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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Russian tourist, 42, drops dead while chatting with friends
PHUKET: Police have yet to determine why a Russian tourist died suddenly in a Phuket hotel room early yesterday morning.Timur Ivanov and his two traveling companions were eating fruit and drinking a hot beverage together at a hotel at Bang Tao Beach when he suddenly passed out. The friends called hotel staff for help, and rescue workers were summoned to…
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Phuket Sailing: The Bay Regatta 2014 starts this week
PHUKET: With this year’s Bay Regatta set to kick-off this Wednesday and run through to Saturday, the entry list is growing daily with over 32 yachts currently entered, many joining the event for the first time. The Racing Class will be headed by the largest monohull yacht on the course – first time entrant, X-Yacht X-55 Pine Pacific – helmed…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Eleven dead after worst snowfall in decades hits Tokyo
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Eleven dead after worst snowfall in decades hits Tokyo Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Eleven people died, more than a thousand were injured and tens of thousands lost power when the worst snowstorm in decades hit Tokyo and areas around the Japanese capital before heading north to blanket…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Falling rock derails train in French Alps, two dead
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Falling rock derails train in French Alps, two dead Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: A huge falling rock derailed a train in the French Alps on Saturday, killing two people and partly pushing one of its carriages over the edge of a mountain slope, local officials said.At least…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Rice rally violence alert; Police seek Lak Si gunmen, arrest Kwanchai shooter; EC petitions PM on new poll
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community NSC warns of violence over rice rally The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: The National Security Council (NSC) yesterday warned of a possible escalation in violence as rice farmers link up with anti-government protesters to mount pressure on Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and her crew to step down.…
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German man, 70, found dead with sex drug
PHUKET: The discovery of a 70-year-old German man who appears to have died after taking a generic version of Viagra has prompted public health officials in Phuket to issue a warning about such drugs.“People should take care when taking erectile dysfunction drugs, especially if they are older and have underlying medical conditions,” said Orachorn Atthaveelarp of the Phuket Provincial Health…
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Owners of abandoned Phuket resort refuse to give way
PHUKET: Owners of an abandoned resort in the foothills of Patong have refused to take down part of their structure to re-open access to the land behind it. The land in question, valued at 40 million baht per rai because of its panoramic view of Patong, cannot be developed without access, said landowner Utaiwan Van-Zandt, who has been fighting to…
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Tourist Police evade Phuket shakedown claims
PHUKET: The chief of the Phuket Tourist Police has branded allegations that three of his officers extorted 20,000 baht from an Italian man in Patong as a “big misunderstanding”. The news follows protesters staging a blockade of the Patong beach road last weekend after word of the shakedown spread through the resort town. “The case will not be pursued because…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Russian Winter Games open amid security scares, arrests
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Russian Winter Games open amid security scares, arrests Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Russia’s Winter Olympics got underway on Friday with a grandiose opening ceremony watched by President Vladimir Putin, who will be keen to calm fears of militant attacks and move on from a row over gay…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: PDRC sows seeds of rice farmer alliance; Finance Ministry silent on payment methods; Army ramps up lese majeste action
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Suthep keen for alliance with angry farmers The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: The anti-government movement led by Suthep Thaugsuban appears to be seeking an alliance with rice farmers as the embattled caretaker government struggles to find the money owed to the farmers under the price-pledge scheme.Yesterday, Suthep,…
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Donations delayed as Phuket blood stocks hit five-year low
PHUKET: Several blood donors were turned away from Bangkok Hospital Phuket yesterday, even though a Norwegian man in the intensive care unit there was in dire need of the blood. “We would like to thank them, but please be informed that Bangkok Hospital does not collect blood donations – not even for emergencies,” Corporate Social Responsibility Project Manager Pareeya Jullaphong…
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A rescuer: Ultralight engine did not explode in fatal Phuket crash
PHUKET: The engine of the ultralight flying boat that crashed in the sea near Rawai on Wednesday, killing its pilot, did not explode, says an expat who took part in the recovery effort. “There were no signs of explosive damage to the engine,” Singaporean Marshall Ong told the Phuket Gazette. Mr Ong saw the engine when he entered the water…
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Phuket Opinion: Boosting Phuket tourism through sport
Virat Patee, 55, is a native of Phuket. He has served as the director of the Sport Authority of Thailand’s Phuket office for five years, and formerly served as the director of the SAT Krabi office for 12 years. Here, he talks about the valuable contribution sports make to tourism and suggests how Phuket can do more to promote sport…
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![Governor eyes Phuket goat market potential [VIDEO] | Thaiger](https://thethaiger.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/phuketnews_201427122113382_ZmhbNyUPFZLvusdVVtGdinNWOwjgtbMvNMbtvaAz_jpeg.jpg)
Governor eyes Phuket goat market potential [VIDEO]
PHUKET: Goat meat and milk produced in Phuket could provide local farmers with up to a million baht in annual revenue, the governor has estimated. On Tuesday, Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut and Vice Governor Sommai Prijasilpa led officers on a tour of Akarah goat farm in Baan Pru Cham Pa in Thalang and discussed the future of the goat industry…
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Phuket Opinion: Life aquatic starts at a young age
PHUKET: Much has been written about water safety in this space over the years. However, with a focus on maritime accidents and tourist drownings, we have neglected the troubling issue of the island’s children not being properly taught to swim, as a series of heartbreaking tragedies in recent weeks indicates (story here and here). As the only “naked ape”, there…
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Special Report: If there’s something strange and it don’t look good”¦ who ya gonna call?
