Phuket News
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Prab Keesin, wanted on taxi mafia charges, to surrender to Phuket police on Monday
PHUKET: Preechavude “Prab” Keesin, wanted by the police on mafia-related charges, has announced that he will turn himself over to the authorities on Monday. The news, revealed via a post on his Facebook page (click here), follows a massive police and military sweep of Patong yesterday for suspects accused of being involved in a taxi mafia (story here). Former Patong…
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Police warn Phuket motorists to be cautious in monsoon weather
PHUKET: Motorist must slow down and take more care on Phuket’s roads due to the recent heavy weather, said Tah Chat Chai Police Superintendent Somchai Sanprasert this morning. Col Somcha’s warning follows a minivan transporting six Japanese tourists flipping in the rain yesterday. One of the passengers received minor injuries. “The minivan driver, 43-year-old In Laiprakorn, was taking the six…
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Police arrest 69 for role in Phuket taxi mafia
PHUKET: Region 8 Police arrested 69 people today for their alleged roles in the Phuket taxi mafia. Police officers, joined by military personnel, swept through Patong in an attempt to serve 83 arrest warrants this morning. However, two high-profile suspects, former Patong mayor Pian Keesin and his son Prab, and 11 others remain at large. Of those taken into custody…
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Phuket sailors top Thailand Platu 25 National Championship
PHUKET: Local sailors Scott Duncanson and Alfie Rowson have won the open division of the 2014 Platu 25 National Championship held off Jomtien, Pattaya. The championships, raced over August 16-17, saw nine teams compete in the identical class of Platu yachts, known elsewhere in the world as Farr 25s, after their designer Bruce Farr. Day one started in light winds…
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Australian triathlete mistaken for illegal immigrant on Channel swim
PHUKET: An Australian triathlete was mistaken for an illegal immigrant by British residents and held up by border authorities when set to swim the English Channel, local media reported. John van Wisse was attempting to set a world record on an ultra-triathlon from London to Paris when he was swooped on by local police and the British Coastguard on Wednesday,…
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Party town kingpin Pian slapped with mafia charges
PHUKET: Military personnel and Region 8 Police raided the home of former Patong Mayor Pian Keesin this morning as they pursue mafia charges against the Phuket kingpin. “Mr Pian and his son Prab Keesin are both facing charges of extortion and criminal activity carried out by a criminal association,” Region 8 Commander Panya Mamen told the Phuket Gazette today. Region…
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Rockslide danger remains on Phuket’s busy bypass road
PHUKET: Work continues this morning clearing the huge shards of rock that spilled onto Phuket’s bypass road yesterday morning. Police were called to the scene, about 800m north of the Tesco Lotus shopping mall, after receiving reports of a rockslide at about 8am yesterday. Traffic police diverted motorists around the hazard while workers from Rassada Municipality worked on clearing the…
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Myanmar worker injured in fall while painting school building
PHUKET: A migrant worker from Myanmar is in hospital recovering from head injuries after he slipped and fell from scaffolding at Baan Reua School in Koh Kaew, Thalang. The laborer, named by police only as Mr Wanchai, 20, fell and struck his head on the pavement six meters below while painting a school building on Tuesday, said Lt Col Sanit…
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Man dies as car slams into power pole at high speed
PHUKET: A 31-year-old man died after his car slid out of control on a wet road and slammed into a power pole at high speed in Koh Kaew late last night. Lt Col Sanit Nookong and fellow officers of the Thalang Police arrived at the scene, near the Tha Ruea Shrine on Thepkrasattri Road, soon after 11:45pm. “The driver, Nitikorn…
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DSI impostors arrested for Phuket massage parlor shakedown
PHUKET: Two men have been arrested for posing as Department of Special Investigation (DSI) officers and extorting money from a Phuket Town massage parlor. Wisanusan Thipayatuch, 42, and Kanapat Khongmuang, 38, were nabbed after extorting 100,000 baht in cash from the owner of Angel Massage in Phuket Town on April 24. “The suspects, who posed as DSI officers, told the…
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Phuket Airport bomb scare leads to hijacking drill
