Phuket News
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Phuket Poll: Keeping lifeguards on the beaches
PHUKET: As regular as the return of the deadly rainy-season surf that will soon lurk off Phuket’s west coast, the island is again facing the reality of not having any lifeguards on the beaches to save and protect swimmers – tourists and residents alike – from drowning. The lifeguards packed up their life-saving equipment and walked off Phuket’s beaches at…
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Rawai staff boost water safety measures at Nai Harn
PHUKET: Rawai staff will be standing watch at Nai Harn lagoon this weekend as part of a move to increase safety measures after the drowning of 9-year-old Sarun Srisongkram last weekend (story here). “School breaks are coming up and I am worried about children drowning in the lagoon,” Rawai Mayor Aroon Solos said. There will be at least one staff…
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Phuket police warn of arrests for breaking Songkran no alcohol, safety rules
PHUKET: Police have warned that drunk revellers and people caught drinking alcohol in water-play zones across Phuket during the Thai New Year Songkran holidays next week will be removed from the zones and may face charges. Phuket Provinical Police Deputy Commander Teeraphol Thipjaroen yesterday pledged that all officers will strictly enforce a zero-tolerance of any people breaking the alcohol ban…
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Phuket pilots blitz on fishing-boat slaves, trafficking
PHUKET: Department of Fisheries Inspector-General Khemchat Jewprasart arrived in Phuket yesterday to launch a 10-day blitz on inspecting fishing boats in order to crack down on human-trafficking in the area. Phuket, Chumphon, Ranong and Songkhla were the first four provinces in the country to pilot the crackdown, Mr Khemchat explained. “A temporary center has been opened at the main fishing…
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Phuket Police laugh off B875mn CCTV prank
PHUKET: Phuket Police have confirmed that the rumored installation of 6,000 CCTV cameras on the island in order to catch high-speed motorists is a prank. The message shared yesterday on various social media sites stated that each camera would cost about US$4,500 (about 146,000 baht apiece) and would have the capability to turn 360 degrees and capture high-resolution images. Phuket…
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Chinese tourist drowns on Phi Phi snorkelling tour
PHUKET: A Chinese tourist died while on a snorkelling day-trip to Phi Phi Island yesterday. Xu Weixiang, 43, was snorkelling at Loh Mudee Bay with about 30 other tourists from Phuket, said Lt Col Danai Niyomdecha of the Krabi City Police. “The tour guide said Mr Xu was snorkeling with others, but at about 4pm he was found floating face…
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Fists fly over Russian birds on Phuket beach
PHUKET: An out-of-work lifeguard faces a 4,000-baht fine and up to three years in prison for an attack on two Russian women tourists on Karon Beach on Monday. Jaruay Wongkleang, 31, surrendered himself at Karon Police Station on Tuesday night after Marina Panko and Iana Savchenko, both 24, filed a report of the assault in broad daylight on Monday. “One…
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Phuket’s short-time prisoners to walk first in mass pardon
PHUKET: Convicts serving only short sentences at Phuket Prison have been given priority in being granted freedom in a mass pardon to be honored tomorrow. Prison Director Pichit Wanajit has applied to the Phuket Provincial Court for release warrants for 233 prisoners, including 25 women. The prisoners are to be released in accordance with a royal pardon issued by HM…
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Health office launches campaign to stem child drownings
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Health Office (PPHO) has called on all local administrations on the island to take steps to prevent any further child drownings in their areas. The move to ramp up water safety throughout Phuket follows Public Health Minister Dr Ratchata Ratchatanawin on Monday issuing a nationwide order for all relevant agencies to launch water-safety campaigns. Dr Ratchata…
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Breaking News: Phuket bans beach sand
PHUKET: In the latest and likely final move to clear undesirables from Phuket’s beaches, the island’s local authorities today began a massive operation to remove the sand from key tourist hotspots along the west coast. The beach cleanup campaign that began last year under military protection is expected to be complete by the end of this year, said Kaikun Kluaeyao,…
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Southern Andaman Sea closed to fishing during spawning season
