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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AirAsia joins Interpol’s I-Checkit campaign against using stolen passports
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community AirAsia joins Interpol’s I-Checkit campaign against using stolen passports Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: nterpol has agreed to expand its I-Checkit initiative under the Turn Back Crime campaign to other businesses after its cooperation with AirAsia, Asia’s largest budget airline, proved successful. Commencing in June, the…
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Lava flow from volcano incinerates home on Hawaii’s Big Island
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Lava flow from volcano incinerates home on Hawaii’s Big Island Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A slow-moving lava flow from an erupting volcano on Hawaii’s Big Island incinerated a house on Monday, marking the first home devoured by a stream of molten rock that has crept…
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Phuket Governor puts underpass construction on hold for Beach Games
PHUKET: Governor Nisit Jansomwong has ordered construction of the island’s first two underpasses to be halted during the Asian Beach Games, which begin on Thursday (story here), so that all lanes can be open for traffic. “Three lanes at the Darasamuth Intersection underpass [near Central Festival Phuket] will be open, as well as the road between Central Festival Phuket and…
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Krabi fishermen protest coal-fired power plant
PHUKET: Local fishermen in Krabi have joined the fight against an 870-megawatt coal-fired power plant to be built in the province’s Nua Khlong district, east of Phuket. A horde of boats carrying angry villagers congregated at the Baan Klong Ruo pier in Nua Khlong at about 10:30am yesterday, wielding large signs that read: “Protect Krabi from coal-power plant” and waving…
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Save the pooches: 15-kilogram python captured in Phuket
PHUKET: A frightened Phuket resident fearing for the lives of his neighbors’ pets called rescue workers to capture a 15-kilogram python that was attempting to escape into a drain early this morning. Wuttikai Dartdean called rescue workers from the Kusoldharm Foundation and the local municipality to the scene – in a residential area west of the Heroines Monument in Thalang,…
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Poll: Should jet-skis stay on Phuket’s beaches?
PHUKET: Jet-skis are back on the beaches and back in the headlines. The latest news that jet-ski operators are allowed to continue renting their machines to tourists despite a notorious week of safety slip-ups – including the death of a Russian tourist – inspired a huge reaction from Phuket Gazette readers (story here). To better gauge public opinion on whether…
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Billion-baht Belgian pot dealer arrested in Phuket
PHUKET: Immigration officers arrested Belgian national Patrick Lagrou, 55, who was wanted on an Interpol notice as a fugitive drug dealer, as he was attempting to leave Phuket on Saturday night. Mr Lagrou is renowned as the biggest marijuana grower in Belgium’s history, amassing a fortune of 25 million euros – more than a billion baht – in assets before…
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Sinkholes strike again in Phuket after weekend storms
PHUKET: Officers shut down a road in central Phuket today after heavy rains and flash flooding this weekend caused a large, dangerous sinkhole to form on one side of the road. Part of Rural Road 4008 off Thepkrasattri Road, near Bang Jo Prison in Srisoonthorn, gave way after strong water flow inundated the drain pipe below and washed away the…
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PM backs China’s road and rail plans
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PM backs China’s road and rail plans The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Thailand is more than ready to cooperate with China to develop the road-transport network that is part of the economic quadrangle linking Thailand, Myanmar, Laos and China, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha told China’s…
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Germany celebrates 25th anniversary of fall of Berlin Wall
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Germany celebrates 25th anniversary of fall of Berlin Wall Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: More than a million Germans and people from around the world on Sunday celebrated the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, the event that more than any other marked…
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Laguna Phuket bestowed award from HRH Sirindhorn for Red Cross blood donations
PHUKET: Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, as the executive vice-president of the Thai Red Cross Society, has awarded a Certificate of Honor to Laguna Phuket in recognition of its long-term contribution and commitment to the Red Cross blood-donation program. Since 2003, Laguna Phuket has donated 1,376,550cc of blood from 3,059 associates who have participated in the resort’s quarterly…
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Phuket beach club dodges demolition, pending appeal
PHUKET: The local contingent of the Royal Thai Army yesterday called for the demolition of a Phuket beach restaurant to be halted while the owner’s appeal is heard in court. The Beach Club restaurant and the Baan Bussaba Massage & Beauty venue at Nai Yang Beach were both targeted for demolition under the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO)…
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Phuket hotel staffers test positive for drugs in crime sweep
PHUKET: Patong Police raided the resort town for drugs this week as part of a Loy Krathong festival crime sweep, busting three for possession of ya ice (crystal methamphetamine) and conducting random drug tests on hotel staffers. Officers conducted random drug tests on 144 employees of Avista Hideaway Resort and Spa near Tri Trang Beach, at the request of the…
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Koh Tao suspects to be indicted by end of month
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Koh Tao suspects to be indicted by end of month The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Thawatchai Siangjaew, deputy director general of Regional Public Prosecution 8, announced yesterday that prosecutors should be able to indict two Myanmar men charged with the murder of two Britons on…
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‘Cannibal’ tries to eat woman in British murder case
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community ‘Cannibal’ tries to eat woman in British murder case Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: British police confronted a man trying to eat the eyeball and face of a woman and used a stun gun on the cannibal who later died, local media quoted witnesses as saying.…
