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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Phuket schoolboy, 15, dies in Thalang motorbike crash
PHUKET: Fifteen-year old Kajonkietsuksa School student Wanchai Saeksan died of severe head trauma when he lost control of his motorbike near the Phuket Heroines’ Monument last night. His body was claimed by relatives at 11am today. From an inspection of the accident scene, police suspect the boy may have fallen asleep while operating the Yamaha Fino, which apparently hit the…
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Graft-busters probe plunder of Phuket forests
PHUKET: A team of National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) officers stopped in Phuket this week as part of a nationwide inspection tour aimed at putting an end to widespread encroachment on state forest reserves. Kajadpai Burutpat, president of an NACC subcommittee investigating forest encroachment nationwide, said after a meeting at Provincial Hall with Phuket Land Office and Forest Department officers that…
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Tonight, tonight: Phuket FC’s derby match with Krabi
PHUKET: A large crowd is expected at Surakul Stadium in Phuket this evening, when a resurgent Phuket side will be gunning for its third consecutive home win against higher-ranked southern rivals Krabi FC. Fans who want a guarantee of keeping dry for the match are advised to arrive at the stadium well ahead of the 6:30pm kickoff, as covered seating…
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Aussie claims beating by Thai youth gang in Phuket
PHUKET: Phuket police are investigating the case of an Australian tourist who claims to have been beaten by a gang of twelve Thai youths today. Thalang police were notified at 12:30pm that a foreign tourist was receiving treatment at the Srisoonthorn Public Health Station for a variety of minor lacerations and abrasions to the abdomen, back, right inner forearm and…
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New wealth brings new health problems, ASEAN Secretary-General tells Phuket meeting
PHUKET: Surin Pitsuwan, Secretary-General of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), yesterday warned that the rise in wealth throughout the ASEAN member states will bring a new wave of health issues to the region. “The formation of the ASEAN Economic Community in 2015 will make some people richer. With their new lifestyle will come new health issues; non-communicable…
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Phuket Sports: Fighting to save Phuket’s sea turtles
PHUKET: Helping to bring Phuket’s sea turtles back from the brink, today’s WBO Oriental Bantamweight (118lbs) title fight saw Thailand’s boxers maintain their dominance over Filipino fighters in the channel 7 series. The WBO Bantam-weight title belt was flown in by helicopter and carried by armed Thai soldiers, who made a rapid-descent (fast-roping) from their helicopter. Thai boxer Pungluang Sor…
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Phuket Sports: Goal Line Technology
PHUKET: Goal-line technology moved a step closer yesterday when the International Football Association Board (IFAB) approved the use of technology in football matches. IFAB approved the use of two different devices to help assist with goal-line decision making in games. Hawk-Eye, already used in cricket and tennis, is based on optical recognition to determine the exact location of the ball,…
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Phuket Sports: F1 – Moans, malpractice and onto Maggotts
PHUKET: Sebastian Vettel knows how to celebrate victory, but he is bad loser. That is one reason it is fun when he loses. After the race at Valencia, he said the “safety car” which took away his lead was not needed and “in a sense was to break our necks.” But hold on a minute, Vettel (and Romain Grosjean) retired…
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Ferry sinks off Koh Lanta, 80km southeast of Phuket
PHUKET: The project to build a bridge between the two islands Koh Lanta Noi and Koh Lanta Yai took a soggy step backward yesterday morning when a ferry waiting to unload its cargo of construction materials to build the bridge started taking on water in the rough weather currently affecting much of Thailand, including Phuket. No injuries were reported in…
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Man found dead in Phuket Town sala
PHUKET: A man was found dead in a sala [a Thai-style open pavillion] in Phuket Town yesterday afternoon, just 50 meters from where hundreds of people gathered for the first day of the Department of Internal Trade’s ‘Blue Flag Fair. Local residents at 4pm notified Phuket City Police duty officer Sakon Krainara that a man was found dead in the…
