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
Pullman Phuket Panwa Beach Resort puts sustainability at its heart
The term sustainability is often thrown around as a buzzword in the hospitality industry, but at Pullman Phuket Panwa Beach Resort, it’s genuinely part of their mission. Located in Makham Bay, just south of Phuket Town, the beautiful resort puts...
-
Phuket tuk-tuk driver foils snatch-in-action
PHUKET: A Kalim tuk-tuk driver rushed to the aid of a woman who called for help yesterday and managed to apprehend the man who had just snatched her bag.Yongyuth Dhamkong, 42, was driving along the Kalim beachfront road at about 2am when he heard Nongsarang Sakyen, 33, calling for help.“When I drove past the victim, I heard her shout for…
-
False alarm over bomb at Phuket school
PHUKET: A cardboard box found at the entrance to Satree Phuket School yesterday morning raised fears among security guards that the package might contain explosives. Police were called to the scene, near the busy Tungka Intersection in Phuket Town (map here), just before midday. “When we arrived, we found a box and an envelope, in a plastic bag from a…
-
Phuket alumni, hospital workers protest amnesty bill
PHUKET: Opposition to the amnesty bill continued in Phuket yesterday as university alumni and hospital staff made their opinions known.About 20 Chulalongkorn and Thammasat University alumni association representatives presented Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut a letter of opposition to the bill while explaining how an amnesty could affect Phuket.“If this bill passes, the nation as a whole will experience more corruption,”…
-
Phuket rescue too late for chicken
PHUKET: A chicken-owner tried to save his fowl from a python yesterday morning, but his efforts came too late; the chicken had already expired.An official of Radio Thailand Phuket called Kusoldharm Foundation rescue workers for help catching the snake at 7:30am.The official, who asked not to be named, told rescue workers that he was alerted to the snake’s presence when…
-
Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Protest whistles still blow; Call for Bt140bn urgent rice loan; Thai English ‘among the worst’
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Protesters refuse to back down until bill is dropped The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Several groups of protesters said they would not stop rallying against the government’s blanket amnesty bill even if the Senate rejects the draft.This declaration came despite the fact that Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra…
-
Swedish national police chief praises Phuket Police
PHUKET: Sweden’s national police chief Bengt Svenson yesterday praised the Phuket Police for utilizing foreign volunteers and for developing deeper relations with the community.“The way they presented it here, it is the best way [for police] to work: with volunteer tourist police and to be near the citizens, near the tourists, to be among them. That is the best way…
-
Phuket expats risking lives on the road to stay in paradise
PHUKET: The visa van crash that took the life of Filipina singer Renita Dequina Polido on October 21 (story here) sent shock waves through the Phuket expat community and raised questions about the logic of a system that requires foreign workers to leave the country to get visas and renew 90-day permits-to-stay so regularly. The early morning accident occurred on…
-
ABBA Fever has Phuket organizers, ticket sellers maxed out
PHUKET: With less than 36 hours remaining before the doors open to Friday night’s ‘ABBA Forever’ concert at Laguna Phuket, organizers Events International have asked the Phuket Gazette to advise readers as follows. The entourage from London arrives in Phuket today. Tomorrow night’s concert is sold out. There are still some tickets available for Saturday night, but few if any…
-
Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Govt ready to retreat; Illegal loggers shot dead forest officer; Locals at borders concerned; Logo lawsuit against stalls
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Govt ‘ready to retreat’ The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The Pheu Thai government appears to be retreating from its stance on backing the controversial amnesty bill, which is facing growing public opposition, while the Senate also seems to be ready to reject the bill. Though…
-
Tuk-tuk ejection scheme draws mixed reactions
