News
Stay up-to-date with the latest news from across Thailand and beyond with The Thaiger. Our dedicated team brings you breaking news, in-depth analysis, and exclusive stories from this stunning part of the world, covering a diverse range of topics, including local politics, business, culture, and tourism. Keep yourself informed about the Kingdom’s rich history, stunning landscapes, and thriving expat communities, as well as updates on events, attractions, and transportation.
The Thaiger is your essential resource for staying connected with Thailand’s captivating blend of tradition and modernity. To remain in the loop with the country’s most trusted news source, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on social media.
-
Sponsored Infinito helps hotels in Thailand with revenue management
Maximising revenue and profit–isn’t that the ultimate goal for every business in the hospitality industry? If you run a hotel, you might have heard that revenue management is an effective way to boost your top-line revenue. It involves using data...
-
Kajonkiet to open international school in Phuket
PHUKET: Phuket parents seeking English-language education for their children will have a new option from May next year, when a new Kajonkiet international school is scheduled to open in Kathu. The Kajonkiet group of schools, already the largest provider of private bilingual education in Phuket, hopes to open its first international school in time for the start of the international…
-
Highway robbery in Phuket
PHUKET: Three teenagers held up a pair of young women at gunpoint in Thalang early Sunday morning and stole their motorbike. News of the hold-up was reported to Thalang Police by Wirach Rawdboot, the older brother of one of the victims. The woman, with a female friend riding pillion, was driving her Yamaha Fino home from work along a quiet…
-
Phuket ramps up flood-relief efforts
PHUKET: The People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) in Phuket has joined the relief effort for flood victims in Thailand’s north and northeast. Charoensamanakij Temple, behind Phuket Provincial Court, is the collection point for supplies. The group is liaising with the Kusoldharm Foundation to arrange transport for the supplies to hard-hit areas. PAD Phuket coordinator Aparat Chartchutikumjorn said donated items include…
-
FC Phuket draw with Rayong FC, 1-1
PHUKET: FC Phuket drew on the road at Rayong FC last night, making success in this Saturday’s home match against undefeated Chainat FC crucial to their chances for promotion to Division 1 of the Thai League. In last night’s game in the AIS Regional League “mini-league” playoffs, FC Phuket went in with one point following a road draw at Samut…
-
PHUKET OPINION: Road lines too cheap to catch attention?
PHUKET: There are some grandiose schemes underway to accommodate the rising number of vehicles plying Phuket’s roads, which is growing at a higher rate than ever with some 500 new registrations every month. Few hold out much hope that the stranglehold on public transport by the island’s widely detested syndicates will ever be seriously addressed – at least in areas…
-
Phuket poll: Will the drug testing of hotel staff help?
PHUKET: The Gazette on Friday reported that Phuket City Police and hoteliers in Phuket City Police District will launch a “White Hotel” project that will eventually subject hotel staff to mandatory drug testing. Do you think this could be an effective step toward reducing the problem of illegal drug use? Have your say in the latest Phuket Gazette readers’ poll…
-
Phuket drivers ‘the worst’: Gazette poll
PHUKET: Phuket drivers don’t think much of fellow road users, with more than 80% saying they are worse than drivers abroad, the results of the latest Phuket Gazette reader’s poll reveal. In the poll launched a week ago, readers were asked: How would you rate the overall behavior of motorists in Phuket compared to those in other places, outside of…
-
Phuket flood aid on its way to Lopburi
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Office yesterday dispatched more than 100,000 baht in donated funds and other aid to help the tens of thousands of people affected by flooding in Thailand’s central and northeastern regions. Thus far, at least 17 people have been killed from the deluge in central and northeast Thailand, with tens of thousands displaced and in need of…
-
Phuket sea gypsies protest water shortage
PHUKET: Phuket Police and local officials are in meetings with leaders of the Rawai Sea Gypsy community this afternoon following a street protest that held up traffic for about an hour this morning. About 250 members of the community took part in the protest, which began at about 8:30am on a section of Wiset Road near Rawai Pier. At the…
