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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When noise is good
PHUKET: I stopped at my local 7-Eleven on the way home from work the other night, tired out from a day of peering at my computer screen and mildly irritated for the umpteenth time at the inconvenience of having to buy something – drinking water – that I get out of the tap where I come from. As I entered…
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Phuket kids to save Karon
Yuphayao Alshammary, 50, has been Director of Suwan-keereekate School in Karon since May 2013. She has an MA in Education Management from Maha Sarakham University and is now pursuing a PhD. Before coming to Phuket, she was director of two rural Northeast schools for more than 15 years. Here, she talks about how supporting education can help solve Karon’s social…
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Legal enigmas: foreigners beware
PHUKET: The news stories that have spilled across the pages of the Phuket Gazette over the past few weeks have thrown into sharp relief what it takes for a foreigner to live on this paradise island. A Russian woman who had made her home here being refused re-entry to Thailand last month because officers from the Immigration Bureau suspected her…
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Russian denied entry at Phuket International Airport over “visa’ crackdown
PHUKET: A Russian national was denied entry into Thailand by Phuket International Airport Immigration officers on April 21 and detained until she could be deported the next morning. Officers denied entry to Mariia Sgibneva, 26, more than a week before the May 3 crackdown on the “three-visa-and-out rule” aimed at stymieing international crime. “They stopped me at immigration, and ask…
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Phuket PDRC supporters head to Bangkok
PHUKET: More than 1,000 Phuket supporters of the anti-government People’s Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) have left the island to join fellow protesters in Bangkok. The news follows a call by PDRC Secretary-General Suthep Thaugsuban yesterday, urging people from around the country to join the rallies in the capital. “Phuket supporters left yesterday,” protest coordinator Amnuay Kumban told the Phuket Gazette…
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High-wire monkey causes Phuket blackout
PHUKET: Rescue workers were called last night to save a bean-picking monkey that had escaped from the home of its owner and become stuck at the top of a power pole. “When we arrived, the owners were trying to undo the rope tied to the monkey’s neck, because it had become tangled on the pole,” said a Kusoldharm Foundation Rescue…
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Teen worker dies in five-storey fall at Phuket hotel construction site
PHUKET: Sarawut Kumwong, 17, died yesterday afternoon after falling from the fifth floor of a seven-storey hotel under construction in Phuket Town. Mr Sarawut’s employer, Ekkapong Jiasakul, told police that Mr Sarawuth was being handed pieces of timber by Komkrit Jantorarat, 15, when he fell. “We do not know what happened exactly. He might have slipped while reaching for the…
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Hong Kong property tycoons stand trial in city’s biggest graft case
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Hong Kong property tycoons stand trial in city’s biggest graft case Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Thomas and Raymond Kwok, the billionaire co-chairmen of Sun Hung Kai Properties Ltd, Asia’s largest developer, went on trial on Thursday in Hong Kong’s biggest corruption case since the city’s…
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Swedish PM warns of nationalist surge as EU elections loom
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Swedish PM warns of nationalist surge as EU elections loom Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Europe’s failure to deliver economic growth and jobs has frayed public trust in democracy and fostered a nationalist climate that could reward anti-immigration, Eurosceptical parties in May’s EU elections, Sweden’s prime…
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Families of South Korea ferry dead march on presidential palace
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Families of South Korea ferry dead march on presidential palace Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Parents of children killed when a passenger ferry sank last month led a sombre march on South Korea’s presidential palace in the early hours of Friday morning, where they demanded to…
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Video Report: “Smart Province’ project will bring free WiFi to Phuket
PHUKET: Phuket is slated to have free WiFi throughout the island as part of it becoming Thailand’s next “Smart Province”. “Access to free WiFi is one of the many benefits of the technology we are using to connect the nation,” said Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology (MICT) Surachai Srisarcam. “Through our ‘Smart Country’ project, local…
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Phuket lifeguards put lives first, agree to PPAO conditions
PHUKET: Lifeguards are set to return to Phuket beaches on May 21 as the lifeguard club gave up its demands for an increased budget at a meeting with the Phuket Provincial Administrative Organization (PPAO) this morning. “The conditions they offered us today were the same: 22 million baht to pay for our expenses and an increased salary for 88 guards,”…
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V/Gov Chamroen pushes for funds for Karon wastewater
PHUKET: Vice Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada vowed yesterday to push for funds to expand Karon’s water treatment facilities as soon as possible. The vice governor spoke as he inspected the recent efforts of Karon municipality to prevent untreated wastewater in the Nong Han canal from spilling over onto the town’s popular tourist beach as it has already three times this year,…
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Don’t pay money under the table, fight it in court – says Employment chief
PHUKET: All foreigners who believe that they have been wrongfully arrested for breaching the conditions of their work permit must fight for their rights, said the chief of the Phuket Provincial Employment Office (PPEO). “If the police insist on arresting you, let them do it. If they threaten to detain you, let them. You have the right to deny the…
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Video Report: 2nd Phuket International Tae Kwon Do Championship 2014
PHUKET: The 2nd annual Phuket International Tae Kwon Do Championship saw 689 fighters from 43 teams face off against each other at the indoor sports stadium in Saphin Hin last Saturday. The all-day event was organized by the Tae Kwon Do Dragon Club Gym and supported by Phuket Provincial Administration Organization and the Sports Authority of Thailand. The event, attracting…
