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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TAT bike tour of Old Phuket Town
PHUKET: The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) office in Phuket is inviting people to take part in an educational bike ride around Phuket Old Town on May 23. The four-hour ride, which starts at 7am, will be a cultural tour of the town with stops at historically important sites and explanations about the local way of life. The event is…
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Phuket jabs ‘Swine Flu’
Phuket NEWS Hound – A daily digest of news from around the world compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PHUKET: Around 700 service people in Phuket, comprising drivers of taxis, tuk tuks, motorbike taxis, and other vehicles for hire, along with their family members, were vaccinated against the A H1N1 virus earlier this week. The free inoculations were…
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Score one for Phuket football
PHUKET: Officials from the newly-formed Phuket Football Association (PFA) have committed themselves to develop football in the province following an AFC Vision Asia team’s assessment visit to initiate their Vision Thailand Project in Phuket. Football officials in Phuket have high hopes that the island will become the next haven for the Asian Football Confederation’s (AFC’s) Vision Asia program. The AFC,…
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Swedish tourist slashed in Phuket robbery
KARON, PHUKET: Police are hunting a bandit who slashed a young Swedish tourist’s wrist after she resisted his efforts to steal her bag. The victim, 22-year-old Emilia Therese Andersson, needed several stitches at Patong Hospital after the attack, which took place near the tsunami warning tower on the beach road. Miss Andersson told Lt Chachawan Phoonareumit of Chalong Police she…
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New EMS service launched in Phuket
PHUKET: Delivering pianos to Chiang Mai and letters to mom in New York got easier on April 30 when Thailand Post opened a new service center in Koh Kaew. ‘Phuket EMS World and Logispost’ is the only facility in the region dedicated to international deliveries and shipments of large items. EMS World and Logispost chief Narat Sangarkas said service standards…
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Backhoe saved from Phuket mire
RASSADA, PHUKET: A machine operator is crediting divine intervention for the safe recovery of his backhoe, which was successfully pulled from a saltwater mud flat after a 15-hour operation yesterday. Backhoe owner-operator Prasert Nakhaphan was contracted by Rassada Municipality to dredge a drainage ditch from a tin mining pond into Phuket Bay in Rassada Village 7. Access to the work…
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FCO softens travel advice
PHUKET: The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office is no longer advising against travel to Phuket after changing its travel advice for Thailand. A message on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s travel advice page for Thailand reads: “The overall level of the advice has changed; we no longer advise against all but essential travel to the whole country. We advise against…
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Reporter shot dead in Phuket
WICHIT, PHUKET: Police have launched a manhunt for a killer after a local reporter was found riddled with bullets in Phuket this morning. The bloodied body of Somchai Kuamsap, 37, was discovered by the side of Chao Fa East Road outside Seemum Market around 4am. Police found a slip in his wallet indicating Mr Somchai, a reporter at a local…
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Monsoon rains hit Phuket
PHUKET: Thunder and heavy rain across Phuket yesterday morning indicate that the monsoon season is settling in. Sorot Sawatdiraksa, a meteorologist with the Southern Meteorological Center at Phuket Airport, said the rains were the first heavy morning rains this year. “The rain is a sign of change. Before yesterday there were no morning rains, only hot-season evening rains related to…
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More taxis, minivans at Phuket Airport
MAI KHAO, PHUKET: While occupancy rates on the island continue to plummet, Airports of Thailand (AoT) has agreed to allow 60 more taxis and minivans to operate out of Phuket International Airport. A two-hour meeting was held at the airport today to work out a compromise between two rival concessionaires offering door-to-door limousine and minivan services from concession booths inside…
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123 dengue cases in Phuket
PHUKET: There are 123 confirmed cases of dengue fever in Phuket, public health workers have confirmed. Dr Narinrat Pitchayakamint of the Phuket Public Health Office said the number of cases is higher now than this time last year. According to Ministry of Public Health statistics, Phuket currently ranks 11th out of Thailand’s 76 provinces in terms of incidence of infection,…
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Beware “The Next Phuket”
Phuket NEWS Hound – A daily digest of news from around the world compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PHUKET: A lead story on major travel site CNN Go this morning says that Phuket is set to receive some stiff competition as a number of other destinations are being touted by developers and local governments as the “next-generation”…
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Young couple killed in Phuket horror smash
RASSADA, PHUKET: An 18-wheel truck reversing on the bypass road last night caused a car to hit a young couple’s motorbike at high speed, killing them both. Witthaya Kwianyon, 22, and his 18-year-old girlfriend Panatda Butrasan were killed instantly after their bike lost its balance and collided with the truck. The car, driven by 40-year-old Korean national Lee Joong Park,…
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Phuket tourism: tax threat adds to island’s woes
Phuket NEWS Hound – A daily digest of news from around the world compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PHUKET: The tourism industry in Thailand, most notably Phuket, is bracing itself for the negative impact of the UK government’s proposed further increase in Air Passenger Duty (APD), scheduled for November 2010. Travel Daily News reports that members of…
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Free ICT training in Phuket tomorrow
WICHIT, PHUKET: Software Park Phuket is holding free weekly activities for people interested in building the local ICT community and putting the latest, most effective computer technology to work on the island. The organizers are trying to bring together people who want to learn state-of-the-art techniques with sessions that range from explaining new technology to real-life experiences with computer systems…
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Ill winds for Phuket property? Watch China
PHUKET OPINION: Asian stocks were mixed yesterday due to investor concerns that Chinese moves to slow a soaring property market will undermine economic growth and recovery for the region, including Phuket. On Monday, China increased the deposit reserve requirement ratio for most banks for the third time this year, the latest in a series of measures aimed at cooling the…
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Dugong in decline off Phuket
PHUKET: The fishing industry continues to take its toll on Thailand’s highly endangered dugong population, with at least three deaths so far this year. Dugong researcher Karnchana Adulyanukosol of the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) said two dugong carcasses were recovered in waters off Trang in January and sent to the PMBC for autopsy. Both animals were likely killed by…
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Phuket fighting for Aussies
Phuket NEWS Hound – A daily digest of news from around the world compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PHUKET: Noting that new flights are one of the biggest drivers of competition between resort destinations, the Sydney Morning Herald reports this morning that Phuket and Fiji, which are receiving new services from Jetstar and V Australia, are offering…
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Last chance for peace?
