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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Police confiscate more 100 vehicles from drunk drivers in Songkran safety blitz
PHUKET: More than 100 drunk drivers in Phuket have had their vehicles confiscated by police in the first three days of the Songkran ‘Seven Days of Danger’ road-safety campaign. Impounding vehicles driven by drunk drivers is part of the National Council for Peace and Order’s ‘No Drink Driving’ campaign during the Songkran holiday. It requires that officers hold vehicles seized…
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Earthquake hits Myanmar, no immediate reports of major damage
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Earthquake hits Myanmar, no immediate reports of major damage Phuket Gazette / Reuters YANGON: An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.9 struck northwestern Myanmar on Wednesday, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said, sending strong tremors through Myanmar, eastern India, Bangladesh and parts of Nepal. There were…
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Facebook’s next frontier: chatbots, live video
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Facebook’s next frontier: chatbots, live video Phuket Gazette / Reuters SAN FRANCISCO: Facebook Inc said yesterday that it has opened up its Messenger app to developers to create “chatbots,” hoping that by simulating one-on-one conversations between users and companies it will expand its reach in customer…
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Island View: Plea to Phuket bikers
PHUKET: I don’t tend to be a conspiracy theorist. However, it is evident that motorbike drivers in Phuket have some sort of LINE or Facebook group in which they plot how to subtly commit suicide and irritate those of us with cars. The only other explanation is the hundredth monkey effect, which is described on Wikipedia as “a purported phenomenon…
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Ministry of Farang Affairs: Songkranophobia
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: Skewing statistics – the positive and negative
PHUKET: The recent revelation that Phuket has the highest reported incidence of human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/Aids) cases in Thailand should be a cause for concern and increased personal awareness, but not panic. As pointed out by the local Provincial Health Office, Thailand’s province-based statistical reporting of national trends in the global HIV/Aids pandemic has been…
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“One Last Party’ before iconic Phuket beach clubs get demolished
PHUKET: With the demolition of two of Phuket’s most iconic beach clubs on Surin Beach imminent, it’s time to pull out your sexy white clothes for Twinpalms Group’s ‘One Last Time’ beach party at 8pm on Saturday. “It will be our last chance to say thank you to those who have enjoyed, over the years, the utopia that rose along…
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Two French women injured in Phuket taxi crash
PHUKET: Six people, including two French tourists, were injured after a car slammed into a Phuket taxi yesterday evening. “Witnesses explained that the northbound Honda City flipped over as it hit the median, slamming into the green plated Toyota Altis in front of the PTT petrol station in Baan Muangmai on Thepkrasattri Road,” said Capt Santichai Srimai of the Thalang…
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Untreated wastewater flowing into Patong Bay, allege Phuket beach operators
PHUKET: Patong operators are concerned that untreated wastewater is seeping into the bay after a one- kilometer swath of beachfront water turned brown yesterday. “At this stage, we need to take water samples and conduct some basic tests. However, it is very likely to be the same phenomena as last month – a plankton bloom (story here),” said Suphasit Boonpeinphol…
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Officers hunt for dead whale in Similan National Park
PHUKET: National park officers are searching for a large whale carcass spotted off Koh Bon in the Similan National Park on Saturday. “We have received pictures of the whale, which was reportedly already sunburned and foul-smelling. However, we’ve yet to locate the animal,” said Nut Kongkasorn, chief of Mu Ko Similan National Park. National park officers are hoping to recover…
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Andaman tour guides rally against illegal foreign workers
PHUKET: About a hundred Thai tour guides from the Andaman Guide Association gathered at Phuket Provincial Hall on Monday to protest against foreigners ‘stealing their jobs’. The group, led by Andaman Guide Association head Krich Thepbamrung, submitted a letter outlining their demands to Phuket Vice Governor Prajiad Aksornthammakul. “We urge the government to preserve these jobs, which are strictly reserved…
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TAT sees only small growth in Songkran visitors
PHUKET: The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) estimates that only 2.1 per cent more foreign tourists are coming to Thailand to celebrate Songkran this week compared to last year. “It seems that overall tourism during Songkran this year will likely not be as bustling. This could be due to the economic decline, which is a major cause for many people…
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Britain finds a buyer for one Tata steel plant, saving a third of jobs at risk
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Britain finds a buyer for one Tata steel plant, saving a third of jobs at risk Phuket Gazette / Reuters LONDON: Tata Steel (TISC.NS) agreed to sell one of its main British steelworks to investment firm Greybull Capital for 1 pound on Monday, saving a third…
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Phuket governor tells motorists to ‘play it safe for Songkran’
PHUKET: ‘Play it safe for Songkran’ was the message put out by Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada ahead of the new year festivities, when he made an inspection visit to the main bus terminal on Thepkrasattri Road in Rassada yesterday. “Please don’t drink and drive. Play it safe for Songkran,” urged the governor, who was at the bus terminal to oversee…
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Boat crew members nabbed for suspected drug use
PHUKET: Phuket Marine Police apprehended four tour boat crew members for suspected drug use yesterday. “We randomly tested about 30 tour boat crew members at Chalong Pier as part of our Songkran safety campaign,” said Phuket Marine Police Chief Lt Col Panya Chaichana. “Four crew members tested positive for drug use. They were transferred to Chalong Police Station for legal…
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New diversions in place at Samkong intersection
