News
Stay up-to-date with the latest news from across Thailand and beyond with The Thaiger. Our dedicated team brings you breaking news, in-depth analysis, and exclusive stories from this stunning part of the world, covering a diverse range of topics, including local politics, business, culture, and tourism. Keep yourself informed about the Kingdom’s rich history, stunning landscapes, and thriving expat communities, as well as updates on events, attractions, and transportation.
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Sponsored This Christmas, give the gift of health: essential options for expats in Thailand
The holiday season is here, bringing warmth, joy, and a chance to reflect on the year gone by. As an expat in Thailand, this Christmas is a great time to invest in something that truly matters: health. Whether for you...
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Phuket murder trial: Girlfriend recounts night Aldhouse stabbed US Marine Dashawn Longfellow
PHUKET: A witness in the Lee Aldhouse murder trial provided shocking testimony on Friday afternoon. Following the arrival in court, 10 minutes late, of a grim-faced Aldhouse, a female Thai witness explained that she was the girlfriend of the victim, US Marine Dashawn Longfellow, at the time of his death. She then gave her account of how a seemingly ordinary…
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Celebrity Thai designer dies after Phuket beach rescue
PHUKET: One of Thailand’s best-known graphic designers, Pharuephon “Tum” Mukdasanit, was pronounced dead at Bangkok Hospital Phuket this morning after being pulled from the surf by lifeguards at Kata Beach on Saturday. Mr Pharuephon, known to his many youthful fans by the moniker “Mamafaka”, was pronounced dead at 2:50am, a hospital medic told the Phuket Gazette. He was set to…
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Phuket Governor leads sendoff for pilgrims performing Hajj
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut led an ensemble of local government officers on Saturday to wish Muslims from across Southern Thailand a safe journey as they boarded the first flight from Phuket to Saudi Arabia dedicated to pilgrims performing the Hajj. The 301 Muslims gathered at Phuket International Airport had arrived from Songkhla, Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat provinces in Thailand’s…
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Phuket town hit by flash flood after three-hour downpour
PHUKET: Many parts of Phuket Town were briefly underwater yesterday in the wake of a ferocious three-hour morning rainstorm.A number of roads were flooded and the Bang Yai Canal threatened to burst its banks.Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut and Phuket City Mayor Somjai Suwansupana led officials to inspect Bang Yai Canal’s alarming water levels near the Standard Chartered Intersection in the…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: THAI flight skids off Bangkok runway; Oil spill update; Dam tiger fight; Loei says no to gold mine
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community THAI flight slides off Bangkok runway Sunday night, 13 injured The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: THAI International Airways is investigating an accident in which flight TG 679 skidded off the runway while landing at Suvarnabhumi Airport on Sunday night.Sorajak Kasemsuvan, THAI president, said thirteen passengers suffered minor…
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Phuket beach safety hits tide of resistance
PHUKET: A move by the Phuket Marine Office to enforce a 5-knot speed limit for all boats in Phuket is meeting strong resistance from parasail operators at Patong Beach. Enforcement of the boat speed limit is aimed at boosting water safety in the wake of a Chinese honeymooner being rendered comatose in a collision between a parasail boat and the…
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Patong Beach water quality tests to take another two weeks
PHUKET: The results of water quality tests conducted on samples collected from Patong Bay amid an “algae bloom” on August 23 will not be available for at least another two weeks, the Phuket Gazette has been told. The news flies in the face of comments made by Phuket’s leading environment officer, Dr Pornsri Suthanaruk, director of the Phuket-based Regional Environmental…
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Phuket to push for higher taxi fares, despite Bangkok opposition
PHUKET: Phuket officials plan to ask for permission to raise the standard rates charged by metered taxis on the island despite the announcement by the Minister of Transport yesterday that no taxi fares would be raised anywhere in Thailand. “We believe that when Transport Minister Chatchart Sitthipan hears why we want to increase the fares, he may make an exception…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Aussies go to the polls; Obama rallies G20 support for Syria strikes; Iran wishes Israel Happy New Year
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Obama says most G20 leaders agree Assad behind chemical attack Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Eleven nations condemned the August 21 chemical weapons attack in Syria on Friday and called for a strong international response, according to a statement issued by the White House.“The evidence clearly points to…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Govt won’t budge on rubber; Porn in Parliament; People power fights corruption; Floods in Trang
