Phuket News
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Thousands pawn valuables to cover back-to-school costs in Phuket
PHUKET: The Phuket City Municipality Pawn Shop has kept 80 million baht in stock in anticipation of the start of the school term, during which time thousands of people come in to pledge their belongings in return for cash to meet everyday expenses. The municipality has also reduced the interest on loans to help the public. “We will propose keeping…
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Phuket reservoir dredged to prepare for dry season
PHUKET: Royal Thai Army officials on Tuesday visited a dredging site at Suan Luang reservoir, where a project to increase the water retention capacity in preparation for the dry season has been underway since December last year. The team was welcomed on site by Phuket City Mayor Somjai Suwansupana and other relevant officers. “This project has been implemented by the…
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Angry German charged in Phuket for running red light, tossing car keys
PHUKET: An indignant German woman was arrested this morning after she ran a red light and threw the keys to her BMW on the roof of a house near Chalong Circle. Lt Thanakrit Iemchonkham of Chalong Police received reports of the incident at about 10am. “We were told that the driver of a BMW X1 SUV ran a red light…
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Thanyapura, Sports Camp Australia to organize sporting programs in Phuket
PHUKET: The Thanyapura Health & Sports Resort has partnered with Sports Camp Australia (SCA) to organize interschool games and sporting programs. Nearly 20,000 parents, students, supporters and coaches from Australasia are expected to participate, generating more than 40,000 room nights for Phuket. Fifty per cent of the room nights will be spread out among other resorts in the area. “Thanyapura…
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Two injured in four-vehicle Phuket crash
PHUKET: Two people were injured in a four-vehicle crash in Cherng Talay yesterday afternoon. Facebook user ‘Tan Promedic Phuket’ posted a 32-second video clip of the accident, which occurred at a traffic light near Laguna Phuket. The video shows a speeding van losing control, crossing over into the other lane and hitting a pick-up truck coming from the opposite side.…
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Energy conferences held in three Southern provinces
PHUKET: Three simultaneous conferences on energy and power generation were held in Krabi, Surat Thani and Songkhla today, between officials and representatives from 14 southern provinces, including Phuket. The conferences started at 9:30am and were slated to continue until this evening. One of the main aims of the events was to promote awareness and find the best possible solutions for…
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Body of fishing boat crew member brought to Phuket
PHUKET: The body of an Indonesian crew member working on a tuna fishing boat was finally brought to Phuket on Saturday, five days after the victim passed away on board. “The boat docked at the sea port in Wichit. Inside the cold storage room, we found the body of Ali Hariyadi, 45, covered by a piece of cloth,” said Lt…
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Gamblers arrested in undercover Phuket raid
PHUKET: Fifteen suspects were arrested with more than 45,000 baht in cash for gambling at a sleeping restaurant in Wichit yesterday. “The restaurant, named ‘Eat and Sleep’, is located in Soi Wirat Hongyok. The suspects were caught in the act while playing a popular local game called ‘gung-pla’ (shrimp-fish),” said Lt Col Patak Kwanna of Wichit Police. Undercover officers went…
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Teen biker killed at Phuket Bypass U-turn
PHUKET: Another teenaged motorcyclist has been killed on Phuket’s roads today, this time in a bloody crash with an airport taxi while in a U-turn on the Bypass Road. Maj Natthaya Suwannapong of Phuket City Police arrived with Kusoldharm Foundation rescue workers at the U-turn in front of the Ikea store. The taxi driver, Atiwara Samarnthong, 37, was waiting for…
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Phuket shelter elephant causes ownership dispute
PHUKET: A Krabi man has filed a complaint at the Damrongdhama Center after an elephant he claims was stolen from him 14 years ago turned up with a new owner in Phuket. Somsak Riangnguen, 35, said he bought the elephant (named ‘Yo’) and registered him in Surin Province in 2001. “In 2003, I took Yo to work in Krabi, where…
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Couple die by electrocution at Phuket resort
PHUKET: A Myanmar couple died by electrocution while working at a Rawai resort last night. “The resort is located on Soi Sermsook, Moo 4. We found the body of Min Thaik Non, 29, lying face up on the ground near the bathroom door. We also found a woman’s body lying face down inside the bathroom. She was named by police…
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Former policeman and wife killed in four vehicle pile up
PHUKET: A former police lieutenant and his wife were killed, while three others were injured in a four-car crash in Phuket’s neighboring Phang Nga province this afternoon. Capt Chalermsak Aksornpian of Thai Mueang Police arrived at the scene on Petchkasem Road with rescue workers. “We arrived to find the road littered with metal and plastic car pieces, glass and blood.…
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Australian sentenced for girlfriend’s jet-ski death in Phuket
PHUKET: An Australian man, whose partner was killed in a tragic jet-ski accident in Phuket last month, is free to return home after his trial ended earlier today. Thomas Keating, 22, and Emily Jayne Collie, 20, came to Phuket for a holiday and had rented jet-skis to ride from Karon Beach to Kata Beach. They collided with one another, causing…
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Phuket Roads: Two more critically injured in five-vehicle crash
PHUKET: Two people were seriously injured after a speeding truck driver lost control and hit two parked vehicles, two motorbikes and a restaurant in Thalang again last night. “The accident occurred in the southbound lanes of Thepkrasattri Road in front of the Makamdeekwai restaurant. According to witnesses, an Isuzu pick-up, driven by Amorn Det-Aran, 29, was making a U-turn at…
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Large vessels banned from fishing during spawning season
PHUKET: Large fishing vessels will be banned from working in the southern Andaman Sea during the spawning season, from April 1 to June 30, the Fisheries Department announced yesterday. About 4,696 square kilometers of fishing space will be closed off in Phuket, Phang Nga, Krabi and Trang. “According to our research, most marine life in the Andaman breeds between April…
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Ta Chai island to remain closed, says DNP
