Phuket News
Phuket news, politics, business, tourism, and nightlife—stay updated with breaking stories, events, and expat updates from Thailand’s top island destination. Get the latest from The Thaiger, your trusted Phuket news source.
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Headless corpse at Freedom Beach
PATONG: A headless corpse was found floating in the sea near Freedom Beach on Saturday afternoon. Police have been unable to identify the decomposed body, but assume the victim was male. “It was impossible to determine whether he was a Thai or a foreigner because the body was so severely decomposed. He must have died more than two weeks ago,”…
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Thai Airways board appointments spark protest
BANGKOK (AFP): Hundreds of aviation industry employees rallied today outside the headquarters of Thai Airways to protest the company’s new board of directors, which they say is rife with cronyism. Wearing symbolic black dress, workers from Thai Airways and Aeronautical Radio of Thailand surrounded a limousine carrying Deputy Transportation and Communication Minister Pracha Maleenond, who will chair a meeting of…
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Thailand to woo investors
BANGKOK (AFP): Thailand plans to expand the role of state investment promotion agencies in an effort to boost its damaged economy with fresh domestic and foreign investment, reports said today. During a two-day economic workshop chaired by Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, officials pledged to transform Thailand into a “knowledge-based” economy through new investment spurred by tax incentives and special privileges.…
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Young Thais hooked on football betting
BANGKOK (AFP): Hundreds of thousands of Thailand’s young football fans are addicted to gambling on foreign matches, the government said in a report released today. Some 300,000 football-crazed students wager 50 million baht (1.1 million dollars) every day, according to ruling Thai Rak Thai party politician Poom Sarapon. A recent survey shows that most of the kingdom’s football gamblers are…
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Bars must display anti-drugs message
PHUKET TOWN: Phuket Governor Pongpayome Vasaputi today announced that a new law is to be introduced requiring bars and entertainment venues to publicly display an anti-drugs message. The Governor urged district officers to enforce the requirement strictly, once it becomes law. The proposed penalty for not displaying an appropriate message is at least three days’ closure of the offending premises.
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Vagabonds stroll home over Marines
KOH KAEW: The Phuket Vagabonds Rugby Club (formerly the Phuket Gazettes) started their preparations for next month’s International Tens Tournament with a convincing 30-20 win on Monday over the US Marines from the visiting USS Boxer. The Vagabonds took the initiative early in the game, played at Dulwich International College, piling up a 15-point lead before the Americans finally forced…
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Provincial government gets on IT track
PHUKET TOWN: Phuket Governor Pongpayome Vasaputi has announced a government drive to ensure that every provincial government department on the island will have its own web site by the end of the year, and that all departments will start using email to share information. His announcement came at a meeting of departmental heads at the Phuket Provincial Hall yesterday, held…
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TAT rejects “Phuket too costly’ claim
PHUKET: Anuphap Teerarat, director of the Phuket office of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), today rejected criticism from a German movie producer that Phuket has priced itself out of the market as far as film-makers are concerned. The producer, Wolfgang Rademann, was quoted in the Bangkok Post as saying that he had opted to shoot his made-for-TV movie, which…
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Flight from Beijing lands in Phuket
PHUKET: Air China, in conjunction with the Chinese tour operator China Comfort Travel Co, is now operating twice-weekly charter flights direct from Beijing to Phuket. The charter service, aimed exclusively at mainland Chinese tourists, was launched with a maiden flight that landed at Phuket International Airport just after midnight on Saturday morning. “We’re operating only inbound charters right now, but…
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300 sign opening hours petition to Governor
PHUKET: Some 300 business owners in Patong today petitioned Provincial Governor Pongpayome Vasaputi to allow an extension of opening hours from 2 am to 5 am. The petition argued that the enforcement of the 2 am law would not achieve the government’s aim of reducing crime and drug abuse. The petition was handed to the Governor by Chairat Sukkaban, owner…
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Worst-ever road death, injury statistics
PHUKET: Sixteen people died in traffic accidents between January 20 and February 20, according to statistics from the Wachira, Thalang and Patong government hospitals. All the victims were on motorcycles, Ampaipan Pawawattananusorn of the Phuket Provincial Health Office reported. In the same period, 906 were hurt in crashes involving motorbikes, while 35 people were injured in car accidents. The year’s…
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Another blow for foreign investors
BANGKOK (AFP): Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra today urged developing Asian nations to abandon economic policies modeled after the United States and Japan, and to try to build local businesses rather than attract foreign investors. At the opening of the 57th session of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), Thaksin said that economic reforms…
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Homeowners urged to join watch program
PATONG: Pol Col Paween Pongsirin, Superintendent of Kathu Police Station, has urged Patong homeowners and tenants to notify the police when they go on vacation, leaving their homes unattended. Police officers will check on the houses while on patrol. A red box will be installed in front of each home, containing a logbook for patrolmen to sign when they check…
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Foreigners executed on drug charges in Thailand
BANGKOK (AFP): A Taiwanese man, a Hong Kong man, and two Thais convicted on drug trafficking charges were executed by firing squad this evening. A fifth man, also a Thai, was similarly executed for murder, officials said. “The Thai government wants to reassure the world that it takes the drug problem seriously,” Yongyuth Tiyapairat, a government spokesman announced, saying that…
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Patong “may be exempt from 2 am rule’
