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.
-
Body of missing swimmer washes up at Nai Harn
PHUKET: A Myanmar man who was reported missing at Nai Harn Beach yesterday, was found dead this afternoon, officials confirmed. Joe Ye Bai, 22, reportedly went to Nai Harn with two of his friends and was washed away by waves at around 6:20pm, May 15. His body washed ashore on Nai Harn Beach at about 2:10pm today. “The clothes on…
-
Opinion: Tourism’s impact on Phuket’s sea gypsies
Nirund Yangpan, a fisherman by profession and father of four sons, was born and raised in Rawai’s sea gypsy community. His family has been fishing for generations, but times have changed and now he fears the worst. Here, he talks about how tourism and new fishing regulations have impacted their traditional way of life, making it harder to earn a…
-
A Decade Ago: General elections, traffic woes and mayor of Laguna
PHUKET: Politics were again on the front page of the Phuket Gazette in May 2006, following the Constitutional Court’s May 8 ruling against the snap elections for parliament on April 2. With the island burning a bright yellow, the big question was which member of the Democratic Party would be put forward to represent the island after clearing Thai Rak…
-
Zurich Bread: Engineering the perfect loaf
An engineer by trade, Singhathep Thepkanjana only spent six months working full-time in the field he studied for seven years, leaving university with a bachelor’s from Chulalongkorn University and a master’s degree in engineering management in Washington DC. Since then, this Bangkokian has pursued the perfect loaf – an endeavour that has taken him across continents. “I can count on…
-
Environmental damage shutters Ta Chai island indefinitely
PHUKET: Ta Chai Island and the surrounding waters were today closed to tourists and members of the public with no scheduled reopening date. Officials say the island, located some 70 kilometers north of Phuket, was closed in order to allow marine life a chance to restore itself. “Normally, islands in Mu Koh Similan National Park, including Ta Chai and Similan,…
-
Island View: Wherefore art thou coffee?
PHUKET: A great part of my excitement upon learning I’d be moving to Phuket was due to the island’s proximity to Sumatra and Java, arguably the world’s most renowned coffee-growing regions. Imagine my dread at realizing that here, like much of the world, the market is dominated by instant coffee. Thailand’s consumption of instant coffee is so ubiquitous that the…
-
New police station opens near Phuket airport
PHUKET: The new Sakoo Police Station officially opened its doors on May 11, to oversee Sakoo sub-district as well as the Phuket International Airport. The new station, located near Nai Yang Beach in Sirinath National Park, was one of 88 police stations opened nationwide on the same day. The new station’s operations cover five communities (Moo Baan) in Sakoo sub-district…
-
Video Report: Phuket researchers internationally recognized for breakthrough explosive-testing kit
PHUKET: A six member research team from Phuket and Hat Yai was awarded silver medals for creating low-cost explosive testing kits at the 44th International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva 2016. The invention comes in the wake of several recent bombings in Thailand. The competition included more than 800 inventions submitted by participants from more than 40 countries around the world.…
-
Maya Bay tourist ban proposed to save marine life
PHUKET: Maya Bay could be closed next month to help save marine life. The closure of the popular tourist spot in Phi Phi National Park was proposed by marine experts as a preventative measure to help restore bleached coral and other marine life. “Currently, sea temperature is very high, and it’s expected to continue increasing from about 30.5 to about…
-
Fishing captain hospitalized after ammonia leak
PHUKET: A Taiwanese fishing boat captain was injured from an ammonia leak aboard a tuna fishing vessel at the Fish Marketing Organization pier in Rassada yesterday. A Kusoldharm Foundation rescue worker received the report of the leak and found the captain unconscious. “Armed with protective masks, rescue workers boarded the Shun Ying and used a machine to remove the gas…
