Phuket News
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Party on, Phuket! No change in booze promotion enforcement, says health office
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Health Office (PPHO) has no plans to ramp up enforcement of existing laws regulating the promotion of alcohol, despite reports stating otherwise, the Phuket Gazette was told today. “The law stands as it is,” said PPHO Non-communicable Diseases division Director Prapa Nakara, who directly heads the enforcement of alcohol-related regulations on the island. “I have no…
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Overworked Ronaldo claims he is close to best
PHUKET: Cristiano Ronaldo admits that he suffered for pushing himself too much at the end of last season but is now close to his best as Real Madrid prepare to face Real Sociedad this weekend. The Portuguese forward, who was named UEFA’s Best Player in Europe on Thursday, suffered knee problems at the end of the last campaign and was…
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Bayern reach agreement with Madrid over Alonso move
PHUKET: European champions Real Madrid have reached an agreement with Bayern Munich over the transfer of former World Cup winner Xabi Alonso, the La Liga giants announced on Friday. “Real Madrid CF and Bayern Munich have reached an agreement for the transfer of Xabi Alonso,” the club said on its website. “The player will speak to the media today (Friday)…
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Refreshed Murray beats Bachinger in straight sets
PHUKET: Eighth seed Andy Murray, who overcame cramping in his first-round victory, roared past unseeded German Matthias Bachinger in straight sets on Thursday to reach the third round of the US Open. Murray, the 2012 US champion and 2013 Wimbledon winner, looked fresh and strong in cool, breezy conditions as he rolled to a 6-3 6-3 6-4 victory at Arthur…
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Livestock officials implore Phuket police to investigate baby elephant owner
PHUKET: Officers from the Phuket Livestock Office have implored police to investigate the case of a baby elephant who is being kept on a short chain in the parking lot outside a house on Chao Fa West Road. The call follows an investigation on August 24 into the legality of a 2-year-old elephant, Tiptawee (story here). Pichitra Tanode, who is…
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Video Report: Phuket dolphin park’s Taiji killing connection
PHUKET: Phuket stands to suffer widespread damage to its global reputation as a tourism destination if it allows the establishment of a dolphinarium in Chalong, said renown dolphin trainer turned animal rights activist Ric O’Barry, well-known for his role in the Academy-award winning documentary The Cove. “Most of the [captured] dolphins today are coming from the cove in Taiji, Japan.…
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Prab Keesin, wanted on taxi mafia charges, to surrender to Phuket police on Monday
PHUKET: Preechavude “Prab” Keesin, wanted by the police on mafia-related charges, has announced that he will turn himself over to the authorities on Monday. The news, revealed via a post on his Facebook page (click here), follows a massive police and military sweep of Patong yesterday for suspects accused of being involved in a taxi mafia (story here). Former Patong…
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Police warn Phuket motorists to be cautious in monsoon weather
PHUKET: Motorist must slow down and take more care on Phuket’s roads due to the recent heavy weather, said Tah Chat Chai Police Superintendent Somchai Sanprasert this morning. Col Somcha’s warning follows a minivan transporting six Japanese tourists flipping in the rain yesterday. One of the passengers received minor injuries. “The minivan driver, 43-year-old In Laiprakorn, was taking the six…
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Phuket sailors top Thailand Platu 25 National Championship
PHUKET: Local sailors Scott Duncanson and Alfie Rowson have won the open division of the 2014 Platu 25 National Championship held off Jomtien, Pattaya. The championships, raced over August 16-17, saw nine teams compete in the identical class of Platu yachts, known elsewhere in the world as Farr 25s, after their designer Bruce Farr. Day one started in light winds…
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Phuket students petition against dolphinarium
PHUKET: Students from the Prince of Songkla University Phuket campus yesterday handed Governor Maitri Inthusut a petition with more than 400 signatures to protest the nearly-complete Nemo dolphinarium in Chalong. “We have heard about the dolphinarium set to open on Soi Palai. We do not think that it is a good idea to keep dolphins in a park,” said Latifa…
