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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Phuket Business: Copyright fraudsters on the prowl
PHUKET: Operators of entertainment establishments that utilize copyright protected songs should be wary of personnel claiming to be royalty collectors, a statement issued by the Department of Intellectual Property has warned. The warning, published last week on the Ministry of Commerce website, said that the department has recently received a number of complaints from establishment operators in Phuket, Pattaya and…
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Phuket Gazette: Google Street View launched for Phuket
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Google Street View launched for Phuket PHUKET (The Nation): Six months after starting work on the project, Google Thailand yesterday officially launched the ‘Google Street View’ service in the Kingdom – the second country in Southeast Asia in which it is available, following Singapore. Street view…
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Phuket Business: The European tourist market is dormant, but not done
PHUKET: Local officials and tourism industry representatives are optimistic about the revival of the European tourist market in the near future, following the recent success of a Phuket tourism promotion roadshow in Germany. The Internationale Tourismus – Borse 2012 (ITB 2012), one of the largest tourism trade shows in the world, was held in Berlin, Germany. Representing Phuket at the…
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Phuket Business: Batik operations seek integration
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Industry Office (PPIO) recently led a seminar to reinforce the continued development and integration of the island’s high-potential Batik fabric industry. The industrial promotion event marked the beginning of the second consecutive year of efforts to develop local production, reinforcing momentum from the forming last year of the Phuket Batik Cluster. That initiative was marked by…
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Phuket Sports: F1; Premiership football; Rugby and international sports news
Button dominates F1 openerPHUKET: Jenson Button of McLaren reveled in his “dream start” at e opening race of the 2012 Formula 1 season at the Albert Park Lake street circuit in Melbourne.Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull managed to gain second by making good use of the safety car on lap 37 to pit, and emerged ahead of Lewis Hamilton, who…
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Phuket Gazette: 15,000 homeless, 2 dead in massive Mexican earthquake
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Government scrambling to assist the homeless from Mexican quake Phuket Gazette / News Wires PHUKET: Two deaths were reported on Friday after a powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck southwestern Mexico on Tuesday, damaging tens of thousands of houses. The first victim, identified as Ernesto Bernal Ruiz, died…
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SPORTS NEWS FLASH: Noppowan secures Phuket ITF final berth
PHUKET: Thailand’s stellar tennis talent Noppowan Lertcheewakarn defeated number four seed Reka-Luca Jani of Hungary to continue her fantastic run of form at the Phuket Chang ITF Women’s Pro Circuit event being held at Thanyapura Sports and Leisure Club (TSLC). Having beaten the number one seed Erika Sema in the quarter final yesterday, and previously beaten the Hungarian, the 20-year-old…
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Phuket Gazette: Price rises beginning to bite in Thailand
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Survey shows Thais in the grips of widespread price increases Phuket Gazette / The Nation PHUKET: Most respondents, 61 per cent, in a poll on the current cost of living in Thailand said they were not confident in the government’s measures to handle the country’s rapidly…
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Phuket Gazette: Terrorist Mohamed Merah killed in ambush by French police
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community French police kill gunman responsible for school massacre Phuket Gazette / News Wires PHUKET: The French gunman behind Monday’s shootings at a Jewish school, and allegedly behind recent attacks against soldiers, was confirmed dead after several hours of confrontation with police forces, local authorities said Thursday.…
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Princess Yachts say ‘thank you’ in style
PHUKET: Princess Yachts Thailand held a lavish ‘thank you party’ at Phuket Boat Lagoon on Thursday evening in conjunction with the launch of the Princess Yachts South East Asia network. The annual Princess Rendezvous started on the evening of March 22 before their cruise to Phang Nga Bay and Hong Island in Krabi on March 23. Hundreds of guests attended…
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FC Phuket fired up for first home game
PHUKET: Final preparations for FC Phuket’s first home game in their Thai Yamaha League Division One campaign are underway at Surakul Stadium. Kick off is scheduled for 4pm on Saturday against Rajpracha FC from Nakhon Pathom province, who finished one place ahead of Phuket in eighth spot at the end of last season. Controversy surrounded their first meeting in February…
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Phuket limo driver found dead in rented room
PHUKET: An airport taxi driver and former volunteer member of the Phuket Kusoldharm Foundation was found dead in his rented room in Srisoonthorn subdistrict early yesterday evening. Thalang Police Duty Officer Somkhit Khaosang was notified of the death by neighbors at 7:20pm. At the scene, a rented room in Srisoonthorn Village 5, police found the body of 51-year-old Uthai Chuti-anan…
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Donald goes old school in PGA
PHUKET: The PGA tour this week hit the Innisbrook Resort in Florida. Rory McIlroy isn’t playing for the next few weeks meaning golf’s world number one spot was up for grabs. That brings us to former number one Luke Donald, whose golf swing now looks as if it’s in slow motion and he has clearly worked out it’s not all…
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Noppowan powers into semi-final at Phuket ITF tourney
PHUKET: Thai tennis sensation Noppawan Lertcheewakarn upset the form books on Thursday by dismissing number one seed Erika Sema of Japan from the Chang ITF Women’s Pro Circuit event being held at Thanyapura Sports and Leisure Club on Phuket. Sema, ranked at 136 in the world, fought back in the quarter-final after losing the first set to the sixth-seeded, but…
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Eerie silence cloaks the Phuket death of a Swedish tourist
PHUKET: The death of a 35-year-old Swedish tourist, whose body was discovered in his hotel room at Kata Beach, has quietly surfaced on Phuket. The resort involved, the Swedish embassy in Bangkok and police have all confirmed that James Karlsson was found dead in his room at the Serene Resort last Wednesday. However, they have all declined to offer any…
