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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Still no action on Rawai Beach vendors
RAWAI: The saga of the moving of the beachfront stalls at Rawai seems no closer to an end following an announcement yesterday by Rawai Tambon Administration Organization (OrBorTor) President Arun Sorot that the amount of land required for the project is still being calculated. Rawai OrBorTor says it plans to move 14 of the vendors’ stalls – those belonging to…
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Trash handling very inefficient – study
PHUKET CITY: About 20 local leaders attended a seminar at the Royal Phuket City Hotel yesterday to hear the findings of a study on waste management issues. The study’s final report called for more efficient waste disposal practices by local government bodies in order to support efforts to sort trash prior to collection. The seminar was presented by Pireeyutma Vanapruk,…
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Mystery over lady in waiting
PHUKET: Nearly two weeks after the Central Election Committee (CEC) in Bangkok unofficially announced Anchalee Vanich-Thepabutr as the winner of the March 14 Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) Presidential election, she has yet to receive official confirmation. The delay leaves K. Anchalee as the only person on the 24-member Democrat-dominated body who has not yet received formal confirmation from the…
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Hotline for reporting transport rip-offs
PHUKET CITY: Customers who believe they have been overcharged or otherwise maltreated by tuk-tuk, taxi, minibus and airport limousine drivers will soon be able to make complaints direct to the Phuket Provincial Transportation Office (PPTO) through a new telephone hotline number, 1584, manned 24 hours a day. Due to go into service at the end of May, the 1584 hotline…
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One dead, one critical after karaoke fight
THALANG: One man was stabbed to death and another remains in critical condition following an argument over whose turn it was to use the microphone at the Kon Suay (Beautiful People) karaoke bar and restaurant in Cherng Talay around 1 am yesterday. Police arrested the alleged killer, 24-year-old Veerasak Nantasin, from Surat Thani, some three hours later at his home…
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Princess to sing in Phuket
PHUKET: HRH Princess Ubol Ratana Rajakanya will visit Phuket on May 18 to preside over a “To Be Number One” campaign event. Her Royal Highness will also sing at a concert in the evening. The campaign, devised by the Princess as a way to get young people to excel in sports, music and other activities, is being supported by provincial…
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Phuket Air slashes Andaman fares
PHUKET: Phuket Air has drastically reduced its economy class fares on flights between Phuket and Bangkok, and Krabi and Bangkok. The promotion offers one-way fares at 1,500 baht and round-trip fares at 3,000 baht. Previously, the best prices were 4,350 baht for the Krabi service, round-trip, and 3,950 baht for Phuket. Busara Dusadeeisariyawong, Southern Branch Manager of Phuket Air, told…
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Land probe targets Nai Harn resort
NAI HARN: The developers of a resort being built in Nai Harn, near Le Royal Meridien Phuket Yacht Club, will likely be ordered to dismantle it by June 10. The order is expected to be issued after government officers found that no permission had been given for the resort’s construction. Vice-Governor Pongpow Ketthong told the Gazette yesterday that he visited…
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The iceman cometh
NAKHON PATHOM: One of the primary targets in the Government’s war on drugs are dealers of ya bah (methamphetamine), one form of which is the highly addictive recrystalised form, known as “ice”. But if the tale told by a man in Nakorn Pathom’s Muang District is to be believed, dealers in ice made from water are now being targeted by…
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Beach blanket bingo
KARON: In an effort to find beer for himself and his new best friend from Burma, the transvestite cashier of a local bar broke into two mini-marts and helped himself. But, high as he was on the twin passions of beer and very close friendship, he left his address book on the beach among the empty beer bottles – allowing…
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Soi Moodies sign goes up in flames
PATONG: The illuminated sign overhanging the entrance to Soi Moodies entertainment plaza, on Rat-U-Thit 200 Pi Rd, burst into flames on Saturday night. The sign caught fire at about 10 pm. Phuket Vice-Governor Pongpow Ketthong, who was dining directly underneath, was one of the first to notice the flames and called the fire department. Restaurant Manager Banai Ngamsri told the…
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OrBorJor officers elected
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Administration Organization OrBorJor has elected Hutt Katanchaleekul as Chairman. At the inaugural session of the newly-elected body on April 29, Chaivichit Dattvatkanee was elected deputy chairman and Wacharapong Kuawong second deputy chairman. All three are Democrat Party members. The 24-member body, dominated by its 19 Democrats, was elected in polling on March 14. The election results…
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Phuket police on heightened alert
PHUKET CITY: Governor Udomsak Usawarangkura has ordered a heightening of security for all government buildings and tourist areas in Phuket following Wednesday’s killings in Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat, and warnings by a Muslim separatist group that foreigners should stay away from the South and neighboring provinces. Phuket’s Provincial Police Commander, Maj Gen Veerayuth Sittimalic, said “We have seen the trouble…
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Top comedy trio to play Phuket
PHUKET: Three first-rate British comedians – Tim Clark, Pierre Hollins and John Fothergill – will perform at the Watermark restaurant, at the Boat Lagoon, on May 26. Heading the trio will be host Tim Clarke, of whom The Guardian newspaper said, “Comperes are the unsung heroes of stand up comedy. The current master of this underrated art is Tim Clarke.”…
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Thaksin okays B38m for stadium upgrade
PHUKET CITY: The race is on to repair Surakul Stadium in time for a key inspection in June by officials from Fifa, international soccer’s ruling body, who will decide whether Phuket’s most important sporting event yet can go ahead. Governor Udomsak Usawarangkura told the Gazette yesterday that Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has approved the budget of 38 million required to…
