Phuket News
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Special October broadcasting to honour HM Rama IX
The Government is asking television broadcasters to return to black and white and show programs about His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej during the 20 days leading up to his cremation, starting from October 1. For the duration of funerary rites, the Thai Cabinet is asking all channels to cooperate by toning down their programming – to black and white and low-key…
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“Harassment and threats” from local community – Phang Nga rape case
Latest from The Nation The family of a 15-year-old girl who was allegedly raped by more than 40 perpetrators on different occasions in Phang Nga’s Takua Thung district has reportedly faced harassment and threats from members of the local community. The Muslims for Peace Foundation, which has stepped in to aid the family, urged authorities to extend their full protection…
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Seub Nakhasathien Foundation visits Phuket’s crocodile
‘Laypang’, the 200 kilogram male crocodile from the old tin mine near Laypang Beach has been moved to a bigger rehabilitation pond today (August 5). A specialist vet has found that it’s now moving more easily in the larger enclosure while the Seub Nakhasathien Foundation paid a visit to provide some advice. The new, larger cement pond is 6×5 meters…
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Ten reef sharks found off Phuket
Blacktip reef sharks have been found in shallow water in Koh Hong area, Krabi, today (September 5). The sharks were about on metre long and weighing an estimated 10 kilograms each. They were spotted at the beach in Koh Hong where they hunt for small fish in the shallow waters. The national park officers were able to get some pictures…
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THAIGER TODAY Tuesday, September 5
Police investigating 40 men in Phang Nga village over rape case | Khao San Road vendors being moved off the footpath | 16 Thai airlines grounded | Our favorite crocodile has a name | Samui has critical rubbish problem
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40 men accused of raping 14 year old girl being investigated
Phang Nga’s Governor, Pakkapong Tawipat, has sent an investigative team to work on the rape case that happened in a village in Kokloy, Phang Nga, where a 14-year-old girl was raped by 40 local men from May to October last year. “The team is chaired by the Vice Governor, Ekkarat Leesen. We have moved the girl and her family out…
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Bang Tao crocodile has a name
After another veterinarian checkup, the saltwater crocodile found in an old tin mine near Layan and Bang Tao beaches has been named “Laypang”. Fisheries Officers visited a crocodile farm, show and zoo but haven’t found yet any record about a missing crocodile while the Marine Specialist said that this maybe the beginning of a saltwater crocodile study in Thailand. Yesterday…
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14 year old Phang Nga girl raped by 40 local men
On September 3, the mother of a 14 year-old girl from Takuatung, Phang Nga, reported to Kokloy Police that her daughter had been raped by 40 men from the same village – repeatedly from May to October last year. There are 3 men charged over the case so far. “We still can’t reveal the number of the criminals in this…
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Captured Croc isn’t eating. BKK specialist on the way.
Fisheries officers are investigating whether the captured crocodile comes from nature or was owned by an individual. After catching the crocodile spotted at Bangtao Beach on August 25 and which came from a tin mine lake near Laypang Beach, Phuket’s Governor visited the crocodile at the rehabilitation pond in Thalang. The 200-kilogram reptile still hasn’t eaten any food provided by…
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Dolphins spotted between Koh Racha and Phuket
Dolphins have been spotted by tour groups heading to Koh Racha over the weekend. On September 2, at about midday, Surachet Mitsee and many other travellers spotted dolphins swimming alongside their boat between Koh Racha Island and Coral Island. They started to see a group of 7-8 grey dolphins at about 4 nautical miles from Chalong Pier. The dolphins consist…
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Rawai thief and girlfriend to face charges
Phuket’s Police Chief has announced that the Nigerian suspect, James Chukwunweike Chijioke, the suspect for a shooting robbery in Rawai (story here https://thethaiger.com/news/suspect-arrested-shooting-robbery-rawai) will be charged with robbery and attempted murder even though he denied all the charges. The Police say they have enough evidence to prove his guilt. Following the shooting robbery in Rawai, when 52 years old Russian expat…
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DSI assisting Rawai’s Sea Gypsies with land probe
A DSI (Department of Special Investigations) team led by Deputy Director of the DSI, Pol Lt Col Prawut Wongsinil, visited the village yesterday (August 31) drawing a crowd of approximately 100 villagers. “We visited the sea gypsies today to advise them on how to present their proof in Court efficiently. If they forget or leave out some details, it can…
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THAIGER TODAY Friday, September 1
Crocodile captured after two day hunt around Bang Tao beach | Songkhla’s much BIGGER croc problem | Huge individual drug haul in Krabi valued at 100 million Baht | 459 metre tower gets Government funding | Buddhist nationalists protesting Rohingya violence | Tricks from last week’s Flow Jam event in Bangkok.
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Crocodile being cared for after two day hunt
The crocodile captured in an old tin mine behind Bang Tao beach is now kept at the Phuket Coastal Aquatic Animals Development Centre. After a veterinary check, it was found to be healthy but quite exhausted after the two day hunt. It may take few days to recover. The Head of Phuket Fisheries Office, Paiboon Bunlipatanon, says the crocodile is…
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Suspect arrested over shooting robbery in Rawai
A 27 years old Nigerian, Chijcke Jamer Hukwunwe, has been charged over the alleged shooting/robbery of Russian woman, Elena Kharenko, in Rawai on August 30. He was found in a house in Rawai at 7.30pm last night (August 31) with many valuables such as gold necklaces, watches and some cash following the investigation of CCTV footage near the crime scene.…
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Bang Tao Croc Captured. Week-long search over.
