Phuket News
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Wildlife activist supports Forestry, National Parks merger
PHUKET: A well-known wildlife activist has told the Phuket Gazette that he supports the planned merger of the Royal Forest Department and the Department of National Parks (DNP), Wildlife and Plant Conservation. The merger was announced on July 11 by Preecha Rengsomboonsuk, who heads the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry that controls both departments. Once the merger gets the green…
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Krabi drug rehab student drowned in escape, says friend
PHUKET: Eyewitness reports are now indicating that the student who died after escaping a youth drug rehab facility in Krabi last week was not beaten to death by teaching assistants, as initially reported, but rather drowned during his escape. Allegations that student Maha Manitaya was beaten to death by the teaching assistants at Por Noh Klong Gom School prompted more…
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Phuket’s Muslim prison inmates gifted supplies for Ramadan
PHUKET: The Phuket Islamic Committee gifted food items to Muslim inmates at Phuket Provincial Prison on Thursday so they could properly partake in Ramadan.At 11:30am, Phuket Islamic Committee President Komon Doomluck handed over rice as well as other dried foods, such as palm dates, which are the traditional foods for breaking fasts, to the 225 male and female Muslim prisoners…
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Phuket Life Music Festival to honor “The Stars’
PHUKET: Phuket-born Jaruwat “Dome” Cheawaram, better known as “Dome The Star” after winning the popular television singing contest, will headline the Phuket Life Music Festival 2012, to be held in Phuket Town on August 14. The concert will be held at Anuphas Field, near the Phuket bus terminal on Phang Nga Road, from 7pm to 10:30pm. Other live acts to…
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Queen’s Cup Hua Hin International Triathlon 2012 starts August 19
PHUKET: Following the successful Columbia Trail Masters 2012, sponsored by the Phuket Gazette at Thanyapura earlier this year, the idyllic fishing village of Kao Tao, 10 kilometers south of Hua Hin, will host the 4th edition of the Queen’s Cup Hua Hin International Triathlon 2012 on August 19. The event will honor Her Majesty the Queen’s 80th birthday. The event…
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Phuket T20 Cricket gets under way
PHUKET: The T20 cricket league kicked off last weekend with Neill Culpan scoring 57 not out, helping current champions Laguna defeat last season’s runners-up Patong in the first game. Patong won the toss and chose to bat first. They didn’t start well, losing opener Richie Desmond for five with only 12 runs on the board. Manesh Sadarangani scored 32 not…
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Anonymous donor gives stranded Kiwi ticket home
PHUKET: Sean Kenzie, the 27-year-old New Zealander stranded and unable to pay his mounting medical bills after a hit-and run-accident, boarded a plane for home today thanks to an anonymous donor who supplied the funds for his flight. Sean looked a little tired when he arrived at Phuket Airport; he walked straight to the Thai Airways check-in counter to catch…
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Poll: Is Phuket’s property market over-developed?
PHUKET: Tanan Tanpaiboon, former head of the Phuket Real Estate Association, recently warned that over-development in the Phuket real estate sector risks creating a “bubble” that could burst, sending real estate prices tumbling due to oversupply. What do you think will be the overall trend in real estate prices on Phuket over the next five years? To have your say…
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Phuket gold shop damaged in youth street brawl
PHUKET: A group of eight students attacked two others in front of a gold shop in the heart of Phuket Town yesterday morning. The attack, at about 10:15am, was launched in front of a hardware and electronics store on Ong Sim Pai Road in front of Kaset Market. The two students who were set upon ran to the Sri Thong…
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Phuket Sports: Olympics kick off
PHUKET: The first day of competitive sport at the London Olympics was overshadowed by a diplomatic faux pas. WOMEN’S FOOTBALL: The North Korea women’s football team walked off the pitch as the flag of South Korea was displayed before their game against Colombia. The match at Hampden Park was delayed for almost an hour before the North Korea team returned…
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Alcohol linked to Phuket vegetable dealer’s death
PHUKET: Phuket Police believe that cardiac arrest, possibly triggered by excessive alcohol intake, may have caused the death of a man whose body was found by the side of a road in Sakoo yesterday afternoon. Tah Chat Chai Police were notified of the discovery at 2:45pm. At the scene in Sakoo Village 4, off the old airport road near Nai…
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Fire rips through car parts warehouse in Patong
PHUKET: A fire believed to have been started by an electrical fault destroyed a car parts warehouse in Patong this afternoon.No one was reported injured in the blaze, but the damage caused has been estimated at around 100,000 baht.Responding to a call at about 12:30pm, 23 firefighters with six fire trucks and an ambulance rushed to the scene on 50…
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Phuket Architect & Engineering Exhibition 2012 underway
PHUKET: Good news for the island’s builders, designers and property owners: the Architect & Engineering Exhibition 2012 is now underway on the second floor of the Royal Phuket City Hotel. The event runs daily from 11am to 8pm through Sunday, featuring a number of exhibitions and booths showcasing products from more than 100 manufactures and importers. As tourist numbers wane…
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Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease under control in Phuket
PHUKET: Following the outbreak of Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease (HFMD) in Thailand which caused the death of a 2-year-old toddler in Bangkok last week, the situation in Phuket is largely under control, health officials say. Phuket Public Health Office (PPHO) Chief Dr Sak Tanchaikul told the Phuket Gazette that more than 10,000 cases of the viral disease have been…
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AirAsia bookings offline this weekend
PHUKET: Thai AirAsia this weekend will temporarily suspend its online booking facility for all flights to and from Bangkok after October 1. The news comes as the budget carrier prepares to move its operations from Suvarnabhumi Airport to Don Mueang International Airport in Bangkok. Starting at 10pm on Friday, technicians will be reprogramming airport codes to reflect the change from…
