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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Phuket Sports: Futsal World Cup
PHUKET: The War Elephants charge into the Futsal World Cup hoping to restore some pride after the embarrassment of Thailand’s failure to adequately prepare for the event. The sport’s most prestigious tournament starts November 1 with the host nation’s first game against Costa Rica, but it won’t be at the new indoor futsal arena. The center piece 12,000-seat stadium in…
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Phuket Soccer Schools U10s own Patong soccer match
PHUKET: Phuket Soccer School’s (PSS) Academy U10s destroyed Patong Wassaone school 10-1 in a match on Tuesday. A pre-game warm-up and pep-talk fired up the PSS squad, who went on the attack straight from the whistle. Daniel C scored in one of PSS’s first attacks and his goal was followed by a great half-volley from Fard, which left the Wassaone…
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Phuket Sports: Olympic medalist comes to Phuket
PHUKET: Two-time Olympic medalist David Davies spoke to the Phuket Gazette about his upcoming trip to Thanyapura Sports and Leisure Club to teach a Swimming Stroke Clinic tomorrow.Phuket Gazette: What brings you to Phuket and will this be your first time in Thailand?David Davies: It will be my first time in Thailand. Following my third consecutive Olympics, I thought I’d…
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Phuket Sports: F1 – change, crowds and customs
PHUKET: Sebastian Vettel’s victory in the Korean Grand Prix allowed him to take the Drivers’ Championship lead from Fernando Alonso. Vettel now has a six-point lead and is on track for his third consecutive title. Korea was Vettel’s third successive victory and he is the first driver to win four races this season. His teammate Mark Webber was second in…
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Sydictive “super new year Phuket beach bash’ still to jump bureaucratic hoops
PHUKET: Ma-ann Samran, president of the Cherng Talay Administration Organization (OrBorTor), today expressed uncertainty as to whether the new year’s extravaganza would take place as promoted. The event received much publicity by the arrival of Paris Hilton in Bangkok this week to promote the high-profile ‘beach bash’ to take place at Surin Beach from December 30 to January 1. Mr…
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Yingluck’s Cabinet called on to answer Phuket ICEC debacle
PHUKET: Phuket MP Anchalee Vanich Thepabutra yesterday stood in Parliament and called for the government to answer why the 2.6-billion-baht project to build a Phuket International Convention and Exhibition Center (ICEC) was cancelled. The news of the cancellation was never announced by the government, prompting Ms Anchalee to break the news through her Facebook page last week. Despite being lobbied…
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Krabi teens claim stabbing of British tourist was a “misunderstanding’
PHUKET: Two teenagers who confessed to attacking a British tourist in Krabi on Monday have claimed that they “misunderstood” the foreigner’s actions and thought he was insulting them.The victim, Daniel Cole, 21, has already undergone surgery for the cut wounds to his temple, chest, right shoulder and right arm and is recovering at Bangkok Hospital Phuket.Anusorn Kullak, 18, and his…
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Phuket Rotary Fair to mark 35 years
PHUKET: The Rotary Club of Phuket will mark its 35th anniversary by holding a Rotary Fair at Saphan Hin on November 3 to 9. “The objective of the fair is to promote the community development projects and activities that the Rotary Club members and volunteers contribute to the local community. We will also have fund-raising activities to help support our…
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Chinese Consul-General raises tourist safety concerns with Phuket Governor
PHUKET: Chinese Consul-General Xu Mingliang yesterday raised the issue of tourist safety with Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut while personally welcoming the recently installed governor to office. Xu Mingliang, a regular visitor to Phuket, heads the Chinese Consulate in Songkhla, which is also responsible for Chinese nationals in Phuket and the other Andaman provinces. “Thailand and China have a long history…
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Phuket illegal taxi blitz nets 194 drivers on first day
PHUKET: A total of 194 drivers were charged and fined yesterday for illegally operating a taxi or for not displaying the now-mandatory stickers that publicly identify the drivers on the sides of their vehicles. The haul in arrests came on the first day of an island-wide crackdown on illegal taxi drivers in Phuket as officers from the Phuket Land Transportation…
