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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Phuket to host “half-Thai’ beauty contest
PHUKET: A bevy of half-Thai, half-foreign beauties will descend on Phuket in October for the inaugural Miss Euro Asia 2011 beauty contest. Kritphanat Patwarasit, Managing Director of ND Productions, floated the idea to Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha yesterday. The governor gave his vote of approval. “We can put this event on Phuket’s tourism-activity calender. It will attract people to visit…
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Phuket Police arrest three for killing of Thalang teen
PHUKET: Police have arrested three young men who have confessed to the stabbing murder of Phuket teen Thawatchai “Ton” Maelanon, whose body was discovered in a rubber plantation in Thalang on March 26. At a press conference at Phuket City Police Station this morning, Phuket Provincial Police Commander Pekad Tantipong identified one of the three suspects as 23-year-old Apirak “Khao”…
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Phuket Gazette partner Nation Group wins top Asian media awards
PHUKET: The Nation Multimedia Group, of which the Phuket Gazette is a part, won two key prizes at the 10th Asia Media Awards ceremony in Bangkok last night. Photographer Watcharachai Klaipong won gold for his photo of emergency relief being delivered to stranded flood victims. “After seeing all the entries in this award category, I feel very proud of my…
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PHUKET REMINDER: Witness history as Prince William ties the knot with Kate Middleton
PHUKET: The British royal wedding is not to be missed. In fact, it will be almost impossible to miss. With 7,500 registered media providing coverage, an estimated two billion viewers worldwide are expected to watch Prince William and Kate Middleton tie the knot live on TV broadcasts and via the internet today. Here’s how to add your eyeballs to the…
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Phuket plays host in B100bn medical tourism drive
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha this afternoon met representatives from 19 major news agencies from around the world as part of the Thai government’s drive to boost medical tourism revenues to 100 billion baht (US$3.3bn) by year 2015. Among the representatives visiting the governor were journalists, photo-journalists and cameramen from Fox News and Xinhua as well as state-news agencies VNA…
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Phuket meth mule reined in with B800k stash
PHUKET: A man was arrested by Phuket authorities yesterday while trying to smuggle onto the island 2,000 ya bah (methamphetamine) pills hidden in Vitamilk cartons. At a press conference to announce the arrest today, investigating officers told the Phuket Gazette that the total street value of the haul was about 800,000 baht. An informant tipped off Phuket patrol police that…
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Phuket police face mandatory meth tests
PHUKET: Every police officer in Phuket will undergo mandatory testing for ya bah (methamphetamine) by the end of the month, the provincial police commander announced this morning. Maj Gen Pekad Tantipong told the Phuket Gazette, “Every police station must urine test every officer under their command by May 1. The order was issued by Provincial Police Region 8 at the…
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Lifeguards return to Phuket beaches
PHUKET: The lifeguards patrolling Phuket’s beaches have returned, and, as promised, with more lifesavers and jet-skis. The contract between the Phuket Lifeguard Club (PLC) and the Phuket Provincial Administrative Organization (OrBorJor) came into force on April 2, just in time for the dangerous wet season, and expires April 1, 2012. The lifeguards patrol between 9am and 7pm at 13 beaches:…
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British tourist dies in late-night road crash
PHUKET: British tourist John Stephen Smout, 49, died in a road accident near the Rawai beachfront early Monday morning when his motorbike ran into the path of a pick-up being driven by an island resident also on his way home. According to the police report, Mr Smout refused offers by people at a nearby bar to give him a lift…
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Phuket Property: Where’s the ‘Sweet Spot’?
PHUKET: AMCHAM Thailand’s Greater Phuket Chapter in cooperation with Property Report South East Asia invite you to a seminar at which a group of Thailand’s leading property experts will discuss the resort markets of Greater Phuket, Koh Samui, Pattaya and Hua Hin. Learn who’s hot and who’s not, and share some insights into what is the sweet spot in today’s…
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Phuket workers fight extradition for Aussie murder
PHUKET: Two former employees of a Phuket Town restaurant are fighting extradition to Australia, where they are wanted for the 2009 stabbing murder of an Australian man in Melbourne. The pair, 28-year-old Surad Seehaverachart and Thatiya Cherdphutham, 25, are wanted for the May 2009 stabbing murder of 29-year-old Luke Mitchell outside a nightclub. Surad was arrested by three officers stationed…
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Phuket prepped to host 4th Asian Beach Games
PHUKET: Organizers of the 4th Asian Beach Games (ABG), to be held in Phuket in November 2014, met in Phuket earlier this month to finalize various arrangements and express confidence that the island could successfully host the 16 or 17 core competitions that will make up the event. The ABG is being organized by the various committees of the Olympic…
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Phuket roundabout: Patong one-way to be reversed – again
PHUKET: One-way traffic in Patong will be reversed, with traffic flowing north along Rath-U-Thit 200 Pi Road and south along the beach road, officials announced today. However, Patong Mayor Pian Keesin said a date had yet to be set when the changes will be effected. “We still have to decide on how the traffic will flow along the streets connecting…
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Phuket Fun Fly is back
PHUKET: Phuket Fun Fly, the paragliding competition that captivated tourists and local residents alike in May last year, will return to the skies above Nai Harn Beach and Phromthep Cape from June 23 to 26. Among the activities, to be held from 8am to 6pm each day, will be spot landing and fun fly competitions as well as beach activities…
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Did freak storm save FC Phuket’s skin?
