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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Rawai houses flooded, crops destroyed
RAWAI: Incessant rain has left homeowners parts of Rawai scrambling to sandbag their houses while farmers scurry to save what crops they can. Prakaikhum Jeepukhum, 43, who has a 1.5-rai vegetable farm near Mimmi’s restaurant, on Saiyuan Rd, said that she had lost nearly her entire crop and that her husband and local villagers scrambled to sandbag their property line.…
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Alleged murder masterminds get bail
PHUKET TOWN: Murder suspects Wipa Jantong and her husband Sompong Jantong, charged with conspiracy to commit murder in the May 5 slaying of Prasert and Thavorn Trairat, were released from the Phuket Provincial Court Prison on Friday after posting bail of 1.5 million baht each. The couple were arrested on October 1 in front of the offices of the Phuket…
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Offshore oil plan causes alarm
KARON : A plan to unload large quantities of crude oil in the open sea north of Phuket and store it in Phang Nga has brought expressions of concern from Pamuke Achariyachai, Chairman of the Phuket Chamber of Commerce, at a meeting with senior government ministers over the weekend. But his objections may be too late. “We are afraid of…
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Patong faces anti-drugs “X-ray’
KATHU: Patong will come under “X-ray” scrutiny in the government’s current campaign to eliminate drugs, Phuket Governor CEO Udomsak Usawarangura said yesterday. Speaking at an anti-drugs concert at the Kathu District Office, the Governor said, “Phuket is moving to get rid of the 5% left [of people involved in drugs]. The marked area is Patong, where we must strictly ‘re-X-ray’.…
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All go for green in Phuket Town
PHUKET TOWN: A range of projects announced yesterday by Phuket Town Mayor Phummisak Hongsyok will add more green to the center of town. The projects include a nine-rai park, a huge canopy to cover Lan Nawamin Square, and three high-tech traffic lights to be fitted at major junctions on Mae Luan Rd. The park, already under construction on the site…
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Dulwich mulls opening school on Samui
KOH SAMUI: Dulwich International College (DIC) may open its doors on Koh Samui following a recent decision by the college’s governing body to go ahead with a feasibility study. “The study will, we hope, provide the evidence to support such a venture. The initial response from all parties has been overwhelmingly [favorable],” said DIC Headmaster, David Cook. If the study…
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Four arrested for double homicide
THALANG: Four people have been arrested in connection with the May 5 shooting murders of Prasert and Thavorn Trairat, 67-year-old parents of Thepkrasattri Mayor Prasong Trairat, at their shophouse home in Thalang. One more suspect, identified as the shooter, remains at-large. According to police sources, the hit on the elderly couple was carried out by a team of three hired…
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Third bus route under consideration
PHUKET TOWN: The town’s bus service may be expanded to include a third route, it was announced yesterday. The announcement followed the signing of a one-year extension of the contract between Andaman Trans (Thailand) and the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) to manage the OrBorJor‘s bus company. OrBorJor Deputy President Samroeng Chaisorn told the Gazette, “The bus service is going…
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Warning over forged Immigration stamps
PHUKET: The Superintendent of the Phuket Provincial Immigration Office, Pol Col Sayan Krasaesan, has warned foreigners not to use the services of companies or individuals offering immigration services. His warning comes after 12 foreigners were arrested at Sadao Immigration office and others in Bangkok for having forged entry stamps in their passports. The foreigners, including British, New Zealand and French…
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Phuket flooded in wet season washout
PHUKET: Torrential rain throughout the morning left houses on the island knee-deep in floodwater, blocked major roads, caused landslides and turned much of Phuket Town into a giant traffic jam. Metha Mekarat, Chief of the Phuket Office of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (ODPM), told the Gazette that he had received reports that 18 bungalows on low-lying land in Soi Tanod,…
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New Gov aims for transparent administration
PHUKET TOWN: Transparency in government and sorting out Phuket Town’s traffic congestion were the issues that the island’s new Governor CEO, Udomsak Usawarangkura, chose to highlight on his first day in office yesterday. Phuket needs to involve locals and visitors in an open style of government, and to ensure the safety of the four million overseas tourists who visit each…
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Underground lottery kingpins busted
PHUKET TOWN: On his first day on the job, newly-installed Phuket Provincial Police Commander Maj Gen Veerayuth Sittimalic held a press conference to announce the arrest of two women who were allegedly running an underground lottery operation. The statement was made jointly with Pol Col Paween Pongsirin, Superintendent of the Phuket Town Police. The first suspect was identified as Bunruen…
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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