Phuket News
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Phuket governor eyes construction camps for stricter Covid measures
Yesterday, Phuket’s governor Narong Woonciew inspected workers’ construction camps throughout the island. His inspections concerned the disease control measures that were put in effect after 13 workers at a Patong camped tested positive for Covid, which led to officials claiming the camp down in a month of “Bubble and Seal” quarantine. Kathu District Chief, Trithip Sakulpradit, and officers from the…
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Exploring Phuket’s islands with 5 Star Marine’s Captain’s Choice | VIDEO
Phuket and nearby island beaches are always here, despite the different seasons. So, even when you visit in the rainy season, with so many beaches to experience, you can always find one to enjoy. At this time of year, travellers might need to dodge the occasional heavy shower. It happens. But most of the time the rain is brief… and…
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“Phuket Sandbox” still on, provincial restrictions set after uptick in Covid-19
The “Phuket Sandbox” is still on, but the uptick in coronavirus infections pose a threat to the tourism experiment. Before the July 1 reopening, the government said it would reconsider the travel scheme if cases exceeded 90 Covid-19 infections. Over the past week, the island reported 125 new infections. With the weekly case count exceeding the government’s threshold, new restrictions…
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Phuket officials add new layers of restrictions, Central closed for 7 days
It’s starting to get real in Phuket. New measures have been announced to further restrict the gathering places for people. Meanwhile, for now, the Sandbox continues unabated. The new restrictions are effective until at least August 2. The province has already surpassed its threshold of 90 cases in a week, earlier cited as the upper limit before the government would…
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New Covid-19 infections drop, still worrisome for Phuket Sandbox
Following a concerning spike in Covid-19 cases this weekend, the Phuket Provincial Public Health Office reported that cases dropped today to 11, still worrisomely high. Of the 11 new infections, one was from a Phuket Sandbox international traveller, bringing the total number of Sandboxers infected to 22. The 11 new Covid-19 infections push Phuket past the 900 mark with a…
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Phuket “car mob” protest demands the removal of PM, calls for mRNA vaccines
Hundreds of cars and motorcycles drove through Phuket in a so-called “car mob” rally, calling for the resignation of PM Prayut Chan-o-cha and the procurement of mRNA Covid-19 vaccines. Many have criticised the Thai government as it grapples with the most severe wave of Covid-19, a limited supply of vaccines and the emergence of the highly transmissible Delta variant. Earlier…
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Inside story behind the Thailand property seachange
by Bill Barnett of c9hotelworks.com For Thailand’s real estate market, Covid-19 has brought massive changes in lifestyle and ongoing pandemic fatigue is pushing many domestic buyers to shift property investment preferences in favour of resort or countryside destinations. Whether you call it Plan B, a sea change or an escape plan, one thing for certain is that change is in the…
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Domestic flights added to Phuket/Samui, CAAT says be careful
Yesterday, additional, domestic flights, were added going to and from Phuket. Bangkok Airways also confirmed it was bringing back its Phuket to Samui route. Nok Air resumed its Phuket to U-Tapao route. The announcement comes on the heels of the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand issuing a reminder to airlines/passengers to adhere to all conditions for safe travel. The CAAT…
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Covid UPDATE Provinces: 14,260 new infections, 119 deaths
The Thai Public Health Department have announced another 14,260 infections and 119 Covid-related deaths over the past 24 hours. 655 cases have been detected in Thai prisons. Notably, Phuket registered 21 new infections, pushing it close to its threshold of 90 new cases in a week whereby officials would consider the future of the Sandbox (70 over the past 7…
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18 infections today in Phuket creeps closer to 90/week threshold
Today saw an infection spike in new local Covid-19 cases in Phuket, crossing the daily average number that threatens the future of the Sandbox scheme. Officials had laid out several factors that could cause the Sandbox to be reconsidered or even cancelled, chief among them was if weekly infections crossed over 90 people a week. Today saw 18 new local…
