Phuket News
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Favorable winds on day three of King’s Cup
PHUKET: Favorable winds supercharged the trophy hunt on day three of the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta. IRC0 headed out for race 6 on an extensive 34 nautical mile course, a total run of around three hours for some in the class. Duncan Hine’s Alive team made the most of Champagne sailing conditions, managing a 2:39.27 elapsed time, with Frank Pong’s…
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Phuket officials take hardline on dangerous taxi drivers
PHUKET: The Phuket Land Transport Office (PLTO) vowed yesterday to take tougher lines against taxi, minivan and tuk-tuk drivers breaking the law. “These drivers usually have more lives in their hands than other motorists in Phuket and they have a responsibility to ensure that their passengers safely reach their destinations. However, they have caused many accidents recently. Such issues can…
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Officers seize B2mn worth of pirated goods in Patong
PHUKET: Economic Crime Suppression Division Police (ECD) seized nearly 2 million baht worth of pirated goods during a raid in Patong yesterday. The raid followed Patong Police receiving a tip-off that a large number of fake name-brand products were being delivered to two shops at Patong’s One Tambon One Product shopping area for the start of the high season, confirmed…
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BISP swimmers rake in medals at SEA Age Championships
PHUKET: The final day of the Southeast Asian (SEA) Age Championships saw British International School Phuket (BISP) JSA Swim Academy swimmers Chantal Liew, Nicholle Toh and Wong Fu Kang add two additional gold medals and two silver medals to the team’s haul. Chantal Liew (Singapore) took the individual gold in the Girls 50m Back in a time of 30.69, with…
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Krabi officials suspect SOS from Spanish vessel hijacked in Somalia
PHUKET: Krabi officials are contacting international agencies about a Spanish fishing vessel last reported in Somali waters in November. The move followed last Saturday’s discovery by Phi Phi National Park officers of an SOS device believed to be from the ship. ‘Elai Alai 74537’ was written on the emergency position-indicating radio (EPIRB) device. “We checked with EPIRB device experts and…
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Handbag thief is doped-up teacher
PHUKET: A Phuket teacher confessed to police that he had committed multiple counts of snatch theft while under the influence of ya bah (methamphetamine). Locals apprehended Sakkarin Potiwatt, 40, after he snatched an 18-year-old woman’s handbag from the basket of her motorbike on Monday evening, causing her and her passenger to crash, explained Capt Nattaya Supanpong of the Thalang Police.…
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Six saved from sinking fishing boat off Phuket beach
PHUKET: Phuket Marine Police coordinated the rescue of six fishermen from a sinking boat after it was hit by a large rogue wave near Kata Beach yesterday. “We received a distress call and were able to rescue all crew – two Thais and four Myanmar nationals – from Na Pornprasit,” said Panya Chaichana, chief of the Phuket Marine Police. “It…
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Phuket signs MoU with Xiamen
PHUKET: Phuket officially signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with China’s southeast port city Xiamen last week, making the two tourism driven provinces ‘sister cities’. Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada, along with Provincial officials, welcomed Hong Biling, deputy secretary of the Xiamen Communist Party, to the island on December 3. “It was a great pleasure to give Ms Hong a warm…
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No sign of Community Chanotes for impoverished Phuket villages
PHUKET: The Community Chanote plan that would guarantee 18 impoverished communities on Phuket the right to live where they have been squatting for generations has stalled out. “As of today, there is no further information about the plan,” said Vice Governor Prajiad Aksornthammakul. “Unfortunately, there is nothing we can do until we get word from Bangkok.” In 2013, then-Phuket Governor…
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Rotary Foundation ranks fifth in top 10 world charity organizations
PHUKET: The Rotary Club of Patong Beach (RCoPB) is proud to announce that The Rotary Foundation has been ranked fifth in the top 10 charity organizations throughout the world. The Rotary was given a score of 96.31 out of 100 by Charity Navigator, an American based service that provides information about charities, such as financial health, accountability and transparency. “This…
