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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Business Buzz: Oversaturation of Facebook groups
PHUKET: One of the great benefits of Facebook is that due to the sheer number of people using it, it has become a marketer’s dream to easily and cheaply connect with potential customers and to market products and services with great results. But has it now reached the point of over-saturation? A classic case in point is the use of…
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Opinion: Patong needs to break with tuk-tuk transport
PHUKET: The introduction of traffic barriers to stop pedestrians crossing Rat-U-Thit 200 Pi Road in Patong serves as yet another reminder that the traffic problem in the tourist town could be vastly improved by the introduction of a simple, reasonably-priced public transport system. Patong Police and Patong Municipality, the forces behind the barrier project, believe that not having pedestrians venture…
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Opinion: ATUS protecting the dive industry
Ratanaporn Promchoo, 35, is the president secretary of the Association of Thailand for Underwater Sports (ATUS) and has been working with the ATUS for ten years. She graduated from Rajabhat Nakhon Sri Thammarat University with a bachelor’s degree in science. Here she talks about what the ATUS does to help promote and protect the dive industry. PHUKET: ATUS was founded…
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Monkey attacks on tourists spark official action
PHUKET: Park officials concerned about the changing behavior of macaque monkeys on Monkey Beach have erected signs urging tourists not to feed the wild animals. “When the monkeys see a tour boat stop, they gather and move toward the tourists. If the tourists don’t have any food, the monkeys get agitated, sometimes biting or scratching them,” explained Sarayuth Tanthien, chief…
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Tsunami towers at popular Phuket beaches fail to sound
PHUKET: Five of the 19 tsunami warning towers in Phuket failed to work properly during the tsunami and earthquake drill yesterday afternoon. “The warning towers in Kata and Karon failed to sound, while the one in Mai Khao couldn’t be heard from 500 meters away,” said Trakul Thotham, director of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) Region 8…
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Disputed beach access road built on private land
PHUKET: The vice governor of Phuket confirmed on Tuesday that a local developer is within its rights to block off a public road leading to Laem Nga Beach in Rassada after it was revealed that the road was built on private land owned by Laem Nga Development Co Ltd. An investigation into the road closure was sparked after locals submitted…
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Reader Photo Contest: Dumped in Paradise
PHUKET: We want to know the story behind your trashy pictures… and we’ll reward you for it. The Phuket Gazette is proud to announce the launch of ‘Dumped in Paradise’ – an eight-week competition where we are calling on you to help get Phuket out of the trash can. The procedure is simple: Step 1: Take a photo of waylaid…
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Video Report: Ultraman champ splashes into ‘Swim Around Phuket’
PHUKET: Swedish Ultraman World Champion Jonas Colting splashed into Phuket’s waters this morning with the goal of swimming around the entire island in eight days. Mr Colting led a group of swimmers, including four-time triathlon World Champion Chris McCormack, on the first leg – 14 kilometers – of the ‘Swim Around Phuket’ challenge. The endurance swim will take place from…
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Seven charged in home invasion murder of U.S. lottery winner
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Seven charged in home invasion murder of U.S. lottery winner Phuket Gazette / Reuters GEORGIA STATE: Seven people have been charged in the murder of a 20-year-old forklift operator who was killed in his home two months after winning nearly a half million dollars in a…
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Thailand eyes luxury tourists, operators say keep them safe
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Thailand eyes luxury tourists, operators say keep them safe Phuket Gazette / Reuters BANGKOK: Thailand needs to do more to keep its tourists safe if it wants to achieve its objective of attracting more high-end travelers, operators say, or it risks losing out to its up-and-coming…
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Animal welfare campaigners resubmit Milo case
PHUKET: National park officials yesterday resubmitted to Phuket police the alleged wildlife-trafficking case of Milo the orangutan. Officials spent a month preparing the case after it was initially rejected due to lack of evidence. Phuket Zoo management stonewalled officers investigating the disappearance of the 13-year-old orangutan ahead of a raid, and her subsequent discovery in a locked cage deep in…
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Don’t panic: Phuket tsunami drill this afternoon
PHUKET: The national anthem will be broadcast from all 19 tsunami warning towers throughout Phuket at 1:30pm today as part of the island’s annual tsunami practice drill. Authorities this year have opted to play the national anthem, instead of the usual multi-lingual warnings that would be used in a real event, in order to avoid panic and confusion among the…
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Phuket drug bust leads to two arrests, four still at large
PHUKET: Thalang Police arrested two women and are searching for four other suspects after a raid yielded more than 40 kilograms of kratom leaves in Mai Khao last night. Police were alerted to the goings-on when neighbors filed a complaint about suspected drug activity at the residence. “When we arrived, we saw four men flee the scene,” said Thalang Chief…
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Marine committee proposes temporary closure of 32 dive sites
PHUKET: A joint committee on March 25 called for the temporary closure of 32 diving spots in the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea in a bid to protect against coral bleaching. The move is part of a group of four proposals the committee made to relevant authorities. The panel comprises representatives from the Department of Marine and Coastal…
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B3mn Phuket longtail bursts into flames
PHUKET: Police suspect a battery caused an explosion and subsequent fire that destroyed a longtail boat worth 3 million baht in Phuket last night. “The boat was parked along a section of mangrove forest near the Bang Rong Pier in Pa Khlok when it caught fire at about 11pm,” said Phuket Marine Police Chief Panya Chaichana. “There was nobody on…
