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.
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Island View: Just another stop on the map
PHUKET: When I first moved to Phuket five years ago, I remember being warned about the increased crime rate during the island’s low season. The reason for this is primarily that many people who rely on tourists for income are left high and dry until their return the next high season, resulting in petty crimes such as bag snatching and…
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Opinion: What a long, strange trip it’s been
PHUKET: With the terms of the highly-trumpeted Asean Economic Community (AEC) to take effect in just days, Phuket is really no closer to having a world-class international conference and exhibition center (ICEC) than it was a few decades back when the idea was first bruited. Long-term Phuket Gazette readers know very well the winding and confusing history of the island’s…
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Finance: Never too old for insurance
PHUKET: If you read my articles regularly, you have probably noticed I don’t spend much time writing about health insurance. It is not the most exciting topic, and for many of Phuket’s aging expat population getting covered at all is not really an option once they reach a certain age. Also, the cost of local international hospitals used to be…
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Mom Tri Villa Royale to host Pro Musica Ensemble
PHUKET: As part of the Baan Kata Arts Festival, Mom Tri’s Villa Royale will be hosting a performance by the Pro Musica Ensemble on January 18. The trio of musicians will perform pieces by renowned composers such as Mozart, Beethoven and Bach, featuring solos, duets and group performances. Comprising violin, viola and flute, the Pro Musica Ensemble is made up…
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Storms in Philippines uproot 1.7 mln people, destroy 40,000 homes
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Storms in Philippines uproot 1.7 mln people, destroy 40,000 homes Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Successive storms across the Philippines, including Typhoon Melor, have temporarily uprooted 1.7 million, aid workers said, as President Benigno Aquino distributed food on Wednesday in areas hardest hit by the disaster.…
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Whale carcass closes popular Cape Town beach amid shark concerns
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Whale carcass closes popular Cape Town beach amid shark concerns Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: A South African beach popular with Christmas holidaymakers has been closed until the carcass of a beached whale is removed amid concerns its blood may attract sharks, the City of Cape…
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In-Depth Report: Myanmar men sentenced to death for murder of British tourists
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Myanmar men sentenced to death for murder of British tourists in Thailand Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: A Thai court sentenced two Myanmar migrant workers to death on Thursday after convicting them of the 2014 murders of two young British tourists on a holiday island in…
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Officer who allegedly threatened Navy lieutenant gets transferred
PHUKET: Lt Somphop Kamkana of the Royal Thai Navy Third Area Command confirmed that the Army colonel who was recorded allegedly threatening him earlier this month (story here) has been transferred to Bangkok. Lt Somphop was one of the Navy officers that aided in a raid that saw more than 40 suspects apprehended in Chalong on December 6 (story here).…
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Nai Harn prepares for ‘Phuket Countdown 2016’
PHUKET: Tourism Authority of Thailand officials are preparing for this year’s ‘Phuket Countdown 2016’ at Nai Harn Beach with five days of events leading up to the ‘final sunset’ at Promthep Cape. Celebrations will include stage performances from local schools, celebrities and a band from the Royal Thai Navy. “Phuket is known as the Pearl of the Andaman. We aim…
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Court sentences Myanmar men to death for murder of British backpackers
KOH SAMUI: A Thai court sentenced two migrant workers from Myanmar to death today after finding them guilty of the 2014 murders of two British tourists on a holiday island. The verdict follows an investigation and trial that was mired in controversy, including allegations of policeincompetence, mishandling of evidence and torture of the suspects. Backpackers Hannah Witheridge and David Miller…
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Police parade down Soi Bangla to inject confidence into Phuket tourists
PHUKET: Boots hit the ground in unison on Tuesday as Phuket police officers paraded down the island’s premier party destination, Soi Bangla, to boost tourists’ confidence in public safety during the holidays. “Police must remain vigilant throughout this time. The high season of Phuket is in full swing as we celebrate Christmas and New Year – both of which are…
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Starwood and Grand Bay announce new Sheraton Phuket Grand Bay Resort
PHUKET: Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide Inc recently announced an agreement made with Grand Bay Hotel Co Ltd, owned by Apex Development Public Co Ltd, to unveil their joint collaboration on the Sheraton Phuket Grand Bay Resort, slated to open in January 2019. The newest resort will support Sheraton’s 2020 goal of adding 150 hotels to their franchise in the…
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Japan says armed Chinese coastguard ship seen near disputed islands
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Japan says armed Chinese coastguard ship seen near disputed islands Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: A Chinese coastguard ship equipped with what appeared to be four gun turrets was sighted near disputed islands in the East China Sea, Japan’s coastguard said on Wednesday. Chinese coastguard vessels…
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Dane busted for heroin smuggling at Phuket airport
PHUKET: Airport security detained a Danish national attempting to smuggle heroin into Copenhagen via Phuket International Airport this morning. “Peter Effersoe, 46, was stopped and searched at a security checkpoint on his way to the immigration counter,” explained Phuket International Airport Deputy Director Patee Chotchuang. “Under his blue dress shirt, tied around his waist, we found 1.6 kilograms of heroin.”…
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Police withhold key witness’s statement about Brit’s deadly tuk-tuk ride
PHUKET: Police declined to reveal any information procured from the statement of the sole witness to a British woman’s death after she fell from the back of a tuk-tuk in Phuket. “We have yet to rule the death a murder, accident, or result of reckless driving or anything else at this point,” said Kamala Police Superintendent ML Pattanachak Jakkapan. “We…
