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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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What’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...
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Phuket illegal taxi amnesty to end November 1
PHUKET: All illegal taxis operating in Phuket must be “stickered” and in the process of becoming legal by November 1, said Phuket Vice Governor Chamroen has announced. “There are still 2,882 illegal taxi cars in 186 taxi centers in Phuket. Only 150 have completed the [licensing] procedure and have been issued green plates,” V/Gov Chamroen told a meeting of officials…
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Phuket Sports: King’s Cup Regatta tacks windsurfing onto schedule
PHUKET: THE Phuket King’s Cup Regatta plans to reintroduce windsurfing as one of its competitive classes this year. The newly announced Windsurfing Class is held in cooperation with the Windsurfing Association of Thailand (WATH), with races taking place over four days from December 2 to 5. About 14 sailors from the Thai national team will join the windsurfing competition, including…
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Kathu Mayor contenders face off for Phuket election
PHUKET: Hundreds of people turned out at the Kathu Municipality offices yesterday in support of their preferred candidates for the upcoming election for Kathu Mayor and the Kathu Municipal Council to be held on November 18. Running for re-election is Chaianan Sutthikul and his *Rak Kathu (“Kathu protectors”) party. Leading the charge against Mr Chaianan is two-time former Kathu Mayor…
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Couple killed in hit-and-run, 4-month-old son survives
PHUKET: Both parents of a 4-month-old boy died last night after a hit-and-run driver struck their motorbike in Chalong. The baby boy, who was also on the motorbike, suffered no serious injuries. Lt Col Boonlert Onklang of the Chalong Police rushed to the scene with officers from the Phuket Provincial Administrative Organization tourist rescue center and Phuket Ruamjai Foundation rescue…
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Phuket Hard Rock punts to reopen tonight
PHUKET: Following the breaking news of a fire at the Hard Rock Cafe in Patong this morning, the Phuket Gazette has learned that the operators of the global brand-name venue are hoping to reopen tonight. The fire was contained to the large neon sign attached to the front of the building. The iconic electric guitar sign and the stage area,…
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Thai Post stamps on 7-Eleven rumors
PHUKET: Readers of Queer News may know someone collecting the “Love Thailand” stamps currently being given out with purchases at 7-Eleven convenience stores across the country. The stamps can be exchanged for a variety of prizes, including light bulbs, whitening cream and even a satellite receiver box from media company True. The one thing they can’t do is send letters.…
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Phuket Hard Rock Cafe catches fire after spark from iconic guitar sign
PHUKET: Fire broke out at Phuket’s Hard Rock Cafe on Rat-U-Thit 200 Pi Road in Patong at about 9am today after a spark reportedly jumped from the iconic electric guitar neon sign and started the blaze.No injuries have been reported so far. However, early estimates of the damage have been reported at about 6 million baht.The fire was discovered by…
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Phuket Vegetarian Festival street processions in full swing
PHUKET: Sapam Shrine held their street procession today with some 2,000 spectators lining the route to watch ma song (spirit mediums) and to pay their respects to highly revered Chinese gods. The street procession departed Sapam Shrine at 7am and marched through Phuket Town, ending up at Saphan Hin. Before the procession got underway, Phuket City Municipality had issued a…
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Gambling “spectators’ to appeal to Phuket governor for clemency
PHUKET: A gambling raid on a residential home about 200 meters from Baan Kathu School yesterday netted 21 arrests, but most of the people taken into custody will appeal to the governor to have the charges dropped on the basis that they were “only watching”. Lt Col Serm Kwannimit of the Thung Thong Police told the Gazette that police raided…
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Phuket marine agency checks dead whale shark samples for heavy metal contamination
PHUKET: Staff from the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) were deployed to Koh Lanta Yai on Sunday after receiving a report from the Royal Thai Navy Maritime Security Center that an eight-ton whale shark had washed ashore at Klong Nin Beach. From his office at the PMBC, Dr Kongkiat Kittiwattanawong, who heads the Endangered Species Unit (ESU), told the Phuket…
