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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Phuket gets cooking for halal food expo
PHUKET: Representatives from 70 halal organizations from 35 countries have been invited to join the ‘Phuket Halal International Forum and Andaman Muslim Expo 2011’, which gets underway at Phuket Graceland Resort and Spa in Patong on June 22. The two-day international forum will focus on halal certification in each respective country, seeking to reach consensus on a standard in order…
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Keeping dolphins in captivity is inhumane: Poll
PHUKET: A strong majority of Phuket Gazette readers who voted in a recent online readers’ poll say that keeping dolphins in captivity is inhumane. Readers were asked: “Do you think it is humane to keep dolphins in captivity?” Four answers were available: 1) Yes; 2) No; 3) It depends on how they are acquired and treated; and 4) I don’t…
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US Open for McIlroy
PHUKET: “I took the experience from Augusta, and I learned a lot from it. I just need to keep it going. I played really good out there, didn’t make any mistakes, which in a US Open is huge.” Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy leads the US Open at Congressional with a 6-under-par first round score. The 22-year-old is 3 shots ahead…
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Taxis, tour agencies ink MoU to end blockades at Phuket Deep Sea Port
PHUKET: An hour of intense negotiations today finally ended with taxi drivers and tour agencies signing an agreement to end blockades at Phuket’s Deep Sea Port. Most, but not all, parties present at the meeting at Provincial Hall today signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which was outlined by verbal agreement following the blockade of tourists attempting to disembark the…
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Russian honeymoon tourist in Phuket dies after dangerous surf rescue
PHUKET: A young Russian tourist on honeymoon in Phuket died earlier today after she was pulled unconscious from dangerous surf at Nai Thon Beach late yesterday afternoon. Irina Tsyz, 24, was swimming with her husband Alexander Ovsov, 25, when she started to flounder in the large waves, Tah Chat Chai police told the Phuket Gazette. “It was windy and she…
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Phuket PEA issues blackout notice
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Electricity Authority, Thalang office, has announced a scheduled blackout to carry out maintenance work on high-voltage power lines. The work will be carried out on Tuesday, June 21, from 9am to 5pm. Affected areas include the road from Baan Mai Khao to Baan Suan Maprao, including Mai Khao Soi 8, Mai Khao Soi 9, Soi Suan…
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FC Phuket hit a magnificent seven in Thai FA Cup
PHUKET: Bangkok Christian College Football Club (BCCFC) were thrown to the lions in last night’s Thailand FA Cup second round match against a rampant FC Phuket at Surakul Stadium. After a 4-1 win over Chainat FC on Saturday, a buoyant Phuket were certainly in goalscoring form and needed to consolidate their first league victory in six games. A solid win…
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Early vote registration in Phuket ends tomorrow
PHUKET: Tomorrow is the last day for Phuket residents who will be out of town on July 3 to register to vote early on June 26 in the upcoming general election. Phuket Election Commission Director Kitipong Thiengkunakrit is urging all such residents to register at the District Office or subdistrict (tambon or municipality) office where they reside. The early vote…
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New South Wales take State of Origin to game three
PHUKET: Two years without winning a Rugby League State of Origin game ended for New South Wales last night defeating Queensland to leave the 2011 series balanced with one win each. A victory for the Maroons (Queensland) in yesterday’s match played in Sydney would have sealed the series and taken them to six titles in a row. Hope for a…
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One dead, three injured in Phuket car crash
PHUKET: One man was killed and three others badly injured when their pickup crashed near the Heroines’ Monument in Phuket early this morning. Thalang Police Duty Officer Praman Yomkaphan was informed of the accident at 3:40am. Arriving at the scene, on Thepkrasattri Road southbound near Tha Reua Temple, officers found a badly damaged Suzuki utility truck on the median strip.…
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Questions raised over Phuket’s Big Buddha
PHUKET: The management of Phuket’s renowned Big Buddha image has come under scrutiny for slow progress and alleged misuse of land and donated funds. After more than nine years of construction, land officials are now demanding “a clear deadline” as to when construction at the site, high atop a hill in the Nakkerd Range, will finally come to an end.…
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Phuket Live Wire: Internet access really is getting better
PHUKET: It’s fashionable to squawk and groan about our Internet connections here in Phuket, but the fact is that we’re approaching the speeds one would commonly find in the United States and other developing countries. Err, well, you know what I mean. Scandinavia is much faster, as are Hong Kong, Singapore and much of South Korea. Those places recognized the…
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Phuket street shootout gunman dies from injuries
PHUKET: The second of two men involved in a shootout with Phuket police in Kata-Karon on Sunday has died in hospital. Chalong Police duty officer Boonlert Onklang told the Phuket Gazette today that 21-year-old Somkid Kongtin died at Vachira Hospital Phuket at 7:20pm yesterday. Mr Somkid suffered multiple gunshot wounds in the shootout, but the two most serious wounds were…
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FC Phuket take on Bangkok Christian tonight
PHUKET: FC Phuket will take on Bangkok Christian College FC in the second round of the 2011 Thai League FA Cup tonight. The match at Surakul Stadium will kick off at 6pm. Following Saturday’s 4 -1 victory over Chainat, FC Phuket began a two-week break from Division 1 league play. Anticipating a challenging home match up against southern rivals Songkhla…
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Slipstream leads Phuket’s Lady Pie race series
PHUKET: The Lady Pie Series got underway with its first of three races on June 12 in seasonal monsoon conditions off Phuket’s Ao Yon. Spectators enjoyed a day of close racing amongst the Phuket Tasar fleet and witnessed spectacular capsizes, while crews were on full hike. Slipstream, skippered by Andrew de Bruin, expertly managed the tough conditions to take three…