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Australian triathlete mistaken for illegal immigrant on Channel swim
PHUKET: An Australian triathlete was mistaken for an illegal immigrant by British residents and held up by border authorities when set to swim the English Channel, local media reported. John van Wisse was attempting to set a world record on an ultra-triathlon from London to Paris when he was swooped on by local police and the British Coastguard on Wednesday,…
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Party town kingpin Pian slapped with mafia charges
PHUKET: Military personnel and Region 8 Police raided the home of former Patong Mayor Pian Keesin this morning as they pursue mafia charges against the Phuket kingpin. “Mr Pian and his son Prab Keesin are both facing charges of extortion and criminal activity carried out by a criminal association,” Region 8 Commander Panya Mamen told the Phuket Gazette today. Region…
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Myanmar worker injured in fall while painting school building
PHUKET: A migrant worker from Myanmar is in hospital recovering from head injuries after he slipped and fell from scaffolding at Baan Reua School in Koh Kaew, Thalang. The laborer, named by police only as Mr Wanchai, 20, fell and struck his head on the pavement six meters below while painting a school building on Tuesday, said Lt Col Sanit…
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Teenager gatecrashes Serena, Federer party
PHUKET: Despite boasting 34 grand slam singles titles between them, Serena Williams and Roger Federer were forced to share the spotlight with a 15-year-old at the U.S. Open on Tuesday as all three advanced to the second round. American wild card Catherine Bellis, the youngest player in the draw, took her place alongside the five-time U.S. champions by stunning 12th…
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Man dies as car slams into power pole at high speed
PHUKET: A 31-year-old man died after his car slid out of control on a wet road and slammed into a power pole at high speed in Koh Kaew late last night. Lt Col Sanit Nookong and fellow officers of the Thalang Police arrived at the scene, near the Tha Ruea Shrine on Thepkrasattri Road, soon after 11:45pm. “The driver, Nitikorn…
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DSI impostors arrested for Phuket massage parlor shakedown
PHUKET: Two men have been arrested for posing as Department of Special Investigation (DSI) officers and extorting money from a Phuket Town massage parlor. Wisanusan Thipayatuch, 42, and Kanapat Khongmuang, 38, were nabbed after extorting 100,000 baht in cash from the owner of Angel Massage in Phuket Town on April 24. “The suspects, who posed as DSI officers, told the…
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Phuket women’s club scholarships shine light on poor students’ futures
PHUKET: In its decades-long drive to offer educational opportunities to students from impoverished families, the Phuket International Women’s Club (PIWC) recently granted scholarships to 80 students from Phuket and nearby provinces. The scholarships, valued together at more than 2 million baht, were granted at an event at Satree Phuket School last Wednesday. The 80 new dedications brought the number of…
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Phuket officials target trash-clogged drains in flood-defense plan
PHUKET: Phuket officials confirmed yesterday that Patong’s drains will be dredged after an inspection revealed they had become clogged with sediment and trash, contributing to recent flooding in the area. The inspection of the roads and of Pak Bang Canal also revealed that many of the buildings there had been extended beyond the legal limit of three meters from the…
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Phi Phi and Krabi beaches targeted for encroachment demolitions
PHUKET: Phi Phi and Krabi are next in line for beach encroachment demolitions, the Navy has revealed. “We have already removed beach chairs and umbrellas from Phi Phi’s beaches. The next step will be the clearance of illegally-erected structures encroaching on the island’s beach areas. This will begin very soon,” Commander Prinyatham Poonpitagtham of the Royal Thai Marine Corps, told…
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Phuket blackout leaves underpass underwater
PHUKET: Traffic ground to a crawl at the Darasamuth underpass on Monday after a three-hour power outage rendered pumps useless and allowed heavy rain to flood the underground road. The underpass construction site, located in front of the Central Festival Phuket shopping mall on the bypass road, lost power supply after a transformer blew, explained Samak Luedwonghad, director of the…
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Sepak Takraw competition in Sri Soonthorn