PHUKET: Motorists heading for Kathu and Patong from the bypass road can now turn right at the Samkong intersection, following the preliminary opening of the new underpass on Sunday (story here). However, motorists heading north from Central Festival and wishing to make the turn to Kathu cannot turn left at the intersection, as access is blocked while construction on the…
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Propeller kills Phuket fisherman taking a leak
PHUKET: A Myanmar fisherman urinating off the back of a boat was killed after getting caught in the propeller on Saturday. The 30-year-old fisherman, named by police only as Mr Nai, reportedly fell off the edge of the fishing boat, Eakmomgkolchai 111, and into the spinning blades below. “Nitikorn Sangklapo, 43, the captain of the boat, reported that the incident…
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Phuket police prevent violent clash in sea gypsy property dispute
PHUKET: Police and military officers rushed to Rawai this morning to prevent a violent clash between private investors and local sea gypsies in a beachfront property dispute. “Men hired by Baron World Trade Co had gone to the disputed plot to start developing the property, but locals were trying to stop them – filling up holes that were being dug,”…
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‘Red jellyfish’ prompt Phi Phi warning
PHUKET: Blooms of ‘pink jellyfish’ spotted off the coast of Krabi have prompted officials to issue a warning to tourists about swimming at Phi Phi National Park. “We are not certain exactly what species of jellyfish within the Pelagiidae family they are,” said Charatsee Aungtonya, a marine expert from the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR). “However, based on…
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Traffic finally flows through Samkong Underpass
PHUKET: The northbound lane of the long-awaited Samkong Underpass was finally opened for traffic yesterday, after being marred with a deluge of problems. “The lane opened up at about 4pm,” said Chalermpol Wongkiattikun, the project engineer from the Department of Highways. “So far, traffic has been moving through it very smoothly.” Construction on the project is now expected to end…
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Philippine troops clash with Muslim rebels; 23 killed, 73 hurt
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Philippine troops clash with Muslim rebels; 23 killed, 73 hurt Phuket Gazette / Reuters MANILA: Philippine soldiers battled a group of about 120 Muslim rebels linked to Islamic State in a ten-hour assault on a southern island that killed 23 people, an army spokesman said on…
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Cold business for Songkran
PHUKET: Songkran can be a lucrative time of year for the island’s ice makers as sales rise with the summer heat. Many revellers load barrels onto pick-up trucks, filling them up with water and a big block of ice. In fact, Songkran ice sales are a good barometer for measuring the state of the tourism industry on the island, according…
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Opinion: Road safety during the holidays
Phuket Provincial Police Commander Teeraphol Thipjaroen, 56, took up his position on the island last year. He is a graduate of the Royal Police Cadet Academy and has been working in Phuket since 1983, except for brief postings to Krabi and Surat Thani. Here he talks about the roles and responsibilities of the police and citizens during Songkran to help…
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A Decade Ago: Parliamentary elections and cable thieves
PHUKET: In A rare move, the Phuket Gazette dove into politics in the April 8-14, 2006 edition as the Democrat Party announced a boycott of the parliamentary election polls, despite Thaksin Shinawatra announcing that he would step down from the Premiership. “What the PM did last night was for his own benefit; ordinary people who do not understand politics in…
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Phuket security force boosted by 200 for Songkran
PHUKET: An additional 200 officers will be added to security forces in Phuket for the Songkran holiday, confirmed Phuket Provincial Police Commander Teeraphol Thipjaroen yesterday. “Songkran is the traditional Thai New Year celebration, many people travel during this period of time, which increases the likelihood of criminal activity and road accidents,” Lt Gen Tesa said. “The extra help on the…
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Famous actor hit with computer crimes act in Phuket land case
PHUKET: The alleged owner of 24 rai of land on Naka Noi Island yesterday filed a criminal defamation lawsuit against a famous Thai actor involved in the land dispute on the small island off Phuket’s east coast. The owner of Six Mountains Co Ltd, Chanwit Kitlertsiriwattan, who bought the land in 2014, claims that allegations made by the actor could…
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Paris attacks suspect Abrini arrested
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Paris attacks suspect Abrini arrested Phuket Gazette / Reuters BRUSSELS: Mohamed Abrini, wanted over November’s Islamic State attacks in Paris, has been arrested in Brussels, Belgian public broadcaster VRT said on Friday, adding that he was probably involved in last month’s Brussels bombings. Public prosecutors confirmed…
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Alcohol-free Songkran celebration at Limelight Avenue
PHUKET: Limelight Avenue will be hosting a clean fun Songkran party on April 13 to encourage people to partake in the wet holiday in a responsible manner. Under the slogan ‘Songkran No Alcohol and Discovery Thainess’, the party will run from 4:45pm to 9pm, with musical performances by Absolution, Black Sheep and Zeal. The following will be banned in the…
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Promising prospects for Phuket marine industry
PHUKET: With clear signals from the government that it is serious about transforming Phuket into an Asean marine leisure and yachting hub, key figures in the province’s public and private business sectors are forging alliances to help bring that vision to fruition. Marine business representatives, members of the Phuket Tourist Association, the Chamber of Commerce and local councilors met at…
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Samkong Underpass opens Sunday, not completely finished until July
PHUKET: The northbound lane of the long-awaited Samkong Underpass will be open to traffic on Sunday, confirmed the project engineer today. “Northbound motorists will have to use the underpass as the construction company works on the road surface of the northbound, ground-level roadway,” explained Chalermpol Wongkiattikun, the project engineer from the Department of Highways. Just last week, Boon Tapanadul from…
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