Phuket News
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Phuket remembers the tsunami
PHUKET: Today marks the fourth anniversary of the Indian Ocean tsunami, which was triggered by an earthquake that measured close to nine on the Richter scale. The tsunami hit Phuket on the morning of December 26, 2004. More than 5,000 people, mostly international tourists, were killed in Thailand’s six Andaman coastal provinces when the killer waves struck. Indonesia, India and…
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Phuket Airport to fall short of 6 million passenger milestone
PHUKET / MAI KHAO: A “Splendid Phuket Merry Christmas and Happy New Year” event will take place on Boxing Day at Phuket International Airport, replacing a previously scheduled activity to welcome the airport’s record 6 millionth passenger in 2008. Airport authorities expected the 6 millionth passenger to arrive around Christmas, but the milestone will not be reached because of the…
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Komkai’s killer apprehended, but mastermind still at-large
PHUKET: After almost six months of investigation, police have arrested a hired gunman who confessed to the shooting murder of well-known Patong businesswoman Komkai Kositkoon on July 18. After his arrest at a construction site in Krabi on Saturday morning, 39-year-old Arun Chanma was brought in for a re-enactment of the crime, which took place on Wichit Songkraam Rd. He…
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Holiday road safety measures set
PHUKET: Nine major road checkpoints and 18 smaller “mobile units” will be in operation around Phuket from December 30 to January 5, 2009. The checkpoints form the final phase of a three-pronged effort to combat road accidents over the holiday period. This year’s strategy, coordinated by the Phuket office of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM), started with…
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Crime crackdown hits city streets
PHUKET CITY: Phuket City Police have deployed 180 police officers to man six checkpoints around the city as part of a crime crackdown that began on December 17 and will end at 6 am on the morning of December 20. Phuket City Police Superintendent Wanchai Ekpornpit told the Gazette police have already opened 10 new cases as a result of…
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Burglar arrested with B1.5m in stolen goods
CHALONG: A cat burglar released from prison last year is now back in custody, arrested on Sunday with over 1.5 million baht in stolen goods – mostly Buddhist amulets. Also arrested were his two alleged accomplices, one a 16-year-old boy. The arrests were announced a press conference later the same day led by Police Region 8 Commander Santarn Chayanon. The…
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Students, teachers and heroines: all survive smash
THALANG: Fourteen tired students and staff of Kajonkietsuksa School returning home from Haad Yai had a rude awakening Tuesday night, when the bus they were traveling on crashed into the Heroines Monument at about 10 pm. The bus, nearing the end of an eight-hour journey, was carrying seven of the school’s top students, seven teachers plus the driver. The clever…
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Kids lifesaving carnival on Saturday
KAMALA: A “Nippers Mini Surf Lifesaving Carnival” will be held on Saturday morning, December 20, at Kamala Beach, near Kamala Park and Kamala Police Station. The competition, open to kids five to 15 years of age, is organized and conducted by the Phuket Lifeguard Club. Children from local schools and swim clubs are invited to attend the carnival, which is…
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Phuket Immigration clarifies new visa rules
PHUKET CITY: At a press conference held late yesterday, Phuket Immigration confirmed that foreigners arriving without visas at any of Thailand’s non-airport immigration checkpoints will be granted permits-to-stay of only 15 days, half the former number. The conference was led by Phuket Immigration Superintendent Chanatpol Yongbunjerd, who also confirmed that the former rule limiting foreigners entering on “visa exemptions” from…
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Phuket’s Sukhumvit Rd complex boarded up
PHUKET (PATONG): Scores of publicans running beer bars at the Sukhumvit Road night entertainment complex on Rat-U-Thit 200 Pi Rd were locked out of their businesses on Thursday afternoon for refusing to sign new rental agreements with Moodies Entertainment, which has reclaimed the right to operate the complex. Kathu Police Inspector Sophon Borrirak told the Gazette that he received a…
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Phuket businesses seek debt moratorium
PHUKET (The Nation): Cash-strapped tourism businesses in Phuket are seeking debt relief in order to deal with the current downturn in tourist arrivals at a time when hotel occupancy rates are normally at their highest. Somchai Pathamakantin, founder of the Phuket Seashell Museum and representative of tourist business groups on Kata and Karon beaches, today proposed to Phuket Governor Preecha…
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Work on new Phuket City market almost complete
PHUKET CITY: Work on the new public market on Ranong Rd in downtown Phuket City is now 90% complete, according to officials at Phuket City Hall. City official Udom Tansakul yesterday told the Gazette that the only work left to be done involves installation of vendors’ stalls and other finishing touches. The city has already paid 14 of 16 installments specified…
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Thai tourist beaten, stabbed, robbed
PHUKET CITY (SAPHAN HIN): Police have issued an arrest warrant for a motorcycle taxi driver who assaulted and robbed a passenger early yesterday morning and left him bleeding in the middle of the road. A local Thai-language newspaper identified the victim as 43-year-old Nakhon Sawan resident Kittiporn Jongsiri, holder of a master’s degree from prestigious Chulalongkorn University. From his bed…
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Wife fatally stabs husband in clinic
PHUKET CITY: A man stabbed in the shoulder by his wife went into shock and died while receiving hospital treatment early Sunday morning.Phuket City Police Duty Inspector Sarit Butnongsang told the Gazette he received a report at 3:20 am on Sunday of a stabbing at Mor Term Medical Clinic Branch 2, a traditional Thai medicine clinic located in a commercial…
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Phuket business community pleads for stability
PHUKET: With it still unclear whether the Democrat Party or the Pheu Thai Party will form the next Thai government, top figures in the Phuket tourism and real estate sectors say a return to stability is the key to restoring the local economy. Tanan Tanphaibul, President of the Phuket Real Estate Club, says the Phuket business community is calling for…
