Phuket News
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Murder fugitive’s 10-year run ends with drug-fuelled road frenzy
PHUKET: A murder fugitive on the run for a decade was arrested yesterday in Phang Nga, just north of Phuket, after an armed drug binge ended with police shooting out his tyres.Phonchai “Bao” Phetrit, from Trang, wanted by Ladprao Police in Bangkok on a murder warrant issued in 2003, was finally placed under arrest after he rammed through three checkpoints,…
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Spate of Phuket parking lot robberies prompts security boost
PHUKET: Five car burglaries in two months at the Bang Maruan lagoon in Srisoonthorn has prompted Deputy Mayor Sakchai Mulikabutr to boost the number of security guards patrolling the area in the evenings. “Chonnakarn Puttharuksa, 34, parked her car near the lagoon and went to exercise there at about 6pm on Thursday evening,” Thalang Police officer Narong Muangdoung told the…
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Phuket sea gypsies fight forced relocation
SPECIAL REPORT PHUKET: Fearing they will have nowhere to go if court-ordered evictions are carried out, villagers at the southern Phuket sea gypsy community in Rawai have steadfastly resolved to stay put.“Our people have been living here for more than 200 years. Our homes once lined the length of the beach, but now we have only 19 rai to live…
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“Italian Stallions” gallop to victory in Laguna Phuket Golf Club’s “Beat the Pros” charity challenge opener
PHUKET: Laguna Phuket Golf Club’s “Beat the Pros” charity challenge series began with a victory that upset the form book, with the club’s pro pairing of Paul Wilson and Andy Combe defeated by “Italian Stallions” amateurs, Giovanni Palazzoli and Marco Fragola. The charity challenge, sponsored by Titleist, sees Assistant Director of Golf Paul and PGA teaching professional Andy challenge amateur…
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Phuket marine chief floats Airport-Patong sea taxi idea
PHUKET: To offer tourists another option in getting from Phuket Airport to Patong Beach, the chief of the Phuket Marine Office yesterday proposed launching a “sea taxi” to ferry passengers down the island’s west coast. The project is called “From the boat to the plane”, Chief Phuriphat Teerakulpisut told a meeting at the Phuket Treasury Office yesterday. “Many tourists visit…
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New 20-baht banknote to launch in Phuket on April 1
PHUKET: The new 20-baht banknote will be available for exchange at commercial banks in Phuket and nationwide from April 1, staff at the Bank of Thailand told the Phuket Gazette this morning.Bank of Thailand Deputy Governor Tongurai Limpiti publicly announced the April 1 launch date yesterday.“The new design incorporates a range of advanced anti-counterfeit features to facilitate authentication by banknote…
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Phuket to stage annual turtle release
PHUKET: The Mai Khao Marine Turtle Foundation and JW Marriott Phuket Resort & Spa will stage the 4th Mai Khao Turtle Release at Mai Khao Beach tomorrow from 3 to 6 pm. The important annual event is organized to raise funds for and awareness of the plight of Phuket’s critically endangered sea turtles. Supported by the Phuket Marine Biological Center…
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Phuket man crushed by truck and coconut tree
PHUKET: A concrete well ring vendor died in Thalang yesterday afternoon after his crane truck rolled down a slope and one of the outriggers – arms used to stabilize the truck – crushed him against a coconut tree. Thalang Police were notified that a man had died at a coconut plantation behind Baan Chumpoh Mosque in Pa Khlok at about…
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Phuket crackdown on Russians heads north
PHUKET: Local officials will start conducting raids across Phuket’s Thalang District, which covers the northern third of the island, targeting any businesses involving foreigners. The raids will first target businesses involving Russians, a meeting at Phuket Provincial Hall was told yesterday. As have other recent immigration crackdowns, the Thalang operation will specifically target foreigners either working illegally in Thailand or…
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Patrons and staff of Phuket bars, nightclubs subjected to drug tests
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut has launched a campaign to conduct random drug tests at bars and nightclubs across the island.“Police will conduct random urine drug tests of venue staff and customers,” Governor Maitri said during raids on eight nightlife venues in Phuket Town on Monday night.“We will also check that the entertainment venues are legally registered as well,” he…
