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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Patong police raid knock-off shops
PHUKET: Seven shop owners were arrested in Patong yesterday morning and have been charged with selling pirated goods estimated at 2 million baht in value, police confirmed today. A joint team, led by the Economic Crime Suppression Division 4 (ECD) superintendent Kittisap Thongseewong, raided businesses along Patong’s beach road and OTOP market. “We seized a total 2,072 pirated goods, including…
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Tour company director arrested, another on the run
PHUKET: Police arrested a senior director and shareholder of Tranlee Travel Co Ltd today for allegedly faking two Thai national ID cards used to register the company. Another director is on the run. “Kritchakorn Roongmongkolnam, one of the company directors, surrendered today. The other, named Weerachai Kampaiprapankul, is still on the run,” said Phuket Provincial Police Deputy Commander Saman Chainarong.…
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Murderer on the run after stabbing girlfriend’s lover
PHUKET: One man is dead after being discovered by his lover’s boyfriend on the second floor of the Irawadee condo in Kathu. Wachaya Thepsing, 29, fled to Trang province and alerted police there of the murder of her former lover. Kantang Police then contacted police in Kathu, informing them of Ms Wachaya’s report, said Lt Sawanya Eiattrong of Kathu Police.…
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Ladyboy romp ends with empty wallet
PHUKET: A Thai ladyboy was arrested early yesterday morning, after stealing money from a Singaporean tourist in Patong. Ng Wei Kiat, 31, met Tanakorn Jaiban, 25, on Bangla Road about 3am. “Mr Ng was reportedly interested in Ms Tanakorn, and they both went to have some fun in a hotel room on Phra Metta Road,” said Lt Col Weerapong Rakito…
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New insurance app aims to make claims hassle free
PHUKET: Claim Di is a new mobile application for facilitating communication and claims between drivers and their insurance companies, so they can complete their own transactions without waiting for a surveyor. The insurance facilitator application was launched in Phuket last week. It is a fully functional outsourced application for insurance services, including immediate claims at the scene without waiting, emergency…
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Opinion: Being a responsible pet owner
PHUKET: Boonsom Roongudom, 59, is a Phuket native. He received a veterinary degree from the Department of Livestock Development (DLD), Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives. Mr Boonsom has been working as a veterinarian for the Phuket Municipality since 1980. Here, he talks about the on-going issue of abandoned cats and dogs in Phuket City and outlines his suggestions for a…
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Hungry python captured near Patong school
PHUKET: A three-meter-long python was captured near a school in Patong this morning. The snake was found with its head stuck in netting covering a chicken coop at 9:30am in Soi Phra Barami 6, next to Kalim school. The snake must have been trying to get at the chickens but it was too big to fit through the holes in…
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Safety regulations reviewed after fatal Phi Phi boat collision
PHUKET: Officials from the Phuket Marine Office (PMO) told the Phuket Gazette that the investigation into a fatal speedboat collision in Phang Nga Bay on June 8 (story here), may result in additional regulations for speedboat operators. Tanthai Wongsayree, an officer with the PMO, said that staff are in the process of reviewing the causes of the boat collision, which…
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Illegal lumber cache confiscated in protected forest
PHANG NGA: Investigators seized more than one tonne of contraband lumber found in national forest in Takuapa on Saturday. The team, led by Takuapa District Chief Manit Pianthong, seized a total of 43 pieces of lumber that had been cut from protected trees in the Khao Lak Khao Ton forest preserve. “The illegal lumber was found in Bang Muang sub-district.…
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Another fill ‘n’ run incident in Krabi
Krabi: Police in Krabi are hunting for a motorist who allegedly sped away from a gas pump without paying, after filling his tank with 800 baht worth of fuel. Manida Boonthaworn, 26, the owner of the PT Petroleum gas station, last week filed a complaint at the Khlong Thom Police Station after reviewing CCTV footage. “The footage shows a silver-bronze…
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Samkong traffic to be redirected for underpass work
PHUKET: Both northbound and southbound lanes of the new Samkong Underpass are to be opened to traffic this Sunday, Phuket City Traffic Police has confirmed. “Motorists heading south for Central Festival should turn right at the Samkong Intersection, crossing over the underpass there, as they will not be able to turn right at the Darasamuth Intersection after entering the underpass,”…
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Island View: The perks of parking are ready to be reaped
PHUKET: Friends often whine to me about the traffic issues in Phuket Town, usually about how difficult it can be to get in and out of town during morning and evening rush hours. But I had no idea just how implausibly gridlocked the center of town can become, until I scheduled a lunch meet there. We were booked to meet…
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Law enforcement goes digital in effort to curb land fraud
PHUKET: The Department of Special Investigations (DSI) announced it will launch a mobile application, allowing users to evaluate properties remotely before buying or selling land. The ‘DSI Map on Mobile’ application is expected to debut within the next couple of months.This announcement comes after a string of land raids, prosecutions of incorrect or falsified land documents and the revocation of…
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Off-duty officers killed in Saturday shootout
PHUKET: Two police officers are dead following an off-duty shootout in Phuket Town in the early hours of Saturday morning. Col Peerayuth Karajedee of Phuket City Police reported that officers were arguing with each other outside the Huapan bar, near the Seahorse Circle in town. According to witnesses, Kathu police officer Lance Corporal Wongsathorn Theparan, 21, visited the venue with…
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Condo construction halted after deadly crane collapse
PHUKET: Police have ordered a halt to construction of an eight-story building near Phuket International Airport after a crane collapsed at the site yesterday, killing one construction worker and injuring three others. (story here) The crane collapsed at 9:30am at the construction site of The Terminal Phuket condominium. Sakoo police confirmed this morning that Mr Nikorn Tabtawee, 30, from Nakhon…
