News

Thailand news, politics, business, crime, lifestyle, and tourismā€”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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    Whatā€™s not covered by health insurance in Thailand?

    Health insurance in Thailand has important limits that everyone should know. Many policies do not cover pre-existing conditions, motorcycle accidents, extreme sports, or specific treatments. These gaps can lead to unexpected costs during emergencies. Coverage for outpatient care and hospital...

  • Phuket labor chief confirms illegal Burmese workers will be deported

    Phuket labor chief confirms illegal Burmese workers will be deported

    PHUKET: Any migrant workers found in Phuket without having completed the nationality verification process will be deported, the chief of the Phuket Provincial Employment Office (PPEO) has warned. “The deadline for migrant workers to complete the nationality verification process was extended by six months, from June 15 until December 14,” PPEO chief Yaowapa Pibulpol told the Phuket Gazette. “During that…

  • World News: Connecticut in mourning; Gunman kills 28

    World News: Connecticut in mourning; Gunman kills 28

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCHā€“ World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Quiet Connecticut town rocked by mass school shooting Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: The peace and security of the suburban Connecticut community of Newtown lay shattered yesterday after a gunman attacked a primary school in one of the worst mass shootings in U.S. history.Tearful parents and children gathered…

  • Patong Carnival underway today

    Patong Carnival underway today

    PHUKET: The island’s premier party town of Patong is set to kick off the tourism high season with its annual carnival, starting today and running to December 20. Organized by the Patong Municipality, the annual festival draws thousands of visitors from all over the world to mark the start of the tourism high season in Phuket, which traditionally runs from…

  • Phuket Sports: Andaman Pearl’s home games under threat

    Phuket Sports: Andaman Pearl’s home games under threat

    PHUKET: Phuket United’s home at the new 4,000-seat futsal arena in Saphan Hin is under threat after Phuket City Municipality has asked that the parquet playing surface be relayed with rubber. The Andaman Pearl’s Saturday game was postponed to Sunday, at Fashion Island in Bangkok, because of issues with the playing surface at Saphan Hin’s futsal stadium, said Samak Rattanadilokna,…

  • Phang Nga officials implicated in illegal palm plantation

    Phang Nga officials implicated in illegal palm plantation

    PHUKET: Several high-ranking Phang Nga officials have been implicated in the operation of an illegal 16-rai palm plantation raided by officers yesterday after the site was deemed to be encroaching on protected park land.More than 70 officers cleared 420 palm trees in yesterday’s raid.The offensive targeted a district border area at the tourist-popular Ton Pariwat Wildlife Conservation Area, north of…

  • ‘Paris Hilton’ Phuket beach party gets green light

    ‘Paris Hilton’ Phuket beach party gets green light

    PHUKET: The “Paris Hilton” New Year beach bash organized by Sydictive Element on Surin Beach has, after strong opposition, finally been approved, local officials have confirmed to the Phuket Gazette. The approval came after Sydictive Element assured the local government that they will take care of three key areas of concern, Ma-ann Samran, president of the Cherng Talay Tambon Administration…

  • Phuket first-time car buyers overload Excise Office

    Phuket first-time car buyers overload Excise Office

    PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Excise Office (PPEO) is calling in extra officers from other departments to help cope with an overload of tax-rebate applications being filed by first-time car owners. The office has processed 9,000 applications for tax rebates since the government campaign to encourage young people to buy cars was launched on September 16 last year, said policy specialist…

  • Phuket Sports: Patong CC slay old foe

    Phuket Sports: Patong CC slay old foe

    PHUKET: Patong Cricket Club (PCC) squared off against old foes Island Cricket Club (ICC) in the second game of the Jones Lang LaSalle League last Sunday. Patong Cricket Club emerged victorious after an exciting day of cricket. PCC won the toss and elected to bat, losing their fist wicket in the second over. After a cautious start, opener Mike Khan…

  • Phuket human trafficking victim now safe in children’s home

    Phuket human trafficking victim now safe in children’s home

    PHUKET: The Cambodian child who literally ran to the safety of Phuket officials to escape her life as a human-trafficking victim and being forced to beg on the streets of Soi Bangla is now safe in a home for children, Patong Deputy Mayor Chairat Sukban confirmed to the Phuket Gazette today. “We coordinated with all relevant departments immediately after she…

