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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Smooth travel to Belgium and the Netherlands: Visa tips & tricks!
Make Belgium and the Netherlands your next destination with the right visa in hand. Explore the iconic tulip fields, cruise through Amsterdam’s scenic canals, or stroll through the historic streets of Bruges. Don’t forget to enjoy some authentic Belgian chocolate...
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Video Report: Phuket tourists talk about Thailand’s coup
PHUKET: Five days into Thailand’s coup d’etat, international travel advisories have been flying thick and fast following the military takeover by Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha. But travel advisories are written in dusty offices far from where the real action is taking place, so Phuket Today decided to find out what the international community really thinks about what’s happening here. We headed…
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HiFi gives opening blast at Samui Regatta
PHUKET: The 13th Samui Regatta got underway yesterday with a 23-strong fleet of mainly international boats competing in what has become known as the Tropical Island Regatta. With an impressive IRC fleet lining up to battle it out over five days, the first day proved to be both challenging and satisfying for fans. Light to moderate winds, unusual for Samui…
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Lifeguards back on Phuket beaches, ask PPAO to plan ahead
PHUKET: Lifeguards returned to Phuket beaches today, ending a month-long break after the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization’s (PPAO) 10-month contract with the lifeguard club fell through on April 27 (story here). Waters surrounding the island have become more dangerous with the arrival of the annual southwest monsoon season, and one tourist died during the lifeguard-less month (story here). “I am…
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Grateful Phuket locals praise army
PHUKET: More than 500 locals gathered at Sanam Chai Park this morning to offer roses and letters of thanks to army officers for their hard work. The grateful group of local farmers, students, Reserve Officer Training Corps Students and Civil Defence Volunteers intercepted the officers as they were on their way to meet with Governor Maitri Inthusut at Phuket Provincial…
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Last chance to win a flight over Phuket with the Gazette’s Reader Survey
PHUKET: Don’t miss your chance to win a free airplane ride over Phuket by taking part in the Phuket Gazette’s 20th Anniversary Reader Survey (survey here). The two lucky readers who have a chance to jump into the Gazette airplane and tell the pilot where they want to go – home, office, Phang Nga Bay…* will be determined and announced…
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Taiwanese tuna boat captain breathes easy after Phuket rescue
PHUKET: Phuket Marine Police responded to a distress call from a Taiwanese tuna-fishing boat early this morning. The Dong Cheng 988 contacted Marine Police for assistance after Captain Shang-Chih Hsu, 61, suffered a severe asthma attack. The boat was about 37 nautical miles southwest of Phuket. “Mr Shang-Chih had his inhaler, but it wasn’t working,” Lt Col Panya Chaichana of…
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No money to fix caved-in road in Koh Kaew, say officials
PHUKET: A section of a busy road in Koh Kaew has collapsed, but despite a circle of finger-pointing by local officials, no repairs are likely until next year, due to lack of funds. The road, Soi Koh Kaew 33, behind the Isuzu dealership on Thepkrasattri Road, leads to local villages and housing developments and is used as a shortcut to…
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Battle at Donetsk airport; Ukraine leader says no talks with ‘terrorists’
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Battle at Donetsk airport; new Ukraine leader says no talks with ‘terrorists’ Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Ukraine launched air strikes and a paratrooper assault against pro-Russian rebels who seized an airport on Monday, as its newly elected leader rejected any talks with “terrorists” and said…
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Experts divided on Jewish Museum killer: was he lone wolf or hitman?
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Experts divided on Jewish Museum killer: was he lone wolf or hitman? Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A gunman who killed three people at Brussels’ Jewish Museum was “cold-blooded and very determined”, Belgian officials said on Monday, leading some security experts to suggest he may have…
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Nigeria military says knows where girls are, rules out force
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Nigeria military says knows where girls are, rules out force Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Nigeria’s military knows where the more than 200 girls abducted by Boko Haram are but has ruled out using force to rescue them, the state news agency quoted Chief of Defence…
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Lawbreakers face tough action, Prayuth warns
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Lawbreakers face tough action, Prayuth warns The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: General Prayuth Chan-ocha yesterday threatened tougher action against law violators, particularly opponents of the military’s power seizure, in a move that is in line with the junta’s priority of maintaining law and order. Prayuth,…
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Pattani bombs hit families hardest
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Pattani bombs hit families hardest The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Among the many victims of simultaneous bomb attacks in Pattani last Saturday were the Sideh family. They lost a son, Isfan, and their bread-winning father was hurt too badly to continue working as a taxi…
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Finance seeks Bt50-bn term loans to pay off rice farmers
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Finance seeks Bt50-bn term loans to pay off rice farmers The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The Finance Ministry has invited 32 state and private banks to bid for the first phase of a three-year programme of bridge loans totalling Bt50 billion to pay rice farmers…
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Pope compares sexual abuse to ‘satanic mass’, meets victims
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Pope compares sexual abuse to ‘satanic mass’, meets victims Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Pope Francis said on Monday that he will have his first meeting with a group of sex abuse victims at the Vatican early next month and said he would show zero tolerance…
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Thailand Tourism President calls for curfew to be lifted in Phuket
PHUKET: The president of the Tourism Council of Thailand (TCT), Piyaman Tejapaibul, has petitioned the ruling junta to lift the nightly curfew in Phuket and other tourist hotspots throughout the country. Ms Piyaman told the Phuket Gazette today that she filed her request with the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) at a meeting yesterday. “I asked for General…
