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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Sponsored Long-term life in Thailand? 5 reasons private health insurance pays off in the long run
Thailand is a great place for expats and retirees, offering a warm climate, affordable living, and rich culture. However, healthcare can be tricky for foreigners since they aren’t eligible for public health coverage, and private care can be expensive. Private...
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Tee time! Singha Thailand Open underway
LAGUNA PHUKET: The 2009 Singha Thailand Open golf tournament starts today, with the stars of the Asian Tour well prepared after several practice days on the fairways and greens of the modified Laguna Phuket championship course. Among those with high hopes to win the event is Thai superstar Thongchai Jaidee, fresh from his victory at last week’s Indonesian Open. The…
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Fire on Soi Kebsup
PATONG, PHUKET: A fire broke out at the Kebsup Shopping Plaza along the beach road in Patong last night, causing over a million baht in damage – but no injuries. The blaze broke out at around midnight at one of the many stalls selling tourist-oriented items at the mouth of the soi, well known for its tailor shops, bars and…
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Phuket roads among Thailand’s most dangerous
PHUKET CITY: Phuket is among Thailand’s top five provinces in terms of the number of road injuries and deaths each year, according Phuket Provincial Police Deputy Commander Chalit Tinthanee. Figures from state hospitals in Phuket show that in 2008 there were 13,840 injuries and 136 deaths resulting from road accidents. Actual figures are significantly higher, as admissions to Phuket’s three…
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School milk below standard quality, but safe
PHUKET CITY: The Phuket Public Health Office has released test results indicating that milk provided to government school students under the free “school milk” scheme is below standard in terms of nutrition, but safe to drink. Office chief Dr Pongsawas Ratanasang said samples of milk from three government schools in Phuket were last week sent for analysis to the Ministry…
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Arrest warrant issued for Farang Restaurant killing
PHUKET CITY: Police have issued an arrest warrant for a man suspected of carrying out the murder of the owner of the popular Farang restaurant chain. Phuket City Police Superintendent Wanchai Ekpornpit gave the name of the wanted man as Prapan Inkong, 27. He declined to release the man’s address or other information for fear of jeopardizing the investigation. Police…
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Top cop expects arrests in three murder cases ‘soon’
PHUKET CITY: The Royal Thai Police Region 8 Commander has ordered Phuket Provincial Police and three local police stations to expedite their investigations into three high-profile murders that have taken place on the island in just the past ten days – two involving foreigners. After meeting with the heads of the Kathu, Phuket City and Tung Tong Police Districts where…
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TDA cleanup day at Khok Kloy on Wednesday
PHUKET CITY: The Thai Dive Association (TDA) and Phang Nga Provincial Office will on Wednesday (March 4) hold a beach and sea cleanup at Khok Kloy Beach, just over the Sarasin Bridge in Phang Nga. The event is sponsored by Eden Divers and Aqua Divers Phuket, who will provide the necessary equipment such as trash bags, scissors and gloves. All participants…
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Businessman gunned down on Sakdidet Rd
WICHIT, PHUKET: Phuket city police are investigating the murder of a local businessman shot to death in his car last night. The murder was reported to Phuket City Police at about 10:15 pm. Phuket Provincial Police Commander Apirak Hongtong rushed to the scene with Phuket City Police, forensics officers and rescue workers from the Kusoldharm Foundation. At the scene, near…
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Police probe finds TTVI’s Col Pornprasert guilty of misappropriation
PHUKET CITY: The Royal Thai Police (RTP) force has concluded its one-year investigation into alleged malfeasance by the senior officer responsible for finances at the Thai Tsunami Victim Identification (TTVI) center. The panel has found Col Pornprasert Karnjanarin guilty of misappropriating funds and will now move to have him dismissed from the force. Charges of malfeasance were filed against Col…
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Laguna Phuket promo: 100,000 room nights free!
