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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Village chief’s son to face DNA tests for Koh Tao murders
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Village chief’s son to face DNA tests for Koh Tao murders The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Police will today make arrangements for a Koh Tao village headman’s 22-year-old son to undergo DNA tests to either confirm or clear lingering doubts that he may have had…
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Slew of tourist injuries prompt Phuket cape safety boost
PHUKET: Following a slew of accidents causing injury, and sometimes death, to tourists at Phuket’s idyllic Promthep Cape, officials have decided to install fences in the area to enhance safety. After refusing to post fences on the grounds that it would alter the natural beauty of the landscape (story here), Rawai Mayor Aroon Solos has confirmed that sling wire fences…
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New Phuket Governor joins his first White Prison dawn raid
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Nisit Jansomwong joined his first dawn search of Phuket Provincial Prison to re-affirm the facility’s “White Prison” status yesterday morning. The mass search, conducted by more than 100 officers from military, police, Corrections Department, Health Office and other government agencies, failed to uncover any drugs or contraband. Areas searched included personal lockers of all inmates as well…
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First defamation case against Hall dismissed
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community First defamation case against Hall dismissed The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The Phra Khanong Court in Bangkok yesterday dismissed a defamation case brought against British rights activist Andy Hall by Natural Fruit Co, a Thai pineapple exporter. According to the court decision, the case was…
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Bangkok Airways reveals four new direct flights
PHUKET: Bangkok Airways has launched a non-stop daily service linking Phuket and Chiang Mai as one of four new non-stop services for destinations in Thailand and Myanmar. Previously, passengers travelling between Phuket and Chiang Mai had to connect at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok. Served by an Airbus A320 aircraft with a seat capacity of 162, Flight PG247 departs Phuket at…
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Bus driver dodges charges for Patong hill killing
PHUKET: The bus driver who ran over a teen that fell from his motorbike on Patong Hill last week will face no charges, police confirmed to the Phuket Gazette today. CCTV footage showed Natthapol Ritthipan, 17, falling from his bike on the wet road descending into Patong last Thursday (story here). “The bus coming up the hill from Patong, couldn’t…
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Multi-billion-baht pyramid scheme magnate arrested in Phuket
PHUKET: A Chinese man who donated 34 million baht to a Phuket temple in July has been arrested along with two other Chinese nationals for their roles in a pyramid scheme that reportedly duped people out of a total of 9 billion baht in China and Malaysia. In making the arrests, police seized cash and assets valued at more than…
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Swingers tee up record golf cart drive from Pattaya to Phuket
PHUKET: Golfers Graham Haslam and Mark Cameron are preparing to set a world record by driving an electric golf cart from Pattaya to Phuket to raise funds for local children’s education charity Phuket Has Been Good To Us. The “standard” electric golf cart selected for the record-breaking undertaking, to begin in March next year, will include some modifications, namely solar…
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18-year-old gets 25 years for slaying parents, brother
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community 18-year-old gets 25 years for slaying parents, brother The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Court last week handed down a 25-year jail term to an 18-year-old for murdering his parents and his younger brother on March 9, Pathum Thani police chief Pol Maj-General Montri Yimyaem said…
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Indian car-bomb fugitive ‘may not be in Thailand’
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Indian car-bomb fugitive ‘may not be in Thailand’ The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Investigation into the whereabouts of fugitive Indian car-bomb suspect, who escaped from a maximum-security jail in India in 2004, found no evidence that he had entered Thailand, Army chief General Udomdej Sitabutr…
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Bangkok bans airborne lanterns for Loy Krathong
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Bangkok bans airborne lanterns for Loy Krathong The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has banned airborne lanterns for the upcoming Loy Krathong festival – on November 6 – in areas around the capital. The ban will cover areas such as the…
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Myanmar journalist killed by army was former bodyguard of Suu Kyi
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Myanmar journalist killed by army was former bodyguard of Suu Kyi Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A Myanmar journalist who was killed in army custody this month was once a democracy activistand a bodyguard for opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, his wife said on Tuesday,…
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Supply rocket for space station explodes on liftoff
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Supply rocket for space station explodes on liftoff Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: An unmanned Antares rocket exploded seconds after liftoff from a commercial launch pad in Virginia on Tuesday, marking the first accident since NASA turned to private operators to deliver cargo to the International…
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Sneaky Russians caught lifting vodka in Phuket
PHUKET: Three Russians are sitting in Phuket Provincial Prison after a second attempt at stealing booze from a Patong convenience store this month. Evgeny Balashov, 31; Nikolay Chuvilyaev, 30; and Vadim Afanasev, 31, were caught on CCTV stealing five bottles of liquor on October 1. However, it wasn’t until they returned on October 23 and attempted to steal a bottle…
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Live grenade found on Phuket beach
PHUKET: A live M67 hand grenade was found on Panwa Beach this morning, on the southeastern coast of Phuket. Experts from Phuket’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) unit promptly removed the war weapon from the sand and moved it to a secure location. “We were informed about the grenade after it was found by a villager near Soi Ruamjai at about…
