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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Phuket Airport bomb scare leads to hijacking drill
PHUKET: Phuket International Airport held an airplane hijacking drill today in the wake of a bomb scare yesterday morning. Phuket Airport received an anonymous call yesterday threatening to blow up AirAsia flight FD 3003, which departed from Don Mueang Airport at 10:55am, bound for Phuket. On board were 167 passengers and six crew. The plane was immediately escorted to an…
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Phuket women’s club scholarships shine light on poor students’ futures
PHUKET: In its decades-long drive to offer educational opportunities to students from impoverished families, the Phuket International Women’s Club (PIWC) recently granted scholarships to 80 students from Phuket and nearby provinces. The scholarships, valued together at more than 2 million baht, were granted at an event at Satree Phuket School last Wednesday. The 80 new dedications brought the number of…
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Singaporean wine expert leads two day California wine training seminar
PHUKET: Times when a waiter in a restaurant could get away with just about any wine recommendation – a white for the fish or a random red to go with meat – are luckily over. These days, customers are more and more knowledgeable and demand an ever-growing level of service. Better trained staff can be the key to success, especially…
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Phuket officials target trash-clogged drains in flood-defense plan
PHUKET: Phuket officials confirmed yesterday that Patong’s drains will be dredged after an inspection revealed they had become clogged with sediment and trash, contributing to recent flooding in the area. The inspection of the roads and of Pak Bang Canal also revealed that many of the buildings there had been extended beyond the legal limit of three meters from the…
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Phuket blackout leaves underpass underwater
PHUKET: Traffic ground to a crawl at the Darasamuth underpass on Monday after a three-hour power outage rendered pumps useless and allowed heavy rain to flood the underground road. The underpass construction site, located in front of the Central Festival Phuket shopping mall on the bypass road, lost power supply after a transformer blew, explained Samak Luedwonghad, director of the…
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Phuket beach vendors file complaints over cleanup campaign
PHUKET: Kamala beach operators had until 4pm yesterday to file complaints at the Kathu District Office about the effects that the Army-ordered Phuket beach cleanup campaign has had on their livelihoods. At least 40 beach vendors, including umbrella and beach chair operators, restaurant operators and drink vendors, registered their complaints, Kathu District Chief Sayan Chanachaiwong told the Phuket Gazette. “We…
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Panadda urges ethics panels be set up
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Panadda urges ethics panels be set up The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: PM’s Office permanent-secretary ML Panadda Diskul yesterday suggested that ethics committees be established to check local government agencies as part of efforts to fight corruption. Panadda made the proposal after members of the…
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French boy, 5, dies after being stung by jellyfish off Pha-ngan
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community French boy, 5, dies after being stung by jellyfish off Pha-ngan The Nation/ Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Koh Pha-ngan authorities have warned people to beware of box jellyfish after a |five-year-old French boy died on Saturday after being stung while swimming at a beach of this resort…
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Japan could offer unapproved Ebola drug
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Japan could offer unapproved Ebola drug Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Japan could offer an unapproved drug under certain circumstances to help treat the deadly Ebola virus even before the World Health Organization has decided to make a request for the drug, the country’s top government…
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New premier shares Erdogan’s vision of Turkey’s place in the world
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community New premier shares Erdogan’s vision of Turkey’s place in the world Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: By temperament they appear opposites, but Turkey’s softly spoken new prime minister and the man he replaces – firebrand president-elect Tayyip Erdogan – share a deep bond based on a…
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Thai ‘baby factory’ doctor to turn himself in
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Thai ‘baby factory’ doctor to turn himself in – police Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A Thai doctor who performed in vitro fertilisation (IVF) for women involved in a surrogate baby business dubbed the “baby factory” has agreed to turn himself in, police said on Monday.…
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Sepak Takraw competition in Sri Soonthorn
A competition of Sepak Takraw, known also as kick volleyball, was held in Phuket’s Sri Soonthorn on 23-24 August. Players from 21 teams divided into three age categories could showcase their acrobatic skills while competing for the prizes with another 10 teams playing Freestyle Sepak Takraw. “The purposes of this competition is to encourage people, especially teenagers, to spend time…
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Australia unveils measures to tackle rise of foreign fighters
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Australia unveils measures to tackle rise of foreign fighters Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Australia unveiled counter-terrorism measures on Tuesday to prevent young people from becoming radicalised and going to fight in overseas conflicts such as Iraq and Syria, where scores of Australians have joined militant…
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Swedish, Filipino ATM skimmers nabbed in Chiang Mai
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Swedish, Filipino ATM skimmers nabbed in Chiang Mai The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Police have arrested two ATM skimmer suspects – a Swedish man and a Filipino – in Chiang Mai along with 500 fake electronic cards. Following a tip-off by a bank about someone…
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Surrogate mums admit lying in court over Shigeta’s babies
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Surrogate mums admit lying in court over Shigeta’s babies The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Two Thai surrogate mothers told police yesterday they were instructed to lie to the courts during adoption hearings – to say that their babies were conceived during affairs with the Japanese…
