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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9 most common health issues covered by insurance for expats in Thailand
Thailand is a popular destination for expats due to its affordable lifestyle and excellent healthcare system. However, settling in a new country often brings health concerns. To ensure you’re covered for the most common medical needs, understanding what expat health...
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Phuket Live Wire: Scratch that, CAT is back
PHUKET: Three weeks ago, I lamented the imminent passing of CAT’s EV-DO service – the original high speed wireless “AirCard” that ushered in a new, faster way of surfing the web without getting plugged in. At the time, I was told that EV-DO would continue to work through the end of the year. Today, I found out differently. CAT’s going…
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Belanger Deaths: Probe finds more information but no clues
PHUKET: The lack of information publicly released on the deaths of Canadian sisters Audrey and Noemi Belanger on Phi Phi Island last month prompted the sisters’ father, Carl Belanger, to accuse the Thai authorities of covering up the true circumstances of their deaths.The leading investigators in the case have now refuted the allegation. The Phuket Gazette’s Chaiyot Yongcharoenchai and Orawin…
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Drugs seized in Phuket revealed to be “normal” crystal meth
PHUKET: Reports that a “new kind” of methamphetamine was recovered in a Phuket drug bust last week were false, according to arresting officers in Thalang. Thalang Police Inspector Pisit Chunpet on July 7 confirmed to the Phuket Gazette that the suspected “new drug” was “simply” ya ice (crystal methamphetamine) with unusually large crystals.The announcement of the possibility of a new…
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Krabi FC down Phuket FC, 1-0
PHUKET: A single goal by Krabi FC captain Thaweepong Jaranrup was enough to defeat Phuket FC at Surakul stadium in a wet-and-wild Phang Nga Bay derby played on Saturday night. By the time the Andaman Eagles started warming up at 5pm, Surakul’s waterlogged pitch had already been soaking in steady rain throughout much of the day. Despite being perched high…
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Youth in ICU after Phuket Town shooting attack
PHUKET: A man is in critical condition at Vachira Phuket Hospital after being shot twice in the back of the head in downtown Phuket Town over the weekend. Phuket City Police were notified of a shooting in front of the Rattana Mansion apartment block on Chana Jaroen Road at 3pm on Saturday. Duty Officer Sermpan Sirikong identified the victim as…
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7th Phuket OTOP Fair starts Tuesday
PHUKET: The 7th annual ‘One Tambon One Product’ (OTOP) Fair starts at Saphan Hin public park in Phuket Town on Tuesday. Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha said yesterday that the event is just one of many nationwide to improve OTOP product standards and have producers reach more consumers. Total provincial revenue from OTOP sales, including those from SMEs and various souvenir…
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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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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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Aussie tourist airlifted to Bangkok after fall from Phuket tuk-tuk
PHUKET: An Australian tourist on holiday in Phuket has been flown to Bangkok to receive treatment after suffering a serious head injury from falling off the back of a tuk-tuk in Patong last night. Tuk-tuk driver Paiboon Hemwara, 30, told the Phuket Gazette that he picked up Mr Noble and his wife at the top of Soi Bangla at about…
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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: 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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Travel insurance fails as Phuket tourist faces B600k medical bill
PHUKET: Family and friends of New Zealander Sean Kenzie, who suffered extensive injuries after being knocked off his motorbike in Phuket, have launched a campaign to raise funds to pay his spiraling medical bills. Mr Kenzie, 27, was involved in a collision with a taxi van in Patong last Saturday (June 30). He suffered a split liver, two punctured lungs…
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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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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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New faultline discovered
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Thailand’s 15th fault-line discovered in Nakhon Nayok Phuket Gazette / The NationPHUKET: A new fault-line, caused by a previous earthquake, was found in Nakhon Nayok province and could be considered the country’s 15th active fault-line, a seminar of geological professionals and related agencies was told recently. Songpop…
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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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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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Patong named “Safety Zone’ in Phuket model for public safety
PHUKET: Patong has been nominated a “Safety Zone” by Deputy Police Chief Pansiri Prapawat as part of the “Phuket model” for public safety. Speaking at a meeting yesterday that focused on establishing tourism safety measures for the island, Gen Pansiri said, “Phuket is one of the most attractive vacation places in Thailand. However, illegal taxis, jet-ski operators and issues with…
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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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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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Stevie Bamford begins 15-day sentence for Phuket false rape claim
PHUKET: Stevie Rochelle Bamford, the 21-year-old Australian tourist who confessed to falsely reporting she was raped by Patong tuk-tuk drivers, began her 15-day sentence at Phuket’s Baan Bang Jo correctional facility yesterday. Phuket Prison chief Rapin Nichanon today confirmed to the Phuket Gazette, “She has been detained at the Bang Jo facility since yesterday evening, where she will remain for…
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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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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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Young couple caught in Phuket meth bust
PHUKET: Phuket Police last night arrested a man and a woman in their 20s in possession of category one drugs at their home in Thalang. The couple are suspected of selling drugs to teenagers in the area. Lt Col Prasan Towon, at about 11:20 pm last night, led a team of Thalang Police to raid an address in a housing…
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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