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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Intarat takes to the air
KARON: Maj Gen Intarat Yodbangtoey, “special adviser” to Natural Resources and Environment Minister Anongwan Thepsutin, wrapped up his two-day visit to Phuket yesterday with a helicopter inspection tour of suspected illegally acquired land plots on Phuket.“About 20 construction sites believed to be illegal are under investigation by the DSI [Department of Special Investigations]. We expect the DSI to announce the…
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Heavy rains cause traffic delays
KOH KAEW: As the rain continues to fall on the island, motorists on Thepkrasattri Rd near Boat Lagoon this morning saw waters rise to more than a meter deep across the three northbound lanes.Police allowed only high-clearance vehicles to pass, such as pickup trucks, directing them in single file through the shallowest point, while diverting other vehicles to alternative routes.Many…
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Campaign to reduce plastic waste launched
PHUKET CITY: In possibly Phuket’s first unilateral move to reduce the volume of trash created each day on the island, the leaders of all 19 local administration organizations on Phuket – as well as representatives of 23 businesses, shops, department stores and resorts on the island – signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) at The Metropole hotel on July 9.…
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Southern rebel leader announces end to separatism
Bangkok (Nation): A self-proclaimed spokesman of 11 “underground” separatist groups has announced a ceasefire in the three southernmost provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat, ending the secessionist movement in the Malay-speaking region.The announcement, delivered by videotape, was broadcast midday today through Thai TV5, an Army-run station and TV 7.Speaking through a translator, the spokesman announced an end to all violent…
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Abandoned Kancils baffle Customs officers
CHALONG: The discovery of two Perodua Kancil cars, found abandoned at two different locations on the island last week, have sparked a search by Customs officers for the people who left them behind.Customs officers found one of the Malaysian-made cars hidden in a rubber plantation on Sakdidet Rd, Wichit, on July 8.The white four-door Perodua Kancil was not fitted with…
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Three buried alive in Patong landslide
PATONG: Following heavy rains overnight, three Burmese laborers were crushed by a landslide this morning at the site of a new apartment block being built on 50 Pi Rd.The laborers were part of a construction crew who had been working on building a retaining wall at the site, located opposite Rattana Hill Apartments, to prevent such an incident.The owner of…
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Floating gas station busted
AO MAKHAM: Phuket Customs officers on July 10 arrested two men found on board a Thai-registered boat carrying 3,000 liters of illegal diesel off the coast of Satun.Customs officers apprehended the vessel at sea 17 nautical miles north of Koh Adang in Satun province at 5:30 pm on July 10, Somchai Poolsawasdi, director of the Royal Thai Customs Investigation and…
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Drug arrests coming down
PHUKET: Crime statistics released by the Phuket Provincial Police show that the number of drug-related arrests in June was down to 44% compared with 66% in May.In June, there were 171 arrests for drug-related offenses, 104 of which involved ya bah (methamphetamine) with a total of 7,052 pills seized.A total of 41 people were arrested for using cannabis, with 4,581.08…
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Treasury Dept gets moving on ICEC
PHUKET: Nine months after a provincial government committee decided on a 350-rai plot of Treasury Department (TRD) land in Mai Khao as the preferred site for the Phuket International Convention and Exhibition Center (ICEC), the TRD has now decided the project needs prompt action.Pitak Direksoonthorn, Director of the TRD’s State Property Administration Office, on Wednesday met Phuket Governor Niran Kalayanamit…
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Youngster yachtie wins Raceweek photo contest
PHUKET: Local yachtie Mia Gillow, 23, has won the Six Senses Phuket Raceweek Photo Contest, winning her three nights’ stay in a Studio Garden View room at The Evason Phuket & Six Senses Spa during the annual regatta. Miss Gillow’s photo of Living Doll on a charge running downwind at Geelong Race Week in Australia early this year has also…
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Inaugural multihull regatta underway
CHALONG: Crews racing in the inaugural SEA Property Multihull Championship got off to an easy start this morning with catamarans and trimarans crossing the start line in light winds.Although the regatta entails only two days of racing, it has attracted a large number of local multihulls, including many of the Phuket designed and built Firefly 850s.Among the Fireflys, which are competing…
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Thaksin on graft charges
BANGKOK (The Nation): The attorney-general has filed a criminal lawsuit against Thaksin Shinawatra, accusing him of abusing power while serving as prime minister by converting telecom concessions to benefit Shin Corp at a cost of 66 billion baht in damages to Thailand.After an initial delay, the attorney-general yesterday took up the policy corruption case involving Shin Corp, which was investigated…
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Lucky escape no laughing matter
RAWAI: Twelve staff from Tamarind Bar on Wiset Rd miraculously escaped fatal injuries when the pickup truck they were traveling in careened off the road and smashed into a power pole, causing passengers to be thrown from the vehicle about 1 am today.Eye-witnesses said the four-door Toyota Hilux Vigo was northbound on Wiset Rd when its left wheels came off…
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Thailand’s rich get richer: Forbes
BANGKOK (The Nation): Despite the political and economic uncertainties, Thailand’s 40 richest people have proved to be a stable lot as old names remain on Forbes‘ 2008 list, and some have become even wealthier.Chaleo Yoovidhya, with a net worth of US$4 billion (Bt135 billion), returns to the No 1 spot – up $500 million from last year – thanks to…
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PAD members march on Provincial Hall
PHUKET CITY: The People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) marched through Phuket City this afternoon on their way to deliver a letter expressing disappointment at the central government’s handling of the Preah Vihear Temple saga.About 300 PAD members led by PAD leader Natjarong Ekpermsup met at about 1:30 pm in front of the Tourism Authority of Thailand office on Thalang Rd…
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OrBorJor hospital suffers another delay
