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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Finance: Is Priceline right for your portfolio?
PHUKET: Growth stocks can power your portfolio to new highs, with one such stock being the Priceline Group Inc (NASDAQ: PCLN), which can also double as your one-stop online destination to serve all of your travel needs. Priceline.com is the Priceline Group’s flagship hotel and airline travel site, with the company’s other brands including Agoda.com, Booking.com, Kayak.com, Rentalcars.com and OpenTable.com…
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Interpol arrests couple wanted for Bangkok bombing
BANGKOK: Interpol has arrested Thai and foreign suspects for their alleged role in the Bangkok bombings in August, which claimed 20 lives and injured many others, Deputy Police Chief Gen Srivara Ransibrahmanakul said yesterday. While Gen Srivara declined to reveal the names of the suspects, reliable police sources identified the suspects as Phang Nga native Wanna Suansan and her Turkish…
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Russian busted for illegally selling Phuket property
PHUKET: A police sting operation netted a Russian real estate agent illegally selling condominiums in the Rawai area on Wednesday. “A concerned employee at the condominium project contacted us after witnessing 30-year-old Anastasia Spirkina selling the units at extraordinarily low prices. Due to the suspiciously low prices being offered through Ms Spirkina’s Facebook page, the employee was worried that it…
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Officials prepare for Phuket International Anti-Corruption Day
PHUKET: Officials are preparing for a two-day Anti-Corruption campaign that will see public and private sectors come together to take a strong stance against corruption on the island. “In collaboration with the Ministry of Interior, we will be hosting the ‘Phuket International Anti-Corruption Day’ event on December 8 and 9,” said Phuket Vice Governor Kajornkiet Rakpanitmanee. The event will take…
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Unlicensed Cambodian medic jailed for 25 years for spreading HIV
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Unlicensed Cambodian medic jailed for 25 years for spreading HIV Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: A Cambodian court convicted an unlicensed medical practitioner of murder on Thursday and sentenced him to 25 years in prison for spreading HIV among more than 270 villagers, some as young…
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Thailand draws nearer to China with rail, rice and rubber deals
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Thailand draws nearer to China with rail, rice and rubber deals Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: China and Thailand agreed to build an ambitious 900 km (559 mile) railway line on Thursday in the latest sign of closer ties between them after Bangkok’s links with Washington…
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Opinion: Scrap the airport ferry fallacy
PHUKET: It is hard to believe that 25 million baht in funding has been approved for the design and environmental impact assessment (EIA) for the proposed ‘From the Boat to the Plane’ project. There is certainly no question that public transport from Phuket International Airport (HKT) to the island’s west coast resort towns is in dire need of improvement, but…
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Pain but no gain: Indonesia’s corruption crackdown
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Pain but no gain: Indonesia’s corruption crackdown Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Indonesian bureaucrats are holding off spending billions of dollars on everything from schools and clinics to garbage trucks and parking meters, fearful that any major expenditure could come under the scanner of fervent anti-corruption…
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Angry Phuket minivan driver pulls big knife in traffic [video]
PHUKET: A road-raging minivan driver was caught brandishing a long knife at the driver of a pickup truck on Thepkrasattri Road yesterday afternoon. The video clip shows the driver of the van waving what appears to be a machete or a small sword as he passes the truck in the left lane. “I saw the clip last night. We will…
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Phuket targets biker gangs after Aussie Hells Angels slaying
PHUKET: Police in Phuket ramped up security measures geared toward tracking international bike-gang members following the gunpoint abduction and slaying of Australian Hells Angels motorcycle gang member Wayne Rodney Schneider in Pattaya this week. “We have been given specific orders to focus on bringing to justice foreigners committing violent crimes, as well as those operating as members of a mafia…
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Seven Similan National Park employees dispute transfer
PHUKET: Seven senior park officers and employees were given urgent transfer notices on November 27, forcing them to depart the renowned Similan National Park just as high season kicked off, confirmed the park’s chief. “The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) issued a letter saying that the officers’ transfer was necessary to improve the effectiveness of the…
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U.N. food agency faces US$40 million Myanmar funding shortfall to mid-2016
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community U.N. food agency faces US$40 million Myanmar funding shortfall to mid-2016 Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: More than 600,000 people in Myanmar need food assistance due to natural disasters, violence and conflict, the U.N. World Food Programme said on Wednesday, announcing a $40 million funding shortfall…
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Facebook’s Zuckerberg takes philanthropy into profit, politics
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Facebook’s Zuckerberg takes philanthropy into profit, politics Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Mark Zuckerberg, who famously urged his company Facebook Inc (FB.O) to “move fast and break things,” is taking a similar approach to the staid world of philanthropy, indicating his new venture will get directly…
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Third category added to Phuket beach management system
PHUKET: Surin Beach was dubbed a ‘Beach of Honor’ by the Phuket vice governor earlier this week, making it the third category of beach in the island’s management system. Though the beach is unique for being the only one in this category so far, it will be managed in the exact same way as a virgin beach. Umbrellas, beach chairs…
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A Decade Ago: Public transport strikes again
PHUKET: Frequent readers of the news are familiar with the ‘long-awaited’ lightrail project, whose tracks will guide dramatic change in the desolate Phuket public transportation landscape. Now what exactly does ‘long-awaited’ mean? Months? A year? Five years? A decade? In this particular case, a decade ago seems most appropriate, as the topic dominates page 2 of the November 26 –…