PHUKET: Large fishing vessels will be banned from working in the southern Andaman Sea from April 1 to June 30, it has been announced. A total of 4,696 square kilometers from Phuket to Trang will be closed during the spawning season. “According to our research, most marine life in the Andaman is breeding between April and June. This is a…
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Orient Thai refutes allegations of panicked staff during emergency landing
PHUKET: Orient Thai in a statement issued to the Phuket Gazette today denied reports of panicked staff and minor injuries to passengers after flight OX682 from Phuket to Chengdu, China, was forced to make an emergency landing. “All the crew and passengers were safe. Nobody was injured. The cabin crew took good care of the passengers and were not panicked,…
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Last chance: Lay Pang restaurant owners given seven-day demolition deadline
PHUKET: The owners of a group of restaurants still standing on Lay Pang Beach have been given seven days to demolish their illegal structures, or be charged with encroachment. Cherng Talay Tambon Administration Organization (OrBorTor) officials, along with officers from the Thalang District Office and military personnel, inspected Lay Pang Beach and handed out the final demolition orders yesterday. “We…
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Phuket swimmers dominate Thanyapura Invitational
PHUKET: Phuket swimmers dominated the Thanyapura Invitational Swim Meet presented by Rocket Science Sports over the weekend. Local young swimmers competed against athletes and school teams from Bangkok and Samui, as well as Shanghai, Vietnam, Kazakhstan, Singapore and elsewhere abroad. Kornkarnjana ‘Golf’ Sapianchai of the Thanyapura Phuket International Academy (PIA) Swim Team finished top of the podium in the Girls…
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Thai airlines take hit as Phuket flight to China plunges from sky
PHUKET: An Orient Thai airlines flight en route from Phuket to Chengdu, China, reportedly suffered an engine failure and plunged from the sky, before levelling out and safely making an emergency landing at Kunming Airport on Saturday. UK daily newspaper The Daily Mail reported that an engine failure sent the aircraft into a dramatic plunge, prompting oxygen masks to be…
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Reward offered for alleged Phuket tour company fraudster
PHUKET: A 10,000-baht reward has been put on the head of a man who left hundreds of tourists stranded on their holiday, and is now wanted for allegedly defrauding a Phuket tour company of about 1.5 million baht. Peerapat ‘Deer’ Singhon, 25, was working as a freelance sales representative for Phuket Diamond Tours as he sold extraordinarily cheap holiday packages…
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Phuket beach wedding nightmare as couple’s plans bounced
PHUKET: There are no solutions for a distraught wedding couple who already booked everything for a beach wedding before discovering through a Phuket Gazette story (click here) that such ceremonies were banned on the island, confirmed Vice Governor Somkiet Sangkaosutthirak. “We’ve a small beach wedding planned for the end of March. When we paid deposits three weeks ago, nobody warned…
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Elephants banned from Nikki Beach Club Phuket following firestorm
PHUKET: Nikki Beach Club Phuket has vowed to stop granting requests for elephants at its parties, following public outcry about photographs surfacing of a baby elephant being ridden by patrons at the club. The pictures of the baby elephant being paraded around the club sparked a firestorm of negative reactions on various social media sites, such as Facebook and Twitter.…
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Boy, 9, drowns in Nai Harn Lake
PHUKET: A 9-year-old boy was pronounced dead this morning, after being recovered from the bottom of Nai Harn Lake yesterday afternoon. After 20 minutes of searching, off-duty lifeguards pulled Sarun Srisongkram from the water at about 5pm last night. He was not breathing, and was immediately given cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) by lifeguards who happened to be training on the beach…
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Phuket man killed in motorbike crash with parked 18-wheeler
PHUKET: A man died after crashing his motorbike into an 18-wheeled truck parked near Siam Niramit on the bypass road yesterday afternoon. At the scene, police found the body of Warodom Withayanithidilok, 25, with a broken neck and injuries to his face, said Maj Rachan Punwai of the Phuket City Police. The visor of Mr Warodom’s helmet was completely shattered…
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No road closures for Phuket Cycling Fest
