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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World Cup hits tourist arrivals
PHUKET: Predictions that Phuket will reap windfall profits as thousands of football fans head for the island, seeing it as the perfect venue for sun, sand and soccer, are, apparently, wide of the posts. Anupharp Thirarath, director of the Phuket office of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), today told the Gazette that the World Cup has had the opposite…
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Damaged cable slows Internet access
PHUKET: Access to large parts of the Internet has been slow, if not impossible, since Sunday when an undersea telecoms cable was damaged between Taiwan and Japan. It is unclear what caused the damage. One source at a local Internet service provider (ISP) said the damage was caused by sharks mistaking the cable for a large fish. But Thitiporn Panichphol,…
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Another murder in “Burmese Cemetery’
PHUKET TOWN: Another victim of a vicious stabbing frenzy was found floating yesterday morning in a small mangrove klong by Si Sena Rd – an area that is becoming known locally as the “Burmese cemetery”. He had been stabbed about 50 times. Pol Maj Pitsanu Poonwong of Phuket Town Police Station told the Gazette that local residents called the police…
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Road death toll falls
PHUKET: Eighteen people died in traffic accidents on Phuket’s roads between March 20 and April 20, a drop of 25% when compared with the 24 deaths during the previous 30-day period, according to statistics from Wachira, Thalang and Patong government hospitals. The figures, issued yesterday, show that one person died in a car accident while 17 deaths involved motorbikes. In…
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Three toddlers drown in tin mine lagoon
PHANG NGA: Three toddlers drowned in a lagoon in an old tin mine on Sunday after wandering off from their grandfather’s home in Tai Muang. Pol Maj Somporn Paungthong, inspector of Tai Muang Police Station, said that Prapaet Jaikeaw, 53, called police to report that the bodies of his three grandsons, three-year-old Apiwat Jaikeaw, two-year-old Watcharin Chunak and two-year-old Supawat…
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Navy arrests Burmese timber smugglers
RANONG: The Royal Thai Navy stopped a suspicious boat in Thai waters around Koh Chang, Ranong, last Saturday, and found it full of timber, which the boat’s 10-man Burmese crew were apparently trying to smuggle into Thailand. Vice-Admiral Pairoj Theerachai, Commander of the Third Fleet, said that a warship spotted the 20-meter gray boat lurking around the island. The cargo…
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Health Office issues dengue advisory
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Health Office (PPHO) has issued its traditional annual advisory about dengue fever. Dr Wanchai Sattayawutthipong, chief of the PPHO said today, “This is the time when the fever spreads. Because of the rain of the past few weeks, the number of cases has increased. The average is 10 a week, but last week 20 were reported.”…
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Gov denies bowing to pressure on land title
PHUKET: In response to recent intense national media coverage, Phuket Governor CEO Pongpayome Vasaputi has emphatically denied employing his powers in unusual ways to effect the upgrading of titles on land owned by Deputy Prime Minister Pitak Intrawitayanunt. Nipat Intarasombat, Democrat MP for Phattalung, raised the controversial issue on Thursday, during last week’s televised censure debate. Since then Governor Pongpayome…
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Client privacy at risk in Thai banks
BANGKOK: A story in today’s “Nation” reveals that the Thai government may have sought, and may still be seeking, direct online access to the accounts of companies and private individuals doing business with any of Thailand’s commercial banks. The Thai Bankers Association, citing customer privacy, has rejected a request, made through the government’s Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO), for direct links…
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June Bahtra tour boat seized
PHUKET: Phuket Marine Police and officers from the Bangkok-based Economic Crime Investigation Division this morning seized one of Phuket’s best-known tourism icons, the junk June Bahtra 2. The officers seized the 16-meter wooden boat from the Yacht Haven marina on allegations that the owner, East West Siam Ltd, had presented forged documents when registering the boat eight years ago, in…
