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 What do you need before moving from the US to Thailand?
The Thaiger key takeaways The most common medical emergencies for expats in Thailand include motorcycle accidents, tropical diseases, and food or water-borne illnesses. Air pollution and heat-related conditions like heatstroke also pose serious seasonal health risks, especially in northern and...
-
Five die in one-car accident
PHUKET CITY: Five Thai tourists from Krabi died after the pickup they were traveling in slammed into a power pole near Super Cheap on Thepkrasattri Rd early yesterday morning.The tourists were driving back to Krabi about 5 am when the driver lost control of the car, which careered off the road and into a power pole in front of Sor…
-
Third death in the last hours of Songkran
KATHU: In the fading hours of the government’s “seven days of danger” road safety campaign over the Songkran holidays, a 17-year-old motorbike rider died after his motorcycle and a Toyota Fortuner collided at the junction of Wichit Songkram Rd and the entrance to Bang Wad Dam.At yesterday’s ‘Governor Meets the Press’ meeting it was explained that Eakasit Khamnoi was driving…
-
B50.6m Mining Museum built, to open in December
KATHU: Work is complete on the 50.6-million-baht Kathu Mining Museum building, which is expected to open to the public by December.Project consultant and a well-known local historian Sommai Pinphutthasilp told the Gazette that construction of the museum building, located on the Kathu-Koh Kaew Rd, began in September 2005.Work was completed about six months after the original target date of October…
-
A professional disagreement
PETCHABUN: In any profession, accepting the rise of a younger generation can be difficult; no one likes to see their skills being surpassed by up-and-coming youngsters. Going by a recent incident in Phetchabun, the world of hired killers is no different, apart, perhaps, from being a bit more dangerous. In the early hours of April 14 Maj Kittiphong Phromsuwan, an…
-
Hitman hit
NAKHON SRI THAMMARAT: A gunman-for-hire listed on the Police Region 8 most-wanted list was whacked, not by zealous cops or victims’ relatives out for revenge, but by his long-suffering companion as he lay asleep in bed. At 10 am on March 30, Chawang District Police Inspector Lt Col Sompong Prohmreuangchart received a report of a shooting at house number 134…
-
Holed up
SRISAKET: When the stresses of life and the pressure to be polite become too much, the idea of retreating into a little place to get away from it all can be quite tempting. This is exactly what one man in Srisaket province has done – for the past 20 years. While out visiting his charges in the province’s Nam Kliang…
-
Fists of fury
LOP BURI: Not used to being on the receiving end of beatings, officers in Lop Buri’s Baan Pong District Police Station were given a nasty shock when a speed-crazed former World Boxing Association (WBA) flyweight world champion contender stormed into the station in frenzy in the morning of March 5. Police told reporters that Sgt Maj Ithipol Sawatdee was sitting…
-
Pot luck with the spirits
UDON THANI: When two clay pots covered by a white sheet were found by the side of the road in Ban Pon Sawan village bear Udon Thani city on February 19, villagers nervously began to hypothesize what could be inside. The sheets, tightly tied around the pots, were covered in cryptic inscriptions, so no one dared to open the pots…
-
Invincible amulets?
