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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Thai tourism takes brief hit after bombings
PHUKET: Phuket hotel and tourism organizations issued a joint statement yesterday evening in the wake of a string of bombings across southern Thailand, including twin bombings in Patong yesterday (story here). The Phuket Tourist Association, Thai Hotel Association, Patong Hotel Association and the Kata Karon Hotel Business Association’s declaration stated that they expect the bombings to briefly affect the numbers…
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Update: Security stepped up nationwide after bombings
PHUKET: In a statement issued this morning, Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada said has ordered additional security personnel to be deployed across the island, in the wake of two blasts in Patong this morning. The governor’s comments come after a meeting with military and police advisers at Phuket Provincial Hall. The province was put on ‘high alert’ yesterday, after a bomb…
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Blasts in Patong, across south, kill 3, injure dozens
PHUKET: Eleven explosions have rocked southern Thailand in less than 24 hours, including two blasts in Patong (story here). Explosions in Trang, Hua Hin and Surat Thani provinces have left three dead and more than 30 wounded. The blasts began yesterday in Trang, where an explosion killed one and injured seven others while vendors were setting up stalls in a…
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Patong hit by double bomb blasts during Mother’s Day ceremonies
PHUKET: Two bomb blasts in Patong this morning have left one man injured. One of the blasts occurred at the Bangla Police Box at 8am. The other explosion was a short while later at Loma Park, where provincial officials were conducting Mother’s Day ceremonies, Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation officer Sampawat Wannasangkam told the Gazette. The streets around the…
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Vachira, PRBC hold blood drive to honor HM Queen
PHUKET: Representatives of Vachira Phuket Hospital and the Phuket Regional Blood Center (PRBC) are urging people to donate blood today and tomorrow in honor of HM the Queen’s birthday under the nationwide ‘Give Blood for Mom’ campaign. Vachira Phuket Hospital is accepting blood donations until 8pm tonight on the fourth floor of the hospital in Samkong, Phuket Town. Donors will…
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Double bomb scare in Patong turns up duds
PHUKET: Frightened locals alerted police of two suspicious, possibly explosive objects found in Patong last night. “We received reports of suspicious objects placed in two spots – one in China Town on Soi Sai Nam Yen road, and the second on Sai 2 Road in front of a nearby hotel. We ordered Patong Police officers to look into the matter,”…
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Rajabhat University to host ‘Science Week 2016’
PHUKET: Rajabhat University is inviting the public to visit its Phuket campus for ‘Science Week 2016’, which runs August 17-19. The annual exposition of the university’s science education facilities is part of an initiative sponsored by the Ministry of Science and Technology to motivate interest in science subjects. University students are putting on demonstrations of the institution’s science tech in…
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Park Chief praises Chinese woman’s viral video
PHUKET: The Chief of Koh Phi Phi National Park said he was impressed after watching a video in which one Chinese tourist lambasts another for trying to drag driftwood off Ao Nang Beach. Translated versions of the video (which can be seen here) went viral and are being shared by media outlets across the region and throughout China. The woman,…
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Elderly tourist dies while swimming on Koh Phi Phi
KRABI: An elderly tourist is dead after reportedly suffering health complications while swimming off Phi Phi Island Monday afternoon. Krabi tourist police reported that 67-year-old Hongzhu Tang, a Chinese national, was swimming with a life vest at Loh Mu Di Beach when he reportedly cried out in distress. “Mr Tang was part of a Garden Hill Company tour group, which…
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Foreign tourist apologizes for visiting temple in sexy dress
PHUKET: A tourist who wore a see-through dress while visiting a temple in Chalong apologized yesterday after pictures of her outfit were shared on social media. Tourist police ‘invited’ the foreigner, her tour guide and a representative of a tour company to apologize at a police station in Phuket Town. Also present at the station was a representative of the…
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Migrant worker registration deadline pushed forward, again
PHUKET: The deadline for illegal migrant workers to register in Phuket has been extended until the end of August, officials confirmed yesterday. According to the original schedule, the registration was to have finished by the end of July (story here). Launched in April, the registration campaign is part of a nationwide push to legalize unregistered migrants from Myanmar, Cambodia and…
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Chinese tourist run over, killed, in front of wife and kids
PHUKET: A father of two on holiday with his family was run over by a car and killed in front of his wife and children while crossing Thepkassattri Road during a stop-off to shop at 7-Eleven late last night. The 54-year-old man, identified as Shengbin Lu, was part of a group of Chinese tourists on their way to Phuket Airport…
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Phuketians say ‘yes’ to Thailand’s draft charter
PHUKET: More than half of Phuket’s eligible voters turned out to cast their ballots yesterday over the draft constitution referendum, Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada told the Phuket Gazette today. Almost 90 per cent of the 150,326 voters in the province voted to accept the proposed draft constitution. Provincial Election Commission officials said they had hoped for an 80 per cent…
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Man dies after jumping off Sarasin Bridge
PHUKET: A 51 year-old man died after he and a 15 year-old girl jumped off the Sarasin Bridge at about 7pm yesterday. The Thai pair, who police believe to have been father and daughter, were rescued by fishermen passing by on a boat. Police said that the man, named as Ruab Duangjan, was unconscious at the time of his rescue,…
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Police arrest bag-snatching brothers, recover stolen items
PHUKET: Phuket City Police on Saturday night captured robbers who stole a bag from a Slovakian tourist at Phuket Downtown Fresh Market on Friday. Riding a motorbike, the robbers snatched a bag from Domonkoso Vaniko, 28, after pulling up beside her. It was initially believed that the suspects threatened their victim with a small hammer. However, it was revealed following…
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Nocturnal fly tippers trash Krabi mangrove