PHUKET: FC Phuket was enduring a 5-2 drubbing by Bangkok FC in the capital on Sunday when the match was abandoned seven minutes before full time due to a freak storm that made play impossible. There was some confusion over what the ruling meant for the fixture. Bangkok FC, currently languishing third-from-bottom in Thai Division 1, has asked that the…
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Case of the crabs: Phuket expert speaks out
PHUKET: The Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) has identified overfishing as a likely cause of the millions of crab larvae washing ashore on Phuket beaches on Friday. The tiny sea creatures that washed ashore at Kata and Karon Beaches were crabs, not krill as originally reported, explained PMBC Director Wannakiat Thubthimsang, who took live samples from the beach on Friday.…
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Phuket Boat Burglars: Another yacht owner offers reward to catch the culprits
PHUKET: The owner of yet another yacht anchored in Chalong Bay has stepped forward with an offer of a reward. Horst Lakits, owner of the well-known Phuket yacht Big A, told the Phuket Gazette this afternoon that, “I have been living in and around Phuket since 1991, and this is the first time [my boat] has been broken into [here].…
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Phuket Conundrum: Can greed and thuggery win the battle for tourists?
PHUKET: Issues affecting tourist safety and welfare in Phuket and other popular destinations in Thailand have rightly dominated the news in this week’s issue of the Phuket Gazette. It is difficult to overestimate the importance of tourism to the Thai economy. The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) recently announced that it plans for a record number of tourists, over 17…
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Millions of krill blanket Phuket beaches, spark tsunami fears
PHUKET: Millions of krill yesterday washed up on the shores of Kata and Karon Beaches on Phuket’s west coast, sparking fears among local residents of an impending tsunami. The krill were first noticed at about 4pm. Onlookers told the Phuket Gazette that some were still alive at that time, but later died. “They were orange and each had a pair…
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Workplace raids to uphold women and child worker rights in Phuket
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Office of Labor Protection and Welfare will lead a campaign, including raids of business places, to ensure the rights of child and women workers are being upheld, it was announced today. The office plans to inspect at least 500 workplaces comprising 16,741 laborers, including 260 known unregistered workers, Phuket Labor Protection and Welfare office chief Kittipong…
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Phuket yachts harried by spate of break-ins
PHUKET: A 20,000-baht reward is being offered but Phuket police are still at a loss as to who is committing the thefts from yachts anchored in Chalong Bay. An estimated 12 yachts have been broken into in the past month, with one yacht – the 20-million-baht S/Y Smoke – having suffered a reported US$6,000 in equipment losses. Roger Harris, the…
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Three girls saved from Phuket rip tide
PHUKET: Three teenage girls were spared the dangers of a strong rip tide at Nai Harn Beach yesterday afternoon. All three were on family trips to the beach, explained the mother of one of the girls. “We were waiting for our somtam on the shore while the three girls went swimming. “A few minutes later, I heard someone blowing a…
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Phuket police nab notorious “Junior’ gang
PHUKET: Police last night arrested six members of a teenage gang known for allegedly committing many robberies and often threatening to kill their victims if they did not co-operate. Known as the “Junior Gang”, the four teenage men and two teen women were charged with committing gang robbery and being in possession of unlicensed firearms. All six confessed to the…
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Work begins to make Phuket “death bend’ safer
PHUKET: Work is underway to make safer the deadly bend on the hill road to the Big Buddha. Suporn Vanitchakul, president of the Phra Phuttha Mingmongkol Foundation 45, explained that workmen on Monday began laying out markers and clearing the land. The private road will be broadened to 12 meters along a 100m stretch that includes the notorious bend, which…
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Phuket officials tackle taxi, tuk-tuk blockades
PHUKET: A long-term solution to the repeated blockading of Phuket Deep Sea Port by local taxi drivers is to be in place by mid-May, a meeting of local leaders announced today. This morning marked the first gathering of representatives from 17 government agencies and private sector groups who are to establish a formal committee to deal with tuk-tuk and taxi…
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Phuket tourist forced to pay 180,000 baht in jet-ski repairs
PHUKET: A group of foreign tourists enjoying the Songkran festival in Phuket found out the hard way that the much maligned jet-ski insurance scheme doesn’t cover all repair costs if a jet-ski is badly damaged. After negotiations with police and the jet-ski owner, British national Nicola Ross Morton agreed to pay an astounding 180,000 baht for damages to a jet-ski…
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Phuket tourism industry rakes in B800mn over Songkran
PHUKET: The Phuket tourism industry enjoyed a solid performance during the recent Songkran holidays, with hotel occupancy rates averaging about 70% across the island, officials say. Bangonrat Shinaprayoon, director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) regional office in Phuket Town, said an estimated 800 million baht (US$ 26 million) in generated revenue over the week met TAT projections. Some…
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Don’t forgot the Phuket Punchline – it’s tomorrow!
PHUKET: It’s that time of the month again – no, not that – when Phuket expats head for Patong for an unadulterated dose of one-liners from a trio of comedians. Yes, the Phuket Punchline Comedy is here – well – Wednesday night at the Holiday Inn Patong to be more specific. For more specific specifics, read on. Three very different…
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Phuket navy base assists Krabi flood victims
PHUKET: Officers from the Royal Thai Navy Third Area Command in Phuket distributed relief packages to people suffering from floods and landslides in parts of Krabi earlier this month. Group Capitan Parinyatham Pulpitaktham, head of the Disaster Mitigation Center’s civilian affairs and public relations department, led the effort to badly hit locales from April 12 to 17. Areas receiving assistance…
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FC Phuket trounce Chiang Mai, 4-0
PHUKET: FC Phuket rebounded from two tough road losses to demolish Chiang Mai FC by a score of 4-0 at Surakul Stadium yesterday. Crowd favorite Sarach Yooyen, just returning to play after suspension, got the scoring underway at seven minutes, finishing a good delivery from Rapeepan Poonsawat. Just before the end of the first half, Nirun Phunthong set up Nene…
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