KALASIN: Hubris often comes before a fall, but the demise of one superstitious man in Kalasin province perhaps came more predictably than most. The body of the man in question was found in a small shack in a forest of this northeastern province. Maj Phabun Titiyan, an Inspector at Kalasin Muang District Police station, said that the victim had been…
-
Teen arrested with murder victim’s gun
PATONG: Police arrested Theerasak Sae-Ong, 18, last Friday after he was found carrying a short-barrel shotgun that he claimed he bought from Pongsakorn “Kho” Naksuk, who was shot dead on the south side of Phuket City a week earlier.Sub Lt Naruewat Putthawiro of Kathu Police Station told the Gazette that a security guard at Night Station Pub and Disco on…
-
Elderly Brit run over, killed
RAWAI: An elderly British man attempting to cross Wiset Rd in the early hours of April 10 died after being run over by a car about 300 meters from the Sea Shell Museum.Chalong Police Station Duty Inspector Lt Col Chokchai Sutthimek identified the victim as Alan H White, aged 81.Mr White was staying on Soi Sailom in Rawai at the…
-
Police shooting sparks Thepkrasattri Rd blockade
KOH KAEW: About 1,000 people from Koh Kaew blocked Thepkrasattri Rd for four hours this afternoon after a 17-year-old local youth died after being shot by a policeman on the bypass road early this morning.The protest caused long tailbacks with some tourists forced to carry their luggage past the mob and continue their journey in another vehicle.The protest was sparked…
-
Chindapol injured in college shooting
PHUKET: A young member of the Chindapol clan, one of the largest families on the island, remains unconscious after being shot outside Phuket Vocational College in Saphan Hin Sunday night as he was waiting for a friend.Maj Sarit Butnongsang, Duty Inspector of Phuket City Police Station, told the Gazette, “The injured youth is Duangdon Chindapol, 18. He was shot by…
-
Historic bank to be converted to a museum
PHUKET CITY: Phuket City Municipality will renovate two Sino-Portuguese buildings in the heart of Phuket City with the aim of preserving the town’s cultural past.The old Chartered Bank building at the intersection of Phuket Rd and Phang Nga Rd until recently housed the Phuket City branch of Siam City Bank, but will soon be converted to a cultural museum.The Sino-Portuguese…
-
Tourist killed in Kata accident
KARON: A 34-year-old English tourist, Lee Jonathan Thomas Pettit, died in a motorbike accident in Kata about 4 am April 10.Lt Col Chockchai Sutthimek, Duty Inspector at Chalong Police Station told the Gazette that Mr Pettit was driving at high speed along Kata Rd when he was involved in a scrape with a motorbike waiting to turn right onto Ket…
-
Teenager comatose after being shot in the head
PHUKET: A Phuket youth has been left comatose after being shot in the head as he rode his motorcycle at Saphan Hin early Monday morning.Police have yet to identify a suspect or determine the motive for the shooting.Jakkrid “Dong” Chukamchang was watching football and drinking at a friend’s house on Sunday night.Lt Col Somkid Boonyarat, an Investigating Inspector at Phuket…
-
West Sands to build water park
MAI KHAO: Central & City Developments has announced it will build Phuket’s first “water park” as part of its six-billion-baht West Sands Resort and villa project.The 150-million-baht park will cover 6,400 square meters and feature state-of-the-art water rides, all to be designed and built by Canadian water park design specialist WhiteWater through its office in Korea.West Sands Sales and Marketing…
-
Only one Songkran road death in Phuket so far
PHUKET: With tomorrow the last day of the official Songkran holidays, the Phuket Provincial Office for Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (ODPM) has announced that there has been just one road accident death in Phuket since April 11.ODPM Chief Aroon Kerdsom told the Gazette, “We have the total number of deaths from road accidents from April 11 to 15 – and…
-
Soft opening for Phuket Welcome Gate
TAH CHAT CHAI: About 1,000 elderly people from around Phuket took part in an Elderly Day Ceremony at the Phuket Welcome Gate last Wednesday to preserve Thai culture during Songkran and encourage people to realize the importance of elderly members of the community.Although the official opening for the Welcome Gate has yet to be organized, Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor)…
-
Teens injured in drive-by shooting
