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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No “nipple gangs’ in Phuket: Police
PHUKET: Phuket police today were firm in the assertion that there are no “nipple gangs” at work in Phuket. The news follows a report by a Chinese daily newspaper saying that Singaporean men on holiday in Phuket had been drugged by knock-out drops smeared onto women’s breasts. Once drugged unconscious, the men were robbed, the report said. Other newspapers and…
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Hit-and-run slams Phuket woman off the road and into a ravine
PHUKET: Phuket police are searching for the driver of a pickup truck that was involved in a hit and run on the Chalong-Kata Hill on Sunday. Witnesses reported seeing the pickup collide with a motorbike, resulting in the woman rider plunging over the edge of the steep slope and landing in a ravine about eight meters deep. The accident was…
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Phuket roads blamed for traffic accidents: Poll
PHUKET: More than half the people who took part in a recent Phuket Gazette poll responded that the island’s roads were either the primary cause or a large contributing factor to the number of road accidents that occur in Phuket. In the poll, readers were asked, “Do you believe that the condition of Phuket’s roads endangers residents and tourists?” Overall,…
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Bangkok flood ‘stranglehold’ on fixing deadly Phuket road
PHUKET: Phuket Provincial Highways Office (PPHO) chief Arun Sanae has applied for a budget of eight million baht to fix the damaged Patong Hill road, but says he does not know when the funds to begin repairs will arrive. The road suffered a severe rip in its surface last month after heavy rains caused a landslide underneath it on October…
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Body of foreign man found floating off Phuket
PHUKET: A Thai fishing boat this morning found the body of a caucasian man floating in the waters between Racha Yai Island and Coral Island, to the south of Phuket. Samnieng Srisan of the Phuket Tourist Rescue Center at Chalong Pier told the Phuket Gazette that the squid fishing boat Sor Naja made the discovery at about 10:15am. “The body…
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Mystics fail to reveal bodies of missing Phuket lovers
PHUKET: The families of the man and woman who have yet to resurface since disappearing from Thepkrasattri Bridge last week have called in soothsayers to help find the bodies. However, despite at least five mystics proffering descriptions of where to look in the fast-flowing waters under the Phuket bridge, divers have yet to find the bodies of troubled young lovers…
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Bangkok floods hit Phuket bars with ‘beer crisis’
PHUKET: Phuket’s critical tourism and entertainment industries are struggling to cope with the disrupted supply of consumer products and price rises brought on by the floods in Bangkok and central Thailand. The latest shortage to take hold on the island is alcohol, with reports flooding in to the Phuket Gazette of bars either running dry or short of stock and…
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Thai Floods: Kudos and consequences for Phuket
PHUKET: While the floods laying siege to Bangkok have dominated national news and made headlines around the world for weeks, Phuket has remained safe and dry. And as such, the province has been, as it well should be, a major platform for flood relief for hundreds of thousands of victims throughout Thailand’s central plains. Heartwarming initiatives continue underway in Phuket…
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BIS Phuket calls for boats, life vests to help Bangkok flood victims
PHUKET: British International School Phuket (BIS) is appealing for donations of boats and life vests to help those affected by the floods in Bangkok. “Due to the flooding problems in Bangkok, Rangsit University has formed a group of rescue team to help the Rangsit and Muang Eak communities and they are desperately in need of additional supplies as the water…
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Phuket readies for Loy Krathong 2011
PHUKET: Loy Krathong, the “festival of light,” is on November 10 this year and will be celebrated by communities across Phuket and all of Thailand. Thousands of people across the nation will be releasing krathong, lotus-shaped floats traditionally made of banana leaves, with a small offering of food, flowers, joss sticks and/or candles into the waters of Thailand. This annual…
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Phuket surf zones to mark coastal conservation
