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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10 biggest challenges retirees face in Thailand (and how to overcome them)
Retiring in Thailand comes with many benefits, like warm weather, affordable living, and a rich culture. However, it also brings challenges. Retirees must deal with visa rules, healthcare costs, language barriers, and cultural differences. Rising medical expenses, required insurance, and...
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Tiger Disco trial over inferno deaths to start next month
PHUKET: The long-awaited manslaughter trial over the deaths of four people in Patong’s Tiger Disco inferno, in August 2012, will begin next month. Tiger Group CEO Piya Isaramalai and Sara Entertainment Co Ltd each face a charge of causing death through negligence under Section 291 of the Thai Criminal Code, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in jail.…
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Phuket ‘backpack bomb’ fears disarmed by underwear
PHUKET: A lottery ticket seller raised the alarm of a potential backpack bomb outside of a Phuket bank yesterday. However, a police investigation revealed only various female garments, including underwear. “She saw a teenager put several things in the bag and then drop it near the stairs of the Kasikorn Bank branch on Chana-Charoen Road. She got scared, and asked…
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Phuket Election Commission seeks to re-open candidate registration
PHUKET: The Phuket Election Commission (PEC) has sent a formal request to Bangkok asking for permission to re-open registration so more candidates can contest the February 2 national election. “It’s not fair to hold an election with only one candidate. There is no choice for the people,” Tassaneeya Srirattanaprapan, chief of the PEC’s Political Party Division, said at a news…
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Phuket Customs yet to enforce new rules for boat stays
PHUKET: Phuket Customs will hear the opinions of representatives from throughout Phuket’s marine industry before deciding whether or not to enforce new regulations that would reduce boat stays in Thailand to two months. The new rules were announced by Phuket Customs Chief Nanthita Sririkub in a meeting at Provincial Hall yesterday. “According to new regulations handed down from Bangkok on…
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Phuket greenlights trial ban on buses over deadly Patong hill
PHUKET: Within two weeks, buses and trucks headed to Patong will be barred from using the Patong Hill road, government officials and bus operators agreed at a meeting yesterday. The one-month trial ban will force most heavy vehicles to choose alternate roads into Patong, but will permit them to use the hill road when they exit the resort town. Not…
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Murder fugitive in Phuket land dispute surrenders to police
PHUKET: The man wanted for shooting dead a rival in a land dispute yesterday surrendered to Phuket police last night. Supongdeth Vetchatam, 53, presented himself at the Phuket City Police Station at about 7:30pm. He brought with him his lawyer and the murder weapon – a Smith & Wesson .357 revolver. Mr Supongdeth told police that he fatally shot Echa…
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Deadly Phuket shooting over land, say police
PHUKET: Police believe a conflict over land was the motive for the deadly shooting in Phuket today. Echa Yala, 49, was shot dead while out in his garden, not far from a lagoon, after having a heated argument with a man who arrived in a white Toyota Fortuner (story here). “There were two men in the Fortuner. One man walked…
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Aussie fraud, embezzlement trial to start in June
PHUKET: Rell Hayes, the Australian founder of the Stoney Monday Oasis Hotel in Phuket, has denied criminal charges of embezzlement and six counts of fraud involving more than 80 million baht. His defense will be heard in court when his trial begins on June 10. Rell Vivien Hayes, 51, was arrested in Krabi in November after Phuket Provincial Court issued…
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Lethal Phuket tour bus crash prompts B10mn budget to fix road
PHUKET: The Phuket Highways Office has secured 10 million baht to widen the road at the bottom of Patong Hill in the hope of preventing further fatal bus crashes caused by brake failure. The announcement follows a runaway tour bus slamming into five vehicles, including one motorcycle, killing two people and leaving 26 others injured on December 29 (story here).…
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Phuket Town sleeping python not left to lie