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Phuket Open cancelled
PHUKET: The promoters of the FIVB Beach Volleyball Open in Phuket have decided to cancel the event scheduled for October 15 to 19 quoting continued political unrest in Thailand as the reason for their decision. With the safety and security of players and officials of paramount importance, the FIVB have accepted the promoter’s decision to cancel the event. The next…
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Chinese vote Phuket favorite destination for students
PHUKET: Phuket has been voted the favorite destination for Chinese students. The accolade was one of six awards won by Phuket at the annual ceremony held by China’s largest Online Travel Agent (OTA), Ctrip.com, and one of nine awards won by Thai destinations in total. The “Ctrip Best Tourist Destination of the Year 2013 Awards Ceremony” was held in Shanghai…
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Fast and Furious: Patong joy ride in boss’ car ends in crash
PHUKET: A drunk driver injured a Phuket motorcyclist early yesterday morning during a high-speed joy ride in his boss’ Toyota Fortuner; the ride ended abruptly when he slammed the SUV into a utility pole. “At about 6:40am we were notified that a driver in a Toyota Fortuner had knocked a man off his motorcycle and crashed into a power pole…
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Vietnam says China rammed ships in South China Sea
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Vietnam says China rammed ships in South China Sea Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Vietnam said on Wednesday a Chinese vessel intentionally rammed two of its ships in a part of the disputed South China Sea where Beijing has deployed a giant oil rig, sending tensions…
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Thailand News: Yingluck ousted; Govt pushes for election; Villagers fight to save quake-hit homes; Reward for Haad Yai bombers
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Yingluck Ousted The Nation/ Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Thailand’s first female prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra was removed from office yesterday after serving as premier for two years, nine months, and two days. The dismissal followed a Constitutional Court ruling that she had violated the charter by unlawfully…
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Fears of corpse confirmed, but not human
PHUKET: Police called this morning to investigate a possible corpse wrapped in a bag in Phuket Town found the bodies of two dogs instead. Residents called authorities after noticing a rotting odor coming from the bag, found outside an abandoned house near the Revenue Department office on Narisorn Road. Rescue workers who were first on the scene hesitated to investigate.…
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Chinese Consulate lands on Phuket shores
PHUKET: The Chinese Consulate is searching for a Phuket locale from which they can serve the ever-increasing number of Chinese tourists visiting the island – a number that is expected to hit two million this year. Wang Huijian, vice consul of the Chinese Consulate in Haad Yai, will head up the new Phuket Consulate. Ms Wang met with Governor Maitri…
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Court demands Yingluck step down
A Thai court found Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra guilty today of violating the constitution and said she could no longer serve as caretaker premier, a decision likely to increase tensions in the bitterly divided nation. Judges delivering the verdict said Ms Yingluck had abused her position by transferring the country’s National Security Council chief to another post in 2011 so…
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Phi Phi cargo boats engulfed in flames
PHUKET: Police are investigating the cause of a fire which gutted two Phi Phi cargo boats anchored off Krabi early yesterday morning. Fire fighters responded to reports that Unity 2 and Unity 3 were ablaze near the Ko Huang Fishing Pier in Saithai Sub-district at about 5am. “The boats were too far from shore for firefighters to try to save…
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Wilson leads Man U to win over Hull City
PHUKET: Manchester United’s past and future collided as debutant James Wilson scored twice in a 3-1 win over Hull City on Tuesday that marked the end of stalwart Nemanja Vidic’s Old Trafford career and set tongues wagging about Ryan Giggs. Wilson, 18 years old and one of two debutants on show, scored in each half before Matty Fryatt pulled one…
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Thailand News: Haad Yai blasts wound 10; Yingluck’s fate decided today; Aftershocks continue; AMLO busts Bt1bn smuggling ring
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Two blasts rock Haad Yai, wounding 10 people The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Two large bomb attacks were carried out yesterday in Haad Yai business district of Songkhla province, wounding 10 people and causing large fires and heavy property damage. Initially it was reported that…
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Nigeria gunmen abduct 8 more girls
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Gunmen abduct 8 more girls in northeast Nigeria Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Suspected Boko Haram gunmen kidnapped eight girls from a village near one of the Islamists’ strongholds in northeastern Nigeria overnight, police and residents said on Tuesday. The abduction of the girls, aged 12…
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Phuket runway maintenance affects Chinese flights
PHUKET: Sichuan Airlines will relocate its Phuket operations to Krabi from May 15 through August 12 while runway maintenance is carried out during overnight hours at Phuket International Airport. The affected flights will be the Chengdu to Phuket and Chongqing to Phuket services. Sichuan Airlines offers two flights per week from both Chengdu and Chongqing direct to Phuket. Shanghai Airlines…
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Phuket park chief resigns over encroachment pressure
PHUKET: Park Chief Cheewapap Cheewatham has surrendered his fight to save Sirinath National Park from land encroachment and resigned from his position amid allegations of a 30-million-baht bribe to sign over protected land. After almost two years of service, Mr Cheewapap could no longer handle the pressure of the job and the powerful businessmen he pursued on land encroachment charges,…
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Police face corruption probe for letting Aussie gunmen free
PHUKET: The Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) will investigate the Patong Police officers who failed to provide enough evidence to charge two Australians with attempted murder after the pair opened fire on a busy street in Patong last year. The Australians, tattoo parlor owners John Cohen, 32, and Adam Shea, 26, injured two German tourists while trying to gun down…
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