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Phuket Gazette: Early execution of drug convicts
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Chalerm pushes for early execution of drug convicts PHUKET (The Nation): Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm today vowed to push for law amendments to have drug convicts executed 15 days after the Appeal Court’s verdict upholds the death sentence. He said he would propose an amendment to…
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Fishermen found dead in Phuket estuary
PHUKET: The body of a fisherman was found dead along the banks of a mangrove estuary on the west coast of Phuket yesterday. Cherng Talay Police were notified of the death by residents of Baan Layan at about 10am yesterday. At the scene, a muddy riverbank near the north end of Layan Beach, they found the body of 52-year-old Praphat…
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Phuket Gazette: Asian economic news round-up
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Top Asean/EU trade officials to convene in Cambodia PHUKET (The Nation): The 2nd ASEAN-EU Business Summit will be held in Phnom Penh on April 1, to bring together entrepreneurs, private investors and public policy-makers from both the EU and ASEAN to address key issues related to…
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Phuket Gazette: Thailand welcomes Burma’s decision to have international observers
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Thailand welcomes Burma’s decision to have international observersPHUKET (The Nation): Thailand has welcomed the Burmese government’s invitations for international representatives as observers for the parliamentary by-election on April 1. Thai Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul said that the move demonstrates Burma’s efforts to promote credibility of the upcoming…
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Motorbike taxi driver dies in Phuket u-turn collision
PHUKET: A Phuket motorcycle taxi driver was killed instantly last night when he was hit full force by an oncoming car while trying to make a u-turn on Thepkrasattri Road. Thalang Police were notified of the accident at 9:20pm. Arriving at the scene, on Thepkrasattri Road southbound in front of the electricity substation in Ban Lipon, they found the body…
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Phuket Gazette: Thailand business news
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Honda’s April restart means no plans for relocation PHUKET (The Nation): Honda Automobile (Thailand) will not relocate to Indonesia, as confirmed by its plan to resume operation at the Rojana Industrial Park in Ayutthaya province on April 1, said Industry Minister Pongsvas Svasti. It was reported…
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Phuket Sports: ITF Phuket reaches finals stages
PHUKET: Thailand’s Noppawan Lertcheewagarn exacted vengeance on Aiko Nakamura of Japan yesterday at the Chang ITF Pro Women’s circuit event being held at Thanyapura Sports and Leisure Club on Phuket.Noppowan lost to Nakamura in their first and only meeting five years ago in the Pattaya Open.Both are two-handed players and Noppawan was concerned going into the match that this aspect…
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Phuket Gazette: Probe into Rangers’ ops; Sonthi faces tough question; Reconciliation
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Rangers’ operations lawful: probe PHUKET (The Nation): The investigation into the shooting of a pickup in Pattani in January by Army paramilitary rangers, which left four villagers dead, has found the operation was lawful under the rules of combat engagement and called for compensation to all…
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Phuket Gazette: US fighter crashes in Korea
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community U.S. fighter jet crashes in South Korea, pilot safe PHUKET (News Wires): The pilot of a U.S. fighter jet ejected safely yesterday before his aircraft crashed near a base in the western region of South Korea, military officials said. There were no injuries. The accident happened…
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Budget breakdown; Phuket to get speed cameras, “monkey cheeks’
PHUKET: The mobile Cabinet meeting on Tuesday approved 23 projects worth 628 million baht that can be developed immediately in five provinces along the Andaman coast, including a network of speed cameras in Phuket. For the 23 projects slated for immediate start-up, the Cabinet ordered that plans be hurriedly drawn up and presented to the Budget Bureau within two weeks,…
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Phuket Gazette: Dating websites join to ban sexual predators
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Dating websites will now be checking sex offender registries Phuket Gazette / News WiresPHUKET: Leading online dating companies Match.com, eHarmony and the operator of the websites ChristianMingle and JDate have signed an agreement to check their subscribers against U.S. sex offender registries, the companies announced yesterday. The…
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Phuket Drama: Yingluck monitor lizard fiasco averted
PHUKET: The bloated carcass of a monitor lizard was hastily retrieved from a swamp at Klong Koh Pee in Phuket on Monday, just moments before the arrival of Thai premier Yingluck Shinawatra, it can now be revealed. Prime Minister Yingluck and her entourage were scheduled to arrive at the Saphan Hin side of the proposed Klong Koh Pee elevated road…
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Blue Flag Fair a hit in Phuket Town
PHUKET: Wage slaves suffering from rising consumer costs and stagnant salaries have been flocking to the Blue Flag Consumer Products Fair at Sanamchai field in Phuket Town, where government-subsidized consumer staples and other products are on sale at rock-bottom prices through tomorrow. Supacha Bunthalit, who heads the Department of Internal Trade (DIT) Office in Phuket, told the Gazette the most…
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Phuket News Watch: Teenager arrested for sexually molesting 7-year-old boy
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community California teen arrested for sexually assaulting boy in a park Phuket Gazette / News Wires PHUKET: Police in northern California arrested a 15-year-old boy early this morning (Phuket time) in connection with the sexual assault of a young boy in a local park, police said today.…
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Special Report: Will more power solve Patong’s woes?
PHUKET: Mayor Pian Keesin has publicly declared his stand on the need for Patong to become a Special Administrative Zone (click here). His call for the administrative change received a great deal of support at a public meeting held recently to present and explain the concept to local residents and business people. The meeting was coordinated through Patong Municipality and…
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