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 Vegetarian Festival takes to the streets
PHUKET: Tourists and island motorists were treated to the first street procession of this year’s Phuket Vegetarian Festival when devotees from the Choor Su Gong Naka Shrine south of Phuket Town marched to Saphan Hin this morning. Scores of tourists and residents lined the streets, with many joining the procession along the way and motorists queuing up behind them waiting…
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Phuket beach wedding ban raises mixed feelings
PHUKET: Weddings have been banned from being performed on at least four of Phuket’s west coast beaches, confirmed one official, but many beach town mayors are hesitant to prohibit seaside nuptials. “No wedding ceremonies are allowed on Surin, Bang Tao, Laypang and Layan beaches,” Ma-ann Samran, president of the Cherng Talay Tambon Administration Organization (OrBorTor) confirmed to the Phuket Gazette.…
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Tourism ministry calls for Phuket tour guide spies
PHUKET: The Ministry of Tourism and Sports is calling for foreigners to go undercover as “tour guide spies” and report any suspected illegal activities by tour operators in Phuket. Santi Pawai, director of the Tourism Ministry’s Phuket office, is looking to launch the project by October 6. “Volunteer teams of Thais and foreigners will join tours in Phuket and report…
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Buoyant West Ham seek to extend Man United gloom
PHUKET: In-form West Ham United are just about the last team Manchester United would want to face on Saturday as Louis van Gaal’s side seek an immediate response to their Premier League collapse at Leicester City. West Ham, who have lost on their last six league visits to Old Trafford, thumped Liverpool 3-1 on Saturday the day before United twice…
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Patong Police fail to find any illegal tour operators in Phuket crackdown
PHUKET: More than 30 officers led by Patong Police scoured the resort town yesterday afternoon, but failed to find any culprits as part of an ongoing island-wide sweep for illegal tour operators and guides. The officers split into five teams and began inspecting businesses from 2pm as part of the crackdown announced at a meeting on September 5 (story here).…
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ICC claim Outrigger T20 title after epic final
PHUKET: The final of the Outrigger T20 took place on a gloriously sunny day at the Alan Cooke Ground between the Bondi Bar Bashers and the ICC. BBB’s had only lost one game all season, however, that was against ICC and they were very keen to avenge the loss and claim the title at the same time. ICC had been…
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Three Laguna resorts step up to help jobless Phuket beach vendors
PHUKET: Three major hotels at Laguna Phuket have agreed to allow vendors who lost their jobs in the Cherng Talay beach cleanup to work on sections of their beachfront properties. “After the cleanup [in Cherng Talay] we got our beautiful beaches back, but we have been left with many jobless vendors who want to make a living,” said Ma-ann Samran,…
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Burning candle sets Phuket air-conditioning shop on fire
PHUKET: A burning candle set an air-conditioning sales and repair shop ablaze this morning in Rassada, north of Phuket Town, causing about 300,000 baht in damages. Neighbors alerted shop owner Panya Chunchom, 34, of the fire after they saw smoke coming from the building’s third-floor window. “We lit some candles as an act of worship and put them in front…
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B15.9mn budget approved to tackle some of Phuket’s water woes
PHUKET: A 15.9-million-baht budget has been approved to manage and develop Phuket’s water-resources in order to increase storage capacity and improve a canal that has become a health hazard. “We have approved a 4mn-baht project to dredge about a kilometer of Bang Yai Canal in Phuket Town to improve the water flow and drainage,” Natural Resources and Environment Minister General…
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Phuket Vegetarian Festival to begin tonight
PHUKET: As the sun sets on Phuket tonight, all Chinese shrines taking part in the annual Vegetarian Festival will raise their go-teng poles so that the Jade Emperor, among the Nine Emperor Gods, can descend from the heavens, heralding the beginning of this year’s event. Devotees began pasting gold-leaf papers to the poles last night ahead of the festival’s precursor…
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Patong beach vendor hangs himself amid “no work’ depression
