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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Police release sketches of gold shop bandits
WICHIT: Police are still searching for two men who robbed a gold shop on Chao Fa East Rd Wednesday morning, escaping with jewelry valued at more than a million baht.Phuket City Police Duty Officer Lt Theeradet Jiraksa told the Gazette that the robbery took place about 11 am at Srithong Gold Shop, located by Moom Muang Market, near the entrance…
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Frogman killed in Kata Bay fracas
KARON: Chalong Police are investigating the bizarre killing, apparently in self-defense, of an unknown frogman who attacked a Swiss yacht owner and a Thai woman late Wednesday night.The details of the case, as provided to the media at a press conference yesterday afternoon by Chalong Police Superintendent Col Saman Chainarong, are based on the eye-witness account of 25-year-old Trat native…
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“Crab Bank’ launched in Rassada
RASSADA: In a bid to increase dwindling crab stocks in local waters, the Phuket Provincial Fisheries Office with other government and non-government organizations this morning held a ceremony to launch the island’s first “crab bank”, off the coast of Rassada Village 3.As part of the ceremony, nine monks blessed 250 saffron ribbons, which were tied around mangrove trees lining the…
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Saphan Hin gunfight leaves one dead
SAPHAN HIN: One youth was killed and three others injured following a gunfight with police that took place at about 1 am Sunday morning.Phuket City Police officers Maj Vichak Tarom and Sen Sgt Maj Suthon Pakdee were on patrol near the roundabout at Saphan Hin when the shooting took place.Maj Vichak told the Gazette that the officers saw a gang…
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Holiday season sees B2bn boon for tourism sector
PHUKET: Businesses in Phuket’s tourism sector enjoyed a prosperous festive season, with many hotels fully booked and more than 2 billion baht generated by the industry during the period December 24 through January 2.Runjuan Tongrut, assistant director of Tourism Authority of Thailand Southern Region 4 Office, made the announcement at a press conference on January 2.A large number of Thais and foreigners came to…
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Abbot aberration under investigation
NONTHABURI: When Commander Kritsapha Suksaengdao from the Department of Civil Aviation walked up to Luang Por Prasit Sithikaroh, abbot of Wat Sainoi, on December 26 and offered a polite wai, the abbot probably thought nothing of it. After all, the abbot was the most revered monk in the province and counted many high-ranking military and government officials among his throng…
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Attack of the 50-foot pret
NAKHON SRI THAMMARAT: In the increasingly litigious nations of the West, any accident in the work place, including those caused by the victim’s own stupidity, are an immediate opportunity for cash payouts. Apparently the concept hasn’t filtered down to rural Thailand, as shown recently by a man who, after losing both hands in a horrific crane accident, proceeded to blame…
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Villagers make murky discovery
BURIRAM: The discovery of ancient artifacts is always a cause for excitement. A common way to unearth such relics is at an archaeological dig, though just as often they are discovered by pure chance at construction sites. While some finds are more dramatic than others, few can beat a recent tale from Isarn of two 1,500-year-old Buddha images rising from…
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Jealous man kills ex-wife’s new husband
CHERNG TALAY: A jealous ex-husband allegedly stabbed his former wife’s new husband to death just before dawn on January 5, then fled the scene with the woman.Cherng Talay Police Duty Inspector Pol Lt Col Jessada Sangsuree identified the victim as Rungnapa Sriburam, 31, a native of Kalasin province who was staying on Soi Layan in Cherng Talay Village 6 at the…
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Yamu marina a “test case’ for coastal development
PHUKET CITY: Human Rights Commissioner Wasan Panich, who is leading the investigation into whether permission should be granted for a marina to be built at Cape Yamu, yesterday announced the project was developing into a “test case” on guidelines for similar developments in the future.K. Wasan made the announcement at a public hearing at the Phuket Merlin Hotel, where people…
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EC to approve Democrat win tomorrow