-
Fossils found in Krabi
KRABI: Fossilized bones, possibly those of a dinosaur, have been discovered in a stream bed in Krabi. Locals stumbled across the fossils half-buried in the bank of Khlong Paklao in Na Nuea, a sub-district Ao Luek District, after the water level in the stream dropped to about half a meter following an extended period of drought. The petrified bones are…
-
Power cut to affect Koh Kaew on May 17
PHUKET: A scheduled electricity shut-off will affect residents in the Koh Kaew sub-district on Tuesday, May 17. The Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) announced that there will be no electricity in the area from 9am to 5pm. All areas from Chao Fah Gardens (near 7-Eleven), up to the Isuzu showroom in Koh Kaew, as well as roads in the surrounding vicinity,…
-
Body found in Kathu may be missing Indonesian man, say police
PHUKET: Fresh evidence in a missing person’s case has led Phuket police to order a DNA test to confirm whether an unidentified decomposing body found floating in a Kathu pond on May 9 is that of an Indonesian man reported missing since May 7. The missing man Haiki Muhammad, 28, lived near the Thairath Wittaya School, which is where the…
-
Ministry of Farang Affairs: Going without toilet paper
The Ministry of Farang Affairs is a one-stop shop where foreigners in Thailand can learn all they need to know about living here. No, we’re not talking about work permits, visas or taxes. We’re talking about day-to-day life in the Land of Endless Shocks and Riddles, of Blur, Befuddlement and the Bizarre. Stay tuned for weekly insights from Minister Stephff.…
-
Opinion: Innovation is just half the battle [video]
PHUKET: In a world where the only constant is change, it is interesting to note that Thailand is now gaining a reputation for innovation. The Gazette‘s cover story this week highlights just one of the many Thai innovations that won prizes at the 44th International Exhibition of Inventions, held in Geneva last month. Among the other big Thai winners in…
-
Krabi school builders to be charged for deaths of five women
KRABI: Police announced that they will be pressing charges against the construction company involved in a building collapse that killed five female workers at the Institute of Physical Education’s Krabi Campus in March. The workers were killed when fresh poured cement brought down the upper story of the building, crushing them. (story here). “Police investigators have concluded their investigation into…
-
Paradise Beach venue threatened with demolition
PHUKET: Patong Municipality is to serve a demolition notice to Paradise Beach Phuket next week, giving the party venue in Patong 30 days to move off the land it allegedly occupies illegally. Patong Mayor Chalermluck Kebsup said Paradise Beach Management Co Ltd, which operates the beach club near Tri Trang Beach, will be formally told to remove the buildings said…
-
Truck company billed for road damage
PHUKET: Chalong Mayor Samran Jindapon has ordered trucks carrying water to stay off of Luangporglium-Luangporcham Road after they allegedly caused damage to the pavement. Mr Samran also said the municipality is billing the trucking company for repairs. Mr Samran, accompanied by other Chalong officials, inspected the road after villagers complained of potholes and standing water near an old mining site…
-
Head-on collision kills motorcyclist at Koh Siray
PHUKET: A head-on collision with a pickup truck during light rain on May 10 killed a motorbike rider in Koh Siray, confirmed Phuket City Police. The victim was 32-year-old Kanokkarn Samartkij, said Lt Surachart Tongyai, adding that she was on the way to see her mother, who lived about 500 meters away from the crash site. “When we arrived at…
-
Body of suicidal Brit found outside Phuket Town hotel
PHUKET: The body of a British man believed to have suicidal tendencies was found yesterday at the bottom of a five-story-high fire escape at the Manorah Hotel in Phuket Town. The manager of the hotel on Komalphaj Road discovered the body of Ronald Rymer, 69, on a terrace at the foot of the building’s fire escape yesterday morning, confirmed Capt…
-
Burmese man stabbed to death in street fight
