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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Philippines plans tracking system for civilian flights over disputed sea
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Philippines plans tracking system for civilian flights over disputed sea Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: The Philippines plans to install a $1-million satellite-based system to track commercial flights over the disputed South China Sea, after China landed its first test flights this month on a reef…
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Facebook begins Europe-wide campaign against extremist posts
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Facebook begins Europe-wide campaign against extremist posts Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Facebook Inc (FB.O) began a Europe-wide campaign on Monday to thwart extremist posts on social media, after German politicians in particular raised concerns about a rise in xenophobic comments linked to an influx of…
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EU team visits Thailand to assess fishing industry cleanup
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community EU team visits Thailand to assess fishing industry cleanup Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: A European Union delegation that is visiting Thailand to weigh its progress in battling illegal and unregulated fishing will not make a decision this week on whether to ban Thai seafood products,…
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Phuket man takes bullet in the groin
PHUKET: A Phuket man on a motorbike was hit twice during a drive-by shooting on Thepkrasattri Road in Phuket late last night. Rawi Suksamran, 34, suffered a bullet wound to his groin area and lower back, confirmed a Kusoldharm Foundation rescue worker who arrived at the scene in Srisoonthorn. “According to witnesses, Mr Rawi was heading straight through the Thalang…
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PM informed: B50bn of national park land allegedly stolen by officials
PHUKET: Allegations of officials pillaging Phuket national park land, dividing it and then illegally selling it, were brought to the attention of Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha today. “I have obtained and passed on information incriminating officials who abused their power and sold off about 1,200 rai of Sirinath National Park,” said Damrong Phidet, a member of the National Reform…
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Many young people fear losing their jobs to robots, survey finds
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Many young people fear losing their jobs to robots, survey finds Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Four out of ten young people believe machines will be able to do their jobs within a decade, an international survey published on Monday has found. Nearly half of young…
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Jakarta attack highlights jostle to lead Islamic State in SE Asia
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Jakarta attack highlights jostle to lead Islamic State in SE Asia Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Last week’s attack on Jakarta showed for the first time that Islamic State violence has arrived in Indonesia, but security experts believe the radical group’s footprint is still light here…
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Robots, new working ways to cost 5 million jobs by 2020, study says
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Robots, new working ways to cost 5 mln jobs by 2020, Davos study says Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Disruptive labor market changes, including the rise of robots and artificial intelligence, will result in a net loss of 5.1 million jobs over the next five years…
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Law and Order: When dogs attack: ownership laws
PHUKET: There are growing numbers of dog owners in Thailand who treat their animals like their children, prized possessions, or members of the family. With the surge in pet ownership, there have been more disputes involving domesticated animals. We have recently been contacted about two dog biting cases. A KIWI BITE The first case was a man from New Zealand…
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A Decade Ago: Invaders of the nude variety
PHUKET: The Phuket Gazette‘s page one story a decade ago was about water supplies being enough to keep Phuket’s thirst quenched for the high season. However, the juicy part of the January 14-20 issue was the ‘Inside Story’: Are nudists itching to invade Thailand? The Tourism Authority of Thailand had called on Phuket Governor Udomsak Uswarangkura to see if the…
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Ministry of Farang Affairs: Asleep in two seconds
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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Myanmar national crushed by cement truck in Phuket
PHUKET: A Myanmar national was killed after he fell off his motorbike and under the wheel of a cement truck in Thalang yesterday evening. Named on his identification card as ‘Mr Tengsor’, the 39-year-old man was crushed by the truck after he allegedly over took it and collided with another motorbike, said Lt Suporn Muangkhai of the Thalang Police. “The…
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Park chief kills Koh Yao Noi climbing
PHUKET: A new national park chief has banned rock climbing on a number of internationally popular limestone outcroppings in areas under his jurisdiction, ruling the sites as unsafe. “Climbing is an extreme sport and a risky activity. Even though there are safety regulations, and well-tested equipment is being used, there is still the possibility of someone falling and dying,” said…
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Austrian woman in Phuket ICU after falling unconscious
PHUKET: An Austrian woman remains in the intensive care unit (ICU) at Bangkok Hospital Phuket after she fell unconscious while swimming at Patong Beach yesterday. Annemarie Gusenbauer, 63, was rushed to Patong Hospital and later transferred to the better equipped Bangkok Hospital Phuket, after her friends pulled her from the water. “We immediately called for an ambulance and administered CPR…
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Island View: Law of retaliation
PHUKET: An eye for an eye, or the law of retaliation, is the mentality that seems to be taking over Phuket these days. There have been several recent incidents where tempers flared and punches (or worse) were pulled at the slightest provocation. However, the recent video of a Krabi van driver attacking a foreigner on a motorbike, after the foreigner…
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Phuket beach covered with umbrellas, chairs
