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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Illegal fishing vessel owner arrested in Phuket
PHUKET: A man was arrested this weekend for his role in two Phuket-based boats illegally fishing in international waters. “We were contacted by the Crime Suppression Division (CSD) about 37-year-old Thanongsak Raksawong being in charge of two of the six Thai-flagged boats currently under investigation for illegal fishing,” said Phuket Marine Police Chief Panya Chaichana. Officers arrested Mr Thanongsak at…
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A Decade Ago: TAT battles direct flights to key markets
PHUKET: More direct flights from key tourist source markets to Phuket were put forward as the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Phuket Office scrambled out of a ‘lion’s den’ of hoteliers and property industry figures a decade ago. “It seems to me, from what I have heard here, that there are tourists who want to come, but there are no…
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Opinion: Protection from yourself
Sirisak Skoonsorutcha, originally from Surin Province, is the newly appointed chief of the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) Phuket Office. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in public administration from Sukhothai Thammathirat University. Here, he talks about the difficulties of preventing casualties caused by human error, as opposed to natural disasters. PHUKET: Of course the DDPM rigorously tries to prevent…
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University students to perform Chinese opera at Central Festival today
PHUKET: Central Festival Phuket started off Chinese New Year celebrations in style on Sunday with a sensational ensemble of martial arts, dragon dance, folk music and Chinese opera from an all-Chinese cast of professional artisans and performers. Celebrations will continue today with a Chinese opera and other performances from Wenzhou Medical University students. Organized by the Confucius Institute at Phuket…
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New York rebounds after blizzard, Washington shuts down government
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community New York rebounds after blizzard, Washington shuts down government Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: New York City emerged on Sunday from a massive blizzard that paralyzed much of the U.S. East Coast, while snowy gridlock gripped the nation’s capital and surrounding areas, where federal, state and…
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Two Chinese killed in
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Two Chinese killed in “bomb” blast in Laos Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Two Chinese nationals were killed and another wounded in a suspected bomb blast in Laos, Chinese state media said on Monday, the latest incident in which Chinese citizens have been killed abroad as…
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Sober driver slams into Phuket Police Station
PHUKET: An entirely sober woman survived slamming her car into the outer gates of the Phuket Provincial Police Station Sunday morning. Sriwan Saelong, 30, was only slightly injured during the accident. “Ms Sriwan told us that she had just overtaken a black car at about 2:30am as she was driving down Yaowarat Road. The car she passed then turned right…
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MERS patient being treated in Bangkok
BANGKOK: Thailand believes it can contain the dreaded Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) virus after the country’s second case involving an elderly Omani was confirmed. “After receiving treatment for one week in his homeland without his condition improving, he refused to wait for lab results and immediately left for Thailand,” Public Health Minister Piyasakol Sakolsatayadorn said yesterday. The 71-year-old man…
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Island View: Preventing pollution in Phuket
PHUKET: As a longtime Phuket resident, along with with my past experience of taking action on personal and societal interests, I feel I must try to step up and do something here as well, as I feel certain things are not right. Currently, my biggest concern is the change in the type of tourists visiting Phuket and the impact they…
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Unidentified body found on boat off Nai Harn
PHUKET: Police this morning discovered the severely decomposed body of an unidentified male on a boat off of Nai Harn. Officers were alerted to the Australian-flagged boat after a man complained of a bad smell emanating from a vessel that had been anchored in the same spot for nearly a week, confirmed Maj Thada Sodarak of the Chalong Police. “We…
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New Zealand national dies in single vehicle crash
PHUKET: A New Zealand national was killed in a single vehicle crash in Chalong early this morning. The woman*, whose name is being withheld until the embassy is informed of the death, was found at a curve on Soi Ta Eid. Her Zoomer-X motorbike was found severely damaged nearby. “While at the scene, the woman’s friends came and told us…
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Rassada woman saved from burning home
PHUKET: A handicapped woman was rescued from her burning home yesterday afternoon in Rassada. Firefighters were sent to the home of Pornnatcha Bumpen, 42, after locals reported hearing an explosion and seeing smoke. Neighbors were quick to rescue Ms Pornnatcha, who is unable to walk, from the fire. “It took nearly 30 minutes for firefighters to put out the flames,”…
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Phuket International Airport looks to ban paging boards
PHUKET: Phuket International Airport is considering banning private paging boards at the arrival hall, confirmed Somsak Pakdeerak, deputy president of the Phuket International Airport Administration Department. An announcement was posted on the facility’s Facebook page, AOT [Airpots of Thailand] Phuket International Airport, announcing that the new policy banning private agents using the boards to pick up passengers would come into…
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Phuket Food Festival underway in City of Gastronomy
PHUKET: The Eighth Annual Phuket Local Food Festival started at Saphan Hin on Wednesday night, with delicious local delicacies being served up by Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada. “This is a great fair that all tourists should know about, as it shows how beautifully unique Phuket is,” Governor Chamoren said. “Additionally, we have just been named as a UNESCO City of…
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Principled park official saves the day for Iranian tourist