-
Phuket Thailand Open: Brazilians Franca and Da Silva top seeds
PHUKET: Larissa Franca and Juliana Felisberta Da Silva of Brazil, currently the world’s number-one women’s beach volleyball team, have been ranked as top seeds for the US$190,000 Phuket Thailand Open. The tournament, with PTT as the main sponsor, is the last stop on the 2010 Swatch FIVB Beach Volley World Tour to be held on Karon Beach November 2 to…
-
Relatives of Aussie fall victim in Phuket notified
PHUKET: Relatives of the Australian tourist who died of head injuries sustained in a bathroom fall in Patong earlier this week have been notified, the Australian diplomatic mission in Thailand has confirmed. Australian Honorary Consul for Phuket Larry Cunningham told the Gazette this morning that relatives of the deceased, Joseph Edward Thoms, were notified of his passing at 9:30pm yesterday.…
-
Sexual assault claim a “misunderstanding’: Vachira Phuket Hospital
PHUKET: Vachira Phuket Hospital has concluded that a sexual assault charge against one of its staff members was the result of a “misunderstanding”. The hospital investigation began after a woman filed a complaint with Phuket City Police on Tuesday that she had been sexually assaulted by hospital staff while undergoing an x-ray examination. Lt Col Sian Kaewthong told the Gazette…
-
Aussie tourist dies in Phuket bathroom fall
PHUKET: An Australian tourist died of a head injury apparently sustained after he slipped and hit his head on the bathroom floor in a Phuket guesthouse. Kathu Police at 4:20pm yesterday received a report that a foreign man was discovered dead in the bathroom of his rented room on the third floor of the Vech Guesthouse on Rat-U-Thit 200 Pi…
-
Phuket tunnel project to begin in 2013: Patong Mayor
PHUKET: Patong Mayor Pian Keesin told a crowd of supporters recently that he expects work on the Patong Tunnel Project to begin in 2013. Speaking at a “Patong Future Plan” public rally at Patong Sports Field on the beach road earlier this month, Mayor Pian presented his plans for easing problems that have arisen from the fast pace of development…
-
Body of Russian tourist recovered off Phuket
PHUKET: Local fishermen have found what they believe to be the body of missing Russian tourist Alexey Agaponov, who went missing off Nai Thon Beach Monday afternoon. Phuket Marine Police Lt Jirayuth Onthong told the Gazette that local fisherman called in the gruesome discovery at 6:30pm yesterday. The body was found in a rocky area at Koh Krata, a small…
-
Phuket tourism update: TAT to strengthen Aussie, Kiwi markets
PHUKET: In a bid to encourage more visitors to Thailand after the recent political turmoil, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has introduced new products and packages to 30 key travel operators in Australia and New Zealand. The overall package was announced yesterday by TAT governor Suraphon Svetasreni. Australia and New Zealand were chosen as the first overseas mission for…
-
Phuket Marine Police continue search for missing Russian’s body
PHUKET: Marine Police are still searching for the body of Russian tourist who disappeared in rough surf at a Phuket Beach on Monday afternoon and is now presumed dead. Alexey Agaponov disappeared off Nai Thon Beach the same day the Russian Embassy in Bangkok confirmed that a 50-year-old Russian had drowned at Surin Beach, further south down the Phuket coastline.…
-
Aldhouse extradition: UK kickboxer in custody for Phuket murder
PHUKET: Fugitive British murder suspect Lee Aldhouse has been remanded in custody at City of Westminster Magistrates after his arrest on a Thai extradition request, the Birmingham Post has reported. The Birmingham native is wanted for the stabbing murder of 23-year-old US Marine DaShawn Longfellow in Rawai in August. According to the report, Mr Aldhouse will undergo a review hearing…
-
Phuket pitches in for JW Marriott world record Thai dining attempt
PHUKET: There are still seats left at the tables throughout Phuket tonight for what organizers expect to be the world’s largest-ever Thai dinner party. Marriott chefs have created a Thai menu that will be served up simultaneously to diners in 3,400 Marriott hotels in 69 countries. Thus far about 80 people have made reservations for the meal at the JW…
-
JSSL Arsenal soccer school returning to Phuket
