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.
-
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...
-
Henan Acrobatic Troupe dazzles Phuket
PHUKET: Thousands of people who attended a Chinese New Year celebration in Phuket Town last night were spellbound by a performance by one of the world’s top acrobatic troupes. The fun began in the late afternoon, as scores of Thai and foreign tourists dined on a huge variety of local dishes on offer by vendors lined up under a walkway…
-
Phuket Business: Now is the time to structure your financial investments
PHUKET: Now that 2012 is in full swing and no doubt many of the New Year’s resolutions have been thrown out of the window, it’s time to get a hold of the purse strings and have a set plan for the forthcoming year. I have already given my views on what I believe we can expect from the year ahead.…
-
Phuket Live Wire: The best apps for iPad owners on the island
PHUKET: Continuing my series of articles answering questions that I hear most often… it seems like half the people I know have got an iPad recently. The question I’m hearing over and over: What apps should I put on my iPad? There’s no definitive answer because the iPad ecosystem changes faster than a Republican primary. At last count, you had…
-
Myanmar Concert 2012 touted in Phuket
PHUKET: Many Burmese residents of Phuket are expected to head north to Phang Nga on Sunday for the first-ever Myanmar Concert 2012, part of the annual Phang Nga Red Cross Festival. Performers will include R Zar Ni, Zaw Paing, Wai Su Khine Thein, Yae Lay, Yae Bakar Win and Chan Chan. Posters publicizing the event have been put up at…
-
Phuket Media Watch: Chinese New Year fuels flight record at Hong Kong Airport
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Hong Kong airport sees single-day record of 1,057 flights Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Hong Kong International Airport, one of the world’s busiest airports, handled a single-day record of 1,057 incoming and outbound flights late last week, aviation authorities announced on yesterday. A spokesman for the Civil Aviation…
-
Phuket’s ‘Coconut Island’ gets new pier
PHUKET: The new 10-million-baht pier on Koh Maphrao in Phuket was officially opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony presided over by the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) President Paiboon Upatising on Friday. The new concrete pier, 170 meters long and three meters wide, replaces a dilapidated wooden structure, making passage to the island safer and more convenient for residents and tourists.…
-
Chinese New Year celebration in Phuket Town tonight
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) has organized a Chinese New Year celebration tonight at Sanam Chai to see in the Year of the Dragon. A special appearance at this free event will be the stunning “new style” acrobatic show from China’s Henan province starting at 7:35pm, followed by a fireworks display at 8:35pm After that will be musical…
-
Fire breaks out at Phuket official’s residence
PHUKET: Phuket firefighters extinguished a fire at the Thalang District Office compound in the early hours of this morning. The fire was reported to Thalang Police at about 2:15am. Thepkrasattri Municipality firefighters took about half an hour to extinguish the blaze, which gutted a room on the second floor of a wooden home used as the residence of a government…
-
Phuket land probe: witness found hanged
PHUKET: A security guard questioned by government officials about the ownership of land at Freedom Beach in Patong has died of what appears to be a suicide, a local Phuket newspaper has reported. A report in today’s edition of Siangtai Daily newspaper identified the deceased as 54-year-old Narong Piromrak, a native of Nakhon Sri Thammarat province. The death was reported…
-
Phuket Police nab exchange booth robbery duo
PHUKET: Chalong Police last night arrested two suspects for the armed robbery of a currency exchange booth in Phuket in late November, which has now been revealed as an “inside job”. The first suspect, 25-year-old Kriangsak ‘Jae’ Jintaphakul, was arrested at his home at the Chao Fa Village residential estate on Chao Fa East Road in Wichit at about 9:30pm…
-
Phuket Media Watch: 7 adrift in wooden boat rescued after 7 days; fire claims 29 homes in Reno
