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

    Infinito helps hotels in Thailand with revenue management

    Maximising revenue and profit–isn’t that the ultimate goal for every business in the hospitality industry? If you run a hotel, you might have heard that revenue management is an effective way to boost your top-line revenue. It involves using data...

  • Phuket’s top brass declare beaches ready for high season

    Phuket’s top brass declare beaches ready for high season

    PHUKET: The island’s beaches are ready for the incoming high season, top-ranking Phuket-based officials announced yesterday. “We are confident that we have nice, beautiful beaches to which we can welcome tourists from all over the world,” said Sayan Prasongsamrej, commander of the Royal Thai Navy Third Area Command. However, Vice Admiral Sayan noted that the beach battle has not yet…

  • Phuket motorist run over, killed on Patong Hill

    Phuket motorist run over, killed on Patong Hill

    PHUKET: A man was run over by a large truck* after he fell off his motorbike on Patong Hill this afternoon. “We received a report that a man was killed instantly after being hit by a large truck. This is all the information we have at the moment,” a Patong police officer confirmed to the Phuket Gazette. “Police and rescue…

  • Cremation ceremony for “original Phuket expat’ Eric Snyder on Saturday

    Cremation ceremony for “original Phuket expat’ Eric Snyder on Saturday

    PHUKET: Well-known long-term Phuket expat Eric Snyder, 70, who recently succumbed to skin cancer, is lying in state at Wat Chalong this week. The cremation ceremony for Mr Snyder will be at noon on Saturday. Friends are invited to come pay their respects to one of the island’s “original expats”. Mr Snyder arrived in Phuket in 1975 and remained in…

  • Phuket Art Dinner: Dine on all-star chefs’ culinary interpretations of modern art

    Phuket Art Dinner: Dine on all-star chefs’ culinary interpretations of modern art

    PHUKET: Ever wondered what Leonardo Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, Hokusai’s The Great Wave off Kanagawa or any piece of modern art might taste like – or at least a gastronomic interpretation? Take your chances this Saturday at 7pm by joining the Think Design Art Dinner at Nikki Beach Club, where six of Thailand’s top chefs will be collaborating to create…

  • Australian tourist mauled by Phuket tiger

    Australian tourist mauled by Phuket tiger

    PHUKET: An Australian tourist was mauled by a tiger at Phuket’s Tiger Kingdom yesterday afternoon, Kathu District Chief Sayan Chanachaiwong confirmed to the Phuket Gazette today. The tiger attacked Paul Goudie, 49, after he climbed into the cage with the animal at about 1pm to have his photograph taken. Mr Goudie was taken to Phuket International Hospital for treatment. He…

  • Video Report: Phuket welder allegedly sparks furniture shop inferno

    Video Report: Phuket welder allegedly sparks furniture shop inferno

    PHUKET: A welder’s sparks that allegedly fell onto highly-flammable material left a furniture shop in Phuket Town gutted yesterday afternoon. The flames were contained and put out within 30 minutes. However, a rice warehouse next to the furniture store incurred some damage, confirmed Pornthip Chumsri of the Phuket City Police. “I had hired a repairman to replace the old roof.…

  • Police arrest woman for contracting Phuket killing

    Police arrest woman for contracting Phuket killing

    PHUKET: Police arrested a woman last night for hiring a hitman to kill a Phuket resident earlier this year. Anyanee Jongmun, 29, was arrested outside of her house in Srisoonthorn after the assassin, Chatchai Torkeaw, gave up her name to police. Mr Chatchai, was arrested on Saturday (story here) for the stabbing murder of 42-year-old Nongluk Thavorn, who was found…

  • Russian drowns while snorkelling off Phi Phi island, east of Phuket

    Russian drowns while snorkelling off Phi Phi island, east of Phuket

    PHUKET: A Russian tourist drowned while snorkelling off the tourist island of Phi Phi, east of Phuket, yesterday. “Evgenii Kuznetcov, 54, was taken to Phi Phi Hospital, but sadly he was pronounced dead on arrival,” Krabi City Police Deputy Superintendent Noppadol Mukda told the Phuket Gazette. Mr Kuznetcov and his wife had joined a Phuket speedboat tour to visit Koh…

  • Breaking News: Divers recover body of Korean tourist from sunken speedboat

    Breaking News: Divers recover body of Korean tourist from sunken speedboat

    PHUKET: Search and rescue divers pulled the body of one of the two missing Korean tourists from the wreckage of the speedboat that now lies at the bottom of Phang Nga Bay, east of Phuket, confirmed Lt Col Chatchai Sakdee of the Phuket Marine Police. Marine Police named the Korean woman as An Sun Yong, 28. One Korean tourist is…