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French PM to unveil pro-reform cabinet after rebel ministers’ eviction
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community French PM to unveil pro-reform cabinet after rebel ministers’ eviction Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: France’s prime minister will scramble to put together a new pro-reform government on Tuesday, a day after the surprise eviction of rebel ministers who had opposed budgetary rigour. Manuel Valls will…
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Phuket registration for National Reform Council candidates opens
PHUKET: Registration opened today for people wanting to enter the race to serve as Phuket’s representatives on the yet-to-be created National Reform Council (NRC). Wannabe candidates can register at the Phuket Election Commission (PEC) office, on Amphur Road in Phuket Town, from 8:30am to 4:30pm until September 2, PEC Director Kitipong Thiengkunakrit announced this afternoon. The NRC will comprise 250…
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Phuket downpour causes truck slide on Patong Hill
PHUKET: Police have urged motorists throughout Phuket to slow down and exercise more caution than usual during the current spate of very heavy thundershowers passing across the island. The call for safer driving follows heavy rain this afternoon causing a six-wheeled truck lugging sacks of rice over Patong Hill to slide backwards down the hill into the path of traffic…
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Phuket floods strike, sink Patong Police Station again
PHUKET: The Patong Police Station flooded for the third time in two weeks as another heavy rainstorm pummeled Phuket earlier this afternoon. “The water is up to our hips at the station,” said Lt Col Suttichai Tianpho of the Patong Police. “The computers and case files have remained on the second floor since the last flood. Now we are moving…
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Gen Prayuth officially appointed 29th prime minister of Thailand
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Prayuth officially appointed 29th premier The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Junta chief Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha today was officially installed as the 29th prime minister of Thailand. In a ceremony at the Army headquarters in Bangkok, Gen Prayuth received a royal command appointing him to the…
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HRH Princess Srirasmi lands in Phuket to open ‘Family Love Center’
PHUKET: HRH Princess Srirasmi, the Royal Consort of HRH Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, today graced the opening ceremony of the “Family Love Center” in Phuket. The center is aimed at encouraging better family ties between generations: children, parents and grandparents. Princess Srirasmi landed on the island at about 11am and was welcomed by Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut and high-ranking officers.…
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Homeless Brit found sleeping rough in Phuket
PHUKET: A homeless British man and his Thai girlfriend were picked up by police early this morning after they were discovered sleeping rough in Phuket. Alarmed villagers called police after the couple were discovered huddled together in front of a Cherng Talay house, Sub Lt Jira Cherdchay of the Cherng Talay Police explained. “At the house when we arrived, we…
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Police crack Phuket drug network: nab three suspects, ya ice
PHUKET: Police are hoping to take a local drug kingpin into custody soon after three dealers were arrested and nearly one kilogram of ya ice (crystal methamphetamine) was seized in two separate raids last week. Phuket Provincial Police last Wednesday arrested Wiwat Mungsuree, 30, and Eaknarong Iadkham, 34, who were found in possession of 136.54 grams of ya ice. “During…
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Phuket splashes out on education, health in B1.4bn budget
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Administrative Organization (PPAO) has named health and education as its top priorities in its budget request for fiscal year 2015. The PPAO Council voted to splash out on the two critical areas on Friday, when PPAO President Paiboon Upatising revealed the draft budget of 1.445 billion baht. The PPAO is aiming to spend 407.6 million baht…
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Sluggish United held by Sunderland, Spurs thrash QPR
PHUKET: Manchester United laboured to a ponderous 1-1 draw away at Sunderland on Sunday that delivered a first Premier League point of the season but laid bare their dire need for reinforcements. After Tottenham Hotspur had made it six points from two games with players condemned as expensive mistakes last season starring in a 4-0 victory over Queens Park Rangers,…
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Education gets lion’s share of the budget
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Education gets lion’s share of the budget The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Entrusted with the mission of schooling some 12 million children and improving educational quality, the Education Ministry is set to get 20 per cent, or Bt502.245 billion of the planned expenditure in the…
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Low rain spurs fear of drought in North
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Low rain spurs fear of drought The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Despite being in the middle of the wet season, there are already fears of drought in the North, as the volume of rain has been unseasonably low, leaving two key dams in the region…
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California wine country rocked by 6.0 quake, dozens hurt
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community California wine country rocked by 6.0 quake, dozens hurt Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A 6.0 magnitude earthquake rocked wine country north of San Francisco early on Sunday, injuring more than 100 people, damaging historic buildings, setting some homes on fire and causing power outages around…
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World-class swim coach takes helm at Thanyapura Aquatic Academy
PHUKET: Spaniard Miguel Lopez Alvarado took over as the head coach of the Aquatic Academy at Thanyapura Sports Hotel yesterday. A former national swimming coach in Spain, Mr Alvarado has more than 20 years experience training able-bodied and disabled swimmers at the elite level. “We’re very excited to welcome Miguel to the Thanyapura family,” said Thanyapura’s President and CEO Philipp…
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British expat one of four in Phuket on Ebola watchlist
PHUKET: A British expat is one of four people still being monitored by the Phuket Provincial Health Office (PPHO) for possible signs of Ebola. Health officials at Phuket International Airport this month added Ebola to their watchlist as a precaution against the deadly virus being carried to the island by visitors (story here). “We are monitoring all tourists arriving from…
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