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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Bizarre death in elephant camp
PATONG: Bizarre theories surround the fate of an Asian woman, probably Thai, who was found dead Wednesday morning at the Safari Elephant Camp on Siriraj Rd, between Karon and Patong.Police have speculated that she may have been assaulted by unknown assailants who tried to rape her, and was then crushed to death by one of the elephants.The woman is thought…
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HRH Princess Soamsavali to visit Phuket
PHUKET: HRH Princess Soamsavali will visit Phuket on October 10 to preside over the official opening of two rooms bearing the name of the Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf at Bangkok Phuket Hospital.The two rooms, the King Carl Gustaf Conference Room and the Tsunami Memorial Room, are in the hospital’s new Outpatient Building.King Carl XVI Gustaf, accompanied by Queen Silvia,…
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Gov halts work on housing project
RASSADA: Phuket Governor Udomsak Uswarangkura and Muang District Chief Wirawat Janpen yesterday went to Soi Siang Tai to order a halt to the construction of an 80-unit residential housing project on Toh Sae Hill, citing seven different building code violations. Gov Udomsak said his inspection of the site followed complaints by Soi Siang Tai residents, lodged with the Damrongtham Center,…
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British Ecstasy dealer jailed
PHUKET: Briton Jason Crosby today pleaded guilty to charges of possession of 50 ya E (Ecstasy) tablets with intent to sell and was sentenced to nearly seven years in jail and fined 390,000 baht by Phuket Provincial Court.The court initially sentenced him to 13 years and eight months in prison and a 780,000-baht fine but, in accordance with standard practice,…
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TTVI center to close before December 26
PHUKET: The Chalong-based Thai Tsunami Victim Identification (TTVI) center will close some time before the anniversary of the Indian Ocean tsunami on December 26, police say. Pol Col Khemmarin Hassiri, Superintendent of the TTVI’s Thai disaster victim identification (DVI) unit, said that a written order from the Cabinet to close the center was received by the TTVI following a decision…
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Phuket boosts security after Bali bomb blasts
PHUKET: Police are stepping up security across the island following three suicide bomb blasts in Bali on Saturday that claimed at least 19 lives and injured 133 people, Pol Maj Gen Decha Budnampeth, the new Phuket Provincial Police Commander, told the Gazette today.He called for tourists not to be put off by seeing a greater police presence on the street.“I…
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Gambling tops August arrests statistics
PHUKET: Statistics released by Phuket Provincial Police show that gambling once again topped the crime table, with 149 people arrested in August for the offense. Thirty-four cases involved the sale of illegal underground lottery tickets.Eight murders were reported during the month with four cases solved, resulting in the arrests of six people.There were six cases of attempted murder with no…
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Vegetarian Festival begins
PHUKET: Phuket’s Vegetarian Festival has begun with the raising of bamboo go teng poles at each participating temple. Gods are then invited down the poles to join in the celebrations. Shrines around the island performed the same ceremony at exactly 5:09 pm Sunday.Minister of Energy Viset Jupibal chaired the opening ceremony at Phuket City’s Jui Tui Shrine, with more than…
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Patong-Kamala redevelopment to start this month
PHUKET: Work on the long-awaited Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) post-tsunami redevelopment projects for Patong and Kamala beaches will get under way in October, with first-phase landscaping work on both projects to be completed by the end of November, officials say.On June 13, the TAT received approval from the Budget Bureau of 194.7 million baht for the three-phase Patong project…
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HRH Princess Sirindhorn to visit Phuket
PHUKET: HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn will visit Phuket and Phang Nga in October and again in November, Phuket Governor Udomsak Uswarangkura announced this morning.On October 26, Princess Sirindhorn will be in Phuket to take part in a Tod Kathin ceremony, during which people donate money to a wat, at Wat Luang Phu Supa in Chalong, residence of Abbot Luang…
