Phuket News
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Russian tour agent in Phuket faces deportation
PHUKET: Phuket Immigration officers arrested a Russian tour saleswoman in Patong yesterday for working illegally and for illegally entering the country. “We inspected the Kathu area for illegal foreign workers,” explained Phuket Immigration Investigator Chidchanok Sakornyen. “As we reached the tour counter of the Leon Speedy Travel company on Thaweewong Road [map here], we found Oleg Tikhomirova, 34, discussing tour…
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Phuket’s international boat show comes of age
PHUKET: The 10th Anniversary Phuket International Boat Show (PIMEX) opened today to a large gathering of island dignitaries, VIPs, exhibitors, visitors and media. While the traditional boating markets of Europe and the USA continue to struggle in the current economic climate, Phuket is driving Asia’s growth and continues to attract top international boat brands and marine products to exhibit. Pivotal…
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No wildfire warning in Phuket, but fire alert remains
PHUKET: The lack of rainfall across the island in recent weeks has yet to prompt the authorities to issue a wildfire warning for Phuket, but they have called for people to be vigilant as a precaution.“We have not issued a fire warning as there are small packets of rain falling on scattered areas,” Phuket Forest Protection and Fire Control Director…
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Sit still Singapore – Live Wire
PHUKET: I was in Singapore last weekend, and frankly am surprised by the way “4G” technology is being marketed in all sorts of places: the tops of taxis, television ads, magazine and newspaper ads, radio and TV. Everybody, it seems, wants to know more about 4G, and how to can get it. It’s not just Singapore. All over the world,…
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Police arrest 25 Sri Lankan refugees trafficked to Phuket
PHUKET: Police today arrested at least 25 refugees found walking along the busy Chao Fa East Road in Chalong. “The group included 18 men, six women and a 2-year-old boy. Among the six women, one was two months pregnant,” Chalong Police Superintendent Krittapas Det-intarasorn told the Phuket Gazette. None of the refugees could present passports, he explained. Some had United…
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Phuket Russians targeted in Thai New Year crackdown
PHUKET: Kathu District Chief Weera Kerdsirimongkol, who took up his position in Phuket less than a month ago, will target Russians, Nepalese and Vietnamese working illegally in Phuket, starting on April 14, the first day of the Thai new Year, he told a Provincial Hall meeting yesterday.“Initially, we will work with Phuket Employment Office and issue warnings to businesses involving…
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Tourist Police hit in Phuket Town shootout, killing two
PHUKET: A Phuket Tourist Police officer is in hospital this morning recovering from wounds sustained after a gunfight in a neighbor’s room which left two men dead early this morning. Sen Sgt Maj Pinchai Piyadilok was shot in the leg and in the stomach in the incident, and is recovering from surgery. Police have yet to question him. Officers received…
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Phuket Gazette Sports: Salute, suspicions and sympathy
Katidis banned for rest of Greek season for Nazi salute Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: AEK Athens have suspended Giorgos Katidis for the rest of the season after the 20-year-old midfielder made a Nazi salute to fans during a game at the weekend.The former captain of his country’s under-19 side had already been banned from all international teams for life by…
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Phuket to become land probe role model
PHUKET: A Deputy Ministry of Interior arrived on Phuket yesterday to launch a land title deed investigation geared to establish Phuket as a role model for land probes.“Many plots of land have been acquired through corrupt officials,” Deputy Interior Minister Pracha Prasopdee told the Phuket Gazette.“This investigation, commencing immediately and lasting 30 days, will establish Phuket as a role model…
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Phuket Sports: ‘Imagina na Copa!’
