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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Seven injured as fishing boat explodes
PHUKET: Seven people were rushed to hospital after an explosion erupted on board a Phuket fishing boat queued up to take on ice at Por Pichai Company wharf, in Rassada, yesterday.Phuket City Police were notified of the explosion at 8:10am and rushed to the scene along with Kusoldharm Foundation rescue workers.At the scene, rescue workers found the Sathaporn 7 half…
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Phuket Gazette: Leap second added to compensate for Earth’s rotation
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Horologists add leap second to compensate for Earth’s rotation time Phuket Gazette / News Wires PHUKET: Horologists added a so-called leap second on late Saturday night, compensating for the Earth’s rotation which is gradually slowing down. It was the 25th leap second to be added but…
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Chinese tourist drowns at Patong Beach
PHUKET: A 19-year-old Chinese tourist drowned last night at Patong Beach, on Phuket’s west coast, after going for a night swim with a female friend.Sakhon Chaithong, chief lifeguard at Patong Beach, told the Phuket Gazette that two Chinese tourists were pulled from the surf near Laem Petch, at the north end of Patong, at about 7:30pm.Foreign tourists spotted the two…
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Phuket Airport director hails anti-cheat measures a success
PHUKET: Security measures taken at Phuket International Airport to prevent airport service staff, such as illegal taxi drivers, from taking advantage of tourists were declared successful yesterday by Airport Director Prathuang Sornkham. The announcement follows Police joining forces to launch a campaign in March to put a stop to illegal taxi drivers overcharging people, and to stop tour guides and…
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Swedish Road Deaths: Crash driver sentencing deferred – again
PHUKET: The handing down of the court sentence to the driver of a refrigerator truck that killed four Swedish tourists and their Thai driver in Phang Nga early in February, has been deferred for the second time, the Phuket Gazette has learned. The driver, 27-year-old Muhummadyukee Jehyusoh, turned himself in to Khok Kloy Police on February 3, two days after…
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Phuket Police chief orders more night patrols
PHUKET: Phuket Provincial Police Commander Chonasit Wattanavrangkul has ordered all police stations across Phuket to take part in the formation of a “Special Operations Unit” in order to boost patrols in key tourist areas from 9pm to 4am. Maj Gen Chonasit announced the news on Thursday at a meeting of the Regional Peace Keeping Council, Phuket Office, headed by Phuket…
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Drug suspect caught in Phuket after year on the run
PHUKET: A man wanted in connection with a police bust involving 9,600 ya bah (methamphetamine) pills last year was arrested last night while walking along Wiset Road in Rawai. The warrant for the man, Kriangkrai “Fad” Mahasod, 24, was issued by the Phuket Provincial Court on September 19 last year. The court issued the warrant pending charges being brought against…
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Phuket Gazette: Sport briefs
PHUKET: England named the same side that defeated the West Indies 2-0 for their upcoming one-day series against Australia.The first game of the five-match series is at Lords this Friday and England will need to maintain their current run of good form to stand any chance against the world’s top-ranked one-day international team. England’s 14 man squad: A Cook (capt),…
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Phuket Sports: Golf round-up and tips
PHUKET: After the excitement of the US Open, the PGA tour moved on to the TPC River Highlands golf course at Cromwell, Connecticut for the Travelers Championship. Newly crowned US open champion Webb Simpson and Masters Champion Bubba Watson started the first two rounds with Keegan Bradley. Going into the last round, Brian Davis was in second place on 10…
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Phuket FC draw Bulls, ready for derby match
PHUKET: Phuket FC held their own on Tuesday night against Thai Premiere League side Wuachon (Fighting Bulls) United, holding the Songkhla-based side to a 3-3 draw at Surakul Stadium in Phuket Town. Though only a friendly match, the Islanders came out gunning. They built up a 3-0 lead before the visitors from Songkhla realized that Phuket was not to be…
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Experts call for Phuket ‘Special Admin Zone’
