and Restaurant’. The owner, Rattachat Phothong, was charged with operating a nightlife venue without permission,” said Phuket Provincial Police…
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Phuket gold thief identified, still on the run
PHUKET: Police have issued an arrest warrant for a suspect who stole a gold necklace from a jewelry shop in Thalang yesterday morning. “The ‘Jip Leng Hong’ gold shop, located beside Kasikorn Bank’s Tarua branch, got robbed of a gold necklace made of one baht of gold,” said Capt Warawut Sensop of Thalang Police. Police used CCTV footage to identify…
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Australian tourist attacked by stray dog in Khao Lak
PHUKET: A 68-year-old Australian tourist was attacked by a stray dog in Khao Lak yesterday afternoon. Janet Frances Heath was on her way back from Sairoong waterfall with her husband when the incident occurred. She was taken to Takuapa Hospital for treatment and given a rabies shot. Ms Heath is reportedly safe. “We have found more than five fierce strays…
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Drunk man rescued from ditch at Phuket Bus Terminal
PHUKET: An elderly drunk was injured when he fell into a ditch behind some bushes at Phuket Bus Terminal 2 yesterday evening. The ditch is about 3.5 meters deep and half a meter from the perimeter wall. The man, named by rescue workers only as ‘Samran’, 60, reportedly went behind the bushes to urinate when he fell in. He shouted…
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Turkish Airlines announces direct flights to Phuket
PHUKET: The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has announced the launch of new Turkish Airlines flights to Phuket this week. There are now four direct flights per week from Istanbul. “This new Istanbul-Phuket service is part of the collaboration between the TAT and Turkish Airlines to meet the growing demand for travel to Thailand from holiday-makers from Turkey, Europe and…
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Chinese tourist rescued from drowning by Patong lifeguard
PHUKET: A Patong lifeguard rescued yet another Chinese tourist who nearly drowned after being washed away by strong waves in a red-flagged zone at Patong Beach yesterday afternoon. The ‘Phuket Lifeguard Service’ posted an update of the incident on their Facebook page at about 1:30pm. It briefly read: ‘Another rescue at Patong Beach today. The lady is safe and on…
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Phuket residents express concerns about destruction of historic building
PHUKET: Residents of Phuket Town have raised concerns about the destruction of an abandoned 100-year-old building on Damrong Road in Talad Yai, which they say is of historic value to the island. The Phuket Treasury Office yesterday confirmed that they are just clearing out the landscape and did not aim to destroy the building. “We are beautifying the landscape by…
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German man confesses to Thai girlfriend’s murder in Phuket
PHUKET: A German man has confessed to the murder of his Thai girlfriend, ten days after police found her body wrapped in a blanket and dumped in a forest in Kathu. The victim, Picha Nampadung, 35, was first reported missing by her niece, Rujirada Ornkorat, on July 1 (story here). Her body was eventually found on July 9 (story here),…
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Phuket locals complain after “magic amulet’ fails to deliver
PHUKET: A group of 20 locals yesterday filed a complaint at Chalong Police Station, claiming they were cheated into buying religious amulets worth more than 100 million baht. “They filed a complaint against Sumalee Lertwilai, claiming that they were cheated into investing in ‘magic’ amulets via Facebook,” said Col Vitoon Kongsutjai of Phuket Provincial Police. According to a representative of…
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Phuket under pressure as tourism growth exposes flaws in hotel sector
PHUKET: According to a new report released today by hospitality consulting group C9 Hotelworks, millions of travellers who visit Phuket each year could be staying in unlicensed – and effectively illegal – hotels. The report also states that less than a quarter of the hotels in Phuket (429 out of 1,724) are currently licensed. This issue was brought into sharp…
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Missing Chinese tourists’ bodies found at Phuket Beach
PHUKET: The bodies of two Chinese tourists who had been missing since they went swimming in a red-flagged zone at Freedom Beach on Sunday, were found this afternoon. Xidong Wang, 20, and Weijie Liu, 21, were on holiday in Phuket with another friend, Weijie Liu. Both men reportedly ignored the red flags and warning signs placed at the beach. Mr…
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Rohingya man arrested for theft in Phuket
PHUKET: A Rohingya man was arrested in Kamala last night for allegedly stealing equipment from several construction sites in Phuket. Sadit Khunrit, 29, was nabbed in a rental house in Kalim Soi 9 at about 10:30 pm. He was found in possession of a total of 156 pieces of equipment, including drills, crush machines, circular saws, stone grinders, feed pumps,…
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Phuket Gov announces checkpoint as “temporary solution’ for accidents
PHUKET: The Phuker Governor has announced plans to build a checkpoint to inspect the condition of cars and drivers on Patong Hill in order to avoid accidents in that area. Governor Norraphat Plodthong held a meeting at Phuket Provincial Hall with Patong Police officers and Patong Mayor Chalermluk Kebsup yesterday afternoon. “The sloping road of Patong Hill has been a…
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American tourist, tuk-tuk driver charged for fighting
PHUKET: An American tourist and a tuk-tuk driver were fined 2,000 baht each after they quarreled and landed blows on each other outside a hotel in Patong yesterday. A video of the incident, recorded by a passerby, was shared on social media. The video showed the tourist and driver arguing and fighting in front of Poppa Hotel at Patong Beach.…
