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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Copper thief copped at Phuket checkpoint
PHUKET: Police arrested a man carrying 100,000 baht worth of stolen copper wire concealed in fertilizer sacks at a routine checkpoint in Thalang yesterday .Eakkapan Pinthong, 22, a construction worker at the Karn Keha public housing estate in Srisoonthorn, appeared nervous as he approached the checkpoint on Baan Don Road shortly after midnight yesterday, police said.“He was riding a motorbike…
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Phuket officials vow swift action on dirty Patong beach water
PHUKET: Patong officials are determined to discover the source of foul water being pumped into the sea at Patong Beach following a large section of dirty water surfacing at the beach yesterday. “Our municipality was not aware of the problem. However, now that we know, we will step in to solve the problem as soon as possible,” Panida Klinbbusa, an…
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Northbound lanes at Phuket underpass to re-open, relieve congestion
PHUKET: The northbound lanes entering the Darasamuth Intersection, in front of the Central Festival Festival shopping mall, will be re-opened this afternoon, relieving some of the heavy traffic congestion in the area. Excavating the road required workmen at the site to close all northbound lanes for several hours this morning and redirect traffic along the spur road to join Wichit…
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Rescue workers bag a pair of Phuket pythons
PHUKET: Rescue workers were called to recover large pythons in both Patong and Mai Khao last night after local Phuket residents raised the alarm due to the sheer size of the snakes. Rescue workers from Patong Hospital were summoned to capture a large python seen slithering across the road in front of the Patong Municipality offices (map here) at about…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: 600 Thais evacuated from Egypt; 7BN seized; Absolute control – MP Ongart Klampaiboon; Oil spill recovery plan
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community 600 Thais flown back, 300 still in Egypt The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: More than 600 Thais have been evacuated from Egypt on flights arranged by the Thai government in the wake of the unrest which has so far claimed some 900 lives. Another 300…
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Tourism Malaysia closes Phuket office after 13 years
PHUKET: Tourism Malaysia announced today that it will close its Phuket office and all other offices outside of Bangkok by the end of this month.“There will only be one office in Thailand, and that will be in Bangkok,” Deputy Director General of Tourism Malaysia Chong Yoke Har said.Mrs Chong made the announcement at an appreciation dinner for Phuket’s media and…
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Family escapes injury in Phuket tour bus shunt
PHUKET: A 66-year-old man, his wife and their toddler granddaughter luckily escaped injury this afternoon when the car they were travelling in was shunted from behind by a Phuket tour bus at speed on Thepkrasattri Road in Koh Kaew.The force of the impact sent Saeree Krajangsee and his Honda City sedan careening over the median strip and slamming into a…
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Canadian arrested in Phuket after Facebook gives away his locale
PHUKET: Police last night arrested a Canadian man wanted for allegedly stealing 100,000 baht in Chiang Rai after photos he posted on his Facebook page were recognized as having been taken in Patong. Police arrested David Peter Sundstorm, 39, after they spotted him walking out of a restaurant on Nanai Road (map here) at about 8pm, explained Patong Police Deputy…
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British teen dies after severe allergic reaction to cashew nut in Phuket
PHUKET: A 14-year-old British boy, on holiday with his family, went into shock and died after consuming a single cashew nut last night in Patong.Ethan Williams was taken to Patong hospital, but died en route, Patong Hospital Director Dr Sirichai Silapa-acha said.Doctors believe that Ethan died either from an acute allergic reaction to the cashew nut or bronchial spasms brought…
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Brothers arrested for hotel room drug depot shopfront
PHUKET: Two brothers were arrested on drugs charges on Friday, with police suspecting that the siblings were using a hotel room in Cherng Talay to store and sell their wares. “We received a report from one of our undercover agents about the brothers renting a hotel room to store drugs, and we obtained a warrant to search their house in…
