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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Smooth travel to Belgium and the Netherlands: Visa tips & tricks!
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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Housewife wins new car in Phuket Red Cross Fair lucky draw
PHUKET: Chalong housewife Sompit Khaopong claimed a brand-new Toyota Altis 1.6, valued at more than 800,000 baht, as the grand prize in the annual Phuket Red Cross Fair lucky draw. Governor Nisit Jansomwong and his wife Mrs Nutsaree, who is the president of the Phuket Red Cross, presented the car to Mrs Sompit at the Phuket Red Cross head office…
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Yokohama FC arrives ahead of Phuket friendlies
PHUKET: About 50 players and support staff from the Japanese football club Yokohama FC arrived in Phuket this morning, ahead of their two friendly matches against Phuket FC at Surakul Stadium on January 22 and 25. The squad will be here until January 26. They will train at the Republic Phuket football field at Chaofa Thani housing estate on Chao…
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Phuket Aussies unite to provide mobility scooter for disabled Bangla vendor
PHUKET: A group of Australians in Patong will hold a fund-raising event at the Kangaroo Bar on Soi Bangla Friday night in order to provide a mobility scooter for long-term street merchant Wilaiwan “Wan” Damnui. “Wan works in Patong, around the Bangla Road area, selling various wares. She’s been here as long as I can remember, which is more than…
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![Phuket’s Munchy Machine almost totalled in hit-and-run [video] | Thaiger](https://thethaiger.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/1_2015119154712632_tRlYbGKUMoDinSvivdHOZpUjCGGmpYyEaSoLXpwW_jpeg.jpeg)
Phuket’s Munchy Machine almost totalled in hit-and-run [video]
PHUKET: The Munchy Machine, part of Phuket’s Tuk-Tuk Diner fleet (story here), was almost totalled in a hit-and-run accident near the TX Soccer Stadium in Samkong at about 4am yesterday. “We arrived at the scene and spoke to eye-witnesses, but nobody was able to describe the vehicle that slammed into the tuk-tuk before careening off into the support pole of…
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Bryde’s whale spotted north of Phuket
PHUKET: The sighting of a Bryde’s whale by tourists in the Surin Islands National Park off the coast of Phang Nga, north of Phuket, has raised hopes that the marine environment off the Andaman coast is improving. The whale was spotted swimming alongside a boat operated by Kuraburi-based Sabina Tours. “The tourists, who came from Phuket and Phang Nga to…
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Australia foreshadows diplomatic action if Indonesia executes ‘Bali 9’ pair
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Australia foreshadows diplomatic action if Indonesia executes ‘Bali 9’ pair Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Australia could recall its ambassador to Indonesia if Jakarta executes two Australian citizens convicted of drug trafficking, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said on Monday, further straining fragile relations between the two…
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Finance: Five bad investments to avoid
PHUKET: While there are good investments that can turn into bad investments along with bad investments that can eventually turn into good investments, there are some that are generally always bad for investors. With that in mind, the following investments are ones you should either avoid or limit your exposure to: 1) Your employer’s stock: Legendary fund manager Peter Lynch…
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Thai Pencak Silat fighters bring home gold
PHUKET: The 16th Pencak Silat World Championships ended yesterday with Thai fighters walking away with four gold, one silver and six bronze medals. “So many people attended the closing ceremony to cheer on Thailand. There were lots of students and teenagers from Phuket and other provinces – the 4,000-seat stadium was packed,” said Chayanee Saiyasuk, presenter and representative of the…
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Gov vows to make Phuket world-class yacht, cruise ship hub of SE Asia
PHUKET: Governor Nisit Jansomwong has vowed to make Phuket a world-class hub for yachts and cruise boats in Southeast Asia by putting his weight behind a multi-million-baht harbor expansion project at the island’s Deep Sea Port. The governor’s resolve follows a meeting on Tuesday headed by Minister of Transport Air Chief Marshall Prajin Janthong, who announced plans to make Phuket…
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10 per cent of Patong Beach not enough, says mayor
PHUKET: A three-month trial of a scheme to get beach vendors back to work in special zones along Patong Beach was launched on January 3, but the zones do not encompass enough space to cater to the volume of daily visitors, says the local mayor. The zones are roughly 100m-wide swaths of beach that extend down to about the waterline,…
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Dtac brings 4G to Phuket
PHUKET: Total Access Communication Public Company Limited, commonly known as dtac, on Thursday announced the roll out of 4G services in Phuket. Phuket is the first southern province to receive 4G service, after dtac launched in Bangkok. “In 2014, internet usage in Phuket [grew] by 150% compared to the previous year. The top five favorite applications used in the area…
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Wanted Aussie Bandido Brett Pechey not on Phuket police watchlist
PHUKET: Local law enforcement chiefs today confirmed that wanted Australian biker Brett “Kaos” Pechey, who is currently living in exile, is not a wanted man in Phuket – but they are keeping a lookout for him. Mr Pechey is the former president of a Bandido chapter in Brisbane and wanted on extortion and riot charges in Queensland. He was featured…
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Opinion: Privatized driving tests – driven by cash, or care?
