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.
-
Police launch murder investigation at Phuket pier
PHUKET: Police have launched a murder investigation after an unidentified man was found dead with a deep cut on his neck near Rassada Pier on Tuesday morning. Police and rescue workers went to the scene, on the road behind the office of the Phuket Fishing Market Organization, and found the shirtless body covered in a blanket and a towel. “The…
-
Police crack drug-dealing network, seize war weapon
PHUKET: Police have cracked open a drug and weapons network after arresting two methamphetamine dealers in possession of a weapon of war and other guns in Phuket on Monday. Thammanoon Kaewsirnuon, 31, and Khlongsiri Rorngsakul, 24, were caught at their rental house in Thalang on Monday, after police were tipped off by a man named by officers only as ‘Pop’,…
-
World Bungy Jump closes doors, tower demolished
PHUKET: World Bungy Jump in Patong closed its doors for good and demolished its bungy-jump tower on Monday after a tourist suffered fatal injuries during a jump last month. “The owner, Vinat Chanthornwiboonkul, decided on his own to close the business. We don’t want to put anyone at risk at our bungy jump, and we are very sorry about the…
-
Colombians arrested for Phuket car robbery
PHUKET: Police have arrested two Colombian suspects for the professional-style robbery of a car in the parking lot of Tesco Lotus Thalang on Sunday (story here). Daniel Guerrero Ariza, 28, and Jean Ortega Duarte, 21, were arrested on Monday when they went to return a car they had rented from a shop in Ao Nang, Krabi. Both men have denied…
-
Recreational fisherman found dead off Koh Yao Noi
PHUKET: The remains of a recreational fisherman who went missing on Saturday were found in the waters near Koh Yao Noi early this morning. The wife of Manop Poolpirom, 37, was able to identify her husband’s remains despite their condition after having been exposed to the open ocean and tropical sun. “Mrs Pim told us that her husband often went…
-
Hong Kong tourist caught reporting false robbery in Chalong
PHUKET: A Hong Kong tourist has been arrested in Chalong for making a false police report on Sunday morning. At about 1:30am Chalong Police called the Tourist Police hotline to assist them with a robbery complaint. When Phuket Tourist Police arrived they found 22-year-old Wong Wai Ki Warwick Taboctabo – who told police he is from Hong Kong, but holds…
-
Girl shocked by exposed wire in Phuket
PHUKET: A 10-year-old girl survived an electric shock after she accidentally stepped on an exposed wire on Khao Rang yesterday. Nisreen Klongsamuth was rushed to Vachira Phuket Hospital after the accident, but was released today after doctors confirmed she was in good health. “She is safe. She does not have inflammatory cardiomyopathy [inflammation of the heart muscle] following the incident.…
-
Phuket officials netted in gambling raid
PHUKET: A couple of local officials were among those arrested during the raid of an illegal gambling den near Khao Naka in Phuket on Sunday night. Kamala Tambon Administration Organization (OrBorTor) council member Sommai Kritsan and the village headman for Chalong Moo 1, Pradit Ongsantipap, were among the 26 arrested during the joint-police operation. “We received a tip-off that there…
-
Research team to reveal beach-management solution next month
PHUKET: The beach-management research team at Prince of Songkhla University (PSU) Phuket campus will present its findings about current beach rules and ideas for the future to Governor Nisit Jansomwong next month. Governor Nisit told the Phuket Gazette last week (story here) that he had designated the research team to evaluate the results of the three-month trial period for the…
-
Myanmar national found dead in workers’ camp
PHUKET: A Myanmar national found dead in a workers’ camp is thought to have died by electrocution, reported Chalong Police. Police and Ruamjai Foundation rescue workers were called to the scene in Soi Luang Phu Supha off Chao Fa West Road at about 5:30pm, where they found the body of Myint Myint Win, 31, lying on a wet floor near…
-
Foreigners suspected in Tesco carpark robbery
PHUKET: Police are looking for at least three men, thought to be foreigners, who robbed a car in broad daylight at Tesco Lotus Thalang. “When we arrived, Pasuk Ohara, 43, was standing with her son and his friend near the car. The right side back window had been removed,” said Lt Wichote Meepop of Thalang Police. “Mrs Pasuk told us…
-
Business: East coast shopping
PHUKET: Choice, and lots of it, is what Phuket’s cosmopolitan consumers are demanding, and as the shopping scene transforms to adapt to more local-centric lifestyles among the island’s international community, smaller family-oriented malls are taking shape across the island. Leading the way in bringing a more upmarket shopping experience is shopping and lifestyle guru Kanittha Prasopsirikul, managing director of ‘By…
-
Owners deny sending ‘muscle’ to threaten Phuket squatters
PHUKET: Chalong landowners have asked island officials for justice and transparency in an investigation into a complaint filed by locals earlier this month claiming that the landowners had sent ‘men in black’ to threaten them for encroaching on the land. Samran Sanyanuphap and Sulak Kunarak, two of the landowners listed on the Chanote for the disputed 70 rai of land…
-
Snake head stuck in Phuket hole
PHUKET: It took Phuket rescue workers about 15 minutes to remove a three-meter python from a drain cover hole near Khao Khad View Point this weekend. “When we arrived it was clear that the snake had gotten its head stuck in the hole,” said Kusoldharm Rescue Foundation worker Silaluck Na Thalang. “I’m glad we got a call from passing motorists,…
-
Opinion: Lack of discipline
PHUKET: I have been driving various vehicles in Phuket on a daily basis for 12 years now. I started out riding a Honda Wave, before moving on to a car and a big bike. My 12 years of experience on the road has made me realize that people risk their lives every day because of their sheer lack of discipline.…
-
Property: Building a better market
PHUKET: Although not visible across the island’s multi-fold property market, the dominance of re-sales over new developments is obvious in the luxurious, but not lavish segment, chairman of CB Richard Ellis Thailand David Simister said. Sitting just below the multi-million-dollar villa tier is this interesting segment, which has a number of quality properties in the range of 12 to 30…
