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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Phuket Gazette World News: Israelis pay last respects to warrior-statesman Sharon
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Israelis pay last respects to warrior-statesman Sharon Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s body lay in state on Sunday outside parliament in Jerusalem, where thousands of Israelis waited to bid farewell to the maverick warrior-statesman who reshaped the Middle East.Sharon died at the age…
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Phuket Gazette World News: French first lady in hospital after reports of Hollande affair
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community French first lady in hospital after reports of Hollande affair Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: French first lady Valerie Trierweiler has been admitted to hospital following reports of an affair between President Francois Hollande and an actress, but will be discharged on Monday, sources said on Sunday.The daily…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Iran sanctions lifted under nuclear peace deal
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Deal on curbing Iran’s nuclear activity to take effect January 20 Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: A deal for Iran to freeze parts of its nuclear programme in return for sanctions relief will take effect on January 20, giving world powers and Tehran six months to agree a…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Bangkok shutdown begins; Pheu Thai objects May 4 polls; Businesses ready for downturn
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Stage set for huge Bangkok shutdown The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: The People’s Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) will today begin their Shutdown operation to try to seize seven sites in Bangkok at 9am after a series of blockades at state agencies – in a bid to paralyse…
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Phuket braces for Monday shutdown
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut today assured that the island’s authorities were well prepared to peacefully deal with a large protest planned for Monday in front of Provincial Hall. The protest will be held at Sanam Chai field (map here) in Phuket Town, in line with the “Bangkok shutdown” being organized by the People’s Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC), led by…
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Phuket celebrates Children’s Day
PHUKET: Today is Children’s Day, and youngsters across the island are being feted with games, prizes, and free food and drink in the annual celebration. In Phuket Town, Governor Maitri Inthusut hosted activities at his official residence, including a tour, while other events were underway at Provincial Hall and Saphan Hin. At a celebration sponsored by Phuket Marine Police, the…
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Phuket Gazette World News: U.S. to withdraw diplomat from India as dispute festers
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community U.S. to withdraw diplomat from India as dispute festers Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: The United States said on Friday it would withdraw one of its diplomats from New Delhi at India’s request after Washington effectively expelled an Indian envoy at the centre of a dispute between the…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Celebrations in Central African Republic as leader resigns
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Celebrations in Central African Republic as leader resigns Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Central African Republic’s interim President Michel Djotodia caved in to international pressure and resigned on Friday after failing to halt inter-religious violence, drawing thousands onto the streets in celebration.The resignations of Djotodia and his Prime…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: PDRC guards injured in gun attacks; 45 countries issue travel warnings; EC calls to delay polls
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Seven PDRC guards injured in attacks near Democracy Monument The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: At least seven men serving as security guards for the People’s Democratic Reform Committee were injured in sporadic attacks near the Democracy Monument rally site early Saturday, police and protesters said.The first attack…
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Tiger Disco trial over inferno deaths to start next month
PHUKET: The long-awaited manslaughter trial over the deaths of four people in Patong’s Tiger Disco inferno, in August 2012, will begin next month. Tiger Group CEO Piya Isaramalai and Sara Entertainment Co Ltd each face a charge of causing death through negligence under Section 291 of the Thai Criminal Code, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in jail.…
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Phuket ‘backpack bomb’ fears disarmed by underwear
PHUKET: A lottery ticket seller raised the alarm of a potential backpack bomb outside of a Phuket bank yesterday. However, a police investigation revealed only various female garments, including underwear. “She saw a teenager put several things in the bag and then drop it near the stairs of the Kasikorn Bank branch on Chana-Charoen Road. She got scared, and asked…
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Phuket Election Commission seeks to re-open candidate registration
PHUKET: The Phuket Election Commission (PEC) has sent a formal request to Bangkok asking for permission to re-open registration so more candidates can contest the February 2 national election. “It’s not fair to hold an election with only one candidate. There is no choice for the people,” Tassaneeya Srirattanaprapan, chief of the PEC’s Political Party Division, said at a news…
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Investigation against Phuket violent taxi station postponed
PHUKET: The investigation of a violent Phuket taxi rank whose behavior was exposed in a sting operation in November has been postponed. “We expected the investigation against the Merlin Beach Resort taxi station to get official sanction at our December 2 meeting,” said Somboon Sarasit, head of the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) Special Crime Unit 3. “However, there were…
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Phuket greenlights trial ban on buses over deadly Patong hill
PHUKET: Within two weeks, buses and trucks headed to Patong will be barred from using the Patong Hill road, government officials and bus operators agreed at a meeting yesterday. The one-month trial ban will force most heavy vehicles to choose alternate roads into Patong, but will permit them to use the hill road when they exit the resort town. Not…
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Murder fugitive in Phuket land dispute surrenders to police
PHUKET: The man wanted for shooting dead a rival in a land dispute yesterday surrendered to Phuket police last night. Supongdeth Vetchatam, 53, presented himself at the Phuket City Police Station at about 7:30pm. He brought with him his lawyer and the murder weapon – a Smith & Wesson .357 revolver. Mr Supongdeth told police that he fatally shot Echa…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Fidel Castro, 87, makes rare public appearance
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Fidel Castro, 87, makes rare public appearance Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Former Cuban President Fidel Castro made a surprise appearance on Wednesday evening at the opening of a Havana cultural centre sponsored by one of his favourite Cuban artists.State television on Thursday broadcast images of Castro arriving…
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Phuket Gazette World News: India diplomat indicted, asked to leave U.S.
