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
This Christmas, give the gift of health: essential options for expats in Thailand
The holiday season is here, bringing warmth, joy, and a chance to reflect on the year gone by. As an expat in Thailand, this Christmas is a great time to invest in something that truly matters: health. Whether for you...
-
Island authorities sign trash management MOU
PHUKET: With the island’s only landfill perilously close to capacity and its sole incinerator incapable of burning even half the volume of trash sent to it every day, all of Phuket’s 18 local administrations on Wednesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) pledging to tackle the mounting problem through trash separation and recycling.The signing ceremony, at the Royal Phuket City…
-
Burmese concert hits bureaucratic barrier
PHUKET CITY: An ambitious plan to stage a concert to bring some fun into the lives of some 30,000 minimum-wage Burmese laborers living in Phuket received a lukewarm reception from Vice-Governor Worapoj Ratthasima yesterday, who said the event would need to be organized in accordance with all provincial regulations imposed on migrant workers – including the controversial 8 pm curfew.…
-
Rough seas sink ferry
PHUKET: A ferry carrying 34 passengers and four crew sank yesterday afternoon, with all aboard left floating in the sea off Koh Phai until they were rescued by the Krabi Marine Police.Krabi Provincial Police Commander Pol Maj Gen Phuwadol Vudduccanok identified the vessel as Sea Breeze 2, owned by the Phi Phi Island Cabana Hotel.While awaiting rescue, all passengers and…
-
Murray released on bail
PHUKET: Six weeks after Englishman David Murray was charged with the murder without intent in the death of his eight-year-old stepson, Narid “Curly” Budtharai, he is out on bail with a court date yet to be set.Angered by the slow response, Curly’s natural father Pissanu Badtharai asked for support from the Bangkok-based Pavena Foundation for abused women and children. The…
-
Rubber vendor killed in mystery shooting
THALANG: In a crime that police have no suspect and no motive for, a man died on his way to hospital after being shot in the back while riding his motorcycle on Srisoonthorn Rd on Sunday afternoon. About 3 pm, a local villager alerted police of a man lying on the sidewalk near the first corner of the road to…
-
Loans offered to hard-hit shrimp farmers
PHUKET: With shrimp prices still on the skids, the Phuket Internal Trade Office (PITO) have announced that they will now accept shrimp as collateral for loans requested by registered shrimp farmers in Phuket.During a Governor Meets the Press meeting at Phuket Provincial Hall, PITO Chief Somphot Sangkhapong said that the office will accept Pacific white shrimp, also known as white…
-
Phuket votes “yes’ to new Constitution
PHUKET: In yesterday’s national referendum of the draft constitution, Phuket residents overwhelmingly accepted the new charter with 88.9% of all those voting in favor compared to just 9.6% opposed.The remaining ballots, just under 1.5%, were deemed as spoiled.The official results were posted by the Phuket Election Commission (PEC) on a board outside the PEC counting center at Saphan Hin Gymnasium…
-
Good news for gun enthusiasts
KATHU: A three-story building under construction on the eastern side of Patong Hill will become Phuket’s third shooting range, the Gazette has learned.Work on the 45-million-baht Patong Shooting Range is about 70% complete, said project owner Somchit Sucharitjiravongse.Honorary Secretary of the Trang Chamber of Commerce, K. Somchit is a shooting enthusiast who has represented Thailand in international competitions. He aims to help…
-
Heavy rain set to continue
PHUKET: Phuket residents won’t need to worry about watering their lawns for the next week, as the downpours the island is experiencing are expected to continue.The Southern Meteorological Center (West Coast) 24-hour weather forecast for Phuket from 7 am today is for isolated heavy rains and widespread thundershowers covering 80% of the area.Moderate southwesterly monsoon winds of 20 to 35kmh…
-
New foundation gives power to Phuket people