  • Phuket Governor makes clean beaches priority

    Phuket Governor makes clean beaches priority

    PHUKET: Governor Nisit Chansomwong got on the clean-Phuket bandwagon, as he led locals, students and officials onto Patong Beach for “Beach Cleaning Day” on Sunday. “This activity is organized to strengthen the love and unity of the people within the community; help them develop a love for their hometown; help them keep it clean; and preserve our natural resources and…

  • Triple homicide: suspect flees into jungle north of Phuket

    Triple homicide: suspect flees into jungle north of Phuket

    PHUKET: Police in Phang Nga, north of Phuket, are hunting a man who killed his estranged wife and her parents after he was allegedly denied entry into their house. The bodies of Piyawan Jankerdkaew, 28; Prakob Jankerdkaew, 54; and Vas Jankerdkaew, 59, were found with gunshot wounds to the head yesterday afternoon in Kura Buri, Phang Nga. “We were called…

  • Angry mob prevents suspected hired assassin from reenacting Phuket stabbing

    Angry mob prevents suspected hired assassin from reenacting Phuket stabbing

    PHUKET: An angry mob of villagers yesterday prevented police from carrying out a full reenactment of the stabbing murder of a woman by a suspected hired assassin in Phuket earlier this year. “Chatchai Torkeaw, 25, was apprehended on Saturday after he successfully evaded arrest for almost six months,” Thalang Police Superintendent Sirisak Wasasiri told the Phuket Gazette. He was arrested…

  • ‘The Jungle Book’ puppet production swings into Phuket

    ‘The Jungle Book’ puppet production swings into Phuket

    PHUKET: In the next installment of quality island entertainment, Events International and the Phuket Gazette are proud to present the Jungle Book Puppet Theater. Suitable for children of all ages, the sparkling new puppet theater adaptation of Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book will swing into British International School Phuket (BISP), HeadStart International School and Kajonkietsuksa International School next month. This…

  • Three Phuket tourists tumble, mayor aims to increase safety at Promthep Cape

    Three Phuket tourists tumble, mayor aims to increase safety at Promthep Cape

    PHUKET: Officials are considering more options to boost safety at Phuket’s iconic Promthep Cape after three tourists – two Chinese and one Thai – slipped from the rocks this weekend. However, building a protective fence remains off the table. “During the [southwest] monsoon season, there is a lot of rain and the waves are high. These conditions make it easy…

  • Bag blamed for Phuket speedboat crash [video] | Thaiger

    Bag blamed for Phuket speedboat crash [video]

    PHUKET: The speedboat driver who crashed into a fishing trawler yesterday has blamed a plastic bag for the accident. The Seastar speedboat sank after hitting the trawler, leaving 35 injured and two missing (story here). “About 20 minutes after we departed from Maya Bay [on Koh Phi Phi] the sky got very dark and a black plastic bag flew under…

  • Video Report: Patong’s first mayor cremated, honored by Royal Household Bureau

    Video Report: Patong’s first mayor cremated, honored by Royal Household Bureau

    PHUKET: Patong’s first mayor, Pian Keesin, was cremated at Wat Laem Singh in Phuket on Saturday. Mr Pian died from a heart-valve disease in his home at the Rock Garden housing estate on October 7 at the age of 70. A fai prachataan provided by the Royal Household Bureau was used to ignite the cremation pyre in recognition of Mr…

  • Registration remains open for the Challenge Laguna Phuket

    Registration remains open for the Challenge Laguna Phuket

    PHUKET: Registration is still open for the 2014 half-distance Challenge Laguna Phuket in Thailand – and the opportunity still exists to compete in this unique destination event that has captured the hearts of triathletes all over the world. The race, set for November 30, will be the second Challenge Family series race to be staged on this paradise tropical island,…

  • Teen goes missing after selling gold in Phuket

    Teen goes missing after selling gold in Phuket

    PHUKET: A relative of a 16-year-old girl has made a public plea for help in finding the teen, who went missing yesterday. Kanyarat “Nong Chor” Kananthai was last seen at 11am in Kathu selling her gold necklace for 4,300 baht to a shop near her house. “Nong Chor came from Udon Thai province with our grandmother about two months ago…

  • Breaking News: Two missing, 35 injured in Phuket speedboat crash

    Breaking News: Two missing, 35 injured in Phuket speedboat crash

    PHUKET: Two tourists are missing after a speedboat crashed with a fishing boat between Koh Yao Noi and Phi Phi Island, east of Phuket, this afternoon. Marine Police have rescued 35 of the 37 tourists who were on board the speedboat. All suffered varying degrees of injury, it was confirmed to the Phuket Gazette. Rescue workers and hospital staff, prepared…

