News
Stay up-to-date with the latest news from across Thailand and beyond with The Thaiger. Our dedicated team brings you breaking news, in-depth analysis, and exclusive stories from this stunning part of the world, covering a diverse range of topics, including local politics, business, culture, and tourism. Keep yourself informed about the Kingdom’s rich history, stunning landscapes, and thriving expat communities, as well as updates on events, attractions, and transportation.
The Thaiger is your essential resource for staying connected with Thailand’s captivating blend of tradition and modernity. To remain in the loop with the country’s most trusted news source, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on social media.
-
Sponsored This Christmas, give the gift of health: essential options for expats in Thailand
The holiday season is here, bringing warmth, joy, and a chance to reflect on the year gone by. As an expat in Thailand, this Christmas is a great time to invest in something that truly matters: health. Whether for you...
-
Iraq Kurds seize Kirkuk; Sunni militants surge toward Baghdad
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Iraq Kurds seize Kirkuk; Sunni militants surge toward Baghdad Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Iraqi Kurds seized control of the northern oil city of Kirkuk on Thursday, while surging Sunni Islamist rebels advanced towards Baghdad, as the central government’s army abandoned its posts in a rapid…
-
Phuket police suspect B900k armed robbery was inside job
PHUKET: Phuket City Police officers are questioning employees of the gas station whose staff were robbed at gunpoint of more than 900,000 baht in cash yesterday morning. Police hope to determine whether or not the armed robbery was an inside job, Phuket City Police Superintendent Sermphan Sirikong told the Phuket Gazette today. “Police believe that the suspects might have relations…
-
Red flags up on Phuket’s deadliest beach
PHUKET: Lifeguards on Phuket’s deadliest beach have put out red flags to warn of strong surf. The warnings have been set up on Kata Beach and Karon Beach. Eight people drowned at Karon Beach between October 2012 and September 2013, making it the deadliest beach in Phuket (story here). “There have been strong, high waves lately. I would like to…
-
Body of newborn found in Phuket rubber plantation
PHUKET: Police are hunting for the mother of a newborn baby found dead in a Phuket rubber plantation this afternoon. Patong Police were notified of the body at about 12:30pm today by a resident who had gone to the Baan Kaen Lek plantation on Phetchakut Road to pick mushrooms. “The man told officers that he smelled something bad, followed the…
-
65 Cambodian laborers arrested on their way home – to be deported
PHUKET: A group of 65 Cambodian construction workers preparing to return home were arrested in Rassada yesterday and charged with illegally entering the country. Phuket City Police received information from undercover officers that the group would be arriving at a pier in Rassada in the evening. “We waited at the pier for an hour, and then the group of Cambodians…
-
Land slip near Patong Hill Road, expected rainfall bring warnings from officials
PHUKET: Phuket officials are scrambling to repair land near the Patong Hill road which slid as a result of heavy rains last week. “We have inspected the road already and have determined that the landslide will not affect residents in the area, as no one lives near the site,” said Phuket Highways Office Director Samak Luedwonghad. The area – to…
-
Officials clear vendors from four Phuket beaches
PHUKET: Officials yesterday gave vendors at four popular tourist beaches in Cherng Talay just seven days to vacate their plots or face forced eviction and legal action. Phuket Vice Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada and Cherng Talay Mayor Ma-ann Samran, supported by about 50 officers, informed the beach vendors of the deadline in the morning. “More than 100 businesses are operating along…
-
Gun-toting Aussie re-arrested with drugs while on bail
PHUKET: Mark Robert Coutelas, 53, was arrested again for drug possession last night, while the Australian was out on bail waiting for his trial to be heard on previous drug and illegal handgun charges. Patong Police arrested Mr Coutelas on May 27 after finding him in possession of 530mg of ya ice (crystal methamphetamine), a handgun and ammunition (story here).…
-
Sierra Leone shuts borders, closes schools to fight Ebola
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Sierra Leone shuts borders, closes schools to fight Ebola Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Sierra Leone shut its borders to trade with Guinea and Liberia on Wednesday and closed schools, cinemas and nightclubs in a frontier region in a bid to halt the spread of the…
