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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BIS youth soccer camp open to all
PHUKET: Time is running out to register for the 3rd BISP Football Camp, to be held on February 16-18. The deadline for entries is February 10. The camp offers boys and girls aged 10 to 18 specialized football training by BISP Cruzeiro Football Academy Head Coach Jonathas Candido and Strength & Conditioning Head Coach Christopher Gaffney. “Our focus is to…
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Tourists witness enraged man beating van driver
PHUKET: Two Phuket tourists were whisked away from a violent confrontation after their van driver was threatened at gunpoint and beaten by a road-enraged driver in Thalang. A man, who police declined to name, cut off the tourist van off on Monday, demanding that the driver get out of the vehicle to account for his driving. Van driver Thatchai Saisa-ard,…
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Phuket beachfront estate faces court probe, trial
PHUKET: An inspection team yesterday investigated the site of an upscale estate by the Eva Group in Rawai ahead of a trial to be held “as soon as possible”. The inspection was led by Tawatchai Sontiwanit, chief judge of the recently formed environmental division of the regional Administrative Court responsible for Phuket. Nitisak Chobdamrongtham of the Architect Council of Thailand…
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Red shirt’s rights to be protected over fake palace statement probe, says Army
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Suspect’s rights ‘to be protected’ The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Kris Buddeechin, the man suspected of disseminating a fake palace statement on a social networking site, is being held without charge under martial law but junta spokesperson Colonel Winthai Suvari has said Kris’ rights would…
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England get revenge with 21-16 victory in Cardiff
PHUKET: England extinguished early Welsh fire with clinical finishing, a brutal display of forward power and a dominant second half show to secure a 21-16 victory in an absorbing Six Nations Championship opener on Friday. Striking the first blow in World Cup year, England held the hosts scoreless in the second half to quieten a noisy Millennium Stadium crowd and…
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Top cop downplays rumor of bombers hiding in Phuket
PHUKET: The island’s top-ranking policeman has downplayed rumors that the men wanted for detonating two pipe bombs outside the Siam Paragon shopping mall in Bangkok last Sunday are hiding in Phuket. “Please keep calm, do not panic and do not trust rumors. We have yet to see any evidence that the suspects are here,” Maj Gen Patchara Boonyasit told the…
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Rugby Six Nations: England to face Welsh dragon’s fire
PHUKET: England must “smash everything in red”, maintain cool heads and silence a raucous Millennium Stadium crowd when they meet Wales in their Six Nations championship opener in Cardiff on Friday (kickoff 3:05am Saturday, Phuket time), England World Cup winner Neil Back said. Stuart Lancaster’s side suffered a humiliating 30-3 defeat on their last visit to the Welsh capital in…
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Hunt on for Bangkok bomber ‘Dragon’
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Hunt on for Bangkok bomber ‘Dragon’ The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: One of the two men suspected of planting and detonating two pipe bombs near Siam Paragon shopping mall in Bangkok last Sunday has been identified by his alias “Dragon” and he is reportedly based…
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Phuket Police nab serial burglars in Thalang
PHUKET: Two Phuket burglars thought to have been involved in a series of recent robberies of homes in Thalang have been arrested, police announced today. The master thief, 26-year-old Saroj Seubsot, and his accomplice Prasert Thothip, 20, were detained after police discovered a large number of items at Mr Saroj’s house that were linked to the robberies. “Mr Saroj confessed…
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Teen drug runner busted with B100k in meth
PHUKET: A 17-year-old was busted with more than 100,000 baht worth of ya ice (crystal methamphetamine) by Phuket City Police early this morning. The minor, who police named only as Mr Nuom, was found in possession of 200 grams of ya ice hidden inside a facial cleanser box, and ready for delivery to customers at Goodnight Resort, said Lt Col…
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Opinion: Taking surf safety seriously
PHUKET: Kudos to Phuket Tourist Police volunteer Simon Luttrell for providing lifeguards with multi-language warning cards to help keep foreign tourists out of the surf in dangerous conditions. His generous action, though, raises the question of why local authorities and tourism agencies did not take similar action years ago. The cards (story here) address one of the key reasons why…
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Opinion: Phuket Tourist Police should be your first call
Maj Urumporn Koondejsumrit has been chief of the Tourist Police since 2012. He earned a master’s degree in science in criminal justice for leadership from Sam Houston State University in Texas before graduating from the Royal Police Cadet Academy. Here, Maj Urumporn advises tourists to be alert in order to avoid becoming victims of a crime, and promises that Tourist…
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Phuket laborer slashes girlfriend’s neck in jealous rage
PHUKET: A laborer was apprehended by fellow workers at an on-site construction camp in Rawai yesterday, after he slashed his girlfriend’s neck with a kitchen knife in a fit of jealous rage. The woman, a Myanmar national named by police only as Ms Yorla, 25, is still recovering at Vachira Phuket Hospital, said Capt Patiwat Yodkwan of the Chalong Police.…
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Canadian found dead by Thai girlfriend in Phuket
PHUKET: Police have yet to rule out foul play in the death of a Canadian man allegedly found hanged by his neck from the cement ventilation holes in his bathroom this afternoon. The 29-year-old expat originally from Prince Edward Island, whose name is being withheld until next of kin have been notified, was found dead by his Thai girlfriend in…
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Phuket Old Town plays host to Sketchwalk 2015
PHUKET: Some of Phuket’s most beautiful and historical locales will play host to the second annual Phuket Old Town Sketchwalk event this year from February 20 to 23. The Phuket Old Town Sketchwalk – organized by the Phuket Sketchwalk Club, Phuket City Municipality and The Attitude Club Co Ltd – will feature many special events, including sketchwalks in Phuket Old…