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Similan Islands to undergo ‘spring cleaning’ before re-opening
PHUKET: National Park officers, private business operators and locals are set to join forces for a two day beach and reef cleanup at the Similan Islands before the national park re-opens for the tourism high season on November 1.“We want people to realize the importance of preserving the marine ecosystem and feel that it is truly their responsibility to protect…
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Phuket Business: Property executives heed warning
PHUKET: The island’s property market continues to grow with a high number of new apartments, condominiums and small hotels in line for approval.This “rising boom” sets the stage for the AEC (ASEAN Economic Community), which will come into effect in 2015. The Phuket Real Estate Association (PREA) recently held an “Executive Dinner Talk” at the Boat Lagoon Resort, inviting Songkran…
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Phuket’s largest readership base brought to bear on expat forum
PHUKET: Phuket’s largest online community just got bigger this morning with its merger into the newly launched Phuket Forum Dot Net. Powered by the Gazette Online, Google’s top-ranked website for Phuket (Source: Google Analytics), the new forum draws from a current daily readership base greater than all other local news outlets combined. All stories appearing in the Gazette Online appear…
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Hermaphrodite blocked from Thai monkhood
PHUKET: A young man in Lampang province wants to ordain as a monk at his local temple, just like nearly all Thai Buddhist men do at some point during their lifetimes. But Krittapak Duangchai, 30, has a problem: his local temple will not ordain him as he is a hermaphrodite. The budding monk possesses a vagina as well as a…
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Local input “critical’ to public awareness campaigns: Online Poll
PHUKET: Having local residents and local Thai officials involved in public-awareness campaigns, such as the Go Eco Phuket’s “Dive Against Debris” underwater cleanup last month, is critical to their success, according to a recent online poll by the Phuket Gazette. Following the “Dive Against Debris” reef cleanup, which set a record as the largest single simultaneous dive “cleanup” event in…
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Phuket Vegetarian Festival ends with a bang
PHUKET: Thousands of people lined the streets of Phuket Town last night as the Vegetarian Festival drew to a close with street processions arriving at Saphan Hin for the midnight finale.Devotees from all participating Chinese shrines in Phuket carried images of the Jade Emperor and the Nine Emperor Gods on palanquins as firecrackers blazed a protected path for the esteemed…
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Phuket mother returns to nurse abandoned newborn
PHUKET: The mother who abandoned her newborn girl, delivered into the world at Thalang Hospital last Friday, has returned to the hospital to nurse her child. However, she has yet to decide whether she will keep the baby. “The mother’s still sick – very tired,’ said Phuket Provincial Health Office Deputy Director Wiwat Seetamonotch this afternoon. “She has had no…
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Phuket Governor marks Chulalongkorn Day
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut this morning led an assembly of officials in a ceremony to honor Chulalongkorn Day, known in Thai as Wan Piya Maharat. The ceremony, held at the “Chulalongkorn the Great” monument at Phuket Provincial Hall, began at 8am. Officers adorned the statue with flowers and speeches were made honoring the great achievements of HM King Chulalongkorn.…
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Paris Hilton hails Phuket New Year’s beach party
PHUKET: Hotel heiress Paris Hilton dropped into Bangkok for her first visit to the Kingdom yesterday to publicly endorse the Sydictive Element New Year’s party set for Phuket’s Surin Beach. The New Year’s Eve bash will run from December 30 to the first sunrise of 2013, and has already booked a number of world-class artists and DJs, including Basement Jaxx,…
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Delegation pitches Phuket ICEC review to PM Yingluck in Samui
PHUKET: A delegation from Phuket yesterday lobbied Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to review the decision by Cabinet to shelve the 2.6-billion-baht project to build an international convention and exhibition center (ICEC) in Phuket. As PM Yingluck arrived to attend the mobile Cabinet meeting on Koh Samui this morning, Boonsupaa Tanthai, president of the Rak Phuket Club (“We Love Phuket Club”),…