PHUKET: Though all umbrellas and beach chairs on Phuket’s Laem Sing Beach are banned, photographs taken today from above the beach show beach furniture obscuring much of the sand. Phuket Vice Governor Chokdee Amornwat, who is in charge of the island’s beach management, vowed to take action against the violation of provincial rules next week. “Laem Sing is not listed…
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At least 20 dead in siege by suspected Islamists at Burkina Faso hotel
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community At least 20 dead in siege by suspected Islamists at Burkina Faso hotel Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: At least 20 people died and others were taken hostage when Islamist gunmen stormed a hotel in the capital city of Burkina Faso on Friday, a hospital director…
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High waves hamper search for Marines missing in Hawaii helicopter crash
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community High waves hamper search for Marines missing in Hawaii helicopter crash Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: High waves expected for the next several days will hamper the search for 12 Marines missing at sea after two helicopters collided near the island of Oahu in Hawaii, U.S.…
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Malaysia arrests suspected IS militant with weapons in Kuala Lumpur
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Malaysia arrests suspected IS militant with weapons in Kuala Lumpur Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Malaysian police said on Saturday they had arrested a suspected militant with weapons anddocuments related to the Islamic State group at a train station in the capital Kuala Lumpur. Inspector-General of…
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Phuket flyovers given second chance to take off
PHUKET: The plans for flyovers at two key locations that were shot down by locals last year, will be tabled again in an effort to solve traffic troubles on Phuket. The flyovers were planned for the u-turn at the first set of traffic lights just north of Thalang Town and the Baan Koh Kaew Tha Ruea u-turn in front of…
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Hedonist thieves captured via CCTV
PHUKET: Police arrested two suspected thieves and their accomplice on Wednesday, after collecting evidence from nearby CCTV cameras. Chaiprasit Boonyok and Thiradet Chotika, both 23, confessed to two robberies that took place last week, confirmed Thung Thong Police Superintendent Chaowalit Petchsripia. “They told us that they had committed the crimes just to have some extra cash to ‘have a good…
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American dies in fall from 17th floor of Phuket hotel
PHUKET: A 40-year-old American man fell to his death from the 17th floor of a Patong hotel early this morning. “When we arrived at the scene, we found the body of the man was laying in the parking lot of the Royal Paradise Hotel and Spa,” said Patong Police Deputy Superintendent Akanit Danpitaksat. The man, whose name is being withheld…
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Opinion: Safety needed by land, sea and air
PHUKET: This year’s high season for tourism has brought with it a surge in needless mishaps, injuries and deaths as tourists flock to our shores in pursuit of holiday happiness. Many of the victims, without a doubt, presume that sufficient measures are in place to ensure their safety. Rules and regulations do exist, but as our news pages chronicle –…
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Finance: Are we in for a rough ride this year?
PHUKET: The past few years have been difficult, or mixed at best, for many investors in the stock market, with 2015 largely ending in another flat line performance – leading to predictions for more of the same in 2016. However, most predictions about 2015 from the start of last year were bullish and turned out to be off the mark,…
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Resort employee beat by taxi driver for hailing tuk-tuk
PHUKET: Police arrested a taxi driver Wednesday after he was caught on CCTV cameras assaulting a Holiday Inn Resort Phuket employee in Patong on Tuesday. Officers used the footage to identify Chamni Khaiduang, 50, who was seen viciously attacking Human Resources Director Tawatchai Kwanchum, 37, after he hailed a tuk-tuk for hotel guests. “Mr Tawatchai flagged down a tuk-tuk at…
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Police hunt driver in fatal hit-and-run
PHUKET: Police are hunting the driver of a vehicle that struck and killed a woman in Paklok this morning. Obrom Daengprapai, 68, was dropping her 5-year-old granddaughter off at school when her motorbike was hit by a car while changing lanes, confirmed Lt Kraisorn Boonprasop of the Thalang Police. “Witnesses told us that Ms Obrom attempted to change from the…
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MOTS to complete ongoing projects this year
PHUKET: Officials aim to boost tourism this year by focusing on several projects that have been previously laid out. Santi Pawai, director of the Phuket Office of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports (MOTS), revealed his plan to the public on Monday, noting that it is necessary to build up the island’s standards to ensure tourist quality and safety. “Our…
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Open house to be held by Phuket Homeschooling Network
PHUKET: The Phuket Homeschool Network will be staging an all day open house at Rajabhat Univeristy’s Arts and Cultural Center on January 24 to present the achievements of the homeschooling network throughout the island. The event aims to present an alternative education system to the public and display the achievements of homeschooled children, explained Pakawan Chaimaneekorn, representative of Phuket Homeschool…
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Indonesia says attack underlines emergence of Islamic State threat
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Indonesia says attack underlines emergence of Islamic State threat Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Indonesia must strengthen its defenses against Islamic State and work with neighboring countries to fight it, Jakarta’s police chief said on Friday, a day after an attack by suicide bombers and gunmen…
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Police continue to pursue riot suspects
PHUKET: Officials announced this week that they have apprehended 17 suspects wanted in connection with October’s Thalang Police Station riot that saw more than 6 million baht worth of damage to the station and nearby vehicles (story here). Region 8 Police Commander Tesa Siriwato confirmed that most suspects were arrested on unrelated drug charges and will be dealt with through…
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