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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12Go introduces Japan Rail Passes to enhance travel accessibility for international travellers
For those who have travelled throughout Thailand, 12Go is a well-known provider of various trips, though the platform itself has a much wider reach. Ranging from buses to planes, 12Go is undoubtedly a leading booking platform for travel throughout the...
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Finance: Watching elections and electronics
PHUKET: October is known for volatility and a stock market pullback just before the US election could still happen. However, over the past several weeks, I have been seeing defensive stocks weaken and growth stocks start to strengthen. There has also been some movement back into IPOs which could be signs of a speculative bull market forming. Aside from the…
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Ministry of Farang Affairs: Forget why you moved to Thailand
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 Stephff.…
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Opinion: Every cloud has a silver lining
PHUKET: The flooding that inundated many parts of the island late last week is an indication that massive capital investment in various flood-prevention schemes is a remedy that has to contend with land-use planning and construction oversights that have characterized Phuket’s often erratic ‘development’ over the years. One of the worst-hit areas was Patong, where scores of businesses and residences…
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Four foreigners arrested for theft
HUA HIN: Four foreigners were arrested in Hua Hin on Wednesday for breaking into a car and stealing 188,000 baht in cash in Surat Thani on Monday. The suspects were named as Nofadly Bin Bakhtiar from Malaysia, and Asis Bin Bakar, Agung Pratama and Arie Darma from Indonesia. “On Monday, the victim, 72-year-old Niyom Srisawat, withdrew 188,000 baht in cash…
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Body of fallen Phuket soldier returns home
PHUKET: The body of a soldier, shot dead while on duty in Pattani last night, was brought back to his home in Phuket’s Pa Khlok sub-district today. Private Thanapon Kaewpetch, 23, had completed his term as a soldier, but had been carrying on his duty voluntarily. Phuket officials and army personnel, led by Gen Akom Pongprom of the 41st Military…
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Air and sea operations underway to find missing Russian man
PHUKET: Officials are searching for a Russian man who went missing on Sunday while swimming at Koh Payan, Similan Islands. Aleksei Stashkov reportedly disappeared while swimming on a trip with his cousin, Mikhail Kolmogorov, 60. Mr Kolmogorov filed a missing persons report on Tuesday after he came across navy personnel from the Royal Thai Navy Third Area Command, while searching…
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Free trip to Grand Palace for Phuketians in mourning
PHUKET: Phuketians wishing to pay their respects to His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej can now avail themselves of a free trip to the Grand Palace in Bangkok. “The Ministry of Interior has made arrangements for people to visit the Grand Palace from 9am-4pm every day,” said Phuket Governor Chokchai Dejamornthan. “Therefore, we plan to take people from Phuket to Bangkok…
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Shooting suspect arrested in Phuket
PHUKET: A suspect wanted for shooting and injuring a boat crew member last week was arrested yesterday in Rassada. The victim, named Suchat Hetthong, was injured when a heated argument led to a shootout at his home near Koh Sirey Bridge (story here). “Our investigations led us to arrest one of the suspects, named Parin Supalak, 18, at his rented…
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B5mn worth of damages in Phuket plant fire
PHUKET: A power controller at the Patong water treatment plant caught fire early Tuesday morning, causing an estimated 5 million baht worth of damages. “Firefighters took 20 minutes to put out the blaze. Nearby locals reported a loud explosion, followed by smoke and flames from the plant,” said Patong Police chief Lt Col Weerapong Rakhito, who inspected the site soon…
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Low turnout for 2nd Tranlee asset auction
PHUKET: A second round of auctioning off assets seized from the defunct Tranlee Travel Co at the Phuket Municipality office yesterday attracted little interest from potential buyers. Back in September, more than 150 assets confiscated from the travel company by the Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO) fetched 102,742,000 baht over three days of auctions, after the company was found to be…
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Five years for molester of American tourist
KRABI: The Thai man who sexually assaulted 23-year-old American tourist Hannah Michel Gavios on September 1, resulting in her falling down a 45-meter cliff at Railay Bay in Krabi, has been sentenced to five years in jail. Ms Gavios was temporarily paralyzed after falling down the crevice at night while attempting to flee the advances of Krabi native Apai Ruangwong,…
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Renovation begins on Phuket’s old airport terminal
PHUKET: Work began today to revamp the domestic terminal at Phuket International Airport, following the opening of the new international terminal on September 16. Airport Director Monrudee Gettuphan said the renovation is ‘expected’ to take 330 days. When complete, the former domestic terminal will be re-opened as a ‘commercial zone’ designed to fit in with the new international terminal. The…
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Electrocuted man found dead in home
PHUKET: A man was found dead with an electric wire wrapped around his wrist early this morning in Thalang. Police believe he died from a self-inflicted shock. “We received reports at 2:40am that Channarong Sinka, 30, was found in his one-storey house on a street off Thepkrasattri Road,” Thalang Police Lt Sunan Petnhu told the Phuket Gazette. “We found him…
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Abandoned suitcase creates panic
PHUKET: An unknown foreigner caused a stir among Koh Kaew residents yesterday morning, when he dropped off a suitcase outside a SuperCheap store and promptly left. Wattana Thinkoh, the village headman (Phu Yai Baan), was alerted to the incident about 10am. “I reported the case to my superior, Muang District Chief Supoj Chanakij. Phuket City Police officers were also called…
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Opinion: Enhancing visitor safety in national parks
