Phuket News
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Phuket Sports: Andaman Pearl’s home games under threat
PHUKET: Phuket United’s home at the new 4,000-seat futsal arena in Saphan Hin is under threat after Phuket City Municipality has asked that the parquet playing surface be relayed with rubber. The Andaman Pearl’s Saturday game was postponed to Sunday, at Fashion Island in Bangkok, because of issues with the playing surface at Saphan Hin’s futsal stadium, said Samak Rattanadilokna,…
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Phang Nga officials implicated in illegal palm plantation
PHUKET: Several high-ranking Phang Nga officials have been implicated in the operation of an illegal 16-rai palm plantation raided by officers yesterday after the site was deemed to be encroaching on protected park land.More than 70 officers cleared 420 palm trees in yesterday’s raid.The offensive targeted a district border area at the tourist-popular Ton Pariwat Wildlife Conservation Area, north of…
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‘Paris Hilton’ Phuket beach party gets green light
PHUKET: The “Paris Hilton” New Year beach bash organized by Sydictive Element on Surin Beach has, after strong opposition, finally been approved, local officials have confirmed to the Phuket Gazette. The approval came after Sydictive Element assured the local government that they will take care of three key areas of concern, Ma-ann Samran, president of the Cherng Talay Tambon Administration…
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Phuket first-time car buyers overload Excise Office
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Excise Office (PPEO) is calling in extra officers from other departments to help cope with an overload of tax-rebate applications being filed by first-time car owners. The office has processed 9,000 applications for tax rebates since the government campaign to encourage young people to buy cars was launched on September 16 last year, said policy specialist…
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Hungarian suspect Kvalka retraces steps to Peter Reisz killing
PHUKET: Gyorgy Lajos Kvalka, the second suspect arrested in connection with the murder of Peter Reisz in Phuket late last month, today reiterated to police his claim that he played no part in the killing of the Hungarian businessman. However, Mr Kvalka today did confess to assisting the Israeli-Hungarian dual national Moshe David – named as Gabor Nemeth on his…
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Phuket human trafficking victim now safe in children’s home
PHUKET: The Cambodian child who literally ran to the safety of Phuket officials to escape her life as a human-trafficking victim and being forced to beg on the streets of Soi Bangla is now safe in a home for children, Patong Deputy Mayor Chairat Sukban confirmed to the Phuket Gazette today. “We coordinated with all relevant departments immediately after she…
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Turtle egg find floats hope of leatherbacks returning to Phuket region
PHUKET: Hopes that turtles are returning to their traditional nesting sites along the Andaman Coast soared as a second clutch of leatherback turtle eggs was discovered on Tai Muang Beach in Phang Nga, just north of Phuket, within an eight day period.The discovery of the nest on Tuesday follows a leatherback turtle being spotted laying eggs on the beach on…
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Phuket Prison to investigate alleged “death beating’
PHUKET: Phuket Prison officials are investigating the death of a male inmate following a grieving widow alleging that her husband was beaten to death. Prison guards found Pranom Duksukkaew, 48, dead from what they believed to be natural causes when they went to rouse the inmates at 6am on Tuesday. Pranom was serving a 16-year sentence for raping a minor,…
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International Sports: Assumptions that cricket has largely eradicated corruption are challenged
Spot fixing threatens integrity of modern game Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Any comfortable assumptions that world cricket has largely eradicated corruption after the shock of the Hansie Cronje match-fixing scandal are challenged in a disturbing new book investigating India’s illegal bookmaking underworld. In “Bookie Gambler Fixer Spy; A Journey to the Heart of Cricket’s Underworld”, English author and cricket…
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Police to charge tour van driver today over lethal Phuket crash
PHUKET: Tuan Russala Samae, the tour van driver involved in the fatal crash that killed 9-year-old British International School student Kunnarree Lattuada-Lancini on November 29, has been discharged from Vachira Phuket Hospital. “He is to present himself at Chalong Police Station on Thursday [today] to be charged with reckless driving causing death,” Sub Lt Kraisorn Boonprasop told the Gazette on…
