Phuket News
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Phuket Sport – Tri a rest before Triathlon day
PHUKET: Many athletes feel insecure about their training during the week before race day. This is a highly important time used to recover from the load of training in the previous weeks. Experts call this the “Taper Phase”. A triathlete’s last long workout should be done exactly a week before the event. For the Laguna Phuket Triathlon I recommend a…
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Phuket sport tips: Tennis – power is balance
PHUKET: Balance is one of the fundamentals to developing great tennis ground strokes. In today’s game of power tennis, many of the players are leaping in the air to hit their forehands and backhands. This results in not only many errors but also many injuries. One of the great ground-strokers and inventor of the power game, Andre Agassi, had phenomenal…
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Swedish “fishing tourist’ found dead near Phuket
PHUKET: The body of a Swedish man was found today floating in the waters off Racha Yai Island, about 20 kilometers south of Phuket, police have confirmed. Phuket Tourist Police Volunteers were informed at 12:20pm that the body of the 63-year-old Swede had been found by staff of a diving company. The victim is believed to have fallen into the…
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Two new Phuket biz-consumer apps launched
PHUKET: Software developer Boonsoong Technology Co Ltd and media consultants, Phebe5 Co Ltd have partnered with local coffee shop chain Tiny Coffee to launch two new business-to-consumer mobile applications, designed exclusively for the Phuket consumer base. The two new mobile applications; “Tiny Coffee” and “Check in 4 Good Deals” were simultaneously launched last week at a press conference held at…
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Phuket police go to town on drug dealers
PHUKET: After Phuket police officers swooped on two suspected meth dealers in Chalong on Friday night, fellow police in Phuket City arrested seven people on drug-related charges over the weekend. At a press conference today, Phuket City Police Superintendent Chote Chidchai said that a team of anti-drug officers seized 60 ya bah (methamphetamine) pills and more than 40 grams of…
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Phuket’s “Grumpy Old Men’ on mercy mission for flood victims
PHUKET: What started off as a conversation between Phuket businessman Paul Newson and his wife and business partner Skulna “Bird” Varayu has quickly developed into a relief effort to assist flood victims in the Central Thailand province of Nakhon Sawan. The original idea focused on helping immediate family in Nakhon Sawan, but the concept quickly snowballed into a larger effort…
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Phuket police swoop on two meth dealer suspects
PHUKET: Two suspected Phuket drug dealers have been busted by Chalong police. The young men were nabbed while in possession of methamphetamines during two different sting operations over the weekend. Police Lt Col Charan Bangprasert and Chalong police officers presented the two accused dealers to the media at Chalong Police Station on Saturday. The arrests were made after Chalong police…
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Phuket mob rises after accident kills two
PHUKET: Phuket’s top officials have called an emergency meeting today to discuss new strategies for road safety at the Kor En curve on Thepkrasattri Road after an accident there yesterday killed one woman and an infant on a motorbike. The curve, on the main road to Phuket Airport the main resort areas on the island and Phuket Town, was the…
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Phuket transport chief puts brakes on negligence
PHUKET: Phuket Provincial Land Transportation Office (PLTO) chief Terayout Prasertphol has announced strict new measures that will hold tour bus companies responsible for the mechanical safety of their vehicles.Under the new measures, tour bus companies stand to have their commercial passenger permits revoked entirely, meaning the companies’ right to operate any commercial passenger vehicles will be terminated, chief Terayout told…
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PHUKET OPINION: Patong-style wisdom faces the fragrance
PHUKET: The plan by Patong Mayor Pian Keesin to install a fertilizer factory at the Patong Wastewater Treatment Plant must be heralded as good news. (See page 3, current issue of the Phuket Gazette. Digital subscribers click here to download the full newspaper.) Just the week before Mayor Pian made his announcement, the Gazette received reports of yet another “chocolate…
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THAI flights to Phuket still operating “as usual’
PHUKET: Thai Airways International (THAI) is still operating its full schedule of regular flights between Bangkok and Phuket – for now. An officer from the ‘Enterprise Communication Department’ of THAI, asking not to be named, told the Phuket Gazette, “I have yet to receive any news about reductions in flights to Phuket.” Her statement was in response to a report…
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Balls to Bangkok: From Phuket with Love
PHUKET: A total of 100,000 EM (effective microorganism) balls handmade by Phuket students and three flood-rescue boats were handed over to the Royal Thai Army yesterday in the hope of providing some assistance to flood victims in Bangkok. Somboonsri Koeysiripong, president of the Women’s Territorial Defense Volunteer Association (WTDVA), yesterday made a token handover of the balls to Lt Gen…
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Phuket tourism chief calls for “flood travel advisories’ to be lifted
PHUKET: The Phuket Tourist Association (PTA) has asked for the cooperation of foreign governments to reduce and/or lift travel advisories and warnings issued for Thailand. PTA President Somboon Jirayus told the press on Thursday that sensationalized images presented through foreign media have caused a decreasing number of tourists to come to Phuket. “Flooding images in the foreign media have [negatively]…
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Jailed Brit swindler Paul Ridden free of Phuket charges
PHUKET: Former Phuket expat Paul Ridden, who earlier this week was sentenced to four years in jail for fraud and deception charges in the UK, will not face any charges for any alleged fraud committed on Phuket. Lt Col Boonlert Onklang, Duty Officer at Chalong Police Station, today told the Phuket Gazette that not a single complaint in writing was…
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FIFA unbalanced
PHUKET: Six Caribbean Football Union officials have received bans from the sport and been fined as a result of breaching ethics rules, according to FIFAs’ website today. Patrick John, Vincent Cassell, Raymond Guishard, Noel Adonis, Tandica Hughes and Everton Gonsalves were handed suspensions from FIFAs’ ethics committee of between two years and one week and had to pay fines ranging…
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Phuket beach vendors evicted – again
