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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Laguna Phuket Triathlon attracts world-class field
PHUKET: The 19th Laguna Phuket Triathlon (LPT) takes place this Sunday at 6:30am. The event has attracted a world class international field to Asia’s premier destination triathlon. The LPT consists of a 1.8 kilometer swim, 55km bike ride and 12km run through the tropical scenery of Laguna. Australian Chris “Macca” McCormack, the two-time Ironman World Champion and one of the…
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Phuket heartbreak blamed for Burmese worker suicide
PHUKET: Police believe a Burmese teenager took his own life early this morning after his girlfriend left him for another man.Named only as “Mr Tum”, the 19-year-old was found dead with a nylon rope wrapped around his neck hanging from a ceiling hook in his bedroom at about 4:45am, Patong Police Capt Jakkrapong Luang-aon told the Phuket Gazette.Mr Tum was…
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Hard Rock Cafe Phuket gives thanks to first responders
PHUKET: Hard Rock Cafe Phuket celebrated ‘Thanksgiving’ on Thursday by inviting 20 firemen for a Thanksgiving lunch at Hard Rock Cafe. These were the first responders from Patong Municipality Fire Department who assisted with the Hard Rock Cafe patio fire that took place on October 18 causing superficial damage but no injuries. The firefighting team, led by Visit Mathasoontornpoj, general…
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Work to commence on the Phuket underpass tonight, footbridge to go
PHUKET: The concrete blocks that will block lanes in front Central Festival Phuket so that work can commence on Phuket’s first underpass will be put in place tonight, the contractor’s project manager confirmed to the Phuket Gazette today. “At about 10pm, we will start by installing the barriers to close off the lanes we will be working on,” explained project…
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PM Yingluck addresses nation ahead of fears of violence at Bangkok protest
PHUKET: Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra this evening addressed the nation in a televised broadcast to explain the Thai Government’s reasons for invoking the Internal Security Act ahead of this weekend’s mass anti-government rally in Bangkok. To see the address, complete with English subtitles, click here. Chief among the Prime Minister’s concerns were: “Public gatherings and protests, especially those arising from…
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Phuket officials target beach management issues
PHUKET: Phuket Vice Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada has ordered every municipality and local administrative organization on the island to report all of their beach related issues to him by next week. The move is an attempt to redress a slew of problems ranging from floating lanterns affecting air traffic at Phuket Airport to illegal beach vendors counter-suing officials as a “stall…
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International Cricket: Clarke blasts a double; Proteas lose pace
PHUKET: Michael Clarke blasted his second double-century in consecutive innings to drive Australia to a mammoth first-day total of 482-5 in the second test today as South Africa’s pace attack was brought to its knees by injury.Captain Clarke blasted 39 fours and a six in a sparkling unbeaten 224 in bright sunshine at Adelaide Oval to demoralise the Proteas after…
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Phuket Sports: Brazil top futsal world rankings after winning fifth title
PHUKET: Brazil’s national futsal team have reclaimed their world number 1 ranking after being crowned world champions in Bangkok last Sunday. Meanwhile, the previous number one, Spain unofficially become the world’s second best team after holding the top ranking for the past two years. Brazil concluded their dominance of the FIFA Futsal World Cup 2012, winning all seven of their…
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Phuket protesters to bolster ranks of anti-government rally in Bangkok
PHUKET: A group of Phuket anti-government protesters called the “Phuket Mass Power Group” will join the Pitak Siam anti-government rally at the Royal Plaza in Bangkok on Saturday. “We are not happy with the government’s work,” Apharat Chartchutikumjorn, Pitak Siam coordinator for Phuket, told the Phuket Gazette. “Pitak Siam leader Gen Boonlert Kaewprasit will lead thousands of us in a…
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Police identify Russian tourist killed in Phuket car crash
PHUKET: Police have identified the foreign man who died in a high-speed car crash early Saturday morning on a Phuket west-coast road as Andrei Pavlov, a 31-year-old Russian national. (Click here to see Phuket Breaking News report.) Patong Police inspector Pratuang Polmana confirmed to the Phuket Gazette that Mr Pavlov was a tourist living in rented accommodation in Kamala. “He…
