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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The 5 most common travel emergencies in Thailand and how to be prepared
Thailand is a popular destination known for its dynamic culture, stunning beaches, and bustling cities however, travellers can face unexpected travel emergencies that include medical issues, road accidents, petty theft, and natural disasters. To ensure a safe and enjoyable trip,...
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Korean tourist in Phuket ICU after tour van slams into tree
PHUKET: One Korean tourist remains in intensive care and another in general recovery in hospital after the tour van they were traveling in left the road and slammed into a tree in northern Phuket on Saturday. The tourists were returning to Phuket after a day trip to Phang Nga. Lt Col Prakob Boonkwan of the Tah Chat Chai Police reported…
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Phuket set to benefit from national boom in cable and satellite TV
PHUKET: Improved technology and higher quality shows could mean a wider variety of content and lower subscription prices for Phuket’s television viewers. Nationally, cable and satellite television appears to be on a roll, with market penetration expected to reach 80% of the households in the Kingdom this year, up from an earlier projection of 50%. Industry leaders define the market…
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Phuket residents reclaim robbers’ loot
PHUKET: Residents in Phuket’s Thung Thong subdistrict have been trickling into the local police station over the past few days in the hope of reclaiming household goods stolen from their home. Officers at Thung Thong police on Thursday revealed more than 30 items seized as evidence in the arrests of three men charged with conducting a recent spate of break-ins…
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Patong residents win with landslide victory
PHUKET: Residents living in the Kok Makham community in Patong, on Phuket’s west coast, were blessed when the developer of a nearby construction project on Wednesday agreed to pay for damages to their homes and to clean up their streets. Chaianan Ananthanawat, 62, registered with Patong Municipality as the “project owner” of the site, also vowed to have retaining walls…
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Phuket election canvasser dies in high-speed collision
PHUKET: A man helping to post campaign posters for the upcoming local election in Mai Khao died in a high-speed motorcycle accident yesterday afternoon.Tah Chat Chai Police Lt Col Prakob Boonkwan received a report at 2pm saying that a motorcycle had slammed into a 10-wheeled truck on the road that runs alongside the runway at Phuket International Airport.“Witnesses reported the…
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Phuket Opinion: Patong Police volunteers need careful scrutiny to protect tourists
PHUKET: The safety of tourists visiting Phuket is always a key concern among local officials, and nowhere on the island is the issue more important than in Patong, which has the island’s highest density of visitors and hotels. Several agencies play roles in tourist safety there, but none assume greater responsibility than the Patong Police, who currently have 180 officers…
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Joker in the pack for French rugby
PHUKET: “They have their reasons for being confident. Now maybe it is our turn to play our cards.”Vincent Clerc, France’s rugby winger implies that his team can upset host nation New Zealand in today’s Rugby World Cup (RWC) final to be played at 3pm Phuket time.True, France in the past have thrown a spanner in the works, notably in 1999…
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Phuket medical staff assist Ayutthaya flood victims
PHUKET: Emergency medical staff from Phuket have joined the flood-relief efforts in the devastated province of Ayutthaya, north of Bangkok. Led by Dr Weerasak Lorthongkham, the first Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT) from the Phuket Public Health Office (PPHO) reached the disaster zone on October 5 for a 10-day assignment, said PPHO deputy director Dr Wiwat Seetamanotch. They arrived as…
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Road reopens after Phuket bus crash
PHUKET: Police have reopened one traffic lane on a section of Patak Road where a Phuket tour bus overturned on the Chalong-Kata Hill earlier this morning, killing at least one person. “They are allowing traffic to pass in one direction at a time to ease the tailbacks on the hill,” said one bystander. “Emergency workers are trying to recover the…