PHUKET: A man who rented umbrellas and beach chairs at Patong is believed to have committed suicide due to depression brought on by the Phuket beach cleanup campaign that left him with no income. Jirasak Sae-Koo, 45, was found hanging by a rope tied to a ceiling beam at the home of his friend Narate Rattanathatchaikul at about 4pm yesterday.…
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Gala Leon becomes Spain’s first female Davis Cup captain
PHUKET: The Spanish Tennis Federation have named former WTA player Gala Leon as the country’s new Davis Cup captain following Carlos Moya’s decision to step down last week. Moya quit after five-times winners Spain were relegated from the World Group following defeat against Brazil in a playoff. The RFET federation said in a statement on Monday that 40-year-old Leon, who…
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Reinforced by Thai military, Phuket park chief decides to stay
PHUKET: Emboldened by more military personnel to provide around-the-clock protection, Kitiphat Tharapiban has decided to stay on as chief of Phuket’s Sirinath National Park. Mr Kitiphat was convinced to stay during newly appointed Natural Resources and Environment Minister Gen Dapong Ratanasuwan’s visit to Phuket on Saturday. Gen Dapong’s visit – and the promise of more military security personnel – came…
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Patong bar employee drowns in dangerous Phuket surf
PHUKET: A teenage bar employee drowned at Patong Beach early this morning after ignoring red “no swim” flags and swimming in the dangerous Phuket surf in his jeans. Suksan Jaiyen, 19, and three friends were having drinks on the beach after closing the bar around 2am, explained Lt Thawatchai Srimai of the Patong Police. “We assume that Mr Suksan was…
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Foul play not suspected in death of former Phuket police officer
PHUKET: Police have ruled out foul play in the death of a former Phuket policeman-turned-money lender who was found dead in his bed Saturday night. “We found Sub Lt Anan Thongkham, 65, dead at his home on Soi King Kaew 5 in Rassada at about 10:30pm,” said Maj Sakchai Chunyong of the Phuket City Police. “There were no signs of…
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Phuket Police probe foreigner over woman found hanged
PHUKET: Police are questioning a foreign man for the possible murder of a woman who was found hanged at her home in Phuket late last night. Police declined to identify the foreigner as the investigation is ongoing. Officers were called to the scene, in Soi Bang Tao 4, Cherng Talay, just before midnight to find Kroramol Chittangkul, 51, from Bangkok,…
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European soccer roundup: Lampard haunts Chelsea, Real and Barca on goal spree
PHUKET: Frank Lampard scored against his old club Chelsea to earn champions Manchester City a 1-1 draw but Jose Mourinho’s men stayed on top of the Premier League. Manchester United dropped further down the table after losing 5-3 against newcomers Leicester City. Barcelona and Real Madrid scored 13 goals between them during a memorable La Liga weekend, when Cristiano Ronaldo…
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Land officers target network of corrupt Phuket officials
PHUKET: The Royal Forest Department (RFD) this week ramped up its campaign to break open a network of corrupt officials who allegedly issued illegal land titles over the past three decades, covering at least 8 billion baht of protected land in Phuket. Working in collusion since 1987, the officials continued to issue SorKor 1 land-use documents for plots in Sirinath…
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Former Phuket Governor named in billion-baht illegal land title probe
PHUKET: Former Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop, along with a former Phuket Land Office chief and several other officials, has been named in a police complaint filed over illegal land titles issued for 80 rai in Sirinath National Park. Kitiphat Taraphiban filed the complaint, naming a network of 13 people, at Thalang Police Station on Thursday as one of his last…
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Chinese man joins Swedes in epic journey for Phuket post-tsunami orphanage
PHUKET: A Chinese man has joined the group of Swedes pedaling toward Phuket from Europe to raise money for a post-tsunami orphanage on the island (story here). Kunn Lee, who was originally supposed to be cycling southern China and Tibet, changed his plans after meeting Calle Wollgard and the team – he is now bound for the Barhem Muang Mai…
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Australian tourist ignores warning sign, injured in fall