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Russian found hanged from tree at Phuket landmark
PHUKET: A Russian man was found dead, hanged from a tree in a wooded area near Phuket’s iconic Promthep Cape, at the southernmost tip of the island, on Saturday morning. Chalong Police received news of the deceased foreigner at 8:30am. “We found the body of Vladimir Slobodenyuk, 29, from Russia, hanging by a length of nylon rope from a large…
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Phuket Gazette World News: UK detains partner of Snowden journalist; Mega-mall planned for concentration camp site; Mexico captures cartel head
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Britain detains partner of journalist linked to Snowden Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: British authorities used anti-terrorism powers on Sunday to detain the partner of a journalist with close links to Edward Snowden, the former U.S. spy agency contractor who has been granted asylum by Russia, as he…
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Phuket police net 78 illegal fishermen
PHUKET: Police rounded up 84 suspected illegal fishermen from across the island yesterday through raids on the Phuket Fish Marketing Organization, the Patong area and various boats dotted along the Phuket coastline. “Officers were arranged into three teams and inspected locations where we guessed illegal immigrant workers might be found,” said Phuket Immigration Superintendent Sanchai Chokhayaikij. On seeing the raiding…
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Phuket hospital confirms identity of severely beaten Nepalese tailor
PHUKET: A change of corners in the beating of a Nepalese tailor has revealed that the tailor, Aung Aung Latt, was in fact the one hospitalized after being severely beaten by another tailor who has only been identified as “Rocky”, despite previous reports (see here). Vachira Phuket Hospital staff were unable to confirm or deny the identity of the hospitalized…
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Phuket FC hope to devour Khon Kaen’s T-Rex tonight
PHUKET: Recovering from their Wednesday night draw with Royal Navy FC, 6th-placed Phuket FC will be looking to bag all three points in their away fixture tonight against the 14th-placed Khon Kaen FC T-Rex. To kickoff at Khon Kaen OrBorJor Stadium at 6pm, the match is both side’s 23rd of 34 scheduled matches in the Yamaha League One 2013 season.…
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Special Report: Sudden Death comes knocking at Phuket’s door
Special Report Hans Lehner and his Thai partner Pranee Srijaem went out for somtam last Saturday night (story here). The next day Pranee was dead. Stumped for any explanation as to why Pranee, 39, had died, doctors were forced to list the cause of death as ‘acute heart failure’ as a form of Sudden Unexplained Death Syndrome. The Phuket Gazette‘s…
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Phuket Provincial Hall adds more CCTVs to tighten security
PHUKET: Four high-definition CCTV cameras have been added to the entrance and exit of the Phuket Provincial Hall complex following the bomb blast on the grounds on August 1 (story here). “Two new CCTV were placed at the entrance and two were placed at the exit so they will be able to zoom in on the license plates of cars…
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Phuket Opinion: Phuket Town, worthy of Unesco World Heritage status
PHUKET: Approaching Phuket Town from the north at dusk provides a magical moment. At the intersection of Thepkasattri and Thalang Roads, the ivory-white Song Nuan Pharmacy building is cinematically lit with colors that manage to stay just on the right side of garish.Every time I pass it on my daily two-wheeled commute home, and then proceed through streets lined with…
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Phuket Opinion: Health insurance for tourists at 7-Eleven
Dr Sirichai Silpa-archa has been the Director of Patong Hospital for six months and was Deputy Director of Vachira Phuket Hospital for 26 years. He has a medical degree from Chulalongkorn University with a specialty in Urology from Chiang Mai University, as well as an MBA. Here, he discusses options for relieving the financial burden of uninsured foreign tourist and…
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Phuket Opinion: Isle of Caprice
PHUKET: The naming of 11 parties who will be investigated by the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) for so-called “mafia” activities in the island’s tourism industry (story here) have piqued the interest of even some of the most jaded Phuket media observers. However, only time will tell if this initiative turns out to be the first dose of the long-awaited…
