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
What is the 5 year visa for the digital nomad in Thailand?
The Destination Thailand Visa (DTV) is a great option for digital nomads, remote workers, and freelancers who want to stay in Thailand for a long time. This multiple-entry visa is valid for five years, allowing stays of up to 180...
-
Phuket search continues for missing American diver
PHUKET: The Phuket Marine Police are continuing their search today for an American scuba diver who went missing from a Similans-bound liveaboard early Saturday morning. Joshua Michael Devine, 36, a civilian IT operative working at a United States military base in Kuwait, was on the CRP Transport diving trip with his Thai wife and 22 other divers. “We arrived in…
-
Changing winds: Minister puts weight behind changes to boost marine tourism
PHUKET: A special task force has been formed to come up with viable suggestions for changes to visas and yacht-charter regulations to help boost marine tourism in Phuket, with a working deadline for rolling out the changes by 2016. “The task force comprises officials from relevant government agencies, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Tourism and Sports and…
-
Business Buzz: Twitter – Instant marketing, tweets of success
PHUKET: Twitter was created in 2006 by Jack Dorsey and Noah Glass as a method of using SMS to give status updates to all of your friends in your address book, but without the cost or time used sending individual messages. This has morphed into what is now a multi-billion dollar company with 232 million monthly users. What started out…
-
Myanmar worker hospitalized following electrical leakage
PHUKET: A Myanmar worker was injured by an electrical shock from a metal wall divider inside a Phuket worker camp in Cherng Talay yesterday. The 28-year-old man, named only as ‘Mr Ao’, was taken to Thalang Hospital by Kusoldharm rescue workers following the accident. “He was at his place when he touched a metal sheet that we used to separate…
-
Phuket bus terminal eviction order for taxis put on ice
PHUKET: An eviction order to move taxi drivers from Phuket’s main bus terminal in Rassada has been put on ice until after the Songkran holiday, a vice governor has confirmed to the Phuket Gazette. The news follows a meeting chaired by Vice Governor Somkiet Sangkaosutthriak on April 8 in response to a request lodged by 30 taxi drivers for intervention…
-
Comment: Gazette Forum back on line after major revamp
PHUKET: Critics, complainers, doomsayers, drifters, fraudsters, panhandlers, trolls and all the other intellects lurking among the cognoscenti of Phuket, can get back to their keyboards. The island’s largest online forums are back up and running after a major revamps. The Phuket Forum was taken off line earlier this month as record traffic, mostly from the local marine department, cops and…
-
Fishing boat explosion leaves seven crew seriously injured
PHUKET: Seven Myanmar fishermen were seriously injured after a battery allegedly exploded, sparking a fire inside their fishing boat off the coast of Phang Nga early this morning. One of the Myanmar nationals, whose name was withheld by hospital staff, is in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Vachira Phuket Hospital after he sustained severe burns to his entire body,…
-
Shocked Danish tourist allegedly pushed from dive boat after hit-and-run accident
PHUKET: Marine Police are waiting at Chalong Pier for the arrival of a dive boat that allegedly hit a sailboat and fled after throwing one of the Danish crew members seeking the safety of the dive boat into the water. “Everyone was screaming. I realized that we hit the boat, and my friend fell into the water,” 21-year-old Jens Ole…
-
F1: Tilke, tyres, temperatures and tricks
PHUKET: Well, my Melbourne forecast was spot on, and my Sepang forecast was not. Ferrari, which I thought would have problems staying ahead of Williams, stayed ahead of the field. That raises a few questions. Has Ferrari sufficiently improved to take Mercedes to the checkered flag in Abu Dhabi? If it does, I intend to be there. However, I am…
-
Phuket Police boost security following Koh Samui bombing
PHUKET: A Phuket top cop has confirmed that he will boost security measures on the island following a car bomb exploding on the resort island of Koh Samui last night. “In short, we will strengthen our security measures and keep a closer eye on tourist locations, as well as areas where the public generally gathers,” Phuket Provincial Police Deputy Commander…
-
Video Report: Goldie, Eka take stage tonight for Music is My Life at Xana
PHUKET: World renowned, British DJ Goldie is joining forces with Number One Hit Canadian soul artist Eka for the charity jam ‘Music is My Life’ at Xana Beach Club on tonight, starting at 9pm and running late. The show is a tribute to passionate underground Phuket DJ Josh Ezelle, who died in a motorbike crash last year on his way…
-
Five injured in Central Festival Samui bomb blast
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Four Thais, one foreigner injured in Samui car bomb blast The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A bomb hidden in a car parked at the Central Festival Samui exploded late last night, injuring five people, including a foreigner. The five injured were identified as Sudarat Deepenkaew,…
-
Finance: Paying for education
PHUKET: By far the biggest potential financial-headache for a young expatriate family is paying for the cost of an expat child’s education. After all, even large multinationals are increasingly scoffing at hiring expatriates with children or offering pay packages that include paying the full costs of international school fees, which can easily top 325,000 baht to 650,000 baht or more…
-
Opinion: Practice Songkran Phuketiquette
PHUKET: As the Songkran holiday nears, we are continually reminded of the dangers on the road during the Thai New Year festival. Drivers fight traffic on wet, slippery roads while simultaneously getting pummelled in the face with ice water. Officials have made it clear that this year they are determined to make the holiday more about tradition and less about…
-
Opinion: No time to let our guard down
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (PPAO) and the Phuket Provincial Governor’s Office must take emergency measures to return lifeguards to active duty at west coast beaches as soon as possible. The two key governmental offices must also work out a long-term solution to end the annual contract disputes that have left beaches unpatrolled for long periods in recent years…
