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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Satree Phuket boy grabs gold at science olympiad
PHUKET CITY: Satree Phuket student Peerasak Sae-eung was among Thailand’s three gold medal winners at the the sixth International Junior Science Olympiad (6th IJSO) in Azerbaijan from December 2 to 11. Another three Thai contestants took silver medals in what proved to be the country’s best-ever medal haul at the Olympiad, which this year had 258 competitors from 49 countries.…
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Three Phuket City cops face transfer after nightclub beating
PHUKET: Three Phuket City Police officers are set to be transferred after a fight with a group of Territorial Defense Volunteers in a Phuket Town nightclub early on Saturday. The altercation took place at the ‘Khon 101’ nightclub, a ‘songs-for-life’ establishment located near Nimit Circle. The three volunteers claimed they were beaten at about 1am by a group of six…
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Trio bags Annual Phuket Community Service Award
PHUKET: The Phuket Gazette’s ‘Person of the Year Award’ for 2009 was abruptly forced into the plural ten days ago with the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding to curtail Phuket’s extravagant use of plastic bags. Our award is thus presented to the three driving forces behind that project: Dr Wiwat Seetamanotch, Deputy Chief Medical Officer of the Phuket Provincial…
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Phuket taxi drivers demand fare share
KARON, PHUKET: A group of Phuket taxi operators has demanded a ‘fair share’ of the tourists transported between a Karon hotel and local tour destinations. The demands follow a complaint from Centara Karon Resort that heated arguments at the hotel between taxi drivers and tour company representatives have scared off tourists and threatened to ‘tarnish Phuket’s image’ as a tourist…
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Kathu police keep tabs on ladyboys
PATONG, PHUKET: A ‘ladyboy’ registration plan that went into effect in October has been hailed a success by Patong’s top cop, with a drop in the number of crime cases committed by members of Patong’s transgender community. The registration plan was established last October following concerns that US military servicemen on leave in Phuket might fall prey to gangs of…
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TAT accepting Thai Tourism Award 2010 applications
PHUKET CITY: The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is accepting applications for its 8th annual Thailand Tourism Awards, with 101 prizes in five categories up for grabs. The five categories are: attractive tourist destinations, tourist accommodations, tour packages, tourism support organizations and health tourism. Categories are subdivided, with destination awards for such classifications as best ‘natural’ tourist destination, best historic…
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Jetstar Asia announces Phuket “daily double’
PHUKET CITY: Jetstar Asia Airways held a press conference on Tuesday to announce a second daily flight on its Singapore – Phuket route starting on December 15. The Singapore-based low-cost carrier will also increase weekend flights to the island and increase the number of flights on its Sydney – Phuket route from three to five per week. The increases will…
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Racha Yai residents protest new resort development
PHUKET CITY: More than 100 villagers from Koh Racha Yai gathered outside Phuket Provincial Hall on Tuesday to protest a new resort development they claim is disrupting their way of life and destroying the environment. The protesters, led by Chakrit Chandee of the Koh Racha Environmental Conservation and Protection Association, handed a letter to Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop outlining their…
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Centenary celebrations at Satree Phuket School
PHUKET CITY: Phuketians are invited to join festivities currently underway at Satree Phuket School to celebrate the school’s 100-year anniversary.Many of the school’s 3,334 students have been taking part in celebratory activities since yesterday, including comedy shows, student marching band performances, live animation shows, IQ tests, science and singing contests.Visitors can also have souvenir pictures taken with students wearing traditional…
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Phuket Red Cross Fair starts Dec 30