PHUKET: Piyawat Sukhon, 52, took up his position as the chief of the Khao Phra Thaeo Non Hunting Zone in Phuket last June. He is originally from Nakhon Sri Thammarat and graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree from Forestry School in Phrae Province, and a Masters Degree in forestry from Kasetsart University. While working for the Department of National Parks, Wildlife…
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Island View: Learn to check ourselves
PHUKET: Whether you live in Phuket, Philadelphia or the Philippines, one topic you cannot avoid hearing about is the upcoming presidential elections in the United States. It would not be an understatement to say that not only Americans, but the whole world is waiting to see how this plays out. While I’m generally not interested in politics, and certainly not…
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Pink Paradise bar director killed in bike crash
PHUKET: A French national and an unidentified man were killed in a collision between two motorbikes in Patong early Sunday morning. A third man, a Myanmar national, is in Intensive Care Unit (ICU) after the smash. All three victims were taken to Patong Hospital, where two of them were pronounced dead. The French national, named Arnaud Sacha Leclere, 33, worked…
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Tuk tuk murder suspects arrested, four on the run
PHUKET: Police on Friday arrested and charged a man and his son who are suspected of hiring a gunman to kill the president of the Patong Tuk Tuk Drivers’ Club last Tuesday (story here). The suspects, 38-year-old Wattana Nawakaew and his son 17-year-old son ‘Tong’, have both been charged with gang-related crimes, including gang murder, possession of illegal firearms and…
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Russians injured in backhoe smash on dark road
PHUKET: Three Russian were injured when the car they were in smashed into a backhoe parked on the Manik-Cherng Talay Road in Srisoonrthon early this morning. “The foreigners, named Vitaliy Savenko, 49, Natalia Eremikhina, 23 and Pavel Martynov, 23, were heading toward the Heroines’ Monument about 5:30am. They came across a road construction site where the backhoe was parked, and…
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Traffic choked up as landslide fells utility poles, trees
PHUKET: A landslide, following torrential rains last night (story here), caused several power poles and trees to fall in Patong this afternoon. Traffic was choked up on the 50 Pi Road, connecting Chalong and Petchakoot Road to Kata Karon. Patong Municipality sent workers to pick up the fallen trees while staff from the Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) office in Patong…
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Wheelchair bound Phuket man heads to Bangkok to honor HM
PHUKET: A wheelchair-bound Phuket man with one leg is trekking his way to the Grand Palace in Bangkok to pay his last respects to His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej. Photos of the 48-year-old devotee, named Supakorn Juiplub, were shared on Facebook yesterday by a user named Jantima Kraithong. The photos showed Mr Supakorn sitting in a homemade wheelchair and wearing…
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Gov asked to intervene in vendor, municipality conflict
PHUKET: A group of 30 vendors yesterday filed a complaint with the governor’s office against the Patong Municipality after being given a cancellation notice of their rental contract. The vendors, who currently occupy the Loma Building on the Patong beachfront, asked the governor to intervene in the municipality’s plans to build a conference hall in the area where they operate…
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Speedboat shooters on the loose
PHUKET: Police are on a double manhunt for suspects that shot a fellow boat crew member in Koh Sirey last night. The 34-year-old victim, named Suchat Hetthong, escaped after getting shot in the right foot about 7:15pm near Koh Sirey Bridge. “Mr Suchat told us that five men, including the captain of another boat, showed up at his house and…
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Thai man ignores red flags, nearly drowns
PHUKET: A Thai tourist nearly drowned on Wednesday after he ignored red flag warnings and went swimming at Kata Beach. About 4pm, 27-year-old Athithan Kanjanawattanakun reportedly disappeared into the water. Lifeguards and Royal Thai Navy search and rescue personnel managed to recover him while he was still conscious. Mr Athithan received first aid at the scene and was then sent…
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By The Book: Renting a villa in Phuket
PHUKET: Renting a villa or apartment long term is very popular in Thailand, especially in resort areas such as Phuket, Pattaya, Hua Hin and Koh Samui. Many would-be buyers are deciding to hold off and rent for a year or more while they get to know the area and learn the ways of Thailand without so much risk. Renting long…
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Finance: Profiting from periods of panic
THERE is a good lesson in handling panic that can be learned from recent events in Thailand. The SET index, which is a broad measure of the Thai stock market, went on a pretty wild ride in response to the news regarding the monarchy. If you are not aware of what happened, the chart (right) shows the massive sell-off, only…
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Ministry of Farang Affairs: Noodles in pyjamas
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 Stephff.For…
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Opinion: Battling carnage on the roads
PHUKET: As Phuket’s tourism industry prepares to welcome an influx of international arrivals for the upcoming high season, the island’s image has once again been tainted by violence within the taxi cartels. Turf wars among the island’s tuk-tuk drivers is one of the lines of inquiry Phuket police are looking into following the shooting murder of the president of the…
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Phuket woman begins her walk to the Grand Palace
PHUKET: A Phuketian set forth on her journey to Bangkok on foot yesterday in honor of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej. Malee Dokmai, 54, hails from Kathu and began walking early in the morning from Saphan Hin. Armed with pink running shoes, a picture of the King and a flag of Thailand, she aims to walk over Sarasin Bridge and…
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Phuket firefighters battle power pole blazes
PHUKET: Two power poles on the island caught fire in two separate incidents last night and early this morning, leaving locals in the dark for several hours in some areas. “We received reports of an electricity pole on fire in Srisoonthorn, Thalang, on Thepkrasattri Road southbound, at about 8:30pm last night,” Amnart Sujjit, a firefighter for Srisoonthorn Municipality, told the…
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