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Govt refuses to budge in talks The Nation/ Phuket GazettePHUKET: Government representatives and protesting farmers failed to agree yesterday on the subsidy for rubber prices.The government side, led by Deputy Prime Minister Pracha Promnog and Finance Minister Kittiratt Na-Ranong, remained firm about a price of Bt90 a…
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Phuket tourism icon inspires AMCHAM meeting
PHUKET: Change – experiencing it, realizing it, understanding it, anticipating it and then trying to figure out how best to implement it for the optimal benefit to Phuket and all of its stakeholders. Such was the underlying theme of an awe-inspiring speech given last night by Wichit Na Ranong, a key driver, if not the father, of Phuket tourism. Co-founder…
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Phuket officials, business figures unite to fight graft
PHUKET: A network of six influential private and government bodies this morning announced its intention to fight corruption throughout Phuket, amid concern over alarming levels of graft across the island.The network includes members of the Phuket Chamber of Commerce, Phuket Office of the National Anti-Corruption Commission, Federation of Thai Industries Phuket Chapter, Phuket Tourist Association, Thai Hotels Association (Southern Chapter)…
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Patong tuk-tuk drivers lodge second complaint about illegal tuk-tuk drivers
PHUKET: Patong tuk-tuk drivers yesterday filed their second complaint with the governor about illegal tuk-tuks operating in Patong and stealing their jobs. The drivers asked for an update on the complaint they filed on June 26 (story here) and noted that the numbers of illegal drivers continues to increase. “On June 26, we filed a complaint to Governor Maitri Inthusut…
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Phuket Town parents protest planned closures at municipal school
PHUKET: More than 500 concerned parents have protested the proposed closure of the kindergarten and primary sections at Plookpanya School in the heart of Phuket Town. Phuket City Municipality is justifying the closures on the grounds that they are needed to streamline the area’s schooling. The first stop for the protesters, led by Plookpanya Parents Association President Teerapol Limchoo, was…
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Business operators win fight to keep shops at Phuket International Airport
PHUKET: Business operators of concessions at Phuket International Airport have prevailed in their battle to keep their concessions at the airport. Not only will they be allowed to remain at the airport, but they will be allowed to continue their business in the new airport terminal once it is completed in 2015, said Thammarawat Wongcharoenyut, one of the operators. The…
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DSI lands windfall in Phuket illegal taxi fines, no cars seized
PHUKET: Efforts to rein in illegal taxi drivers in Phuket has landed a windfall 868,000 baht in fines since the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) opened its anti-organized crime centers in Phuket on August 10.The fines were garnered when officers stopped and fined illegal taxi drivers 434 times at six checkpoints across the island from August 10-29, Lt Col Somboon…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Rubber protests flare; Trang Airport fears; Tourist Court opens in Pattaya; Film fest loses to lese majeste
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Close eye on rallies as talks with government fail The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Authorities are keeping a close eye on protesting rubber farmers amid fears they may step up the rallies currently being held in several southern provinces following the government’s decision to reject their demand…
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Phuket Prison officer busted for drugs in Bangkok
PHUKET: A Phuket Prison officer who taught inmates new life skills to use after their release was arrested for drug possession in Bangkok on Tuesday.Thanawit Puangnoi, 56, was arrested after Nonthaburi Provincial Police received a tip-off that a man would pick up drugs in the neighborhood around Jan Temple in Bang Kruai District.Officers staking out the neighborhood saw Mr Thanawit…
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Phuket Opinion: Relegate the blight of jet-skis to the past
PHUKET: It is time that the provincial government considers phasing out the jet-ski rental industry that has brought so much ill-repute to the island. The latest tragedy involving a jet-ski and a foreign tourist came last weekend, when 27-year-old Chinese visitor Shen Baocheng was rendered comatose after his rented jet-ski collided with a speedboat towing a parasailing tourist in Patong…
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Phuket Opinion: So near, but often so far
PHUKET: I don’t miss real bread and real butter, cheese and steak tartare. I don’t miss walking my dog through winter’s first snow, skiing in the French Alps or the mountains of the Czech republic. I don’t miss autumn strolls in my local park or the relief of springtime. I don’t miss the first tulips, young potatoes, fresh raspberries and…
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Cut costs on investments – Phuket Finance
PHUKET: If you are like many expatriates living in Phuket, you have probably failed to realize the impact trading or investment fees can have on your portfolio’s return, as such costs are often hidden and can quickly add up over time. In a rising market, these costs may not be so noticeable; but in a stagnant or falling stock market,…
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Last Call – Is there life on Mars?
