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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Sponsored FBS celebrates 16 years with an adventurous Birthday Quest
Leading global broker FBS is marking its 16th anniversary with a special campaign — FBS Birthday Quest. Over the past 16 years, FBS has been on an incredible journey alongside its clients. Now, as a way to give back, the...
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People flock to beaches to honour 2004 tsunami victims
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community People flock to beaches to honour 2004 tsunami victims The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: One decade on, people gathered at various seaside spots in tsunami-hit provinces to remember those who perished in the deadly waves. Yesterday marked the 10th anniversary of the tsunami that killed…
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Ten Years On: Wave of media responsibility post-tsunami
PHUKET: In an age where first reports of natural disasters come in through tweets and Facebook status updates it’s hard to imagine the vacuum of information after the Dec 26, 2004, tsunami. First reports by the local English-language news agency the Phuket Gazette in Phuket, which quickly become the location of choice for international media coverage of the devastation, led…
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Phuket students learn to save lives
PHUKET: Several emergency-response experts were called in to train about 100 students in essential life-saving skills at a special training event this week. The emergency-response event was held at the Phuket ICT Skill Development and Learning Center in Saphan Hin on Wednesday, with the aim of instructing students on how to respond to different emergency scenarios. “As part of our…
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Phuket light-rail system to cost B23bn
PHUKET: The long-awaited light-rail project, expected by many to help alleviate Phuket’s ever-worsening traffic congestion, is expected to cost 23 billion baht, it was revealed this week. Kanok Khemnak, an expert in assessing the environmental impact of mass-transportation systems, delivered the news at a meeting of officials at Boat Lagoon Marina, in Koh Kaew, on Tuesday. “The plans and design…
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Win a car at Phuket Red Cross fair
PHUKET: The Phuket Annual Red Cross fair kicks off at Saphan Hin tonight and runs until January 5, offering 200,000 baht in gold lucky draw prizes and the chance to win a Toyota Altis 1.6. The popular 11-day fair features hundreds of stalls selling local delicacies, knickknacks, clothing and a huge variety of other items. Additionally, there will be entertainment…
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Small service at Phuket’s Tsunami Memorial Wall honors victims
PHUKET: About 50 people gathered at the Tsunami Memorial Wall in Mai Khao this morning to honor those who died in the disaster 10 years ago. The traditional service began at 8:30am with Buddhist monks conducting a mass prayer, followed by a Muslim service and then a Christian service. After the religious ceremonies, attendees observed one minute of silence to…
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NDWC tsunami-warning app still not in English
PHUKET: Budget issues have prevented the English-language version of the tsunami warning application for smartphones from being released, two years after the announced release date, the Phuket Gazette has been told. “We have yet to make any further progress in developing the application,” National Disaster Warning Center (NDWC) Specialist Yaiying Sirithanapivat said. The application was up and running for Apple…
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Video Report: Machete-wielding man attempts to publicly slay traffic cop in Krabi
PHUKET: A Krabi man attempted to slay a traffic police officer with a machete in front of hundreds of tourists after he was issued a warning for parking in a no-parking zone in the beach town of Ao Nang on Monday. Sgt Apichart Narksa-nga and Sgt Jirameth Laosirikul of the Krabi City Police had noticed a pick-up truck parked in…
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Soldiers detained over abducting Phuket foreigners, Military Police probe ordered
PHUKET: Five soldiers arrested by the Chalong Police may face court martial for the alleged abduction of a Ukrainian businessman and his wife last week. “The soldiers are now at the 41st Military Circle barracks at the Royal Thai Army’s Region 4 base in Nakhon Sri Thammarat,” Region 4 Deputy Commander Ruangsak Suwannaka told the Gazette on Wednesday. The Military…
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Police corruption net widens with 9 more arrests
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Police widen corruption net with 9 more arrests The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Arrest warrants have been issued for nine policemen accused of demanding and receiving bribes from an alleged Indian operator of an international online football betting network. Police said their activities also involved…
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PM Prayut gives officials three months to show results
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PM Prayut gives officials three months to show results The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-ocha said he would give civil servants three months to deliver work results as per government policy and those found to be slacking would be “dealt with”.…
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Phuket tsunami memorial ceremonies begin tomorrow
PHUKET: The world’s eyes will be on the Andaman coast tomorrow, as Thailand and the region honor the victims of the Indian Ocean Tsunami, which devastated the region’s coastline on December 26, 2004. Services will be held at the Tsunami Memorial Wall in Mai Khao, on Patong Beach, and in Khao Lak in remembrance of the more than 5,000 people…
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Phuket uncle dies, nephew survives Christmas Day motorbike crash
PHUKET: One man died and another was injured in a Phuket motorbike accident early this morning, just 15 minutes into Christmas Day. “According to witnesses, the motorbike was travelling southbound at high speed when it hit the median strip at the Baan Nai Klum U-turn, near Tesco-Lotus Thalang,” said Lt Col Sanit Nookong of the Thalang Police. Anucha Promraksa, 25,…
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Bus driver in Phuket crash tests positive for drugs
PHUKET: A Chinese tour bus driver tested positive for drug use after crashing on Kata Hill in Phuket on Tuesday afternoon (story here). Six of the tourists on the Xin Tour Phuket bus, as well as a local resident in one of the five vehicles tangled up in the accident, were slightly injured. They were taken to Phuket International Hospital…
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Mystery surrounds deaths of Phuket cave divers at Khao Sok National Park
PHUKET: Two experienced Phuket cave divers died after a diving accident on technical rebreathers near the entrance of Tiger Cave in the Chio Lan Reservoir, Surat Thani, on Monday. Dmitry Dokuchave, 46, died at the scene, while fellow Russian national Alexander Solomatin was pronounced dead at Surat Thani Hospital. “Both bodies were transferred to Vachira Phuket Hospital, with the preliminary…
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Merry Christmas Phuket!