PHUKET: The move by the Department of Land Transport (DLT) to privatize driver’s licence testing is a practical idea (story here), but one that is unlikely to have much impact on the dismal road-safety standards that keep Thai roads among the most dangerous on the planet. For years, going through the process of obtaining a car or motorbike driver’s licence…
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NFL Conference Championships: Final four
PHUKET: There were some great games, along with a few surprises and questionable calls, in last weekend’s ‘divisional playoff’ round in the National Football League (NFL). When it was all over, the results only reinforced what most seasoned observers already knew: having an ‘elite’ quarterback is a key to playoff success. NFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME Green Bay Packers vs Seattle Seahawks…
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Thailand scores gold at Pencak Silat world titles in Phuket
PHUKET: Thailand has won three gold medals at the 16th Pencak Silat World Championships being contested at the Saphan Hin Indoor Sports Center in Phuket Town, with more up for grabs today. Pornthep Poonkaew won gold for Thailand in the men’s 60-65kg division and Napaporn Boonchuen won her gold medal in the women’s 45-50kg class. This morning, Surasak Dekli defeated…
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Phuket sailors ready for ACYC yacht race teaser this weekend (video)
PHUKET: The Ao Chalong Yacht Club (ACYC) will hold the first of three family fun day races on Sunday with a race around Koh Lone, off the east coast of Phuket. “All are welcome to join the ACYC Sunday sailing races. Breakfast is available at the club from 8am. Anybody wishing to sail but does not have a boat is…
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PM urged to drop tobacco control bill
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PM urged to drop tobacco control bill The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Tobacco farmer associations have urged Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha to put a brake on the tobacco control bill, which is now on its way to a Cabinet meeting. The bill, if legislated,…
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Impeachment good for reconciliation, says anti-graft agency
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Impeachment good for reconciliation, says anti-graft agency The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) yesterday insisted that impeachment of politicians perceived as “enemies of the country” would promote, rather than undermine, national reconciliation. “Impeachment of wrongdoers who are the enemies of the…
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Belgian police kill two in raid, foil imminent Islamist attacks
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Belgian police kill two in raid, foil imminent Islamist attacks Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Belgian police killed two men who opened fire on them during one of about a dozen raids on Thursday against an Islamist group that federal prosecutors said was about to launch…
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Euro PGA player Shiv rates Laguna Phuket’s new course “exceptional’
PHUKET: European Tour and Asian Tour player Shiv Kapur last Sunday rated the re-designed course at Laguna Phuket Golf Club as “an exceptional golf course” that maintained traditions of the game. “You walk off with a smile on your face,” he said at the inaugural tournament held to officially open the course. Kapur began the 76-player Scramble tourney with an…
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Even tourists don’t want jet-skis on Phuket beaches, says poll
PHUKET: A staggering 75% of all respondents – including tourists – have voted that jet-skis have no place anywhere on any Phuket beach. The poll, run for four weeks on the Phuket Gazette website, received 6,362 votes, with nearly 3,000 tourists making their voices heard concerning the simple question: “Should jet-ski operators be allowed to operate on Phuket’s beaches?” Only…
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Queer News: Masturbator milks Doraemon dress for cover
PHUKET: Police in Pattaya have tracked down and arrested a man who donned a Doraemon dress and masturbated in public while parked outside stores in the bustling seaside resort town. Police were alerted to the man’s antics after a video posted on Facebook went viral. The video shows the man in his Doraemon dress, safety helmet and surgical mask, rolling…
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Czech busker on Bangla reunited with his family
PHUKET: The Czech father who was busking on Soi Bangla for money while his 6-year-old daughter lay in hospital after being hit by a car has been reunited with his family. Phuket Tourist Police officers visited Lucas Matena and his family at Bangkok Hospital Phuket on Tuesday, where Mr Matena’s daughter Rebeka was recovering from a broken jaw. The officers…
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Strategies for survival: Responding to the Russian tourist crunch
PHUKET: There was much talk last year of the protests in Bangkok and the ensuing coup striking at the heart of Phuket’s tourism and hospitality industries, with many key tourism figures on the island fearing the worst. Yet, it turns out, that while the island has survived the political turmoil in the country’s capital relatively unscathed, it is events unfolding…
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Yosemite climbers reach top of El Capitan in historic ascent
PHUKET: Two climbers completed a historic 19-day ascent to the summit of Yosemite National Park’s El Capitan in California on Wednesday after scaling the rock formation’s 3,000-foot (900-metre) sheer granite face without climbing tools, representatives said. Tommy Caldwell, 36, and Kevin Jorgeson, 30, made it to the top of El Capitan at 3:30 p.m. (2330 GMT), spokeswoman Jess Clayton of…
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US couple stand trial for grisly Bali suitcase murder
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community US couple stand trial for grisly Bali suitcase murder Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: An American man and his pregnant girlfriend went on trial on Wednesday for the murder of the woman’s mother, whose battered body was found stuffed in a suitcase on Indonesia’s resort island…
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Police ‘played a role’ in South Koreans’ abduction
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Police ‘played a role’ in South Koreans’ abduction The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Twelve senior police officers and one civilian were involved in the kidnapping of three South Korean men, a high-ranking police source said yesterday. Ten of the police officers are attached to Metropolitan…
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‘Third gender’ will be acknowledged in the new constitution
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community ‘Third gender’ will be acknowledged in the new constitution The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC) agreed on Tuesday to note the “third gender” or people of different sexuality in the new Constitution, a move likely to empower transgender people so they…
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Vietnamese cargo ship rams, sinks Thai fishing boat off Phuket
PHUKET: Marine officials have detained a Vietnamese cargo ship in Phang Nga after the vessel struck and sank a Thai fishing boat off Phuket yesterday. “We were anchored about 10 nautical miles from Phuket Airport, when at about 8:40am a cargo ship named Phuong Nam 69 came from nowhere and rammed our bow hard,” Arom Sri-im, owner of the fishing…
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Police nail two drug dealers in Rassada
PHUKET: A team of Phuket City Police officers arrested two major drug dealers yesterday in possession of nearly 75 grams of ya ice (crystal methamphetamine) and more than 200 ya bah (methamphetamine) pills. Phuket City Police Deputy Superintendent Santi Chai-niramai and an anti-narcotics team, acting under nationwide orders from the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) and the Royal…
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