PHUKET: Police arrested a murder suspect just a few hours after the body of a Myanmar national was found at Por Pichai fishing port in Rassada yesterday evening. “The body of Rang Gu Au, 29, was found lying in a pool of blood. He had been stabbed in the shoulder,” said Maj Nucharee Longkaew of Phuket City Police. Police named…
-
Elderly woman killed in hit-and-run
PHUKET: An elderly woman was left lying dead in the road after a hit-and-run incident in Phuket Town just after midnight today, Phuket City Police confirmed. Ubon Nathip, 67, a resident of Phuket Town, was found dead on Anuphasphuketkarn Road in Talad Yai. Witnesses told police that Ms Ubon was hit by a vehicle while crossing the road. “At this…
-
Milo the orangutan dies after stroke
PHUKET: Milo, the beloved orangutan saved from captivity at the Phuket Zoo, passed away last night, Warapong Kosarat, a veterinarian at the Pasupalun Livestock & Wildlife Hospital confirmed. The 13-year-old orangutan disappeared from the Phuket Zoo ahead of a raid on the facility in February (story here). Khao Phra Thaeo Non Hunting Zone officers then discovered her trapped in a…
-
Teenagers busted at Phuket Airport with drugs in bra, handbag
PHUKET: Two teenage girls were busted for trying to smuggle narcotics through Phuket International Airport on Monday, in a joint raid by the Border Patrol Police (BPP) and Phuket Immigration Police. The girls, aged 16 and 19, flew in from Bangkok at about 4:30pm, confirmed Lt Amphol Samothai of the BPP. “We found 1,500 pills of methamphetamine (ya bah) in…
-
Thailand Yacht Show dates announced
PHUKET: The dates for the second edition of the Thailand Yacht Show (TYS) have now been confirmed for December 15-18, with the massive event to be held once again at Phuket’s prestigious Ao Por Grand Marina. In making the announcement, managing director Andy Treadwell of show organizers SYE Pte Ltd, noted that as a joint venture with the Government of…
-
Canadian crash victim’s father appeals for more A-negative blood
PHUKET: Dennis Connelly, the father of Canadian crash victim David Lee Connelly, 40, has appealed for more donations of A-negative blood to help save his son. David Connelly is currently at Bangkok Hospital Phuket waiting for blood platelets to be flown in to Phuket from Bangkok so that doctors at Bangkok Hospital Phuket can perform an operation today. The blood…
-
Canadian crash victim waiting for emergency supply of blood platelets
PHUKET: An emergency supply of blood platelets is being flown in to Phuket today to help save the life of a Canadian motorcycle crash victim. The single unit of platelets is scheduled to arrive at midday so that doctors at Bangkok Hospital Phuket can perform a second round of surgery on David Lee Connelly, 40, who was critically injured in…
-
General unperturbed by disenfranchised protesters
PHUKET: Region 4 Army commander Wiwat Pathompak on Sunday visited Phuket to assess the local government’s push to return beaches to their natural state, following the demolition of illegal buildings at Patong Beach, Kamala Beach, Surin Beach (story here) and Lay Pang Beach (story here). Accompanied by Phuket Vice Governor Chokdee Amornwat, Phuket Provincial Police Commander Teeraphol Thipjaroen and other…
-
Decomposing body discovered in Kathu pond
PHUKET: Police are trying to identify the decomposing body of a man found floating in a pond near Kathu Wittaya School this afternoon. “A staff member from ‘Jungle Bungy Jump’ company discovered the body, saying it was causing a very bad smell in the area,” said Lt Sawanya Eiadtrong of the Thung Thong Police. Police said the man was naked…
-
One dead, four injured in three-vehicle crash
PHUKET: One man died and four others were injured in a three-vehicle crash on the bypass road near the Samkong intersection yesterday afternoon. The three vehicles involved in the accident were a pick-up truck, a Honda Jazz and a Toyota Vios. “Narin Saenganan, 35, a passenger in the back of the pick-up truck, was pronounced dead on arrival at Vachira…
![Opinion: Innovation is just half the battle [video] | Thaiger](https://thethaiger.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/14_2016514145639492_sgsLodVNMzTpRQXbJonQCYhGQhvfpmAhTtsHWOVi_jpeg.jpeg)
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.