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Phuket company plans to pitch “Diving Sandbox” for liveaboard trips
A local diving company is working on a project to offer liveaboard dive excursions to travellers entering Thailand through the “Phuket Sandbox” travel scheme. Under the plan in the works by Seafarer Divers, travellers would get picked up directly from the airport after arriving in Thailand and be transferred to a dive tour boat. While on board the boat, the…
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Former Phuket tour guide suspected of drowning in Phuket
A former Phuket tour guide, who was previously denied entry onto the island, is believed to have drowned after he slipped and fell into the water next to the Sarasin Bridge, yesterday. Police were called to the scene at half-past 2. Then, police and rescue workers attempted to save the former tour guide, 42 year old Sutep Sae Man. By…
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Yet another update to rules for entering Phuket, new exceptions
Perhaps feeling restless as it had been a day or two since any changes or additions to the constantly evolving rules to enter the Phuket Sandbox had been made, Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew issued a new provincial order granting special entry exceptions for certain people. The order would allow qualifying people passing through Phuket briefly to only present one of…
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UPDATE: Details from woman who escaped Phuket Sandbox
In an update to a story that broke yesterday, more details have emerged about the still-unnamed person who escaped from the Phuket Sandbox on Tuesday. Reports now state that it was an 18 year old woman who disappeared from the mandatory 14-day stay upon arrival in Phuket and was picked up Tuesday night in Chonburi after authorities were about to…
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New Phuket checkpoint rules see 392 people denied yesterday
New restrictions for entering Phuket announced Sunday went into effect yesterday, causing a rash of nearly 400 people to be turned away at the entrance checkpoint. While previous rules allowed unvaccinated people meeting certain criteria to enter, now everyone who enters Phuket needs to be fully vaccinated in addition to testing negative for Covid-19. This new strict requirement applies to…
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Lifeguard rescues Polish man in Phuket
A lifeguard at Phuket’s Nai Harn beach saved a Polish man who got caught in the rough current while he was swimming this afternoon. The lifeguard swam out and pulled the man to the beach where he administered first aid and provided oxygen to help the man’s breathing. With the quick reaction provided by the lifeguard, the man made a…
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Sandbox traveller escaped to Chon Buri, faces prosecution
A person who came into Thailand under the Phuket Sandbox plan left the island before completing the 14-day stay and now faces prosecution. A Thai national stayed just 9 days in their SHA Plus hotel before disappearing without checking out, according to Phuket Provincial Public Health Office Chief Dr Kusak Kukiattikoon. The person’s gender was not revealed, but it was…
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Bus services in and out of Phuket suspended for the next 2 weeks
For the next 2 weeks, all interprovincial bus services entering and leaving Phuket will be suspended. The move is intended to prevent the spread of Covid-19 on the island province as it reopens to travellers from overseas under the “Phuket Sandbox.” The president of the national bus service company, known in Thai as “BorKorSor,” Sanlak Panyawatthanalikit, ordered for the “temporary…
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Phang Nga and Krabi hope to re-open to foreign tourists under “Andaman Sandbox”
On August 1, the Tourism Authority of Thailand hopes to launch the “Andaman Sandbox”, allowing the southern provinces of Phang Nga and Krabi to re-open to foreign tourism. The model is similar to the Phuket Sandbox and the Samui Plus model launched earlier this month. Yuthasak Supasorn from the TAT says the Andaman Sandbox proposal goes before the Centre for…
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Baccarat bust fall out, Phuket City police under investigation
Over the weekend, an illegal game of Baccarat was busted, Now, Phuket city police are under investigation for their lack of intervention Vis-à-vis gambling in their jurisdiction. The Region 8 Police Commander, Kitrat Panpetch gave an order yesterday to transfer the 5 officials from Phuket City Police Station. They will temporarily work out of the Region 8 headquarters at a…
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Phuket officials concerned over “Sandboxers” who test positive for Covid on arrival
