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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Confusion reigns in Phuket over alcohol ban
PHUKET: Following a Cabinet resolution late last month banning alcohol sales on Buddhist holidays, the province is “asking for co-operation” from nightlife entertainment operators in closing on July 7 and 8 – but local leaders say they have yet to receive any formal orders making closure an official requirement. Tuesday, July 7 is Asarnha Bucha Day, and July 8 the…
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Phuket’s illegal immigrants given 30 days to register
PHUKET: Foreign laborers currently working illegally in the fishing industry in the Andaman region have been given 30 days to register with the Labor Department and Immigration in order for them to work legally in and around Phuket.Those who do not register during the grace period from July 1 to July 30 face deportation if they are caught working illegally…
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Security Act will have little impact on Phuket: Governor
PHUKET CITY: Invocation of the controversial Internal Security Act during the 42nd Asean Foreign Ministers’ Meetings to be held in Phuket in July will have little impact on local residents or tourists, the Phuket governor has announced.Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop said special security measures put in place under the act will be limited to Thalang district.The event is to be held at…
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Phuket school blamed for spoiled milk
PHUKET CITY: Following lab tests of spoiled milk from a school in Phuket City that saw 16 children hospitalized last month, the Phuket Public Health Office (PPHO) has blamed the school for storing the milk improperly. PPHO chief Dr Pongsawas Ratanasang said Piboonsawaddee School in Phuket City over-stacked cartons of the UHT milk, causing some of them to split and their contents to…
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Phuket swine flu update: 25 cases, no deaths
PHUKET CITY: There have been 25 confirmed cases of swine flu in Phuket, according to figures released by the Phuket Provincial Health Office (PPHO) yesterday.In addition to the seven cases reported in the last update, there have been 18 additional cases: nine hotel employees and nine students at four different schools, all in Muang District.PPHO deputy director Dr Wiwat Keetamanoj…
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New-look Phuket FC return to action Sunday
PHUKET CITY: After a much needed six-week mid-season break, the new-look Phuket Sea Dragons football club return to action at Surakul Stadium on Sunday, July 5. The home side has added 15 new players to its squad since its last fixture and coach Somsak Waijarean is determined to make amends for their dismal start to the season. Only two players remain…
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Phuket to become medical training center
PHUKET CITY: The Public Health Ministry plans to develop Phuket into a “medical knowledge center” where medical students will receive specialist training. The move is part of a five-year plan to double the revenue of the medical service industry to 400 billion baht by 2014 and to further establish Thailand as a medical hub and world-class spa destination. Dr Wiwat…
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Cabbages and condoms, literally
SONGKHLA: In Bangkok there is a popular restaurant chain known as Cabbages and Condoms, brainchild of well-known activist Mechai Viravaidya (aka “Mr Condom”), who has been internationally lauded for his efforts to promote condom use as a way of stopping HIV/Aids. At the restaurant, condoms, rather than mints, are served after meals. The efforts to bring together vegetables and prophylactics…
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Tragedy strikes Phuket sea gypsy village – again
MAI KHAO, PHUKET: Less than five years after it was damaged by the 2004 tsunami, the Ban Hin Look Diow sea gypsy community has suffered another disaster – this time by fire.At about 1:30pm on Monday a fire broke out in one of the homes and quickly spread to sixteen others, destroying more than half of the village and leaving…
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Asean meetings in Phuket: Security Act to be enforced
PHUKET CITY: Thailand will enforce its Internal Security Act in Phuket during the upcoming 42nd Asean Ministerial Meeting and related activities to be held at Laguna Phuket July 17 to 23. Defence Minister Gen Prawit Wongsuwan, who met with other top military brass and local leaders at Sheraton Grande Laguna Phuket yesterday, said today that all preparations for the event…
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Phuket energy exhibition ends Thursday
PHUKET CITY: To mark Thailand’s “Energy Day 2009”, some 200 people took part in a six-kilometer bike ride to Saphan Hin, where a one-week exhibition and sale of energy-saving devices attracted a lot of visitors over the past weekend. Taking part in the ride and opening event on June 26 was Phuket Vice-Governor Tri Augkaradacha, Ministry of Energy (MoE) Phuket…
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TAT bullish on Phuket tourism for 2010
PHUKET CITY: The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) expects 14 million foreign tourists to visit Thailand next year. It also expects an additional 90 million trips by domestic holidaymakers – to Phuket, Chiangmai, Pattaya, Koh Samui and other key tourist destinations – and total revenue of 960 billion baht. If achieved, the number of inbound tourists will represent a 5.6%…
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Munchies, ornaments and much more at Phuket Four Regions Festival
PHUKET: An inexpensive array of eye-catching handmade ornamental products from around the region and a wide range of locally-made “blue-flag” edible products are currently on sale at Saphan Hin in Southern Phuket until July 2.The rows of colorful stalls were set up over the weekend for the first ‘Good Food, 4 Regions & Blue Flag Festival’, which has been organized…
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Phuket Impact: British couple fights Bangkok airport extortionists
BANGKOK / PHUKET: A British couple who were falsely accused of shoplifting at Bangkok’s Suvarnaphumi airport and were forced to pay £8,000 (approx 450,000 baht) in bribes to secure their release, are to take legal action for compensation. London’s Times Online reported today that the couple were the victims of an extortion racket that has ensnared other foreign travelers at…
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Fire engulfs Patong beach road building
PATONG, PHUKET: In the latest fire to hit the beach road in Patong, an Indian restaurant, a tailor shop and a pharmacy were gutted in a pre-dawn blaze Thursday morning. The fire broke out at about 3am at a two-story building on the corner of Soi Post Office, just north of McDonald’s. Five fire engines from Patong Municipality were able…
