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.
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Sponsored Thailand health insurance that covers chronic conditions: What expats need to know
The Thaiger key takeaways Managing chronic conditions in Thailand requires health insurance that covers specialist visits, medications, tests, and hospital stays. Cigna offers high-coverage plans with access to top hospitals, direct billing, and telemedicine support for convenient long-term care. Expats...
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Polluted water plagues Phuket beach
PHUKET: Dirty water emptied into the canal that separates Phuket’s Bang Tao and Layan Beaches has caused a spate of health problems and has even sent unsuspecting people to the hospital for skin rashes and blood infections, local residents claim.To bring the issue to the public’s awareness, the Bang Tao Longtail Boat Club and local restaurant owner Chaiya Boonyuen on…
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Billionaire’s bones: another skeleton in closet of alleged Phuket killer
PHUKET: Samui police, acting on a tip from their counterparts in Hungary, yesterday dug up a skeleton in the basement of a villa owned by Moshe David, who is currently awaiting trial in Phuket for the murder of Hungarian Peter Reisz last year (story here). The bones are believed to belong to Laszlo Csepai, 39, a Hungarian billionaire and business…
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Second big bike fatality in 24 hours claims life of British national
PHUKET: A British national died in a high-speed motorbike crash on Chao Fa East Road early this morning. The 31-year-old man, whose name the Phuket Gazette is withholding until family members are notified, overshot a curve while driving a 1000cc Yamaha R1 and crashed into a roadside post near Wat Ladthiwanaram (map here) just after midnight, explained Sub Lt Kraisorn…
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Teen masseuse falls from fourth floor after argument with boyfriend
PHUKET: A 17-year-old masseuse is in a coma after falling from the fourth floor of a building following an argument with her boyfriend. The young woman was discovered unconscious and severely injured on the ground behind the Phuket Town massage parlor where she worked, a Kusoldharm Foundation rescue worker told the Phuket Gazette. Rescue workers administered emergency first aid before…
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Phuket’s Autoexpress remains in driving seat
PHUKET: Demand on the island for imported luxury cars does not look like it will subside any time soon. Saksri Kerdphol, GM of Autoexpress, Phuket’s premier foreign automobile dealership and service provider, gives a brief update about local market trends. This is followed by some customer testimonials. Phuket Gazette: What is the current state of the auto luxury import market…
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Singaporean investor sniffs out tuna ops in Phuket
PHUKET: An investor from Singapore has expressed interest in expanding Phuket’s Tuna industry through the establishment of a new commercial longline fishing partnership with local operators. Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut, along with Vice Governor Somkiet Sangkaosut-tirak, last week welcomed the Singapore-based businessman, Yong Juang, who came to the island to discuss investment guidelines, regulations and laws. Mr Yong Juang is…
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Phuket Business: Ideas bounced around at rubber meeting
PHUKET: A three-day rubber industry convention and study-tour event wrapped up in Thalang recently. The meeting/event, dubbed “ASEAN Rubber Day 2013”, brought together industry experts, operators and researchers from Thailand, Malaysia an Indonesia. Organized by the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, the meeting was part of a private-public collaborative effort to create greater investment opportunities for the rubber industry, as…
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Phuket Business: The not-so-hidden cost of inflation
PHUKET: If you are an expatriate living in Thailand or considering relocating here, high inflation might be a distant memory from as far back as the late 1970s. However, Thailand has much higher rates of inflation than is seen in most developed countries, and you will need to consider that when you invest and prepare a budget for your Thai…
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Malaysian biker dies in crash on last day of Phuket Bike Week
PHUKET: A second Malaysian biker participating in the Phuket Bike Week died on Sunday morning after losing control of his motorbike on the infamous Baan Kor En curve and crashing into the median strip in Thalang. Zhi Wei Loh, 29, was starting the return journey to Malaysia with a group of friends when he approached Baan Kor En curve on…
