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.
-
Sponsored
Digital nomading in Chiang Mai? What US$1,000 a month really gets you
Chiang Mai has become a popular destination for digital nomads due to its low living costs, rich culture, and active remote work community. The city offers affordable housing, tasty food, reliable internet, and many co-working spaces, making it a great...
-
Top brass from Bangkok visits Phuket over bombing
PHUKET: National Police Office adviser Ratchata Yensuang arrived in Phuket last night to get a grasp on the non-fatal bombing in Phuket Provincial Hall’s carpark yesterday (story here). “The bomb appeared to be quite amateurish. We have already delegated key investigative roles to specific officers – to ensure we catch the culprit as soon as we can,” Gen Ratchata said.…
-
Phuket out of TAT promotional campaign for 2014
PHUKET: Phuket is one of several main tourism destinations in the country that will not be promoted under the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) international marketing campaign for next year. Instead, the focus will be on less-developed tourism areas, Director of the Phuket-TAT office Chanchai Doungjit revealed yesterday. “We will not be promoting tourism centers that are already well-established. Instead,…
-
Phuket bombing ‘civilian scare tactic’
PHUKET: The bomb blast at Phuket Provincial Hall yesterday (story here) was designed to frighten officials, and was likely not intended to kill anyone, Phuket Provincial Administrative Organization (PPAO) President Paiboon Upatisin said. “The rising price of rental land might be the motive for the blast. Although actually, we don’t really have problems with anyone,” President Paiboon said, mulling the…
-
World’s largest floating library booked for Phuket
PHUKET: Logos Hope, the world’s largest floating library, is Phuket bound for the first time, Project Coordinator Eunji Lee told the Phuket Gazette. The 132-meter-ship, roughly half the size of the Titanic, will be at Phuket’s Deep Sea Port from August 14 to 22. “We will open the ship up for visitors from August 15 to 18, and from August…
-
Asian demand for tablets and laptops insatiable
PHUKET: Southeast Asia’s internet infrastructure has improved by leaps and bounds, spurring the increasingly connected society to seek gratification for instant connectivity via portable devices such as tablets and laptops. In the last 12 months, demand for both devices grew to hit combined sales of nearly 14.2 million units across six of the region’s key markets – Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand,…
-
Cloud computing: Forecast sunny – Phuket Business
PHUKET: Lately, I have been hearing many stories of expats and tourists in Phuket whose laptops have been stolen. Having your laptop stolen is a terrible experience. You not only feel violated, but your life was basically on that computer. Picking up the pieces can be hard, but today it can be made easier with cloud computing. Cloud computing is…
-
Radio DJ killed in Phuket hit-and-run
PHUKET: A Phuket DJ was killed in a hit-and-run yesterday afternoon after he was dragged beneath a pickup truck for about 700 meters, witnesses said.Police and rescue workers arrived at the scene to find Terdpong “Bao” Phuttapiruk, 29, dying in the middle of the road.“He was rushed to Vachira Phuket Hospital, but he was unconscious and suffering from broken ribs,…
-
Phuket presents a successful inaugural Junior Phuket Raceweek
PHUKET: A fleet of 14 Optimists and five Toppers took part recently in the newest event on Phuket’s sailing calendar, the inaugural Junior Phuket Raceweek. Held off Panwa Beach Resort Phuket, youngsters from seven to fifteen years old completed four races in idyllic Phuket conditions under the watchful eye of Principal Race Officer Royal Thai Navy Rear Admiral Prasart Sribhadung,…
-
Phuket Video Report: 10 rescued from sea after waves swamp Phi Phi cargo boat
PHUKET: Ten men were rescued after spending two hours holding onto floating debris between the Krabi coast and Phi Phi Island, off Phuket, late yesterday afternoon.The cargo boat Unity, carrying food, construction materials and other supplies bound for Phi Phi, was struck by large waves reaching up to four-meters high after passing Koh Por Da, the boat’s captain, Thaweep Choonoon…
-
“Bombs’ detonated at Phuket Airport drill
PHUKET: A simulated terrorist bomb drill held at Phuket International Airport yesterday went off without a hitch, organizers said.In the exercise, members of the Phuket Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) unit and Airports of Thailand (AoT) staff short-circuited one bomb with a high-pressure water device, responded to a “fire” when a second was detonated, and cared for “injured” participants.When the first…
