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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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Fishing captain hospitalized after ammonia leak
PHUKET: A Taiwanese fishing boat captain was injured from an ammonia leak aboard a tuna fishing vessel at the Fish Marketing Organization pier in Rassada yesterday. A Kusoldharm Foundation rescue worker received the report of the leak and found the captain unconscious. “Armed with protective masks, rescue workers boarded the Shun Ying and used a machine to remove the gas…
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Fossils found in Krabi
KRABI: Fossilized bones, possibly those of a dinosaur, have been discovered in a stream bed in Krabi. Locals stumbled across the fossils half-buried in the bank of Khlong Paklao in Na Nuea, a sub-district Ao Luek District, after the water level in the stream dropped to about half a meter following an extended period of drought. The petrified bones are…
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Power cut to affect Koh Kaew on May 17
PHUKET: A scheduled electricity shut-off will affect residents in the Koh Kaew sub-district on Tuesday, May 17. The Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) announced that there will be no electricity in the area from 9am to 5pm. All areas from Chao Fah Gardens (near 7-Eleven), up to the Isuzu showroom in Koh Kaew, as well as roads in the surrounding vicinity,…
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Work underway to fix B400k damage to Chalong road caused by water trucks
PHUKET: Work is underway to repair 400,000 baht worth of damage done by water delivery trucks to a road behind Chalong Temple. Chalong Municipality confirmed today that work began this week to resurface Luangporgluam Road, which runs alongside the reservoir, an old tin mine, after complaints from locals prompted Chalong Mayor Samran Jindapon to ban water delivery trucks from using…
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Ministry of Farang Affairs: Going without toilet paper
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: Innovation is just half the battle [video] | Thaiger](https://thethaiger.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/14_2016514145639492_sgsLodVNMzTpRQXbJonQCYhGQhvfpmAhTtsHWOVi_jpeg.jpeg)
Opinion: Innovation is just half the battle [video]
PHUKET: In a world where the only constant is change, it is interesting to note that Thailand is now gaining a reputation for innovation. The Gazette‘s cover story this week highlights just one of the many Thai innovations that won prizes at the 44th International Exhibition of Inventions, held in Geneva last month. Among the other big Thai winners in…
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Krabi school builders to be charged for deaths of five women
KRABI: Police announced that they will be pressing charges against the construction company involved in a building collapse that killed five female workers at the Institute of Physical Education’s Krabi Campus in March. The workers were killed when fresh poured cement brought down the upper story of the building, crushing them. (story here). “Police investigators have concluded their investigation into…
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Krabi locals use bamboo leaves to boost income
KRABI: This year’s drought is forcing Krabi farmers to diversify their crops. Boonlap Maepeng, 61, was having trouble producing rubber due to a lack of water when she was approached by a Bangkok businessman looking for dried bamboo leaves, which are used as wrappings for Bak Jang (rice dumplings). Ms Boonlap now collects bamboo leaves from her entire village in…
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Truck company billed for road damage
PHUKET: Chalong Mayor Samran Jindapon has ordered trucks carrying water to stay off of Luangporglium-Luangporcham Road after they allegedly caused damage to the pavement. Mr Samran also said the municipality is billing the trucking company for repairs. Mr Samran, accompanied by other Chalong officials, inspected the road after villagers complained of potholes and standing water near an old mining site…
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Head-on collision kills motorcyclist at Koh Siray
PHUKET: A head-on collision with a pickup truck during light rain on May 10 killed a motorbike rider in Koh Siray, confirmed Phuket City Police. The victim was 32-year-old Kanokkarn Samartkij, said Lt Surachart Tongyai, adding that she was on the way to see her mother, who lived about 500 meters away from the crash site. “When we arrived at…
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Body of suicidal Brit found outside Phuket Town hotel
PHUKET: The body of a British man believed to have suicidal tendencies was found yesterday at the bottom of a five-story-high fire escape at the Manorah Hotel in Phuket Town. The manager of the hotel on Komalphaj Road discovered the body of Ronald Rymer, 69, on a terrace at the foot of the building’s fire escape yesterday morning, confirmed Capt…
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Two Russians arrested for working as illegal tour guides
PHUKET: Two Russian nationals were arrested at Wat Chalong Temple this morning for allegedly working illegally as tour guides, confirmed officials from the Phuket Provincial Labor Office (PPLO). “They did not have their passports, but identified themselves as Irina Soboleva and Kolia, adding that they were employed by the Anex Tour Company,” PPLO chief Sutthipong Saisakaret told the Phuket Gazette.…
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Elderly woman killed in hit-and-run
PHUKET: An elderly woman was left lying dead in the road after a hit-and-run incident in Phuket Town just after midnight today, Phuket City Police confirmed. Ubon Nathip, 67, a resident of Phuket Town, was found dead on Anuphasphuketkarn Road in Talad Yai. Witnesses told police that Ms Ubon was hit by a vehicle while crossing the road. “At this…
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Milo the orangutan dies after stroke
PHUKET: Milo, the beloved orangutan saved from captivity at the Phuket Zoo, passed away last night, Warapong Kosarat, a veterinarian at the Pasupalun Livestock & Wildlife Hospital confirmed. The 13-year-old orangutan disappeared from the Phuket Zoo ahead of a raid on the facility in February (story here). Khao Phra Thaeo Non Hunting Zone officers then discovered her trapped in a…
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Teenagers busted at Phuket Airport with drugs in bra, handbag
PHUKET: Two teenage girls were busted for trying to smuggle narcotics through Phuket International Airport on Monday, in a joint raid by the Border Patrol Police (BPP) and Phuket Immigration Police. The girls, aged 16 and 19, flew in from Bangkok at about 4:30pm, confirmed Lt Amphol Samothai of the BPP. “We found 1,500 pills of methamphetamine (ya bah) in…
