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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Managing medical expenses in Thailand is important as healthcare costs continue to rise. The country’s healthcare system includes both public and private options, but even with the Universal Coverage Scheme (UCS) for citizens, many still face high out-of-pocket medical expenses....
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Phuket suffers deadly “Seven Days of Danger’
PHUKET: The nationwide Seven Days of Danger road-safety campaign ended at midnight last night with three more deaths on Phuket’s roads than during last year’s safety efforts, but far fewer accidents reported. Nine deaths and 24 injuries in a total of 27 accidents were recorded by the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Phuket branch (DDPM-Phuket). Last year, six people…
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Phuket Police bust man with “Million-baht meth foot’
PHUKET: Phuket Police have busted a man with methamphetamine crystals and pills, worth an estimated street value of one million baht, taped to his foot while they were making routine stops at a road checkpoint. Narong Pongkornsopha, a 35-year-old resident in the neighboring area of Pa Klok, was stopped at the checkpoint to the south of the Heroines’ Monument at…
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Phuket Police closing in on Phi Phi speedboat driver’s killers
PHUKET: Police have made headway in identifying and capturing the murderers of a Phi Phi speedboat driver who was stabbed to death in Phuket Town just before dawn yesterday. Ronnachai Chayliang, 26, was found dead in front of Wat Wichit Sangkharam, on Narisorn Road, at about 5:20am. He had suffered knife wounds to his neck, chest and back. “The body…
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World News: Three dead in Swiss shooting
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international communityPHUKET (Reuters): Three people were killed and two wounded late on Wednesday when a gunman opened fire in the Swiss village of Daillon, Swiss police said this morning.The suspect threatened police when they tried to arrest him, and officers shot and wounded him before taking him into custody,…
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Phuket Media Watch: UN lifts Syria death toll to ‘truly shocking’ 60,000
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international communityPHUKET (Reuters): More than 60,000 people have died in Syria’s uprising and civil war, the United Nations said on Wednesday, dramatically raising the death toll in a struggle that shows no sign of ending.In the latest violence, dozens were killed in a rebellious Damascus suburb when a government…
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Phuket Rohingya repatriated to Myanmar
PHUKET: In a stunning development this morning, Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut announced that the 71 Rohingya rescued from an open boat adrift off Phuket yesterday are en route to be repatriated to Myanmar. The move to repatriate the refugees, including women and children, came at the request of the refugees themselves, Gov Maitri said. Speaking at the monthly “Governor Meets…
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Krabi tourists roused by new year fire
PHUKET: Tourists on holiday in Ao Nang, Krabi, across the bay from Phuket, were roused from their new year slumber early yesterday morning as hotel staff ordered an emergency evacuation and firefighters attempted to douse a blaze in a room full of gas cylinders. Hundreds of tourists staying at the Ao Nang Buri Resort ran for the safety of Haad…
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Storm leaves 70 Rohingya adrift off Phuket
PHUKET: A boat carrying about 70 Rohingya fleeing persecution in their homeland in Myanmar were taken into custody by the Thai authorities off Phuket today.Local fisherman first sighted the boat off Bon Island, off Rawai Beach at the southern end of Phuket, and reported it to Rawai Municipality.“I was told by fishermen this morning that there was a suspicious-looking boat…
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Phuket ushers in the New Year 2013
PHUKET: About 1,000 people gathered at Queen Sirikit Park in Phuket Town this morning to join a mass blessing ceremony to usher in the new year 2013. Phuket residents, officials and tourists offered alms to 145 monks as part of the festivities this morning. Phuket Vice Governor Sommai Prijasilpa at 7am officiated the blessing ceremony, joined by Vice Governors Somkiet…
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Phuket 2012: Safety shaken, not stirred
PHUKET: The need for a quicker exit from Phuket’s nightlife capital of Patong was highlighted by the chaos on the road in the early hours of April 11, after a 7.3-magnitude, submarine earthquake, that struck off Sumatra, caused the National Disaster Warning Center to issue a tsunami “alert” (not a warning) that had coastal residents heading for the hills. A…
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Phuket’s deadly ‘Seven Days of Danger’ claims two more lives
PHUKET: Two men on a motorcycle on Thepkrasattri Road in Thalang were hit and crushed under a Phuket tour bus early this morning, bringing to seven the number of deaths in the ongoing “Seven Days of Danger” new year road-safety campaign. As is relatively standard practice in Phuket, the bus driver fled the scene and is being sought by the…
