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.

  • Travel a la carte | Thaiger

    Travel a la carte

    PHUKET: When I first came to Thailand, I came to travel. I went north and south, south and east. Sadly, since I moved here permanently, I find myself lacking the time to explore this country, and if I manage to secure some time off, I travel abroad. Luckily, there is a way to travel even when short on time and…

  • Phuket double jeopardy: too much, too fast | Thaiger

    Phuket double jeopardy: too much, too fast

    Former Phuket Senator Tunyaratt Achariyachai, 59, represented Phuket in Thailand’s Upper House for six years. She graduated with a master’s degree in public administration from Manila University in the Philippines. Here, Ms Tunyaratt identifies her proudest achievements during her term as senator and what she still sees as the critical issues facing Phuket. PHUKET: When I was voted into office,…

  • Phuket Gazette World News: African exodus to Europe continues | Thaiger

    Phuket Gazette World News: African exodus to Europe continues

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Libya’s coastguard detains more than 400 immigrants en route to Europe Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Libya’s coastguard has detained more than 400 immigrants, mostly from the Horn of Africa, in its waters in the past two days as they tried to illegally cross to Europe…

  • Phuket rental shops send passport pictures to Bangkok via smartphone application | Thaiger

    Phuket rental shops send passport pictures to Bangkok via smartphone application

    PHUKET: Nearly one-third of rental shops in Patong have started to send photos of renters’ faces and passports to the Interpol branch in Bangkok via the messaging application Line in an effort to identify stolen passports and protect against passport theft on the island. The push for tighter security follows the news that two passports stolen in Phuket had been…

  • Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Yingluck ditches Prem; Suthep welcomed at Health Ministry; 9 killed in Songkran drive | Thaiger

    Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Yingluck ditches Prem; Suthep welcomed at Health Ministry; 9 killed in Songkran drive

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PM misses Prem meeting The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Caretaker Prime Minister and Defence Minister Yingluck Shinawatra was absent yesterday from a gathering to pay their respects to Privy Council President General Prem Tinsulanonda, leaving only commanders of the Armed Forces with him. Supreme Commander…

  • Financial distress prime suspect in Phuket man’s suicide plunge | Thaiger

    Financial distress prime suspect in Phuket man’s suicide plunge

    PHUKET: Police investigating the death of a man whose body was found in the carpark of a public housing estate in Rassada this morning have determined the man leapt to his demise. Officers were called to the Karn Keha estate near Soi Kingkaew at about 9am. “We found the body of Pongsak Pitchapan, 47, on the ground in front of…

  • Baby found abandoned in Phuket pickup | Thaiger

    Baby found abandoned in Phuket pickup

    PHUKET: Police are searching for the mother of a newborn baby boy found abandoned in the bed of a pickup truck in front of a luxury Phuket resort last night. The baby is healthy and is being cared for at Vachira Phuket Hospital, said Wichit Police Deputy Superintendent Jakkawat Boontaweekulsawat. Hotel staffer Anchalee Singsoon, 39, discovered the infant in the…

  • Another Phuket beach befouled by wastewater, again | Thaiger

    Another Phuket beach befouled by wastewater, again

    PHUKET: Dirty, smelly water is flowing across a Phuket beach again, not in the south this time, but in Bang Tao in the north, causing health and economic problems for local boat operators. The source of the problem, say the boatmen, is local hotels dumping untreated wastewater into the Bang Tao Canal, which spills it onto the beach and into…

  • Jagota sponsors three new international music and theater events in Phuket [video] | Thaiger

    Jagota sponsors three new international music and theater events in Phuket [video]

    PHUKET: Phuket’s burgeoning events scene received a boost this week with the announcement that leading food supplier Jagota Brothers has signed an agreement with Events International [EI], organizer and promoter of the Phuket Gazette’s series of “Headline Events”, to sponsor three upcoming musical and theatrical performances on the island. The agreement will see Jagota as the title sponsor for these…

  • Phuket Governor offers safe Songkran blessings | Thaiger

    Phuket Governor offers safe Songkran blessings

    PHUKET: Governor Maitri Inthusut hosted more than 300 people, including the island’s three vice governors, at his official residence in Phuket Town this morning for a traditional Songkran water blessing to start off the Thai New Year holiday. Vice Governor Sommai Prijasilpa led the first blessing of Governor Maitri. “Thank you for your support and for helping us develop our…

  • Phuket Police under fire: Chalong Police face cleanup under new station chief | Thaiger

