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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Saudi religious police issue rare apology for beating Briton
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Saudi religious police issue rare apology for beating Briton Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The Saudi religious police issued a rare apology on Tuesday for the beating by its personnel of a British man residing in the kingdom in a supermarket in the capital Riyadh. The…
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Putin unveils Ukraine ceasefire plan, France halts warship
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Putin unveils Ukraine ceasefire plan, France halts warship Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: President Vladimir Putin outlined plans for a ceasefire in eastern Ukraine on Wednesday but Ukraine’s prime minister dismissed the proposal, while France expressed its disapproval of Moscow’s support for separatist forces by halting…
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Marines spearhead Phi Phi Island beach cleanup campaign
PHUKET: About 60 officers took to the beaches of the popular party island Phi Phi, east of Phuket, today to talk with seaside vendors and inspect buildings suspected of encroaching on national park land. “We only inspected the buildings. Tomorrow, we will file a complaint against any buildings we believe to be encroaching on park land,” Capt Prinyatham Poonpitagtham of…
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Bread truck kills man crossing Phuket road
PHUKET: A man was killed today in Phuket after being hit by a speeding Farmhouse delivery truck while he was trying to cross the road. The van, belonging to President Bakery Public Co Ltd, was delivering the well-known Farmhouse brand of bread when it struck the man on Thepkrasattri Road. “The victim, an unidentified male, is thought to be in…
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NCPO chief to consider lifting martial law in tourist destinations
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community NCPO chief to consider lifting martial law in tourist destinations The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: First Army Area Commander Lt Gen Thirachai Nakwanit revealed today that he would propose to National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) chief Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha to consider lifting martial…
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Phuket police taser, fire rubber bullets on hysterical hatchet-wielding man
PHUKET: Police tasered and fired rubber bullets on a hysterical Phuket man who was threatening to attack his family and neighbors with a hatchet this morning. “Police officers on patrol on motorbikes were the first to the scene, in Soi Hutchananiwet [in Rassada], near the Phuket Provincial Administrative Organization [PPAO] Hospital,” Phuket City Police Superintendent Sermphan Sirikong told the Phuket…
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The magic of compounding interest
PHUKET: This column has previously discussed compounding interest and the magic it can work, and it is the main reason why it is so important to start saving early in life rather than later. Assuming a fixed amount is desired by a certain retirement age – which is not actually recommended financial planning, but serves for demonstration purposes – this…
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Bioplastics break into local market
PHUKET: Dairy Home, a leading dairy producer, has agreed to use bioplastics for all of its yoghurt packaging, in a deal struck with NatureWorks Asia Pacific, an affiliate of PTT Global Chemical, marking significant progress in PTTGC’s aspiration to turn Thailand into a hub of the bioplastics industry in Asia. Dairy Home Managing Director Pruitti Kerdchoochuen said he expected other…
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New Muay Thai stadium to open in Phuket
PHUKET: A new Muay Thai boxing stadium named Taied Stadium will open in Chalong on September 18.The stadium is located at the heart of the island’s Muay Thai training scene on Soi Taied in Chalong, on the same site as a temporary stadium that hosted several fights earlier this year in order to gauge spectators’ interest. The stadium’s owner, Tawatchai…
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Phuket’s White Prison status untainted by porn cache
PHUKET: The overcrowded Phuket Provincial Prison maintained it’s unblemished White Prison status despite dirty magazines, as well as other contraband, being turned up in a pre-dawn raid this morning. “We searched all possible places that inmates could be hiding contraband and found three adult-content magazines, two pairs of box cutters and a leather belt,” said Phuket Prison Chief Rapin Nichanon.…
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India crush feeble England to win one-day series
PHUKET: India’s Shikhar Dhawan smashed a six to seal a crushing nine-wicket victory over hapless England in the fourth one-day international in Birmingham on Tuesday. The tourists cruised to a win that gave them an unassailable 3-0 lead in the series after another feeble England batting display in which the hosts were bowled out for a paltry 206 at Edgbaston.…
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HRW report exposes ‘wretched conditions’ for migrant children
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community HRW report exposes ‘wretched conditions’ for migrant children The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Thai immigration Police provide inadequate space, inadequate access to nutrition, inadequate education, exercise and bail rights to migrant children in detention, the latest report on the issue by Human Rights Watch (HRW)…
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Five more clinics found to be involved in illegal surrogacy
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Five more clinics found to be involved in illegal surrogacy The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Of the five new clinics found offering illegal surrogacy services, four appear to have acted as middlemen in seeking clients, while the fifth one was found to be in clear…
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Myanmar beauty queen wants apology before returning crown
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Myanmar beauty queen wants apology before returning crown The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A Myanmar beauty queen dethroned for alleged misconduct said yesterday she would only return her crown if South Korean pageant organisers apologised. She also denied accepting free breast implants. May Myat Noe,…
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Islamic state releases video of beheading of second U.S. hostage
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Islamic state releases video of beheading of second U.S. hostage Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The Islamic State released a video on Tuesday purporting to show the beheading of American hostage Steven Sotloff, raising the stakes in its confrontation with Washington over U.S. air strikes on…
