Phuket News
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Free ICT training in Phuket tomorrow
WICHIT, PHUKET: Software Park Phuket is holding free weekly activities for people interested in building the local ICT community and putting the latest, most effective computer technology to work on the island. The organizers are trying to bring together people who want to learn state-of-the-art techniques with sessions that range from explaining new technology to real-life experiences with computer systems…
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Ill winds for Phuket property? Watch China
PHUKET OPINION: Asian stocks were mixed yesterday due to investor concerns that Chinese moves to slow a soaring property market will undermine economic growth and recovery for the region, including Phuket. On Monday, China increased the deposit reserve requirement ratio for most banks for the third time this year, the latest in a series of measures aimed at cooling the…
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Phuket needs marketing independence: PTA
PHUKET: With the local economy continuing to suffer because of political strife elsewhere in the country, it is time for Phuket to take a more independent approach to destination marketing, one tourism industry analyst says. Bhuritt Maswongsa, vice president for marketing of the Phuket Tourist Association (PTA), said the average occupancy rate in Phuket for April 2010 was about 70…
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Dugong in decline off Phuket
PHUKET: The fishing industry continues to take its toll on Thailand’s highly endangered dugong population, with at least three deaths so far this year. Dugong researcher Karnchana Adulyanukosol of the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) said two dugong carcasses were recovered in waters off Trang in January and sent to the PMBC for autopsy. Both animals were likely killed by…
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Last chance for peace?
PHUKET: Is the light at the end of the tunnel that of a train coming our way? The answer depends on how the red shirts, who have been tired, dispirited and discredited, respond today to Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva’s unexpected offer to hold a general election on November 14. Whether the 30-minute national address last night is a game-changing moment…
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Fino finito: arson in Phuket
KATHU, PHUKET: Police are investigating a fire in Phuket early Sunday morning that destroyed a roadside tour counter and a motorbike. Kathu Police Duty Officer Jongserm Preecha today confirmed reports of an arson attack at about 4:30am at the Krisda Travel Service counter on Soi Chaiwat, off Phra Barami Road at the north end of Patong. The fire was reported…
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Patong split over tunnel plan
PHUKET: Patong residents are divided over the controversial plan to bore a road tunnel under Patong Hill, a recent public hearing revealed. Local residents voiced their opinions on April 27 when a public hearing on the issue was held at the Phuket Graceland Resort. Around 700 residents, municipal officers from Patong and Kathu, the project development team and other stakeholders…
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FC Phuket to face Surat Thani
PHUKET: The FC Phuket Southern Sea Kirin picked up a point with a scoreless draw at Hatyai yesterday, but fell to second place after Trang FC beat Yala at home 1-0 to secure the top spot. Meanwhile, Surat Thani are just two points behind in third with a game in hand after beating Chumphon FC at home 3-2. The results…
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Tsunami safety: Phuket not ready
PHUKET OPINION: The confusion following the 7.8 magnitude earthquake in northern Sumatra last month highlights the urgent need for better disaster preparedness at every level in Thailand, from the people at the National Disaster Warning Center (NDWC) right on down to local Phuket officials and hotel staff. The latest (April 7) false alarm was not the first. The public panic…
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Phuket tragedy ends in hope
Phuket NEWS Hound – A daily digest of news from around the world compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PHUKET: Noah Yelizarov, the 18-year-old who died in a freak accident in Phuket in October 2004, can rest in peace knowing that others will be spared his tragic fate. He was electrocuted when he inadvertently touched a live wire…
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Phuket not immune to red damage
PHUKET: The toxicity for tourism of the Bangkok protests, initially characterized in some quarters of the Phuket hospitality industry as being for Bangkok only – or certainly for Bangkok mainly – has now come home to roost. The cost to Thai tourism nationally since the red shirt protests began is now estimated at 233 million dollars (7.7 billion baht) in…
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Phuket red shirt leader speaks