PHUKET: A team of about 50 police and municipal officers this morning arrived in force at Phuket’s tourist-popular Karon Beach and removed a restaurant belonging to a local family who were forcibly removed from the same location nine weeks ago. Led by Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha, Phuket Provincial Police Commander Pekad Tantipong, Muang, Chalong Police Superintendent Col Krittapad Dej-intorrasorn, the…
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Tonight, tonight: Election alcohol ban in Phuket
PHUKET: The sale of alcohol will be prohibited across much of northern Phuket tonight and tomorrow as six Tambon Administration Organizations (OrBorTor) go to the polls. Phuket Election Committee (PEC) Director Kittipong Thiengkunagrit confirmed that the “dry zones” will be the electorates of Koh Kaew, Kamala, Cherng Talay, Thepkrasattri, Mai Khao and Sakoo. In line with election law, the sale…
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Phuket Rotary polio campaign: 10,000 kids to get free vaccines
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Public Health Office (PPHO) and local Rotary Clubs aim to vaccinate about 10,000 children living on the island, free of charge.Orachorn Saisrithong, district governor of Rotary International (RI) District 3330 covering all of Southern Thailand and parts of Central Thailand, said that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has awarded a US$355-million grant to RI’s Polio…
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Phuket offers jobs to the Bangkok flood jobless
PHUKET: The Phuket Skill Development Center (PSDC) along with a consortium of local businesses and recruitment specialists have launched a campaign to secure employment in Phuket for those people who have lost their jobs in Bangkok due to the floods. “An estimated 600,000 people have lost their jobs because their place of work was closed due to the floods,” said…
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Phuket’s ‘troubled lovers’ rumoured to be alive in Surat Thani
PHUKET: Rumors have surfaced that the “troubled lovers”, who were believed to have jumped to their deaths from Phuket’s Thepkrasattri Bridge last month, have been spotted together in Surat Thani Province, police said. “I have heard rumors that the couple survived the jump and they are now living together in Surat Thani Province. I have no proof of anything, so…
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Phuket seafood prices to fluctuate regardless of wage increase
PHUKET: Minimum wage rises may not have a major impact on the wholesale price of seafood, which will continue to fluctuate due to a number of economic and seasonal factors, Phuket fishery industry representatives have said. Wiroj Wasinwasukul, the manager of the Por Pichai Fishing Port in Rassada, was insistent that wholesale seafood prices will not rise specifically because of…
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Phuket teacher crisis appeal sparks flood of applicants
PHUKET: The Director of the Phuket Primary Educational Office has called for all people wanting to apply for positions as English teachers at government schools in Phuket Town to contact the schools directly. Dr Jian Thongnoon announced the news in the wake of the Phuket Gazette posting online its story about the shortage of English teachers at Phuket schools reaching…
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Johnson quits England rugby post
PHUKET: Rugby fans in Phuket have been informed that Martin Johnson has thrown in the towel as England manager after three-and-a-half years leading the country’s international rugby union side. Several off-field controversies and a wretched performance at the recent World cup in New Zealand, where his charges lost to France in the quarter-final, combined to force Johnson to stand down.…
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FIFA President denies racism in football
PHUKET: “There is no racism [on the field], but maybe there is a word or gesture that is not correct. The one affected by this should say, ‘this is a game’ and shake hands.” FIFA President Sepp Blatter denies racism exists on the pitch during football matches and the odd misplaced comment could easily be forgiven and forgotten with a…
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Phuket student killed, classmate injured in truck crash
PHUKET: A 16-year-old Phuket student is dead and her classmate is in hospital after a six-wheeled truck collided with the motorcycle they were riding in Phuket Town today.Capt Thada Sodarak of Phuket City Police said officers received a report of the accident at 12:30pm.The accident happened at the junction from Phuket Road to Saphan Hin, near the Phuket Immigration Office,…
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Rebranded Strategic Airlines continues Phuket flights
PHUKET: Australian Low Cost Carrier (LCC) Strategic Airlines today launched its rebranding as Air Australia, offering special rates to Phuket from AUS$329. The reinvented LCC revealed the news earlier this month, showing off its new-look livery and flight attendant uniforms while emphasizing a commitment to bring Australia a fresh approach to affordable air travel. Strategic Airlines, founded in 2009, has…
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Phuket CCTV: take two
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) is about to install 189 CCTV cameras throughout Koh Kaew and Rassada at a cost of 29 million baht. The roll-out is phase two of the OrBorJor‘s “citizen safety” campaign, which will coordinate with police in providing CCTV footage of traffic accidents and other incidents, explained OrBorJor President Paiboon Upatising. The cameras, some…
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Phuket Live Wire: 3G or not 3G, and what’s 3G+?
PHUKET: First the good news: CAT, like TrueMove-H, is coming out with an HSPA+ service. As you may recall, HSPA+ is the only real “3G” available in Thailand and, at least in theory, it should be substantially faster than other “3G” services currently available – including, confusingly, the service CAT currently calls “3G.” Confused? Yeah, I understand. Let’s start with…
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John Terry wants to come out
PHUKET: “Being captain is about coming out and facing up to it.” England and Chelsea captain John Terry is keen to open up and take it like a man regarding claims he abused Queens Park Ranger player Anton Ferdinand with racist remarks. The query here must be why, after Terry’s last controversy of allegedly having an affair with an England…
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Phuket Red Cross calls for blood donations to help Bangkok flood victims
PHUKET: The Phuket Regional Blood Center (PRBC) is asking for increased donations for November as parts of Thailand experience the worst flooding in half a century. “Due to the floods in Bangkok, the National Blood Center had a shortage of blood at the beginning of the month. The center normally receives about 1,500 units of blood daily from donors, but…
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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