News
Thailand news, politics, business, crime, lifestyle, and tourism—stay updated with breaking news and in-depth analysis from Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, and beyond.
-
Kenyan arrested with allegedly fake passport, pharmaceuticals
PHUKET: A Kenyan national was arrested at Phuket International Airport on Saturday night for carrying an extensive amount of pharmaceuticals and an allegedly fake passport. Josphat Gikundi Gichunuku, 35, entered Thailand via a flight from Dubai, confirmed Phuket Tourist Police Chief Urumporn Koondejsumrit. “As Mr Gichunuku proceeded through the immigration queue, the officer checking his passport noticed several suspicious aspects…
-
Small boats ordered to stay ashore, day trips cancelled
PHUKET: Day-trip tourists are to remain ashore today after Phuket officials ordered that all boats less than nine meters remain on the island until further notice. “The order became effective today. We’ll see what the weather does and make adjustments accordingly. I’m expecting to have to order boats smaller than 12 meters to keep ashore soon,” Phuket Marine Office Chief…
-
Breaking News: Another two killed on Patong Hill
PHUKET: A cement truck descending the infamous Patong Hill killed two women on a motorbike before crashing into the guardrail. Police and rescue workers are at the scene, and have yet to release the names and ages of those killed in the accident. Just two days ago, a 26-year-old woman succumbed to injuries sustained after a six-wheeled truck struck her…
-
Iranian tourist drowns at Patong Beach
PHUKET: An Iranian tourist drowned at Patong Beach Saturday night after getting dragged out to sea by a strong current. Hasan Fhakhr, 30, was pulled out of the water near the Patong Police box at about 6:30pm by lifeguards. They immediately administered cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for about 15 minutes, until an ambulance arrived to transfer him to Patong Hospital. Mr…
-
Russian fraud fugitive arrested in Rawai
PHUKET: A Russian fugitive hunted by Interpol for alleged fraud totaling 25 million baht was arrested in Rawai on June 10, according to The Nation, citing a press release, on Tuesday. Dmitrii Rodionov, 38, was brought in to a ‘conference’ in Bangkok along with five other alleged foreign criminals who had been arrested for a variety of different crimes, said…
-
Two thieves dash off with 400,000 baht
PHUKET: Two daring thieves got away with more than 400,000 baht in cash after kicking over a woman’s motorbike and grabbing her bag yesterday evening. Lt Wechasak Chuladoong of the Phuket City Police rushed to the scene after police were alerted of the hit-and-run attack on Jantana Seangdee, 37*, along Pracha Uthit Road in Koh Kaew at about 8pm. “The…
-
Patong Hill crash victim dies
PHUKET: One of the victims in an accident on Patong Hill yesterday has succumbed to her injuries, police confirmed to the Phuket Gazette this morning. Laksamiduean Sawadiraksa, 26, who was driving a motorbike in front of a six-wheeled truck when it lost control on the hill, sustained serious head injuries in the collision, and was pronounced dead after being rushed…
-
Phuket Governor requests Navy, police protection for sea gypsies
PHUKET: Governor Nisit Jansomwong has requested that naval officers and Chalong Police carry out random checks at the Rawai sea gypsy village to boost security and ensure locals that they will be safe during ongoing land dispute cases. The security boost follows news reports from June 22 that 200 sea gypsies had begged Phuket authorities for protection after a group…
-
Gold-fraud gang hit Phuket
PHUKET: A Kalasin man who pawned a fake gold necklace after his friend successfully swindled the same shop a day earlier has been arrested while his accomplices remain at large. Police received a call from Tongmaneemas gold shop, in Rassada, at about 11:45am yesterday reporting that someone had attempted to pawn a fake two-baht weight gold necklace with a genuine…
-
Biker hounded by police
PHUKET: Police are hunting for a man who authorized a dog to drive his motorcycle last week, according to a report on news24.com. While the appearance of a dog driving a motorcycle without a helmet is not particularly unusual in Phuket, such is apparently not the case in Vietnam where a video gone viral has outraged the Hanoi traffic police.…