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Fourth quarter airport arrivals down almost 50%
PHUKET (MAI KHAO): Passenger numbers at Phuket International Airport for the last three months of 2008 are expected to be down about 48% year-on-year due to global economic conditions and recent events in the Thai capital. Phuket International Airport Director Wicha Nernlop told the Gazette that around 65 direct international flights to the airport were canceled during the10-day political standoff…
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Quantum Racing snatches victory in King’s Cup Regatta
KATA: In fresh winds gusting up to 20 knots yesterday morning, Ray Roberts’ Quantum Racing team snatched victory from Neil Pryde’s Hi Fi and Winkelman and Dodd’s Island Fling to win the final race of the Racing class in the 22nd annual King’s Cup Regatta. In one of the tightest competitions ever in the King’s Cup, the win moved Quantum…
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Island Fling retakes lead in King’s Cup Regatta
KATA: Despite Ray Roberts’ Quantum Racing winning both races on Friday, December 5 in the Racing class of the 22nd King’s Cup Regatta, being held off Kata Beach, Winkelman and Dodd’s Island Fling has retaken the lead in the class with consistently good sailing. Before starting the day’s racing, the 94-boat fleet this morning staged a “sail-past salute” past the…
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Work on new bus station underway
RASSADA: Work is underway on Phuket’s new bus terminal, which is scheduled to open in early 2010. Phuket Provincial Land Transport Office chief Sompong Thosawat said the new bus terminal will occupy a nine-rai plot of land on Thepkrasattri Rd southbound, about 300 meters south of Supercheap. The site is suitable for the new station as it is located outside…
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Neil Pryde and Hi Fi move into first in Racing Class
KATA: Proving that this year’s 22nd King’s Cup Regatta competition is tighter than ever, today saw the third leader in as many days of racing. Neil Pryde and his crew on Hi Fi scored a first place in the Racing class as the fleet swept around the southern end of Phuket, powered by strong and steady headwinds in the morning.…
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Dead dugong thought victim of fishing gear
LAEM PANWA: More bad news for Phuket’s tiny dugong population came early yesterday morning, when the carcass of an immature female was found floating less than a kilometer offshore from Laem Ka, up the coast from the Sea Gypsy Village in Rawai. Dugong researcher Kanjana Adulyanukosol from the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) said the carcass was recovered at about…
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Phuket Airport begs PAD to cease protest
MAI KHAO: Phuket International Airport Director Wicha Nernlop is begging the anti-government People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) to end its siege of Bangkok’s two commercial airports, saying the revenue lost already dwarfs the amount lost through corruption during the Thaksin years.Speaking to the Gazette this afternoon, Mr Wicha said that the number of travelers stranded in Phuket has now reached…
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Phuket PAD: “No plans’ to close airport
THALANG: The Phuket branch of the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) has “no plans” to close down Phuket International Airport again, according to a spokesman. The number of unscheduled flights in and out of Phuket has been increasing in recent days, with foreign governments arranging special flights for people stranded in Thailand by the closure of Suvarnabhumi and Don Muang…
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Phuket to host Suzuki Cup
PHUKET CITY: Phuket has been designated as the new Thai venue for Group B play in the AFF Suzuki Cup. Formerly known as the Tiger Cup, the tournament is the biggest in Southeast Asia and the only regional football competition to feature senior squads of all Asean nations. A spokesperson for the Football Association of Thailand (FAT) confirmed that Phuket…
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Double homicide claims 20-year-old girls
KOH KAEW: Phuket City Police are searching for a man who shot and killed two young women on a motorbike early on Friday. At about 2 am on November 28, Phuket City Police were notified that two women had been found murdered at the mouth of the access road to Laem Hin in Koh Kaew Village 7, Muang District. Police…
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Governor urges police to quash trade in sex, pirate goods
PHUKET CITY: Fearful that foreigners will view Phuket as a “sex tour” destination and center for trade in counterfeit goods, Phuket Governor Preecha Ruangjan has urged police to take a more serious approach in enforcing prostitution and intellectual property laws. At the monthly meeting of the Provincial Committee for Social Stability held at Phuket Provincial Hall on November 27, Gov…
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100,000 passengers miss flights in 3 days
BANGKOK: Nearly 100,000 passengers have missed flights since protesters shut down Bangkok’s two main airports on Tuesday and the total could hit 300,000 as the shutdown continues, Tourism and Sports Minister Weerasak Kowsurat said yesterday. “The total number could hit 300,000. When Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports are cleared, it will take 24 to 48 hours to verify aviation standards.…
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Advice for British citizens
PHUKET: Amid increased tensions this morning at Bangkok’s two airports, both under seige and rendered inoperable by PAD protesters since Tuesday, the British Embassy has called for publication of the following information: “For any British Citizens requiring assistance or advice, please telephone the British Embassy in Bangkok, 02 – 3058333, or, in case of extreme emergency, the British Honorary Councilor…
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Coral Reef Squadron: 9 down, 1 to go
BANG TAO: Phuket Governor Preecha Ruangjan yesterday went to personally inspect progress on the sinking of the “Coral Reef Squadron”, an artificial reef project being sunk about two kilometers off the coast at Bang Tao Bay. Like many newcomers to Phuket, the new governor, who comes from landlocked Phichit province, is allocating some time here to learn how to dive.…
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King’s Cup racing delayed
PHUKET: The King’s Cup Organizing Committee has this afternoon announced a change in the racing schedule for this year’s regatta. Racing will commence Tuesday, December 2 and will continue through to Saturday, December 6. There will be no lay day. The delay in starting the regatta is to allow those held up by the Bangkok airport closures to reroute their…
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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