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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Smooth travel to Belgium and the Netherlands: Visa tips & tricks!
Make Belgium and the Netherlands your next destination with the right visa in hand. Explore the iconic tulip fields, cruise through Amsterdam’s scenic canals, or stroll through the historic streets of Bruges. Don’t forget to enjoy some authentic Belgian chocolate...
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Thailand News: DiCaprio calls for ivory ban as DNP tries to better regulate trade
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community DiCaprio calls on Yingluck to ban ivory trade Phuket Gazette / The Nation PHUKET: Hollywood heartthrob Leonardo DiCaprio has called on Thailand and Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to show leadership on elephant conservation by banning all ivory trade in the country. “Illegal wildlife trade is the…
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Phuket Gazette Sports: Arsenal outgunned by devastating Bayern
Classy Bayern in command after 3-1 victory at Arsenal Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Bayern Munich seized control of their Champions League last 16 tie against Arsenal as goals from Toni Kroos, Thomas Mueller and Mario Mandzukic earned the German giants an emphatic 3-1 first leg win at the Emirates last night.A clinical early strike from Kroos opened the scoring and…
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DBD investigates Thai firms suspected of helping foreigners set up companies illegally
PHUKET: A special investigation by the Department of Business Development (DBD) into foreign-owned businesses in Phuket has revealed links to Thai legal and accounting firms on the island that may be helping companies set themselves up illegally in Thailand. “We suspect that these firms may be allowing foreigners wanting to open a business to use their company address to represent…
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National defense volunteer nabbed with marijuana at Phuket checkpoint
PHUKET: Thalang Police arrested a national defense volunteer with two bags of marijuana at a checkpoint in Thalang on Saturday. When police saw a white Toyota Vios attempting to avoid the checkpoint at Baan Yamu at 8:30pm, they stopped the car, driven by Supakij Benjamas, 29, and searched it. “We found two bags of marijuana and tobacco in a peanut…
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‘Missing’ Swiss student discovered in Ranong prison pleads guilty
PHUKET: The Swiss student, who was thought to be missing for a month before being found in Ranong Prison, has pleaded guilty to the theft charges levied against her after she balked at an immigration overstay fine and stole an immigration officer’s camera. When Tscherina Nora Janisch, a 22-year-old Swiss exchange student, refused to pay a three-day visa overstay fine,…
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Phuket Live Wire: Landing that special connection
PHUKET: In the past five editions of Live Wire, I’ve been talking about the things you need to consider if you want to get a good internet connection in Phuket. Believe me, it ain’t easy. I’m moving to Kathu shortly, and the kinds of problems I’m having are no doubt indicative of the kinds you’ll have, the next time you…
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Phuket Business: How expats can simplify their finances
PHUKET: Moving to another country to work or retire, like Thailand, can be a daunting undertaking that will inevitably make managing your finances more complicated and time consuming. With that in mind, here are a few tips to help you simplify your finances so you can quickly start enjoying your new life as an expat:Consolidate your financial accounts:If you have…
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Phuket Business: Recalling the cycle of market emotions
PHUKET: My first investment was in a stock fund in 1990 when I was an engineering student at university. I was told to just buy and hold and put money in blindly and it will grow. They were somewhat right but I wanted to know more and began a quest to find a way to pinpoint what is known as…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Britain’s National Secular Society highlights clerical sex abuse cases
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community U.N. body says U.S. lax on clerical sex abuse cases Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A U.N. committee has accused U.S. legal authorities of failing to fully pursue cases of child sex abuse in religious groups, an issue especially troubling the Roman Catholic Church. The Committee…
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Thailand News: Tourists should be warned – expert; Olive branch to militants; Match-fixing allegation
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Warn tourists about Thai driving habits, expert says Phuket Gazette / The Nation PHUKET: It is time for all foreign tourists to be informed frankly about how to travel safely in Thailand, an expert on accident analysis urged yesterday. “They should know that travelling in Thailand…
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Confessed killer Aldhouse, a fighter afraid to fight
PHUKET: British national Lee Aldhouse admitted in court today that he was afraid to fight the premeditated murder charges he faces for the slaying of former US Marine Dashawn Longfellow in 2010. Nonetheless, the confessed killer entered a plea of “not guilty” in front of a judge at the Phuket Provincial Court. “I am afraid to fight the case. I…
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Paul Wilson set to guide Laguna Phuket Golf Club
PHUKET: A new management team has taken the helm at Laguna Phuket Golf Club following the departure of former Director of Golf, Tim Haddon, who now heads up the recently-opened Laguna Lang Co Golf Club in central Vietnam. Paul Wilson has been appointed assistant director of golf at Laguna Phuket to guide the club through its planned course renovations during…
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Phuket’s top cop pushes for Valentine’s Day violence investigation
PHUKET: Phuket’s top cop took the reigns in a Valentine’s Day violence case after an allegedly attacked teen couple expressed their concern that the perpetrators would be protected from the law by their father, a Thalang police officer. Police Commander Choti Chavalviwat summoned Thalang Police Acting Superintendent Sirisak Wasairi to report to him immediately about the case, which revolves around…
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German in stable condition after three-storey fall
PHUKET: The German tourist who fell from the balcony of his third-floor hotel room early Saturday morning was moved from the Vachira Phuket Hospital ICU to a different ward, but is still on life support. Police rushed to the Kalim Resort at 2:45am on Saturday morning to find German national Alexander Sven Zott, 35, unconscious on the pavement after the…
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Phuket Business: Makro opens new branch in Patong
PHUKET: Membership-base, wholesale food retailer, Siam Makro PCL has expanded its Phuket operations with the opening of its Makro Food Service branch in Patong. Located in the area of the Mae Ubon Derm fresh market on Nanai Road in Patong, the new branch is the second Makro store on the island. Its retail area spans a total 1,000 square meters,…