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Hundreds of rubber trees removed from Krabi wildlife sanctuary
KRABI: More than 40 forest rangers and wildlife sanctuary officials teamed up to cut down hundreds of illegally planted rubber trees at a wildlife sanctuary in Krabi on Saturday. Following Article 25 of the National Reserve Forest Act, officials removed about 400 rubber trees in the Khao Pra – Bang Kram Wildlife Sanctuary in Krabi’s Khlong Thom district. The trees,…
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Chalong bodhisattva image to be removed
PHUKET: A bodhisattva image will be removed from a small waterway in the hills of Chalong following an investigation by the Phuket Damrongdhama Center (ombudsman’s office). A Facebook user, named in Thai as ‘Sajadham Tang-sai-klang’, sent a complaint directly to Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada stating that the image of Guan Yin was blocking a natural waterway. The Guan Yin, usually…
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Big prizes up for grabs at Phuket Red Cross Fair
PHUKET: The Phuket Annual Red Cross Fair will kick off on December 26 and run through January 5 at Saphan Hin, offering a multitude of attractive lucky draw prizes, including a Toyota Vios 1.5G. The popular 11-day fair features hundreds of stalls selling local delicacies, knickknacks, clothing and a huge variety of other items. Fairgoers can also enjoy performances by…
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Task force takes down illegal Phuket casino
PHUKET: A joint task force arrested 40 gamblers during a raid on an underground Phuket casino in Chalong yesterday. “We received a tip-off from neighbors that gambling activities were being hosted in a house on Baan Kok Tanot Soi 3 on a daily basis, with no apparent fear of the law,” said Pakpoom Intharasuwan, Phuket’s Provincial chief administrative officer. More…
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Andaman Travel Trade event starts this week
PHUKET: The 7th biennial Andaman Travel Trade 2015 event will be welcoming public and private sector enterprises at Phuket Rajabhat University on December 10-11. Under the banner ‘Discover Andaman-Explore Happiness’, the trade show aims to put 226 overseas tour operators in touch with more than 100 local tourism related operators, such as hotels, tour companies and airlines from Phuket, Phang…
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Cherng Talay boss to retire from politics
PHUKET: The controversial, elected head of the Cherng Talay Tambon Administration Organization (OrBorTor) vowed to end his political career with the return of the beaches in his jurisdiction to their natural state. “My four year term as president ended last month. However, I have continued on under the orders of the National Council for Peace and Order. I am now…
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Phuket honors HM The King
PHUKET: Phuket officials and residents took part in a merit-making ceremony with 88 monks on Thalang Road in honor of HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s 88th birthday yesterday. Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada led the group in honoring his Majesty The King at 7:09am. “We all respect and honor HM The King. May the merit making today be part of a blessing…
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Chalong Hospital construction starts this month
PHUKET: Ground will be broken for the Chalong Hospital project before the end of the year, confirmed Chalong Mayor Samran Jindaphol. The push to upgrade the public health clinic in Chalong into a fully equipped hospital comes with the hope of reducing the number of people dying en route to emergency wards at major hospitals in Phuket Town. Clinic Director…
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Phuket police smash drunk driving quotas
PHUKET: The crackdown on drunk driving on some of the most deadly roads in the world saw Phuket police arrest more than 200 people for driving under the influence (DUI) last month. Though individual police stations on the island were given specific DUI quotas, the goal for the entire province was to arrest at least 150 drivers (story here). “The…
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Phuket Governor calls for calm in wake of Islamic State memo leak
PHUKET: Additional security measures were put in at key locations on Phuket today, following the governor’s emergency meeting over a leaked memo stating that two Islamic State (IS) terrorists had been dispatched to Phuket. “There is absolutely no need to panic. Phuket is not anyone’s enemy,” said Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada. “Nonetheless, we have increased security measures at beaches, crowded…
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Phuket Marine Chief promoted
