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.
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Bank security boost; Floods unabated; Granny kratom grower gets 3 years in jail
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Banks to up security in wake of robberies The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The Royal Thai Police has held a meeting with 16 banks and six security-truck firms to discuss the recent spate of bank, gold-shop and convenience-store robberies (story here), deputy police spokesman Thana…
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Enraged villagers protest over-sized truck nuisance, get results
PHUKET: Villagers on Soi Han Farang finally lost their patience with the constant stream of over-sized trucks rumbling past their homes and held a protest yesterday afternoon to demand an end to what they view as a serious nuisance and health hazard. The road is used many times a day by trucks bringing soil and construction materials to about half-a-dozen…
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Patong Mayor Pian suspended
PHUKET: Patong Mayor Pian Keesin was suspended from office by the Administrative Court Region 8 in Phuket Town yesterday over a vote fraud complaint filed against him by the Election Commission in Bangkok. “We received the court order yesterday instructing Mayor Pian to cease all activities in his capacity as Mayor of Patong,” confirmed an official at Mayor Pian’s office.…
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Phuket sex show raids not coming – yet
PHUKET: The chief of police in Phuket’s premier party town of Patong has confirmed that he has yet to receive any order to launch a crackdown on lewd shows on Soi Bangla. “As soon as we receive such an order, we are willing to do whatever the order demands,” Patong Police Superintendent Chiraphat Pochanaphan told the Phuket Gazette this morning.…
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Similian National Park to protect swimmers from speedboats
PHUKET: The Similan National Park chief vowed to establish zones to protect swimmers from speedboats* as the park prepares for opening day on November 1.The swimmers will be separated from speedboats by buoys.“This will prevent swimmers and snorkellers from being hit by speeboats. We want to ensure that all visitors feel safe, and can fully enjoy their visit to the…
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Phuket officials inspect suspected land encroachment behind Boat Lagoon
PHUKET: A sortie of officials yesterday inspected the site of alleged land encroachment along the banks of the canal that provides access to Boat Lagoon Marina in Koh Kaew.The team of about 20 officers led by Phuket Vice Governor Somkiet Sangkaosuttirak arrived at the site in response to an anonymous complaint received by the Damrongtham Center (Ombudsman’s Office) on July…
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No rest for the weary: Man comes home from work, is busted for drugs
PHUKET: A Myanmar native returned home from work on Tuesday only to be arrested for drugs by Phuket Police officers who were lying in wait at his house. Police raided a camp in Chalong after receiving a tip-off that workers at the camp were selling kratom leaves. The workers living in the four houses at the camp fled when they…
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Video Report: Driver trapped in car for 30 minutes after crash
PHUKET: A pickup truck collided with a car on Thepkrasattri Road last night, trapping the driver of the car in her badly mangled vehicle for more than 30 minutes.The pickup truck driver, Rapeeporn Chonlasi, told police that while heading north, she lost control of her vehicle on a curve and crossed the median trip into southbound traffic. When police arrived…
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NFL Week Two summary: Texans, Dolphins impress
PHUKET: After nine long months of hype and waiting, Phuket fans of American Football can once again indulge themselves in the National Football League, heading into a third week of play this weekend. There are too many games and story lines to cover comprehensively, so we’ll just look at some of the trends that have emerged from the first two…
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Phuket Gazette World News: No more Greece bailouts; 7.0 quake strikes Peru; Allies probe Kenya mall attack; Hacker mercenaries in Asia
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Peru to rescue copper miners after 7.0 quake Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Authorities in Peru rushed to rescue miners reportedly trapped in copper pits on Wednesday after an earthquake shook the coast – causing landslides, injuries and possibly deaths in rural provinces, local officials said.Officials in the…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Bangkok floods not critical, says BMA; Dam report scrapped; Constitutional Court accepts complaints; Students split on sexy uniforms
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community No major flooding in capital: BMA The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Despite heavy downpours over the past two weeks, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) still believes the capital should escape floods this rainy season. “Run-offs and rain will not coincide with high tides this year,” an official…
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Phuket Police arrest US drugs fugitive
PHUKET: Officers led by Lt Gen Preawphan Damapong, the assistant police commissioner in charge of national drug suppression, this afternoon moved in and arrested American Joseph Manuel Hunter, 48, at his rented home in Kathu. The squad of officers from Phuket Immigration and the Crime Suppression Division in Bangkok arrived at the home, located near the Loch Palm Golf Course,…
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Man gunned down over business negotiation, not love-triangle
PHUKET: The victim of Sunday’s shooting drama in Patong has changed his story about the cause of the attack. When interviewed by the police while recovering from a gunshot wound in his left shoulder, Worrawut Thaweeapideeserm said he was shot because he was suspected of being the third member of a love triangle (story here). But yesterday, the 24-year-old told…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Shopping mall siege leaves at least 67 dead; American jailed for 10 years in Bahrain; Mexican storm death toll 130
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Kenyan mall siege over but death toll unclear Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: As Kenya began three days of mourning on Wednesday for at least 67 people killed in the siege of a Nairobi mall, it was unclear how many more hostages may have died with the Somali…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: PM defends her performance; China wants Asean rail-link; BRN demands; Girl swept away in floods; 3 heists
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PM defends performance in ‘challenging’ first year The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra finally delivered her administration’s first-year performance declaration to Parliament yesterday, stressing that the period was filled with challenges and problems on many fronts, ranging from politics, society and natural…
