News
Stay up-to-date with the latest news from across Thailand and beyond with The Thaiger. Our dedicated team brings you breaking news, in-depth analysis, and exclusive stories from this stunning part of the world, covering a diverse range of topics, including local politics, business, culture, and tourism. Keep yourself informed about the Kingdom’s rich history, stunning landscapes, and thriving expat communities, as well as updates on events, attractions, and transportation.
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Sponsored Pullman Phuket Panwa Beach Resort puts sustainability at its heart
The term sustainability is often thrown around as a buzzword in the hospitality industry, but at Pullman Phuket Panwa Beach Resort, it’s genuinely part of their mission. Located in Makham Bay, just south of Phuket Town, the beautiful resort puts...
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Military to ask Baron to halt development
PHUKET: The Royal Thai 41st Military Circle will ask Baron World Trade Company to halt construction on a long-disputed Rawai development, Commanding General Teenachat Jindangen told the Phuket Gazette on Tuesday. The general made the remarks after meeting with sea gypsy community leaders in an effort to mediate between the two sides and avoid any further conflicts erupting. The land…
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Trump sweeps five states, moves closer to Republican nomination
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Trump sweeps five states, moves closer to Republican nomination Phuket Gazette / Reuters NEW YORK/PHILADELPHIA: Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton rolled up wins in Northeastern states on Tuesday in a major show of strength and immediately turned their fire on each other in a…
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Journalists protest against arrest of colleagues in Cairo
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Journalists protest against arrest of colleagues in Cairo Phuket Gazette / Reuters CAIRO: Around 100 Egyptian journalists staged a protest in central Cairo on Tuesday against the arrest of colleagues for covering demonstrations opposing President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. Security forces arrested at least 33 reporters trying…
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Boy survives savage jellyfish stings
KRABI: A Krabi boy is recovering from savage jellyfish stings sustained while fishing with his father in Ao Nang Monday evening, confirmed doctors at Krabi Provincial Hospital. Suttitaste Tuekkuntos, 12, suffered scarring on both his calves, after diving into the water from his boat to disentangle fishing tackle. The boy’s life was possibly saved by his quick-thinking father, who treated…
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Opinion: Educating Phuket locals about city planning
Rakkiet Deedpin, a native of Patthalung, is the City Planner for the Public Works and Town and Country Planning office in Phuket, having previously worked for that office as a policy analyst. He earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Architecture and Planning from Thammasat University. Here, he talks about ways to educate Phuket locals about town planning. PHUKET: The…
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Couples invited to participate in traditional wedding ceremony
PHUKET: Couples intending to ‘Thai’ the knot are invited by the Thai Peranakan Association and the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) to join a traditional ‘Baba Yaya’ wedding ceremony. The June 19 ceremony in Phuket Town celebrates more than 200 years of local traditional weddings and is intended to promote the island as a wedding and honeymoon destination. ‘Baba’ and…
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Volunteers needed to establish Phuket suicide hotline
PHUKET: After a rash of tourists dying of allegedly self-inflicted injuries, Dr Surin Bamrungphol, Phuket’s anti-corruption champion, is calling for volunteers to help establish a suicide hotline. “We see frequent newspaper reports of alleged suicides in Phuket, which is very disturbing,” Dr Surin said. “People are driven to take their own lives for many reasons – they could be stressed…
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Artificial reef sunk off Tri Trang Beach
PHUKET: Concrete structures to create an artificial reef were lowered into the sea off Tri Trang Beach on Friday as part of a sustainable tourism initiative backed with private funding. The Department of Marine and Coastal Resources placed more than 120 cement cubes and cones on two rai of seabed to become homes for marine life and attract divers to…
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Video report: Homeschooled siblings claim bronze at international competition
