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 Black Friday starts now - Grab 10% off your health insurance plan
If you’re an expat living in Thailand, you’ve likely experienced the complexity of navigating healthcare abroad. With Black Friday rolling in, it’s the perfect time to secure a health insurance plan that provides peace of mind and a safety net...
-
Immigration detainees vanish from Songkhla custody
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Immigration detainees vanish from Songkhla custody The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A large number of people from an unknown origin who had been in civilian custody in Songkhla province since March have gone missing, the chief of the provincial social development and human security office…
-
Thousands protest over slaying of student
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Thousands protest over slaying of student The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: some 4,000 students and lecturers from Princess of Naradhiwas University (PNU) rallied in Narathiwat’s Muang district yesterday morning in protest against violence in the region that claimed the life of a young schoolmate. The…
-
Yingluck impeachment hearing deferred until November 28
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Yingluck impeachment hearing deferred until November 28 The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The National Legislative Assembly whip resolved yesterday to defer impeachment proceedings against ex-PM Yingluck Shinawatra till November 28 over the rice-pledging scheme because she had not yet looked into the documents or prepared…
-
South Korea ferry captain jailed for 36 years
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community South Korea ferry captain jailed for 36 years Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The captain of a South Korean ferry that capsized in April killing 304 passengers was jailed for 36 years on Tuesday after a court found him guilty of negligence, but was acquitted of…
-
Patong bar owners defer “anti-extortion strike’, appeal to Phuket Governor
PHUKET: Bar owners in Patong, Phuket’s premier resort town, have gone back on a vow to close their doors for three days in protest of corruption and recent orders to close down at 2am, as it would cost them too much in could-be profits. A letter that was passed among bar owners in Soi Bangla and elsewhere in Patong stated…
-
Rohingya land north of Phuket, search begins for missing boats
PHUKET: Police are calling for all residents along the Andaman coast to report any sightings of two boats flying Thai flags that are believed to be trafficking refugees, including many Rohingya fleeing Myanmar. The call to report any sightings of the boats follows police taking into custody 299 refugees at Koh Nok, off the Ranong coast, on Saturday. The boat,…
-
Asian Beach Games ceremonial flame arrives in Phuket
PHUKET: A special ceremony was held yesterday in Phuket Town to display and honor a ceremonial flame provided by HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej for good luck during the Asian Beach Games, which begin on Friday. The flame, called fai phra ruek, arrived at Phuket International Airport at about 3:30pm and was displayed on a float that paraded to Saphan Hin,…
-
Phuket Police search for hit-and-run driver
PHUKET: Police are looking for a hit-and-run driver who struck a motorcycle on the road between Phuket International Airport and Thepkrasattri Road late last night. Police were notified of the incident at 11:05pm, said Lt Col Sanit Nookong of the Thalang Police. “We received a call from a passing motorist reporting that a woman had been an injured after being…
-
AirAsia joins Interpol’s I-Checkit campaign against using stolen passports
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community AirAsia joins Interpol’s I-Checkit campaign against using stolen passports Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: nterpol has agreed to expand its I-Checkit initiative under the Turn Back Crime campaign to other businesses after its cooperation with AirAsia, Asia’s largest budget airline, proved successful. Commencing in June, the…
-
Lava flow from volcano incinerates home on Hawaii’s Big Island
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Lava flow from volcano incinerates home on Hawaii’s Big Island Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A slow-moving lava flow from an erupting volcano on Hawaii’s Big Island incinerated a house on Monday, marking the first home devoured by a stream of molten rock that has crept…
-
Phuket Governor puts underpass construction on hold for Beach Games
PHUKET: Governor Nisit Jansomwong has ordered construction of the island’s first two underpasses to be halted during the Asian Beach Games, which begin on Thursday (story here), so that all lanes can be open for traffic. “Three lanes at the Darasamuth Intersection underpass [near Central Festival Phuket] will be open, as well as the road between Central Festival Phuket and…
-
Krabi fishermen protest coal-fired power plant
PHUKET: Local fishermen in Krabi have joined the fight against an 870-megawatt coal-fired power plant to be built in the province’s Nua Khlong district, east of Phuket. A horde of boats carrying angry villagers congregated at the Baan Klong Ruo pier in Nua Khlong at about 10:30am yesterday, wielding large signs that read: “Protect Krabi from coal-power plant” and waving…
-
Save the pooches: 15-kilogram python captured in Phuket
PHUKET: A frightened Phuket resident fearing for the lives of his neighbors’ pets called rescue workers to capture a 15-kilogram python that was attempting to escape into a drain early this morning. Wuttikai Dartdean called rescue workers from the Kusoldharm Foundation and the local municipality to the scene – in a residential area west of the Heroines Monument in Thalang,…
-
Poll: Should jet-skis stay on Phuket’s beaches?
