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...
-
Surf’s up in Khao Lak
PHUKET: After crossing the bridge off the island, the sense of immediacy, impatience and the hustle and bustle of Phuket fades quickly. The pace of life slows to what is expected of a tropical island. Dozens of people experienced this as they made their way to Khao Lak for the first annual Khao Lak Surf Competition last weekend. They drove…
-
Thailand News: EC prepares for July 20 poll; Village chiefs free Defence HQ; Huge turtle haul at Bangkok airport
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community EC to push ahead with plan for poll The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The Election Commission is pushing ahead with plans for a national election on July 20 and is set to draft a Royal Decree to begin the process, after a proposal by opposition…
-
Pro-Russians storm Odessa police station, free activists
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Pro-Russians storm Odessa police station, free activists Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Pro-Russian militants stormed a Ukrainian police station in Odessa on Sunday and freed 30 fellow activists as the prime minister blamed police corruption there for dozens of deaths in rioting on Friday. “Russians won’t…
-
Krabi Kayaking competition underway
PHUKET: The Krabi-Enlive Sea Kayak Thailand Championship and the 3rd Sea Kayak Asian Cup are under way. The two events were organized to enable canoeing and water enthusiasts to showcase their skills, to raise awareness of ecotourism, and to help cultivate a culture of sustainable tourism in Krabi, said TAT Governor Thawatchai Arunyik. “These fun events are being held to…
-
Time for a resolution checkup
PHUKET: The Thai New Year has come and gone, and I can’t help but think about the resolutions I made for my own new year in January. For Westerners like me, the half-year point is quickly approaching and thoughts of resolutions made in good faith on January 1 are probably a distant memory. As I stared into the face of…
-
Public transport and closing legal loopholes critical, says Phuket’s new Senator
Phuket Senator Chaiyot Punyawai, 47, officially became Senator of Phuket on April 10. A graduate in law from Ramkhamhaeng University and now studying for his master’s in law, Senator Chaiyot works in a local law firm and is the president of the Phuket branch of the Lawyers Council of Thailand. Here, Mr Chaiyot talks about the role of senators and…
-
Governor orders probe into alleged Phuket beach land swindle
PHUKET: The Phuket Governor has ordered a direct investigation into how a man claiming to be a real estate agent allegedly conned villagers near Layan Beach into signing a document that empowered him to mortgage their land for 20 million baht. The incident came to light on Thursday when the villagers, led by Cherng Talay Tambon Administration Organization (OrBorTor) President…
-
Italian man found hanged in Patong
PHUKET: The body of an Italian man was found hanged from a rooftop steel bar at the Happy Apartment building in Baan Nanai Patong yesterday. Roberto Becchetti, 46, was last seen in the building carrying a coil of nylon rope about two hours before his body was discovered in a narrow gap between the apartment building and the building next…
-
Phuket Employment office to hold seminar on dive professionals’ work permits
PHUKET: The Phuket Employment Office (PPEO) will be holding an eight-hour seminar on May 22 at the Royal Phuket City Hotel in Phuket Town to clarify regulations and work permits for dive professionals. The seminar comes as a Public-sector Anti Corruption Commission (PACC) team continues its investigation into allegations that Chalong Police used legal loopholes in work permits to extort…
-
Taiwanese tourist drowns at Koh Yao Yai, off Phuket
PHUKET: A Taiwanese tourist drowned at Koh Yao Yai yesterday after waves pulled him out to sea. Chung-Hsin Lu, 64, was swimming with a friend at about 2pm when the pair started struggling in deep water. Bystanders were able to rescue Mr Lu’s friend, but Mr Lu disappeared below the surface and could not be found, says a Kusoldharm rescue…
-
Let there be light: Phuket mangrove forest villagers may get PEA electricity, clean water
PHUKET: Officials have been tasked with determining if the law can be bent in order to provide an illegally established mangrove forest community with much-needed electricity. The move follows a March 20 protest during which 200 villagers from the Klong Mudong community rallied outside the Chalong Municipality and asked Mayor Samran Jindapol to provide their homes with a steady supply…
-
Five in ATM skimming network arrested in Phuket
PHUKET: Five foreigners believed to be part of a skimming network stretching across Thailand were arrested in possession of multiple credit cards under different names and 700,000 baht in cash yesterday. Three were caught in the process of skimming an ATM in Karon. The other two were apprehended as they were allegedly attempting to evade officers. The men were named…
-
Black market coral trade takes hit as police seize more than 600 live samples in Phuket
PHUKET: Chalong Police are hunting coral poachers who abandoned a long-tail boat containing more than 600 illegally cut pieces of coral that were destined for the black market. Officers rushed to the scene yesterday morning after being tipped off by locals who had watched the suspects carry the coral ashore. Locals told officers that the suspects were waiting to meet…
-
Win a free flight with the Gazette Reader Survey 2014
PHUKET: In the 20 years since our launch on May 4, 1994, the Phuket Gazette has evolved from a 12-page monthly, hand delivered by its founder to Phuket’s then tiny expat community, into the 80-page weekly that it is today as part of the island’s leading multimedia news organization. We’ve been here for our readers through natural disasters, coups, booming…
-
Seoul subway trains crash, 170 people hurt
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Subway trains crash in South Korean capital, 170 people hurt Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A subway train in the South Korean capital Seoul crashed into another one at a station on Friday, injuring about 170 people, news reports and the emergency services said, although no…
-