That crocodile, that was first spotted swimming off Bang Tao beach and then making its way into an old tin mine lake, has been captured after two days and two nights of hunting. The 3 metre crocodile is a salt water crocodile, originally thought to be a fresh water croc. Headed by the Phuket Fisheries Office, croc experts and local…
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Phuket drownings – The Facts
In the first eight months of 2017 there have been 294 rescues recorded around Phuket’s beaches patrolled with surf lifeguards on duty. Of these, 265 have been foreigners and the remainder Thai locals. The good news is that these numbers are trending a lot lower than 2016. Last year there were 761 rescues recorded in the full 12 months. In…
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Crocodile – 1. Crocodile Hunters – Nil.
This afternoon (August 31), the croc-hunting team corralled for the search failed to capture the rascally reptile. The team includes Fisheries Officers, crocodile catchers from Surat Thani and experienced staff from Phuket Crocodile World. The team brought 4 rafts to chase the crocodile to where the nets were placed. However, the team failed as the crocodile dived 8-9 meters deep…
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100 million Baht drug bust. Krabi’s biggest drug network.
45 year old Somporn Ratchapibun, from Surat Thani, has been arrested with the enormous haul of 486,000 amphetamine pills and 10 kilograms of meth amphetamine. The whole lot has a combined value of more than 100 million Baht. He was arrested at a rented house in Krabi with 3 mobiles phones and a Toyota Vios car. Police found drugs hidden…
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Progress on shooting/robbery of Russian woman in Rawai
Police report that they’ve learned that the two thieves used a car to commit the crime on Tuesday night. The car was parked 100 metres away from the house where they robbed and shot Russian expat, Elena Kharenko. However, the color, brand and plate number hasn’t yet been ascertained. The Chief of Region 8 Police, Maj. Gen. Pawat Prommakrit, has…
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Phuket’s Croc Hunters
A hunting team spotted the crocodile in an old tin mine lake near Laypang Beach yesterday afternoon (August 30). The 50-rai lake is located about 300 meters from where the crocodile was spotted earlier. Initially, a team from Thalang District Office was placed to block the crocodile from swimming out of the lake. At about 8.00 pm, a “crocodile whisperer”…
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“It’s a freshwater crocodile”. The latest from the Fisheries Office Chief
Freshwater crocodile in Australia’s Northern Territory. Photo: abc.net.au Phuket’s Fisheries Office believes that the crocodile spotted in Bangtao Beach is a freshwater crocodile which can only live in salt water for a few days and they assume that it comes from a tin mine lake in the nearby area. Governor Plodthong, along with the Head of the Phuket Office of Fisheries, Paiboon Bunlipatanon,…
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Two million Baht worth of drugs off the streets
A 43 year-old man from Phatthalung, Preecha “Ann” Utapala, was arrested in his house in Phuket with almost 4,000 amphetamine pills and one kilogram of meth amphetamine with an estimated market value of over 2 million Baht. With police reporting that drug trading volume in Phuket remains high, undercover police continue to investigate all the drug dealer networks. Preecha was…
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THAIGER TODAY Wednesday, August 30
UK National Crime Authority under fire for leaking sensitive information during Koh Tao murder investigation | More about THAT crocodile | Thai PM doesn’t believe Yingluck is seeking asylum in the UK | Man caught with 400,000 Baht value of stolen goods in Thalang | Fake goods raid on beach road in Patong
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3,000 items snared in Patong counterfeit crackdown
A 33 year old Burmese man, Dam Bha Du and a 34 year old Vietnamese, Lam, have been arrested with a total of 3,000 counterfeit items from Patong. Following a report that a large number of counterfeit goods were being sold in Soi Kebsup on Taweewong Rd, a taskforce led by Phuket’s Governor, the ECD Police force and the Commander-in-Chief…
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Phuket Fisheries Department to survey crocodile location on Bang Tao
Thalang Fisheries Officers commented on the incident when two locals spotted a crocodile in the Bang Tao beach area, off the Movenpick Resort. He said the reptile are likely to have come from the neighbouring provinces as Phuket was never a natural breeding ground for crocodiles. Another similar reptile was spotted last year. “There was a report from a local…
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Fixing Phuket’s coral. Restoration projects around Phuket
For the past few years the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources – Phuket Office has been working on the construction and installation of artificial reefs around the island. Two main areas have been selected, Koh Racha Yai (Bay3) and Koh Mai Thon. The project consists of placing construction blocks on the seabed in order to provide ‘pads’ on which…
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THAIGER TODAY Tuesday, August 29
Interpol been alerted over arrest of Yingluck Shinawatra | Two tech colleges in Bangkok closed because of student attacks | Thailand’s cleanest beaches. Is Phuket on the list? | Interpol looking out for Boss, the Red Bull heir | Thepa power plant gets EIS go-ahead.
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Robber caught with a long list of items worth 400,000 Baht
This morning (August 29), a Ratchaburi man, Pinit ‘Nit’ Tuihun was arrested by Phuket police after robbing several houses in Thalang and the Phuket Town area. He was also found in possession of drugs. 52 items, worth about 400,000 Baht, stolen from houses across Phuket, were found inside Pinit’s house in Srisunthorn subdistrict, in Thalang, including 8 televisions, 5 notebook…
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Immediate attention to Phuket’s worst flood areas
Patong’s Mayor has announced, what she hopes are, solutions to the recurrent floods and set a budget to solve the problems in the long term. As Patong is one of the areas that always suffers from the flood on the island, the Mayor, Chalermluck Kebsup, said that she has surveyed several spots in Patong and can now specify the actual…
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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