Phuket News
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Phuket national park land probes will go on, says park chief
PHUKET: The investigation into every plot of privately owned land along the border of Phuket’s Sirinath Marine National Park will go ahead, the chief of Sirinath National Park has confirmed. “We are still continuing with the land investigation. We are following the order of the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation [DNP]. The only thing that can stop…
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Matthieu Ricard, “happiest person in the world’, to speak in Phuket today
PHUKET: World-renowned Buddhist monk Matthieu Ricard will explore the complex topic of altruism and its role in the modern world in a special free-admission talk at the Thanyapura Mind Center in Thalang, Phuket, this afternoon. As a postgraduate student in science at the renowned Institut Pasteur in the 1960s, the young Mr Ricard embarked on a spiritual journey that saw…
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Phuket Police yet to handover confessed rapist case
PHUKET: The case of Peerayut Moottamara, the 29-year-old who confessed to raping an 18-year-old woman in Chalong on October 11 has not yet been handed over to the Phuket public prosecutor. Capt Chienchai Duangsuwan of Chalong Police Station, told the Gazette Wednesday, that they were still waiting for medical results from Vachira Phuket Hospital in order to conclude the investigation…
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Blackout in Koh Kaew on November 20
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Electricity Authority (PPEA) has announced a scheduled blackout that will affect areas in Koh Kaew, north of Phuket Town, on Tuesday, November 20. The blackout will be from 9am to 5pm to allow PPEA staff to carry out maintenance work on high-voltage power lines. The blackout will affect Soi Harn Farang and Soi Koh Kaew 33,…
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Phuket’s TSLC signs 2mn baht deal with China’s elite Liaoning Swimming Club
PHUKET: Thanyapura Sports and Leisure Club (TSLC) has signed a 2 million baht deal with China’s elite Liaoning Swimming Club, which means Olympians will train at Phuket’s TSLC’s Olympic-standard aquatic facilities for the first time under one of the world’s best coaches. The deal sees the talented squad head to Thanyapura on January 27, 2013 for a six-week training stint…
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Love lost Russian drinks himself to death in Phuket seaside guesthouse
PHUKET: A broken-hearted Russian man who drank himself to death was found in his rented accommodation in Patong yesterday. Patong Police inspector Maj Patapee Srichai was informed of the incident shortly after 2pm by Areeya Koksadon, 40, the manager of the Amara Guesthouse. At the scene police found the body of Petr Zavyalov, a 27-year-old Russian national, lying on the…
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Aunt, niece die in Phuket tour bus “hit-and-run’
PHUKET: A tour bus driver fled the scene after the bus he was driving struck two women riding a motorbike in the northbound lane of Thepkrasattri Road yesterday afternoon. The two women who died in the accident were identified by Thalang Police as Jaroonrat Waree, 35, and Nadlada Waree, 17. “The motorbike rider and passenger were dragged by the bus…
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FIFA Futsal World Cup: Brazil, Colombia, Italy and Spain prevail in quarterfinals
PHUKET: The FIFA Futsal World Cup 2012 featured all four exciting quarterfinals’ matches last night in Bangkok, with Brazil, Colombia, Italy and Spain advancing to the dismay of Argentina, Ukraine, Portugal and Russia respectively. In the first match of the evening, Brazil came from behind to claim a hard fought victory against Argentina in extra time.Relishing the return of key…
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More Bangla raids to come, vows Chairat
PHUKET: Complaints from tourists have prompted Patong Municipality to launch a campaign to rid Soi Bangla of touts who charge tourists for having their photos taken with slow lorises, a protected species. Patong Deputy Mayor Chairat Sukban explained to the Phuket Gazette that the campaign uses the coordinated efforts of the Phuket Environmental Conservation Unit of the Department of National…
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International Football: Sweden christen new stadium with gold
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World sporting news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Inspired Ibrahimovic scores four, no Messi record Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Zlatan Ibrahimovic christened Sweden’s new stadium with a sprinkling of gold last night, scoring three classy goals and an unforgettable one in a 4-2 friendly win over England, while Argentina’s Lionel Messi drew…
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Phuket Governor called on to curb “out of control’ corruption