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Island prepares to “Light Up Phuket’ to honor tsunami victims
PHUKET: The world’s eyes will be on the Andaman coast this Saturday, as Thailand honors the victims of the Indian Ocean Tsunami, which devastated the region’s coastline on December 26, 2004. Remembrance services will be held at the Tsunami Memorial Wall in Mai Khao, on Patong Beach and Bang Tao Beach, as well as at Phuket Provincial Hall and in…
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Officers seize illegal umbrellas, mats from Phuket beach
PHUKET: In the wake of an anonymous complaint to the Governor’s Office, officials seized about 100 illegal beach mats and umbrellas from Surin Beach this morning. “We sent a team of about 30 officers in a joint mission to the beach after receiving a complaint that the beach vendors were breaking the rules,” Cherng Talay Police Superintendent Serm Kwannimit told…
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China anti-terror law may restrict media reporting on attacks
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community China anti-terror law may restrict media reporting on attacks Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: China may further restrict the right of media to report on details of terror attacks, state media reported on Tuesday, under a tough new law that could be passed before the end…
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UNESCO dubs Phuket “City of Gastronomy’
PHUKET: The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) dubbed Phuket a ‘City of Gastronomy’ on December 11, honoring the island’s rich culinary history and unique cuisine. “Being chosen as a member of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network as a ‘City of Gastronomy’ is a wonderful honor for Phuket,” said UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova. Efforts to collate recipes and…
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Thai court to give verdict in British backpackers murder trial
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Thai court to give verdict in British backpackers murder trial Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: A Thai court will deliver a long-awaited verdict this week in the high-profile case of two Myanmar migrant workers accused of the brutal murder of two British backpackers on the holiday…
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Hospitality insider Bill Barnett launches ‘Slave to the Bean’
PHUKET: One of Asia’s leading hospitality experts, Bill Barnett, shines a light on the good, bad and ugly of luxury hotels and travel in his acerbic new collection of twisted travel tales, Slave to the Bean: Random Dispatches from the Inferno, which was launched on December 18 at the Bangkok boutique hotel, Ad Lib. Bill Barnett launched his new book…
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5-meter python caught at Phuket Villa 5 estate
PHUKET: Rescue workers last night caught a 5-meter-long python at the Phuket Villa 5 housing estate, near Kajonkietsuksa School in Wichit. “We received a report from security guards at Villa 5 that a big python was moving around the streets in the estate,” said Phuket Ruamjai Rescue Foundation Chief Saiyan Thamaphan. It took rescue workers only five minutes to bag…
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Foul play not ruled out in death of unidentified woman
PHUKET: Police have yet to rule out foul play in the death of an unidentified woman whose body was found floating in a Rassada canal this morning. Officers believe that the woman had been dead for two days before her body was discovered by villagers. “At this point, all we know is that she is about 150-160 centimeters tall and…
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Thai seafood exports not affected by slavery reports
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Thai seafood exports not affected by slavery reports Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Thailand said on Monday seafood exports to the United States, Europe and Australia have not been hit by reports of slavery and forced labour by campaign groups and media. The comments come as…
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One killed, one injured after motorcycle plummets into canal
PHUKET: One Myanmar national was killed and another injured after their motorcycle plummeted into a canal in Wichit yesterday. Police believe that Zin Kyaw Kyaw Lat Jaw Lar, 32, and his passenger Thin Thin Maw, 37, were on their way back from shopping when they lost control of their motorcycle on a curve and plunged into the water near Suan…
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Phuket police yet to question key witness of fatal Brit tuk-tuk incident
PHUKET: Police have yet to question the only witness to the death of a British woman who fell from the back of a Phuket tuk-tuk in the early hours of yesterday (Sunday) morning. Elizabeth Corrigan, 29, was allegedly inebriated as she and a foreign man, who police decline to name, made their way from Soi Bangla in Patong to their…
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Phuket motorbike rental operator posts 30k baht reward for Ukrainian man’s arrest
PHUKET: The owner of a Phuket bike rental shop put up a 30,000-baht reward on December 18 for any information leading to the return of a stolen bike. Chalong Police secured an arrest warrant for Ukrainian national Ivan Tretiak, 25, two days prior to the posted reward. “Mr Tretiak is wanted for defalcation. I am currently working on two separate…
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More than a dozen tourists dead in Chiang Mai bus crash
CHIANG MAI: At least 14 Malaysian tourists were killed and many others injured when their tour bus hit a power pole and ran off a mountainous road in Chiang Mai’s Doi Saket district yesterday. Police said that the bus was on national highway 118 through Ban Pang Fan village between Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai provinces when the driver lost…
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Phuket landing a first for European budget airline into Southeast Asia
PHUKET: Eurowings, Lufthansa Group’s long-haul budget airline, spearheaded its push into Southeast Asia this morning as its inaugural Cologne-Phuket flight landed at Phuket International Airport. The flight marks the first European low-cost carrier to link with Southeast Asia. Eurowings will fly Airbus A330s, with a capacity of 380 passengers, on the route twice a week. Christian Hein, senior vice president…
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Mum denounces Phuket teacher for alleged child abuse
PHUKET: The mother of a student at Satree Phuket School accused a teacher of abusing her 14-year-old daughter on December 14. Chomphunut Bunsophap claimed in a Faceook post that a teacher, who she did not name at the request of the school, struck her daughter in the back of the head with a hard-backed book as a form of punishment.…
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