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Karon power sub-station nearly complete
PHUKET: The Karon power sub-station, set to open in June, is 95 per cent complete, confirmed the Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA). “Due to the rapid growth of tourism on the island, we are no longer able to ensure enough power is getting to those who need it in Rawai, Kata and Karon,” explained Patong Sub-station Deputy Manager Atipong Thongyun. “The…
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Egyptair passenger plane hijacked, forced to Cyprus
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Egyptair passenger plane hijacked, forced to Cyprus Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: An Egyptair domestic flight from Alexandria to Cairo was hijacked on Tuesday and landed in Cyprus, Egyptian officials and Cyprus state radio said. The Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation reported that 55 passengers were on board…
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First Phuket Balloon Music Festival ready to rock [video]
PHUKET: Get ready to soar as Phuket holds its first ever Balloon Music Festival from April 14 to 17, with clear skies and more than six popular bands lined up for the event. “There will be more than 20 balloons participating in the festival at Phuket Paradise Park, near the British International School Phuket. We have received positive feedback from…
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Suspected Phuket meth user dies behind bars
PHUKET: A man arrested for the possession of ya bah (methamphetamine) early this morning was pronounced dead about an hour after being put behind bars in Phuket. Yagareeya Hadohloh, 29, was picked up for the possession of one ya bah pill in Patong. He was processed and put in a Patong Police Station cell just after midnight. At about 1:15am,…
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Body on Phuket beach identified as British superyacht builder
PHUKET: Police have identified the body found on a Phuket beach this weekend as the British builder of the 31-meter superyacht Raja Laut. The body of Georges E K Carraz, 66, was found on Surin Beach by two passersby at about 7am on Saturday (story here). Nearby, police found a rental car in the name of Winai Sawatdeesarn. “Mr Winai…
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Divers to cough up extra cash for Phi Phi marine park fee
PHUKET: Officials expect to start collecting an additional 200 baht per diver in April for those plunging below the surface of the Phi Phi marine national park. Park officials currently collect a national park fee of 400 baht per person. However, scuba divers will now have to pay a total of 600 baht, confirmed Sarayuth Tanthien, chief of the Hat…
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Phuket police hunt bank machine vandal
PHUKET: Police are hunting a man who allegedly damaged an Automatic Deposit Machine (ADM) at a Bangkok Bank in Patong early this morning. Police were alerted to the incident after a local found the damaged machine near the Mae Ubon Market on Nanai Road. “According to the witness, he saw a man leaving the area as he drove up to…
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Suicide bomber targeting Christians kills 65, mostly women and children, in Pakistan park
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Suicide bomber targeting Christians kills 65, mostly women and children, in Pakistan park Phuket Gazette / Reuters PAKISTAN: Pakistani authorities launched a hunt on Monday for militants behind a suicide bomb that killed at least 65 people in an attack that targeted Christians and was claimed…
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A decade ago: Trash, pies and assassinations
PHUKET: Mark Twain had it right when he wrote, “There is no such thing as a new idea. It is impossible. We simply take a lot of old ideas and put them into a sort of mental kaleidoscope. We give them a turn and they make new and curious combinations.” Sometimes, especially in Phuket, it doesn’t seem that we even…
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Phuket International Academy Graduates to UWC Network
PHUKET: The Phuket International Academy confirmed last week its new affiliation with the global network of United World Colleges (UWC). “We are delighted to have become part of UWC; a leader in education in 15 different locations around the world. The UWC is a federation of independent international schools that use the same education model. This affiliation will also encourage…
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Opinion: Understanding cultural differences when travelling
PHUKET: As thousands of Chinese descend upon the island each week, it is hard to ignore the xenophobic and often crude comments made about their behavior, spending habits and general demeanor. A recent video showing dozens of Chinese tourists stampeding a Chiang Mai buffet and using their plates to shovel up two to three plates of prawns their way highlighted…
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Lawyers of Koh Tao murder convicts prepare for appeal
PHUKET: The legal team of the Myanmar nationals convicted for the Koh Tao double murder is focusing on the DNA evidence used against the men in their trial ahead of the appeal being filed next month, assisted by leading foreign lawyers and forensic experts. Lawyer Nakorn Chomphuchart told The Nation that he had got advice from many foreign legal experts,…
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Patong Bay safe for swimming, despite algae bloom, say experts
PHUKET: Officials confirmed that Patong Bay water was within safe parameters for recreational use, despite reports of swimmers developing rashes from the brown colored water. “The water turned brown last week due to a plankton bloom. However, there is no health risk,” said Suphasit Boonpeinphol of the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC). Plankton blooms are often caused by excessive amounts…
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Beach Volley Festival finals served up at noon tomorrow
PHUKET: The finals for the Thailand Beach Volley Festival Phuket will take to the sands of Karon Beach tomorrow at about noon. The international amateur beach volley tournament features competitive categories: professional men, professional women, amateur men and four-on-four. “We are really happy and little surprised with the standard of play; it’s a bit higher than expected,” Charlie Solares-Chungyampin, the…
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Rolling Stones tell giant crowd
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Rolling Stones tell giant crowd “times are changing” at Cuba debut Phuket Gazette / Reuters HAVANA: The Rolling Stones rocked a massive crowd at a free, outdoor concert in Havana on Friday, capping a week of engagement with the West for the Communist-led country that once…
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