KRABI: An Iranian man was reunited with his lost wallet containing nearly 100,000 baht worth of cash on Wednesday after an honest national park officer reported finding it. Wuthichai Prathumthong, chief of a forest protection unit at Hat Noppharat Thara – Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park, found a pair of trousers Tuesday containing the wallet on Maya Bay. “The…
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Missing yacht found sunk off Green Island
PHUKET: A 50-foot sailing yacht reported missing yesterday morning was discovered run aground off an island between Phuket and Phi Phi. Somboon Chooseng, the owner of Anemone, reported that the yacht had gone missing from Phi Phi Don on Wednesday night, confirmed Phuket Marine Police Chief Panya Chaichana. Within 45 minutes of the report being filed, Krabi Marine Police discovered…
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No wastewater contamination at Kata Noi, says PMBC [video]
PHUKET: The first test results of seawater off Kata Noi showed no contamination by wastewater at the popular Phuket beach. Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) officers took water samples yesterday evening following a 43-second drone video going viral on Facebook. The video showed heavy discoloration of the water lapping against the beach. The title of the video is: ‘Kata Noi…
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Ministry of Farang Affairs: Too many ice cubes
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: More beach blanket bilko
PHUKET: Recent photos sent to the Phuket Gazette by a concerned reader revealed that the popular Laem Sing Beach in Kamala has been encroached upon by ‘private investors’ who are renting out multiple rows of beach loungers and umbrellas on the ‘virgin beach’. This illegal activity requires immediate action by provincial officials and law enforcement officers before the re-emerging lawlessness…
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Murder rate climbs in Mexico, while other crimes fall
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Murder rate climbs in Mexico, while other crimes fall Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Murders in Mexico jumped nearly 9 percent last year, their first increase in four years, as President Enrique Pena Nieto struggles to make good on his election pledge to end the country’s…
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One map, one more problem: PM Prayut told survey cut out 1,200 rai
PHUKET: Officials in Bangkok are fuming after Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha was told that the ‘One Map’ project, aimed at seeing state agencies using a map set at the same scale, sliced off about 50 billion baht’s worth of national park and forestry land in Phuket for the benefit of private investors. In the past, the use of maps…
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Islamist gunmen kill 17 in Somalia beach restaurant
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Islamist gunmen kill 17 in Somalia beach restaurant attack Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: At least 17 people were killed when Islamist gunmen struck a popular beachside restaurant in the Somali capital of Mogadishu late on Thursday, Somali police said. Al Shabaab, a militant group aligned…
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Myanmar releases political prisoners before power transfer
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Myanmar releases political prisoners before power transfer Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Myanmar began releasing the first of about 100 political prisoners on Friday, government officials said, days before democracy champion Aung San Suu Kyi’s party is to form a new government after an election victory…
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Jet-skis’ truck-trailer chaos gets “okay’ for Phuket beaches
PHUKET: Nothing can be done about the morning and evening chaos caused by jet-ski rental operators driving their trucks and trailers right onto Phuket’s beaches, explained an embattled Phuripat Theerakulpisut, acting director of the Marine Office Region 5. “I will talk to them about being a bit more organized when they drop off and pick up their jet-skis. However, tourists…
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Motorbike taxi driver found dead at Bang Wad Dam
PHUKET: Police are investigating the death of a Patong motorbike taxi driver after his body was found floating in a secluded area in Bang Wad Dam. Officers were called to the area after a local discovered the body of Chanon Phumpinai, 25, on Wednesday afternoon. “We had to walk quite a long way into the forest to reach the body,”…
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Phuket officials suspend licence for companies hiring illegal guides
PHUKET: Officers arrested six illegal tour guides in Phuket on Wednesday and suspended the business licences for the companies that hired them. “Working along with military personnel and police, we stopped buses and passengers at the Tah Chat Chai checkpoint in an effort to crack down on illegal tour guides on the island,” said Santi Pawai, director of the Ministry…
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All tourist boarding boats must carry ID, says Gov
PHUKET: Tourists will be required to show a form of government identification to CCTV cameras before boarding boats at any piers on the island, Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada confirmed to the Phuket Gazette yesterday. “Having passengers show their identification will help us check on tourists’ safety,” Governor Chamroen explained. “If anyone goes missing or is involved in accident, we will…
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Man arrested in possession of numerous war weapons
PHUKET: A Phuket man was arrested in possession of war weapons and related paraphernalia at his home in Patong yesterday. Police were sent to the residence of Sompong Sakoonthap after several complaints were made last month about the sound of gunshots coming from his home, confirmed Lt Col Sutthichai Thianpo of the Patong Police “After a month long investigation, we…
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Taxi driver escapes death in single vehicle crash
PHUKET: A taxi driver narrowly escaped death early this morning after he crashed his taxi into a power pole in Thalang. Ong-art Kamruang, 32, ‘lost control’ of his vehicle near the entrance to Bang Kanoon Forest, in the northbound lanes of Thepkrasattri Road, confirmed Lt Col Sanit Nukong of the Thalang Police. “Witnesses stated that Mr Ong-art was driving too…
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Bulgarian skimmer busted in Karon
PHUKET: Police apprehended a Bulgarian ATM skimmer on Monday after a tipoff was received from a bank in Bangkok. Boris Tulumbadzhiev, 30, was arrested at an ATM in Karon by Provincial Police after investigators were alerted to suspicious card activity by the Kasikorn Bank headquarters. “We knew we would find the suspect using a particular Family Mart ATM on Sirirat…
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