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 5 hidden healthcare costs in Thailand and how to avoid them
Thailand's healthcare system is affordable and supported by the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) scheme, offering essential services to most citizens. However, hidden healthcare costs can surprise patients and lead to unexpected expenses. These include specialist fees, insurance gaps, emergency services,...
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No respite from heat; rains may be delayed
THAILAND: The country continues to suffer scorching temperatures this month and the rainy season may be further delayed due to the lack of moisture in the air, meteorologists have warned. Wattana Kanbua, senior meteorologist and Marine Meteorological Centre director, revealed yesterday that Thailand may start getting some rain from May 14 onward, as the moisture-bearing southwestern wind from the Indian…
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Suspect at large after one killed in Krabi shootout
KRABI: A shootout in the early morning hours today left one man dead in Krabi, allegedly slain by his close friend. Somyot Kuantai, 20, reportedly fired 10 rounds into the home of the victim while he and his family cowered inside. Police are collecting evidence to issue an arrest warrant for the shooter, who reportedly attacked the family after arguing…
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Spin out on slippery road injures teen passenger
PHUKET: A teenage woman was injured in an accident on Thepkrasattri Road at about 8:15pm last night, when a pick-up truck spun out of control on the slippery road, hitting two motorbikes parked on the side. Krittiya Kengreng, 19, a passenger in the pick-up truck, suffered injuries to her right leg and forehead. Rescue workers rushed her to Vachira Phuket…
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Depressed Krabi man dumped by wife threatens to jump from pylon
KRABI: A domestic dispute led a Krabi man to attempt leaping off a high-voltage electric pylon yesterday, confirmed officials from the Naneu Administration Organization (OrBorTor) in Ao Leuk. Prasit Duangjan, a 66-year-old resident of Ao Leuk District, climbed about 30 meters up the pylon, dodging live power lines, and threatened to jump for nearly two hours. Rescue teams from Ao…
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Thailand commemorates Coronation Day
PHUKET: Thailand commemorates Coronation Day (Wun Chatramongkhon) today, which marks the ascension to the throne of HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej on May 5, 1950. The auspicious date is a public holiday and this year’s commemorations mark the 66th anniversary of His Majesty’s reign. Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada today gathered officers at Satree Phuket School to pay their respects to HM…
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Austrian paraglider warned over Nai Harn flights
PHUKET: An Austrian expat allegedly running an illegal paragliding business received an official warning from the municipality and narrowly escaped charges on Tuesday. “We were informed by a concerned resident that Kurt Pirker was operating an illegal paragliding business at the windmill in Nai Harn,” said Rawai Mayor Aroon Solos. “We sent out municipality officers to warn him, but he…
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Miracle escape for family of four in Phuket car-flip horror
PHUKET: A family of four escaped serious injury when their car skidded off the road, smashed into trees and flipped over early this morning. The accident occurred at 3:40am on Thepkrasattri Road during a rainstorm. The driver, Somchai Kennadam, 44, said he lost control of the car as he took a bend on the slippery road heading towards Mai Khao.…
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Stealing food not a crime if homeless and hungry – Italian court
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Stealing food not a crime if you’re homeless and hungry – Italian court Phuket Gazette / Reuters ROME: Stealing a little food should not be considered a crime if you really need it, Italy’s highest court has ruled. Ukrainian national Roman Ostriakov was living rough in…
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Stone thower charged after road rage injures family of three
PHUKET: A Phuket man who pelted a car with stones, making the driver lose control and crash, has been charged for assault and causing damage to property after the family of three in the car was hospitalized. Police received a call at 1:10pm yesterday that a car had lost control and hit a power pole in the Laem Hin area,…
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Social media sleuth snares smokey bus
PHUKET: A pollution-emitting tour bus was banned from service after a Facebook user posted a video showing clouds of thick, black smoke emanating from it, confirmed officials on Sunday. Facebook user Joke Moodie, who posted the video, immediately alerted authorities to take action and shut the bus down. Phuket Land Transport Office (PLTO) Chief Policy Adviser Jaturong Kaewkasi said that…
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Manhunt for murderer after rotting body found in forest
PHUKET: Police have launched a murder investigation after the decomposing body of a Myanmar national was found this morning, wrapped in a mattress and dumped in a mangrove forest in Rassada. The body, identified by locals as a 52-year-old fisherman named Tai Jor, was found at 7:30am. “The body was found rolled up in a mattress that had been bound…
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Phuket now home to largest marine service center in Thailand
PHUKET: The largest Yamaha marine service center in Thailand opened for business in Phuket on April 30. Tourism and Sports Minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul attended the grand opening of the 70-million-baht Yamaha Marine Service Center covering three rai in Koh Kaew. Watchara Marine Co Managing Director Tanate Satienpan said the opening of the facility marks an ambitious expansion into the marine…
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A Decade Ago: Election day grumbles, then and now
PHUKET: Election polls were again on page one of the Phuket Gazette at the end of April 2006, after the first round of voting failed to meet the necessary requirements to nominate Phuket representatives to Parliament. The election followed the decision by then-Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to dissolve the House of Representatives. Five citizens, angry with the government and the…
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Governor letter: Tourists need to obey Phuket laws
Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada started his first day as the Phuket Governor on September 30, 2015. He is a Phuket native with a master’s degree in political and administrative science from the National Institute of Development Administration. Here he talks about a list of dos & don’ts aimed at preventing so many tourists dying on the island and improving Phuket’s reputation…
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Phuket cashew nut industry goes global
