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.
-
Sponsored
Travel insurance vs digital nomad insurance: What’s the difference?
Travel insurance and digital nomad insurance protect travellers but cater to different needs. Travel insurance is for short trips, like vacations or business trips. It covers things like medical emergencies, trip cancellations, and lost bags. It works best for people...
-
Phuket’s sick dolphin now comatose, clinging to life
PHUKET: The future appears grim for the sick bottlenose dolphin rescued by marine biologists off Phuket last week. Paralyzed and comatose, the cetacean is now being kept alive by life support measures provided by staff at the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC). Fourteen staff at the PMBC Marine Endangered Species Unit are currently working around the clock to keep the…
-
Phuket Chinese celebrate Qingming
PHUKET: Phuket families of ethnic Chinese descent have been busy this week tending to the graves of their departed ancestors as part of the traditional Qingming Festival. This year’s Qingming festivities will take place at Chinese burial grounds around the island, where believers tidy up and make offerings they believe will bring them prosperity and good fortune, while helping to…
-
Taxis blockade Phuket cruise passengers – again
PHUKET: The latest taxi and tuk-tuk blockade at the Phuket Deep Sea Port led to a victory for the drivers, who from today will be given a “50-50 share” of access to disembarking cruise ship passengers. Vice Governor Nivit Aroonrat, Phuket City Police chief Chote Chitchai and local Marine Police brokered the agreement at about noon today, four hours after…
-
Phuket Rotary clubs hit the streets tonight for Japan relief
PHUKET: All six Rotary Clubs in Phuket will take to the streets of Patong tonight, collecting donations for Japan relief. Rotarians will gather at The Port area in the center of the Jungceylon shopping complex, from where they will set out at 9pm. All are invited to join the collection effort. Participants should be easily identified by their white Rotary…
-
Phuket’s Thung Thong Walking Street opens
PHUKET: Kathu Municipality is hosting a street fair until tomorrow evening to boost the local Phuket economy, entertain tourists and showcase the area’s unique local history. The event is taking place on Thung Thong Road, located off Wichit Songkram Road westbound between the entrances to Phuket Country Club and Bang Wad Reservoir. Local food stalls, stage performances, handmade local products…
-
FC Phuket v Songkhla FC match postponed
PHUKET: FC Phuket’s mid-week home fixture with Songkhla, originally scheduled for tomorrow night, has been postponed indefinitely by the league – presumably due to the recent flooding. A huge contingent was expected to be on hand for the match, as tens of thousands of Phuket residents hail from Songkhla and a number of their supporters were planning to travel to…
-
Phuket YouTube girl “not dead’, but another woman’s body found
PHUKET: Phuket authorities have dismissed as inaccurate a video clip posted on You Tube today showing a woman lying beside a road in Rawai – presented by whomever made the clip as if she were dead. The video clip is labelled “Body of a young girl found in Rawai / Phuket on 4th of April” “The woman certainly was not…
-
Burmese laborer dies from fever
PHUKET: The body of a Burmese rubber tapper was recovered from a rubber plantation high above a public water reservoir in Phuket today. The man’s son-in-law, a Burmese who identified himself only as “Mr Pha”, identified the deceased only as “Mr Sorapong”. Mr Sorapong, 45, died at about 11pm on Thursday after a month of fever, coughing and lack of…
-
Serial rapist confesses to Phuket Police
PHUKET: A serial rapist who preyed on young female members of the Phuket ethnic Nepali community is behind bars tonight after confessing to multiple charges of sexual assault, robbery and impersonating a policeman. The accused, 30-year-old Phakpoom Maneerat, was presented to the media at a press conference at Patong Police Station at 10:30am. The gravity of the case was evidenced…
-
Burmese denied basic human rights in Phuket: poll
