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.
-
Sponsored
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...
-
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…
-
“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…
-
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,…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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.…
-
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…
-
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…
-
Phuket gang stabs man to death
PHUKET: Police are hunting for members of a gang who jumped two men, stabbing one to death, outside of the Suwan Phu-Pha Hotel in Kathu last night. “We have already arrested three of the gang members responsible for the attack. However, the alleged killer is reportedly on the run,” said Maj Chawalit Petchsripia of Thung Thong police station. According to…
-
Phuket driver yet to be charged for British woman’s death
PHUKET: Police have yet to charge the truck driver who killed a British woman and injured her friend on Phuket’s infamous Patong Hill on Saturday. Nattaphon Glompan, 26, allegedly slammed into the two women on their motorbike as they exited a small soi onto the main road (story here). Rebecca Leanne Shaw, 32, who was wearing a helmet at the…
-
Billionaire women on the rise, especially in Asia
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Billionaire women on the rise, especially in Asia Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: The number of women billionaires in the world is rising fast, with a growing number of them from Asia and self-made, Swiss bank UBS Group AG said in a study released on Tuesday.…
-
Facebook debuts Yelp-like feature to find local businesses
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Facebook debuts Yelp-like feature to find local businesses Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Facebook Inc has quietly debuted a feature that helps users find local businesses based on customer reviews, bringing it in direct competition with similar services from Yelp Inc and Angie’s List Inc. The…
-
Conservative S.Korea backs unwed couples, single parents to lift birth rate
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Conservative S.Korea backs unwed couples, single parents to lift birth rate Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: South Korea wants to root out age-old prejudices against single parents and unmarried couples who live together, encouraging more people to have children in the battle against its stubbornly low…
-
Cosmetic shop raid seizes 100,000 baht worth of unlabelled products
PHUKET: Officials from the Consumer Protection Police Division seized nearly 100,000 baht worth of unlabelled and mislabelled products during a raid on a cosmetic shop in Phuket yesterday. The investigation followed a tip-off from concerned consumers alleging that Tawatchai Wannoon, 30, was selling unlabelled products, such as cosmetics, soaps and teas at his shop,” explained Maj Payorm Pamoonketnil of the…
-
Ironman announces 70.3 Phuket triathlon
PHUKET: Ironman announced today that Philippines-based Sunrise Events and Thailand-based SportMaster will team up to deliver Ironman 70.3 in Phuket on November 27, 2016. The Ironman 70.3 Thailand will offer a US$15,000 professional prize purse and 30 age-group qualifying slots for the 2017 Ironman 70.3 World Championship taking place in Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA. “This race is further evidence of the…
-
Island’s “Bike for Dad’ a success
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada proudly led 5,635 participants during Phuket’s 29-kilometer ‘Bike For Dad’ event in honor of HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej on December 11. Cyclists started the circuit at Phuket Provincial Hall at about 3.30pm and rode the course through Phuket (story here), stopping by Chalong Temple to plant 88 Cassia trees in honor of HM The King’s…
-
Swiss arrested at Phuket airport for carrying ammo
PHUKET: A Swiss man carrying live ammunition was arrested at Phuket International Airport yesterday. Officials discovered two rounds of ammunition and a firearm magazine in the bag of Andre Steinemann, 39, when he attempted to pass it through airport security. “Security officials first asked if he had a licence to possess the bullets. When he wasn’t able to produce the…
-
TAM Airlines Madrid-Sao Paulo flight diverted on bomb threat
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community TAM Airlines Madrid-Sao Paulo flight diverted on bomb threat Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: A flight operated by Brazilian flag carrier TAM Airlines was forced to return to Madrid late Monday after a bomb threat, the company said in a statement. Flight JJ8065, a Boeing 777-32W…
-
Meth-head breaks into Kazakhstani’s safe, steals millions in valuables
PHUKET: Police arrested a man who broke into a foreigner’s safe and stole more than 2mn baht’s worth of valuables, including US$12,000 cash and numerous pieces of jewellery, in Phuket on November 26. Maitree Suebviset, 22, was arrested on Thursday and confessed to stealing about 2.4mn baht invaluables and cash, as well as passports and credit cards, from the family…
-
Body with land title found in pond
PHUKET: A Phuket man carrying a bag with a land title deed and personal items was found dead in a coastal pond on Koh Maphrao today. Chalermpon Cheuanaka, 56, lived with his wife on the edge of a mangrove forest on the small island just off of Phuket. “Inside his bag, we found shoes, a shirt, a helmet, a Chanote…
-
Officials confirm raw, stinking wastewater in Samkong canal
PHUKET: Officials have confirmed that the foul-smelling water seen flowing into the Bang Yai Canal in Samkong on Friday, was in fact wastewater. Phuket City Deputy Mayor Thavorn Jirapattanasophon was alerted to the situation after a video posted by Facebook user Kanawut Boonsong, showing black water flowing into the canal, went viral. “I had already assigned the responsibility of examining…
-
Phuket FC management walks after division drop
PHUKET: The president of the Phuket Football Club (Phuket FC) stepped down yesterday, following the team’s downgrade to Division 2. Departing with Pramookpisitt Achariyachai will be two other key members of the management team: Tunyaratt Achariyachai, a former Phuket senator, and Team Manager Pariyawis Achariyachai. “Our family has put more than 200 million baht into Phuket FC. Nonetheless, my management…
-
World seals landmark climate accord, marking turn from fossil fuels
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community World seals landmark climate accord, marking turn from fossil fuels Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: The global climate summit in Paris forged a landmark agreement on Saturday, setting the course for a historic transformation of the world’s fossil fuel-driven economy within decades in a bid to…
-
Vandals attack Facebook building in Germany
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Vandals attack Facebook building in Germany Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Vandals have damaged a building housing Facebook’s offices in Hamburg, smashing glass, throwing paint and spraying “Facebook dislike” on a wall, police in the northern German city said on Sunday. The overnight attack on the…
Don't forget to check out some other things to do in Thailand - get help starting a business or finding a job in Thailand, buy Thailand property, rent a yacht or book a medical procedure worldwide.