PHUKET: Metee Company Phuket Ltd’s unique cashew-nut cooking process and new packaging is bringing the company international recognition and larger revenues. The Chalong-based company is just one of several local businesses that have changed the quality of their products and branding in order to compete in larger markets. The company has since been accredited by the Ministry of Commerce as…
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Island View: Letting go off cultural baggage
PHUKET: When I learned that Thailand’s former Prime Minister Banharn Silapa-archa passed away last weekend, I began recalling events around the time Mr Banharn led his party to victory and enjoyed just over a year as prime minister from 1995 to 1996. That was 20 years ago and things certainly have changed since then; for the country as well as…
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Krabi officials frustrated by local beliefs
KRABI: Locals believe a serpent is the cause of a sinkhole at the Khao Phanom Temple, but officials disagree. Officials from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE) Region 4 in Surat Thani arrived to inspect the sinkhole last week. Their findings concluded that the hole outside the temple – roughly five meters wide and four meters deep –…
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Australian in fatal fall photographing fireworks from Patong balcony
PHUKET: An Australian man fell to his death from the 19th floor of a high-rise hotel in Patong as he attempted to take photos of fireworks. Major Pattapee Srichai of the Patong Police was alerted at about 11:37pm on Thursday that Jamie William Brown, 30, had fallen from the balcony of his room at a high-rise hotel on Rat-U-Thit 200…
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Eyeing an Indiana victory, Trump says ‘It’s over’
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Eyeing an Indiana victory, Trump says ‘It’s over’ Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Front-runner Donald Trump said on Sunday that he will have essentially sealed the Republican U.S. presidential nomination if he wins Tuesday’s contest in Indiana, where he holds a big lead over chief rival…
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Foreign minister reaffirms Japan’s economic ties to Thailand
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Foreign minister reaffirms Japan’s economic ties to Thailand Phuket Gazette / Reuters BANGKOK: Japan’s foreign minister arrived in Bangkok on Sunday aiming to reaffirm economic ties after Japanese investments in Thailand slumped last year amid political concerns as well as stiff competition emerging from more nimble…
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Phuket tax-dodging nominees for foreigners to face charges
PHUKET: Police in Phuket expect to arrest soon a number of people in the province who are acting as nominees for foreigners doing business illegally in Thailand. The nominees for Phuket businesses operated by foreigners are among more than 1,000 Thais in the Kingdom set to face charges in a large-scale crackdown on people acting as such, including law firms…
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Glimpse into the mind of Phuket’s Row2Rio adventurer
PHUKET: Australian head coach at Phuket’s Unit 27, Luke Richmond, sat down in an exclusive interview with the Phuket Gazette after completing a world-record setting rowboat journey from Portugal to Brazil. Divided into three legs, Row2Rio honors the Olympics as the Olympic stadium moved from London to Rio de Janeiro. The test of endurance began with a cycling trek setting…
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Phuket lifeguards warn of deadly rip-currents
PHUKET: Seasonal changes have brought strong rip currents to the shores of Phuket. With them comes a sharp rise in the number of rescues this month, prompting lifeguards to issue stern warnings to would-be swimmers. “Swimmers who ignore warning flags are risking their lives and those of the lifeguards,” said the president of the Phuket Lifeguard Club (PLC), Prathaiyut Chuayuan.…
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Finance: Impact of gap years on your finances
PHUKET: As the Phuket Gazette‘s managing editor is imminently departing on his possibly crazy adventure to wherever the dice will take him, I thought it might be a good time to discuss gap years and how they tie in to your long-term financial well-being. There are two main types of gap years. The first is either before, or immediately following…
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Opinion: Phuket lifeguards need more muscle
PHUKET: After years of contractual disputes leaving Phuket’s beaches devoid of essential life saving services, as the annual southwest monsoon season whipped up deadly rip currents along our west-coast beaches, we applaud the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (PPAO) and the Phuket Lifeguard Club (PLC) for quickly re-signing their contract and breaking this vicious cycle. Officials consistently blamed the failure to…
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Phuket plays its part in International Jazz Day festivities tonight
PHUKET: More than 40 local and international musicians are putting on a free jazz concert in Phuket Town tonight for the 5th Phuket UNESCO International Jazz Day . Music Matters Collective, in collaboration with Phuket City Municipality, has organized what is expected to be the biggest annual jazz day the island has seen yet to promote music culture and tourism.…
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Fill ‘n’ run leaves gas attendant fuming
KRABI: A gas station attendant was forced to pay for a man who filled the tank of his pick-up truck and then drove off without paying yesterday morning. Harutai Kriangtapong, 25, who works at the PTT petrol station in Krabi Town, had to pay 1,000 baht to cover the cost of the alleged delinquency, which occurred at 7:10am “A well-dressed…
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Drug-crazed Phuket man charged with killing grandmother
PHUKET: A man who allegedly murdered his 74-year-old grandmother while high on drugs was arrested on Thursday after a violent confrontation with police. The arrest followed the death of Jintana Chairab, who suffered severe head injuries when her grandson attacked her; repeatedly banging her head on the ground at her house in Kathu, according to eye-witnesses, said Thung Thong Police…
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Thailand Optimist National Championships to launch in Pattaya
PATTAYA: The next generation of Olympic sailors from Thailand and around Asia are heading to Ocean Marina Yacht Club this weekend to compete in the Thailand Optimist National Championships. Now in its 41st year, the Thailand Optimist National Championships is the country’s second oldest sailing trophy and the pinnacle of competitive youth sailing in Thailand. The Thailand Optimist National Championships…
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Drug mule busted with 1.8kg of chocolate cocaine
PHUKET: A 21-year-old Thai woman who attempted to smuggle 1.8 kilograms of cocaine disguised as chocolate through Phuket International Airport was arrested by customs officers this morning. The chance discovery by officers was made at 4:15am after the woman, named as Oatchara Wikho, arrived in Phuket on a plane from Dubai. The cocaine had been molded into pellets and disguised…
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