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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Sponsored Is private health insurance in Thailand worth it? Real costs vs risks explained
Thailand has a strong healthcare system with both public and private options. Public hospitals offer affordable care, but many people, including expats, choose private health insurance for faster service, modern facilities, and more treatment choices. To decide if private health...
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International Sports: Queen goes 3D; Clarke to miss Boxing Day test; Messi gets another
Queen Elizabeth goes 3D for Olympics tribute Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Queen Elizabeth will use her traditional Christmas Day message, filmed in 3D for the first time, to pay tribute to the world’s athletes for delivering a “splendid summer of sport” at the London Olympics.In her personal address to the nation, the monarch will pay tribute to the competitors’ “skill,…
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World News: Somali pirates release hostages after 33 months in captivity
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Somali pirates release longest-held hostages after 33 months Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: A ship and its crew of 22 sailors held by Somali pirates for almost three years have been freed by maritime police after a two-week-long siege, the government of the breakaway region of Puntland said…
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EPL: Chelsea give Villa a blue Christmas
Chelsea hit Villa for eight, leaders United held Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Chelsea, playing with a swagger missing for much of the season, routed Aston Villa 8-0 yesterday as Premier League leaders Manchester United wasted the chance to move six points clear after a 1-1 draw at Swansea City.Chelsea striker Fernando Torres began the goal glut after three minutes at…
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Phuket villager speaks out on Sydictive New Year beach party
PHUKET: While the debate rages on over whether or not the Sydictive Element New Year Phuket beach party will move to Patong – despite already being granted permission to be held at Surin Beach – one local resident has spoken out about how the party would affect the beachfront community, for better and for worse. Somchai Prasongphon, 42, was born…
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Phuket Opinion: Family, the best defense against technology risks
PHUKET: With the holiday season upon us, we would like to encourage all of our readers to take a few moments to pause and reflect on how lucky we are to live in this incredible age of technology. Technology is perhaps the most notorious of double-edged swords. Shakespeare wrote famously in Hamlet that “…there is nothing either good or bad,…
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Fresh ATM action prompts hope for finding missing Phuket expat
PHUKET: Police investigating the disappearance of American Brett Bean, last seen on Phuket on November 25, are now searching for a man who used Mr Bean’s debit card to withdraw cash from a Phuket ATM on Monday. “We were informed by Mrs Bean [Brett’s mother] that on December 17 someone used Mr Bean’s debit card to take the money out…
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No Phuket tsunami alert after Sumatra earthquake
PHUKET: No tsunami alert has been issued for Phuket or other provinces along the Andaman Coast following a 5.2 earthquake off the northern tip of Sumatra, Indonesia, at 10:50am today, the head of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Phuket office has confirmed. “The National Disaster Warning Center has not issued a tsunami warning alert. We expect that the…
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Bad vibes over Phuket Sydictive party shift to Patong
PHUKET: Leading Phuket tourism figure Sarayuth Mallam has voiced grave concerns about the Sydictive Element New Year’s Eve beach party being moved from Surin Beach to Patong, citing strong resistance from local businesses and Patong Mayor Pian Keesin. “As far as I know, the party organizer wants to change the party venue from Surin Beach to Patong Beach since they…
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Phuket Sports: Man Utd get Real in last 16 of Champions League
Ronaldo returns to Man United in Champions League Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Cristiano Ronaldo will return with nine-time winners Real Madrid to Manchester United, where he developed into one of the world’s greatest forwards, and Lionel Messi’s Barcelona take on AC Milan in the Champions League last 16.Bayern Munich, last season’s beaten finalists, play Arsenal and Juventus take on surprise…
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Phuket Finance: Understanding your fund’s “duration’
PHUKET: As I have written extensively about the dangers of bond funds in the current environment, it is worth mentioning a standard measurement used to determine approximately how sensitive a bond portfolio or fund is to interest rate increases. Don’t let the word duration fool you; what the measurement actually means is, the approximate decrease in value for a 1%…
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Phuket Sports: Fergie scoffs at talk of retirement for trio
Ferguson scoffs at talk of Scholes retirement Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson has dismissed media reports that his long-serving trio of Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs and Rio Ferdinand will leave the Premier League leaders at the end of the season.After newspaper headlines had declared the end of an era, with reports that 38-year-old Scholes had told…
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Aldhouse trial pending UK documents
PHUKET: The trial of British national Lee Aldhouse, charged with the murder of former US Marine Dashawn Longfellow in Phuket in 2010, has yet to be put in motion as the Phuket Prosecutor’s Office is awaiting the arrival of further documentation from the UK, the Phuket Gazette has been told. Aldhouse confessed to police to stabbing Mr Longfellow, but denied…
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Stranded Air Berlin travellers airlifted from Phuket
PHUKET: All 249 Air Berlin passengers stranded in Phuket after their plane was forced to make an emergency landing shortly after takeoff last night have been airlifted off the island and are currently en route to their original destination: Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. Prathuang Sornkham, Director at Phuket International Airport, told the Phuket Gazette that Air Berlin…
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Sydictive Party: One night without Paris
PHUKET: Global celebrity Paris Hilton will not be attending the three-day New Year beach party originally slated to be held on Surin Beach from December 30 to sunrise on January 1. The news of Ms Hilton’s imminent no-show at the event came in an email from her lawyer sent to the Phuket Gazette clarifying that Ms Hilton’s name was not…
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Phuket yachties to honor Stafford Steer tonight