PHUKET: Two homeschooled youngsters from Phuket won bronze medals at the Malaysian International Young Inventors Olympiad (MIYIO) this month for their innovative automated plant-watering invention. Nattaya Sompranon, 14, and Phimphan Sompranon, 10, invented the ‘Smart Watering Controller’, which automatically waters plants when the humidity in the soil is low. The young Phuket-based inventors were among more than 280 teams competing…
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Mission Accomplished: Phuket Aussie sets world record with Row2Rio
PHUKET: After 3,400 miles and 55 days at sea, the four extraordinary rowers on the Row2Rio team set a world record after powering their way across the Atlantic. “We departed Portugal and have landed safely in Brazil to an emotional reunion with family and friends,” wrote Luke Richmond, Aussie expat and head coach at Unit 27 in Phuket, yesterday. In…
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Thousands make first crossing on foot between Krabi islands
KRABI: Thousands of members of the public turned out on Saturday to make the first crossing on foot between Lanta Noi and Lanta Yai islands, with the official opening of the recently completed Lanta Bridge in Krabi. Krabi Governor Pinit Boonlert chaired the opening ceremony of the 400-million-baht bridge. The event was titled ‘Starry Night Over Lanta Bridge’. “It was…
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New B650mn sports complex planned for Krabi
KRABI: Ao Nang in Krabi is to get a brand new 650-million-baht sports complex, local officials have confirmed. “We drew up the plans for the 3,000-seat stadium about six years ago and have recently received partial funding of 87.4mn baht from the Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT),” said Ao Nang Administration Organization (OrBorTor) President Pankum Kittithonkun. “Preliminary plans for the…
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Indonesia to set up ‘Crisis Center’ after Philippine Kidnappings
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Indonesia to set up “crisis center” after Philippine kidnappings Phuket Gazette / Reuters JAKARTA: Indonesia will set up a crisis center, headed by President Joko Widodo, to handle security situations involving its citizens overseas, a senior minister said on Monday, following recent abductions of Indonesian sailors…
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Phuket Immigration not demanding social media account details – yet
PHUKET: Immigration forms asking foreigners to detail their regular hangouts, social media accounts, bank accounts and other personal information are not being used in Phuket, according to a source in the local provincial Immigration office. “The form is only being used in Bangkok, at least until further notice,” the local Immigration officer told Phuket Gazette on condition of anonymity today.…
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Baba Museum artwork to be removed amid outcry
PHUKET: A controversial mural painted on the wall of the Phuket Baba Museum will be removed by the artist following a public outcry. Painted on one of the city’s most historic buildings, the ‘Three-Eyed Kid’ garnered mixed public opinions since its unveiling on April 10. Through social media, residents criticized the artwork’s placement at what was formerly the Standard Chartered…
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Video is the future of digital ads
PHUKET: Digital ad spend is projected to be 9.9 billion baht this year, up almost 25 per cent from last year as a direct result of advertisers shifting from traditional media like print and television to digital media and online marketing. This is believed to be partly because of the cheaper cost of digital advertising and partly because it’s much…
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Phuket worker camp raid turns up guns, drugs
PHUKET: Police arrested three suspects for possession of drugs and illegal firearms during a raid on a worker camp in Phuket yesterday. Two of the Thai suspects were named as Chatchana Poosangka, 29 and Nattapong Rithidet, 19. A 16-year-old minor was not named. “We had been keeping an eye on the camp as a number of teenagers were visiting it…
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Phuket orangutan in critical condition
PHUKET: An orangutan recently confiscated from Phuket Zoo is in critical condition. The beloved 13-year-old orangutan Milo was moved from the Phang Nga Wildlife Nursery Station to the intensive care unit of the Pasupalun Livestock & Wildlife Hospital in Kanchana Buri on Thursday. “Initial tests have shown that her red blood cell count is very low. She also has vitamin…
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Military summons Phuket sea gypsies, activists over land dispute
PHUKET: A total of twelve sea gypsies and human rights activists have been summoned by the 41st Military Circle for questioning about an on-going land dispute between Baron World Trade Company and a sea gypsy community in Rawai. An official letter, issued on April 20, was sent to Rawai sea gypsy community leader Ngeem Damrongkaset. It summoned nine sea gypsies…
