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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Phuket Police break up credit card theft ring targeting tourists
PHUKET: The ‘purchaser’ for a nationwide credit card theft ring that targeted tourists was arrested on Sunday in Phang Nga after he escaped Phuket in a dramatic car chase. Pitawat Akarathitiveerakul, 53, explained to police that he was part of a criminal network that stole tourists’ credit cards when they put their luggage on buses and other forms of public…
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Phuket Light rail project moves ahead
PHUKET: Plans for the much-anticipated light rail project are ready for official approval, this week confirmed Sirigate Apirat, project secretary for the Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning (OTPP). “The next step is to present the plans to the project committee. These have to be approved by the end of the year,” Mr Sirigate explained. “They will then…
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Ferrari 488 Spider debuts in Phuket
PHUKET: The Ferrari 488 Spider officially made its debut in Phuket – its first appearance in Southeast Asia – following the premiere at the Frankfurt International Motor Show in September. The Ferrari 488 is the latest chapter in Maranello’s ongoing history of open-top V8 sports cars, a story that started with the targa-top version of the 308 GTB – the…
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Phuket drug dealer busted with more than B1mn of meth
PHUKET: Phuket Provincial Police arrested a drug dealer in possession of more than one million baht worth of ya ice (crystal methamphetamine) on Friday. Paitoon Asirametee, 26, was apprehended in front of a grocery store in Wichit after police received a tip-off that he had been selling drugs to teenagers in the Muang District. “Mr Paitoon was in possession of…
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Phuket burglar allegedly takes B20k cash
PHUKET: Police are searching for a burglar who allegedly broke into a house at the Keha public housing estate in Thalang Sunday afternoon. Kasem Pansri, 28, reported to police that he returned home from the Layan Market to discover that 20,000 baht in cash had been stolen from his bedroom. “There were clear signs of an intruder having rummaged through…
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Phi Phi Police struggle to stomp out gibbon touts
PHUKET: Unaware of officers failing to find and arrest an illegal gibbon tout regularly operating at a specific time and location on Phi Phi Don, the recently appointed Phi Phi Police Chief Jetsada Junphum has taken matters into his own hands. “I did not see the video sent to my officers until the Phuket Gazette sent it directly to me,”…
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Deaf man dies in alleged suicide
PHUKET: Police have yet to rule out foul play as they investigate the alleged suicide of a deaf man in Thalang yesterday morning. Officers received a report that Amnach Utsaha, 30, had supposedly shot himself in the head with a homemade gun while in bed with his wife Boonruay Aree, 44. “According to Ms Boonruay, Mr Amnach had been complaining…
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Triathlon champ’s return to form at Challenge Laguna Phuket
PHUKET: A field of over 600 individual pro and age group athletes representing 41 nationalities, crowded Laguna Phuket this weekend to participate in the 2015 Challenge Laguna Phuket triathlon. Switzerland’s Ruedi Wild successfully defended his 2014 Challenge Laguna Phuket title in 3:54:45 (swim 21:29, bike 2:12:17, run 1:18:21), breaking his own record of 4:02:43, despite being out of action for…
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Russian woman robbed near British International School
PHUKET: Police are hunting two suspects accused of robbing a Russian woman near British International School Phuket on Saturday morning. Olga Shnyreva, 35, was kicked off of her bicycle and robbed of 400 baht and an iPhone 6 by two men with tattooed faces, confirmed Lt Col Sanit Nukong of the Thalang Police. “A passerby saw Ms Shnyreva sitting by…
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Myanmar couple arrested for dealing meth
PHUKET: Police arrested two Myanmar nationals in possession of more than 250 grams of crystal methamphetamine (ya ice) on Friday. Thiha Soe, 32, and his wife, referred to by police only as Moe, were apprehended after officers received a tip-off from Rassada Subdistrict Chief (Kamnan) Chanchai Tantawacheerapan. “Mr Chanchai contacted officials after hearing complaints about two plant workers selling drugs…
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Chinese diver dies at Similan National Park
