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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Thailand is a popular destination known for its dynamic culture, stunning beaches, and bustling cities however, travellers can face unexpected travel emergencies that include medical issues, road accidents, petty theft, and natural disasters. To ensure a safe and enjoyable trip,...
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Man dies after slamming motorbike into parked trailer
PHUKET: A unidentified man died after he slammed his motorbike into the back of a parked 10-wheeled trailer in central Phuket last night. Police arrived at the scene on Srisoonthorn Road heading toward Cherng Talay, about 350 meters from the Heroines’ Monument, at about 11:15pm to find the man dead at the scene. “The man had sustained fatal injuries to…
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Swedes continue to dominate Kamala Bowls Majors
PHUKET: Swedes continued to dominate the ongoing series of major competitions at the Kamala Lawn Bowl Club last Saturday as Uffe Egerstaad saw off late challenge from South African Garry Anderson to win the Phuket Open Singles Championships. Bowlers from seven countries competed in the tourney, and the high caliber of this year’s field saw no clear favorite. This was…
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Old Town Festival returns to the heart of Phuket
PHUKET: The 16th annual Phuket Old Town Festival begins today and will continue through Saturday to celebrate Phuket’s unique culture and traditions. The festival will get underway from 4pm, on four roads in the heart of Phuket Town: Thalang Road, Soi Rommanee, Krabi Road and Phang Nga Road. “This is the 16th year we have held the festival. We always…
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Suspected Chinese diamond robbers arrested
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Suspected Chinese diamond robbers arrested The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Three Chinese men, who allegedly stole a 3-million-baht diamond from a jewellery display at Nonthaburi’s Impact Muang Thong Thani on Tuesday, were arrested on the Aranyaprathet border checkpoint in Sa Kaew province early yesterday morning…
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Police say jealousy behind Koh Samui murder, 3 charged
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Police say jealousy behind Koh Samui murder, 3 charged The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Police yesterday arrested three Myanmar workers who allegedly conspired to murder a female compatriot whose body was found at a viewpoint on Koh Samui on Monday. Surat Thani police chief Pol…
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Gunman kills eight in Czech restaurant
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Gunman kills eight in Czech restaurant Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET:A local man shot dead eight people in a restaurant in an eastern Czech town on Tuesday and then killed himself, in the worst peacetime shooting in the country’s history, officials said. The interior minister said…
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Wife and son of dead round-the-world cyclist receive B300k in government compensation
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Wife and son of dead round-the-world cyclist receive B300k in government compensation The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The Ministry of Tourism and Sports will handover this week 300,000 baht in assistance money to the wife and son of the late Chilean intercontinental cyclist Juan Francisco…
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Most judges picked for Yingluck case also hearing other Thaksin cases
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Most judges picked for Yingluck case also hearing other Thaksin cases The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: More than half of nine judges selected yesterday by 146 Supreme Court members to be on a panel to hear the rice scheme case against former prime minister Yingluck…
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Uproar over NRC panel and Buddhist reform
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Uproar over NRC panel and Buddhist reform The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A network of monks and Buddhist followers yesterday officially urged Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha to cancel within 15 days the National Reform Council (NRC) committee on the protection of Buddhism. The move…
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Ex-rector charged in B1.5bn KMITL embezzlement scam
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Ex-rector charged in B1.5bn KMITL embezzlement scam The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Thawil Phuengma, the former rector of King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Latkrabang (KMITL) and a suspect in the high-profile siphoning off Bt1.5 billion from KMITL bank accounts, yesterday morning reported to police to…
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Irish teen pleads for justice over alleged Phuket corruption, death threats, kidnapping
PHUKET: A video posted on the Facebook page “Justice for Jessie” has gone viral as 15-year-old Irish girl Jessie Vard pleads for justice for her family, who have allegedly suffered from years of police corruption, death threats, property fraud and kidnapping. Jessie posted the video denouncing the Thai police and justice system ahead of her 61-year-old father, Colin Vard, appearing…
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Funeral services for Phuket expat, developer Stephen Paine announced
PHUKET: Viewing and prayers for well-known property developer and long-time Phuket resident Stephen Paine will begin tomorrow at Wat Thep Vanaram in Baan Manik, Thalang. Mr Paine passed away at his villa in Phuket on Saturday (story here). Services will be held daily from 6:30pm to 7:30pm, and will conclude on Friday. Final funeral rites and the cremation will be…
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Jomhod wins MMA debut at Full Metal Dojo 4 (video)
PHUKET: Muaythai legend Jomhod Kiatadisak won his first foray into mixed martial arts (MMA) by defeating Cambodian Vorn “Kun Khmer” Viva at the Full Metal Dojo 4 fight event in Bangkok on Saturday. Jomhod, a former Lumpinee and Rajadamnern muaythai champion who now trains at Tiger Muay Thai in Phuket, defeated Vorn by unanimous decision after three rounds. The fight…
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Body of newborn found in Phuket Town trash
PHUKET: Police are searching for the mother of a newborn boy found dead in a trash bin on Phun Pol Road in Phuket Town last night. “The body was wrapped in towels and placed inside a woman’s handbag in a trash bin near the headquarters of the Kusoldharm Foundation,” said Lt Jariyawat Taencheun of the Phuket City Police. “He was…
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Phi Phi boat owner charged for “aquarium in the wild’
