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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Sponsored What’s not covered by health insurance in Thailand?
Health insurance in Thailand has important limits that everyone should know. Many policies do not cover pre-existing conditions, motorcycle accidents, extreme sports, or specific treatments. These gaps can lead to unexpected costs during emergencies. Coverage for outpatient care and hospital...
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Video is the future of digital ads
PHUKET: Digital ad spend is projected to be 9.9 billion baht this year, up almost 25 per cent from last year as a direct result of advertisers shifting from traditional media like print and television to digital media and online marketing. This is believed to be partly because of the cheaper cost of digital advertising and partly because it’s much…
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Former Thai PM Banharn Silpa-archa passes away
THAILAND: Former Prime Minister of Thailand Banharn Silpa-archa died at the age of 83, following an asthma attack last week. The Chart Thai Pattana patriarch passed away peacefully in the early hours yesterday, after two days of treatment at Siriraj Hospital. Mr Banharn was born on August 19, 1932 in Suphan Buri Province as the fourth of six children of…
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Phuket worker camp raid turns up guns, drugs
PHUKET: Police arrested three suspects for possession of drugs and illegal firearms during a raid on a worker camp in Phuket yesterday. Two of the Thai suspects were named as Chatchana Poosangka, 29 and Nattapong Rithidet, 19. A 16-year-old minor was not named. “We had been keeping an eye on the camp as a number of teenagers were visiting it…
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Phuket orangutan in critical condition
PHUKET: An orangutan recently confiscated from Phuket Zoo is in critical condition. The beloved 13-year-old orangutan Milo was moved from the Phang Nga Wildlife Nursery Station to the intensive care unit of the Pasupalun Livestock & Wildlife Hospital in Kanchana Buri on Thursday. “Initial tests have shown that her red blood cell count is very low. She also has vitamin…
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Bangladesh Bank exposed to hackers by cheap switches, no firewall
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Bangladesh Bank exposed to hackers by cheap switches, no firewall Phuket Gazette / Reuters DHAKA: Bangladesh’s central bank was vulnerable to hackers because it did not have a firewall and used second-hand, $10 switches to network computers connected to the SWIFT global payment network, an investigator…
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Island View: Treacherous Thais? I don’t think so.
PHUKET: Thailand is to Asia what Vegas is to America, or at least it’s thought to be. The sin-capital of Asia where ‘anything goes’, or at least that’s what I was told. When I first decided to visit Phuket, it set off alarm bells for everyone around me. I received calls from friends and family members who I hadn’t heard…
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Finance: The right time to get back into the stock market
PHUKET: While all of my long term clients (and myself) have been in cash for some time, there will be a time to get back into the stock market, but when will that be? To recap recent market action: major United States and global indices have already moved higher off their panic February lows, led by retail, gold, materials and…
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Tourists escape another Phuket bus fire
PHUKET: A group of Chinese tourists narrowly escaped serious injury after fleeing a burning tour bus in Karon yesterday. “The driver was en route from the airport to Patong via Karon at about 5:30pm. After spotting thick, black smoke emanating from the back of the bus, the driver stopped and evacuated the 24 tourists,” said Lt Col Sathid Noorit of…
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Ministry of Farang Affairs: Finding a wife in 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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One tonne of dead fish found in Phuket park
PHUKET: A large number of fish and shrimp have died in a pond in Suan Luang Park in Phuket Town from either a rise in temperature or polluted water, confirmed officials. “The local community around the park has complained about the dead fish,” said Phuket City Deputy Mayor Thavorn Jirapattanasophon. “About one tonne of dead fish have been found since…
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Asleep at the wheel: driver hits eight motorbikes in Phuket
PHUKET: A pick-up truck driver, who fell asleep at the wheel, flipped his vehicle into eight motorbikes and another truck parked along Thepkrasattri Road early this morning. “Wasan Wijitwithayakul, 46, confessed to having dozed off while heading home to Thalang from Bang Neow Shrine in Phuket Town,” Lt Col Chaliao Thaihoo of the Phuket City Police said. Mr Wasan was…
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Opinion: Will clubbing Phuket’s beach venues prove to have been worth it?
