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.
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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...
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Hackers hit three Greek banks with ransom demands
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Hackers hit three Greek banks with ransom demands Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET:Hackers have staged cyber-attacks on three Greek banks and demanded a ransom in bitcoins, a virtual monetary unit, to stop their disruption, banking sources said on Monday. The sources said the hackers managed to…
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TV anchor seeks to be Cambodia’s political peacemaker to avoid conflict
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community TV anchor seeks to be Cambodia’s political peacemaker to avoid conflict Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Cambodian TV news anchor Soy Sopheap has again stepped into the role of political peacemaker in an effort to end the feud between Prime Minister Hun Sen and exiled opposition…
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Bill Gates plots a surprise attack on the energy sector
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Bill Gates plots a surprise attack on the energy sector Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Bill Gates grows most animated when the talk turns to the “cool” new energy technologies that have yet to leave the lab. Gates was a rare civilian sharing the limelight alongside…
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Phuket burglar allegedly takes B20k cash
PHUKET: Police are searching for a burglar who allegedly broke into a house at the Keha public housing estate in Thalang Sunday afternoon. Kasem Pansri, 28, reported to police that he returned home from the Layan Market to discover that 20,000 baht in cash had been stolen from his bedroom. “There were clear signs of an intruder having rummaged through…
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Island View: Making the move
PHUKET: At first I was very hesitant to make the move from Chalong to Phuket Town. When I first came to Phuket, everyone told me that Chalong was the best place to be, as it is central to the beaches and Town. And I have to agree, it is a really great location. However, to get anywhere requires a motorbike…
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Phi Phi Police struggle to stomp out gibbon touts
PHUKET: Unaware of officers failing to find and arrest an illegal gibbon tout regularly operating at a specific time and location on Phi Phi Don, the recently appointed Phi Phi Police Chief Jetsada Junphum has taken matters into his own hands. “I did not see the video sent to my officers until the Phuket Gazette sent it directly to me,”…
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Man assaulted, pregnant girlfriend abducted in taxi
BANGKOK: A taxi driver, along with his accomplices, reportedly robbed and assaulted a Myanmar passenger before abducting his two-month-pregnant girlfriend on Saturday. Ong Su, 34, told police that he and his 22-year-old girlfriend hailed a green-yellow taxi with an unknown licence plate number from the Rangsit area to go to Samut Prakan province. Two men joined them in the taxi…
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Deaf man dies in alleged suicide
PHUKET: Police have yet to rule out foul play as they investigate the alleged suicide of a deaf man in Thalang yesterday morning. Officers received a report that Amnach Utsaha, 30, had supposedly shot himself in the head with a homemade gun while in bed with his wife Boonruay Aree, 44. “According to Ms Boonruay, Mr Amnach had been complaining…
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Phuket locals protest US Amb’s lese majeste comments
PHUKET: About 100 Phuket locals gathered at Provincial Hall this morning to protest comments made by the recently appointed United States Ambassador to Thailand, Glyn Davies, about the increase in lese majeste sentences under the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO). “Ambassador Glyn Davies gave a public speech on Wednesday at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand in Bangkok…
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Beijing aims to refill medicine chest with
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Beijing aims to refill medicine chest with ‘Made in China’ drugs Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: China, already a global powerhouse in high-tech areas from solar panels to bullet trains, is turning its industrial might to the challenge of making more of its own drugs for…
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World leaders to launch bid for climate breakthrough in Paris
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community World leaders to launch bid for climate breakthrough in Paris Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: World leaders will launch an ambitious attempt on Monday to hold back the earth’s rising temperatures, urging each other to find common cause in two weeks of bargaining meant to steer…
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Indonesia ferry hits trouble on way to Singapore, 97 rescued
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Indonesia ferry hits trouble on way to Singapore, 97 rescued Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Almost 100 people were rescued when a ferry sailing towards Singapore from the Indonesianisland of Batam hit a floating object and reportedly started to sink, authorities in the city-state said. Ferry…
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Myanmar couple arrested for dealing meth
PHUKET: Police arrested two Myanmar nationals in possession of more than 250 grams of crystal methamphetamine (ya ice) on Friday. Thiha Soe, 32, and his wife, referred to by police only as Moe, were apprehended after officers received a tip-off from Rassada Subdistrict Chief (Kamnan) Chanchai Tantawacheerapan. “Mr Chanchai contacted officials after hearing complaints about two plant workers selling drugs…
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Business Buzz: Cash in on high season
PHUKET: We are coming into the high season and the tourists will be coming, so no matter what their numbers, this is the time to take advantage. There are a couple of things that we can do as business owners to protect our profits and position ourselves for the coming year. The first is to try to avoid the price…
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Chinese diver dies at Similan National Park
PHUKET: A Chinese diver died yesterday during a dive trip with Similan Seven Sea Co Ltd at Koh Bon, Similan National Park. Zhang Lin, 23, was found floating unresponsive at a depth of about 11.9 meters by divers from another dive company. “Ms Zhang was found with her regulator no longer in her mouth by divers from Khao Lak Scuba…
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IKEA opens Asia’s first Pick-up & Order Point in Phuket