KRABI: Officials are taking on a fly tipping complaint that has been riding the social media airwaves for about a week. In the online post, locals and tourists complained about a mangrove forest at Noppharat Thara – Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park, publicly asking for help from officers in charge of the area. The trash was located in front…
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Alcohol banned for referendum election
PHUKET: The Phuket Election Commission (PEC) confirmed today that the sale of alcohol is prohibited throughout Thailand August 6-7, as the country goes to the polls to vote on the National Referendum. “The alcohol ban is from 6pm on August 6, ahead of voting the next day, until midnight on the 7th. It is applicable to all retail shops, restaurants,…
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Phuket prepared for floods with B433.5mn budget, officials say
PHUKET: There will be no flooding in Patong this year, Mayor Chalermluck Kebsup told the Phuket Gazette last week following approval of a 420-million-baht budget for flood prevention in densely developed Patong. Ms Chalermluck said she was confident that the implementation of several short-and-long-term flood prevention measures currently underway will ensure that Patong is not inundated with runoff during the…
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Gun-toting teens threaten bikers in Cherng Talay
PHUKET: Two men filed a complaint against two unidentified teenagers who allegedly threatened them with a gun in Cherng Talay last night. Satja Kongrat, 20, and Ekkachai Chaidam, 19, were both riding on a bike on Srisoonthorn Road, heading to Bangtao from Baan Pa Sak, when the incident took place. “Mr Satja and Mr Ekkachai said they arrived at Cherng…
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Police apprehend suspect behind Phuket Town crime spree
PHUKET: Phuket City police revealed this morning that they have captured the man responsible for a recent spate of robberies in and near Phuket Town. “The suspect, named Jakkarin Seesong, 27, was arrested and his motorbike confiscated at Karn Keha (Baan Porn) in Thalang on Tuesday,” said Lt Col Naruebadin Pangleesen of the Phuket City Police. Mr Jakkarin reportedly could…
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Muslim cleric shot, takes on attackers
PHUKET: A Muslim cleric was injured in a drive-by shooting in Koh Kaew last night, after which he attempted to chase down his attackers, seriously injuring both. Weerachat Kahapana, 49, an Imam at Bang Pae mosque, received one bullet wound in his rib-cage, while his 3-year-old son, who was in the car with him, escaped unscathed. The perpetrators were seriously…
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Shrimp spillage on slippery road leads to acts of kindness
KRABI: A pick-up truck loaded with thousands of fresh shrimp flipped over and spilled its cargo all over the road in Krabi yesterday. Ironically, the accident occurred in front of the Agricultural and Development Baan Thung Office on the road to Krabi Town. The truck driver and passenger were on their way into town around 6:15pm, when the driver lost…
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Tour guide apologizes for attempted rape
PHUKET: A tour guide has confessed that he attempted to rape a receptionist in Cherng Talay early this morning, police confirmed. Captain Sakkarin Pankhan of Cherng Talay Police said officers responded to a call from the Imperial Ocean Palms apartment complex about 4am. “When we arrived, the victim was with office staff and security guards in a shocked condition,” said…
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First Thai Muslims depart for Hajj via Phuket airport
PHUKET: One hundred fifty-eight Thais left Phuket International Airport on Tuesday to make the pilgrimage to Mecca, as this year’s Hajj begins. This was the first flight of Thai nationals leaving for the Hajj this year. Seventy-nine of the passengers were from Pattani Province, and the other half from Nakhon Sri Thammarat. Muslims are required to make the pilgrimage to…
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Tourists rescued from sinking longtail, drowning
PHUKET: Four Chinese tourists aboard a sinking longtail boat were rescued from Phang Nga Bay yesterday evening. The director of Krabi Chao Fah Rescue Center, Nithipat Monkulpradit, told the Phuket Gazette today that he received a distress report following the incident and immediately took action. “At about 3:20pm, a longtail boat named Nateesup was on its way from Koh Ngai…
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List alleges massive extortion scheme among Phuket officers
PHUKET: The publication of a list of 20 government offices whose officers are allegedly extorting bribes from employers of migrant workers has prompted an embarrassed Phuket governor and the provincial police head to condemn corruption and vow to investigate the allegations. The list, which details officers’ names, departments and phone numbers, went viral across social media sites including Facebook and…
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Jungceylon mall reopens after crumbling columns repaired
PHUKET: Jungceylon shopping mall in Patong was yesterday given permission to reopen a section of the complex that had been closed to make repairs to crumbling columns discovered in June. The reopening came after the mall received approval from Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada following a final inspection by engineers yesterday. The shopping mall’s Port Zone was initially closed off after…
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Livestock office shuts down illegal slaughterhouse in Kathu
PHUKET: A slaughterhouse operating illegally in a residential area of Kathu was shut down by the Phuket Provincial Livestock Office (PPLO) yesterday. Livestock officers carried out an inspection of the premises, in Moo 7 near Vichit Songkram Road, following complaints made the day before by residents in the neighborhood. “We found 19 pigs crowded in a small space and in…
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Contractors demand fairness from Employment Office
PHUKET: A crowd of more than a hundred local employers of migrant workers gathered this morning at Phuket Provincial Hall to protest difficulties registering workers under their employ. A representative of the group, Wirachai Saddom, handed a letter of complaint to Phuket Vice Governor Kajornkiet Rakpanitmanee at 11am, demanding fair treatment of migrant workers and their employers while they are…
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Myanmar national claims abduction, extortion in Phuket
PHUKET: A Myanmar national claimed yesterday that he had been abducted the week before by a group of men claiming to be ‘Special Force officials’ investigating illegal workers, and that they robbed him of 120,000 baht. The alleged victim, ‘Mr Maung’, 40, told police that the group abducted him in Phuket Town last Thursday (July 28), then stole 120,000 baht…
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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