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Phuket Sports: Bowling for a good cause
PHUKET: The Phuket Cricket Group (PCG) hosted the Chris Hart Memorial T20 fund match on November 18 at the Alan Cooke Ground (ACG) last Sunday. The event was a huge success and the PCG would like to thank everyone that played, as well as all the supporters who turned out to pay their respects to Chris. In addition to giving…
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Phuket FC get new head coach ahead of next season
PHUKET: The Islanders, Phuket FC have secured a new Head Coach, with an official announcement expected to be made this Saturday. Paniphon “Tu” Kerdyaem, a former coaching staff member of Thai Premier League team, Army United will fill the vacancy left by Anurak “June” Srikerd, who coached the struggling team in the final six matches of last season, and helped…
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Krabi Police clamp down on noisy motorbikes
PHUKET: Krabi Police destroyed more than 600 illegal motorbike exhaust pipes seized during police checks across the bay from Phuket in September. At a ceremony on Tuesday to mark the culmination of a campaign entitled “Youths join together: ride motorbikes without modified exhaust pipes”, Krabi Governor Prasit Osathanon and Krabi Police Commander Nantadech Yoinuan witnessed the crushing of the impounded…
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Phuket councillor road death prompts by-election
PHUKET: The death of incumbent councillor Samart Piman in a Phuket road accident in September led to San Changlek being elected councillor to Rawai Municipality after a close by-election on Sunday. According to the preliminary vote count, Mr San received 895 votes, just 32 votes more than those cast for Sommai Yukunakorn, his only rival for the Ward 1 seat…
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Champions League football: English riches not enough on European stage
PHUKET: Real Madrid and AC Milan led a procession of six teams into the Champions League last 16 last night while big-spending Manchester City failed again on the European stage to further dent English soccer’s standing. Milan qualified with a 3-1 win at Anderlecht, their goals including a spectacular overhead kick by Philippe Mexes which was a near carbon copy…
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Phuket biologists believe stranded dolphin now safely out to sea
PHUKET: Officers at the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) who released a stranded Spinner dolphin back into the sea on Saturday are confident that it is now safe. “Our officers monitored the release area after letting the dolphin go on Saturday. We haven’t seen it return to the beach,” Dr Kongkiat Kittiwattanawong, who heads the PMBC’s Endangered Species Unit, told…
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One Phuket swimmer drowns, one sent to hospital
PHUKET: Two swimming* incidents on Koh Racha, about 25 kilometers south of Phuket, have left a Chinese woman dead and an Indian woman in hospital. (Click here to see Phuket Breaking News report.) Yuan Dingrong, 56, who was spending a week in Patong with nine of her family members, drowned after getting into difficulties while swimming* off Ao La (La…
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Phuket mass fish deaths put flood-prevention project on hold
PHUKET: Dredging of a popular fishing pond in Suan Luang (Rama IX Park)* in Phuket Town is on hold after hundreds of fish were found dead along the banks of the pond this morning. Local residents believe the fish died from oxygen depletion in the water brought on by dredging. The dredging is part of a 25-million-baht flood-prevention project. Residents…
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Tourists rushed to Phuket after ‘near drowning’ during snorkelling day trip
PHUKET BREAKING NEWS: A 50-year-old Chinese tourist has been rushed to Phuket International Hospital after being pulled from the water feared drowned while snorkelling off Racha Yai Island at about midday today.Meanwhile, about the same time also off Racha Yai Island, an Indian woman, about 40 years old, was pulled from the water after also choking on water difficulties while…
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Phuket Airport authorities approve all ‘new’ taxis
PHUKET: Despite an Airports of Thailand (AOT) senior executive just last month announcing a freeze in the number taxi vehicles serving Phuket Airport, local officials yesterday approved every request made by local taxi operators to boost their airport fleets. Under a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed by all main parties involved (see below), the Phuket Mai Khao Company and the…