PHUKET: THE JSSL Arsenal soccer school is returning to Phuket for the third year in a row for the annual Phuket 7s Tournament. Over 220 parents and children are expected to travel to Phuket with the Singapore-based soccer school this December. The tournament, for local and international teams alike, will kick off on December 12. JSSL Arsenal is Singapore’s largest…
-
Similans park chief warns Phuket dive tour operators
PHUKET: The chief at the Mu Ko Similan National Park has warned that tour operators entering the park without a permit after its November 1 reopening may face a 10,000 baht fine – or even have their tourism license revoked. The warning follows park officers at the Similans over past few weeks handing out booklets explaining a number of regulations…
-
Westin Siray Bay reaches agreement with Phuket taxi co-op
PHUKET: A taxi drivers co-operative will be allowed to operate a stand just outside the Westin Siray Bay Resort in Phuket, but only under certain conditions hammered out during a meeting with hotel management last week. Local taxi co-operative Sirae Island Taxi Service earlier petitioned the hotel management to allow them to operate a stand at the luxury hotel, which…
-
Top Phuket guides ponder the future
PHUKET: Some of Phuket’s top tour guides have expressed concern that the changing nature of the Phuket tourism industry might render their jobs obsolete in the future. Tour guide Kittitat Chookaew was among the eight Phuket-based tour guides who received a “Kinnaree”, a national award given by the Tourism Authority of Thailand for excellence and contributions to the Thai tourism…
-
Phuket accident causes commuter misery
PHUKET: A four-car collision on Thepkrasattri Road southbound in Phuket this morning caused a two-kilometer-long traffic tailback. The accident, which occurred near near the Isuzu Showroom in Koh Kaew at about 10am, left a traffic tailback all the way to the Heroines Monument in Thalang. Phuket City Police arrived at the scene, at the northernmost fringe of their jurisdiction, at…
-
Chinese seek Bt10bn Phuket investment
PHUKET: Representatives of Chinese investment conglomerate Shang Mao Group met the Phuket Governor last week to express interest in investing some 10 billion baht in Thailand, probably in Phuket or Chiang Mai. Six representatives of the Nanjing-based firm got a warm welcome from Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha at Provincial Hall on Friday afternoon. Shang Mao Group President Wang Guiyuan told…
-
World #1 beach volleyball duo signed up for Phuket Open
PHUKET: The world’s top female volleyball players have all signed on for this year’s Phuket Open women’s beach volleyball tournament to be held on Karon Beach from November 2 to 7. Event manager Geoffrey Rowe, Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha and Phuket Sports Association director Chedthawit Tantipanwadee participated in a meeting last week to iron out details for the event and…
-
Thai League promotion playoffs: FC Phuket draw with Samut Prakarn
PHUKET: In the first round of play in the Thai League Division 2 promotion playoffs this weekend, FC Phuket picked up a valuable point on the road with a 0-0 draw at Samut Prakarn. Fellow Division 2 South qualifiers Trang FC were less successful, going down to FC Phichit at home 2-1. Results of other matches played over the weekend:…
-
Phuket poll: Readers rate local driving skills
PHUKET: The steady stream of casualties on Phuket’s roads shows the need for residents and visitors to take the utmost of care when driving on the island. But why are there so many accidents? Is it because drivers in Phuket are particularly careless? In our latest Phuket Gazette Poll, we’re asking our readers to rate the behavior of motorists in…
-
Phuket Vegetarian Festival ends with a ‘boom’ tonight
PHUKET: Tonight marks the end of the annual Phuket Vegetarian Festival, which will culminate with shrines holding street processions to Saphan Hin, where the final farewell ceremony for the Nine Chinese Warrior Gods will take place. There will be no “mah song” spirit mediums taking part tonight, but plenty of fireworks. Those who shy away from loud noise would be…
-
Phuket politician nabbed in meth bust
PHUKET: The vice president of Kathu Municipality was among three people arrested in Phuket for the sale of ya Ice (crystal methamphetamine) yesterday. Kathu Police Crime Suppression Inspector Akanit Danpitaksat identified the suspect as 44-year-old Somkuan Somboon, arrested in a roadside sting operation in Kathu at about 4am. The successful sting operation followed the arrest, at about 1am the same…
Don't forget to check out some other things to do in Thailand - get help starting a business or finding a job in Thailand, buy Thailand property, rent a yacht or book a medical procedure worldwide.