PHUKET CITY: The Election Commission (EC) will confirm Democrat Party candidates Tossaporn Thepabutr and Rewat Areerob as the winners of the Phuket round of the December 23 general election, the Gazette was told today.A five-member EC team arrived in Phuket on Thursday to investigate a charge lodged by rival candidates claiming that K. Tossaporn’s wife, Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor)…
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Police seek two Burmese for double murder at sea
RASSADA: Police are looking for two Burmese men wanted for the murder of a squid boat owner and his wife, whose bodies were pulled from the sea near Koh Dokmai late last week.The Gazette’s Thai-language affiliate newspaper Kom Chad Luek originally reported that the first body was discovered by fishermen off Koh Dokmai, some 30 kilometers west of Phuket City,…
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Police call for witnesses to Rawai horse accident
RAWAI: Police are calling for witnesses to a collision between a horse and a motorbike on Wiset Rd yesterday. The accident occurred about 3:30pm and it is understood that the motorbike had a sidecar. More information is sought to assist in the investigation.The collision, at the entrance to the Phuket Riding Club on Wiset Rd, splintered the horse’s leg bones and a veterinarian…
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Blacklist threatened for bars that break request for “national mourning silence’
PHUKET (Kom Chad Luek, Gazette): Muang District Chief Wisit Kurattanavej this afternoon threatened to blacklist entertainment venues that do not follow the government’s request to observe the national mourning of HRH Princess Galyani Vadhana, who passed away early yesterday morning.K. Wisit made the announcement at a meeting to discuss a ban on “entertainment noise” during the 15-day national mourning period,…
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Search launched for hotel worker lost at sea
KOH RACHA YAI: Phuket Marine Police are searching for a worker at The Racha resort who was washed overboard when a wave overturned the small catamaran he was sailing on early yesterday evening.Capt Chatchai Sakdee of Phuket Marine Police said that he received the initial report from the Third Area Naval Command. “The incident happened about 7 pm yesterday, about…
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Phi Phi pee turns deadly
KOH PHI PHI DON: An American tourist on holiday at Koh Phi Phi Don fell about five meters to his death after he stopped to relieve himself at a rocky outcrop on the way back to his bungalow after celebrating New Year’s Eve at a local bar.Sub Lt Noppadon Klompong of the Krabi Muang District Police outpost on Koh Phi…
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New Year bust nets 300 ya bah pills
PHUKET: Provincial authorities working with a Border Patrol Police drug-suppression unit from Phang Nga on New Year’s Day arrested a man for possession of 300 ya bah (methamphetamine) pills with intent to sell. Wisut Romin, deputy chief of the Phuket Provincial Special Operations Unit, identified the suspect as Kittiphong “Phong” Leamsai, 41.After a period of surveillance, officers from the drug-suppression…
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Thailand enters national mourning
PHUKET: The Royal Household Bureau today asked for staff at all government offices, state enterprises and educational institutions to fly the national flag at half-mast and to wear black for the next 15 days as a mark of respect for HRH Galyani Vadhana, who passed away early this morning.An emergency meeting of the Cabinet today concurred the request.Students, however, may…
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HRH Princess Galyani Vadhana passes away
BANGKOK (Nation): After months of receiving treatment for cancer, HRH Princess Galyani Vadhana’s condition deteriorated last night and she passed away 2.54 am this morning. She was 84.The Princess had been receiving treatment for cancer at Siriraj Hospital for months. Well-wishers had flocked to the hospital since the news spread that she was admitted.The Princess is the elder sister of…
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Phuket holiday road toll: 5 dead in 4 days
PHUKET: Figures issued by the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM-Phuket) for the first four days of the “seven days of danger” holiday road-safety campaign put the death toll from accidents in Phuket at five, including two foreigners.A total of 43 accidents were reported during the period that ended at midnight last night, with 48 people suffering injuries requiring…
