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...
-
Phuket Gazette World News: Deputy bishop deposed over sex abuse claims; 3yo hit in Chicago shootout; German election race tightens; Syria reveals chemical arsenal
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Vatican removes deputy bishop in Peru after sex abuse allegations Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: The Vatican, under Pope Francis’ “zero-tolerance” policy for paedophile priests, removed an auxiliary bishop from his post in a Peruvian province because of allegations he sexually abused children, a bishop said on Friday.Luis…
-
Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Isarn floods as Bangkok forecast downgraded; Senators deny coup plot; Brits arrested for fraud
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Provinces flood as rain forecast downgraded The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: At least seven provinces, mostly in the Northeast, are under water due to rain that has continued for several days under the influence of a tropical depression. The depression has been downgraded to a low-pressure cell…
-
Marine business operators readied for high season
PHUKET: Phuket marine-business operators yesterday were provided with a seminar to improve safety standards in preparation for high season. “We are endeavoring to reduce the number of accidents and fatalities this coming high season, and we also want to ensure tourist feel safer this year,” said Chatchai Sakdee of the Phuket Marine Office.Marine officers provided lessons concerning regulations; Tourism Authority…
-
Phuket mobile phone operators vent over ‘overzealous’ consumer-protection policing
PHUKET: Mobile phone operators from Phuket’s major shopping malls protested this morning at Phuket Provincial Hall over what they see as an over-zealous interpretation of consumer protection laws. About 30 mobile shop operators from Big C, Central Festival and Jungceylon came to file a complaint to Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut, incensed that Consumer Protection Police Division officers arrested two vendors…
-
Phuket Opinion: Chow for a champion cheap charlie
PHUKET: First thing I did when I got out of prison last week was go to my favorite Thai-Muslim eatery and scoff down a brunch of champions – fried fish, veggies, Chernobyl-strength namprik (chili sauce), with plenty of rice and a fried egg to prevent me from spontaneously combusting.It cost less than half the price of an equally voluminous plate…
-
Phuket bus overturns in Surat Thani – one dead, 29 injured
PHUKET: One person is dead and 29 others injured after a bus from Phuket heading for the Northeastern province of Nong Khai overturned in Surat Thani province yesterday afternoon.“We took 12 passengers to Baan Takhun Hospital and 17 to Phanom Hospital,” said Sophol Rakthao of the Phanom Police.“The driver, Anuchit Thongnuapaed, 32, was pinned behind the wheel. Rescue workers managed…
-
Phuket Immigration cracks down on yachting, marine industry
PHUKET: Phuket Immigration chief Sunchai Chokkajaykij today confirmed that his office has launched a crackdown on foreigners working illegally in Phuket’s yachting and marine industry.The news follows the arrests of a German man and a Swiss man who were caught building their own boats on their own properties in Chalong late yesterday afternoon.“We have been targeting foreigners working illegally for…
-
Myanmar national ignores warning flags, drowns at Karon Beach
PHUKET: A Myanmar teenager swimming in an area marked with red flags drowned at Karon Beach yesterday.Mr Pannyo, 17, had gone to the beach with two friends around 3pm, said Uten Singsom, head lifeguard at Kata-Karon beaches.“They were at the beach around low tide. Mr Pannyo’s friends stayed close to shore, but he swam out about 30 meters,” Mr Uten…
-
Nigerian tourist attacked and robbed of his rented motorbike
PHUKET: A Nigerian tourist was attacked and robbed at about 6pm yesterday by two men of Caucasian appearance. Police found Collins Ugwoeluchukwu, 26, with a bruised face near Phuket Fantasea in Kamala.Mr Ugwoeluchukwu was taken to the police station for further questioning and provided with first aid.He told police that while he was riding his motorbike, a pick-up truck cut…
-
Phuket Gazette World News: Putin warns Ukraine over Euro ideals; Germany polls draw near; Grand Theft Auto sales US$800mn in a day; iPhone 5 hack attack; Saudi ponders women drivers