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Phuket Investor: Insure your stock holdings
PHUKET: Some readers of the Phuket Gazette who have stock market investments may feel I ignore them, because of a personal bias against equity investments right now. For those of you who feel you have a knack for choosing good companies, or would like to participate in any upside in the broad markets, but would like to limit your exposure,…
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Thailand News: TDRI hammers 3G auction
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Lacklustre 3G bids slammed by TDRI Phuket Gazette / The NationPHUKET: As expected, Thailand’s first 2.1-gigahertz (GHz) spectrum auction yesterday turned out to be a less-than fiercely competitive affair, with the three highest bidders paying a combined 41,625 billion baht – less than 3 per cent above…
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Phuket student scores B1mn in lucky draw
PHUKET: A student at Phuket Rajabhat University is the sixth lucky person to have won a million baht in the Ichitan drinks company’s lucky draw.Ichitan Group President and Chief Executive Officer yesterday evening at Jui Tui Shrine in Phuket Town presented the lucky student, 21-year-old Suparat Rakklua, with four gold bars with a total value of one million baht.Ms Suparat…
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Phuket Business: Identifying island identity
PHUKET: The American Chamber of Commerce teamed up with the Phuket PR Network to present a fascinating and most entertaining culture-preservation lesson recently in Phuket Town. Held at the Blue Elephant restaurant in the heart of historic old-town, the evening was headlined by two heritage preservation experts, who gave captivating lectures about the importance of Phuket’s cultural past, present and…
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Phuket Business: Local petrol tax under scrutiny
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Administrative Organization (PPAO) last week refuted claims that they had introduced a “new” tax to be collected on the sale of all fuels in Phuket, including diesel, marine diesel, benzine and gasohol. The “maintenance tax”, levied as a 10% surcharge on the sale of all engine fuels, is the same tax previously collected by the Excise…
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Hungry Ghost compete with Phuket Vegetarian Festival
PHUKET: As thousands of celebrants and devotees take part in the many Phuket Vegetarian Festival activities currently underway across the island, hundreds of people turned out yesterday to make merit for their ancestors for the Southern Thai festival Sart Duen Sib. The center of celebrations for the Sart Duen Sib was at the Wat Kajonrangsan temple, also known as Wat…
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World News: Independence referendum for Scots, Obama leads – just; Gunmen murder 24
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Britain, Scotland sign deal for independence referendum Phuket Gazette / News Wires PHUKET: British Prime Minister David Cameron and Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond yesterday signed a historic agreement which will allow the Scottish government to hold a referendum to decide whether Scotland should break away…
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Phuket Police rebuke rape inaction claim
PHUKET: The Phuket police officer accused of inaction in the investigation of the alleged rape of a 9-year-old girl has rebuked the claim, saying that the mother of the child knew that the suspect had been charged and subsequently released on court bail. The mother even saw him personally last Friday before filing her complaint at the Damrongtham Center (Provincial…
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Rescued dolphin doesn’t make it
PHUKET: The young dolphin thought to be on the path to recovery early last week, after being rescued from Mai Khao Beach, died on Saturday. The one-year-old female Spinner dolphin was taken to the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) Endangered Species Unit (ESU) on September 27. She received care 24 hours a day by PMBC staff, said Dr Patcharaporn Gaewmong,…
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One dead as empty Phuket tour bus slams into tree
PHUKET: The driver of an empty tour bus died this afternoon after the bus he was driving overshot a curve near Ao Makham, on Phuket’s east coast, and slammed into a tree.The driver was heading back to the operating company’s depot after dropping off Chinese tourists at the Laguna Phuket resort complex in Cherng Talay, said Maj Sakon Krainara of…