-
Phuket Immigration, other government offices to close for Songkran
PHUKET: The Phuket Immigration Office, as well as other government offices on the island, will be closed starting tomorrow in celebration of the Songkran holiday. Doors will re-open on April 16, confirmed Phuket Immigration Chief Sunchai Chokkajaykij. “Our office and the Patong Immigration Office will both be closed for five days, starting tomorrow,” he told the Phuket Gazette today. “Any…
-
Triathlon Superkidz take charge in Phuket
PHUKET: More than 180 kids took part in the Thanyapura Superkidz Triathlon 2015 event on April 4. The event pulled young athletes from around the world – Sweden, New Zealand, Netherland, American, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Australia, UK, Germany – as many of them prepare for the International Junior Challenge slated for later this year. The triathlon was broken…
-
Phuket Bike Week riders mount up for charity (video)
PHUKET: Riders joining the Phuket Bike Week 2015 festivities, which get underway at Loma Park in Patong today have their hearts and their helmets set on doing more than just showing off the best motorbikes in the region. Among the activities this year is a mass release of sea animals at the Royal Thai Navy base at Cape Panwa to…
-
Body of man found floating off Phuket
PHUKET: Police are attempting to identify a man whose body was found floating offshore from Layan Beach, on Phuket’s west coast, this morning. Passing fishermen spotted the body about 13 nautical miles from Koh Kata, the small island immediately offshore from Layan Beach, at about 9:30am. Rescue workers from the Kusoldharm Foundation and the Cherng Talay Administration Organization (OrBorTor) recovered…
-
British, Australian expats arrested for ATM card fraud
PHUKET: An Australian and a British expat have been arrested for using data from skimmed ATM cards to withdraw cash in Phuket. British national Jamie Steven McKee, 31, and Australian Darrin John Williams, 48, were arrested near Karon Circle on Wednesday night after police received a tip-off. “Our officers identified the men from the description given, and approached them at…
-
Thalang stumps ICC in cricket face-off
PHUKET: The Thalang Cricket Team defeated Island Cricket Club in baking 35บC conditions at the Alan Cooke Ground in Thalang last weekend. Thalang entered the match without their captain Bill Stahmer and key run scorer Justin Thomatos, while the ICC were without medium pace bowler Pir Sami. TCT’s stand-in captain Andrew McMillan won the toss and chose to field first.…
-
Songkran revellers warned of fines, jail for high-pressure water guns
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Songkran revellers warned of fines, jail for high-pressure water guns The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The Royal Thai Police Consumer Protection Division yesterday warned that people caught selling high-pressure water guns could be jailed for up to five years and/or fined 500,000 baht. People who…
-
Hungarian dope smuggler arrested in Phuket
PHUKET: Hungarian national Kocsis Szabolcs Laszlo, 41, was presented to the press in Bangkok by Immigration Bureau commissioner Sakda Chuenpakdee yesterday after his arrest in Phuket on March 15. Mr Laszlo was wanted for allegedly smuggling 35 kilograms of marijuana from the Netherlands to Hungary on seven occasions, Lt Gen Sakda explained. The Immigration Commissioner said that police had arrested…
-
North hit by destructive hailstorm
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community North hit by destructive hailstorm The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Local officials yesterday inspected the damage at more than 1,000 homes following a hailstorm that hit parts of Chiang Rai on Wednesday night. In hardest-hit Wiang Chiang Rung district, Singkham Jomsawan, president of the Thung…
-
Phuket’s “death lagoon’ roped off for Songkran safety
PHUKET: As the busy Thai New Year Songkran holidays approach this weekend, Rawai Municipality has installed floating markers to rope off the beach side of the sluice gate at Phuket’s Nai Harn Lagoon. The estuary is subject to strong tidal flows between the lagoon and the sea, which trapped and drowned 9-year-old Sarun Srisongkram on March 30 (story here). “Swimmers…
-
Phuket FC whale on Dolphins
PHUKET: Phuket FC’s 2-0 victory over the Pattaya Dolphins at Surakul Stadium in Phuket Town last Saturday elevated the home side move from 10th to sixth place on the Yamaha League One table. Phuket FC striker Andre Louis Rodrigues Lopez of Brazil opened the scoring in the 59th minute, with fellow forward Berlin Nlome Ndebi sealing the match with a…
-
Australian arrested for Phuket plantation scam
PHUKET: An Australian man and his alleged Thai accomplice have been arrested in Khon Kaen for allegedly swindling money out of many foreigners in Phuket. Shaun Michael Albert Maher, 41, and Rossarin Phowichai, 25, were arrested in Khon Kaen province on Tuesday. The arrests are related to complaints filed in Phuket province by many foreigners, who say the two suspects…
-
Police recover body of Israeli girl, ferry fire victim Shani,12
PHUKET: The Krabi Marine Police have confirmed that they have recovered the body of Israeli girl, Sani Manil, 12. Shani was the sole victim in the fire that gutted and sank the Ao Nang Princess 5 ferry while en route from Krabi to Phuket on Wednesday (click here). Rescue workers recovered the girl’s remains from the sunken wreck at about…
-
Phuket gamers spared as car slams shopfront power pole
PHUKET: A woman has been charged for reckless driving after her car slammed into an SUV parked in front of an internet and online gaming cafe, then wiped out two motorcycles in Pa Khlok last night. The car, a Krabi-registered Toyota Vios, came to a stop only after hitting a power pole in front of the cafe, reported Lt Suporn…
-
Tourists rescued from blazing Phuket ferry
PHUKET: More than 80 passengers, including tourists, and five crew were safely evacuated from a ferry that caught fire while en route from Krabi to Phuket this afternoon. Maj Anurak Parinyasathiragul of the Krabi Marine Police confirmed that he received a report that the Ao Nang Princess 5 was in distress at 4pm. Staff at Ao Nang Travel and Tour…
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.