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.
The Thaiger is your essential resource for staying connected with Thailand’s captivating blend of tradition and modernity. To remain in the loop with the country’s most trusted news source, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on social media.
-
Sponsored Infinito helps hotels in Thailand with revenue management
Maximising revenue and profit–isn’t that the ultimate goal for every business in the hospitality industry? If you run a hotel, you might have heard that revenue management is an effective way to boost your top-line revenue. It involves using data...
-
Phuket Sports: Golf round-up and tips
PHUKET: After the excitement of the US Open, the PGA tour moved on to the TPC River Highlands golf course at Cromwell, Connecticut for the Travelers Championship. Newly crowned US open champion Webb Simpson and Masters Champion Bubba Watson started the first two rounds with Keegan Bradley. Going into the last round, Brian Davis was in second place on 10…
-
Phuket FC draw Bulls, ready for derby match
PHUKET: Phuket FC held their own on Tuesday night against Thai Premiere League side Wuachon (Fighting Bulls) United, holding the Songkhla-based side to a 3-3 draw at Surakul Stadium in Phuket Town. Though only a friendly match, the Islanders came out gunning. They built up a 3-0 lead before the visitors from Songkhla realized that Phuket was not to be…
-
Experts call for Phuket ‘Special Admin Zone’
PHUKET: Experts speaking at a public forum held in Phuket Town last week have voiced their strong support for Phuket to be designated a “Special Administrative Zone”, saying the move would pave the way to resolving many of Phuket’s long-standing problems. Dr Chantinee Boonchai, assistant to the president for Organization and Collaboration Development at the Prince of Songkla University (Phuket…
-
Phuket Sports: F1 – A triumph of errors
PHUKET: The Valencia GP since its birth has been F1’s answer to Valium. Suddenly it has hosted one of the greatest races any of us has seen. There were pre-race fans opting for the two-snooze strategy. Hah! “And gentlemen in England now-a-bed shall think themselves accurs’d they were not here.” No-one has been able overtake in Valencia. But this year…
-
Weird World News: Vote for sex; Mandarin teachers strip and turtles – hold that position
PHUKET: We all know that sex sells, but this latest Weird World News Round-up is about pushing the limits: a female Mexican presidential candidate encourages women to withhold any “favors” if their husbands don’t vote; a instructional website that exposes pupils to flesh as well as Mandarin Chinese, and a pair of turtles is caught in their favorite position for…
-
Australian Ambassador calls for Phuket weapons ban
PHUKET: Australian Ambassador to Thailand James Wise today called for police to launch an island-wide crackdown on weapons, including those carried by tuk-tuk drivers. Speaking after a high-level meeting at Phuket Provincial Hall, Amb Wise said the recent fatal stabbing of Australian tourist Michelle Smith had put a spotlight on public safety in Phuket. “There has been massive media coverage…
-
Warrant issued for alleged shooter of Phuket Prison guard
PHUKET: Phuket Provincial Court has issued an arrest warrant for the prime suspect in the shooting and wounding of Phuket Prison guard Danunun Teepapan on Wednesday night in Chalong. Chalong Police Deputy Superintendent Narong Laksanawimon told the media that all of the evidence collected at the scene, as well as the information provided by the victim, indicated the assailant to…
-
Wreckage found on glacier is missing plane from 1952
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Wreckage found on an Alaskan glacier is missing plane from 1952 Phuket Gazette / News Wires PHUKET: The aircraft wreckage which was found on a glacier near Anchorage earlier this month is believed to be a plane which went missing in the 1950s with more than…
-
Phuket Police crack motorbike theft gang in Kamala
PHUKET: Phuket Police have arrested a member of a motorbike theft ring in Kamala, seizing 15 stolen bikes and other evidence valued at 900,000 baht. Local residents who have had motorbikes stolen in recent months are encouraged to visit Kamala Police Station to see if theirs is among those recovered. Provincial Police Commander Chonasit Wattanavrangkul presented the suspect, 19-year-old Athiwat…
-
Waterspout rips through five houses in Krabi
