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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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Illegal pangolin traders killed in Krabi double-homicide
PHUKET: Police in Krabi are searching for at least three suspects in connection with a double-homicide of a couple who were engaged in illegally trading pangolins. The bodies of the married couple, Taweesak Janwiang, 41, and Jinda Janwiang, 43, were found with their hands bound and nylon ropes tied around their necks in a Tambon Huay Nam Khaw rubber plantation…
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Soldier nabbed for bag-snatch theft in Phuket
PHUKET: An army private and his friend were arrested in Thalang last night for bag-snatching. “We were able to identify the suspects from a description given to us by the victim,” Cherng Talay Police Superintendant Serm Kwannimit told the Phuket Gazette today. “The two suspects grabbed the victim’s bag and sped off together on a motorbike.” Private Chonlatea Krolek, 23,…
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Hotly contested Phuket land earmarked for public park
PHUKET: A plan by Patong Mayor Chalermluck Kebsup to transform an area of 69 rai of long-contested land near Tri Trang Beach into a public park received special attention last weekend. Maj Gen Intarat Yodbangtoey, adviser to Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Petipong Pungbun Na Ayudhya, inspected the site on Saturday. Gen Intarat explained to the accompanying members of the press…
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Four arrested over death camp grave sites
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Migrant graveyard arrests The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The authorities have arrested four of eight suspects wanted in connection with an alleged extortion and murder camp in Thailand’s southern border province of Songkhla. In custody are Asan Intanu, 48, Ro-aey Sonyalae, 41, Alee Lahmoh, 47…
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Cyclists injured in Phuket Town firework explosion
PHUKET: A firework injured four cyclists after it exploded in a crowd at the start line of a night ride in Phuket Town on Saturday. The four injured were taken to Bangkok Hospital Phuket for minor injuries and released within a few hours, confirmed one of the organizers of the Plukpanya Night Ride, who declined to be named. “We will…
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Phuket’s Chalong Marina given “final’ B172mn
PHUKET: The Transport Ministry has granted the Phuket Marine Office a total of 172 million baht in order to complete the seawall and marina in Chalong Bay. Transport Deputy Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith on Saturday revealed the news during his inspection of the facilities, which are currently under construction. “The Marine Department has approved 98mn baht to complete the final phase…
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46 condo units seized in UFUN raid
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community 46 condo units seized in UFUN raid The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Police seized 46 condominium units yesterday at a project on Sukhumvit Soi 66/1 in Bang Na in Bangkok that were bought by suspects in the alleged UFUN pyramid scheme. UFUN executives reportedly acquired…
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Lottery changes a bid to reduce ‘gray money’
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Lottery changes a bid to reduce ‘gray money’ The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The government says its move to try and solve the problem of expensive state lottery tickets is a bid to control so-called “gray money”. The so-called “gray money” earned from selling the…
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Trafficking survivor says more than 500 killed in camps
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Trafficking survivor says more than 500 killed in camps The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Kuramia, a migrant, paid out 95,000 baht in ransom to save his nephew Kazim, who was being held at a border camp. But he never saw him alive. His nephew’s was…
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William and Kate eschew crowns for life with nappies
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community William and Kate eschew crowns for life with nappies Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: They are one of the most famous couples on the planet, one day destined to be Britain’s king and queen. But royal experts say what Prince William and wife Kate really want…
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Mayweather beats Pacquiao via unanimous decision
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Mayweather beats Pacquiao via unanimous decision Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Floyd Mayweather Jr. cemented his place among the pantheon of boxing greats by improving to 48-0 with a unanimous decision over Manny Pacquiao on Saturday in a fight that lived up to its immense hype…
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Phuket gifted B1.3bn for roads; underpass motorcyclists to face law
PHUKET: Deputy Transport Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith today announced that Phuket will receive funding of more than 1.3 billion baht to build underpasses at Bang Khu on the bypass road and at Chalong Circle. Included in the funds is 200 million baht to build a flyover at the Koh Kaew Intersection on Thepkrasattri Road and another one at the main airport…
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Six Baltimore officers charged in death of Freddie Gray
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Six Baltimore officers charged in death of Freddie Gray Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Baltimore’s chief prosecutor charged one police officer with murder on Friday and five others with lesser crimes in the death of a young black man who suffered a critical neck injury in…
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Rock-throwing teens surrender to police
PHUKET: Two teenagers surrendered to authorities yesterday after photos of them throwing rocks at a Swedish man’s car went viral earlier this week (story here). The teens – named by police only as “Yu”, age 15, and “Phong”, 16 – surrendered to Kamala Police Superintendent ML Pattanachak Jakkapan and Lt Col Sophon Borirak at about 4pm. “They said they were…
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Phi Phi tour boat oil dumpers charged
PHUKET: The captain and engineer of a tour boat anchored off Phi Phi Island have been charged with dumping oil into the sea after officials saw Facebook photos that had gone viral. Krabi Marine Police, the Krabi Marine Office and officers at the national park at Phi Phi yesterday called upon boat captain Karin Onkaew and engineer Kriangdet Polsakdet to…
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Phuket FC set sights on Krabi in bayside derby