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community India diplomat indicted, asked to leave U.S. Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: The Indian diplomat whose arrest and strip-searching in New York caused a major rift between India and the United States was indicted for visa fraud on Thursday, and the U.S. government immediately asked her to leave…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Protests may cost B40bn; Tourism fears rise; Army maintains no coup; OAG stirs elections wasteful
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Prolonged siege may cost Bt40 bn The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: The Bangkok Shutdown is expected to whack Bt40 billion off the economy or 0.2 percentage point off its growth as consumers cut back on daily living and travel expenses, according to the University of the Thai…
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Deadly Phuket shooting over land, say police
PHUKET: Police believe a conflict over land was the motive for the deadly shooting in Phuket today. Echa Yala, 49, was shot dead while out in his garden, not far from a lagoon, after having a heated argument with a man who arrived in a white Toyota Fortuner (story here). “There were two men in the Fortuner. One man walked…
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Aussie fraud, embezzlement trial to start in June
PHUKET: Rell Hayes, the Australian founder of the Stoney Monday Oasis Hotel in Phuket, has denied criminal charges of embezzlement and six counts of fraud involving more than 80 million baht. His defense will be heard in court when his trial begins on June 10. Rell Vivien Hayes, 51, was arrested in Krabi in November after Phuket Provincial Court issued…
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Phuket Opinion: Victims of society have a friend in Phuket
Naovanit Intarasakul, 53, is the director of a government-run shelter for the needy, Ban Mit Maitri. A Yala native, Ms Naovanit has degrees in social development from Rajabhat University in Yala and in management from Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University. Here, she explains what her shelter can provide and suggests what ordinary people can do to help. PHUKET: Phuket is one…
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Lethal Phuket tour bus crash prompts B10mn budget to fix road
PHUKET: The Phuket Highways Office has secured 10 million baht to widen the road at the bottom of Patong Hill in the hope of preventing further fatal bus crashes caused by brake failure. The announcement follows a runaway tour bus slamming into five vehicles, including one motorcycle, killing two people and leaving 26 others injured on December 29 (story here).…
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Phuket Opinion: Protesters impose will outside political sphere
PHUKET: This year’s Red Cross Fair ended on a bitter note, with incidents of lethal violence near the fairgrounds and a political protest that prevented one of Thailand’s most famous rock stars from taking the stage (story here). The last-minute cancellation of a scheduled performance by Sek Loso left scores of excited fans deeply disappointed, once again demonstrating that Phuket…
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Phuket Town sleeping python not left to lie
PHUKET: A python found taking a nap in a Phuket Town kitchen was escorted to more natural surroundings by rescue workers early this morning.When Anchalee Boonjit returned home from work at about 1am today, she realized that all was not right.“I heard a sound in my kitchen,” she said. “When I went into the room, I saw a snake on…
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Makro’s Rawai branch open for business
PHUKET: Siam Makro PCL, the Thai subsidiary of Dutch “cash and carry” chain Makro, on December 20 opened its third store in Phuket, on Wiset Road in Rawai. The new branch is Makro’s second “Food Service” format store in Phuket, following the opening of its first branch in Patong earlier this year. Speaking at the grand opening ceremony, Jantima Goiphol,…
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Phuket Filipina in 5-month legal limbo
PHUKET: A Philippine national charged with working in Patong illegally was forced to wait in legal limbo for five months before her case was put in front of a Phuket judge.In the meantime, she remained stuck in Thailand without a work permit, or legal way to support herself.Melanie Beleno, 35, was arrested on July 4 when Immigration Police went to…
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Phuket faces 40 per cent drop in Chinese tourist arrivals in January
PHUKET: Officials expect the number of Chinese tourists coming to Phuket to drop by 40 per cent this month, despite the fact that Chinese New Year falls on January 31.Chinese New Year traditionally brings a boost in Chinese tourism to Thailand, but this year fewer tourists from Greater China, including Hong Kong and Taiwan, are expected to celebrate the holiday…
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Phuket Gazette World News: U.N. wants inquiry into strikers’ deaths in Cambodia
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community U.N. wants inquiry into strikers’ deaths in Cambodia Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: The U.N. human rights agency urged Cambodia to launch an investigation into the “disproportionate” use of force by security forces last week against garment factory workers striking over pay.Military police opened fire on workers protesting…
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Phuket Gazette World News: EU proposes sending military force to Central African Republic
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community EU proposes sending military force to Central African Republic Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: European Union officials proposed on Wednesday that the EU move quickly send troops to Central African Republic, either to the capital Bangui or the west of the country, diplomatic sources said.The proposals for an…
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Cruise high over Phuket with the PIMEX lucky draws
PHUKET: Jump into a gorgeous new airplane and get high above Phuket with this year’s PIMEX (Phuket International Boat Show), which opens tomorrow at the Royal Phuket Marina (map here). The Phuket Gazette in conjunction with Phuket Airpark is offering all registered visitors the chance to win a scenic flight over the island. Each daily drawing, from January 9 to…
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