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 Gazette World News: Caribbean Cocaine Cowboys on the rise; US slashes Egypt aid; Nigeria raids suicide vest factory; Landslide win in Azerbaijan election
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Caribbean drug trade rises under new generation of ‘Cocaine Cowboys’ Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: The Caribbean is becoming a hot spot again for drug smuggling into the United States as a new generation of “Cocaine Cowboys” plows the seas in fast boats in search of easy entry…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Tourists escape bus crash; ISA invoked in Bangkok; Suspect arrested for Brit murder; ATM attacks in South
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community ISA invoked ahead of visit by Premier Li The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: The government yesterday decided to impose the Internal Security Act (ISA) on Dusit, Pomprap Sattru Phai and Phra Nakhon districts of Bangkok until October 18 as 200-300 protesters continued to rally outside Government House.The…
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Phuket prepares for Eid al-Adha celebration
PHUKET: Preparations are underway for one and all to join the “Festival of the Sacrifice” activities to be held at the Muslim Wittaya Phuket School in Koh Kaew on October 15. The auspicious date of October 15 has been designated as the Islamic celebration of Eid al-Adha, according to esteemed elders, Islamic scholars and astrologers of the Central Islamic Council…
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Storms and rain set to continue until Sunday
PHUKET: Phuket and surrounding Andaman Coast areas are set for more rough weather, the Thailand Meteorological Department (TMD) has warned. According to the TMD, which issued its warning at 10am yesterday, the storms will continue until Sunday, when blue skies and the sun are due to make a welcome reappearance. Boat-owners and other seafarers need to exercise extra caution, as…
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Meth arrests lead to prison drug lord
PHUKET: The trend for local drug dealers to source their product from a kingpin operating out of a maximum-security prison was evident again this week as Crime Suppression Division (CSD) officers in Phuket arrested two suspects found in possession of 2,336 pills of ya bah (methamphetamine) in raids north of Phuket Town on Monday. Undercover police learned of a dealer…
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Phuket Governor stages “3K Police’ tour
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut yesterday conducted an inspection tour of police stations at three key tourism beach areas – Patong, Kamala and Karon – as part of his campaign to promote Phuket as a safe holiday destination.Joining the governor on his tour was Kathu District Chief Veera Kerdsirimongkol.Patong Police Superintendent Chiraphat Pochanaphan, who formally heads Kathu Police Station, reported…
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Hit-and-run bus-driver turns himself in
PHUKET: The driver whose bus struck a Myanmar national crossing Thepkrasattri Road, killing her instantly last Thursday, turned himself in to the police a few hours after the accident. “Hours after the event, (story here) the bus driver, Natthanapong Jithang, 33, surrendered at Thalang Police Station,” Kittipoom Tinthalang of the Thalang Police told the Phuket Gazette today. Mr Natthanapong told…
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Huge Phuket python caught seeking shelter
PHUKET: A man checking his house for leaks during heavy rain in northern Phuket this morning spotted a huge python near the back of the house, trying to get in.Chokdee Inklub was checking every room of his home at Baan Yid, in Mai Khao, to ensure water was not damaging his furniture or posing a danger near exposed power sockets.When…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Higgs boson, key to the universe, wins Nobel physics prize
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Higgs boson, key to the universe, wins Nobel physics prize Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Britain’s Peter Higgs and Francois Englert of Belgium won the Nobel Prize for physics on Tuesday for predicting the existence of the Higgs boson particle that explains how elementary matter attained the mass…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Bangladesh garment factory blazes; Turkey lifts headscarf ban; Italy seeks EU help after boat tragedy
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Turkey lifts generations-old ban on Islamic head scarf Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Turkey lifted a ban on women wearing the Islamic head scarf in state institutions on Tuesday, ending a generations-old restriction as part of a package of reforms the government says are meant to improve democracy.The…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Riot forces on alert at Govt House; Fears of Bangkok floods rise; Old bangers ban just an idea; School tablets bust
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Police and riot forces on alert at Govt House The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The Government is concerned that protesters from 56 organisations camped out at Rangsit University may widen their activities and get out of control, the National Security Council secretary-general said yesterday. “Around…
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As AoT and Airport bus company trade barbs, tourists take taxis
PHUKET: As Airports of Thailand (AoT) and the Airport Express bus company trade blame for the lack of passengers on the Airport-to-Patong bus, tourists continue to find it difficult to locate the bus stop. The most common complaint voiced by visitors is the lack of information both at Phuket International Airport and on line. “It took me 20 minutes to…
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Phuket tour operators targeted for damaging reefs
PHUKET: Officials have sworn to take action against boat operators dropping anchor on live corals in popular Phuket day-trip destinations such as Koh Racha Yai, after a video showing an anchor destroying the fragile marine environment surfaced online last week. “I was notified by the Go Eco Phuket team about the problem. I will issue a letter to all boat…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Cell traffic and disease research wins Nobel Prize; World Bank to slash budget; Argentina’s Fernandez to undergo brain surgery
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Work on ‘cell traffic’ and disease wins Nobel prize Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Three U.S.-based scientists won the Nobel medicine prize on Monday for plotting how vital materials such as hormones and brain chemicals are transported within cells and secreted to act on the body, giving insight…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Floods rage in Isarn; 17 killed in pickup crash; Hmong Bt344mn drug bust; Supercar probe stalls
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Lack of water-drainage options blamed for Isarn inundation The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The Royal Irrigation Department is blaming the raging floods in the East on the lack of water-drainage options. Many areas in the region have been under water for more than a month…
