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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Bay Regatta a sailing success – results
PHUKET: The 18th Bay Regatta set sail on the morning of March 5, after an opening night party and buffet the evening before at the Chandara Resort & Spa at Ao Po. The 29 racing yachts, carrying over 200 competitors, flew the flags of 11 nations. Affectionately known as the ‘Fun Regatta’ to all participants, countries represented included Thailand, the…
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Opinion: Phuket – ATM skimmers’ paradise island
PHUKET: Despite efforts nationwide to upgrade automatic teller machine (ATM) card technology to make it more secure, the arrests of three groups of international ATM-card skimmers in Phuket in a week demonstrates that ATM fraud is rampant on the island. ATM users – which includes just about everyone with a bank account – should continue to exercise a great deal…
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Tourist fined for washing feet in public sink
PHUKET: A Chinese woman was fined for washing her feet in a public sink on Phi Phi Don yesterday, following a recent change in policy on the tourist-popular island. Within half an hour of officers posting a “no foot washing” warning sign at the public restroom, the tourist, who police declined to name, started washing her feet in the sink.…
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Chilean consulate opens in Phuket
PHUKET: Chile opened up a consular office in Phuket yesterday to serve Chilean citizens in southern Thailand. Chilean Ambassador to Thailand Javier Andrés Becker-Marshall announced the opening of the Honorary Consulate of the Republic of Chile at the Phuket Merlin Hotel – where the new office is located. The consular office will be headed up by Chilean Honorary Consul Nantana…
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F1 season predictions: Mercedes, Mercedes, Mercedes
PHUKET: The headline is the prediction for the car that will win at Melbourne, the team that will win the Constructor’s Championship and the team that will provide the World Champion this season. It’s the beginning of the new Formula 1 season. Melbourne is the first race. And there has been enough hype to fill an Agatha Christie bibliography: The…
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Justice team investigates alleged illegal Chanotes, buildings
PHUKET: The Deputy Permanent Secretary of Justice today inspected four of 20 land plots believed to have been obtained through illegal land-title deeds or illegally developed. The plots examined today are on Koh Raet, along Surin Beach and in Kamala, Deputy Permanent Secretary of Justice for the Ministry of Justice Dussadee Arayawuth explained. Col Dussadee was the head investigator for…
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Tourist Police intercept kratom shipment to Phuket
PHUKET: A shipment of 45 kilograms of kratom leaves from Nonthaburi to Phuket was intercepted by Phuket Tourist Police today. “We had been tipped off by a source that a truck with the Bangkok licence plate 61-6211 would be delivering the leaves today,” Tourist Police Division 5 Superintendent Chusawat Janrojanakit said. When police spotted the truck, they pulled it over…
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Raid busts Phuket karaoke owners for alien employees
PHUKET: Anti-human trafficking raids of Phuket’s nightlife venues last night netted two employers for hiring illegal migrant workers from Myanmar. Saengthian Luepanya, 24, owner of the Happy Sea Man karaoke, was arrested for employing Myanmar nationals Lwin Thuza Myint, 26, and Thi Dar, 42, Phuket City Police Deputy Superintendent Khunnadet Nanongkhai told the Phuket Gazette. Later that night, police discovered…
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Warriors tame Tigers: Phuket hosts first Aussie Rules match
PHUKET: Australian football arrived in Phuket last Saturday, as the Thailand Tigers took on the Malaysian Warriors at the Alan Cooke Ground. The game was well attended by Phuket residents and families, as well as other supporters, many of whom were new to the game. The day also involved an Auskick clinic for junior players, which was a hit among…
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German, French tourists go to court over jet-ski accident case
PHUKET: A German tourist who was hit by a Frenchman riding a jet-ski in Phuket last month is now in court with the Frenchman settling the matter. Erich Heim, 55, was knocked unconscious by Chadd Attard, 20, while swimming at Paradise Beach on February 28 (story here). Mr Heim was taken to hospital that day, and discharged on March 5.…
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Tuk-tuk drivers sentenced for massive Patong blockade
PHUKET: Thirteen tuk-tuk drivers who were charged for their involvement in a massive blockade of Patong in March last year were fined and sentenced to one year’s probation yesterday morning. The 13 drivers were part of a group of 68 drivers who were arrested and charged for blockading major roads in the party town in protest of the arrests of…
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Whale spotted off Krabi coast
PHUKET: A whale spotted near Koh Haa, off the coast of Krabi, on Monday has both excited and alarmed divers and local officials. Both groups have cited an improving marine environment as a possible reason for the sighting, but have also warned against any actions that could hamper the Andaman Sea’s recovery in the region. The marine mammal, thought to…
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Water-meter thief nabbed in Cherng Talay
PHUKET: Police arrested a man on Tuesday after finding him in possession of 18 water meters stolen from residential homes in the Cherng Talay area. Youngyut Matchawet, 25, was arrested at his house in Cherng Talay, after police tracked him down through CCTV footage. “We began receiving complaints from local residents on Saturday about their water meters disappearing,” said Lt…
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American hit-and-run fugitive arrested in Koh Lanta
PHUKET: An American hit-and-run fugitive was arrested on Koh Lanta on Tuesday. Police arrested Kelly Lynn Miller, 36, in the parking lot of the Poonsap Resort, after officers received a report from the United States Embassy in Bangkok that she was illegally staying in Thailand. “We have been looking for Ms Miller since we received the report about two weeks…
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Phuket police volunteers return to Bangla beat
PHUKET: Police volunteers are back on the beat in Phuket’s primary party town, following a six-day strike starting on March 5 (story here). Region 8 Police volunteers met yesterday with Patong Police Superintendent Chaiwat Auikam and his two deputy superintendents to table a number of growing concerns that led to the strike. “The meeting went very well today. We will…
