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 Moving with family? Here’s how to cut health costs in Thailand
Relocating to Thailand with your family brings exciting new opportunities, but it also comes with the challenge of managing healthcare costs in a new system. Thailand has both public and private healthcare options, each offering different prices and quality of...
-
Phuket tsunami memorial service honored by few
PHUKET: A somber air hung over the tsunami memorial service at the Tsunami Memorial Wall in Mai Khao this morning as about 50 people turned up to remember those lost to the killer waves that struck Phuket in 2004. Thai official figures state that the tsunami killed 5,398 people and more than 3,700 disappeared in the waves that day. Hundreds…
-
Phuket Police chief transferred
PHUKET: Phuket Police Chief Pekad Tantipong will transfer out of the province following a nationwide reshuffle of commanders and superintendents released yesterday by Royal Thai Police Headquarters in Bangkok. Maj Gen Tantipong, who took up the Phuket posting in early May 2009, took the Christmas Day surprise in stride. “I have not seen the official order yet, but I heard…
-
Phuket “anti-Santa’ behind bars
PHUKET: A Russian man was arrested by Kamala Police yesterday on suspicion of robbing several homes during the festive holidays. The 35-year-old, Pavel Zhuravlev, was arrested at 3am at a house where he was staying on Soi Massayid Naka in Kamala. He was found in possession of 800 milligrams of ya ice (methamphetamine) and drug-taking paraphernalia, as well as many…
-
Top Muay Thai kickboxer takes the stage
PHUKET: Renowned Muay Thai kickboxer Buakaw Por Pramuk, the holder of three national-title belts, steps into the ring at the Patong Boxing Stadium, Phuket, tonight (December 26). Buakaw, who won his third national title on December 18, is not scheduled to fight at the stadium competitively. However he will spar with a partner to demonstrate his skills and techniques to…
-
Villagers in southern provinces panicked by high waves; Phuket not affected
PHUKET: Christmas brought panic to many villagers in southern Thailand yesterday when high waves hit several coastal provinces, just one day short of today’s seventh anniversary of the December 26 tsunami, which killed thousands and shocked the whole country. But there were no reports of panic in Phuket yesterday, although high winds prevailed throughout much of it, accelerating toward dusk.…
-
FC Phuket 1 – 1 Air Force Utd
PHUKET: FC Phuket conceded a last-minute goal to hand a 1-1 draw to Air Force United in an entertaining yet inconsequential match at Surakul Stadium this evening. The modest crowd that turned up at Surakul Stadium enjoyed a scoreless first half under relatively cool and blustery conditions in Phuket. The Southern Sea Kirin drew first blood at 56 minutes after…
-
Phuket FC ready for Air Force Utd tonight
PHUKET: Phuket FC are hoping for a large fan turnout this evening when they kick off against Air Force Utd at Surakul Stadium at 6pm. Phuket FC will go into the match coming off a disappointing home loss to Suphanburi FC on Wednesday, while Air Force Utd greatly improved their chance of avoiding relegation with a 1-0 home win against…
-
Phuket Opinion: Taking a gamble on cruise ships
PHUKET: With Phuket’s Deep Sea Port being targeted for a huge upgrade, the island has great untapped potential in the global cruise ship industry – not just as a port of call but also as a port to call home. (See page 5, current issue of the Phuket Gazette. Digital subscribers click here to download the full newspaper.) Mention the…
-
Have a very Phuket Christmas!
