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 Top 5 luxury villas in Phuket and Koh Samui for your next holiday
Ask people to name the most beautiful places in Thailand, and you'll often hear Phuket and Koh Samui being mentioned. Who would disagree? One is renowned for its bustling nightlife, vibrant culture, and lively beach scene, while the other is...
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Ozone treatment proposed for some of Phuket’s stinking wastewater
PHUKET: Phuket Vice Governor Sommai Prijasilpa is pushing to install ozone generators throughout Rassada as a long term solution to wastewater problems in the area. The vice governor yesterday afternoon inspected the new ozone generator used to treat water at Soi Paniang to determine whether the same machine could be used in Rassada. “This machine was developed at Kasetsart University…
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Speed key in successful Central Festival Phuket fire drill
PHUKET: Emergency services and about 700 Central Festival Phuket staffers took part in the department store’s annual fire drill on Friday morning. Presided over by Phuket Provincial Police Deputy Commander Sakchai Limcharoen, the drill succeeded in evacuating the mall in under 10 minutes. Local fire crews also took part in the safety drill, as well as medics from the nearby…
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Rawai roasters tout Thai coffee beans
PHUKET: With the fast approaching Asean Economic Community (AEC) integration, Thailand’s coffee producers will be facing stiff competition from neighboring coffee behemoths Indonesia and Vietnam. Coffee industry experts have long been calling on coffee producers in the kingdom to bring specialty coffee products to market and move away from supplying bulk beans to instant coffee manufacturers. The high-quality beans are…
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Phuket man packing heat, drugs crashes after staring down police vehicle
PHUKET: A man in the illegal possession of two guns and drugs was so distracted by a police vehicle last night that he crashed his motorbike into a car in Thalang. Police rushed over to the badly injured Chainarong Singsombat, 27, to whisk him away to hospital, but hesitated when they discovered that he was packing heat. “We found a…
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How to choose an offshore broker
PHUKET: As an expatriate, there are a number of important aspects to consider before choosing an offshore broker or a custodian to hold your investment assets. At the same time, you will need to keep in mind that not every offshore broker will be able to offer a perfect solution for all of your needs – especially if your financial…
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Dog rape not rape
PHUKET: Police in Nakhon Ratchasima, the gateway province to Isarn known as “Korat”, are investigating a report about a known sex addict who allegedly raped his neighbor’s dog, named Dodo. The incident was brought to light when Attapon Srisopha, the 36-year-old village headman in Tambon Nong Ya Khao, escorted Anuwat Saithong and his three-year-old female Golden Retriever to Sikhio Police…
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Thailand News: Park chief seeks transfer over Billy case; Acting PM insists on elections; Dump fire ablaze again
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Park chief seeks transfer over Billy case The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The head of Kaeng Krachan National Park, Chaiwat Limlikhitaksorn, has reportedly sought a transfer – for at least a month – amid pressure over the disappearance of prominent Karen activist Pholachi “Billy” Rakchongcharoen.…
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Boko Haram offers to swap kidnapped Nigerian girls for prisoners
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Boko Haram offers to swap kidnapped Nigerian girls for prisoners Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The leader of the Nigerian Islamist rebel group Boko Haram has offered to release more than 200 schoolgirls abducted by his fighters last month in exchange for prisoners, according to a…
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Crackdown banning ‘walk-in visa runs’ to begin August 13
PHUKET: Foreigners will be allowed to continue to re-enter Thailand on three consecutive “walk-in” visas until August 12, Ranong Immigration Superintendent Ekkorn Bussababordin assured the Phuket Gazette today. The news follows the appearance of a formal notice posted on Bangkok Immigration’s website on May 8 stating that any persons who exit Thailand after completing a stay in the Kingdom on…
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Nationwide Visakha Bucha alcohol ban begins at midnight
PHUKET: Bars, restaurants and other retailers throughout Phuket must refrain from selling alcohol from midnight tonight to sunrise Wednesday morning as a nationwide ban comes into effect for the Buddhist holy day Visakha Bucha on Tuesday. “Visakha Bucha Day is one of the four annual religious days on which the sale of alcohol is banned,” Maj Sutthichai Thianpho of the…
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Phuket sailor Scott Duncanson wins his fourth Coronation Cup at Top of the Gulf Regatta
PHUKET: Local yachtsman Scott Duncanson has brought home his fourth prestigious Coronation Cup after securing victory in the Platu national championship finals at the Top of the Gulf Regatta in Jomtien last week. Duncanson, already a three-time winner in 2002, 2008 and 2010, and representing the Ao Chalong Yacht Club, was joined by fellow Phuket yachtsmen Alfie Rowson and Anthony…
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Business as usual for bars, despite bans
PHUKET: Despite a handful of unexpected alcohol bans due to elections brought about by the ongoing, nationwide political protests, business seems to be barreling forward as usual in Phuket’s premier party town. The Director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, Anoma Wongyai, told the Gazette, “I think because the alcohol bans were short-lived, only one or two days long, they…
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Resort guru Michael Ayling joins Royal Phuket Marina
PHUKET: Michael Ayling, former Managing Director of Laguna Resorts & Hotels, today began his new role as Managing Director/General Manager at Royal Phuket Marina (RPM). “The goal is to make RPM a destination, not just a marina, and Michael has vast experience in this field,” RPM Chairman Gulu Lalvani told the Phuket Gazette this morning. Mr Lalvani also revealed plans…
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Patong police snare iguana touts on Soi Bangla
PHUKET: Police arrested two men on Phuket’s famed Soi Bangla last night for offering tourists photo opportunities with iguanas. Police named the two men as Natthapon Kanesing, 23, from Bueng Kan Province in Northeast Thailand, and Sulkeflee Jaetae, 28, from Yala. “The suspects were charged with inflicting harm to an animal and causing a public nuisance,” said Lt Col Sutthichai…
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Australian expat dies from heart failure in Phuket bathroom
