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 Top 5 luxury villas in Thailand with jaw-dropping ocean views
Thailand is an easy pick for anyone dreaming of tropical sun, crystal-clear waters, and island adventures. And if you want to wake up to the sound of waves crashing against the shore and stepping out onto your own private terrace...
-
Freedom for giant turtle captured off Phuket
PHUKET: A green sea turtle rescued near Phuket in April this year has finally been given its freedom. The turtle, thought to be about 50 years old, was almost a meter long and weighed a massive 120kg. It was rescued off Koh Bon during an early morning raid by Phuket-based marine inspectors who had been tipped off about an illegal…
-
Fuel slick havoc on Phuket road
PHUKET: Motorbike riders found Phuket’s busy Thepkrasattri Road even more treacherous than usual this afternoon after a truck crane left a three-kilometer fuel slick down the southbound lane. Several riders crashed and fell off their bikes, although none were seriously injured. The 19-year-old truck driver didn’t notice there was diesel leaking from the truck until it ran out of fuel…
-
New luxury hotel for Phuket
PHUKET: Leading global hotel brand Accor have signed an agreement to manage the 280-room Pullman Phuket Arcadia at Nai Thon Beach which is scheduled to open in 2012.The new hotel is aimed at the luxury market and is currently under development by the owners of the Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort.Despite the economic downturn, investment in hospitality assets is on the rise…
-
Townhouse demolition goes ahead for Phuket road expansion
PHUKET: Two townhouses which have been at the center of a court battle for 20 years are finally being torn down to allow road expansion in Phuket City to go ahead.The townhouses, located on a 500 meter stretch of Phunpol Road, have held up expansion of the road from two lanes to four.A number of restaurants, houses and businesses that line the…
-
Logging destroys 18 rai of Phuket forest
PHUKET: Illegal loggers got away with clearing a huge swathe of pristine national park forest on Kamala Hill near the west coast of Phuket for more than two weeks before officials moved in to stop them. Acting on a tip-off, Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop led a team of Royal Forest Department officials and more than 30 forest preservation volunteers to…
-
Trash not welcome on Phuket’s walking street
PATONG / PHUKET: The eyesore of trash in Patong, particularly Soi Bangla, has prompted a new zero-tolerance clean up policy.A ‘clean up or pay the price’ message has been sent out to Patong businesses, with hotels, bars and restaurants coming under fire for allowing garbage to pile up outside their premises.Patong Mayor Pian Keesin is working with Kathu Police Superintendent Grissak Songmoonnnark…
-
Accused teen set to fly home
PHUKET CITY: After spending more than five months in a Phuket jail, the German teenager arrested along with 43-year-old Briton Dax Young on child sex abuse charges in March is set to fly home next month. The 18-year-old, who cannot be named, pleaded guilty at the Phuket juvenile court today and was handed a four-year suspended sentence and fined 17,000 baht. He…
-
Phuket to host shuttle launch
PHUKET: Phuket is set to give badminton a boost next month when it hosts the first Dunlop Phuket Open at the Saphan Hin sports center from August 5 to 9.The event is expected to attract Thailand’s top badminton players, who will battle it out with their rackets and shuttlecocks for prize money totaling 750,000 baht.The five-day event has been jointly…
-
Phuket celebrates National Thai Language Day
PHUKET: Today, July 29, is marked by Thais as National Thai Language Day, and was celebrated in Phuket earlier this week with ceremonies involving more than 1,000 students, historians and prestigious scholars. The celebrations at Rajaphat University Phuket on Monday included a writing contest, a Thai folk song contest, traditional dancing and speeches by leading scholars on the importance of…
-
Phuket rescuers recover body of drowning victim
PHUKET: Rescuers this morning recovered the body of a 15-year-old boy who on Sunday became caught in an undertow at Karon Beach and drowned. The rescue volunteers from the Phuket Ruamjai Foundation discovered the body of Pattharadanai ‘Ooad’ Kampong at 4am, less than one kilometer from the spot the boy was last seen. The boy’s father said on Monday that…
