News
Stay up-to-date with the latest news from across Thailand and beyond with The Thaiger. Our dedicated team brings you breaking news, in-depth analysis, and exclusive stories from this stunning part of the world, covering a diverse range of topics, including local politics, business, culture, and tourism. Keep yourself informed about the Kingdom’s rich history, stunning landscapes, and thriving expat communities, as well as updates on events, attractions, and transportation.
The Thaiger is your essential resource for staying connected with Thailand’s captivating blend of tradition and modernity. To remain in the loop with the country’s most trusted news source, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on social media.
-
Sponsored
Top 5 luxury villas in Phuket and Koh Samui for your next holiday
Ask people to name the most beautiful places in Thailand, and you'll often hear Phuket and Koh Samui being mentioned. Who would disagree? One is renowned for its bustling nightlife, vibrant culture, and lively beach scene, while the other is...
-
Finance: Cash is always king
PHUKET: Many of my clients have been moving money out of British sterling into different currencies or into deposit accounts in different countries. While I am not pushing anyone to do this, I am very often asked which countries are safe to hold deposits. It’s an interesting question and many are often mistaken about what guarantees actually mean.The most common…
-
Ministry of Farang Affairs: Using local expressions
The Ministry of Farang Affairs is a one-stop shop where foreigners in Thailand can learn all they need to know about living here. No, we’re not talking about work permits, visas or taxes. We’re talking about day-to-day life in the Land of Endless Shocks and Riddles, of Blur, Befuddlement and the Bizarre. Stay tuned for weekly insights from Minister Stephff.For…
-
Opinion: Reassessing priorities to maximize national security
PHUKET: The Phuket Gazette hopes that the perpetrators of the recent bomb attacks are brought to justice as swiftly as possible so that we can all begin the work of restoring confidence in the region. The specter of tourist-targeted bomb attacks of the kind that took place over the Mother’s Day weekend had been a source of dread here in…
-
Another car mysteriously bursts into flames
PHUKET: The driver of a Honda Accord had to make an emergency stop when his car burst into flames last night. The car’s owner, Nantapol Saelim, 34, was driving from his house in Koh Kaew and heading into town about 10pm, when he smelled burning and promptly pulled in to the Merlin Hotel car park on Yaowarat Road, police told…
-
Krabi faces 12-day blackout from August 20-31
KRABI: Hotel business operators in Krabi are preparing for blackouts scheduled from August 20-31 due to a halt in the gas supply used to generate electricity by the Malaysia-Thailand Joint Authority (JDA-A18). The interruption in supply is said to be due to annual maintenance. Business operators are checking the readiness of their own generators in order to combat the blackouts.…
-
Toddler killed by home-made bomb
PRACHIN BURI: A 14-month-old girl was killed and her grandmother injured when the toddler picked up a home-made bomb in their home in Prachin Buri’s Sri Maha Pho district yesterday. Police and bomb squad personnel rushed to the scene at about 10:30am. The grandmother, Jamnian Budda, 39, lost her right arm in the explosion. The child, named as Thidarat Sang-ondee,…
-
Samui money share dispute ends in murder-suicide
SAMUI: The manager of a popular bar near Chaweng Beach on Koh Samui reportedly shot dead his friend last night before turning the gun on himself after a shootout with police and a five-hour standoff. Bor Phut Police officers arrived at Bar Solo around 1:30am to find the body of Chulit Somakert lying on the floor. His alleged killer, Samroeng…
-
Israeli ambassador thanks gov for M’bala ban
PHUKET: Israeli Ambassador Simon Roded met with Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada at Phuket Provincial Hall yesterday, where he thanked the governor for not allowing a controversial French comedian to take the stage in January this year. A performance by controversial comedian and hate-speech convict Dieudonne M’bala M’bala was scheduled to take place at the Illuzion night club in Phuket, but…
-
Thailand named ‘least miserable’ by Bloomberg
