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.
-
Phuket storm pulls down pine tree, power cables
PHUKET: Two women were injured when a pine tree toppled by high winds landed on them as they were riding a motorbike on the Phuket west coast road between Kamala and Cherng Talay yesterday.The tree took down a high-voltage cable as it fell, knocking out power to the nearby area but [the high-voltage cable did] not harming the women.Police responding…
-
Phuket Gazette World News: Syria war crimes toll mounts; Myanmar bans anti-Muslim sect; N Korea restarts reactor; Obama observes 9/11
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community UN tallies Syrian war crimes massacres Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: U.N. rights investigators have established that Syrian government forces were almost certainly responsible for two massacres last May in which up to 450 civilians were killed, a report published on Wednesday said.The report documented eight mass killings…
-
Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Pracha faces Bt6.68bn fire truck probe; Rohingya land at Satun; 5 shot dead in Pattani; Legend crooner Sayan dies at 60
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community AMLO to size up assets of Pracha, ex-official The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: The Anti-Money Laundering Office will evaluate assets belonging to former deputy interior minister Pracha Maleenont and a former senior Bangkok Metropolitan Administration official before pursuing possible seizure if they are found to have been…
-
Swiss man despondent over health problems attempts suicide
PHUKET: A Swiss man despondent over several chronic health problems, including diabetes and asthma, cut his throat last night, but was saved by his wife.It was his second suicide attempt.Patong Police received a call at 10pm from a woman who reported that her 58-year-old Swiss husband had used a kitchen knife to slit his own throat.“He did it in the…
-
Phuket pool factory to make a splash
PHUKET: Swimming pool designer, manufacturer and retailer, JD Pools, recently held a celebration to mark the completion of their new factory and training center at Thalang. The 5,000 square meter factory is aimed at cementing JD Pools’ position as the largest pool manufacturer in ASEAN and will also function as a training center for their staff from across the region.…
-
Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Soldiers killed; Cadmium contamination; Push to legalize kratom
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Two soldiers killed, schoolboy injured in Yala blast The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Two soldiers were killed and two others, including a 12-year-old schoolboy, were wounded in a bomb attack at Kanarasdornbumroong 2 School in Yala’s Muang district yesterday. The home-made bomb exploded at 10am,…
-
Phuket taxi cartel head arrested, denies extortion charges
PHUKET: The head of the group of taxis operating out of Central Festival Phuket and his brother have denied using physical violence to extort money from fellow taxi drivers operating at the renowned shopping mall. Pom Sukkasam, 42, and his brother Sern Sukkasam, 52, were arrested by Crime Suppression Division (CSD) officers on Sunday and taken to Bangkok, where they…
-
Corpse with distinctive tattoo washes up twice
PHUKET: The body of a man first spotted floating in the sea near Koh Taphao Yai on Sunday was recovered yesterday when it reappeared 25km away off Koh Racha Yai.Residents on Koh Taphao Island notified authorities when they saw the body, but after Marine Police arrived, they were unable to locate it. The body was seen again yesterday off the…
-
Phuket beach blitz nets illegal jet-skis, drug user at Patong
PHUKET: Police apprehended one jet-ski rental operator for testing positive for drugs at Patong Beach yesterday afternoon.Officers from the Phuket Marine Police also seized two jet-skis being rented out to tourists with expired registrations.The officers arrived unannounced at the popular beach to “pee-test” 15 jet-ski rental operators and speedboat staff operating at the beach.“One of the 15 men, Wutthipong Thepwongsa,…
-
Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Bangkok flight delays continue; Abhisit in stupid woman hot water; Govt punts for double rubber prices
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Bangkok flight delays continue The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Passengers flying out of Suvarnabhumi airport in Bangkok can expect inconvenience and delays until a runway damaged by a crash landing by a THAI flight late on Sunday night is opened again tomorrow. Work is now being done…