Out of the so-called “Sandboxers” who tested positive for Covid-19 since the Phuket reopening started on July 1, half of the infections were detected after the first test taken at the airport on arrival. The positive results conflict with the travellers’ negative results issued no more than 72 hours before departure, a requirement under the “Phuket Sandbox” model. Noticing a…
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Phuket Sandbox looking ahead to Russian, UK travellers
While the daily rollercoaster ride of the Phuket Sandbox tourist launch, with the jump from 7 to 14 days, the last-minute approval, the problems getting a Certificate of Entry, and the few cases of Covid-19 infections, it’s easy to overlook the forest for the trees. But if viewed not as a full reopening to the pre-Covid-19 heydays but rather as…
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11 new local Covid-19 infections today in Phuket
While Covid-19 infections are still relatively low in the Phuket Sandbox, especially compared to the rest of Thailand, today’s 11 infections mark the highest number of local daily infections since the Sandbox began. The Phuket Provincial Public Health Office released the figures today the bring the total number of Covid-19 infections found in the last 7 days to 42. While…
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Bars can reopen in Rawai Phuket.. but not like we hoped
The moment we have all been waiting for has finally arrived! After mounting pressure and a meeting today with Aroon Solos, the mayor of Rawai, Phuket, bars, pubs and entertainment venues will be allowed to reopen. Just without any of the things that bring customers. The mayor of Rawai met with the Muang District Chief and a select group of…
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Royal Thai Army to help tighten overland checkpoint into Phuket
Following reports of insufficient security on the land borders into Phuket, the Phuket Communicable Disease Committee made the decision to have the Royal Thai Army assist in monitoring the Phuket Checkpoint at Tha Chatchai for Covid-19 safety. There have been concerns that the land crossing into Phuket is understaffed and not secure. The committee meeting was Chaired by Phuket Governor…
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Man tries to bluff his way through Phuket checkpoint, police unravel ruse
Early yesterday morning, a man tried to bluff his way through a Phuket checkpoint by using his friend’s vaccination certificate to gain entry to the island and hopeful tourist paradigm. However, the bigger problem wasn’t that man tried to gain entry into Phuket. The bigger problem was that man already had gained entry into Phuket using this bluff. Multiple times. The…
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Travellers from “dark red” and “red” zones must be vaccinated to enter Phuket
Those who aren’t vaccinated against Covid-19, and are travelling from a “dark red” or “red” province, won’t be allowed to enter Phuket… at least for the next couple of weeks. With the rise of coronavirus infections amid the island’s reopening to foreign tourists under the “Sandbox” model, Phuket authorities are tightening restrictions to prevent the spread of the virus. From…
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Officials argue most leaving Sandbox aren’t unhappy
Nothing shows confidence more than repeatedly shouting “fake news.” But amid growing negative press regarding the Phuket Sandbox, officials find themselves continuously denying rumours that Sandbox arrivals are fleeing the island and going home unhappy. While many have left the Sandbox, more have arrived, and the government’s argument isn’t without merit as those who left the Sandbox have various reasons.…
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Phuket finds another visitor has Covid, total now stands at 7
Yesterday, another visitor to Phuket was discovered to be infected with Covid. The discovery brings Phuket’s total infected visitors to 7, says provincial public health chief Kusak Kukiatikoon, today. Dr Kusak revealed that case number 7 comes from a South African woman who is a friend of the South African man who health officials had previously determined to be infected…
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Government dismisses rumours of Phuket sandbox collapse as “fake news”
The government says the Phuket sandbox scheme is going “very well”, describing rumours of its imminent demise as, “fake news”. According to a Bangkok Post report, Thanakorn Wangboonkongchan from the Centre for Economic Situation Administration says the only thing threatening the sandbox scheme is false reporting on social media that claims the island has been ordered to close due to…
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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