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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Malaysia to send diplomat to New Zealand to face sex charges
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Malaysia to send diplomat to New Zealand to face sex charges Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Malaysia will send a diplomat facing sexual assault charges back to New Zealand, where the alleged incident occurred in May, the foreign ministry said on Wednesday, a day after it…
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Dimitrov crushes champion Murray at Wimbledon
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Dimitrov crushes champion Murray at Wimbledon Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Grigor Dimitrov broke British hearts by ending Andy Murray’s reign as Wimbledon champion with a sublime and serene 6-1 7-6(4) 6-2 victory in the quarter-finals on Wednesday. The third seed had confidently marched into the…
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Phuket taxi call service to launch mid-July
PHUKET: In the next step toward a more efficient and honest public transportation system in Phuket, officials plan to launch a call service for island taxis and tuk-tuks by mid-July. “The first step was to pull down all of the illegal taxi stands in Patong. The next one is to plan how to organize all of the taxis that are…
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Phuket woman stabs boyfriend, takes him to hospital
PHUKET: Police charged a Phuket woman with assault for stabbing her boyfriend last night. However, they are allowing her to stay in the hospital to care for him. Emergency room staff at Patong Hospital notified police at about 8pm that a man had been admitted with stab wounds. When officers arrived, Adinan Na Phattalung, 54, was being treated for a…
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10,000 pages of evidence turned over to Phuket prosecutor for taxi-mafia cases
PHUKET: Police yesterday delivered boxes of investigative documents to the Phuket Provincial Public Prosecutor for the cases of more than 100 taxi mafia members. “The evidentiary report we submitted was over 10,000 pages long,” said Pol Maj Gen Paween Pongisirin, who is spearheading the Phuket taxi mafia takedown. “It represents a total of 12 cases and 112 arrests.” Additionally, police…
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Breaking News: Army raids municipality offices for Phuket mafia taxi connections
PHUKET: About 50 officers raided the Kata-Karon Municipality offices today to search for evidence of the popular tourist town’s mayor and handpicked deputy mayors’ involvement in the Phuket taxi mafia. Pol Maj Gen Paween Pongisirin led the task force of Army, Navy and police officers at about 11:30. Kata-Karon Deputy Mayors Ithiporn Sangkeaw and Sompong Dabpetch surrendered themselves at Phuket…
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Phuket one-stop yacht shop opens without a hitch
PHUKET: The long-awaited opening of the island’s one-stop yacht shop, officially dubbed the Phuket Yacht Control Center (PYCC), went off without a hitch on Monday in Chalong. Governor Maitri Inthusut delivered the good news in a meeting at Phuket Provincial Hall yesterday morning. “Chalong is now ready to be the maritime hub for all yachties. It will offer international quality…
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Father offers B100,000 reward for kidnapped British girls
PHUKET: Police on Phuket continue to scour the island as the father of two young girls abducted by their mother in Pattaya last month offers a 100,000-baht reward for information leading to their safe return. Robert Day, the British father, has publicized his search for the girls on Thai TV and in newspapers throughout the nation in the hope of…
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Israel mourns teens, launches air strikes on Gaza
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Israel mourns teens, launches air strikes on Gaza Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Thousands of mourners gathered on Tuesday in an outpouring of national grief for the burial of three Israeli teenagers whose abduction and killing Israel blamed on Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist group it vowed…
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Argentina, Belgium through after extra-time drama
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Argentina, Belgium through after extra-time drama Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Argentina scored in the 118th minute to beat Switzerland and Belgium clung on to defeat the United States in another heart-stopping period of extra time to reach the World Cup quarter-finals amid more extraordinary drama…
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Human traffickers removed from Phuket’s migrant-labor supply chain
PHUKET: Human-trafficking brokers operating on the island are to be cut out of the migrant-labor supply chain under a new system being put in place at the Phuket Provincial Employment Office (PPEO). “If any business in Phuket needs more Cambodian laborers, for example, they can apply at the PPEO and we will contact offices in Sa Kaeo, Surin, Trat and…
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Gunpowder found in car of Phuket cop suspected of drive-by killing
PHUKET: Police have ordered a forensic investigation after finding gunpowder in the car of a police officer suspected of playing a role in a fatal Phuket drive-by shooting in May. The officer, who police have declined to name, denied any involvement in the incident the morning after the killing (story here). The gunpowder; the suspect’s private firearm, a 9mm handgun;…
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Phuket Police net fishy drug dealer in possession of B3mn worth of drugs
PHUKET: A Phuket aquarium shop owner was arrested last night in possession of 12,000 ya bah (methamphetamine) pills and 230 grams of ya ice (crystal methamphetamine). Police moved in to make the arrest after being tipped off about a “big-time” drug distributor who owns an aquarium shop near Bus Terminal 1 in Phuket Town, said Phuket Provincial Commander Krajang Suwannarat.…
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Investment advisers: Whose side are they really on?
