News
Stay up-to-date with the latest news from across Thailand and beyond with The Thaiger. Our dedicated team brings you breaking news, in-depth analysis, and exclusive stories from this stunning part of the world, covering a diverse range of topics, including local politics, business, culture, and tourism. Keep yourself informed about the Kingdom’s rich history, stunning landscapes, and thriving expat communities, as well as updates on events, attractions, and transportation.
The Thaiger is your essential resource for staying connected with Thailand’s captivating blend of tradition and modernity. To remain in the loop with the country’s most trusted news source, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on social media.
-
Sponsored Is tap water in Thailand safe to consume?
Wondering if you can drink the tap water in Thailand? From brushing your teeth to filling up a bottle, it’s helpful to understand a few basics. Tap water safety in Thailand varies by location, and while some people use it...
-
Austrian tourist stabbed, robbed by Phuket youth gang
PHUKET: An Austrian tourist is recovering from a punctured lung and other injuries sustained in a brutal robbery attack by four knife-wielding youths in Phuket yesterday. Patong Police identified the victim as Rupert Wilhelmstatter. Mr Wilhelmstatter, in his 50s, was returning by motorbike to his hotel in Patong at 1:45pm when the attack occurred. He was returning from Paradise Beach,…
-
Phuket Yacht Haven staff praised for averting marina fireball
PHUKET: A power boat berthed at Yacht Haven Marina in Phuket went up in flames last night, but heroic action by staff at the facility minimized the damage to surrounding vessels as they were able to tow it safely out to deeper water. No injuries were reported. Phuket Kusoldharm Foundation emergency rescue workers, called to the scene at 7:45pm, watched…
-
Phuket King’s Cup Regatta: Pong rebounds with win, Premier leads the way
PHUKET: Hannes Weimer’s Team Premier surged to the top of the IRC Zero standings to lead the class with five points after the second day of yacht racing today in the 25th Phuket King’s Cup Regatta. Frank Pong’s Jelik II fought back from two fourth-place finishes yesterday to win today’s Race Three in good winds at the start line, easing…
-
Prompong returns, inspects Phuket mangrove encroachment
PHUKET: Pheu Thai Party spokesman and party list MP Prompong Nopparit, who is also the vice president of the parliamentary anti-corruption committee, returned to Phuket on Saturday to inspect alleged encroachment on a protected mangrove forest in Rassada. The inspection visit follows Mr Prompong heading a public meeting at Phuket Rajabhat University on November 26. At the meeting, Mr Prompong…
-
U.S. FAA chief on leave after drunk driving arrest
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Randy Babbitt out of the cockpit for now Phuket Gazette / News Wires PHUKET: U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator Randy Babbitt took a leave of absence yesterday afternoon after police revealed he was arrested for drunk driving over the weekend, officials said. Babbitt was arrested…
-
Pardoned: Phuket Prison population to plummet 10%
PHUKET: More than 200 inmates at Phuket Provincial Prison will be back on the streets soon, following the Royal Pardon decreed by HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej on the occasion of his 84th birthday yesterday. Phuket Provincial Prison Director Rapin Nichanon said prison officials were still reviewing the paperwork and could not give an exact figure on how many inmates would…
-
Phuket Marine Office to set up holiday safety center
PHUKET: To ensure tourist safety during the upcoming New Year holiday period, the Phuket Marine Department office will step up inspections and open a safety center at its office in Wichit, the agency has announced. Phuripat Theerakulpisut, chief of the Marine Department Region 5 office, said his agency is gearing up for an expected large influx of tourists over the…
-
Phuket Skywatch: Total lunar eclipse to mark Thai Constitution Day
PHUKET: The second lunar eclipse to be visible from Phuket this year will occur on the night of December 10, a date annually observed in Thailand as the Constitution Day public holiday. Weather permitting, the entire eclipse should be visible from Asia and Australia. However, North America and Canada will witness only the start of totality as the moon dips…
-
Thai Division 1 football: FC Phuket 0 – 2 Chanthaburi FC