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Mai Khao, Karon could suffer contested Hollywood Movie Museum
PHUKET: The much-protested against ‘Hollywood Movie Museum’ originally slated for Nai Harn could very well end up in Karon or Mai Khao, confirmed officials. “K2L Advertising Co – the Bangkok-based company hired to build the museum – has the necessary contacts to get Hollywood memorabilia that is associated with filming in Phuket,” explained Santi Pawai, director of the Ministry of…
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Teenage security guard returns B400,000 to owner
PHUKET: A 19-year-old local returned a bag that contained 400,000 baht to its owner after discovering it in the bathroom of a Tesco Lotus in Phuket on Tuesday. Nattapong Rithidet, security guard for UBN Phuket Andaman Co Ltd at the Samkong Tesco Lotus, was in the bathroom when another man came in to use the facilities. The man accidentally left…
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Letter from the Governor: Helping those in need
Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada is a Phuket native with a master’s degree in political and administrative science from the National Institute of Development Administration. He served as the island’s vice governor from 2012 to 2014. Here he talks about his mission to help local people in need live a better life and to work together to establish the island’s image as…
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Vice Governor vows to demolish Surin Beach clubs
PHUKET: What was once arguably Phuket’s most famous stretch of beach clubs will be demolished by New Year, vowed Phuket Vice Governor Chokdee Amornwat today. “It will take about two weeks to clear all the buildings and broken construction materials from Surin Beach boardwalk,” explained Vice Governor Chokdee. “This needs to be clearly explained to the English-speaking community impacted so…
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Phuket Police break up credit card theft ring targeting tourists
PHUKET: The ‘purchaser’ for a nationwide credit card theft ring that targeted tourists was arrested on Sunday in Phang Nga after he escaped Phuket in a dramatic car chase. Pitawat Akarathitiveerakul, 53, explained to police that he was part of a criminal network that stole tourists’ credit cards when they put their luggage on buses and other forms of public…
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Ferrari 488 Spider debuts in Phuket
PHUKET: The Ferrari 488 Spider officially made its debut in Phuket – its first appearance in Southeast Asia – following the premiere at the Frankfurt International Motor Show in September. The Ferrari 488 is the latest chapter in Maranello’s ongoing history of open-top V8 sports cars, a story that started with the targa-top version of the 308 GTB – the…
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Indonesia cites faulty component, crew response in AirAsia crash
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Indonesia cites faulty component, crew response in AirAsia crash Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Indonesian investigators said on Tuesday a chronically faulty component and the crew’s attempt to fix the problem were among the factors that contributed to the crash of an AirAsia passenger jet last…
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Phuket drug dealer busted with more than B1mn of meth
PHUKET: Phuket Provincial Police arrested a drug dealer in possession of more than one million baht worth of ya ice (crystal methamphetamine) on Friday. Paitoon Asirametee, 26, was apprehended in front of a grocery store in Wichit after police received a tip-off that he had been selling drugs to teenagers in the Muang District. “Mr Paitoon was in possession of…
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Duty-free heist puts Phuket airport employee behind bars
PHUKET: A Phuket Air Catering employee confessed to stealing duty-free items while transporting food to a plane bound for Finland at Phuket International Airport yesterday afternoon. “Sitthichai Srirat, 28, stole a total of 18 duty-free items, including expensive watches, perfumes, a pen and a necklace,” explained Tah Chat Chai Police Superintendent Somchai Sanprasert. Cabin crew on Finnair AY038 Phuket to…
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Hackers hit three Greek banks with ransom demands
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Hackers hit three Greek banks with ransom demands Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET:Hackers have staged cyber-attacks on three Greek banks and demanded a ransom in bitcoins, a virtual monetary unit, to stop their disruption, banking sources said on Monday. The sources said the hackers managed to…
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TV anchor seeks to be Cambodia’s political peacemaker to avoid conflict
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community TV anchor seeks to be Cambodia’s political peacemaker to avoid conflict Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Cambodian TV news anchor Soy Sopheap has again stepped into the role of political peacemaker in an effort to end the feud between Prime Minister Hun Sen and exiled opposition…
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Bill Gates plots a surprise attack on the energy sector
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Bill Gates plots a surprise attack on the energy sector Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Bill Gates grows most animated when the talk turns to the “cool” new energy technologies that have yet to leave the lab. Gates was a rare civilian sharing the limelight alongside…
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Phuket burglar allegedly takes B20k cash
PHUKET: Police are searching for a burglar who allegedly broke into a house at the Keha public housing estate in Thalang Sunday afternoon. Kasem Pansri, 28, reported to police that he returned home from the Layan Market to discover that 20,000 baht in cash had been stolen from his bedroom. “There were clear signs of an intruder having rummaged through…
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Island View: Making the move
PHUKET: At first I was very hesitant to make the move from Chalong to Phuket Town. When I first came to Phuket, everyone told me that Chalong was the best place to be, as it is central to the beaches and Town. And I have to agree, it is a really great location. However, to get anywhere requires a motorbike…
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Phi Phi Police struggle to stomp out gibbon touts
PHUKET: Unaware of officers failing to find and arrest an illegal gibbon tout regularly operating at a specific time and location on Phi Phi Don, the recently appointed Phi Phi Police Chief Jetsada Junphum has taken matters into his own hands. “I did not see the video sent to my officers until the Phuket Gazette sent it directly to me,”…
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