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Phuket Sports: Serena Williams sets new Wimbledon ace record
PHUKET: Serena Williams of the US set a new world record of 24 aces in one match in her 6-3 7-6(8-6) semi-final victory over Victoria Azarenka. Williams is hoping to win her 5th Wimbledon women’s singles title when she plays co-finalist Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland, who defeated Angelique Kerber 6-3 6-4. Radwanska, playing in her first grand slam final, will…
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WBO turns turtle: prize fight moved to Phuket Airport
PHUKET: Due to weather concerns, the venue for the much-anticipated WBO Oriental flyweight fight between Thai boxer Pungluang Sor Singyu and Filipino Rey Migreno has been changed from Nai Yang Beach to the multi-purpose hall at Phuket Airport. The card, staged to raise money for sea turtle conservation efforts, will get underway at 2pm with a bout pitting a female…
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Heavy rain causes flooding in Patong, Phuket Town
PHUKET: Council workers have installed a battery of pumps along Phang Muang Sai Kor Road in Patong to alleviate flooding, especially in front of Patong Hospital. The heavy rain yesterday and this morning caused flooding in many areas, with water up to 50 centimeters deep in some parts, said Poonsak Naksena, Chief Administrative Officer (Palad) at Patong Municipality. About 200…
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Phuket Sports: Usain Bolt needs to adjust technique – Michael Johnson
PHUKET: Michael Johnson believes nothing can hold Usain Bolt back at the London Olympics if he adjusts his technique. Johnson, who has won four Olympic gold medals, is confident Usain Bolt could run quicker than 9.5 seconds. “He (Bolt) could break the world record again; he could run 9.5 secs, or lower. Ultimately, if he were to really be focused…
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Phuket’s top-cop denies “media blackout’ in effect
PHUKET: After officers in two different police districts yesterday told Phuket Gazette reporters that a “media blackout” was in effect in the province, Phuket’s top cop today denied that such is the case. The misunderstanding may have been the result of excuses made up by uncooperative officers who don’t want to do their jobs, he said. According to police officers…
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Navy to conduct rescue training in Phuket
PHUKET: The Royal Thai Navy will conduct training drills next week to improve coordination among different emergency response units in Phuket. The announcement came at a press conference by the Navy Third Area Command at their base at Cape Panwa yesterday. The meeting was attended by Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha, along with representatives from the Marine Police, local government bodies,…
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Koh Lanta community “powerless’ for two decades
PHUKET: More than 20 families of Baan Klong Jak on Koh Lanta Noi, in Krabi have repeated their plea for their village to be provided mains supply electricity.Although a new road to the village was cut through the jungle two years ago, the community still lacks electricity, and continues to be dependent on oil lamps for lighting, as it has…
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Phuket expat’s “last wishes’ hang in limbo
PHUKET: Staff at Vachira Phuket Hospital are awaiting instructions from the British Embassy in Bangkok regarding what to do with the body of a British national who was found dead in his rented room in Chalong two weeks ago. The body of Michael David Leo, 59, was discovered on the bed of his accommodation near Chalong Pier on the night…
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Phuket Sports: Wimbledon update
PHUKET: Andy Murray defeated David Ferrer in a thrilling four-set match to progress to his fourth straight Wimbledon semi-final. Murray survived an early scare losing the first set to fight back 6-7(5) 7-6(6) 6-4 7-6(4). The Scot returned back to action on the center court after his fourth round victory on number one court. The home crowd were trying their…
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PADI divers prepare for Phuket’s biggest coral reef cleanup
PHUKET: Nine dive boats and almost 20 PADI dive shops with the guidance of PADI Project AWARE have put aside their differences and on Tuesday, at the group’s third meeting, announced the date for what they hope will be the largest coral reef cleanup in Phuket. The project, part of the group’s start-up “Go Eco Phuket“, aims to set “cleanup…