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Video Report: Surin reopens for 70th anniversary of HM King’s coronation
PHUKET: More than 5,000 people, including government officials, military officials and yellow-clad locals, poured onto Surin Beach for its grand reopening on the 70th anniversary of HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s coronation yesterday. The beach’s reopening comes after the April demolitions of private structures, found to be illicitly operating on public land (story here). The renovated beach was renamed as ‘Rajabhakti…
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Sea gypsies break down over letter ‘misunderstanding’
PHUKET: Rawai sea gypsies were left distraught yesterday afternoon, after the Region 4 Army deputy commander Kunnawut Morkaew left Phuket Provincial Hall without accepting a letter they had prepared for him. “We have been waiting to submit the letter all day. We don’t understand why the general left without accepting it,” a member of the group said. A meeting between…
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Future of Brexit and British pensions
PHUKET: The possibility of the UK leaving the European Union is a subject of hot debate among the British. Most of the debate revolves around the implications for the future within the UK itself but not much is said of what kind of implications this could have on expats. For the most part, things will change very little either way…
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Breaking News: Man killed in crane collapse
PHUKET: One person is dead after a crane collapsed on a construction site near Phuket International Airport this morning. Officers from the Phuket office of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation are heading to the site. — Kritsada Mueanhawong
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Opinion: Education key to “Smart City’ success
PHUKET: Given its present status as a mass tourism destination, Phuket has potential for development as one of the enthusiastically-dubbed ‘Smart Cities’. In the broader sense, however, the real key to our future success in this digital age lies in raising local educational standards. Previous successive governments have trumpeted similar grandiose schemes, but without adequate funding or ever directly addressing…
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Gov, officials inspect mall’s crumbling columns
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada inspected the crumbling pillars at Jungceylon mall yesterday, urging the public not to panic. Jungceylon CEO Prawit Janyasitikul confirmed yesterday that four concrete pillars were found to be damaged in the mall’s basement indoor market, the Port Zone. The area was immediately closed off (story here). Public outcry began after an anonymous source posted pictures…
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Patong serial snatcher arrested
PHUKET: Police arrested a serial purse snatcher in Patong yesterday, after tracking his whereabouts with CCTV footage. Police apprehended Nissan Islam, 21, as he was driving from Kamala to Patong. “A woman reported that a man on a motorbike snatched her purse and fled while she was walking on Soi Kebsab last week,” said Col Chaiwat Auikam of the Patong…
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Huge haul of illegal fireworks seized in raid
SAMUI: Police seized an illegal stockpile of fireworks estimated to be worth two million baht from a shophouse in Koh Samui this week. Police raided the property on Taweerat Road in the Bo Phut district at 5pm, after a tip off from local officials. Bo Phut Police Lt Denduang Tongsisuk said the owner, named only as Mr Off, had locked…
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Phuket FC pres furious after false reports of club’s bankruptcy
PHUKET: The president of the Phuket Football Club (Phuket FC) is fuming after news reports about the club’s alleged financial troubles went public earlier this month. Reports stated that management owed club players and staff two months in back pay, amounting to more than 1.6 million baht. Reports also stated that electricity services were cut at the team’s headquarters, after…
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Experts meet challenge of sustainable development in honor of HM King
BANGKOK: The nation’s top environmental experts and planners met in Bangkok this week to address the challenges faced in bringing about sustainable development in Asia, in a conference held in honor of His Majesty the King of Thailand’s 70th Anniversary of his accession to the throne. The two-day seminar, dubbed ‘Sustainable Development Challenge in Asia’, was held at the Dusit…
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Boat captains drug tested, face charges
PHUKET: Two boat captains will face reckless driving charges, after a boat collision that killed two tourists and wounded 20 more, officials confirmed today. Phuket police said they are drug testing both captains, and will wait to press charges until they receive the results. Both boat operators blamed heavy rain for the incident. Police identified the dead tourists as Liang…
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Crumbling pillars force closure of Jungceylon shops
PHUKET: Jungceylon CEO Prawit Janyasitikul confirmed today that four concrete pillars were found to be damaged on Monday in the mall’s basement indoor market, the Port Zone. The area was immediately closed off after the discovery on Sunday evening. However, the rest of the shopping mall remains open for business, said Mr Prawit. “The safety of our shoppers and staff…
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Police seize protected species from Hua Hin Zoo
HUA HIN: A police raid at Hua Hin Zoo in Prachuap Khiri Khan province yesterday led to the confiscation of more than 100 animals, The Nation reports. The raid was launched as part of a crackdown on illicit animal trades, after investigations into the Tiger Temple lead to the discovery of animal parts and corpses (story here). The Department of…
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Suspects in Patong killing captured
PHUKET: Police have captured two men allegedly involved in a Patong cafe brawl that left one dead and another injured on Tuesday. Police said the two men were apprehended after one man turned himself in and revealed the location of his accomplice. “We received reports that the primary suspect, Nattasak Srimok, 24, and his friend Issara Boontos, 25, were fleeing…
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Thai, Laos leaders meet in Phuket to combat human trafficking
PHUKET: Thai and Laos officials are currently engaged in talks to discuss solutions to prevent human trafficking between the two countries. Phuket Vice Governor Chokdee Amornwat addressed participants at the five-day conference being held at Cape Panwa Hotel until tomorrow. “In 2005, our two nations signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to prevent human trafficking and help the victims, especially…
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