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Thai actor laughs on land claims, for now
PHUKET: The standing committee presiding over a land ownership dispute of 24 rai on Naka Noi Island, just off Phuket’s east coast, has voted to revoke the land ownership of Six Mountains Co Ltd. Further actions are expected to be carried out by the Land Department, Phuket Land Office Chief Watcharin Jetanavanich confirmed yesterday. “The committee’s decision is only an…
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Canadian crash victim’s father appeals for more A-negative blood
PHUKET: Dennis Connelly, the father of Canadian crash victim David Lee Connelly, 40, has appealed for more donations of A-negative blood to help save his son. David Connelly is currently at Bangkok Hospital Phuket waiting for blood platelets to be flown in to Phuket from Bangkok so that doctors at Bangkok Hospital Phuket can perform an operation today. The blood…
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Canadian crash victim waiting for emergency supply of blood platelets
PHUKET: An emergency supply of blood platelets is being flown in to Phuket today to help save the life of a Canadian motorcycle crash victim. The single unit of platelets is scheduled to arrive at midday so that doctors at Bangkok Hospital Phuket can perform a second round of surgery on David Lee Connelly, 40, who was critically injured in…
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General unperturbed by disenfranchised protesters
PHUKET: Region 4 Army commander Wiwat Pathompak on Sunday visited Phuket to assess the local government’s push to return beaches to their natural state, following the demolition of illegal buildings at Patong Beach, Kamala Beach, Surin Beach (story here) and Lay Pang Beach (story here). Accompanied by Phuket Vice Governor Chokdee Amornwat, Phuket Provincial Police Commander Teeraphol Thipjaroen and other…
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Video report: Removal of controversial Phuket Town mural begins
PHUKET: Less than a month after the unveiling of a mural painted on the wall of the historic Peranakan Nitat (Baba) Museum in Phuket Town, the artist Alex Face today began painting over his own work. The artist, whose real name is Patcharapol Tangruen, was commissioned by Phuket City Municipality to paint the mural, which was unveiled on April 10.…
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One dead, four injured in three-vehicle crash
PHUKET: One man died and four others were injured in a three-vehicle crash on the bypass road near the Samkong intersection yesterday afternoon. The three vehicles involved in the accident were a pick-up truck, a Honda Jazz and a Toyota Vios. “Narin Saenganan, 35, a passenger in the back of the pick-up truck, was pronounced dead on arrival at Vachira…
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Rawai sea wall shored up after collapse
PHUKET: Truckloads of rocks were dumped along a 30-meter stretch of Rawai beachfront on Sunday to temporarily shore up the sea wall, which gave way last week after it was damaged by strong waves. Rawai Mayor Aroon Solos ordered the quick fix after inspecting the site on Saturday. “The wall and sidewalk were damaged after being battered for three days…
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Canadian crash victim safe after blood donations
PHUKET: A Canadian man badly injured in a motorcycle accident on Friday is now in stable condition thanks to donations of A-negative blood, medical staff at Vachira Phuket Hospital confirmed this morning. Connelly Bavid Lee, 35, required the blood so doctors could carry out a second round of surgery following emergency treatment after Mr Lee was seriously injured in a…
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Diving: Safety regulations in the dive industry
PHUKET: As promised, let’s dig into two of the biggest questions professionals in the industry are faced with in Phuket: “can we bend the rules to take photos on a Discover Scuba Diving (DSD) course” and “what counts as a ‘confined water environment’ for DSD”. Even at the PADI seminar on March 8 (story here), which included some of the…
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Opinion: A parent’s perspective on homeschooling in Phuket
Homeschooling mother Papatsorn Sompranon, 44, is a Trang native and the proud parent of daughters Nattaya, 14, and Phimphan, 10, whose invention of a ‘Smart Watering Controller’ for house plants won them a bronze medal at the Malaysian International Young Inventors Olympiad last month. Mrs Papatsorn graduated with a nursing degree from Prince of Songkla University and worked as a…
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Phuket police make B5mn drug haul
PHUKET: Phuket Provincial Police announced the seizure of street drugs valued at more than five million baht following the arrests of five drug pushers, May 4-5. Police seized more than 2.5 kilograms of crystal meth (ya ice) and 6,400 methamphetamine pills (ya bah) with a total value of about 5 million baht. “Narachai Chuatchuea, 33, was arrested at his rental…
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Opinion: To bike or not to bike in Phuket
PHUKET: A friend of mine recently arrived in Phuket. It is his very first time in Thailand and he intends to hang around for a while so, within the first week of his stay, he bought a motorcycle. Admittedly, anyone who wants to get around Phuket needs some form of independent transport, unless they have the time and patience to…
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Starving fishermen blame government restrictions for loss of income
PHANG NGA: More than 300 anchovy fishermen, claiming loss of income following the introduction of new regulations established by the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, gathered in protest at Laem Mai pier at Koh Yao Noi on Thursday. Led by spokesperson Tiwakorn Thongkert, the fishermen demand changes to regulations which prevent vessels weighing 10 tons or more from fishing within…
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Finance: Analyzing key market indices for tech stocks
PHUKET: As of the end of March, US stock markets hit some overhead resistance on their technical charts and pulled back a bit, with the rally that started in February looking similar on the technical charts to the rally of September, which ultimately rolled over. There is a strong possibility that the market (or at least the S&P 500) has…
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Ministry of Farang Affairs: You may not know you are a potential prey
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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