PHUKET: With scattered thundershowers forecast across Phuket today, the tens of thousands of people who have come to spend Christmas here will be doing their best to enjoy our beaches. Without a doubt, Santa, like so many others, will be making a stop on Phuket during his annual circumnavigation, so make sure you’re not too naughty this weekend. Santa will…
-
Siam Niramit opens in Phuket
PHUKET: After six years in the making, the Siam Niramit Phuket theater is now staging its “Journey to the Enchanted Kingdom of Siam” art and culture show before packed houses of people who are taking advantage a limited-time, 399-baht-per-ticket promotional offer. Last night, members of the Phuket media were treated to a complimentary viewing of the show, related attractions and…
-
Phuket Tsunami Memorial Wall caretakers sign up for long haul
PHUKET: Members of the US Navy League in Phuket have made a preemptive strike against the deterioration of the Tsunami Memorial Wall in Mai Khao, pledging to maintain the respected site for years to come. It appeared that the wall had never been maintained at all. Armed with weed wackers, painting supplies and new flags, volunteers from the USS Pinckney,…
-
Girl, 16, struck dead by pickup truck on main Phuket road
PHUKET: A 16-year-old Burmese girl was struck dead by a pickup truck while crossing Thepkrasattri Road, the main road to Phuket Airport, in Thalang last night. The girl, named only as “Dao”, was crossing the busy road with her father in front of Baan Porn Furniture store just before 10pm when the pair were hit by a black Toyota Vigo…
-
Phuket Media Watch: Student survives 10-day blizzard in car
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Stranded Arizona college student survives 10-day blizzard in car Phuket Gazette / News Wires A college student from Arizona who went missing earlier this month has been found alive after being stranded in her car in the middle of a blizzard for ten days, local media…
-
Phuket plays host to international DMAT rally
PHUKET: Tourists at Nai Yang Beach, on Phuket’s northwest coast, received a surprise this morning when seven Disaster Medical Assistance Teams (DMATs) arrived and began life-saving rescue drills. The exercises were part of the first-ever International Medical Rally in Asia, which brought together for a one-day event four DMATs from Thailand and three DMAT crews from Japan, Korea and Sri…
-
Police rule “suicide’ on Phuket yacht death
PHUKET: Police are treating as suicide the death of a South African man whose body was discovered on a yacht moored off Phuket this morning. Chalong Police were notified of the discovery at about 8:30am, Capt Chianchai Duangsuwan told the Phuket Gazette. Police arrived on board the boat, moored about 800 meters from Chalong Pier, to find the body lying…
-
Phuket police take stand against sex slavery
PHUKET: Police have warned nightclub, karaoke and massage parlor operators in Phuket’s party town of Patong that human trafficking and luring young women into forced prostitution will not be tolerated. The warning came at a meeting in Patong on Wednesday, following the Department of Special Investigations’ (DSI’s) rescue of 41 young women from a sex trafficking ring in a raid…
-
Phuket Sports: Westwood wins at Amata Spring
PHUKET: Lee Westwood claimed the inaugural Thailand Golf Championship and a US$158,000 prize purse last Sunday at the Amata Spring Country Club in Chonburi. The 38-year-old from England fired a three-under-par 69 in the final round to defeat South Africa’s Charl Schwartzel by seven shots following a four-shot overnight lead. Westwood’s 22-under-par 266 aggregate total, fourth victory of 2011 and…
-
Fair Play to Brazilian Soccer Schools
PHUKET: Organized by Brazilian Soccer Schools (BSS) Phuket, The Fair Play League for boys and girls will resume on January 14, 2012 at the British International School (BIS). Tawan Sea Adventures and The Yorkshire Inn have stepped in as title sponsors which has enabled the registration fee to be set at 500 baht per player for the full eight week…
-
Laguna take top spot after demolition of the Phuket Leopards
PHUKET: Last year’s Island Furniture T20 champions Laguna Phuket faced the dynamic youth team of the Leopards in the season’s sixth match and the final league encounter of 2011 at the Alan Cooke Ground (ACG) on Sunday. A convincing victory was needed by Laguna if they were to move to top of the table going into the new year. The…
-
Weird World News: Christmas tree thief leaves trail of pine needles, UK bans fun, new research links researchers to the Grinch and a peek into our ‘Santa Files’
PHUKET: With the merriment of Christmas just a few days away, what better way to get in the festive spirit than to pay homage to a few Grinch-like tales of bitterness and to take a peek to see what Santa has been up to this year. Christmas decorations and snowball fights banned in UK THE United Kingdom wins first place…
-
Phuket official stabbed by accident
PHUKET: A municipal official who tried to break up a lovers’ quarrel on Patong Beach yesterday evening is being treated in a Phuket hospital for a stab wound after his stomach was accidentally sliced open by an enraged young woman. Patong Municipality officer Prakij “Oh” Phenjun was on Patong Beach at about 7:30pm yesterday when he heard a young man…
-
Pitch invasion fail!