PHUKET: At least three surfing locations at Phuket beaches are being shortlisted for recognition as National Surfing Reserves (NSRs). Brad Farmer, global chair of the non-profit organization National Surfing Reserves (NSR), conducted a site inspection at Kata, Kalim and Nai Yang Beaches yesterday. “The surfing reserve concept is a symbolic dedication whereby surfing areas are recognized as coastal resources worthy…
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Phuket officials rally to stave off flood shortages, price hikes
PHUKET: Top officials at Phuket government offices yesterday met to discuss critical issues with product shortages and prices hikes in Phuket brought on by the floods in and around Bangkok. Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) President Paiboon Upatising said that his organization had received many complaints from Phuket residents about the product shortages and rising prices. “Even though Phuket Governor…
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China, USA march on at Phuket FIVB volleyball open
PHUKET: The FIVB Swatch Beach Volleyball Phuket Thailand Open powered by PTT gave spectators an exciting third round full of action and suspense on Karon Beach today.China’s top-seeded Xue/Zhang earned their 34th final four appearance out of 67 career FIVB Swatch World Tour tournaments together. Second-seeded Kessy/Ross will be in the 30th final four in 61 career FIVB Swatch World…
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Phuket market for flood price relief sells out ‘within hours’
PHUKET: Phuket Town residents took just hours to snap up all the produce on sale at a special market yesterday aimed at providing relief from price rises brought on by the floods in Bangkok and Central Thailand.The market, set up in front of the Phuket Chamber of Commerce offices in Phuket Town, sold out of 200 kilograms of chicken, 7,500…
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Chinese tourist found dead in Phuket hotel room
PHUKET: Police are continuing their investigation into the death of a 30-year-old Chinese tourist who was found dead in her Phuket Town hotel room yesterday afternoon. Miss Hou Juan’s body was discovered by a maid at the small hotel on Patipat Road near Suan Luang Park. The maid had entered the room after Miss Hou failed to check out at…
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Phuket All Stars and Singapore CC open the ACG on Saturday
PHUKET: The Alan Cooke Ground (ACG) officially opens its gates this weekend with two exhibition matches against the Singapore Cricket Club who are traveling to Phuket specifically for this inaugural event.A selection of players from the Phuket Cricket Groups’ Island Furniture Leagues will join forces as the Phuket ‘All Stars’ to face Singapore CC over two games on Saturday and…
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Phuket’s Tuptim gets support for life
PHUKET: The Rama Foundation at the Ramathibodhi Hospital in Bangkok has pledged to provide the financial support needed to keep Phuket baby Tuptim Jadngooluem alive – for life. Dr Suporn Treepongkaruna at Ramathibodi Hospital in Bangkok called Tuptim’s father, Rattanachai “Kru Nai” Worvalapol, to confirm that the Ramathibodi Foundation will from now on cover all expenses for any further surgeries…
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Phuket Live Wire: Throttling and net neutrality
PHUKET: This week I’d like to talk about throttling – the infernal ability for Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to look at what you’re doing online, and cut back your speed if you try to do something that doesn’t conform to the ISP’s concept of what you should be allowed to do. It’s a hot topic, not just in Thailand, but…
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Phuket butterflies to take wings in the wild
PHUKET: Two-thousand butterflies will be released into the wild on November 26 as part of the fifth annual Butterfly Release Charity event put on by Phuket Butterfly Garden and Insect World.The free-admission event will be held from 9am to 2pm at Bang Pae Waterfall in the Khao Phra Thaew Wildlife Reserve in Thalang.At the event’s auction participants will be able…
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Phuket truck crash leaves residents in blackout
PHUKET: A tractor-trailer driver overshot a U-turn on Phuket’s Thepkrasattri Road this morning, crashing into several shops, vehicles and a telephone pole, causing an electricity blackout and effectively shutting down the island’s TOT phone service from the rest of the country. A Kusoldharm Rescue Foundation worker told the Phuket Gazette that the driver of the truck, which was loaded with…
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Thailand U23s all at SEA against FC Phuket