PHUKET: Thailand has been named the least miserable country in the world, according to the 2016 ‘Misery Index’ compiled by Bloomberg. A total of 74 countries were included in the survey. The index was first introduced in 1980 by American economist Arthur Okun and is determined by adding the inflation rate to the unemployment rate. Factors such as the strength…
-
Governor Chamroen moved out
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada is being transferred to Nakhon Sri Thammarat effective October 1. Prime Minister’s Office spokesman Maj Gen Sansern Kaewkamnerd today announced the Cabinet’s decision to transfer 19 officers in the Ministry of Interior, including the Phuket governor, but did not specify the reasons behind the move. Governor Chamroen assumed his current position in Phuket on September…
-
Phuket’s top cop issues Pokemon Go warning
PHUKET: Phuket’s top cop is warning islanders to play Pokemon Go with caution. Phuket Provincial Police Commander Teeraphol Thipjaroen expressed his concerns earlier this month, addressing both players and game developers. “As we all know, the game is played by connecting your smartphone with real time Google maps. As the game can be played in public places, players may trespass…
-
Five arrested with 400kg of kratom
PHUKET: Five suspects were arrested with 400 kilograms of kratom leaves during a raid in Rassada last night. Governor Chamroen Tippayapongtada revealed details of the arrests at a press conference held at the Phuket office of the Narcotics Control Board (NCB) this morning. The suspects were named as Sirichai Madlerdsak, 35, Chaisiri Sekpatan, 30, Usaman Mani, 25, Samlee Yapa, 25…
-
Fifth missing crew member found
PHUKET: A fishing boat this morning picked up one of six crew members still lost at sea after their vessel sank off the south coast of Phuket yesterday. Four of the crew – comprising nine Burmese men and their Thai captain – were rescued by the Third Area Naval Command this morning (story here). The crew member was found floating…
-
Another delay: Samkong Underpass completion pushed to end of August
PHUKET: The expected mid-August completion date of the Samkong Underpass has been pushed back yet again, this time until the end of this month. “The rain has made the process quite slow,” said Chalermpol Wongkiattikun, the project engineer from the Department of Highways. “The underpass is about 90 per cent complete and we expect the entire project to be completed…
-
Three rescued after boat sinks off Phuket, 6 still missing
PHUKET: A Royal Thai Navy search and rescue team this morning plucked four men from stormy seas after their fishing boat sank about two nautical miles off Promthep Cape. One of the men was pronounced dead on arrival. Six other crew members are still missing. The Third Naval Area Command responded to a call at 9:20pm yesterday from a person…
-
Mazda blows up in Krabi dentist’s driveway
KRABI: The driver of a Mazda 2 escaped serious injury last night when her three-year-old hatchback burst into flames as she pulled into her driveway. Nattira Phumchat, 27, a dentist at Krabi Hospital, was arriving home from the market in Krabi Town at around 8pm, when smoke began billowing out from under the car’s hood. “I stopped the car and…
-
Light rail plans approved for submission to ministry
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada met with private and public sector officials at Phuket Provincial Hall today, where the multi-billion-baht light rail project plans were finally agreed upon. The news comes in the wake of a push by Governor Chamroen earlier this month, when he called on the Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning (OTP) in Bangkok to…
-
Business Buzz: Market it right and they will follow
PHUKET: As an avid fan of marketing, I’m always interested to see the next big global trend emerge and to watch it evolve into a successful operation on a macro and micro scale. Right now, here in Phuket, we are witnessing one of those global phenomena. Have you recently seen mature adults chasing invisible objects, using strange terminology and just…
-
Opinion: Making Patong safer for locals and tourists
PHUKET: Col Chaiwat Auikam, originally from Saraburi, is currently the superintendent of Patong Police Station. He assumed the role two years ago. Col Chaiwat has been working as a policeman for more than 27 years. He graduated from the Armed Forces Academies Preparatory School and Royal Police Cadet Academy. Here, he talks about the current project to improve safety measures,…
-
Island View: Burmese border visa run by car