PHUKET: Is the light at the end of the tunnel that of a train coming our way? The answer depends on how the red shirts, who have been tired, dispirited and discredited, respond today to Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva’s unexpected offer to hold a general election on November 14. Whether the 30-minute national address last night is a game-changing moment…
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Fino finito: arson in Phuket
KATHU, PHUKET: Police are investigating a fire in Phuket early Sunday morning that destroyed a roadside tour counter and a motorbike. Kathu Police Duty Officer Jongserm Preecha today confirmed reports of an arson attack at about 4:30am at the Krisda Travel Service counter on Soi Chaiwat, off Phra Barami Road at the north end of Patong. The fire was reported…
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FC Phuket to face Surat Thani
PHUKET: The FC Phuket Southern Sea Kirin picked up a point with a scoreless draw at Hatyai yesterday, but fell to second place after Trang FC beat Yala at home 1-0 to secure the top spot. Meanwhile, Surat Thani are just two points behind in third with a game in hand after beating Chumphon FC at home 3-2. The results…
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Thai airways in U-turn over Phuket?
Phuket NEWS Hound – A daily digest of news from around the world compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PHUKET: Phuket may benefit as THAI Airways ponders several measures to stem an alarming surge in ticket cancellations (10-20% in the last fortnight) and a plunge in new bookings triggered by Thailand’s escalating political turmoil. The Bangkok Post reports…
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Tsunami safety: Phuket not ready
PHUKET OPINION: The confusion following the 7.8 magnitude earthquake in northern Sumatra last month highlights the urgent need for better disaster preparedness at every level in Thailand, from the people at the National Disaster Warning Center (NDWC) right on down to local Phuket officials and hotel staff. The latest (April 7) false alarm was not the first. The public panic…
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Phuket tragedy ends in hope
Phuket NEWS Hound – A daily digest of news from around the world compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PHUKET: Noah Yelizarov, the 18-year-old who died in a freak accident in Phuket in October 2004, can rest in peace knowing that others will be spared his tragic fate. He was electrocuted when he inadvertently touched a live wire…
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Phuket red shirt leader speaks
PHUKET: About 40 Phuket residents remain part of the United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD) protest in Bangkok, now in its 51st day at the Rajprasong intersection in Bangkok. Speaking to the Gazette by mobile phone from the protest site this afternoon was Phuket red shirt leader Wisut ‘Ae Inside’ Tangwittayaporn, who has been part of the protest since…
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SUDDEN IMPACT: Phuket helmet law crackdown starts today
PHUKET: Phuket City Traffic Police have been ordered to take more serious action against motorcyclists riding without helmets by fining passengers as well as drivers. The order was issued by Phuket Police Commander Pekad Tantipong as part of a crackdown that starts today. In May and June, 50 officers will crack down more heavily on motorcycle drivers without helmets and…
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Fake gun, real crime in Phuket
PHUKET: Two young men carried out at least 10 muggings using a gun-shaped cigarette lighter before their arrest in Phuket on the morning of April 25, according to Phuket Police. Chaiyut ‘Daeng’ Sangthong and Umpon ‘Bao’ Meelert, both 21, were picked up by Phuket City Police officers after allegedly robbing a couple the night before. The suspects allegedly attacked Chitpon…
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Phuket to see fewer Singaporeans
Phuket NEWS Hound – A daily digest of news from around the world compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PHUKET: Holidaymakers from Singapore have been avoiding crisis-stricken Thailand, most notably Phuket which is only an hour and a half’s direct flight away from the Lion City. Outbound tour agencies in Singapore are reporting a decline of up to…
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Phuket throat slasher suspect arrested
PHUKET: A young man arrested in Phuket for the murder of Pirasak Pongchoo has confessed to slashing the man’s throat after enduring a month of sexual abuse. The badly decomposing body of the 43-year-old was found at his rented room on Wichit Songkram Road, Soi 1 on Monday. For the initial report click here. Surat Thani Police arrested Watcharin Srinin,…
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Swimming with sharks: Phuket debt reduction plan moves forward
PHUKET: The government is trying to help 2,000 heavily indebted Phuket residents escape the clutches of loan sharks as part of an ambitious nationwide program. The people selected owe between 50,000 and 200,000 baht each and were chosen from 4,000 island residents identified as being in debt to unofficial lenders. Their debts total at least 228 million baht. For our…
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