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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Suspects yet to be charged for billion-baht illegal beach rental scheme
PHUKET: The public prosecutor has yet to press formal charges against the Kata-Karon mayor or any of the other suspects allegedly involved in the island’s billion-baht illegal beach rental scheme. At least 15 people, including Kata-Karon Mayor Tawee Thongcham, were accused at a press conference in September last year of illegally issuing permits for local beach vendors to use public…
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Police ramp up campaign against illegal ivory trade in Phuket
PHUKET: All people in Phuket trading in ivory have until April 21 to register with the Department of National Parks Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) or face legal action, police warned yesterday. The deadline was delivered by Phuket Provincial Police Deputy Commander Peerayuth Karajedee at an inspection of the Royal Paragon Phuket store in Chalong. “Several stores in Phuket sell…
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Death sentence for man who had his family killed
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Death sentence for man who had his family killed The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Bangkok’s Thon Buri Criminal Court yesterday handed down the death sentence to 23-year-old Kittinan Homchong, after finding him guilty of hiring killers to murder his parents and older brother in 2014.…
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Chinese tourists safe after airport taxi slams into motorcycle, kills man
PHUKET: Two Chinese tourists brought their holiday in Phuket to a close by witnessing one man being killed and another suffering serious injuries in a road accident before dawn this morning. The tourists were heading to Phuket International Airport when their taxi slammed into a motorcycle at Baan Porn, in Thalang, at about 5am, explained Lt Suporn Muangkhai of the…
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Myanmar convicts five over fake rape claim that sparked riots
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Myanmar convicts five over fake rape claim that sparked riots Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A Myanmar court convicted five people for spreading fabricated allegations that a Muslim man raped a Buddhist woman, which led to deadly riots last July, a court official said on Friday.…
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Yemen mosque suicide bomb attacks leave 137 dead
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Suicide bombers slay 137 in Yemen mosque attacks Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Suicide bombers killed at least 137 worshippers and wounded hundreds more during Friday prayers at two mosques in the Yemeni capital Sanaa, in coordinated attacks claimed by Islamic State. The attacks on mosques…
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Ex-princess’ family members get five-year jail terms
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Ex-princess’ family members get five-year jail terms The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Three relatives of the former Princess Srirasm were given five-and-a-half-year prison terms yesterday for abduction, intimidation and lese majeste – crimes associated with a racketeering gang led by disgraced former crime-buster Maj Gen…
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Government evicts Surin Beach clubs
PHUKET: Several iconic beach clubs are among 39 businesses along the Surin beachfront boardwalk that were given eviction notices yesterday. The notices, and the negation of contracts for the use of the buildings, follows the demolishing last year of some of the businesses’ developments on the west side of the boardwalk, which were deemed to be encroaching on public land…
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Aussie charged for fatal Phuket stabbing in court on Monday
PHUKET: Mark Pendlebury, the Australian expat charged for the fatal stabbing of a Patong nightclub security staffer on March 11, is expected to present himself in court on Monday. Mr Pendlebury was granted bail by the Phuket Provincial Court, confirmed Lt Col Jessada Saengsuree of the Patong Police. “He must present himself to the court on March 23 in order…
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Opinion: Teaching tourists proper footiquette
PHUKET: The fining of a Chinese tourist for washing her feet in a sink in a public restroom on Phi Phi Don hardly comes as earth-shattering news. It does, however, raise several cultural issues in a country which is so dependent on mass tourism, but at the same time famously sensitive to issues regarding the lowest of the lower extremities.…
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Opinion: Need for more speed in court proceedings
Sakun Suanpharn, 53, originally from Uttaradit, took up the position of Chief Judge of Phuket Provincial Court on April 1 last year. Judge Sakun earned a Bachelor’s of Law, Barrister-at-law from Ramkhamhaeng University. Before coming to Phuket, Judge Sakun served as Chief Judge of Yala Juvenile Court, following more than 20 years’ experience after graduating from university. Here, he explains…
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Opinion: Take it easy, people
PHUKET: Take it easy, people. What our government is trying to do is bring back “The Land of Smiles”. The nation’s leaders are trying to fix all of the problems that have plagued Thailand for decades. I have heard some say that Rome wasn’t built in a day… so, give the government a chance to work out these problems. What…
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One Direction star Zayn Malik flees Phuket, dumps Asian tour
PHUKET: Zayn Malik of One Direction, who was spotted with a woman outside of a Phuket nightclub this week, has dropped out of the band’s Asian tour due to “stress”, confirmed his publicist on Thursday. “Zayn has been signed off with stress and is flying back to the UK to recuperate. The band wish him well and will continue with…
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Special Report: Thailand’s wine industry at crossroads
SPECIAL REPORT Though many foreigners, and some Thais, often succumb to strong cravings for fermented grape juice, Thailand’s wine industry is metaphorically, and literally, in ferment. The Kingdom produces a limited amount of premium wine, not nearly enough to satisfy demand. In addition, the import business is riddled with taxes, making fine wines all-the-more expensive. In steps Thai ingenuity –…
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Phuket expat sailor Kevin Ashby dies from cancer, age 44
PHUKET: Well-known Phuket expat sailor Kevin Ashby has died after a long battle against colon cancer, staff at Vachira Phuket Hospital confirmed to the Phuket Gazette today. Mr Ashby, aged 44, passed away yesterday. Originally from South Africa, Mr Ashby moved to Phuket after the 2004 tsunami and sailed in many Phuket regattas. He became a familiar face at the…