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Laguna secures cricket victory over the Village
PHUKET: As Songkran approaches, the temperature rises in the Phuket Cricket Group’s (PCG) senior league. On March 8, Laguna beat the Village at the Alan Cooke Ground (ACG). Laguna, who were coming off the back of a good win against Thalang in their previous match, were looking to consolidate their position in the race for the minor premiership. Meanwhile, the…
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Charter-flight buses to resume parking near Phuket airport terminal
PHUKET: Buses will resume parking near the main Phuket International Airport terminal within two months, an Airports of Thailand (AoT) official confirmed to the Phuket Gazette yesterday. The announcement follows a change in policy earlier this month that forced incoming charter-flight passengers to hike to their buses, which now have to be parked far away from the terminal due to…
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Gov vows to maintain Phuket beach rules, despite protests
PHUKET: Governor Nisit Jansomwong vowed today to keep the Phuket beach-management system in place, despite beach vendors overstepping the provincial government and filing a complaint in Bangkok. About 150 beach vendors arrived at the Prime Minister’s Office in Bangkok on March 3 and submitted a letter of complaint to be given to Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha, alleging that the…
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Australian expat kills Phuket nightclub bouncer
PHUKET: An Australian expat confessed to killing a nightclub bouncer near the entrance of Phuket’s primary party street – Soi Bangla – early this morning, Patong Police told the Phuket Gazette. Long-term Phuket expat Mark Hamilton Pendlebury, 59, fatally stabbed 25-year-old Sanya Khueawaengmon after an argument on the street, explained Lt Col Sutthichai Thianpho of the Patong Police. “Nightclub staffers…
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Phuket Police volunteers strike in Patong
PHUKET: Volunteer police officers working the beat in Phuket’s main party town have gone on strike until the Patong Police are able to address a series of issues. “We will have a meeting tomorrow at 10am to explain our frustrations, and also to discuss how the volunteers can continue working with police in assisting foreigners and tourists in need,” Wal…
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British expat found dead in Phuket home
PHUKET: A 58-year-old British national was found dead at his home in Phuket yesterday. Police and rescue workers arrived on the scene in Srisoonthorn at about 3:30pm to find the body of Dennis Arthur New. “We believe Mr New had been dead for about 10 hours before we arrived. There was no sign of a struggle,” Lt Kraisorn Boonprasop of…
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Man arrested in possession of meth worth nearly B1mn
PHUKET: Police arrested a man in possession of nearly 1 million baht worth of ya bah (methamphetamine) pills in a sting operation in Phuket Town on Friday. Phuket Provincial Police arrested Somboon Lewplodpai, 33, at about 3:30pm, after receiving a tip-off about him dealing drugs in the area. “An undercover officer set up an appointment with Mr Somboon to meet…
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Phuket officials firm on beach wedding ban
PHUKET: A resort in Cherng Talay received a warning this morning for holding a wedding ceremony on Pansea Beach on Friday. “I have only issued a warning, as this is the hotel’s first offence. If the hotel holds any more banned events, it will be fined up to 2,000 baht, under the Public Health Act,” Ma-ann Samran, president of the…
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Fire ravages two homes in Phuket Town
PHUKET: Two men escaped injury after their houses caught fire in Phuket Town early this morning. Firefighters were called to the scene, inside the Sapan Ruam 1 Community, at about 6:30am and spent an hour battling the flames. The owners of the homes, Sombut Dechapan, 49, and Prakob Suwan, 62, were both asleep when the fire broke out, but managed…
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Arrested ATM skimmers thought to be part of larger network
PHUKET: Police are investigating whether or not two Frenchmen who were arrested in Krabi for skimming ATMs in Krabi and Phang Nga are part of a network that includes five French nationals who were arrested for skimming in Phuket on February 28 (story here). Julien Patrick Alandis, 22, and Adrien Char Baptiste Hemour, 21, were arrested yesterday by Krabi City…
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Man arrested for smuggling more than 300 species of rare fish
PHUKET: A man was arrested by police yesterday in possession of more than 300 live, rare species of fish that were being smuggled in plastic bags. Kan Amtrakul, 63, was arrested at about 5pm on Wiset Road near the Chalong Circle, heading from Rawai to Chalong in a Toyota pick-up truck. “Mr Kan was pulled over by police and found…
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Bang Tao beach vendors fined for encroachment
PHUKET: Nine beach vendors who had crept back onto Bang Tao Beach with sunloungers and makeshift stalls were fined 2,000 baht and had all of their items seized yesterday. “We went to inspect the beach and found that nine vendors had violated the new beach rules by setting up sunloungers, stalls, tables and other structures on the sand,” Ma-ann Samran,…
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Police hunt alleged leader of Russian ATM skimming gang
PHUKET: Police are hunting a Russian national allegedly behind an ATM-skimming operation in Phuket, following the arrest of three suspected skimmers yesterday. Russian nationals Stanislav Komarob, 34; Vitalii Korobkov, 39; and Panteley Akbash, 36, who also holds a Moldovan passport under the name Panteli Acbas, were arrested at a shop in Kata in possession of 33 counterfeit ATM cards, a…
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Video Report: PGTV wins “Best Local TV – News’ at Phuket Reporters Club Awards
PHUKET: The Phuket Gazette‘s own PGTV won the “Best Local TV – News” award last night at the first ever Phuket Reporters Awards ceremony, held at the Royal Phuket City Hotel. PGTV won for a segment on the ‘Phuket Today’ show called ‘The Rubber Tapper’s Lament’, in which Karl Vandenhole investigates the plight of Krabi rubber cropper Sangwien. PGTV won…
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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