PHUKET: Five families are seeking refuge at a local public health clinic after a water spout demolished their homes in Krabi on Wednesday. The water spout struck the small waterfront community of Khlong Kanan in Nua Khlong District, which comprises about 100 stilted homes raised about 15 to 20 meters above the water. Jira Butraha, 30, said her seven-year-old daughter…
-
Tailbacks expected at Tesco Lotus Phuket intersection
PHUKET: Expect longer-than-usual tailbacks around the Tesco Lotus intersection starting tomorrow, when the Phuket Highway Office will break ground on a drainage improvement project to address chronic flooding that occurs in the area.The construction at one of Phuket’s busiest intersections will force the closure of some lanes between June 30 and July 4.“The Phuket Highway Office decided to temporarily solve…
-
“Cool-off’ leads monks to blows
PHUKET: Two monks in the Northern province of Kamphaeng Phet were defrocked last month after getting drunk and beating each other black and blue.lao khao (rice wine) was lying nearby. Officers separated the two holy men and took them to be defrocked at Wat Bo Sam Saen in Nongpaling Subdistrict. Both were very drunk and had swollen faces from the…
-
Phuket Gazette: Suicide victim’s son learns of father’s death after photos go viral
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Netherlands: Suicide victim’s son learns of father’s death after photos go viral Phuket Gazette / News Wires PHUKET: Teenagers who witnessed a man jump in front of a train in the Netherlands yesterday took photos of his decapitated body and posted them to Twitter, where the…
-
Phuket officials blasted for inaction over mafia
PHUKET: Phuket Tourist Association Vice President Sarayuth Mallam yesterday lashed out at local government heads for failing to see the importance of solving tourism issues and succumbing to the pressures of “foreign mafia”. “Department heads are not placing the proper importance on solving these problems. Even at this meeting, for example, many heads of the relevant organizations are not here,…
-
Singapore buyer shells out B1.4bn in Evason Phuket buyout
PHUKET: A subsidiary of Singapore firm LC Development has acquired the former Evason Phuket and Bon Island Resort for a total consideration of 1.4 billion baht, reports Phuket Gazette Property columnist Bill Barnett. The deal was struck on April 21, with Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels acting as broker to the transaction, Mr Barnett said on his Property Insider website. The…
-
Phuket prison officer shot and robbed of Bt 3mn
PHUKET: A Phuket prison officer was shot and robbed of 3 million baht in cash near Wat Chalong last night, in what police believe was a sweet business deal gone sour.At about 8:30pm, Chalong Police received a report about the shooting on Luangpor Chaem Road from a concerned local resident, who explained that despite injuries sustained the victim had driven…
-
Indonesians nabbed with B2mn stolen from Phuket policeman
PHUKET: Four Indonesian men were arrested in Haad Yai, southern Thailand, yesterday while heading for the Malaysian border after stealing 2 million baht from a Phuket policeman. Tedi Usman Bin Husin, 43; Yusuf Anwar, 30; Aldi Pratama, 27; and Muhammad Amid, 34, were presented a few hours later at a press conference presided over by Phuket Provincial Police Commander Chonasit…
-
Phuket MP petitions PM Yingluck, Chalerm for more police
PHUKET: One of Phuket’s two Members of Parliament is appealing for the Government to take immediate steps to shore up the island’s image following a highly-damning report by a Singapore-based website that brands Phuket: “The Crime Capital of Asia”. The report which includes images sourced from the Phuket Gazette, without permission, describes Phuket as: “one of the worlds [sic] most…
-
Phuket Aussie stab suspects denied bail, behind bars
PHUKET: The two men arrested for the fatal stabbing of Australian tourist Michelle Smith were denied police bail yesterday and are now being held at the Phuket Provincial Court holding cells awaiting the formal pressing of charges. Chalong Police officers presented suspects Surasak Suwannachote and Surin Tadthong to Phuket Provincial Court at 11:30 am yesterday. Surasak has confessed to stabbing…
-
Poll: Boosting tourist safety in Phuket
PHUKET: The recent confession by two Thai migrant workers in Phuket arrested for the fatal stabbing of Australian travel agent Michelle Smith has once again raised the issue of tourist safety on the island to a national level. The latest Phuket Gazette online poll asks readers which of six measures would best improve tourist safety on the island: Increased CCTV…