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Korean ambassador ‘grateful’ for positive Phuket relations
PHUKET: South Korea Ambassador to Thailand Chung Hae-moon today told Phuket Governor Tri Augkadachara that he was “grateful” for the positive support the Korean community in Phuket had received from the local authorities. “We have been cooperating and coordinating very well between Honorary Consul Tosaporn Tephabutra, the law enforcement authorities and the Korean community. “We have not yet faced any…
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Beckham’s Olympic bid
PHUKET: “When I was asked to be part of the Olympic bid I was very skeptical at first because I’d never competed in the Olympics, I’m a football player.” David Beckham seems unsure that football is also played at amateur status without the need for gratuities, salaries and bonuses. The former England international may well play for Great Britain at…
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Tsunami detecting radar coming to Phuket
PHUKET: A high-frequency radar system to monitor ocean currents and aid in the detection of tsunami waves will be set up in Patong by the end of the month, local officials say. The Thai Meteorological Department (TMD), in cooperation with Patong Municipality, is preparing the site at a location called Kor Sai Lod, a headland on the south coast of…
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Wanted: Automatic immigration clearance at airport
PHUKET: Immigration officers at Phuket Airport have told the Gazette they would welcome an automatic passport check-in system like the eight machines that will be installed at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok at cost of 76 million baht. “The system will be used first at Suwannabhumi Airport. For now, it seems the machines will not be installed at Phuket Airport any…
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Phuket to ‘paint the world RED’ today
PHUKET: To mark World Blood Donor Day today the Phuket Regional Blood Center and Phuket Red Cross are arranging special activities in Phuket. Phuket Governor Tri Augkadachara kicked off the activities by honoring 100 Phuket Public Health Volunteers with certificates in a ceremony at Phuket Community Hall. Pins are also awarded to people who reached donation milestones in multiples of…
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British woman fends off alleged rapist
PHUKET: A hotel handyman has been arrested for the alleged rape of a British woman at a Phuket hotel last weekend. The victim, a 32-year-old British woman, reported the case to Patong Police at about 1:30pm on Saturday. She traded punches with her assailant and managed to fend him off, but not before he ejaculated onto her bedsheets, she told…
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FC Phuket crush Chainat, 4-1
PHUKET: FC Phuket routed the Chainat “Hornbills” 4-1 on a rainy Saturday night at Surakul Stadium. FC Phuket opened the scoring on 26 minutes with a goal by Niran Panthong, but Chainat equalized just before the break to a goal that drew the vociferous ire of the FC Phuket supporters, (aka “The Hulk”), who booed the officials off the field…
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One dead, two injured in Phuket shootout with police
PHUKET: Two men reportedly known to police as thugs who impersonated police officers to extort money from Burmese workers were gunned down in a street shootout in Phuket’s tourist area of Kata Beach today. One police officer was shot in each leg before returning fire. Duty Officer Lt Col Boonlert Onklang said Chalong Police first received a report of the…
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Khudyakov smashes Laguna Phuket Marathon record
PHUKET: Vsevolod Khudyakov blazed along the 42-kilometer 2011 Laguna Phuket International Marathon (LPIM) course today to set a course record of just over 2 hours and 33 minutes. “I really enjoyed my marathon and I’m very pleased that I finished so well,” he said. The ultra-fit Ukrainian probably did not get an opportunity to enjoy the scenic aspect of “Run…
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Announcing PCs4Kids: Phuket’s new initiative to unlock the potential of the gifted poor
PHUKET: The organizers of a new technology-based initiative note that many children continue to grow up in Phuket without acquiring even the most basic computer skills, often because their parents cannot afford to buy them a PC or send them to places that can make one available without charge. This seriously deprives many intellectually gifted youngsters of an opportunity to…
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Phuket Opinion: Computer culture won’t yield to Thai Ministry
PHUKET: The efforts of the Culture Ministry (yes, we have one) to certify and brand as “white” certain computer game shops that it sees as ‘appropriate’ for youngsters, may or may not be a good idea. While the sincerity of the ‘white project’ is unassailable, many see it as presumptuous, interventionist and unlikely to succeed as the result of its…
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Thepchaiya wins Phuket snooker final as Bingham’s luck runs out
PHUKET: Thailand’s Thepchaiya Uh-nooh is the 2011 Sangsom Phuket Snooker Cup champion, having defeated the world number 17, Stuart Bingham, in a thrilling final this afternoon at the Royal Paradise Hotel, Patong. Bingham was the only ranked player who remained in the tournament which saw Thanawat Thirapongpaiboon (82), Alfie Burden (57), Ratchapol Pu-Ob-Orm (67) and Issara Kachaiwong (87) all fail…
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Phuket Governor gets married again
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha and his wife Mrs Nalinee today renewed their wedding vows this morning at a ceremony in Old Phuket Town as part of a two-day wedding festival to honor Baba Pernankan (“Straits Chinese”) traditions. Gov Tri and Mrs Nalinee were one of four guest couples invited to renew their vows at Hongsyok House on Thepkrasattri Road.…
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FC Phuket’s Rock Rhino looks for first home win
PHUKET: New FC Phuket coach Sompong “Rock Rhino” Wattana will take to the sidelines for his first home match tonight, when Phuket takes on Chainat FC at Surakul Stadium. Kick-off will be at 6pm. All eyes will be on Coach Sompong, whose first outing was a 1-1 draw on the road at Air Force United last weekend. He has reportedly…
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Car theft: Phuket car rental firm seeks compensation
PHUKET: The owner of a small car rental outfit in Phuket is demanding insurance compensation for a car allegedly stolen by a Singaporean tourist, but the claims adjuster says none will be forthcoming. Somjit Prayunsri, 50, went to Patong Police Station yesterday to check if there had been any progress in the investigation into a Honda Jazz that she reported…
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