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Bars urged to close on holy day
PHUKET TOWN: Pol Col Paween Pongsirin, Superintendent of Phuket Town Police Station, yesterday urged bars and nightclubs to close tomorrow (Sunday) and requested shops to refrain from selling alcohol between noon and midnight as a way of showing respect on Visakha Bucha Day. Col Paween told the Gazette, “I have sent a notice to bar owners asking them not to…
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Tuk-tuks defeat governor’s fair fare plan
PHUKET: Governor CEO Pongpayome Vasaputi announced today that his plan to curb tuk-tuk ripoffs by introducing fixed, published fares has been put on hold indefinitely. The announcement came after a tense two-hour meeting between the Governor and some 20 representatives of Phuket’s tuk-tuk drivers, who told him that they would not accept the new distance-based scale of fares that he…
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Burmese katoey stabbed to death
PHUKET TOWN: A Burmese katoey [transsexual] has been found murdered behind the Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) office on Srisena Rd. Acting on information received, Pol Capt Watcharin Jiratikarnwiwat and other officers from Phuket Town police station found the man’s body on Wednesday in a machinery shed, face down in a pool of blood. The man, later identified as “Bee,” had…
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Committee to probe shoddy road
CHERNG TALAY: Following a protest by villagers on Wednesday about the poor quality of a new concrete road in Moo 2, Cherng Talay, a special committee has been formed to investigate the handling of the 4-million-baht budget for the project, and the officials involved. Siri Yokthong, chief of the Cherng Talay Tambon Administration Organization (OrBorTor), said yesterday that the OrBorTor…
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Thai-Malaysian Naval exercise concludes
AO MAKHAM: A ceremony was held yesterday to mark the conclusion of a joint naval exercise between the Royal Thai Navy Third Fleet, the Malaysian Navy and the Marine Police. Burma’s sudden closure of its border with Thailand added some interest, but the annual event, which started on Sunday, was otherwise without incident. The exercise featured the Royal Thai Navy…
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Thai-Burmese border closed
RANONG: All border crossings between Thailand and Myanmar were closed today by Rangoon for undisclosed reasons. Latest reports point to renewed conflict between the two governments over their dealings with the Shan State Army as being the reason. An official at the Immigration Department in Ranong – favored destination for “visa hops” from Phuket – said that the border has…
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Oops! Auditor mislays B1.5 million
PHUKET TOWN: British vacationer Michael Michalke is a lucky man after recovering all of the 1.5 million baht he left in his Phuket hotel room at the weekend. Lucky and a little red-faced: back home, Mr Michalke is an auditor. The 50-year-old Brit and his 29-year-old Thai girlfriend, Rungtip Praujanteuk, checked into the Pearl Hotel on Montri Rd on Saturday…
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Indonesian boats caught fishing illegally
CHALONG: Phuket Marine Police boarded two Indonesian fishing boats moored near Koh Racha Noi on Sunday and arrested 10 crewmen for fishing illegally in Thai waters. Pol Lt Col Prathuang Srilamontri, inspector of the Phuket Marine Police, said that he had received a report from an investigation team that foreign boats had been seen fishing in Thai territory. At around…
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Campsite plan for Nai Yang beach
PHUKET: Tourists will be able to camp out on Nai Yang beach under a proposal to set up a company to run a campsite business, with profits going to the local community. The Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor), and the Moo Baan Saku Tambon Administration Organization (OrBorTor) want to set up Saku Co with local stakeholders providing sites, equipment and…
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New official fees to curb tuk-tuk ripoffs
PHUKET: An official scale of fees based on kilometers travelled will be imposed on tuk-tuks from June 1 to curb overcharging of tourists. In some cases, the official fares are half what tuk-tuk drivers have been demanding. A trip from Phuket Town to Patong (15 km) will cost 200 baht, while the 32 km from Patong to the airport will…