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Sydictive skips a beat in Phuket beach party launch
PHUKET: The crowd of 50,000 people predicted by the Sydictive party organizers has yet to appear on Patong Beach, despite the event having started last night. The much-ballyhooed party got off to a seven-hour late start yesterday due to incomplete preparations. It reopened today at 3pm to a small group of people. Despite some complaints on the Sydictive Element’s Facebook…
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Phuket Opinion: Trash the past for the New Year
PHUKET: A new 960-million-baht incinerator went into operation in the middle of last year, yet Phuket still faces a solid waste crisis – one that requires a better solution than simply building a third incinerator at Saphan Hin. (See also tomorrow morning’s Web review of ‘Phuket 2012: Feeling the pinch from growing pains’.) When the new plant went into operation,…
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Phuket 2012: Feeling the pinch from growing pains
The government continues to pour money into Phuket’s infrastructure, as nothing seems to hamper the rapid growth of the island as a tourist destination. Billions of baht have been spent, but when will the results be felt? Stephen Fein reports.SPECIAL REPORT PHUKET: While Phuket Airport remains the single largest bottleneck for foreign arrivals, the island also continues to suffer from…
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Go Eco Phuket record-breakers win “Person of the Year’
PHUKET: As with our ‘Person of the Year Award’ last year, we have again opted for the plural and are delighted to announce that the honor goes to two of the driving forces behind the launch of the marine conservation group Go Eco Phuket. The group united dive centers throughout the island and rallied the support of the Royal Thai…
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ENGLISH FOOTBALL ROUNDUP: Man City draw on recent memory for New Year title fight
PHUKET (Reuters): Champions Manchester City go into 2013 facing a daunting seven-point deficit on Premier League leaders Manchester United and a testing encounter against stubborn Stoke City on Tuesday.Roberto Mancini’s side ended the year which delivered their first Premier League title with a gritty 4-3 triumph over Norwich City, proving their high-profile players also have the mettle for a fight.It’s…
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Phuket hospitality running on a full tank
As Phuket looks back a year full many negative news reports, the Phuket Gazette is happy to publish this reader’s first-person account of what makes living in Phuket great. PHUKET: Phuket is the Thailand I know and love. Having flown straight to the island and stayed, I have only heard rumors of “mainland” hospitality and the kindness Thai people are…
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Heavy showers set to dampen Phuket new year
PHUKET: The heavy thunderstorm showers that have drenched Phuket over the past few days are forecast to continue until at least Wednesday, according to the Thai Meteorological Department (TMD). The TMD today issued a forecast for heavy showers for New Year’s Eve and Day, with a 60% chance of precipitation across the island. Those celebrating the new year in the…
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Phuket moorings break loose, wreak havoc for yachtsmen at Chalong Bay
PHUKET: As yachts continue to arrive in Phuket ahead of the New Year’s Eve celebrations and countdown tonight, the new moorings installed in Chalong Bay late last month have already wreaked havoc, with brand-new mooring lines breaking and setting boats adrift. The broken lines have sent the yachts and other vessels to smash against their neighbors in the bay, resulting…
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Two dead in Phuket motorbike crash
PHUKET: Police are attempting to identify a foreign man and a woman killed in a motorcycle accident in Cherng Talay, on central Phuket’s west coast, last night.The pair were riding a motorcycle along the Cherng Talay-Baan Don Road when they were struck by a pickup truck in front of Soi Pasak 3 at about 9:15pm, Lt Col Rassada of the…
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Aldhouse pleads “not guilty’ to Phuket murder charge
PHUKET: British national Lee Aldhouse entered a plea of not guilty this week for the murder of former US Marine Dashawn Longfellow in Phuket in 2010.Aldhouse was presented to the Phuket Provincial Court on Wednesday and formally charged with murder. The maximum penalty under the charge is death.“He has been charged with premeditated murder under Section 288 of the Thai…
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Day two of Seven Days of Danger witnesses another road-death
PHUKET: Phuket’s road-death toll increased by one as the second day of the “Seven Days of Danger” came to a close at midnight on Friday, according to the official Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Phuket branch (DDPM-Phuket) statistics. The death toll increased after a family riding a motorbike southbound on Thepkrasattri Road near the Thalang Tesco Lotus was hit…
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Phuket Poll: Should parking lots be mandatory?
