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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Tsunami warning app lands on Phuket shores
PHUKET: The National Disaster Warning Center (NDWC) launched a mobile phone application this month that allows iPhone and Android phone users to receive instant notifications of any tsunami alerts and warnings issued by the center. The “app” was launched on the online Apple App Store for iPhones and iPads on December 11, with an Android version launched on the Android…
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Crane rips roof off Phuket tour van
PHUKET: A retractable crane arm hanging over Patak Road in Chalong ripped the roof off a Phuket tour van full of tourists just after 9am today.The west-bound tour van was about 200 meters from Chalong Circle when it collided with the arm of the crane.The van was not overturned in the accident and at this stage no deaths or serious…
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French tourists in Phuket struck by falling tree
PHUKET: An unlucky pair of French tourists were enjoying a scenic motorbike ride along the road from Patong to Kamala on Saturday when they were struck down by a falling tree.Ruamkatanyu Foundation Phuket workers rushed to the scene after being notified of the accident by Kamala Police at about 4:30pm.“At the scene, we found the man had suffered only slight…
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Brazen youths caught after bag snatch in front of Phuket police
PHUKET: Three teenagers were arrested minutes after they snatched a bag from a Chinese tourist right in front of four Phuket police officers in a patrol pickup truck on Saturday night.“The officers watched as the young men on a motorbike with no license plate approached the woman, Wang Ying, while she was walking by the side of the road with…
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Phuket rallies for expat sailor Kevin Ashby
PHUKET: Hundreds of people turned out at the Ao Chalong Yacht Club (ACYC) on Friday night to contribute much-needed money for the life-saving surgery of beloved Phuket expat sailor Kevin Ashby. Kevin, 42, was recently diagnosed with stage three colon cancer, but does not have the health insurance needed to cover the critical surgery. “It was a great event. More…
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Police, officials knew of death threats, alleges Reisz girlfriend
PHUKET: A woman close to Hungarian murder victim Peter Reisz gave her statement to Phuket police, claiming that Samui Police and officials at the Hungarian embassy in Bangkok were aware of death threats being made against Mr Reisz but failed to act appropriately on them. The woman, a Vietnamese national who asked not to be named in fear of compromising…
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Family positive in identification of missing American Brett Bean
PHUKET: Based on CCTV footage the family of missing American Brett Bean have identified the man using Brett’s ATM card on November 23 as Brett. “My husband, my daughter and I all thought that the video on the 23rd was Brett. None of us are sure of the other videos. We are actively working on those videos, so that we…
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Child rape case handed over to Phuket Public Prosecutor
PHUKET: The Phuket Public Prosecutor will present charges on December 21 against a man who allegedly raped a 9-year-old girl in Mai Khao on October 7. “This is a grave and serious case. We have no choice but to charge him to the full extent of the law,” Public Prosecutor Atikun Puangprom told the Phuket Gazette yesterday. The lead investigator…
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Patong Carnival underway today
PHUKET: The island’s premier party town of Patong is set to kick off the tourism high season with its annual carnival, starting today and running to December 20. Organized by the Patong Municipality, the annual festival draws thousands of visitors from all over the world to mark the start of the tourism high season in Phuket, which traditionally runs from…
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Phuket Sports: Andaman Pearl’s home games under threat
PHUKET: Phuket United’s home at the new 4,000-seat futsal arena in Saphan Hin is under threat after Phuket City Municipality has asked that the parquet playing surface be relayed with rubber. The Andaman Pearl’s Saturday game was postponed to Sunday, at Fashion Island in Bangkok, because of issues with the playing surface at Saphan Hin’s futsal stadium, said Samak Rattanadilokna,…
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Phang Nga officials implicated in illegal palm plantation
PHUKET: Several high-ranking Phang Nga officials have been implicated in the operation of an illegal 16-rai palm plantation raided by officers yesterday after the site was deemed to be encroaching on protected park land.More than 70 officers cleared 420 palm trees in yesterday’s raid.The offensive targeted a district border area at the tourist-popular Ton Pariwat Wildlife Conservation Area, north of…
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‘Paris Hilton’ Phuket beach party gets green light
PHUKET: The “Paris Hilton” New Year beach bash organized by Sydictive Element on Surin Beach has, after strong opposition, finally been approved, local officials have confirmed to the Phuket Gazette. The approval came after Sydictive Element assured the local government that they will take care of three key areas of concern, Ma-ann Samran, president of the Cherng Talay Tambon Administration…
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Phuket Sports: Patong CC slay old foe
PHUKET: Patong Cricket Club (PCC) squared off against old foes Island Cricket Club (ICC) in the second game of the Jones Lang LaSalle League last Sunday. Patong Cricket Club emerged victorious after an exciting day of cricket. PCC won the toss and elected to bat, losing their fist wicket in the second over. After a cautious start, opener Mike Khan…
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Hungarian suspect Kvalka retraces steps to Peter Reisz killing
PHUKET: Gyorgy Lajos Kvalka, the second suspect arrested in connection with the murder of Peter Reisz in Phuket late last month, today reiterated to police his claim that he played no part in the killing of the Hungarian businessman. However, Mr Kvalka today did confess to assisting the Israeli-Hungarian dual national Moshe David – named as Gabor Nemeth on his…
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Phuket human trafficking victim now safe in children’s home
PHUKET: The Cambodian child who literally ran to the safety of Phuket officials to escape her life as a human-trafficking victim and being forced to beg on the streets of Soi Bangla is now safe in a home for children, Patong Deputy Mayor Chairat Sukban confirmed to the Phuket Gazette today. “We coordinated with all relevant departments immediately after she…
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Turtle egg find floats hope of leatherbacks returning to Phuket region