PHUKET CITY: Phuket is getting ready for what promises to be the biggest Red Cross Fair ever, with the grand prize in the annual raffle no less than a house valued at 2.7 million baht. Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngob yesterday morning chaired a press conference to announce the fair, which will take place at the main staging area at Saphan…
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Embezzlement cases up in Phuket
PHUKET: While drug-related crimes remain Phuket’s most common criminal offense, white collar-crime seems to be on the rise with 33 reported combined cases of fraud and embezzlement recorded in November, according to crime statistics released by the Phuket Provincial Police. Of the 33 cases, just two arrests were made. There were 334 arrests for drug-related offenses for the period, a…
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Fish breeder takes life by hanging in Wichit
WICHIT, PHUKET: Phuket police are treating as a probable suicide the case of a man found hanged to death outside his Wichit home Monday morning. Chalong police station identified the deceased as 34-year-old Sutee Sirithungkan, whose body was discovered by a neighbor around 8am yesterday. Mr Sutee’s body was found suspended by a nylon cord tied to a cross beam…
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Domestic dispute turns explosive
TRAT: A quarry worker and his wife were blown up after the man apparently detonated a quantity of C-4 plastic explosive during a domestic dispute on November 19. The blast, heard for up to 50km away, had villagers fearfing an invasion by the Cambodian army. Police and rescue workers found the house of Phen Buntham, 42, and his wife Saijai…
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Alleged Aussie perfume thieves out on bail in Phuket
MAI KHAO, PHUKET: A young Australian couple accused of stealing three bottles of perfume from a duty-free shop at Phuket Airport have been released on bail, but must remain in Phuket while their court cases are heard. Police identified the couple as 21-year-old Nathan Robert Hinds and his 16-year-old fiancée, whose name cannot be reported because she is a minor.…
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Gala dinner to celebrate HM The King’s Birthday
PHUKET CITY: The hottest ticket in Phuket next Friday night will be a lavish gala dinner being held to celebrate His Majesty the King’s 82nd birthday and commemorate his several visits to the island during the period from 1959 to 1973. The event will take place starting at 6pm at the Phuket Governor’s Mansion, a historic Phuket site and well-known…
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Police officers caught smuggling migrant workers
PHUKET CITY: Two police officers in Ranong were caught using a police truck to illegally transport migrant workers between jobs on December 6. Sen Sgt Maj Sombun Yita-amrit, 43, and Sen Sgt Maj Kasem Srisawai, 52, both squad leaders at Phato Police Station in Chumphon, were stopped at an army checkpoint in Ranong’s La-un District. In the back of the…
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Mr India restaurant burns in Rawai
RAWAI, PHUKET: A fire at the ‘Mr India’ restaurant on Wiset Road last night caused an estimated 300,000 baht in damages and brought an abrupt end to the meals customers were enjoying. Chalong Police Inspector Chana Suthimas said it took a total of four fire trucks about 30 minutes to contain the blaze, which broke out in the two-unit shophouse…
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Phuket Gazette Readers’ Poll: Night bashes at Karon Beach
PHUKET CITY: With the ‘Roy Fest Phuket Music Festival’ in September and the subsequent revelry at the ‘Chang Regatta Moonlight Night’ full moon party on December 2, Karon Beach appears to be the new hot spot for large crowds of night-time revelers. But is this really a positive development for Phuket? Have your say by clicking the icon on the…
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OPINION: Phuket not yet ready for another tsunami
PHUKET CITY: With the fifth anniversary of the tsunami approaching, now is a good time to reflect on how well prepared Phuket might be should a similar disaster befall us in the future. The sad truth is that we are still a long way from where we should be, even though public awareness of the threat of tsunamis is understandably…
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German and Czech shine at Laguna Phuket Triathlon
LAGUNA, PHUKET: 2008 Beijing Olympic gold medal winner Jan Frodeno took first place in a new course record and US$ 3,500 in prize money at this year’s exciting Laguna Phuket Triathlon.The South Africa-based superstar posted an overall finish time of 02:24:56, besting the previous record set by Richie Cunningham (AUS) in 2008 by over three minutes.Frodeno was followed home some…