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Phuket Airport staff sing for victory against swine flu
PHUKET CITY: Sing “Happy Birthday” to combat swine flu. Bizarre as it may sound, this was one of many pieces of advice given by public health officials during Phuket International Airport’s (PIA’s) “Big Clean Day” [sic] yesterday. But there is, in fact, method in the apparent madness. As one Phuket Public Health Office (PPHO) officer explained to PIA staff, the…
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Phuket’s tourist population swells with American seamen
PHUKET: The unprecedented arrival in Phuket of five US Navy ships at the same time has given a boost to the island’s tourism industry and local economy, with about 5,700 US sailors and marines enjoying R&R on Phuket over the next few days. The USS Boxer has returned to Phuket while on an extended tour of duty that will have…
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Phuket exit strategy: German youth to plead guilty
PHUKET CITY: The German teenager arrested in Phuket in March on child sex charges will plead guilty when he appears in court next month, the Gazette has learned. German Honorary Consul Dirk Naumann said the German mission has looked at the young man’s legal situation “from all angles”. They now believe the Thai legal system does not permit someone in…
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Beach football competition in Phuket
KARON, PHUKET: Karon Municipality is organizing a five-a-side beach football tournament in early August with 74,000 baht in prize money up for grabs. The competition, being held to celebrate HM Queen Sirikit’s birthday on August 12, will kick off on August 1. The competition is also aimed at encouraging healthy lifestyles and keeping children off drugs. Match play will take…
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Phuket may benefit, but free visas backfire on honorary consulates
PHUKET CITY: The future of honorary Thai consulates around the world is in doubt following the Thai government’s move to waive tourist visa fees until March 2010. The Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday announced that as of today all foreigners applying for single-entry tourist visas at Thai embassies, consulates and honorary consulates will be exempt from fees. Some…
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Minister announces counterfeit crackdown in Phuket
PHUKET: On an inspection tour of Soi Bangla in Patong earlier today, Deputy Minister of Commerce, Alongkorn Ponlaboot, said that the ministry was now going to get tough on the trade in counterfeit goods.“We are serious about this campaign,” he told the Gazette, adding that Thais and foreigners caught handling counterfeit goods could face fines and jail terms.Mr Alongkorn also…
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Free visa plan backfires on Thai honorary consulates
PHUKET CITY: The future of honorary Thai consulates around the world is in doubt following the Thai government’s move to waive tourist visa fees until March 2010.The Thailand Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday announced that as of today all foreigners applying for single-entry tourist visas at Thai embassies, consulates and honorary consulates will be exempt from fees.Yet some honorary Thai…
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Patong bars to close July 7, Asarnha Bucha Day
PATONG, PHUKET: All entertainment venues in Patong will close on July 7 to observe the Buddhist holiday of Asarnha Bucha. Sompetch Moosopon, president of the Patong Entertainment Business Association (PEBA), said the PEBA committee met at the Baan Sukhothai Hotel & Spa on Tuesday to discuss plans for Asarnha Bucha Day, which is a public holiday in Thailand. It was…
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Turk becomes latest Phuket drowning victim
PATONG, PHUKET: A Turkish man is Phuket’s latest foreign drowning victim. The drowning happened at about 5pm on Wednesday, on the stretch of Patong Beach opposite the Yee Teng Complex shophouses along the beach road. Witnesses said the Turk, later identified as Deniz Coban, was at the beach with his wife and friends when he ignored the red warning flags…
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Phuket second in new HIV/Aids cases
PHUKET CITY: Phuket has the second-highest per capita HIV infection rate in Thailand, the director of the Phuket Public Health Office said yesterday.Dr Pongsawas Ratanasang said Phuket’s infection rate was second only to Ranong during the two-year period from May 31, 2007 to May 31, 2009.In the longer term, the total number of reported HIV infection cases at public and private hospitals…
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Pregnant woman gunned down in Krabi
PHUKET CITY: Police in Krabi are investigating the murder of a heavily pregnant woman gunned down in her home on Saturday night.Inspector Santhi Kongsiri of the Khao Panom Police identified the deceased as 19-year-old Sunee Phukaoluan. Also killed in the attack was her unborn child, only one month from full term.The killings follow a wave of violent crimes in Phuket,…
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When relatives stay too long…
AYUDHAYA: Every family has its own unique customs, but a family in Phak Hai District recently caught national attention when it was discovered keeping the corpse of a long-dead relative in the front room of the family home. ÂCurrent guardian of the coffin, 36-year-old Samreng Yingyong, told reporters the body was that of his great-great uncle Phuangthong Lidkaho, who died…
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Phuket Immigration crackdown announced
PHUKET CITY: Phuket Immigration this morning held a press conference to announce measures aimed at improving compliance with immigration law, including the requirement that owners of all hotels, guesthouses and rental homes report foreigners on their premises to immigration within 24 hours of arrival. Phuket Immigration Superintendent Chanatpol Yongbunjerd told the press that the crackdown follows the recent arrest of…
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Phuket sailboat runs aground off Phi Phi Island
PHUKET CITY: Despite salvage efforts, a 77-foot Phuket-based sailboat that ran aground off Phi Phi Island late last week remains stuck in the shallow waters of Maya Bay. The Chrysalis-T remains precariously balanced just off the shoreline in the well-known tourist hot-spot in Krabi, where the 2000 Hollywood film The Beach, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, was filmed. The English owner of…
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Phang Nga trawler tragedy: 1 dead, 5 missing
PHUKET CITY: One man is dead and five still missing following a collision between a Phang Nga-based fishing trawler and a cargo ship off the coast of Chonburi. Kiattipong Parnsa-nga, 28-year-old captain of the trawler Sangjaroern 10, said the 21-meter vessel capsized after suddenly being struck by a cargo ship at about 2am yesterday. The accident occurred as the crew…
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