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
Which is the best copy trading platform?
Copy trading has become increasingly popular with investors around the globe over the past decade. It's considered a simple way to capitalise on market opportunities with little effort. But is it really a shortcut to making big bucks in the...
-
Property expo in HK a roaring success
HONG KONG: The Phuket & Samui Property Exhibition held in Hong Kong on Friday, Saturday and Sunday was, on all counts, a major success. More than 1,000 potential property buyers attended the event at the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Center. There were 22 exhibitors. “The feedback’s been excellent,” said Bill Barnett, Deputy Managing Director of Laguna Resorts & Hotels…
-
Taxis protest over airport ban
PHUKET TOWN: Fifteen drivers from the new metered taxi company Natong Phuket Co Ltd (NPC) gathered at Provincial Hall this morning to lodge a complaint with Governor CEO Pongpayome Vasaputi after being refused entry to Phuket International Airport (PIA). NPC’s Managing Director Adul Lakman and 10 drivers spent an hour discussing the issue with the Governor and PIA Director Lt…
-
Italian killed in head-on smash
KATHU: Italian Gian Piero Sala, 32, died when his motorbike was in a head-on collision with a pick-up truck on Wichit Songkram Rd early on Saturday morning. His Thai companion, who was riding pillion, was left in a coma. Pol Capt Kittipong Klaykaew, an inspector at Tung Tong Police Station, told the Gazette, “We rushed to the scene after receiving…
-
Ya bah bust sets new record
MAI KHAO: Officers on Friday night made Phuket history with a record seizure of 20,000 ya bah (methamphetamine) pills with a street value of about 3 million baht. Speaking at a press conference at Provincial Hall on Saturday afternoon, Phuket Governor CEO Pongpayome Vasaputi explained that the bust followed a three-month undercover investigation involving about 15 officers of the Border…
-
Two murdered in stabbing attacks
PHUKET TOWN: Two men, both the victims of stabbing attacks, were found murdered at separate locations on Friday. Officers answering a call about 7 am found a body, dressed in jeans and a black T-shirt, beside Si Sena Rd, near the Rassada port. Pol Capt Kaneuing Pitakkultorn of Phuket Town Police Station said a work permit card in the name…
-
Rassada to become a municipality
RASSADA: The port of Rassada and the surrounding district will be upgraded from a Tambon Administration Organization (OrBorTor) to a municipality (tessabaan) in order to allow it to deal more effectively with some of the issues facing the area. The quality of roads and tap water, as well as the need to prevent flooding, were among problems discussed when Phuket…
-
New mayor pledges to boost “order’
PATONG: The new Mayor of Patong, Chalermsak Maneesri, has met with Phuket Governor CEO Pongpayome Vasaputi to set priorities for the tourist town. With the Governor and the Mayor at Phuket Provincial Hall on November 21 were Somkiat Kwansuwan, Palad of Patong Municipality, and the new Patong executive team. The Governor told them that Patong was an important tourism destination…
-
Health drive at Rawai
RAWAI: The We Love Rawai Club (WLRC) has launched a health and exercise project for people living in the tambon. About 200 people attended the opening ceremony of the program in Nai Harn yesterday. Weera Kaviset, president of special activities of the WLRC, said almost 100 people had already signed up to join the program, which will include aerobics from…
-
Phuket rates high at world travel show
PHUKET: A big roadshow to London and Paris last week did not have to persuade travel agents that Phuket was a safe destination, it was announced today. Feedback was “fantastic” and another roadshow is being planned, this time to Japan, returning officials told the Gazette. Dr Prasit Koeysiripong, President of the Phuket Provincial Administratrion Organization (OrBorJor), said, “The president of…
-
Tracking down a transport solution
PHUKET TOWN: Serious consideration is being given to an electric tram service around Phuket, Dr Prasit Koeysiripong, President of the Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) announced today. He said a group at Prince of Songkla University was researching the feasibility of introducing trams. “The next thing to do is to find a route for the service and to check whether land…
-
OrBorJor launches website
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) has launched its own website, in Thai and English, at https://www.phuketcity.org Apart from general information about Phuket and the surrounding islands, the website also features information about the OrBorJor’s current and future projects, details about budget allocation, and links to other government websites. The website also provides visitors with an email address and…
-
Submarine tangled in red tape
PHUKET: Plans to begin using a 48-passenger underwater vessel in Phuket this month have been postponed until May next year because of delays in gaining official approval. Surin Bamrungphol, Director of Phuket Submarine, told the Gazette “The Board of Investment took longer than we anticipated and the company that was selling us the submarine sold the vessel that was due…
-
Wide interest in travel show
PHUKET: The 2nd Phuket and Andaman Travel Trade (PATT) show will be held at the Royal Phuket City Hotel on December 3 and 4 with the aim of helping to stimulate the market and introduce new tourism products such as adventure tourism, health & spa tourism, and agrotourism. Arranged by the Tourism Authority of Thailand, Southern Office, Region 4, the…
-
Chalermsak gets Patong mandate
PATONG: The newly-elected Mayor of Patong, Chalermsak Maneesri, began work today after winning Saturday’s poll easily, scoring 4,236 votes against 2,514 for his nearest rival, Pian Keesin. K. Chalermsak is the brother of former mayor Surasak Maneesri, who was ordered to stand aside as mayor and not permitted to run in the election because of allegations of impropriety. K. Surasak…
-
US Marine sergeant jailed for rape
CALIFORNIA: The US Marine sergeant arrested for raping, maiming and trying to drown a US Navy petty officer in Phuket in May has been sentenced to 25 years in military prison. Thomas Wolf, 26, on November 13 pleaded guilty to one count of attempted murder, rape and maiming, and two counts of assault in connection with the May 8 attack…