PHUKET: A majority of Gazette readers think unregistered migrant workers from Burma are denied basic human rights here in Phuket. Overall, more than half of those taking part (56.5%) answered “yes” to the question: ‘Do you think unregistered migrants workers from Burma are denied basic human rights in Phuket?’ This was more than twice the number who answered “no” (20.4%).…
-
Phuket experts treating sick dolphin
PHUKET: Experts at the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) are nursing a sick bottlenose dolphin back to health after it was found floating in the polluted shallows of Klong Tha Cheen in Rassada yesterday. The dolphin, fully grown at around two metres long, is being looked after by the Marine Endangered Species Unit at the PMBC, located at Cape Panwa.…
-
Phuket Opinion: Phuket moving forward in tsunami preparedness
PHUKET: The earthquake and tsunami disaster in Japan last month once again forces us here in Phuket to review our readiness for a potential repeat of the events of December 2004. The death toll from the 9.0-magnitude quake off the coast of Honshu is now approaching 12,000, with more than 16,000 people listed as missing. The entire world empathizes with…
-
No landslides in Phuket: Officials
PHUKET: Vice Governor Nivit Aroonrat and Phuket Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Chief San Jantharawong yesterday dispelled landslide warnings for two areas in the north of Phuket. The two top officials inspected Baan Phru Somparn in Thepkrasattri Subdistrict and Baan Mak Prok in Mai Khao, both in Thalang District, after the government Disaster Relief Committee included the two villages on its…
-
Stars join Thai, Japan disaster relief event in Phuket
PHUKET: Guitarist Yuki Masahiko of popular Japanese rock band Lucifer will join a bevy of Thai stars at a “walking street” event on Thalang Road in Phuket Town on April 9 and 10. The event is being held to raise money for victims of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami in Japan, and the recent flooding and mudslides in southern…
-
Phuket LIve Wire: TOT shuts off international downloads
PHUKET: Out of the blue last week a friend of mine sent a panic message: Suddenly, for no reason he could discern, he was unable to download the security update to Adobe Flash. He was sure he had a virus, and the virus was blocking Flash updates. It’s a reasonable concern – in fact, my first reaction was to run…
-
Thai floods: AirAsia re-routes to Phuket
PHUKET: Thai AirAsia has issued an announcement that any passengers heading to the flooded southern province of Nakhon Sri Thammarat should re-route to other airports, including Phuket, or cancel travel plans altogether. “Due to flood situation in southern Thailand, extreme conditions have caused difficulties in road transportation. Nakhon Sri Thammarat airport remains closed. “Bus services previously offered by the Public…
-
PM visits, Phuket rescue teams assist in flooded South
PHUKET: Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva yesterday visited parts of Krabi where rescue teams from Phuket are assisting victims of devastating mudslides and flooding earlier this week. The Thai premier, accompanied by high-ranking military staff including Royal Thai Army Commander-in-Chief Gen Prayut Chan-O-Cha, toured a shelter at Wat Tam Kob in Na Khao subdistrict, offering consolation and encouragement to victims staying…
-
Phuket Police arrest snatch thief in Patong
PHUKET: Phuket Police yesterday arrested a man for a snatch-and-ride robbery in Patong the night before. Police identified the suspect as 21-year-old Manop Rakharp. The arrest followed a complaint by Teerawat Pansopa, 23, that a man on a Yamaha Fino motorbike snatched his bag as he walked along Sirirat Road in Patong at about midnight on Wednesday. The white bag…
-
Phuket expats to get microchip implants in new surveillance scheme
As of today, all foreigners living permanently in Phuket are to receive mandatory microchip implants in a move designed to keep track of their movements with new GPS technology. Phuket will be the first province to launch such a system, with the rest of the country expected to follow suit in the coming months. Retired expats will be the first…
-
Phuket Business: Corruption and Customs practices seen as major deterrent to trade
PHUKET: In a report released yesterday by the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), the Thai Customs Department comes under fire as a barrier to trade, and does so to the disadvantage of both countries. Corruption is seen to be at the root of the problem. Herewith, some brief extracts from the report: “The United States continues to…