-
Father killed in bid to save couple wired for death
PHUKET: A Phuket man was killed while trying to revive his son and his son’s girlfriend who were electrocuted in what police say may have been a bizarre ‘murder-suicide’. Police in Phuket Town said Jitti Choowong arrived home last Friday night to find his son Ekalak and his girlfriend dead on the floor of the home they shared in Rassada.…
-
Water World set to make waves in Phuket
West Sands Water World in Mai Khao is the latest tourist attraction currently under construction in Phuket.Construction began last year and is expected to be complete by December.The water park is part of the West Sands five-star resort complex and was designed by Whitewater Industries, a world leader in water park design and a major player in the US water…
-
Search continues for missing teenager
PHUKET: Rescue teams have spent the day searching in vain for a 15-year-old boy who became caught in an undertow at Karon Beach and is feared drowned.The boy, Pattharadanai ‘Ooad’ Kampong, was last seen waving for help in heavy surf about 6pm on Sunday.Lifesavers saw him in trouble, and tried to save him, but were unable to battle through the…
-
Boy missing, feared drowned
A 16-year-old boy is missing, feared drowned, after disappearing from Karon Beach about 6pm last night (Sunday night).The teenager, from Pijit Province, is a Phuket resident and went swimming with friends who said he went into the water about 6pm, but did not return.Chalong police and rescue teams using a jet boat searched for him, but have so far been unable to…
-
Suspected Phuket ‘gangster’ jumps bail
PHUKET CITY: An arrest warrant has been issued for a Pakistani man who failed to make a mandatory court appearance while on bail for attempted murder of a compatriot in Rawai in 2007, police say. The suspect, identified as Imran Ahmed “Munna” Qureshi, was arrested by the Phuket Tourist Police in October 2007 for the attempted murder of fellow Pakistani…
-
Phuket Tourism: Patong performs best
PHUKET CITY: Patong is outperforming the rest of Phuket in a low-season that many local hotel industry experts describe as dismal.Phuket Tourist Association (PTA) President Somboon Jirayus said current average occupancy rates are about 30-40% in most parts of the island, down about 30% year-on-year, on average.Revenue is down even further because of all the discounts and promotions hotels are…
-
Three out of three for Evolution Sails
SIX SENSES PHUKET RACEWEEK, DAY 2: Ray Roberts’ boat Evolution Sails made it three out of three with a third consecutive victory in the morning race to put him in pole position in the Racing class.However, Roberts did not have it all his own way, as Neil Prydes’ Hi Fi broke Evolution Sails‘ monopoly, to win the afternoon race. Hi…
-
June tourist arrivals down almost 22.9%
PHUKET CITY: The number of international tourists arriving at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport in June was down almost 23% year-on-year, according to the Thai Immigration Bureau. Figures for June arrivals into Phuket from abroad are not yet available. June’s international arrivals into Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airport were 642,732, down 29.7% from the 833,678 arrivals in June 2008. Arrivals from East Asian countries…
-
Olive branch offered to Burma during Phuket Asean talks
CHERNG TALAY, PHUKET: Members of the Asean Regional Forum (ARF) in Phuket yesterday offered to help Burma promote democracy, human rights and well-being among its people, but avoided mentioning the controversy over pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi. “Asean, as well as members of the ARF, would like to work with Myanmar [Burma] and are ready to assist in its…
-
Good gusts on first day of Six Senses Phuket Raceweek
PHUKET SIX SENSES RACEWEEK: Ray Roberts drew first blood in the race to become the 2009-10 Asian Yachting Grand Prix Champion.Racing on Evolution Sails, formerly known as Quantum Racing, he claimed first place in both races in the IRC Racing class.The 2008-09 winner, Neil Pryde, finished second and third on Hi Fi with Peter Ahern on Yo! 2, also securing…
-