PHUKET: The demolition of the government-built buildings along Surin’s beachfront, which once housed a number of iconic Phuket beach clubs, marks the end of an era on the island. Unlike numerous other beach venues that have been demolished since the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) started to sweep opportunistic, mafia-style business ventures from Phuket’s sands, tearing down these…
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Excuse Buster: The hidden health dangers of fungi
PHUKET: “It is ironic that this humble fungus, hailed as a benefactor of mankind, may by its very success prove to be a deciding factor in the decline of the present civilization”, said Dr John I Pitt, in The Genus Penicillin, 1979. ‘Antibiotics save lives.’ But has our overuse of antibiotics for killing bacteria contributed to creating a dangerous internal…
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Another Electrician killed, while tampering with a kitchen fan
PHUKET: An electrician was electrocuted and died while installing an exhaust fan in a Kathu house this afternoon. “We received a report around midday that a man was seriously injured from an electric shock in Moo Baan Sinthong Thani,” Lt Sawanya Eiadtrong of the Thung Thong Police said. “We found him lying on the ground in the kitchen, pale-faced and…
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Phuket voted 8th among world’s top 10 islands
PHUKET: Phuket has won eighth place among the world’s top 10 islands in the latest reader survey conducted by travel review website TripAdvisor. Phuket was described by TripAdvisor as an island with “blue lagoons and salmon sunsets [that] make for a dream-like atmosphere, and indeed, a vacation here can feel a bit surreal”. It also said: “Water sports are the…
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Video Report: Portraits of Princess on show in Phuket Town
PHUKET: An exclusive collection of portrait photographs of Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn is on display at two exhibition venues in Phuket Town throughout April. Photographs by esteemed national artist Nitikorn Kraivixien, who is the president of The Royal Photographic Society of Thailand, are on show at the Baba Museum (Peranakan Nitat) and the On-On Hotel on Phang…
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Songkran crime sweep nets hundreds of suspects
PHUKET: More than 1,500 arrests related to drug, illegal firearms, gambling and other criminal activities were made in Phuket and the surrounding provinces between April 1 and 17. “In the raids, a total of 171 suspects were arrested for firearms offences. A total of 165 unregistered guns were seized along with 750 rounds of ammunition, as well as two bombs…
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Tickle your tastebuds at Saphan Hin
PHUKET: More than 100 food stalls are cooking up delectable local delicacies for the 18th annual ‘Phuket Good Taste Food Festival’ at Saphan Hin until April 26. “Food aficionados can tuck in to a fantastic range of culinary creations by the first generation of Phuket food vendors, who have been making mouth-watering dishes for more than 30 years,” said the…
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Communist Laos appoints new president, prime minister
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Communist Laos appoints new president, prime minister Phuket Gazette / Reuters BANGKOK: Laos’s National Assembly on Wednesday appointed Communist Party chief Bounnhang Vorachit as the country’s new president and named foreign minister Thongloun Sisoulith as prime minister. The picks are seen by many analysts as a…
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Thai police say 15 bomb suspects at large as two appear in court
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Thai police say 15 bomb suspects at large as two appear in court Phuket Gazette / Reuters BANGKOK: Thai police cannot find 15 suspects in connection with a bomb at a shrine in Bangkok last year that killed 20 people, an officer said on Wednesday, as…
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Phuket man injured in drive-by shooting
PHUKET: One man was injured in a drive-by shooting in Srisoonthorn yesterday. “Weerachart Laloy, 20, was shot twice on his left hip at about 6pm,” said Lt Suporn Muangkai of the Thalang Police. Mr Weerachart was riding pillion behind his friend Nattapong Kerdthai at the time of the attack. Mr Nattapong rushed him to the emergency room at Thalang Hospital.…
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Police suspect arson in Phuket speedboat blaze
PHUKET: Police suspect arson may be the motive behind a fire that engulfed five speedboats at Chalong Pier yesterday (story here). Forensic officers believe the fire started on the middle of the row of boats, quickly spreading to those around it. The boats were removed from the scene for further examination. “There are two possible scenarios. Either someone set the…
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Breaking News: Surin Beach demolition underway
PHUKET: Demolition of the last remaining buildings along Surin Beach is underway. Phuket Vice Governor Chokdee Amornwat and Cherng Talay Tambon Administration Organization(OrBorTor) President Ma-ann Samran, accompanied by military personnel, were on site as a backhoe digger began pulling apart the buildings that once housed beachfront shops, bars and restaurants. “Finally, the day we have been waiting for has arrived…
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Phuket bomb squad called to Daorung Intersection
PHUKET: A bomb disposal squad was called on to deal with an abandoned suitcase at the Daorung Intersection in Wichit this afternoon. Passing motorists, fearing that the lone suitcase lying in the road might be a bomb, took snapshots, which quickly went viral on social media. “Luckily, the case was empty,” said Lt Prachpong Keawkamjan, head of the Phuket Provincial…
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Patong Bay water sent to Bangkok for testing
PHUKET: Officials have recently collected samples of water in Patong Bay and sent them to Bangkok to determine whether it is pollution or algae that has caused the sea water to turn brown. Akkarawat Hirunphun, an environmental specialist in the Phuket-based Regional Environmental Office, and his staff inspected the green-brown water along the Patong coast (story here) for contamination. “We…
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Jerusalem bus bomb wounds 16, Netanyahu hints at Palestinian link
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Jerusalem bus bomb wounds 16, Netanyahu hints at Palestinian link Phuket Gazette / Reuters JERUSALEM: A bomb blew up a bus and set fire to another in Jerusalem on Monday, wounding 16 people in an attack that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu linked to a six-month-old…
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Somalia estimates 200-300 citizens may have died in migrant drowning
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Somalia estimates 200-300 citizens may have died in migrant drowning Phuket Gazette / Reuters NAIROBI: Somalia’s government said on Monday that between 200 and 300 Somalis may have drowned in the Mediterranean Sea while trying to cross illegally to Europe, based on information it has gathered…
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Officials mull big bike licence
PHUKET: A specific driver’s licence for those wanting to mount a big bike is still in the works, officials told the Phuket Gazette yesterday. “I know that there are ongoing discussions about the possibility of creating a separate driver’s licence for motorcycles with engines that are at least 400cc,” said Jaturong Kaewkasi, chief policy adviser at the Phuket Land Transport…
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Three days after Ecuador quake, hopes for survivors dwindle
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Three days after Ecuador quake, hopes for survivors dwindle Phuket Gazette / Reuters ECUADOR: Earthquake-stricken Ecuador faced the grim reality of recovering more bodies than survivors as rescue efforts moved into a third day on Tuesday and the death toll climbed over 400 in the poor…
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Swimmer succumbs after leaving ICU
PHUKET: A Thai woman in her twenties, who was pulled unconscious from the surf at Nai Harn Beach on Sunday, died while being transported home yesterday. The woman, who hospital staff refused to name, was one of six people rescued by lifeguards after they ignored red flags warning people not to swim due to dangerous rip currents (story here). Although…
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