PHUKET: As the clock starts to tick down on a plan to evict tuk-tuk drivers from parking spots in Patong, response from tuk-tuk drivers varies from flat refusal to requests for fairness in the application of the new measure. “Most tuk-tuk drivers will not agree to move off the road. Where would we work then?” said Sakol Srisompoch, who earlier…
-
Phuket beach closed after croc scare
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut asked hotel staffers and local residents yesterday to help keep people out of the water along Mai Khao Beach after a 2.5-meter-long crocodile was spotted in the area on Sunday (story here). “To ensure the safety of tourists and residents, Governor Maitri declared the area a no-swim zone,” Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR)…
-
Phuket’s BIS to host largest international schools’ football tournament
PHUKET: Over 1,100 young footballers aged 8 to 18 years and from nine different countries will congregate in Phuket this Friday and Saturday (November 8-9) for the 12th annual British International School Phuket (BISP) International Football Tournament, sponsored by Outrigger Laguna Phuket Beach Resort and the Phuket Gazette. The expansive 39-acre BISP campus with 10 seven-a-side football pitches, is the…
-
Phuket gold snatch duo hail police pickup as getaway car
PHUKET: Two men who snatched a gold necklace from a 50-year-old woman on Sunday night were arrested after they accidentally waved down a police pickup truck to hitch a ride as they fled. Preeda Adam, 25, from Pathum Thani, and Phuket native Somsak Puangcharoen, 23, were arrested just after midnight yesterday. Both men reportedly worked as kitchen hands at the…
-
Phuket Gazette World News: Heavy gunfire heard in Tripoli; NSA offers concessions; Hunt for journalists’ killers; Missionary jailed in North Korea ailing
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community BREAKING NEWS: Heavy gunfire heard in Libya’s capital Tripoli Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Heavy shooting from guns and anti-aircraft weapons could be heard early this morning in the Libyan capital Tripoli, Reuters witnesses said. Fighting erupted between militias in the eastern Suq al-Juma area, said…
-
Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Capt charged for Pattaya deaths; Senate may stop amnesty; Home CCTV relayed to police; SET plunges
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Ferry tragedy prompts safety call The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: In the wake of Sunday’s fatal ferry accident, Chon Buri Governor Comson Ekachai has demanded the Marine Department and Pattaya City boost water-transport safety and put security guards on duty on Koh Lan around the…
-
In wake of Pattaya ferry disaster, top brass stages safety tour in Phuket
PHUKET: Police Region 8 Commander Panya Mamen yesterday morning led a team of officers on a safety inspection of passenger vessels at Rassada Pier, a major jump-off point for tourists boarding ferries and tour boats to islands in Phang Nga Bay and along the Andaman coast. The safety blitz followed a heavily overloaded ferry from Pattaya capsizing off Koh Lan,…
-
SuperCheap Burmese miss Phuket employment office deadline
PHUKET: None of the 100 Myanmar nationals who allegedly quit SuperCheap after an enormous blaze demolished the megashop (story here) reported to the Phuket Provincial Employment Office (PPEO) by the November 1 deadline (story here). “The workers were required to report their resignation to us by November 1, but until now none of them have shown up,” PPEO chief Yaowapa…
-
Former Outrigger GM found dead in bed
PHUKET: A former General Manager of Outrigger Hotels and Resorts was found dead at his luxury villa in Cherng Thalay early yesterday afternoon.William Marshall, 55, was found in his bed by his wife. There were no signs of a struggle, police said.Mr Marshall’s wife, Grace Lee Marshall, 49, told police that the couple had slept in the same bed the…
-
Dozing motorist brings blackout to northern Phuket
PHUKET: A man who fell asleep at the wheel while returning home from dropping his girlfriend off at Phuket International Airport early this morning slammed into a power pole and caused a blackout throughout a large residential area in Thalang. Col Sarit Bootnongsaeng of the Thalang Police and first responders from the Kusoldharm Foundation arrived at the scene on Thepkrasattri…
-
Oh what a feeling… walking on the ceiling
