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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PGTV News Wednesday 28th of June 2006
PGTV’s Phuket News this evening features the building of a new public market in Phuket town, an update on the Phuket bay mega-project, a warning about floods, and a visit to a ballroom dance. In addition to these and other news stories focused on Phuket, this evening’s show features an exclusive interview with singer/songwriter Leo Sayer. PGTV, produced by the…
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Tsunami orphanage under investigation
PHUKET: A special committee set up by the province is investigating allegations of fraud against the former director of a foundation set up in March last year to care for children left orphaned by the tsunami. The panel was formed about six weeks ago following complaints to Governor Udomsak Uswarangkura. The provincial Ombudsman’s office was ordered to investigate the activities…
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Tourism industry backlash staves off doubling of park entry fees
THAILAND: The National Park, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department (DNP) has decided to rethink its plans to double the entrance fees to National Parks after coming under fire from tourism businesses.The DNP had planned to double park entry fees so that foreign children would pay 200 baht, foreign adults 400 baht, Thai children 20 baht and Thai adults 40 baht.Phuket…
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Mixed emotions over tsunami mini-series
PHUKET CITY: Mixed reactions greeted the filming of scenes for the TV mini-series Aftermath at Bangkok Hospital Phuket this week.While some people said they saw the movie as potentially good for promoting Phuket, others – particularly victims – felt disturbed.Kudos, the company making the movie for the BBC and HBO, recently came under fire in the British media for insensitivity,…
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American teacher drowns off Karon
KARON: An American teacher drowned in heavy seas off Karon Beach on June 25, after she and three friends apparently ignored red flags and warnings by beachguards not to swim.Chalong Police Inspector Pol Lt Col Jessada Saengsuree named the victim as Elena Baldwin, 20. He told the Gazette that she had been teaching English language as a volunteer at a…
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PGTV News Tuesday 27th of June 2006
PGTV’s Phuket News this evening features the Club Med Children’s Day, a story about the tragic drowning of twenty year old American woman, how to get a Visa for Britain in Phuket, and a look at handicrafts made in local prisons. In addition to these and other news stories focused on Phuket, this evening’s show features an interview with local Property…
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Andaman Sea Rally revived
PHUKET: After a hiatus of more than two years years, the Andaman Sea Rally – a race from Phuket to Port Blair in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands and back – has been revived, with the next race scheduled to take place between January 13 and 27 next year. “We are happy that 2007 will see the return of the…
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Phuket City to get new market
PHUKET CITY: Work will begin next January on a 260-million baht market complex to replace the squalid public market on Ranong Rd.Phuket City Mayor Somjai Suwannasuppana said the new municipal market would be a four-story building, with two floors of public parking above two floors of market stalls, as well as 27 shophouse units.The new complex will bring improvements in…
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A shagging dog story from Phattalung
PHATTALUNG: Wat Na Tom temple, hitherto a landmark of the faithful in Phattalung’s Muang District, last week spawned one of those scandals which, after hitting newsstands, has elicited sighs and perhaps uncharitable tittering. In this case, possibility of the latter is high: some 70 full-color photos support allegations by unidentified local people that the abbot of Wat Na Tom not…
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Phuket service launched for UK visas
PHUKET: Freight forwarding and courier company Phuket Universal Services Co Ltd (Pusco), near the Mercedes-Benz showroom on Thepkrasattri Rd, is now accepting applications for visas to enter Britain. The new service follows the April 21 announcement by the British Embassy in Bangkok that it has entered into a partnership with VFS (Thailand) Ltd in a bid to improve the its…
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PGTV News for Friday 23rd June 2006
PGTV’s Phuket News this evening features an update on the plans by a local firm to salvage two WWII manned torpedoes found on the sea bed near Phuket, a story about illegal workers in Phuket, footage of Pro Women’s volleyball, and advice on how to keep fit in Phuket town. In addition to these and other news stories focused on Phuket, this…
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Leeches on patrol
A dose of tough natural justice was handed out recently by the denizens of a local swamp to a young ne’er-do-well from Ranong who was caught riding a stolen motorcycle. The 16-year-old youth was taking his girlfriend for a ride around Chalong Circle when officers directing traffic decided there was something a little suspicious in his bearing and signalled him…
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Chariot salvage attempt scotched
PHUKET: The British government has scotched, at least for the time being, a planned attempt by local salvage company East Marine SBS Co to raise two British World War II Chariots from the waters off Phuket. The Military Attache from the British Embassy in Thailand, Col Mark Rayner, today delivered to Governor Udomsak Uswarangkura a letter from the British Royal…
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PGTV News Wednesday 21st June 2006
PGTV’s Phuket News this evening features a story about the recent royal visits from their Majesties the King and Queen of Sweden and HM the Crown Prince of Bhutan, an update on the old documents found by workers fixing the roof of Phuket Provincial Hall nearly six years ago, a meeting with part-time Phuket resident and authorJim Newport who is…
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PGTV News Monday 19th of June 2006
PGTV’s Phuket News this evening features a story about the recent yellow shirt shortage, advice from a doctor about keeping fit during the world cup, a visit to the Phuket Aquarium, and video of the arrival, in Phuket, of HRH Crown Prince Jigme Khesar Namgel Wangchuk of Bhutan. In addition to these and other news stories focused on Phuket, this…
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Top beach volley players heading for Phuket