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Phuket Gazette Sports: London does it; EPL nail-biters; Vettel wins
Big crowds, black ribbons for Boston at London Marathon Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Undaunted by the Boston Marathon bombings, big crowds lined the route of London’s mass road race to cheer on around 36,000 runners, many of whom wore black ribbons to remember the dead and wounded. Hundreds of extra police were deployed to secure the first race in…
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Tennis Update: Chang-SAT ITF Pro Circuit 2013
PHUKET: Thanyapura Sports and Leisure Club (TSLC) is currently hosting a round of the prestigious International Tennis Federation (ITF) pro tennis circuit. Scroll down for today’s schedule and yesterday’s results. The 2013 ITF round consists of two consecutive women’s tournaments from April 20 to April 27 and April 27 to May 4. The highlight of the Chang-SAT ITF Pro Circuit…
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Thai Football: Phuket FC buries Khon Kaen’s ‘T-Rex’ in injury time
PHUKET: A late winner by Brazilian striker Luiz “Dudu” Purcino secured all three points for Phuket FC in their home match against Yamaha League One rivals, Khon Kaen FC, last night. Phuket wasted a number of chances throughout the game and the match looked destined to end 0-0, until Dudu scored his last gasp winner with one of the last…
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Raw sewage leaves Phuket residents retching
PHUKET: Polluted water with a stench so overpowering it is making people physically ill has become the bane of residents along the banks of the Bang Yai Canal in Phuket Town. “People vomit and get serious headaches,” said Samkong resident Lek Bumrung. “Dirty water is released into the canal at odd intervals, day or night,” she said. “But each time…
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Dead dugong discovered east of Phuket prompts local resident action
PHUKET: A dead dugong was found floating just off the coast of Koh Pu in Krabi by a local crab fisherman yesterday morning, prompting villagers to take action.The young marine mammal was discovered with a long gash across its snout in front of the Baan Koh Pu village port and was dragged to shore by villagers before it was reported…
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Earth Day celebrated with Phuket beach cleanup
PHUKET: Earth Day, underway in Phuket and around the world Monday, will see local residents, tourists and island visitors take to Kata Beach in an effort to preserve the island’s environment with Go Eco Phuket’s beach cleanup. Those wanting to take part in the Earth Day activity on Kata Beach are encouraged to meet at 8:30am at the north end…
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Phuket Oilfield Classic drives new record
PHUKET: THE 5th annual Phuket Oilfield Classic (POC) charity golf tournament attracted more than 130 oil and gas executives from around the world, who gathered on the island earlier this month for four days of golf and entertainment (click here for final results table). After the welcome cocktail party on April 4, teams of four enjoyed a great first day…
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Fake “yogi’ nabbed by cops
PHUKET: A 35-year-old Indian Sikh is in police custody after allegedly tricking villagers in Surin Province into believing he was a yogi with magic powers. Balvinder Singh extracted thousands of baht from at least five believers to “cleanse” them of their bad karma, police say. Mr Singh was arrested while he performed a “magical” ceremony for “Mr Ek”, a 31-year-old…
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Phuket Laguna Golf Club cuts green fees
PHUKET: Laguna Phuket Golf Club is offering Thai and expat golfers cut-price green fees of 1,800 baht for 18 holes during the current low season – less than half the usual 4,200 baht visitor rate. This offer is available until October 2013, but the green fees exclude caddy fee. Meanwhile, Laguna Phuket Golf Club recently hosted the second match of…
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Phuket policeman charged with attempted murder still on active duty
PHUKET: A Phuket policeman charged with attempted murder after a violent attack on Valentine’s Day remains on active duty in Thalang, while police prepare their case for the prosecutor. Sen Sgt Maj Wichit Dada of the Thalang Police was charged with attempted murder after he was accused of restraining a teenager while his son threatened the teen with his father’s…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Second suspect in Boston bombings captured