PHUKET: Jet-skis are back on the beaches and back in the headlines. The latest news that jet-ski operators are allowed to continue renting their machines to tourists despite a notorious week of safety slip-ups – including the death of a Russian tourist – inspired a huge reaction from Phuket Gazette readers (story here). To better gauge public opinion on whether…
-
Billion-baht Belgian pot dealer arrested in Phuket
PHUKET: Immigration officers arrested Belgian national Patrick Lagrou, 55, who was wanted on an Interpol notice as a fugitive drug dealer, as he was attempting to leave Phuket on Saturday night. Mr Lagrou is renowned as the biggest marijuana grower in Belgium’s history, amassing a fortune of 25 million euros – more than a billion baht – in assets before…
-
Sinkholes strike again in Phuket after weekend storms
PHUKET: Officers shut down a road in central Phuket today after heavy rains and flash flooding this weekend caused a large, dangerous sinkhole to form on one side of the road. Part of Rural Road 4008 off Thepkrasattri Road, near Bang Jo Prison in Srisoonthorn, gave way after strong water flow inundated the drain pipe below and washed away the…
-
PM backs China’s road and rail plans
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PM backs China’s road and rail plans The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Thailand is more than ready to cooperate with China to develop the road-transport network that is part of the economic quadrangle linking Thailand, Myanmar, Laos and China, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha told China’s…
-
Germany celebrates 25th anniversary of fall of Berlin Wall
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Germany celebrates 25th anniversary of fall of Berlin Wall Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: More than a million Germans and people from around the world on Sunday celebrated the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, the event that more than any other marked…
-
Laguna Phuket bestowed award from HRH Sirindhorn for Red Cross blood donations
PHUKET: Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, as the executive vice-president of the Thai Red Cross Society, has awarded a Certificate of Honor to Laguna Phuket in recognition of its long-term contribution and commitment to the Red Cross blood-donation program. Since 2003, Laguna Phuket has donated 1,376,550cc of blood from 3,059 associates who have participated in the resort’s quarterly…
-
Phuket beach club dodges demolition, pending appeal
PHUKET: The local contingent of the Royal Thai Army yesterday called for the demolition of a Phuket beach restaurant to be halted while the owner’s appeal is heard in court. The Beach Club restaurant and the Baan Bussaba Massage & Beauty venue at Nai Yang Beach were both targeted for demolition under the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO)…
-
Phuket hotel staffers test positive for drugs in crime sweep
PHUKET: Patong Police raided the resort town for drugs this week as part of a Loy Krathong festival crime sweep, busting three for possession of ya ice (crystal methamphetamine) and conducting random drug tests on hotel staffers. Officers conducted random drug tests on 144 employees of Avista Hideaway Resort and Spa near Tri Trang Beach, at the request of the…
-
Koh Tao suspects to be indicted by end of month
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Koh Tao suspects to be indicted by end of month The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Thawatchai Siangjaew, deputy director general of Regional Public Prosecution 8, announced yesterday that prosecutors should be able to indict two Myanmar men charged with the murder of two Britons on…
-
‘Cannibal’ tries to eat woman in British murder case
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community ‘Cannibal’ tries to eat woman in British murder case Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: British police confronted a man trying to eat the eyeball and face of a woman and used a stun gun on the cannibal who later died, local media quoted witnesses as saying.…
-
Prosecutors, anti-graft agency still at odds over Yingluck case
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Prosecutors, anti-graft agency still at odds over Yingluck case The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The anti-graft agency and public prosecutors failed for a third time yesterday to reach agreement on whether a criminal case should be filed against former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra in relation…
-
Phuket warned of heavy rain, flash floods for the weekend
PHUKET: The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) Phuket office has issued a weather warning ahead of expected heavy rains and possible flash floods this weekend. “We received an official weather report from the Thai Meteorological Department [TMD] today, which forecasts increasingly heavy rainfall by this weekend,” said Santhawat Riwleung, chief of the DDPM Phuket office. “Please be prepared…
-
Phuket worker seriously injured by electric shock, fall from building
PHUKET: One man is in critical condition at Vachira Phuket Hospital after he and a co-worker suffered severe electric shock and fell two stories from a building they working on in Patong this morning. Both men, whose identities have yet yet to be confirmed but are believed to be Myanmar nationals, were rushed to Patong Hospital after the accident. “We…
-
Phuket underpass will not open in time for Beach Games
PHUKET: The Phuket Highways Office director has admitted that the underpass at the Darasamuth Intersection will not be complete in time to welcome the expected massive influx of tourists for the Asian Beach Games next week. He did, however, vow that the underpass, located beside the Central Festival Phuket shopping mall on the bypass road, would be complete by the…
-
Danish fugitive expat arrested in Phuket for B45mn tax-evasion case
PHUKET: A Danish expat has been arrested in Phuket on an international arrest warrant for tax evasion involving more than 8 million Danish kroner (about 45mn baht). Phuket Immigration Police received an order from the Thailand Immigration Bureau headquarters in Bangkok on October 28 to track down and arrest Peter Jensen, 48, as he was wanted by Interpol on an…
-
Court extends detention of Koh Tao suspects
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Court extends detention of Koh Tao suspects The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The 12-day detention period for the two Myanmar suspects held for the Koh Tao murders was extended for a fourth time and their indictment is expected to be due before the end of…
-
50 Bangkok police chiefs face probe
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community 50 Bangkok police chiefs face probe The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The chiefs of 50 metropolitan police stations and a large number of senior officers face disciplinary investigation following allegations that they unlawfully benefited from advertisers who put up many signboards at Bangkok intersections without…
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.