-
Phuket Gazette World News: Mugabe election showdown; UN to inspect Syrian chemical weapons sites; Sweden drops charge against fake serial killer
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Zimbabwe votes in Mugabe election showdown Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Zimbabweans voted in large numbers on Wednesday in a fiercely contested election pitting veteran President Robert Mugabe against Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, who has vowed to push Africa’s oldest leader into retirement after 33 years in power.With…
-
Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Oil spill mop up continues; Bangkok under ISA ahead of rallies; North braces for more floods
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Oil spill probe to be finished in 7 days The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: The Energy Ministry promises to complete its investigation into the cause of the disastrous offshore oil spill within seven days and to ensure full compensation by PTT Global Chemical (PTTGC).“The situation is under…
-
Phuket security guard chose wrong bag when he turned to crime
PHUKET: A Phuket security guard who turned to crime may have regretted his decision after the bag he stole turned out to contain nothing more than cosmetics, and CCTV images led police to his rented room the same day.Rungnapa Bunnamee left her cosmetics bag in the basket of her motorbike when she stopped to shop at a 7-Eleven on Phuket…
-
Phuket crane loses balance, operator flees scene of destruction
PHUKET: A crane manipulating a heavy section of concrete pipe toppled over in Phuket this afternoon, demolishing the second floor of two shops, and though no one was injured, the driver fled the scene.“As the crane was lifting a section of pipe, land subsided under the crane arm, causing the operator to lose control,” said Sumpawat Wannasangkam of the Department…
-
Laguna Phuket announces major staff restructuring
PHUKET: Laguna Phuket has announced that it is undergoing a significant departmental restructuring and downsizing, but the company declines to confirm or deny reports that as many as 300, or 10 per cent, of its associates have left or are in the process of leaving.According to a press statement issued today (July 31), Laguna Phuket currently employs close to 3,000…
-
‘Nobody helped us,’ South African family attacked by six men claim
PHUKET: The South African family attacked near Soi Bangla (map here) after midnight on Tuesday morning said they “called for help, but nobody helped”. The family of four – mother, father and two children in their 20s – were “hanging out near the beach road” when they were suddenly attacked, the father later told rescue workers. Six men appeared “out…
-
Phuket pushes for new road to Freedom
PHUKET: Top Phuket officials, including Governor Maitri Inthusut, yesterday attended the first public hearing for the proposed new road from Sirirat Road, near Le Meridien Phuket Beach Resort, to Tri Trang Beach, on the southern headland of Patong Bay. About 100 people turned out to join the meeting, held at the Phuket Graceland Resort and Spa in Patong. “Actually there…
-
Phuket Airport to undergo full-scale “explosive’ emergency drill
PHUKET: A full-scale emergency-response drill will take place at Phuket International Airport today – Wednesday, July 31 – as part of the Phuket International Airport Emergency Plan 2013.“The exercise will begin at 10am and last for one hour, at the parking lot, right in front of Phuket Airport Terminal 2,” said Airports of Thailand’s Acting Phuket Director Somsiri Kuengsopha.“The drill…
-
Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Suit filed against PTTGC; Sting operation ends in shoot-out; Flash floods hit Mae Sot; Social media shows outrage over oil spill, calls for hair donations[VIDEO]
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Case filed against PTTGC The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The Marine Department yesterday lodged a police complaint against PTT Global Chemical over the crude oil leak from the undersea pipeline it owns in the Gulf of Thailand. The department’s strategic move is aimed at ensuring…
-
Phuket Gazette World News: Manning verdict – not guilty of aiding enemy; Pentagon warns against zero option; Iraeli-Palestinian peace deal
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Private Manning acquitted of aiding enemy in WikiLeaks case Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: A military judge yesterday found U.S. soldier Bradley Manning not guilty of aiding the enemy – the most serious charge among many he faced for handing over documents to WikiLeaks.But Col. Denise Lind, in…