PHUKET: The people of Phuket now have a direct say in the development of projects to improve the local community – and how funding is used for them – with the recent launch of independent charity Phuket Community Foundation (PCF). The foundation is fully independent of any business, political or religious affiliations and provides a channel for organizations, businesses and individuals to address…
-
No alcohol ban for referendum
PHUKET: Entertainment venues will be allowed to operate right throughout the weekend, regardless of the referendum on the draft constitution on Sunday, with no restrictions on the sale of alcohol.Phuket Provincial Police Superintendent Maj Gen Decha Budnampetch today told the Gazette that bars and nightclubs could open for business as normal, as police would not seek their “cooperation” in refraining…
-
80-80 rugby to return to Phuket
PHUKET CITY: Adisak Hemyoo, honorary secretary of Thai Rugby Union (TRU), today confirmed that 80-80 rugby will return to Phuket with an international tournament on the island from November 16 to 23.Teams from Japan, Korea, Chinese Taipei and Sri Lanka, as well as from big guns Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, have all confirmed to take part, along with…
-
Fears rise over potential dengue outbreak
PHUKET CITY: A nine-year-old boy is suspected of becoming the latest victim of dengue fever in Phuket. If the disease is confirmed, he will be the third person in Phuket killed by the disease this year.The boy, Aniwat Madtai, lived in Koh Kaew and died at Vachira Phuket Hospital August 4.The tests to determine if dengue hemorrhagic fever was the…
-
Juvenile Court cases jump 11%
PHUKET: Figures released by the Phuket Juvenile Observation and Protection Center show that delinquents committed 364 crimes from January 1 to July 31 this year – an increase of 11% on the overall juvenile crime rate for 2006.Eighty-two of the cases involved inhalant abuse, such as huffing rubber cement or glue. Most inhalant-abuse cases involved boys aged 15 to 18.Of…
-
Phuket enjoys strong tourist “low-season’
PHUKET: This year’s green season has seen a healthy increase in the number of holidaymakers visiting Phuket, said Suwalai Pinpradab, director of Tourism Authority of Thailand’s (TAT) Southern Region 4 Office.Hotel occupancy rates are reportedly about 80%, marking a 20% to 30% increase on last year, with Patong being one of the busiest places on the island, according to TAT…
-
OrBorJor launches express van service at Phuket airport
PHUKET (Nation): The Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) today launched a shuttle van service between Phuket International Airport and downtown Phuket City.Phuket Vice-Governor Tri Augkaradacha chaired the launch ceremony of the service, operated by the Phuket Vehicle Service Cooperative.V/Gov Tri said the van service was launched following tourists’ complaints that existing bus services were slow and often delayed as bus…
-
Police raid tea shop, hookahs seized
PHUKET CITY: During a raid of the Khiew-Tong cafe on Thalang Rd yesterday evening, police found 16 minors smoking flavored tobacco through a hookah.The 10 males and six females, all under 18, were arrested and later released to their parents. The shop owner, Phuket native Veerasak Abdulla, 49, was charged with aiding or abetting a minor to engage in wrongful…
-
Man hangs self in “Burmese cemetery’
RASSADA: Volunteer rescue workers early yesterday evening recovered the body of an unidentified man, believed to be Burmese, hanging by the neck from a tree in a mangrove forest off Soi Honsaitong, near the fishing port.The body was discovered by a man looking for shellfish in the area, about 100 meters off Soi Kobkulnusorn, Lt Maj Keerati Triwai of Phuket…
-
Student shot dead with pen-gun
PHUKET: A birthday party at a restaurant near Soi Pisanu in Village 1, Wichit, turned deadly in the early hours of Sunday, when an 18-year-old girl was shot dead during a petty squabble.Phuket Deputy Police Commander Col Chalit Tinthanee told reporters that Jutarat Naksri, a student at Phuket Technology College, had been out drinking at the restaurant to celebrate a…
-
Man charged with strangling mother-in-law
CHERNG TALAY: A man has confessed to strangling his mother-in-law after she chastised him for being lazy.Neighbors of Srila Kanchorn, 52, a native of Phayao, found her body lying face-up in a coconut plantation in Baan Pasak about 9 am yesterday. She was dressed in a yellow shirt and light blue sports pants.Cherng Talay Police Investigation Inspector Lt Col Jetsada…