  • Turtle egg find floats hope of leatherbacks returning to Phuket region

    Turtle egg find floats hope of leatherbacks returning to Phuket region

    PHUKET: Hopes that turtles are returning to their traditional nesting sites along the Andaman Coast soared as a second clutch of leatherback turtle eggs was discovered on Tai Muang Beach in Phang Nga, just north of Phuket, within an eight day period.The discovery of the nest on Tuesday follows a leatherback turtle being spotted laying eggs on the beach on…

  • World News: North Korean launch sends out shock-waves

    World News: North Korean launch sends out shock-waves

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH ā€“ World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community For North Korea, next step is a nuclear test Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: North Korea rattled the world yesterday by putting a satellite into orbit using the kind of technology that appears to demonstrate it can develop a missile capable of hitting the United States.…

  • Phuket Prison to investigate alleged “death beating’

    Phuket Prison to investigate alleged “death beating’

    PHUKET: Phuket Prison officials are investigating the death of a male inmate following a grieving widow alleging that her husband was beaten to death. Prison guards found Pranom Duksukkaew, 48, dead from what they believed to be natural causes when they went to rouse the inmates at 6am on Tuesday. Pranom was serving a 16-year sentence for raping a minor,…

  • World News: Death toll from Hurricane Bopha reaches 900; Many still missing

    World News: Death toll from Hurricane Bopha reaches 900; Many still missing

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH ā€“ World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Philippines typhoon toll tops 900, hundreds still missing Phuket Gazette / News Wires PHUKET: The death toll from the strongest typhoon to hit the Philippines this year has climbed above 900 while hundreds more, many of them tuna fishermen, remain missing and are feared dead, emergency…

  • International Sports: Assumptions that cricket has largely eradicated corruption are challenged

    International Sports: Assumptions that cricket has largely eradicated corruption are challenged

    Spot fixing threatens integrity of modern game Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Any comfortable assumptions that world cricket has largely eradicated corruption after the shock of the Hansie Cronje match-fixing scandal are challenged in a disturbing new book investigating India’s illegal bookmaking underworld. In “Bookie Gambler Fixer Spy; A Journey to the Heart of Cricket’s Underworld”, English author and cricket…

  • Police to charge tour van driver today over lethal Phuket crash

    Police to charge tour van driver today over lethal Phuket crash

    PHUKET: Tuan Russala Samae, the tour van driver involved in the fatal crash that killed 9-year-old British International School student Kunnarree Lattuada-Lancini on November 29, has been discharged from Vachira Phuket Hospital. “He is to present himself at Chalong Police Station on Thursday [today] to be charged with reckless driving causing death,” Sub Lt Kraisorn Boonprasop told the Gazette on…

  • CCTV captures unidentified man using missing American’s bank card in Phuket

    CCTV captures unidentified man using missing American’s bank card in Phuket

    PHUKET: The mother of missing American Brett Bean was unable to confirm if images captured by CCTV cameras in Patong and Chalong show her son making ATM transactions after his disappearance in Phuket. Lynne Bean, who posted a 50,000 baht reward to help find her son was asked to visit Karon Police Station today to try to identify a man…

  • Live Wire: A decade of hard internet knocks

    Live Wire: A decade of hard internet knocks

    PHUKET: This is the final installment in a four-part series of articles about getting connected to the internet in Phuket. High season is upon us and many people are looking for good internet connections ā€“ for a month, a year, or the rest of their lives. In these four articles I’ve tried to distill more than a decade’s worth of…

  • Phuket Business: B300 minimum wage hike to worsen labor shortage

    Phuket Business: B300 minimum wage hike to worsen labor shortage

    PHUKET: With the nationwide minimum wage set to rise to 300 baht, a labor shortage tops the list of business risks for property and construction firms in 2013. To consumers, this could mean longer construction periods while they wait to take possession of their new homes.Thailand’s construction, infrastructure and manufacturing sectors are now facing a shortfall of about 200,000 workers.…

  • Phuket Business – Think outside the box: Pornthip

    Phuket Business – Think outside the box: Pornthip

    PHUKET: The island’s most recognized local food-gift company Pornthip (Phuket) Co Ltd, was recently honored with the “Good Design Award” in Japan for the packaging of its Sino-Portuguese snack gift items. This was the second year in a row the company received the accolade for its unique and innovative packaging design. Also recognized with the “G Mark”, the annual award…

  • North Korean native found dead in Phuket

    North Korean native found dead in Phuket

    PHUKET: A Russian national, but born in North Korea, was found dead in his rented Phuket apartment room this evening.The unclothed body of the man, 46, was found face-up on the floor by the apartment owner after she unlocked the room to access the air-conditioning unit.“I knocked on his door and asked for him to open up for me and…