PHUKET: I found myself singing the David Bowie classic from Ziggy Stardust just this morning in the shower, with that classic line “Is there life on Mars?” I’m not quite sure of the answer, though sipping cocktails while viewing a lunar Martian sunset certainly sounds like a good idea. That just may be the penultimate sundowner. Yes, the danger signs…
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Phuket Police on guard to face angry rubber farmers
PHUKET: Officers of the Phuket Police assisting local officers to guard the Surat Thani Airport against farmers protesting rubber prices say airport operations are continuing normally. A contingent of 155 Phuket police officers has been at the airport since Monday, Phuket Provincial Police Deputy Commander Peerayuth Karachedi told the Phuket Gazette. “So far, no flights have been affected,” he said.…
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Australian tourist dies after severe asthma attack invokes seizure
PHUKET: A 51-year-old Australian woman found dead in her Phuket hotel room on Tuesday morning reportedly died after suffering a seizure brought on by a severe asthma attack, police have told the Phuket Gazette.Tracey Ann Walton from Australia was found dead in her guest room at a Patong Beach resort early yesterday morning. Hotel staff made the discovery and promptly…
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Phuket Police baffled over Bang Tao beach bar blaze
PHUKET: A small bar at Bang Tao beach was burned to the ground late on Tuesday, with no explanation thus far for the blaze.On hearing about the fire shortly before midnight, firefighters and police officers rushed to the scene.“When we arrived, we found the bar – which apparently had no name – ablaze. Despite the modest size of the bar,…
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Phuket Romance: Man stabbed to death in feud over girlfriend
PHUKET: A 20-year-old determined to hold on to his girlfriend was stabbed to death by his romantic rival in Cherng Talay on Tuesday evening.Police arrived at the scene to find a crowd of onlookers and a pool of blood; Autthapon “Adam” Kahapana, 19, had already been rushed to Thalang Hospital.Iyara “Rudy” Puttaraksa, 20, had fled, but was soon found by…
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Phuket’s TSLC sporting tips: Tennis and swimming
PHUKET: In a continuing series of sporting tips provided by Phuket’s Thanyapura Sports & Leisure Club, resident experts Tennis Head Coach Roger Cochrane loosens his grip and Aquatics Head Coach Randy Simon is in for the long haul. Loosening your service grip – Roger Cochrane You have probably noticed that the more pressure you feel in a match, the more…
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Phuket’s Superkidz youth tennis is smashing
PHUKET: Over 140 talented youth athletes participated in the Chang LTAT (Lawn Tennis Association of Thailand ) Junior Championship Southern Zone No 6, contested at Phuket’s Thanyapura Sports and Leisure Club, which concluded on Sunday, August 25. Super Kidz Tennis. Video Thanyapura Top honors of the event went to Tinnapat Tientawach (12 points), Lerdchai Ronnarong (10 points) and Tapat Paevaronkul…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Rubber protests hit tourism, Expat fund scam bust; Education fails test
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Rubber protest impacting South tourism revenue The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: The rubber farmers’ protest in Surat Thani is causing a loss of at least Bt10 million a day to the domestic tourism industry in the South.“Sales of salted eggs as a flagship product of Chaiya in…
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Blackout in Cherng Talay – Bang Tao Beach
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Electricity Authority (PPEA) has issued a late notice that there will be a scheduled blackout in the Cherng Talay area from 9am to 5pm today.The affected area will extend from Soi Bang Tao 1 to Soi Bang Tao 8.The blackout is for PPEA staff to carry out maintenance work on high-voltage power lines.
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