PATONG: The Ministry of Interior is looking at the enforcement of the 2 am closing law and may decide to make an exception for Patong, allowing bars and other entertainment venues in the town to stay open later. The announcement of the possible reprieve was made today by the Governor of Phuket, Pongpayome Vasaputi. He stressed that the clampdown on…
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Bikers raise B38,000 for schools
PATONG: Organizers of the 7th Phuket Bike Week have announced that the event, which ends today, has raised 38,000 baht for charity. Proceeds will go to Wat Suwan Kiriwong School, Baan Sai Namyen School and Baan Kalim School. Somnuek “Nicky” Phonkaew, one of the organizers of Bike Week, told the Gazette that the funds are to be earmarked to buy…
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Man hangs himself from tree
PHUKET TOWN: A man was found on Sunday hanging from a tree behind his home in Phuket Villa California. A neighbor walking by saw Teap Bourkeaw, 73, a native of Nakhon Sri Thammarat, hanging by a piece of cloth from the tree. The neighbor managed to get K. Teap down from the tree and called the police, but K. Teap…
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Police crackdown angers bar owners
PHUKET: Angry bar owners have threatened to stage a “mob” if police do not ease the enforcement of the 2 am legal closing time for entertainment establishments. One bar owner told the Gazette, “Take a look around Patong at 3 or 4 am. People are out in the streets drinking beer and whisky they buy at 7-11, fighting, or looking…
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Six dead, 520 hurt during Songkhran
PHUKET: Six people died in traffic accidents in Phuket during the Songkhran holiday, according to statistics compiled from all of the island’s hospitals. In addition, 520 people were injured in traffic accidents. “Ninety percent of the accidents involved motorbikes, and most occurred between the evening of April 13 and the early morning of April 14,” Ampaipan Pawawattananusorn of the Phuket…
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Homeowners urged to join anti-crime scheme
KATHU: Police are urging anyone going away during the Songkhran period to notify them so that they can keep an eye on their homes until they get back. Joining the “Let The Police Watch Your Home” scheme is free, and is very simple, said Pol Lt Col Witoon Kongsudjai, inspector of Tung Tong Police Station. All householders need do is…
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What next? Dog passports, of course
PHUKET: Phuket has begun issuing dog passports, making it the first place in Asia (and the second in the world) to do so, according to the Phuket Provincial Livestock Office (PPLO). Koh Samui will be the next location in Thailand to adopt the system, with the rest of the country to follow in due course. The introduction of dog passports,…
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Thai Airways steps up security
PHUKET: Following the explosion aboard an aircraft that was due to carry Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, Thai Airways International (THAI) has announced that all passengers boarding its flights, whether international or domestic, will need to show ground staff proof of identity with their boarding pass. The new policy, which became effective on April 1, recognizes government-issued documents, such as passports,…
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June launch for 30-baht medical treatment
PHUKET: The Thaksin government’s scheme to provide medical treatment for Thai citizens at 30 baht per hospital visit will become available in Phuket from June 1. Dr Jessada Chaikunwat, Deputy Chief of the Phuket Provincial Health Office (PHO), explained that dates will soon be announced on which Thais who wish to join the scheme may go either to the PHO…
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Two more found dead in fishing port
PHUKET TOWN: Two more bodies were found on Sunday in the area of the fishing port, bringing the number of corpses found in the area to four in the space of 24 hours. Pol Maj Thanet Puangmanee of Phuket Town Police Station told the Gazette that the first man, as yet unidentified, appeared from his facial features to be from…
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Corpse and skeleton found near fishing port
PHUKET TOWN: The body of one man and the skeleton of another were found on Soi Si Sena near Phuket’s fishing port on Saturday morning. Neither has been identified but both are believed to be Burmese fishermen, and to have been murdered. Pol Capt Chaum Kaosrisuwan, of Phuket Town Police Station, told the Gazette that the skeleton was found in…
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Japanese tourist in “religious’ suicide
PHUKET TOWN: Shindo Yuji, a 26-year-old Japanese tourist, committed suicide by jumping from his 16th-floor room at The Metropole hotel, Montri Rd, early on Thursday morning, say police. Pol Lt Kanuang Pitakulthon, of the Phuket Town Police Station, told the Gazette that hotel staff had called the police after discovering Mr Yuji’s body in the VIP car park. It is…
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Drunk-driving crackdown starts tonight
PHUKET: The police have warned that they will begin serious spot checks for drunken driving from tonight, in a campaign that will last until April 18 – after the Songkhran festival. At a highly publicized trial roadblock set up in Phuket Town a week ago, police stopped and breathalysed 70 drivers – 60 men and 10 women. Of these, 40…
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Korean interpreter found murdered
PHUKET TOWN: A Korean interpreter was found dead yesterday in a pool of blood at his home in Phuket Villa 3. Pol Maj Thanet Puangmanee of Phuket Town Police Station identified the dead man as Park Ho-Yong. He was found in the kitchen at house number 70/44 Soi Polchareon, Phuket Villa 3, on Chao Fa Nai Road. Krongsit Kamtalob, who…
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Songkhran celebrants warned
PATONG: The superintendent of Kathu Police Station has warned Songkhran celebrants not to throw or daub talcum powder or powdered dyes on other people. Such activities, Pol Col Paween Pongsirin says, reflect badly on Thailand’s culture. Those caught using powder risk being arrested for making public places dirty or for creating a nuisance. Both offenses carry a maximum penalty of…
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THAI announces extra Songkhran flights
PHUKET: Thai Airways International (THAI) has announced schedules for additional flights between Bangkok and Phuket during the Songkhran festival. The extra flights, on Friday, April 13, and Monday, April 16, are as follows: Phuket-Bangkok April 13 ………………Dep………..Arr. TG8739……0850………..1015 TG8743……0905………..1030 TG8741……1410………..1535 April 16 TG238…….0735………..0900 TG8739……1600………..1725 TG8741……1730………..1855 TG8743……1815………..1940 Bangkok-Phuket. April 13 ………………Dep………..Arr. TG8738……0645………..0805 TG8742……0655………..0815 TG8740……1150………..1310 April 16 TG8738……1345………..1505 TG8740……1510………..1630 TG8742……1610………..1730 For reservations…
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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