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Phuket Police suspect ‘pre-existing condition’ caused Russian tourist drowning
PHUKET: Phuket Police suspect that an underlying medical condition led to the drowning of a 69-year-old Russian tourist off Patong Beach yesterday morning.Patong Police Capt Teerasak Boonsaeng was informed at 10:30am that a body had been recovered by a jet-ski rider from the water off just north of Loma Park.Police Superintendant Chiraphat Pochanaphan along with Kusoldtham Rescue Foundation workers attended…
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Work on Phuket underpass deferred to Friday
PHUKET: The lane closures to make way for the construction of Phuket’s first underpass in front of the Phuket Central Festival shopping mall has been postponed for two days. Originally planned to commence on Wednesday (tomorrow), Italian-Thai Development project managers confirmed to the Phuket Gazette today that the start had been delayed intentionally to prevent mid-week traffic congestion. “The lane…
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PAD rallies in Phuket to “reclaim Thai petrol’
PHUKET: Key leaders of the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) staged a rally in Phuket Town yesterday to inspire support for their “reclaim PTT” campaign.The campaign opposes the privatization of the Petroleum Authority of Thailand (PTT) Public Company Limited, which currently operates as a state enterprise listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET).The leaders of the PAD, better known…
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Phuket police nab bag snatchers in Patong
PHUKET: Police quickly arrested three young men today, all of whom have reportedly confessed to no fewer than eight bag-snatches in Phuket’s premier tourism town of Patong.The arrests followed a bag snatching on the Patong beach road, at 12:36am.Quick police action saw officers move in and arrest the three suspects – Sarayuth “Ice” Aisuwan, Bunharn “Diao” Banpeung and one man…
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Russian man drowns off Phuket Beach
PHUKET BREAKING NEWS: Phuket police have reported that a 69-year-old Russian tourist drowned off Patong Beach this morning. The body of the man, whose name is being withheld pending notification of next-of-kin, was found near the northern end of the beach at about 10:30am. Police believe the man died an hour before his body was found. “The man arrived in…
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Chaianan wins re-election as Kathu Mayor in Phuket polls
PHUKET: Chaianan Sutthikul was re-elected to his second consecutive term as Kathu Mayor in the Kathu mayoral election and Kathu Municipal council election held in central Phuket yesterday.In the preliminary vote count, Mr Chaianan scored 5,437 votes to defeat his only rival for the Kathu top seat: two-time former Kathu Mayor Prasert Khaokijpaisarn. Mr Prasert was elected to his first…
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Police seek arrest warrant for Phuket “hit-and-run’ bus driver
PHUKET: Police have now requested that the Phuket Provincial Court issue an arrest warrant for the bus driver who fled the scene on Thepkrasattri Road in Thalang last Wednesday after the tour bus he was driving struck a motorbike and killed two women. Thalang Police Sub Lt Chatree Chuwichian, the investigating officer in the case, confirmed to the Phuket Gazette…
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FIFA Futsal World Cup: Epic Brazil vs Spain final tonight
PHUKET: The stage is set for another epic FIFA Futsal World Cup final between the world’s top two national teams – Spain and Brazil – with the seventh edition of the prestigious tournament to conclude tonight in Bangkok. Meanwhile, the first match of this evening’s Europe vs South America double-header will see Futsal World Cup newcomers Colombia challenge Italy for…
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Stranded spinner dolphin rescued at Phuket beach
PHUKET: Phuket rescue workers recovered a young male spinner dolphin with scratches on its skin stranded on Karon Beach this morning. Dr Kongkiat Kittiwattanawong, who heads the Endangered Species Unit (ESU) of the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) received the report of the dolphin at about 9am, and immediately left with a team to help in the rescue. “We went…
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Local Kathu elections halt alcohol sales
PHUKET: Alcohol sales will be banned within the Kathu municipal area starting at 6pm today until midnight tomorrow due to local elections. The affected area includes: from Wat Samkong temple on the bypass road just north of Tesco Lotus, to the Phuket Mining Museum behind Loch Palm Golf Club, to just before the Patong City sign on Patong Hill and…
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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