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Putin warns Ukraine over Europe ambitions Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Russian President Vladimir Putin warned Ukraine on Thursday he would retaliate with protectionist measures if it signed a landmark trade deal with the European Union and suggested Kiev enter instead into a Russian-led customs union.A day after…
-
Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Bangkok prepares for floods; Cops collar sex toys; Wat Arun restoration; 28kg heroin bust; Say no to umbilical cords
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Bangkok flood areas marked ahead of storm The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Authorities have identified 37 flood-prone spots in Bangkok in the face of a coming tropical depression.The depression, which entered Thailand’s Northeast yesterday morning, is expected to reach the Central region today. Traffic Police chief Pol…
-
Phuket Governor proposes more tuk-tuks for the island
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut proposed an increase to the number of tuk-tuks legally operating in Phuket after he took a walking tour of Patong today. The number of tuk-tuks allowed to operate on Phuket was capped at 1,200 about 10 years ago. However, there are many illegal tuk-tuks operating on the island, which has caused Sakol Srisompoch to lead…
-
Phuket wait for Australian Honorary Consul may take months
PHUKET: Phuket may be without an Australian Honorary Consul for months after the current consul, Larry Cunningham, retires from the post on September 30.“Applications have been received and the selection is currently in process,” Mr Cunningham told the Phuket Gazette this morning.“I don’t know how many people have applied. It’s being done through the embassy, not me,” he said.“It might…
-
Phuket mystery clarified: Some to be up in the air
PHUKET: When Sir Winston said it was “a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma,” Phuket was not yet on the world stage for much of anything. There were no tuk-tuks, jet-skis or other such lifestyle attractions to put paradise in the headlines, but the thing that’s scheduled to occur here less than two months from now could have…
-
Phuket Police praised for quick work in Brazilian snatch case
PHUKET: Phuket Police have been praised for their quick work in arresting two youths after a Brazilian tourist had her camera snatched in Kata early Monday morning. Officers led by Karon Police Deputy Superintendent Sophon Borirak arrested Karon resident Kanin Kongchana, 22, and a 15-year-old Myanmar national at a rented room in Patong at 7pm Tuesday. The pair were found…
-
Man decapitated in Phuket hit-and-run
PHUKET: A man was decapitated in a hit-and-run accident on Thepkrasattri Road last night.Responding to the accident report at about 9:30pm, police found a crowd gathered around the body of Tin Ohn Thong, 44.The man’s body was lying near the median strip on the northbound side of the road in Srisoonthorn, near the Karn Keha housing estate.A damaged bicycle was…
-
New threat claims from Central Festival Phuket taxi drivers, new denials
PHUKET: Five taxi drivers at Central Festival Phuket claim that they were threatened and suspended from working there by the leaders of the taxi organization that operates at the popular shopping mall. The witnesses said they were verbally threatened and forbidden from working in the Central taxi queue, reported Karn Doonyalit of the Department of Special Investigations (DSI) on September…
-
Phuket lifeguards save drunk Singaporean from drowning
PHUKET: A Singaporean tourist who spent hours relaxing and drinking on the beach at Cherng Talay yesterday afternoon was rescued by Phuket lifeguards after he attempted to go for a swim.Lai Yeohchai, 23, was pulled from the water conscious, but drunk, at about 3:55pm, one of the lifeguards at Surin Beach told the Phuket Gazette.“He sat on the beach and…
-
Phuket protest rails against bridge name, rubber rights
PHUKET: About 200 villagers rallied at Phuket Provincial Hall on Tuesday to push for a bridge name change that is already on its way and for the right to plant and farm rubber trees on land that is deemed to be within a protected forest. Protest leader Utai Suksirisampan of the Phuket and Phang Nga Co-operative Network handed the villagers’…
-
Tourist Police roadshow swings by Phuket
PHUKET: The Thai Tourist Police Road Show arrived at Patong’s Soi Bangla on Saturday, as Tourist Police showed off facilities to help tourists gather information and enhance their safety. A trailer on site was stocked with brochures and digital facilities to provide tourists with information. Police were encouraging tourists to use the popular “Tourist Buddy” application, which allows users to…