-
One killed, two seriously injured in Phuket motorcycle crash
PHUKET: One Phuket resident was killed and three others injured early this morning, when three men on a motorbike ran a red light in Thalang and collided with another man on a motorcycle. Police arrived at the Khao Lan junction on Thepkrasattri Road, just south of Tesco Thalang, at about 1:30am and found the body of Suriya Chaikul, 34. “On…
-
Phuket villagers switch off EGAT’s power-line plan
PHUKET: The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) has changed its plan to run a 500-kilovolt power-line through Thalang after local villagers filed a complaint about the project last month. EGAT decided to use one of the suggestions put forth by the protestors in their first complaint (story here) and install the new 500KV line along the same path as…
-
Foreign-flagged superyacht charter licence defined
PHUKET: The final regulations and requirements for a one-year permit that will allow foreign-flagged superyachts to charter in Thailand were announced at a public meeting in Phuket today. The chartering licence is expected to be signed off by the Ministry of Transport next month, confirmed Marine Department Director-General Chula Sukmanop today (story here). “We are confident that licence registration will…
-
Business Buzz: Building your database
PHUKET: This week, let me explain the biggest asset your social media marketing efforts will build for you: your database. A marketing database is an electronic list of all of your potential customers, with as much relevant information as you can gather about them. Normally, this is combined with a platform that can be used to communicate automatically on a…
-
Finance: Bond investor survival guide
PHUKET: It’s inevitable that interest rates will eventually rise, but what do rising interest rates mean for investors and how can you prepare your portfolio? First of all, here is what you need to consider or be concerned about: INTEREST RATES AND BONDS When interest rates rise, prices of fixed rate bonds will fall (and vice versa) because no one…
-
Police insist on safe driving in monsoon weather
PHUKET: The head of Phuket traffic police has urged motorists to proceed with caution in their daily journeys during the heavy rains this weekend. “People should be very cautious during this rainy weather, especially motorcycle drivers and passengers. The roads will be slippery, so people should drive with care and make sure they are wearing helmets,” Phuket Provincial Police Deputy…
-
Opinion: Last chance to rid Phuket of jet-skis
PHUKET: Officials’ reactions to efforts by one resort to spare its guests the annoyance and dangers posed by jet-skis indicate that this plague on Phuket’s tourism industry is highly-resistant, defying everything from common sense to existing Thai maritime law. It remains mystifying how this particular industry has somehow been spared the law-and-order crackdown that has gone a long way toward…
-
Phuket police not worried about checkpoint warnings on social media
PHUKET: Phuket police are not worried about social media users posting warnings for motorists about standard checkpoints on the island, but will consider pressing charges if a post helps street-racing youths avoid authorities. The news follows a report by The Nation this week that police in Bangkok are considering taking legal action against those who post locations of checkpoints online…
-
Video Report: Le Meridien lifeguard training to boost island safety
PHUKET: Lifeguard training recently took place on Le Meridien Phuket Beach Resort’s secluded beach to train guards from 11 different properties in Phuket. The day was split into four sections with practical training at the beginning and end, and theory and first-aid training sandwiched in the middle, explained Surf Life Saving Australia Trainer and Assessor David Field, who has been…
-
Thousands of mangroves planted for Queen Sirikit
PHUKET: Despite the rainy weather, thousands of mangrove trees were planted in Phuket this week in celebration of HM Queen Sirikit’s 80th birthday on August 12. The planting extravaganza was organized by the Royal Thai Navy Third Area Command to honor Thailand’s beloved Queen Sirikit as well as to encourage people to rehabilitate and protect the environment. More than 350…
-
Rawai Mayor looks to ban pets in work camps
PHUKET: Rawai Mayor Aroon Solos revealed plans yesterday to prohibit those living in worker camps from owning pets as part of a new strategy to control dogs in the southern part of the island. “We have no issues with people raising pets. However, when workers leave the camps the dogs are usually left behind, which has turned into a serious…
-
Dengue fever spreads in Krabi, Phuket safe
PHUKET: More than 400 people have been diagnosed with dengue fever in Krabi since January as the mosquito-borne disease spreads in the coastal province east of Phuket. “There has been one fatal case in Krabi so far,” confirmed Phuket Provinical Health Office (PPHO) Chief Kajohnsak Kaewjarus. “However, everything is under control in Phuket.” Krabi is currently ranked among the top…
-
Phuket tourism official pushes against foreign tour guide registration plan
PHUKET: The island’s top tourism and sports official will ask for Phuket to be excused from the Tourism Department’s plan to allow foreigners to work as ‘tourism coordinators’, if the move is approved. Tourism Department is planning to ask Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha to approve its plan to allow foreigners to work as tour guides under the position of…
-
Phuket hit-and-runner surrenders
PHUKET: A Phuket hit-and-runner turned himself in to Chalong Police after leaving an unconscious teen motorbiker in his wake last night. Pick-up truck driver Thepsak Jinotan, 42, left Bussakorn Sengsuvann,16, unconscious with a broken leg and other injuries after they crashed on Chao Fa East Road in Chalong at about 7:30pm yesterday. Ms Bussakorn was rushed to Vachira Phuket Hospital…
Don't forget to check out some other things to do in Thailand - get help starting a business or finding a job in Thailand, buy Thailand property, rent a yacht or book a medical procedure worldwide.