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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Police commander assures island safety amid foiled gang plot
PHUKET: Local officials are assuring the island’s safety after a member of the gang that attempted to rob a Bangkok gun shop revealed that the weapons may have been destined for either Chiang Mai or Phuket. Phuket Provincial Police Deputy Commander Peerayuth Karajedee this morning reaffirmed that all necessary security measures were already in place on the island. “We have…
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Public asked not to rely on social media for tsunami warnings
PHUKET: Officials are warning the public not to rely too heavily on social media when it comes to earthquake and tsunami warnings. There are currently 40 seismometers throughout the Kingdom, which alert the National Disaster Warning Center (NDWC) in Bangkok of any seismic activity in the area, confirmed Deputy Director-General of the Meteorological Department Burin Wechbunthung. “The NDWC evaluates data…
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Experts unable to confirm species of Kata jellyfish
PHUKET: A Phuket diver photographed what he believed to be a box jellyfish while diving off of Kata Beach last Sunday. The photo was supplied to the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) Region 5 by Kanawut Krongraksa, who spotted the creature at a depth of about eight meters. However, experts have yet to confirm the exact species. “I…
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Blood donations flow in for injured American teacher
PHUKET: At least 20 people have donated blood following an urgent call this morning for O-negative blood for an American woman requiring emergency surgery after a road accident, confirmed the Phuket Regional Blood Center (story here). “Chonita Michelle Cleary, 24, and two of her friends – who declined to be named – were involved in a collision with a taxi…
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Open-air cinema part of Boat Lagoon Lighthouse Market tonight, tomorrow
PHUKET: It’s another day of perfect weather in Phuket, so grab your family and friends and head over to the Phuket Lighthouse Market at Boat Lagoon for an evening of eating, chilling and shopping. To keep the air buzzing, there will be a medley of music at 6pm starting with pop music, and then taking it down a notch hour…
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Governor’s ‘dream road’ one step closer to reality
PHUKET: Plans for the multi-billion baht ‘dream road’ project that will connect Sakoo and Koh Kaew are now being drawn up by consulting firms, confirmed Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada. The 15-month design contract between the Department of Highways, MAA Consultants Co Ltd and Pre Development Consultant Co Ltd was signed in late January. Governor Chamroen revealed the plans Wednesday morning,…
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Suspected teenage arsonists allegedly burn Phuket motorbike
PHUKET: Police are tracking down suspected teenage arsonists wanted for allegedly setting fire to a motorbike Wednesday evening in Phuket Town. The motorbike, belonging to a 25-year-old Myanmar national, named only as Musor, was completely destroyed, confirmed Lt Col Chana Suthimas of the Phuket City Police. “Locals told officers that they saw about four or five teenagers sitting near the…
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Urgent: Blood needed to save American, 24
PHUKET: The Phuket Regional Blood Center (PRBC) has issued an urgent call for O-negative blood to save the life of a 24-year-old American woman involved in a road accident in Phuket. “The patient is being treated at Bangkok Hospital Phuket,” said PRBC Chief Pornthip Rattajak. “They have completed one operation. However, more blood is needed for a second one.” Only…
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Phi Phi Island releases 83% wastewater untreated
PHUKET: About 83 per cent of wastewater on the popular tourist island of Phi Phi Don is flowing directly into the ocean untreated, confirmed officials today. A stink about the untreated wastewater was raised after it was revealed that about 1,800 cubic meters of wastewater was produced on the island each day, but only 300 cubic meters could be handled…
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Plans for Koh Kaew pedestrian bridge on hold
PHUKET: Plans to build a pedestrian bridge at the ever-busy Koh Kaew intersection have been put on hold, confirmed a Highways Department official on Tuesday. Italian-Thai Development Co Ltd, the construction company currently developing the Bang Khu underpass, was originally slated to build the pedestrian bridge on the north side of the junction’s traffic lights. “However, the Koh Kaew Tambon…
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Navy officer charged for armed bank robbery in Phuket Town
PHUKET: Police arrested a Royal Thai Navy officer yesterday for the armed robbery of a Phuket Town bank. The suspect, petty officer Sahapracha Chadawong, allegedly made off with about 470,000 baht from the Krungthai Bank branch on Sakdidet Road on Friday afternoon (story here). After threatening a bank teller with a firearm and exiting the building, the suspect fired one…
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International teams prepare for 2016 Samui Regatta
SAMUI: Boat owners and sailors throughout Asia and the world have the 2016 Samui Regatta firmly marked on their calendars, as boats ranging in size from 23 to 72 feet head to Thailand’s second largest island to compete in the event’s 15th edition. The marine event, which sees the finale of the AsianYachting Grand Prix Championship, will be held at…
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Governor turns up the heat on drug-pushers in Kathu
PHUKET: Drug dealers and users in Kathu are feeling the heat with the latest crackdown ordered by the Phuket governor, who is on a mission to clean up the district. There are drug dealers at large and addicts that need to be cured, said Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada at the Kathu District Office yesterday. The governor also joined law enforcement…
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Airport-to-Patong speedboat shuttle service passes EIA
PHUKET: The proposed project to offer a speedboat shuttle service from Phuket International Airport to Patong has passed the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), confirmed the governor today. “We are glad to have the support of the central government for the ‘From the Boat to the Plane’ project,” said Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada. “It’s an excellent idea as an alternative transport…
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Phuket flyover project racks up huge fines, opens this month
PHUKET: After suffering months of daily 200,000-baht fines, the construction company of the highly anticipated Klong Koh Pee Flyover will have the project ready to present to the public for the grand opening on April 6. “Locals have been waiting a long time for this project, which has been named ‘Thep Srisin Bridge’,” explained Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada during an…