PHUKET: The island will play host in November to the Swatch-FIVB World Tour Women’s Professional Beach Volleyball tournament, from November 1 to 5 at Kata Beach, it was announced yesterday. Prize money of US$200,000 (about 7 million baht) will be up for grabs for the winners among some 60 two-player teams from countries including Germany, Brazil, the US, China and…
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Swedish Royals give grants to tsunami kids
PHUKET: HM King Carl XVI Gustaf and HM Queen Silvia of Sweden this morning visited Satree Phuket School. Later in the day they were taken to the Tsunami Gallery at Bangkok Phuket Hospital.Their majesties are staying in Phuket until tomorrow on a six-day unofficial visit after attending HM King Bhumibol’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations in Bangkok.This morning at 11:30 am they…
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Phuket’s Sikh community remembers Guru Arjan Dev
PHUKET CITY: The island’s small Sikh community yesterday marked a particularly special festival in their religion: the 400th anniversary of the martyrdom of the fifth Guru, Arjan Dev. In 1606 Guru Arjan Dev was tortured, on the orders of Emperor Jahangir, by being boiled alive and then forced to sit on a red-hot iron plate, in an effort to make…
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Carabao heading for Phuket
PHUKET: Thai superstars Carabao are to perform in Phuket on Monday. The group will be joined on stage by Thai songstress Thanaporn “Parn” Waegprayoon, who collaborated with them on their latest album.Carabao’s career spans 25 years and their songs are some of the most recognizable in modern Thai music. The 12-piece band is part of the “Songs for Life” movement.…
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Dive industry facing tough new rules
PHUKET: Phuket’s Chief Administrative Officer (Palad) Nivit Aroonrat yesterday handed the Governor a proposal to issue an order that will require all dive businesses on the island to register with the government within 30 days. Thereafter, the dive shops will have to provide specific details – including how many foreigners they employ and whether the foreign employees have work permits.The…
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Public urged to wear yellow shirt every week
PHUKET CITY: Vice Governor Vorapot Rattasima has urged everyone, whether in government service or the private sector, to wear a yellow polo shirt with the symbol of HM King Bhumibol’s Diamond Jubilee every Monday for the rest of the year.He was speaking at the regular gubernatorial meeting with the press today. Also there was Sompoch Sungkapong, Chief of the Phuket…
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Four shops damaged in Patong blaze
PATONG: Four shophouses on the corner of Thaweewong Rd and Soi Phermpong Phattana 2, just south of the Banthai Resort, were damaged by fire early yesterday morning. There were no casualties.Patong Fire Chief Paitoon Pholrop told the Gazette that the blaze broke out about 2 am. “It took firefighters two hours to put out the fire. Luckily, no one was…
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Swedish royals arrive in Phuket
PHUKET: HM King Carl XVI Gustaf and HM Queen Silvia of Sweden arrived in Phuket yesterday for a week’s stay in a private villa at Trisara, near Nai Thon Beach, after attending HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations in BangkokDuring their Phuket stay they will celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary. They were married on June 19, 1976.HRH Crown Prince…
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Bag snatcher bagged
CHALONG: A 16-year-old punk recently found out the hard way that crime does not always pay. At about 11 pm on June 7, Chalong Community Volunteer Police collared a boy name Ouan (not his real name), after an unsuccessful attempt to rob an 18-year-old girl late at night. The victim, Phuket Vocational College student Primrita Saisen, was returning home by…
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Plastic scam
Preparation is everything, even in the criminal world. And that’s where a gang from Hong Kong came a cropper recently, when one of their number tried to buy mobile phone top-up cards worth a million baht using a suspiciously clean credit card. Although the card had a working magnetic strip, it lacked such basic information as a signature, account holder’s…
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Direct flights from HK, Korea “coming in July’
PHUKET: Dragonair still has no plans to restore its direct Hong Kong-Phuket service, but no fewer than three other airlines are planning to start flights on the route, a Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) official has announced. The first of these will start flying as early as next month.Anoma Wongyai, Assistant Director of the TAT office in Phuket, returned from…
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Bike gang terrorizes Kalim motorists
KALIM-KAMALA: Kathu Police Station Superintendent Pol Col Teerapol Thipjaroen has warned motorists using the Kalim-Kamala road at night to take extra caution after one woman was dragged off her bike and nearly held at gunpoint and another woman had the rear window of her car smashed by a motorbike gang.Vanessa Temple reported that she was attacked while riding her motorbike…
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More yellow shirts on the way
BANGKOK (The Nation): Clothing manufacturers have been asked by the government to produce 500,000 more yellow shirts, commemorating HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s diamond jubilee, to meet huge demand from the public. The shirts will be available at supermarkets including Big C, Makro and 7-Eleven stores nationwide. Siriphol Yordmuangcharoen, Director General of the Department of Commerce, said he has met with…
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Chalong police issue burglaries warning
CHALONG: Pol Col Chalit Kaewyarat, Superintendent of Chalong Police Station, this morning urged residents in the Chalong and Rawai areas to take extra precautions against burglaries following a recent spate of break-ins, mostly involving homes of foreigners.“A house in Soi Taiad [Chalong] and another one in Soi Samakkee 2 [Rawai] were recently broken into by burglars.“A couple of days ago…
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Phuket to receive award for “fastest recovery’
PHUKET CITY: Phuket has won the Arabian Travel Market 2006 (ATM) “New Frontiers Award” for being the tourism destination that recovered fastest from a natural disaster, Governor Udomsak Uswarangkura announced yesterday.“The Arabian Travel Market has praised Phuket for its outstanding recovery and positive contribution to tourism development after the tsunami,” Governor Udomsak said.“The island was chosen after organizers consulted professionals…
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