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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Phi Phi police hunt gibbon tout after Instagram post
PHUKET: Phi Phi Island Police are investigating the exploitation of animals on the island following former Miss Universe Natalie Glebova posting a photograph of her posing with a gibbon in Ton Sai on Instagram on Monday. The photograph posted on the popular photo-sharing site showed Mr Glebova smiling and holding the baby gibbon, which had been dressed up in a…
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Aussie tourist attempts suicide in Patong hotel room
PHUKET: An Australian tourist remains in hospital today after he attempted to commit suicide in his Patong hotel room yesterday morning. A hotel staffer found the 42-year-old man in his room with a knife wound to his neck. “The man had made an appointment for a taxi to take him to the airport yesterday morning. When it came time to…
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Phuket public urged to donate blood this month
PHUKET: The Phuket Regional Blood Center (PRBC) has invited all qualified members of the public to donate blood this month in honor of HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn’s 60th birthday on April 2. “While we have enough blood stocks in Phuket, supplies are needed in Bangkok,” said acting PRBC chief Pornthip Rattajak. The Thai Red Cross Society posted a message…
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Phuket runner goes the distance – aiming for 100km race
PHUKET: What were your plans last weekend? Did you see a girl running the 61-kilometer road distance from Rawai to Sarasin Bridge? Rest assured her upcoming plans are fixed as well – she’s preparing for her next long-distance run. Meet Kiranee Narabal, possibly Phuket’s most passionate long-distance runner, whose love for her chosen sport has taken her for a 100km…
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Unidentified body found with kratom leaves in Chalong
PHUKET: A man believed to be collecting kratom leaves in the wild was found dead with burn wounds in Phuket this morning, said Lt Chollada Chokdeesrijun of the Chalong Police. “We have been unable to identify the man, who appears to have been in his 20s, or to determine the cause of death,” Lt Chollada told the Phuket Gazette. “There…
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Eight Thais, one illegal alien caught in Phuket gambling raid
PHUKET: Eight Thai nationals and one illegal Laotian were arrested for gambling in Patong on Tuesday. Police raided a rented room on Phra Metta Road after having been tipped off by locals about a group of people who were gathered there to gamble, Lt Col Sutthichai Thianpho of the Patong Police told the Phuket Gazette yesterday. “There were nine people…
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Sukhothai FC stomps Phuket FC in high-scoring match
PHUKET: A high-scoring match saw Sukhothai FC beat Phuket FC 5-2 at Thungtalayluang Stadium last night. Sukhothai FC was forced to start the match without their superstar John Baggio. However, the rest of the squad was full, and they opened the game with confidence, almost taking an early lead in minute 7. Sukhothai FC nearly put another point on the…
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Shocked Myanmar worker falls from scaffolding
PHUKET: A Myanmar worker was seriously injured after coming into contact with high-voltage power cables and falling from the scaffolding where he was working yesterday afternoon. Khan Soe, 22, was working on a building inside Wat Khuan in Phuket Town when the accident occurred. “He was working on the top of the new temple hall, next to some high-voltage cables.…
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Bundle of slow lorises seized in Phuket
PHUKET: A man was arrested on Tuesday in possession of a bundle of slow lorises and two iguanas after police were tipped off about him using them for photo opportunities with tourists on Naka Island. Phuket local Kiettisak Senkaew, 45, was arrested at his home in Pa Khlok at about 5:30pm in possession of six slow lorises and two iguanas.…
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Suspected kill-squad contractor denies charges
PHUKET: The suspect accused of hiring a group of hitmen to kill a man over a Phuket land deal gone sour last month turned himself into police on Monday, but denied the charges. Phang Nga local Anuthep Tanwera, 70, showed up at Thalang Police Station with an arrest warrant from the court in hand. The warrant charged him with hiring…
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Makha Bucha Day alcohol ban in effect until midnight
PHUKET: A nationwide ban on the sale and purchase of alcohol took effect at midnight, and will last all day, out of respect for Makha Bucha Day. “We sent a letter to night entertainment business operators to inform them of the ban, which took effect at midnight,” Phuket Provincial Police Deputy Commander Peerayuth Karajedee told the Phuket Gazette this morning.…
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Bay Regatta kicks off in Phuket
PHUKET: The Bay Regatta takes to the sea in Phuket tomorrow, with more than 30 sailing yachts and 250 competitors joining this year’s race. Unlike most other sailing regattas, this event takes the fleet from Phuket through the spectacular scenery of Phang Nga Bay to a new anchorage each evening, with awards parties held in a wide variety of locales.…
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Five Frenchmen arrested for ATM skimming
PHUKET: Police this week arrested five Frenchmen, one who was wanted by Interpol, for skimming ATMs in Kamala and Chalong. The men – Kevin Tahiango Theodore Okito, 29; Mel Duval Poaty, 29; Accel Jonathan Poaty Pambou, 26; Samir Maruof, 29; and Jessy Bianvenu Vincence, 33 – were presented at a press conference at Phuket Provincial Police Station this morning. The…
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Superintendent investigates Phuket police corruption, extortion allegation
PHUKET: Karon Police are investigating allegations of bag men working in Kata for the Phuket City Police, extorting money from more than 100 bars and restaurants. “We are now trying to identify those who have been illegally collecting money from businesses in the name of the police,” Karon Police Superintendent Sompong Boonrat told the Phuket Gazette today. “We cannot provide…
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Phuket a top choice for inaugural Thailand yacht show
PHUKET: Phuket has been named as a top choice for the launch of a Thailand Yacht Show, to be organized by the Ministry of Transport and Ministry of Tourism and Sports (MOTS). The location for the yacht show, planned for the end of this year, has been narrowed down to Phuket and Pattaya, explained Deputy Minister of Transport Akom Termpittayapisit…