Special Report Early last Saturday morning, a female tourist spent 45 minutes trying to contact the police. Repeated calls to the Tourist Police hotline 1155 went unanswered until a man picked up and told her he could not speak English and advised her to call the Thalang Police, who put her on hold. The Phuket Gazette’s Chutharat Plerin investigates emergency…
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Tourist Police face harsh words in Phuket
PHUKET: Tourist Police in Phuket, Phang Nga, Krabi and Surat Thani have received a public tongue-lashing over a lack of patrols in tourist areas.“I never see Tourist Police out on patrol when I visit – they are only working in their small police boxes,” said Gen Wuthi Liptapallop, a top-flight Adviser to the Royal Thai Police Commissioner-General Adul Saengsingkaew.“How are…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Italy rescues more than 1,100 migrants in rafts south of Sicily
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Italy rescues more than 1,100 migrants in rafts south of Sicily Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: The Italian navy has rescued more than 1,100 migrants from nine large rafts in the waters south of Sicily, the latest arrivals from North Africa.Patrol helicopters identified the overcrowded rafts on Wednesday…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Moscow accuses U.S. of fomenting Ukraine coup; recordings leaked
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Moscow accuses U.S. of fomenting Ukraine coup; recordings leaked Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: An east-west struggle over Ukraine turned nastier as Moscow accused the United States of fomenting a coup and Washington pointed a finger at Russia for leaking a recording of U.S. diplomats discussing how to…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: EC tackles poll problems; CMPO seeks 39 arrest warrants; Grenades fired at rally site
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Farmers raise pressure The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Furious rice farmers yesterday piled pressure on the government by taking their protest to the capital, amid claims that they were part of a plot to bring down the government.Thousands of farmers from the Northeast, the Central and the…
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German victim in Phuket ultralight crash believed drowned
PHUKET: Phuket Police believe the German man whose ultralight crashed on Wednesday (story here) drowned after his flying boat plunged into the sea. Chalong Police Investigator Patiwat Yodkwan named the crash victim as 64-year-old Georg Erwin Bach. “When police and rescue workers arrived at the scene, Mr Bach had already been brought ashore by staff at a nearby resort,” Maj…
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Southern blockades didn’t affect Phuket goods: DIT Chief
PHUKET: The island’s market for consumer goods and fresh produce has not been affected by the political turmoil in and around Bangkok, the head of the Department of Internal Trade (DIT) Phuket office has assured. “I’m not aware of any shortages on the island, so there should be no reason why goods in Phuket would be any more expensive than…
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Urgent call for O-negative blood to save Norwegian man
PHUKET: The Phuket Regional Blood Center is calling for urgent donations of O-negative blood in order to save the life of a Norwegian man in the intensive care unit (ICU) at Bangkok Hospital Phuket. “The hospital said they need three units of O-negative to save the patient’s life,” PRBC Chief Pornthip Rattajak told the Phuket Gazette this afternoon. “We have…
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Phuket Gazette World News: EU lawmakers push to bolster rights of stranded air travellers
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community EU lawmakers push to bolster rights of stranded air travellers Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: The European Parliament has called for stricter rules to make it easier for stranded air passengers to claim compensation from their airlines.The lawmakers’ vote on Wednesday takes Europe closer to tightening rules on…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Scathing U.N. report demands Vatican act against child sex abuse
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Scathing U.N. report demands Vatican act against child sex abuse Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: The United Nations demanded on Wednesday that the Vatican “immediately remove” all clergy who are known or suspected child abusers and turn them over to civil authorities, in an unprecedented and scathing report.The…
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Governor picks up trash, pushes for cleaner Phuket
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut picked up trash on Thepkrasattri Road yesterday morning as part of a lead-up to Civil Defense Volunteer Day on February 10. A group of about 200 people, including Vice Governor Chamroen Tippayapongtada and Phuket Provincial Employment Office Chief Yaowapa Pibulpol, as well as government officers and volunteers fanned out on both sides of the road…
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Two clipped in Phuket beauty salon with over 90kg of marijuana
PHUKET: Police seized 92kg of marijuana at a beauty salon in Thalang yesterday in a sting operation that netted two men also found in possession of a grenade, an illegal handgun and a cache of ammunition. Netithorn Waddina, 49, from Nakhon Pathom, and Suriya Chuayjuan, 34, from Songkhla, were arrested at about 5pm after undercover police arranged to buy 30kg…
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Phuket’s X-Terminal successfully inaugurated
PHUKET: Phuket International Airport’s X-Terminal saw its first successful charter flight depart for China yesterday. “The check-in system for the flight went well. Passengers checked in at the X-Terminal, then took the shuttle to the main terminal to clear Immigration and Customs,” Director of Phuket International Airport Pratuang Sornkham told the Phuket Gazette. Jet Asia Airways provided the flight, JF840,…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Farmers maintain blockades; Student tablet scheme fails; Thai in mysterious South African death
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Defiant farmers maintain blockades, draw up petition The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: While one group of rice farmers today brings tractors and trucks to rally outside the Commerce Ministry in Nonthaburi – to pressure for long overdue payments from the rice-pledging scheme – another group from the…
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Illegal wildlife vendors netted at Phuket’s Wat Chalong Fair
PHUKET: Wildlife preservation officers and Marine Police last night arrested three people and seized more than 300 items of jewelry made from coral and the shells of the endangered Hawksbill turtle. Tanet Munnoy, chief of the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) Phuket office, led the raid at the temple grounds after his office received a tip-off from people…
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