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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Managing medical expenses in Thailand is important as healthcare costs continue to rise. The country’s healthcare system includes both public and private options, but even with the Universal Coverage Scheme (UCS) for citizens, many still face high out-of-pocket medical expenses....
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Officials say Phuket ready to deal with Songkran influx
PHUKET: The island’s officials are preparing to manage the influx of visitors, both local and foreign, who swarm into Phuket during Songkran, which is being celebrated nationwide this week. Phuket International Airport Director Monrudee Gettuphan has confirmed that an in-line screening system was recently added to the airport, which will help ease passenger congestion, make processing times faster and highlighting…
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New Phuket governor arrives on the island
PHUKET: Newly-appointed Phuket Governor Norraphat Plodthong arrived in Phuket this morning, a week after ex-Governor Chokchai Dejamornthan’s transfer was announced by the National Council for Peace and Order (story here). Governor Norraphat visited Wat Phra Thong, or the ‘Temple of the Golden Buddha’, and paid his respects at the Heroines’ Monument before arriving at Provincial Hall. “My first priority is…
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Phuket gold thief arrested in Songkhla
PHUKET: A Chiang Mai woman who stole items from two gold shops last month in Phuket was arrested this Saturday in Songkhla. The woman had reportedly entered gold shops in Wichit and Talad Nue and was seen stealing items on CCTV footage before escaping (story here). Region 8 Police led by Lt Col Prawit Engchuan of Ao Nang Police were…
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Finance: What interest rate hikes mean for investors
PHUKET: Early last month, the US Federal Reserve raised interest rates, with the market largely ignoring the long-expected move. With at least a couple of more rate increases expected in the near future, I would still not expect the market to suddenly turn bearish. If the Fed thought the US economy was still too weak, they would not be raising…
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One arrested, one on the run in B1.2mn Phuket drug bust
PHUKET: Police seized more than 300g of ya ice (crystal methamphetamine), a bomb and car from a rented room in Patong today. One suspect was arrested while another is on the run. The bust was conducted at Phra Metta Road and the haul was valued at 1.2 million baht. “We received complaints from locals that a woman named Urai Haha,…
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Gearing up for the Songkran holidays in Phuket
PHUKET: The recent death of a ‘ghost riding’ Thai motorcyclist along Thepkrasattri Road in Thalang (story here) should serve as a sobering reminder to all motorists of the need to be on full alert during the upcoming Songkran holiday period. As noted in this space numerous times in the past, Phuket seldom experiences the kind of spikes in road accidents,…
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Brunei minister unveils new mosque in Phuket
PHUKET: Brunei’s Interior Minister visited Phuket to officially launch a new mosque at Saphan Ruam in Rassada yesterday. “It is a great pleasure to welcome Minister Pehin Seri Kerna Dato H Abu Baker as a special guest. The building is sponsored by Brunei officials and others,” said Kitti Islam, a member of the Phuket Islamic Council. Mr Kitti revealed that…
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Patients treated in hallways at overcrowded Samui Hospital
SAMUI: Locals in Samui have lodged complaints about overcrowding at Samui Hospital leading to makeshift arrangements to accommodate patients in the hospital’s hallways. Patients and their families say that the hallway is hot, uncomfortable and mosquito ridden. “Currently, we only have 133 beds, but about 160 patients to cater to,” said Samui Hospital Director Dr Theerasak Virtanon. “Additionally, we have…
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British expat believed to have died of electrocution in Phuket
PHUKET: Officials have been instructed to examine a power pole that may have electrocuted and caused the death of a British expat at his house yesterday afternoon. “We received reports of the incident in Rawai and went there to investigate further. At the scene, we found the unconscious body of Paul Wilkinson, 55,” said Lt Col Kanan Somrak of Chalong…
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Woman escapes injury after vehicle catches fire in Phuket
