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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Couple who used online network to take in children face years in prison
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Couple who used online network to take in children face years in prison Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: A woman who used the Internet to take in unwanted adopted children faces years in prison after a federal jury convicted her Friday on charges of kidnapping and…
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Phuket underpass construction company dodges fines for another month
PHUKET: After months of deadline extensions for the Samkong Underpass project, the Phuket Department of Highways has given the construction company in charge of the project an additional 30-day grace period before it starts to levy hefty fines. “We will not start fining them 2 million baht a day for about one more month, as we had ordered them to…
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Escaped TB prisoner surrenders to Phuket police
PHUKET: Police last night surrounded the house where an escaped prisoner was hiding, forcing him to surrender. Nimit Jindamanee, 45, was on the run after he managed to free himself from his restraints and elude his custodian at Vachira Phuket Hospital. He was admitted to the hospital on September 28 in order to be treated for tuberculosis and immune deficiency…
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Digging starts at Chalong Underpass site
PHUKET: Construction workers have started digging drainage ditches on each side of Chao Fa West Road for the Chalong Underpass project, the Phuket Highway Department confirmed yesterday. Work started on December 17, closing one south-bound lane of Chao Fa West Road. “It will only take us 15-20 days to put in the drains along a two-kilometer stretch of the road,”…
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Police hunt for escaped Phuket prisoner
PHUKET: Police are searching for an escaped prisoner who bolted from Vachira Phuket Hospital while receiving treatment today. Nimit Jindamanee, 45, is on the run after he managed to free himself from his restraints and elude his custodian. He was admitted to the hospital on September 28 in order to be treated for tuberculosis and immune deficiency issues. “A committee…
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“HKT love Dad’ cycling event this Sunday
PHUKET: Phuket International Airport has announced its upcoming ‘HKT love Dad’ cycling event to take place this Sunday. The event aims to honor and celebrate HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s 88th birthday as participants cycle a 29-kilometer loop from the airport’s X-terminal, past Thalang Technical College to Laem-Sai Pier and back. Additionally, there will be a release of 300,000 shrimp into…
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Influx of tourists expected over upcoming holiday season
PHUKET: Up to 800,000 foreign tourists are expected to visit the country in the next two weeks, but total annual arrivals will likely miss the 30 million target predicted by the private sector. The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) expects a total of 28.8mn arrivals this year, slightly higher than the original projection of 28-28.5mn. The country’s previous highest arrival…
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Ministry of Farang Affairs: Footloose driving skills
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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Alibaba avoids being named on U.S. blacklist for fakes
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Alibaba avoids being named on U.S. blacklist for fakes Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd has avoided being named on a U.S. blacklist for sites hosting the sale of fake goods, a victory for the firm after lobbying hard to…
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Apple to launch Apple Pay in China, take on Alibaba, Tencent
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Apple to launch Apple Pay in China, take on Alibaba, Tencent Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Apple Inc (AAPL.O) said it will launch its payment service in China as soon as 2016, pitting it against entrenched Chinese rivals Alibaba Group Holding (BABA.N) and Tencent Holdings (0700.HK).…
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Police work to identify victim of single vehicle crash
PHUKET: Officials are looking to identify one of the two victims of a single vehicle crash in Chalong early this morning. Police believe that Chiang Rai native Surapong Sae-lee, 24, lost control of his pick-up truck at a curve near King Power Phuket, causing him to slam into a utility pole. The impact killed both Mr Surapong and his passenger,…
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Brit beaten by Patong tuk-tuk driver
PHUKET: Police have charged a Phuket tuk-tuk driver for savagely beating a British national over a discrepancy in the price of a ride in Patong on December 15. “William Joseph Kamarell, 22, explained that a tuk-tuk driver had picked him up at Soi Bangla in Patong and took him about five kilometers to where he was staying on Nanai Road,”…
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Governor tables new airport route to tackle traffic
PHUKET: Officials are looking to build an alternative north-south road, parallel to Thepkrasattri Road, so those headed to Phuket International Airport can bypass the frustrating traffic jams. “Because of the traffic congestion on the island, especially on Thepkrasattri Road, we need to focus on a plan to ensure that people can get to and from the airport in a reasonable…
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A Decade Ago: Renewed spark of hope
PHUKET: A decade ago on page one, the Phuket Gazette told the story of a renewed spark of hope that filled the souls of Sascha and Patchara Meissmer, as they re-launched the search for their young daughter, Solitaire, who went missing in the 2004 tsunami. “On December 26, I held onto Solitaire as tightly as I could, but the second…
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Opinion: Finding common ground with GMO Bill
Somchai Sakulchit is a Phuket native and current president of the Phuket Farmers Council. He graduated from Phuket Rajabhat University with a master’s degree in Crop Sciences. Here he talks about the negative effects that the new bill regarding Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) will have on Phuket and ways to amend it in order to minimize the impact on small…
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Community at the core of success for Natthakanya ‘Apple’ Saengpho
PHUKET: It’s been a stellar year – and then some – for Natthakanya ‘Apple’ Saengpho, CEO of the Paradise Group. Andara Signature – the latest project from Andamandara Development, the company she runs with Dr Allan Zeman – won best Phuket villa development, best Thailand villa development, best residential architectural design and best landscape architectural design at the Thailand Property…
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Opinion: Phuket says farewell to great man
PHUKET: The Phuket Gazette joins with the entire Phuket community in mourning the passing of one of the island’s most well-known and respected expats, Brad Kenny, who died at the age of 59 on December 11. Brad lived an exemplary life of self-sacrifice and service to the less fortunate, both independently and through the many charitable organizations of which he…
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“Missing’ British backpacker gone diving on Phi Phi
PHUKET: Phi Phi Police located a British backpacker, who was reported missing by deeply-concerned family members after an unnerving ‘final’ phone call, as he was signing up for a scuba diving course on the tropical island at about 4pm yesterday. Jordan Lewis Jacobs, 21, has been on the road since September 2014, having postponed his return to the United Kingdom…
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Business Buzz: Social media year in review
PHUKET: This has been a big year for social media, so I thought it worthwhile to review some of the interesting facts and figures. Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn in the United States were the leading platforms, and the amount of time, effort and money spent in social media marketing has risen rapidly. Social media are now well and truly established,…
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Finance: Market crash or merely correction?
