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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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Thai tourist apologizes for starfish selfie, tour guide fined
TRANG: A Thai tourist apologized yesterday on social media for taking selfies with a starfish at a national park in Trang province, while her tour guide was ordered to pay a fine. Earlier on Thursday, the tourist’s selfies with a starfish went viral. She was widely condemned, as there is a ban on removing marine animals from from the sea.…
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Drug mule arrested in Phuket with 800,000 baht’s worth of pills
PHUKET: Police arrested a Phuket-bound man for transporting ya ba (methamphetamine) worth 800,000 baht at a Tah Chat Chai checkpoint yesterday afternoon. Lt Col Tawach Tansakul of Tah Chat Chai police and his team apprehended Anan Navarat, 39, at about 3pm. “Mr Anan was traveling by bus from Nakhon Sri Thammarat and looked suspicious to us during a routine check,”…
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Broken-hearted woman jumps off Phuket building
PHUKET: An agitated woman with relationship troubles was injured this morning after she jumped off the third floor of a building in Phuket Town. This is the second case of its kind within two days – the first incident took place early morning yesterday when another girl nearly drowned in the sea at Saphan Hin (story here). “Today’s incident took…
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Elderly couple returns lost British passport, bank book and cash
PHUKET: An elderly couple this morning returned a wallet containing a British passport, bank book and cash totalling more than 150,000 baht at Pakbang Beach in Rawai. Prayong Sukkaew, 79, and his wife were collecting bottles at about 6am to sell for money when they spotted the wallet, picked it up and handed it over to Rawai Police officers. “We…
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Opinion: Jealousy is a powerful motivator
PHUKET: Phuket was in the international news spotlight again last week, this time for the heartbreaking murder of an 11-month-old baby girl, hanged by her own father in Nai Thon (story here). Most readers will already be familiar with the tragically short life of Natalee ‘Biw’ Wongtalay, whose execution went viral after her late father, 21, chose to post it…
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His Majesty’s tunes to be played at jazz concert in his honor
PHUKET: Jazz lovers are in for a treat when the free concert ‘Jazz for King 2 – Andaman Jazz by the Sea’ kicks off in Phuket on May 20, featuring the music of His Majesty the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX). The event will be held at Loma Park in Patong from 7-10pm, hosted by the Andaman Natural Resources…
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Army commander outlines new agenda for Phuket
PHUKET: The new Army Region 4 commander has announced his agenda for Phuket, ticking off a list of at least a dozen problems he feels need urgent resolution. During his visit last week, Lt Gen Piyawat Nakwanit said that he was “generally satisfied with the state of tourism in Phuket”, but that getting rid of ‘powerful people’ and officers who…
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Phuket Police search for missing 11-year-old boy
PHUKET: Police are searching for an 11-year-old boy who was reported missing by his family on Tuesday night. Panaphat Chumrak (‘Nong Nu’) disappeared from his home in Soi Pasak 4, Don Chom Tao Road in Cherng Talay at about 8:30pm. “Nong Nu is about 132cm tall, weighs 30kg and has short hair. He was last seen wearing a red and…
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Phuket lovers’ quarrel ends in near-drowning
PHUKET: A ‘tomboy’ narrowly escaped drowning early this morning after she walked into the sea at Saphan Hin following an argument with her girlfriend. Lt Col Pongpichan Chayanonpiriya of Phuket City Police received reports of the incident at about 6:30am. “We found a young woman at the scene, crying and calling out for ‘Jip’. After searching the area for 30…
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Ex-security guard arrested for assault, theft in Phuket
PHUKET: An ex-security guard at a hotel in Pa Khlok was arrested and charged for assault as well as theft and possession of an illegal firearm and drugs, on Tuesday after he beat up a hotel staff member and robbed her last week. Thalang Police apprehended the suspect, Panya Jara, 28, at his rental house in Pa Khlok where they…
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Four injured as speeding car ploughs through motorists in Phuket
