Phuket News
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One arrested, one on the run in B1.2mn Phuket drug bust
PHUKET: Police seized more than 300g of ya ice (crystal methamphetamine), a bomb and car from a rented room in Patong today. One suspect was arrested while another is on the run. The bust was conducted at Phra Metta Road and the haul was valued at 1.2 million baht. “We received complaints from locals that a woman named Urai Haha,…
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Brunei minister unveils new mosque in Phuket
PHUKET: Brunei’s Interior Minister visited Phuket to officially launch a new mosque at Saphan Ruam in Rassada yesterday. “It is a great pleasure to welcome Minister Pehin Seri Kerna Dato H Abu Baker as a special guest. The building is sponsored by Brunei officials and others,” said Kitti Islam, a member of the Phuket Islamic Council. Mr Kitti revealed that…
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British expat believed to have died of electrocution in Phuket
PHUKET: Officials have been instructed to examine a power pole that may have electrocuted and caused the death of a British expat at his house yesterday afternoon. “We received reports of the incident in Rawai and went there to investigate further. At the scene, we found the unconscious body of Paul Wilkinson, 55,” said Lt Col Kanan Somrak of Chalong…
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Woman escapes injury after vehicle catches fire in Phuket
PHUKET: A Phang Nga woman escaped injury after her car caught fire in Phuket yesterday afternoon. Thalang Police officers received a report of a burning vehicle at the Mud Dok Khao-Nai Yang junction. “Weeraya Thitiwanna, 34, had just driven from Phang Nga to Phuket when her car started smoking and caught fire,” said Capt Chatree Chuwichian of Thalang Police. “She…
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Nine-year-old survives Phuket fire
PHUKET: A young boy escaped a fire that gutted his house on Tuesday morning near the Rajabhat Junction in Phuket Town. The fire caused at least 300,000 baht worth of damages, while the 9-year-old sustained minor injuries. “At about 9:30am, we received reports of a single story house on fire about 20 meters away from local Member of Parliment (MP)…
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Ex-Gov Chokchai bids farewell to Phuket after transfer order
PHUKET: Ex-Phuket Governor Chokchai Dejamornthan released a statement yesterday acknowledging and confirming his transfer to Bangkok. Governor Chokchai is among other high ranking officials slated for immediate transfers, and will be working as a ‘Special Inspector’ in Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha’s office. (story here). He was welcomed to the island with open arms and a barrage of supporters in September…
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Rawai residents battle floods after heavy rains
PHUKET: Rawai residents have gone into recovery mode after heavy rains in the area caused flooding yesterday afternoon. Inhabitants of the sea gypsy village in Moo 2 helped each other to transport their belongings to higher ground. “The water is about 20-50cm deep on the roads within a 100 meter radius. A number of vehicles were stranded and at least…
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Chinese tourist dies after photo attempt
KRABI: A Chinese tourist drowned on Tuesday after attempting to take underwater photos at a national park in Krabi. At about 4pm, Jampen Pormpakdee, chief of the Koh Hong protection zone at Than Bok Khorani National Park, and lifeguards recovered 31-year-old Wang Xitiang, administered CPR, and transferred her to Krabi Hospital. “I heard shouts for help and found Ms Xitiang…
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Organizers, athletes celebrate close of Phuket off road triathlon
PHUKET: Athletes, families and friends came together at Layan Beach on Saturday for the ‘Xterra Off Road Triathlon and Trail Run’ organized by Active Management Asia (AMA) and Xterra Thailand. More than 350 athletes participated in six events, including triathlons, duathlons and trail runs. Winners of each event are as follows: Xterra Phuket Individual Triathlon Standard 1. Kieran McPherson (New…
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Laguna Phuket extends deadline on charity concert refund
PHUKET: Ticket holders for the Laguna Phuket ‘Big Body+ Charity Concert’ scheduled to be held on August 13, 2016 (story here) have been given an extended deadline to claim ticket refunds, until May 1, 2017. Laguna had previously announced, in September and December last year, that those who wished a full refund, or to contribute the amount toward donations to…