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Narathiwat “still safe for visa runs’
NARATHIWAT: Visa-run businesses are still operating normally to Narathiwat despite the outburst of violence in the South yesterday, which resulted in more than 100 deaths. Those who organize the visa-run services say that foreigners are safe. Kanitha Saelao, Manager of the Patong branch of Royal Silk Travel, which organizes visa trips to Kota Bahru via Narathiwat, told the Gazette that…
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Pongtorn murder probe faltering
PHUKET: A year after the assassination of Pongtorn Hiranyaburana – the Deputy Chief of the Phuket Land Office ordered to investigate suspect land titles – the trail leading to his killers has apparently gone cold. Pol Col Ronapong Saikaew, Superintendent of Investigation of Police Region 8, based in Surat Thani, told the Gazette today, “We still need more time to…
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Dog rescued from “rapist’
KAMALA: Animal lovers have rescued a small dog from a European man, who raped the animal repeatedly over a period of about six months. The dog was rescued by a Thai woman after she was told that people had heard it screaming many times. The rescuer, K. Gaew (who asked that her full name be withheld for fear of reprisal),…
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B255 million airport upgrade begins
PHUKET: Work has begun on a 255-million-baht expansion of Phuket International Airport. A 120-million-baht expansion of the passenger terminal – to be completed early next year – will be augmented by the creation of two additional berths for aircraft, taking the total number of berths to 27 and costing another 98 million baht. A further 37 million baht has been…
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Airport departure tax to rise 40pc
PHUKET: Departure taxes for international flights from Phuket will be hiked by 40% next year, soaring from the current 500 baht to 700 baht. Domestic passengers, who currently pay 50 baht a flight, will also face a hefty rate increase. The amount has yet to be set but according to Lt Cdr Boonchart Prompoon, Director of the Airports Authority of…
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BoI mulls tax break for IT investors
PHUKET CITY: An eight-year tax break for IT investors is among incentives being considered by the Board of Investment (BoI) to kick-start Phuket’s much-desired role as a software development center. The tax break proposal was revealed by the President of the Software Industry Promotion Agency (SIPA), Manoo Ordeedolchest, when he came to Phuket to exchange views with participants at a…
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Outboard boat ruling taxes Customs
PHUKET: After 10 days of cross-checking and confusion, Customs officials in Bangkok have now confirmed that there is no import tax on motorboats with outboard engines. Two boat owners wanting to import such boats contacted the Gazette after being informed that the 30% import tax still applied to these boats, although tax on leisure boats was dropped on February 18.…
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New plan to tackle youth violence
PHUKET: New tactics are to be tried in an effort to control youth gang violence after police concluded that checkpoints are not the answer. “We have discussed this matter with the Phuket provincial government and have agreed to coordinate with local community leaders to obtain cooperation from parents,” said Provincial Police Commander, Maj Gen Veerayuth Sittimalic. “Other measures will be…
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Phuket sends reinforcements to South
PHUKET CITY: Police from Phuket are being sent as reinforcements to three troubled southern provinces to help quell continuing violence and attempt to improve relations between local agitators and law enforcement officers. The inclusion of 24 Phuket officers among 335 additional police being sent from Region 8 to Region 9 was revealed yesterday by Phuket Provincial Police Commander, Maj Gen…
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Rumors of Thaksin plans for Koh Yao denied
PHANG NGA BAY: Land prices on Koh Yao Noi and Koh Yao Yai are soaring, but local officials and residents have dismissed rumors that the boom is the result of speculation that Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra is planning a mega-project for the islands. Koh Yao District Chief Songpol Konkaew told the Gazette yesterday that many foreign investors have paid deposits…
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Vehicles owners warned
PHUKET CITY: In the latest move to reduce motor mayhem on Phuket, it has been announced that anyone who lends a vehicle to an unlicensed driver will face a fine of 500 baht and seizure of the vehicle. Pol Lt Col Jeerasak Siamsak, Inspector of Traffic Police at Phuket City Police Station, told the Gazette that although the facility to…
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3 dead, 424 hurt on Songkran roads
PHUKET: Three people died in accidents on Phuket roads during the official Songkran period, which began on April 9 and ended at midnight on Sunday. Metha Mekarat, Chief of the Phuket Office of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, yesterday announced that the latest two victims were Visanu Chulap and Kajornkiat Sae-iew, both 20 and from Mai Khao. The two men were…
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Wildlife touts arrested in Patong
PATONG: Four photo-taking touts have been arrested by police and charged with having young gibbons in their possession without the required wildlife licences. One has already been fined 20,000 baht. The men were taken into custody over Songkran in Patong after a steady stream of complaints from tourists. Further charges will be laid against the four if allegations that the…
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Green light for bypass road widening
PHUKET CITY: Work to widen Chalermprakiat Ror IX Rd (the bypass road) to four lanes and, along one section, to six lanes, is due to begin on May 7. The 111-million-baht project, which will be paid for by the central government, will run from just south of the Dara Samut School intersection (known to many people as the Thainaan intersection)…
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Kata boatmen blockade Amancruises yacht
KATA: A dispute over business territory led to a seaborne blockade at Kata Beach this morning in which a motor launch from the exclusive Amanpuri resort was forced to sail without eight passengers. The 38-foot motor yacht Maritess, operated by Amancruises, had been booked to pick up four adults and four children from Kata Beach, and take them to Phi…
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