News
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Two killed in eight hours on Phuket’s roads
Accident on Patong Hill killing one this morning At about 2 am this morning (November 13), Kathu police got a report of a pick-up truck that had an accident hitting an electric pole killing the 35 year old driver, Wittaya Chanadet, while the passenger suffered from injuries and was taken to Hospital. The passenger was not named. Police revealed that…
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Government crackdown uncovers 100,000 illegal immigrants
The 95 arrested in Phuket last week for overstaying their visas could be just the tip of a 100,000 person iceberg, according to the country’s Deputy PMÂ Prawit Wongsuwan. 62 Indians, 11 Pakistanis, 6 Egyptians and 16 foreigners from other nationalities were rounded up last Friday by immigration police whilst 15 Phuket-based police are being being asked to ‘please explain’ why…
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The first Thai to run for election in Queensland, Australia
PHOTO: Courier Mail Wuttipong Sangjitphun, running for a seat in the Queensland state parliament. Wuttipong Sangjitphun is the first Thai endorsed by the Liberal National Party of Queensland (LNP) to run in the Australian state’s upcoming election this month. The 39 year old Thai, who converted to Australian citizenship, will run for a seat as the MP for the Brisbane…
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Vachira wants to be paid before Stacey can leave hospital
PHOTO: 9news.com.au “Last night she told 9NEWS that animals walked freely through the hospital wards and said the family was worried about the risk of infection so soon after Ms Liddle’s surgery”. An Australian woman who could lose her leg after a horrible scooter accident in Thailand (Chalong, Phuket) fears being held hostage over her hospital bill (at Vachira Hospital).…
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Phuket Immigration Police arrest 95 illegal foreigners, mostly overstayers
Today (November 10), Phuket Immigration Police announced the results of a crackdown with 95 foreigners arrested, mostly on the basis of overstay. The mix of nationalities comprises 62 Indians, 11 Pakistanis, 6 Egyptians and 16 foreigners from other nationalities. 70 of them were overstaying (the longest one is 2,000 days or nearly five and a half years) while 24 others…
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15 Phuket police officers under investigation over bribes allegations
Deputy Police Commissioner General Pol Gen Srivara Ransibrahmanakul An investigation has been launched against 15 police officers in Phuket accused of taking bribes from illegal immigrants. Deputy Police Commissioner General Pol Gen Srivara Ransibrahmanakul said he had been assigned by the national police chief to head the probe into allegations that local police, tourist police and immigration police in Phuket…
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THAIGER TODAY Friday, November 10
Suspicious object found at Phuket Airport | Phuket Gateway V2.0 launches soon | Police investigate Ayutthaya fatal crash | Huge hauls of drugs and illegal animal products overnight | Ponzi scheme seminar held in Phuket Town. And our bike helmet challenge!
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Suspicious item found near the Phuket International Airport
A suspicious item, that looked like a M67 grenade, was found at a taxi queue next to the Phuket International Airport last night (November 9). The object was in a perfect shape with the bolt wrapped in blue tape. The team covered the item using old tyres and cordoned off the scene from the public. Phuket International Airport’s EOD team…
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The Laverty’s Little Lie – how NOT to scam your insurance company
PHOTO: express.co.uk When we first saw this story, not provided by one of our reporters but from a UK provincial rag, we were suspicious. We contacted the local police. Nothing. We asked other reporters around the island. Nothing. We re-published the article with the caveat that we were trying to verify the facts with local police. We weren’t the only…
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UPDATE: Four Japanese and a Thai guide killed as passenger van rams truck
Five people were killed and one injured when a minivan rammed into the rear of a running truck in Ayutthaya’s Bang Pa-in district on Wednesday. Earlier we reported on The Thaiger and Phuket Gazette that six had been killed. The van was reportedly carrying four Japanese and a Thai guide in addition to the driver. The van caught fire soon…
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Phuket Gateway 2.0 to be ready next month
Phuket Gateway will be ready to kick off on December 12 this year and is expected to be the welcoming landmark of Phuket at the top of the island providing useful information to travelers. This morning (November 9) Phuket’s Governor, Norapat Plodthong, chaired a meeting to follow up on the project – the Phuket Gateway at Thachatchai – which was…
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THAIGER TODAY Thursday, November 9
Governor cracks down on Kamala | Five killed in van crash | Flash floods in Prachuap Kiri Khan | Bangkok voted #2 for tourism.
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Bangkok’s Number Two. Who’s Number One?
PHOTO: skyscrapercity.com Euromonitor International has released its annual Top City Destinations Ranking for 2017 covering 100 of the world’s leading cities in terms of international tourist arrivals. This year’s report includes forecast data up to 2025 and incorporates future travel trends to give further insight on how travel trends are borne out of the opportunities and challenges that cities face.…
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Top Asian sports brands & events recognised at 2017 SPIA Asia Awards
A successful 3rd SPIA Asia – Asia’s Sports Industry Awards & Conference came to a close with a black-tie Awards Gala Dinner with , Mr Nattavuth Ruengves, Deputy Governor for Elite Sports and Sports Science of Sports Authority of Thailand and Mr. Somyot Poompunmoung, President of the Football Association of Thailand and more than 400 VIP guests in attendance, gathered…
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Billion baht sports & conference complex to be built at Mai Khao Beach
Phuket’s Governor led a team to visit 150 rai of land on Mai Khao Beach today (November 8) to review the plans to build a sports complex with a 900 – 1,000 million Baht budget from the budget year 2019. The sports complex is expected to attract more sports tourism to the island featuring a sports centre, exhibition hall and…
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THAIGER TODAY Wednesday, November 8
No smoking zones now in force | Toon tops 100 million baht mark | PM won’t rule out starting an NCPO political party | Phuket has a World Champion | Ferries back in service on Gulf | Cabinet approves tax-breaks | 4 year old girl shot in Pattani.