PHUKET: Queuing is an unpleasant but unavoidable aspect of modern life – we queue to check in at the airport, to buy a movie ticket and to purchase things in a store. And more and more in Phuket, we queue to park our cars. Poor oversight of parking lots, lack of public transportation and a growing number of cars on…
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Colorful Countdown Phuket kicks off today
PHUKET: The New Year celebrations on the island starts at 6pm today as the annual “Colorful Countdown Phuket” for 2013 kicks off. The event, put on by the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization, will be held at Chai Field (map here), opposite Provincial Hall in Phuket Town. The event will host a variety of top Thai artists, including Thai-country rock singer…
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Phuket human traffickers jailed for deaths of 54 illegal Burmese
PHUKET: Four Thais found guilty of human trafficking were sentenced to between three and 10 years’ imprisonment yesterday for their intricate involvement in the 2008 “death truck” that left 54 Burmese dead from suffocation inside a seafood container bound for Phuket. Of the 121 Burmese found in the sealed container heading from Ranong, 17 men, 36 women and one 8-year-old…
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Phuket United cancel Brazilian player’s contract
PHUKET: Phuket United have canceled the contract of Brazilian player Rogerio Moreira and sent him back to Brazil. Mr Suphol Senapeng, Phuket United’s head coach, told the Phuket Gazette: “Rogerio was unhappy because we refused to pay for an air ticket for his wife to come to Thailand from Brazil. He didn’t want his wife to pay for the ticket…
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Phuket Sports: Brothers Grimes racing year
PHUKET: Since the last update by the Phuket Gazette on the progress of Ben and Sam Grimes in their rookie karting race year, the boys have made good progress in the second half of the season. Clearly their mid-season driver coaching and testing sessions, together with improved fitness levels paid off, and showed just how important investing time and effort…
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Phuket tour bus driver charged for 18-vehicle pileup
PHUKET: The driver of the tour bus that caused an 18-vehicle pileup in Patong last night was today charged with reckless driving causing damage to property and health. Prawet Wongthai, 51, was driving towards Patong from Kata Beach when he realized the bus brakes had failed. Unable to stop, he caused a collision involving 17 vehicles before coming to a…
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World News: Americans still want their guns, with some restrictions
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community After Newtown, Americans want their guns, with some restrictions Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Nearly seven in 10 Americans support the idea of placing strong or moderate limits gun ownership following the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, a Reuters/Ipsos poll revealed yesterday.But laws that permit citizens…
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Former Phuket FC player Camara Ahmed dies
PHUKET: Former Phuket FC player Camara Ahmed passed away last week at his home in the Ivory Coast. Camara suffered a cardiac arrest on October 30, 2010, during a 1-0 playoff win over Chainat FC. The popular footballer was moved from a hospital in Phuket back to his native Ivory Coast a few months ago. Phuket FC’s manager, Mr Jakkapop…
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