PHUKET: Long-time supporter of the Phuket jet-ski industry, Phuket Marine Chief Phuripat Theerakulpisut was promoted to acting director of the Marine Office Region 5 on October 1. “I will continue to serve as the Phuket Marine chief,” Mr Phuripat confirmed to the Phuket Gazette yesterday. “As I am manning both positions, I now take care of six provinces: Phuket, Phang…
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More marine rubbish removed from Karon in honor of HM The King
PHUKET: More than 200 kilograms of rubbish was picked up by Karon Beach divers yesterday during a cleanup in honor of HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s birthday. The program put together by the Karon Municipality and the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources Region 6 saw more than 500 volunteers pick up trash on the beach and release marine animals into…
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Armed men hijack Thai fishing boat
PHUKET: Armed pirates hijacked a Thai-flagged fishing boat near Koh Lipe, south of Phuket, on Wednesday night. Six armed men allegedly boarded the boat, forced the captain of Chok Boonmee 5 to maroon his crew and then head toward Langkawi, Malaysia, explained a Royal Thai Navy report. Boat owner Falil Pongtae, 46, contacted authorities, who quickly rescued the crew from…
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A Decade Ago: Jet-ski woes
PHUKET: Without a doubt, the Phuket Gazette sounds like a broken record from time to time, as the publication continues to push important issues into the headlines. One such monotonous tune – also regularly played by ambassadors and honorary consuls – revolves around the seemingly invincible jet-ski business operators on the island. Almost inexplicably, they were the first allowed back…
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Authorities aware of Islamic State terrorist arrivals in Phuket since October
PHUKET: Despite the recently leaked memo from Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) warning that Islamic State (IS) terrorists had been despatched to Phuket, Thai authorities had been aware of the situation since October, confirmed the Russian Federation Deputy Honorary Consul to Phuket. “Myself and some Thai officials were made aware of the situation in October,” Santi Udomkiratak, the Russian Federation…
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Russian busted for illegally selling Phuket property
PHUKET: A police sting operation netted a Russian real estate agent illegally selling condominiums in the Rawai area on Wednesday. “A concerned employee at the condominium project contacted us after witnessing 30-year-old Anastasia Spirkina selling the units at extraordinarily low prices. Due to the suspiciously low prices being offered through Ms Spirkina’s Facebook page, the employee was worried that it…
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Officials prepare for Phuket International Anti-Corruption Day
PHUKET: Officials are preparing for a two-day Anti-Corruption campaign that will see public and private sectors come together to take a strong stance against corruption on the island. “In collaboration with the Ministry of Interior, we will be hosting the ‘Phuket International Anti-Corruption Day’ event on December 8 and 9,” said Phuket Vice Governor Kajornkiet Rakpanitmanee. The event will take…
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One more ‘last warning’ issued to Surin jet-skis
PHUKET: As part of a long series of ‘last-time’ threats, the Marine Office Region 5 acting chief vowed yesterday that if jet-skis are spotted at Surin Beach again, the operators will have their licences revoked. “I am aware that four jet-skis were spotted at Surin Beach Tuesday.* The operators are allowed to rent the jet-skis at Bang Tao Beach, but…
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Angry Phuket minivan driver pulls big knife in traffic [video]
PHUKET: A road-raging minivan driver was caught brandishing a long knife at the driver of a pickup truck on Thepkrasattri Road yesterday afternoon. The video clip shows the driver of the van waving what appears to be a machete or a small sword as he passes the truck in the left lane. “I saw the clip last night. We will…
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Phuket targets biker gangs after Aussie Hells Angels slaying
PHUKET: Police in Phuket ramped up security measures geared toward tracking international bike-gang members following the gunpoint abduction and slaying of Australian Hells Angels motorcycle gang member Wayne Rodney Schneider in Pattaya this week. “We have been given specific orders to focus on bringing to justice foreigners committing violent crimes, as well as those operating as members of a mafia…
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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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