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.
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Sponsored 12Go introduces Japan Rail Passes to enhance travel accessibility for international travellers
For those who have travelled throughout Thailand, 12Go is a well-known provider of various trips, though the platform itself has a much wider reach. Ranging from buses to planes, 12Go is undoubtedly a leading booking platform for travel throughout the...
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Karon, Wichit to get independent police districts
PHUKET CITY: Phuket Provincial Police plan to establish two new independent police districts on the island to take pressure off Chalong Police, whose jurisdiction currently covers all of Chalong, as well as Rawai and Karon. Pol Col Peerayut Kara-jedee, Superintendent of General Staff of the Phuket Provincial Police, said the two new districts would be for Karon and Wichit. Rawai…
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Gov Preecha downplays spoiled milk scare
PHUKET CITY: Phuket Governor Preecha Ruangjan on Monday sought to downplay concerns following the latest in a series of scandals involving the distribution of spoiled milk to Thai schoolchildren. The governor was speaking in the wake of an incident on February 13, when a consignment of spoiled milk was sent to Laem Panwa School in Wichit district. Upon inserting straws…
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Grandmother killed in tour bus smash
MAI KHAO, PHUKET : A 69-year-old grandmother was killed instantly this morning when a tour bus veered off the center of the road and hit her at high speed. The victim, Mali Burakhan, was pushing her bicycle along Thepkrassatri Rd back to her home in Mai Khao Village 3 at the time of the tragedy. The bus, a double-decked air…
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English businessman clubbed to death
KATHU, PHUKET: Police investigating the murder of an Englishman yesterday suspect the killing may have been motivated by a real estate dispute.At 10:30 am yesterday, Tung Tong Police were notified by security guards of a murder at the Royal Place project on Phra Phuketkaew Rd, at the Tesco-Lotus junction.The victim was later identified as Ian Kenneth Stuart, 61.Police, including Phuket…
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Asean+3 bailout fund raised to US$120b
CHERNG TALAY, PHUKET: East Asian finance ministers will finalize the upgrading of the region’s bilateral currency-swap arrangement into a US$120 billion multilateral facility at their next meeting in May. “In order to ensure regional market stability and to foster confidence in the markets, we stress the importance of ‘operationalizing’ the multilateralization of the Chiang Mai Initiative,” Finance Minister Korn Chatikavanij…
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Foreigner’s head found hanging from a Bangkok bridge
BANGKOK (The Nation): The head of a man, believed to be a foreigner in his 40s, was found hanging by a rope from the Rama IX Bridge in Bangkok’s Phra Nakhon district yesterday. The head had apparently been put in a plastic bag and hung from the bridge’s railing. But when it was found, at about 2pm, the bag had…
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Bibb dazzles crowd at Blues Rock Festival
KARON, PHUKET: An electrifying performance in the early hours of Saturday morning from acoustic blues superstar Eric Bibb underlined why he was chosen to headline the 2009 Phuket International Blues Rock Festival. Taking to the stage at around midnight, the Grammy nominated star dazzled crowds with his smooth, up-tempo brand of blues. Bibb began his hour-long set individually but was…
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Region 8 Police take charge of Degioanni murder case
PATONG, PHUKET: Police Region 8 Commander Santarn Chayanon arrived in Phuket yesterday to personally oversee the investigation into the murder of Francis Alex Degioanni, the Canadian man who was shot and killed by two men outside his Panorama Condominium office on February 19. For our earlier report click here. Lt Gen Santarn then chaired a two-hour meeting at Kathu Police…
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Canadian gunned down on his birthday
PATONG, PHUKET: A Canadian real estate developer died on his birthday yesterday after he was riddled with bullets by two men on a motorcycle. At the time of the attack, Francis Alex Degioanni was sitting in his black Toyota outside his seven-story Panorama Condominium block, located in a hillside area off Nanai Rd in South Patong. Kathu Police officers were…
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Italian dead of apparent heart failure