PHUKET: FC Phuket lost their third home game of the season yesterday, going down 2-0 to Chanthaburi FC in front of a smaller-than-expected crowd of about 2,400 fans at Surakul Stadium. In a match that saw both sides enjoy good scoring chances in both halves, it was Chanthaburi FC that drew first blood at 36 minutes, when Rattaphon Sae-tan jumped…
-
Phuket news: 26,000 prisoners get Royal Pardon
PHUKET: In a show of compassion, HM The King today issued a royal command pardoning some 26,000 prisoners nationwide. The decree, signed by His Majesty, was based on the one initiated last year by the Democrat Party-led government. In a statement published in the Royal Gazette, His Majesty said the convicts should be given a second chance. This year’s pardon…
-
Phuket united in birthday wishes for HM The King
PHUKET: Scores of civil servants dressed in pink gathered at Queen Sirikit Park in Phuket Town this morning to take part in an alms-giving ceremony to honor the 84th birthday of Thailand’s beloved monarch HRH King Bhumibol Adulyadej. The ceremony, which got underway at 7am, was presided over by Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha and his wife Mrs Nalinee Augkaradacha in…
-
Phuket Live Wire – Need for speed
PHUKET: From time to time, I get messages from people who have looked at the Phuket Internet Speed Reporting site and wonder why we’re measuring international download speeds, using one specific test (DSLReports) to one destination, Los Angeles. Here’s a typical comment: Woody, why should I care how fast this test runs to Los Angeles? I’m happy. My torrents download…
-
Kings Cup Regatta to generate B600mn for Phuket
PHUKET: This year’s Kings Cup Regatta is expected to rake in 600 million baht for Phuket. Presiding over a press conference to promote this year’s event, Phuket Governor Tri Aukaradacha last week said that this year’s revenue for the province is likely to exceed that of last year’s edition. Noting that last year’s regatta generated about 550 million baht for…
-
Phuket Business: Uncertain future for electronic billboards
PHUKET: Commuters in Phuket have witnessed a gradual upgrade in roadside scenery over the last few years. Advertising and media communications are steadily evolving, and many will have noticed traditional print billboards gradually being replaced with animated, digital versions at various traffic junctions around the island. Indeed, the emergence of Light Emitting Diode (LED) technology represents a sign of the…
-
Korean tour operators to partner with Phuket
PHUKET: Korean honorary consul Tossaporn Thepabutr recently warned local officials to prepare for an influx of Korean tourism operators coming to set up shop in Phuket. “More Korean company owners are looking at moving their operations to Phuket because of the floods in Bangkok. Phuket is considered much safer,” he said. “Many Korean businesses will join Thai operators to form…
-
Wage hikes postponed for Phuket and others
PHUKET: The Cabinet has approved the postponement until April 1 of the controversial 300 baht daily minimum wage hike in Phuket, Bangkok, and five other provinces. The decision to postpone from the initial target of January 1 was made in light of the recent flooding, which has dealt a body blow to the manufacturing sector in much of the country.…
-
Phuket marks HM The King’s Birthday
PHUKET: Thousands of people turned out at Queen Sirikit Park for the morning service to honor the 84th birthday of HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej today. Offering their blessings were 85 monks from temples across Phuket as well as Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha and his wife Mrs Nalinee, who is also president of Phuket Red Cross. Proceedings began at 7am, with…
-
MP questions love for flood victims
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Love motel floated boats for flood relief Phuket Gazette PHUKET: An opposition MP Friday came up with “new information” to support his allegation of irregularities involving the government’s Flood Relief Operation Centre (FROC). Phuket Gazette partner newspaper The Nation reports that at a press conference at…
-
Phuket Property: Corrupt land ownership cannot be ‘revoked’
PHUKET: While the Andaman Travel Trade 2011 expo was winding to a close at Phuket Rajabhat University last Saturday, a sinister irony pervaded the venue and brought conflict to ‘Brand Phuket’. Tucked away in a small conference room in the same building as the jovial expo was Pheu Thai Party Spokesman and MP Prompong Nopparit, who was holding a public…
-
Aussie pays Bt40mn ‘boybride’ price