PHUKET: A Chinese diver died yesterday during a dive trip with Similan Seven Sea Co Ltd at Koh Bon, Similan National Park. Zhang Lin, 23, was found floating unresponsive at a depth of about 11.9 meters by divers from another dive company. “Ms Zhang was found with her regulator no longer in her mouth by divers from Khao Lak Scuba…
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IKEA opens Asia’s first Pick-up & Order Point in Phuket
PHUKET: The first IKEA ‘Pick Up & Order Point’ in Asia was officially launched in Phuket yesterday, providing service to Thailand’s southern provinces. The newest addition to the Swedish retailer’s furniture and home furnishings business, located on the bypass road in the Biz Town estate, aims to cater to the island’s growing business, real estate and tourism sectors. “Phuket has…
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Beach boss bans umbreallas at Surin
PHUKET: Disobedient vendors on Surin Beach have given the president of the Cherng Talay Administration Organization (OrBorTor) ‘no choice’ but to designate it as one of Phuket’s ‘virgin beaches’. Though a 10 per cent zone had already been marked, beach vendors renting out umbrellas and offering other services there failed to follow the beach management rules put in place by…
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Thalang Police hunt serial bag snatcher
PHUKET: Police are hunting a possible serial snatch thief who made off with a woman’s purse Wednesday night in Thalang. Namthip Kritkarom, 22, was on her way back from the Loy Krathong festival when the suspect grabbed her bag from the front of her motorbike while driving past her on a black Honda Click, confirmed Lt Suporn Muangkai of the…
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Six-meter-long snake found under Phuket home
PHUKET: A monster python, six-meters long, was caught trying to beat the heat under a Samkong residence’s house this afternoon. “The snake was found in the cool dirt under the house,” Watchara Srikacha, a Kusoldharm rescue worker, told the Phuket Gazette. “We suspect that it was looking for a safe place to avoid the sun.” It took several rescue workers…
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Airport pier project sails forward with multi-million-baht design budget
PHUKET: A 25-million-baht budget was approved for the Phuket International Airport pier project, which will allow tourists to take a ferry down the west coast to Patong, confirmed officials yesterday. The budget for the ‘From The Boat to The Plane’ project, which was tabled in 2013 by Phuket Marine Office Chief Phuripat Theerakulpisut (story here), is set to cover the…
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Mandatory travel insurance tabled in Phuket
PHUKET: The Phuket Governor vowed to raise tourist travel insurance issues to those capable of making changes to national legislation following the honorary consul meeting yesterday (story here). “If a tourist is not covered by insurance in their home country, they are setting themselves up for a difficult situation if they get injured while on holiday here,” said Phuket Governor…
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Phuket cyclist wins “Tour of Wiengsa Crown Prince Hospital’ bike race
PHUKET: Local cyclist Daniel Amby celebrated his victory in the ‘Tour of Wiengsa Crown Prince Hospital’ bike race held in Surat Thani on November 22. On a rolling, 85-kilometer course, Daniel was able to break away early with Pichet Puengrang, recent winner of the Thanyapura Classic, and another cyclist. They created a gap of three minutes, but then Daniel was…
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Thailand adopts 911 as emergency number
PHUKET: Thailand has officially adopted 911 as its emergency hotline number, confirmed Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada. The decision to implement the emergency number was due to tourists’ familiarity with the 911 hotline number already, prompting several other countries to implement its use as well. “The Cabinet approved the use of the number months ago,” said Governor Chamroen. “For some reason,…
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Essential Phuket honorary consul meetings resume
PHUKET: Nearly two years after the once regular governor-honorary consul meetings ceased, the important talks linking 16 national representatives and the provincial government resumed yesterday. At the meeting, Pornphan Sittichaivijit, the Royal Norwegian Honorary Consul, tabled nine different issues of concern: travelling insurance, beach management, illegal tour guides, quality tourists, Thai culture public relations, government and private sector cooperation, traffic,…
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OrBorTor boss not worried by beach businesses’ 10mn-baht lawsuit
