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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Koh Lanta villagers cash in on seasonal shellfish
KOH LANTA: Enterprising villagers on Koh Lanta are earning up to 3,000 baht a week getting their hands dirty collecting shellfish. The coastal village entrepreneurs are making ends meet by digging in the wet sand at nearby beaches for ‘tapao’ shells – a type of edible clam-like mollusk that appears in the area at the end of the monsoon season…
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Divers sought for Phuket seahorse release
PHUKET: Phuket Aquarium is recruiting 20 volunteer divers to help release 989 seahorses into the Andaman Sea on December 5. The release of the aquarium-bred thorny seahorses, aged three months to one year old, is in dedication to His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej. The aquarium is based at the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources’ Andaman Marine and Coastal Resources…
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Phuket pensioner busted with illegal concoctions
PHUKET: A 74 year-old woman was arrested Sunday for ‘looking after’ more than 58 kilograms of kratom leaves and 45 bottles of cough syrup used to make concoctions of illegal sedatives. Acting on a tip-off, military officers led by the 41st Military Circle’s Major Sathit Naikoon arrested the pensioner at 10am yesterday at a house in Soi 6 of the…
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Worker camp head orders hit, charged with murder
PHUKET: A Myanmar worker suspected of killing a colleague was apprehended within an hour by police Sunday night at a workers camp in Kamala. Lt Col Somnuek Damkaew of Kamala Police arrived at the scene after he received reports of the incident at about 11:50pm. The head of the workers, named as ‘Kyaw Sein Win @ Bun’, had reportedly had…
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Russian man stopped at airport with protected sea shells
KRABI: National park officials in Krabi last Thursday decided to educate locals and tourists in that province on animal preservation after they caught a Bangkok-bound Russian tourist with a giant clam and a conch at the airport. The chief of the Krabi office of the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources, Wittaya Khunsan, said it was useless to arrest the…
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Phuket man denies involvement in Thalang riot
PHUKET: A Phuket man has twice denied involvement in a riot last October in Thalang, during which the district’s police station was firebombed. The first denial came in September this year, after police finally hauled him in and charged him with various offenses related to the riot. The riot flared up on October 10 last year after two suspected drug…
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Germany’s Michael Raeleart wins Laguna Phuket Triathlon
PHUKET: German athlete Michael Raelert finished first at the 23rd annual Laguna Phuket Triathlon yesterday, completing the 1.8km swim, 50km bike race and 12km run in 2 hours, 19 minutes and 13 seconds – beating his own record by 11 minutes, which he set when he won the contest last year. In second and third places in the men’s category…
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Ministry of Farang Affairs: Waiter won’t tell the cook
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 Stephff.…
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Military removes stalls at Naithon Beach
PHUKET: Military officers removed 29 roadside vendors at Naithon Beach yesterday morning, demolishing makeshift stalls set up among trees lining the beachfront. About 50 Thalang and Sakoo district officers along with national park officers, civil defense volunteers and Navy personnel assembled at the beach at 10am and spent two hours assisting vendors taking down the snack stalls and massage beds…
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Opinion: No cellphones while re-fuelling
PHUKET: The Phuket Gazette wishes the Department of Energy Business (DoEB) the best of luck in its bid to get all motorists to put away their mobile phones while filling up at gas stations – it will certainly be difficult. In May this year, officials of the DoEB confirmed that service station personnel would play a key role in ensuring…
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Waterways lit with thousands of lanterns for Loy Krathong
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Chokchai Dejamornthan and all three vice governors arrived at Saphan Hin as honored guests to join the Loy Krathong festival on Monday. The event was organized by Phuket Municipality and led by Phuket City Mayor Somjai Suwansupana. Loy Krathong, the ‘Festival of Light’, is one of Thailand’s most significant holidays. The annual festival takes place on the…
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Thousands gather at Laem Promthep to honor HM
PHUKET: More than 20,000 people are estimated to have taken part in the historic candle-lit ceremony atop Promthep Cape last Saturday to commemorate the 30th day of national mourning since the passing of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej on October 13. At 6pm, Phuket Governor Chokchai Dejamornthan and local dignitaries led the public in singing the Royal Anthem alongside the…
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Public warned of jellyfish dangers in Krabi
KRABI: National park officials yesterday installed warning signs on Koh Hong to educate and warn locals and tourists about jellyfish ahead of the high season. “The signs are in Thai and English, one featuring pictures of jellyfish to help identify which ones are venomous and which not. The other explains what to do if stung by a jellyfish,” said Jampen…
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Truck blocks coastal road between Surin and Kamala
PHUKET: An articulated truck has jack-knifed on the hilly road between Surin and Kamala beaches, near Laem Singh, blocking traffic in both directions. Police are working to remove the truck but are warning motorists to steer clear of the route if possible. No injuries have been reported. — Winai Sarot
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Phuket’s premium pineapples sold out in an hour
PHUKET: A hundred Phuket-grown premium pineapples priced at 1,543 baht each were pre-booked for sale within an hour last week. The pineapples will be ready for harvest in February next year and sold at the Phuket Pineapple Festival 2017, Phuket Governor Chokchai Dejamornthan announced at a press conference at Tu Kab Khao restaurant in Phuket Town. “As we all know,…
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First direct Frankfurt-Phuket flight arrives
