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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Sponsored The 5 most common travel emergencies in Thailand and how to be prepared
Thailand is a popular destination known for its dynamic culture, stunning beaches, and bustling cities however, travellers can face unexpected travel emergencies that include medical issues, road accidents, petty theft, and natural disasters. To ensure a safe and enjoyable trip,...
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Korean tourist shoots himself at Phuket gun range
PHUKET: A Korean tourist was seriously injured after he shot himself in the face at Patong Hill Shooting Range last night. The victim, Dong Ok Yun, 42, was rushed to Patong Hospital by rescue workers. “Mr Dong sustained a bullet wound under his chin and is now under doctors’ care,” said Maj Pattapee Srichai of Patong Police. The weapon used…
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Nation, Wall Street Journal in editorial revamp
PHUKET: Phuket Gazette national media partner The Nation has announced a global partnership, editorial and commercial, with the Wall Street Journal. In making the announcement yesterday, The Nation noted that rapid changes in technology and consumer behavior had deepened connections between its readers in Thailand and the world – particularly in technology, politics and business. Editorial content in The Nation,…
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Surin vendors upset over exclusion from 10-percent zone
PHUKET: A number of vendors working in the vicinity of Surin this morning submitted a letter to the Cherng Talay OrBorTor demanding a 10-percent zone to operate in, similar to the arrangement at other Phuket beaches (except Laem Sing which is now apparently private). Surin, which previously operated under the 10 percent rule, was converted to a ‘virgin beach’ in…
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Russian tourism to Phuket rising sharply
PHUKET: Last year, rebounding Russian tourism contributed an estimated 30 billion baht (approximately US$848 million) to Phuket’s economy, according to C9 Hotelworks‘ latest report on the segment. One clear-cut metric of the attraction of Phuket for Russians is that 51 per cent of the country’s travelers to Thailand now come here. Total 2016 Russian passenger arrivals on international flights to…
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Thai government warns of heatstroke, high temperatures
PHUKET: Rising temperatures have raised the risk of heatstroke, the Public Health Ministry warned yesterday. It is predicted that temperatures may soar as high as 43 degrees Celsius (109.4 F) over the next seven weeks. The ministry’s permanent secretary, Dr Sopon Mekthon, advised people to drink two liters of water a day during summer to lower the risk of heatstroke…
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900kg of drugs nabbed at Phuket border
PHUKET: Police arrested a man with 900 kilograms of the illicit drug krathom, worth about 450,000 baht, at the Tah Chat Chai checkpoint on Saturday night. “We were conducting a random check following the policy of keeping an eye on every vehicle entering Phuket. So we stopped a pick-up truck and asked to search the vehicle,” said Tah Chat Chai…
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Immigration sealed for fugitive monk
THAILAND: Immigration police have been ordered to prevent Phra Dhammachayo, the former abbot of Dhammakaya Temple, from fleeing to neighboring countries, Immigration Police Bureau commissioner Lt General Nuttathorn Proesunthon said yesterday. “The ‘modern’ system and technology of the bureau, which is linked to all exit points, will help block the fugitive monk from leaving the country,” he added. The monk…
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Swiss expat admits abusing more than 80 boys in Thailand
THAILAND: Swiss authorities yesterday confirmed that a man suspected of sexually abusing more than 80 boys in Thailand will be going on trial to face numerous allegations including molestation. It was reported that some of his victims were as young as nine years old. “The unnamed man has admitted to taking thousands of pornographic pictures of the boys, but denied…
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Six killed in bus accident tied to school budget issues
PRACHIN BURI: Budget constraints may have contributed to the deaths of four teachers and two students who were killed yesterday when a double-decker bus on a school trip plunged into a ravine in Prachin Buri’s Na Di district. The accident took place on Highway 304 on the route from Nakhon Ratchasima to Na Di. The two-lane road, which is known…
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Ministry of Farang Affairs: Walking to business meetings
PHUKET: 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…
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Russian tourist dies soon after arrival in Phuket
PHUKET: A Russian tourist died hours after landing at Phuket International Airport yesterday afternoon. The 55-year-old, whose name has been withheld by police, was on holiday with his wife. “Shortly after landing, he told his wife that he had a headache,” said Lt Suporn Muangkai of the Thalang Police. “The couple checked into a hotel in Cherng Talay at about…
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Koh Tao bones examined for link to missing Russian tourist
PHUKET: Bone fragments found in the sea in Koh Tao yesterday are now being examined to check whether they belong to a Russian tourist who disappeared last month. Valentina Novozhenova, 23, disappeared from a Koh Tao hotel on February 16, a day before she was due to check out (story here). Amid concerns that she might have gotten into trouble…
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ALRO locked in lengthy Phuket land dispute
PHUKET: The Agricultural Land Reform Office (ALRO) is engaged in a legal feud with the occupant of 22 rai of land near Paradise Beach. A land ownership dispute between the ALRO and defendant Sompong Sakulthap was decided in favor of the former by a Phuket court last month. ALRO officers and other officials visited the property yesterday morning in order…
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Cruise ships in Phuket inject over 30 million baht a day
PHUKET: The island welcomed two cruise ships from Singapore with almost 8,000 passengers yesterday at Patong, injecting an estimated 31 million baht per day day. Phuket Vice Governor Sanit Sriwihok, representatives from the Tourism Authority of Thailand Phuket Office, Phuket Marine officers and others welcomed the international cruise liners Ovation of the Seas and Mariner of the Seas – both…
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Whales bathe in Phuket sunshine yet again
