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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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Sponsored Digital nomading in Chiang Mai? What US$1,000 a month really gets you
Chiang Mai has become a popular destination for digital nomads due to its low living costs, rich culture, and active remote work community. The city offers affordable housing, tasty food, reliable internet, and many co-working spaces, making it a great...
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“HKT love Dad’ cycling event this Sunday
PHUKET: Phuket International Airport has announced its upcoming ‘HKT love Dad’ cycling event to take place this Sunday. The event aims to honor and celebrate HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s 88th birthday as participants cycle a 29-kilometer loop from the airport’s X-terminal, past Thalang Technical College to Laem-Sai Pier and back. Additionally, there will be a release of 300,000 shrimp into…
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Influx of tourists expected over upcoming holiday season
PHUKET: Up to 800,000 foreign tourists are expected to visit the country in the next two weeks, but total annual arrivals will likely miss the 30 million target predicted by the private sector. The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) expects a total of 28.8mn arrivals this year, slightly higher than the original projection of 28-28.5mn. The country’s previous highest arrival…
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Ministry of Farang Affairs: Footloose driving skills
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.…
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Successor to Saab announces $12 billion China electric car deal
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Successor to Saab announces $12 billion China electric car deal Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: The China-focussed consortium that bought bankrupt Swedish automaker Saab – and bet on going all electric – unveiled its first major deal on Thursday, a mammoth $12 billion (8 billion pounds)…
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Apple to launch Apple Pay in China, take on Alibaba, Tencent
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Apple to launch Apple Pay in China, take on Alibaba, Tencent Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Apple Inc (AAPL.O) said it will launch its payment service in China as soon as 2016, pitting it against entrenched Chinese rivals Alibaba Group Holding (BABA.N) and Tencent Holdings (0700.HK).…
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Police work to identify victim of single vehicle crash
PHUKET: Officials are looking to identify one of the two victims of a single vehicle crash in Chalong early this morning. Police believe that Chiang Rai native Surapong Sae-lee, 24, lost control of his pick-up truck at a curve near King Power Phuket, causing him to slam into a utility pole. The impact killed both Mr Surapong and his passenger,…
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Brit beaten by Patong tuk-tuk driver
PHUKET: Police have charged a Phuket tuk-tuk driver for savagely beating a British national over a discrepancy in the price of a ride in Patong on December 15. “William Joseph Kamarell, 22, explained that a tuk-tuk driver had picked him up at Soi Bangla in Patong and took him about five kilometers to where he was staying on Nanai Road,”…
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Phuket to host “Southern Architectural Expo 2016′
PHUKET: The Association of Siamese Architects under Royal Patronage (ASA) is hosting the ‘Southern Architectural Expo 2016’ in Phuket from January 29-31. “The theme of the event is Yapp Roi (South Up) which is meant to reflect and promote the identity of the south,” said Prachya Sukkaew, the vice president of the ASA Southern Office. Mr Prachya explained that education…
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A Decade Ago: Renewed spark of hope
PHUKET: A decade ago on page one, the Phuket Gazette told the story of a renewed spark of hope that filled the souls of Sascha and Patchara Meissmer, as they re-launched the search for their young daughter, Solitaire, who went missing in the 2004 tsunami. “On December 26, I held onto Solitaire as tightly as I could, but the second…
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Opinion: Finding common ground with GMO Bill
Somchai Sakulchit is a Phuket native and current president of the Phuket Farmers Council. He graduated from Phuket Rajabhat University with a master’s degree in Crop Sciences. Here he talks about the negative effects that the new bill regarding Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) will have on Phuket and ways to amend it in order to minimize the impact on small…
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Community at the core of success for Natthakanya ‘Apple’ Saengpho
PHUKET: It’s been a stellar year – and then some – for Natthakanya ‘Apple’ Saengpho, CEO of the Paradise Group. Andara Signature – the latest project from Andamandara Development, the company she runs with Dr Allan Zeman – won best Phuket villa development, best Thailand villa development, best residential architectural design and best landscape architectural design at the Thailand Property…
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Island View: Always something new in Phuket
PHUKET: Settling down in a new place can sometimes be unnerving, but it’s usually outweighed by all the little things that attracted you to it in the first place. I’m drawn to Phuket because it’s very multi-faceted and there’s no lack of activities to enjoy, no matter what time of year it is and regardless of whether you’re alone or…
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“Missing’ British backpacker gone diving on Phi Phi
PHUKET: Phi Phi Police located a British backpacker, who was reported missing by deeply-concerned family members after an unnerving ‘final’ phone call, as he was signing up for a scuba diving course on the tropical island at about 4pm yesterday. Jordan Lewis Jacobs, 21, has been on the road since September 2014, having postponed his return to the United Kingdom…
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Business Buzz: Social media year in review
PHUKET: This has been a big year for social media, so I thought it worthwhile to review some of the interesting facts and figures. Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn in the United States were the leading platforms, and the amount of time, effort and money spent in social media marketing has risen rapidly. Social media are now well and truly established,…
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Finance: Market crash or merely correction?