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CCTV captures unidentified man using missing American’s bank card in Phuket
PHUKET: The mother of missing American Brett Bean was unable to confirm if images captured by CCTV cameras in Patong and Chalong show her son making ATM transactions after his disappearance in Phuket. Lynne Bean, who posted a 50,000 baht reward to help find her son was asked to visit Karon Police Station today to try to identify a man…
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Live Wire: 3G WiFi offerings in Phuket
PHUKET: In the first installment of this series, I talked about the general state of internet connections in Phuket. Last week, I covered the current offerings in land lines, with TOT Fiber 2U 10 Mega bits per second (Mbps) representing the best bang for your baht (sometimes; 1,500 baht/month), True DOCSIS “Ultra” coming in second (if you can get it;…
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North Korean native found dead in Phuket
PHUKET: A Russian national, but born in North Korea, was found dead in his rented Phuket apartment room this evening.The unclothed body of the man, 46, was found face-up on the floor by the apartment owner after she unlocked the room to access the air-conditioning unit.“I knocked on his door and asked for him to open up for me and…
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Mother offers B50k reward for missing Phuket expat Brett Bean
PHUKET: The mother of an American ski instructor, who was last seen in Phuket, has offered a 50,000-baht reward to find her son. Speaking at Karon Police Station today, 69-year-old Lynne Bean appealed to the public for any information that would help find Brett Bean, her 43-year-old son who failed to make a flight home to Los Angeles on November…
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Phuket ready to rendezvous
PHUKET: Organizers are making final preparations for the 12th annual Asia Superyacht Rendezvous and the anticipation is palpable. Most yachts have arrived, bringing with them captains, crew and VIP guests who are getting revved up for sun, sailing and socializing. The buzz is growing with Christmas around the corner and Phuket’s beaches bustling with families, honeymooners, holiday makers and friendly…
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Kvalka surrenders, denies active role in Phuket Reisz murder
PHUKET: Following his surrender to Samui Police on Saturday, Gyorgy Lajos Kvalka denied any role in the killing of Hungarian businessman Peter Reisz. Tourist Police Commander Roy Ingpairoj arrived from Bangkok to present Mr Kvalka, 48, to the press at the Phuket Tourist Police headquarters in Phuket Town on Saturday night. Named on the arrest warrant as “Kvalka Lajos Gyoergy”,…
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Phuket expat sailor Stafford Steer dies from cancer
PHUKET: As sailors raced in the final day of the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta that concluded yesterday, one of Phuket’s longest-staying expats and best-known personalities in the local yachting community, Stafford Steer from Australia, died after a brief battle with cancer. He was 71 years old. Stafford arrived in Phuket from Cairns, in Far North Queensland, Australia, in 1992 on…
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Pong powers home to win Phuket King’s Cup Regatta
PHUKET: Blue skies and consistent winds marked the final day of the 2012 Phuket King’s Cup Regatta in fitting style yesterday as teams and their boats assembled at the start line in a final bid to resolve their class contests. Some results had effectively completed on Friday, but most of the classes were anticipated to deliver a thrilling final day…
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World Football Roundup: Torres ignites Chelsea; bad record for Queens Park
PHUKET: Fernando Torres continued to silence his critics by scoring twice for the second game running as third-placed Chelsea won 3-1 at Sunderland last night to record their first Premier League victory under Rafael Benitez.The much-maligned Spain forward struck two goals in the first half, his second from the penalty spot, and almost completed a hat-trick shortly after halftime when…
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Phuket motorbike taxis hit over fares
PHUKET: A motorbike taxi representative from Patong has railed against his fellow drivers, calling for “more ethical” behavior and cessation of the practice of gouging tourists for short journeys in the resort town.The call came at a meeting at Phuket Provincial Hall on November 28. At the meeting, designed to handle a multitude of issues concerning motorbike taxis, Chumpol Aiabsakul,…
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Phuket police chief calls on officers to use smart phones, rolling checkpoints