-
Call for more organ donors
PHUKET: Senior figures of the Phuket chapter of the Thai Red Cross Society and Patong Hospital on August 3 called for more people to sign up as organ donors. The announcement was made at the “Organ and Blood Donations Devote Life to Mother and Nations” blood donation drive at Jungceylon, where in five hours 94 people donated blood that will…
-
Drug crimes still high
PHUKET: There were 46 ya bah (methamphetamine) arrests in July with a total of 1,119 pills seized. Drug-related crimes accounted for 107 arrests over the month, almost double the number recorded in July 2006, according to figures released by Phuket Provincial Police.Twenty-five people were arrested for the use of cannabis, with 106 kilograms confiscated. There were 18 arrests for inhalant…
-
Three murder victims wash up
PHUKET: Police recovered the bodies of three men last week, the victims of apparently unrelated murders and all assumed to have been Burmese laborers. The first body was discovered at about 7 am on July 29 at the port area in Rassada. The victim, dressed in a blue shirt and blue Chinese-style trousers, had a large stab wound to the…
-
TDA teaches sea gypsies to dive
RAWAI: Twenty villagers from Rawai’s sea gypsy community are taking part in a five-day dive course that kicked off with a ceremony Thursday morning presided over by Minister of Tourism and Sports Dr Suwit Yodmanee.The training, being held jointly by the Thai Diving Association (TDA) and the Phuket Office of Sports and Recreation Development, is intended to give the sea…
-
Taiwanese businessman shot
WICHIT: The Taiwanese owner of a fish export business is fighting for his life at Phuket International Hospital after being shot by unknown assailants on Chao Fa West Rd yesterday morning.Phuket City Police Duty Inspector Pol Lt Sathid Noorid identified the victim as 48-year-old Hsueh Hsu Sheng, a resident of Baan Suan Thai housing estate off Chao Fa West Rd.Mr…
-
Fisheries Office extends po trap amnesty
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Fisheries Office (PPFO) has given fishermen until August 28 to apply to continue using po traps, shallow-water fish traps made by stringing a net between stakes stuck in the seabed, although the traps have been outlawed since 1996. The announcement follows the passing of the July 29 deadline set by the PPFO for all total ban…
-
Southern students visit Phuket
PHUKET: Eighty students from the violence-plagued Deep South were given a holiday in Phuket as Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Southern Region Offices 1, 3 and 4 joined forces to bring students from Songkhla, Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat to see Phuket’s tourist attractions.The students, aged 7 to 9 years old, arrived in Phuket on a tour bus on Saturday as…
-
“Nong Red’ slowly recovering
AO MAKHAM: The spinner dolphin that washed ashore at Karon Beach on July 1 is recovering slowly after a full month at the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC), where she was taken for treatment of a severe respiratory infection and other ailments.PMBC Biologist Kongkiat Kittiwattanawong told the Gazette this afternoon that the dolphin, nicknamed Nong Red, has faced numerous health…
-
Experts fear Jatukham fever may endanger dugongs
PHUKET (Gazette/Kom Chad Luek): Conservation experts fear that fierce competition in the promotion of Jatukham Ramathep amulets may have sparked renewed interesting in the hunting of dugong, whose teardrops are believed by some to have magical powers. Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) biologist Kanjana Adulyankosol told the Gazette that fears stemmed from promotional material used by one Jatukham seller coupled…
-
Phuket businesses scoop top awards
PHUKET: Phuket’s hospitality industry received a major boost last week with the announcement that three prestigious awards had been won by local companies.Mom Tri’s Boathouse & Villa Royale in Kata was awarded Wine Spectator magazine’s Best of Award of Excellence for the second consecutive year, maintaining its status as the only establishment in Thailand to receive the coveted award.Wine Spectator‘s…
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.