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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Health insurance in Thailand has important limits that everyone should know. Many policies do not cover pre-existing conditions, motorcycle accidents, extreme sports, or specific treatments. These gaps can lead to unexpected costs during emergencies. Coverage for outpatient care and hospital...
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NCPO targets taxi mafia at Suvarnabhumi Airport
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Smart-card system for cabs to eliminate mafia role at Suvarnabhumi Airport The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) will introduce a smart-card system for the taxi queue at Suvarnabhumi Airport in a bid to end the “mafia-style operation” there.…
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Iraq asks US for air support to counter rebels
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Iraq asks US for air support to counter rebels Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Iraq has asked the United States for air support in countering Sunni rebels, the top U.S. general said on Wednesday, after the militants seized major cities in a lightning advance that has…
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King Felipe VI to be sworn in
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community King Felipe VI to be sworn in as Spain’s royals try to update Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Spain’s new king, Felipe VI, will be sworn in on Thursday in a low-key ceremony which monarchists hope will usher in a new era of popularity for the…
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Champions Spain crash out of World Cup
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Champions Spain crash out of World Cup, Dutch march on Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Holders Spain crashed out of the World Cup on Wednesday with barely a fight after their second shock defeat while 2010 runners-up the Netherlands continued their perfect start with another high-scoring…
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After years of pressure, Japan bans possession of child porn
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community After years of pressure, Japan bans possession of child porn Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Japan’s parliament voted on Wednesday to outlaw possession of child pornography after years of international calls for a crackdown, but avoided a clampdown on sexually explicit manga comics and animation depicting…
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Mayor denounces reports that legal Phuket beach club structures face demolition
PHUKET: In an exclusive interview with the Phuket Gazette, Cherng Talay Mayor Ma-ann Samran this afternoon denied English-language reports in Phuket that buildings on the east side of the beachfront path at Surin Beach would be demolished. The news comes amid a flurry of reports about the demolition of beach club structures encroaching on the sand at the beach as…
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Syria air strike kills 20 in refugee camp
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Syria bombing kills 20 in refugee camp near Jordan border -activists Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Syrian army helicopters bombed a refugee camp along the Jordanian border on Wednesday, killing at least 20 people, mostly children and women, residents and opposition activists said. They said the…
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Former Turkish president Evren sentenced to life for staging 1980 coup
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Former Turkish president Evren sentenced to life for staging 1980 coup Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: General Kenan Evren, 96, who came to symbolise the “Pasha” officer class that dominated Turkish politics over decades, was sentenced to life in jail on Wednesday for leading a 1980…
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China scolds Vietnam for ‘hyping up’ South China Sea oil rig row
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community China scolds Vietnam for ‘hyping up’ South China Sea oil rig row Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: China’s top diplomat scolded Vietnamese officials during talks in Hanoi on Wednesday for “hyping up” a row over a Chinese oil rig drilling in disputed waters in the South…
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Junta to court martial anti-lese majeste law lecturer
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Anti-lese majeste law lecturer arrested and faced military court The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The junta has detained and charged Thammasat University law lecturer Worajet Pakeerat for defying a junta order to report. Worajet, who is known for his campaign against the lese majeste law,…
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Power-mongering turns ugly as rift divides Phuket taxi drivers
PHUKET: Amid news of taxi ranks being torn down at Phuket west-coast beaches over the past week, the taxi co-operative at Central Festival Phuket shopping mall has split into opposing factions and its president has appealed for help to close the rift. The co-operative was to serve as a model for taxi management in Phuket and was part of a…
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Brazil delivering great quotes to go with great goals
PHUKET: A World Cup that has delivered fantastic goals in the first round of group games has also produced gems away from the pitch with players and coaches coming up with memorable quotes. Croatia coach Niko Kovac got the tournament off to a fiery start by blasting the Japanese referee after their defeat by Brazil in the opening match. After…
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Pinkeye outbreak leads to cancellation of Phuket FC vs Phang Nga FC warm up match
PHUKET: In a statement posted on the Phuket FC official Facebook page, the club confirmed that tomorrow’s match against Phang Nga FC will not take place. The reason? A pinkeye outbreak. “Due to at least five of Phuket FC players suffering from pinkeye – a condition that can easily spread to other players – the warm up game between Phuket…
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Putin, Poroshenko discuss possible ceasefire in east Ukraine
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Putin, Poroshenko discuss possible ceasefire in east Ukraine Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart, Petro Poroshenko, discussed a possible ceasefire in eastern Ukraine and the deaths of two Russian journalists there in a late night telephone conversation, the Kremlin…
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Migrant boat sinks off Malaysia, 42 missing
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Overloaded boat sinks off Malaysia, 42 Indonesians missing Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: An overloaded wooden boat carrying 97 suspected illegal Indonesian immigrants sank off Malaysia’s western coast early today, with rescuers searching for at least 42 missing people, Malaysian officials said. The passengers included women…