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A Decade Ago: Jet-ski and guide woes
PHUKET: There is a reason that old-dog expats are jaded and sound like MP3 players with less than half a dozen songs playing on shuffle. That’s because, like it or not, they’ve seen the mangling and crushing of that beautiful idea us newbies to the island think will be the catalyst for ‘real’ change. When it comes to what have…
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Nok Air flights to resume normal schedules
PHUKET: After the cancellation of more than 100 flights since February 23, Nok Air has confirmed that all flight routes will be running back on schedule starting March 11. February 23 saw the airline cancelling 20 flights, which has been followed by the cancellation of 10 flights per day since, reported The Nation. The airline has been in the process…
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Five days adrift: foreigners rescued from sailing yacht
PHUKET: The Royal Thai Navy (RTN) on Sunday assisted with the rescue of four foreigners who had been adrift at sea on a damaged sailing yacht for five days. The Canadian and British sailors were aboard the Malaysian-flagged yacht Kiss when the engine stopped working. Shortly thereafter, the lead mast on the boat cracked, followed by the sail ripping after…
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Foreigners suspected of vandalizing iconic Phuket locations
PHUKET: Police are hunting two foreigners suspected of tagging numerous scenic and iconic locations in Phuket with graffiti, following a burst of outrage on social media. “We are aware of the situation and are working on co-ordinating our efforts with other police stations on the island,” said Tah Chat Chai Police Superintendent Somchai Sanprasert. “There are photos of two foreign…
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American found dead in Phuket villa
PHUKET: Police do not suspect foul play in the death of an American expat who was found dead in his Rawai villa yesterday afternoon. “Stephen Francis Emma, 60, was discovered by his gardener,” said Capt Wuttiwat Liang-boonjinda of the Chalong Police. “Mr Emma last spoke to his gardener on Friday when he told him that he went to the pharmacy…
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Light rail plans revised amid safety concerns
PHUKET: Plans for Phuket’s multi-billion-baht light rail project are being revised again to ensure better safety for motorists using the roads running alongside the proposed track routes, it was announced last week. The Highways Department, under the Ministry of Transport, has requested that the Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning (OTPP) modify the numerous level crossings planned along…
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Bus driver, allegedly on drugs, injures 20 students
PHANG NGA: A bus driver transporting tour guide students is suspected of being high on drugs when he lost control of his vehicle, flipping it and slamming into trees on the roadside. The bus was carrying 35 students from Far Eastern University in Chiang Rai on their way to participate in a training course for tour guides in Phuket, Phang…
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“We’re not mafia,’ say Phuket taxi drivers
PHUKET: Phuket taxi drivers denied any mafia behavior, or association with any mafia organizations, at a meeting with Dussadee Arayawuthi, deputy permanent secretary for the Justice Ministry, on Friday. Kata-Karon taxi drivers joined beach vendors and other locals airing their grievances at the meeting at Phuket Provincial Hall. “We were following the established rules. We don’t understand why we are…
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Phuket Zoo stonewalls orangutan investigators
PHUKET: Phuket Zoo management is stonewalling officials investigating the case of Milo, a 13-year-old orangutan. “The Zoo manager, Surapong Chanthaweewong, has refused to answer any questions with regard to how the orangutan was obtained, cared for, or ‘released into the wild’,” said Piyawat Sukhon, chief of the Khao Phra Thaeo Non-hunting Zone. “He simply told us that we should continue…
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Tourist drowns in Karon
PHUKET: Lifeguards pulled the body of a tourist from the waters off Karon yesterday. “I saw the man floating face down about 100 meters from the swimming area,” said lifeguard Mongkol Tanpisamai. “We immediately dispatched a rescue boat to retrieve him. We provided CPR – however, I’m certain he was dead when we pulled him from the water.” Though the…
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Aussie expat adventurer undertakes record-setting row across Atlantic
PHUKET: Australian head coach at Phuket’s Unit 27, Luke Richmond, has joined a team of three extraordinary adventurers as they attempt to set a Guinness World Record by rowing more than 6,000km of open sea, travelling from Portugal to Brazil. Mr Richmond – already in peak condition from incorporating a NeuroPhysics training program from Ken Ware into his weekly schedule…
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Justice Ministry promises probe Phuket vendors’ grievances
PHUKET: About 300 Karon residents and business operators crowded into a meeting room at Phuket Provincial Hall Friday morning to air their grievances about beach regulations. Karon Beach vendors told Dussadee Arayawuthi, deputy permanent secretary of the Justice Ministry, that they were badly affected by the beach regulating policies implemented within the past two years. “Look at Pattaya, where beach…
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Video Report: Orangutan saved, new laws needed
PHUKET: Last week’s rescue of the Phuket Zoo orangutan, Milo, led to a firestorm of social and political activity bolstering efforts to close legal loopholes abused by exotic animal traders in Thailand. An amendment to the Wildlife Preservation and Protection Act BE 2535 (1992) that will require those who posses animals named on the Convention on International Trade in Endangered…
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Enraged elephant kills mahout at trekking camp
KRABI: An enraged bull elephant stomped his mahout to death at a trekking camp in Ao Nang on Saturday. The 12-year-old male elephant named ‘Plai Sridor Nakorn’ was in musth – an annual period of heightened testosterone levels – and had been chained up after becoming highly aggressive. The animal killed Anantamek Thongtae, 21, when the mahout attempted to unchain…
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Officials investigate Kamala Beach encroachment allegations
PHUKET: Officials are looking into allegations that vendors at Kamala Beach are encroaching beyond the ’10-percent zone’, which was established to restrict commercial activities to a small portion of the popular Phuket beach. An anonymous tip-off from a Phuket expat alleged that beach chairs, umbrellas, food stalls and tents have spread beyond the demarcation poles of the 10-percent zone. Photographic…
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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