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Phuket teacher answers prayers of mum with deaf son
PHUKET: The deaf man who disappeared from his family home last week has been found alive and well, and may soon undertake schooling thanks to a teacher at Phuket Punyanukul School for special children. Therdsak Sankaeo, 22, disappeared from his home in Phuket Town on January 27, prompting his mother, Ms Saithong, to make a public plea to find him…
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Patriots Super Bowl XLIX champs, Seattle in shock
PHUKET: The New England Patriots sealed a come-from-behind victory, 28-24, over the defending champions Seattle Seahawks with a goal line interception in the final seconds on a pass play that will go down as one of the most questionable offensive play calls in NFL playoff history. This was a game for the ages and one with more ebb and flow…
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Police raid bags nigh B3mn in counterfeit goods
PHUKET: Fake brand-name products valued at nearly 3 million baht were seized on Tuesday in police raids on shops in Patong. The early evening raid, led by officers of Economic Crime Division 4 (ECD 4), resulted in the seizure of more than 2,200 counterfeit items masquerading as luxury brands, including Louis Vuitton, Channel, Prada, Nike, Adidas, Calvin Klein and Billabong,…
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Police see political overtone in pipe bombs
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Police see political overtone in pipe bombs The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The twin pipe bombings near Siam Paragon shopping mall in Bangkok last Sunday night were “very similar” to two other bombing incidents – the explosion at Samarn Metta Mansion in Nonthaburi in 2010,…
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TransAsia plane crash in Taiwan leaves 31 dead, 12 missing
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community TransAsia plane crash in Taiwan leaves 31 dead, 12 missing Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A TransAsia Airways (6702.TW) plane with 58 passengers and crew on board careened into a river shortly after taking off from a downtown Taipei airport on Wednesday, killing 31 people and…
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Bangkok shopping malls step up security after bomb blasts
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Bangkok shopping malls step up security after bomb blasts The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: MAJOR MALLS in prime shopping areas in Bangkok have stepped up security measures after bomb incidents on Sunday. Nattakit Tangpoonsinthana, executive vice president for marketing at Central Pattana (CPN), said the…
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Anger at secret moving of Rohingya
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Anger at secret moving of Rohingya The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Residents in Nakhon Sri Thammarat’s Hua Sai district were upset after the provincial office for social development and human security yesterday relocated 99 Rohingya people from the shelter where they had stayed for 22…
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Warrants for Bangkok bomb suspects expected today
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Warrants for Bangkok bomb suspects expected today The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Arrest warrants are expected to be issued today for two men suspected of planting and setting off twin pipe bombs near Siam Paragon shopping mall in Bangkok on Sunday night. Information about the…
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Jordan vows revenge for ISIS burning alive captured pilot
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Jordan vows revenge for ISIS burning alive captured pilot Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Islamic State militants released a video on Tuesday appearing to show a captured Jordanian pilot being burnt alive in a cage, a killing that shocked the world and prompted Jordan to promise…
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NACC revokes land deeds for iron smelting plant in Prachuap
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community NACC revokes land deeds for iron smelting plant in Prachuap The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) has ruled that land-right documents for 11 plots in Prachuap Khiri Khan province were issued illegally and should be revoked. Prachuap Pattana Development Co Ltd,…
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Police nab B21mn gold heist bandits after ‘insider’ confesses
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Police nab B21mn gold heist bandits after ‘insider’ confesses The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: POLICE quickly nabbed two men yesterday for allegedly stealing gold ornaments worth Bt21 million. Suriyachan Thaitanu, a new employee of gold-ornament factory Shining Gold, told police that he plotted the robbery…
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New tour guide regulations rolled out at Phuket airport
PHUKET: The Ministry of Tourism and Sports (MOTS) Phuket Office is cracking the whip on tourism businesses in Phuket, conducting island-wide raids and imposing stricter requirements for tour companies. “We checked the documents of tour companies and guides collecting incoming tour groups from Phuket International Airport, but did not find any illegal activity,” Santi Pawai, director of the MOTS Phuket…
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Two Aussies plunge from waterfall, one killed
PHUKET: One Australian is dead and another remains under observation in hospital after falling from Nah Muang Song Waterfall in Koh Samui on Sunday evening. Hugh Smith, 24, was pronounced dead on arrival at Bangkok Hospital Samui after he andBenjamin Thomas Kemp, 20, plunged about 60 meters down from the waterfall. Rescue workers spent about two hours transporting the men…
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Video Report: Police raid massage parlors for human trafficking, child prostitution
PHUKET: Police came up empty-handed in a series of raids on massage parlors in Phuket Town in search of human-trafficking victims and underage sex workers last night. “We had more than 300 officers checking massage parlors at Phun Phol Plaza, and along Soi 11 and Phun Pol Road,” Phuket City Police Deputy Superintendent Khunnadet Nanongkhai told the Phuket Gazette this…
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No change in Phi Phi national park fees
PHUKET: The entrance fees to the national park at Phi Phi Island remain unchanged, with foreign adults charged 400 baht per visit, a top park official there has confirmed. “There have been no changes to the national park entry fees at Phi Phi,” said Boonname Chauyradom, assistant park chief of the Hat Noppharat Thara – Mu Ko Phi Phi National…
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