PHUKET: Phuket International Airport held an airplane hijacking drill today in the wake of a bomb scare yesterday morning. Phuket Airport received an anonymous call yesterday threatening to blow up AirAsia flight FD 3003, which departed from Don Mueang Airport at 10:55am, bound for Phuket. On board were 167 passengers and six crew. The plane was immediately escorted to an…
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Phuket women’s club scholarships shine light on poor students’ futures
PHUKET: In its decades-long drive to offer educational opportunities to students from impoverished families, the Phuket International Women’s Club (PIWC) recently granted scholarships to 80 students from Phuket and nearby provinces. The scholarships, valued together at more than 2 million baht, were granted at an event at Satree Phuket School last Wednesday. The 80 new dedications brought the number of…
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Phi Phi and Krabi beaches targeted for encroachment demolitions
PHUKET: Phi Phi and Krabi are next in line for beach encroachment demolitions, the Navy has revealed. “We have already removed beach chairs and umbrellas from Phi Phi’s beaches. The next step will be the clearance of illegally-erected structures encroaching on the island’s beach areas. This will begin very soon,” Commander Prinyatham Poonpitagtham of the Royal Thai Marine Corps, told…
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Phuket blackout leaves underpass underwater
PHUKET: Traffic ground to a crawl at the Darasamuth underpass on Monday after a three-hour power outage rendered pumps useless and allowed heavy rain to flood the underground road. The underpass construction site, located in front of the Central Festival Phuket shopping mall on the bypass road, lost power supply after a transformer blew, explained Samak Luedwonghad, director of the…
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Phuket beach vendors file complaints over cleanup campaign
PHUKET: Kamala beach operators had until 4pm yesterday to file complaints at the Kathu District Office about the effects that the Army-ordered Phuket beach cleanup campaign has had on their livelihoods. At least 40 beach vendors, including umbrella and beach chair operators, restaurant operators and drink vendors, registered their complaints, Kathu District Chief Sayan Chanachaiwong told the Phuket Gazette. “We…
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Sepak Takraw competition in Sri Soonthorn
A competition of Sepak Takraw, known also as kick volleyball, was held in Phuket’s Sri Soonthorn on 23-24 August. Players from 21 teams divided into three age categories could showcase their acrobatic skills while competing for the prizes with another 10 teams playing Freestyle Sepak Takraw. “The purposes of this competition is to encourage people, especially teenagers, to spend time…
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Phuket downpour causes truck slide on Patong Hill
PHUKET: Police have urged motorists throughout Phuket to slow down and exercise more caution than usual during the current spate of very heavy thundershowers passing across the island. The call for safer driving follows heavy rain this afternoon causing a six-wheeled truck lugging sacks of rice over Patong Hill to slide backwards down the hill into the path of traffic…
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Phuket floods strike, sink Patong Police Station again
PHUKET: The Patong Police Station flooded for the third time in two weeks as another heavy rainstorm pummeled Phuket earlier this afternoon. “The water is up to our hips at the station,” said Lt Col Suttichai Tianpho of the Patong Police. “The computers and case files have remained on the second floor since the last flood. Now we are moving…
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Full Metal Dojo brings MMA to Patong once more
PHUKET: “Full Metal Dojo 2: Protect Your Neck” saw fighters from around the globe (including Thailand, Sweden, France, Canada, Philippines, Cambodia, Afghanistan, Japan and more) enter the cage. History was also made as a professional Thai-against-Thai women’s MMA bout took place inside the kingdom for the first time. FMD veteran Michael Dubois took care of business in under 30 seconds,…
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HRH Princess Srirasmi lands in Phuket to open ‘Family Love Center’
PHUKET: HRH Princess Srirasmi, the Royal Consort of HRH Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, today graced the opening ceremony of the “Family Love Center” in Phuket. The center is aimed at encouraging better family ties between generations: children, parents and grandparents. Princess Srirasmi landed on the island at about 11am and was welcomed by Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut and high-ranking officers.…
