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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Talks boost China tourism market
PHUKET: More tourists from China are expected to come to Phuket as a result of talks between officials from the Shanghai Chamber of Commerce and local community bodies. Chen Jien Hua, Vice President of the Shanghai Chamber of Commerce, met Governor CEO Pongpayome Vasaputi and private-sector representatives, including the Phuket Chamber of Commerce and the Phuket Tourism Association (PTA), yesterday…
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Man held for murder, stabbings
KATHU: Tung Tong police arrested a 22-year-old construction worker early this morning after he allegedly stabbed his wife and two men, leaving one man dead. Pol Capt Kittipong Klaykaew of Tung Tong Police Station named the attacker as Sitipol “Ta” Kotawan, from Nakhon Phanom, who worked at a construction camp near the Patong-Kathu intersection. Capt Kittipong said police arrived at…
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300 welcome Chinese leader
AIRPORT: Some 300 people were on hand today to welcome the Chairman of China’s National Assembly, Li Peng, when he arrived at Phuket International Airport as part of an official visit to Thailand. The greeting party included Governor CEO Pongpayome Vasaputi, members of the Chinese community in Phuket and students waving Chinese flags as Mr Li stepped from his plane…
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Immigration chief appeals for help
PHUKET TOWN: Pol Col Apirak Hongtong, Superintendent of the Phuket Immigration Office, today appealed for people to report to him any misconduct by Immigration officials. Speaking at the Gazette’s offices, Col Apirak said, “I don’t want to see the behavior of a few bad officers destroy the image of all the other officers. “Anyone wanting to report any misconduct by…
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Get away from my pig, you swine
UDON THANI: Sunthorn Sornyoo couldn’t say why, but when he spotted the pregnant, but still very slinky, sow in Sompetch Samsibai’s pigsty, he felt the juices flow. “I climbed up into the pigsty and raped her until I had an orgasm,” he explained later. Passing the cage a week later, 42-year-old Sunthorn again felt an urge to consort with the…
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Pet roaches face ban
BANGKOK: Public Health Minister Sudarat Keyurapan has warned that cockroaches imported from Madagascar could face an import ban if research finds that they are dangerous to human beings. K. Sudarat’s warning follows the discovery that many vendors at the famed Chatuchak Market recently started selling the cockroches as pets. The imported cockroaches are unusually large, certainly bigger than any cockroaches…
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Caught dead to rights
SAMUT PRAKAN: A 51-year-old undertaker at Wat Thongkung was arrested recently after he confessed to having sex with a dead woman. Filled with remorse, Sakchai Thumaseeda wrote a letter to the dead woman’s mother, spilling the beans on his nocturnal necrophiliac exploits with “Bee”, a 31-year-old woman who had recently died of Aids. Mum was not impressed and called the…
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Governor adds “Rainmaker’ to his titles
PHUKET: Governor CEO Pongpayome Vasaputi revealed today that he has asked the Ministry of Agriculture to “seed” clouds passing over Phuket in order to induce rain. The Gazette understands that the rainmaking, which will be done by dropping chemicals on passing clouds from a helicopter, may start as early as tomorrow (Thursday). Gov Pongpayome explained, “Normally, we should have had…
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Bike deaths keep climbing
PHUKET: Motorcycle accidents claimed 15 lives between June 20 and July 20, according to the latest statistics from Wachira, Thalang and Patong government hospitals. In the previous month, 14 people died in accidents involving motorbikes. The statistics also show that 950 people were injured on motorbikes during the period, compared with 35 injured in cars and 29 in other road…
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Chinese leader flying to Phuket
PHUKET: Li Peng, Chairman of China’s National Assembly, is flying to Phuket on Friday for a three-day official visit. With him on the special flight will be a delegation of senior Chinese officials. Mr Li holds the Communist Party’s No. 2 post. Observers attribute to him the 1989 crackdown on pro-democracy dissidents in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square. As a guest of…
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Falling cartons KO child in Big C
PHUKET TOWN: A five-year-old girl was knocked unconscious when three large cartons of milk tumbled off the shelves as her family shopped in the dairy section of Big C Supercenter. The girl, Napasawan “Fah” Aroonlimsawad, was knocked unconscious during the outing on Sunday and released from hospital today with a large lump on her head. A Big C staffer was…
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Dane drowns at Nai Harn
NAI HARN: A 62-year-old Dane who was pulled from the sea unconscious died as rescuers tried to resuscitate him on Nai Harn beach this morning. Police named him as Helge Andreasen, a retiree who lived in Happy Home Village. Mr Andreasen’s death was the latest in a series of drownings and narrow escapes this monsoon season, which has increased pressure…
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THAI discounts internal fights
PHUKET: Thai Airways is offering special discounts on domestic flights from now until December 31 to Thais and, in some cases, foreign residents. The discounts are as follows: – Young people aged 12-24 years old who are traveling on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays (except for public holidays or days in lieu of public holidays) receive a 25% discount. – Other…
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Police get tough on traffic offenders
PHUKET TOWN: In a crackdown on traffic offenders, police on Saturday night arrested 38 people at a checkpoint set up at the intersection of Yaowarat Rd and Thalang Rd. Pol Lt Col Weerasin Kwanseng, Deputy Superintendent of Phuket Town Police Station, said today that officers set up the checkpoint after receiving many complaints about people dangerously ignoring traffic laws in…
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Trade boost for “One Tambon’ scheme
PHUKET: Phuket has become a driving force behind moves to expand the One Tambon One Product scheme through trade agreements with other provinces. Surapol Suwankul, Chief of Phuket Provincial Commercial Office, said today, “While we have no plans at the moment to increase the number of products we make, we are now selling products to other provinces to enlarge our…
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Major switch in Patong budget
PATONG: About 50 million baht is to be spent on community services such as education, public health and community activities in Patong’s budget plan for 2002/2003. The budget represents a major switch from heavy infrastructure spending to an emphasis on developing people and communities. After Patong Municipal Council approved the plan yesterday, Sakorn Cheua-yuan, Deputy Mayor of Patong, said, “We…
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Hotels pay only 30pc of provincial tax
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) has collected about 30% of the much-reviled hotel room tax and plans to pursue the hotels that have failed to cough up the remaining 70%, which is worth close to 95 million baht. The 40 million baht collected so far is to be spent on various tourism-related projects, including the provision of lifeguards…
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Warning on wet-season power
PHUKET TOWN: The Manager of the Phuket Provincial Electricity Authority (PPEA), Sornchai Uparamai, has warned that wet and windy conditions during the monsoon season may cause electrical accidents. Anyone who sees broken power lines, poles, or other potentially dangerous situations is urged to call the PPEA on 076-210427/8.