-
Phuket officials deny “mudslide in paradise’
PHUKET: Authorities have dismissed media reports that an “immediate evacuation” was called for Phuket earlier today due to the risk of landslides. Officials at both the National Disaster Warning Center (NDWC) in Bangkok and the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation office in Phuket (DDPM-Phuket) said reports of an evacuation order for Phuket carried on Thai television news programs and…
-
Phuket man shoots wife, kills self
PHUKET: A Phuket motorbike taxi driver shot his wife while she was sleeping and then turned the gun on himself this morning – all while the couple’s two children were sitting in the next room. Thung Thong Police led by Superintendent Kraithong Junthongbai were notified of the tragedy at 8:30am. At the scene, a home in the Ketho residential estate,…
-
Navy rescues stranded tourists as Phuket storms continue
PHUKET: The Royal Thai Navy Third Area Command yesterday rescued Thai and foreign holidaymakers, including many bound for Phuket, who were stranded on the Similan and Surin islands due to the heavy seas. HTMS Bangpakong, under the command of Joint Rear Admiral Rangsarit Sattayanukul, at 2pm sailed to the Similans from its port at the navy base in Thap Lamu,…
-
Krabi landslide: 12 dead, 30 missing
PHUKET: The death toll in the Krabi landslide disaster has risen to 12, while 30 people remain unaccounted for, a Krabi official confirmed to the Phuket Gazette this afternoon. Khao Phanom District Chief Adminstrative Officer Trithawat Rakmuang said that one of the dead has been identified as 31-year-old Paisarn Chusri. He added that 24 people have been injured so far.…
-
‘Japan crisis won’t hit Phuket tourism’: PTA
PHUKET: The Phuket Tourism Association (PTA) believes the crisis in Japan will not have serious effects on the island’s economy, though it has cautioned that numbers of visitors from affected areas are likely to fall. Somboon Jirayus, president of the PTA, said the 9.0-Richter earthquake and resulting tsunami that have devastated Japan would have psychological effects in the short term.…
-
Phuket faces worker shortage
PHUKET: The Phuket tourism industry is facing a huge labor shortage, with more than 5,000 positions currently vacant on the island, the Phuket Employment Office chief has warned. Noppadon Ployyoudee said there was strong demand for workers in Phuket, particularly at hotels and businesses connected to the tourism industry. Among those needed are reception staff, service staff, sales people, handymen,…
-
Double down: Ex-con nabbed in Phuket drug bust
PHUKET: Thalang Police on Friday night arrested a man they described as an “important” ya bah (methamphetamine) dealer who previously served an eight-year stretch in jail on drug charges. Panya Kumanchan, 39, told police he had been smuggling the ya bah from Bangkok to Phuket for two years before his capture. Mr Panya, alias “Nueng Mueang Non” (Neung from Nonthaburi),…
-
PHUKET WEATHER ALERT: PM’s office warns of flooding
PHUKET: The Prime Minister’s Office has warned residents in Phuket to brace for flooding, which has already stalled services at Nakhon Sri Thammarat and Samui airports. Thousands of passengers were stranded on Koh Samui in Surat Thani province yesterday, while Nakhon Sri Thammarat Airport has been closed since Sunday. Bangkok Airways canceled all 36 domestic and international flights in and…
-
Phuket storm winds rip yachts off their moorings
PHUKET: Severe weather conditions in Phuket today broke several boats from their moorings and pushed them ashore at Ao Yon, near Cape Panwa. Many boat owners were caught unaware by the force of the storm as the bay had long been considered a safe shelter at this time of year. “Last night, very strong winds challenged the moorings and quite…
-
Services for Phuket’s Lionel Cleary
PHUKET: A memorial service will be held for the late Lionel Cleary at Rawai Temple (Wat Rawai) tomorrow evening, starting at 7pm. Mr Cleary, a regular visitor to Phuket for 29 years and a resident for more than 18 years after that, died of organ failure on Friday. “People wishing to pay their respects are advised to arrive from 6pm…
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.