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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Make Belgium and the Netherlands your next destination with the right visa in hand. Explore the iconic tulip fields, cruise through Amsterdam’s scenic canals, or stroll through the historic streets of Bruges. Don’t forget to enjoy some authentic Belgian chocolate...
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Article 44 tabled to return ‘stolen’ Phuket park land
PHUKET: Officials have requested the use of Article 44 of the interim Charter to reclaim national park land that was illegally commandeered by investors, the Sirinath National Park chief told the Phuket Gazette. The news follows a meeting on Thursday at the Sirinath National Park Office, during which both Phuket and national officials discussed the progress of an ongoing investigation…
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Opinion: Think, then click
PHUKET: If you live on Phuket long enough, or pay attention to the news coverage while you are here, it becomes quite apparent how fascinated islanders – both Thai and foreign – are by horrific road accidents. The sheer number of road deaths that occur on Phuket put into sharp focus how dangerous the roads are and exactly how fragile…
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Business Buzz: Successfully harness social media power
PHUKET: There is no doubting the power of social media marketing as a business tool. The question is, are you using it, and if so, are you doing so effectively? Social media can be very overwhelming as there are so many options it can be difficult to know where to start. It can also be a case of ‘you don’t…
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Multilingual beach-safety cards redistributed by Phuket expat
PHUKET: The news that lifeguards have returned to Phuket’s beaches (story here) prompted Tourist Police volunteer Simon Luttrell to return to printing multilingual beach-safety advice cards and distributing them to lifeguards. “Now that all beaches have lifeguards again, I wanted to check that they all had my cards to help warn foreign tourists about the unseen dangers of rip currents,…
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Busted at Phuket boarding gate for fake credit card shopping spree
PHUKET: Police arrested a confessed credit card scammer as she waited to board a plane back to Malaysia at Phuket International Airport on Wednesday. Koo Ping Sze, 20, was taken into custody after police received a report from Kasikornbank (KBank) that she had used a fake credit card to make a purchase in Patong. “Kbank identified that the cardholder was…
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Opinion: Ethics in today’s social media world
PHUKET: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LINE and an assortment of other social media platforms and blogs have transformed the way news is managed worldwide, enabling news outlets to be more in tune with their readership, while also allowing them to offload their ethics and other responsibilities toward their communities. Social media tip-offs have become a foundation for community news, ranging from…
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Phuket Airport possible base for US military support
PHUKET: Thailand may allow the United States to use either Phuket Airport or U-Tapao in Rayong as a base for planes assigned to monitor the movement of migrants stranded in surrounding seas. “The Foreign Ministry is reviewing the request,” Supreme Commander General Worapong Sa-nganet said on Tuesday. Thailand is setting up the Operations Centre for Patrol and Humanitarian Assistance to…
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Illegal Thai tour guides busted in Phuket
PHUKET: Three illegal Thai tour guides were arrested in front of their tour groups in Phuket yesterday. Thanachai Sae-yang, 29, was the first of the three swept up in the raid as he lead a group of Chinese tourists through the Kathu Temple grounds. Though Mr Thanachai is a registered tour guide – he was working outside of Chachoengsao Province,…
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Video Report: Navy flotilla floats humanitarian mission for Rohingya
PHUKET: The Royal Thai Navy unveiled a patrolling navy fleet in the Andaman on Tuesday that was given the mission of ‘helping on’ Rohingya and Bengali migrants by providing medical services and translators, as well as food and water supplies. “More than 600 officers have been assigned to this mission, which will be running seven boats, two airplanes and two…
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Finance: One size does not fit all
PHUKET: When it comes to financial advice, my first words of caution to everyone are “never, ever, do anything yourself that you don’t understand 100%”. If the markets seem too complex, there is no reason you can’t handle your financial affairs without using this tool. Every asset class at the end of the day is just that: a tool. There…
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Phuket officials investigate tour companies with foreign shareholders
PHUKET: Officials launched an island-wide inspection of tour companies with foreign shareholders yesterday in an attempt to root out the practice of using Thai nominee shareholders to maintain control over a company. More than 3,700 ‘foreign-owned’ businesses are registered in Phuket, explained Department of Business Development Phuket Office Chief Nimit Kangkajit back in 2013 when a similar investigation was backed…
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Marine Department to review life-jacket policy
PHUKET: The Marine Department is looking to review its strict policy for life-jacket use on tour boats, which requires all passengers to don the vests before the boat departs, confirmed Chula Sukmanop, director-general of the Marine Department. The tough enforcement of safety measures was put into effect in November last year (story here), after a speedboat driver crashed into a…
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Kuwaiti tourist dies in Phuket bungy-jump accident
PHUKET: Police are investigating the death of a Kuwaiti tourist who was fatally injured in a bungy-jumping incident last night in Phuket. Abdullah Adel Kadhmbadman, 25, was rushed to Patong Hospital by a World Bungy Jump Patong employee. He was pronounced dead shortly after he arrived at the hospital. “The man who brought Mr Kadhmnbadman to the hospital first told…
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Pebbles at Phuket skate park cause a stir
PHUKET: The X-treme skate park in Phuket Town was sabotaged with pebbles, creating a dangerous situation for skaters last week. Phuket resident Phakhawat Jret Na Nakon made the discovery when he and his friends went there, according to his Facebook post. “There are pebbles all over the skate zone. We also found the plastic bag used to carry the pebbles.…
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Headless turtle found on Mai Khao Beach
