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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Immigration to tap into Interpol database to fight crime
PHUKET: Immigration police in Thailand are attempting to link their system with Interpol’s database of stolen and revoked passports as part of the crackdown on transnational criminals that saw a Russian wanted for human smuggling in his homeland arrested in Phuket (story here). “Interpol’s database contains about 47 million cancelled and stolen passports,” said Maj Gen Apichat Suriboonya, commander of…
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Interpol busts Russian in Phuket for human smuggling
PHUKET: A Russian wanted for human smuggling was arrested in Phuket on Friday at the request of Interpol. Wanted by Russian authorities, Alexander Bukharov, 42, was arrested in Rawai, while a second Russian fugitive, Roman Ledenev, 33, was scooped up by police on Phi Phi the same day. Mr Ledenev is wanted in Russia for drug smuggling. “Russia’s Interpol unit…
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Serious class warfare on final day of King’s Cup
PHUKET: On the final day of the 29th Phuket King’s Cup Regatta 2015 there was some serious class warfare played out in Kata Bay. Keelboats and multihulls hit the water for one last run, as teams fought for the honor to claim Phuket King’s Cup victory in the name of HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej. In IRC0, Windsikher II skippered by…
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Safer Roads Foundation to fund construction of new roundabout
PHUKET: The UK-based non-profit Safer Roads Foundation will fund the construction of a roundabout at the island’s deadly Narisorn-Surin intersection in a bid to reduce accidents. Phuket had 108 road deaths last year and is in Thailand’s top five provinces for road casualties over the past decade. The intersection near Phuket Provincial Hall in Muang district has claimed five lives…
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Four arrested in Chalong land raid
PHUKET: Officials apprehended four men last night after a complaint was filed with Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada claiming that a Chalong land plot was being developed illegally. The raid, led by a team of Provincial, Navy and Chalong Police officers, yielded the arrests of Watcharin Laongthong, 30; Kanit Sookjai, 27; Somprach Choothong, 46; and Panya Taiying, 42, as well as…
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Funeral rites for former RCoPB president begin today
PHUKET: Funeral services for Brad Kenny, former president and assistant district governor of the Rotary Club of Patong Beach (RCoPB), will be held today through Monday, confirmed RCoPB President Walter Wyler to the Phuket Gazette. Ceremonies will take place at Wat Kosit Wihan, located near Mission Hospital, at 7pm each day, with a cremation ceremony to follow on Monday at…
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Army officer under investigation for threatening Navy lieutenant
PHUKET: An Army colonel is under investigation after he was allegedly recorded threatening a Navy officer for breaking up an underground casino in Chalong on Sunday (story here). Lt Somphop Kamkana of the Royal Thai Navy Third Area Command was one of the Navy officers that aided in the raid that saw more than 40 suspects apprehended. “At the police…
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International Dinghy Classes Race wraps up
PHUKET: The International Dinghy Classes Race 2015, a part of the 29th annual Phuket King’s Cup Regatta, wrapped up after four days of racing on Thursday, a lay-day for keelboats and multihulls, as young sailors tried to seal Regatta victory in honor of HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej. The growing number of fleet entries from 45 last year to 78 dinghies…
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PRBC seeks blood donations for holiday season
PHUKET: As the holiday season draws closer, the Phuket Regional Blood Center (PRBC) is asking residents to donate blood to ensure an adequate supply is available for hospitals to deal with emergencies. “We believe that blood supply will be not be able to meet demand, especially due to an anticipated increase in injuries from accidents during the holidays,” said Pornthip…
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Ministry of Farang Affairs: Why the wai?
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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Phuket jet-ski operator pulls firearm during beach argument
PHUKET: Phuket police are hunting a jet-ski operator who pulled out a firearm yesterday right in the middle of Patong Beach. “We arrived at the beach after receiving a report of an argument between two jet-ski operators. However, Banyong Thonghorm, 46, had already fled the scene,” said Lt Col Sutthichai Thianpho of the Patong Police. “Witnesses led us back to…
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A Decade Ago: Immigration launches hospital visa visits
PHUKET: The recent push in Phuket for a national-level policy to force foreign travellers entering Thailand to have some sort of health insurance is just the latest drive in ensuring better hospital experiences for those who do succumb to misfortune on this island of wonder – a place that has seen more than its fair share of dreams come true,…
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Phuket couple busted with 741 bundles of kratom
PHUKET: Provincial Police apprehended a couple on Wednesday in possession of nearly 143 kilograms of kratom in Kathu. The arrests of Jamjun Kosai, 36, and his wife Urai Siriwong, 28, followed a tip-off from a police source that the pair had been selling drugs to teenagers and laborers out of a rented house in the area, confirmed Pinit Sirichai, Phuket…
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Opinion: Government school obstacles
Anurak Rungrueng is the acting director of the Phuket Primary Education Service Office. He took on the position on November 23, after having worked as the deputy director since 2012. He graduated from Thaksin University with a master’s degree in educational management. Here he calls on the private sector to help shore-up the biggest issues facing government educational institutes. PHUKET:…
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China base rakes in FIT market for Phuket
PHUKET: It is easy to get caught up with how the hospitality industry in Phuket should adjust to a shift in source markets toward a dependency on China. But what is forgotten is that it’s not just Phuket – it’s a worldwide phenomenon that requires the industry to adopt new marketing strategies and platforms. “Chinese outbound travel is a key…
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Phuket farmers denounce GMO bill