PHUKET: About 40 Phuket residents remain part of the United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD) protest in Bangkok, now in its 51st day at the Rajprasong intersection in Bangkok. Speaking to the Gazette by mobile phone from the protest site this afternoon was Phuket red shirt leader Wisut ‘Ae Inside’ Tangwittayaporn, who has been part of the protest since…
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Phuket to see fewer Singaporeans
Phuket NEWS Hound – A daily digest of news from around the world compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PHUKET: Holidaymakers from Singapore have been avoiding crisis-stricken Thailand, most notably Phuket which is only an hour and a half’s direct flight away from the Lion City. Outbound tour agencies in Singapore are reporting a decline of up to…
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Danish steakhouse blaze in Phuket
PATONG, PHUKET: Damages from a fire that broke out in the kitchen of a Danish steakhouse yesterday could run as high as one million baht, the owner says. The fire started about 10:30am in the kitchen of the Fundue House restaurant on Soi Patong Resort, off Soi Bangla. No one was harmed in the blaze. The fire caused extensive damage…
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Phuket throat slasher suspect arrested
PHUKET: A young man arrested in Phuket for the murder of Pirasak Pongchoo has confessed to slashing the man’s throat after enduring a month of sexual abuse. The badly decomposing body of the 43-year-old was found at his rented room on Wichit Songkram Road, Soi 1 on Monday. For the initial report click here. Surat Thani Police arrested Watcharin Srinin,…
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Swimming with sharks: Phuket debt reduction plan moves forward
PHUKET: The government is trying to help 2,000 heavily indebted Phuket residents escape the clutches of loan sharks as part of an ambitious nationwide program. The people selected owe between 50,000 and 200,000 baht each and were chosen from 4,000 island residents identified as being in debt to unofficial lenders. Their debts total at least 228 million baht. For our…
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Phuket included in US travel warning
PHUKET: In the latest blow to the Phuket tourism industry, the US State Department has added its name to the growing list of foreign missions recommending that its nationals avoid travel to Thailand at this time. “Due to escalating violence in central Bangkok, demonstrations in Chiang Mai, and other incidents throughout Thailand, all US citizens should avoid nonessential travel to…
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Yellow shirts active in Phuket
CAPE PANWA, PHUKET: Around 100 yellow shirted members of the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) gathered at the navy base at Cape Panwa yesterday to deliver a letter to the military demanding tough action against the red shirt protesters in Bangkok. PAD members led by Somnuk Tuito and Ms Aparat Chartchutikumjorn gave the letter to Vice Admiral Chumnum Ajwong of…
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Senators tour Phuket mangrove encroachment site
WICHIT, PHUKET: A Senate committee gave its support to Wichit Municipality Tuesday in its bid to secure proper permits for a road and football field it built illegally on mangrove forest land. Led by Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Environment chairman Surachai Liangboonlertchai, the committee members traveled to view the alleged encroachment, which covers five rai. Access to the…
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Phuket police sent to Bangkok
PHUKET: Nearly one-sixth of Phuket’s 1,200-strong police force has been sent to Bangkok to help manage unrest there. Since Monday, 173 officers with crowd control training have been dispatched from police stations on the island. Phuket Provincial Police Commander Pekad Tantipong denied the move would have any effect on law enforcement in Phuket. “The police left here will do their…
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Thai sailor dies in Phuket motorbike accident
RASSADA, PHUKET: A naval conscript on furlough died in a motorbike accident on Koh Sireh last night. The body of 22-year-old Kij Srichan was found by his father near the clock tower on the Koh Sireh ring road around midnight. Police think that Mr Kij, who was stationed at the Satthahip Naval Base in Chonburi, was killed instantly of a…
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Throat slash murder in Phuket
PHUKET: A 43-year-old man was found murdered in an apartment in Phuket Town yesterday afternoon. Police believe Pirasak Pongchoo, from Phatthalung, may have been killed in anger by his male partner for sleeping with another man. Mr Pirasak’s body was found wrapped in bedsheets in the toilet of his rented room on Wichit Songkram Road Soi 1 around 2:30pm. His…
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Memorial events for Tony Kelsey-Stead in Phuket
PHUKET: In memory of former Phuket resident Tony Kelsey-Stead, who died last week in England, friends and colleagues have arranged two memorial events on the island. The first, organized by The Andaman Players theater group, will feature a free show at The Green Man pub in Chalong at 6:30 pm on Sunday May 2. The performance will feature acts and…