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Convention center “benefits all’
KRABI: A regional improvement conference at Krabi has been told that an international convention and exhibition center (CEC) on Phuket would also benefit other provinces. Provincial Vice Governor Winai Buapradit told the conference on August 22 that the Thai Government was prepared to spend 800 million baht on the CEC and was in the process of choosing a site. Anupharp…
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26 arrested, but gambling boss escapes
PHUKET TOWN: Police raided a gambling den in a shack behind the Metropole Hotel early this morning, arresting 22 men and four women. Phuket Town Superintendent Pol Col Paween Pongsirin, who led the raid, said, “We acted on tips from our sources who said there were people gambling behind the hotel. We arrested 26 gamblers, who are all being held…
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Surasak hits the campaign trail
PATONG: Mayor Surasak Maneesri on Monday got the jump on Pian Keesin, his main rival for the coming Patong mayoral election, by launching his campaign and introducing his team of preferred councilors. Standing in front of about 200 Patong residents gathered outside the old municipal offices on Phisit Gorani Rd, K. Surasak introduced all 23 members of his team. Together…
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Hundreds of Burmese deported
PHUKET TOWN: Hundreds of illegal Burmese were sent home today in trucks, and Immigration officers are hunting for hundreds more they say are still in Phuket. Pol Col Apirak Hongtong, Superintendent of Phuket Immigration Office, said, “We are seeking more escaped Burmese who are hiding out in all kinds of places.” The colonel also said that the department was investigating…
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We do, we do, we do
PHUKET TOWN: Six couples were married in a mass wedding today at Satree Phuket School in Phuket Town, with grooms coming from as far afield as Australia and the US. Naowarat Wongkaew, 33, from Chumphon, first met Australian architect Trevor Draydon, 48, six years ago in Bangkok. “My husband likes Thai culture, especially the wedding ceremony,” she said. The Gazette…
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Green fuel gets green light
AO MAKHAM: Viset Choopiban, President of the Petroleum Authority of Thailand (PTT), this morning announced that the PTT will continue to offer fuel free of excise tax and VAT to the operators of Thai fishing boats. The project, called “Green Fuel for Fishermen in the Andaman Sea” because the tax-free diesel is dyed green, was launched as an experiment six…
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Lottery “losers’ win
NAKHORN SRI THAMMARAT: The rules of the new-fangled underground lottery are easy: the player must pick five numbers. If none of these five numbers is the same as the last three numbers of the first prize in the government lottery, the player wins. For each 100-baht bet, the player wins 1,500 baht if his numbers don’t come up. Police, already…
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New tourism targets for the South
PHUKET TOWN: A sweeping plan for tourism in the Phuket region will give each destination a clear identity and a target market. The project, covering all southern provinces, seeks to suggest appropriate government budgets, and focus on the image of each spot. The plan will be overseen by MP Anchalee Vanich-Thepabutr, as President of the Southern Thailand Tourism Improvement Planning…
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Marijuana arrests at full moon party
KAMALA: Police raided a full moon party at the Rhythm & Beach Cantina in Kamala and arrested three foreigners for allegedly smoking marijuana on the beach nearby. “There were 40-50 at the party, but only three foreigners who were smoking ganja on the beach,” said Pol Lt Col Narong Laksanawimol, of Kathu Police Station. Pilaiwan Maotaknoi, the manager of Rhythm…
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Earless body found in “Burmese Cemetery’
PHUKET TOWN: The body of a man with the ears cut off was found in the notorious “Burmese Cemetery” over the weekend. The man’s torso and face bore about 100 stab marks. Villagers found the man, lying face down and dressed only in underwear, in mangroves behind the fishing port on Sri Sena Rd about 8 am on Saturday. While…
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Tourist drowns on raft tour
PHANG NGA: A Malaysian tourist drowned on a raft excursion to Song Praek waterfall in Phang Nga on Tuesday. Police said that the man, named as Wee Siaw Kong, 29, could not swim and died despite wearing a buoyancy aid and despite the efforts of guides and fellow tourists. Mr Wee, with three other tourists and two staff of tour…
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Phuket-inspired music CD launched
PHUKET TOWN: Phuket-born album producer Jumpol “Goh Khai” (Older Brother Khai) Thongtan this week launched a limited-release album called “Pleng Phuket”, labeled in English as “Pleasant Tunes of Phuket”. The one-hour launch took place at the classic Sino-Portuguese home of Pracha Tantawanich, a well-known senior citizen of Phuket, whose house is a popular tourist sight in Phuket Town. K. Jumpol…
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