-
Isolated North Korea a visitor draw, but sometimes literally a tourist trap
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Isolated North Korea a visitor draw, but sometimes literally a tourist trap Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: “Taking you to places where your mother would rather you stayed away from.” That’s how one Western travel agency advertises its tours to North Korea. The U.S. government doesn’t…
-
All World Cup matches to air live on free TV
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Free World Cup telecast The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: In a bid to live up to its motto of “Bringing happiness back to Thai people”, the junta yesterday managed to pull off a deal for the live telecast of all World Cup 2014 matches on…
-
Four young students killed as ex-director has seizure behind wheel
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Four young students killed as ex-director has seizure behind wheel The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Four primary-school students were killed and at least 10 others wounded in Nong Bua Lamphu’s Muang district after a former school director slammed into them with his car while suffering…
-
Governor outlines new transport plans, with Kata-Karon as model
PHUKET: With illegal taxi booths cleared out from west coast beaches, Governor Maitri Inthusut plans to initiate a public transportation system and conduct a major taxi service overhaul, starting in Kata-Karon. “After we have cleared all illegal taxi booths from Karon and arrested all the people who behave like mafia, it’s time to set up a new plan for public…
-
Sunni insurgents close in on Iraq’s biggest oil refinery
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Sunni insurgents close in on Iraq’s biggest oil refinery Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Sunni insurgents from an al Qaeda splinter group closed in on Iraq’s biggest oil refinery yesterday after seizing the northern city of Mosul in a devastating show of strength against the Shi’ite-led…
-
Philippines captures top al Qaeda-linked militant
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Philippines captures top al Qaeda-linked militant Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Philippine security forces yesterday captured a top al Qaeda-linked Islamist wanted by the United States and involved in the kidnapping of Western tourists, and hailed the arrest as a major blow to his militant network.…
-
Thongchai seeks major breakthrough at US Open
PHUKET: Asian Tour legend Thongchai Jaidee steps into his fourth US Open appearance this week eager to finally stamp his mark on the Major stage. The decorated Thai star, the only man to win three Asian Tour Order of Merit crowns, arrives at Pinehurst No 2 with his confidence sky-high after securing a play-off victory at the Nordea Masters over…
-
International arrivals and hotel occupancy strong in first quarter
PHUKET: The number of international tourist arrivals to Phuket grew by 6.9% year-over-year (YOY) to 962,953 arrivals in the first quarter of 2014. An increase in direct international flights to Phuket have helped insulate it from any negative impact from the ongoing political turmoil in Bangkok, according to CBRE. The average occupancy of upscale hotels (with rates over 2,000 baht…
-
No mention of crisis as Blatter opens FIFA Congress
PHUKET: FIFA president Sepp Blatter made no reference to the various crises surrounding world soccer’s governing body when he opened the annual FIFA Congress on Tuesday with a short welcoming speech to delegates from 209 countries. The 78-year-old Swiss made no mention of the allegations and investigation into corruption surrounding the awarding of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups or…
-
Airport Express Bus sets sights on Kata-Karon; seeks security from violent taxi attacks
PHUKET: The owner of Phuket’s Airport Express Bus is ready to extend his route into Kata-Karon as soon as the safety of his staff and customers can be guaranteed. “I’ve always wanted to run my buses into Kata-Karon,” Prakob Panyawai told the Phuket Gazette today. “Though I have just started talking to the Phuket Land Transport Office, police and officials…
-
Breaking News: Armed robbers make off with almost a million baht
PHUKET: Employees of a company transferring over 900,000 baht in cash from a gas station in Phuket to a bank were robbed at gunpoint at about 11:30 this morning. The two employees had taken the large sum of cash from the Shell gas station on Phra-Phuket-Keaw Road to the Tesco Lotus in Samkong. They had parked their vehicle at the…
-