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Phuket Breaking News: Bus overturns on Chalong-Kata hill
PHUKET: A tour bus overturned on a steep section of Patak Road in Chalong this morning, resulting in multiple injuries and at least one fatality. A female Chinese tourist in her 60s has died in the accident, Chalong Police confirmed to the Phuket Gazette. A nurse at the scene said that at least 26 people were injured. The bus overturned…
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Massive earthquake strikes the South Pacific Ocean, no tsunami warning
Phuket NEWS Hound– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket readers PHUKET: A major earthquake struck off the Kermadec Islands in the South Pacific Ocean early this morning, seismologists report, but no tsunami warning was issued. The 7.6-magnitude quake at 5.57am local time (about 1am Phuket time) was centered about 180 kilometers (112 miles) east of Raoul Island, which…
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Matthieu Ricard in Phuket for Buddhist talk tomorrow
PHUKET: The Thanyapura Mind Centre (TMC) is welcoming back world-renowned academic-turned-Buddhist monk Matthieu Ricard for an exclusive visit and discussion tomorrow. Venerable Matthieu Ricard will deliver a talk entitled “Towards an education based on co-operation and the cultivation of fundamental human values”. The French-born academic left his distinguished scientific career in 1972 to concentrate on Buddhist contemplative practice. He has…
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Officials fear Phuket kids “eating themselves dumb’
PHUKET: Poor diet is hampering Phuket children’s mental development, a seminar attended by Phuket school directors and health officials was told this week. “According to research by the Department of Mental Health, poor diet is already causing problems, with many children suffering stunted growth or being under- or overweight,” said Phuket Provincial Chief Administrative Officer (Palad) Chaiwat Taephee. “And it…
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Phuket policeman spared Senate corruption probe – for now
PHUKET: Cleared of allegations of corruption by an internal police investigation just last week, Chalong Police Duty Officer Boonlert Onklang today received another reprieve – the inquiry he also faces by the Senate Standing Committee on Tourism has been postponed until next month. The internal investigation, conducted by the Royal Thai Police Committee on Justice and Police Affairs, ruled that…
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Phuket Rotary joins flood relief efforts
PHUKET: The Rotary Club of Patong Beach staged a collection walk along Phuket’s renowned Soi Bangla on Tuesday night, raising money to help provide aid to victims of the floods in and around Bangkok. “We raised 30,000 baht during the collection drive on Bangla Road. We had four different teams of people out collecting donations,” said former Club President Mark…
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Weird World News: Grrrrrrrrrreat escape in Ohio, monster mistake for giant slipper man and tears for loveable crocodile Pocho
PHUKET: Animals leaped into the world’s news headlines this week with scary, silly and sad stories to report. The great Ohio escape: Monkey still AWOL, feared eaten by lion A FUGITIVE monkey who has been on the run from Ohio police since Tuesday night is presumed dead, eaten by one his “big cat” accomplices. One of the 18 tigers or…
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Kiteboarding lifts off at Phuket King’s Cup Regatta
PHUKET: Organizer’s of the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta have announced that the 2011 event will include an invitation-only exhibition of kiteboarding hosted by Kiteboard Tour Asia (KTA). The introduction of such an exciting sport to this year’s event is part of the Regatta’s 25th anniversary celebrations and in recognition of kiteboarding’s development and popularity as a sailing discipline. Kevin Whitcraft,…
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Phuket Media: The Phuket Gazette joins the Big Blue Wave
PHUKET: The Phuket Gazette and the Phuket Bulletin, operators of mega-station Blue Wave 90.5 FM, have entered into a partnership to carry Gazette content throughout the Andaman region, with Phuket, Krabi and Phang-nga at its epicenter. The new wave starts rolling on Monday morning (October 24). Blue Wave was established in 2006 and is the Andaman’s largest English-language broadcaster. All…
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Please, Sir, can I have a trial?