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Charter-flight passengers forced to hike at Phuket airport
PHUKET: Airports of Thailand (AoT) officers are scrambling to take care of passengers arriving on charter flights at Phuket International Airport, as the tourists’ buses are now being forced to park at one of the unfinished parking buildings. “Due to the airport expansion, buses have to park quite far away from the terminal,” said Pakin Sirijun, deputy vice president of…
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Appeal period extended in Dokset murder case
PHUKET: Both sides in the Dokset murder case have requested an extension to the appeal period, the Phuket Gazette was told yesterday. Norwegian national Stein Harvard Dokset, a long-term Phuket expat, was sentenced to nine years in prison for the brutal killing and disposing of the body of his ex-girlfriend Rungnapa Suktong (story here). “Normally, after the sentencing, both sides…
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Danish tourist with drug-abuse history found dead in Phuket
PHUKET: Police are investigating the death of a 52-year-old Danish tourist who was found dead in his Patong hotel room yesterday. “Kenny Isabella Kjaer Olesen was discovered in his room at The Oddy Hip Hotel by one of the cleaning staffers,” said Lt Col Jetsada Saengsuree of the Patong Police. “He was wearing a black t-shirt and black shorts when…
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Generation hospitality
PHUKET: The hospitality industry in Thailand is struggling. Not because there aren’t enough guests, quite the opposite – the number of rooms on the island is multiplying to accommodate year-on-year increases in the number of tourist arrivals. The problem is the lack of skilled workers, explains Patteera Maneesri, Trisara Group director of human resources and a Trisara Academy director. “We…
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Phuket police arrest slow loris tout in Patong
PHUKET: Police arrested a man on Saturday night for illegal possession of a slow loris, which he was letting tourists hold for paid photo opportunities in Patong. “We arrested 23-year-old Natthapol Kensing on Bangla Road at about 7pm. We confiscated the slow loris, as well as his equipment, including the camera,” said Lt Col Sutthichai Thianpho of the Patong Police.…
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Unidentified body found outside Phuket school
PHUKET: Police are working to identify the body of a man found dead in front of Wat Tepnimitr School in Wichit yesterday morning. “The man looked to be in his 40s and was about 170 centimeters tall,” said Capt Nattaya Supannapong of the Wichit Police. “We questioned local residents about the man and were told that no one knew him,…
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Man fatally stabbed in front of Phuket massage parlor
PHUKET: Police arrested two men on Saturday night for fatally stabbing a 20-year-old man outside a Karon massage parlor last month. Officers tracked down Virat Chomket, 32, and Thongchai Sanguanroj, 23, and arrested them at Rassada Pier. The men confessed to police that they were responsible for the murder of Supakarn Petsut on February 23. “The killers were driving home…
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French jet-skier hits German swimmer in Phuket
PHUKET: A Frenchman riding a jet-ski struck a German swimmer in Phuket Saturday afternoon, rendering him unconscious. Chadd Attard, 20, hit Erich Heim, 55, about 200 meters from the shore of Paradise Beach, south of Patong Beach. A lifeguard immediately responded and was able to bring Mr Heim to shore, said Lt Col Anukul Nuket of the Patong Police. Mr…
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French expat killed in Phuket motorbike crash
PHUKET: A French expat was killed in a motorbike accident on Kamala Soi 8 on Saturday night. Maximilien Grau, 35, crashed into a utility pole at high speed and was not wearing a helmet at the time, said Lt Col Navin Petchan of the Kamala Police. “We believe that he lost control on the bend in the road and swerved…
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A very good year for stocks
PHUKET: Each year, I head back to the US to see my mother and meet with clients. It also allows me to see how things are going. I need to do this to see if there’s any truth to the headlines I read. You know the ones I’m talking about – stocks in a bubble, economic slowdown, unemployment and so…
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Meth-dealing mum busted in Phuket
PHUKET: A meth dealer told Phuket police yesterday that she was selling drugs in order to financially support her baby. Natthanicha Wongsopha, 34, was arrested in possession of 170 ya ba (methamphetamine) pills when police raided her house in Thalang at about 4pm. “She told us that she was selling the drugs so that she could have enough money to…
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Australian expat killed in Phuket motorbike crash
PHUKET: An Australian expat in Phuket died in a motorbike crash early Thursday morning. The body of Adam Tepper, 34, was found in Sai Yuan Junction on Wiset Road below a destroyed traffic sign. The motorbike Mr Tepper was riding was about 30 meters away. “Mr Tepper was not wearing a helmet and struck his head on the sign –…
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Brakeless tour bus driver safely stops on Patong Hill
PHUKET: A tour bus driver’s cool head prevented a runaway bus on Patong Hill from becoming the latest serious accident in a seemingly endless string of crashes, some fatal, on this notorious road. When police arrived at the scene, the Amphol Seatiew tour bus had come to a stop after scrapping against a utility pole outside of Wat Suwankiriwong, at…
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Phuket charity drive for world record attempt crosses B1mn mark
PHUKET: Graham Haslam and Mark Cameron have already raised more than 1 million baht for a local charity without having driven their electric golf cart a single meter in a Guinness World Record attempt. Dubbed “The Longest Drive” the duo plan to drive the golf cart from Pattaya to Phuket, about 1,400km, as the raise funds for the Phuket Has…
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New, ‘better-staffed’ police station slated for Phi Phi Islands
PHUKET: Construction of a new police station in the Phi Phi archipelago is expected to go ahead this April, Krabi City’s top cop confirmed yesterday. The ‘well-equipped and better-staffed’ station will be located on Phi Phi Don, the largest and most heavily populated of the islands – all of which come under the administration of Krabi province. “We have already…
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