PHUKET: It’s that time of the year again – when the hoteliers disappear from any social function that isn’t work related, the retirees hide in their homes for fear of high-season traffic and the rest of us locals buckle down for the long haul. Oh, yes, the holiday high-season is here. There will be no reindeer (though plenty of red…
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Official New Year holiday period unchanged, says Phuket Governor
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Nisit Jansomwong has laid to rest rumors on social media sites that the Thai government is planning to extend the official New Year holiday period to five days. “The government has already announced that the official holiday period will cover three days, from December 31 to January 2,” Gov Nisit confirmed to the Phuket Gazette. Coupled with…
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Depressed Phuket lawyer spared leap from rooftop
PHUKET: Rescue workers recovered a highly-stressed lawyer from a rooftop in Phuket Town yesterday by grabbing him and pulling him into a cherry picker. “The man was under a lot of pressure about work,” said Lt Wetchasak Juladung of the Phuket City Police. The lawyer climbed onto a third-floor terrace of the building where his friend lives in Soi Suthat…
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In plot reversal, Sony releases ‘The Interview’
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community In plot reversal, Sony sends ‘The Interview’ to 200 theaters Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Sony Pictures will allow “The Interview” to play in more than 200 U.S. theaters as of Christmas Day, reversing its decision to pull the film, after coming under criticism from President…
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World’s toughest Ironman shares his training tips with Phuket
PHUKET: A great triathlete has to be fast. But there’s much more to the sport than speed. Persistence, perseverance and resistance are also essential qualities. Andreas Raelert, a German triathlon champion has it all, and as the Ironman World Record holder, he is fast – very fast. Raelert came to Phuket two weeks ago to train at Thanyapura Phuket. Less…
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Manhunt launched for traffickers, six escaped refugee caught
PHUKET: Officers in Phang Nga have launched a manhunt for 300 people reportedly being herded through the area by gun-toting human traffickers. The search began after two men presented themselves at a checkpoint in Takuapa before dawn on Sunday claiming that they had fled their armed captors. “The men said that they had fled a camp where they were being…
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Breaking News: Bus crash on Kata hill
PHUKET: Police and rescue workers are at the scene of a devastating bus crash in Phuket on Kata hill today. Five vehicles have been damaged in the crash near Baan Kata School. Officers have yet to confirm how many, if any, were killed or injured in the accident. “Right, now we are helping manage the accident scene and the traffic,”…
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Phuket Navy airlifts official hurt in speedboat fall
PHUKET: An official is under observation at Bangkok Hospital Phuket after a Navy medivac helicopter returned him from the Surin Islands yesterday. Amnuay Komonthee, a skills development officer from Phang Nga, suffered spinal injuries in a fall while riding in a speedboat that was en route to a sea gypsy village in the islands. A local team of Navy medical…
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Video Report: Free life-jacket exchange to float Phuket water safety
PHUKET: More than 1,000 old life jackets were exchanged for new ones, certified by the Marine Office, at the launch of a life-jacket exchange program chaired by the Minister of Transport, Air Chief Marshal Prajin Juntong, yesterday. The goal of the event was aimed to improve safety for boat passengers during the Christmas and New Year holidays and beyond, explained…
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Privy Councilor Surayud eyes Phuket sea gypsies needs
PHUKET: Gen Surayud Chulanont, Privy Councilor to HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej and former prime minister, has suggested that local authorities take further steps to improve the quality of life of the Phuket sea gypsies living in the north of the island. Gen Surayud chaired a meeting in Thalang last Thursday to hear the current state of the living conditions of…
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Phuket dolphinarium tangled in red tape (video)
PHUKET: The hotly contested Phuket dolphinarium has yet to meet the necessary standards prescribed by the Department of Fisheries, the Phuket Gazette has confirmed. “There are several things that Phuket Aqua Project Co Ltd needs to change at the Nemo Dolphinarium in order to meet our standards,” said Kiattikhun Charoensawan, chief of the Phuket Fisheries Office. Fisheries officials from Bangkok…
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Joe Cocker, raspy-voiced British singer, dies at 70
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Joe Cocker, raspy-voiced British singer, dies at 70 Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Joe Cocker, whose distinctive raspy voice and soulful musical renditions made him a favorite of his peers with hits like Beatles’ cover With a Little Help from My Friends and You Are So…
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Legal aid fund ‘needs a boost’: Justice Minister
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Legal aid fund ‘needs a boost’: Justice Minister The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A State Justice Fund needs to be boosted and made easier to access so that poor people who face legal charges get equal access to bail, Justice Minister Gen Paiboon Khumchaya said…
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Local bodies awash with graft, PACC says
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Local bodies awash with graft, PACC says The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Many of the 8,000 local administrative bodies nationwide are hotbeds of graft and corruption, the Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission said yesterday. Prayong Preeyajit, chief of the PACC, said there was little oversight for…
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Police corruption scandal: Pongpat, 5 others face dishonourable discharges
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Police corruption scandal: Pongpat, 5 others face dishonourable discharges The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Former Central Investigation Bureau commissioner Pol Lt Gen Pongpat Chayaphan and five officers accused of racketeering and intimidation are to be dishonourably discharged after being found guilty of severe malfeasance by…
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