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“Public Point’ to ease pressure on govt services
PHUKET: The Department of Local Administration (DOLA) and the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) on Tuesday jointly opened a “Public Point” service center on the basement floor of Big C Supercenter on the bypass road.The center, open daily from 10 am to 8 pm, is connected to DOLA’s online system and offers most of the same basic services as a…
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Phuket “disaster academy’ opens
THALANG: The Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Academy, Phuket Campus, opened on Monday at the old Phuket Provincial Office of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (ODPM) in Tambon Sri Soonthorn. It is one of six schools nationwide set up to help prevent disasters and minimize their effects.The plan for this scheme was approved by Cabinet in July last year and by the…
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Monkey on your back
CHIANG RAI: Having a monkey on one’s back might sound like the very definition of hardship, but for a dog in Mae Sai it is a labor of love. Guests at the Kung Pao 38 Restaurant in Mae Sai are greeted by a rather unusual welcoming committee when they arrive: a four-year-old Labrador retriever and “Jockey”, an orphaned baby monkey…
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The young lad and the sea
PATONG: A 15-year-old German boy tried to drown himself at Patong Beach after his parents forbade him to see again a ladyboy he had met on Soi Bangla. On the evening of September 12, the boy – whose name was not released because he is a minor – was ordered to stay in his room by his parents, who feared…
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Wind of change
PHUKET: The cool, wet and windy conditions Phuket is currently experiencing as a result of tropical storm Damrey will end tomorrow, when normal monsoon conditions will prevail, Chumnong Chitpukdee, Director of Southern Meteorological Center (West Coast) Meteorological Department, has told the Gazette.He said that Phuket would likely not experience any more heavy rain from the system, but windy conditions could…
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Phuket gets another “sister’
PHUKET CITY: Nearly three years after the idea was first floated, Phuket and Hainan Island, in China, are now “sisters”.The special status relationship was ratified on Sunday with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) by Phuket Governor Udomsak Uswarangkura and Hainan Governor Wei Liucheng, at the Royal Phuket City Hotel.The MoU, which became effective immediately, states having the…
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Tentative steps toward ending airport taxi deadlock
PHUKET: The Phuket Vehicle Service Co-operative and Confederation (PVSCC) has held its first meeting to try to solve the impasse between airport limousine drivers and meter taxi operators.The committee comprises members of the Airport Limousine and Business Service Co-operative, Phuket Taxi Service Co-operative (green license plate car service), Phuket Small Four-wheel Co-operative (tuk-tuk service), and Patong Motor Taxi Service. The…
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Anti-terrorist drill “a success’
AO MAKHAM: Although admitting that there were some “communication problems”, Phuket Provincial Administration Officer (Palad) Vichan Busapavanich hailed today’s anti-terrorist exercise at Phuket Deep Sea Port in Ao Makham as “a success”.The hypothetical scenario involved of a band of terrorists taking hostages in a building at the port, where they detonate an explosive device. In the exercise, the building was…
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Woman found dead on Koh Sireh
KOH SIREH: The body of a middle-aged Thai woman was discovered by locals on a Pae Ong Beach on Koh Sireh on Friday.Pol Lt Patrawut Onchuay, of Phuket City Police Station, told the Gazette that the victim, Ampai Yothapakdee, 46, had been killed no more than eight hours before her body was discovered at 10 am.Customers at the nearby Wangkung…
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“Too many mobile phones’ for tsunami SMS warning system
PHUKET CITY: Ministers and high-ranking officials are able receive a tsunami warning SMS from the National Disaster Warning Center (NDWC) but other mobile phone users are not yet able to receive messages because of delays.Dr Smith Thammasaroj, appointed to establish the NDWC, made his comments at a recent seminar held at the Phuket Royal City Hotel. The seminar was attended by…
