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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Phuket Rugby 10s at Karon Stadium hots up for the semis!
PHUKET: The Phuket Rugby 10s Athena Siam Coffin Dodgers Cup moves into the final group matches with the results at the Karon Stadium being: Stray Cats 0 Taipei Silverbacks 12 Cottesloe Pirates 0 Bedhoff Kings 10 Hong Kong Bulls 5 Cottesloe Old Gulls 17 Selangor Old Dog 5 Wanderers Jagermeister Wrinklies 7 Asian Japanese Dragons 7 Old Bangkok Bangers 10…
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“It’s a shame the scrums are not contested.” at Phuket 10s
PHUKET: Susanne Olovsson, a member of Sweden’s International women’s rugby team playing for Kuala Lumpur’s Selangor Old Dogs in the Phuket Rugby 10s at Karon Stadium. Susanne is the prop forward for her country, which placed 12th in the last women’s World Cup. “I’m really enjoying the Phuket 10s, a great competition, though suffering with the heat and humidity,” she…
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One dead, two injured in Phuket motorbike collision
PHUKET: A young woman was killed and two teenage boys injured when their motorcycles collided at a U-turn in Thalang early this morning. Capt Praman Yukkaphan of Thalang Police identified the deceased as Urairat Khongket, an employee of a rubber glove factory in Baan Manik, Srisoonthorn. Originally from Nakhon Sri Thammarat, the 27-year-old probably died instantly from massive head injuries…
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Phuket Rugby 10s at Karon Stadium simmers!
PHUKET: The Phuket Rugby 10s simmers with the Phuket Viagrabonds, Cottesloe Old Gulls, Morrabbin Rams and the Taipei Silverbacks all showing themselves as potential winners. The results from games nine to 12 in the Athena Siam Coffin Dodgers Competition at Karon Stadium were: Selangor Old Dogs 0 Cottesloe Old Gulls 15 Wanderers Jagermeister Wrinklies 24 Hong Kong Bulls 7 Old…
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Heineken Thailand Brewery Co. Ltd Phuket Rugby 10s Kicks Off!
PHUKET: The Phuket rugby 10s sponsored by Heineken Thailand Brewery Co. Ltd kicked off under slightly overcast skies, just perfect conditions. We will be bringing you frequent updates throughout the day. The results from the opening games in the Athena Siam Coffin Dodgers Comp were: Taipei Silverbacks 19 Cottesloe Pirates 0 Stray Cats 7 Bedhoff Kings 24 Hong Kong Bulls…
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New Phuket bridge to open next week
PHUKET: The new bridge connecting Phuket with Phang Nga will be open to traffic next week as planned, the Phuket Provincial Highways Office (PPHO) announced. Known as the “Sarasin Bridge 2” throughout the construction phase, the new roadway will be known officially as the Srisoonthorn Bridge. “The new bridge is about 94 per cent complete and the construction contract ends…
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Phuket police net bumper haul in pirate raids
PHUKET: Two high-profile raids in Phuket yesterday, in the prime tourist areas of Kata and Patong, landed goods valued at more than a million baht. The first raid was on a shop near Dino Park in Kata, at about 3pm. There, officers seized a haul of hundreds of imitation brand-name shorts and wallets, and more than 400 pirate wristwatches. Officers…
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Iceland volcano eruption has no effect on Phuket flights
PHUKET: THE eruption of the Grimsvötn volcano in Iceland has not affected flights at Phuket International Airport, the Phuket Gazette was told yesterday. Airlines are also back in the skies over Europe as schedules return to normal today after a week of flight disruptions caused by a cloud of volcanic ash drifting over parts of the continent, Bloomberg reported. On…
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Dirty tackle
PHUKET SPORTS: “This move is little more than a tactic being used by those who have no confidence in their own ability to emerge successfully from the Fifa presidential election.” Mohamed Bin Hammam (President of the Asian Football Confederation) offering a vague clue as to who and why allegations of corruption have been brought against him. — Neil Quail
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Rugby 10s gets Phuket buzzing
PHUKET: THE 13th Phuket International Rugby 10s kicks off tomorrow May 27 with Phuket’s own Vagabonds intent on providing stiff opposition for would be challengers in the event. Karon Stadium again plays home to this hugely popular tournament and after recent rains the surface is in ideal condition for rugby. Phuket Vagabonds rivalry with the Bangkok Bangers will certainly entice…