-
King&’s Cup Regatta fast approaching
PHUKET: The 16th Phuket King’s Regatta begins two weeks from today, returning to Phi Phi for the first couple of days’ racing, before moving to the west coast of Phuket. This year’s fleet, at 70 boats registered by this morning (November 16) and with more expected to tumble in at the last minute, will be bigger than last year’s, offering…
-
Auction expected to raise B400m
PHUKET TOWN: An auction of more than 100 Phuket properties on December 7 is expected to raise total bids of more than 400 million baht. The properties, forfeited to the Bangkok Bank because of non-payment of debts, include small hotels in Chalong and Phuket Town. The Legal Execution Department will run the auction, with the Bangkok Bank offering special credit…
-
Health posse smoke out offenders
PHUKET: Dr Wanchai Sattayawutthipong, Chief of the Phuket Provincial Health Office (PPHO), and a team of PPHO officers this morning conducted the province’s first inspection of venues to enforce the smoking ban that came into effect on Friday. The inspection began at 9 am at Phuket International Airport. The two Caffe Retazza cafes attracted the team’s attentions with their “Smoking…
-
Paradorn to play in Phuket
PHUKET: Thai tennis idol Paradorn “Ball” Srichaphan is coming to play in Phuket next month as part of a three-match series around Thailand. Paradorn, world’s number 16, will be up against American Jan-Michael Gambill when they play at the court on Narison Rd, Phuket Town. Paradorn’s spectacular climb from Number 126 this season included two ATP titles and a victory…
-
Phuket Town signs up to save the planet
PHUKET TOWN: Phuket Town has joined a worldwide campaign to reduce pollution and protect the planet from global warming. Announcing the link to the Cities for Climate Protection campaign (CCP), Phuket Town Mayor Phummisak Hongsyok explained that the project is run by the International Council of Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) and the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). The CCP, which…
-
Much ado about makeup
PHUKET TOWN: It was the case of the lipstick that ticked. A woman’s purse was lost on a bus, and was handed in to the Police Service Center in Tambon Witchit. Somehow it went astray again, turning up on a chair near the entrance to the Service Center – with spectacular results. Pol Maj Thanapong Mokthong, Inspector of Forensic Science,…
-
Four busted in ya bah raids
PHUKET TOWN: Four men are being held at Phuket Town Police Station after police launched a series of ya bah (methamphetamine) raids. Officers from the local Drugs Suppression unit on Monday arrested Narakwan Hutem, 30, and Winit Chotepichit, 31, for dealing ya bah. Acting on a tip-off, officers raided a house in Tambon Taladyai where they found Narakwan with 42…
-
Hunger protest brings help – and a problem
PHUKET TOWN: A hunger strike by a one-armed fisherman protesting at the death of his community’s fish stock has brought help from officers at Phuket Provincial Hall. But the protest also had a downside, with government officials saying that the fish farms, which are in tin mine lagoons near Wat Sean Suk, on the southeast edge of Phuket Town, may…
-
Gov pushes for tougher work permit rules
PHUKET: In a meeting in Bangkok with the Parliamentary Committee on Labor, Governor CEO Pongpayome Vasaputi last week proposed tougher rules for the issue of work permits. The Governor was invited to the meeting following a backlash from the Phuket and Pattaya Chambers of Commerce over the recent relaxation of permit rules. Speaking on 96.75 FM radio on Monday, Gov…
-
Surasak barred from election
PATONG: The Phuket Provincial Court this morning upheld an order by former Interior Minister Purachai Piemsomboon instructing Patong Mayor Surasak Maneesri to quit his post as mayor because of conduct likely to bring the Patong Municipality into disrepute. It therefore barred K. Surasak from running in the Patong Mayoral election, due to take place on November 16 and 17. K.…
-
Dane wins Tour of Thailand
BANGKOK: Peterson Solen from Denmark won the Tour of Thailand 2002 in Bangkok yesterday and his team, Giant Asian Racing, took the first four places. Solen was followed home by fellow team riders Iratov Damir from Uzbekistan and Sergey Derevyanov of Kazakstan. Another Uzbeki rider, Kahramon Mominov, crossed the line second on the day, but placed fourth overall in the…
-
Phuket Prison to be closed
PHUKET TOWN: Manit Suthaporn, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Justice, has announced that the 100-year-old Phuket Provincial Prison will be closed, with inmates being relocated either to Bangkok or to a new jail in Thalang, on which construction has just begun. Speaking after an inspection of Phuket’s antiquated and overcrowded prison yesterday, K. Manit said, “It’s very crowded, especially…
-
Phuket must diversify – Governor
PHUKET: Governor CEO Pongpayome Vasaputi yesterday reiterated his view that Phuket must develop industries apart from tourism. “Tourism is vulnerable. It’s like a crystal. We should create real-sector businesses, or businesses related to the service sector,” he said. Speaking at a meeting of the International Business Association of Phuket (IBAP) on the theme of “Phuket Tomorrow”, he said that such…
-
Phuket tourism “better after Christmas’
PHUKET: The Bali bombing has affected Phuket tourism but the situation will improve after Christmas, a leading figure in the industry said today. Opas Netraumpai, Vice President of the Thailand Incentive Convention Association (TICA) and Managing Director of Club Andaman Beach Resort, said there were three stages to reactions. The first, about a week after the bombing, left Phuket hotels…
-
Officials move to bolster tourism
PHUKET: A large group led by Governor CEO Pongpayome Vasaputi will go to Europe next week to promote tourism to Phuket. Their visit to the annual World Travel Market (WTM) in London, comes amid concern about tourism prospects in the wake of the Bali bombing, and following travel advisories from a number of governments, including Britain’s, warning travelers to be…
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.