-
Motorbike dumped in pond mystifies park-goers
PHUKET: Police and local residents are scratching their heads over a motorcycle found dumped in a pond at Rama IX Park (King’s Park) in Phuket Town (map here) yesterday morning. The abandoned bike – apparently in good condition – was first noticed by park users doing their morning exercises. “The bike, with a Ratchaburi license plate, Kor Mor Ror 407,…
-
Phuket Gazette World News: Iran to swear off nuclear; Mexico storm looting spree; Heartbroken mom of DC shooter apologizes
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Rouhani says Iran willing to forswear nuclear arms Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Iranian President Hassan Rouhani vowed on Wednesday that his government would never develop nuclear weapons, his strongest signal yet that he may be seeking a diplomatic thaw with the West after decades of acrimony.In an…
-
Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Swede bombmaker jailed; Rubber hoarders warned; House set for Bt2tn row; Same-sex marriage advances
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Bomb-making material earns Swedish man jail term The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Bangkok’s Ratchadaphisek Criminal Court yesterday sentenced a Swedish man of Lebanese descent to two years and eight months in jail for possessing without permission almost three tonnes of ammonium nitrate, which could be used for…
-
Monk with Phuket mistress exposed by viral videos
PHUKET: The Buddhist monk exposed by two sensational videos last night – in which he was pictured naked with his Phuket mistress, who already has a husband – has left the monkhood. Phra Kru Boonyapinant, the former abbot of Wat Pamok in Kapong, Phang Nga, hung up his robes early this morning. “Ajarn Reet gave no reason for his behavior,”…
-
World News: US Navy was warned; France, Russia squabble; Mexico’s Acapulco in chaos
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community U.S. Navy was warned that Washington shooter ‘heard voices’ Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Rhode Island police warned the U.S. Navy last month that Washington Navy Yard gunman Aaron Alexis had reported “hearing voices,” raising further questions about how he gained security clearance at the complex where he…
-
Thailand News: Asean not ready – yet; Cig warnings; Special law for rubber protests; Kingdom told to prep for old age
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Asean is not yet ready for integration, Mahathir says The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Singapore is the only Asean member that will be completely ready for economic integration under the Asean Economic Community (AEC) by 2015, and some of the group’s poorer members should be allowed to…
-
Russian body found off Patong Beach
PHUKET: Beach guards recovered the body of a Russian man at Patong Beach late this morning.The body of Tsymbalyuk Alexey, 45, was brought back to shore at about 11am. Police suspect that he died about three hours earlier.“He was only wearing black trunks when he was found, he might have gone swimming alone, as nobody witnessed him drowning,” said Teerasak…
-
Million-baht blaze ravages Phuket air-conditioner store
PHUKET: Police believe a short-circuit started a fire that caused a million baht in damage at an air-conditioning store in northern Phuket this morning. The fire was reported at 8:30am by 25-year-old shop owner Panida Mekthavornsawat, who arrived to open her New Kee Equipment store only to find smoke billowing out from the roof. The store, located about 500 meters…
-
Phuket Tourist Court to open next Tuesday
PHUKET: Phuket’s Tourist Court is set to open on September 24 with a budget of 1.5 million baht. Phuket’s tourist court is the second such court to open in Thailand; the first opened in Pattaya on September 5. Five more courts will open across the country by year’s end, said Sitthisak Wanachakij, spokesman for the Court of Justice. The opening…
-
Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Police crack down in Nakhon Si Thammarat; Ghost trains due to repairs; Bangkok Gov wants fire engine deal extinguished
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Police crack down on rubber protest The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: More than 10 vehicles were smashed and set ablaze and people injured when clashes broke out between hundreds of rubber growers and security officials at the Kuan Nong Hong Intersection in Nakhon Si Thammarat’s Cha-uat district…
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.