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Bangladesh Bank exposed to hackers by cheap switches, no firewall
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Bangladesh Bank exposed to hackers by cheap switches, no firewall Phuket Gazette / Reuters DHAKA: Bangladesh’s central bank was vulnerable to hackers because it did not have a firewall and used second-hand, $10 switches to network computers connected to the SWIFT global payment network, an investigator…
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Finance: The right time to get back into the stock market
PHUKET: While all of my long term clients (and myself) have been in cash for some time, there will be a time to get back into the stock market, but when will that be? To recap recent market action: major United States and global indices have already moved higher off their panic February lows, led by retail, gold, materials and…
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Tourists escape another Phuket bus fire
PHUKET: A group of Chinese tourists narrowly escaped serious injury after fleeing a burning tour bus in Karon yesterday. “The driver was en route from the airport to Patong via Karon at about 5:30pm. After spotting thick, black smoke emanating from the back of the bus, the driver stopped and evacuated the 24 tourists,” said Lt Col Sathid Noorit of…
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Phuket Lifeguard Club signs B22mn contract ahead of monsoon season
PHUKET: The Phuket Lifeguard Club (PLC) renewed its contract last month, extending the island’s life-saving services through the southwest monsoon season, when the waters are most tempestuous. PLC President Prathaiyut Chuayuan told the Phuket Gazette that the 22-million-baht contract with the Phuket Provincial Administrative Organization (PPAO) will end in 10 months, on January 20 next year. “The budget for our…
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Ministry of Farang Affairs: Finding a wife in Thailand
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 Stephff.…
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Asleep at the wheel: driver hits eight motorbikes in Phuket
PHUKET: A pick-up truck driver, who fell asleep at the wheel, flipped his vehicle into eight motorbikes and another truck parked along Thepkrasattri Road early this morning. “Wasan Wijitwithayakul, 46, confessed to having dozed off while heading home to Thalang from Bang Neow Shrine in Phuket Town,” Lt Col Chaliao Thaihoo of the Phuket City Police said. Mr Wasan was…
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Opinion: Will clubbing Phuket’s beach venues prove to have been worth it?
PHUKET: The demolition of the government-built buildings along Surin’s beachfront, which once housed a number of iconic Phuket beach clubs, marks the end of an era on the island. Unlike numerous other beach venues that have been demolished since the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) started to sweep opportunistic, mafia-style business ventures from Phuket’s sands, tearing down these…
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Must stamp out illegal migrant camps, says Phuket V/Gov
PHUKET: Local officials must prevent illegal migrant camps from popping up along construction sites throughout the province, Phuket Vice Governor Prajiad Aksornthammakul said on Tuesday. “Foreign workers build their shacks in and around local communities. They live in unhygienic conditions that spread disease, and indulge in the illegal trade of vegetables, fish and drugs,” said Vice Governor Prajiad Aksornthammakul. The…
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Excuse Buster: The hidden health dangers of fungi
PHUKET: “It is ironic that this humble fungus, hailed as a benefactor of mankind, may by its very success prove to be a deciding factor in the decline of the present civilization”, said Dr John I Pitt, in The Genus Penicillin, 1979. ‘Antibiotics save lives.’ But has our overuse of antibiotics for killing bacteria contributed to creating a dangerous internal…
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Phuket voted 8th among world’s top 10 islands
PHUKET: Phuket has won eighth place among the world’s top 10 islands in the latest reader survey conducted by travel review website TripAdvisor. Phuket was described by TripAdvisor as an island with “blue lagoons and salmon sunsets [that] make for a dream-like atmosphere, and indeed, a vacation here can feel a bit surreal”. It also said: “Water sports are the…
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Video Report: Portraits of Princess on show in Phuket Town
PHUKET: An exclusive collection of portrait photographs of Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn is on display at two exhibition venues in Phuket Town throughout April. Photographs by esteemed national artist Nitikorn Kraivixien, who is the president of The Royal Photographic Society of Thailand, are on show at the Baba Museum (Peranakan Nitat) and the On-On Hotel on Phang…
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