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Birthday-boy survives near-fatal Phuket crash
PHUKET: A local man celebrating his birthday was severely injured after his car collided with a construction barrier early this morning. Police received reports of the incident in front of the Great Glove factory on Si Sunthon road in Thalang at about 2am. “We arrived at the scene to find a badly damaged pick-up truck. The 37-year-old driver, Maysa Tongjub,…
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Officials to examine disputed Phuket elephant’s documents
PHUKET: Ao Nang Police yesterday visited a shelter in Phuket to sequester a disputed elephant currently housed there. Last month, Krabi resident Somsak Riangnguen claimed that the elephant (named ‘Yo’) was stolen from him 14 years ago (story here), whereas the shelter claims they purchased the animal from Tak Province. The shelter, named ‘Amazing Bukit Safari’, is located in Chalong.…
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Phuket Municipality brings in 150,000 baht at fishing festival
PHUKET: The Phuket Municipality Office hosted the 8th annual Fishing festival yesterday afternoon, raking in about 150,000 baht for shrine renovation and supporting education. Phuket City Mayor Somjai Suwansupana chaired the event, which took place at 4 pm at the Prince Chumphon Khet Udomsak Shrine in Saphan Hin. She also helped cook food to be distributed at the festival. “The…
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Swedish tourist dead at Phuket hotel after injury
PHUKET: A Swedish tourist succumbed to unidentified health issues in a Patong hotel room yesterday. “We arrived at the 4th floor room in the Patong Merlin hotel room to find the body of the 27-year-old woman on the bed. There were vomit stains on the bed and blanket,” said Lt Col Somsak Thongleang of Patong Police. According to the woman’s…
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Phuket bar fight ends in fatal stabbing, killer arrested
PHUKET: A man was stabbed to death by a fellow staff member at a Phuket Town bar early yesterday morning. “We found the body of Srichan Intaburi, 48 at a bar named Cowboy Pue Chiwit on Surin Road, with knife wounds to his chest and stomach. He was lying face up on the kitchen floor in a pool of blood,”…
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Ghost riding Phuket motorcyclist killed in collision with British woman
PHUKET: A 62-year-old motorcyclist was killed in a collision with a car driven by a 31-year-old British woman in Thalang last night. “The accident occurred at about 9:05pm on Thepkrasattri Road (southbound) near the Shell gas station in Thalang. At the scene, we found the body of Pongsak Sripuek lying face down on the ground. His arms and legs were…
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Decaying body found in Phuket
PHUKET: An unidentified rotting corpse has been found at Khao Rang this afternoon. Capt Udom Petcharat of Phuket City Police along with officers and rescue workers arrived at a forest pond in the area to find the body floating in the water. “Chinese people normally bury their ancestors’ bodies here. We can’t tell whether it is male or female due…
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Australian tourist, 49, dies in Phuket truck collision
PHUKET: Police have yet to press any charges in the death of a 49-year-old Australian tourist who was killed after his bike crashed into a cement truck near Tri Trang Beach last night. “We found the victim’s body partially stuck under the wheel of the truck and covered in blood. A Honda Click motorbike, helmet and phone were lying nearby,”…
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Russian expat arrested for property fraud in Phuket
PHUKET: The Immigration Police on Wednesday arrested a Russian expat wanted for property fraud in Phuket. The police team, led by Col Guntapat Phongsathabodee, arrested Matvey Shuvalov at his house in Cherng Talay. An arrest warrant for Mr Shuvalov was issued by Interpol in July last year for allegedly scamming Russian buyers out of US$248,000 for the purchase of 200…
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Phuket taxi driver returns British tourists’ purse
PHUKET: Two British tourists rejoiced last night after a taxi driver reunited them with their lost purse containing 70,000 baht. “Danny Kevin Chay Mackney and April Claire Cush called on the Tourist Police helpline (1155) yesterday afternoon, after they realized that they had forgotten their purse in the taxi they had taken from the Merlin Hotel to the Phuket Town…
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Emergency tsunami, fire drill held in Phuket