Ukraine attacks rebel city, helicopter shot down
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Ukraine attacks rebel city, helicopter shot down Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Ukrainian forces attacked the rebel-held city of Slaviansk before dawn on Friday and pro-Russia separatists shot down at least one attack helicopter, killing a pilot, in a sharp escalation of the conflict. Describing the…
-
Video Report: Phuket farmers gearing up for National Goat Fair
PHUKET: Local farmers are gearing up for the 11th annual National Goat Fair, which will be held in Cherng Talay from May 23-25. The fair will provide an opportunity for farmers to exchange knowledge, learn from experts and showcase their products. “The main goal of the event is to urge goat farmers to continue developing better breeding techniques to maximize…
-
Former Phuket art teacher, turned alcoholic, found dead at public park
PHUKET: A former art teacher at Phuket Rajabhat University was found dead near the new indoor sports stadium in Saphan Hin yesterday. The body of Prasit Songkramma, 57, was found at about 2pm by Ngaojai Kusuya, a 50-year-old cleaner at the stadium. “At this stage we believed he died from heatstroke and, from what we have learned, he was an…
-
Phuket drug dealer identified by hair loss, arrested
PHUKET: Police arrested a drug dealer in Rawai on Monday with more than 1,500 pills of ya bah (methamphetamine) and 57 grams of ya ice (crystal methamphetamine). A tip-off from undercover police that a balding man about 170cm tall was selling drugs in Rawai led officers to a house on Wiset Road at about 7pm. “The man who answered the…
-
Malaysia releases missing plane report, reveals confusion
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Malaysia releases missing plane report, reveals confusion Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Malaysia on Thursday released its most comprehensive account yet of what happened to missing Flight MH370, in a preliminary report that detailed the route the plane probably took as it veered off course and…
-
Thailand News: Lese Majeste upheld; Thailand slammed over Rohingya; DSI seeks to arrest 58 protest leaders
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Appeals Court upholds lese majeste sentence The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The Appeals Court yesterday upheld a two-year lese majeste prison sentence against Jeng Dokjik for his speech during a red-shirt rally on March 29, 2010. The court said the sentence would not be suspended…
-
Road-rage bus driver lynched, stabbed
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Road-rage bus driver lynched, stabbed The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A bus driver was lynched and fatally stabbed after he allegedly stole a minibus and crashed into 12 vehicles – including four taxies, a motorcycle and a fruit-vending cart – during a road-rage incident in…
-
Nigerian suspected car bomb blast kills at least 15
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Suspected car bomb on edge of Nigerian capital kills at least 15 Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A suspected car bomb exploded on the outskirts of Nigeria’s capital Abuja on Thursday, killing at least 15 people a week before the city was to host a conference…
-
Cambodian police find body believed to be missing Canadian journalist
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Cambodian police find body believed to be missing Canadian journalist Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Cambodian police discovered a body on Thursday thought to be that of being missing Canadian journalist and author Dave Walker who disappeared in February, police and friend of Walker’s said. Veteran…
-
Former Phuket police volunteer jailed for dealing meth
PHUKET: Long-term expat and former Tourist Police Volunteer Garry Halpin was sentenced to nine years and eight months in prison for overstaying his visa and dealing a Category 1 Drug to teenagers in southern Phuket. Because Mr Halpin confessed to the charges during his trial, his sentence was halved. The original fine of 500,000 baht is now 250,000 baht, and…
-
Royal Phuket Yacht Club to close in wake of takeover
PHUKET: The Royal Phuket Yacht Club, the iconic resort that has drawn tourists to Nai Harn Beach for 28 years, will close its doors on May 31 for a major refit following a takeover by foreign investors. The news was confirmed today by staff at the resort who have received formal notice that employment of all staff will be terminated.…
-
Superyacht hits bottom off Phuket
PHUKET: Sailors navigating around the south of Phuket are urged to exercise caution after reports surfaced of a 55-meter superyacht hitting an uncharted submerged object in the waters between Rawai Beach and Koh Bon. “[Members of] the local marine community are reminding boaters of the danger, following a number of incidents which have caused near sinkings,” reported Phuket yachtsman Bob…
-
Meth-head monks defrocked after Phuket raid
PHUKET: Five monks from Northern Thailand were defrocked in Phuket and volunteered to go to a drug-rehabilitation camp after testing positive for ya bah (methamphetamine) during a Thalang Police raid yesterday. Police were notified of the behavior of the group of monks by residents in Moo 5 of Thepkrasattri Sub-district. “Residents suspected that the men were fake monks because they…
-
French Embassy pushes Phuket Police to find Frenchman’s killer
PHUKET: Officers from the French Embassy are pushing for justice for Frenchman Fabrice Boigel, who was murdered in his sleep on April 18. Embassy officials met with Phuket’s top police officers yesterday to urge them to apprehend the prime suspect. Myanmar national Shwe Oo was arrested last Saturday and confessed to stealing from the murdered Frenchman (story here), but blamed…
-
Phuket pawnshop bolstered with B130mn as students head back to school
PHUKET: The state-run Phuket City Municipality pawnshop has been granted a budget of 130 million baht to exchange for goods as poor parents scratch to find the funds to send their children back to school. The budget last year was just 50mn baht, explained Suriya Ngasamun, an assistant at the Phuket City Municipality Pawnshop on Komarapat Road in Phuket Town.…
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.