    Phuket Police under fire: Chalong Police face cleanup under new station chief

    PHUKET: Officers of the Chalong Police have found themselves under tight scrutiny from their new chief, the recently reinstated superintendent Col Sirisak Wasasiri, following a blockade of the police station on Monday. All officers must now provide daily reports of their activities, inform Col Sirisak each time they leave the station on police work and provide the results of their…

  • Phuket governor lends muscle to lake-filling investigation | Thaiger

    Phuket governor lends muscle to lake-filling investigation

    PHUKET: Governor Maitri Inthusut yesterday lent the weight of his office to the investigation of a lake-filling project in Samkong with the aim of assisting Rassada Municipality to file a police complaint. The project, at Srisuchart Grandview housing estate, began as a municipality-ordered anti-erosion measure at the lake, but has become a noisy, dusty public nuisance and health threat, according…

  • Special Report: Flaws hinder Thailand’s human-trafficking crackdown | Thaiger

    Special Report: Flaws hinder Thailand’s human-trafficking crackdown

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Special Report: Flaws hinder Thailand’s human-trafficking crackdown Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: After a two-hour trek through swamp and jungle, Police Major General Thatchai Pitaneelaboot halts in a trash-strewn clearing near Thailand’s remote border with Malaysia. “This is it,” he says, surveying the remains of a…

  • Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Songkran ‘Seven Days’ begins; Police issue safety tips for South; Malaysian ATM skim gang at work | Thaiger

    Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Songkran ‘Seven Days’ begins; Police issue safety tips for South; Malaysian ATM skim gang at work

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Songkran holiday ‘Seven Dangerous Days’ safety campaign begins The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: With the festive Songkran mood in the air, organisations from various sectors have come together to make the upcoming holiday “safe and happy” for everyone. Caretaker Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra yesterday expressed…

  • Phuket Gazette World News: New pings stoke optimism for Malaysia plane hunt | Thaiger

    Phuket Gazette World News: New pings stoke optimism for Malaysia plane hunt

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community New pings stoke optimism for Malaysia plane hunt Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A new acoustic signal was detected in the hunt for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 on Thursday, further boosting confidence that officials are zeroing in on the missing plane after weeks of searching. The…

  • Phuket banker dies after car crashes into pond | Thaiger

    Phuket banker dies after car crashes into pond

    PHUKET: A Phuket banker died yesterday morning after he lost control of his car on the old airport road in Baan Nai Mon and flipped it into a small pond. A local farmer, who asked not to be named, said that residents were unable to save Phubadee Marasa, 26. Additionally, the first two rescue workers who arrived on the scene…

  • Wastewater could lead to shutdown of Karon hotels | Thaiger

    Wastewater could lead to shutdown of Karon hotels

    PHUKET: The president of the Karon Hotels Association agreed on Wednesday that hotels should be shut down for releasing untreated wastewater into the beach town’s canal. Angkana Tanetvisetkul voiced her support for drastic action at a public meeting led by Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut aimed at improving the wastewater and garbage problems in Karon. The meeting was held to address…

  • The new generation of F1 | Thaiger

    The new generation of F1

    PHUKET: Far from the boiling heart of Malaysia’s Kuala Lumpur, wrapped in the steamy green of endless palm oil plantations, lies another heart. It doesn’t beat all the time like the city, but when it does, it pounds hard and loud and forces adrenaline to course through the veins. Sepang International Circuit, found 13 kilometers from Kuala Lumpur International Airport…

  • Australian Govt warns Deep South extremists “may be targeting westerners’ | Thaiger

    Australian Govt warns Deep South extremists “may be targeting westerners’

    PHUKET: The Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade has upgraded its travel advisory, warning travellers that extremists in the Deep South provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat may be targeting westerners. The advisory also includes Songkhla province, home of the bustling southern city Haad Yai, in its warning (click here). “We strongly advise you not to travel at…

  • Phuket Gazette World News: Knife-wielding student wounds 22 in Pennsylvania school | Thaiger

    Phuket Gazette World News: Knife-wielding student wounds 22 in Pennsylvania school

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Knife-wielding student wounds 22 in Pennsylvania school Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A 16-year-old student wielding two knives went on a stabbing rampage in the hallways of a Pittsburgh-area high school on Wednesday, wounding 22 people before he was tackled by an assistant principal, officials said.…