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Patong’s first high school to open 2014
PHUKET: Patong Municipality will spend 320 million baht to renovate and expand the Ban Sainamyen School, establishing it as the busy Phuket tourist town’s first high school. Plans have been drawn up and construction is expected to take two years, with the high school slated to open in 2014. “The [existing] school building is old but clean, though at present…
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Rubbish piling up on Phuket’s sister ‘eco-island’
PHUKET: Now that the two municipal landfills on Koh Yao Noi are filled to capacity, villagers living on the island are demanding new solutions. About 30 villagers on May 12 handed a letter of complaint to Mayor Somphol Roengsamut at the Koh Yao Noi Municipality offices. The group said waste management had been a problem for years on the island.…
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Thai stars to clash with Liverpool Legends at Thanyapura Phuket
PHUKET: THE clash of legends on Phuket. In mid-June, a team of former Thailand internationals hope to turn back the clock and take the game to a potent force of illustrious former Liverpool FC players. One of the most celebrated strikers ever to wear a ‘war elephants’ shirt is Piyapong Pue On. A national hero, he has represented Thailand on…
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Windsor notches eight gold medals at BIS, Phuket
PHUKET: BRITISH International School (BIS) hosted 382 young athletes for its impressive third Flying Fish International Swimming Invitational and witnessed the emergence of a future star from Phuket. Twenty-one teams represented seven countries from around the region including Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, China, the Philippines and Pakistan. The vast number of boys and girls were organized by age, ranging from…
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Phuket Live Wire: WiFi versus 3G
PHUKET: More than a dozen people have asked me in the past week, “What’s the difference between WiFi and 3G?” I am sure the interest has nothing to do with learning about technology. Every one of the people is considering buying an iPad 2. They can figure out which color they want and how much memory they want, but they’re…
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“Comebacks happen in finals”
“I said at the break that comebacks happen in finals and used the example of Liverpool in the Champions League. I knew we could come back from the deficit.” Leinster out-half and man of the match, Jonathan Sexton after his team’s victory over Northampton Saints in the Heineken Cup Final.May 22, 2011 — Neil Quail
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Football still in the dark ages
PHUKET: I USED to love football. A game for thugs played by gentleman as the saying partly goes. My father played for Glentoran in Northern Ireland and in later years he became a respected referee. My younger brother followed this officious capacity in sports and became an international hockey umpire. As one can imagine, our household was never short on…
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Legends to match up at Thanyapura, Phuket
PHUKET: THE host venue for the Liverpool Legends versus the Legends of Thailand Phuket leg has officially been advised to the Phuket Gazette as the Thanyapura Sports and Leisure Center (TSLC), by the owners and promoters North Scoreboard Co Ltd. “Thanyapura was selected for the quality of the pitch and facilities to support our international teams and visitors, as well…
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Crowds turn out to support Phuket election candidates
PHUKET: A large crowd of supporters greeted three political hopefuls this morning as they arrived at Phuket Provincial Hall to register their candidacies with the Phuket Election Committee (PEC). First on hand to register, at 8:30am, was Bhumjaithai Party candidate Jirayus Songyos, who will contest Phuket Constituency 2. The second applicant was Pheu Thai Party candidate Wisit Jai-arj, who will…
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Phuket expat hotelier and Hash House Harrier dies in motorbike crash
PHUKET: A Phuket expat was killed yesterday morning when he lost control of his 1,400cc motorcycle on a notoriously dangerous curve on Thepkrasattri Road. Irish national Patrick “Paddy” O’Mahony, who turned 57 on Sunday, was travelling toward the Sarasin Bridge on his red Kawasaki ZZR 1400 when he crashed near the turnoff to the JW Marriott Resort & Spa. A…
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Tonight, Tonight: Phuket Police chief to square off against boxing legend