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Video Report: Sea turtles beach in Phuket with propeller, fishnet injuries
PHUKET: Two injured Olive Ridley sea turtles washed up on Phuket’s west coast yesterday.One of the two turtles, a male between 15 and 20 years old, was found on Patong Beach with leg and head injuries inflicted by a boat propeller.The other turtle, a female between five and 20 years old, was found earlier that day at Nai Harn Beach.…
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Phuket FC narrowly conquer Saraburi’s Warlords
PHUKET: Phuket FC fans, players and coaching staff are all able to rest a bit easier now that the club has ended a two-month winless run, having prevailed at home 1-0 over the Gulf Saraburi “Warlords” last night at Surakul Stadium.Prior to last night’s win, the Islanders’ last triumph was on August 11 when they downed Nakhon Pathom 2-0, also…
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No seat belts worn, but no fatalities after van flips twice
PHUKET: Six relatives, including three children, escaped serious injury when the van they were in flipped twice before coming to rest on Thepkrasattri Road in Mai Khao yesterday afternoon.None of the adults or three children, aged 8 to 11, was wearing a seat belt when the van slid on the rain-slippery road and hit the median at a curve in…
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Helmetless motorbike driver dies on deadly Phuket road
PHUKET: A helmetless man died of head injuries last night after his motorbike collided with a SUV being driven at high speed on Pa Khlok Road near the Heroines’ Monument (map here). “The body of Prasit Munmai, 50, was lying face down on the road near his motorbike when we arrived,” said Kittipoom Tinthalang of the Thalang Police. “Mr Pasit…
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Tanker truck vapor prompts Phuket scare
PHUKET: A tanker truck parked roadside with vapor pouring from its pressurized tank full of oxygen sent Phuket residents into a state of high alert last night. The 18-wheeler remained parked in front of the Thalang Museum, near the Heroine’s Monument (map here), with its engine running because residents hesitated to approach it for fear it would explode. “The truck’s…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Cameron in battle over EU referendum
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international communityPHUKET: British Prime Minister David Cameron’s control over his own party looks set to be challenged after a rebel lawmaker on Sunday launched a campaign to bring forward a planned referendum on European Union membership to next year.The move sets up a parliamentary showdown between rival factions of…
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Phuket Gazette World News: 51 dead in clashes across Egypt, more protests called
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international communityPHUKET: At least 51 people were killed in clashes in Egyptian cities on Sunday, security sources said, after opponents and supporters of deposed president Mohamad Mursi took to the streets in one of the bloodiest days since the army seized power.In a sign of more possible violence to…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Destruction of Syrian chemical weapons begins
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international communityPHUKET: International experts began overseeing the destruction of Syria’s chemical weapons arsenal on Sunday, said an official from the mission that has averted a U.S. strike but could rob President Bashar al-Assad of his most feared weapon.The process is being conducted amid a civil war in which 120,000…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Mexico monster truck accident kills 8, including kids, injures 79
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international communityPHUKET: Eight people, including four children, were killed and 79 injured when a monster truck careened into a crowd at a show in northern Mexico, an official at the public prosecutor’s office in the city of Chihuahua said on Sunday.The incident late on Saturday afternoon took place at…
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Gazette’s Full Guide to Phuket Vegetarian Festival 2013
PHUKET: The annual Phuket Vegetarian Festival started at sunset last night after area shrines raised go teng poles to allow the Jade Emperor and the Nine Emperor Gods to descend to our earthly realm. The nine-day festival, which ends on October 13, attracts thousands of visitors to Phuket to witness the festivities, which include fire walking, bladed-ladder climbing, specialty foods…
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Phuket on alert for floods and landslides
PHUKET: The Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department (DPMD) yesterday put Phuket on a list of 13 provinces told to be on the alert for possible rain-caused natural disasters. People living along rivers or at the base of hills should be particularly alert, the warning said.The other provinces on this list are Kanchanaburi, Ratchaburi, Phetchaburi, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Chon Buri, Rayong,…
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Special Report: Full moon fever more contagious on East Coast
Special Report In a country that markets itself to the world as “fun”, the debaucheries of Thailand’s full moon parties have stolen the spotlight as concerns mount over the safety of young partygoers seeking to break loose from reality and walk on a moonbeam. The Phuket Gazette‘s Chutharat Plerin reportsPHUKET: Australia’s Honorary Consul in Phuket condemned all full moon parties…
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Phuket Opinion: No pesticides please, we’re only human
PHUKET: In the wake of the latest surge in dengue fever cases in Phuket and Thailand as a whole, the Public Health Ministry is once again stepping up its efforts to reduce if not eliminate the looming threat. At the core of the officials’ latest reactive strategy (now that’s an oxymoron!) is the so-called “3-3-3” campaign that in more words…
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Phuket Opinion: Legacy of accuracy in black and white
PHUKET: With advances in information technology in recent years, much has been said about the “inevitable” demise of print media. Few among us would deny that we are living in a time of breathtaking change in the way news is delivered, consumed and shared. Copyright laws are becoming virtually unenforceable in our global world, and the new reality is that…
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Special Report: Is my neighbor a contract killer?
Special Report: PHUKET: Soldiers and other security personnel arriving on the island to enjoy R&R leave or even to retire in the sun is nothing new to Phuket, but the arrest of ex-US soldier Joseph “Rambo” Hunter this past week (story here) has raised the disconcerting question: Do you know who your neighbors really are? Hunter lived the quiet life…
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