PHUKET: It’s the catchphrase of the year in Brazil: “Imagina na Copa!”It basically means “Imagine what it’ll be like during the World Cup,” and it has become a favourite among Brazilians stuck in traffic or in line at their woefully overcrowded airports.The underlying belief is that the chaos will be worse when Brazil hosts the football tournament in June 2014,…
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Phuket Police deny drug suspect bribe, make “honor arrest’
PHUKET: A senior Phuket City Police officer arrested a woman for tarnishing the name of the Royal Thai Police after she allegedly claimed to have paid him 400,000 baht in bribe money.The news follows Duangporn Luesub, 36, arriving at Phuket City Police Station yesterday to discuss the issue with Phuket City Police Deputy Superintendent Prawit Engchuan, the sole case officer…
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Phuket Police bag two as snatch turns snitch
PHUKET: A young Thai woman wanted as a bag-snatcher was placed under arrest by Phuket Police yesterday after she presented herself at Thalang Police Station to seek guidance over being beaten by her boyfriend. Rudeemas “Yaem” Sumeng, 22, reported the whereabouts of her partner to Thalang Police after he allegedly beat her. She walked into the police station apparently unaware…
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Ministry of Justice steps up to help Phuket sea gypsies
PHUKET: Thailand’s Ministry of Justice is spearheading a multi-agency effort to provide assistance to sea gyspies in Phuket.Leaders of the small sea gypsy community in Rawai currently face legal action from investors for allegedly encroaching on private land, despite the previously nomadic people having lived there for decades.Many of the indigenous fisherfolk from Rawai have also been arrested, and released…
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Phuket bus driver found dead, pinned by bus door
PHUKET: Police are investigating the death of a bus driver whose body was found, still standing, pinned by the partially closed door of his own bus this morning.Phuket native Ekkarat Sarapol, 29, from Wichit, arrived and parked his Sawat Travel Company bus alongside other tour buses at the Phuket Boat Lagoon, north of Phuket Town, at 6am.He was last seen…
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Phuket Events: Professional Beach Volleyball returns with FIVB Open
PHUKET: The Federation Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) Beach Volleyball World Tour event, the ‘Thailand Open’ powered by PTT, is set to return to Karon Beach, Phuket, this year. After staging the event in Phuket for six years, the tournament was moved to Bang Saen, near Pattaya, last year but changes to the regulations by the FIVB have allowed the organizers…
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Sea Warriors hook Blue Marlins
PHUKET: The Southern Sea Warriors won their first Thailand Yamaha One League (YL1) game of the season, beating Suzuki Si Racha FC 3-1 in front of just over 4,200 fans at Surakul Stadium on Saturday. Last season, Phuket had lost both of its YL1 league matches – home and away – against the Suzuki Si Racha ‘Blue Marlins’. Phuket FC…
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Phuket Gazette Sports: Red Bulls take front row at F1 season opener
Vettel on pole for Red Bull in Melbourne Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: World champion Sebastian Vettel will start the Formula One season-opener from pole position on an all-Red Bull front row later today (1pm Phuket time) after posting the fastest time in the rain-delayed qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix. The German, chasing a fourth successive world title this…
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Tourist Police chief targets Phuket jet-ski rip-offs
PHUKET: A complaint by a senior Chinese consulate official has prompted Tourist Police Commander Roy Ingpairoj to visit Phuket in person to investigate unscrupulous jet-ski operators at Patong Beach.Maj Gen Roy led 22 Tourist Police officers on an inspection of Patong Beach late yesterday afternoon. The visit followed Qin Jian, Vice Consul of the Consulate-General of the People’s Republic of…
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Phuket Town gamblers luck out: 22 arrested
PHUKET: A joint police raid on a house in Phuket Town on Thursday night netted 22 gamblers playing the popular “shrimp-fish-giant water bug-flower” [yes] board game. Officers led by Lt Col Prawit Engchuan of Phuket City Police joined teams from the Phuket Provincial Police and Wichit Police in the raid, at the shophouse about 100 meters from Surakul Stadium (map…
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Phuket Sports: Wales play England in decider
