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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Aus vs Iran in Phuket Seniors World Cup final
PHUKET: Australia and Iran will contest the final of the Seniors World Cup today at Surakul Stadium in Phuket Town after winning their respective semi-finals yesterday. The match is scheduled to kick off at 6pm. Iran and New Zealand contested the first semi-final, resulting in a comfortable 4-1 win for the Iranians. The margin of victory allowed Iran to rotate…
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Five vehicle pile-up in Phuket
PHUKET: Slippery road conditions last night led to a five-vehicle pile-up on the bypass road that left one pick-up truck upended in a roadside drainage ditch and several people injured. The accident happened at about 6:15pm in the southbound lanes, about two kilometers north of the Tesco-Lotus junction near the Thanachart Bank. Just after light rain started, a motorcycle with…
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Seniors World Cup semifinal matches in Phuket today
PHUKET: Two semifinal matches in the 5th Seniors World Cup soccer tournament will take place at Surakul Stadium today. The first match, which kicks off at 4:30pm, will see undefeated Group A winners Iran take on New Zealand. Then, from 6:30pm, Group B winners Australia, also undefeated, take on hometown favorites Thailand in what promises to be a hotly contested…
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Phuket prepares for landslides
PHUKET: Many hillside areas of Phuket are at serious risk of landslides this rainy season, the Phuket Office of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM-Phuket) has warned. DDPM-Phuket chief San Jantharawong said that torrential rainfall can hit at any time during the monsoon, which typically runs from May though October. Especially vulnerable to landslides are steep areas where construction work exposes…
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Road warriors: Phuket Tourist Association goes to Australia
PHUKET: In a bid to tempt more tourists from down under, the Phuket Tourist Association (PTA) is planning a September road show to Australia. PTA President Somboon Jirayut said he was targeting Australia because there were direct flights to Phuket from most major cities there, including Perth, Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne. “The association is also planning road shows in China,…
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Phuket tops investor sentiment for Thai property
Phuket NEWS Hound – A daily digest of news from around the world compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PHUKET: Various measures are being taken in Thailand to promote tourism as foreigners have not yet returned in the aftermath of the political violence. The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is organizing a series of events and campaigns to…
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Pattaraphol leads at Laguna Phuket
PHUKET: Thailand’s talented crop of young golfers flourished once again yesterday at the US$60,000 Mercedes-Benz Masters Thailand, with new kid on the block Pattaraphol Khanthacha taking the halfway lead. The 20-year-old from Ratchaburi shot his second successive five-under-par 65 for a tournament total of 10-under-par 130. He leads by one stroke over Filipino Juvic Pagunsan at Laguna Phuket Golf Club.…
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US consular visit to Phuket
PHUKET: The Consular Section of the American Embassy in Bangkok will be in Phuket for a consular outreach visit at the Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort and Spa in Karon on June 14, from 8am to noon. The following services will be available: – Passport renewal applications; – Notarial services and certified copies, including income affidavits for retirees; – Applications for…
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Phuket man slain by Leo-wielding Lao
PHUKET: A drunken Lao man was arrested today for killing a friend by slashing his throat with a broken beer bottle. He confessed to the crime, telling police he acted out of rage after the man used his money to buy beer instead of rice whisky. Chalong Police led by Wichit Intorrasorn held a press conference at noon to announce…
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Rajabhat Phuket in Bt395m expansion
PHUKET: Phuket Rajabhat University (PKRU) is currently undergoing a large expansion, with six new buildings under construction under a 395-million-baht development project. First established as part of the national teacher’s college network in 1971, the school was subsequently elevated to institute status and finally became a full university in 2004. Thirty years ago, the school had about 100 teachers and…
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Phuket to feature in relaunch of ‘playground’
Phuket NEWS Hound – A daily digest of news from around the world compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PHUKET: The Thailand Incentive and Convention Association (TICA) plans to relaunch Ratchaprasong as Bangkok’s most favourite playground next month, when top executives of 30 multinational companies will be brought to Bangkok and Phuket on a fam trip. Phuket gets…
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Phuket teen shines at Mercedes-Benz Masters golf tournament
PHUKET: The opening day of the US$60,000 Mercedes-Benz Masters Thailand witnessed some sensational low scoring, with four players taking the lead with course record five-under-par 65s and a 13-year-old amateur upstaging the professionals with a 67. Thais Wisut Artjanawat, Ratsak Hansapiban and Pattaraphol Khanthacha and Singaporean Lam Chih Bing lead the way after confident rounds at the Laguna Phuket Golf…
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7th annual Prison Products Fair in Phuket
PHUKET: The seventh annual Prison Products Fair will take place at Saphan Hin starting at 9am on Friday. The 10-day event, from June 4 to 13, will offer a wide range of hand-made products crafted by prison inmates from 14 provincial prisons across the southern region as part of their vocational skills training. The fair will officially kick off at…
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Will THAI Airways become a pariah in Phuket?
