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 arrest Chalong killer
PHUKET: Police have arrested the gunman who shot and killed a man in the Chalong Pier parking lot on Friday. Kanawat Thingwai, 21, and his two accomplices, 18-year-old Ekkasit Kongsomot and a 17-year-old minor named by police only as ‘Don’, were arrested yesterday at a house in Rawai, Provincial Police Commander Patchara Boonyasit said this morning. The three men drove…
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‘Not guilty’ says judge in PhuketWan Computer Crimes Act verdict
PHUKET: A Phuket judge dismissed the Royal Thai Navy Computer Crimes Act case against Alan Morison and Chutima Sidasathian, of local news blog PhuketWan, this morning. “We’ve been waiting for two years for today. The judges have done his job,” Ms Chutima told the Phuket Gazette. “It is great to know that Thailand has freedom. This is good for Thai…
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Phuket police hunt illegal fishermen
PHUKET: Police are searching for the owner, or owners, of illegal fishing equipment found at Bang Yai Canal in Phuket Town yesterday. Phuket Marine Police Chief Panya Chaichana led his team in collecting 24 illegal fishing nets, also known as ‘ai ngo‘ from the site. Ai ngo is one of four types of fishing gear made illegal by the National…
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Police arrest ladyboy packing fake shooter
PHUKET: A ladyboy and her teenage associate were arrested yesterday for robbing two convenience stores with fake firearms last week. Kan Polrob, 19, and a 17-year-old minor, who was not named by officers, were stopped at a police checkpoint in Rassada. “They were wearing full-face helmets, jackets and appeared nervous when they were stopped,” said Lt Col Somsak Thongkliang of…
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Monkey Beach gibbon tout arrested
PHUKET: Quick action by officers after receiving a tip-off from a Phuket Gazette reader saw a gibbon tout photographed working on the sands of Monkey Beach put behind bars last week (story here). Anan Nadee, 20, was arrested along with Bancha Songkhai, 24, in front of the Andaman Resort on Phi Phi Don while using ther illegally owned gibbons as…
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Breathe into this: Phuket tackles drunk driving
PHUKET: In an effort to reduce drunk driving and the road fatalities linked to it, 39 breathalyzers were donated to Phuket last week. Michael Woodford, the executive chairman of Safer Roads Foundation (SRF), and his wife Anunciacion Somavilla, presented the Lion alcolmeter SD-400s to Phuket Governor Nisit Jansomwong on August 27. “Hopefully, officers having these devices with them while they…
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Chinese currency devaluation could shake Phuket
PHUKET: Leaders of Phuket’s tourism and property industries are uncertain what the impact of the yuan’s tumble this month will be, as tremors continue to be felt throughout the world. A 138% surge in Chinese visitors during the first half of 2015 helped pave the way for the Thai tourism industry to bank more than 697 billion baht in total…
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Phuket’s air quality returns to safe levels
PHUKET: The haze over Phuket caused by fires in Indonesia has dissipated and the air quality has returned to normal, confirmed Pornsri Suthanarak, director of the Regional Environmental Office. “The wildfire that began on August 22, started to affect Phuket nearly a week later [story here], causing a haze comprising more than 120 micrograms of particles per cubic meter, which…
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Phi Phi gibbon touts arrested
PHUKET: An animal tout who was photographed earlier this month showcasing her dressed up gibbon to tourists on Phi Phi Island (story here) has been arrested. Nattaporn Sithisak, 22, along with Saman Prabphet, 52, both from Krabi, were arrested in a joint effort raid by officers from the Thung Talay Non Hunting Zone and the Natural Resources and Environment Crime…
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Coral Island company apologizes for Turks’ arrests
PHUKET: A company has admitted to ‘making a mistake’ by allowing two Turkish men to work for them on Koh Hei, also know as Coral Island, without work permits. Ahmet Komurco, 37 and Altin Cern Salih, 49, were arrested on Thursday by plainclothes police for working illegally as customer service employees for Coral Management. “After receiving a complaint about foreigners…
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Video Report: Police get fright as 20kg python turns himself in