PHUKET: Flyhalf Owen Farrell has been passed fit to return to England’s lineup for Saturday’s Six Nations title decider against Wales in Cardiff, and is likely to start despite Toby Flood kicking six out of six penalties in Sunday’s 18-11 victory over Italy. The news was not so good for number eight Ben Morgan, who has lost his fitness battle…
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Phuket Sports: Truth, tyres and tall tales – F1
PHUKET: The 2013 Formula 1 rules are much the same as last year, so slower teams have had a better chance to copy and catch-up in the off-season rather than have faster teams increase their lead with innovations. But the new Pirelli tyres are going to degrade even faster than the 2012 versions. So I expect a very close season.…
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New Phuket buses ready to run the gauntlet
PHUKET Governor Maitri Inthusut confirmed to the Phuket Gazette that he will approve the long-awaited bus service to start serving tourists arriving at Phuket International Airport. The new bus service – to launch with six buses departing the airport to provide a “hop on, hop off” service to the major tourist beaches down the west coast – has one final…
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Russians nabbed touting macaque monkeys off Phuket
PHUKET: A Russian couple were arrested at a tourist sightseeing island off Phuket yesterday afternoon after they were caught charging tourists to have their photos taken with pig-tailed macaques, a protected species in Thailand.Andrey Belov, 31, and Ekaterina Denisovich, 22 were arrested by Natural Resources and Environmental Crime Suppression Division (NED) officers led by Lt Col Kongkaj Phunoknium. “We went…
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Triple homicide prime suspect caught at Phuket visa run pier
PHUKET: Police have arrested the prime suspect wanted for a triple homicide over a land conflict in Phang Nga.After nearly three months on the run, Somsak Wongsri, 49, was arrested in Ranong on Tuesday.He was wanted for the execution of Prajuab Choojit, 24; Sarawut Boonklin, 31; and Somboon Kimtin, 69, who was the father of popular Thai country music singer…
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Phuket Sports: Fair Play League deciders this weekend
PHUKET: The penultimate round of matches in the 2013 Fair Play League were held last weekend at Phuket’s British International School. The Under-11s started proceedings with a strong Brazil side proving too strong for a weakened England in the opening game, confidently winning 9-3 and picking up two bonus points for conceding zero fouls. At the same time, the top…
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Phuket Sports: TNT reignite their cricket campaign
PHUKET: After a thrilling win against Patong last week, Jabudays (ICC) were looking to continue their good run of form and move to the top of Phuket’s cricket league table by beating a TNT side that has not lived up to expectations this season. At the Alan Cooke Ground (click here for map), on Sunday March 10, TNT cruised to…
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Phuket Sports: Ready to sail at ACYC
PHUKET: The Ao Chalong Yacht Club (ACYC) has announced the 2013 ACYC Keel Boat and Multihull Club Championship Race Series 1 – FCI Watermaker Series. The second race is this Sunday, March 17. Eligibility and entry: The series is open to all keel yachts and multihulls with an overall length greater than six meters. Eligible boats may enter by completing…
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Phuket tour operator turns to drugs to boost baseline profits
PHUKET: Drug Suppression officers last night arrested a former Phuket tour business operator for selling drugs after his business had closed due to hard times. Muang District Chief Supachai Pochanukul told the press today that Siriwat Srisuriyachai, 43, from the northeastern province of Buri Ram, was arrested outside an entertainment venue on Sakdidet Road (map here) in Phuket Town at…
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Phuket dog-lovers livid over ’round up strays’ policy
PHUKET: The current Phuket Gazette online poll asking whether or not stray dogs should be rounded up and taken off Phuket’s streets has stirred the island’s dog-loving community into a frenzy. The poll, launched last Saturday (click here), offered respondents the following options: Yes, get them off the streets; they are a nuisance and dangerous. Yes, but only dogs identified…
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Miss Thailand World contestants stun Phuket beach goers
PHUKET: The 20 Miss Thailand World contestants on a publicity tour in Phuket wowed onlookers yesterday morning when they took part in a swimsuit photo shoot on the beach in front of the Cape Panwa Hotel, where they stayed. Among the 20 beauties is one Phuket native: Nathasinee Wichaidit, 20, from Koh Kaew. After arriving on the island on Tuesday,…
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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