PHUKET: Patong Deputy Mayor Chairat Sukban and Patong Entertainment Business Association President Weerawit Kurasombat today called on the Phuket Governor to investigate rampant extortion by government officers.Deputy Mayor Chairat and Mr Weerawit met Governor Maitri Inthusut at Provincial Hall this morning. Also present was Prapan Kanprasang, head of the Damrongtham Center (Provincial Ombudsman’s Office).“Many government departments in Phuket ask for…
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Phuket officials order airport taxi touts to: ‘Stop harassing tourists’
PHUKET: Taxi touts at Phuket International Airport have been told to stop following and harassing tourists arriving at the airport, and to stay at their own counters.The news came at a meeting at the airport administrative office yesterday morning, called by Phuket Airport Director Prathuang Sornkham.Present to oversee the proceedings was Phuket Vice Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada, who called for taxi…
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World Sports: Gerrard to score 100 caps; Debuts for Sterling, Osman and Caulker
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World sporting news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Gerrard to score 100 caps; Debuts for Sterling, Osman and Caulker Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Captain Steven Gerrard is set to become the sixth player to reach the milestone of 100 caps for England in tonight’s friendly against Sweden and feels he still has…
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Phuket Police promise progress in child rape case
PHUKET: Police expect to receive test results within the next two weeks confirming the rape of a 9-year-old girl, case investigator Lt Col Rassada Kluengwong of the Tah Chat Chai Police told the Phuket Gazette today. The move is expected to clear the way for legal proceedings to be taken against the alleged perpetrator, a local shopkeeper in the north…
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Aussie survives 18-storey hotel plunge
PHUKET: The Australian man who fell 18 floors from a Patong hotel balcony earlier today is recovering at Vachira Phuket Hospital in Phuket Town. (Click here to see Phuket Breaking News report.) John Hurley, 39, suffered broken ribs, a punctured lung, serious injuries to his right leg and a broken left hand in the fall. His leg was nearly torn…
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Phuket teen ax murderer to face court next week
PHUKET: The 15-year-old boy who confessed to murdering his stepfather with an ax on August 21 has been charged with premeditated murder and will go to trial next week, the Phuket Gazette has learned. Lt Col Boonlert Onklang of the Chalong Police Station today told the Gazette that the boy, who cannot be named because he is a minor, remains…
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Australian man falls from 18th-storey balcony at Patong hotel
PHUKET BREAKING NEWS: An Australian man has been admitted to Patong Hospital for injuries sustained in a fall from an 18th-storey balcony at the Royal Paradise Hotel. The man, in his late 30s, reportedly fell from the building at about 1pm. The Phuket Gazette has yet to establish the extent of his injuries.
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Chris McCormack to race at Laguna Phuket
PHUKET: Australian Chris “Macca” McCormack, the two-time Ironman World Champion and one of the most successful athletes in triathlon history, has signed up to compete in the Laguna Phuket Triathlon (LPT) on November 25 and Ironman 70.3 Laguna on December 2.Macca has won 200 races around the world since 1993 including 12 Ironman victories, more than any other male competitor,…
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Korean tourist survives gash in head from longtail propeller
PHUKET: A Korean tourist who was struck in the head by a longtail boat propeller while on a snorkeling trip off Koh Panyee is conscious and eating unassisted, staff at Phuket International Hospital told the Phuket Gazette this morning.Kang Chulgue, 30, was on a day trip with five other Korean tourists at the popular tourist site Tumlod-Khao Phing Kan, located…
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Eight injured as bus flips in heavy rain in Phang Nga
PHUKET BREAKING NEWS: A tour bus en route from Phuket to Chumphon, north of Koh Samui on the Gulf of Thailand, slammed into a bridge guardrail and flipped onto its side in heavy rain in Phang Nga province late this afternoon.Lt Col Anan Kuaboonkaew of Takua Pa Police received a report of the accident at 5:30pm.“Eight of the 20 passengers…
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Phuket heartbreak blamed for Rassada suicide
PHUKET BREAKING NEWS: A man was found dead in his home in Rassada, north of Phuket Town, this morning after neighbors reported a loud argument between him and his girlfriend late last night.Police have yet to close their investigation, but at this stage are treating the case as suicide, the Phuket Gazette was told.
