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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Christina Aguilar booked for StarAid 2001
CHERNG TALAY: One of Thailand’s most popular singers, Christina Aguilar, will be headlining this years’ StarAid 2001 charity gala dinner, which will be held at the Sheraton Grande Laguna Phuket on September 29. Ms Aguilar will perform two 30-minute sets, accompanied by her own band and four dancers. Also performing will be the Phuket-based Safari Band. In addition to the…
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Man found dead with 37 stab wounds
KOH SIREH: The body of a murdered man was found washed ashore near the Rassada Fishing port on Thursday morning. Pol Lt Khaneung Pitakkullatorn of Phuket Town Police Station said that he arrived at the scene at 8.30am to find the 25- to 30-year-old man lying face up, dressed only in a blue T-shirt and green underwear. He had been…
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Major drug dealers busted
THALANG: Acting on a tip-off, police yesterday arrested Thanakrit Channum and his wife Aroon, and Rorchad Utsaha, and seized 11,720 tablets of ya bah (methampthetamine) with a street vale of around 1.75 million baht. Thalang police had been informed that a lot of ya bah was circulating in Baan Pru Somparn and that one of the traffickers was a police…
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Murder-suicide in Kuku
PHUKET TOWN: Two bodies were discovered yesterday morning in a rented room on Soi Tah Cheen, Baan Kuku, apparently the victims of a murder-suicide. Pol Lt Kanuang Pitakkulthorn of Phuket Town Police Station told the Gazette that police broke down the door to the room after receiving complaints from neighbors about a bad smell. Inside, they found the body of…
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Phuket chosen for experiment in bureaucracy
PATTAYA: Phuket is one of five provinces chosen for a one-year experiment in bureaucracy that will see them run, not by governors, but by Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) who will have much greater autonomy. At a seminar on bureaucratic reform in Pattaya over the weekend, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra proposed the idea of provincial CEOs with greater flexibility to manage…
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Dead man was stabbed 25 times
PHUKET: The body of an unidentified man was found yesterday in a tin-roofed shack near the deserted Phya Thai Phuket Hospital building. Pol Lt Parichat Jaturonpun of Phuket Town Police Station said that the victim, estimated to have been between 25 and 30 years old, had been dead for at least seven hours when found. He said that the body…
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Expo Center to be at Mai Khao
MAI KHAO: It has now been confirmed that the site for Phuket’s international convention and exhibition center will be a spread of 2,800 rai of state-owned land near the Sirinart National Park on Mai Kao beach, in the north of the island. Local officials confirmed that an inspector from the Interior Ministry was in Phuket today to survey the land.…
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German tourist drowns at Nai Harn
NAI HARN: Olaf Gerlach, a 30-year-old German tourist, drowned off Nai Harn beach on Wednesday afternoon. Pol Maj Jetsada Sangsuri told the Gazette that a Thai local resident saw Mr Gerlach swimming alone around 4 pm. He was pushed underwater by a large wave and then a current carried him out to sea. The Thai man took a speedboat out…
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Thaksin cleared of financial wrongdoing
BANGKOK (AFP): By the tightest of margins, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was this afternoon found not guilty in a historic assets concealment case that threatened to bar him from political office. In a surprise decision, the Constitutional Court’s 15-member panel voted eight to seven to clear Thaksin of the charges. “Thaksin will continue to be prime minister, by a vote…
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Governor suspends seven bars
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Pongpayome Vasaputi today announced the temporary closure of seven entertainment venues for breaking a variety of laws and regulations. In Phuket Town, the Pe-Tai, near Saphan Hin Stadium, will be closed from August 4 to August 18 for staging lewd shows. The Candy Pub, on Ong Sim Phai Rd, will be closed from August 4 to August…
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TOT launches B0.50-a-minute service
PHUKET: The Telephone Organization of Thailand (TOT) has raised the bar in its battle against fixed-line and mobile phone rivals by chopping prices for those using its Y-tel 1234 service. It is now offering long-distance calls within Thailand for as little as 50 satang a minute during August and September. The 50-satang charge applies on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays,…
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Gambling still the No. 1 vice
PHUKET: Gambling remains Phuket’s favorite illegal pastime with 276 people being arrested in 82 raids between July 1 and July 25, according to the latest statistics released by police. Narcotics held the No. 2 spot with a total of 79 arrests for the period, of which 61 involved ya bah (methamphetamine). The statistics show that 781 tablets of the drug…
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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