RASSADA: In the latest snag in the saga of the re-opening of the old Phya Thai Hospital, one of Thailand’s leading interior designers, who has been commissioned for the project, presented interior plans for the five-story building and for only about half of the main building.Wibool Tiramongkol, special instructor at the Faculty of Decorative Arts at Silpakorn University – Thailand’s…
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Rassada Municipality officer shot dead
RASSADA: Police believe the killing of Rassada Municipality officer Surin Inkaew, 23, who was found shot dead in his rented room early on Saturday, was motivated by ya bah (methamphetamine).Capt Sathit Noorit from Phuket City Police Station told the Gazette that he was notified of the shooting at 4:20 am.Police arrived at the ground-floor apartment, about 500 meters from Rassada…
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Foreign Minister resigns
BANGKOK (The Nation): Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama announced his resignation today, with effect from July 14. Speaking at a press conference at the Foreign Ministry, Noppadon insisted that he and the Foreign Ministry had done the right thing regarding Thailands’ stand over the registration of Preah Vihear Temple as a world heritage site.But he said he had to resign because he could not…
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TAT lowers tourism projections
BANGKOK (The Nation): The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has sharply cut its projections for the number of international visitors and tourism revenue next year due to soaring oil prices, which are discouraging international travel and have led to cuts in inbound flights.It targets only a 3.3-per-cent growth in the number of international visitors in 2009, a sharp downward revision…
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Tourists stay put as tsunami sirens sound
PATONG: Tourists in Patong opted to soak up the sun rather than run for their lives during yesterday’s tsunami drill. The exercise, held across the six Andaman provinces, included the sounding of all 79 tsunami warning towers operated by the National Disaster Warning Center (NDWC).At Patong Beach, a female English tourist told the Gazette, “I heard the siren and knew what it was,…
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Dolphins rescued from receding tide
CAPE PANWA: Three rough-toothed dolphins were rescued after they were found stranded on mud flats created by the receding tide at Ao Makham on Saturday.The rescue comes one week after the carcass of a female striped dolphin was discovered washed ashore at Baan Dan in Thalang and nine days after a pod of false killer whales beached at Koh Racha.The…
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Pian runs for re-election as Patong Mayor
PATONG: Pian Keesin on Friday announced he will defend his seat as Patong Mayor at least one more time in the Patong Municipality election to be held on July 27. Khun Pian will be leading the charge for the Rak Patong (Love Patong) party, contesting the mayoral election against Somkiet Kuru of the Patong Gao Na (Patong Progress) party. Campaigning…
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Nok Air slashes Bangkok-Krabi route
BANGKOK (The Nation): Nok Air’s daily Bangkok to Krabi flight was one of three routes dropped by the domestic airline on July 1 in an effort to reduce costs. Services from Bangkok to Chiang Mai and to Ubol Ratchathani were also terminated.Travelers already booked on flights for those routes are being transferred to Thai Airways International and Thai AirAsia flights,…
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HOGs go the extra miles
PHUKET: It’s official: the 52 Harley-Davidsons and their 74 riders that collectively notched up 21,000 kilometers by riding from Phuket to Krabi and back on Monday have been added to the global tally to set a record for the most miles on that one day by ‘hog’ riders.Bikers from Phuket, Haad Yai, Krabi, Trang and Pattalung set off from the…
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Thai Airways being torn apart from within
BANGKOK (The Nation): Although the board of directors at Thai Airways decided to reinstate its president, Apinan Sumanaseni, last week, the national carrier’s internal problems are still far from resolution. Executives and staff members have been divided largely because of internal conflicts that have arisen from criticism of the board’s major decisions.For instance, THAI will stop direct flights between Bangkok…
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Busted “Ice Boy’ spills the beans
PATONG: Kathu Police Superintendent Col Grissak Songmoonnak and four Drug Suppression officers from Kathu police station arrested four ya bah (methamphetamine) and ya ice (crystal methamphetamine) dealers on Tuesday night.Krisada “Boy” Seangrot, 19, from Nakhon Sri Thammarat, was arrested at 8.30 pm at the fountain in front of Jungceylon shopping center in a sting operation in which police arranged to…
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Major Chalong blackout tomorrow
CHALONG: The Phuket Provincial Electricity Authority (PPEA) has announced a scheduled blackout for tomorrow (July 4) in order to continue its work on high-voltage power lines.The blackout, from 9 am to 5 pm, will affect Chao Fa East Rd, from De Wara Thani Village, Soi Taiad, Land & Houses Park (Seewalee 3 and 4), Choke Thip Villa, Soi Jarin-U-Thit and…
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Chalerm retreats from angry mobs in Phuket and Krabi
KRABI (The Nation): Ongoing protests by the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) took Interior Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung by surprise in Phuket and Krabi, forcing him to cancel official duties on Tuesday and again yesterday.Chalerm was supposed to meet Phuket’s governor on Tuesday, along with high-ranking police and local government officials. Heeding warnings of the mob at Phuket airport, said to…
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Chalerm avoids mob in Phuket
PHUKET: To avoid a welcoming party of about 1,000 protesters waiting for him at Phuket International Airport last night, controversial Interior Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung diverted his plane to land in Krabi.After he landed there at 8:15 pm, K. Chalerm checked into the Krabi Meritime Resort.He reportedly checked out of the hotel at 3 am today.Chalerm is due to deliver his new policies to…
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Assassination plot dismissed
BANGKOK (The Nation): Navy Commander-in-Chief Admiral Sathiraphan Keyanon yesterday played down a claim about a possible plot to assassinate ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, saying it should not be treated seriously.Sathirapan was reacting to comments by retired supreme commander General Chaisit Shinawatra who claimed last weekend that Thaksin’s opponents may have put out a contract on him.He said the matter did…
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