A competition of Sepak Takraw, known also as kick volleyball, was held in Phuket’s Sri Soonthorn on 23-24 August. Players from 21 teams divided into three age categories could showcase their acrobatic skills while competing for the prizes with another 10 teams playing Freestyle Sepak Takraw. “The purposes of this competition is to encourage people, especially teenagers, to spend time…
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Phuket registration for National Reform Council candidates opens
PHUKET: Registration opened today for people wanting to enter the race to serve as Phuket’s representatives on the yet-to-be created National Reform Council (NRC). Wannabe candidates can register at the Phuket Election Commission (PEC) office, on Amphur Road in Phuket Town, from 8:30am to 4:30pm until September 2, PEC Director Kitipong Thiengkunakrit announced this afternoon. The NRC will comprise 250…
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Phuket downpour causes truck slide on Patong Hill
PHUKET: Police have urged motorists throughout Phuket to slow down and exercise more caution than usual during the current spate of very heavy thundershowers passing across the island. The call for safer driving follows heavy rain this afternoon causing a six-wheeled truck lugging sacks of rice over Patong Hill to slide backwards down the hill into the path of traffic…
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Phuket floods strike, sink Patong Police Station again
PHUKET: The Patong Police Station flooded for the third time in two weeks as another heavy rainstorm pummeled Phuket earlier this afternoon. “The water is up to our hips at the station,” said Lt Col Suttichai Tianpho of the Patong Police. “The computers and case files have remained on the second floor since the last flood. Now we are moving…
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HRH Princess Srirasmi lands in Phuket to open ‘Family Love Center’
PHUKET: HRH Princess Srirasmi, the Royal Consort of HRH Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, today graced the opening ceremony of the “Family Love Center” in Phuket. The center is aimed at encouraging better family ties between generations: children, parents and grandparents. Princess Srirasmi landed on the island at about 11am and was welcomed by Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut and high-ranking officers.…
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Homeless Brit found sleeping rough in Phuket
PHUKET: A homeless British man and his Thai girlfriend were picked up by police early this morning after they were discovered sleeping rough in Phuket. Alarmed villagers called police after the couple were discovered huddled together in front of a Cherng Talay house, Sub Lt Jira Cherdchay of the Cherng Talay Police explained. “At the house when we arrived, we…
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Police crack Phuket drug network: nab three suspects, ya ice
PHUKET: Police are hoping to take a local drug kingpin into custody soon after three dealers were arrested and nearly one kilogram of ya ice (crystal methamphetamine) was seized in two separate raids last week. Phuket Provincial Police last Wednesday arrested Wiwat Mungsuree, 30, and Eaknarong Iadkham, 34, who were found in possession of 136.54 grams of ya ice. “During…
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Phuket splashes out on education, health in B1.4bn budget
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Administrative Organization (PPAO) has named health and education as its top priorities in its budget request for fiscal year 2015. The PPAO Council voted to splash out on the two critical areas on Friday, when PPAO President Paiboon Upatising revealed the draft budget of 1.445 billion baht. The PPAO is aiming to spend 407.6 million baht…
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Sluggish United held by Sunderland, Spurs thrash QPR
PHUKET: Manchester United laboured to a ponderous 1-1 draw away at Sunderland on Sunday that delivered a first Premier League point of the season but laid bare their dire need for reinforcements. After Tottenham Hotspur had made it six points from two games with players condemned as expensive mistakes last season starring in a 4-0 victory over Queens Park Rangers,…
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Broad-daylight burglars make off with jewellery, cash from Phuket home
PHUKET: Burglars bashed in the front door of a Phuket home and made off with about 150,000 baht of loot yesterday. “Three people live in the house in Thalang: me, my son and my wife. Nobody was home when the thieves broke in. We had all left the house in the morning and didn’t return until about 6pm that evening,”…
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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