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Governor orders justice in Phuket arson attack over land dispute
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut has ordered the Chalong Police to take swift action in bringing to justice the three men seen setting homes ablaze in Chalong early yesterday morning. With the aid of windy conditions, it took just 30 minutes for the fire to destroy three wooden homes in Soi Palai (map here). Sombat Suwit told the Phuket Gazette…
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Phuket gunfight survivors yet to deliver police statements
PHUKET: One of the two survivors of the gunfight on March 20, which left two dead and a Tourist Police officer charged with murder, has given police his version of the shooting but has not identified the shooter. Natthapong Kaewkuanchum, 25, was shot three times in the chest in the early morning of March 20, and is in the surgical…
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Marked Phuket grave gone to the dogs
PHUKET: Following a report from local villagers that they feared a foreign expat was buried at a grave near the Big Buddha image in the Nakkerd Hills, Karon Police today trooped up the hill and exhumed the remains – only to find the body of a buried dog.“At about 10:40am today, we received a report from a local plantation owner…
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Lucky escape from injury as Phuket tuk-tuk flips
PHUKET: A pickup driver, a tuk-tuk driver and a motorbike rider all escaped serious injury yesterday when they piled into one another after the pickup driver slammed on the brakes to avoid a huge pothole on Kata Hill.“The accident occurred near the sharp Sator Curve at about 12:20pm,” said Ruamjai Rescue Foundation emergency responder Sayan Thammaphan, who was among the…
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Body of Russian tourist washes ashore on Phuket beach
PHUKET: The body of a Russian man last seen spearfishing a few hundred meters offshore from Kata Beach on Friday was found washed ashore at the same beach (map here) this morning. The body, still dressed in a wet suit and sporting flippers, was identified as that of 43-year-old Oleg Udaloi, Karon Police Deputy Superintendent Pachai Matthayan confirmed to the…
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Gazette office closed tomorrow (Tuesday)
PHUKET: The Phuket Gazette would like to inform our readers and advertisers that our office in Koh Kaew will be closed tomorrow due to a scheduled, all-day blackout in the area to upgrade power lines. The blackout will affect Soi Harn Farang and Soi Koh Kaew 33, and may affect adjoining areas that are supplied electricity from power cables along…
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Bank employee surrenders over Phuket hit-and-run
PHUKET: The bank employee involved in a lethal hit-and-run in central Phuket late last month has surrendered himself to police. Chaowarot Jantarak, 38, was wanted by police after witnesses saw his car hit security guard Jarin Weenada, 21, who died at the scene (story here). Officers arrived at Mr Chaowarot’s house in the Neramit Housing Estate in Pa Khlok within…
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Greenpeace goes over the edge to protest Krabi coal plant
PHUKET: Hanging from the cliffs of Railay Bay in Krabi (view here), east of Phuket, Greenpeace activists staged a dramatic protest against the Thai government’s plan to build coal power plants across Thailand, including an 800 Megawatt plant in Krabi. The protest, held last Thursday, follows that of 500 Krabi villagers on February 11 (story here) who claimed that a…
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Phuket Sports: PTT Rayong ‘Fire Power’ douses Phuket FC in league cup match
PHUKET: A late added-time goal, was enough for the PTT Rayong “Fire Power” to douse Phuket FC’s Toyota League Cup ambitions in a closely fought match last night in Phuket Town. Played in front of about 4,700 fans at Phuket’s Surakul Stadium, the cup match between the two Yamaha One League (YL1) teams yielded the same score-line the last time…
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After India, Phuket Rohingya face deportation from Thailand
PHUKET: The boatload of 91 Rohingya forced to land yesterday on Koh Lone, off the south end of Phuket, have been taken into custody and will face yet another deportation, this time from Thailand. The group, who were forced to land on Koh Lone because their boat engine seized, told reporters they were taken into custody by Indian authorities on…