PHUKET: Police will be stationed at road intersections to help with traffic flow during the Phuket Cycling Fest ride tomorrow morning (story here). However, no roads will be completely closed the Phuket Gazette was told today. Nonetheless, drivers are asked to avoid the cycling route to prevent congestion if possible. Cyclist will depart from Saphan Hin at 6:15am. They will…
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Half-buried body of British national found on Phuket beach
PHUKET: Locals discovered the half-buried body of a British national on Nai Yang Beach this morning. The fully clothed body of Simon Lian Hua Soh, 67, was still partially covered in sand when rescue workers and police arrived at the scene. “We believe that he died about 10 hours before he was discovered. There was no sign of a struggle,”…
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Expert fears Phuket touts feeding meth to slow lorises [video]
PHUKET: Police are looking into a wildlife expert’s concerns that slow lorises being touted in Phuket and other popular tourist destinations in Thailand are being drugged with methamphetamine or another stimulant. “My officers will be keeping an eye out for slow loris touts. After we make an arrest, we will be questioning them about whether or not they are drugging…
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Domestic tourist safe after longtail boat capsizes in Krabi
PHUKET: Five domestic tourists were safely rescued after their longtail boat capsized in Krabi yesterday afternoon. At about 3:40pm the longtail boat, Jaosapandaman, flipped over while taking the tourists from Koh Hong to Ao Nang. “Near the area of Saphanlek, close to Klong Muang Beach, the waves were too big. A wave broke the motor free from the boat, and…
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No security boost ordered for Songkran festival in Phuket, yet
PHUKET: Phuket Tourist Police have yet to receive an order to boost security during the upcoming Songkran Festival, which will be celebrated from April 13 to 15. The news follows the The Nation reporting that Thailand’s Tourist Police are preparing all major tourist destinations to ensure the utmost safety during the world-famous water-filled holiday (story here). “We will do security…
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F1: Sepang Storms
PHUKET: Well, my forecast for the Australian GP was on the money: Mercedes, Mercedes, Sebastian Vettel. In Melbourne, the Mercedes were 30 seconds ahead of the best of the rest. The real problem is that I believe that their engines had been tuned-down, and that there was another 60 seconds in reserve. Now that is dominance – and it’s not…
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Phuket’s Eva Beach responds to probe into legality of beachfront resort
PHUKET: The management of The Eva Group has issued a statement in response to an inspection carried out earlier this year by a chief judge and a team of experts into an upscale property project under construction in Rawai. Tawatchai Sontiwanit, chief judge of the recently formed environmental division of the regional Administrative Court responsible for Phuket, led the inspection…
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Video Report: Phuket United unveil 2015 Futsal League lineup
PHUKET: The island’s sole team in the national Futsal League, Phuket United FC, unveiled their squad for 2015 Futsal League lineup, which gets underway on Saturday. The team, unveiled by Phuket Vice Governor Somkiet Sangkaosuttirak last weekend, includes two Brazilians: 26-year-old defender Francisco Da Silva Soares, and Jackson Santos, 29, who plays pivot. Headed by coach Chalermpong Saengdee, just 27…
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Phuket officials charge captain of illegal Antarctic toothfish vessel
PHUKET: Officials have charged the Peruvian captain of an illegal, unreported, unregulated (IUU) fishing vessel for falsely reporting the cargo of his ship as he attempted to offload 182 tonnes of Antarctic toothfish illegally caught in the Southern Ocean. The ship, which recently had its name changed from Kunlun to Taishan, had already fled from the navies of New Zealand…
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No Phuket tsunami warning after 4.9 earthquake off Sumatra
PHUKET: The National Disaster Warning Center has not issued a tsunami warning or alert after an earthquake measuring 4.9 in magnitude struck west of Sumatra this morning. “We are aware of the earthquake, and a tsunami warning has not been issued,” confirmed Trakul Thotham, director of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) Region 8 office, based in Phuket.…
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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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