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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Immigration to close during holidays
PHUKET TOWN: The Phuket Provincial Immigration Office (PPIO) has issued a reminder to foreigners that it will be closed during three coming public holidays. Pol Capt Krissarat Nusen said that if a foreigner’s scheduled visit to the PPIO fell on a public holiday, he or she could visit on the next working day without penalty – “but only on that…
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Plis Play takes line honors in King’s Cup
PHUKET: The first race in the 17th Phuket King’s Cup Regatta started with good winds gusting up to 15 knots when the action got underway off Kata Beach today. Under overcast skies with some rain the night before, racing started in good winds which hung around during the early afternoon instead of dropping off early, as in past regattas. Race…
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Phuket and Andamans sign memorandum
KATA: The Phuket Chamber of Commerce has signed a memorandum of understanding to develop trade links with its counterpart from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the Andaman Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The agreement is supported by the two associations’ respective governments, but comes over objections by some Port Blair-based NGOs that fear improved links could introduce social vices to…
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Illegal guns trigger 10 arrests
PHUKET: Although Phuket residents still have until December 15 to turn in illegal firearms without fear of prosecution, crime statistics from Phuket Provincial Police show that 10 arrests on charges of illegal gun possession were made between November 1 and November 25. And even though the province was declared drug-free on Loy Kratong Day – November 8 – there were…
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Planet’s purple people in a spin
PHUKET TOWN: Police raided the newly-opened Planet Concert Hall disco in Phuket Town soon after midnight on November 29 and checked revelers for drugs and proper ID cards. Ten of the 486 people at the disco on Weerapong-Hongyok Rd tested positive when their urine samples turned purple and will be required to check with police in 10 days when the…
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Police hit underground lottery vendors
PHUKET TOWN: Seven vendors of underground lottery tickets were arrested on Friday, and 17,680 baht cash, a number of illegal lottery tickets and ticket sales records were seized. Masquerading as punters, officers led by Phuket Provincial Security Affairs Chief Nikorn Torhiranyapreuk bought tickets from the vendors between noon to 4 pm, then turned around and arrested them. K. Nikorn named…
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Australian wins Laguna Triathlon
CHERNG TALAY: Simon Thompson from Canberra, Australia, has won this year’s Laguna Phuket Traithlon in 2 hours, 35 minutes and 15 seconds. It was the 25-year-old Australian’s first appearance in the event, though he already has a significant international profile, having won the French Grand Prix and the ITU Hokkaido in Japan in 2001 and the ITU Luxembourg last year.…
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Phuket roads ‘getting safer’
PHUKET TOWN: More than 500 motorbike riders turned up at Saphan Hin yesterday to pick up free crash helmets and listen to a road safety speech given by Deputy Transport Minister Nikorn Chamnong. The event was part of a government “Turn on your light, put on your helmet” campaign to increase road safety awareness in the 20 provinces with the…
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Ammunition found in toilet
PHUKET TOWN: One hundred rounds of assault-rifle ammunition and two mortar rounds were found hidden in the ceiling of the toilet of a home in Phuket Town yesterday. The house owner, Somkid Khunsang, 35, reported the finding to the police and believes that the munitions, discovered by a plumber, were left by previous occupiers. K. Somkid told the Gazette that…
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Jet-ski crash kills second tourist
PATONG: A young Swedish tourist was killed in a jet-ski crash off Patong yesterday – almost exactly one month after the death of a 13-year-old German prompted officials to decide they must take steps to prevent more fatalities in the wildcat jet-ski rental industry. But proposed action to rid the island of unregistered jet-skis and strictly control legitimate beachside operators…
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Holiday moved from this year to next
THAILAND: The Cabinet has declared January 2 next year a special holiday for government employees, but New Year’s Eve, December 31, will be a working day, a government spokesperson said yesterday. The switch in holdays allows state employees to enjoy a long weekend from January 1 to January 4. The Bank of Thailand had also directed banks to operate on…
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Road safety crackdown for New Year
PHUKET: The Governor of Phuket, Udomsak Usawarangkura, has anounced plans for a police crackdown to reduce road accidents over the New Year holiday period from December 29 to January 4. A death toll of zero for Phuket is the aim following a campaign last New Year that saw three die on the roads, with 400 injured. At checkpoints around the…
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Police target teenage gangs
PHUKET TOWN: In a move to improve public safety, police have launched a campaign targeting wayward youngsters, with special attention being given to teenage gangs. Phuket Provincial Police Commander Maj Gen Veerayuth Sittimalic told the Gazette today that the crackdown began two weeks ago with after-dark patrols at Saphan Hin, long a hotspot for teenage gang violence. He explained that…
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“Troublemaker’ found drowned
PATONG : The body of a drowning victim discovered 70 meters off Patong Beach on Sunday morning has been identified by police as that of 42-year-old German national Jürgen Schweiker. Mr Schweiker’s body was discovered by a local jet-ski operator, still clutching one of a string of floats used to demarcate the swimming area along the beach. Pol Lt Col…
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2,000 join mass dance
PHUKET TOWN: A sea of yellow shirts filled Surakul Stadium yesterday as 2,000 people in Phuket joined in with the nationwide “Yellow Shirt Power Dancing 2003” event. More than 8.2 million people around the country took part in the fun, aimed at persuading people to exercise for at least 30 minutes every day. The activities began at 2 pm with…
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Immigration warning over 90-day reporting