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One dead, 43 hospitalized after “strange’ outbreak on Koh Lanta
PHUKET BREAKING NEWS: Officials on Koh Lanta in Krabi province are investigating the cause of an outbreak that has been blamed for one death so far, and has left 43 other villagers in hospital.Despite initial concerns the villagers had contracted hand, foot and mouth disease, officials are investigating whether it was a sick turtle that the villagers had eaten that…
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Phang Nga politician gunned down in broad daylight
PHUKET: While Phang Nga Immigration officers were busy rounding up the 112 Rohingya refugees who landed at Tai Muang on Saturday, police in the neighboring town of Khok Kloy were responding to a drive-by assassination of a leading local community figure. Lt Nakhon Tangruamsub of Khok Kloy Police told the Phuket Gazette that he received a report of a man…
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Thai authorities arrest 112 Rohingya after boat washes ashore in Phang Nga
PHUKET: Heavy seas on Saturday forced a boat loaded with 112 Rohingya, attempting the perilous journey to Malaysia, to land north of Phuket on Tai Muang beach in Phang Nga, where they were promptly arrested by the authorities. According to police the boat was part of a flotilla of seven boats ferrying over 1,000 Rohingya that departed their native Rakhine…
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Phuket Poll: Let us pay, not run for visas, expats say
PHUKET: More than half of all respondents to a Phuket Gazette online poll have voted for options other than making the obligatory, and often dangerous, visa runs that are required every 30 to 90 days in order to continue their stay in Thailand. Nearly a quarter of all respondents, including Thai nationals, preferred foreigners to present themselves to the Phuket…
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Man injured as power pole falls on house
PHUKET BREAKING NEWS: A man was rushed to hospital for immediate treatment of injuries sustained yesterday when a power pole fell onto a house in Cherng Talay, on Phuket’s west coast, dragging live power cables down to the street.
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Earthquake Update: Reports from Myanmar say little damage, but one dead, several missing
PHUKET (Reuters): The major earthquake that shook Mandalay this morning, and was felt in Bangkok but apparently not Phuket, is likely to have caused limited damage to Myanmar’s second larget city, although one person has been reported dead and several construction workers are missing. The 6.6 magnitude quake struck around 60 km (37 miles) northwest of Mandalay, the U.S. Geological…
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FIFA Futsal World Cup: Thailand face Spain in round of 16
PHUKET: Hosts of the FIFA Futsal World Cup 2012, Thailand, have reached a new benchmark by advancing to the second round of the prestigious tournament – for the first time in four appearances. A shock win by the Solomon Islands over Guatemala on the final day of the World Cup’s group stage proved to be a blessing for Thailand, who…
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Phuket motorists in three death-defying accidents in one day
PHUKET: With the tourism high season fast approaching and Phuket’s roads about to become much busier, several Phuket motorists managed to escape death in three separate serious accidents all occurring within 18 hours. The most recent was a collision between a tour van and a six-wheeled dirt truck on the Patong-Kamala road at about 11:30am today. Capt Jakkapong Luang-aon of…
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Krabi Police reject YouTube rapist bail blame
PHUKET: The Krabi Provincial Police will post a YouTube video in response to the “Evil man in Krabi” music video that has caused a furore in Phuket’s sister tourism province across Phang Nga Bay. The news was announced at a press conference yesterday called by Krabi Governor Prasit Osathanon to answer publicly what action has been taken in the case.…
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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