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Phuket to host AFC Cup match
PHUKET TOWN: Instability in Bangkok is once again sending an Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Cup match Phuket’s way. Thailand FA Cup 2009 champions Thai Port FC and NT Realty Wofoo Tai Po of Hong Kong are set to face off in an AFC Cup Group H match tomorrow night at Phuket’s Surakul Stadium. Kick-off is at 6:30pm. Thai Port FC…
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Skating Swedes through Phuket
PHUKET: Two Swedes who are skating almost 5,000 kilometers from Chiang Mai to Singapore rolled in and out of Phuket earlier this month sporting a few road scars – but relishing their long slog south. Education workers Jim Petersson, 25, and his girlfriend Maria Larsson, 29, have skated 30 to 90 kilometers a day through 21 Thai provinces since January.…
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Gun crackdown underway in Phuket
KATHU, PHUKET: Thung Thong Police are hoping to cut down on violent crime in their district by cracking down on the illegal possession of firearms. Thung Thong Police Superintendent Kraithong Chanthongbai said there is a particularly high concentration of unauthorized people carrying weapons in tambon Kathu. Many people living in Kathu work nights in Patong as touts and bar workers…
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Compromise needed at new Fresh Market
PHUKET: Pressure is mounting on Phuket City Municipality to reach an agreement with 425 market vendors who have been waiting almost three years for completion of the new fresh market on Ranong Rd. (See story in the current issue of the Phuket Gazette. Digital subscribers click here.) Most of the vendors have been operating at a temporary market on Wirat…
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Phuket to host Asian bike tour
Phuket NEWS Hound – A daily digest of news from around the world compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PHUKET: SpiceRoads Cycle Tours has launched an epic journey for cyclists – a 3,000 kilometer bicycle tour from Hanoi to Phuket. Riding through Vietnam, Laos and Thailand, the organizers say it will take 39 days to complete this “trip…
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Traditional paddlers back in Phang Nga Bay
PHANG NGA: To the excitement of local villagers, rowers are once again taking to the waters of Phang Nga Bay in traditional boat races. Today is the final day of the second annual Phang Nga Bay Canoe and Long Boat Racing Festival, which started on Wednesday at Ta Dan Pier. Koh Panyee Tambon Administration Organization (TAO) organized the event in…
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Phuket Gazette Readers’ Poll: Turning Patong around
PHUKET: Patong Mayor Pian Keesin’s plan to reverse the one-way system in Patong would see traffic on the beach road run south and traffic on Rat-U-Thit 200 Pi Road run north. In general, would this make travel through Patong more convenient for you? Would it inconvenience you? Or would it have no effect? Have your say in the latest Phuket…
Phuket is a province in the south of Thailand. Phuket's beaches face the Andaman Sea allowing the west coast beaches fantastic sunsets right throughout the year. If you're looking for news in Phuket, go to thethaiger.com/phuket Or follow our instant news in our Facebook pages.
The good news is that Phuket is famous for its foodie scene with an enormously diverse range of local and international foods - Phuket and southern favorites, street food along with international choices catering for the 12 million visitors to the island each year. Thaiger follows Phuket news and information 24 hours a day with regular updates.
Phuket is only 'just' an island with a 300 metre bridge linking it to Thailand's mainland. We're always reporting in the news that the channel beneath is frequently dredged to maintain Phuket's status as an island. On the other side of Sarasin Bridge is the Province of Phang Nga.
Getting to Phuket is easy as the island has land, air and sea connections. Phuket is also used as a take-off point for local island trips as Thailand's largest island is surrounded by over 30 pristine islands. Koh Phi Phi and the famous Maya Bay are always in the news and would be the best known of the island's just off Phuket's shores.
Phuket is an island and a province. It's the largest island in Thailand – 48 km north to south, 21 km east to west.
It's about 20% smaller, in area, than Singapore but much less densely populated. Whilst the island nation of Singapore boasts a population of nearly 6 million, Phuket has a permanent population of around 400-450,000 (but varies a lot with the influx of tourists and a workforce that is always changing). Most of Phuket remains jungle and tropical rainforest despite an acceleration of development over the past 20 years.
Unlike some of Thailand's other popular islands (that are in the Gulf of Thailand), the news is that Phuket is located in the Andaman Sea.
Phuket is 878 km north of the equator.
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