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Seven arrested for village headman and family’s massacre
KRABI: Police have apprehended a group of seven men for the massacre of eight members of a family in Krabi last week. Eight people – three of them children – were murdered en masse in the house of Worayuth Sunglung, a village headman in Ao Luek district. The victims were shot in the head execution-style, police said (story here). National…
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Chinese tourists missing after ignoring red flag at Phuket beach
PHUKET: Police are searching for two Chinese tourists who have been missing since yesterday afternoon when they disregarded red flag warnings and entered the water at Freedom Beach. Patong Police officers and rescue workers rushed to the scene after receiving reports of the situation. “The waves were very strong, which is why there were red flags in the area. Rescue…
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Phuket taxi driver charged with sexual harassment and indecent exposure
PHUKET: A Phuket motorbike taxi driver was charged with sexual harassment and indecent exposure after he was recorded ‘pleasuring himself’ in public yesterday afternoon. A teacher from a well known Phuket school posted a video of the incident on Facebook to express her anger and to warn others to be aware of the suspect, who was later revealed to be…
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Phuket governor announces temporary ban on parasailing following deadly accident
PHUKET: The Phuket governor has requested parasailing operators to cooperate with a temporary ban on the activity after an Australian national was killed in another parasailing accident on Tuesday. Roger John Hussey, 71, fell to his death while parasailing at Kata Beach (story here). Governor Norraphat Plodthong announced his decision after an official meeting held to discuss the matter at…
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Shooting suspect surrenders, denies “attempted murder’ charges
PHUKET: The second suspect in the shooting of a police assistant surrendered himself to police yesterday. Suthiwut Thawan, 21, is a native of Phang Nga. Following the shooting, he returned to his family home in Phang Nga, but surrendered himself after police appraised his family of the situation. Mr Suthiwut and another suspect named Sathaporn Kuoaywanich were involved in a…
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Amanpuri luxury villa fire causes 3 million baht in damages
PHUKET: A luxury villa at the prestigious Amanpuri in Phuket caught fire last night, causing about 3 million baht’s worth of damages. “This is a standalone villa connected to the resort. It has five rooms, three of which (covering an area of 210sqm) caught fire. Firefighters took an hour and a half to control the flames and prevent them from…
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Two arrested for spree of robberies in Phuket
PHUKET: Two suspects were arrested on Tuesday night for a spree of robberies in Phuket. A Burmese fisherman filed a report against the two for robbing and stabbing him at Sea Angel Pier in Rassada Monday night. The first suspect, Panuwat Kaewpoh, 24, was apprehended on Narisorn Road in Phuket Town. “We have seen many similar cases involving Burmese workers…
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Australian plunges to death in parasailing mishap
PHUKET: A 71-year-old Australian man fell to his death while parasailing at Kata Beach yesterday afternoon. “Roger John Hussey was pronounced dead at Patong Hospital after he fell from a height of 40 meters, which caused severe injuries,” said Lt Suwisit Srirak of Karon Pplice. Mr Hussey was married to a Thai woman named by police as Boosabong Tongsanga who…
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Police assistant shot at checkpoint, hospitalized in critical condition
PHUKET: A Phuket City Police assistant was shot early this morning while attempting to stop a motorbike at a checkpoint. “We had set up a checkpoint on Anuphatkarn Road. Two men on a motorbike were coming toward the checkpoint, but turned around to flee as soon as they saw the officers there,” said Lt Col Sakol Krainara of Phuket City…
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Human remains discovered in Phuket forest believed to be those of a Burmese woman’s
PHUKET: Police are trying to identify the cause of death of a woman whose skeleton was discovered in a Kathu forest yesterday afternoon. At about 4:45pm, police received a report from locals that they had found human remains in a forest beside the King Kong water park. Kathu Police Superintendent ML Pattanachak Jakkapan led a team to the scene to…
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Citing indelible memories and people, the Phuket Gazette bows out in a nostalgic farewell
PHUKET: Times change and old media continue to bow to the new. With great regret, the Phuket Gazette is retiring from the field and will cease operations with effect from the end of this month – midnight, July 31. Other than our office, owned by a shareholder (not the Gazette itself), our primary asset has long been the Gazette Online.…
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67-year-old tourist drowns on Racha Island
PHUKET: Another Chinese tourist has drowned in Phuket, this time at Racha Island yesterday afternoon. “The family of the deceased, Dong Shukui, 67, said that they had arrived in Thailand on July 7 and were scheduled to fly back on August 4. They were staying at the Rayaburi hotel on Racha Island from July 9-11,” said Capt Somkiat Sarasit of…
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Video: Ten-year-old tourist and father killed in another Phuket bus crash on Patong Hill
PHUKET: Two Chinese tourists were killed and 22 others injured after a tour bus flipped to its side while coming down Patong Hill, hitting several motorbikes and houses near the Suwankiriwong Temple last night. The bus driver, Kritaporn Nuandua, 36, blamed ‘brake failure’ for the incident. “The accident occurred at about 11pm. A 10 year-old boy died at the scene…
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