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 Smooth travel to Belgium and the Netherlands: Visa tips & tricks!
Make Belgium and the Netherlands your next destination with the right visa in hand. Explore the iconic tulip fields, cruise through Amsterdam’s scenic canals, or stroll through the historic streets of Bruges. Don’t forget to enjoy some authentic Belgian chocolate...
-
AirAsia suspends Phuket – Ho Chi Minh, Phuket – Medan routes
PHUKET: Thai AirAsia’s direct flights from Phuket to Ho Chi Minh City and Medan have been canceled temporarily due to low demand, but the carrier remains committed to growing Phuket as its second air hub in the Kingdom. The two services began at the end of last year with daily flights to Ho Chi Minh City and three flights weekly…
-
Phuket tourists divert to Bali
Phuket NEWS Hound – A daily digest of news from around the world compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PHUKET: The long-running political crisis in Thailand appears to have had a positive spin-off for Bali’s tourism industry, with more foreign tourists than usual visiting the Indonesian island instead of Thai destinations such as Phuket. The Jakarta Globe reports…
-
Mumbo jumbo in Phuket hotel bookings
Phuket NEWS Hound – A daily digest of news from around the world compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PHUKET: Phuket readers of stories from a wide array of ‘media outlets’ are by now well accustomed to conflicts, mumbo jumbo and gobbledygook when it comes to hotel occupancy, forward bookings and other tourism statistics. There are times when…
-
Phuket Perspective: Major media did poorly in the protests
PHUKET: While on holiday in Phuket two weeks ago, a Malaysian Sun Daily columnist was disappointed, if not disgusted, by the reports of respected international media covering the protests in Thailand. In his column Down2Earth last week, he wrote about a spectacle that many Thais in Phuket and all over Thailand, including Bangkok itself, had been observing with indredulity for…
-
Phuket Gazette Readers’ Poll: How has the crisis hit Phuket?
PHUKET: It’s clear that tourist numbers are way down in Phuket right now, but what’s causing the situation? It is, after all, the start of low season and economies around the globe have yet to fully recover from the 2008 financial crisis. How much effect has the current political crisis in Thailand had on Phuket tourism? Have your say in…
-
Phuket Gazette Readers’ Poll: Patong reversal is a step backwards
PHUKET: Only around one-third of Phuket Gazette readers believe reversing the direction of one way traffic will make travel in Patong more convenient, according to the results of our latest poll. A total of 645 readers voted in the poll, which asked respondents what effect the plans would have on travel in the resort town. The most popular response, offered…
-
Phuket prisoners taste freedom
PHUKET: As part of a Royal Pardon, 148 convicts were released into civil society from Phuket Provincial Prison yesterday. Phuket’s newest batch of ex-convicts, 138 men and 10 women, were among 490 Phuket prisoners who were either released or had sentences reduced to to mark May 5 Coronation Day in Thailand. Vice Governor Smith Palawatvichai told the ex-cons at the…
-
Phuket Fun Fly underway in Rawai
PHUKET: The Phuket Paragliding Club’s first-ever Phuket Fun Fly is underway in Rawai. Hundreds of paragliders from around the world are taking the big leap from the launch site at Laem Phromthep, then gliding along to their final descent at Nai Harn beach. Activities include spot landing and gate passing competitions, as well as ‘fancy dress flying’. Experienced paragliders will…
-
Phuket bars to open late for soccer World Cup
PHUKET: Soccer fans will be pleased to hear that bars in Phuket will be allowed to stay open late to show South Africa 2010 World Cup matches, although alcohol sales regulations will still apply. “Bars can show the soccer matches late, but they still have to follow the law limiting the hours when alcohol can be sold,” said Phuket Provincial…
-
Bird seller slain in Phuket
KATA, PHUKET: Chalong Police are hunting for a man who stabbed and bludgeoned a man to death in front of a crowd of horrified witnesses in Phuket on Wednesday night. Nakhon Sri Thammarat native Teerasak Sukkasem, the 40-year-old owner of a store selling caged birds, died at the scene. Inspector Anukul Nookate of Phuket City Police was alerted to the…
-
British ironman to climb Mont Blanc for Phuket charity
PHUKET: Phuket resident Les Bird is a man who takes pleasure in pain, and a man who has been praying for rain so he can test out his new Size 14 waterproof hiking boots. The 59-year-old plans to climb Mont Blanc – Europe’s highest and most deadly mountain – in July, and hopes to raise one million baht for needy…
-
Phuket Police arrest brothers for Rassada slaying
PHUKET: Two brothers have been arrested after nearly two months on the run and charged with stabbing their neighbor to death for ‘making too much noise’.Phuket natives Niphon, 37, and Niphan Kruae-in, 36, were arrested yesterday for the March 21 slaying of 41-year-old Ponsan Noi-oonsaen, a native of Chiang Mai. The brothers were hiding in a hut on a rubber…
-
Phuket wants peace: Dr Sriyada
PHUKET: Former Thai Rak Thai Party leader for Phuket Dr Sriyada Shinawatra doesn’t think the riots and arson attacks in the country yesterday will have a negative impact on Phuket, but insists that fresh elections and a respect for democratic principles are the only solution to Thailand’s current political conflict. Dr Sriyada, who runs a dental clinic in Phuket Town,…
-
Phuket calm after Bangkok riots
PHUKET: Despite the recent mayhem in Bangkok, life has largely gone on as normal in Phuket – but local authorities remain on high alert to ensure continued security. Days of rioting in the capital culminated in the planned surrender yesterday of several ‘red shirt’ United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD) leaders. But rather than spelling the endgame to the…
-
Sea rescue course in Phuket
PHUKET: A sea rescue course for 40 volunteers and government officers is underway at the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) training center in Phuket. The 45-day Andaman Sea Rescue Course, funded by DDPM region 18, began on April 19 and is scheduled to end June 2. The course includes sessions on radio communication and maritime law by instructors…