Police identify victims of Phuket shootout
PATONG, PHUKET: Kathu Police have identified the man who died in a wild west-style gunfight that broke out at Patong Beach on Tuesday as 24-year-old Daruwat Burintarakot, nephew of the late Jintana Plaza heiress Komkai Kositkoon who was murdered in July last year. Police have also released the names of the three men injured in the shootout, during which dozens…
-
Hillary Clinton in Phuket: Asean urged to be open about human rights
PHUKET: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her diplomatic entourage flew into Phuket yesterday on two private jets. Mrs Clinton was then whisked off to the Sheraton Grande Laguna Phuket, the Asean Ministers’ Meetings Phuket venue, where she gave a speech that included a call on the Burmese junta to release democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been…
-
Bomb scare at Laguna Phuket
CHERNG TALAY, PHUKET: A loud boom reported at Laguna Phuket this morning was caused by security officials who blasted a suspicious motorbike with high-pressure water from a fire hose.Reuters news agency reported that a ‘loud blast’ of unknown origin was heard by witnesses.A source at Laguna Phuket confirmed that security officers at the resort found a suspicious motorbike parked near the Laguna Holiday Club, less than a…
-
Phuket City students glimpse eclipse
RASSADA, PHUKET: Despite overcast conditions, students who turned up to view the partial solar eclipse this morning at Rajabhat Phuket University did not go away completely disappointed. “Today we had a lot of clouds, but fortunately we were able to observe the eclipse for about 5 minutes at around 8am,” said Prof Sukchai Petchuay, Assistant Dean of Rajabhat University Phuket.…
-
Phuket gangs shoot it out in Patong
PATONG, PHUKET: Tourists ran for their lives when a gunfight erupted between two gangs on the Patong beachfront today. One man was killed and three injured in the Patong shootout.Bystanders said two gangs of Thai men began shooting at each other on the site of the burned out Jintana shopping center on the Patong beach road in the early afternoon.One witness said a…
-
New Phuket City market to open by year’s end
PHUKET CITY: Structural work on the new municipal market on Ranong Road is complete, but the 167-million-baht facility probably won’t be open for business until the end of the year. Phuket City Mayor Somjai Suwansupana said the four-story market building and the 27 shophouse units surrounding it were finished, but interior work would probably take several months to plan and…
-
Phuket swine flu infections drop
PHUKET CITY: Phuket appears to be winning the battle against swine flu, but the island’s top public health official is asking the public to maintain vigilance.Phuket Public Health Office (PPHO) director Dr Pongsawas Ratanasang said yesterday morning the number of new cases reported daily has fallen to fewer than five, on average.So far there have been 123 reported cases of…
-
Phuket Red Cross blood donation schedule
PHUKET CITY: The Phuket Chapter of the Red Cross Society has arranged for its mobile unit to accept blood donations at the following places and times in Phuket and Krabi in August.August 1 (8am to 12 noon): HM Queen Sirikit Park, Thalang Rd, Phuket CityAugust 3 (9am to 5pm): Bangkok Hospital Phuket, Phuket CityAugust 4 (9am to 12 noon): Krabi…
-
Thai PM opens Asean meeting in Phuket
MAI KHAO, PHUKET: Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and his entourage arrived in Phuket this morning for the 42nd Asean Ministerial Meeting (AMM) and related meetings that got underway at the Laguna Phuket resort on Friday. Among those on hand to greet PM Abhisit at the Phuket International Airport VIP room at 8.30am were national police chief Gen Patcharawat Wongsuwan,…
-
Phuket residents decidedly calm in run-up to Asean
PHUKET CITY: Asean Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan yesterday told the international community that the upcoming meetings of Asean foreign ministers and dialogue partners would be secure. “I want to assure you all that the security arrangements are superb and the meetings will proceed without disruption,” he said. In April, anti-government protesters stormed into the Asean Summit’s venue in Pattaya, forcing the…
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.