PHUKET: An Australian man wed his young Thai boyfriend in Chiang Mai yesterday, forking over 40 million baht in “boybride price” to the man’s family for the privilege. The traditional ceremony took place at the Chiang Mai home of Mr Chaiyanon “Un” Worasilp, a 27-year-old from Chachoengsao province, whose first name is unfortunately translated by the on-line Google Translation service…
-
Ironman 70.3 champions ready for Phuket challenge
PHUKET: Organizers of the 2011 Ironman 70.3 Asia-Pacific Championship welcomed athletes and officials for the start of the second annual triathlon being held at Laguna Phuket on December 4. President of the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) Paiboon Upatising led the guest speakers and said he was particularly pleased with the organization of the event. “On behalf of the OrBorJor,…
-
Phuket marks international day for the disabled
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) yesterday held an event to mark International Day for Persons with Disabilities, observed by the United Nations and countries around the world today, December 3. “The annual observance of the International Day for Persons with Disabilities on December 3 was established by the International Year for Disabled Persons 1981,” said Phuket Provincial Chief…
-
Delhi Viceroys get their revenge over Phuket
PHUKET: The Delhi Viceroys, on the final day of their hastily rearranged cricket tour due to the flooding in Bangkok, gained vengeance over revised hosts the Phuket Cricket Group today. After a comprehensive defeat on day one, by all ten wickets in a Twenty20 match at the Alan Cooke Ground, the Viceroys got revenge in very similar fashion, though in…
-
Phuket World Musiq Fest launches HM The King’s birthday celebrations
PHUKET: Celebrations for HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s 84th birthday on Monday, December 5, got underway across Phuket last night with the opening of the inaugural Phuket World Musiq Festival. Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha officiated the opening ceremony, marking the beginning of the four-day festival, which will culminate on December 5 with Thai National Artist Naowarat Pongpaiboon leading the “Father of…
-
Phuket blood bank calls for foreign blood
PHUKET: The Phuket Regional Blood Center is calling for blood donations from foreigners to restock dwindling supplies at the Phuket repository. The blood is urgently needed to restock supplies of blood types common among foreigners, says Pornthip Rattajak, acting director of the center. “We are asking for Rh-negative blood because this is the tourism high season. Many foreigners come to…
-
Phuket Tsunami Wall of Remembrance ready for memorial service
PHUKET: The addition of a new section to the Tsunami Wall of Remembrance in Mai Khao has been completed in time for the memorial ceremony on December 26. The original wall bore images of all the countries whose nationals died in Thailand in the 2004 tsunami. However, planning permission to allow the construction of a police building meant that a…
-
Weird World News: Animals trump humans as dog shoots man, cobras strike tax office and toads predict earthquakes
PHUKET: It’s often said in journalism, “If a dog bites a man, that’s not news. But if a man bites a dog, now that’s news.” The more unusual and infrequent events gets Weird World News’ vote every time. So we think a dog shooting a man, toads predicting earthquakes and cobras scaring tax officials are in the right vein of…
-
Thaksin to get Thai passport as ‘New Year’s gift’
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Thailand to ‘soon’ issue passport for fugitive former premier Thaksin Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Thailand will issue a passport for fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra “very soon”, Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul said yesterday. Phuket Gazette partner newspaper The Nation quotes Surapong as saying that the passport…
-
Russian man run over by Phuket parasailing boat
PHUKET: A 51-year-old Russian man on holiday in Phuket was rushed to hospital today after suffering severe injuries when he was run over by a parasailing speedboat at Kata Beach. The man, Nikolai Nefedov, suffered a broken left leg and cuts on the back of both thighs. Some of the cuts were were down to his bones, said Chaiwat Sittidet,…
-
FC Phuket ready to pluck Chanthaburi “Hares’ on Sunday
PHUKET: FC Phuket Head Coach Sompong Wattana has resumed his duty as “chief of the tribe” – just in time for the Southern Sea Kirin’s long-awaited home match against Cash Today Chanthaburi FC, nicknamed “The Hares”, on Sunday. The coach, who goes by the nickname “Rock Rhino”, rejoined the team on Wednesday following a leave of absence he took last…
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.