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Samui property agent shot
KOH SAMUI: Samui property agent Gary Pearmain and his girlfriend, Sirinya Sansenao, 25, were shot and wounded by two gunmen at their house in Baan Thongkrud at about 8 pm on Thursday.Pol Maj Sompong Krutsuwan, Inspector of Samui Police Station, told the Gazette that Mr Pearmain, a British national, was shot in the left hand and chest, and K. Sirinya…
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Number plate auction hopes to top 8 million baht
PHUKET CITY: A total of 301 numbers will go on the block at Phuket’s second two-day auction of car license plates, starting at 8:30 am on October 15 and 16 at The Metropole Hotel Phuket.Theerayuth Prasertphol, Chief Technical Officer of the Phuket Provincial Transportation Office (PPTO), told the Gazette today that there will be a variety of categories of numbers…
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Tsunami memorial design competition opens
BANGKOK: Registration for the competition to design the national tsunami memorial opened on September 15. The competition is open until November 15, and the five shortlisted proposals will be displayed on December 26, 2005 at Khao Lak Lamru National Park.. The 1.5 billion baht-project – the cost of which has been mired in controversy – is due for completion by…
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New luxury resort planned for Phi Phi
PHI PHI: A new luxury resort, built by InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), is planned for Lanah Bay, Phi Phi Island, with another two resorts – one on Koh Samui and another in Pattaya – in the pipeline.The properties, slated to open in 2007, will be IHG‘s first resorts in Thailand, and will bring the total number of properties managed by IHG…
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Gov urges police to work harder on drug cases
PHUKET: Governor Udomsak Uswarangkura has urged local police to concentrate their efforts in the war on drugs. He was speaking at a meeting at Phuket Provincial Hall yesterday.The Phuket Provincial Health Office (PPHO) reported to the meeting that most teenage drug cases involved two main drugs – ya bah (methamphetamine) and cannabis – and that most teenagers were able to…
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Miss Teen Phuket 2005
PHUKET: Aroonrat Sakulchit, 18, gracefully edged out 29 fellow contestants to win the “Miss Teen Phuket 2005” on September 17 at Central Festival.The beauty contest was overseen by Wilak Lohthong, Chairman of Miss Teen Thailand 2005, and Chairman of Miss Teen Phuket 2005, Pamuke Archariyachai.The 30 contenders modeled products from the One Tambon One Product (OTOP) project before the judges selected…
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Vicente blows in good news and bad
PHUKET: The skirts of Tropical Storm Vicente trailed good news and bad across Phuket over the weekend, topping up the Bang Wad Reservoir with badly needed supplies of water but, at the same time, sending mud pouring into seven homes in Phuket City.The heavy rain added 288,000 cubic meters of water to Phuket’s only major reservoir, enough to keep the…
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Wet weekend ahead
PHUKET: Island residents can expect a wet and overcast weekend, thanks to slow-moving tropical storm Vicente, which at 7 am today was centered in the South China Sea about 600 kilometers east of the Vietnamese city of Qui Nhon. Maximum winds speeds recorded near the center of the storm were about 75 kilometers an hour. Chumnong Chitpukeed, Director of the…
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ATM cash thieves arrested in Phuket
BANGKOK (Kom Chad Luek): Crime Suppression Division detectives announced at a press conference in Bangkok yesterday the arrest in Phuket on Wednesday of two Krung Thai Bank employees who allegedly stole a massive 28.8 million baht from ATM machines in the capital.The suspects, identified as Chatchai Jongsirirat, 32, and Pichet Kraibutra, 29, were employed by Krung Thai Business Service Co.…
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Shrimp farmer and mule netted in ya bah sting
PHUKET CITY: A joint sting operation carried out yesterday between Phuket City Police Station and Phang Nga police officers netted 1,100 ya bah (methamphetamine) tablets and two alleged dealers.Phuket City Police Superintendent Col Paween Pongsirin told the Gazette that undercover officers met with shrimp farmer Sanan Pandej, 50, from Nakhon Sri Thammarat, outside the Imperial 2 Hotel on Luang Por…
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