PHUKET: Lionel Richie’s feel-good 80s tune is about to apply in a more literal sense, with the opening of Phuket’s newest quirky, off-the-wall attraction which will enable visitors to actually dance, or walk, or crawl, or slide… on the ceiling. The beginning of 2014 is set to welcome a three-story, fully furnished house which will become the newest tourist attraction…
-
How and why to get a Thai credit card
PHUKET: I am so often asked by foreigners living in Phuket about how to obtain credit cards, that I thought it might be helpful to explain the how and why of the situation. While some may be able to qualify for the traditional unsecured revolving card that we normally think of as a credit card, the normal situation is that…
-
Phuket protesters take stand against amnesty bill
PHUKET: Over 5,000 protesters rallied against the amnesty bill yesterday, blocking Surin Road in front of Phuket Provincial Hall as they listened to democrat leaders vehemently denounce the bill and the Yingluck administration. The protesters, mostly from Phuket and Phang Nga, signed their names in denouncement of the recently passed, controversial bill (story here) during the six-hour protest. “I cannot…
-
Phuket FC unlucky 13th in season finale
PHUKET: The Islanders ended their Yamaha League One (YL1) 2013 on a low note, falling to their final position of 13th place following a 3-0 away loss to Nakhon Ratchasima FC on Saturday night in Thailand’s Northeast. Following the opening exchanges, it was Phuket who looked to be the most threatening, with Giorgi Tsimakuridze netting the ball in the 20th…
-
Phuket Gazette World News: Toronto mayor in crack up; Egypt’s Mursi trial begins; Anonymous hacks Australia; France rues journalists’ executions
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Toronto mayor urges police to release video, apologizes for ‘mistakes’ Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Toronto Mayor Rob Ford on Sunday urged his police chief to release a video that media reports say show him smoking what appears to be crack cocaine and issued an apology for unspecified…
-
China beats USA in FIVB Phuket Thailand Open final
PHUKET: It took just two sets for the Chinese team, Chen Xue and Xinyi Xia to beat the American pair Emily Day and Summer Ross and win the gold medal in the FIVB Phuket Thailand Open Powered By PTT 2013. The Americans failed to crack the great Chinese wall despite numerous attempts and the high flying, petite Xinyi Xia’s precise…
-
Phuket Top Cop demands tuk-tuks and taxis give up Patong parking spots
PHUKET: Phuket’s top cop promised yesterday to push tuk-tuks and taxis off of some of their regular patches, including Patong beach road, in order to create parking spots for the general public.“We’ll have new parking zones set up in two weeks,” he said.Police called in the heads of every taxi stand, as well as the people who lend drivers parking…
-
Top cop warns new officers over bribes, extortion
PHUKET: Phuket’s new top cop warned the island’s police reinforcements that swift disciplinary action will be taken and criminal charges will be levied against them if they go crooked. “The most important thing is to not use your career to benefit your own pocket,” Phuket Provincial Police Commander Ong-art Phiwruangnont told the 97 recruits, all recent graduates of the police…
-
Phuket Gazette Thailand News: House pushes Amnesty Bill through
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community How the bill was pushed through The Nation/Phuket GazettePHUKET: Since the Senate is expected to debate the amnesty bill by Friday or next Monday, with the deadline for the bill’s final passage set at 60 days, the House pushed the bill through to its third and final…
-
Phuket taxi driver killer turns himself in
PHUKET: The man who fatally stabbed a Karon taxi driver in Samkong early yesterday morning turned himself in today.Jirawat Kongtanote, 22, has been charged for the murder of his neighbor, Teeranan Phongkrathin, 29 (story here). Mr Jirawat accepted the charge, saying, “We were friends and I stabbed him.”The two men had a long-running argument that involved, at least in part,…
-
Phuket Opinion: It’s everyone’s job to improve cyclists’ safety
Danny Ruangkanch, 54, is a Narathiwat native. He graduated from the California College of the Arts 29 years ago, and spent 10 years working abroad before coming back to Thailand. He came to Phuket 15 years ago and works as a freelance artist and Moderator of Thaimtb.com. He joined the Phuket Bicycle Club in 2000. Here he talks about how…
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.