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
The 5 best luxury villa rentals in Koh Samui by The Luxury SignatureÂ
Koh Samui has long been known as one of the world’s finest luxury travel destinations. Its pristine beaches, lush landscapes, and crystal-clear waters create an idyllic setting that attracts travellers seeking an escape from the everyday grind. And opting to...
-
It’s Time To Wear Your Whites
PHUKET TOWN: Vendors along Ranong Road got a jump on the annual Phuket Vegetarian Festival last night when they started serving up spring rolls, dumplings and other treats. Booths selling white cotton T-shirts and pants were doing a brisk business as residents prepared for the nine-day festival, which runs from October 20-28. A schedule of events, including a map of…
-
Enhancements For Sunset Lovers
RAWAI: Plans are afoot to improve facilities at Cape Promthep, one of Phuket’s most popular sunset viewpoints. Aree Somboon, Chairman of the Rawai Tambon Administration Organization, told the Gazette today that his office is seeking funding from the provincial government to upgrade lighting, expand parking, and install new seating areas to accommodate the large crowds that descend on the picturesque…
-
Sea Walker Guide Arrested
CHALONG: Tourist Police apprehended an unlicensed guide who was allegedly conducting sea walker expeditions at Coral Island. The Region 2 Tourist Business and Guide Office notified Tourist Police on Thursday that a Thai male was leading a group of tourists to the popular offshore island for a sea walking trip. At approximately 3 p.m., Tourist Police intercepted a boat as…
-
Authority Plans New Sports Complex
PHUKET: If all goes as planned, a 220-rai site in Thalang district will become the home of southern Thailand’s newest major sports venue. Officials of the Sports Authority of Thailand are planning to construct a 20,000-seat multi-purpose stadium, a 5,000-seat gymnasium, a shooting range, and athlete housing on a tract located along Thepkasattri Road in Tambon Tachatchai at the northern…
-
Drug Rehab Program Launched
PHUKET TOWN: The Phuket Governor’s office has announced the start-up of a new confidential drug treatment program to provide counselling and treatment for substance abusers. The Phuket Drug Prevention and Suppression Center was launched by the governor’s office in conjunction with provincial health officials as part of a nationwide initiative by the prime minister’s office to deal with drug addicts…
-
U.K. Tourists Lead The Way
BANGKOK: International tourist arrivals to Thailand surpassed the five million mark during the first eight months of the year, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) announced. From January 1 through August 31, a total of 5,043,449 tourists were recorded by the TAT – a 5.6 percent increase over the same period last year. European markets, led by the United Kingdom,…
-
New Tuna Vessel Launched
PHUKET: In the latest bid to maintain Thailand’s position as the world’s leading exporter of canned tuna, officials launched the country’s newest deep sea tuna fishing vessel in a ceremony last Friday at Ao Makham. Pongphon Adireksarn, Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives, along with representatives of the Thai Deep Sea Tuna Fishing Cooperative, was on hand to christen the 61-meter-long…
-
Pitak To Guide Thai Tourism
BANGKOK: Newly-appointed Prime Minister’s Office Minister Pitak Intrawithayanunt has assumed supervision over the Tourism Authority of Thailand, replacing Phang Nga MP Julin Laksanawisit, the TAT has confirmed. The change follows the cabinet reshuffle approved earlier this month. In his new position, Khun Pitak will be the minister responsible for the government’s tourism policies.
