News
Thailand news, politics, business, crime, lifestyle, and tourism—stay updated with breaking news and in-depth analysis from Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, and beyond. The Thaiger delivers the latest national news that matters.
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No ifs or butts. Smoking ban starts on Patong Beach.
Patong City Council has designated 20 smoking areas along Patong Beach to comply with the smoking-ban-on-the-beach policy of the Marine and Coastal Resources Department (MCRD). The Patong City Administration Organisation opened the smoking areas in order to encourage people not to smoke and drop cigarette butts on the beach, and instead support the department’s new policy. Patong Beach is among…
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23 day tax break to stimulate economy
The Cabinet on Tuesday approved a 23-day tax break for consumers to boost shopping activities nationwide by an estimated 10 billion baht and stimulate the economy. The Finance Ministry will lose about 2 billion baht in personal income tax collection as a result of the campaign, but the retail and other sectors will probably gain a combined 10 billion baht…
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UPDATE: Krabi rape case
The results from a complete body examination of the 15 year old girl from Krabi, who was allegedly raped by her stepfather for five consecutive years, will be ready in one month. The President of Muslims for Peace revealed that the stepfather also forced her to get an abortion when he realised she was pregnant. “The relatives told me that…
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Phuket’s Annissa Flynn wins Flowboard Worlds in Cancun, Mexico
Female athletes in Thailand have added another major achievement by winning the 2017 World Flow Boarding Tour Finals in Mexico. Phuket’s Anissa Flynn is already acclaimed as one of the best womens’ surfers in Asia after winning the Asian Womens Open surfing tour at aged 12 and has now added a World Championship to her growing list of big wins.…
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THAIGER TODAY Tuesday, November 7
Veterans urge NCPO not to start political party | Khon Kaen hotel owner sues water authorities | Mystery over 50 year old Brit ‘bashed in Phuket’ | Mystery over Phuket’s ongoing bad weather…will it come? Today at the Melbourne Cup Charity function raising money for Phuket Has Been Good To Us and Good Shepherd Foundation.
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Sports tourism flourishing in Phuket
By Paul Poole, Thailand’s sponsorship guru Few places in Thailand host more sporting events than Phuket, and every year thousands of tourists – both local and foreign – head to the island to participate in or witness a sporting event. Hardly a month goes by without a sporting event taking place on Phuket. Be it swimming, biking, running, golfing or…
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15 year old allegedly raped by stepfather for 5 years
Muslims for Peace Foundation rescued a 15 year old girl who alleges she was a rape victim of her 67 year old stepfather for 5 years. The Foundation as well as the staff of Krabi Children and Family Shelter brought the girl to the police on November 2 claiming that she had been raped since she was 10 years old…
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Gulf of Thailand battered – heading towards the Andaman Sea, north of Phuket
(There is an update from the TMD at the bottom of this article – the tropical depression is weakening as it moves across the landmass from Gulf of Thailand towards the Andman Sea, north of Phuket) A severe weather warning was issued for the South Eastern Region on Monday, as the Meteorological Department forecast heavy rain for the entire region,…
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Supreme Court says Layan beachfront is ‘public land’
PHOTO: y Travel Blog Today the Phuket Gazette visited Layan Beach following the verdict in the Thai Supreme Court that confirmed that the land, where six beach restaurants and businesses continue to operate, was public land. The land in question spans the an entire 3 kilometre frontage including stretches of Layan and Laypang beaches and covering some 178 rai of…
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50 year old Brit’s dream holiday turns into a nightmare
A dream holiday turned into a nightmare for a husband and wife when he was robbed at gunpoint and left so badly hurt he needed emergency surgery. Mik Laverty was mugged during he and wife Denise’s first full day in Thailand and now the couple’s friends are raising money towards his treatment and to help get them home. Mr Laverty…
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THAIGER TODAY Monday, November 6
Layan Beach restaurants poised for eviction following loss of Supreme Court battle | No selfies with ‘Toon’ please | 65 year old woman finds a partner after posting an ad on her gate | Hua Hun-Pattaya ferry service suspended today | Local tour boat capsizes with 16 on board.
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Fake land deeds in Krabi
UPDATE on the fake land deeds in Krabi… The Village Chief, Sucha Wansuk, said that after checking, the land deeds were indeed fake with the name of dead people and fake signatures on them. “One of the title deeds for 7 rai has the name of the owner as Malem Pankwan, who passed away at least 10 years ago,” said…
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AoT airports increase traffic 6% in past 12 months
A total of just over 129 million passengers travelled through the six airports operated by the Airports of Thailand in 2017, a 7.73% increase from the previous year (September 2016 – September 2017). The six airports operated by the AoT are Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang, Phuket, Chiang Mai, Hat Yai and Mae Fah Luand in Chiang Rai. From September 2016 to…
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Royal Crematorium tours might continue beyond November
Deputy PM Tanasak Patimapragorn yesterday says that he would seek to extend public tours at the Royal Crematorium beyond the end of November if there is sufficient interest. But the scheduled closing at the end of this month would remain if only a small number of people wish to tour the sacred site, he said. Tanasak said the PM would…
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Supreme Court says Layan beachfront is ‘public land’
PHOTO: y Travel Blog Today the Phuket Gazette visited Layan Beach following the verdict in the Thai Supreme Court that confirmed that the land, where six beach restaurants and businesses continue to operate, was public land. The land in question spans the an entire 3 kilometre frontage including stretches of Layan and Laypang beaches and covering some 178 rai of…
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Loy Krathong attracts big crowds around Phuket and Thailand.