CHERNG TALAY, PHUKET: Laguna Phuket is giving away 100,000 complimentary room nights at its six resort hotels for guests who book online in March. The “100,000 Smiles in Laguna Phuket” promotion is being run in co-operation with the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), which will help to market the initiative. TAT Governor Phornsiri Manoharn and Laguna Phuket Managing Director Michael…
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Toyota Vigo winner out there somewhere
PHUKET CITY: For those who bought raffle tickets at the 2009 Phuket Red Cross Fair, it might be worth taking another look at the number – you may have won a Toyota Vigo. The 650,000-baht vehicle was the top prize in the annual raffle at the fair, but it remains unclaimed seven weeks after the January 9 draw. The deadline for claiming…
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Karon, Wichit to get independent police districts
PHUKET CITY: Phuket Provincial Police plan to establish two new independent police districts on the island to take pressure off Chalong Police, whose jurisdiction currently covers all of Chalong, as well as Rawai and Karon. Pol Col Peerayut Kara-jedee, Superintendent of General Staff of the Phuket Provincial Police, said the two new districts would be for Karon and Wichit. Rawai…
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Grandmother killed in tour bus smash
MAI KHAO, PHUKET : A 69-year-old grandmother was killed instantly this morning when a tour bus veered off the center of the road and hit her at high speed. The victim, Mali Burakhan, was pushing her bicycle along Thepkrassatri Rd back to her home in Mai Khao Village 3 at the time of the tragedy. The bus, a double-decked air…
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English businessman clubbed to death
KATHU, PHUKET: Police investigating the murder of an Englishman yesterday suspect the killing may have been motivated by a real estate dispute.At 10:30 am yesterday, Tung Tong Police were notified by security guards of a murder at the Royal Place project on Phra Phuketkaew Rd, at the Tesco-Lotus junction.The victim was later identified as Ian Kenneth Stuart, 61.Police, including Phuket…
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Australian teenager dies after tragic boating mishap
PHUKET CITY: The parents of a 16-year-old Australian girl injured in a yacht accident last Wednesday took the decision to switch off her life support last night. Miss Ali van Os, from Darwin, died in Bangkok Hospital Phuket at around 6 pm surrounded by family members. She was hit in the head by a mooring rope tied to a “superyacht”…
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Asean+3 bailout fund raised to US$120b
CHERNG TALAY, PHUKET: East Asian finance ministers will finalize the upgrading of the region’s bilateral currency-swap arrangement into a US$120 billion multilateral facility at their next meeting in May. “In order to ensure regional market stability and to foster confidence in the markets, we stress the importance of ‘operationalizing’ the multilateralization of the Chiang Mai Initiative,” Finance Minister Korn Chatikavanij…
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Bibb dazzles crowd at Blues Rock Festival
KARON, PHUKET: An electrifying performance in the early hours of Saturday morning from acoustic blues superstar Eric Bibb underlined why he was chosen to headline the 2009 Phuket International Blues Rock Festival. Taking to the stage at around midnight, the Grammy nominated star dazzled crowds with his smooth, up-tempo brand of blues. Bibb began his hour-long set individually but was…
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Region 8 Police take charge of Degioanni murder case
PATONG, PHUKET: Police Region 8 Commander Santarn Chayanon arrived in Phuket yesterday to personally oversee the investigation into the murder of Francis Alex Degioanni, the Canadian man who was shot and killed by two men outside his Panorama Condominium office on February 19. For our earlier report click here. Lt Gen Santarn then chaired a two-hour meeting at Kathu Police…
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It’s showtime! Phuket’s Blues Rock fest starts tonight!