Phuket NEWS Hound – A daily digest of news from around the world compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PHUKET: In a stinging editorial in Travel Daily News yesterday, the Thailand chapter of the Pacific Area Travel Association (PATA) blasts THAI Airways for its authorship of a “self-defeating tourism recovery strategy for Thailand” which some stakeholders in Phuket…
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AoT defends taxi fees
PHUKET: The director of Phuket International Airport (PIA) has defended concession fees charged to taxi and limousine operators by Airports of Thailand Plc (AoT), pointing out that the airport is expensive to run and that, as a public company, AoT must make a profit. “I want to explain that everyone involved in business needs to make a profit. Based on…
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Alien worker scheme flops in Phuket
PHUKET: Phuket is facing a shortage of alien labor as the numbers of registered alien workers requesting extensions of their permits are down 15,166 year-on-year, according to official figures. The Phuket Provincial Employment Office (PPEO) said that this year only 49,017 out of 64,183 registered workers from Burma, Laos and Cambodia extended their work permits. The vast majority of these,…
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Immigration to check on UK pedophile’s trip to Phuket
PHUKET: The Phuket Immigration chief says his office will contact the British Embassy regarding the background of a UK man reportedly convicted on child pornography charges in the UK, and now said to be planning to travel to Phuket to marry a Thai girl. News that UK national Craig Meehan was planning a trip to Phuket was first reported by…
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Phuket hotels not happy with THAI Airways
Phuket NEWS Hound – A daily digest of news from around the world compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PHUKET: Fears of Phuket hotels being forced into a massive price war are already being realised with THAI Airways International “cordially inviting” hotels contracted under its Royal Orchid Holidays (ROH) program to offer 50% discounts. TTR Weekly reports that…
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Kriel Roosters win Phuket Rugby 10s
PHUKET: Scoring three tries in the first half, the Kriel Roosters from South Africa trounced the Moorabbin Rams from Australia 31-0 in the final of the 12th Overgaard Phuket International Rugby 10s played at Karon Stadium yesterday. The South Africans were clearly the fresher side, making the most of their speed advantage by quickly passing the ball wide and using…
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Phuket to host Asian Hospitality & Travel Show in October
PHUKET: Events Thailand team and Skal Phuket are combining talents to stage the inaugural ‘Asian Hospitality & Travel Show’ at the Central Festival Phuket Convention and Exhibition Center from October 1 to 3. “The exhibition is geared towards becoming a platform for networking between suppliers within the Asian Hospitality and travel sectors,” said Events Thailand committee member Simon Samaan, who…
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Phuket Software Park ‘Tech Talk’ series in June
PHUKET: Phuket Software Park has announced the schedule of weekly activities under its ‘Tech Talk’ series in June. June 3: Ads on Google: Just a piece of cakePresented by Brand Identity and Innovation, a Phuket Software Park incubatee; June 10: Exploring iPhone Usage & Making Money: User Track Presented by Phuket School; June 17: Exploring iPhone Usage & Making Money:…
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A Phuket Imperative: Credible Public Transport
PHUKET: Public debate has intensified in recent weeks as road projects that have been talked about for years appear closer to becoming reality in Phuket. Despite the recent chaos in Bangkok, the number of tourists visiting the island continues to grow. Airports of Thailand (AoT) reported over 120,000 international arrivals at Phuket International Airport in April 2010, a 41% increase…
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Phuket will lead recovery of Thai tourism
Phuket NEWS Hound – A daily digest of news from around the world compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PHUKET: The curent issue of Time magazine quotes Bill Heinecke, whose Minor group owns two hotels in Phuket, as emphasizing that Phuket and Hua Hin were among the many places in Thailand where “tourists were never in any danger…
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Mystery shrouds fatal Phuket road accident
PHUKET: Police are investigating a hit-and-run accident that left a man dead on the bypass road last night. Phuket City Police duty officer Lt Teerawat Amnachjaroenying identified the victim as Wittaya Sapsong, 35, whose body was found at 7:30pm on the southbound side of the bypass road in Koh Kaew, between the Bypass Seafood restaurant and the entrance to Premium…
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Phuket thief ‘nagged’ into crime
PHUKET: A man arrested for stealing a masseuse’s bag in Karon told police that his wife’s constant complaining drove him to commit the crime. Chalong Police at 5pm on Wednesday arrested Sittha Rattanaphan, 36, at the Andaman Seaview Hotel in Karon, seizing as evidence a Honda motorbike and a brown bag containing 200 baht in cash, a mobile phone, an…
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Natural causes suspected in Phuket “drowning’
PHUKET: Cherng Talay Police are awaiting a coroner’s report to learn whether a German tourist who died at Surin Beach on Wednesday drowned or died of other causes. Cherng Talay Police duty officer Lt Tatchagrit Ritnuang identified the deceased as 51-year-old Marek Klein. Mr Klein, his wife and 10-year-old daughter were guests at the nearby Courtyard by Marriott Phuket resort.…
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Update: Phuket International Film Festival
Phuket NEWS Hound – A daily digest of news from around the world compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PHUKET: Scheduled for June 4-13, the Phuket International Film Festival is offering 10 days of award-winning movies, parties and networking events with international filmmakers, cultural activities and, of course, world-famous Thai hospitality. The film festival is unique in that…
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Air Asia aids Phuket
Phuket NEWS Hound – A daily digest of news from around the world compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PHUKET: AirAsia Group is today kicking off a promotional campaign called “It’s OK, Thailand”. The campaign aggressively markets Bangkok as well as other Thai destinations, most notably Phuket, with low fares to revive Thailand’s travel and tourism industry. The…
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Paul Poole workshops to resume
PHUKET: Despite political uncertainty in many parts of the country, sponsorship specialists Paul Poole (South East Asia) Co Ltd have decided to resume their popular training workshops following a two-year hiatus. Paul Poole explained that resuming the workshops, to be held at The Metropolitan Hotel in Bangkok, is the result of what he termed “surprising popular demand”. “We plan on…
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Phuket pawnshops busy in April
PHUKET: Government-run pawnshops on the island did a roaring trade last month in the run-up to the new school term that began in mid-May. More than 10,000 people pawned goods valued at over 200 million baht at the island’s three government-licensed pawnshops in April. The Phuket City Municipality Pawnshop currently has 247 million baht out on loan, while the Patong…
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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