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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Phuket police officer transferred after allegations of threats and bribes
PHUKET: An ex-Patong Police major is under investigation after Prime Minister Gen Prayuth Chan-o-Cha ordered his transfer to Phuket Provincial Police. Gen Prayuth told media in Bangkok on Tuesday that he had received a complaint regarding the officer from a local. Phuket Provincial Police Commander Teerapol Thipjaroen told the Phuket Gazette that Maj Thanturong Wuthiwong was the officer in question,…
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Chinese pilot in ICU after being hit by a car in Phuket
PHUKET: A Chinese national was seriously injured after he was hit by a car while trying to get away from soi dogs in the road in Thalang last night. “The accident occurred at about 7:40pm. We received a report of the crash near Mission Hills Phuket Golf Club Resort and Spa. We found the victim, Xing Chen, 27, lying on…
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Thousands pawn valuables to cover back-to-school costs in Phuket
PHUKET: The Phuket City Municipality Pawn Shop has kept 80 million baht in stock in anticipation of the start of the school term, during which time thousands of people come in to pledge their belongings in return for cash to meet everyday expenses. The municipality has also reduced the interest on loans to help the public. “We will propose keeping…
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Phuket reservoir dredged to prepare for dry season
PHUKET: Royal Thai Army officials on Tuesday visited a dredging site at Suan Luang reservoir, where a project to increase the water retention capacity in preparation for the dry season has been underway since December last year. The team was welcomed on site by Phuket City Mayor Somjai Suwansupana and other relevant officers. “This project has been implemented by the…
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Thanyapura, Sports Camp Australia to organize sporting programs in Phuket
PHUKET: The Thanyapura Health & Sports Resort has partnered with Sports Camp Australia (SCA) to organize interschool games and sporting programs. Nearly 20,000 parents, students, supporters and coaches from Australasia are expected to participate, generating more than 40,000 room nights for Phuket. Fifty per cent of the room nights will be spread out among other resorts in the area. “Thanyapura…
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Diving instructor, company to face charges
PHUKET: Officers from the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) yesterday filed a complaint at Chalong Police Station against a diving company and instructor for allowing tourists to step on coral at Koh Racha Yai. A social media user who calls himself ‘Seaman Freeman’ captured and uploaded pictures of dive company activities that included two Korean tourists and a…
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Two injured in four-vehicle Phuket crash
PHUKET: Two people were injured in a four-vehicle crash in Cherng Talay yesterday afternoon. Facebook user ‘Tan Promedic Phuket’ posted a 32-second video clip of the accident, which occurred at a traffic light near Laguna Phuket. The video shows a speeding van losing control, crossing over into the other lane and hitting a pick-up truck coming from the opposite side.…
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Social media uproar after United Airlines enforces ‘sexist’ rule
DENVER, USA: United Airlines found itself at the center of a social media storm after it barred two girls from boarding a flight in Denver yesterday because they were wearing leggings. A witness told reporters that another girl who was also wearing leggings was allowed to board the flight from Denver International Airport to Minneapolis, but only after she changed.…
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Body of fishing boat crew member brought to Phuket
PHUKET: The body of an Indonesian crew member working on a tuna fishing boat was finally brought to Phuket on Saturday, five days after the victim passed away on board. “The boat docked at the sea port in Wichit. Inside the cold storage room, we found the body of Ali Hariyadi, 45, covered by a piece of cloth,” said Lt…
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Gamblers arrested in undercover Phuket raid
PHUKET: Fifteen suspects were arrested with more than 45,000 baht in cash for gambling at a sleeping restaurant in Wichit yesterday. “The restaurant, named ‘Eat and Sleep’, is located in Soi Wirat Hongyok. The suspects were caught in the act while playing a popular local game called ‘gung-pla’ (shrimp-fish),” said Lt Col Patak Kwanna of Wichit Police. Undercover officers went…
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One dead after “police chase’ in Phuket
PHUKET: One man succumbed to his injuries after a Krathom-carrying duo’s ‘police chase’ went awry yesterday afternoon near the entrance to Rassada Pier. Lt Col Santi Prakhobpran of Phuket City Police received a report at about 2:20pm. “Witnesses told us that a pick-up truck was turning right when two motorcyclists attempted to pass across its front. They scratched past the…
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Teen biker killed at Phuket Bypass U-turn
PHUKET: Another teenaged motorcyclist has been killed on Phuket’s roads today, this time in a bloody crash with an airport taxi while in a U-turn on the Bypass Road. Maj Natthaya Suwannapong of Phuket City Police arrived with Kusoldharm Foundation rescue workers at the U-turn in front of the Ikea store. The taxi driver, Atiwara Samarnthong, 37, was waiting for…
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Opinion: Ensuring the success of coral restoration
PHUKET: The success of a coral reef restoration project off Mai Thon Island is encouraging, but also serves as a reminder of the need to protect coral from the huge array of threats it faces from man’s activities. These threats range from global-scale effects, such as global warming, all the way down to the most local phenomena, such as ignorant…
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Banyan Tree Group bags seven accolades
PHUKET: The Banyan Tree group clinched seven awards at the recent Travel & Leisure ‘China Annual Travel Awards 2016’, adding to a growing list of accolades for the Banyan Tree brand. The luxury lifestyle magazine named Banyan Tree Phuket as the winner in the ‘Best Spa Resorts’ category, while also recognizing Laguna Golf Phuket as one of 2016’s top ten…
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Phuket shelter elephant causes ownership dispute
PHUKET: A Krabi man has filed a complaint at the Damrongdhama Center after an elephant he claims was stolen from him 14 years ago turned up with a new owner in Phuket. Somsak Riangnguen, 35, said he bought the elephant (named ‘Yo’) and registered him in Surin Province in 2001. “In 2003, I took Yo to work in Krabi, where…
