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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Sponsored Is tap water in Thailand safe to consume?
Wondering if you can drink the tap water in Thailand? From brushing your teeth to filling up a bottle, it’s helpful to understand a few basics. Tap water safety in Thailand varies by location, and while some people use it...
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Diving instructor charged with reckless driving
PHUKET: Police filed charges against a diving instructor after his reckless driving was caught on camera yesterday. A viral video on Facebook titled ‘Please help. Am I in the wrong?’ shows the driver of a Honda Accord attempting to turn right from the left-hand turning lane at the intersection of Chao Fa West and Thep Anusorn Road in Wichit, near…
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Samui suffering from serious drought
KOH SAMUI: Desperate drought-hit residents on Koh Samui are turning to spirits for help after receiving little assistance from local authorities. “There has been no help from the local government,” said Samui villager Sawat Limsuwan, 61, yesterday having prayed for the heavens to open at a makeshift shrine on his parched land early last month. Mr Sawat told the Phuket…
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Festival raids seize over 70k pills
PHUKET: Provincial police announced yesterday that they have seized nearly 72,000 methamphetamine pills, estimated to have a street value of 4 million baht, over the course of the past week. Phuket Provincial Police Commander Teeraphol Thipjaroen told the Phuket Gazette that the annual Vegetarian Festival brings with it a chance for dealers and suppliers to transfer drugs and cash in…
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Hotel owner faces forest encroachment charges
PHUKET: A team from the Royal Forestry Department (RFD) raided a hotel located on the Bypass Road this morning after locals complained that the establishment was encroaching on forest land. “We got a complaint in March that the Hilltop Hotel and Residence, located behind the Wang Mai wooden shop, was encroaching on forest land,” said RFD Deputy Director General Somchai…
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Fliers still facing long queues at Phuket Airport
PHUKET: Three weeks after the official opening of the new international terminal at Phuket Airport, frustrated travellers are still putting up with long lines at the immigration counters due to a lack of essential equipment. Only 13 of the 34 immigration counters at the international departure area had computers on the September 16 opening day of the new terminal; causing…
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Ministry of Farang Affairs: Your mom doesn’t call anymore
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.…
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Finance: Leading tech stocks emerge
PHUKET: As of mid September, the overall market appeared to be in a volatile choppy transition phase. Some individual stocks are doing well while others are continuing to be punished. Certain indices such as the S&P 500 aren’t exactly performing that well either. However, there are leadership stocks forming, consolidating and blasting higher, with technology stocks doing particularly well. This…
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Opinion: A warm welcome for Governor Chokchai
PHUKET: The Phuket Gazette is pleased to welcome new Governor Chokchai Dejamornthan to the island and also to thank him for taking the time to outline his objectives to Phuket’s international community through our monthly ‘Governor’s Letter’. Dr Chokchai, the island’s 47th governor and the 11th since the year 2000, clearly understands that his new position will present a host…
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Crane crash damages two vehicles at Krabi Hospital car park
KRABI: Two vehicles were damaged when a crane crashed into a covered garage in front of a residential building at Krabi Hospital this morning. The crane driver, Sompong Chinnawong, 60, claimed that he could not stop the crane, despite repeated attempts to brake. “I was trying to start the engine, but it would not start. Then, for some reason, it…
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Tourist bus crash causes pile-up on Patong hill
PHUKET: Yet another tour bus has crashed on Patong Hill. In the accident on Wednesday afternoon, the driver lost control and ploughed into three other vehicles, resulting in a Thai man being seriously injured and 11 others sustaining injuries. Witnesses told Patong Police that the bus crossed over into oncoming traffic while in a downhill turn, crashing into a pick-up…
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Krabi taxi drivers’ brawl goes viral
KRABI: Airport ‘Limousine’ drivers and metered taxi drivers came to blows when a heated argument about passengers escalated at Krabi International Airport on Tuesday. A video clip shot by a bystander was shared and widely criticized on social media. The caption of the video is “Krabi International Airport fight between green plate taxi and taxi meter [sic]. I don’t want…
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Man in ICU after drive-by road rage shooting
PHUKET: A 23-year-old Thai man is in intensive care after being shot in a drive-by road rage attack this morning. Thalang police told the Phuket Gazette they received an emergency call at about 6am, after Chayan Srinual was rushed to Thalang Hospital. “Mr Chayan was shot once in the left side of his back,” said Thalang police Captain Chatree Chuwichian.…
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Longtail passengers rescue fellow tourist
KRABI: A Chinese tourist was lucky that a Royal Thai Navy rescue team was on hand after she nearly drowned in the Andaman Sea on Saturday. Xiaochang Lai, 23, along with five other tourists, was touring the bay on a longtail boat and had stopped to snorkel around the coral reef at Koh Gai. Ms Lai became separated from her…
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New vice governors named
PHUKET: The Interior Ministry yesterday announced Phuket’s three new vice governors, who will be taking their posts on October 10. The vice governors were named as Sanit Sriwihok, previously the Surat Thani Provincial Chief Administrative Officer (Palad); Theera Anantasereewittaya, previously the Department of Local Administration inspector in Bangkok; and the second female vice governor for Phuket, Siwaporn Chuasawat, previously the…
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New venture fills luxury travel niche
PHUKET: Getting from the airport to a hotel in Phuket is probably one of the biggest headaches facing any visitor fresh off a plane. Public transport is limited to just about nothing and taxis have long been notorious to do business with here, so there has been a gap in the market just waiting to be filled – offering tourists…