PHUKET: Being relatively close to Phuket (about 350km), the Burmese border is a destination of choice for visa runs and can be done by car in a day. When you drive yourself, you can stop and snack or stretch out whenever you want, or even spend some time at one of the many beaches along the coast as you pass…
-
TMD issues storm warning for Andaman region
PHUKET: The Thai Meteorological Department (TMD) this morning issued a storm warning for the Andaman region as monsoon rains continue to batter the southern provinces and the Gulf of Thailand. All ships should proceed with caution and small boats stay ashore until August 18, as strong wind whips up 2-3 meter high waves in the Andaman Sea and the upper…
-
Thai tourism takes brief hit after bombings
PHUKET: Phuket hotel and tourism organizations issued a joint statement yesterday evening in the wake of a string of bombings across southern Thailand, including twin bombings in Patong yesterday (story here). The Phuket Tourist Association, Thai Hotel Association, Patong Hotel Association and the Kata Karon Hotel Business Association’s declaration stated that they expect the bombings to briefly affect the numbers…
-
Update: Security stepped up nationwide after bombings
PHUKET: In a statement issued this morning, Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada said has ordered additional security personnel to be deployed across the island, in the wake of two blasts in Patong this morning. The governor’s comments come after a meeting with military and police advisers at Phuket Provincial Hall. The province was put on ‘high alert’ yesterday, after a bomb…
-
Blasts in Patong, across south, kill 3, injure dozens
PHUKET: Eleven explosions have rocked southern Thailand in less than 24 hours, including two blasts in Patong (story here). Explosions in Trang, Hua Hin and Surat Thani provinces have left three dead and more than 30 wounded. The blasts began yesterday in Trang, where an explosion killed one and injured seven others while vendors were setting up stalls in a…
-
Governor urges calm in wake of Trang bombing
PHUKET: The Phuket governor has put the province on high alert in the wake of last night’s bomb scare in Patong and this afternoon’s bombing in Trang. At least eight people were injured after a bomb exploded at a walking street market in downtown Trang city today. The blast occurred while vendors were setting up their stalls along Ruenrom Road,…
-
Dad publicly embarrasses daughter after Pokemon bike accident
CHIANG MAI: A vocational college student has been severely injured because she looked at her friend’s mobile phone to see a newly-caught Pokemon monster while driving her motorbike. The accident in Chiang Mai became the talk of the town in cyberspace after the girl’s father angrily posted a message on his Facebook wall to reprimand his daughter. The father said…
-
Bomb wounds eight in downtown Trang
TRANG: At least eight people were injured after a bomb exploded at a walking street market in downtown Trang city today. The blast occurred while vendors were setting up their stalls along Ruenrom Road, on the same street as the Trang Provincial Justice Office, less than a block away from City Hall. Police have cordoned off the area, and are…
-
Finance: Hold on to stocks, more rallies are coming
PHUKET: The past one and a half years have been anything but a smooth ride for investors, given that the market’s seen two rapid 10 to 15 per cent pullbacks, and we’ve seen entire sectors (such as biotech, oil, industrials) and so on take some hard knocks. For investors exposed to unlucky sectors, it’s been difficult to keep pace with…
-
Opinion: The promised land of a functional democracy
PHUKET: The passage of the national referendum on the proposed constitution last weekend indicates a national desire to get back on track and resume the effort to develop a more civil society, even if it means once again placing trust in the military as the shepherd to lead us to the promised land of a truly functional democracy. Results differed…
-
Vachira, PRBC hold blood drive to honor HM Queen
PHUKET: Representatives of Vachira Phuket Hospital and the Phuket Regional Blood Center (PRBC) are urging people to donate blood today and tomorrow in honor of HM the Queen’s birthday under the nationwide ‘Give Blood for Mom’ campaign. Vachira Phuket Hospital is accepting blood donations until 8pm tonight on the fourth floor of the hospital in Samkong, Phuket Town. Donors will…
Don't forget to check out some other things to do in Thailand - get help starting a business or finding a job in Thailand, buy Thailand property, rent a yacht or book a medical procedure worldwide.