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Phuket to remember long-term expat Marc Harrington, 66
PHUKET: Friends of long-term Phuket expat Marc Harrington, who died on Tuesday, will be holding a fundraiser next Friday, August 23, to help cover hospital and funeral expenses so they may lay him to rest. Mr Harrington, a British national from London, was admitted to Vachira Phuket Hospital on June 22 after suffering a head injury in a motorbike accident…
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Tiger Disco: date set for trial over lethal Phuket fire
PHUKET: More than than a year after a fatal blaze killed four people at Patong’s famous Tiger Disco nightclub on August 17 last year, the nightclub’s operators will be called to Phuket Court to enter a plea to charges of negligence causing death. “Tiger Group CEO Piya Isaramalai and Sara Entertainment Co Ltd each face a charge under Section 291…
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Mayor Pian, other Patong officials snared in vote fraud probe
PHUKET: The Phuket Election Commission (PEC) Director, Kittipong Thiengkunakrit, signed an order on July 29 to remove Patong Mayor Pian Keesin from office for vote fraud.However, in talking with the Phuket Gazette today, he was vague about the details of the complaint filed that led him to dismiss one of Phuket’s most powerful politicians.“Mayor Pian and other Patong Administrative officials…
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Family of executed Phuket human resources director demand results
PHUKET: The husband of Jintana Mahattanapak, who was executed waiting at a stoplight on her way home from work, demanded that police reinvigorate their investigation into his wife’s death as the case appeared to have gone cold almost seven months after the event (story here). Winyoo Mahattanapak, Mrs Jintana’s widower, and other relatives arrived at the Phuket Provincial Police Headquarters…
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Phuket speedboat brings tourists closer to nature
PHUKET: A group of tourists out to enjoy a scenic tour of Phuket’s east coast received a surprise yesterday when the captain of the speedboat they were riding on decided to take the eco-tourism slogan “bringing you close to nature” to heart. The speedboat Panisa ended up high and dry among the mangroves at the entrance to the canal to…
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Run like a girl… ahead of the rest – Triathlon Tips
PHUKET: Did you know that “Long Distance Running” for women was illegal in the old days? Participation in Marathon events was impossible for women. It was considered unfeminine and unhealthy. It took the IOC till 1984 to finally hold the first marathon for women. The first known marathon finish of a woman was in 1967 when Katherine entered the Boston…
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Moya Hin, Hurricane and Aqua sail forth
PHUKET: Beautiful sunny skies and a cool, gentle 10-15 knot south-westerly breeze greeted over 45 sailors competing in race one of Phuket’s Ao Chalong Yacht Club, Series Two. The first of the eight race series was proudly sponsored by ISS Security Services. After hearty breakfasts from the club restaurant and some of the best coffee on the island, sailors of…
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Patong cruise to easy win – Phuket Cricket
PHUKET: On an overcast Sunday for Round 6 of the Outrigger T20 league, Laguna last weekend squared up against Patong in the morning session, while the Village took on ICC in a rain-affected afternoon session.In the morning match, Patong cruised to a comfortable win over Laguna who could only manage 90 runs during their innings with Patong reaching their target…
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Chinese tourists unharmed in Phuket high-speed tour bus crash
PHUKET: Chinese tourists on board a Phuket tour bus escaped injury last night after the bus they were travelling on sideswiped three parked cars at speed on Thepkrasattri Road.The bus was returning 20 tourists back to the Supalai Resort & Spa at Ao Por, in Pa Khlok, after a night tour of Phuket Town, said Thalang Police officer Lt Thani…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Egypt braces for more bloodshed; UPS crash probe stalls; World’s largest child porn facilitator arrested
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Egypt braces for more violence as Brotherhood calls for ‘march of anger’ Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Deeply polarised Egypt braced for renewed confrontation on Friday after the Muslim Brotherhood called for a nationwide march of millions to show anger at a ferocious security crackdown on…
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