Phuket News
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American fugitive arrested in Phuket
PHUKET: Local police arrested an American fugitive on Saturday who was wanted for an estimated US$2 million (about 68,995,000 baht) internet fraud case in New York. Theodore Andrew Werner, 48, was presented in a press conference led by Maj Gen Charn Wimolsri, deputy commissioner of the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB), in Bangkok yesterday. Mr Werner had allegedly been duping others…
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Russian tourists rescued after jet-ski incident
PHUKET: Two Russian tourists were safely rescued from an island off the coast of Karon Beach last night after their rented jet-ski died mid-ride and was pulled out to sea. “A rescue team was sent out after being notified by the jet-ski owner that two tourists had disappeared after an hour,” said Itthiporn Sangkaew, deputy mayor of Karon. “Rescuers took…
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Two seriously injured in truck crash
PHUKET: Two people were seriously injured when a pick-up truck collided head-on with a cement truck on wet roads in front of Supercheap in Bang Tao this afternoon. “The pick-up truck driver and passenger, who were both seriously injured, had already been rushed to Thalang Hospital by the time police arrived,” Lt Peerasit Nhupayan of the Cherng Talay Police told…
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Villagers waiting for compensation complain to governor
PHUKET: A group of villagers filed a complaint with the governor this morning over officials failing to compensate them after parts of their homes were destroyed during a Rassada Municipality drainage ditch construction project in 2013. The case has been in process for two years, culminating in a agreement on May 12 this year that Rassada Municipality would compensate the…
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Phuket school robbed of B240k worth of electronics
PHUKET: Police are hunting for a criminal or criminals who swiped 240,000 baht worth of laptops* from Satree Phuket School’s science math center this weekend. “We received the report at 8:30am today when a school employee opened up the center after it was closed for the weekend,” Phuket City Police Deputy Superintendent Chao Phomna told the Phuket Gazette. In addition…
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Raceweek comes to an end
PHUKET: A pleasant eight knots welcomed sailors on the final day of the 2015 Cape Panwa Hotel Phuket Raceweek. PRO Simon James wasted no time in getting the fleet into sequence. Island courses for all: around the windward mark and back around Lone Island to the finish for all classes except IRC Racing I, who headed off on a longer…
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Kratom culture
PHUKET: The arrest of a low-ranking Royal Thai Navy officer for smuggling a large shipment of kratom, Mitragyna speciosa, into Phuket’s primary party town of Patong this week is only a flake on the epidermis of a complicated, political and cultural battle against the illegal drug. The use of the substance in a number of wild concoctions has infiltrated many…
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Officials fear marine life hit by wrecked cargo ship
PHUKET: Local officers have filed a preemptive notice to Chalong Police over the recovery of a wrecked 67.6 meter-long mulch-purpose cargo vessel in fear that a significant amount of damage has been done to the coral reefs along Koh Hei, also known as Coral Island. Sinaran Andaman wrecked into Koh Hei on July 8 in rough seas that sank two…
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Volunteer lifeguard ranks swell by 60
PHUKET: 60 volunteer lifeguards completed their training this past week, adding to the ranks of Phuket’s lifeguards during the dangerous southwest monsoon season. “Most of the volunteers are hotel beach employees who would likely get a chance to rescue people from the sea. However, ordinary people have also volunteered,” Phuket Lifeguard Club President Prathaiyuth Chuayuan said yesterday. Mr Prathaiyuth explained…
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Crackdown on Phuket tour companies continues
PHUKET: Twelve tour companies with foreign shareholders suspected of using Thai nominees to maintain control over their businesses have been given five days to submit documents proving their legality. The Department of Special Investigations (DSI) mounted a raid on Thursday with Santi Pawai, director of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports (MOTS) Phuket office, and other relevant officials on 16…
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Korean ignores warnings, drowns in Phuket
PHUKET: A Korean tourist, who allegedly ignored hotel staff when warned about the current dangers of the sea, drowned last night. Seunchei Yang, 20, was recovered by employees of Outrigger Laguna Phuket Beach Resort and rushed to Thalang Hospital. He was pronounced dead on arrival. “We questioned those working and they confirmed that Mr Yang was part of a group…
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Verdict date set for PhuketWan in Computer Crimes Act case
PHUKET: Alan Morison and Chutima Sidasathian, of local news blog PhuketWan, will hear the verdict on September 1 for charges of criminal defamation and violations of the Computer Crimes Act following the conclusion of the trial yesterday. According to the court hearing, the charges stem from a report published on July 17, 2013, which contained excerpts from a Reuters special…
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Four Phuket taxi drivers arrested for gambling
PHUKET: Four Phuket taxi drivers were arrested for gambling in Patong yesterday. Patong Police jump started an anti-firearm and crime crackdown recently ordered by the Royal Thai Police Headquarters in Bangkok by inspecting three places where they had reason to believe crimes were being committed. “The time period for this campaign is July 15 through 19,” said Lt Col Sutthichai…
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A Decade Ago: New beach, new crisis
PHUKET: The real seller in the July 16-22 issue of the Phuket Gazette wasn’t the page-one story. It was Athiga Jundee’s ‘Inside Story’, which played off a t-shirt circulating through the shopping arcades of the island, and which reads: ‘Phuket – 2001: Bomb Alert; 2002: SARS; 2003: Bird Flu; 2004: Tsunami. What Next?’. Well, little did the t-shirt producers know…
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Busted: Paying gambling debt as drug mule
PHUKET: Two men were caught in Phang Nga attempting to smuggle more than 25,000 ya bah (methamphetamine) pills into Surat Thani on Wednesday. Sophon ‘Khong’ Suwannarat, 37, confessed to police that he had agreed to transport the drugs in order to pay off a 50,000-baht gambling debt, while Paisarn Ratmanee, 40, denied any knowledge of the drugs. “Police were tipped…