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Teenage couple busted for dealing drugs
PHUKET TOWN: Police arrested two teenagers suspected of selling ya bah (methamphetamine) in Phuket Town on Saturday. The Phuket Special Unit Police force, led by Pol Capt Suwarith Prommul, nabbed Weerayut Puangmalai, 19, and his 17-year-old girlfriend, at around 2 pm in their rented room on Soi Pachanee, Rassadanusorn Rd. Pol Capt Chokchai Suthimake said that Weerayut was a repeat…
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Phuket looks at creative ways to raise funds
PHUKET: Governor CEO Pongpayome Vasaputi says he is seeking new ways to raise additional funds to develop the island. The provincial government, he explained, receives 3.2 billion baht a year from Bangkok. About 2 billion baht of this covers fixed costs such as salaries and equipment, while the remaining 1.2 billion baht is allocated for specific projects. So far this…
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Sewerage project almost complete
PHUKET TOWN: Phuket Town Mayor Phummisak Hongsyok has announced that the final phase of the project to upgrade Phuket Town’s sewers is nearing completion. Speaking at a press conference, Mayor Phummisak said, “Phase 2 [the final phase] of the project is 77% complete and is on target to finish on schedule, on January 2 next year.” He explained that, of…
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Smugglers caught with B10 million of fuel
PHANG NGA: Marine Police on Tuesday seized a tanker, which they say was being used in an attempt to smuggle 300,000 liters of diesel fuel, worth 10 million baht, into Thailand. Pol Lt Col Nanthavuthi Nopphakhun, Deputy-Commander of the Marine Police, said today that investigations into a smuggling ring led to the seizure near the Surin Islands, during which four…
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Monsoon missed Phuket – weatherman
PHUKET: The weatherman said today that the strong southwesterly monsoon predicted to hit Phuket this week missed. Tawat Tantham-nu, director of the Southwestern Regional Meteorological center, told the Gazette that while there are still scattered clouds and isolated thunderstorms in the area, the southwestern coast will remain calm. He said that, with wave heights of only about one meter, people…
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Airport to get meter taxis, eventually
PHUKET: Piyapan Jampasut, Deputy Director-General of the Department of Land Transport (DLT) for Thailand, has announced that new regulations are to be proposed to Cabinet that would open the door for regulated, meter cabs in Phuket, starting with the airport. K. Piyapan made the announcement after meeting with Phuket Governor CEO Pongpayome Vasaputi to discuss what laws need to be…
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Sea rescue center will protect tourists
CHALONG: A 15-million-baht Sea Rescue Center is to be set up to coordinate emergency rescue operations off Phuket, Phang Nga and Krabi, it was revealed today. The center, to be set up in Chalong, will become a nerve center for information about mishaps and accidents at sea, which will be gathered and disseminated to various marine agencies. Making the announcement…
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Committee appointed to protect waterways
PHUKET: In an attempt to prevent flooding and landslides, Governor CEO Pongpayome Vasaputi has appointed a committee to screen applications for excavation work affecting waterways. He also suggested today that excavation on private property may be forbidden if it is likely to affect waterways, or trigger landslides or flooding. “I think that we will have to propose that it be…
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Tourist saved from 20-floor death leap
PATONG: Floris Max Anton Van Sluys, a 20-year-old tourist from the Netherlands, was so distressed when his Thai girlfriend dumped him that he wanted to leap 20 stories to his death. Pol Maj Boonlert Onklang, of Kathu Police Station, told the Gazette that at about 11 am on Friday he received a call telling him that a man was standing…
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Call to double Tourist Police ranks
PHUKET: Pol Lt Col Supamit Sukjaroen, Inspector of Tourist Police, Region 5, yesterday lodged an official request with Pol Maj Gen Sanit Miphan, Commander of Thailand’s Tourist Police, for 50 more officers to be sent to bolster tourists’ security throughout the region. If approved, Col Supamit’s request will double the number of Tourist Police officers currently assigned to the region.…
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