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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Phuket Songkran road toll stands at 1 dead, 17 injured
PHUKET: After four days of the Songkran Seven Days of Danger national road safety campaign, Phuket’s death and injury toll stands at one dead and 17 people injured in 17 accidents. Five accidents which resulted in five people being admitted to hospital for treatment of injuries occurred in the 24 hours ending at midnight last night, the Department of Disaster…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Undersea drone hunt for Malaysian plane foiled by depth
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Undersea drone hunt for Malaysian plane foiled by depth Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A U.S. Navy underwater drone sent to search for a missing Malaysian jetliner on the floor of the Indian Ocean had its first mission cut short after exceeding its 4.5 km (2.8…
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Baby sea turtles wash back to shore after annual turtle release
PHUKET: Two baby sea turtles washed ashore two Phuket beaches on Sunday afternoon shortly after a turtle release took place in Mai Khao. “Villagers in Mai Khao and Karon called the Phuket Marine Biological Center [PMBC] after they found the stranded baby turtles on the beach,” an officer from the Marine Endangered Species Unit of the PMBC told the Phuket…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Nigerian bus station bombing kills 71 on edge of capital
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Nigerian bus station bombing kills 71 on edge of capital Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A morning rush hour bomb killed at least 71 people at a Nigerian bus station on the outskirts of the capital on Monday, raising concerns about the spread of an Islamist…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Obama blasts Russia in tense call with Putin over Ukraine
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Obama blasts Russia in tense call with Putin over Ukraine Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: U.S. President Barack Obama told Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday that Russia’s actions in Ukraine were not conducive to a diplomatic solution of the crisis in that country, and the…
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Body of missing Phuket three-year-old found in Nai Harn lagoon
PHUKET: The body of missing 3-year-old Kongpob “Nong Gorya” Chuerket was found in the lagoon at Nai Harn Beach yesterday afternoon, police confirmed. Nong Gorya went missing on Thursday from his home in Rawai, and was last seen crossing the road while his parents were busy working at their store in the construction camp where they live (story here). “We…
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Ghost rider becomes first Phuket fatality in Songkran Seven Days of Danger
PHUKET: A woman speeding on a motorbike in the wrong lane has become Phuket’s first recorded fatality during this year’s Songkran Seven Days of Danger national road-safety campaign. Nannika Boonchorn, 27, from Chaiyaphum, died after she collided at high speed with a motorbike with a sidecar at about 4pm yesterday. The accident happened on Baan Thungkha – Kuandindaeng Road, which…
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DNA results confirm body of missing Russian kidnap victim
PHUKET: Unofficial DNA results and dental records confirm that the decapitated body found in Cherng Talay on March 29 is that of missing Russian Alexey Slabinskiy, Phuket Provincial Police Deputy Commander Arun Kaewvatee announced on Saturday. “We’ve heard unofficially from the Forensic Office in Surat Thani that the remains are those of Mr Slabinskiy, and the teeth found in the…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Songkran spirit soaks nation; Koh Tee harbored in Isarn, say Dems; Road toll hits 102
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Thais forget their woes The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The Songkran festival appears to have cooled down Thai politics, at least for a short while, given the reduction in political violence, and a break in politicians’ activities during the five-day holiday, which began on Saturday.…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Ukraine readies military against pro-Russian rebels
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Ukraine readies full military operation against pro-Russian rebels Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Ukraine’s armed forces plan to launch a “full-scale anti-terrorist operation” against pro-Russian separatists, acting president Oleksander Turchinov said on Sunday, raising the risk of a military confrontation with Moscow. Angered by the death…
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Search begins for missing Phuket toddler
PHUKET: Police have launched a search for a missing three-year-old boy last seen near the family home in a construction camp in Rawai late Thursday afternoon. Kongpob Chuerket, nicknamed “Nong Gorya”, was wearing a blue singlet emblazoned with an Angry Birds motif and light blue shorts when he disappeared, said Lt Kraisorn Boonprasop of the Chalong Police told the Phuket…
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Phuket police praised as excellent, inspiring
PHUKET: In Phuket to review safety measures for the Songkran holidays, deputy national police chief Gen Aek Angsananont has praised the Phuket Police as “excellent” and “inspiring” in preserving the safety of tourists. Gen Aek explained that Royal Thai Police Commissioner-General Adul Saengsingkaew had issued a special directive for officers across the country to boost their efforts to eradicate crime…
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Speed, seats and safety targeted in Songkran bus blitz
PHUKET: Extra buses, drug and alcohol tests for drivers and GPS to monitor speeds have been ordered to ensure that holiday travelers make it home safely for the Songkran holidays. Ten extra buses were on standby at Phuket’s Bus Terminal 2 yesterday to cope with the 50 per cent increase in travelers as officials rolled out new disciplinary regulations for…
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Phuket maintains zero road fatalities in Seven Days of Danger
PHUKET: As of 9am today, no deaths had been reported in Phuket during the Songkran holiday Seven Days of Danger safety campaign. Two motorcycle accidents were reported yesterday, but neither involved serious injuries. At 6:21pm, Ampan Jansanoi, 35, lost control of her motorbike while riding in Phuket Town. Three hours later, at 9:25pm, Pongsakorn Sangkasee, 21, was involved in an…
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Travel a la carte
PHUKET: When I first came to Thailand, I came to travel. I went north and south, south and east. Sadly, since I moved here permanently, I find myself lacking the time to explore this country, and if I manage to secure some time off, I travel abroad. Luckily, there is a way to travel even when short on time and…
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Phuket double jeopardy: too much, too fast