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Phuket’s tourist (only) court officially opens
PHUKET: Phuket’s highly anticipated tourist court, the Tourist Protection Section of Phuket Provincial Court, will only serve those visiting the country on a tourist visa, says Phuket Court Chief Judge Parinya Chaowalittawin. The opening ceremony yesterday, chaired by President of the Supreme Court Pairoj Wayuparb, was held at Phuket Provincial Court. The opening makes the court the second tourist court…
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Five-month-old fetus found floating in Phuket Town canal
PHUKET: The body of a fetus thought to be about five months old was found floating in Phuket Town’s Bang Yai canal yesterday.“When we arrived, we found a lot of onlookers trying to get a glimpse of the male fetus in the canal,” said Rattaket Munmuang of the Phuket City Police.Police questioned people in the neighborhood, but nobody was able…
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Millennia-old cave art, earthenware discovered in Krabi
PHUKET: Ancient drawings and earthenware estimated to be between 2,000 and 3,000 years old have been discovered in Krabi’s Ao Luek district. Local villagers came across the archaeological site while looking for guano to fertilize their crops. On discovery, the villagers notified the Krabi Environmental and Cultural Preservation Committee of their thrilling find. Members of the committee visited the location,…
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Patong water-quality test results in – some of them
PHUKET: Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) yesterday released the test results for only two out of four water-quality test points along Phuket’s famous beach, Patong. Test results were released for two sites in the tourist-dense midsection of the beach, away from the mouths of the two canals that discharge water into the bay. The testing of Patong Bay water came…
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Stiff penalties for Phuket slow loris touts in wake of Rihanna Instagram
PHUKET: The changing faces of touts in Phuket exploiting the slow loris – a vulnerable and protected species – is a sign that the penalty for the crime is stiff enough, said Patong Police Deputy Superintendent Pratuang Polmana. Police action and determination to re-apply pressure to the issue of animal touts in Phuket follows global celebrity Rihanna posting photos on…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Hostages freed in Kenyan mall seige; Merkel looks to rivals; Greek rapper killing puts heat on police
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Kenya says all hostages freed in al Shabaab mall siege Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Kenya said its security forces had taken control of the Nairobi shopping mall where Islamist fighters killed at least 62 people, and that police were doing a final sweep of shops early Tuesday…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Flood under control, media blamed for ‘panic’
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Floods ‘under control’ The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: While industrial estates and households along waterways are bracing for heavy water runoff, the authorities have soothed public fears, saying the situation will not be as bad as in 2011. “The situation, so far, is not as…
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Phuket Viral: Rihanna sex show tweets put ball in police court
PHUKET: Officials were lambasted today after Rihanna tweets about Phuket sex shows went viral. From Twitter account @rihanna, Rihanna expressed her surprise over a Patong showgirl’s abilities. The tweets have been re-tweeted more than 1,000 times, reported The Nation. The Rihanna tweets stated: “Either I was phuck wasted lastnight, or I saw a Thai woman pull a live bird,2 turtles,razors,shoot…
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Phuket 7-Eleven teenage shooter claims self-defense
PHUKET: Two teenagers charged yesterday with shooting dead an 18-year-old man outside of a 7-Eleven in Rawai claimed that the gun was fired out of self-defense. Korrawit Sriboonma, a waiter at the popular Sala Loi seafood restaurant on the Rawai beachfront, was gunned down with a homemade gun on the corner of Soi Laem Ka Yai at about 4am on…
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Video Report: Phuket rescue worker shoots man over love triangle
PHUKET: A 24-year-old man was shot in Patong over a love-triangle dispute yesterday afternoon. The victim, Worrawut Thaweeapideeserm, was rushed to Patong Hospital with a bullet wound to his shoulder.“After initial treatment, he was transferred to Vachira Phuket Hospital to have the bullet removed,” said Pattapee Srichay of the Patong Police.Police named the shooter as Wanchit Sornsaree, also known as…
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Helmetless sidecar driver dies after big bike wipeout
PHUKET: A helmetless driver of a motorbike with sidecar died after a high-speed collision with a big bike travelling at high speed in Thalang on Saturday evening. Tah Chat Chai Police arrived at the u-turn south of Kor En curve, notoriously nicknamed by locals as “Death Curve”, on Thepkrasattri Road (map here) just after 5:30pm. In the middle of the…
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Leading candidate as Phuket’s new top cop “open to all’
PHUKET: The man being tipped to become the next top cop in Phuket, Maj Gen Ong-art Phiewruangnont, is a “country person” open to listening to everyone. “Anyone who has a problem is welcome to come and talk to me. I will help you all,” he told the Phuket Gazette. However, Gen Ong-art would neither confirm nor deny that he has…
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Chinese tourists and guide injured in speedboat collision
PHUKET: Four Chinese tourists and their Thai guide were injured yesterday afternoon when two speedboats collided in Phang Nga Bay off Khai Nok island. Witnesses from both boats told police that as the speedboat Nontasak, carrying 31 Chinese tourists, approached the beach at Koh Khai Nok, it was struck by another boat, Sasiyanon.The five people injured in the accident were…
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Phuket FC in scoreless stalemate with Trat’s White Elephants
PHUKET: Some 1,653 fans who turned out for the Islanders’ Yamaha League One (YL1) match against Trat FC match on Saturday evening in Phuket Town, were given little to cheer about, the match ending in a 0-0 stalemate. Indeed, the crowd, representing Phuket FC’s poorest turn-out all season, found more entertainment in the pre-game cheerleader show, as well as the…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Nairobi shopping mall seige leaves 68 dead, may trigger tighter security at malls worldwide
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Nairobi shopping mall seige leaves 68 dead, may trigger tighter security at malls worldwide Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: The deadly attack on a high-end Nairobi shopping mall on Saturday put the safety of malls around the world into the spotlight and could trigger moves to improve security…
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