-
Opinion: Bring back sun loungers, tourists will come again
Tommy Serban, 35, is the senior product manager of TUI Nordic, a tour operator in Scandinavia. He is originally from Copenhagen and has a master’s degree in business management. Mr Serban lived in Phuket from 2007 to 2010 and has been working with TUI Nordic for 14 years. Here, he discusses Nordic tourists’ concerns about Phuket, the current state of…
-
Heritage tourism on Phuket
PHUKET: While Phuket has become a leading mass tourism destination and Thailand’s second market after Bangkok, travel specialists and local businesses are digging deep into the island’s rich culture and history to satisfy a growing demand from high-end visitors seeking immersive experiences on the island. The local Baba culture provides one such source of inspiration for those wanting to venture…
-
Opinion: Soi animals: Good, bad, scary, weird
PHUKET: There are many tales told, time and time again, by Phuket residents of good, bad, scary or weird encounters they’ve had with stray animals who live their lives on the streets of this island. The stray dog problem was recently cast into the spotlight in Rawai and Nai Harn. However, this problem is not exclusive to the south of…
-
Breaking News: Two seriously injured in Patong Hill crash
PHUKET: Two women on a motorbike have been rushed to Patong Hospital with serious injuries after a six-wheeled truck lost control on Patong Hill, rolled backward and crashed into them. Police and rescue workers rushed to the scene, at the bottom of the hill near Wat Suwan Khiriwong Temple, at about 12:30pm to find the two women on the ground…
-
Phuket gets heavy rain, rough seas for weekend
PHUKET: The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) Phuket office has warned of heavy rain and rough seas this weekend. “We received an official weather report from the Thai Meteorological Department [TMD] forecasting an increase in heavy rainfall,” said Santhawat Riwleung, chief of the DDPM Phuket office. “The report also said that there will be strong southwest monsoon conditions…
-
Two Myanmar workers killed in truck crash
PHUKET: Two Myanmar construction workers were killed and seven others were seriously injured when the truck they were riding in crashed on Kamala Hill last night. The truck, which was carrying 40 workers from World Co Ltd, was travelling from Tri Trang Beach to a workers’ camp near the top of Kamala Hill at about 10:30pm when the driver lost…
-
Video Report: Truck caught dumping near Nai Harn Beach
PHUKET: Island officials are looking for the owner of a truck who was caught dumping rubbish near Nai Harn Beach on June 6. The hunt began after PGTV sent a video clip to Rawai Mayor Aroon Solos that showed men in a pick-up truck unloading construction site refuse into what has quickly developed into an illegal dumping ground just 100…
-
Business Buzz: How to promote a sales funnel successfully
PHUKET: We have now covered how to prepare the marketing and sales process. The next part, crucial to any success, is getting the message out to the target market. It does not matter how good your product, customer service or social media presence is if nobody knows you exist. There are so many choices with social media these days that…
-
English-language seminar on Thai capital market, financial products on Sunday
PHUKET: The Association of Thai Securities Companies (ASCO) will be shooting to give Thais and foreigners greater clarity about Thai capital market and Thai financial products during a seminar on July 5 at the Phuket Royal City Hotel. Those attending will be broken up into three groups, with the seminar being held in Thai for two groups and English for…
-
Governor launches search for fake officers in Phuket
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Nisit Jansomwong vowed yesterday to look into a complaint filed about alleged fraudsters entering homes under the guise of anti-human-trafficking officers. Amnuayporn Samneang, village headman of Srisoonthorn Moo 6, filed a formal complaint to Governor Nisit yesterday evening. “Mr Amnuayporn told us that two ‘anti-trafficking officers’ arrived at his home on June 29 and refused to present…
-
Finance: Before bidding: Take stock of eBay stock