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Seven Chinese rescued after a week adrift in wooden boat Phuket Gazette / News Wires PHUKET: Seven Chinese fishermen who went missing in the South China Sea last week have been rescued alive, state-run media reported on yesterday. They were said to be in good condition.…
-
Phuket Business: Hotel leaders to confer at Thailand Tourism Forum
PHUKET: Thailand’s hotel leaders and international experts will discuss the state of the hospitality sector at the Thailand Tourism Forum (TTF) 2012, to be held on February 2 at the InterContinental Bangkok. Key event participants include Chanin Donavanik, chief executive officer of Dusit Hotels and Resorts, Dillip Rajakarier, CEO of the Minor Hotel Group, and Peter Henley, CEO and president…
-
Phuket Police name “mastermind’ suspect behind “Ae Inside’ murder
PHUKET: Police today announced the name of the man they believe masterminded the assassination of Wisut “Ae Inside” Tangwitthayaporn, who was shot dead in rush-hour traffic while driving to Phuket Town on January 12. Maj Gen Chonasit Wattanavrangku, superintendent of Phuket Provincial Police, this morning confirmed that arrest warrants had been issued for Atsadakorn “Pod” Seedokbuab (pictured above), 48, and…
-
Phuket’s Luangpor Daeng passes away, age 79
PHUKET: More than 1,000 people, including the Phuket Governor, attended a memorial service for Luangpor Daeng, the revered abbot of Mai Khao Temple since 1978. Originally from Nakhon Sri Thammarat, Luangpor Daeng was ordained at Wat Khunapanangtun Temple in Phattalung in 1967. He was appointed abbot at Mai Khao Temple in 1978, serving as a teaching abbot there until his…
-
Phuket tourism: China lifts travel warning
PHUKET: Good news for the Phuket tourism industry came yesterday when China removed its travel advisory for Thailand. Thai Foreign Affairs Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul immediately expressed his appreciation for the move. Mr Surapong attributed China’s decision to Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra’s recent participation in a New Year celebration at the Chinese Embassy in Bangkok, during which the issue was discussed…
-
Tropical Phuket likely to be caught in center of next El Nino heat wave
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community 2011 ninth warmest year in recorded history, NASA says Phuket Gazette / News Wires PHUKET: The global average surface temperature in 2011 was the ninth warmest since at least 1880 [maybe earlier], according to NASA scientists on Thursday. Nine of the ten warmest years have occurred…
-
Kamala Festival 2012 underway in Phuket
PHUKET: Kamala Festival 2012 got underway this morning with a fishing competition on Kamala Beach. A wide variety of fun activities throughout the weekend are expected to draw tourists and residents from across Phuket. Organized and funded by the Kamala Tambon Administration Organization (Kamala OrBorTor), the center of activities is Chalermprakiat 100 Pee Park on Kamala Beach, where staged events…
-
Flirting with the Blues
PHUKET: ‘It’s like flirting with a girl. Perhaps she will resist you at first, but if you continue to ask her out, it always ends well. Never give up.” Zhu Jun describes negotiations with Chelsea to sign striker Didier Drogba for his side, Shanghai Shenhua. Drogba could be joining forces with former team-mate Nicolas Anelka as the Chinese club moves…
-
“Safety boost’ at death bend not working: Village chief
PHUKET: The village headman of Baan Kho En has called for officials to install more safety features at the notorious “death bend” on Thepkrasattri Road where the small community resides in the north of Phuket. Somnuek Patee made his plea on Thursday at a high-powered meeting held to review the slew of safety measures put in place on the lethal…
-
Phuket villagers protest land claim via dubious title deed
PHUKET: In the latest land dispute in Phuket, more than 100 residents of the Soi Kingkaew Community in Rassada have protested to the governor over alleged attempts by a private investor to get a Chanote land title deed for a 300-rai plot in the area. Led by 41-year-old Thongchai Kaewthong, the residents of Rassada Village 3 went to see Phuket…
-
Phuket dive crew rescues seven from blazing catamaran
