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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Anchalee draws No. 1 ballot spot
PHUKET TOWN: Two of the three declared candidates for the key post of President in next month’s Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) elections registered today, along with many candidates for OrBorJor seats. Anchalee Vanich-Thepabutr, who resigned recently as a party-list (non-elected) Democrat MP, won a lucky draw for the No. 1 spot on the ballot, provided her paperwork proves to…
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Newcomers in upset victory in Patong poll
PATONG: The Patong Progress Party (PPP) led by Songserm Kepsap won the Patong Municipal election yesterday, beating the Rak Patong Party (RPT) of Pian Keesin by 322 votes. A total of 9,213 people were eligible to vote but in the event only 6,239, or 68% , turned out. K. Songserm polled 2,949 votes against K. Pian’s 2,627, with 519 spoiled…
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Thaksin flying in for ministerial talks
PATONG: Top-level ministerial meetings today and tomorrow in Phuket will determine new areas of cooperation on regional transport, infectious diseases, terrorism and tourism among the BIMST-EC group of nations. Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra will fly in to head the Thai team tomorrow in talks with senior ministers from the other countries in the grouping – Bangladesh, India, Myanmar and Sri…
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2 am fun zones for adults?
BANGKOK (The Nation): Entertainment venues in designated areas across the country will be allowed to stay open an hour or two longer than those outside the zones if the Cabinet endorses a decision arrived at yesterday by a high-level government committee. Deputy Prime Minister Purachai Piumsombun’s committee in charge of combating vice at entertainment venues agreed yesterday to set different…
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OrBorJor election set for March 14
PHUKET TOWN: March 14 has been set as the date of Phuket’s much-anticipated Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) elections. The announcement came this morning from the Phuket Election Commission (PEC) just one day after the expiry of the previous OrBorJor administration, which was led by president Dr Prasit Koeysiripong. The poll has drawn national attention since Democrat Party party-list MP Anchalee…
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Chicken feed
PATONG: An estimated seven tons of chicken and 40,000 eggs will be used in a free food festival in Patong on Saturday, February 7, to reassure consumers that chicken remains safe to eat despite the ongoing outbreak of avian ‘flu. The government-inspired initiative – all provinces have been ordered to hold similar events – aims to attract more than 10,000…
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German tourist dies at Bang Tao
THALANG: A 53-year-old tourist from Germany appears to have drowned yesterday off Bang Tao after going into the water to swim alone. Police named the dead man as Hans Peter Otto Krieter, who arrived a few days ago for a vacation with a friend, Alfred Herbert Prusseit, 55. Pol Capt Banchop Songnarong, of Cherng Talay Police Station, told the Gazette…
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Anchalee quits as MP in bid for OrBorJor seat
BANGKOK (The Nation, Phuket Gazette): The Democrat Party yesterday agreed to have party-list (unelected) MP Anchalee Vanich Thepabutr resign from Parliament so she can contest the Provincial Administrative Organisation (OrBorJor) election in Phuket. Democrat spokesman Ong-art Klampaiboon said Anchalee will run with the aim of becoming OrBorJor president, a post soon to be vacated by Dr Prasit Koeysiripong, who recently…
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AirAsia lands in Phuket
PHUKET: The first no-frills AirAsia flight from Bangkok to Phuket landed at around midday today with all 148 seats filled. Thirty passengers aboard the Boeing 737-300 paid just 99 baht apiece for the one-way flight.The remainder forked out 1,900 each. AirAsia put 20,000 of the 99-baht tickets up for sale in mid-January for routes between the capital and Phuket, Chiang…
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Officials to organize big chicken feed
PHUKET TOWN: Phuket Provincial Livestock Office (PPLO) Chief Sunart Wongchawalit has declared poultry products grown in Phuket as safe for consumption. So confident is he that his office is organizing a special event to encourage islanders back into their chicken-eating ways. “We have collected 230 samples of fecal matter from all parts of the island and sent them to a…
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Tourism booms as passengers top 500,000
PHUKET TOWN: The latest figures on air passenger arrivals and departures show that Phuket is in the middle of a tourism boom with a record 509,841 visitors coming and going in January. This is the first time the half-million figure has been exceeded in a single calendar month. The number represents a whopping 23% increase on the figure of 390,109…
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Jewelry thieves net B1m from Kamala home
KAMALA: Jewelry and cash worth about 1 million baht were stolen from a Kamala house on the night of January 26 while the French owners – a couple in their 60s – were in Patong. The couple, named by police as Mr and Mrs Gerard Bonnaval, left their home to go to their business in Patong at 7:30 pm and…
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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