PHUKET: The island’s “Top Gun” will take on Thailand’s legendary boxing champion tonight in a charity bout to raise relief funds for the families of police still suffering from the devastating flooding in parts of the south that took place in late March. Phuket Provincial Police Commander Pekad Tantipong will enter the ring against former WBA champion Khaosai Galaxy in…
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Phuket youngster killed in shrimp farm machinery
PHUKET: A seven-year-old boy was killed on Saturday after becoming stuck in an aerator drive shaft at a shrimp farm pond. Chonnakan “Thua Lek (small child)” Sae-lao suffered multiple broken bones, including a broken neck, when his clothing was snagged by the rotating drive shaft. Chonnakan’s parents, Sommai Pengpaitoon, 37 and Piraphong Sae-lao, 41, are fruit vendors and had gone…
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FC Phuket caught by Hares
PHUKET: Recovering from their disappointing home loss last week, FC Phuket traveled to eastern Thailand on Saturday where they managed a draw against Chantaburi FC. The 12th-place Chantaburi “Hares”, who drew against Suphanburi FC 2-2 in an away game last week, were not to be taken lightly on their home turf. A lethargic 45 minutes and several poorly missed opportunities…
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Sunday Opinion: Phuket Town could become a driver for island-wide dining
PHUKET: Phuket Town’s plan to apply for listing as a UNESCO “City of Gastronomy”, if carried out, would be one of the more rational overtures put to the United Nations (UN) by Thailand in recent years. But it’s premature to think that we’ll soon be seeing a wave of ‘gastro-tourists’ coming to Phuket to sample the local cuisine. [See story,…
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Phuket poor get food, scholarships
PHUKET: Some of Phuket’s poorest people were on hand at the Kusoldharm Foundation headquarters yesterday afternoon to accept donations of food as part of the annual Te Krajard merit-making ceremony. The event marks the birthday of the Chinese God Hui Joh that is highly revered by Phuket’s ethnic Chinese community. Led by Kusoldharm Foundation President Benjawan Tamphanuwat, workers distributed 3,000…
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Aussie “marathon centurion’ to run Laguna Phuket
PHUKET: Completing one marathon is on the “to do” list for many people, but Australian Julia Thorn has gone more than 100 times better than most: she plans to complete her 115th at the Laguna Phuket International Marathon (LPIM) on June 12. Not content with adding another notch to her belt, the-53-year old Melbourne mother of three has set herself…
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Phuket prisoners ready to break out the furniture
PHUKET: The annual fair for inmates to sell their wares made while serving their prison sentences will return to Phuket from June 3 to 12, Phuket Prison Chief Rapin Nichanon has announced. Handmade products from 25 prisons throughout Thailand’s 14 southern provinces will be on sale at Saphan Hin in Phuket Town at the 8th annual Southern Prison Products Fair.…
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Phuket’s fireball yacht probe hits the doldrums
PHKET: The police investigation into whether or not any people were trapped inside a 40-foot yacht that burst into flames and sank last Saturday has stalled. Chalong Police Duty Officer Boonlert Onklang told the Phuket Gazette on Wednesday that no person had claimed ownership of the yacht, which was identified by a witness to the fire as Karni. “I checked…
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Abuse of Phuket tourists: ‘Bar mafia’ crackdown looms
PHUKET: Foreign “mafiosi” who cheat and even assault foreign tourists sometimes do so with the support of Phuket officials, yesterday’s meeting with a high-ranking Ministry of Interior (MoI) official was told. Interior Ministry Deputy Permanent Secretary Pranai Suwannarat was in Phuket to hear directly from tourism industry operators and analysts about problems facing the industry. His findings during the four-hour…
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Phuket murder victim found nearly decapitated
PHUKET: The partially decapitated body of an unidentified man was discovered in a Phuket rubber plantation this morning. The victim’s completely severed right hand was found near the body, which was discovered on Koh Sireh in Rassada by a Burmese rubber tapper. Phuket City Police led by Charoon Plaiduang estimated the age of the victim at 40 to 45. There…
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