PHUKET: A 20-kilogram python gave police officers a fright at the Phuket City Police Station canteen on Wednesday morning. “This time we got a call from a police officer, not a local resident as usual, to catch a python at the police station,” said Sakun Naepnean, a Kusoldharm Foundation rescue worker. “The officer told us that he was going to…
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One dead, one injured after Chalong Pier shooting
PHUKET: A shooting in the parking lot of Chalong Pier left one man dead and another in critical condition last night. Illyas Malee, 28, was pronounced dead from a bullet wound to his neck on arrival at Vachira Phuket Hospital, while Humdee Jeklek, 18, was treated for wounds to his shoulder and leg. “At the scene, we found a blood…
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Gibbon tout aping about on Monkey Beach
PHUKET: Gibbon and iguana touts were spotted showcasing their animals on Monkey Beach in Phi Phi National Park again on Wednesday. Police and national park officers were alerted to the presence of the touts at the popular day-trip destination last month when the Phuket Gazette forwarded photographs submitted by a reader . “We will immediately look into what’s happening on…
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Phuket haze thick with health concerns
PHUKET: Flying in the face of statements by the top official at the Thai Meteorological Department (TMD), the Regional Environmental Office has issued a health warning for the thick Indonesian haze that has settled over Phuket (story here). “The condition, like last year, is Transboundary Haze Pollution caused by the wildfires in Sumatra,” said Pornsri Suthanarak, the director of the…
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Phuket beach rules still at sea
PHUKET: Contrary to earlier reports, no final decision has yet been made by Governor Nisit Jansomwong on how to manage Phuket’s controversial beach chair situation. At a meeting on Thursday, Pun Thongchumnum, head of the research team from Prince of Songkhla University’s Phuket Campus, informed the governor of the results of the team’s investigation. The team suggested the government continue…
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Scorned woman throws acid on friend
PHUKET: A Myanmar woman remains in hospital today with serious acid burns to 90 per cent of her body, including her eyes and ears, after she was attacked by a friend on Wednesday. Ka Ta, 24, was attacked by fellow Myanmar national Ta Zin Moe, 24. “Witnesses told us that Ms Ta Zin Moe had been waiting outside Ms Ka…
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Video Report: Rescue worker dances with king cobra
PHUKET: A two-meter-long cobra was successfully wrangled after hiding from rescue workers at the back of a rental room in Chalong yesterday evening. Kusoldharm Foundation rescue workers received the call from a woman who had seen the reptile while getting water from her well at Baan Na Bon. “When we arrived, we couldn’t find the cobra, but after searching around…
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Czech man killed after night out in Patong
PHUKET: A Czech man was killed after crashing his motorbike into a utility pole on his way home from Patong early this morning. Jaroslav Krupka, 44, was on his way to Phuket Villa in Kathu when he lost control on a curve, hitting and splitting a tree, before crashing into a power pole near Kathu Temple, confirmed Lt Sawanna Iadtrong…
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Chinese tourist runs over Phuket traffic cop
PHUKET: A Chinese tourist drove his rented motorbike into the back of a traffic police officer in Karon yesterday evening. Sen Sgt Maj Chaichana Phatikabot was only minorly injured in the incident. “There were four of them on two motorbikes. They had already been stopped and fined for driving without a licence at our checkpoint,” said Sgt Maj Chaichana. “After…
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Wanna-be gunmaker busted in Patong
PHUKET: Gun raids in Patong turned up a wanna-be gunmaker in the Kok Moo community on Tuesday. “We found Mr Sommart Wandee, 44, in possession of two illegal homemade guns and three partially constructed guns,” said Lt Col Sutthichai Thianpho of the Patong Police. “Mr Sommart told us that he had bought the two guns from a Myanmar national, and…
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Phuket haze not Indonesia’s fault, says expert