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Road warriors: Phuket FC down Songkhla, 1-0
PHUKET: A second-half goal by midfielder Marcio Santos was all Phuket FC needed to snatch three points on the road at Songkhla FC, in a match played in front of a small crowd of fans at Jiranakorn Stadium in Haad Yai. It was just the second road win of the year for the Islanders. The goal came when the Brazilian…
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British tourist, 47, drowns at Patong Beach
PHUKET: An English tourist who ignored warnings not to swim in dangerous surf at Patong Beach yesterday became the latest monsoon-season drowning victim in Phuket. Patong Police received a report of the incident at 8:15am. Among the officers who rushed to the scene were Patong Police Superintendent Jirapat Phochanaphan and his deputy Kittipong Klaikaew. Pol Sub Lt Thawatchai Srimai told…
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Project to reverse Patong traffic flow hits a speed bump
PHUKET: A long-awaited plan to reverse the direction of one-way traffic flow in Patong was expected to take effect in June, but has been delayed as work to complete a new roundabout at the north end of the beach road has fallen behind schedule. The 4.2-million-baht Laem Petch Circle project was delayed due to the need to remove utility poles…
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Truck driver charged after Phuket woman crushed in rush hour
PHUKET: The driver of a six-wheeled truck with a dual-axle trailer in tow has been charged with reckless driving causing death after his trailer clipped a 58-year-old woman riding a motorbike to work this morning.The woman, Prapha Charoensiri, fell on to the road and died instantly after she was crushed under the wheels of the juggernaut.Maj Kittiphum Tinthalang of Phuket…
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Aussie tourist who cried ‘rape’ in Phuket deported today
PHUKET: Stevie Rochelle Bamford, the 21-year-old woman convicted of falsely reporting that she was raped in Patong, was deported to her native Australia today. Patong Police escorted Ms Bamford to Phuket Immigration Headquarters at midday in preparation for her return flight. The officer escorting her said Ms Bamford was scheduled to board a flight home with her boyfriend this afternoon.…
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Phuket Live Wire: Faster and closer, but not for us
PHUKET: Investors are lined up, and ground is about to be broken on the Asia Pacific Gateway, the fastest, slickest submarine data cable ever constructed. And it’s coming to Thailand. While most underwater data cables in the Pacific end up in the US, this one’s different. It starts in Malaysia, travels 10,400 kilometers (more than 6,000 miles) to Japan, and…
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Phang Nga man crushed in Phuket crane accident
PHUKET: The operator of a pile-driving crane was crushed to death when the machine fell off its trailer in Phuket this morning. Thalang Police were notified of the accident in front of the Thalang National Museum in Srisoonthorn at 9:25am today. Kusoldharm Foundation rescue workers raced to the scene to find a man’s body pinned under the retractable boom of…
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Patong, Phuket set for election alcohol bans
PHUKET: The sale of alcohol will be banned across Phuket on August 26 and again in Patong on September 2 as voters go to the polls for local elections. The August 26 island-wide alcohol ban will come into effect as residents vote in the upcoming Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) council election. The ban, in accordance with the Election Act,…
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Phuket Hospital cuts red tape for free treatment of officials
PHUKET: Local government officers can now receive medical treatment at the Phuket Provincial Hospital in Phuket Town without going through the “pay first, be reimbursed later” process. The deal was inked by Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) President Paiboon Upatising yesterday, when he signed an agreement to provide a medical care advance credit arrangement at the hospital for public-sector workers.…
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Aussie expat found hanged in Phuket
PHUKET: An Australian expat took his life by hanging in a luxury home under construction in Phuket, it was discovered this morning. Thalang Police were notified of the apparent suicide at 10:30am by the wife of the victim, 38-year-old Australian Daniel Cruwys. When police and Kusoldharm Foundation workers arrived at the scene, an upscale home in Pa Khlok, they found…
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Patong residents voice support for “Special Admin Zone’
PHUKET: The push to designate Phuket’s top tourism town of Patong as a “Special Administrative Zone” received much positive support at a public meeting on Friday. The meeting, held to gather feedback from local residents, was headed by Pridi Chotechuang, Deputy Secretary General of the Political Development Council and fellow PDC member Jinda Boonjun. The PDC is an independent “think…
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Phuket FC draw with Songkhla, 0-0
PHUKET: Despite some good scoring chances and strong crowd support, Phuket FC were only able to take a single point away from last night’s encounter with Songklha FC, which ended in a 0-0 draw. Going into the match mired in the five-team relegation zone, Phuket FC went on the attack early with some good scoring chances. Former FC Phuket goalkeeper…
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Ukraine dance troupe wows Phuket
PHUKET: Fans of traditional eastern European dance will have a chance to catch the world-renowned Vohon Ukrainian Dance Ensemble at the Simon Star Cabaret in Phuket this afternoon. The 50-strong troupe is on the island courtesy of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, who helped organize the event in order to raise funds for the Thai Red Cross Society, Phuket Chapter.…
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Early winners and tight racing on Day 3 of Raceweek
PHUKET: Blue skies and a steady eight knots of wind greeted sailors yesterday on Day 3 of the 2012 Cape Panwa Hotel Phuket Raceweek. PRO Simon James announced a scenic island course for all classes – Course 39 for all except the Classics who were set Course 23. After two days of windward/leewards for many classes, this was a chance…
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Ex-cop found dead in Phuket Town hotel
PHUKET: A former police officer from Ranong was found dead in his Phuket Town hotel room on July 18. Police say there were no signs of a struggle and believe the officer died of natural causes while on holiday.The late Lt Col Chokchai Charucharee had recently retired from service at Suk Samran Police Station in Ranong, where he was a…
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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