-
Phuket Sports: FIVB Grand Prix update
PHUKET: Thai ladies continue to live up to their reputation as some of the world’s best ball control artists, with the final round of the Féderation Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) 2012 Grand Prix, providing the latest stage for them to demonstrate their considerable skills. Considered the women’s equivalent of the FIVB World League of mens volleyball, the annual tournament is…
-
Phuket Gazette: Thailand business review
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Boom could bust in condo markets Phuket Gazette / The NationPHUKET: A property bubble is forming in Bangkok, Phuket and other Thai cities, as well as in Vietnam and Myanmar, partly because of euphoria over the forthcoming launch of the Asean Economic Community, an economist has warned.But…
-
Phuket locals outraged by stab attack re-enactment
PHUKET: Police staved off scenes of chaos this morning as local residents shouted out insults at the two suspects who were required by police to carry out a public re-enactment of the botched bag-snatch that led to the fatal stabbing of Australian tourist Michelle Smith. Police intervened and kept the angry crowd members at bay. Surasak Suwannachote, who confessed to…
-
Aussie murder fallout: CCTV saturation sought for Phuket
PHUKET: A top-level meeting at Phuket Provincial Hall yesterday heard that the island needs 10,000 CCTV cameras and more police officers to keep tourists and locals safe from criminals. Speaking to the media after the meeting, Phuket Provincial Administrative Organization (OrBorJor) President Paiboon Upatising said, “We want the government to provide a budget of about 2 billion baht to install…
-
Phuket killer: “I just wanted the money’
PHUKET: Surasak Suwannachote, the man who earlier today confessed to stabbing Australian travel agent Michelle Smith, told a press conference after the re-enactment of the crime that he had no idea what he was going to spend the money on. “I just wanted to steal the money. I had no idea what I was going to do with it,” Surasak…
-
BREAKING NEWS: Aussie killers confess in Phuket
PHUKET: The two men arrested for the brutal stabbing murder of Australian travel agent Michelle Smith were presented to the media during a re-enactment of the crime outside the Katathani Hotel in Phuket this morning. During a press conference at the resort after the re-enactment, Deputy National Police Chief Pansiri Prapawat told some 50 media personnel that the pair confessed…
-
Phuket man critically injured in head-on motorbike smash
PHUKET: A Thalang man is in critical condition at Vachira Phuket Hospital after suffering head injuries sustained in a head-on collision between two motorbikes last night. Thalang Police were notified of the accident at the Baan Lipon u-turn on Thepkrasattri Road at 9:15pm. Rushing to the scene with Kusoldharm Foundation workers, they found 40-year-old Chamni Ninyang lying unconscious on the…
-
Phuket villagers plead for new road
PHUKET: Tired of plowing through the mud every time it rains in order to reach their homes, residents at Baan Nai Thon on Phuket’s west coast today filed a complaint at Phuket Provincial Hall to finally get the ball rolling on a road project that has stalled.About 20 villagers arrived at the Damrongtham Center (provincial Ombudsman’s Office) at about 10am…
-
Rabbit stew: Phuket FC thrash hapless Hares
PHUKET: Four goals each side of half-time saw a rampaging Phuket FC rout the hapless Chanthaburi FC “Hares” 8-1 last night. There was some concern that Phuket FC might be overconfident going into the match. The Islanders were coming off a big win against Bangkok FC, their first home win of the season, and taking on last place Chanthaburi, winless…
-
Breaking News: Two men arrested for stabbing murder of Phuket tourist Michelle Smith
PHUKET: Two suspects wanted for the stabbing murder of Australian travel agent Michelle Smith are in custody in Chumphon province and are expected to be returned to Phuket later today, the Phuket Gazette has learned.News of the arrests came from Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha this morning during a meeting with local officials and tourism industry representatives.The meeting, also attended by…
Don't forget to check out some other things to do in Thailand - get help starting a business or finding a job in Thailand, buy Thailand property, rent a yacht or book a medical procedure worldwide.