-
Hundreds Head To Helmet Sale
PHUKET TOWN: Over 700 helmets were sold during a one-week sale sponsored by the Phuket Provincial Internal Trade Office. Commercial Administrative Officer Borirak Chusit told the Gazette this morning that the effort was a “tremendous success,” with local motorbike riders purchasing more than 100 helmets every day of the sale, which ended yesterday. The project, held in cooperation with the…
-
Pirates Caught In Border Province
RANONG: Authorities arrested nine suspects and seized a cache of weapons believed to have been used in pirate attacks on fishing trawlers plying the waters off Ranong province. On Monday, patrol officers from the Royal Thai Navy Third Fleet uncovered weapons and ammunition buried in the sand of a small island off the Ranong coast. The cache included three M-16…
-
Venue To Give Kick To Soi Bangla
PATONG: Visitors to Soi Bangla will soon be getting a triple dose of entertainment with the opening this month of the strip’s newest multi-purpose venue. Phuket Simon Entertainment Company announced it would be offering Thai boxing events along with late night go-go shows in a 1,500 square meter area of the Phuket Simon Shopping Arcade. The 20 million baht project…
-
New Chapter For Book Thieves
PATONG: Four men were apprehended by police on Thursday afternoon after they allegedly stole English language reading material from The Books bookstore on Rat-U-Thit Road. Kathu district police told the Gazette store manager Sarayuth Mallam called the authorities shortly after noon on Thursday after a group of Thai men ran from the shop with an armful of books and fled…
-
Domestic Arrivals Fuel Increase
MAI KHAO: Passenger arrivals at Phuket International Airport through the first three quarters of 1998 were up ten percent compared to the same period last year, an airport spokesman announced today. From January 1, 1998 through September 30, 1998, a total of 1,112,377 passenger arrivals were recorded at the airport – a year-on-year increase of 100,728 passengers. A recent surge…
-
New U.S. Aid Programs Implemented
BANGKOK: American Ambassador William Itoh and Thai Foreign Minister Surin Pitsuwan jointly announced on Monday the implementation of two new U.S. programs to help meet social needs in Thailand during the current economic crisis. The American Embassy announced US$1.5 million in assistance to provide vaccinations against rabies, Japanese encephalitis and polio. The funds will enable health officials to administer 40,000…
-
Chalermlak Tops Patong Balloting
PATONG: Businesswoman Chalermlak Kepsap of the Patong Progressive Party was the top vote-getter in last Sunday’s municipal election. The Patong Municipal Office announced that the 35-year-old Chalermlak, who campaigned for cleaner streets and building height limitations, received 2,850 votes. Pian Keesin of the Rak (Love) Patong Party received 2,474 votes. Dr Anan Anantanawat, who served as Patong Mayor until the…
-
Officials Record 20 New AIDS Cases
PHUKET TOWN: Government health officials recorded 20 new cases of AIDS in Phuket province and six deaths from AIDS-related complications during the one-month reporting period ending September 19. The Phuket Provincial Health Department has recorded 765 cases of AIDS since it began keeping records in January, 1989. A total of 262 deaths attributed to AIDS-related complications have been recorded during…
-
Australian Navy Ships To Arrive
PHUKET: The Australian Embassy has announced that three warships from the Royal Australian Navy will arrive for goodwill visits as part of their Southeast Asian deployment. HMAS Adelaide, HMAS Brisbane and HMAS Hobart are scheduled to arrive at Phuket’s Ao Makham Port on October 8 for a five-day visit. HMAS Adelaide, a William Hazard Perry class frigate, has a complement…
-
Island Swept By Snoopy Mania
PHUKET: Hong Kong tourists were packing more than T-shirts and cashew nuts into their suitcases last month as they snatched up hundreds of Snoopy dolls from the island’s two McDonald’s restaurants. Faced with long queues and limited selections back home, collectors of the Happy Meal prize items helped clean out the stock at the burger emporium’s Phuket Town and Patong…
-
Bike Riders In Relapse
PHUKET TOWN: Just hours after Governor Chaedej Insawang announced that he had directed police to relax enforcement of the mandatory helmet law for passengers of motorbike taxis, (and only for passengers of motorbike taxis), local residents took to the streets in large numbers last night without headgear. A Gazette reporter posted under the clock tower at the intersection of Phuket…
-
Taxi Driver Testifies In Murder Trial