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Mother alleges daughter, 9, raped by a village shop owner
PHUKET: A single mother lodged a complaint with the Phuket Damrongtham Center (Provincial Ombudsman’s Office) this morning, citing Tah Chat Chai Police inaction over the alleged rape of her 9-year-old daughter by a neighbor.The Damrongtham Center received the complaint against Lt Col Rassada Kluengwong of Tah Chat Chai Police Station, claiming dereliction of duty in the investigation of the alleged…
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Phuket Sports: Bangkok Angels do not give Islanders salvation; relegation looms
PHUKET: Thai Yamaha Division 1 survival is still within reach ahead of Phuket FC’s final two matches of the season, despite a 2-1 away-loss on Saturday night to promotion contenders Bangkok United. Held at Bangkok’s Thai-Japanese Stadium in the heart of the capital, the 32nd match of the 34-fixture season was both side’s third match inside of a week. The…
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Phuket Vegetarian Festival 2012 underway
PHUKET: The Phuket Vegetarian Festival 2012 began officially at midnight last night as lanterns were hung at the participating Chinese shrines on the island, marking that the Jade Emperor and nine Emperor Gods had descended from the heavens. Thousands of devotees and spectators gathered at shrines across the island yesterday at sunset for the raising of the huge go teng…
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Flames engulf two Phuket tour buses
PHUKET: A fire devoured two parked tour buses on Phuket in the middle of the afternoon yesterday, causing an estimated 7-million-baht worth of damage, though no one was reported injured.The fire broke out on board the recently-arrived Phuket-Songkhla route bus, operated by the Sukda Bus Service, and then spread to another bus, said Phuket City Police officer Capt Somchai Noobun,…
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Phuket beach turf war heats up as officials look to remove restaurants
PHUKET: With Maitree Intusut landing on the island on Monday as the newly appointed Phuket Governor, officials in Cherng Talay are wasting no time in their attempt to make a fresh start in clearing encroaching restaurants from the sands of Surin Beach. While Governor Maitree and his wife, Mrs Palinee, were wading through throngs of well wishers welcoming the couple…
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Hunt continues for missing Phuket gold thief
PHUKET: Police are continuing their search for the remaining thief who robbed a Phuket gold shop on September 17, making off with millions of baht of gold jewelry. One of the two thieves, a Burmese national named by police only as “Mr Koson”, surrendered to police after seeing his wife arrested on national television. However, Phuket police are still searching…
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Phuket Hospital fends off expat injury claims of “botched surgeries’
PHUKET: Refuting allegations of any medical misconduct concerning the treatment of Liberty Jefferson, following a serious motorbike accident in March, Vachira Phuket Hospital on Friday issued a statement to explain where their responsibility for her care started and ended. Reported by KVAL news in Ms Jefferson’s home state of Oregon, USA, “Miss Jefferson says she sat in a hospital room…
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Phuket Vegetarian Festival starts today
PHUKET: The annual Phuket Vegetarian Festival gets underway at sunset tonight with the raising of the go teng poles for the Jade Emperor and the Nine Emperor Gods to descend to our earthly realm. Each year, the nine-day Vegetarian Festival attracts thousands of tourists to Phuket to witness the various activities held across the island. The street processions each year,…
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Arson not suspected in Patong lifeguard tower fire
PHUKET: Police do not suspect arson caused a fire on Patong Beach last night that destroyed about 13,000 baht of sun loungers and beach umbrellas.Patong Police Duty Officer Pratueng Polmana told the Phuket Gazette that he received a report of a lifeguard tower on Patong beach being ablaze at about 12:05am.Patong Municipality firefighters rushed to the scene and extinguished the…
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Phuket marks Royal Thai Police Day
PHUKET: About 500 police officers gathered at Phuket Provincial Police Headquarters this morning to celebrate Royal Thai Police Day today.Phuket Governor Maitree Intusut, who presided over the ceremony, told the officers in attendance, “I would like all police at every level to give their utmost in the practical application of the government’s policy and strategy to suppress drugs and crime.”Governor…
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