PATONG, PHUKET: An Italian national found dead in a guesthouse on Wednesday night is thought to have died of heart failure. The deceased was identified as Sergio Pollastro, aged 56. Kathu Police were notified of the death at about 9:30 pm by Phuket Tourist Police Volunteers Vijay Kumar and a fellow volunteer identified only as Miss Malika. Mr Pollastro was…
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Security guard stabbed to death in Karon
KARON, PHUKET: A security guard at the Access Resort and Villas hotel is on the run after allegedly stabbing a colleague in the heart with a sharp hand scraper. Sunin Saithong, 54, died in uniform outside the hotel on Patak Road in Karon at around 8 pm on February 16. Duty Officer Anukul Nookade of Chalong Police said he believed…
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MOI to publish pub safety manual
PHUKET CITY: Entertainment venues in 14 provinces around the south of Thailand have been put on notice to ensure they measure up to new government safety regulations or face the consequences. Addressing a press conference at the Phuket Merlin Hotel on February 13, Deputy Minister of the Interior Thavorn Senniam announced deadlines for entertainment venues around the region to fall…
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Abbot on the run
NAKHON SRI THAMMARAT: Police are hunting for the abbot of a temple after he allegedly beat up his male lover in the early hours of January 23.Police were called to Wat Khuan Soong in Chawang District just before 4 am by a man who said that the temple abbot had beaten him with a chair.When they arrived at the scene,…
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Enraged Aussie pounds Bangkok police
BANGKOK: Life in Thailand can sometimes get a bit frustrating for expats when things don’t quite work out as they would in their home countries. This, coupled with the booze-heavy lifestyle enjoyed by a fair percentage of Westerners living in the Kingdom, occasionally leads to “Angry Farang Syndrome”.A prime example occurred one afternoon last month outside Thong Lor Police Station. Station…
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Patong declared “Red Zone” in war on Pirated goods
PHUKET CITY: Acknowledging the scale of the trade in counterfeit goods on the island, the head of the Phuket Customs Office has identified Patong as one of several “red zones” in the battle against pirated goods, the state-run Thai News Agency has reported. Phuket Customs Office chief Sompong Onprasert said the problem was the worst in areas popular with tourists,…
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Komkai murder suspect turns himself in
PHUKET CITY: A village headman from Pattalung province yesterday surrendered himself to Phuket police in a bid to clear his name over allegations he was involved in the shooting murder of Jintana Plaza heiress Komkai Kositkoon in July last year. Mr Wiroj “Plop” Issara, 47, a headman in Phatthalung’s Koh Maak district, surrendered himself to Police Region 8 Commander Santarn Chayanon…
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Police closing in on Makha Bucha Day shooter
CHALONG, PHUKET: Chalong Police say they are making good progress in their investigation into the attempted murder of businessman Chalermpol Pranweerapaiboon, who was shot in the back of the neck by an assailant at Wat Luangpoo Supha on Maka Bucha Day (February 12). Despite the claims of progress, Chalong Police Duty Officer Parichat Jaturonphan declined to name any suspects or…
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Jintana Plaza goes up in flames again
PATONG, PHUKET: For the second time in four days, flames tore through the stalls of Jintana Plaza shopping arcade early on Tuesday morning, causing an estimated four to five million baht’s worth of damage. Police once again suspect arson as cause of the fire, the sixth of its kind since the center was opened. The fire was reported at around…
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Solution to Patong Hospital doctor shortage in sight
PATONG, PHUKET: Starting in April, Patong Hospital will have have more doctors and other medical staff working – enough to serve patients 24 hours day. The plan was confirmed by the provincial Chief Doctor, Pongsawas Ratanasang, who insisted that the doctor shortage at the state-run facility had been tackled. The short-term solution is to have four doctors on duty: Hospital…
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Briton takes life by hanging
PATONG, PHUKET: Kathu Police are treating the death of a British man found in a Patong guesthouse early Thursday morning as a suicide. Kathu Police Duty Officer Jongserm Preecha identified the deceased as 36-year-old Robert William Hilton. The death was reported to Kathu Police at around 4 am by his girlfriend, 30-year-old Srisaket native Sommai Deejai. When police including Kathu…