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Japanese tourist foils abduction attempt amid Phuket Police “media blackout’
PHUKET: The Royal Thai Police have ordered a “media blackout” for Phuket, with only the local police superintendent authorized to release information to the media, the Phuket Gazette has learned. News of the blackout follows yet another disturbing report involving a tourist and a local, although this one has a happy ending – thanks to a brave Japanese tourist. According…
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Meth addicted woman terrorizes Phuket temple
PHUKET: A deranged, knife-wielding woman had people running for cover at a Phuket temple yesterday until she was finally stripped of the weapon and placed under police custody. Chalong Police were notified at 10:30am that a knife-wielding woman was terrorizing people on the grounds of the Wat Sawang Arom School, off Soi Happy Home in Rawai, according to Siangtai Daily…
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Heavy rain warning for Phuket, Andaman
PHUKET: A strengthening of monsoonal conditions over the Andaman Sea has prompted the Thai Meteorological Department to issue a weather warning for all six Andaman coast provinces: Ranong, Phang Nga, Phuket, Krabi, Trang and Satun. The warning, issued at 6am today, reads: “A rather strong southwest monsoon prevails over the Southern Thailand west coast and the Andaman Sea. Abundant rain,…
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Firemen scramble as Thai warship catches fire
PHUKET: Firefighters this morning scrambled to contain a fire that broke out on the retired warship RTMS Lanta, now a museum and tourist attraction in the heart Krabi Town. Fortunately, no people were injured in the blaze. Lt Col Thongchai Sengrod of the Krabi Town Police said that he received a report at 11am that smoke was billowing out of…
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Oil slick endangers Krabi mangroves, clean-up ordered
PHUKET: Krabi authorities have launched a massive cleanup operation after a boat struck rocks and spilled a large volume of oil into the sea, resulting in extensive damage to protected mangrove forests in Neua Khlong District, about 130 kilometers east of Phuket across Phang Nga Bay. The spill was first reported at 9am Saturday morning. How much oil was spilled…
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Phuket Simon Cabaret van slams into parked cars to avoid head-on
PHUKET: A Phuket Simon Cabaret passenger van, returning after dropping off guests, late last night slammed into cars parked outside a roadside garage in Thalang as the driver swerved to avoid an oncoming vehicle. Thalang Police were notified of the crash at 12:30am today. Arriving at the scene, on a curved section of Srisoonthorn Road about a kilometer west of…
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Phuket Town “Blue Flag Fair’ to start Thursday
PHUKET: The Department of Internal Trade (DIT) office in Phuket Town will hold a “Blue Flag Fair” with cheap food and consumer goods at Saphan Hin on July 5-7. The event, to be held at the Central Staging Area at Saphan Hin Public Park, follows the success of the Blue Flag fair held at Sanamchai field, in the government office…
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Phuket Police chief calls for integrated, island-wide CCTV
PHUKET: Phuket Provincial Police Commander Chonasit Wattanavrangkul this morning revealed plans to ask the central government to fund a project that will see all CCTV cameras across Phuket feed live footage into a single server. Speaking at the monthly ‘Governor Meets the Press’ meeting at Provincial Hall, Maj Gen Chonasit said that CCTV footage had provided essential information in solving…
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Phuket police arrest Cherng Talay burglar
PHUKET: A member of a gang of burglars who target high-end homes of foreigners living in the Cherng Talay area was arrested over the weekend and presented to the Phuket press today. The suspect, 27-year-old Wittawat Maneesri, was presented to the press by Col Jirasak Siamsak along with over one million baht’s worth of stolen electronics and other valuable seized…
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Phuket Live Wire: The real meaning of ‘Do Not Track’
PHUKET: Professionally, I live in a world that’s just about equally divided between people who run around with tin foil hats on their heads, and people who don’t particularly care about internet privacy. In 1999, Scott McNealy, the former CEO of Sun Microsystems, famously said, “You have zero privacy anyway. Get over it.” Steve Manes, the guy who wrote 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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