PHUKET: A Phang Nga woman escaped injury after her car caught fire in Phuket yesterday afternoon. Thalang Police officers received a report of a burning vehicle at the Mud Dok Khao-Nai Yang junction. “Weeraya Thitiwanna, 34, had just driven from Phang Nga to Phuket when her car started smoking and caught fire,” said Capt Chatree Chuwichian of Thalang Police. “She…
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Phuket taxi driver returns Swiss tourist’s belongings
PHUKET: A Swiss tourist was all smiles when a Phuket taxi driver returned belongings that he had accidentally left behind in the vehicle. On Wednesday, Roth Alexander, 29, hailed a taxi from Phuket International Airport to the ‘Bliss Hotel’ in Patong. “Mr Alexander was travelling from the airport to his hotel with some friends. He disembarked, accidentally leaving some of…
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Finance: Don’t buy into the 13 trillion dollar lie
PHUKET: Following on with lessons from Tony Robbin’s book ‘Money: Master the Game’ is a very important Wall Street myth that he busts. When you pay an active manager to buy and sell shares of stock on your behalf, you are doing so in hopes that he will ‘beat the market over time’. The truth is that over any extended…
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Ex-Gov Chokchai bids farewell to Phuket after transfer order
PHUKET: Ex-Phuket Governor Chokchai Dejamornthan released a statement yesterday acknowledging and confirming his transfer to Bangkok. Governor Chokchai is among other high ranking officials slated for immediate transfers, and will be working as a ‘Special Inspector’ in Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha’s office. (story here). He was welcomed to the island with open arms and a barrage of supporters in September…
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Rawai residents battle floods after heavy rains
PHUKET: Rawai residents have gone into recovery mode after heavy rains in the area caused flooding yesterday afternoon. Inhabitants of the sea gypsy village in Moo 2 helped each other to transport their belongings to higher ground. “The water is about 20-50cm deep on the roads within a 100 meter radius. A number of vehicles were stranded and at least…
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Chinese tourist dies after photo attempt
KRABI: A Chinese tourist drowned on Tuesday after attempting to take underwater photos at a national park in Krabi. At about 4pm, Jampen Pormpakdee, chief of the Koh Hong protection zone at Than Bok Khorani National Park, and lifeguards recovered 31-year-old Wang Xitiang, administered CPR, and transferred her to Krabi Hospital. “I heard shouts for help and found Ms Xitiang…
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Phuket Governor transferred out just six months into the job
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Chokchai Dejamornthan has been transferred out after just six months on the job, with Norraphat Plodthong – previously Provincial Management Adviser at the Office of the Permanent Secretary of Interior – being named as his successor. As reported on the Phuket Gazette Facebook Page, last night, the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) yesterday afternoon issued…
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Laguna Phuket extends deadline on charity concert refund
PHUKET: Ticket holders for the Laguna Phuket ‘Big Body+ Charity Concert’ scheduled to be held on August 13, 2016 (story here) have been given an extended deadline to claim ticket refunds, until May 1, 2017. Laguna had previously announced, in September and December last year, that those who wished a full refund, or to contribute the amount toward donations to…
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Birthday-boy survives near-fatal Phuket crash
PHUKET: A local man celebrating his birthday was severely injured after his car collided with a construction barrier early this morning. Police received reports of the incident in front of the Great Glove factory on Si Sunthon road in Thalang at about 2am. “We arrived at the scene to find a badly damaged pick-up truck. The 37-year-old driver, Maysa Tongjub,…
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Officials to examine disputed Phuket elephant’s documents
PHUKET: Ao Nang Police yesterday visited a shelter in Phuket to sequester a disputed elephant currently housed there. Last month, Krabi resident Somsak Riangnguen claimed that the elephant (named ‘Yo’) was stolen from him 14 years ago (story here), whereas the shelter claims they purchased the animal from Tak Province. The shelter, named ‘Amazing Bukit Safari’, is located in Chalong.…
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Phuket celebrity temporarily avoids Military draft, encourages others instead