PHUKET: The first Thai Airways direct flight from Frankfurt to Phuket arrived at Phuket International Airport this afternoon. Airport Director Monrudee Gettuphan and Tourism Authority of Thailand Governor Yuthasak Supasorn greeted the passengers after they disembarked from TG 926 following its arrival at 1.30pm. The new Frankfurt-Phuket route comprises three flights a week – Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays – on…
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German found dead in Kamala hotel room
PHUKET: Police are investigating the death of a German man whose body was found Monday afternoon in a Kamala hotel room, where police also found almost a dozen empty packets of the sedative Quetiapine. Kamala Police responded to a call from staff at Kamala Beach Resort – A Sunprime Resort about 2pm to find the body of German national Mr…
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Illegal Indian meat seized in Phuket
PHUKET: Over a tonne of illegally imported meat from India was seized in Rassada yesterday. A joint task force comprising about 30 officers from the Animal Quarantine Station 8 (AQS) and Army 41 was led by the Head of Animal Quarantine Station, Pornchai Inkhamdee, to raid two locations in the area. The 1,342 kilograms of what officials believe to be…
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Luck runs out for Phuket’s lottery vendors
PHUKET: Over a dozen people suspected of selling overpriced lottery tickets were arrested all over Phuket yesterday. Col Akkanit Danpitaksat of the Phuket Provincial Police led the investigation team, which arrested 17 vendors alleged to be selling lottery tickets for a higher price than they are worth. “We patrolled 21 venues that locals had complained about, “said Col Akkanit. “They…
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New testimonials add twist to fatal shooting case
PHUKET: Police yesterday arrested and charged two men suspected of killing a police officer’s son near the British International School in Koh Kaew on Sunday night. The manhunt began after Thanapol Choosawat was shot dead by unknown assailants, allegedly over a debt of 500 baht (approx USD 14.00) (story here). The two suspects, named by police as Padermchai Chaichana, 35,…
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International passengers must pay new B15 surcharge per flight
THAILAND: Air passengers travelling in and out of Thailand now have to pay a “surcharge” of 15 baht per person per flight. Following ongoing investigations and criticism by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) of deficiencies in Thailand’s flight safety standards, the funds raised from the charge will be be used primarily to address those ills. However, the move has…
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Unidentified rotting body found floating off Rassada Pier
PHUKET: The rotting body of an unidentified man was found floating at the Rassada Pier yesterday morning. Lt Surachat Thongyai of Phuket City Police received reports from near the Fish Marketing Organization at about 7:10am. “The body was faceless and could not be identified as only the skull remained. There was a tattoo on the left side of his neck.…
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Police officer’s son shot dead, suspect on the run
PHUKET: The hunt is on for a man who shot dead the son of a Patong Police officer near the British International School (BISP) in Koh Kaew last night. Maj Nattaya Suwanpong of Phuket City Police received reports of the incident at 7:30pm. “The victim, Thanapol Choosawat, 21, had already been taken to Mission Hospital and pronounced dead by the…
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Promthep Cape lights up in memory of His Majesty
PHUKET: More than 20,000 people are estimated to have taken part in the historic candle-lit ceremony atop Promthep Cape on Saturday evening to commemorate the 30th day of national mourning since the passing of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, which was announced on October 13. At 6pm, Phuket Governor Chokchai Dejamornthan and local dignitaries led the public in singing the…
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Gas station altercation suspect charged and fined
PHUKET: The driver who assaulted a gas station employee in Tah Chat Chai on Thursday was charged for the altercation yesterday afternoon. Pariwat Polsamak, 29, appeared on CCTV footage that went viral on Facebook. The video showed him kicking Usaman Satapor, 31, to the ground at a Shell gas station and driving off (story here). Both men were called in…
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Opinion: Working as a female government official in Phuket
PHUKET: Phuket Vice Governor Siwaporn Chuasawad is originally from Bangkok, but her family moved to Samut Prakan in an official capacity, as her father worked for the Royal Thai Navy. She assumed her current post on October 10, together with two other vice governors. Her husband has recently been appointed as Deputy Director of the Phuket Land Department. V/Gov Siwaporn…
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Man crushed to death at Phuket graveyard
PHUKET: A Thai man was crushed to death at a Phuket graveyard this morning. Lt Kwansirinath Thairat of Wichit Police arrived at the scene with a doctor from Phuket International Hospital and Kusoldharm Foundation rescue workers, after passersby saw him lying there and notified authorities about 8am. He is believed to have been dead for at least 30 minutes when…
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Phuket entrepreneurs join hands to boost investment
PHUKET: Two dozen private entrepreneurs have come together to form a new company aimed at boosting investment and promoting seamless business operations in Phuket. Named Phuket City Development Co Ltd (PKCD), the new conglomerate aims to develop the province into a functional and successful ‘Smart City’ under three ‘core values’: innovation; green infrastructure; and green mobility for sustainable development. PKCD…
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Ministry of Farang Affairs: Not a gogo bar girl
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 Stephff.…
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Opinion: The environmental cost of development
PHUKET: Reports that the newly-formed Phuket City Development Company plans long-term investment in the province as a future ‘smart city’ and regional hub for so-called ‘MICE’ tourism is potential good news for the island. The Phuket Gazette hopes that in addition to the group’s business goals, sustainability and environmental conservation will be included while planning its objectives. The list of…
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