PHUKET: The controversial president of the Cherng Talay Tambon Administration Organization (OrBorTor) yesterday shrugged off a 10-million-baht lawsuit filed against him for alleged dereliction of duty. “The owners of two establishments, named Beach Bar and Paul Restaurant, located on Laypang Beach are claiming that I ruined their businesses,” OrBorTor President Ma-ann Samran told the Phuket Gazette. The two restaurants were…
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B10,000 reward for sea dumping tip-offs, says marine chief
PHUKET: The Phuket Marine Office has vowed to punish anyone caught dumping waste or rubbish into Phuket’s waters and reward those who provide tip-offs leading to arrests. Phuripat Theerakulpisut, chief of the Phuket Marine Office, signed off on a warning letter that reiterated that officers will strictly enforce the law. Those caught violating the law face up to six months…
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Police hunt Phuket purse snatcher
PHUKET: Police are hunting a snatch thief that made off with a woman’s purse near the Heroines’ Monument last night. Sukanya Koisinsok, 40, was on the way to a bus stop with her husband in preparation for a trip to Hat Yai. “As my husband slowed down our motorbike, a man in a white shirt rode by and grabbed my…
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A Decade Ago: Development zoning takes center stage
PHUKET: Though the page one story of the 2005 November 19-25 issue is without a doubt the sexiest story of the week, it is the editorial that strikes to the heart of an issue that remains unresolved even now, ten years later: land zoning. Just 15 years ago it was apparently easy enough for corrupt officials in the Land Office…
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Two busted for smuggling 2.6kg of cocaine into Krabi
KRABI: Officers arrested two women on Sunday for their alleged role in smuggling more than 10 million baht worth of cocaine into the country via Krabi International Airport. Siriwan Yodtheerak, 32, arrived in Krabi on a flight from Manila on Saturday. However, she came to claim luggage on Sunday at about 7:30am, explained Vichak Apirugnunchai, director of Thailand Customs Department’s…
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Taxis, tuk-tuks continue to concern UK Ambassador
PHUKET: Tuk-tuks and taxis continue to undermine the progress being made in Phuket’s tourism industry, the British Ambassador to Thailand Mark Kent told the Phuket Gazette yesterday. The ambassador’s concerns remain despite the National Council for Peace and Order’s cleanup of illegal taxi and tuk-tuk operators in July last year (story here). “Some of the behavior and prices we’ve seen…
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Region 8 Police seize more than 100 guns in crackdown
PHUKET: Region 8 Police sized more than 100 firearms, including one weapon of war, in a week-long crackdown ahead of tomorrow’s Loy Krathong festivities (story here). “Region 8 Police and local officers in Surat Thani, Nakorn Sri Thammarat, Chumphon, Ranong, Krabi, Phang Nga and Phuket conducted massive raids to get guns and drugs off the streets this week,” said Chalermkiat…
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All invited to cleanup Nai Harn Beach today
PHUKET: Representatives of the Rawai and Nai Harn Business Community, along with staff and other members of the southern Phuket area, are invited to take part in the Nai Harn Beach cleanup from 3pm to 5pm today. Drinking water, bags and gloves will be provided, so participants just need to show up to the beach and be ready to clean,…
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Jet-skis threaten Phuket tourism industry, says Ambassador
PHUKET: Jet-ski safety issues were again pushed to the front line during a meeting today, as they remain a serious concern on the island, explained the Netheralands’ ambassador to Thailand. “There are number of issues that are important to us, such as beach safety, beach management accommodations, competitive pricing for taxis and tuk-tuks, and jet-skis,” said Karel Hartogh, the Netherlands’…
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Phuket Governor hosts five ambassadors for roundtable talk
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada sat down with ambassadors from five countries today to review a number of issues affecting citizens from their nations. The ambassadors in attendance were from Canada, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Some of the major issues raised included marine and road safety, prison conditions, drug use and visa overstays. “After discussing a…
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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