Cause of Phuket wall collapse that killed three still unknown
PHUKET: Police still have not determined the cause of a wall collapse at a construction site yesterday that killed three Myanmar nationals. The accident occurred at the Crystal Wild Resort, a property under construction on the Ao Yon-Khao Khad Road, at about 4:30pm, said Lt Jarus Lempan of the Wichit Police. “The wall at the entrance to the hotel, which…
-
What it takes to stay safe while snorkelling in Phuket waters
Special Report The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) says that about 80 per cent of visitors to Phuket plunge into the Andaman Sea with snorkelling gear to explore Thailand’s treasures below the surface. At least eight of those tourists have died while snorkelling within the last 16 months. The Phuket Gazette‘s Chutharat Plerin and Saran Mitrarat dive into the issue.PHUKET:…
-
The military coup is bullish for the Thai Stock Market
PHUKET: For those of us from the United States and Western Europe, it is hard to imagine a military coup occurring in our home countries. Matter of fact, I get calls from nervous friends and relatives asking if I’m okay and if there are tanks in the street. Well, for those of us that have lived here for quite some…
-
No late openings in Patong for World Cup
PHUKET: The key representative for Patong’s nightlife industry today confirmed that bars in Patong have not requested extended trading hours so that tourists could enjoy World Cup matches live on television. “We haven’t considered asking for extended trading hours as we don’t think the extra hours are worth it,” said Weerawit Krueasombut, President of the Patong Entertainment Business Association. “We…
-
Taliban gunmen attack Karachi airport academy in second assault
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Taliban gunmen attack Karachi airport academy in second assault Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Pakistan’s Taliban insurgents claimed responsibility for an attack on a security academy at Karachi’s airport on Tuesday, less than 48 hours after an all-night siege by Taliban gunmen at Pakistan’s busiest airport…
-
World Cup live broadcasts threatened by court ruling, warns RS
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community RS warns it might scrap live telecast if court rules in favour of NBTC The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: All 22 million households in the country might face a blackout of the 64 live matches of the World Cup football tournament if the Supreme Administrative…
-
More arms found as amnesty ends, junta readies crackdown
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community More arms found as amnesty ends, junta readies crackdown The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The junta is preparing to launch a major offensive on war-grade weapons possession after the amnesty ended yesterday, when several caches of arms found abandoned in several locations across the country.…
-
Bird strike grounds Air Asia flight in Nakhon Si Thammarat
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Bird strike grounds Air Asia flight in Nakhon Si Thammarat The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: More than 100 Air Asia passengers were stranded at the Nakhon Si Thammarat airport yesterday morning after the aircraft booked for their flight was damaged, presumably in a collision with…
-
Breaking news: Three workers dead, one injured in Phuket landslide
PHUKET: Three female workers were killed and one injured in a landslide near Khao Khat Viewpoint in Wichit just before 5pm today. The injured worker was rushed to Vachira Phuket Hospital, where she is currently being treated. More information about the incident will be revealed as police investigate the cause of the landslide. — Kritsada Mueanhawong
-
![“Fake cops’ not fake, but no extortion say Patong Police [video] | Thaiger](data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0naHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmcnIHZpZXdCb3g9JzAgMCAzODYgMjIwJz48L3N2Zz4=)
“Fake cops’ not fake, but no extortion say Patong Police [video]
PHUKET: Three plainclothes officers thought to be impersonators attempting to extort money from a local business yesterday have been verified as new members of the Phuket Provincial Police, said the Patong Police chief. The owner of La Boucherie in Patong submitted CCTV footage to the Phuket Gazette yesterday that showed three men who claimed to be Patong Police officers entering…
![“Fake cops’ not fake, but no extortion say Patong Police [video] | Thaiger](https://thethaiger.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/1_201461017230718_VnfgltGqGJFPYfOXgpwcYmTzlqlcugifJGMlPJvc_jpeg.jpeg)
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.