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Phuket’s first underpass set to open April 6
PHUKET: The underpass at the Darasamuth Intersection, in front of Central Festival Phuket shopping mall, is set to re-open to traffic with a grand opening ceremony on April 6. Minister of Transport Air Chief Marshall Prajin Janthong will be the guest of honor at the event, Phuket Highways Office Director Samak Luedwonghad told the Phuket Gazette. “The ceremony will be…
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Claims of torture over court attack materialize
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Claims of torture over court attack materialize The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Police will have doctors to re-examine four of the suspects allegedly involved in the hand-grenade attack on the Criminal Court following allegations of physical assault and torture to obtain confessions. Police spokesperson Lt…
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Islamist gunmen slay 20 foreign tourists in museum massacre
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Islamist gunmen slay 20 foreign tourists in museum massacre Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Tunisia said it would deploy thearmy to major cities and arrested nine people on Thursday after20 foreign tourists were shot dead in an attack on a museumwhich Islamic State militants called “the…
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Former Australian leader Malcolm Fraser dies at 84
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Former Australian leader Malcolm Fraser dies at 84 Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Former conservative Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser, who led the country from 1975 to 1983 but later turned against his party over its tough immigration policy and involvement in the Iraq war, died…
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Dead babies found in house freezer in southern France
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Dead babies found in house freezer in southern France Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Police have found the corpses of four babies in the freezer at a house in southern France, after a man reported finding a dead baby in a cooler bag in his family’s…
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Racha Yai resort to face land encroachment charges
PHUKET: The mayor of Rawai is prepared to press encroachment charges against a hotel on Koh Racha Yai for building a bridge on public land. Officials were notified of the offending structure, owned by Rayaburi Resort, when government workers arrived at the site to dredge the Patak Canal, a project which began on March 7 (story here). The bridge crossed…
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Man found dead in small Phuket canal
PHUKET: Police have yet to rule out murder as a possible cause of death for a man whose body was found in a small Phuket canal this morning, just meters from where he was drinking with recently made friends last night. Officers arrived at the scene, near a shack behind Wat Baan Don in Srisoonthorn, at about 8:15am. “The man’s…
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Whale shark’s fins stolen by villagers postmortem, say experts
PHUKET: Experts do not believe that the young whale shark found dead yesterday near Koh Pu (story here), off the coast of Krabi, was a victim of the widely denounced shark-finning industry. “We received a report from the village headman about local fishermen having spotted the whale shark and dragging it to shore,” said Dr Rachawadee Jantra of the Phuket…
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Critical underpass intersection to remain closed until end of year
PHUKET: Traffic lanes at the Samkong Intersection, site of the Tesco Lotus underpass, between Kathu and Samkong will remain closed until the end of this year, confirmed the Phuket Highways Office director today. The Phuket City Police announced in December that the lanes of traffic flowing between Kathu and Samkong would be closed until March 1 in order to carry…
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Phuket landfill fire posed no health risks, says environment official
PHUKET: Smoke from the fire that broke out at Phuket’s overloaded landfill site Tuesday night did not pose health risks to the island’s residents, confirmed Dr Pornsri Suthanaruk, director of the Phuket Environment Office Region 15. “It was windy on Tuesday, and the wind blew all of the smoke toward the ocean,” he told the Phuket Gazette yesterday. Two rai…
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Ball Hockey: Phuket Pucks suffer in first taste of Mekong Cup
PHUKET: Phuket’s first foray into the annual Mekong Cup ball hockey tournament, held in Karon last Saturday, ended with an ousting in the round-robin stage, but the competition for Southeast Asia’s most coveted ball hockey trophy has been hailed a success. Though this was the fourth straight year that the Mekong Cup was staged at the Centara Karon Resort Phuket,…
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Phuket Cycling Fest peddles back into view (video)
PHUKET: The Phuket Cycling Fest returns for its second edition on March 28-29 with a weekend of cycling fun, including a 46km tour of the south of the island. The event is being held to promote tourism by bike in Phuket, with the primary goal of tourists and cycling enthusiasts seeing new areas and places to cycle, while promoting the…
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Phuket lifeguards vie for Vietnam contest selection
PHUKET: Members of the Phuket Lifeguard Club, best known for their life-saving role patrolling the island’s beaches, are in training for an international life-saving skills competition in Vietnam at the end of April. Last year, Phuket lifeguards won gold in the three-man board rescue relay and placed second overall at the annual event, called the Da Nang International Lifeguard Competition…
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Jet-ski Pro Tour comes to Phuket
PHUKET: The opening round of the G-Shock Pro Tour 2015, the premier jet-ski competition in Thailand, will be held off the Sarasin Bridge at the northern tip of Phuket on March 28-29. Joining the competition will be Chaowalit Kuajaroon, Pro Sport 800 Superstock 2004 world champion and the Thailand Pro-Am Runabout 0-1200 Open champion 2005, Phang Nga Governor Prayoon Rattanasenee…
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AMLO freezes B7bn of Klongchan Credit Union assets
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community AMLO freezes B7bn of Klongchan Credit Union assets The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: THE Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO) yesterday decided to freeze 7 billion baht of assets after learning that the money had been unlawfully transferred to different people by Klongchan Credit Union Cooperative’s former…
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