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No ifs or butts. Smoking ban starts on Patong Beach.
Patong City Council has designated 20 smoking areas along Patong Beach to comply with the smoking-ban-on-the-beach policy of the Marine and Coastal Resources Department (MCRD). The Patong City Administration Organisation opened the smoking areas in order to encourage people not to smoke and drop cigarette butts on the beach, and instead support the department’s new policy. Patong Beach is among…
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23 day tax break to stimulate economy
The Cabinet on Tuesday approved a 23-day tax break for consumers to boost shopping activities nationwide by an estimated 10 billion baht and stimulate the economy. The Finance Ministry will lose about 2 billion baht in personal income tax collection as a result of the campaign, but the retail and other sectors will probably gain a combined 10 billion baht…
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UPDATE: Krabi rape case
The results from a complete body examination of the 15 year old girl from Krabi, who was allegedly raped by her stepfather for five consecutive years, will be ready in one month. The President of Muslims for Peace revealed that the stepfather also forced her to get an abortion when he realised she was pregnant. “The relatives told me that…
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Phuket’s Annissa Flynn wins Flowboard Worlds in Cancun, Mexico
Female athletes in Thailand have added another major achievement by winning the 2017 World Flow Boarding Tour Finals in Mexico. Phuket’s Anissa Flynn is already acclaimed as one of the best womens’ surfers in Asia after winning the Asian Womens Open surfing tour at aged 12 and has now added a World Championship to her growing list of big wins.…
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THAIGER TODAY Tuesday, November 7
Veterans urge NCPO not to start political party | Khon Kaen hotel owner sues water authorities | Mystery over 50 year old Brit ‘bashed in Phuket’ | Mystery over Phuket’s ongoing bad weather…will it come? Today at the Melbourne Cup Charity function raising money for Phuket Has Been Good To Us and Good Shepherd Foundation.
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Sports tourism flourishing in Phuket
By Paul Poole, Thailand’s sponsorship guru Few places in Thailand host more sporting events than Phuket, and every year thousands of tourists – both local and foreign – head to the island to participate in or witness a sporting event. Hardly a month goes by without a sporting event taking place on Phuket. Be it swimming, biking, running, golfing or…
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15 year old allegedly raped by stepfather for 5 years
Muslims for Peace Foundation rescued a 15 year old girl who alleges she was a rape victim of her 67 year old stepfather for 5 years. The Foundation as well as the staff of Krabi Children and Family Shelter brought the girl to the police on November 2 claiming that she had been raped since she was 10 years old…
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Gulf of Thailand battered – heading towards the Andaman Sea, north of Phuket
(There is an update from the TMD at the bottom of this article – the tropical depression is weakening as it moves across the landmass from Gulf of Thailand towards the Andman Sea, north of Phuket) A severe weather warning was issued for the South Eastern Region on Monday, as the Meteorological Department forecast heavy rain for the entire region,…
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Supreme Court says Layan beachfront is ‘public land’
PHOTO: y Travel Blog Today the Phuket Gazette visited Layan Beach following the verdict in the Thai Supreme Court that confirmed that the land, where six beach restaurants and businesses continue to operate, was public land. The land in question spans the an entire 3 kilometre frontage including stretches of Layan and Laypang beaches and covering some 178 rai of…
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50 year old Brit’s dream holiday turns into a nightmare
A dream holiday turned into a nightmare for a husband and wife when he was robbed at gunpoint and left so badly hurt he needed emergency surgery. Mik Laverty was mugged during he and wife Denise’s first full day in Thailand and now the couple’s friends are raising money towards his treatment and to help get them home. Mr Laverty…
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THAIGER TODAY Monday, November 6
Layan Beach restaurants poised for eviction following loss of Supreme Court battle | No selfies with ‘Toon’ please | 65 year old woman finds a partner after posting an ad on her gate | Hua Hun-Pattaya ferry service suspended today | Local tour boat capsizes with 16 on board.
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Fake land deeds in Krabi
UPDATE on the fake land deeds in Krabi… The Village Chief, Sucha Wansuk, said that after checking, the land deeds were indeed fake with the name of dead people and fake signatures on them. “One of the title deeds for 7 rai has the name of the owner as Malem Pankwan, who passed away at least 10 years ago,” said…
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AoT airports increase traffic 6% in past 12 months
A total of just over 129 million passengers travelled through the six airports operated by the Airports of Thailand in 2017, a 7.73% increase from the previous year (September 2016 – September 2017). The six airports operated by the AoT are Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang, Phuket, Chiang Mai, Hat Yai and Mae Fah Luand in Chiang Rai. From September 2016 to…
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Royal Crematorium tours might continue beyond November
Deputy PM Tanasak Patimapragorn yesterday says that he would seek to extend public tours at the Royal Crematorium beyond the end of November if there is sufficient interest. But the scheduled closing at the end of this month would remain if only a small number of people wish to tour the sacred site, he said. Tanasak said the PM would…
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