PHUKET: Phuket FC maintained their abysmal record away from home on Wednesday, when they gifted Prachuap FC their first home win of the season. The loss saw Prachuap rise to fifth place on the Yamaha League 1 table, while Phuket’s Ronins slipped from fifth to sixth place. Prachuap striker Neto Cossantos netted two goals: one at end of the first…
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Mass grave in Southern Thailand linked to human trafficking, say police
PHUKET: A mass grave near the Thai-Malaysian border in Songkhla was uncovered by Thai authorities today, reported Thai PBS. A total of 33 partially decomposed bodies, thought by police to be Rohingya migrants, have been identified. The area was previously used to hold about 200 to 300 Rohingya who were smuggled into the country, according to investigators, reported Thai PBS.…
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Rotary collects donations for Nepal, holds auction for local children
PHUKET: The Rotary Club of Patong Beach is collecting monetary donations for the victims of the recent earthquake in Nepal. “This relates back to how many people helped us during our time in need during the 2004 tsunami,” said Brad Kenny, president of the Rotary Club of Patong Beach. “The Rotary Club of Patong Beach had more than US$1 million…
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Foundation now accepting relief supplies for earthquake victims
PHUKET: The Thai-Nepalese Foundation is now accepting donations of relief supplies to aid the victims of the disastrous earthquake in Nepal, the foundation’s president confirmed today. Supplies being collected by the foundation include clothing, medicine, tents (family size), gloves and sanitary napkins. The death toll from last Saturday’s quake has risen to 6,204, The Nation reported today (story here). “If…
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Funds approved for Nai Harn movie memorabilia museum
PHUKET: The Department of Tourism has approved a 40-million-baht budget for the construction of a movie museum on two rai of land in Nai Harn. “The museum will display memorabilia from movies that have been filmed on the island by well-known, international film makers,” Santi Pawai, director of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports (MOTS) Phuket office, told the Phuket…
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Phuket aims to allow foreign-flagged superyacht charters
PHUKET: The Phuket Marine Office will table the idea of creating temporary chartering licenses for foreign-flagged superyachts, as Thailand pushes for the province to become a maritime hub for Southeast Asia. “There will be a public hearing, with an English-language translator, to discuss what legal measures need to be taken to ensure that Phuket becomes the destination in the region…
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Visionary dentist bridges gap in Phuket dental market
PHUKET: Medical tourism and the hordes of foreign customers it brings to Thailand and Phuket’s shores is on a steady rise, with the Tourism Authority of Thailand reporting more than 2.5 million international patients travelling to the Kingdom for treatments in 2012 and predicting an increase of 13% per annum. One dental clinic conglomerate, Dental Corporation Co Ltd, started filling…
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Finance: Exchange rate rigmarole
PHUKET: An issue most Phuket expats deal with in one form or another is exposure to some risk of fluctuations in currency exchange rates. Many earn money outside of the country and then need to convert that to baht for spending purposes. Offshore oil workers are a good example of this, and how best to deal with this situation can…
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Island View: Phuket immigration – For better or for worse
PHUKET: There is one annual Phuket event that I do not look forward to: my marriage visa extension application at the Phuket Immigration Office. I have read all the complaints and accusations levelled at Phuket’s Immigration officers, but, at the time I applied for my extension, there were well over 100 foreigners acting like headless chickens packed into that little…
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Mysterious Brit burglar Charlie Machin still on the run
PHUKET: Karon Police are still trying to track down a British thief, known only by his alias ‘Charlie Machin’, who is wanted for robbing a Swedish man’s home of about 200,000 baht in valuables in March (story here). “We only have this name and a few pictures of him. All farang [Caucasians] look the same. It has been very hard…
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Business Buzz: Outsourcing – Imagine hiring an expert from 150 baht
PHUKET: I remember when I started in this industry just how much there was to learn and how many different things I needed to do to get started: build websites, get a domain, hosting, design a logo, create an exciting intro logo, set up social media accounts, start promoting – the list goes on and on! I understand the challenges…
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Opinion: Protecting Nepali victims in exodus
PHUKET: Island residents must come together to fully support local efforts by the Red Cross Society and private-sector groups to provide disaster relief to the suffering people of Kathmandu and other parts of central Nepal that have been devastated by the massive earthquake that struck there last Saturday morning. As of yesterday, the reported death toll had surpassed 6,000 and…
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Phuket airport taxi slams into 18-wheeler
PHUKET: An airport taxi driver faces charges of reckless driving after his car slammed into an 18-wheeled truck near Mai Khao Temple, in northern Phuket, this morning. The taxi rammed the trailer broadside, but luckily for taxi driver Vichan Artharn, 35, the car spun out from under the trailer and came to rest in roadside bushes next to a house.…
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Police hunt men for stoning Swede’s car
PHUKET: Kamala Police are hunting two motorbike-riding men* who chased down and threw rocks at a Swedish man’s car in Phuket on Monday. Bo Jonas Daniel Svegsjo, 38, and his passenger, Chaiyanan Boonpa, were driving from Cherng Talay to Kamala when a motorbike carrying two men overtook his vehicle on a narrow road. “Mr Svegsjo honked at the men, as…
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Video Report: Phuket fishing boats raided for human trafficking, IUUs
PHUKET: Governor Nisit Jansomwong yesterday joined a random inspection of three Phuket fishing boats near Rassada Pier as part of a nationwide crackdown on illegal trawlers and human-trafficking of migrant workers in the industry. The boarding party comprised officers from the Phuket Marine Police, Royal Thai Navy and other government agencies, accompanied Phuket Provincial Police Deputy Commander Pinit Sirichai. “The…
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