PHUKET: Quick action by the crews of a Phuket dive-boat and another vessel saved the lives of seven foreigners when their chartered catamaran caught fire and sunk in the waters off Koh Rok last night. The crew of the Sailing Yacht (SY) Diva Andaman were interrupted during their beach barbecue on Koh Rok, an island about 30 kilometers southwest of…
-
Weird World News: Eye on Eastern Europe and Hitler’s lair for rent, the Bulgarian renegade referee and wacky scuba divers in Estonia
PHUKET: Eastern Europe caught the attention of Weird World News this week, with a fine display of odd-ball antics served up by Poland, Bulgaria and Estonia. Hitler’s Wolf’s Lair up for rent HITLER’S massive fortified base, The Wolfe’s Lair, has gone on the rental market in Poland. The site, where the Nazi leader spent most of World War II and…
-
Phuket Sports: Patong lead the field
PHUKET: Patong CC top the Island Furniture cricket league after a comfortable win over Phuket’s youth development team, the Leopards, played at the ACG last Sunday. With all seven teams in the competition moving into the third round of matches, a victory and taking every available bonus point was a must for Patong while the Leopards were on the prowl…
-
Phuket Events: New vehicle for tickets in Phuket
PHUKET: With more and more events gracing Phuket every year, and with the vast majority of them sponsored by the Phuket Gazette, the newspaper’s events promotion team thought it time to do something special for event organizers and attendees alike. Phuket Tickets is now in “business” and doing all it can to help promote the next two ‘tickets required’ events…
-
Phuket poll: How to steer kids clear of “corruption mindset’?
PHUKET: On the occasion of National Children’s Day celebrated in Phuket and throughout Thailand last weekend, a survey by Suan Dusit Rajabhat University revealed that teachers play a “crucial” role in the development of an “anti-corruption mentality” in children. In the latest Phuket Gazette online poll, we ask readers who plays the most important role in instilling an “anti-corruption” mentality…
-
Terror warning does not apply to Phuket: US Embassy
PHUKET: Tourism operators yesterday threatened to march on the US Embassy if the United States refused to withdraw its terrorism warning for Bangkok within two days. However, local tourism operators can rest easy, as the embassy has reiterated that the warning does not apply to Phuket. “Those concerned operators will join forces to submit their demand to US Ambassador Kristie…
-
Countdown to ‘Phuket Life & Style’: Launch issue hits the streets today
PHUKET: Enclosed in your Phuket Gazette due out this afternoon, you’ll find our all-new magazine, ‘Phuket Life & Style’. This 32-page launch issue is packed full of features dedicated to Asia’s Favorite Island. We’ve cobbled together interviews with Allan Zeman, Gulu Lalvani, Bill Heinecke and more. Golf, fashion, yachting, spas, property, tourism and aviation will also vie for your attention…
-
Phuket “fully booked’ for Korean, Chinese New Years
PHUKET: Local tourism representatives are expecting hotel occupancy rates of 90 to 100% across Phuket during the upcoming festive period. Most tourist arrivals to Phuket at the end of January will come by direct flights from China and Korea, said Somboon Jirayus, Presdient of Phuket Tourist Association. “In addition to Seoul, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore, there are currently about…
-
Red Shirt leader hails Phuket’s ‘Ae Inside’ as ‘brave, fearless’
PHUKET: Friends, family and colleagues paid their final respects to slain reporter Wisut “Ae Inside” Tangwitthayaporn during an emotional cremation ceremony at Wat Kosit in Phuket Town this afternoon. Mr Wisut, an investigative reporter and head of the “red shirt” political movement in Phuket, was ambushed and shot dead by two assailants near his Rassada home last Thursday. Mr Wisut’s…
-
“Get the gunmen off our streets’: Phuket Governor
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha has told Phuket’s top police officers that he wants a concerted effort by police to arrest the gunmen in recent murder cases in order to restore people’s faith in public safety on the island. The order came at a meeting at Phuket Provincial Police Station yesterday, in the wake of two assassinations on the streets…
Don't forget to check out some other things to do in Thailand - get help starting a business or finding a job in Thailand, buy Thailand property, rent a yacht or book a medical procedure worldwide.