-
RoyFest returns to Phuket
Phuket NEWS Hound – A daily digest of news from around the world compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PHUKET: According to public relations website PR Urgent, anyone in the Karon Beach area of Phuket will be able to hear music from a host of Thai and international DJs, as well as various other artists, at RoyFest 2010.…
-
Turmoil in more cities, but top cop says Phuket safe
PHUKET: Despite the turmoil engulfing parts of Bangkok and some other Thai cities, Phuket’s top cop insists Phuket remains safe. Commenting on reports that two provincial halls in Northeast Thailand have been set on fire by rampaging red shirts, Phuket Provincial Police Commander Pekad Tantipong said the same could not happen here. Tha Chat Chai checkpoint, where police inspect vehicles…
-
Phuket to host Seniors World Cup
PHUKET: The island is gearing up to host the fifth annual Football Senior World Cup 2010 tournament that kicks off on May 31. The tournament is to be held in Phuket for the first time since 2006, when the island hosted the inaugural event. Play in this year’s tournament, which runs from May 31 to June 5, will include teams…
-
TAT must focus on Phuket
Phuket NEWS Hound – A daily digest of news from around the world compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PHUKET: An editorial in eTurboNews opines that political unrest in Thailand over the past few weeks now presents the greatest challenge to the reputation of Thai tourism since the December 2004 tsunami. The travel industry site suggests Phuket and…
-
Paternal protection: shooting murder in Phuket
WICHIT, PHUKET: A father lying wounded in a Phuket hospital faces a murder charge after allegedly shooting a young man who had a dispute with his son over the weekend. Withun Khonsakul, 58, allegedly shot and killed 24-year-old Anurak Pawatkunawat at around 6pm on Sunday. Phuket City Police Duty Officer Teerawat Amnartjarernying went to the scene, outside a house in…
-
Korean, Thai charged over Phuket horror crash
PHUKET: Two men wanted by police for their involvement in a deadly crash on the bypass road earlier this month have reported to police, but only one accepts that his negligence might have played a role in the collision that claimed the lives of a young couple from Kathu. Phuket City Police duty officer Thada Sodarak said that 30-year-old truck…
-
HRH Princess Sirindhorn to visit Phuket next week
PHUKET: HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn will pay an official visit to Phuket on May 27. The Princess is scheduled to arrive at Phuket International Airport at 8:30am aboard a Royal Thai Air Force jet. In the morning, the Princess will visit Chalermprakiat Somdejprasrinakarin Phuket School in Saphan Hin to preside over the dedication of a monument to Somdejprasrinakarin, the…
-
Kiwi travel warning includes Phuket
Phuket NEWS Hound – A daily digest of news from around the world compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PHUKET: Radio New Zealand says that country’s ambassador to Thailand has advised New Zealanders in Bangkok to “strongly consider” leaving the city. Ambassador Bede Corry says the trouble may spread to other areas like Phuket and that all non-essential…
-
American Embassy closed again today
Phuket: Following the United States’ warning to American citizens to avoid non-essential travel to anywhere in Thailand, Americans in Phuket are reminded that the warning is still in force and that the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok is closed again today. The key paragraphs of the warning, issued by the U.S. State Department on Friday, May 15, are quoted below: “The…
-
Phuket Gazette partner journalist shot in Bangkok
Phuket NEWS Hound – A daily digest of news from around the world compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PHUKET: Chaiwat Phumpuang, a photo-journalist in the Nation/Gazette news pool, has become the latest victim of the protest violence in Bangkok. The award-winning lensman, who has covered many political crises, was shot in the leg while recording the demonstrations…
-
Sunday Summary / update on Thai Crisis
PHUKET: The Phuket Gazette‘s own correspondents and Nation partner reporters in Bangkok join our Phuket-based NEWS Hound team this morning to present a Sunday snapshot of the turmoil in Bangkok and some glimpses into its increasingly adverse impacts. 24 dead as army told to “shoot on sight” Since violence re-erupted in Bangkok on Thursday with the shooting of renegade army…
-
More Phuket ‘reds’ to Bangkok
PHUKET: More Phuket people are joining the red shirt protest in Bangkok, one of the leaders of the Phuket United Front of Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD) told the Gazette today. “At the beginning, more than 400 people from Phuket had come to join the protest. Before last night’s fighting, about 100 were left,” Phuket red shirt leader Wisut ‘Ae Inside’…
-
Bangkok death toll hits 16
PHUKET: The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration’s Emergency Health Center this morning revised its death and injury toll from yesterday’s clashes between troops and protesters, to 16 dead and 157 people injured. Andrew Drummond, a British journalist with decades of experience in reporting news in Thailand and Southeast Asia, told the Gazette that the capital seemed “much quieter” and traffic seemed to…
-
Internet outages plague Phuket
PHUKET: Following a week of intermittent internet access, at times leaving consumers with no access at all, Triple Broad Band Internet (3BB) has confirmed that the outages are expected to continue until the end of the month while the company installs a new network. Pongsakorn Yuktawet, General Manager of 3BB’s Upper Southern Region, based in Phuket, said the outages were…
-
Phuket hotel occupancy in “massive decline”
Phuket NEWS Hound – A daily digest of news from around the world compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PHUKET: The Tourism Authority of Thailand’s deputy governor for marketing communications, Prakit Piriyakiet, has just completed an inspection of hotels and resorts in Phuket, Krabi and Khao Lak to shortlist properties for the annual Thailand Tourism Awards. The trip revealed…
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.