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Phang Nga triple homicide suspect arrested
PHUKET: A man turned himself in yesterday for the murder of his in-laws and estranged wife in Phang Nga, north of Phuket, on October 20. Pornchai Pitak, 28, who fled into the jungle after the shooting, claims that a foot in his face was the catalyst for the slayings (story here). “I went to their house to see my one-month-old…
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Beach attack on American was self-defence, says Phuket teen
PHUKET: A Phuket teenager has claimed that he hit an American on the head with a piece of wood on Karon Beach on Saturday in self-defence. CCTV cameras captured images of Kitti Keeratiwattananusat, 18, in the area at the estimated time of the attack, making him a prime suspect. Police asked Kata-Karon Subdistrict Chief (Kamnan) Winai Chidchiew to talk to…
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Baby crocodile caught in Phuket backyard
PHUKET: A Phuket resident was given a fright when he discovered a meter-long baby crocodile riling his dog in his garden last night. Kusoldharm Foundation rescue workers were called to Soi Hatchananiwetate, behind the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) Hospital, at 7:30pm to deal with the troublesome reptile. “A resident there told us his dog wouldn’t stop barking. When he…
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Italthai Industrial launches online wine sales
PHUKET: Upbeat about the potential of e-commerce, Italthai Industrial has joined hands with MCFIVA (Thailand) to create an online-shopping website for its wine products. The www.italthaicellar.com website will highlight a variety of secured online-payment methods and next-day delivery as major selling points, as well as promotional offerings for Italthai Industrial’s premium wines. The company expects total sales volume via the…
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Thai youth crowned world sailing team racing champions
PHUKET: The Thai team claimed gold in the team racing event at the Optimist World Championship 2014 Argentina on Sunday, returning to shore to cheers from around the world. After a two-year absence from the prestigious international event, the five member team defeated Asian Games gold medalist Singapore in the team racing finals which saw 38 nations competing for the…
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Doctor postpones hearing into cosmetic surgery death
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Doctor postpones hearing into cosmetic surgery death The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Dr Sompop Saensiri, the owner of a Bangkok cosmetic clinic, yesterday put off an appointment to testify to police about the death of a 24-year-old British woman under general anaesthesia during cosmetic surgery…
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Police ignore NHRC summons over Koh Tao rape-murder case
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Police ignore NHRC summons over Koh Tao rape-murder case The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Police officers failed to show up before the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) yesterday to answer questions related to the alleged torture of two Myanmar suspects, who are charged with murdering…
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PM wary of ‘mirror council’ checking reforms
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PM wary of ‘mirror council’ checking reforms The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha yesterday warned the newly-established Thailand Reform Institute (TRI) against staging political activities that might be deemed illegal and give rise to more national conflict. Announcing the establishment of the…
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Last international forces airlifted from key base in Afghan south
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Last international forces airlifted from key base in Afghan south Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A fleet of planes and helicopters airlifted the last U.S. and British forces from a key base in southern Afghanistan on Monday, a day after the international coalition closed the massive…
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Flash floods swamp Phuket’s main highway
PHUKET: Flash floods swamped a 200-meter-stretch of southbound lanes on Thepkrasattri Road in Phuket this afternoon. “The flooding started at about 3pm after heavy rain in the area,” a Kusoldharm Foundation rescue worker told the Phuket Gazette. “Police had to make the northbound lanes available for motorists heading in both directions in order to keep traffic flowing.” The affected area…
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Bag it up, Phuket
PHUKET: This island seems willing to bag, and double bag, almost anything – except what’s most important. The speed with which a single bottle of cola is dropped into a completely unnecessary plastic bag is astonishing. Simply asking a customer if they need a bag would show a much needed, and improved, awareness of the amount of packaging products we…
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Hardwood only: sex toy found lodged in sacred cave
PHUKET: Krabi officials removed a large, pink faded sex toy from a sacred cave this morning, after it was found mixed with traditional carved wooden phalluses. The offending item, discovered in Phra Nang Cave, started local tongues wagging when a photo of it residing in the cave appeared on a foreign website. “We believe it was left there by a…
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Bad news in Phuket
PHUKET: There’s been a lot of death in Phuket lately. It seems that stories about death and violence have been pouring in on a regular basis over the past several weeks. There was the drug-crazed maniac who chopped up his friend with a meat cleaver and tried to do the same to his girlfriend, and himself. Then, there was the…
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Say hello to Phuket’s new man in charge: Governor Nisit
Nisit Jansomwong, 52, from Ratchaburi, landed on the island earlier this month to take up the position of Phuket Governor. He has a master’s degree in administration from Chulalongkorn University, where he graduated with honors. Before coming to Phuket, Governor Nisit was governor of Ratchaburi province for one year. Here, he talks about tourism’s importance and impact on Phuket and…
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A Phuket Fable: The bowed tree and the bow saw
PHUKET: In my little piece of jungle there was a tree that had grown so verdant it had bent double with the weight of its leaves and mass of branches, so that its top-most twigs had tangled with the grass around its base. The tree’s lopsided state was also the result of a taller tree spreading its branches above and…
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