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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Thalang traffic police to crack down on convenience store parking violators
PHUKET: Traffic police in Thalang today confirmed that they will crack down on motorists congesting the roadways around 7-Elevens and other small convenience stores in the Phuket district within the coming weeks. “In the next two weeks, my team and I will talk to branch managers at 7-Elevens and other small convenience stores, and ask them to announce to their…
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Officials set sights on Patong water gate
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (PPAO) will spend over 19 million baht on a water gate to help alleviate flooding in Patong.The news came at a meeting on Tuesday between PPAO President Paiboon Upatising and Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut to discuss strategies to prevent flooding in Phuket.The areas of top concern discussed in the meeting were Patong, Sri Soonthorn…
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Armed man robs 7-Eleven, last seen heading for Wat Chalong
PHUKET: An armed robber made off with 1,000 baht from a Chalong 7-Eleven convenience store early Tuesday morning. The robber fled on a motorbike and is now the subject of a Chalong Police search. The thief entered the 7-Eleven at the entrance to Soi Mae Aum Phan, a few meters in front of the popular Phuket expat shopping mall HomePro…
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Construction worker shocked by high-voltage line
PHUKET: A Myanmar national welding on top of the police box at the Kalim junction in Patong at about 6pm yesterday was shocked by a jolt from a high-voltage line, but not fatally injured.When the back of Aung Naing’s welding rod touched a tree that was in contact with the high voltage line, he received an electric shock that sent…
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Storms and rain set to continue until Sunday
PHUKET: Phuket and surrounding Andaman Coast areas are set for more rough weather, the Thailand Meteorological Department (TMD) has warned. According to the TMD, which issued its warning at 10am yesterday, the storms will continue until Sunday, when blue skies and the sun are due to make a welcome reappearance. Boat-owners and other seafarers need to exercise extra caution, as…
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Officials complete Kamala flash-flood cleanup, but warn of more flooding
PHUKET: Officials at Kamala Beach have completed their mop-up operation after the town was struck by a flash flood on Sunday, but have warned residents that more flooding may be on the way.“More than 20 homes were flooded by mud and water, but now the situation is back to normal,” said Krittkraisee Khieowan, Chief Administrative Officer at the Kamala Tambon…
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Meth arrests lead to prison drug lord
PHUKET: The trend for local drug dealers to source their product from a kingpin operating out of a maximum-security prison was evident again this week as Crime Suppression Division (CSD) officers in Phuket arrested two suspects found in possession of 2,336 pills of ya bah (methamphetamine) in raids north of Phuket Town on Monday. Undercover police learned of a dealer…
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Phuket Governor stages “3K Police’ tour
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut yesterday conducted an inspection tour of police stations at three key tourism beach areas – Patong, Kamala and Karon – as part of his campaign to promote Phuket as a safe holiday destination.Joining the governor on his tour was Kathu District Chief Veera Kerdsirimongkol.Patong Police Superintendent Chiraphat Pochanaphan, who formally heads Kathu Police Station, reported…
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Huge Phuket python caught seeking shelter
PHUKET: A man checking his house for leaks during heavy rain in northern Phuket this morning spotted a huge python near the back of the house, trying to get in.Chokdee Inklub was checking every room of his home at Baan Yid, in Mai Khao, to ensure water was not damaging his furniture or posing a danger near exposed power sockets.When…
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Rain fails to dampen Phuket Vegetarian Festival spirit
PHUKET: The Phuket Vegetarian Festival street processions continued yesterday under a steady drizzle and leaden skies, but the inclement weather barely dampened the enthusiastic spirit of both participants and observers. The procession by devotees from Samkong Shrine wound its way through Phuket Town in the morning rain, with some 2,000 spectators lining the route to watch ma song (spirit mediums)…
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As AoT and Airport bus company trade barbs, tourists take taxis
PHUKET: As Airports of Thailand (AoT) and the Airport Express bus company trade blame for the lack of passengers on the Airport-to-Patong bus, tourists continue to find it difficult to locate the bus stop. The most common complaint voiced by visitors is the lack of information both at Phuket International Airport and on line. “It took me 20 minutes to…
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Exploited lizard puts rainy-day tout in hot water
PHUKET: Non-stop rain in Patong could not stop an iguana tout from offering tourists photo opportunities with his captive reptile, a protected species. However, his persistence paid no dividends. Kathu District officers arrested the tout yesterday afternoon on Patong’s Phang Muang Sai Kor Road.“Ruonkimlhee Unruean, 46, from Patong, was caught with the iguana in front of One Tambon One Product…
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Video Report: Sea turtles beach in Phuket with propeller, fishnet injuries
PHUKET: Two injured Olive Ridley sea turtles washed up on Phuket’s west coast yesterday.One of the two turtles, a male between 15 and 20 years old, was found on Patong Beach with leg and head injuries inflicted by a boat propeller.The other turtle, a female between five and 20 years old, was found earlier that day at Nai Harn Beach.…
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Phuket floods clear, but landslide strikes afore severe weather warning
PHUKET: Minor flooding from heavy rains across Phuket over the weekend has now drained, leaving roads clear and island residents to resume their daily business, officials have reported. The news comes after deluges flooded main roads in Phuket Town – notably Phuket Road, Montri Road and Rassada Road, all in the heart of the Phuket Old Town quarter, where water…
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Phuket FC narrowly conquer Saraburi’s Warlords
PHUKET: Phuket FC fans, players and coaching staff are all able to rest a bit easier now that the club has ended a two-month winless run, having prevailed at home 1-0 over the Gulf Saraburi “Warlords” last night at Surakul Stadium.Prior to last night’s win, the Islanders’ last triumph was on August 11 when they downed Nakhon Pathom 2-0, also…