PHUKET: Four people were seriously injured after a car skidded off the road and slammed into two motorbikes, a pick-up truck and an electric pole early this morning in Chalong. Lt Sakarin Sangjaroen of Chalong Police and other officers arrived at the crash site on East Chao Fah road in the Kok Tanot area at about 2:20am. “We found a…
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Drug suspects escape police custody in Phuket
PHUKET: Police are hunting for two suspects who escaped custody and fled from a police vehicle at a traffic light on the way to the station early on Tuesday morning. “Suriya Lakpech and Wasurat Malikabutr, both 21, had initially been arrested in front of the Vijit Resort in Rawai after officers asked to inspect their belongings because they looked ‘suspicious’.…
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Illegal Chinese tour guide wanted for abandoning Phuket tour group
PHUKET: Police are hunting for an illegal Chinese tour guide who abandoned 24 Chinese tourists at the side of the road in Phang Nga yesterday evening after arguing with them about money. The tourist police received a report of the incident from the Chinese Consul in Phuket at about 7pm. The tourists had called the consulate for help after they…
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Phuket-based Siam Real Estate to go head to head in Full Metal Dojo
PHUKET: Kingdom Co Ltd, drivers of Full Metal Dojo (FMD), a favorite Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) promotion, has announced an innovative new sponsorship deal that pits two rival real estate firms against each other in the world of mixed martial arts (MMA). Competing agencies Siam Real Estate from Phuket and BKK BestLife will fight it out on FMD’s Facebook page…
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Russian tourist injured after falling off Phuket’s Promthep Cape
PHUKET: A Russian tourist was injured after he fell from the Laem Promthep promontory into the sea at Rawai yesterday evening. “The accident occurred at about 5:45pm. We found Kashirin Aleksei, 41, trying to swim toward a rock in order to avoid being washed away by the current, which was quite strong at the time,” said Lt Sakarin Sangjaroen of…
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Business Buzz: Email marketing missing the mark
PHUKET: Recently, my business partner and I have been analyzing email marketing and what came to light was quite a surprise. He is a systems engineer so it is fair to say his level of knowledge of IT far surpasses my own. We were collaborating on our latest project and the issue of email marketing and whether it was effective…
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Phuket gov launches clean-up campaign
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Norraphat Plodthong yesterday launched a campaign titled ‘Clean Phuket with our Hands and Hearts’, as promised during his first ‘Governor meets Media’ gathering at Phuket Provincial Hall last month (story here). The week-long campaign, that is to last until Sunday, will be held each month, the governor stated. “As Phuket is an international tourism destination, it is…
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Family man dead as pick-up ploughs into sedan
KRABI: One man was killed while three others were severely injured after a speeding pick-up truck and a Toyota sedan collided, sending both vehicles into a roadside waterway in Krabi yesterday afternoon. The car was carrying three people – driver Suphachai Limtrakil, 69, his wife Anchalee Sriwittayabancha, 42, and their 14-year-old daughter. Mr Suphachai was killed. The truck was driven…
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‘AD’vertorial: Buy one, get two free, plus lunch
PHUKET: There’s no such thing as a free lunch but you can easily buy one [sic] with the savings you get on Free Classifieds (what?) in both the Phuket Gazette and Nation newspapers this month. When you enter a basic text-only ad in the Gazette Online (560 baht), that ad runs also, word for word and free of charge, in…
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Plastic bottle blamed for Phuket Town car flip
PHUKET: In a crash that is being blamed on a plastic bottle, a car in Phuket Town flipped over onto its roof yesterday afternoon after the driver lost control at a traffic stop. “We arrived at the scene, on Komaraphat Roat near the Phuket City Municipality pawnshop, to see a silver Honda City sedan lying upside down on the side…
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Samui tour guide found dead after ‘feeling the heat’