PHUKET: A python found taking a nap in a Phuket Town kitchen was escorted to more natural surroundings by rescue workers early this morning.When Anchalee Boonjit returned home from work at about 1am today, she realized that all was not right.“I heard a sound in my kitchen,” she said. “When I went into the room, I saw a snake on…
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Phuket Filipina in 5-month legal limbo
PHUKET: A Philippine national charged with working in Patong illegally was forced to wait in legal limbo for five months before her case was put in front of a Phuket judge.In the meantime, she remained stuck in Thailand without a work permit, or legal way to support herself.Melanie Beleno, 35, was arrested on July 4 when Immigration Police went to…
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Phuket faces 40 per cent drop in Chinese tourist arrivals in January
PHUKET: Officials expect the number of Chinese tourists coming to Phuket to drop by 40 per cent this month, despite the fact that Chinese New Year falls on January 31.Chinese New Year traditionally brings a boost in Chinese tourism to Thailand, but this year fewer tourists from Greater China, including Hong Kong and Taiwan, are expected to celebrate the holiday…
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PIMEX boat show primed and ready to launch this morning
PHUKET: The heat is on and all are getting ready for this week’s Phuket International Boat Show, which opens today at 11am at the Royal Phuket Marina (map here). All of the major Thai and regional boat dealers and brokers are busy juggling yachts into position for what promises to be an excellent in-water display. Two entries exceed the official…
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Chinese-speaking guides protest Phuket Town travel company
PHUKET: About 100 Chinese-speaking Phuket tour guides protested in front of a travel company yesterday, alleging that the company was hiring illegal Chinese guides. Chaifu Saelee, 43, led the protesters to Tranlee Travel Co Ltd in Phuket Town, where they met with Kritchakorn Roongmongkolnam, the Managing Director of the company. The protest follows the arrest of three Thai guides for…
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Phuket police consider sacking cop over killing
PHUKET: Phuket Police are considering discharging a police officer who shot dead a Soi Bangla bar worker on December 26. The 35-year-old Patong Police officer, Sgt Pongsakorn Treeyuth, was off duty and allegedly drunk when he held an 11mm handgun to the head of Sawitree Kaewin, 27 (story here). “We received an order from the Royal Thai Police in Bangkok…
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Baby elephant illegally imported to Phuket returned to Phang Nga
PHUKET: An elephant camp owner charged in October with illegally bringing an elephant into the province has been fined and the elephant returned to its home in Phang Nga. Prasob Jerkae, 37, paid a 5,000-baht fine for bringing an elephant into the province without a permit, Kathu Livestock Acting Chief Jirayu Nirunwiroj told the Phuket Gazette. A tip-off had led…
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Phuket Red Cross winners yet to claim more than B1mn in gold
PHUKET: One lucky person has yet to learn that he has won the top prize of 750,000 baht in gold from the lucky draw at the annual Red Cross Fair, which drew to a close on Sunday night. Even the winner of the second prize has yet to step forward to claim 375,000 baht in gold bars, Sarawut Rukkaw of…
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Chinese tour guide war in Phuket turns violent
PHUKET: Scuffles broke out in front of Wichit Police Station yesterday as tensions boiled over between Chinese-speaking Thai tour guides and Chinese nationals who they accuse of taking their jobs. More than 100 Thai guides gathered at the station in support of Suraphol Saelub, 24; Somchai Saetung, 39; and Ja Saema, also 39, who all face charges of attacking Chinese…
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Marine Chief sinks Phuket sea taxi rumors
PHUKET: The Phuket Marine Office chief today trounced rumors that the 240-million-baht budget for an airport-to-Patong “sea taxi” had been approved. “I do not know how the rumor that it was already approved was spread,” Phuket Marine Office Chief Phuripat Theerakulpisut told the Phuket Gazette. Director of the Marine Office 5 Wichai Khamkong plans to raise the issue of the…
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Phuket Governor puts spotlight back on Tourist Police
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut highlighted the good work done by the Phuket Tourist Police this morning, about a month after the reputation of the department was tarnished by an ex-member becoming a drug dealer. Phuket Tourist Police Inspector Urumporn Koondejsumrit was asked to attend the governor’s monthly meeting and speak about the opportunities for expats to become involved with…
