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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Thai students snag multiple awards at international math competition
BANGKOK: Thai students snagged 50 prizes at the International Mathematics Contest (IMC) 2016 held in Singapore last month, returning home this week with five gold, 10 silver and 20 bronze medals. They also won 13 special prizes plus two Grand Champion awards. Thanisorn Auttawetchakul from Chulalongkorn University’s Demonstration Elementary School and Vorapas Meejitpaisarn from the Bangkok Christian College were named…
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Jungceylon mall reopens after crumbling columns repaired
PHUKET: Jungceylon shopping mall in Patong was yesterday given permission to reopen a section of the complex that had been closed to make repairs to crumbling columns discovered in June. The reopening came after the mall received approval from Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada following a final inspection by engineers yesterday. The shopping mall’s Port Zone was initially closed off after…
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Livestock office shuts down illegal slaughterhouse in Kathu
PHUKET: A slaughterhouse operating illegally in a residential area of Kathu was shut down by the Phuket Provincial Livestock Office (PPLO) yesterday. Livestock officers carried out an inspection of the premises, in Moo 7 near Vichit Songkram Road, following complaints made the day before by residents in the neighborhood. “We found 19 pigs crowded in a small space and in…
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Bad weather causes Phuket flight delays
PHUKET: Bad weather prevented several flights from taking off and landing at Phuket International Airport this morning, causing delays of up to five hours for some passengers. Airport Director Monrudee Gettuphan said a total of 19 flights from the following airlines were affected: Beijing Capital Airlines; Shanghai Airlines; Juney Ao Airlines; Spring Airlines; Asia Atlantic; China Southern Airlines and Bangkok…
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Bomb attacks in south ahead of vote
SONGKHLA: Four border policemen and a civilian were injured in a double bombing attack in Saba Yoi in Songkhla yesterday morning. Two village defence volunteers suffered minor injuries when a third bomb exploded in front of a school in Khok Pho in Pattani the same day. The policemen were injured in the first explosion at about 7am in Ban Daru…
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Myanmar national claims abduction, extortion in Phuket
PHUKET: A Myanmar national claimed yesterday that he had been abducted the week before by a group of men claiming to be ‘Special Force officials’ investigating illegal workers, and that they robbed him of 120,000 baht. The alleged victim, ‘Mr Maung’, 40, told police that the group abducted him in Phuket Town last Thursday (July 28), then stole 120,000 baht…
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Quarantine for baby elephant found on Bangtao Beach
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Livestock Office (PPLO) has quarantined a baby elephant found on Bangtao Beach after her owner was charged yesterday for moving the animal to Phuket without a proper permit. Livestock officers moved the six-year-old pachyderm named ‘Nang Chok’ after tourists and locals expressed concern for the animal’s well being. “Boonchu Rattanadilok Na Phuket, the owner of Nang…
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One killed in small plane crash in Bangkok
BANGKOK: The pilot of a small plane was killed and four others were injured in a crash in Bangkok yesterday. The plane, a 10-year-old Piper Chieftain registered as HS-FGB, belonged to Rabbit Wings Co Ltd. It was reportedly travelling from Nakhon Ratchasima province to Suvarnabhumi Airport when it crashed a few kilometers north of the runway. The people on board…
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Resort under investigation for alleged laundering
PHUKET: A four-star hotel in Koh Yao Yai has had it’s assets frozen, after officers from the Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO) began investigating whether the resort is being used to launder money and evade taxes for the embattled Tranlee Travel Co Ltd. During a joint task force raid on Saturday, AMLO officers said they were inspecting Blue Bay Resort’s land…
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Car bursts into flames in Phuket Town
PHUKET: The owner of a 20-year old Opal Corsa Swing was forced abandon his vehicle in Phuket Town yesterday afternoon when it suddenly burst into flames outside the Expo Market on Soi Dilok Uthit near Chana-Charoen Road. Two fire engines took about 20 minutes to extinguish the blaze, reported the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) Phuket Office. A representative of…
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Businesses look to exploit halal potential
PHUKET: Phuket-based businesses are being encouraged to join a drive to promote the plethora of halal products made in the province to benefit from the billion-baht Islamic product export industry. Speaking at the Phuket Andaman Halal Tourism 2016 seminar at the Phuket Graceland Resort on July 21, Komol Dumlak, Chairman of the Phuket Islamic Council, said the province has huge…
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Opinion: Lack of local involvement in politics
PHUKET: Tueanjai Subanjong is a Phuket native who has spent more than 20 years volunteering for local projects. She is a community representative of Srisoonthorn sub-district and is also involved in many Corporate Social Responsibility projects, such as saving preserved forests and volunteering for the National Human Rights Commission, among others. Here, she talks about the problem of lack of…
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20-year-old Thai golfer makes history at British Open
THAILAND: Twenty-year-old Thai sportswoman Ariya Jutanugarn made history on Sunday when she became the first-ever Thai golfer to win a major title at the Women’s British Open Golf Championships at Woburn Golf Club in England. Ms Ariya led confidently by six shots at this year’s event as she birdied the long second and short sixth, surviving a second-half challenge from…
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Phuket V/Gov pushes Bangkok reps to buy disputed land
PHUKET: Phuket’s Vice Governor yesterday advocated national intervention in the ongoing land dispute between private property developer Baron World Trade Co and the sea gypsy community in Rawai. Vice Governor Prajiad Aksornthammakul encouraged the National Reform Steering Assembly (NRSA) to convince Bangkok to buy up the disputed property near Rawai Pier from the developer. The ongoing land dispute surrounding the…
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Thief defecates on victims’ doorstep