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Couple die by electrocution at Phuket resort
PHUKET: A Myanmar couple died by electrocution while working at a Rawai resort last night. “The resort is located on Soi Sermsook, Moo 4. We found the body of Min Thaik Non, 29, lying face up on the ground near the bathroom door. We also found a woman’s body lying face down inside the bathroom. She was named by police…
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Phuket locals protest closure of access to Laem Singh Beach
PHUKET: Officials from the Ministry of Justice visited Laem Singh Beach this morning to follow up on a long-standing land dispute between the public, particularly local Thai people and thousands of foreign tourists, and an organization called ‘Bangkok Broadcasting & Television Co Ltd (BB&T)’. The company, which airs Thai national television Channel 7, has announced that starting April 17, they…
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Australian sentenced for girlfriend’s jet-ski death in Phuket
PHUKET: An Australian man, whose partner was killed in a tragic jet-ski accident in Phuket last month, is free to return home after his trial ended earlier today. Thomas Keating, 22, and Emily Jayne Collie, 20, came to Phuket for a holiday and had rented jet-skis to ride from Karon Beach to Kata Beach. They collided with one another, causing…
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Phuket Roads: Two more critically injured in five-vehicle crash
PHUKET: Two people were seriously injured after a speeding truck driver lost control and hit two parked vehicles, two motorbikes and a restaurant in Thalang again last night. “The accident occurred in the southbound lanes of Thepkrasattri Road in front of the Makamdeekwai restaurant. According to witnesses, an Isuzu pick-up, driven by Amorn Det-Aran, 29, was making a U-turn at…
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Large vessels banned from fishing during spawning season
PHUKET: Large fishing vessels will be banned from working in the southern Andaman Sea during the spawning season, from April 1 to June 30, the Fisheries Department announced yesterday. About 4,696 square kilometers of fishing space will be closed off in Phuket, Phang Nga, Krabi and Trang. “According to our research, most marine life in the Andaman breeds between April…
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Korean tourists and dive instructor ‘hunted’ for damaging coral off Phuket
PHUKET: A concerned diver captured pictures of Korean tourists and their Thai dive instructor stepping on coral while diving at Koh Racha Yai yesterday. The diver then shared the snaps with other divers and officials in the hopes of bringing the offenders to justice. A social media user who calls himself ‘Seaman Freeman’ shared the pictures of ‘Try Dive’ activities…
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Angsana to hold candlelight dinner for Earth Hour
PHUKET: The Bodega & Grill steakhouse at Angsana Laguna Phuket is holding a candlelight dinner to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the international energy-saving event ‘Earth Hour’ this Saturday. The event is being held in line with Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts’ ‘Stay For Good’ philosophy “to build a better society by embracing the environment and empowering people”. The a…
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Defunct Phuket travel company sold out at auction
PHUKET: The Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO) has sold all of Tranlee Travel Co’s assets, 151 items in all, after four auctions yielded total revenue of only 204 million baht (approx US$6 million). The last auction was held yesterday at Phuket City Municipality (story here), where the company’s last 15 buses were sold off. Pawornan Thamanyatanan of the AMLO led the…
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Canadian tourist found dead in Phuket
PHUKET: A 49-year-old Canadian tourist was found dead in a condo in Kathu this morning. He is believed to have been dead for at least two days before his body was discovered. Police received a report of the incident at about 11am from ‘Plus Condo 1’. “We noticed a peculiar smell outside his room, which was on the 6th floor.…
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Opinion: False killer whales come to Phuket
PHUKET: The sighting of false killer whales by a group of lucky marine tourists in Phuket last week should serve as a reminder that despite mankind’s demonstrated ability to shape our environment, there is still a lot going on around us that we understand poorly – or not at all. The ‘aliens among us’ theme has served as a fertile…
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Wanted: Phuket gold thief robs two jewelry stores
PHUKET: Police are hunting for a suspect who stole gold from at least two jewelry stores in Wichit and Phuket Town last week. The woman’s face was captured by CCTV cameras at both stores. She is believed to be about 30 years old and 150cm tall. The footage was shared on various social media forums, including LINE groups, warning other…
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Troops of monkeys go swimming during heatwave
KRABI: At least a hundred monkeys climbed down a hill to cool off in a pool of water at Wat Tham Sue in Krabi yesterday. Krabi has not seen rain for about two months and this particular area has experienced a severe rise in temperature. “The monkeys climbed down into the pool, close to where tourists had come down for…
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Live coral planted at artificial reef off Phuket
PHUKET: More than 250 pieces of live natural coral (coralline algae) were added to an artificial coral reef in Koh Mai Thon by the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) this past weekend. The event was chaired by Kasem Sukwaree, chief of the Phuket office of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE). More than 150 people attended…
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Business Buzz: Establish your online presence from scratch
PHUKET: Many people have asked me how to get started with an online presence, so I have put together a quick overview assuming I was starting from scratch (but knowing what I do now). Facebook Page The very first thing you could do is start a Facebook fan page. This can easily be set up without any skill, cost or…
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Two-headed Krabi calf hailed lucky
KRABI: A two-headed calf born in Krabi yesterday has risen to fame after the owner said the animal brought her luck while in the womb, reports Sanook.com. The conjoined twins were stillborn with two heads, six legs and two tails at the house of Ms Samrong, 47, who resides in Klong Thom district in Krabi. Ms Samrong said that she…
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