PHUKET: An “aquarium in the wild” boat owner was fined 10,000 baht for improper use of his boat after a Facebook post criticized the operation of breaking the law. The large fish hold of Lok Tai Taley (World Under the Water) had been converted to allow fish to swim freely into it and guests to walk among them, Maj Anurak…
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Jailing of ‘Wolf Bride’ actors for lese majeste stirs criticism
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Jailing of ‘Wolf Bride’ actors for lese majeste stirs criticism The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Two theater actors, one of whom is a university student, were sentenced to two and a half years in prison for staging a play in 2013 that was deemed defamatory…
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Brit found dead after night of drinking
PHUKET: The body of a 32-year-old British national was found floating off Coral Island today. The man, whose name is being withheld until next of kin are notified, was last seen drinking at the bar at Coral Island Resort last night. “The tourist checked into the resort on Saturday and was staying alone. He was last seen drinking heavily at…
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Phuket FC squander chance to go top
PHUKET: The island’s premier football club, Phuket FC, threw away their chance to climb to the top of the Yamaha League One division with a 1-1 draw against top side BBCU at Surakul Stadium last night. BBCU almost had a dream start to the match. In the third minute of play, Nakul Pinthong fired in a free kick from the…
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Motorcyclist dies in collision on “shortcut’ to Phuket Airport
PHUKET: A woman remains in hospital after a fatal car accident left one motorbike rider dead on the road running parallel to the runway at Phuket International Airport yesterday afternoon. Officers were called to the scene at 5:15pm, confirmed Lt Col Sarit Butnongsang of the Tah Chat Chai Police. “We arrived at the scene to find a Honda Wave motorcycle…
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Man, 64, arrested for slaying fighting cock thief
PHUKET: A 64-year-old man has been charged for killing a fighting cock thief in the hills north of Patong before dawn this morning. Jarus Rattanarat, 64, from Nakhon Sri Thammarat, called the Patong Police at about 1:20am to report the killing himself. “He waited for us to arrive at the scene, at Soi Phra Baramee 7, and told us that…
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Experts question long-term tourism policy: Quality vs Quantity
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Experts question long-term tourism policy: Quality vs Quantity The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Experts say the government needs to get serious on the long-term development of the tourism industry, and decide whether quality or quantity – that is, sheer numbers of tourists or how much…
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Chilean cyclist on world tour killed by pickup truck in Korat
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Chilean cyclist on world tour killed by pickup truck in Korat The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A Chilean man has become the latest intercontinental cyclist to lose his life on Thai streets, on the final leg of a five-year, round-the-world cycling journey that was to…
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Car-bomb insurgent identified
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Car-bomb insurgent identified The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Police said yesterday they have identified two out of the five or six militants behind the huge car-bomb in Narathiwat on Friday, even though information from 22 eyewitnesses was sketchy and of little use for investigators. Deputy…
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Guard of honor for pilot killed in F-16 crash
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Guard of honor for pilot killed in F-16 crash The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The body of the Royal Thai Air Force F-16 pilot who was killed when his jet crashed in Lop Buri province on Friday will be brought to Bangkok today, Air Force…
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Long-time Phuket resident, developer Stephen Paine passes away
PHUKET: Well-known property developer and long-time Phuket resident Stephen Paine suddenly passed away peacefully this morning. For nearly two decades, Mr Paine was a respected and admired member of the Phuket community. His property development achievements included Surin Heights and the Malaiwana Estate. “Stephen was a generous, compassionate and loyal friend to many on the island and will be greatly…
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No ban on chartered flights, confirms AoT Phuket official
PHUKET: Phuket International Airport has no plans to ban chartered flights, despite a Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) directive ordering the airport to give priority to commercial passenger flights, an AoT Phuket official confirmed today. “Chartered flights have not been banned from landing at Phuket Airport. However, we must follow the DCA’s directive, which states that commercial passenger airlines with…
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Police move to stem sky lanterns, fireworks at Patong Beach
PHUKET: Police have ramped up their campaign against fireworks and khom loi, the traditional “floating sky lanterns” used in celebrations throughout Thailand, in an effort to stop them being launched on Patong Beach. The campaign began in earnest on Thursday night, when officers arrested vendor Chaichana Khuepkrathok, 38, at his house in Patong for selling floating lanterns on public land…
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Phuket Chinese New Year tour bus slams into motorcyclists, houses
PHUKET: A bus hired by a tour company to take Chinese tourists on a four-day excursion from Krabi to Phuket slammed into two motorcyclists last night, before careening into five shophouses. One of the motorbike riders remains in hospital with head injuries. The 13 Chinese tourists on the bus were unscathed, receiving only minor cuts and bruises. “We received a…
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Fire breaks out at Dubai Torch apartment skyscraper
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Fire breaks out at Dubai Torch apartment skyscraper Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Hundreds of people in Dubai were evacuated from one of the world’s tallest residential buildings on Saturday when fire swept through The Torch, a 79-story skyscraper, residents said. A witness said flames shot…
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Chinese New Year pushes Phuket occupancy to 99%
PHUKET: Chinese New Year festivities saw occupancy at registered Phuket hotels hit 99%, despite a projected overall year-on-year decrease in occupancy in the first quarter, said Krisada Tansakul, vice president of Phuket Tourist Association (PTA). In anticipation of a slight downturn in traditional Western markets, many hotels on the island set aside rooms at prices designed to target the Chinese…
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