SAMUI: A Pathum Thani native was found dead in a rented room on Samui Island yesterday, from what police believe to have been heatstroke. The room is in a restaurant building on Chaweng Beach. Capt Boonnam Srinarat of Bo Phut Police confirmed the death, at about 5:40pm, of Thongchai Sudjaeng, 44, a tour guide who catered to Chinese tourists. “Mr…
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Motorbike trio arrested for stealing from Chinese tourist, marijuana
PHUKET: Three men were arrested yesterday in Phuket town with assorted currencies amounting to at least 200,000 baht as well as electronics they stole from a Chinese tourist’s hotel room in Patong. The men were also in possession of marijuana. Lt Col Pongpichan Chayanonpiriya of the Patong Police confirmed to Phuket Gazette reporters that Thanakorn Akarabut, 24; Harich Dada, 18;…
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No refund for B6.7mn house in shambles
PHUKET: Dhamrongtham center staff and representatives of the Engineering Institute of Thailand on Thursday inspected a ‘questionable’ housing project in Koh Kaew. The house, backed by a well-known developer, has reportedly been in shambles for about three years. Sintichai Jitkam and Sunisa Jitkham in November last year filed a complaint after purchasing the house in the development for 6.7 million…
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Ton of trash collected in beach clean-up off Phuket
PHUKET: About a ton of trash was collected in a beach clean-up organized by Nonthasak Marine Co Ltd at Hei Island (Coral Island) this morning. More than a 100 people, including students from Prince of Songkla University (Phuket Campus); volunteer divers; local vendors and operators; and employees of Nonthasak Marine, participated in the initiative. The campaign involved both beach trash…
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Phuket to strengthen marine tourism relations with Indonesia
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Norraphat Plodthong welcomed the Indonesian Tourism Minister to discuss strengthening of marine tourism relations between the two countries. The governor met Arief Yahya from The Indonesian Ministry of Tourism at the Phuket Boat Lagoon on Thursday. “Indonesia has just revealed their plans to run a special campaign between Nov 8 and Dec 5 that will assist tourists…
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Ministry of Farang Affairs: Frightened of small animals
PHUKET: The Ministry of Farang Affairs is a one-stop shop where foreigners in Thailand can learn all they need to know about living here. No, we’re not talking about work permits, visas or taxes. We’re talking about day-to-day life in the Land of Endless Shocks and Riddles, of Blur, Befuddlement and the Bizarre. Stay tuned for weekly insights from Minister…
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Opinion: Gov’s ‘war on dirtiness’ a noble aim
PHUKET: Cleanliness is next to Godliness, as the old saying goes, so it is hard not to agree with new governor Norraphat Plodthong’s stated goal of beautifying Phuket “by our hands”. Gov Norraphat, set for mandatory retirement from the civil service in just a few months’ time, has understandably had to set his priorities in a practical way. When one…
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Phuket officials plan walking street, gated entrance at Surin
PHUKET: A year after the demolition of the last remaining buildings along Surin Beach, and nine months after plans were announced to convert the beach into ‘Rajabhakti Park’, officials are still waiting for approval for the more than 800-million-baht project to be built in its place. The plans, which have been revised several times, were submitted by the Cherng Talay…
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Young Thai killed in collision with Korean expat
PHUKET: A young Thai man was killed last night after smashing into a Korean expat’s pick-up truck in Phuket Town. Maj Nattaya Suwanpong of Phuket City Police received reports of the incident at about 11pm. It had occurred at the Thepkrasattri-Nakhon road junction near Phuket Wittayalai School. “The motorcyclist, Siraphan Sampaorat, 20, was lying in a pool of blood on…
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Three arrested in Phuket for serial theft, possession of drugs
PHUKET: Three men, including an ex-employee of Triple T Broadband Public Company Limited (3BB), were arrested yesterday afternoon for stealing more than 60 batteries from the company’s signal booster boxes in Thalang. Tibet Manubut, 23; Worawut Chusrinun, 20; and Narit Buakhong, 27; were arrested at their rental room in Thalang at about 3pm. They were also found in possession of…
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