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Police crack Phuket drug network: nab three suspects, ya ice
PHUKET: Police are hoping to take a local drug kingpin into custody soon after three dealers were arrested and nearly one kilogram of ya ice (crystal methamphetamine) was seized in two separate raids last week. Phuket Provincial Police last Wednesday arrested Wiwat Mungsuree, 30, and Eaknarong Iadkham, 34, who were found in possession of 136.54 grams of ya ice. “During…
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Phuket splashes out on education, health in B1.4bn budget
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Administrative Organization (PPAO) has named health and education as its top priorities in its budget request for fiscal year 2015. The PPAO Council voted to splash out on the two critical areas on Friday, when PPAO President Paiboon Upatising revealed the draft budget of 1.445 billion baht. The PPAO is aiming to spend 407.6 million baht…
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British children, abducted by Thai mother, reunited with father in Pattaya
PHUKET: British school children Annie and Aleena Day, abducted by their Thai mother in June while on holiday in Thailand, have been reunited with their father in Pattaya. “I’ve got them. They’re with me now,” a tearful Robert Day told Pattaya radio station Fabulous 103FM late Friday night (click here). Onwarat Gamlem, the 36-year-old non-custodial mother of the children, was…
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Sluggish United held by Sunderland, Spurs thrash QPR
PHUKET: Manchester United laboured to a ponderous 1-1 draw away at Sunderland on Sunday that delivered a first Premier League point of the season but laid bare their dire need for reinforcements. After Tottenham Hotspur had made it six points from two games with players condemned as expensive mistakes last season starring in a 4-0 victory over Queens Park Rangers,…
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World-class swim coach takes helm at Thanyapura Aquatic Academy
PHUKET: Spaniard Miguel Lopez Alvarado took over as the head coach of the Aquatic Academy at Thanyapura Sports Hotel yesterday. A former national swimming coach in Spain, Mr Alvarado has more than 20 years experience training able-bodied and disabled swimmers at the elite level. “We’re very excited to welcome Miguel to the Thanyapura family,” said Thanyapura’s President and CEO Philipp…
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British expat one of four in Phuket on Ebola watchlist
PHUKET: A British expat is one of four people still being monitored by the Phuket Provincial Health Office (PPHO) for possible signs of Ebola. Health officials at Phuket International Airport this month added Ebola to their watchlist as a precaution against the deadly virus being carried to the island by visitors (story here). “We are monitoring all tourists arriving from…
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Phuket Marine Police tackle drug-fuelled violence in fishing industry
PHUKET: Four men tested positive for methamphetamine yesterday when Phuket Marine Police conducted a spot check of fishermen in an attempt to stomp out drug-fuelled violence on fishing boats. “We did the drug tests to prevent drug-related violent clashess,” Col Chatchai Sakdee of the Phuket Marine Police told the Phuket Gazette. The positive test results from four of the 169…
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Over easy: Russian flips BMW in Phuket
PHUKET: A 24-year-old Russian national suffered only minor injuries after flipping the BMW she was driving on Thepkrasattri Road. “Irina Mishina told us that she was heading toward Phuket Town when one of her back tires blew out. She then lost control of the car, and swerved into the median,” Lt Col Sanit Nookong of the Thalang Police said. The…
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Video Report: Call rings out across the Kingdom for Miss Phuket Universe beauties
PHUKET: A call went out for the fairest of them all in Thailand, as organizers look to draw the Kingdom’s top beauties for Miss Phuket Universe. “This is the first time Phuket has searched for a beautiful woman to represent the island for Miss Universe Thailand,” said Miss Phuket Universe public relations representative Chanitsanan Theppabut. However, the competition isn’t just…
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Officials probe baby elephant chained in Phuket parking lot
PHUKET: A woman elephant trader will present herself to the Livestock Office tomorrow to prove she has legally acquired a baby elephant that is being kept on a small chain in the parking lot of a Phuket market. Officers from the Phuket Livestock Office this week moved quickly to investigate a tip-off that the baby elephant was bound on 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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