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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Governor backs GrabTaxi push into Phuket
PHUKET: GrabTaxi is preparing to push into Phuket, following the attempt of similar service provider Uber, which has sliced off a piece of the island’s taxi-service market since it arrived here in November last year (story here). Unlike Uber, which was originally declared illegal by local government officers as they wrangled with exactly what the business model was (story here),…
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Two meth dealers busted in Phuket
PHUKET: Police arrested two dealers and seized more than 2 million baht in assets over the weekend. Police first apprehended 41-year-old Jaruek Sittisak, also known as ‘Bang Dam Koh Kaew’, in Soi Koh Kaew 24 on Friday in possession of 200 pills of ya bah (methamphetamine). “After we arrested him, we accompanied him to a shack where he kept his…
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Cash out Phuket: Kbank to close services for 48 hours
PHUKET: Kasikorn Bank (Kbank) has advised all bank customers on Phuket to plan ahead as it will be closing all banking services, including ATMs, for 48 hours next week. Customers will be unable to use Kbank services from 10pm on Friday, July 17 to 10pm on Sunday, July 19. “We are aware that this will affect a lot of our…
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Six missing as ship sinks between Koh Racha and Phi Phi
PHUKET: Six people remain missing after a boat sank between Koh Racha Yai and Koh Phi Phi at about 3:55am today. The Navy was informed of the sinking and immediately dispatched a search team for those on board the vessel, which was carrying construction materials and a backhoe from Ao Makham to Koh Racha Yai. “We were first alerted by…
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Phuket Governor pushes green plan on Koh Racha
PHUKET: Phuket officials moved to ensure the environmental sustainability and the growth of the tourism industry on Racha Island with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with local hotels and restaurants on Saturday. Governor Nisit Jansomwong signed the MoU on proper trash and wastewater disposal during his visit to the island, while also underscoring that all segments, including…
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Phuket native headed to Miss Universe Thailand 2015 final
PHUKET: Phuket native Chavika Watsang, 19, is asking island residents to vote for her as ‘Miss Popular 2015’ as she awaits the final round of the Miss Universe Thailand competition. Ms Chavika attended Plukpanya School before graduating and going to Srinagarindra the Princess Mother School in Phuket, her father, Chairat Watsang, told the Phuket Gazette today. “Now she is in…
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Alleged robbery victim found dead next day
PHUKET: The alleged victim of a robbery on Friday evening was found dead, hanging from the door to the rooftop terrace of her apartment building yesterday morning. Jantana Seangdee, 37, filed a report with Phuket City Police that two thieves robbed her of her brother’s 400,000 baht in cash after kicking her off her motorbike and stealing her bag (story…
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Kenyan arrested with allegedly fake passport, pharmaceuticals
PHUKET: A Kenyan national was arrested at Phuket International Airport on Saturday night for carrying an extensive amount of pharmaceuticals and an allegedly fake passport. Josphat Gikundi Gichunuku, 35, entered Thailand via a flight from Dubai, confirmed Phuket Tourist Police Chief Urumporn Koondejsumrit. “As Mr Gichunuku proceeded through the immigration queue, the officer checking his passport noticed several suspicious aspects…
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Breaking News: Another two killed on Patong Hill
PHUKET: A cement truck descending the infamous Patong Hill killed two women on a motorbike before crashing into the guardrail. Police and rescue workers are at the scene, and have yet to release the names and ages of those killed in the accident. Just two days ago, a 26-year-old woman succumbed to injuries sustained after a six-wheeled truck struck her…
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Iranian tourist drowns at Patong Beach
PHUKET: An Iranian tourist drowned at Patong Beach Saturday night after getting dragged out to sea by a strong current. Hasan Fhakhr, 30, was pulled out of the water near the Patong Police box at about 6:30pm by lifeguards. They immediately administered cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for about 15 minutes, until an ambulance arrived to transfer him to Patong Hospital. Mr…
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Spike in Phuket seafood prices blamed on monsoon weather
PHUKET: An island official is attributing local fishermen’s unwillingness to go offshore and a resulting spike in seafood prices to monsoon-season sea conditions, rather than a reaction to recent, strict regulation changes to combat Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing practices. “This is not purely a protest. I have spoken to a lot of fishermen, and they have told me…
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Russian fraud fugitive arrested in Rawai
PHUKET: A Russian fugitive hunted by Interpol for alleged fraud totaling 25 million baht was arrested in Rawai on June 10, according to The Nation, citing a press release, on Tuesday. Dmitrii Rodionov, 38, was brought in to a ‘conference’ in Bangkok along with five other alleged foreign criminals who had been arrested for a variety of different crimes, said…
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Patong Hill crash victim dies
PHUKET: One of the victims in an accident on Patong Hill yesterday has succumbed to her injuries, police confirmed to the Phuket Gazette this morning. Laksamiduean Sawadiraksa, 26, who was driving a motorbike in front of a six-wheeled truck when it lost control on the hill, sustained serious head injuries in the collision, and was pronounced dead after being rushed…
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Phuket Governor requests Navy, police protection for sea gypsies
PHUKET: Governor Nisit Jansomwong has requested that naval officers and Chalong Police carry out random checks at the Rawai sea gypsy village to boost security and ensure locals that they will be safe during ongoing land dispute cases. The security boost follows news reports from June 22 that 200 sea gypsies had begged Phuket authorities for protection after a group…
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Alleged IUU captured in Phuket fined B51k
PHUKET: A fine of 51,000 baht was levied against the alleged illegal, unreported, unregulated (IUU) vessels that successfully fled the New Zealand and Australian navies with its cargo of Atlantic toothfish before being seized in Phuket earlier this year (story here). “Last month, the Customs Department in Bangkok fined the captain and South Service Co Ltd, which managed the cargo,…