PHUKET: Hopes that turtles are returning to their traditional nesting sites along the Andaman Coast soared as a second clutch of leatherback turtle eggs was discovered on Tai Muang Beach in Phang Nga, just north of Phuket, within an eight day period.The discovery of the nest on Tuesday follows a leatherback turtle being spotted laying eggs on the beach on…
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Phuket Customs deliver “crushing blow’ to copyright pirates
PHUKET: Phuket Customs destroyed an estimated 29 million baht’s worth of pirated goods yesterday as part of their ongoing battle to protect intellectual property rights on the island. Fake copies of designer brand-name purses, sunglasses, shoes and mobile phones were among the nearly 10,000 items destroyed. “The 9,762 counterfeit items destroyed today are from 44 closed cases related to pirated…
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International Sports: Assumptions that cricket has largely eradicated corruption are challenged
Spot fixing threatens integrity of modern game Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Any comfortable assumptions that world cricket has largely eradicated corruption after the shock of the Hansie Cronje match-fixing scandal are challenged in a disturbing new book investigating India’s illegal bookmaking underworld. In “Bookie Gambler Fixer Spy; A Journey to the Heart of Cricket’s Underworld”, English author and cricket…
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Police to charge tour van driver today over lethal Phuket crash
PHUKET: Tuan Russala Samae, the tour van driver involved in the fatal crash that killed 9-year-old British International School student Kunnarree Lattuada-Lancini on November 29, has been discharged from Vachira Phuket Hospital. “He is to present himself at Chalong Police Station on Thursday [today] to be charged with reckless driving causing death,” Sub Lt Kraisorn Boonprasop told the Gazette on…
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CCTV captures unidentified man using missing American’s bank card in Phuket
PHUKET: The mother of missing American Brett Bean was unable to confirm if images captured by CCTV cameras in Patong and Chalong show her son making ATM transactions after his disappearance in Phuket. Lynne Bean, who posted a 50,000 baht reward to help find her son was asked to visit Karon Police Station today to try to identify a man…
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Live Wire: A decade of hard internet knocks
PHUKET: This is the final installment in a four-part series of articles about getting connected to the internet in Phuket. High season is upon us and many people are looking for good internet connections – for a month, a year, or the rest of their lives. In these four articles I’ve tried to distill more than a decade’s worth of…
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North Korean native found dead in Phuket
PHUKET: A Russian national, but born in North Korea, was found dead in his rented Phuket apartment room this evening.The unclothed body of the man, 46, was found face-up on the floor by the apartment owner after she unlocked the room to access the air-conditioning unit.“I knocked on his door and asked for him to open up for me and…
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Mother offers B50k reward for missing Phuket expat Brett Bean
PHUKET: The mother of an American ski instructor, who was last seen in Phuket, has offered a 50,000-baht reward to find her son. Speaking at Karon Police Station today, 69-year-old Lynne Bean appealed to the public for any information that would help find Brett Bean, her 43-year-old son who failed to make a flight home to Los Angeles on November…
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Phuket ready to rendezvous
PHUKET: Organizers are making final preparations for the 12th annual Asia Superyacht Rendezvous and the anticipation is palpable. Most yachts have arrived, bringing with them captains, crew and VIP guests who are getting revved up for sun, sailing and socializing. The buzz is growing with Christmas around the corner and Phuket’s beaches bustling with families, honeymooners, holiday makers and friendly…
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Football Roundup: Van Persie breaches City fortress, Everton win
PHUKET: Manchester United laid down a significant marker in the Premier League title race as Robin Van Persie’s late free kick sealed a dramatic 3-2 Premier League derby win at Manchester City’s home fortress yesterday. City fought back after Wayne Rooney’s first-half double but goals from Yaya Toure and Pablo Zabaleta proved in vain as Van Persie marked his first…
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Phuket expat sailor Stafford Steer dies from cancer
PHUKET: As sailors raced in the final day of the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta that concluded yesterday, one of Phuket’s longest-staying expats and best-known personalities in the local yachting community, Stafford Steer from Australia, died after a brief battle with cancer. He was 71 years old. Stafford arrived in Phuket from Cairns, in Far North Queensland, Australia, in 1992 on…
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Pong powers home to win Phuket King’s Cup Regatta
PHUKET: Blue skies and consistent winds marked the final day of the 2012 Phuket King’s Cup Regatta in fitting style yesterday as teams and their boats assembled at the start line in a final bid to resolve their class contests. Some results had effectively completed on Friday, but most of the classes were anticipated to deliver a thrilling final day…
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World Football Roundup: Torres ignites Chelsea; bad record for Queens Park
PHUKET: Fernando Torres continued to silence his critics by scoring twice for the second game running as third-placed Chelsea won 3-1 at Sunderland last night to record their first Premier League victory under Rafael Benitez.The much-maligned Spain forward struck two goals in the first half, his second from the penalty spot, and almost completed a hat-trick shortly after halftime when…
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Samui Police arrest second Hungarian suspect for Phuket Reisz murder
PHUKET: Phuket Provincial Police Commander Choti Chavalviwat has confirmed that police on Koh Samui have arrested Hungarian national Gyorgy Lajos Kvalka, wanted in connection with the murder of fellow Hungarian Peter Reisz in Phuket. “We are in contact with police there, but at this stage we are not sure when the suspect will be brought to Phuket,” Maj Gen Choti…
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Phuket police chief calls on officers to use smart phones, rolling checkpoints
PHUKET: The 48 Royal Thai Police officers installed in their new positions in Phuket yesterday were ordered to boost their public image and their effectiveness by staging “rolling checkpoints” and using smart phones. The news was handed down by Phuket Provincial Police Commander Choti Chavalviwat at a ceremony at Provincial Police headquarters in Phuket Town. Maj Gen Choti ordered the…
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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