PHUKET: The Ao Chalong Yacht Club (ACYC) will honor the memory of well-known Phuket expat Stafford Steer, who died of cancer on December 8, with a memorial this evening. “He was diagnosed with bone marrow cancer about four weeks ago in Brisbane hospital [in Queensland, Australia]. Tonight at the ACYC we will have a memorial get-together to honor him,” said…
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Phuket Airport closure leaves more than 1,000 stranded
PHUKET: More than 1,000 passengers were stranded at Phuket International Airport last night after an emergency landing by an Air Berlin flight forced authorities to cancel all inbound and outbound flights. Air Berlin flight AB-7425 from Phuket to Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates, took off from Phuket at its scheduled time of 9:26pm, but was forced to make…
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Live Wire: Stumbling at high speeds
PHUKET: People frequently ask me, what’s the best internet connection in Phuket? The short answer is… there’s no way to know for sure. Much depends on your exact location, and luck. Over the years I have run a free speed reporting site, PhuketInternetSpeed.com, which is an attempt at quantifying the real-world internet international download speeds here in Phuket. For quite…
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Engine fire forces emergency landing at Phuket Airport
PHUKET: An engine fire shortly after takeoff forced an Air Berlin flight to make an emergency landing at Phuket International Airport earlier tonight.All flights were diverted away from Phuket’s critical tourism portal while emergency crews evacuated the 247 passengers on board and attended to the disabled aircraft left stranded on the runway.The Air Berlin Airbus A330-200, serving flight AB-7425 from…
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Phuket artificial reef project continues off Kata, Karon bays
PHUKET: The ongoing project to develop artificial reefs off the west coast of Phuket continued today as the process of dropping 1,880 concrete frames to the sea floor began off Karon Beach. Over the next several days, the concrete frames will be dropped in clusters over a total area of 24 square kilometers, stretching from the north end of Karon…
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World News: Ethnic Maya say tomorrow will just be another day
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Mayan Apocalypse nears, doomsday prophecy may “Not Be Real” Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The Mayan calendar that ends tomorrow has prompted discussion of a possible Apocalypse but according to Yahoo.com the ancient people’s fabled date may not hold any weight. Yahoo is reporting that the…
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Andaman Pearl stung by Killer Bees
PHUKET: Phuket United suffered a 3-1 defeat to the Nonthaburi “KillerBees” FC in last night’s Thai Futsal Premier League (TFPL) match at their temporary home stadium at Fashion Island, Bangkok Andaman Pearl’s assistant coach, Mr Patt Srivijit, told the Phuket Gazette that confidence within the team was high before this game, after two successive wins against Prachin Futsul Club and…
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Arson blamed for Phuket beach blaze
PHUKET: A fire engulfed a small beachfront minimart at Surin Beach and spread to four other shops early this morning. Shop owner Man Thonglor, 41, suspects arson. Mr Man told the Phuket Gazette that he opened his store little over a year ago, but this was the second time his shop had caught afire. “I believe it was set on…
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Phuket 7-Eleven scythe robber arrested
PHUKET: A man nabbed by police for snatching a Frenchwoman’s bag on Tuesday confessed to having also robbed a Phuket 7-Eleven with a scythe multiple times this year. The suspect, Winai Soimuea, 26, was presented to the press at Phuket City Police Station in Phuket Town on Tuesday. Mr Winai was arrested shortly after grabbing the woman’s bag near Wat…
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Thailand News: TAT expects bumper party for New Year
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community TAT optimistic of new year spending after 2011 disaster Phuket Gazette / The Nation PHUKET: Travelers during the New Year holidays are expected to spend more than 13.1 billion baht, says the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT). That’s good news for the industry compared with last…
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World News: White House outlines plans to “get the guns”
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community White House readies gun-control plan as more children laid to rest Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The White House was set to reveal the first steps of a gun-control plan yesterday as the United States grieved for victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre in…
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World News: “Dear Santa” letters answered
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community “Dear Santa” letters answered by U.S. Post Office program Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: One 13-year-old boy who sent a “Dear Santa” letter to the U.S. Post Office this year asked only for covers for his bed, “so I can stay warm this winter.” Another letter…
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Phuket Business: British Airways – 79 years of service to the Kingdom
PHUKET: After 79 years of service to Thailand, British Airways (BA) says it still sees the Kingdom as an important market because more executives, especially from small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), will fly out to ink business deals.The airline will use its strong network to connect local businessmen not only to its home base in London, but also to other…
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Phuket Business: New “liberalization’ of aviation manufacturing
PHUKET: A new government initiative to allow foreign investors to hold 70 per cent or more of a company manufacturing aviation parts will help promote Thailand as a regional repair center for the industry, says an executive at Thai Airways International.Danuj Bunnag, executive vice president of THAI’s commercial department, welcomed the plan and said it would help strengthen Thailand’s performance…
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Three Phuket tour van crash victims still in hospital
PHUKET: Two tourists and a tour guide travelling in a tour van that had its roof ripped off by a crane in Chalong yesterday are recovering in hospital, the Phuket Gazette has confirmed. All nine occupants in the van at the time of the accident were taken to hospital, Chalong Police Sub Lt Kraisorn Boonprasob told the Gazette. “A Russian…
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Phuket Business: Staying the course
PHUKET: The island’s first and only authentic miniature golf course, “Phuket Adventure Mini Golf”, recently celebrated the completion of its first year of operation. Swedish owners, Thomas and Pia Anderson, Phuket expats for nearly a decade, spoke to the Phuket Gazette about the past, present and future of their leisure attraction, the first of its kind in the Kingdom, located…
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