PHUKET: The recent market volatility and media hype surrounding it may have you panicking that another stock market crash (or bear market) is coming. After all, there are serious geopolitical and economic concerns ranging from a migrant crisis in Europe, to Putin on the march in Eastern Europe and Syria, to concerns about the overall health of the Chinese economy…
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Three killed in Krabi plantation dispute
KRABI: One police officer and two other people were killed when they attempted to evict a group of squatters from a heavily-disputed, 8,200-rai oil palm plantation in Krabi on Tuesday. The men were named as 45-year-old Payaprasit Suvannman of the Thungsong Police in Nakhorn Sri Thammarat; Veerasak Kuekaew, 50; and Preecha Kuedam, 44. A fourth man found at the scene,…
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PEA moves forward with underground cables for Patong
PHUKET: The project to bury the unsightly power cables stretching along Patong’s beachfront road is slated for June next year. The start date of the project was announced during the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Patong Municipality and the Phuket Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) yesterday. “The PEA chose to work with Patong Municipality because it is a primary…
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Asia News Network, Phuket Gazette win Google gold for tsunami publication
PHUKET: The Asia News Network / Phuket Gazette joint publication on the 10th anniversary of the Indian Ocean Tsunami won a gold medal at the 6th Digital Media Awards, presented in Hong Kong on November 18 by Google and the World Association of Newspapers and Publishers. The publication, entitled “Ocean’s Fury: Are We Ready?” was presented and submitted by The…
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Phuket complaint center rolls out mobile unit
PHUKET: In an effort to quickly resolve complaints made to the Damrongdhama Center (ombudsman’s office), the Phuket governor launched the ‘Rapid Damrongdhama Unit’ yesterday. Currently, complaints filed with the office are forwarded to relevant officials. It then takes anywhere from a few days to a few weeks for residents to see results. However, the new unit is designed to expedite…
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Vietnam arrests lawyer for ‘propaganda’, 10 days after beating
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Vietnam arrests lawyer for ‘propaganda’, 10 days after beating Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: A Vietnamese lawyer badly beaten 10 days ago by unknown attackers was arrested by police on Wednesday for anti-state “propaganda”, the latest incident in what rights groups are calling an alarming crackdown…
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Singapore seizes huge shipment of elephant tusks, pangolin scales
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Singapore seizes huge shipment of elephant tusks, pangolin scales Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Singapore authorities have impounded half a tonne of elephant tusks in one of the largest ivory seizures made in the city-state in over a decade. The tusks, weighing 505 kg, were found…
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Superyacht Rendezvous drops anchor
PHUKET: It’s full steam ahead for the Asia Superyacht Rendezvous as an eclectic fleet of yachts line up to drop anchor in Kata Bay on December 16-18. This is Asia’s largest invitation only gathering of superyachts where the fun of luxury yacht ownership is celebrated. This year’s lineup consists of S/Y Lamima, a stunning 65-meter gaff rigged Indonesian Phinisi; S/Y…
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Police pursue 83 arrest warrants for Phuket riots
PHUKET: Police are pursuing those named in the 83 unserved arrest warrants issued last month for suspects wanted in connection with the Thalang Police Station riot in October (story here). Officials have been collecting videographic and photographic evidence against the suspects, resulting in charges for assaulting officers, blockading traffic and arson, confirmed Region 8 Police Commander Tesa Siriwato on Tuesday.…
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Deaths that sparked Phuket police station riot ruled accident
PHUKET: Police have ruled that two men killed in a police chase, the alleged catalyst for the Thalang Police Station riot in October, was an accident. Patomwat Panarak, 22, and Teerapong Srisamut, 17, were killed after fleeing a police check point on October 9. Officers crashed their car into the men’s motorbike in an attempt to stop and apprehend them…
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DSI hunt three suspects in B2.4bn land encroachment case
PHUKET: The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) is hunting down three men for their alleged involvement in land encroachment cases involving more than 2.4 billion baht of Sirinath National Park land. “We are searching for Ghao Naknam and Ti Nahnam, who illegally acquired a SorKor1 in Thalang for 2bn baht worth of national park land,” Lt Col Prawut Wongseenin, director…
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Phuket gang stabs man to death
PHUKET: Police are hunting for members of a gang who jumped two men, stabbing one to death, outside of the Suwan Phu-Pha Hotel in Kathu last night. “We have already arrested three of the gang members responsible for the attack. However, the alleged killer is reportedly on the run,” said Maj Chawalit Petchsripia of Thung Thong police station. According to…
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Phuket driver yet to be charged for British woman’s death
PHUKET: Police have yet to charge the truck driver who killed a British woman and injured her friend on Phuket’s infamous Patong Hill on Saturday. Nattaphon Glompan, 26, allegedly slammed into the two women on their motorbike as they exited a small soi onto the main road (story here). Rebecca Leanne Shaw, 32, who was wearing a helmet at the…
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Facebook, Google, Twitter agree to delete hate speech in 24 hours – Germany
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Facebook, Google, Twitter agree to delete hate speech in 24 hours – Germany Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Germany said on Tuesday that Facebook, Google and Twitter have agreed to delete hate speech from their websites within 24 hours, a new step in the fight against…
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Facebook debuts Yelp-like feature to find local businesses
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Facebook debuts Yelp-like feature to find local businesses Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Facebook Inc has quietly debuted a feature that helps users find local businesses based on customer reviews, bringing it in direct competition with similar services from Yelp Inc and Angie’s List Inc. The…
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Conservative S.Korea backs unwed couples, single parents to lift birth rate
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Conservative S.Korea backs unwed couples, single parents to lift birth rate Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: South Korea wants to root out age-old prejudices against single parents and unmarried couples who live together, encouraging more people to have children in the battle against its stubbornly low…
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