PHUKET: Another pod of false killer whales was spotted yesterday by Phuket-bound tourists around the Mu Koh Similan area. The false killer whale (Pseudorca crassidens) is the fourth-largest dolphin and lives in temperate and tropical waters throughout the world. “We were on our way to Phuket when we arrived at an area called Hin Pusah and saw at least 30…
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One dead after drunk man stabs another in Phuket
PHUKET: Police walked into bloodbath after an alcohol-fueled argument resulted in the death of a migrant worker in Phuket near SuperCheap on Thepkrasattri Road. The perpetrator, identified by police as 38-year-old Htin Line, is on the run. “Tae Sor Ao, 21, and the suspect had had three bottles of alcohol between them. Witnesses told us that at about 10:40pm, the…
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No leads in hunt for missing Russian tourist
KOH TAO: Police are searching for a Russian tourist who has been missing from Koh Tao since February 16. Valentina Novozhenova, 23, disappeared from a Koh Tao hotel the day she was supposed to check out after a week-long stay. Amid concerns that she might have gotten into trouble while snorkeling off the island, police officers and divers yesterday went…
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Eight arrested in three Phuket raids
PHUKET: Six men and two women were arrested in three separate incidents for possession of drugs and weapons last night. “Saripha Poksa, 30, and Yamila Mayo, 29, were arrested with 177 pills of ya bah (methamphetamine) and 23,000 baht in cash. They were apprehended after undercover police officers pretended to buy drugs from them,” said Lt Col Worapong Prom-In of…
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Russian tourist’s Phuket ordeal comes to a close
PHUKET: A Russian tourist who was ‘caught’ feeding a fish on Phuket’s Racha Island last month flew back to her home country yesterday after being cleared by the Phuket Provincial Court on Monday. Olga Smirnova, 53, was arrested on the island on February 19 (story here), and jailed for two nights in Phuket while her bail money was being arranged…
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Phuket bus operators allegedly scammed for millions
PHUKET: A group of ten bus operators in Phuket yesterday filed a complaint at the Damrongdharma Center, saying they had been cheated out of millions of baht by a company acting as a middleman in a rental contract. Two bus operator representatives, Suthin Chandauykit and Thanapon Permpoonchonchart, told officers that a company named ‘Chill Duay Kan’ had rented 20 buses…
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More than a ton of trash cleaned up at Koh Racha Noi
PHUKET: The Department of Marine and Cosatal Resources (DMCR) conducted the second installment of its marine debris management campaign, collecting more than a ton of trash at Koh Racha Noi on Saturday. All coastal provinces in Thailand have been given a budget for marine debris management after Thailand was ranked as the sixth worst marine polluter in the world by…
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Family tragedy: Two killed, three injured in Phuket accident
PHUKET: Two members of a family were killed and three others injured after a car driver fell asleep at the wheel and crashed into an electric generator at the side of the road early yesterday morning. “The accident occurred on Thepkrasattri Road, at a construction site near Phuket International Airport. At the scene, we found a black Honda Civic stuck…
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Phuket Police search for relatives of crash victim
PHUKET: A unidentified big bike rider died after crashing into a tree and electric pole near Phuket International Airport early this morning. “The accident occurred at about 3am near the Airport junction in Sakoo sub-district. The victim was male, and appeared to be aged 18 to 20 years. There was blood all over his face and body,” said Lt Col…
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His Majesty strips fugitive monk of patriarch rank
THAILAND: His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun has signed a royal command to strip Phra Dhammachayo of a senior monk rank, equivalent to a patriarch. The royal command, which was signed on Saturday, was published in the Royal Gazette yesterday. The command stripped Phra Dhammachayo of the rank of Thep Yarn Mahamunee on grounds that he is wanted on a…
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American tourist injured in Krabi climbing accident
PHUKET: An American tourist is in hospital in Phuket after she fell while attempting to scale a six-meter-high cliff in Krabi yesterday morning. Samara Landers, 38, broke her leg and sustained several bruises to her body. Saman Vajidee of Hat Noppharat Thara – Mu Koh Phi Phi National Park received a report of the incident at about 10:30am. “We found…
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Aussie tourist dead after visit to his Phuket hotel room
PHUKET: The body of an Australian tourist was found in a Phuket hotel room at about 4pm yesterday. The deceased was believed to have died of a sudden cardiac arrest. Peter John Bright, 55, was staying at the ‘Hello Yaya Residence’ hotel on Phra Baramee Road. He had been there since February 23 and was due to check out yesterday.…
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Finance: Securing your financial future
PHUKET: It really doesn’t matter if you make a little money or tonnes. If you can’t master this very important step you will never achieve financial freedom. It sounds all too simple in theory, yet in practice so many people have trouble staying disciplined. The step I am referring to is committing to setting aside a minimum of 10 per…
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Ministry of Farang Affairs: Thais have bad taste
PHUKET: 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…
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Malaysian tourist found dead in Phuket hotel room
PHUKET: Police are investigating the death of a Malaysian tourist whose body was found in a Patong hotel room yesterday afternoon. Officials believe over-consumption of alcohol may have been a contributing factor in his death. “Lee Tzu Yuen, 38, was staying at the ‘White Patong’ guesthouse in Soi San Sabai. We found him naked and lying face up on the…
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Deputy PM visits Phuket to talk tourism
PHUKET: Lifeguards and entertainment venues were some of the issues under discussion during the Deputy Prime Minister’s one-day visit to Phuket yesterday. Deputy PM Gen Thanasak Patimaprakorn and Tourism and Sports Minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul were greeted by Phuket Governor Chokchai Dejamornthan; Monruedee Gettuphan, director of Phuket International Airport; Lt Gen Piyawat Nakwanich, commander of the Royal Thai Army’s Region 4;…
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