PHUKET: The first IKEA ‘Pick Up & Order Point’ in Asia was officially launched in Phuket yesterday, providing service to Thailand’s southern provinces. The newest addition to the Swedish retailer’s furniture and home furnishings business, located on the bypass road in the Biz Town estate, aims to cater to the island’s growing business, real estate and tourism sectors. “Phuket has…
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Mobile service providers working to implement 911
PHUKET: The recent adjustment to allow anyone in an emergency to dial the 911 hotline for help has yet to be implemented by all phone service providers in Phuket. Though the Office of the Prime Minister confirmed today that the number is available nationwide, 911 is in fact currently available only via AIS and TrueMove mobile services, as it has…
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Opinion: Keeping up the pressure to rid Phuket of jet-skis
PHUKET: All stakeholders in Phuket’s future should thank five visiting ambassadors who kept the pressure on the provincial government to do something about the island’s notorious jet-ski rental industry. As opined many times, this particular industry seems to possess a curious ability that allows it to somehow pass undetected through all barriers of law, order, courtesy and simple common sense.…
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E. coli from Costco chicken salad traced to tainted celery
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community E. coli from Costco chicken salad traced to tainted celery Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: A multi-state E. coli outbreak that has sickened at least 19 people who ate rotisserie chicken salad sold at Costco Wholesale Corp’s stores has been traced to a celery-and-onion mix used…
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Beach boss bans umbreallas at Surin
PHUKET: Disobedient vendors on Surin Beach have given the president of the Cherng Talay Administration Organization (OrBorTor) ‘no choice’ but to designate it as one of Phuket’s ‘virgin beaches’. Though a 10 per cent zone had already been marked, beach vendors renting out umbrellas and offering other services there failed to follow the beach management rules put in place by…
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Six-meter-long snake found under Phuket home
PHUKET: A monster python, six-meters long, was caught trying to beat the heat under a Samkong residence’s house this afternoon. “The snake was found in the cool dirt under the house,” Watchara Srikacha, a Kusoldharm rescue worker, told the Phuket Gazette. “We suspect that it was looking for a safe place to avoid the sun.” It took several rescue workers…
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Airport pier project sails forward with multi-million-baht design budget
PHUKET: A 25-million-baht budget was approved for the Phuket International Airport pier project, which will allow tourists to take a ferry down the west coast to Patong, confirmed officials yesterday. The budget for the ‘From The Boat to The Plane’ project, which was tabled in 2013 by Phuket Marine Office Chief Phuripat Theerakulpisut (story here), is set to cover the…
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Foreign sunbathers get boot from Phuket park
PHUKET: Phuket City Police forced three bikini-clad sunbathers soaking up the sun at Saphin Hin to re-dress themselves yesterday afternoon. “I am aware that officers took this action to ensure the safety of the women,” Capt Chatchai Choonoo of Phuket City Police told the Phuket Gazette. “We do not have officers set up at this park, or other similar parks,…
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Mandatory travel insurance tabled in Phuket
PHUKET: The Phuket Governor vowed to raise tourist travel insurance issues to those capable of making changes to national legislation following the honorary consul meeting yesterday (story here). “If a tourist is not covered by insurance in their home country, they are setting themselves up for a difficult situation if they get injured while on holiday here,” said Phuket Governor…
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Child brides in Africa to more than double by 2050
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Child brides in Africa to more than double by 2050 Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: The number of child brides in Africa will soar to 310 million by 2050 from 125million now if current trends persist, due to slow rates of reduction combined with rapid population…
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Myanmar’s Suu Kyi blames lack of safety regulations for deadly landslide
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Myanmar’s Suu Kyi blames lack of safety regulations for deadly landslide Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: A disregard for the rule of law in the jade mining industry in Myanmar had made accidents such as the landslide that killed more than 100 people at the weekend…
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Man pleads guilty to stealing human brains from Indiana medical museum
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Man pleads guilty to stealing human brains from Indiana medical museum Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: A 23-year-old Indiana man pleaded guilty on Wednesday to breaking into a medical museum and stealing preserved human brains and other tissue that he then sold online, authorities said. David…
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Thailand adopts 911 as emergency number
PHUKET: Thailand has officially adopted 911 as its emergency hotline number, confirmed Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada. The decision to implement the emergency number was due to tourists’ familiarity with the 911 hotline number already, prompting several other countries to implement its use as well. “The Cabinet approved the use of the number months ago,” said Governor Chamroen. “For some reason,…
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Phuket safe, confirm police after US issues world-wide travel alert
PHUKET: Phuket Provincial Police confirmed that international-quality security was in place ahead of the United States Embassy in Bangkok sending a security message to US citizens yesterday. The US travel alert set to expire on February 26 stated: “The State Department alerts US citizens to possible risks of travel due to increased terrorist threats. Current information suggests that ISIL (aka…
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OrBorTor boss not worried by beach businesses’ 10mn-baht lawsuit
PHUKET: The controversial president of the Cherng Talay Tambon Administration Organization (OrBorTor) yesterday shrugged off a 10-million-baht lawsuit filed against him for alleged dereliction of duty. “The owners of two establishments, named Beach Bar and Paul Restaurant, located on Laypang Beach are claiming that I ruined their businesses,” OrBorTor President Ma-ann Samran told the Phuket Gazette. The two restaurants were…
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