  • Krabi resort fraud case goes nationwide, hundreds file complaints | Thaiger

    Krabi resort fraud case goes nationwide, hundreds file complaints

    PHUKET: At least 231 victims have stepped up to file police complaints against the Phu Pranang Resort in Krabi, across Phang Nga Bay from Phuket. The flood of complaints comes after 50 tourists were turned away by the resort earlier this month. The travellers bought low-cost package tours, but were left stranded after they were refused check-in by resort staff,…

  • Phuket Gazette World News: Indonesia election poll shows no easy PDI-P win, rise in Islamic party support | Thaiger

    Phuket Gazette World News: Indonesia election poll shows no easy PDI-P win, rise in Islamic party support

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Indonesia election shows no easy PDI-P win, rise in Islamic party support Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Indonesia’s likely next leader may have a bumpier-than-expected route to the presidential palace after early counting in Wednesday’s parliamentary vote suggested his party will have to cut a deal…

  • Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Yingluck calls for Lese Majeste probe; No Bangkok protests for Songkran; Romanians caught on credit card fraud | Thaiger

    Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Yingluck calls for Lese Majeste probe; No Bangkok protests for Songkran; Romanians caught on credit card fraud

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community CAPO warns govt officials against talking to PDRC The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The visit of anti-government protesters to three government offices has prompted the Centre for the Administration of Peace and Order (CAPO) to issue a warning to state officials and civil servants not…

  • PDRC allows Phuket Provincial Hall to re-open | Thaiger

    PDRC allows Phuket Provincial Hall to re-open

    PHUKET: Phuket Provincial Hall officially re-opened yesterday after being closed by anti-government protests for four and a half months. The opening followed an order from People’s Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) leader Suthep Thaugsuban. Mr Suthep called protest co-ordinators from every province to a meeting in Bangkok on Saturday, Phuket protest co-ordinator Amnuay Kumban explained to the Phuket Gazette today. “Mr…

  • Irishman among three arrested for drug dealing in Phuket | Thaiger

    Irishman among three arrested for drug dealing in Phuket

    PHUKET: Police made three more arrests last night, including that of an Irish national, in their continued effort to rid Patong of drug dealers. Officers arrested Irishman Jim Joseph Brady along with Parinya Sornloy and Sumalee Saenkhampa, all of whom were found in possession of either ya bah (methamphetamine) or ya ice (crystal methamphetamine), or both. “The first suspect arrested…

  • Phuket officials prepare for Songkran with alcohol-free play zones | Thaiger

    Phuket officials prepare for Songkran with alcohol-free play zones

    PHUKET: With Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut’s announcement today of designated water-play zones for this year’s Songkran celebrations, Phuket water-players may start making plans to party. The announcement made it clear that the sale, purchase and consumption of alcohol will be banned within the Phuket water play zones and there will be no exception for any famous area, including, of course,…

  • 10-year-old taken off life support after Phuket motorbike accident | Thaiger

    10-year-old taken off life support after Phuket motorbike accident

    PHUKET: The 10-year-old girl critically injured in a motorbike accident with her older sister last week died on Monday at Vachira Phuket Hospital after being taken off life support. “Rattanawadee Tukthin was taken off life support because her brain had been so severely damaged in the crash. Our medical team did their best to save her life, but she remained…

  • Phuket Gazette World News: Indonesian election underway for new parliament | Thaiger

    Phuket Gazette World News: Indonesian election underway for new parliament

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Indonesians vote for new parliament, stage set for presidential poll Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Indonesians began voting for a new parliament on Wednesday in an election likely to be dominated by the opposition Indonesian Democratic Party-Struggle (PDI-P), which it turn should give a further boost…

  • Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Yala bomb suspects on CCTV; Govt in legal fightback; Toxic landfill fire reignites; Storm slams Buri Ram | Thaiger

    Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Yala bomb suspects on CCTV; Govt in legal fightback; Toxic landfill fire reignites; Storm slams Buri Ram

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Police spot Yala bomb suspects on CCTV The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Police are on a hunt for a group suspected in bombing attacks that caused several casualties and massive damage in Yala last weekend. These suspects have been seen in images captured by closed-circuit…

  • Six dodge jail terms for Phuket beach land encroachment | Thaiger

    Six dodge jail terms for Phuket beach land encroachment

    PHUKET: Six people have received suspended jail sentences and immediate fines for building and operating small beachside shops on protected land at Nai Yang Beach, revealed the Chief Administrative Officer of Sakoo Tambon Administrative Organization (OrBorTor) today. Of the six, two are still operating their shops, three have had their shops demolished and one has closed shop, but the building…