PHUKET: The Indonesian fire haze that has settled over Kula Lumpar is not associated with the thick haze that Phuket residents woke up to this morning, confirmed a top official at the Thai Meteorological Department (TMD). “This is ‘wet haze’, which is normal,” said Suntad Panbanpaew, director of the Phuket TMD weather center. “This weather condition often occurs with high…
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Krabi land grab leader shot dead
PHUKET: The leader of a group trying to grab a large unregistered palm oil plantation in Krabi’s Khao Phanom District was shot dead Tuesday, police said this week. Thammayut Sungrod, 57, was shot at a palm oil plantation in Na Khao subdistrict. He was pronounced dead on arrival at Khao Phanom Hospital, said Khao Phanom Superintendent Somdet Sukkarn. “There is…
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Highway Office demands underpass road hazard be fixed
PHUKET: The Phuket Highways Office is pushing the repair of the dangerously rough road surface on both sides of the Samkong intersection underpass construction site. “Construction is well on its way at the site and it is scheduled to be finished by the end of the year,” said Samak Luedwonghad, director of the Phuket Highways Office. “However, there are some…
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Public invited to join search and rescue drill, exhibition
PHUKET: The general public is invited to watch as rescue boats and aircraft are deployed for a two-day Search and Rescue Exercise (SAREX) drill and exhibition at the Ao Makham deep sea port starting tomorrow. “The drill will run from 9am to 4pm both days,” confirmed Vice Admiral Sayan Prasongsamrej, Commander of the Royal Thai Navy Third Area Command. “There…
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Bangla bars investigated for encroachment
PHUKET: Almost 30 businesses along Phuket’s primary party street Soi Bangla are being investigated for illegal encroachment, confirmed Kathu District Chief Sayan Chanachaiwong yesterday. The 28 businesses, occupying 33 units, are allegedly on one rai of land that belongs to the municipality, explained Mr Sayan. “We will be investigating exactly how the businesses located near the beachfront road, on the…
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Widow ghosts “force’ men to cross-dress for protection
PHUKET: The sudden string of deaths of ten fit and healthy men in Nakohn Phanom province has locals pulling out all the ritualistic, spiritualistic and superstitious plugs to avoid widow ghosts, pee mae mai. Red shirts hanging in front of homes to ward off the ghosts are a common sight in the Don Nang Hong sub-district, with some male teenagers…
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Beach police confident about positive effect [video]
PHUKET: The Phuket Beach Police program is rolling forward successfully despite having booked no cases yet, said Phuket Provincial Police Deputy Commander Peerayut Karajedee. “Things are going well. However, we will run the program for a bit longer before we do our own evaluation and source community feedback,” Col Peerayut said. “It’s just too early to know what the exact…
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Unfinished condo case to reach prosecutor soon
PHUKET: Police will hand the case against the developers of the unfinished condominium project Ace 1 over to the Public Prosecutor by September 9. Despite the case being submitted, pre-build purchasers will be able to continue to file complaints and submit evidence to police, confirmed Lt Col Anukul Nuket of the Patong Police yesterday. “We are still in the process…
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All hands on deck for Phuket flood prevention
PHUKET: Governor Nisit Jansomwong has ordered all relevant local authorities to tackle the chronic flooding issues on Phuket. “The recent bout of floods have highlighted how serious the problem with drainage systems are in certain areas of the island, especially villages and other low-lying places,” Governor Nisit said. “We have a team, led by Vice Governor Pallop Singhasenee, developing solutions…
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A Decade Ago: Fears of sex on the beach in Phuket
PHUKET: Facebook profile pictures turned into rainbows following the nationwide legalization of same-sex marriage in the United States two months ago. The US Supreme Court ruled in the Obergefell versus Hodges case that state-level bans on same-sex marriage were unconstitutional. However, a decade ago in Phuket – now well-known for the flamboyant Pride Week – the Asian lesbian, gay, bisexual,…
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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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