  • World News: Doctor rescued by Navy Seals in Afghanistan

    World News: Doctor rescued by Navy Seals in Afghanistan

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH ā€“ World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community U.S. forces rescue kidnapped American doctor in Afghanistan Phuket Gazette / News Wires PHUKET: Seven Taliban insurgents were killed yesterday in a successful operation by US special forces to rescue an American doctor who had been abducted in eastern Afghanistan, officials said. A US service member…

  • Phuket ready to rendezvous

    Phuket ready to rendezvous

    PHUKET: Organizers are making final preparations for the 12th annual Asia Superyacht Rendezvous and the anticipation is palpable. Most yachts have arrived, bringing with them captains, crew and VIP guests who are getting revved up for sun, sailing and socializing. The buzz is growing with Christmas around the corner and Phuket’s beaches bustling with families, honeymooners, holiday makers and friendly…

  • Kvalka surrenders, denies active role in Phuket Reisz murder

    Kvalka surrenders, denies active role in Phuket Reisz murder

    PHUKET: Following his surrender to Samui Police on Saturday, Gyorgy Lajos Kvalka denied any role in the killing of Hungarian businessman Peter Reisz. Tourist Police Commander Roy Ingpairoj arrived from Bangkok to present Mr Kvalka, 48, to the press at the Phuket Tourist Police headquarters in Phuket Town on Saturday night. Named on the arrest warrant as “Kvalka Lajos Gyoergy”,…

  • Phuket Business: We want to help – IRS

    Phuket Business: We want to help – IRS

    PHUKET: The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) insists that it wants to assist US citizens residing overseas, including dual citizens, in catching up with tax filing obligations and provide assistance for people with foreign retirement plan issues.“We want to help US citizens abroad get current with their tax obligations and resolve pension issues,” said IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman.Shulman said that as…

  • Football Roundup: Van Persie breaches City fortress, Everton win

    Football Roundup: Van Persie breaches City fortress, Everton win

    PHUKET: Manchester United laid down a significant marker in the Premier League title race as Robin Van Persie’s late free kick sealed a dramatic 3-2 Premier League derby win at Manchester City’s home fortress yesterday. City fought back after Wayne Rooney’s first-half double but goals from Yaya Toure and Pablo Zabaleta proved in vain as Van Persie marked his first…

  • Phuket expat sailor Stafford Steer dies from cancer

    Phuket expat sailor Stafford Steer dies from cancer

    PHUKET: As sailors raced in the final day of the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta that concluded yesterday, one of Phuket’s longest-staying expats and best-known personalities in the local yachting community, Stafford Steer from Australia, died after a brief battle with cancer. He was 71 years old. Stafford arrived in Phuket from Cairns, in Far North Queensland, Australia, in 1992 on…

  • Pong powers home to win Phuket King’s Cup Regatta

    Pong powers home to win Phuket King’s Cup Regatta

    PHUKET: Blue skies and consistent winds marked the final day of the 2012 Phuket King’s Cup Regatta in fitting style yesterday as teams and their boats assembled at the start line in a final bid to resolve their class contests. Some results had effectively completed on Friday, but most of the classes were anticipated to deliver a thrilling final day…

  • World Football Roundup: Torres ignites Chelsea; bad record for Queens Park

    World Football Roundup: Torres ignites Chelsea; bad record for Queens Park

    PHUKET: Fernando Torres continued to silence his critics by scoring twice for the second game running as third-placed Chelsea won 3-1 at Sunderland last night to record their first Premier League victory under Rafael Benitez.The much-maligned Spain forward struck two goals in the first half, his second from the penalty spot, and almost completed a hat-trick shortly after halftime when…

  • Weird World News: Fire and ice meets fired and iced

    Weird World News: Fire and ice meets fired and iced

    PHUKET: In this week’s Weird World News Roundup we take a wacky trip from New Mexico over the border into Arizona ā€“ and back to New Mexico. Usually home to UFO and alien sightings, this time the focus is on more earthly stupidity as we dive into the worlds of a frozen gun, a police note to the mob, and…

  • Phuket Opinion: Wake up and shed the shirts

    Phuket Opinion: Wake up and shed the shirts

    PHUKET: Island residents and expats alike breathed a collective sigh of relief late last month when a dreaded showdown between the Pitak Siam (“Defenders of Siam”), the latest incarnation of the anti-Thaksin People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD), and government security forces fizzled out on the streets of Bangkok due to lack of popular support and other factors. As events unfolded…