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Tossaporn’s win under investigation
PHUKET: The Election Commission (EC) in Bangkok has accepted for investigation one complaint of electoral fraud against Tossaporn Thepabutr, one of the two Democrat Party candidates elected to represent Phuket in parliament in a landslide win in the December 23 general election. Phuket Election Committee (PEC) investigation officer Ratchapon Thongnuengarm confirmed yesterday that the EC had ordered him to collect…
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Phuket land prices skyrocket
PHUKET: The tax man will have some jolly years ahead as the government-assessed land prices for many locations in Phuket are seeing triple-digit rates of growth.On Thursday, the Phuket Provincial Treasury Office (PPTO) confirmed details of the new land values, which were leaked to a Prachachart Turakij reporter in October (click here for full story).https://phuketgazette.net/news/index.asp?fromsearch=yes&Id=6033Land appraisals are done every four…
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Windsurfers prepare for Phuket championship
PHUKET: The Eastern Windsurfing Club (EWC) is teaming up with the Windsurfing Association of Thailand and the Yacht Racing Association of Thailand to present Thailand’s first international windsurfing rally championship from January 15 to 20.Competitors will race along the west coast of Phuket.The first day of racing, January 16, will take place from Nai Yang Beach to Surin Beach. On the second day,…
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Wife comatose after severe beating
PATONG: A 37-year-old woman is clinging to life at Vachira Phuket Hospital after her enraged husband of 20 years allegedly beat her over the head with a dumbbell early yesterday morning.Pol Lt Col Serm Kwannimit identified the victim as Dawan Harnsena, a native of Nongkhai and long-time Patong resident.After questioning the victim’s younger sister, police learned that Dawan’s likely assailant…
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Chef scorched in Patong gas explosion
PATONG: The chef at a newly opened restaurant on Rat-U-Thit 200 Pi Rd suffered first- and second-degree burns to 40% of his body after a cooking gas cylinder exploded on Wednesday morning.Pol Capt Jongserm Preecha of the Kathu Police told the Gazette that he received a report at 8 am that there was an explosion at Patong Corner Restaurant, on…
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Tsunami memorial service lights up Patong
PATONG: Some 700 people joined a memorial service for those who died in the tsunami three years ago, each placing a lit candle in the sand, basking the beach in a solemn glow.Guests and dignitries, including Swedish Ambassador Lennart Linner and Tourism and Sports Minister Dr Suwit Yodmanee, joined the event, giving speeches on loss, grief and recovery and laying…
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Corpse washes up at Tah Chat Chai
TAH CHAT CHAI: Police are trying to identify a body that washed up on Tah Chat Chai Beach about 2:30 pm yesterday.Pol Lt Damrong Songchuoy, of Tah Chat Chai Police Station, said the body, now at Thalang Hospital, appears to be that of an Asian man, probably in his 40s.“There were no wounds or abrasions to indicate the man had…
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Tsunami victims remembered
PATONG: About 200 people took part in a memorial service at Loma Park this morning to mark the third anniversary of the 2004 tsunami disaster.The event, which began at 10 am, included a food and alms offering to 108 monks who spent an hour praying for those who perished.Phuket Vice-Governor Tri Augkaradacha opened the service, which was organized jointly by…
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Work begins on new retail center on bypass road
WICHIT: Amid rumors that a new shopping mall is under construction opposite Central Festival Phuket on the bypass road, the Gazette has learned that a new branch of homeWorks, a complete home decoration and building supplies subsidiary of retailing giant Central, is slated for the site.Work began recently on the large plot behind Darasamuth School, with trucks working day and…
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Airport post office relocated
MAI KHAO: The post office at Phuket International Airport has been relocated from the departures terminal to the arrivals terminal on the ground floor of the airport.Kusol Yamyean, manager of Post Office Region 8, told the Gazette that the post office was closed on December 22 so that furniture and equipment could be moved.The post office keeps the same opening…
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