  • Jet-skis allowed on Kamala Beach, confirms Phuket Governor

    Jet-skis allowed on Kamala Beach, confirms Phuket Governor

    PHUKET: Jet-ski operators are allowed to park their craft on Kamala Beach until the end of the month, confirmed Governor Nisit Jansomwong to the Phuket Gazette today. Watchara Koysakul, head of the Kamala Jet-Ski Club, said that it was a similar situation to the one in Patong, where jet-ski operators were allowed to return to work in August as long…

  • Phuket King’s Cup Regatta returns [video] | Thaiger

    Phuket King’s Cup Regatta returns [video]

    PHUKET: Revered as Asia’s most prestigious sports yachting trophy and attracting crews and boats from every corner of the globe, the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta returns to the unpredictable seas of the Andaman, bringing with it split-second racing action, camaraderie and a series of legendary party events. The 28th Phuket King’s Cup Regatta Under Royal Patronage, the region’s largest regatta,…

  • Opinion: Beach Games to showcase new Phuket

    Opinion: Beach Games to showcase new Phuket

    PHUKET: There has been a great deal of discussion and debate recently about how Phuket should “rebrand” itself as a world-class tourist destination in the wake of the National Council for Peace and Order’s unprecedented anti-corruption drive. Hopefully, the 4th Asian Beach Games next month will serve as the perfect showcase for the so-called “new” Phuket, spreading the message far…

  • Phuket police raid rounds up pirated goods

    Phuket police raid rounds up pirated goods

    PHUKET: About 1,500 fake brand-name items were seized from three shops in Patong on Thursday. “The retail value of the counterfeit goods is about 1 million baht,” said Kitti Sapaothong, deputy commander of the Economic Crime Division of the Royal Thai Police. The majority of the items seized were polo shirts. However, bags, purses, luggage, watches and other items were…

  • Phuket loses an ‘original’ expat: Eric Snyder departs

    Phuket loses an ‘original’ expat: Eric Snyder departs

    PHUKET: Well known long-term Phuket expat Eric Snyder, 70, has departed the island he loved, succumbing to skin cancer earlier this week. Eric Snyder arrived in Phuket in 1975 and remained in residence here for 39 years. Initially, he lived with a Muslim family on Kamala Beach for several years, growing his own food and catching his dinner from the…

  • Investing time to develop passive income

    Investing time to develop passive income

    PHUKET: I recently became involved in marketing products for the health and wellness industry, which follows a very different business model than any I have previously encountered. In fact, the investment consists mainly of time, as start-up capital required is extremely limited. “Human capital” is developed, rather than the standard brick-and-mortar business. The great thing about this style of investing…

  • Marketing duo to breathe new life into RPM

    Marketing duo to breathe new life into RPM

    PHUKET: A duo of marketing experts have joined the ranks of Royal Phuket Marina to put it back on the Phuket map and in the minds of the island’s residents. “I had forgotten about RPM,” says Ian Spurdle, the marina’s new Director of Sales and Marketing for Luxury Property. “I’ve been in Phuket for 12 years, and have known RPM…

  • Annual Patong carnival to hit sands of Phuket

    Annual Patong carnival to hit sands of Phuket

    PHUKET: Patong’s annual carnival, this year themed “Blissful Beach @ Patong”, is set to hit the beach town’s sands on November 1, ahead of Phuket’s tourism high season. The event, now in its 29th year, will take place from November 1-3, and aims to attract locals and tourists alike with concerts, a mini-marathon, a photography contest (story here) and a…

  • Man and wife charged with rape, await court date in jail

    Man and wife charged with rape, await court date in jail

    PHUKET: A man charged with raping a 14-year-old undocumented Myanmar migrant worker, and his wife who helped him carry out the crime, remain incarcerated pending a court date. “We are still preparing evidence against both suspects – including fingerprint testing,” Lt Palita Kangsing of the Khuk Khak Police told the Phuket Gazette today. Lt Palita said Mr Ko-Nai and his…

  • Phuket shrines gear up for second Vegetarian Festival [video] | Thaiger

    Phuket shrines gear up for second Vegetarian Festival [video]

    A much-anticipated aspect of the Vegetarian Festival is the bountiful array of interesting foods. PHUKET: Kathu Shrine is preparing to hold the second go-round of Phuket’s Vegetarian Festival from October 24 to November 1. Governor Nisit Jansomwong has urged all island-dwellers to take part in this special event, as a few shrines on the island are expected to hold even…

  • Prisoner kingpin implicated in Phuket drug-network raids

    Prisoner kingpin implicated in Phuket drug-network raids

    PHUKET: The kingpin of a major drug ring operating out of a Thai prison was identified after a series of raids in Phuket, police said yesterday. The raids, which began on Sunday, saw more than 2 kilograms of ya ice (crystal methamphetamine) seized. “The major dealers arrested implicated a female inmate, who we will name only as ‘Ms B’ until…