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Phuket Central Festival legal taxi rank in slow lane
PHUKET: The restructuring of the Central Festival taxi rank into a co-operative, part of a campaign to rid Phuket of violent taxi groups, missed its deadline by over a month. However, the process of becoming a legal co-operative should be completed this week. “We’ve gotten certification from the Phuket Provincial Cooperative Office, now the documents just need to be approved…
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Tennis Tip: Taking advantage of the warm-up
PHUKET: When we get onto the tennis court to ready ourselves for a match there are bound to be some type of nerves flowing through our veins. That’s natural.As we hit the first few tennis balls in warm-up we begin to become consumed with how our forehand, our backhand and our serves, for example, are feeling at that moment. That’s…
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Taxi, tuk-tuk drivers save the day for forgetful tourists
PHUKET: A taxi driver and a tuk-tuk driver yesterday made two tourists very happy by returning over half a million baht and other belongings that had been left behind in their vehicles.Italian tourist Alfredo De Santi, 37, left a bag containing an iPad, passport, telephone and 500,000 baht in the taxi he took from the airport to his accommodation in…
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Gang brawl near Red Cross Fair leaves 2 dead, 2 injured
PHUKET: A fight between two rival gangs left two Myanmar nationals dead and two others injured at Saphan Hin last night. Both gangs had attended the final night of the Red Cross Fair. They ran into each other after leaving the event and a battle broke out, said Capt Udom Petcharat of the Phuket City Police. Police called to the…
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Phuket prisoner electrified in jailbreak attempt
PHUKET: An attempted jailbreak from Phuket Prison came to a shocking halt at 12:30pm today when an inmate trying to escape was electrified by wires strung across the top of one of the perimeter walls. Alerted to the escape attempt, prison guards scrambled to the east wall, where they found Worawut Rordbhut, 45, unconscious, hanging upside down with his left…
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Family rescued from burning bedroom fire in Phuket Town
PHUKET: A family of three were rescued from a burning building after being trapped by an electrical fire in their bedroom above the family shop in Phuket Town late last night.Police and firefighters, along with three fire trucks, were called to the Modern PVC plumbing supplies store on Mae Luan Road at about 11:40pm.“When we arrived, we could see flames…
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Phuket Police aim to ID high-speed crash victim
PHUKET: Police are trying to identify a man who died in a high-speed motorbike accident in Koh Kaew, north of Phuket Town, early this morning. Police were called to the scene, near the entrance of the Inizio Koh Kaew housing estate (map here), after security guard Chamroen Pinamorn witnessed the accident at about 4am. “I saw a man speed by…
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Special Report: A year in review
SPECIAL REPORT PHUKET: With 2013 having drawn to a close, Phuket’s top-ranking officials and leading tourism industry figures appear to have avoided a year of stagnant growth, which was almost brought on by the ongoing anti-government protests (click here for our special report) and a slew of other issues that continue to plague the island. Phuket protesters bring flowers. Photo:…
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Special Report: A nation at the crossroads
Special Report PHUKET: As Thailand begins a new year, the country finds itself at a crossroads. What seems to be at stake is not only the future shape of democracy in this country, but whether it will even remain a democracy at all. This should worry all those who care about the future of Thailand and its people. The People’s…
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5 dead in Seven Days of Danger; Phuket officials declare success
PHUKET: The nationwide Seven Days of Danger road-safety campaign ended at midnight last night with a final tally of five deaths on Phuket’s roads. “Although we could not maintain zero deaths in Phuket during the Seven Days of Danger campaign, we are satisfied with the record for this year,” said Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation-Phuket (DDPM-Phuket) Chief San Jantharawong.…
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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