Phuket News
-
Sponsored Planning to extend your Thai visa? Why health insurance is more important than ever
If you plan to stay longer in Thailand, having health insurance is now more important than ever. Thai immigration often asks for proof of medical coverage when you apply to extend your visa. This applies to many types of visas,...
-
Phuket villager speaks out on Sydictive New Year beach party
PHUKET: While the debate rages on over whether or not the Sydictive Element New Year Phuket beach party will move to Patong – despite already being granted permission to be held at Surin Beach – one local resident has spoken out about how the party would affect the beachfront community, for better and for worse. Somchai Prasongphon, 42, was born…
-
Phuket child-exploitation gangs put in the spotlight
PHUKET: A 12-year-old girl fleeing her captors to the safety of officials on Soi Bangla last week, has raised the ugly specter of Phuket becoming a prime human-trafficking and child-exploitation destination, according an international children’s rights agency. The girl, nicknamed “Aoi” to protect her identity, ran up to Patong Deputy Mayor Chairat Sukban and about 10 other officers on night…
-
Fresh ATM action prompts hope for finding missing Phuket expat
PHUKET: Police investigating the disappearance of American Brett Bean, last seen on Phuket on November 25, are now searching for a man who used Mr Bean’s debit card to withdraw cash from a Phuket ATM on Monday. “We were informed by Mrs Bean [Brett’s mother] that on December 17 someone used Mr Bean’s debit card to take the money out…
-
No Phuket tsunami alert after Sumatra earthquake
PHUKET: No tsunami alert has been issued for Phuket or other provinces along the Andaman Coast following a 5.2 earthquake off the northern tip of Sumatra, Indonesia, at 10:50am today, the head of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Phuket office has confirmed. “The National Disaster Warning Center has not issued a tsunami warning alert. We expect that the…
-
Tsunami Memorial Wall ready for remembrance
PHUKET: The Phuket chapter of the US Navy League has announced that the Tsunami Memorial Wall, which in years past has fallen into a deplorable state, has been readied for this year’s tsunami remembrance service on December 26. The Navy League volunteered for the role of caretaker for the remembrance site last year, and the volunteers organized a community project…
-
Phuket Sports: Man Utd get Real in last 16 of Champions League
Ronaldo returns to Man United in Champions League Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Cristiano Ronaldo will return with nine-time winners Real Madrid to Manchester United, where he developed into one of the world’s greatest forwards, and Lionel Messi’s Barcelona take on AC Milan in the Champions League last 16.Bayern Munich, last season’s beaten finalists, play Arsenal and Juventus take on surprise…
-
Phuket Sports: Fergie scoffs at talk of retirement for trio
Ferguson scoffs at talk of Scholes retirement Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson has dismissed media reports that his long-serving trio of Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs and Rio Ferdinand will leave the Premier League leaders at the end of the season.After newspaper headlines had declared the end of an era, with reports that 38-year-old Scholes had told…
-
Aldhouse trial pending UK documents
PHUKET: The trial of British national Lee Aldhouse, charged with the murder of former US Marine Dashawn Longfellow in Phuket in 2010, has yet to be put in motion as the Phuket Prosecutor’s Office is awaiting the arrival of further documentation from the UK, the Phuket Gazette has been told. Aldhouse confessed to police to stabbing Mr Longfellow, but denied…
-
Stranded Air Berlin travellers airlifted from Phuket
PHUKET: All 249 Air Berlin passengers stranded in Phuket after their plane was forced to make an emergency landing shortly after takeoff last night have been airlifted off the island and are currently en route to their original destination: Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. Prathuang Sornkham, Director at Phuket International Airport, told the Phuket Gazette that Air Berlin…
-
Sydictive Party: One night without Paris