PHUKET: The recent market volatility and media hype surrounding it may have you panicking that another stock market crash (or bear market) is coming. After all, there are serious geopolitical and economic concerns ranging from a migrant crisis in Europe, to Putin on the march in Eastern Europe and Syria, to concerns about the overall health of the Chinese economy…
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Hilltribe member arrested after impersonating tourist police officer
PHUKET: Police arrested a man belonging to a northern hilltribe on Tuesday, after receiving several complaints about him impersonating a tourist police officer. Police were informed that Kersiv SaeJang, 35, was going to different hotels in the area and asking for discounts. “We were able to track down Mr Kersiv with a phone number that he had left with one…
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PEA moves forward with underground cables for Patong
PHUKET: The project to bury the unsightly power cables stretching along Patong’s beachfront road is slated for June next year. The start date of the project was announced during the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Patong Municipality and the Phuket Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) yesterday. “The PEA chose to work with Patong Municipality because it is a primary…
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Asia News Network, Phuket Gazette win Google gold for tsunami publication
PHUKET: The Asia News Network / Phuket Gazette joint publication on the 10th anniversary of the Indian Ocean Tsunami won a gold medal at the 6th Digital Media Awards, presented in Hong Kong on November 18 by Google and the World Association of Newspapers and Publishers. The publication, entitled “Ocean’s Fury: Are We Ready?” was presented and submitted by The…
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Phuket complaint center rolls out mobile unit
PHUKET: In an effort to quickly resolve complaints made to the Damrongdhama Center (ombudsman’s office), the Phuket governor launched the ‘Rapid Damrongdhama Unit’ yesterday. Currently, complaints filed with the office are forwarded to relevant officials. It then takes anywhere from a few days to a few weeks for residents to see results. However, the new unit is designed to expedite…
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North Korea sentences Canadian pastor to hard labour for life
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community North Korea sentences Canadian pastor to hard labour for life Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: North Korea’s highest court has sentenced a South Korea-born Canadian pastor to hard labor for life for subversion, the North’s official KCNA news agency reported on Wednesday, a punishment Canada condemned…
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Singapore seizes huge shipment of elephant tusks, pangolin scales
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Singapore seizes huge shipment of elephant tusks, pangolin scales Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Singapore authorities have impounded half a tonne of elephant tusks in one of the largest ivory seizures made in the city-state in over a decade. The tusks, weighing 505 kg, were found…
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Superyacht Rendezvous drops anchor
PHUKET: It’s full steam ahead for the Asia Superyacht Rendezvous as an eclectic fleet of yachts line up to drop anchor in Kata Bay on December 16-18. This is Asia’s largest invitation only gathering of superyachts where the fun of luxury yacht ownership is celebrated. This year’s lineup consists of S/Y Lamima, a stunning 65-meter gaff rigged Indonesian Phinisi; S/Y…
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Police pursue 83 arrest warrants for Phuket riots
PHUKET: Police are pursuing those named in the 83 unserved arrest warrants issued last month for suspects wanted in connection with the Thalang Police Station riot in October (story here). Officials have been collecting videographic and photographic evidence against the suspects, resulting in charges for assaulting officers, blockading traffic and arson, confirmed Region 8 Police Commander Tesa Siriwato on Tuesday.…
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Hope for British backpacker missing on Phi Phi
PHUKET: The family of a British backpacker reported missing five days ago from Phi Phi Don remain worried about his safety and whereabouts following a brief Facebook message he sent during a social media campaign launched to find him. Jordan Lewis Jacobs, 21, has been on the road since September 2014, having postponed his return to the United Kingdom by…
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DSI hunt three suspects in B2.4bn land encroachment case
PHUKET: The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) is hunting down three men for their alleged involvement in land encroachment cases involving more than 2.4 billion baht of Sirinath National Park land. “We are searching for Ghao Naknam and Ti Nahnam, who illegally acquired a SorKor1 in Thalang for 2bn baht worth of national park land,” Lt Col Prawut Wongseenin, director…
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