PHUKET: The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) has announced that Ta Chai island is to remain closed ‘until further improvement’ has taken place. The island was indefinitely closed off for all tourists and visitors in May last year, with officials citing ‘marine life recovery and restoration’ as the primary reason (story here). Several groups, including the…
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Angsana to hold candlelight dinner for Earth Hour
PHUKET: The Bodega & Grill steakhouse at Angsana Laguna Phuket is holding a candlelight dinner to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the international energy-saving event ‘Earth Hour’ this Saturday. The event is being held in line with Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts’ ‘Stay For Good’ philosophy “to build a better society by embracing the environment and empowering people”. The a…
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Defunct Phuket travel company sold out at auction
PHUKET: The Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO) has sold all of Tranlee Travel Co’s assets, 151 items in all, after four auctions yielded total revenue of only 204 million baht (approx US$6 million). The last auction was held yesterday at Phuket City Municipality (story here), where the company’s last 15 buses were sold off. Pawornan Thamanyatanan of the AMLO led the…
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Canadian tourist found dead in Phuket
PHUKET: A 49-year-old Canadian tourist was found dead in a condo in Kathu this morning. He is believed to have been dead for at least two days before his body was discovered. Police received a report of the incident at about 11am from ‘Plus Condo 1’. “We noticed a peculiar smell outside his room, which was on the 6th floor.…
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Phuket to receive B71bn for infrastructure, traffic management
PHUKET: Phuket is slated to receive 71 billion baht in infrastructure funding, with an emphasis on improving traffic management and chalking out effective solutions for the island’s growing traffic woes, the Ministry of Transport announced yesterday. Transport Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith held a meeting at the Phuket Boat Lagoon with relevant officers to discuss details of the plan. “Phuket has one…
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Troops of monkeys go swimming during heatwave
KRABI: At least a hundred monkeys climbed down a hill to cool off in a pool of water at Wat Tham Sue in Krabi yesterday. Krabi has not seen rain for about two months and this particular area has experienced a severe rise in temperature. “The monkeys climbed down into the pool, close to where tourists had come down for…
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Live coral planted at artificial reef off Phuket
PHUKET: More than 250 pieces of live natural coral (coralline algae) were added to an artificial coral reef in Koh Mai Thon by the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) this past weekend. The event was chaired by Kasem Sukwaree, chief of the Phuket office of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE). More than 150 people attended…
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Phuket partygoers injured in early morning crash
PHUKET: Yet another ‘drowsy’ driver and his two passengers were injured yesterday morning when their vehicle overturned near a Koh Kaew gas station. “We found an upside down Honda CRV stuck to a power pole near the PTT station on Thepkrasattri Road. All three occupants were trapped inside the car and rescue workers had to use Jaws of Life to…
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Two-headed Krabi calf hailed lucky
KRABI: A two-headed calf born in Krabi yesterday has risen to fame after the owner said the animal brought her luck while in the womb, reports Sanook.com. The conjoined twins were stillborn with two heads, six legs and two tails at the house of Ms Samrong, 47, who resides in Klong Thom district in Krabi. Ms Samrong said that she…
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Phuket, Nakhon Sri Thammarat seek mutual economic benefit
PHUKET: Phuket and Nakhon Sri Thammarat signed a Memorandum of Understanding yesterday, titled ‘Imagine Nakhon Sri Thammarat & Phuket 2017: A new Economic and Tourism Cooperation Development’. The MOU was signed at Phuket Provincial Hall by Phuket Governor Chokchai Dajamornthan and Nakhon Sri Thammarat Govenor Chamroen Tipayapongtada, with other relevant government officers and private sector officials in attendance. “The purpose…
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Phuket tourism operators display their wares in Berlin
PHUKET: At least 28 hotel and tourism operators from the Andaman region participated in the ‘International Tourism Bourse (ITB) 2017’ event held from March 1-12 in Berlin, Germany. Phuket Governor Chokchai Dejamornthan, Phuket Tourist Association (PTA) President Sathirapong Na Takuatoong, as well as officials from OrBorJor Phuket and Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) were among those present. Her Royal Highness…
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Shamed Phuket travel company’s assets to be auctioned
PHUKET: The Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO) is auctioning off 15 assets, worth about 15 million baht, of Tranlee Travel Co Ltd on Monday. Tranlee was an established, full-function tour service provider in Phuket until July last year, when police arrested a senior director and shareholder for allegedly faking two Thai national ID cards used to register the business (story here).…
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Ukranian severely injured in nightmarish Phuket accident
PHUKET: A Ukrainian woman was critically injured in a horrific car crash in Kathu yesterday. “The accident occurred at about 6:30pm on Phra Phuket Kaew Road, near Bang Jak gas station. At the scene, we found a severely damaged black Toyota Vios with the roof almost entirely blown off,” said Capt Watthana Bamrungthin of Kathu Police. “The victim, Kateryna Mizerniuk,…
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Phuket locals, officials team up to clean up
PHUKET: Officials from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE) joined hands with locals, students and sea gypsies in a trash collection effort at Koh Sireh this morning. A team of 150 people, including Phuket Vice Governor Sanith Sriwihok and Somchai Maisatian of the MNRE, gathered at Laem Tukkae Beach at about 10am. “The focus of this campaign is…
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Phuket marine expert says coral restoration ‘successful’
PHUKET: An expert from the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) has stated that a decades-long coral restoration project at Koh Mai Thon has yielded significant improvements in marine life in the area. More than 30 types of coral were grown when the project was first started in 1994, after a large number of reefs were damaged by a powerful storm…
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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