PHUKET TOWN: An Immigration official has advised foreigners holding any type of one-year visa extension that they must visit their local Immigration office every 90 days to confirm their identity and address – or face a 2,000 baht fine. “You will not be charged a fee for registering but you will be fined if you are late,” Capt Krissarat Nusen…
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“OTOP’ sales to get boost in Phuket
PHUKET TOWN: The provincial government has announced that work on a 1.4-million-baht packaging factory for goods produced under the “One Tambon One Product” (OTOP) scheme is almost complete. The facility, located in an existing building that has been extensively renovated, occupies a 150-square-wah site next to Kathu District Offices. Suthep Wuthisak, Chief of the Phuket Provincial Development Office, told the…
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Judges order Patong mayor to step down
PATONG: Chalermsak Maneesri was today ordered to step down as Mayor of Patong after two Provincial Court judges found that allegations of cheating in Patong Municipality elections in November last year were proven. Visawa Sasismith, Phuket’s Deputy Governor (Palad), told the Gazette that the court handed down its decision this morning. The judges ordered that a new election be held…
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Angry islanders in Phi Phi protest
PHI PHI: Boats to this tourist hotspot stopped running for about seven hours today after some 300 angry people assembled at the island’s pier, blocking incoming and outgoing traffic. The mob were protesting against an order to use a new pier in Krabi, three kilometers away from the old one in Krabi Town. They argued that it was too far…
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Lucky draw settles election recount
THALANG: Yongyut Kongsorn was convinced that the counting of votes in the election in Moo 6, Tambon Sri Soontorn, for two seats on the Tambon Administration Organization (OrBorTor) was inaccurate. The result had been very close. According to the initial count after the poll on August 30, Olarn Krailert came first with 119 votes, followed by Trairong Khamwiset with 118…
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Violin karaoke faces the music
PHUKET TOWN: A 3 am swoop by police on the Violin karaoke bar on Phang Nga Rd on Saturday netted seven ‘VIP’ patrons and six hostesses drinking after hours. Officers found the after-hours party padlocked behind reinforced doors, front and rear. It took them an hour to saw through the locks. The 13 people arrested, who were each fined 100…
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International help to improve air and water
PHUKET TOWN: The city of Boston, Massachusetts, and Phuket Town will cooperate in efforts to reduce air pollution, Phuket Town Mayor Phummisak Hongsyok announced yesterday. The mayor made his announcement after returning from the World Congress of the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives held in Athens, Greece, earlier this month. At the convention, 502 people from 68 countries discussed…
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Cabinet approves zero import duty on boats
BANGKOK: The Cabinet today approved the axing of the 30% import duty on boats brought into Thailand for either commercial or personal use, but have yet to set a date for introducing the zero rate. The announcement follows expectations among the local boating community that the tax would be dropped by the end of the year, and just 11 days…
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Cannabis bust at Heroines’ Monument
THALANG: Police manning a checkpoint at the Heroines’ Monument arrested a man in the early hours of Sunday after finding 100 grams of cannabis resin on his person. Kanchanaburi-born Monsit Mapiyaphan, 31, aroused the interest of officers after he got off the back of a friend’s motorcycle and tried to walk past the checkpoint. Pol Lt Col Chanuchan Pongsuwat, Inspector…
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Zero boat tax tomorrow? No, say officials
PHUKET TOWN: Phuket Provincial Excise Office Chief Narong Sri Chakorn today dispelled rumors that the excise tax on imported yachts would drop to zero tomorrow. “The process is still awaiting Cabinet approval,” K. Narong said. “So far, there have been no decisions made and no regulations have been changed.” An officer at the Ministry of Finance, who asked not to…
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Buddha image construction on hold
KARON: Construction of the giant Buddha image on Royal Forest Department (RFD) land high in the Nakkerd Hills in Tambon Karon has been temporarily halted while various government agencies review the project to ensure that it complies with the law. Achira Na Nakorn, head of the RFD regional office in Nakhon Sri Thammarat, told the Gazette, “We have ordered a…
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Drive to legalize “black’ taxis
PHUKET TOWN: The Phuket Provincial Transportation Office (PPTO) expects 50 to 100 drivers to register their vehicles as private metered taxis in the coming month. Teerayuth Prasertphol, Deputy Chief of the PPTO, told the Gazette that he expected the cabs to come from among the 800 or so “black” taxis currently operating illegally in Phuket. Once the registration period is…
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Senators check Bang Tao land “abuses’
CHERNG TALAY: The probe into land titles in Phuket, which recently went quiet in the run-up to the Apec summit meeting in Bangkok, reopened dramatically today with accusations of misuse of former tin mine concessions along Bang Tao Beach. Members of the Governmental Land Inspection Working Group (GLIWG), a self-appointed committee of senators led by Sen Pricha Pitanon, Vice-Chairman of…
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Long-necked Karens banned
PHUKET TOWN: The provincial government has banned businesses from bringing long-necked Karen people to stay in the province following reports that a well-known local businessman was planning to use the refugees to make money in the tourism industry. Lertkiat Vongpuaphan, Chief of the Phuket Provincial Governor’s Office, told the Gazette yesterday that existing regulations make it impossible to employ long-necked…
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Patong beautification an ugly mess
PATONG: Hotels and other businesses in Phuket’s capital of fun, having battled their way through the effects of the Bali bombing and the Sars epidemic, are now viewing with despair another deterrent to tourists. The deterrent this time is of local origin – a “beautification program” which has the beachfront looking like Sarajevo at the height of the Balkans war.…
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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