PHUKET: In the world of providing financial planning and investment advisory services, just about everyone claims to be, or tries to pass themselves off as, an expert looking out for your best interest. But just who is an investment adviser really serving and more importantly, who is watching over him or her? For expatriates, asking such questions is important because…
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Weather warning: Tourists cautioned about small boat tours from Phuket today
PHUKET: A small boat warning has been issued until tomorrow due to expected big waves caused by the annual southwest monsoons. “My biggest concern is for small boat operators, especially tour boats carrying a lot of tourists. Wave heights are expected to reach three meters today. Boat operators must be very cautious and check the forecast regularly,” said San Jantharawong,…
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Not satisfied with Patong massage, man robs masseuse
PHUKET: A Pattani man enjoyed a three-hour massage in a Patong hotel room last night, then robbed his masseuse and fled, but was quickly caught by police. Police were alerted by staff at the Patong Sub Inn at about 7:30pm that a woman had been tied up and had called for help, said Patong Police Deputy Superintendent Khunnadet Nanongkhai. The…
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Around 30 migrants found dead on boat near Sicily
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Around 30 migrants found dead on boat near Sicily Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Around 30 migrants were found dead on a boat packed with people off the coast of Sicily, said Italy’s navy which rescued thousands more trying to leave North Africa over the weekend.…
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NCPO opens centers to lure, legalize foreign workers
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community NCPO opens centers to lure, legalize foreign workers The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The National Council for Peace and Order has ordered a serious effort to bring foreign migrants into the legal workforce in a bid to minimize the impact of the recent Cambodian labor…
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Junta revokes passports of Charupong and Jakrapob
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Junta revokes passports of Charupong and Jakrapob The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The military junta yesterday revoked the passports of six dissidents living overseas in a move to block their capacity to travel and force them to return home. The Foreign Ministry cancelled the travel…
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All World Cup matches to be aired: NBTC
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community All World Cup matches to be aired: NBTC The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) yesterday reassured bleary-eyed football fans that all remaining World Cup matches would be telecast on Army-run Channel 5, state-run NBT and Thai PBS after two…
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Germany and France end African hopes, Suarez sorry
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Germany and France end African hopes, Suarez sorry Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Germany and France snuffed out African hopes and reached the World Cup quarter-finals on Monday with hard-won victories over Algeria and Nigeria, while Uruguay striker Luis Suarez broke his silence to apologise for…
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Landslide prevention meetings take backseat at Phuket’s Big Buddha construction site
PHUKET: Meetings regarding landslide prevention and water management at one of Phuket’s most popular tourist attractions, Big Buddha, have fallen by the wayside. Construction at the site was halted on February 28, prompting a full inspection led by Vice Governor Somkiet Sangkaosuttirak, after Karon villagers filed a complaint alleging that it had caused landslides last year and could do so…
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Phuket first: Vegetarian Festival twice in one year
PHUKET: For the first time in its history, the world famous Phuket Vegetarian Festival will occur twice in one year. This year will see twice the number of 9th lunar months in the Chinese lunar calendar and twice the number of visits from the gods. However, maybe not twice the amount of celebrating. “According to the Chinese lunar calendar there…
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Beached whale found dead off island south of Phuket
PHUKET: An autopsy on a Cuvier’s beaked whale that was found dead on a beach south of Phuket yesterday morning revealed that the mammal had died of a disease that afflicted its lungs and kidneys. A marine officer on a routine survey of the Koh Li Bong coastline in Trang Province found the whale’s body on the beach at about…
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Facebook is getting less friendly
PHUKET: A few weeks back a friend of mine told me he’d seen a great band at Gig’s Jam Club in Nai Harn. It sounded like an amazing night and I was kicking myself that I missed it. Then I checked my calendar and it turned out I hadn’t been busy that night and was literally just up the road…
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Police decline to investigate drive-by shooting until victims file complaint
PHUKET: Police will not investigate any further into a drive-by shooting that injured four people in Thalang early yesterday morning until the victims file a police complaint. The shooting, a single shotgun blast, took place at about 1am in front of a house near the Tah Reua Shrine on Thepkrasattri Road in Koh Kaew. “The victims told us that they…
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Swede arrested for Phuket property fraud, buyers out B22mn
PHUKET: Police arrested Russian-born Swedish national Vladimir Antochvili, 29, in Bangkok over the weekend on charges of defrauding Phuket property buyers in deals totalling more than 20 million baht. Officers arrested Mr Antochvili at an apartment in Soi Ramkhamhaeng, in the Hua Mak area of Bang Kapi, at about 12:45pm, Maj Tienchai Chomphu of Phuket Immigration told the Phuket Gazette.…
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General blasts banks over drug money accounts
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community General blasts banks over drugs The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Assistant Army chief General Paibul Khumchaya is up in arms over what he considers to be a lack of scruples in the banking sector, after discovering that commercial banks are accepting deposits from imprisoned drug…
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Man sets himself on fire in Japan in defence protest
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Man sets himself on fire in Japan in defence protest Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A man in Japan set himself on fire at a busy intersection in Tokyo on Sunday in an apparent protest against Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s plans to ease limits of the…
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North Korea launches two missiles, defies U.N. ban
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community North Korea launches two missiles, defies U.N. ban Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles into seas east off its coast on Sunday, South Korea’s military said, defying a U.N. ban on the isolated country testing such weapons. The launch came…
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