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TAT targets Spanish, Japanese markets
PHUKET: The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) hopes to see a surge in the number of visitors from Spain, following its participation in the Feria Internacional de Turismo 2009 tourism trade show in that country earlier this month. The TAT took its “Seven Wonders of Amazing Thailand” roadshow campaign to Spain, which is emerging as a valuable market for Thai…
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Thai added to Google translation website
PHUKET: Lost in translation? Here’s an end to your worries, cyber folks. Google has added Thai to the beta version of its free translation website – https://translate.google.co.th – now making it possible to translate 42 languages to and from Thai. With these free tools, Thai-speaking users can translate anything from whole websites down to single words. They can also use…
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Jintana Plaza gutted in alleged arson attack
PATONG, PHUKET: A fire ripped through the Jintana Shopping Center early Friday morning, causing an estimated 10 million baht’s worth of damage. Police believe the fire was started deliberately as it follows a number of arson attacks on the center, as well as the mafia-style murder of center heiress Komkai Kositoon in July last year. Duty Officer Jongsrame Preecha of…
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Man commits suicide in Rassada
RASSADA, PHUKET: A young man on Thursday committed suicide by hanging in the home he shared with relatives in Tambon Rassada, police have revealed. Phuket City Police Duty Officer Anek Mongkol and Kusoldharm Foundation officers at 12:20 pm responded to a report of the suicide and went to the scene, an apartment on the fourth floor of building five in…
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Dead infant found floating in Kamala Bay
KAMALA, PHUKET: Kamala police have launched an investigation to try to find the mother of an infant girl whose tiny body was recovered from a black plastic bag found by fishermen in Kamala Bay. The gruesome discovery was reported to Kamala Police at about 1:30 pm on Thursday. Police and Kusoldharm Foundation workers rushed to the scene to examine the remains…
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Karon Beach power lines going underground
KARON, PHUKET: The Phuket Office of the Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) has announced plans to lay a new underground electric power cable from Karon Circle to Kata Beach. Work is scheduled to begin in July and to be completed by the end of the year. At a joint press conference held yesterday, the PEA and Karon Municipality announced that the…
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Historic wall demolished in Old Phuket Town
PHUKET CITY: A 105-year-old Sino-Portuguese wall in Phuket’s old town was demolished by construction workers on February 3 to make way for commercial buildings. The wall, on Krabi Rd, had formed the perimeter of Prapitak Chinpracha estate, built in 1904. On February 3, Capt Bunyarit Chaisuwan, an archaeologist at the Fine Arts Region 15 Office in Phuket, received a report…
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Luxury charter helicopter service launched in Sakoo
SAKOO, PHUKET: Phuket’s super-rich take note: the island now has its own luxury charter helicopter service ready to fly VIP tourists and businessmen to luxury resorts in the Andaman region. Advance Aviation launched its Phuket service from its brand new helipad in Sakoo on January 9, flying about five flights during its first month in operation. Vice Chairman Chai Nasylvanta…
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Sheraton to host 44th ASEAN Education Ministers Conference
PHUKET: The 44th ASEAN Education Ministers meeting will take place at the Sheraton Grande Laguna Phuket from April 5 to 9.The announcement was made on January 27 at Phuket Rajabhat University in Rassada after Thai Education Ministry officials conducted a site visit and held discussions with local venue operators.Deputy Permanent Secretary to the Education Ministry Sriwikar Mektawatwaikul held a meeting…
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Blackout in Rawai, Kata on Thursday
PHUKET CITY: The Phuket Provincial Electricity Authority (PPEA) has announced a scheduled blackout in parts of Rawai and Kata on Thursday in order to continue its work on high-voltage power lines. The affected areas are on the south side of Patak Rd, starting at Chalong Circle and continuing all the way to the old Plup Pla Resort site in Kata.…
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