-
Urgent call for more A- blood for injured Briton in Phuket
PHUKET: Vachira Phuket Hospital has appealed for more blood donations of A-negative blood in order to continue treatment for British national Marc Harrington, 66 years old. Mr Harrington was admitted to the hospital for a head injury sustained in a motorbike accident on June 22 (story here). “The doctors fear that Mr Harrington will go into shock if we are…
-
Phuket officials seize machinery, halt construction at protected mangroves site
PHUKET: The Phuket Land Office will be called on to answer how three Nor Sor 3 land-use documents came to be issued for “plots” within a protected mangroves site on the outskirts of Phuket Town. Officials from the Royal Forest Department (RFD) yesterday raided a seven-rai site in the Klong Koh Pee area, near Saphan Hin in Phuket Town. Land…
-
Four youths charged over Phuket machete attack
PHUKET: Police have arrested four youths for a savage attack on a man who was repeatedly beaten and hacked with a machete in Karon last Thursday, after the incident was recorded on CCTV. “We went to the scene and found the victim, Silert Pong-Aroon, seriously injured,” Karon Police Superintendent Weerawat Jantarawichit told the Phuket Gazette. “Rescue workers rushed him to…
-
Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Oil spill update; Pension issues; Thaksin clip was foreigners; Emergency decree before amnesty bill
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Black day for Samet The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET:Authorities yesterday feared the entire tourist island of Koh Samet in Rayong would be affected by Saturday’s oil spill.The island’s Ao Phrao (Phrao Bay) is being closed for three days to permit a cleanup of spilled crude oil that…
-
Drunk man rails against Phuket police, damages vehicles
PHUKET: Officers stationed at the Pa Khlok Police Box were in for a startling surprise last night when a drunk man arrived to report his son missing, but erupted in a violent rampage after police could not immediately locate the missing son.The man, identified as 41-year-old Pa Khlok villager Sunchai Fordkaew, arrived at the police box at 8pm.“He said his…
-
Belarus woman hospitalized in Phuket after slamming motorbike into tree
PHUKET: A Phuket tourist from the Republic of Belarus was injured on Friday night when she lost control of her motorbike and slammed into a pine tree close to Patong Beach at about 10pm.“The accident took place at the entrance to Lai Mai Beach Resort. The injured woman was Yuliya Kavaliova, a 26-year-old. When we arrived, she was crying in…
-
Detention of Rohingya north of Phuket a human rights issue, Minister says
PHUKET: The Minister of Social Development and Human Security declared the detention and trafficking of Rohingya through Thailand to be the subject of clear human rights issues and a national security threat after her visit to the Phang Nga facilities north of Phuket on Saturday. “After listening to senior officials dealing directly with the refugee influx of Rohingya in Phang…
-
Phuket car care lasts 10 minutes
PHUKET: A local resident at Nai Yang Beach, on Phuket’s west coast, yesterday spent 20 minutes waiting for a team of car detailers to perfect the shine on his white Toyota Fortuner – only then to roll the vehicle upside-down into a ditch 10 minutes later. Concerned villagers called the Kusoldharm Foundation at 10:45am, reporting a car had crashed into…
-
Police on lookout for Toyota in Phuket shop hit-and-run
PHUKET: Phuket Police are on the lookout for the driver of a Toyota vehicle – make and model unknown – that slammed into a motorbike repair shop in Thalang early yesterday morning.The driver reportedly backed his vehicle out of the shop and fled the scene, leaving behind as evidence his front bumper and the Toyota logo badge usually found fixed…
-
Phuket Gazette World News: Hun Sen holds Cambodia; 36 dead in Italy tour bus plunge; Gaza talks are back; JJ Cale is dead
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Hun Sen wins Cambodia election, majority slashed Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: The Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) of long-serving Prime Minister Hun Sen won Sunday’s election, taking 68 seats to the main opposition party’s 55, the government spokesman said, announcing a much-reduced majority for the ruling party.Khieu Kanharith,…
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.