PHUKET: Experts at the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) in Cape Panwa are investigating the cause of death of a headless turtle that washed up on Mai Khao Beach this morning. Kusoldham Foundation rescue workers arrived at about 10:20am after receiving a call from a local villager who found the turtle and initially tried to bury it. “We believe the…
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Petrol tanker driver escapes death in crash with power pole
PHUKET: A man escaped almost certain death early this morning after his petrol tanker crashed into a car and then slammed into a high-voltage power pole, causing a fire and cutting the electricity supply for all of Phang Nga Town. “At Fai Tha junction in Phang Nga Town we found a six-wheeled petrol tanker on its side. It had slammed…
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Police work to identify dead body found outside Phuket resort
PHUKET: Police are working to identify a man whose body was found near the Baan Krating Phuket Resort in Rawai on Saturday. “After we received the report at about 8:30pm, we went to the scene and found the body of an Arabic-looking man with a wound on his leg that resembled an animal bite,” said Lt Veerayut Thanyasiri Sukawarakul of…
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Chanintr Living launches month-long Phuket sale
PHUKET: Chanintr Living has launched a month-long sale at its classy imported furniture outlet in Phuket, providing islanders and visitors the chance to grab quality furniture at a knocked down price. Chanintr Living was established in 1994 and has several outlets in Bangkok and Singapore, as well as one multi-brand location in Phuket. The reputable dealer’s current sale, from May…
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Blazing Saddles: Bicycling in Bangkok
PHUKET: I have long believed the bicycle represents something of a magical chariot with the ability to unleash serendipitous experiences at many turns. So it proved on my last visit to Bangkok, where I had flown to spend some time with my 22-year-old daughter, Olivia, who stopped there en route from Sydney to London. Now it’s probably no coincidence the…
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Thalang trounce Patong in Phuket cricket championship cup final
PHUKET: The Phuket Cricket Group Championship Cup Final was played on Sunday May 17 at the Alan Cooke Ground with the Thalang Cricket Team (TCT) taking their second consecutive title with a comprehensive 157 run win over the Patong Cricket Club. Both teams were boasting strong line-ups for the 100 over grand final, with David Thomas and Jean Matthee the…
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Video Report: Suspects arrested for murder of Kalim man over alleged land dispute
PHUKET: Police have arrested three men for the murder of a 72-year-old Kalim resident on April 24. Eet Chaisit was shot multiple times while driving back from prayer at the local mosque to his home in Kalim, and later died in Patong Hospital (story here). Police first identified the driver of the motorcycle carrying Mr Eet’s shooter from CCTV footage…
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Business Buzz: Get visual with Pinterest
PHUKET: This week I thought we would cover something that would be of benefit to many businesses in Phuket. We are very fortunate that we are surrounded by scenic beauty, which is one of the reasons Phuket has a thriving tourism industry, plus a lot of adventure and outdoor activities. And what better way to promote your business than to…
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Two arrested for “mistaken identity’ attempted murder
PHUKET: Two men have been arrested for their roles in the attempted murder of a man in Thalang on May 13. Kordetch Sinto, 38, was shot in the back while he was sitting in front of his house (story here). Police originally thought that four suspects were involved but, following their investigation, they learned that only two men on one…
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Opinion: Breaking down Phuket food prices
Prakong Rukwong, 56, from Songkhla, is the chief of the Office of Commercial Affairs in Phuket. He graduated from Ramkhamhaeng University with a Bachelor’s degree in international economics, and also earned a Bachelor’s in law from Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University. From there, he continued on to earn a Master’s degree in economics at Chiang Mai University. Here, he talks about…
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BISP/JSA swim academy team racks up records, two members qualify for Olympic games
PHUKET: When the BISP / JSA Swim Academy at British International School Phuket first took to the pool in August 2013, the team had five international swimmers on scholarship, four swimmers from the school’s Flying Fish club team and high hopes. During the August to December 2014 swim season, the team’s nine swimmers (five girls and four boys) competed in…
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Woman charged for Phuket airport bomb threat
PHUKET: The woman who threatened a bomb attack on departing flight Thai AirAsia FD 3002 from Phuket International Airport this morning has been charged for her actions – despite not having any explosive devices on her person. “Phanarat Nopphakhun, 37, is being charged for the fake bomb scare at the airport. She faces a maximum fine of 200,000 baht, five…
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Phuket rescuers helpless as Swiss man dies in elevator shaft
PHUKET: Rescuers helplessly watched a Swiss national stuck in an elevator shaft in a Patong hotel die early this morning. “We think that the doors to the elevator opened up before the lift had arrived and that he stepped into the shaft, unaware that there wasn’t actually an elevator there,” said Maj Teerasak Boonsang of the Patong Police. “An employee…
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Opinion: NCPO battles Thai hydra of corruption
PHUKET: The National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) has taken swift action to show the European Union (EU) that it intends to do more to tackle the problem of illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing practices in Thailand and its territorial waters. Whether or not real order can be imposed within just six months on the huge hydra of…
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Jet-skis wrangle more Patong sand space with new zones
PHUKET: Two jet-ski and parasailing zones and two swimming zones have been added to Patong Beach to fulfill the needs of tourists, Governor Nisit Jansomwong told the Phuket Gazette yesterday. When the zones were first established last year (story here), there were three swimming areas, each 500 meters wide and extending 150 meters offshore, and two jet-ski zones each about…
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Phang Nga newborn found dead in canal
PHUKET: Police are hunting for the mother of a newborn girl who was found dead in a canal in Phang Nga, north of Phuket, yesterday morning. “When we arrived we found the baby’s body inside a well-tied plastic bag,” said Lt Sarawut Phanpan of the Thung Ka Ngok Police. “Inside the bag we also found an umbilical cord and three…
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