KARON, PHUKET: The 4th Phuket International Blues Rock Festival kicks off this evening with blues superstar Eric Bibb, the main attraction of a stellar line up that includes the popular Rich Harper and his band. Further highlights of the opening night include Phuket’s very own blues rock band, The Groove Doctors, and a tribute band “Chasing Jimi” in homage to…
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Canadian gunned down on his birthday
PATONG, PHUKET: A Canadian real estate developer died on his birthday yesterday after he was riddled with bullets by two men on a motorcycle. At the time of the attack, Francis Alex Degioanni was sitting in his black Toyota outside his seven-story Panorama Condominium block, located in a hillside area off Nanai Rd in South Patong. Kathu Police officers were…
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Security guard stabbed to death in Karon
KARON, PHUKET: A security guard at the Access Resort and Villas hotel is on the run after allegedly stabbing a colleague in the heart with a sharp hand scraper. Sunin Saithong, 54, died in uniform outside the hotel on Patak Road in Karon at around 8 pm on February 16. Duty Officer Anukul Nookade of Chalong Police said he believed…
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MOI to publish pub safety manual
PHUKET CITY: Entertainment venues in 14 provinces around the south of Thailand have been put on notice to ensure they measure up to new government safety regulations or face the consequences. Addressing a press conference at the Phuket Merlin Hotel on February 13, Deputy Minister of the Interior Thavorn Senniam announced deadlines for entertainment venues around the region to fall…
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Phuket PAD joins Isarn road trip
PHUKET: Approximately 20 of Phuket’s People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) supporters traveled to Udon Thani to attend a PAD rally on February 14. Udon Thani is a stronghold of the now-disbanded People Power Party (PPP). The Phuket PAD supporters used vehicles with Bangkok registered license plates to avoid possible confrontations and returned to Phuket the next day. There were no reports…
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Patong declared “Red Zone” in war on Pirated goods
PHUKET CITY: Acknowledging the scale of the trade in counterfeit goods on the island, the head of the Phuket Customs Office has identified Patong as one of several “red zones” in the battle against pirated goods, the state-run Thai News Agency has reported. Phuket Customs Office chief Sompong Onprasert said the problem was the worst in areas popular with tourists,…
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Action needed to reduce dengue threat
PHUKET CITY: This year could see a severe outbreak of dengue fever in Phuket if action is not taken to eradicate mosquito breeding grounds, the Phuket Provincial Public Health Office has warned.Comparing the local infection rate for early 2009 with the rates of the five preceding years shows a higher rate than normal, health office chief Dr Pongsawas Ratanasang said.Random…
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Police closing in on Makha Bucha Day shooter
CHALONG, PHUKET: Chalong Police say they are making good progress in their investigation into the attempted murder of businessman Chalermpol Pranweerapaiboon, who was shot in the back of the neck by an assailant at Wat Luangpoo Supha on Maka Bucha Day (February 12). Despite the claims of progress, Chalong Police Duty Officer Parichat Jaturonphan declined to name any suspects or…
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Jintana Plaza goes up in flames again
PATONG, PHUKET: For the second time in four days, flames tore through the stalls of Jintana Plaza shopping arcade early on Tuesday morning, causing an estimated four to five million baht’s worth of damage. Police once again suspect arson as cause of the fire, the sixth of its kind since the center was opened. The fire was reported at around…
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Solution to Patong Hospital doctor shortage in sight
PATONG, PHUKET: Starting in April, Patong Hospital will have have more doctors and other medical staff working – enough to serve patients 24 hours day. The plan was confirmed by the provincial Chief Doctor, Pongsawas Ratanasang, who insisted that the doctor shortage at the state-run facility had been tackled. The short-term solution is to have four doctors on duty: Hospital…
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Phuket Chamber of Commerce elects new president
PHUKET: Dr Sirichai Silapa-archa was elected as the new president of the Phuket Chamber of Commerce (PCC) at the association’s annual election conference, held at the The Metropole hotel on February 12. Dr Sirichai Silapa-archa, 51, is an assistant director at Vachira Phuket Hospital, where he is a surgeon specializing in urology. In addition to his medical training, he also…
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TAT targets Spanish, Japanese markets
PHUKET: The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) hopes to see a surge in the number of visitors from Spain, following its participation in the Feria Internacional de Turismo 2009 tourism trade show in that country earlier this month. The TAT took its “Seven Wonders of Amazing Thailand” roadshow campaign to Spain, which is emerging as a valuable market for Thai…
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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