PHUKET: More than 30 members of the Phuket Farmer Association submitted a letter at Phuket Provincial Hall asking that Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha suspend the Biological Safety Bill until it is properly amended. The bill is set to allow genetically modified organisms (GMOs) to damage the nation’s ecology, with farmers being the ones to suffer the most, Somchai Ratanasuesakul,…
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Facebook service aimed at professionals to launch in coming months
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Facebook service aimed at professionals to launch in coming months Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Facebook at Work, Facebook Inc’s professional version of its social network, is expected to launch in the coming months, after spending a year in tests, a company executive said. The new…
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First planeload of Syrian refugees headed to Canada
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community First planeload of Syrian refugees headed to Canada Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: After months of promises and weeks of preparation, the first planeload of Syrian refugees was headed to Canada on Thursday, aboard a military plane to be met at Toronto’s airport by Prime Minister…
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Island View: A perfect drunken storm
PHUKET: It is wonderful to see local police instilling a little fear of the law in those who are tempted to down a few alcoholic beverages and then get on a motorbike or inside one of the deadliest weapons in the world – a four-wheeled automobile. Drunk driving is, without a doubt, a culturally acceptable way of getting from one…
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Business Buzz: Local customers key to successful business
PHUKET: One of the common mistakes a business can make in a location like Phuket is to forget who is really important. In a holiday location it is very easy to focus on the tourist market, because the perception is they are the ones who are here spending without a care in the world and that there is an endless…
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Finance: Reduce risks while playing market
PHUKET: I am asked all the time, by those who know I am patiently waiting for the next crash to re-enter equity markets, if there is some way they can participate now while reducing downside risk. If we are talking about funds that will need to be liquidated any time within the next five or ten years, I would say…
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Opinion: Fanning the flames of intolerance
PHUKET: With so much media attention being placed on developments surrounding terrorism and the Islamic State (IS), it is important for us here in Phuket not to get sucked into all the anti-Islamic fear-mongering and religious intolerance sweeping through many western nations these days. As the current edition of the Gazette went to press, firebrand United States presidential candidate Donald…
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Top cop orders investigation into officer’s alleged reckless driving
PHUKET: The island’s top cop has ordered an investigation into the reckless driving of an alleged uniformed police officer, who was caught on video driving erratically near the Samkong Underpass construction site on Tuesday. The video clip, which was posted via Facebook user ‘Kor Phom-chu-night-ni’, shows a vehicle continuously honking its horn while dangerously passing other cars at the notoriously…
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Partner of killed German seeks justice in Phuket
PHUKET: A woman severely injured in a Phuket traffic accident is demanding justice for her dead German partner, following police failing to conduct a blood alcohol test on a man who allegedly had admitted to drinking prior to the fatal accident on December 3. “I was conscious, but unable to move immediately after the accident. The driver didn’t stop; he…
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Favorable winds on day three of King’s Cup
PHUKET: Favorable winds supercharged the trophy hunt on day three of the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta. IRC0 headed out for race 6 on an extensive 34 nautical mile course, a total run of around three hours for some in the class. Duncan Hine’s Alive team made the most of Champagne sailing conditions, managing a 2:39.27 elapsed time, with Frank Pong’s…
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Phuket officials take hardline on dangerous taxi drivers
PHUKET: The Phuket Land Transport Office (PLTO) vowed yesterday to take tougher lines against taxi, minivan and tuk-tuk drivers breaking the law. “These drivers usually have more lives in their hands than other motorists in Phuket and they have a responsibility to ensure that their passengers safely reach their destinations. However, they have caused many accidents recently. Such issues can…
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Officers seize B2mn worth of pirated goods in Patong
PHUKET: Economic Crime Suppression Division Police (ECD) seized nearly 2 million baht worth of pirated goods during a raid in Patong yesterday. The raid followed Patong Police receiving a tip-off that a large number of fake name-brand products were being delivered to two shops at Patong’s One Tambon One Product shopping area for the start of the high season, confirmed…
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BISP swimmers rake in medals at SEA Age Championships
PHUKET: The final day of the Southeast Asian (SEA) Age Championships saw British International School Phuket (BISP) JSA Swim Academy swimmers Chantal Liew, Nicholle Toh and Wong Fu Kang add two additional gold medals and two silver medals to the team’s haul. Chantal Liew (Singapore) took the individual gold in the Girls 50m Back in a time of 30.69, with…
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Krabi officials suspect SOS from Spanish vessel hijacked in Somalia
PHUKET: Krabi officials are contacting international agencies about a Spanish fishing vessel last reported in Somali waters in November. The move followed last Saturday’s discovery by Phi Phi National Park officers of an SOS device believed to be from the ship. ‘Elai Alai 74537’ was written on the emergency position-indicating radio (EPIRB) device. “We checked with EPIRB device experts and…
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Handbag thief is doped-up teacher
PHUKET: A Phuket teacher confessed to police that he had committed multiple counts of snatch theft while under the influence of ya bah (methamphetamine). Locals apprehended Sakkarin Potiwatt, 40, after he snatched an 18-year-old woman’s handbag from the basket of her motorbike on Monday evening, causing her and her passenger to crash, explained Capt Nattaya Supanpong of the Thalang Police.…
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