PHUKET: “The dream of making it at United isn’t over.” Max Lonsdale, an 18-year-old from Macclesfield, decided to knock on Sir Alex Ferguson’s door to ask for a trial, and was accepted by the Manchester United manager. Lonsdale had just been released by his former club and after three unsuccessful visits to the Ferguson household, Sir Alex opened the door…
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Phuket flood aid bound for Bangkok
PHUKET: Phuket’s first main shipment of flood relief supplies left the island this afternoon, bound for Bangkok, where warnings of imminent flood disaster dominate the news tonight. Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha at the Phuket Red Cross center waved forward 16 trucks bound for the flood-relief disaster response headquarters set up at Don Mueang Airport. Each truck, made available by local…
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Ãngel at Amari
PHUKET: One of Spain’s greatest sports heroes, Ángel Nieto, was in Phuket recently enjoying a break and a good meal at La Gritta at the Amari Coral Beach in Patong before traveling to commentate for Spanish TV on the Sepang Moto GP in Kuala Lumpur. Ángel is one of the most successful motorcycle racers of all time, with 13 Grand…
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Champagne Run with ACYC
PHUKET: The Royal Langkawai International Regatta will be held from January 9 to 14, 2012 and as a lead into the event the Ao Chalong Yacht Club (ACYC) is inviting an expression of interest for the all new “Champagne Run”. The ACYC in conjunction with the Royal Langkawai Yacht Club are organizing an overnight sailing race leaving Chalong Bay on…
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Swiftlet sorrow in Phuket Town
PHUKET: The tenant of a building in Phuket Town has been given 15 days to remove an illegally added fourth floor built as an aviary for swiftlets, the birds that cough up the key ingredient for bird’s nest soup. Phuket officials yesterday investigated an anonymous complaint filed last month about a commercial building located behind the DTAC office on Montri…
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Call for Phuket beauties to join AirAsia pageant
PHUKET: AirAsia is calling for all Phuket maidens to join its “Miss Noppamas” traditional Thai beauty pageant as part of the International Horticultural Exposition Ratchaphruek 2011 that starts in Chiang Mai next month. The Miss AirAsia Noppamas International Beauty Competition 2011 will be held in conjunction with the annual flower show, also called the Royal Flora Ratchaphruek. Prospective contestants will…
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Jurgen Zack gives training tips for the Phuket Triathlon
PHUKET: Coming to Phuket for the first time as an athlete 14 years ago had me quite excited. I did not have to worry about cold weather. I could leave my shoe covers and my arm and leg warmers at home. I could work on my physical fitness and my tan. Having been here for awhile, I now recognize the…
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Round-up of Phuket sporting action
PHUKET: The cricket season in Phuket got underway with a friendly between last year’s Island Furniture league champions, Patong CC, and new boys the Thanyapura Tigers (TT) at Cherng Talay. It was a baptism of fire for TT with Patong batting first and posting a score of 214 for 4 after 20 overs. In reply, TT scored 39 runs in…
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Phuket’s Jaray Jearanai made history at the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii
PHUKET: Jaray Jearanai of Phuket has reached a new high in his athletic career after completing the pinnacle of endurance events, the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii, in a time of just over 11 hours.This was an outstanding accomplishment for the Laguna Phuket marketing executive considering that it was his first attempt at the full Ironman course, and only weeks…
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On your bike from Phuket to Koh Yao Noi for the kid’s community center
PHUKET: Amazing Bike Tours is organizing a charity bike ride on Koh Yao Noi (Small Long Island) on October 30 to raise money for the Koh Yao Children’s Community Center. The Center is instrumental in teaching the island’s youth about the importance of protecting the environment and preserving the history, culture and traditions of life on Yao Noi. The Center…
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French rugby hits puberty
PHUKET: “Yesterday we had the same players out there as in Wellington against Tonga, except that they grew a big pair of balls.” Marc Lievremont, coach of the French national rugby team remarks on their performance after defeating England at the quarter final stage of this year’s Rugby World Cup in New Zealand. A fortuitous France side will play home…
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Phuket Landslide Update: Patong Hill slides continue
PHUKET: Efforts by Phuket authorities to shore up Patong Hill road took a turn for the worse today, when the dirt foundation under a recently “repaired” section of road slid away, taking the breakdown lane with it. The latest slide, from beneath a section that had been covered with blacktop just days before, exposed more soil and increased the chances…
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