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Phuket sets safety plans for Songkran
PHUKET: Police checkpoints and water-play zones will be set up to increase safety on Phuket during the Seven Days of Danger for Songkran, April 11 to April 17. “Police checkpoints will be set up around the clock during the period in order to check on drivers,” says San Jantharawong, chief of the Phuket office of the Department of Disaster Prevention…
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Phuket Gazette Sports: England hammer eight as Spain stutter; World Cup qualifiers
Spain stumbles as England, Germany and France win Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: World champions Spain were held by lowly Finland but there were wins for England, Germany, France and Netherlands as Europe’s top teams returned to the task of qualifying for next year’s World Cup finals yesterday. The first of this month’s two rounds of qualifiers – with another…
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Phuket park rangers to step up patrols to stave off tree bandits
PHUKET: Officers at the Khao Phra Thaew wildlife sanctuary in Thalang have vowed to step up their efforts to keep bandits from cutting down valuable eaglewood trees in the park. Eaglewood trees are wanted for the aromatic resin they produce, which is also known as agarwood. The resin is used in making incense and perfumes. The news follows Phuket Governor…
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Phuket Sports: England hit the buffers
PHUKET: The most unpredictable Six Nations Championship of recent years ended with yet more surprises: Wales as champions and France, tipped at the start as possible winners, holders of the ‘wooden spoon’. On the final, decisive Saturday, the shocks continued as Italy, this year’s surprise packet, beat a lack-luster Ireland, clearly hampered by an appalling run of injuries and three…
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Phuket Sports: Trouble on the terraces
PHUKET: THE Thai Premier League Co Ltd (TPL) – the mother company of the Yamaha One league (Division 1, or YL1) – collected a total of 230,000 baht in fines in the first two weeks of the YL1 2013 season. Of this amount, Phuket FC were fined 5,000 baht for only having one ambulance at its first home match against…
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Phuket Sports: Scores, storms and Sepang – F1
PHUKET: Well, Melbourne was a great Grand Prix, and we now have some answers to those intriguing questions from the off-season. Last week I put my neck on the block and made some predictions about the Australian GP (click here for article) that were against conventional wisdom. How well did I do? I said slower teams have had a better…
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Archers set their sights on Phuket
PHUKET: The front lawn of the Blue Elephant restaurant in Phuket Town hosted a press conference held by the Phuket Archery Club on March 16, to announce the 3rd Phuket Archery Open, to be held April 6. The organizer of the competition, Montree Thammakij, outlined the event saying: “We have 11 types of competition and 57 trophies, along with medals…
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Phuket Sports: Patong pull clear at the top; Round 2 Junior league
PHUKET: After securing a first win of the season in their last match, the Village were confident of another successful outing against Phuket’s senior cricket league leaders, Patong, who loss in their last match to Jabudays (ICC). With only 3 points separating the top four teams, a win for the Village, last seasonfs runners up, would put them back in…
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Phuket Tourist Police shootout cop loses leg to gunfight injury
PHUKET: The Phuket Tourist Police officer injured in a shootout yesterday morning has had his right leg amputated in order to save his life. Sen Sgt Maj Pinchai Piyadilok, 34, was quickly transferred to the Prince of Songkla University Hospital in Haad Yai yesterday after he was shot in the leg and in the stomach in a gunfight at a…
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Body washes ashore near Phuket Town
PHUKET: Police are trying to determine the identity of a man whose body was found this morning washed ashore at Laem Tukkae, on the east side of Phuket Town. The man was likely a Burmese crewman aboard one of the many vessels operating out of Phuket, said Phuket City Police Duty Officer Chaleaw Taihoo. “He may have had an argument…
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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