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Swedish cyclists bound for Phuket push through Turkey on epic journey to help island orphans
PHUKET: The four intrepid men biking their way from Sweden to Phuket to raise funds for the Barnhem Muang Mai orphanage in Phuket found themselves in a small Turkish village called Kandira yesterday. With about 3,600 kilometers under their belts, and thousands more to tackle before crossing Sarasin Bridge, morale is still high for Calle Wollgard, Fredrik Jessen, Tomi Blumen…
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See you tomorrow, vow beach lifeguards
PHUKET: Lifeguards are gearing up to return to Phuket’s beaches tomorrow after signing their new 22-million-baht contract on Friday. “We’ve signed a contract that will pay for 88 guards to man 38 stations throughout the island,” confirmed Phuket Lifeguard Club President Prathaiyut Chuayuan. “We are all set and ready to work tomorrow.” Kata-Karon chief lifeguard Uten Singsom confirmed that his…
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Phuket reporter and former official summoned by army
PHUKET: A Phuket reporter and a former provincial official have been summoned to the Royal Thai Army base in Nakhon Sri Thammarat. The two men ordered to report to the base are Watchara Malikaew, a journalist with the Inside Phuket magazine, and Wisut Santikul, a former deputy vice-president of the Phuket Provincial Administrative Organization (PPAO). Mr Watchara said soldiers appeared…
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Video Report: A place to call their own
PHUKET: St James Properties has entered the foray to secure its role in Patong’s burgeoning family tourism market with the recent opening of The Kids Club, located off Soi Bangla, touted as the biggest indoor playground in Phuket. Located at the Patong Promenade shopping mall, The Kids Club is presented as a premium children’s venue, which is now fully operational…
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Video Report: Phuket officials angered by illegal fishing at King’s Park
Those found illegally fishing in the park can be fined up to 1,000 baht. Video: Drummer.kong PHUKET: Phuket City officials are calling on the public to notify officers immediately of any illegal fishing carried out at Suan Luang Park (also called Chalermprakiat Ror IX Park or King’s Park) in Phuket Town. The call for public assistance follows a video posted…
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Five-part Andaman carnival series to kick off in Ranong on June 8
PHUKET: The first in a five-part series of carnivals to be held in Andaman provinces will take place in Ranong on June 8. Ranong, perhaps best known among expats as a visa-run destination, has plenty of things for tourists to enjoy, said Ranong Vice Governor Supawat Sakda, who announced the carnival with Phuket Vice Governor Sommai Prijasilpa on Friday. “We…
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Snake causes blackout near Phuket Town
PHUKET: Electrical engineers called to a neighborhood on the north side of Phuket Town late last night found that a small tree snake had caused a blackout at several houses and an apartment block. “We were called to Pimpraprai Place apartments on Rassada Anuson Road [in Baan Kuku, Rassada] at about 10pm,” said Pichai Rattanamunee, an electrical engineer with the…
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Junta to receive royal endorsement
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Junta to receive royal endorsement The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Army chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha will be given a royal command, appointing him as the head of the NCPO, and a ceremony will be held at 10.49am today at the Royal Thai Army headquarters on…
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The Nation reporter taken into custody
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community The Nation reporter taken into custody The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The Nation’s senior reporter Pravit Rojanaphruk yesterday morning reported to the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) and has been moved into custody to an unidentified military base. Nation Multimedia Group editor-in-chief Thepchai…
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Ukrainians back Poroshenko to find way out of crisis
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Ukrainians back Poroshenko to find way out of crisis Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Petro Poroshenko, a billionaire chocolate manufacturer, claimed the Ukrainian presidency with an emphatic election victory on Sunday, taking on a fraught mission to quell pro-Russian rebels and steer his fragile nation closer…
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Phuket radio stations fall silent
PHUKET: Commercial radio stations throughout Phuket fell silent today after receiving requests from the army to comply with an order issued by the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) this morning. The ban on broadcasting includes local satellite television networks (story here). Staff at 107.7FM Open Mind received a call this morning from an army officer ordering the station…
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Red shirt terror plot subverted, suspects arrested
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Red shirt terror plot subverted, suspects arrested The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Army says 22 in custody after being found with weapons; says they had orders from red-shirt leaders to carry out attack in Khon Kaen Twenty-one men and one woman, who were arrested over…
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HM The King acknowledges coup
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community King acknowledges to coup The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: His Majesty the King has acknowledged that the power seizure was carried out by the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), the junta said in a statement yesterday. In the statement, signed by Army chief…
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Police recruit translators to help Phuket tourists
PHUKET: Police stations throughout Phuket will have video conference capabilities installed so that tourists can communicate with translators in Bangkok at any time, one of the country’s top-ranking policeman announced in Phuket yesterday. The initiative is to prevent misunderstandings between tourists filing complaints and police, said Assistant National Police Chief ML Pansak Kasemsant, speaking at Phuket Provincial Police Station. The…
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Troops deployed in Bangkok to counter anti-coup protesters
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Troops deployed in Bangkok to counter anti-coup protesters The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A company of police and troops used a police truck to block the inbound Phahoyothin Road this afternoon to stop a procession of anti-coup protesters. The uniformed security personnel set up the…
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