PHUKET: An earthquake and fire drill was organized in Phuket this morning. “At 10am, we simulated an 8.9 richter earthquake in Sumatra, Indonesia, which is 1,097 kilometers away from Phuket. We then waited for a tsunami warning from the National Disaster Warning Center,” said Phuket Vice Governor Sanith Sriwihok. All relevant officers were instructed to warn locals and be ready…
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Phuket police officer transferred after allegations of threats and bribes
PHUKET: An ex-Patong Police major is under investigation after Prime Minister Gen Prayuth Chan-o-Cha ordered his transfer to Phuket Provincial Police. Gen Prayuth told media in Bangkok on Tuesday that he had received a complaint regarding the officer from a local. Phuket Provincial Police Commander Teerapol Thipjaroen told the Phuket Gazette that Maj Thanturong Wuthiwong was the officer in question,…
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Chinese pilot in ICU after being hit by a car in Phuket
PHUKET: A Chinese national was seriously injured after he was hit by a car while trying to get away from soi dogs in the road in Thalang last night. “The accident occurred at about 7:40pm. We received a report of the crash near Mission Hills Phuket Golf Club Resort and Spa. We found the victim, Xing Chen, 27, lying on…
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Thousands pawn valuables to cover back-to-school costs in Phuket
PHUKET: The Phuket City Municipality Pawn Shop has kept 80 million baht in stock in anticipation of the start of the school term, during which time thousands of people come in to pledge their belongings in return for cash to meet everyday expenses. The municipality has also reduced the interest on loans to help the public. “We will propose keeping…
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Angry German charged in Phuket for running red light, tossing car keys
PHUKET: An indignant German woman was arrested this morning after she ran a red light and threw the keys to her BMW on the roof of a house near Chalong Circle. Lt Thanakrit Iemchonkham of Chalong Police received reports of the incident at about 10am. “We were told that the driver of a BMW X1 SUV ran a red light…
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Thanyapura, Sports Camp Australia to organize sporting programs in Phuket
PHUKET: The Thanyapura Health & Sports Resort has partnered with Sports Camp Australia (SCA) to organize interschool games and sporting programs. Nearly 20,000 parents, students, supporters and coaches from Australasia are expected to participate, generating more than 40,000 room nights for Phuket. Fifty per cent of the room nights will be spread out among other resorts in the area. “Thanyapura…
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Diving instructor, company to face charges
PHUKET: Officers from the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) yesterday filed a complaint at Chalong Police Station against a diving company and instructor for allowing tourists to step on coral at Koh Racha Yai. A social media user who calls himself ‘Seaman Freeman’ captured and uploaded pictures of dive company activities that included two Korean tourists and a…
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Two injured in four-vehicle Phuket crash
PHUKET: Two people were injured in a four-vehicle crash in Cherng Talay yesterday afternoon. Facebook user ‘Tan Promedic Phuket’ posted a 32-second video clip of the accident, which occurred at a traffic light near Laguna Phuket. The video shows a speeding van losing control, crossing over into the other lane and hitting a pick-up truck coming from the opposite side.…
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Body of fishing boat crew member brought to Phuket
PHUKET: The body of an Indonesian crew member working on a tuna fishing boat was finally brought to Phuket on Saturday, five days after the victim passed away on board. “The boat docked at the sea port in Wichit. Inside the cold storage room, we found the body of Ali Hariyadi, 45, covered by a piece of cloth,” said Lt…
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Gamblers arrested in undercover Phuket raid
PHUKET: Fifteen suspects were arrested with more than 45,000 baht in cash for gambling at a sleeping restaurant in Wichit yesterday. “The restaurant, named ‘Eat and Sleep’, is located in Soi Wirat Hongyok. The suspects were caught in the act while playing a popular local game called ‘gung-pla’ (shrimp-fish),” said Lt Col Patak Kwanna of Wichit Police. Undercover officers went…
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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