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Motorbike in Phuket pond: one dead, one injured
CHALONG, PHUKET: A woman drowned after crashing her salaeng (motorbike with illegal side-car) into a tin mining pond on Wednesday evening. The victim’s grand-daughter was also seriously injured in the crash. Another passenger, whose age and gender were not reported, escaped unharmed. Witnesses reported that at around 7:30pm, 56-year-old Wanna Rachathanarak lost control of the vehicle, which slid into a…
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Phuket City Park fisherman netted by cops
PHUKET CITY: A 26-year-old man faces up to three years in prison after being caught fishing in a public park. Khomsan Kaewkhampha, an unemployed Phuket City resident, set out for an early morning fishing expedition last Wednesday. When he arrived at the main pond in Rama IX Park (Suan Luang) in Phuket City, Mr Khomsan baited his hook with a…
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Phuket King’s Cup Regatta Day 5: Royal Thai Navy takes honors
PHUKET: The crew of Royal Thai Navy 1 celebrated the 82nd birthday of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej in style today, winning two races out of two on the final day to become the only Thai crew to taste victory at the 2009 King’s Cup.At the start of the day, which the entire fleet marked with a sail past in…
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Plastic bag MoU signed in Phuket
PHUKET CITY: An agreement to charge a small fee for plastic bags was signed by most of the island’s major retailers, with Tesco-Lotus and 7-Eleven the only major holdouts. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signing ceremony took place at Phuket Provincial Hall (Sala Klaang) at 2pm yesterday. The event was chaired by Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop. Also attending were new…
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Seedlings planted in Phuket Town for HM The King
PHUKET CITY: Environmental activists and staff of the Royal Phuket City hotel came together yesterday morning to plant 82 seedlings in an empty lot downtown as part of celebrations for HM The King’s 82nd birthday today. Seedlings of the tree, Barringtonia asiatica, a mangrove species, were chosen for the project. Royal Phuket City hotel General Manager Jintana Trakulhoon chaired the…
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Nation unites in wishing beloved King a happy birthday
PHUKET: His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej turns 82 today. On the occasion of his birthday, His Majesty will grant an audience to his well-wishers at the Amarin Winitchai Throne Hall inside the Grand Palace this morning. His Majesty will reach the Amarin Winit-chai Throne Hall at around 10.30am. Accompanying him will be HM the Queen Sirikit, HRH Crown Prince Maha…
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Phuket King’s Cup Regatta Day 4: IRC2 Class goes to the wire
PHUKET: While the outcome in many of the classes remains a foregone conclusion, the IRC 2 class is wide open going into the final day of the 2009 King’s Cup after Thai Navy 1, skippered by CPO. 3 Wiwat Poonpat, won the only race of day four to cut Team Bentley’s lead in the series to a single point.Team Bentley, skippered by…
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Turtles released in Phuket for HM The King
WICHIT, PHUKET: About 100 students, sailors and marine biologists gathered this morning to take part in a turtle release ceremony to mark the 82nd birthday of HM The King tomorrow.The release, chaired by Vice Admiral Chumnum Ajwong, took place at Cape Panwa, on the beach between the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) and the Royal Thai Navy Third Naval Area…
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Phuket shellfish release to mark HM THe King’s Birthday
WICHIT, PHUKET: More than 100 people took part in a marine animal release ceremony yesterday as part of celebrations for HM The King’s birthday tomorrow. The participants, mostly school children, gathered at Mudong Pier in Wichit for the event, which began at 10am. Released into the sea from plastic bags filled with seawater were 2.5 million tiny postlarval prawns and…
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Another man shot dead in Chalong
CHALONG, PHUKET: A drinking session outside a mini-mart ended in the drive-by shooting murder of a Nakhon Sri Thammarat man early this morning. At 6:30am Chalong Police were notified of a shooting near the entrance to Chao Fah West Soi 55. Arriving at the scene, across from the Infinity Car Finance Shop, investigating officers including Chalong Police Superintendent Chinnarat Rittakananond…
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