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Gold-fraud gang hit Phuket
PHUKET: A Kalasin man who pawned a fake gold necklace after his friend successfully swindled the same shop a day earlier has been arrested while his accomplices remain at large. Police received a call from Tongmaneemas gold shop, in Rassada, at about 11:45am yesterday reporting that someone had attempted to pawn a fake two-baht weight gold necklace with a genuine…
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Opinion: Bring back sun loungers, tourists will come again
Tommy Serban, 35, is the senior product manager of TUI Nordic, a tour operator in Scandinavia. He is originally from Copenhagen and has a master’s degree in business management. Mr Serban lived in Phuket from 2007 to 2010 and has been working with TUI Nordic for 14 years. Here, he discusses Nordic tourists’ concerns about Phuket, the current state of…
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Heritage tourism on Phuket
PHUKET: While Phuket has become a leading mass tourism destination and Thailand’s second market after Bangkok, travel specialists and local businesses are digging deep into the island’s rich culture and history to satisfy a growing demand from high-end visitors seeking immersive experiences on the island. The local Baba culture provides one such source of inspiration for those wanting to venture…
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Police arrest Phuket murder suspect, one still at large
PHUKET: Police have arrested one of two suspects for the murder of the SuperCheap Soi Paniang branch manager yesterday. Nattapon Nukoon, 26, was stabbed to death in front of his house in Soi Paniang 3 half past midnight yesterday, said Phuket City Police Superintendent Col Kraithong Chanthongbai. “There was a knife stuck inside his right ear with his right arm…
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Opinion: Soi animals: Good, bad, scary, weird
PHUKET: There are many tales told, time and time again, by Phuket residents of good, bad, scary or weird encounters they’ve had with stray animals who live their lives on the streets of this island. The stray dog problem was recently cast into the spotlight in Rawai and Nai Harn. However, this problem is not exclusive to the south of…
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Phuket gets heavy rain, rough seas for weekend
PHUKET: The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) Phuket office has warned of heavy rain and rough seas this weekend. “We received an official weather report from the Thai Meteorological Department [TMD] forecasting an increase in heavy rainfall,” said Santhawat Riwleung, chief of the DDPM Phuket office. “The report also said that there will be strong southwest monsoon conditions…
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Two Myanmar workers killed in truck crash
PHUKET: Two Myanmar construction workers were killed and seven others were seriously injured when the truck they were riding in crashed on Kamala Hill last night. The truck, which was carrying 40 workers from World Co Ltd, was travelling from Tri Trang Beach to a workers’ camp near the top of Kamala Hill at about 10:30pm when the driver lost…
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Know Russia better with iPad app
PHUKET: Readers seeking a better understanding of modern day Russia know the importance of the English-language Russia Behind The Headlines (RBTH) journal, regularly found throughout Thailand in the Phuket Gazette and The Nation. Now, for those needing more information faster, the bounty of stories created by RBTH is available through a newly launched RBTH iPad app – available on the…
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Video Report: Truck caught dumping near Nai Harn Beach
PHUKET: Island officials are looking for the owner of a truck who was caught dumping rubbish near Nai Harn Beach on June 6. The hunt began after PGTV sent a video clip to Rawai Mayor Aroon Solos that showed men in a pick-up truck unloading construction site refuse into what has quickly developed into an illegal dumping ground just 100…
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English-language seminar on Thai capital market, financial products on Sunday
PHUKET: The Association of Thai Securities Companies (ASCO) will be shooting to give Thais and foreigners greater clarity about Thai capital market and Thai financial products during a seminar on July 5 at the Phuket Royal City Hotel. Those attending will be broken up into three groups, with the seminar being held in Thai for two groups and English for…
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Governor launches search for fake officers in Phuket
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Nisit Jansomwong vowed yesterday to look into a complaint filed about alleged fraudsters entering homes under the guise of anti-human-trafficking officers. Amnuayporn Samneang, village headman of Srisoonthorn Moo 6, filed a formal complaint to Governor Nisit yesterday evening. “Mr Amnuayporn told us that two ‘anti-trafficking officers’ arrived at his home on June 29 and refused to present…
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Phuket police confirm tinted helmets illegal
PHUKET: Recent heated discussion on social media has prompted Phuket police to confirm that it is in fact illegal for motorists to wear helmets with tinted visors in Thailand. The news follows Maj Gen Apisit Muangkasem, national Traffic Police commander, recently speaking to many Thai media outlets about which types of helmets are prohibited. The commander’s statements sparked an argument…
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Finance: Before bidding: Take stock of eBay stock
PHUKET: While you are probably familiar with eBay as a great place for deals on everything imaginable, you might not be familiar with the large cap internet auction stock as an investment. However, there are some compelling reasons why investors should be taking a closer look at the stock right now. For starters, and at the end of last September,…
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Opinion: Fishing D-Day
PHUKET: It is too early to tell what the long-term ramifications of the recent crackdown on the Thai fishing industry will be, but there is no doubt that drastic change is needed to bring one of Thailand’s most notoriously rogue industries up to something approaching respectability by international standards. The fishing industry was overdue for an overhaul long before the…
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Pirated goods vendors flee Kata-Karon shops
PHUKET: A number of shops managed to close before a police raid on pirated goods hit Kata and Karon yesterday. However, police were able to seize about 1,400 items and arrest one suspect. “We received a complaint that there were a lot of fake name-brand goods being sold in the area, so we decided to investigate,” Lt Col Pratheep Choosri…
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