PHUKET: While you are probably familiar with eBay as a great place for deals on everything imaginable, you might not be familiar with the large cap internet auction stock as an investment. However, there are some compelling reasons why investors should be taking a closer look at the stock right now. For starters, and at the end of last September,…
-
Olympians take “Road to Rio’ at Thanyapura
PHUKET: Twenty-five future Olympians began their ‘Road to Rio 2016’ at Thanyapura Phuket – the first Official Federation Internationale de Natation (FINA) Training Center in Southeast Asia. Thanyapura announced its official partnership with the aquatics international body FINA this week at a press conference attended by Tourism and Sports of Thailand Minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul and Phuket Governor Nisit Jansomwong. Thanyapura…
-
Opinion: Fishing D-Day
PHUKET: It is too early to tell what the long-term ramifications of the recent crackdown on the Thai fishing industry will be, but there is no doubt that drastic change is needed to bring one of Thailand’s most notoriously rogue industries up to something approaching respectability by international standards. The fishing industry was overdue for an overhaul long before the…
-
Pirated goods vendors flee Kata-Karon shops
PHUKET: A number of shops managed to close before a police raid on pirated goods hit Kata and Karon yesterday. However, police were able to seize about 1,400 items and arrest one suspect. “We received a complaint that there were a lot of fake name-brand goods being sold in the area, so we decided to investigate,” Lt Col Pratheep Choosri…
-
Car flips inside Phuket underpass
PHUKET: A car flipped inside of the Darasamuth underpass near Central Festival last night, causing all lanes to be temporarily closed off to traffic. Based on the damage, police believe that an individual driving a Toyota Yaris struck the back corner of a Toyota Avanza, causing it to flip, explained Maj Narong Muangduang of the Wichit Police. Both drivers received…
-
Phuket fishing boats vow to remain ashore amid strict regulations
PHUKET: Commercial Phuket fishing boats have vowed to remain ashore rather than be netted by officials and charged for Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing practices. “We requested that the government relax the strict measures being enforced on us. However, they refused,” Somyos Wongbunyakul, president of the Phuket Fishing Association, told the Phuket Gazette. “The new regulations began on July…
-
Family continues search for legally dead Dane in Phuket
PHUKET: Soren Baisgaard is legally dead. The Danish government laid him to rest after he went missing in Phuket in 1999. However, a single phone call in 2011 in response to a notice issued in the Phuket Gazette by the Danish government reignited the hopes of his deserted wife and two daughters that he was in fact still alive in…
-
Two arrested for stealing 15,000 baht worth of liquor
PHUKET: Two men were arrested in Rassada last night for stealing more than 15,000 baht worth of liquor over the weekend. Puthipong Anuchon, 22, and Thawatchai Wongpiphan, 19, were caught after police used CCTV footage to locate the residence of the bike seen at the robbery. Thatirat Pongpan, 47, owner of Big One mini-mart near Karon beach, informed police on…
-
SKAL denounces Phuket dolphinarium
PHUKET: SKAL International Phuket & Southern Thailand’s executive committee, along with SKAL members, lashed out at the island’s unopened dolphinarium as news broke that the facility had leaped through yet another bureaucratic ring (story here). “SKAL International Phuket & Southern Thailand wish to publicly condemn this project and protests ‘vividly’ against the opening of a dolphinarium in Phuket,” a statement…
-
Phuket dolphinarium grinds forward [video]
PHUKET: The still unopened Phuket dolphinarium has cleared another set of hurdles in its attempts to launch the project to the public following issuance by the Department of Fisheries of the necessary public zoo operations licence earlier this month. “The building has been improved and now meets our standards,” an officer from the Department of Fisheries, who asked not to…
![Phuket dolphinarium grinds forward [video] | Thaiger](https://thethaiger.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/1_2015630121837503_pHQRljWoPiKkRQcLfZlpcwxYKOVIIeBQuSEHyBUX_jpeg.jpeg)
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.