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Second suspect in Boston bombings captured after huge manhunt Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Police captured a 19-year-old man suspected of carrying out the Boston Marathon bombings with his older brother after a day-long manhunt on Friday that closed down the city and turned a working-class suburb into…
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TPL teams struggle against champions
PHUKET: Thailand’s two representatives in the AFC Champions League, Muang Thong United and Buriram United, are struggling to make it out of the competition’s group stages. Muang Thong’s form in the Champions League is the polar opposite of their five-game unbeaten start to the 2013 Thai Premier League (TPL) season. The current TPL champions are rooted to the bottom of…
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Chonburi top AFC qualifiers
PHUKET: Thailand’s Futsal Premier League (TFPL) champions, Chonburi Bluewave finished top of the AFC Futsal Club Championship 2013 Zone 2 Qualifiers. The Zone 2 qualifying groups comprised of ASEAN and East Asian teams, while Zone 1 has West, South and Central Asian teams. Zone 2 featured two groups, with the top two teams from each group progressing to the semifinals.…
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Phuket Police pursuit nets drug suspect from fish pond
PHUKET: Phuket City Police in hot pursuit of a drug suspect yesterday finally arrested their man after hauling him out of a fish pond in Rassada.Police were alerted to the suspect when officers at a checkpoint on Palian Road in Phuket Town saw a new Toyota Vios, still bearing red license plates, pull over just short of the checkpoint at…
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Laguna Phuket to host record-breaking Nu Skin incentives meeting
PHUKET: Laguna Phuket is playing a major role in a record-breaking annual incentive program being staged over six days, from Sunday April 21, for 4,000 delegates and staff of anti-aging products company NU SKIN Greater China. The delegation is expected to generate a business boom for Phuket and Thailand.NU SKIN delegates from seven cities in mainland China, as well as…
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Temperatures, tyres and tactics – F1
PHUKET: Before Shanghai, I predicted correctly that Kimi Räikkönen and Fernando Alonso would be on the podium, but who would be the third driver to join them? In the event it was Lewis Hamilton, but in truth it could have been any driver in the first half of the field (click here for article). If only Felipe Massa’s car had…
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Malaysian biker dies en route to Phuket Bike Week
PHUKET: A Malaysian biker died in a road accident in Phattalung yesterday afternoon while riding to Phuket to join Phuket Bike Week. Lt Boonthip Wunfai of the Khao Chaison Police told the Phuket Gazette this morning that the accident occurred on Petchkasem Road, the main highway from the southern Thai border to Bangkok, at about 2:30pm. Officers and rescue workers…
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Thailand News: Preah Vihear land dispute update
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Romanian expert becomes star at the ICJ Supalak Ganjanakhundee / Budsarakham Sinlapalavan / The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Alina Miron, co-counsel on the Thai legal team that is presenting the country’s case in the Preah Vihear land dispute before the world court, smiled in surprise…
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Phuket Justice: Hope fades for finding Jintana’s executioners
PHUKET: Police officers’ hopes are dissipating as they once again turn to the public for help in finding the executioners of Jintana Mahattanapak, who was shot in the head on her way home from work in January. With leads running out earlier this year, police were banking on CCTV footage captured in the area to help identify the killers or…
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Phuket Opinion: Paradise found
PHUKET: I lived on Racha Yai Island for five years, teaching English to the staff at the luxury resort there, and I support the local conservation group that wants to ensure that restaurants and hotels deal properly with their wastewater and garbage, and allow streams to flow freely to the sea.I love nature, but I’m no enviro-activist. I don’t have…
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Phuket Opinion: Taking responsibility for Phuket’s garbage
Environmental specialist Nutthakrit Polpetch, 45, is the director of the Phuket office of Natural Resources and Environment. He has a bachelor’s degree in Forestry from Kasetsart University. A native of Phattalung, he has lived in Phuket for 20 years. Here he talks about how managing organic garbage in Phuket can reduce garbage and also create useful products. PHUKET: I am…
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