PHUKET: Global celebrity Paris Hilton will not be attending the three-day New Year beach party originally slated to be held on Surin Beach from December 30 to sunrise on January 1. The news of Ms Hilton’s imminent no-show at the event came in an email from her lawyer sent to the Phuket Gazette clarifying that Ms Hilton’s name was not…
-
Phuket yachties to honor Stafford Steer tonight
PHUKET: The Ao Chalong Yacht Club (ACYC) will honor the memory of well-known Phuket expat Stafford Steer, who died of cancer on December 8, with a memorial this evening. “He was diagnosed with bone marrow cancer about four weeks ago in Brisbane hospital [in Queensland, Australia]. Tonight at the ACYC we will have a memorial get-together to honor him,” said…
-
Phuket Airport closure leaves more than 1,000 stranded
PHUKET: More than 1,000 passengers were stranded at Phuket International Airport last night after an emergency landing by an Air Berlin flight forced authorities to cancel all inbound and outbound flights. Air Berlin flight AB-7425 from Phuket to Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates, took off from Phuket at its scheduled time of 9:26pm, but was forced to make…
-
Live Wire: Stumbling at high speeds
PHUKET: People frequently ask me, what’s the best internet connection in Phuket? The short answer is… there’s no way to know for sure. Much depends on your exact location, and luck. Over the years I have run a free speed reporting site, PhuketInternetSpeed.com, which is an attempt at quantifying the real-world internet international download speeds here in Phuket. For quite…
-
Engine fire forces emergency landing at Phuket Airport
PHUKET: An engine fire shortly after takeoff forced an Air Berlin flight to make an emergency landing at Phuket International Airport earlier tonight.All flights were diverted away from Phuket’s critical tourism portal while emergency crews evacuated the 247 passengers on board and attended to the disabled aircraft left stranded on the runway.The Air Berlin Airbus A330-200, serving flight AB-7425 from…
-
Phuket artificial reef project continues off Kata, Karon bays
PHUKET: The ongoing project to develop artificial reefs off the west coast of Phuket continued today as the process of dropping 1,880 concrete frames to the sea floor began off Karon Beach. Over the next several days, the concrete frames will be dropped in clusters over a total area of 24 square kilometers, stretching from the north end of Karon…
-
Wife missing after husband found stabbed
PHUKET: Police are searching for the wife of Baan Don villager Boonsri Kummongkhun after he was found stabbed in the stomach at his central Phuket home last night. Thalang Police were notified of the incident by Baan Don village headman Sirichat Junthawat at about 9:30pm, after neighbors heard Mr Boonsri’s cries for help. Rushing to Mr Boonsri’s assistance, neighbors found…
-
Arson blamed for Phuket beach blaze
PHUKET: A fire engulfed a small beachfront minimart at Surin Beach and spread to four other shops early this morning. Shop owner Man Thonglor, 41, suspects arson. Mr Man told the Phuket Gazette that he opened his store little over a year ago, but this was the second time his shop had caught afire. “I believe it was set on…
-
Phuket 7-Eleven scythe robber arrested
PHUKET: A man nabbed by police for snatching a Frenchwoman’s bag on Tuesday confessed to having also robbed a Phuket 7-Eleven with a scythe multiple times this year. The suspect, Winai Soimuea, 26, was presented to the press at Phuket City Police Station in Phuket Town on Tuesday. Mr Winai was arrested shortly after grabbing the woman’s bag near Wat…
-
Thailand Sports: War Elephants mauled by the Lions
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Thailand’s title hopes in balance Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Singapore took a big step to a record fourth Suzuki Cup title after deservedly beating Thailand 3-1 at home in a niggly first leg of the Southeast Asian Championships last night. Defender Baihakki Khaizan smashed home…
-
Phuket Sports: F1 review – Upgrades, upsets and upstarts
PHUKET: The F1 2012 season was the longest ever, and six World Champions took part; the most ever. Pirelli advanced its ‘made to degrade’ rubber, and managing tyres became a critical driver attribute. The first half of the season was perhaps the most exciting ever. We saw seven different winners in seven races, at the end of which Lewis Hamilton…
-
Sports News: Thailand face tough challenge in Singapore tonight