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No seat belts worn, but no fatalities after van flips twice
PHUKET: Six relatives, including three children, escaped serious injury when the van they were in flipped twice before coming to rest on Thepkrasattri Road in Mai Khao yesterday afternoon.None of the adults or three children, aged 8 to 11, was wearing a seat belt when the van slid on the rain-slippery road and hit the median at a curve in…
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Tanker truck vapor prompts Phuket scare
PHUKET: A tanker truck parked roadside with vapor pouring from its pressurized tank full of oxygen sent Phuket residents into a state of high alert last night. The 18-wheeler remained parked in front of the Thalang Museum, near the Heroine’s Monument (map here), with its engine running because residents hesitated to approach it for fear it would explode. “The truck’s…
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Phuket Airport bus service still struggling
PHUKET: The airport bus service continues to operate at a loss, mainly due to management and marketing problems, its owner has told the Phuket Gazette. The buses, which travel from Phuket International Airport to Patong, have been carrying six to eight passengers each morning and about 12 to15 in the afternoons, company owner Prakob Panyawai said. “We have not been…
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Gazette’s Full Guide to Phuket Vegetarian Festival 2013
PHUKET: The annual Phuket Vegetarian Festival started at sunset last night after area shrines raised go teng poles to allow the Jade Emperor and the Nine Emperor Gods to descend to our earthly realm. The nine-day festival, which ends on October 13, attracts thousands of visitors to Phuket to witness the festivities, which include fire walking, bladed-ladder climbing, specialty foods…
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Phuket on alert for floods and landslides
PHUKET: The Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department (DPMD) yesterday put Phuket on a list of 13 provinces told to be on the alert for possible rain-caused natural disasters. People living along rivers or at the base of hills should be particularly alert, the warning said.The other provinces on this list are Kanchanaburi, Ratchaburi, Phetchaburi, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Chon Buri, Rayong,…
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Special Report: Is my neighbor a contract killer?
Special Report: PHUKET: Soldiers and other security personnel arriving on the island to enjoy R&R leave or even to retire in the sun is nothing new to Phuket, but the arrest of ex-US soldier Joseph “Rambo” Hunter this past week (story here) has raised the disconcerting question: Do you know who your neighbors really are? Hunter lived the quiet life…
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New traffic lights re-ignite on dangerous stretch of Phuket road
PHUKET: One of the deadliest stretches of Thepkrasattri Road got new traffic lights on Thursday. Or rather, got its old ones up and operating again. The 2.9m baht lights, located at the Baan Khaolarn intersection between the PTT station in Sri Soonthorn and Tesco Lotus in Thalang, have been installed to increase safety in the area, said Director of Phuket…
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Kamala Beach encroachers given more time to remove illegal structures
PHUKET: Bar and restaurant owners whose establishments encroach on Kamala Beach have been given more time to remove their illegal structures. The original deadline, set after an inspection by local authorities in early September, was yesterday (story here). “We will inspect the beach on October 8 and make a list of any establishments that have not removed their encroaching structures,”…
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Phuket F1: Boos, boredom, boorishness, bravado
PHUKET: Sebastion Vettel faced the boos yet again as he collected his Monza and Singapore trophies. This has become an unhappy routine ritual at GPs. F1 is losing the fan base that it rebuilt after the Schumacher dark age. And the “Vettel Effect” is the cause. Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner has said it is “unfair” to boo Vettel.…
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All rise for the Phuket Vegetarian Festival
PHUKET: Phuket folk from all over the island spent this afternoon pasting gold leaf onto Go Teng poles, hoping for good luck, before they are raised at every Chinese shrine in Phuket this afternoon at 5:09pm to mark the start of the 2013 Vegetarian Festival. “We have set up lots of places to eat in the vicinity of our shrine…
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Chinese drowning spurs ultimatum on Racha Island safety
PHUKET: Responding to the recent spate of Chinese tourist drownings at Racha Yai island, the head of the Conservation Club there yesterday issued the Phuket Government a safety ultimatum. “The authorities have to put pressure on tour companies to increase tourist safety,” said Sarit Jandee, head of the club. “The tour companies need to do more – provide life jackets…
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Phuket Vegetarian Festival firecrackers blamed for house fire
PHUKET: Children playing with firecrackers before the Phuket Vegetarian Festival gets underway this evening have been named as the likely cause of a home in Thalang being gutted by fire.Two teams of firefighters arrived at the house of Rungtiwa Nuansri, 29, in Thepkrasattri, at about 8pm last night to find her modest home ablaze.The firemen took about an hour to…
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Phuket tour bus driver flees the scene after killing pedestrian
PHUKET: Once again, the driver of a Phuket tour bus has fled the scene after hitting and killing a local woman. The incident occurred as the woman was crossing Thepkrasattri Road in Thalang last night. The bus was carrying Chinese tourists. In a practice which would appear to have now become entrenched as a norm, the driver abandoned the bus…
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Phuket floods already, and more rain on the horizon
PHUKET: Steady rain in Phuket caused minor flooding this morning at the usual places in Phuket: in front of Patong Hospital and on Chao Fa West Road in Chalong.However, no roads were reported to be cut off and small vehicles were able to make their way through the water.Floodwater collected in the area in front of Patong Hospital on Phang…
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Phuket beach encroachers face Kamala Friday deadline
PHUKET: Shop and bar owners that have been found to be encroaching on Kamala Beach have until tomorrow to take down their offending structures.If they are not removed voluntarily, they will be demolished, said Kamala Tambon Administrative Organization (OrBorTor) Vice President Seri Larpmark.Mr Seri first inspected construction on the beach in early September. “We found many shops and bars encroaching…
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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