PHUKET: A Thai celebrity today made an appeal to avoid being drafted in the military this year. The appeal was made at a recruitment drive that is set to receive 3,000 young men for military service from the province. The two-day event started this morning. Tanon Chamroen, Phuket-born winner of popular TV show ‘The Voice Thailand‘, sought his first deferment…
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Swedish tourist dead at Phuket hotel after injury
PHUKET: A Swedish tourist succumbed to unidentified health issues in a Patong hotel room yesterday. “We arrived at the 4th floor room in the Patong Merlin hotel room to find the body of the 27-year-old woman on the bed. There were vomit stains on the bed and blanket,” said Lt Col Somsak Thongleang of Patong Police. According to the woman’s…
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Phuket bar fight ends in fatal stabbing, killer arrested
PHUKET: A man was stabbed to death by a fellow staff member at a Phuket Town bar early yesterday morning. “We found the body of Srichan Intaburi, 48 at a bar named Cowboy Pue Chiwit on Surin Road, with knife wounds to his chest and stomach. He was lying face up on the kitchen floor in a pool of blood,”…
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Ministry of Farang Affairs: The maid will never tell you
PHUKET: The Ministry of Farang Affairs is a one-stop shop where foreigners in Thailand can learn all they need to know about living here. No, we’re not talking about work permits, visas or taxes. We’re talking about day-to-day life in the Land of Endless Shocks and Riddles, of Blur, Befuddlement and the Bizarre. Stay tuned for weekly insights from Minister…
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Opinion: What’s next for Laem Singh Beach
PHUKET: The controversy at Laem Singh Beach is just the latest in a long history of beach access disputes in Phuket, but this case raises so many issues that it is difficult to know where to begin the discussion. Taking power almost three years ago, Gen Prayuth and cohorts correctly made Phuket one of their top priorities, imposing measures to…
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B5mn bust, two arrests help unravel drug network in Phuket
PHUKET: Two suspects from a major drug network were arrested yesterday with a kilo of ya ice (crystal methamphetamine) and nearly 8,000 pills of ya bah (methamphetamine) worth about 5 million baht. The first suspect, Sompan Meemuangnork, was apprehended at Phuket Bus Terminal 2. “We got a report from one of our sources about a big drug delivery from Bangkok…
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Decaying body found in Phuket
PHUKET: An unidentified rotting corpse has been found at Khao Rang this afternoon. Capt Udom Petcharat of Phuket City Police along with officers and rescue workers arrived at a forest pond in the area to find the body floating in the water. “Chinese people normally bury their ancestors’ bodies here. We can’t tell whether it is male or female due…
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Australian tourist, 49, dies in Phuket truck collision
PHUKET: Police have yet to press any charges in the death of a 49-year-old Australian tourist who was killed after his bike crashed into a cement truck near Tri Trang Beach last night. “We found the victim’s body partially stuck under the wheel of the truck and covered in blood. A Honda Click motorbike, helmet and phone were lying nearby,”…
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Russian expat arrested for property fraud in Phuket
PHUKET: The Immigration Police on Wednesday arrested a Russian expat wanted for property fraud in Phuket. The police team, led by Col Guntapat Phongsathabodee, arrested Matvey Shuvalov at his house in Cherng Talay. An arrest warrant for Mr Shuvalov was issued by Interpol in July last year for allegedly scamming Russian buyers out of US$248,000 for the purchase of 200…
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Chinese national and hilltribe man arrested for working illegally in Phuket
PHUKET: A Chinese national and a Chiang Rai hilltribe man were arrested at Chalong Temple yesterday for working illegally as photographers in Phuket. The suspects, Li Ming Xing, 25, and Awoi Jathor, 22, claimed they had been hired by an agent in China through a Phuket company named ‘Love Island Wedding Studio Co Ltd’. The arrest followed complaints that foreigners,…
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Emergency tsunami, fire drill held in Phuket
PHUKET: An earthquake and fire drill was organized in Phuket this morning. “At 10am, we simulated an 8.9 richter earthquake in Sumatra, Indonesia, which is 1,097 kilometers away from Phuket. We then waited for a tsunami warning from the National Disaster Warning Center,” said Phuket Vice Governor Sanith Sriwihok. All relevant officers were instructed to warn locals and be ready…
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