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Festival firecrackers ignite Supercheap blaze
PHUKET: Police said they believe a fire that spread across Bang Tao’s Supercheap store yesterday was ignited by children’s firecrackers. Firefighters and personnel from the Cherngtalay Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) office raced to the scene of the blaze yesterday afternoon. Firefighters reportedly battled the blaze for 20 minutes before it was extinguished. Goods inside the store were…
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Russian swimmer dashed against rocks at Karon Beach
PHUKET: A Russian man broke his arm today when he was dashed against rocks by strong waves off Karon Beach, after ignoring red flags warning beach goers not to swim in the dangerous surf. Viktor Sizouenko, 32, was rescued by lifeguards and given first aid by medics at the beach before being taken to Patong Hospital. Eye witnesses said Mr…
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Cops nab racing teen riders
PHUKET: Traffic Police last night nabbed two teen motorbike riders who were allegedly racing with about 30 other riders along a stretch of road in Saphan Hin. Police received complaints at about 5:30pm that a group of more than 30 teenagers were racing motorbikes near the Vegetarian Festival celebrations. Responding officers were only able to catch the two teens. The…
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Phuket Vegetarian Festival in full swing
PHUKET: This year’s Vegetarian Festival in Phuket is fully underway, with processions of devotees marching to Chinese shrines across the island for the second day of rituals this week. Yesterday, devotees and festival participants gathered at Choor Su Gong Naka shrine for the first street procession of the festival. Crowds gathered at the Bang Ku shrine today for a second…
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U-turn flyovers delayed again after local protests
PHUKET: The country’s highest-ranking ombudsman met with local town planning and highways officers on Wednesday to discuss local protests causing delays in construction of two proposed u-turn flyovers along Thepkrasattri Road. Ombudsman Office Secretary-General Raksagecha Chaechai met with the local officials to discuss plans following public complaints over two proposed flyover projects aimed at reducing road accidents and fatalities at…
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Driver finds 3-meter-long king cobra in car
KRABI: Snake catchers in Krabi pulled a large king cobra from a car yesterday. The deadly three-meter-long snake had hidden behind the headlight of the car after falling onto the vehicle from a tree. Suchayanmak Sukapan, 42, had parked her car under a tree in front a house in Din Udom sub-district, Lamthap District, when she happened upon the snake.…
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Island View: Tourism industry needs a rehaul
PHUKET: During a day trip to Krabi with some friends last weekend, I planned a short rendezvous at Railay Island. After a heavy lunch, we walked to the pier and were surprised to find that a return ticket via long tail boat cost 200 baht per person. That’s not too much, I thought. There is probably a catch there. As…
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Opinion: Phuket Shrines Association chief explains spirit of Veg fest
PHUKET: Prasert Fakthongphol, 68, is the founder and president of the Phuket Shrines Association. He was born and raised in Phuket and has a vocational certificate in business studies from Dusit Commercial College in Bangkok. He has been the president of the association since 2001 and also owns a transportation company. Here, he talks about the real purpose and tradition…
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Blind community offered boosted standards and legal venue registrations
PHUKET: The Thailand Association of the Blind (TAB) organized an informational discussion at the Bhukitta Hotel & Spa on Wednesday to boost the standard of blind massage parlors and tweak their registration process. The event was led by Phuket Vice Governor Chokdee Amornwat, alongside deputy director of the TAB Surat Puengsiriwathana, and Petrat Techatracha, head of The Blinds Vocational Promotion…
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Local artists protest coal plant
KRABI: Twenty artists gathered at Krabi Provincial Hall to stage a peaceful protest on Thursday morning against a coal power plant slated to be built in the Nua Khlong District. Vasan Sitthiket, an artist and activist who is part of the group, painted landscapes depicting how locals in the area would be affected by the plant. “We went to the…
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What’s different about The Thaiger
The Thaiger, from it’s inception, was crafted to be a lean, mean media machine. The Thaiger doesn’t have a head office (although we’re based in Kathu, Phuket), instead it is a network of people from around the country who access the platform and post stories for you. All the media is written and designed to be accurate and easily consumed…
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The Thaiger reaches far and wide
Modern marketing is all about ‘reach’ – how many people are seeing/hearing/reading your ads – and targeting your customers. The Thaiger is an effective tool to do both. Our platforms are measurable and promise to provide you with superior effective reach at a price you can afford with a reputation and quality to match your product. Every package from The…
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Advertising on The Thaiger
. WELCOME TO THE THAIGER Our website has skyrocketed in new user from 275,000 page views per month at the start of 2018 to 2.1 million page views in February 2019, representing more than 1.3 million sessions. (Google Analytics) The Thaiger crosses a number of platforms including the main website, a smartphone App, Facebook pages, YouTube Channel, Instagram, Twitter and…
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New Phuket governor arrives
PHUKET: Newly appointed Phuket Governor Dr Chokchai Dejamornthan and his wife Raweewan Dejamornthan, who is the new president of the Phuket Red Cross, received a warm welcome on their arrival in Phuket this morning. About a hundred people from both government and the private sector showed up to welcome the couple at Phuket airport at 10:30am. In keeping with tradition,…
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Ministry of Farang Affairs: Showing off your work ID
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.…
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