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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Latest monthly road toll: 18 dead, 948 injured
PHUKET: Eighteen people died in traffic accidents in Phuket between February 20 and March 20. Khun Ampaipan Pawawattananusorn, the Professional Nurse at the Phuket Provincial Health Office, reported that according to figures from the three government hospitals — Wachira, Thalang and Patong – 948 people were injured on the island’s roads during the latest reporting period, some of them severely.…
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Tourists to get VAT refunds from June 1
PHUKET TOWN: From June 1, tourists buying goods in Phuket will be able to get the value added tax (VAT) on those goods refunded when they leave the country. Khun Annop Buakruen, Chief of the Phuket Provincial Revenue Office, explained that tourists will be able to get refunds at four airports in Thailand — Bangkok, Phuket, Haad Yai and Chiang…
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Murder trial testimony again delayed
PHUKET TOWN: Judge Amornpoj Kulwijit today postponed testimony in the murder trial of Nongnut Tungkaburi and Kraisorn Kamnoun. The two stand accused of participation in a murder-for-hire scheme in connection with the brutal stabbing death of 56-year-old British publican Roger Jennings at his home in Patong Hill Estate on December 15, 1997. The judge heard that the lawyer for one…
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Weatherman warns swimmers: Be careful!
PHUKET: The island’s top meteorologist has warned that people should be careful when swimming off Phuket’s beaches because of large swells generated by storms out at sea. Khun Amorn Chantanavivate, Director of the Meteorological Department, said a tropical depression over the South China Sea was causing storms in the region. He urged swimmers to check flags on beaches to see…
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Ministry boss gives progress the thumbs-up
PHUKET TOWN: A senior government official today gave Phuket his seal of approval for its progress in implementing projects funded by the central government. Khun Anand Tejavanija, Deputy Director-General of the Community Development Department of the Ministry of the Interior explained that he was visiting Phuket to check on progress in using the 2.15 million baht allocated by Bangkok for…
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Teams named for Phuket Rugby Sevens
PHUKET: The Thai Rugby Union has named 15 of the 16 teams that will compete in the Phuket Rugby Sevens on July 3 and 4 at Sapanhin Stadium. Negotiations to confirm the last of the 16 sides are continuing. Apart from Thailand, the sides already confirmed are: China, England, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Scotland, Singapore, Sri…
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Public meeting to discuss local elections
PHUKET TOWN: The Phuket Provincial Election Commission will hold a public meeting next Wednesday (April 28) to discuss local administration elections. Khun Kitipong Thienkunagrit, one of Phuket’s five Provincial Election Commissioners, said that the election commissioners and the legal advisory committee have completed a draft bill to cover the way local elections are to be handled. But since these elections…
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Fund to pump millions into democracy education
PHUKET TOWN: Phuket has received approval from the Miyazawa Fund to spend millions of baht educating people about Thailand’s new constitution. Though the exact amount to be spent on the five-month project is not yet finalised, it will involve hiring four coordinators at 8,000 baht a month each, and 96 educators at 5,000 baht a month each, for a total…
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Wettest March in 30 years
PHUKET: Rainfall in Phuket in March and the first week of April this year was the heaviest in 30 years, a government meteorological officer told the Gazette today. Khun Amorn Chantanavivate, Director of the Weather Forecasting Sub-Division of the Southwestern Regional Meteorological Center, reports that Phuket had 132.7mm of rain in March and 31.7mm in the first week of April.…
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Big rise in claims by traffic victims
PHUKET: Claims for compensation from the Government’s Traffic Accident Victims Fund have shot up in 1999. The fund, which is run by the Phuket Insurance Office, paid out 111,097 baht to 12 claimants in the first three months of the year. This compares with 150,085 baht for the whole of 1997 and 122,732 baht in 1998. The fund pays victims…
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Snake strikes foreigner in the Similans
SIMILAN ISLANDS: Australian Anthony Lynam was airlifted from the Similan Islands to Phya Thai hospital earlier this week after being bitten on the foot by a deadly Pope’s pit viper. Lynam, 34, was on a diving trip with Santana Diving Co of Patong when he decided to take a look around the local forest. Because of storms and high seas…
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Teenager dies after saving swimmer
BANGTAO: The Governor of Phuket Province, Chadej Insawang, is to make a posthumous award for courage to Patchya Dangkrajang, who died in heavy seas on Songkran Day after rescuing a foreigner who got into trouble swimming. The Governor is also expected to award 22,000 baht from public welfare funds to the family of the 16-year-old hero. Patchya, who was helping…
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Business registrations up 30% over last year
PHUKET TOWN: New businesses registered in the first quarter of this year show an increase of 30 percent over the same period in 1998, indicating a surge of confidence in the island’s economy. Khun Virachai Tantiwattanawanlop, Head Administrator of the Phuket Commercial Registration Department, told the Gazette that in the first three months of 1999, 163 new firms registered with…
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18 Dead, 862 Hurt In Traffic Accidents
PHUKET TOWN: Eighteen people were killed in traffic accidents between February 20 and March 19, and a further 862 were injured, according to figures from Phuket’s three government hospitals – Wachira, Thalang and Patong. Motorcycle accidents were to blame for the vast majority of deaths and injuries. Of the 18 dead, 16 were on motorcycles, while 787 of those reported…
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Phuket On Guard Against Malaysian Virus
PHUKET: Health officials in Phuket are scrambling to devise a new strategy to ensure the pig-related virus that has killed dozens in Malaysia does not spread to the island. The authorities, along with Malaysian health officials, originally thought the outbreak was Japanese Encephalitis (JE), which is endemic in much of the Far East. But research by the US-based Centers for…
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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