Former Phuket Senator Tunyaratt Achariyachai, 59, represented Phuket in Thailand’s Upper House for six years. She graduated with a master’s degree in public administration from Manila University in the Philippines. Here, Ms Tunyaratt identifies her proudest achievements during her term as senator and what she still sees as the critical issues facing Phuket. PHUKET: When I was voted into office,…
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Phuket rental shops send passport pictures to Bangkok via smartphone application
PHUKET: Nearly one-third of rental shops in Patong have started to send photos of renters’ faces and passports to the Interpol branch in Bangkok via the messaging application Line in an effort to identify stolen passports and protect against passport theft on the island. The push for tighter security follows the news that two passports stolen in Phuket had been…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Pope asks forgiveness for ‘evil’ of child abuse by priests
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Pope asks forgiveness for ‘evil’ of child abuse by priests Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Pope Francis made his first public plea for forgiveness on Friday for the “evil” committed by priests who molested children, using some of his strongest words yet on the Roman Catholic…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Yingluck ditches Prem; Suthep welcomed at Health Ministry; 9 killed in Songkran drive
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PM misses Prem meeting The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Caretaker Prime Minister and Defence Minister Yingluck Shinawatra was absent yesterday from a gathering to pay their respects to Privy Council President General Prem Tinsulanonda, leaving only commanders of the Armed Forces with him. Supreme Commander…
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Financial distress prime suspect in Phuket man’s suicide plunge
PHUKET: Police investigating the death of a man whose body was found in the carpark of a public housing estate in Rassada this morning have determined the man leapt to his demise. Officers were called to the Karn Keha estate near Soi Kingkaew at about 9am. “We found the body of Pongsak Pitchapan, 47, on the ground in front of…
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Another Phuket beach befouled by wastewater, again
PHUKET: Dirty, smelly water is flowing across a Phuket beach again, not in the south this time, but in Bang Tao in the north, causing health and economic problems for local boat operators. The source of the problem, say the boatmen, is local hotels dumping untreated wastewater into the Bang Tao Canal, which spills it onto the beach and into…
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Safe start to Songkran Seven Days of Danger
PHUKET: The nationwide Seven Days of Danger road-safety campaign for the Songkran holiday came into effect at midnight last night, and the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Phuket office (DDPM-Phuket) has confirmed there have been no deaths reported in the first 12 hours of the campaign. “The Seven Days of Danger campaign started at midnight and will run from…
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![Jagota sponsors three new international music and theater events in Phuket [video] | Thaiger](https://thethaiger.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/7_201441113541191_uUPWzjQXubcvdGxyiQBlAtBpojudBeSHouBzQCAa_jpeg.jpeg)
Jagota sponsors three new international music and theater events in Phuket [video]
PHUKET: Phuket’s burgeoning events scene received a boost this week with the announcement that leading food supplier Jagota Brothers has signed an agreement with Events International [EI], organizer and promoter of the Phuket Gazette’s series of “Headline Events”, to sponsor three upcoming musical and theatrical performances on the island. The agreement will see Jagota as the title sponsor for these…
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Phuket Governor offers safe Songkran blessings
PHUKET: Governor Maitri Inthusut hosted more than 300 people, including the island’s three vice governors, at his official residence in Phuket Town this morning for a traditional Songkran water blessing to start off the Thai New Year holiday. Vice Governor Sommai Prijasilpa led the first blessing of Governor Maitri. “Thank you for your support and for helping us develop our…
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Phuket governor lends muscle to lake-filling investigation
PHUKET: Governor Maitri Inthusut yesterday lent the weight of his office to the investigation of a lake-filling project in Samkong with the aim of assisting Rassada Municipality to file a police complaint. The project, at Srisuchart Grandview housing estate, began as a municipality-ordered anti-erosion measure at the lake, but has become a noisy, dusty public nuisance and health threat, according…
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Phuket doesn’t need more tuk-tuks, says tuk-tuk chief
PHUKET: Seven months after his last appeal to legalize tuk-tuk drivers on the island, Sakol Srisompoch filed yet another complaint yesterday, but this time it was against legalizing them. In September, Mr Sakol led a group of legal tuk-tuk drivers to file a third formal complaint in their campaign to stamp out the illegal tuk-tuk trade in Patong (story here).…
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Special Report: Flaws hinder Thailand’s human-trafficking crackdown
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Special Report: Flaws hinder Thailand’s human-trafficking crackdown Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: After a two-hour trek through swamp and jungle, Police Major General Thatchai Pitaneelaboot halts in a trash-strewn clearing near Thailand’s remote border with Malaysia. “This is it,” he says, surveying the remains of a…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Songkran ‘Seven Days’ begins; Police issue safety tips for South; Malaysian ATM skim gang at work
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Songkran holiday ‘Seven Dangerous Days’ safety campaign begins The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: With the festive Songkran mood in the air, organisations from various sectors have come together to make the upcoming holiday “safe and happy” for everyone. Caretaker Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra yesterday expressed…
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Phuket banker dies after car crashes into pond
PHUKET: A Phuket banker died yesterday morning after he lost control of his car on the old airport road in Baan Nai Mon and flipped it into a small pond. A local farmer, who asked not to be named, said that residents were unable to save Phubadee Marasa, 26. Additionally, the first two rescue workers who arrived on the scene…
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Phuket Opinion: Three cheers for clean police
PHUKET: The opening of the Karon Police Station in 2012 to serve the southwest of the island was a well-intended move, one expected to take pressure off the Chalong police who were previously responsible for the entire south of the island. Events in recent months have shown that the truncation did not stop the scandals that have plagued the Chalong…
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