PHUKET CITY: Two teenagers were injured in a drive-by shooting in Rassada in the early hours of April 10.Maj Rassada Kluengwong, Duty Inspector at Phuket City Police Station, told the Gazette that Apichai Thongsa-art, 17, and Somkuan Petsanun, 18, were sitting drinking with friends outside a house in the Saphan Ruam area in Rassada when a gang of about seven…
-
Seven “zones’ for Songkran sanook
PHUKET: Tawichart Intararit, Chief of the Phuket Provincial “Cultural Office” (PPCO), has asked people to restrict water-throwing festivities to seven zones in Phuket during the Songkran holiday, which is expected to begin in earnest on Friday.K. Tawichart defined the zones as: Saphan Hin in Phuket City; Rawai Beach; Laem Promthep; Karon Beach, Nai Yang Beach; Surin Beach and Patong Beach.Having “water-play”…
-
THAI to add 20 flights for Songkran
BANGKOK (The Nation): Thai Airways International (THAI) has announced it will add 20 special flights on domestic routes to Chiang Mai and Phuket from Suvarnabhumi and Don Muang airports, numbering 5,200 seats, in order to serve passengers traveling during the Songkran holiday.THAI President Apinan Sumanaseni said THAI would add 11 domestic flights between Suvarnabhumi and both Chiang Mai and Phuket,…
-
Cabinet approves Business Act amendments
BANGKOK (The Nation): The Cabinet has approved the revised amendments to the Foreign Business Act, but it remains uncertain whether the bill will pass the National Legislative Assembly.The NLA will debate the amendments on April 18. Some 50 of its members have railed against the changes, saying they jeopardize foreign investment.Commerce Minister Krirk-Krai Jirapaet has said he is ready to…
-
Songkran blessings
PHUKET CITY: Phuket Governor Niran Kalayanamit poured lustral water over the hands of some 100 top provincial officials during a Songkran ceremony at the Governor’s Mansion on Narisorn Rd on Tuesday morning.Phuket Vice-Governors Worapoj Rattasima, Tri Augkaradacha and Smith Palawatvichai all took part in the traditional ceremony, along with Phuket Provincial Police Commander Maj Gen Decha Budnampetch and many other…
-
Four arrested in pirate DVD sting
PATONG: About 13,000 pirate DVDs were confiscated and four vendors were arrested in raids by police at Jintana Plaza Market around 6 pm on April 4.After Capt Nikom Tienhao, an Inspector at the Children, Juveniles and Woman Division’s Sub-Division 3, led the sting on the vendors, officers moved in and confiscated 13,000 DVDs, including 139 pornographic movies.Sub Lt Naruewat Phutthawiro,…
-
Violent crime rises by 130%
PHUKET: Crime statistics for March 1 to March 31 released by Phuket Provincial Police show that reports of violent crime in Phuket rose by 130% compared with the same period last year.Three murders and nine attempted murders were reported, with two and eight arrests made respectively. There were 27 reports of assault with 16 arrests made and eight reports of…
-
Dead baby found floating off Saphan Hin
PHUKET CITY: A dead baby boy was found floating near the mouth of Bang Yai canal in Sapan Hin on Thursday.The grisly find was reported to police at 8:30 am by a tourist.Lt Col Somkid Boonyarat, an Investigating Inspector at Phuket City Police Station, told the Gazette that the body was that of a baby boy of Thai appearance.Doctors estimate…
-
Kamala OrBorTor installs temporary President
KAMALA: Karoon Seeden has been installed as Acting President of Kamala Tambon Administration Organization (OrBorTor) after a vote by the council’s 11 other members.K. Karoon was installed after a vote of seven to four in his favor. Three councilors voted for Prajak Yayee, and one councilor abstained.He replaces Jaral Sararak, who was removed from office by Kathu District Chief Khantee…
-
Dam dirty dealings in Chalong
PHUKET: The Irrigation Department has almost completed negotiations to acquire all of the land needed to build the Klong Krata Reservoir in Chalong, but the project now faces an unexpected new hurdle because some landowners have been excavating and trucking away topsoil from the project site.Theerachart Sangkaha, the Irrigation Department official in charge of the project, informed Governor Niran Kalayanamit…
-
Daily tsunami warning tests deferred
PHUKET: Testing of the National Disaster Warning Center (NDWC) tsunami warning system, scheduled for this morning, was canceled by the agency out of fear that it could create a public panic in areas where the public had not been adequately informed.Dr Smith Dharmasaroja, who heads the Nonthaburi-based NDWC, told the Gazette this morning that a comprehensive system test will take…
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.