Around the country, provinces attracted crowds watching parades of giant floats representing government and private agencies, beauty pageant contests, and stage performances, while many sent off krathong floats onto rivers, lakes and ponds as an apologetic gesture to the Goddess of River. In Phuket all the major waterways had a big turnout with the predicted bad weather holding off. The…
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Phuket Smart Bus to launch start of 2018
Phuket Smart Bus, as a part of Phuket City Development (PKCD), is launching the first ten smart buses, thanks to an investment of 40 million Baht, aiming to develop Phuket public transportation. The route will be from Phuket International Airport straight to Phuket Town. “Phuket Smart Bus is one of the twelve Smart Growth projects we created for Phuket. The…
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THAIGER TODAY Friday, November 3
Parts of Royal Crematorium now closed to visitors | Flights cancelled to Chiang Mai Airport | Bodyslam ‘Toon’ kicks off his 2,000 km charity run | Bad weather still being predicted | Big joint venture announced between Central and JD.com.
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90 flights cancelled over Loy Krathong
Several airlines have cancelled a total of 90 flights to and from Chiang Mai during the Loy Krathong Festivities today and tomorrow out of safety concerns. Authorities say the cancellation of flights is a precaution against possible air accidents from the release of hot-air, smoke and lantern during the festival. Two years ago in 2015, 27,000 lanterns were released but the…
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Prayut praises Toon for Charity Run
Bodyslam’s ‘Toon’ collects 47 Million Baht in the first day of his national run. Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has extended moral support to rock star Artiwara “Toon” Kongmalai, who started a 2,191 kilometre charity run yesterday (Wednesday). “I’m giving encouragement and blessing for Toon to achieve his goal and to be safe while running throughout the long journey,” government…
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Sun Sea Sand Colour! Patong Parade kicks off the 2017 Festival.
The Patong Parade kicked off the Patong Festival for 2017 under the banner ‘Sea Sun Sand’. The annual parade has never looked better with local businesses going to a lot of trouble. And the crowds certainly reacted with record turn-out of both locals and tourists (who probably had little idea the event was on). There were the usual delays as…
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THAIGER TODAY Thursday, November 2
Flooding around north-east should ease within 14 days | Royal Crematorium now open for tours | 30 year old Australian still in Vachira Hospital | Thailand ‘Ground Zero’ for illegal wildlife trade | New flights to Phuket from Air Asia and Viet Jet.
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Royal Crematorium open for public tours
Public tours of the Royal Crematorium at Sanam Luang in Bangkok begin today following yesterday’s trial run. Deputy Prime Minister Tanasak Patimapakorn said Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn would officially open the grounds to the public at 7am, with tours beginning shortly thereafter. As many as 100,000 people are expected to visit the exhibition each day, with the…
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Travelling to Thailand? Check your travel insurance.
A cautionary tale… 30 year old Australian Stacey Liddle is still holed up at Vachira Hospital after a traumatic road accident in Chalong caused a lot of damage to her leg which doctors are now trying to save. Whilst she had travel insurance her insurance didn’t cover this accident due to fine print in the contract. Speaking to news.com.au from…
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Bike crash kills a Chinese tourist instantly
At about 2 am this morning (November 1), Phuket police got a report of a bike crash on Chaofa East Road, just before the Dowroong Wittaya School intersection, where an Asian woman died instantly. At the scene, police found the damaged motorbike on the street with the rider, 31 year old Zhang Qimei, a tourist from China who appears to…
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Celebrate the third anniversary with a spectacular brunch at Kata Rocks
Kata Rocks is marking its third anniversary on Saturday, December 2 with a ‘Champagne Brunch of The Year’ Anniversary Pool Party that celebrates Phuket’s luxury lifestyle. The resort’s DJ-fuelled brunches are legendary for their stylish party atmosphere. This year’s event is centred around an enticing combination of excellent entertainment, delicious food and chilled ‘bubbles’ plus an exclusive fashion show next…
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Phuket ready to host Foremost IRONMAN 70.3 Thailand
Having hosted triathlons for more than 20 years, Phuket is in an enviable position as the leading triathlon destination in South East Asia and the island is set to bolster its sports tourism credentials further when it hosts the 2017 Foremost IRONMAN 70.3 Thailand, Sunrise Sprint and Foremost IRONKIDS Thailand on 25 and 26 November, 2017. “IRONMAN is a global…
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AirAsia introduces Phuket-Khon Kaen route
Esan here we come AirAsia is strengthening its Phuket base with a new route from Phuket to Khon Kaen, designed to stimulate local regional tourism. Mr. Arun Lilapantisitti, AirAsia’s Station Head for Phuket, said that Phuket is one of AirAsia’s main airport hubs as it offers a variety of routes both domestic and international and has continued to grow steadily.…
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THAIGER TODAY Wednesday, November 1
Patong Parade tonight | Yingluck won’t get asylum status in the UK | HRH Princess Sirindhorn to visit Phuket | 210,000 fake sunglasses confiscated | Tropical depression still approaching Phuket.
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Clothes thieves caught on shop CCTV – Expo
A clothes shop in Expo named ‘Perdsakad’ had clothes stolen by two women pretending to be customers. The CCTV camera at the store clearly recorded their identity. The footage shows that two women entered the shop. One of them was talking to the staff while the other walked to the corner of the shop and grabbed 4 pieces of clothe…
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