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.
-
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…
-
US donates bomb blanket to Phuket police
PATONG: A US Embassy official yesterday morning presented a “bomb blanket” to Kathu Police Station in a ceremony attended by Phuket Provincial Police Commander Maj Gen Decha Budnampetch.Scott Bernat, Chief of the Naval Security Force Protection Detachment at the US Embassy in Bangkok, told the Gazette that the blanket – technically known as a “bomb suppression blanket” – is made…
-
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…
-
Korean tour operators shy away from action on illegal guides
PHUKET CITY: Only eight of 57 Korean tour operators invited by the local office of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) to discuss the hotly-debated topic of illegal Korean tour guides in Phuket were represented at a meeting on Tuesday organized by Phuket Governor Niran Kanlayanamit’s office.Being a tour guide is a profession reserved for Thais, yet many Koreans continue to…
-
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…
-
Welcome Gate to officially open
TAH CHAT CHAI: More than three years after it was initially conceived, the Phuket Welcome Gate will have its grand opening ceremony on the auspicious date of September 9. The gate, proposed and championed by Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) President Anchalee Vanich-Thepabutra, will welcome tourists onto the island with a history of the province and a rest stop area.The…
-
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…
-
Tourism Minister sets ICEC decision deadline
PHUKET CITY: Tourism and Sports Minister Dr Suwit Yodmanee yesterday announced that August 24 will be the deadline for Phuket Governor Niran Kalayanamit to decide on a location for the long-awaited International Convention and Exhibition Center (ICEC). Dr Suwit set the deadline at a meeting at the Phuket Merlin Hotel – one of several meetings being held by the minister…
-
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…
-
Dog shelter begging for attention
THALANG: Phuket’s uncared-for canines are last in line for handouts as funding dries up and food supplies dwindle at the Mid Road Dog Shelter in Baan Kanoon, Thalang.The shelter – managed by the Phuket Provincial Livestock Office (PPLO) and where registered animal welfare charity Soi Dog Foundation (SDF) have operated from since January – is currently home to more than…
-
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…
-
Gov calls for mobile CCTV
PHUKET: At the Provincial Security Committee Meeting at the ST Hotel on Thursday, Phuket Governor Niran Kalayanamit called for the local police to look into setting up a “mobile CCTV” unit to roam Phuket’s streets.“I have seen this new technology on TV. It is used in England, where they use a mobile CCTV unit that drives everywhere and uses a…
-
Tsunami false alarm in Krabi
KRABI (Nation): Seven disaster-warning towers in Krabi unexpectedly sounded an alarm simultaneously on Saturday evening, prompting frightened residents and tourists to run for higher ground in fear of a tsunami.Krabi disaster-prevention and mitigation officer Thalerngsak Phuwayanapong said he had been informed that the warning towers at Koh Phi Phi pier, Saladan, Koh Lanta, Koh Jam, Haad Yao, Laem Sak Bay…
-
Chuan opens Halal Food Hilal Town festival
THALANG: The third annual Halal Food Hilal Town festival began Friday night, with former Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai heading the opening ceremony.Before declaring the event open, K. Chuan, Chairman of the Advisory Council of the Democrat Party, walked through the festival accompanied by Phuket Governor Niran Kalayanamit, Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) President Anchalee Vanich-Thepabutra and other guests.The event is…
-
Phuket ready for referendum
SAPHAN HIN: More than 1,000 people gathered at Saphan Hin this morning to promote Phuket’s participation in the forthcoming national referendum on the newly-drafted constitution, which will take place August 19.Phuket officials were joined by members of the public and representatives from each Tambon Administration Organization (OrBorTor) wearing yellow T-shirts and carrying banners and flags in support of the referendum.…
-
New Kathu police chief moves to improve Patong
PHUKET CITY: At his first Phuket Provincial Security Council meeting yesterday, new Kathu Police Superintendent Pol Col Grissak Songmoonnark told Phuket Governor Niran Kalayanamit that he had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Patong business leaders aimed at lifting the town’s image among tourists.Col Grissak, 46, said that he had invited representatives of various groups in Patong to attend…
-
Call for Phuket tourism businesses to go “green’
PHUKET: A Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) seminar held at The Metropole hotel on Tuesday brought together academics and members of the tourism sector to discuss global warming effects in Phuket, where an estimated 344 million tonnes of greenhouse gases are produced every year, said Nisanat Sathirakul, deputy secretary general at the Office of Natural Resources and Environment Policy and…
-
Local crew heads for Platu world championships
PHUKET: Local sailor Australian Scott Duncanson, better known in Phuket as owner and skipper of Somtam Express, which won Phuket Raceweek regatta last month, has compiled a crew to defend the title of National Platu champion at the national finals in Pattaya on August 13 and 14.The crew are using the national Platu finals as a springboard for training for…
-
Tsunami evacuation drill “hit and miss’
PHUKET: Andaman Wave 007, the first regional testing of the 79 National Disaster Warning Center (NDWC) tsunami warning towers along the Andaman Coast, was conducted at 9:45 this morning, with mixed results in Phuket.While impressive mock evacuation and emergency response drills were being staged for the media on the beach at the foot of Soi Bangla in Patong, residents in…
-
Convention center proposals fail to hit pay dirt
PHUKET: Three firms have proposed sites for Phuket’s International Convention and Exhibition Center (ICEC), but none afford the sea views that have long been considered a ‘must’ for the project.Phuket Governor Niran Kalayanamit, who heads a committee formed to make a final decision on where to site the project, yesterday afternoon heard the proposals at a meeting at Phuket Provincial…
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.