PHUKET: The 48 Royal Thai Police officers installed in their new positions in Phuket yesterday were ordered to boost their public image and their effectiveness by staging “rolling checkpoints” and using smart phones. The news was handed down by Phuket Provincial Police Commander Choti Chavalviwat at a ceremony at Provincial Police headquarters in Phuket Town. Maj Gen Choti ordered the…
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Phuket Governor opens tourist center in Cherng Talay
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut joined officials from the Cherng Talay Tambon Administrative Organization (OrBorTor) yesterday as he presided over the opening ceremony of a new tourist information center at Surin Beach. Cherng Talay OrBorTor President Ma-ann Samran told the Phuket Gazette that the decision to establish the center came in response to the increasing number of tourists visiting the…
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Phuket King’s Cup competitors look to bag every point in light winds
PHUKET: With winds easing off slightly during yesterday’s racing, competitors looked to maximize every possible advantage as valuable points were up for grabs.Frank Pong and his Jelik team have been the quickest of the IRC Zero class boats in the last few races, but Kevin Whitcraft’s Won Ma Rang shared class honours yesterday. Won Ma Rang took victory in race…
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Phuket Sports: Futsal – Pearl set to shock “Lightning Shrimp’
PHUKET: The island’s professional futsal team, the “Andaman Pearl”, face a tough away fixture against the Surat Thani Futsal Club, nicknamed the ‘Lighting Shrimp”, tonight. Patt Srivijit, assistant coach of Phuket United, told the Gazette that the game against their southern rivals will be a big match, but he hopes the team use this game to push up the league.…
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“Meet me halfway’ says Phuket Governor on Paris Hilton beach party
PHUKET: The Phuket Governor today called on Sydictive Element, organizers of the monster New Year party touted to be held on Surin Beach, to scale down the party so it can be approved. “The best way is for the organizers and locals to meet halfway. If the two sides can come to a compromise, then I have nothing against the…
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Phuket murder suspect Moshe David re-enacts Reisz killing
PHUKET: Moshe David, the prime suspect in the murder investigation of his former business associate Peter Reisz, this morning re-enacted the sequence of events that led to the death of Mr Reisz. As with all public appearances since his arrest, Mr David was silent in front of reporters. However, Provincial Police Region 8 Commander Gen Yongyuth Charoenwanith announced to the…
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Thailand’s development as a sailing nation with the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta
PHUKET: Kevin Whitcraft, owner and crew member of Wan Marang and president of the King’s Cup Regatta Organizing Committee talks about the development of Thailand as a sailing nation, and one truly classic regatta. Who is the skipper of your boat this year?Our skipper, Jaray Tipsuk, is a sailor who has won two silver medals in the SEA Games, and…
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International Boxing: Bout has all the makings of a classic
Marquez and Pacquiao both aim for vindication Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Tomorrow’s non-title welterweight bout between Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez has all the makings of a classic as the two fighters prepare to meet for a fourth and, almost certainly, final time in the ring. Their previous three encounters were gripping, all-action affairs between Filipino Pacquiao, probably…
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Phuket tsunami film ‘The Impossible’ drawing crowds, but no criticism
PHUKET: Although initially thought by some as insensitive, The Impossible, which recounts a Spanish family’s survival and struggle to be reunited in the wake of the devastating 2004 tsunami, is drawing crowds, but no criticism, in Phuket. The blockbuster film starring Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor was shot at a variety of locations in Phuket, with many extras being chosen…
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Police add Thai suspect to Phuket murder manhunt
PHUKET: Moshe David, prime suspect for the murder of Hungarian businessman Peter Reisz in Phuket, was presented to the press today after his arrest in Bangkok yesterday. During a press conference in Surat Thani, home to the popular tourist island Koh Samui, Provincial Police Region 8 Commander Gen Yongyuth Charoenwanit announced that officers were now searching for a Thai man…
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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