-
Si Racha’s Blue Marlins take a big bite out of Phuket FC
PHUKET: Every season since getting promoted to the Yamaha League One (YL1), Phuket FC has had a devastating off-day; in the 2011 season, it was their 7-0 away-loss to Buriram; last year, it happened twice on the road – in their 6-0 loss to PTT Rayong and 5-1 loss to Saraburi. Last Saturday the Islanders experienced another such day –…
-
Phuket lifeguards ordered to pull down ‘unsightly’ beach station
PHUKET: Karon Municipality has decided to remove the Phuket lifeguard stand on Karon Beach on the grounds that it is unsightly and not fit for use.“Karon municipality officers led by Karon Deputy Mayor Ittiporn Singkaew have inspected the lifeguard station. It does not look nice and it is not well organized,” Karon Municipality Chief Administrative Officer (Palad) Weerasak Anekwongsawat explained.“We…
-
Celebrity Thai designer dies after Phuket beach rescue
PHUKET: One of Thailand’s best-known graphic designers, Pharuephon “Tum” Mukdasanit, was pronounced dead at Bangkok Hospital Phuket this morning after being pulled from the surf by lifeguards at Kata Beach on Saturday. Mr Pharuephon, known to his many youthful fans by the moniker “Mamafaka”, was pronounced dead at 2:50am, a hospital medic told the Phuket Gazette. He was set to…
-
Phuket Governor leads sendoff for pilgrims performing Hajj
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut led an ensemble of local government officers on Saturday to wish Muslims from across Southern Thailand a safe journey as they boarded the first flight from Phuket to Saudi Arabia dedicated to pilgrims performing the Hajj. The 301 Muslims gathered at Phuket International Airport had arrived from Songkhla, Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat provinces in Thailand’s…
-
Phuket town hit by flash flood after three-hour downpour
PHUKET: Many parts of Phuket Town were briefly underwater yesterday in the wake of a ferocious three-hour morning rainstorm.A number of roads were flooded and the Bang Yai Canal threatened to burst its banks.Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut and Phuket City Mayor Somjai Suwansupana led officials to inspect Bang Yai Canal’s alarming water levels near the Standard Chartered Intersection in the…
-
Phuket Gazette World News: Putin rival rises in Russia; Australia’s Abbott heads for the mines; Pinochet ricochet felt in Chile
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Putin foe manages strong showing in Moscow vote Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: An ally of President Vladimir Putin was heading for victory in a Moscow mayoral election on Sunday but opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s unexpectedly strong showing could alarm the Kremlin and fuel Russia’s flagging protest movement.Initial…
-
Phuket beach safety hits tide of resistance
PHUKET: A move by the Phuket Marine Office to enforce a 5-knot speed limit for all boats in Phuket is meeting strong resistance from parasail operators at Patong Beach. Enforcement of the boat speed limit is aimed at boosting water safety in the wake of a Chinese honeymooner being rendered comatose in a collision between a parasail boat and the…
-
Patong Beach water quality tests to take another two weeks
PHUKET: The results of water quality tests conducted on samples collected from Patong Bay amid an “algae bloom” on August 23 will not be available for at least another two weeks, the Phuket Gazette has been told. The news flies in the face of comments made by Phuket’s leading environment officer, Dr Pornsri Suthanaruk, director of the Phuket-based Regional Environmental…
-
Phuket to push for higher taxi fares, despite Bangkok opposition
PHUKET: Phuket officials plan to ask for permission to raise the standard rates charged by metered taxis on the island despite the announcement by the Minister of Transport yesterday that no taxi fares would be raised anywhere in Thailand. “We believe that when Transport Minister Chatchart Sitthipan hears why we want to increase the fares, he may make an exception…
-
Phuket Police arrest shooter of Russian tourist
PHUKET: Police have arrested the man who injured a Russian tourist by opening fire on a car in a fit of road rage in Rawai last month. Officers took Narongsak Saelim, 21, into custody yesterday, the same day Phuket Provincial Court issued a warrant for his arrest (story here). He is charged with attempted murder and possession of an illegal…
-
Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Govt won’t budge on rubber; Porn in Parliament; People power fights corruption; Floods in Trang
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Govt refuses to budge in talks The Nation/ Phuket GazettePHUKET: Government representatives and protesting farmers failed to agree yesterday on the subsidy for rubber prices.The government side, led by Deputy Prime Minister Pracha Promnog and Finance Minister Kittiratt Na-Ranong, remained firm about a price of Bt90 a…
-
Phuket tourism icon inspires AMCHAM meeting
PHUKET: Change – experiencing it, realizing it, understanding it, anticipating it and then trying to figure out how best to implement it for the optimal benefit to Phuket and all of its stakeholders. Such was the underlying theme of an awe-inspiring speech given last night by Wichit Na Ranong, a key driver, if not the father, of Phuket tourism. Co-founder…
-
Phuket officials, business figures unite to fight graft
PHUKET: A network of six influential private and government bodies this morning announced its intention to fight corruption throughout Phuket, amid concern over alarming levels of graft across the island.The network includes members of the Phuket Chamber of Commerce, Phuket Office of the National Anti-Corruption Commission, Federation of Thai Industries Phuket Chapter, Phuket Tourist Association, Thai Hotels Association (Southern Chapter)…
-
Phuket Police close in on shooter of Russian tourist
PHUKET: Phuket Provincial Court has issued an arrest warrant for the man believed to have shot Russian tourist Maksim Klocskov in Rawai on August 17. “The suspect we are seeking is Narongsak Saelim, 21,” said Lt Col Jumroon Plaidoung of the Chalong Police. Mr Klockskov was shot in the back when a bullet aimed at the car he was riding…
-
Phuket Town parents protest planned closures at municipal school
PHUKET: More than 500 concerned parents have protested the proposed closure of the kindergarten and primary sections at Plookpanya School in the heart of Phuket Town. Phuket City Municipality is justifying the closures on the grounds that they are needed to streamline the area’s schooling. The first stop for the protesters, led by Plookpanya Parents Association President Teerapol Limchoo, was…
-
Business operators win fight to keep shops at Phuket International Airport
PHUKET: Business operators of concessions at Phuket International Airport have prevailed in their battle to keep their concessions at the airport. Not only will they be allowed to remain at the airport, but they will be allowed to continue their business in the new airport terminal once it is completed in 2015, said Thammarawat Wongcharoenyut, one of the operators. The…
-
DSI lands windfall in Phuket illegal taxi fines, no cars seized
PHUKET: Efforts to rein in illegal taxi drivers in Phuket has landed a windfall 868,000 baht in fines since the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) opened its anti-organized crime centers in Phuket on August 10.The fines were garnered when officers stopped and fined illegal taxi drivers 434 times at six checkpoints across the island from August 10-29, Lt Col Somboon…
-
Phuket Gazette World News: Putin, Obama at odds over Syria; Rwanda drawn into Congo crossfire; Merkel app gives face time
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community World leaders pressure Obama over Syria at G20 summit Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: U.S. President Barack Obama faced growing pressure from Russia’s Vladimir Putin and other world leaders on Thursday to decide against launching military strikes in Syria, which many of them fear would hurt the global…
-
Phuket Prison officer busted for drugs in Bangkok
PHUKET: A Phuket Prison officer who taught inmates new life skills to use after their release was arrested for drug possession in Bangkok on Tuesday.Thanawit Puangnoi, 56, was arrested after Nonthaburi Provincial Police received a tip-off that a man would pick up drugs in the neighborhood around Jan Temple in Bang Kruai District.Officers staking out the neighborhood saw Mr Thanawit…
-
Phuket Opinion: Relegate the blight of jet-skis to the past
PHUKET: It is time that the provincial government considers phasing out the jet-ski rental industry that has brought so much ill-repute to the island. The latest tragedy involving a jet-ski and a foreign tourist came last weekend, when 27-year-old Chinese visitor Shen Baocheng was rendered comatose after his rented jet-ski collided with a speedboat towing a parasailing tourist in Patong…
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.