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Prosecutors, anti-graft agency still at odds over Yingluck case
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Prosecutors, anti-graft agency still at odds over Yingluck case The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The anti-graft agency and public prosecutors failed for a third time yesterday to reach agreement on whether a criminal case should be filed against former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra in relation…
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Phuket warned of heavy rain, flash floods for the weekend
PHUKET: The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) Phuket office has issued a weather warning ahead of expected heavy rains and possible flash floods this weekend. “We received an official weather report from the Thai Meteorological Department [TMD] today, which forecasts increasingly heavy rainfall by this weekend,” said Santhawat Riwleung, chief of the DDPM Phuket office. “Please be prepared…
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Phuket worker seriously injured by electric shock, fall from building
PHUKET: One man is in critical condition at Vachira Phuket Hospital after he and a co-worker suffered severe electric shock and fell two stories from a building they working on in Patong this morning. Both men, whose identities have yet yet to be confirmed but are believed to be Myanmar nationals, were rushed to Patong Hospital after the accident. “We…
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Phuket underpass will not open in time for Beach Games
PHUKET: The Phuket Highways Office director has admitted that the underpass at the Darasamuth Intersection will not be complete in time to welcome the expected massive influx of tourists for the Asian Beach Games next week. He did, however, vow that the underpass, located beside the Central Festival Phuket shopping mall on the bypass road, would be complete by the…
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Danish fugitive expat arrested in Phuket for B45mn tax-evasion case
PHUKET: A Danish expat has been arrested in Phuket on an international arrest warrant for tax evasion involving more than 8 million Danish kroner (about 45mn baht). Phuket Immigration Police received an order from the Thailand Immigration Bureau headquarters in Bangkok on October 28 to track down and arrest Peter Jensen, 48, as he was wanted by Interpol on an…
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Court extends detention of Koh Tao suspects
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Court extends detention of Koh Tao suspects The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The 12-day detention period for the two Myanmar suspects held for the Koh Tao murders was extended for a fourth time and their indictment is expected to be due before the end of…
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50 Bangkok police chiefs face probe
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community 50 Bangkok police chiefs face probe The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The chiefs of 50 metropolitan police stations and a large number of senior officers face disciplinary investigation following allegations that they unlawfully benefited from advertisers who put up many signboards at Bangkok intersections without…
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Govt may lift martial law in certain provinces
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Govt may lift martial law in certain provinces The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam said yesterday that the government would consider lifting martial law in some provinces to boost the country’s economic recovery and bring back tourists. Financial authorities have predicted…
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US commission urges Obama to meet persecuted Rohingya in Myanmar
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community US commission urges Obama to meet persecuted Rohingya in Myanmar Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A U.S. government agency called on President Barack Obama on Thursday to meet with Rohingya Muslims and other minorities when he visits Myanmar this month and to press the government to…
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Phuket butcher robs 7-Eleven at knifepoint
PHUKET: A local butcher robbed a 7-Eleven of 1,000 baht at knifepoint early yesterday morning, then used the stolen cash to pay for a prostitute, a deputy commander of the Phuket Provincial Police revealed today. Wichit Police received a report from the Tung Charoen 7-Eleven branch at about 4:20am. “There were three staff working at the time of the robbery,…
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Seedlings project offers opportunities to underprivileged Phuket youth
PHUKET: The Banyan Tree’s Seedlings program has finally sprouted in Phuket, with 15 underprivileged local youths receiving skills training to take into the workplace. The Banyan Tree launched the group-wide corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative in 2007 as a way to “support enhanced long-term prosperity within communities”. “Creating a giving culture is more than just giving money, it’s about giving…
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Preventing a dolphin disaster in Phuket
PHUKET: My name is Lou. I am 10 years old and I am passionate about dolphins. I have been working on a “passion project” about dolphins with Vicki from the Dolphin Project and Gecko Community Phuket. Do you know what is happening in Taiji, Japan at this moment? Dolphins are being captured in a small bay called “The Cove”. The…
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Stay safe for Loy Krathong, say Phuket police
PHUKET: Region 8 Police have issued a warning that they will be out in force to maintain law and order, amid safety concerns for tonight’s Loy Krathong celebrations in Phuket. “Please make sure you lock up your house properly and do not take many valuable items with you in case criminals are looking to take advantage of festival-goers,” said Region…
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Video Report: Chang ITF Pro Circuit women’s tournament
PHUKET: The International Tennis Federation (ITF) brought some serious tennis to Phuket recently, as young hopefuls gathered at Thanyapura looking to drive up their rankings, in the hopes of one day qualifying to compete against the big boys and girls at Wimbledon and elsewhere on the pro circuit. The second Chang ITF Pro Circuit women’s tournament ended at Thanyapura on…
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SAT expects Thais to take first at Asian Beach Games
PHUKET: The Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT) has revealed that it expects Thai athletes to claim 44 of 51 gold medals at the 4th Asian Beach Games, which begin in Phuket on Novmeber 14. The Sports Reporters-Photographers Association of Thailand recently held a “Meet the Press” conference to review Thai athletes’ preparation and assess their chances at bringing home gold…
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