PHUKET: Experts speaking at a public forum held in Phuket Town last week have voiced their strong support for Phuket to be designated a “Special Administrative Zone”, saying the move would pave the way to resolving many of Phuket’s long-standing problems. Dr Chantinee Boonchai, assistant to the president for Organization and Collaboration Development at the Prince of Songkla University (Phuket…
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Phuket Sports: F1 – A triumph of errors
PHUKET: The Valencia GP since its birth has been F1’s answer to Valium. Suddenly it has hosted one of the greatest races any of us has seen. There were pre-race fans opting for the two-snooze strategy. Hah! “And gentlemen in England now-a-bed shall think themselves accurs’d they were not here.” No-one has been able overtake in Valencia. But this year…
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Australian Ambassador calls for Phuket weapons ban
PHUKET: Australian Ambassador to Thailand James Wise today called for police to launch an island-wide crackdown on weapons, including those carried by tuk-tuk drivers. Speaking after a high-level meeting at Phuket Provincial Hall, Amb Wise said the recent fatal stabbing of Australian tourist Michelle Smith had put a spotlight on public safety in Phuket. “There has been massive media coverage…
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Warrant issued for alleged shooter of Phuket Prison guard
PHUKET: Phuket Provincial Court has issued an arrest warrant for the prime suspect in the shooting and wounding of Phuket Prison guard Danunun Teepapan on Wednesday night in Chalong. Chalong Police Deputy Superintendent Narong Laksanawimon told the media that all of the evidence collected at the scene, as well as the information provided by the victim, indicated the assailant to…
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Wreckage found on glacier is missing plane from 1952
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Wreckage found on an Alaskan glacier is missing plane from 1952 Phuket Gazette / News Wires PHUKET: The aircraft wreckage which was found on a glacier near Anchorage earlier this month is believed to be a plane which went missing in the 1950s with more than…
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Phuket Police crack motorbike theft gang in Kamala
PHUKET: Phuket Police have arrested a member of a motorbike theft ring in Kamala, seizing 15 stolen bikes and other evidence valued at 900,000 baht. Local residents who have had motorbikes stolen in recent months are encouraged to visit Kamala Police Station to see if theirs is among those recovered. Provincial Police Commander Chonasit Wattanavrangkul presented the suspect, 19-year-old Athiwat…
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Tailbacks expected at Tesco Lotus Phuket intersection
PHUKET: Expect longer-than-usual tailbacks around the Tesco Lotus intersection starting tomorrow, when the Phuket Highway Office will break ground on a drainage improvement project to address chronic flooding that occurs in the area.The construction at one of Phuket’s busiest intersections will force the closure of some lanes between June 30 and July 4.“The Phuket Highway Office decided to temporarily solve…
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“Cool-off’ leads monks to blows
PHUKET: Two monks in the Northern province of Kamphaeng Phet were defrocked last month after getting drunk and beating each other black and blue.lao khao (rice wine) was lying nearby. Officers separated the two holy men and took them to be defrocked at Wat Bo Sam Saen in Nongpaling Subdistrict. Both were very drunk and had swollen faces from the…
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Phi Phi Poisonings: Autopsy results on Canadian sisters “inconclusive’
PHUKET: Krabi Police today announced that the autopsies conducted by Thai authorities on the bodies of Canadian sisters Audrey and Noemi Belanger failed to find any traces of drugs. The lack of discovery as to what caused the women’s deaths now forces police to follow other leads in their investigation, Krabi Provincial Police Deputy Commander Boontawee Toraksa said today. Audrey,…
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Phuket officials blasted for inaction over mafia
PHUKET: Phuket Tourist Association Vice President Sarayuth Mallam yesterday lashed out at local government heads for failing to see the importance of solving tourism issues and succumbing to the pressures of “foreign mafia”. “Department heads are not placing the proper importance on solving these problems. Even at this meeting, for example, many heads of the relevant organizations are not here,…
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Phuket prison officer shot and robbed of Bt 3mn