PHUKET: An Australian tourist was injured after ignoring a warning sign and falling down a small cliff at the Susan Hoi Shell Cemetery, also known as the “Fossil Beach”, near Ao Nang in Krabi yesterday. According to police, David Grant, 40, was visiting the famous natural attraction with a friend when he decided to climb down the cliff to the…
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Phuket Police vow to continue hunt for Russian murder-kidnap suspects
PUKET: Police have exhausted their leads in the hunt for two Russian men wanted in connection with the murder and kidnapping of a fellow Russian in Phuket earlier this year. Ukrainian Oleksandr Boychuk, 44, and Russian Aleksandr Novichkov, 58, are wanted for the kidnapping of Alexey Slabinskiy, 39, and his girlfriend Iana Strizheus in March (story here). Miss Strizheus was…
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Phuket unveils waste-management teaching center
PHUKET: A sustainable waste-management teaching center opened in Saphan Hin earlier this week in a bid to teach island residents how to recycle organic waste and reduce Phuket’s carbon footprint. “More than half of daily household trash is organic waste that can be effectively turned into compost and fertilizer,” said Phuket City Mayor Somjai Suwansupana at the center’s opening ceremony…
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Budget approved for billion-baht prison in Phuket
PHUKET: A 1.1-billion baht budget was approved to build the island’s new prison, Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut revealed today in an exclusive interview with the Phuket Gazette. “The budget has already been approved by the National Council for Peace and Order [NCPO] and transferred to the Department of Corrections. We will go ahead with the project as soon as possible,”…
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PACC delays charges over alleged dive extortion – again
PHUKET: The conclusion of an investigation of three Chalong Police officers for their alleged abuse of power has been set back again, confirmed the Public-sector Anti Corruption Commission (PACC). “We still need more time to finish compiling our case,” said Lt Col Wannop Somjintanakul, the PACC officer leading the investigation. He declined to provide a specific date. Col Wannop told…
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Two die, two injured, travelling four-up on Phuket motorbike
PHUKET: Two ethnic Mon men died and another two were seriously injured in Phuket after the motorcycle they were riding slammed into a tree last night. “According to witnesses the four men, all riding on the same motorbike, were travelling at high speed when they hit a tree on Thepkrasattri Road near Baan Tah Reua Shrine at about 11:40pm,” explained…
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The Royal and Ancient golf club votes to allow women members
PHUKET: The Royal & Ancient golf club’s decision on Thursday to allow women members after 260 years has been widely welcomed within and beyond the game. Here are a selection of reactions to the vote, which was passed with an 85 percent majority: Peter Dawson, chief executive of the R&A: “This is a very important and positive day in the…
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Death threats, powerful people force Phuket national park chief to resign
PHUKET: Death threats and influential people unhappy with the reclaiming of public land have forced Sirinat National Park Chief Kitiphat Tharapiban to step down after only three months. “There are many reasons that I have to resign. We had many conflicts with powerful people, even though I was doing the right thing,” Mr Kitiphat said. In August, military bodyguards were…
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Smoke on the water: Boat operators warned of Phuket haze
PHUKET: Boat operators have been warned of limited visibility at sea as hazy skies shroud Phuket following heavy rains and subsequent warm weather. “The haze is a result of recent heavy rainfall combined with high levels of humidity in the atmosphere,” said San Jantharawong, chief of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) Phuket office. “In this situation, visibility…
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Phuket and Penang become twin cities
PHUKET: Phuket Town and George Town in Penang, Malaysia, became official twin cities after signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at Phuket City Hall today. Inspired by the two cities’ long-established historical relationship, the decision was seen as an important move in facilitating the exchange of expertise in areas of tourism, business and cultural heritage (story here). “Both cities have…
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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