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Woman from Guinea cleared in Ebola tests
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Woman from Guinea cleared in Ebola tests The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Laboratory tests have cleared any concern that a woman travelling from Ebola-hit Guinea may have developed the deadly infection. The 24-year-old woman had been under quarantine for a day pending test results. Dr…
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West Africa struggles to contain Ebola as warnings and deaths mount
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community West Africa struggles to contain Ebola as warnings and deaths mount Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The United Nations said on Tuesday the spread of the deadly Ebola virus in West Africa was causing food shortages in one of the world’s poorest regions and the U.S.…
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Phuket’s Keesin family ‘betrayed’ by police in mafia case
PHUKET: Former Patong Mayor Pian Keesin today said that the police had betrayed him in an attempt to discredit his political career and his years of service to Patong. “I accept that the police are just doing their job, but I have no idea what the mafia charges are about. All those years I was a leader in Patong, I…
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Phuket police officers accused of extortion to be formally charged in two weeks
PHUKET: An official from the Public-sector Anti Corruption Commission (PACC) has announced that his officers need two more weeks to complete an investigation into three Chalong Police officers for their alleged abuse of power. “We are nearly ready to press formal charges and hand the case to the public prosecutor, but we need about two more weeks to finish our…
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Police raid offices of Phuket Pisona Group kingpins
PHUKET: Police this morning swooped in on the offices of the Pisona Group on Phra Baramee Road in Patong, home of the central holding company belonging to former Patong Mayor Pian Keesin and his son Prab. Officers led by Maj Gen Paween Pongsirin, the Region 8 Police deputy commander who has spearheaded the purge of Phuket’s taxi mafia, seized one…
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Dolphinarium company calls meeting with Phuket vice governor
PHUKET: A representative of Phuket Aqua Project Co Ltd, the company that is building the Nemo dolphinarium in Chalong, held a closed-door meeting with Phuket Vice Governor Sommai Prijasilpa this morning. “We have heard that many people do not agree with our project,” the representative, who declined to be named, told the Phuket Gazette after the meeting. “People need to…
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Australian father charged with abusing Thai surrogate twins
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Australian father charged with abusing Thai surrogate twins: report The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: An Australian has been charged with sexually abusing twins he fathered with a Thai surrogate, reports said Tuesday, the second case in as many months to ignite debate about commercial surrogacy.…
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Manchester United confirm Falcao loan deal
PHUKET: Manchester United confirmed they had signed Colombian striker Radamel Falcao on a one-year loan deal from Monaco after the transfer window closed on Monday. “#mufc is delighted to announce Radamel Falcao has joined on a 1-year loan from Monaco with an option to buy,” the Premier League team said on its Twitter feed. Falcao was in Manchester for a…
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Phuket taxi mafia suspects Pisona Group’s Pian Keesin and the “Pisona Seven’ out on bail
PHUKET: Former Patong Mayor Pian Keesin, his sons “Prab” and Pattawee, and five other members of the Keesin-owned Pisona Group have been released on bail. Wanted on charges of extortion and criminal activities carried out by a criminal association (story here), Mr Pian and five other suspects from Pisona Group surrendered to officers at the Royal Thai Navy base at…
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Britain says ‘deplores’ Israel decision to claim West Bank land
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Britain says ‘deplores’ Israel decision to claim West Bank land Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The British government said on Monday it deplored an Israeli decision to appropriate a large swathe of land inside the occupied West Bank, saying the move would seriously damage Israel’s international…
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Keesin family trio denied bail over Phuket mafia charges
PHUKET: Former Patong mayor Pian Keesin, two of his sons and five others wanted for their alleged role in taxi mafia activity on the island were denied bail by police today. Patong kingpin Preechawut “Prab” Keesin announced on his Facebook account on Thursday that he would turn himself over to the authorities on Monday [today], but did so at the…
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No hotline for Phuket’s roaming metered taxis – yet
PHUKET: Though roaming metered taxis officially hit the streets of Phuket today, there is no metered-taxi hotline or call service available, confirmed Phuket Land Transport Office chief Terayout Prasertpol to the Phuket Gazette. “We are already planning a hotline, as well as a call service at the airport, but at the moment the number of taxis is just too small…
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Time to fight for the rights of Phuket’s Myanmar migrant workers
Htoo Chit, 49, from Kayah, Myanmar, is the executive director and founder of the Foundation for Education and Development (FED), based in Phang Nga. FED is an NGO that works to promote and protect the rights of migrant Burmese workers. Htoo was recognized as an Ashoka Fellow in 2008 for his work to empower a new generation of migrants by…
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Standing together against Phuket dolphinarium
PHUKET: With several advertisements boasting discounted tickets and all the hype of a new and exciting venture, the Phuket Dolphinarium is on track to open. The community of Phuket will add a new tourist venue that will try to cater to people’s love of marine animals, and to the growing tourist trade from Northern Europe and Asia. Is this what…
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Phuket taxi drivers: Do as the Borneo taxi drivers do
PHUKET: The world renowned tourist destination of Borneo is without a doubt full of wonders: wild orangutans, the rare proboscis monkey, “head houses” with plenty of human skulls to go around, schools of hammerhead sharks and incredibly friendly taxi drivers. Flying half way around the world to remote Malaysia Borneo isn’t worth the trip only to witness the honest, fixed-rate…
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