PHUKET: A Phuket prison officer was shot and robbed of 3 million baht in cash near Wat Chalong last night, in what police believe was a sweet business deal gone sour.At about 8:30pm, Chalong Police received a report about the shooting on Luangpor Chaem Road from a concerned local resident, who explained that despite injuries sustained the victim had driven…
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Indonesians nabbed with B2mn stolen from Phuket policeman
PHUKET: Four Indonesian men were arrested in Haad Yai, southern Thailand, yesterday while heading for the Malaysian border after stealing 2 million baht from a Phuket policeman. Tedi Usman Bin Husin, 43; Yusuf Anwar, 30; Aldi Pratama, 27; and Muhammad Amid, 34, were presented a few hours later at a press conference presided over by Phuket Provincial Police Commander Chonasit…
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Phuket MP petitions PM Yingluck, Chalerm for more police
PHUKET: One of Phuket’s two Members of Parliament is appealing for the Government to take immediate steps to shore up the island’s image following a highly-damning report by a Singapore-based website that brands Phuket: “The Crime Capital of Asia”. The report which includes images sourced from the Phuket Gazette, without permission, describes Phuket as: “one of the worlds [sic] most…
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Phuket Aussie stab suspects denied bail, behind bars
PHUKET: The two men arrested for the fatal stabbing of Australian tourist Michelle Smith were denied police bail yesterday and are now being held at the Phuket Provincial Court holding cells awaiting the formal pressing of charges. Chalong Police officers presented suspects Surasak Suwannachote and Surin Tadthong to Phuket Provincial Court at 11:30 am yesterday. Surasak has confessed to stabbing…
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BREAKING NEWS: Phuket-bound tour bus crashes, 11 injured
PHUKET: A tour bus bound for Phang Nga and Phuket crashed in Prachuap Khiri Khan province late last night, injuring 11 people. The state-run MCOT news agency reported that the coach was carrying 35 passengers when it crashed into the median strip drainage gully on the Petchkasem Highway in Thong Mongkol subdistrict, Bangsaphan District last night. The exact time of…
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Phuket Sports: FIVB Grand Prix update
PHUKET: Thai ladies continue to live up to their reputation as some of the world’s best ball control artists, with the final round of the Féderation Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) 2012 Grand Prix, providing the latest stage for them to demonstrate their considerable skills. Considered the women’s equivalent of the FIVB World League of mens volleyball, the annual tournament is…
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Phuket locals outraged by stab attack re-enactment
PHUKET: Police staved off scenes of chaos this morning as local residents shouted out insults at the two suspects who were required by police to carry out a public re-enactment of the botched bag-snatch that led to the fatal stabbing of Australian tourist Michelle Smith. Police intervened and kept the angry crowd members at bay. Surasak Suwannachote, who confessed to…
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Aussie murder fallout: CCTV saturation sought for Phuket
PHUKET: A top-level meeting at Phuket Provincial Hall yesterday heard that the island needs 10,000 CCTV cameras and more police officers to keep tourists and locals safe from criminals. Speaking to the media after the meeting, Phuket Provincial Administrative Organization (OrBorJor) President Paiboon Upatising said, “We want the government to provide a budget of about 2 billion baht to install…
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BREAKING NEWS: Aussie killers confess in Phuket
PHUKET: The two men arrested for the brutal stabbing murder of Australian travel agent Michelle Smith were presented to the media during a re-enactment of the crime outside the Katathani Hotel in Phuket this morning. During a press conference at the resort after the re-enactment, Deputy National Police Chief Pansiri Prapawat told some 50 media personnel that the pair confessed…
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Phuket man critically injured in head-on motorbike smash
PHUKET: A Thalang man is in critical condition at Vachira Phuket Hospital after suffering head injuries sustained in a head-on collision between two motorbikes last night. Thalang Police were notified of the accident at the Baan Lipon u-turn on Thepkrasattri Road at 9:15pm. Rushing to the scene with Kusoldharm Foundation workers, they found 40-year-old Chamni Ninyang lying unconscious on the…
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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