PHUKET: Memories of Eric Cantona’s attack on Crystal Palace supporter Matthew Simmons – when he jumped into the crowd kung-fu style – came flooding back at a Dutch KNVB Cup match on Wednesday evening.With seven minutes remaining in the first half during Ajax and AZ Alkmaar’s last 16 cup tie, a home fan evaded security, ran on to the pitch…
-
Bagged testicle puts Scott Dann out of action
PHUKET: “Our physio [Dave Fevre] cannot believe it. He has two players [Dann and Givet] out with problems he has never come across before in all his years of experience.”Blackburn Rovers manager Steve Kean explains that striker Scott Dann has sustained a ruptured testicle while putting the ball in the back of the net during the Rovers’ painful 2-1 defeat…
-
MMA fighter Junie Browning surrenders to Phuket Police
PHUKET: Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter Junie Browning turned himself over the Chalong Police yesterday afternoon. Mr Browning walked into Chalong Police Station at about 2pm with his lawyer and filed a counter-complaint against Australian Simon Menzies. Mr Menzies had already filed a complaint against Mr Browning after the pair became involved in a brawl in a bar in Karon.…
-
Young dad dies in high-speed Phuket crash
PHUKET: A young father died instantly in a high-speed single car crash yesterday after his car spun out of control while he was rushing to pick up his child from school in Phuket Town. Tung Tong Police Duty Officer Watthanathon Bamrungthin told the Phuket Gazette that 28-year-old Boonrit Aphithammawong was on his way from Patong, where he worked as a…
-
Phuket Media Watch – Indonesian protests; flash flooding
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Dozens of Indonesians sew mouths shut in deforestation protest Phuket GazetteA group of Indonesian protesters have sewed their mouths shut in a protest against deforestation which took place in front of the parliament building in the capital this week, the Jakarta Globe reported today. Ten more…
-
Phuket blitz on booze in New Year gift baskets
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Public Health Office (PPHO) yesterday launched a series of raids on major retailers selling New Year gift baskets to ensure that they do not contain alcoholic beverages. “I have informed all major retailers that New Year gift baskets may not contain alcohol,” said PPHO chief Dr Sak Tanchaikul. “The PPHO have right to report to the…
-
Tsunami no longer a factor in Khao Lak tourism: Survey
SPECIAL REPORTby Bill Barnett PHUKET: Phuket and other provinces along the Andaman Coast are currently making preparations to mark the seventh anniversary since the tsunami struck on December 26, 2004. However, a market survey just released by brand agency Quo Global has concluded that memories of the 2004 tsunami no longer negatively affect decisions to travel to the Thai resort…
-
Pornthip Phuket packaging takes to world stage
PHUKET: Pornthip (Phuket) Co Ltd, the island’s most recognized food-gift brand, submitted two of its award-winning products to contest in the AsiaStar Awards 2011, also known as the “Packaging Oscars of Asia”. Having recently achieved national recognition at the ThaiStar Packaging Awards 2011, Pornthip’s Andaman and Sino-Portuguese gift sets will now join the regional ranks along with 54 other submissions…
-
Phuket’s labor shortage critical
PHUKET: Industry analysts describe the labor shortage in the Phuket tourism industry as “critical”, with as many as 4,000 vacant hotel positions as the island enters its annual high season for tourism. Bhuritt Maswongsa, a vice president of the Phuket Tourist Association, said, “The lack of hotel employees has now reached a crisis point with 3,000 to 4,000 unfilled positions.…
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.