PHUKET: A thief in Chalong defecated on one of her victims’ doorsteps early yesterday morning. The perpetrator reportedly broke into four homes, primarily occupied by foreigners, at the Nga Chang villa complex in Rawai. Police reported that the crapper focused on stealing cash, although she clearly had access to other valuables. Jake Newton, 19, an Australian Muay Thai fighter training…
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Three hurt as boat bursts into flames, sinks off Phang-nga
PHUKET: Seven crew members of a fishing vessel were saved in a dramatic rescue off Phang Nga yesterday afternoon when their boat burst into flames and sank after refueling at sea. Three crew members were injured in the fire, one of them suffering severe burns to at least 20 per cent of his body, mostly to his back and arms.…
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Gov pushes BKK to finalize light rail project
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada is fed up. After years of talking and planning a province-wide light rail project, Governor Chamroen is ready for officials to put up or shut up. The governor has called on the Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning (OTP) in Bangkok to sort things out in his office next week or dismiss the…
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Finance: Five emerging leadership stocks
PHUKET: From a technical standpoint, the stock market is starting to look more and more like a strong bull market rather than another counter-trend rally, but we can’t be absolutely certain the worst is over – especially with earnings season underway, the ever present possibility of another black swan event, like the Paris and Brussels terrorist attacks, and some scheduled…
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Ministry of Farang Affairs: Befriending local fishermen
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: All aboard the light rail gravy train
PHUKET: With so much media focus on the current government’s intentions with regard to democratic development, less attention is being paid to some fiscal moves that the administration has been making. One significant piece of new legislation, which seems to have largely slipped under the media radar, was the Cabinet approval last month of a new Land and Building Tax…
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Severe weather warning issued for southern provinces
PHUKET: Heavy rains and high seas are expected across southern and central Thailand, the Office of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) has announced. DDPM officials have issued weather warnings for the weekend and into next week for Phuket, Phang Nga, Krabi, Petchaburi, Prachuap, Khiri Khan, Chumphon, Suratt Thani, Nakhon Sri Thammarat, Chonburi, Rayong, Chantaburi, Trat and Ranong provinces. DDPM officials…
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Rumors of ‘Thai boycott’ raise eyebrows
PHUKET: After months of stories about Chinese tourists and their loud and ‘inappropriate’ behavior while visiting Thailand this year, rumors on social media suggest that they might be looking to remove the Kingdom from their list of countries for holidays. Reports in the Phuket Gazette‘s mass circulation Thai-language newspaper partner Komchadluek suggest that Tourism and Sports Minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangul has…
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Farmers choose solar farm over our endangered spoon-billed sandpipers
SAMUT SAKHON: Given a choice between renewable energy and wildlife conservation, the people of Samut Sakhon have opted for a solar farm. Tractors and trucks loaded with soil were seen busily working in a field yesterday to fill a salt basin in Ban Khok Kham, where a three-megawatt solar farm project, costing about 180 million baht, is set to start…
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Probe launched into fierce cinema fire
BANGKOK: The fire at Major Cineplex Pinklao that caused part of Central Festival to collapse yesterday afternoon is being probed by investigators. Metropolitan Police chief Sanit Mahathavorn said an investigation team in cooperation with the local District Office is looking into the cause of the fire and the structural integrity of the building. The fire broke out in a theater…
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Foul-smelling fowl farm irks locals
KRABI: Krabi locals filed a complained about a less-than-sanitary chicken farm in Klong Hin sub-district, which led officials from the Krabi Livestock Office to inspect the premises on Wednesday. Dr Narong Benjakun led a team of officers to check the fly-infested, feces-covered facility. Farm manager Panthep Kanyuenyong helped with the inspection by showing officials around the farm and machinery control…
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Body of baby found at construction site
PHUKET: A three-year-old boy is thought to have drowned in a ditch at a construction site in Kamala this afternoon. “The body of baby Weeraphol Taseedam was discovered at the site close to his house. Nobody knows what happened to him, but we believe he fell into a ditch filled with water about one meter deep, and drowned; then his…
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Suspected Slovakian embezzler captured on Koh Samui
KOH SAMUI: A Slovakian man suspected of siphoning of 283,000 euros (about 10.9 million baht) while working as a hospital director in Zlate Moravce City was arrested in Koh Samui earlier this week. Police arrested Michal Grujbar, 38, in front of a Koh Samui hotel and initially charged him with overstaying his visa. “Police investigators later learned that the Slovakian…
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Massive blaze breaks out at Bangkok cinema
BANGKOK: A faulty billboard was blamed for sparking a massive fire at the Major Cineplex in the Central Pinklao shopping mall in Bangkok this morning. Police said the fire broke out at 11:15 and within 20 minutes had caused the third-floor roof to collapse, just as a team of firefighters pulled out of the building. No one was trapped inside…
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Task force nabs four for working illegally
PHUKET: Two foreign tour guides and two photographers were arrested yesterday for working illegally in Phuket. The grand spectacle was led by Phuket Provincial Labor Office Chief Suttipong Saisakares and included a powerhouse of officers from the labor office, the tourist police, the provincial government office and civil defence volunteers, among others. The officials were acting on complaints from locals…
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Elderly tourist falls to death at Kata Beach
PHUKET: An elderly Chinese tourist was killed when he slipped and fell on rocks at Kata Beach on Tuesday. Beach lifeguards reported the incident to the Royal Thai Navy and police at about 2pm after locals found him lying on the rocks between Kata and Kata Noi beaches. Officers went out on jet-skis to retrieve him as it was too…
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