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World News: Ivory siezure; Poison fumes hit pax at airport; Hit-and-runs kill 1, injures 13 in Wales
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Hong Kong confiscates 1,200 pieces of ivory tusks in record haul Phuket Gazette / News WiresPHUKET: More than 1,200 pieces of ivory tusks which were being smuggled in containers shipped from Africa were confiscated in Hong Kong last week, making it the region’s largest ever seizure of…
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Thailand News: Petty officer killed and 3 troops seriously wounded in IED attack
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Rebels hit Tak Bai in lead-up to anniversary Phuket Gazette / The Nation PHUKET: Just days before the eighth anniversary of Narathiwat’s Tak Bai massacre, the province erupted in violence over the weekend, with attacks continuing yesterday after five simultaneous incidents in the Tak Bai district…
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World News: Young elephant crushes keeper at Sydney zoo
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Australian zookeeper crushed by young elephant at Sydney zoo Phuket Gazette / News WiresPHUKET: An Australian zookeeper remains in critical, but stable, condition in a Sydney hospital after a young male elephant she had cared for suddenly crushed her during a routine training session. The incident happened…
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Phuket Sports: Islanders topple Crowns, survival a win away
PHUKET: The Islanders are well positioned to secure their Division 1 status ahead of the final game of the season thanks to a 4-1 away victory to Rajpracha FC on Saturday evening. Played at Mahidol University’s Salaya campus, about an hour’s drive west of Bangkok, the 33rd match of the 34-fixture season was attended by about 500 spectators — half…
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Pressure mounts on PM Yingluck to review Phuket ICEC cancellation
PHUKET: Phuket MP Anchalee Vanich Thepabutr and Phuket’s sole representative senator, Thanyarat Achariyachai, are calling for Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to review the decision by Cabinet to cancel the 2.6-billion-baht project to build a Phuket International Convention and Exhibition Center (ICEC). Ms Anchalee posted the news that the decades-old project had been shelved on her Facebook page on Thursday.…
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Patong CCTV nabs Phuket gold thief
PHUKET: As the Patong Safety Zone and its mass of CCTV cameras continue to be networked, Phuket Police on Thursday arrested a teenage man for stealing a gold necklace worth about 25,000 baht after the license plate on his getaway motorbike was caught on a shop camera. Patong Police officers led by Lt Col Somsak Thongglieng and Sub Lt Chusak…
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Phuket hospitals defend fractured pricing
SPECIAL REPORT PHUKET: Top officials at the recently opened Phuket Provincial Hospital this week defended the facility’s practice of charging foreigners greatly inflated fees compared to its prices for Thais. The Phuket Gazette spoke to Phuket Provincial Administrative Organization (PPAO) Vice President Chawalit Na Nakorn, who is also on the Provincial Hospital’s board of directors, about the large gap between…
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AOT freezes boost in taxis at Phuket Airport until June
PHUKET: The requests by two taxi operating companies to boost the number of vehicles operating at Phuket International Airport have been declined until at least June, while plans for the allocation of business and services under the 5.7-billion-baht expansion project at the key tourism portal are finalized. The news was announced by Wing Commander Pratheep Wichittho, Deputy Director of Airports…
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Phuket Opinion: When healthcare becomes a social insecurity
PHUKET: The in-depth report of local hospitals charging foreigners more than Thais for all forms of healthcare (click here) should not come as a surprise to any long-term expats living in Phuket. The practice of two-tier pricing is so deeply entrenched into the local social fabric that the national parks have established it as a formal policy. Even the Phuket…
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Phuket Vegetarian Festival “ma song’ unruffled by media coverage
PHUKET: Phuket native Peerapong Buapetch, 27, spends the majority of his year as a handyman for a local hotel. However, once a year he is called on to take part in one of the most important cultural events in Phuket – the Vegetarian Festival, which this year draws to a close on Tuesday. Chosen by the Chinese god Guan Yu…
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