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international communityPHUKET: Thailand will aim to gain the upper hand over old foes Singapore in the first leg of the ASEAN Championship final today, in a showdown of the tournament’s two most successful sides. Both have won the title three times, with their second championship showdown in five years…
-
British ambassador joins fight against tourist scams
PHUKET: The British Ambassador to Thailand, Mark Kent, has joined a campaign by Thailand’s Ministry of Tourism to tackle tourist scams and will be in Phuket in the new year to discuss the issue with high-ranking Phuket officials. Ambassador Kent is being featured in a nationwide television campaign that will run until the end of December. In the video, Ambassador…
-
No formal change in Non-Imm B visas
PHUKET: The Department of Consular Affairs head office in Bangkok, which coordinates policy for issuing visas at all Royal Thai Embassies around the world, has confirmed to the Phuket Gazette that there has been no formal change in policy concerning non-immigrant Business (“B”) visas issued in Malaysia. “The Royal Thai Embassy in Kuala Lumpur is still issuing multiple-entry, non-imm B…
-
International Sports: Aussies snatch victory from jaws of a draw
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – International sports news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Siddle strikes to spark dramatic Australia win Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Seamers Peter Siddle and Mitchell Starc shared six late wickets to give Australia a dramatic 137-run victory over Sri Lanka in the last hour of the fifth and final day of the first…
-
Karon Mayor: Phuket seafood vendors will be charged with beach encroachment
PHUKET: Karon Mayor Tawee Thongcham warned Phuket seafood vendors with stalls set up along Kata Beach that they will be charged with beach encroachment.The warning follows raids on beach touts led by Phuket Vice Governor Somkiet Sangkaosuttirak on November 28 – Loy Krathong.The raids, which included officers from the Muang District Office, Karon Municipality and local police, specifically targeted the…
-
Tsunami warning app lands on Phuket shores
PHUKET: The National Disaster Warning Center (NDWC) launched a mobile phone application this month that allows iPhone and Android phone users to receive instant notifications of any tsunami alerts and warnings issued by the center. The “app” was launched on the online Apple App Store for iPhones and iPads on December 11, with an Android version launched on the Android…
-
Crane rips roof off Phuket tour van
PHUKET: A retractable crane arm hanging over Patak Road in Chalong ripped the roof off a Phuket tour van full of tourists just after 9am today.The west-bound tour van was about 200 meters from Chalong Circle when it collided with the arm of the crane.The van was not overturned in the accident and at this stage no deaths or serious…
-
French tourists in Phuket struck by falling tree
PHUKET: An unlucky pair of French tourists were enjoying a scenic motorbike ride along the road from Patong to Kamala on Saturday when they were struck down by a falling tree.Ruamkatanyu Foundation Phuket workers rushed to the scene after being notified of the accident by Kamala Police at about 4:30pm.“At the scene, we found the man had suffered only slight…
-
Phuket’s “Non Tanon’, 16, wins The Voice Thailand
PHUKET: Phuket teenager Tanon “Non” Chamroen won the national singing talent quest The Voice Thailand 2012 last weekend. Standing on stage in Bangkok on Saturday night, Non sang the Thai love song Yung Mai Koey (“Still Never”) live on Channel 3’s nationwide broadcast of the finals.Now called “Non Tanon”, the Mattayom 4 student at Satree Phuket School in Phuket Town…
-
Phuket rallies for expat sailor Kevin Ashby
PHUKET: Hundreds of people turned out at the Ao Chalong Yacht Club (ACYC) on Friday night to contribute much-needed money for the life-saving surgery of beloved Phuket expat sailor Kevin Ashby. Kevin, 42, was recently diagnosed with stage three colon cancer, but does not have the health insurance needed to cover the critical surgery. “It was a great event. More…
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.
Don't forget to check out some other things to do in Thailand - get help starting a business or finding a job in Thailand, buy Thailand property, rent a yacht or book a medical procedure worldwide.