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Phuket Business: Alien labor window extended
PHUKET: Employers of ‘low-skill migrant workers’ in Phuket and across Thailand have until March 16 to have their respective employees registered under the National Verification (NV) process, the Phuket Labor Office has confirmed. Applying specifically to temporary laborers from Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos, the latest NV deadline is an extension of another extension. The Phuket Gazette reported last week online…
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VIDEO: This Week Today from the Phuket Gazette
PHUKET: This Week Today from the Phuket Gazette features top news, sports and events from around the Pearl of the Andaman. Anchorman Isaac Stone Simonelli, the Gazette‘s managing news editor, introduces the top stories from the island, brought to you by PGTV. In this week’s round-up: – DSI investigates foreign businesses in Cherng Talay – PMBC introduces jellyfish warning signs…
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Dubai student drowns north of Phuket near Phang Nga waterfall
PHUKET: A student from Dubai drowned near a Phang Nga waterfall, north of Phuket, on Valentine’s Day after having left his friends to explore the area.Muhammad Ali, 20, had separated from his friends to “walk around and take photos” in the Ton Pariwat Wildlife Conservation Area after a morning of rafting at Kong Songprak, said the conservation area chief Uthen…
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Swiss man dies allegedly avoiding police checkpoint
PHUKET: A Swiss visitor allegedly trying to avoid a police checkpoint in Chalong died early this morning after his car hit a shelter in Rawai, on Phuket’s south coast, flipped and landed in the sea below.The 46-year-old was driving with a female companion when he hit the shelter at the sea gypsy village in Rawai.“We got the report at about…
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Toilets run dry in Rassada despite well endowed reservoirs
PHUKET: Despite the assurance that water supplies were going to keep taps in Phuket wet (see here), the Phuket Gazette received a report on February 14 that a resident of Baan Rockgarden 5 in Rassada had been without water for three days. The Gazette relayed the information to Mr Pisak and learned that a water pipe had broken, preventing water…
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Phuket Police officer’s sons accused of Valentine’s Day attack
PHUKET: A teenager alleged that the sons of a policeman attacked her and her boyfriend with a metal rod and a knife on Valentine’s Day, then threatened her boyfriend with a gun while the policeman restrained him.The 17-year-old teenager, given the pseudonym “Koy” because of her age, said that she and her boyfriend Benz Densiri, 18, were leaving the garage…
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German tourist on life support after fall from Patong hotel balcony
PHUKET: A German tourist tumbled from a balcony in Patong early this morning and is on life support at Vachira Phuket Hospital. Patong Police received a report at 2:45am that the 35-year-old German had fallen from the 3rd floor balcony of his room at the Kalim Resort. “At the scene we found the man, dressed in a striped shirt and…
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Phuket Gazette World News: 6-year-old girl raped in northern India
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community 6-year-old girl violently raped, dumped on street in northern India Phuket Gazette / News WiresPHUKET: A six-year-old girl was raped and physically brutalized last week before being dumped on the side of a street in northern India, local media reported yesterday. It is the latest incident in…
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Phuket: Drug store to the world
PHUKET: The recent fining of a pharmacy owner in Chalong Police District (story here) for the illegal sale of prescription drugs is just the tip of an iceberg that needs to be urgently addressed by the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) and law enforcement agencies in Phuket. The year 2012 was the first ever that death by overdose of prescription…
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Phuket Opinion: Change is natural for Chinese traditions
PHUKET: Teeravut Sritularak, 65, was born and raised in Phuket. He is the president of the Jui Tui Shrine and on the management team of Pud Jor and Kiew Tian Shrines. Here he talks about changes in the way Chinese New Year is celebrated in Phuket. Change is natural, the important thing is understanding the traditions’ true meanings and celebrating…
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Image of Chinese Goddess of Mercy moved for Old Town Phuket Festival
PHUKET: An image of the revered Chinese Goddess of Mercy, Guan Yin, and a jade stamp from China made their annual journey from Pud Jor Shrine to Queen Sirikit Park today as the Old Town Festival commences (see story). The white jade stamp is a replica of a 1,000-year-old stamp in a shrine in Suining, China, and was presented to…
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Teachers, students plant rare species of palm in Phuket National Park
PHUKET: Phuket teachers and students helped plant 100 of the rare White Back Palm trees near Ton Sai Waterfall yesterday in honor of HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn. Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut led the tree planting ceremony, which included officers from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment. Teachers and students from Muang Thalang School and Weerasatree Anusorn School joined…
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Three beached dolphins treated and released in Phang Nga
PHUKET: The three Spotted dolphins that beached themselves on February 7 in Khao Lak have not returned to land after being treated and released back into the sea, Patcharaporn Kaewmong, a veterinarian at the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) confirmed to the Phuket Gazette. “I think they are safe since they have not come back to us,” said Dr Patcharaporn.…
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Six busted with 1.5 million in drugs in Phang Nga, north of Phuket
PHUKET: Police busted a drug ring yesterday, netting drugs with a street value of about 1.5 million baht when they arrested six drug dealers with ya bah (methamphetamine), ya ice (crystal methamphetamine) and cough syrup in Phang Nga, north of Phuket. Acting on a tip-off, police went to the home of Chaiyuth Prasanphan, 35, and his brother Somchai Prasanphan, 40,…
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Motorbike with sidecar backslides down hill and flips, killing one
PHUKET: A motorbike with a sidecar carrying six Burmese workers slid down a hill and flipped over in the Blue Canyon Country Club in northern Phuket yesterday, killing one and seriously injuring two. Police received the report of the accident at 6:50 pm and rushed to the scene with Kusoldharm foundation rescue workers. “One of the passengers, Mr Muang, told…
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