PHUKET: Thailand’s U23 team played their final pre-SEA Games warm up match at Surakul Stadium last night and went out on a low, losing 2-1 to a determined FC Phuket side. Despite the national team dominating possession in the first half and peppering Phuket’s Jonathan Matijas with attempts at goal, it was the local boys who took a one goal…
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Phuket FIVB beach volleyball: Lower teams dig deep for upset wins
PHUKET: Eight teams from six countries remain undefeated at the 2011 FIVB Beach Volleyball Swatch World Tour Phuket Thailand Open powered by PTT following two rounds of the main draw today. Two teams each from Australia and the Czech Republic advanced along with teams from Brazil, Belgium, China and the United States. Tomorrow’s schedule features 22 matches, ending with the…
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Phuket Tourism VP blasts officials over resort blockade inaction
PHUKET: Phuket Tourist Association (PTA) Vice President Bhuritt Maswongsa has lashed out against local authorities for their failure to stop taxi drivers from dictating to Phuket resorts who can and who cannot pick up guests from their hotels. Mr Bhuritt’s rail against the Phuket regime of “transport cooperatives” comes after a driver was refused entry to the Naithonburi Beach Resort…
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Phuket Games 2012 postponed due to Bangkok floods
PHUKET: The 28th National Youth Games, originally scheduled to be held in Phuket from March 18-28, have been postponed. Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha announced the news yesterday at a meeting of the organizing committee, attended by Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) President Paiboon Upatising and Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT) Phuket Office Director Wirat Patee. Dubbed the “Phuket Games 2012”,…
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American Fanelli sentenced to 10 years for Phuket bar girl murder
PHUKET: American Ronald “Mad Yank” Fanelli has been sentenced to 10 years and three months imprisonment for the stabbing murder of bar hostess Wanphen Pienjai last year. Phuket Provincial Prison Director Rapin Nichanon today confirmed that the court’s decision was handed down on Tuesday. The sentence will be reduced by the 471 days Fanelli has already been detained, he added.…
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FC Phuket newsflash: Thailand U23 game moved to 5pm
PHUKET: Tonight’s charity match between FC Phuket’s ‘A’ team and Thailand’s U23 national team at Surakul Stadium has been moved forward to 5pm, and not 6pm as previously announced by the organizers. Tickets will be priced at 100 baht for adults, with free entry for young children. A portion of the proceeds will be donated for flood relief efforts in…
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Eight teams advance at Phuket FIVB beach volleyball tourney
PHUKET: Eight teams from six countries advanced from today’s two-round qualification tournament to the 32-team main draw of the 2011 FIVB Beach Volleyball Swatch World Tour.This is the sixth time in Thailand has hosted the women’s season-ending US$190,000 FIVB Beach Volleyball Swatch World Tour Phuket Thailand Open powered by PTT at Karon Beach.Filling the final eight main draw spots are…
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“Bar girls’ nabbed for spiking drinks, robbing Phuket tourists
PHUKET: Phuket police last night arrested six women for spiking tourists’ drinks and robbing them after they fell asleep. The women all worked in bars on Patong’s famed Soi Bangla, Phuket’s main center for tourists enjoying the local nightlife. Police named the six women as Saeng Nuansri, 47, from Phuket; Kemporn Pooseedin, 45, from Maha Sarakham; Wanida Yusuk, 36, from…
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New Phuket bus terminal hits “breaking point’
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha has been roped into resolving the ongoing dispute between local residents and the Phuket Highways Office over work that may see the bus terminal north of Phuket Town finally open. The 128-million-baht facility was completed nearly two years ago, but has yet to be used. The delay in opening stems from complaint after complaint being…
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Phuket’s tunnel plans stalled pending MoT decision
PHUKET: Progress on the long-awaited Patong tunnel project has stalled, with Patong Municipality still waiting for senior officials in Bangkok to approve the 3.5-billion-baht project, according to Patong Deputy Mayor Chairat Sukbal. Speaking to the Phuket Gazette, Mr Chairat added that at this stage he did not expect any major decisions on the project to be made until the current…
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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