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Phuket told to conserve power ahead of energy shortage
PHUKET: The Energy Ministry alerted all residents on Phuket to conserve power to prevent outages from July 21 to July 25, as a major gas field supply line in the Gulf of Thailand will be upgraded during this period. Director-General of the Energy Policy and Planning Office Chavalit Pichalai revealed that the country will be losing around 420 million standard…
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Proposed sweeping alcohol-sales ban worries Phuket officials
PHUKET: Island officials have expressed concern about an alcohol sales ban expected to take effect next week that will affect all businesses within a 300-meter radius of academic institutions. Despite their concerns, local authorities have noted that they will have to obey and enforce the new regulation, although some believe it will have a negative effect on businesses. “The draft…
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Cape Panwa Hotel Phuket Raceweek underway
PHUKET: The Race Management team had a busy few hours looking for wind on day one of the 2015 Cape Panwa Hotel Phuket Raceweek. Motoring around the southeast coast of Phuket, Simon James and his team had to postpone the start as they tracked down the breeze. Despite the storm clouds over the island’s south, the rains held off and…
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Official denies knowledge of two-month illegal fishing grace period
PHUKET: The head of Phuket’s Port In-Port Out Center (PIPO) has denied knowledge of a reported two-month grace period during which unregistered fishing boats can continue to fish while they become legal. “I have spoken with relevant officers today, and no one has received any official notice informing us that we should allow unregistered vessels to take to sea to…
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Man on the run after shooting father-in-law
PHUKET: Police are searching for a man who allegedly shot his father-in-law on Wednesday at about noon. Thanyawat Matchiwong, 28, is on the run after he allegedly shot and injured his father-in-law Juang Chuayboonchu, 77, at his home. “We had an argument on the phone about an hour beforehand. Thanyawat said he would kill my family and I, and then…
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Phuket lifeguards build bluebottle warning signs after sightings
PHUKET: The Phuket Lifeguard Club (PLC) is in the process of creating signs to warn tourists about the dangers of bluebottle ‘jellyfish’, which have recently been found on several of the island’s west-coast beaches. Dozens of bluebottles, also known as Portuguese man o’ war, were found at Mai Khao, Nai Thon, Nai Harn and Patong Beach on Tuesday. Though rarely…
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Uprooted banyan tree damages school
PHUKET: Strong winds uprooted a banyan tree, causing it to fall on a wall of Plukpanya School early yesterday morning. No one was hurt in the incident. The banyan tree was quickly removed after Phuket City Mayor Somjai Suwansupana and municipality officials rushed to the school. “The was growing in Pavilions Phuket Hotel’s compound, which is next door to the…
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Police seize 70kg kratom in two busts
For an in-depth look at kratom culture in Phuket and Thailand, pick up a copy of the Phuket Gazette hard-copy newspaper, available in Phuket, Bangkok, Pattaya, Hua Hin and Koh Samui on Saturday. PHUKET: Three suspects were arrested in two separate operations in Phuket Town and Thalang this week for allegedly having a total of 70 kilograms of kratom leaves…
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Alleged Aussie drug dealer netted in Patong
PHUKET: An Australian alleged drug dealer was arrested in Patong on Tuesday in possession of cocaine and marijuana. Named by police as Miki Michael Lee, 48, the Aussie was caught in a rented room on Soi Nanai with 1 gram of cocaine and 29.3g of marijuana. “Our undercover officers informed us that Mr Lee was selling cocaine and marijuana to…
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Business Buzz: Australian visa free information night
PHUKET: Australians have always loved Thailand, and many come here regularly and develop business and personal relationships. That, over time, leads to the desire to travel to Australia and see what the place is truly like. Unfortunately there has been a lot of confusion and myths over who is eligible for an Australian visa, and the process required to get…
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Turtle found on Mai Khao Beach with severed flipper
PHUKET: An olive ridley sea turtle was found with a severed front flipper on Mai Khao Beach yesterday evening. Officers from the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) and rescue workers from the Kusoldharm Foundation went to the scene at about 7pm after being notified of the turtle by a beach guard. “The front left flipper was severed. We believe the…
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Phuket officials probe sewage pipeline project
PHUKET: About 20 disgruntled Koh Sireh residents filed a complaint with Damrongtham Center on Monday urging Governor Nisit Jansomwong to investigate a sewage pipeline project in Rassada. The villagers argued that the construction has narrowed a local road, thus substantially increasing traffic congestion and accident risks. “We knew that this is a Rassada Municipality project and we fully cooperated the…
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International media flock to PhuketWan Computer Crimes Act trial
PHUKET: Members of the international media, including Reporters Without Borders, crammed into the Phuket courthouse today as the trial of Alan Morison and Chutima Sidasathian, of local news blog PhuketWan, began. The suspects, as well as Big Island Media (PhuketWan), face charges of criminal defamation and violations of the Computer Crimes Act. The four prosecution witnesses that gave their testimony…
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Myanmar man held in drug bust
PHUKET: A Myanmar national was arrested on a Hat Yai-Phuket minibus in possession of 2,178 pills of ya bah (methamphetamine) early this morning. The 30-year-old man, who police named as Kyaw Soe Miw, was nabbed after Tah Chat Chai Police set up a checkpoint at about 4:15am today to screen passengers coming to Phuket from other provinces. “We suspected that…
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Five teens hit by out-of-control van
PHUKET: Five teenagers on two motorbikes were injured after a van driver leaving Phuket International Airport lost control of his vehicle on wet roads and crashed into the adolescents yesterday evening. “Teerapong Boonteng, 24, passed over the median and struck the teens who were on their motorbikes,” said Maj Santi Prakobpran of the Tah Chat Chai Police. One teen suffered…
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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