PHUKET: Australian expat Ronald Douglas Litherland, 67, from Brisbane, Australia, was found dead at his rented home in Cherng Talay yesterday afternoon. “Doctors have confirmed the cause of death as heart failure,” said Maj Kitthiphum Thinthalang of the Thalang Police. “There were no signs of a struggle on his body, except for a small wound above his right eye.” Mr…
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Thailand News: PDRC heads to bridge; Can’t choose PM, says senior judge; Pattaya to extend beach
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PDRC shuts Lumpini rally site, heads for final battle The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The People’s Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) will today end its rally at Lumpini Park and move all rally sites to Makkhawan Rangsan Bridge. PDRC secretary general Suthep Thaugsuban last night made…
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Energy Ministry asks Phuket to save power ‘just in case’
PHUKET: Energy Ministry officials announced yesterday they will launch a campaign calling on all Phuket residents to minimize the electricity each household uses as a precaution against power outages during a month-long upgrade to a major gas field supply line in the Gulf of Thailand. Residents will be asked to reduce their power consumption between 6 and 10pm each night…
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Ousted Deputy PM Pracha denies Phuket stroke rumors
PHUKET: Former Deputy Prime Minister Pracha Promnok has shot down rumors that he had a stroke after Phuket locals saw him rushed into the emergency room of Bangkok Hospital Phuket last night. Gen Pracha was taken to the hospital at about 7:30pm after he passed out on his yacht near Naka Island, off the east coast of Phuket. “I had…
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Ukraine consul frets over tourist safety in Phuket
PHUKET: Ukrainian Honorary Consul to Thailand Alexander Zub yesterday formally expressed his concern about the increasing number of road accidents in Phuket, and to discuss the safety of Ukrainian tourists who visit the island. “Ukrainian tourists in Phuket tend to rent motorbikes or cars rather than opting [sic] for public transport, which could increase the risk of them being involved…
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Election massacres of Muslims darken India immigration debate
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Election massacres of Muslims darken India immigration debate Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: From his hiding place in a cowshed, Sefaqul Islam watched as masked gunmen moved through his village, shot women and children dead with automatic rifles and tossed wounded survivors into the blazing remains…
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Mafia conviction upheld against Berlusconi adviser
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Mafia conviction upheld against Berlusconi adviser Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Italy’s highest appeals court on Friday upheld a mafia collusion conviction against a close associate of former Silvio Berlusconi, a further blow for the former prime minister who began serving a tax-fraud sentence earlier in…
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ANC wins South Africa 2014 election with 62 percent
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community ANC wins South Africa 2014 election with 62 percent Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: South Africa’s ruling African National Congress won the 2014 national election with 62.16 percent of the votes, the electoral commission said on Friday. The provisional result shows the ANC’s main rival, the…
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Phuket man found hanged
PHUKET: Police do not suspect foul play was involved in the death of a man found hanged in his company accommodation room yesterday morning. Fong Waikru, a packer at Faktong Transport Co Ltd, raised the alarm after he discovered the body of his workmate Sompol Buayai, 39, hanged. Mr Fong told police that he noticed the door to Mr Sompol’s…
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Phuket lands B20bn slice of Mall Group B80bn shopping center mega projects
PHUKET: The Mall Group is set to invest 20 billion baht in the development of a 150 rai mega-project in Phuket’s Kathu district as part of an 80bn baht venture to open six world-class shopping centers in expectation of Thailand’s market flooding when the gates of the Asian Economic Community (AEC) open next year. “The BluPearl project [in Phuket] will…
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Rights groups call for US sanctions against Thailand over trafficking
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Groups say Thailand should face U.S. sanctions over trafficking Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Thailand should be liable to potential U.S. sanctions for failing to crack down on trafficking in migrant workers, a group of human rights and labour organisations said on Friday. In a letter…
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When noise is good
PHUKET: I stopped at my local 7-Eleven on the way home from work the other night, tired out from a day of peering at my computer screen and mildly irritated for the umpteenth time at the inconvenience of having to buy something – drinking water – that I get out of the tap where I come from. As I entered…
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Phuket kids to save Karon
Yuphayao Alshammary, 50, has been Director of Suwan-keereekate School in Karon since May 2013. She has an MA in Education Management from Maha Sarakham University and is now pursuing a PhD. Before coming to Phuket, she was director of two rural Northeast schools for more than 15 years. Here, she talks about how supporting education can help solve Karon’s social…
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Legal enigmas: foreigners beware
PHUKET: The news stories that have spilled across the pages of the Phuket Gazette over the past few weeks have thrown into sharp relief what it takes for a foreigner to live on this paradise island. A Russian woman who had made her home here being refused re-entry to Thailand last month because officers from the Immigration Bureau suspected her…
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Water, tear gas fired on protesters in Bangkok
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Water, tear gas fired on protesters in Bangkok The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Police guarding the government’s Centre for the Administration for Peace and Order (CAPO) fired water and teargas at anti-government protesters and senior monk, Phra Buddha Issara, who led Friday’s protest to the…
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Phuket PDRC supporters head to Bangkok
PHUKET: More than 1,000 Phuket supporters of the anti-government People’s Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) have left the island to join fellow protesters in Bangkok. The news follows a call by PDRC Secretary-General Suthep Thaugsuban yesterday, urging people from around the country to join the rallies in the capital. “Phuket supporters left yesterday,” protest coordinator Amnuay Kumban told the Phuket Gazette…
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