Taxi Driver Testifies In Murder Trial PHUKET TOWN: A taxi driver testified in court today that he picked up murder suspect Kraisorn Kamnoun and another Thai male on the Patong-Karon Road one evening last December. Suwit Hemlek, a 34-year-old tuk tuk driver, was the first of two witnesses to testify this morning before Phuket Provincial Court Judge Amornpoj Kulwijit in…
-
Banyan Tree Tops Reader Poll
PHUKET: Conde Nast Traveller magazine has named the Banyan Tree Phuket as the world’s best spa resort following tabulation of more than 26,000 votes cast in its 1998 Readers Travel Awards poll, Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts has announced. Readers cited the resort’s service, quality spa treatments and facilities, accommodations and unique ambience in casting their votes. “This award is…
-
International Field Set For Soccer Cup
KOH KAEW: Organizers of the Phuket International Football Cup have confirmed eight participants in the two-day tournament set for October 31 and November 1 at Dulwich International College. Competitors include two teams from Vietnam – Olympic Saigon and the Saigon Saints – along with the Miguel Lions from Taipei and The Swiss Club from Singapore. They will be joined by…
-
Murder Trial On Thursday’s Docket
PHUKET TOWN: Testimony in the trial of two suspects charged in connection with the murder of Patong resident Roger Jennings is scheduled to resume at the Phuket Provincial Courthouse on Thursday, October 1, at 9 a.m. Nongnut Tungkaburi, Jennings’ common law wife, and Kraisorn Kamnoun are standing trial for their suspected roles in what prosecutors contend was a murder-for-hire scheme.
-
Similans Visitor Totals Capped
PHUKET TOWN: A maximum of 340 daily visitor permits will be issued by authorities of the Similans National Park, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Region 4 office announced on Friday. National park officials are also urging visitors to the popular islands to refrain from discarding plastic and polystyrene food containers, the TAT said.
-
Bar Girl Lured Into Nightmare
PATONG: A 25-year-old bar girl filed a police complaint against a German tourist after he allegedly injured her by repeatedly biting her vagina, Kathu district police reported. Suwanee Okaew, 25, told authorities she went to a Patong Beach hotel room with a male bar patron shortly before midnight on Wednesday, September 23. While the two were engaged in sex, the…
-
Angel Airlines Takes Flight
PHUKET: Thailand’s newest carrier, Angel Airlines, has announced its schedule of domestic and international flights originating from Phuket, Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Hat Yai, Udon Thani and Singapore. Earlier this year, the airline was named the country’s second national carrier, joining Thai Airways International. From Phuket, there are three destinations, each of which is non-stop. These are Bangkok, on Tuesday, Thursday,…
-
Witness: Debts Led To Tong Murder
PHUKET TOWN: The investigator who headed the probe into the slaying of Danis Wayne Tong testified yesterday in Phuket Provincial Court that the five suspects on trial participated in a murder-for-hire scheme following a fallout between the victim and well-known local businessman Hugo Vandervelde. Pol Maj Preecha Kla-thanong, Chief of the Special Investigations Unit for Phuket Province, told the court…
-
Sea Walking Activities To Cease In ’99
PHUKET TOWN: Prajuab Thangka-aree, Chief of the Region 2 Tourist Business and Guide Office, has announced that three local businesses will be permitted to offer sea walker expeditions until their current licences for the activity expire. The official made the announcement on Saturday at the Thavorn Grand Plaza Hotel following a decision by the Tourist Business and Guide Commission in…
-
Swiss Tourist Drowns At Kata Beach
KATA: A Swiss tourist drowned on Sunday after he failed to heed warnings and went swimming in heavy seas, Chalong district police reported. The victim, identified by authorities as 67-year-old Jean Jacques Arsene, entered the water at Kata Yai Beach around 4 o’clock Sunday afternoon despite pleas from his spouse to stay out of the rough surf. Sangduan Danchong told…
-
Club Patrons Subjected to Drug Tests
PHUKET TOWN: Fifty-one patrons of the At Ease Night Club on Soi Surin tested positive for drugs following a check by authorities early Sunday morning. Bangkok narcotics control officers joined Phuket Tourist Police in sealing the popular nightclub at 1:20 a.m. and ordering patrons to undergo drug testing in what authorities say was the first-ever raid of its kind in…
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.