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Police join forces to hunt B1mn holdup robbers
PHUKET: Phuket Provincial Police are now involved in the hunt for two men on a motorbike who robbed gas station staffers at gunpoint and made off with nearly 1 million baht on June 11. The person riding pillion on the motorbike pulled out a gun and demanded money from the staffers transporting it from the Shell gas station on Phra…
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Rooney hits back at media following England criticism
PHUKET: Wayne Rooney has criticized sections of the media who questioned his form and speculated that the England forward had been relegated to training with the reserves at their base in Brazil. The Manchester United striker came in for criticism following a muted performance in their opening 2-1 defeat by Italy in Group D on Saturday, with the Daily Mirror…
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Generating a passive income stream
PHUKET: The whole point of retirement planning is to get to a point where you no longer need to actively work to provide you with the things you need or want. This can be accomplished by saving enough money that you can draw it down slowly until you die, but the downside of this approach is that you obviously never…
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Thailand braces for US verdict on human-trafficking record
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Thailand braces for US verdict on human-trafficking record The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Thailand is holding its breath as it waits to hear if the United States will downgrade or praise the nation for its human-trafficking record. Officials at the foreign ministry are confident that…
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People with health issues may be banned from driving
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community People with health issues may be banned from driving The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The Medical Council is planning to propose a driving ban for patients whose health condition could turn them into dangerous drivers. In foreign countries, people with heart diseases, severe forms of…
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U.S. captures suspected leader of 2012 Benghazi attack
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community U.S. captures suspected ringleader of 2012 attack in Benghazi Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The United States said on Tuesday it had captured a suspected ringleader of the 2012 attack on the U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, a raid that killed four Americans including the…
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Phuket radio stations remain off-air as “collateral damage’
PHUKET: Popular English-language radio stations in Phuket remained off-air today, 27 days since the military seized power and silenced the airwaves with a ban on all private community radio broadcasts. The ban continues despite the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) announcing on Saturday that Voice TV, which is owned by fugitive former premier Thaksin Shinawatra (story here), may…
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Relief fund set up to assist residents after storm lashes Phuket
PHUKET: The Cherng Talay Tambon Administration Organization (OrBorTor) will use cash from a 4-million-baht emergency-relief fund to help residents who suffered property damage from the storm that hit Phuket over the weekend. “We set this up after the recent strong winds damaged local homes,” Cherng Talay Mayor Ma-ann Samran told the Phuket Gazette today. A total of 10 families suffered…
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Surin beach clearout “70 per cent complete’ as deadline looms
PHUKET: Surin Beach is a flurry of activity as businesses big and small seek to comply with the June 18 deadline to dismantle illegal structures on the beach. The clear-out is part of an official crackdown on more than 100 businesses operating along the beachfronts at Surin, Bang Tao, Laypang and Layan beaches (story here). Vendors who refuse to comply…
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Thai parks chief turns to junta to reclaim Phuket national park
PHUKET: Thailand’s national parks chief has appealed to the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) to take over investigations into encroachment of Sirinath National Park to expedite the return of 360 illegally seized plots of park land. “This process has taken far too long already. We want the NCPO to take over so we can finally return the land…
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Early-bird deadline for Raceweek entries extended (video)
PHUKET: Due to a flurry of late bookings, the organizers of the Cape Panwa Hotel Phuket Raceweek have extended the early-bird discount deadline to allow more crews to take advantage of the reduced price. Raceweek organizers are predicting a large and competitive field this year, with many local, regional and some chartered entries from afar having already registered, booked their…
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Tourism bodies call for junta to lift martial law
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Now scrap martial law, tourism begs junta The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Key tourism bodies have called on the military junta to lift martial law in a further effort to lure foreign tourists back to the Kingdom. “The military has lifted the curfew to restore…
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Junta: No crackdown on foreign workers
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Junta: No crackdown on foreign workers The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Video of shooting of pickup carrying cambodians may have raised fears THE MILITARY junta yesterday reiterated it has no policy to crack down on migrant workers here despite the exodus of more than 120,000…
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Gambling den raided; police announce zero tolerance for World Cup betting
PHUKET: Police are keeping a close eye out for gambling during the World Cup, and yesterday nabbed one suspect and five computers in a raid in Patong. “We were notified by an undercover officer of an illegal online gambling den in a retail shop on Soi Paradise,” Lt Col Sutthichai Thianpho of the Patong Police told the Phuket Gazette. “We…
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Cambodian exodus continues, 37 more illegals arrested in Phuket
PHUKET: Immigration officers at Phuket’s Rassada Pier last night arrested 37 Cambodian workers who claimed to be fleeing Thailand amid fear a coup-related crackdown on illegal immigrants. One of the workers told the Phuket Gazette that the workers were trying to leave Thailand as soon as possible for fear that the Army would crack down on foreigners living in the…
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