Phuket News
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Phuket Town flood victims apply for assistance
PHUKET: More than 100 Phuket Town families whose homes or businesses were damaged by flooding last week have registered for assistance through Phuket City Municipality. Peerapong Matra from the Social Welfare Department told the Gazette that Phuket City Municipality opened a flood-relief center on August 23, the day after Phuket Town flooded. “We initially wanted to close the center on…
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Loei woman found hanged at Phuket workers’ camp
PHUKET: Colleagues of a female construction worker found hanged at a workers’ camp in Phuket early yesterday evening have no idea why she decided to take her own life. Police were notified of the death at 5:45pm. Arriving at the camp with Phuket Kusoldharm Foundation workers, they found the body of 30-year-old Nuanchan Donphon hanged by the neck in a…
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Phuket Live Wire: It’s the future of computers
PHUKET: August is usually a rather dull month for the computer industry. This August started out with an enormous amount of activity, but as the days wane, so does the news. All eyes at this point are fixed on the coming Christmas season. And it looks like Christmas this year will be very interesting indeed. Microsoft has already released its…
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Phuket expat Frenchman stands to lose B100mn home in national park land raid
PHUKET: A French businessman will have to suffer his 100-million-baht luxury villa in Phuket being demolished if the land it is on is ruled to be encroaching on national park land. The new chief of Sirinath National Park, Cheewapap Cheewatham, filed a complaint with police after a surprise raid on the property on Sunday. The raid was led by Sermyos…
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Officials launch drive to register illegal Phuket taxis
PHUKET: Illegal taxi drivers in key tourist areas in Phuket will have the chance to apply to become legal as part of the government’s campaign to resolve the decades-old problem of illegal drivers plying Phuket’s lucrative tourism trade. The news was announced yesterday by Provincial Land Transport Office (PLTO) chief Teerayut Prasertpol at a meeting of provincial officials, police and…
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Phuket police silent on top cop reshuffle
PHUKET: One of Phuket’s high-ranking police officers today said he was surprised by the announcement in a Thai-language newspaper that Phuket’s top-ranking police officer, Chonasit Wattanavrangkul, will be transferred out of Phuket. Speaking to the Phuket Gazette this morning, Phuket Provincial Police Deputy Commander Chalit Kaewyarat said, “I do not know where the list of transfers printed in the newspaper…
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Vote recount costs Khon Baan Rao clear majority
PHUKET: A recount of votes cast in a single electorate in the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (PPAO) council election on Sunday has cost the leading Khon Baan Rao party its clear majority on the council. The news came this afternoon as PPAO Chief Administrative Officer Manop Leelasuthanon explained to the Phuket Gazette, “There was an error when officers entered the…
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Officers “defuse car bomb’ in emergency response exercise at Phuket Airport
PHUKET: Officers from a variety police stations across the island yesterday took part in a multi-agency exercise to counter the prospect of a car bomb being detected and another bomb actually detonating at Phuket International Airport. Police from Phuket City, Tah Chat Chai and Thalang police stations were joined by Thalang Hospital staff to take part in the exercise, which…
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Tour company offers compensation for capsized speedboat ordeal
PHUKET: The Phuket-based company operating tours on board the speedboat that capsized off Phi Phi Island in rough seas yesterday has vowed to cover all medical expenses for those injured in the incident and to offer compensation for the emotional stress suffered. Pongsak Pachantabut, the manager of Phuket New Generation Travel Company, today confirmed to the Phuket Gazette that there…
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Khon Baan Rao slides into clear majority in Phuket election
PHUKET: The Khon Baan Rao Party won 13 of 24 seats in the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (PPAO) council election on Sunday, according to the preliminary vote count, giving the local “pink party” a clear majority.Khon Baan Rao, meaning “People from Our House” and led by PPAO President Paiboon Upatising, lost six of the 19 seats the party contested. The…
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Police brutality complaint filed over drug suspect arrest
PHUKET: A man who claims his nephew was severely beaten by five Thalang police officers trying to extract more information after they had arrested him for drug possession has filed a complaint at the Phuket Damrongtham Center (ombudsman’s office).Prapakorn Waharak, a 20-year-old Thalang resident, was accompanied to the Damrongtham Center at Provincial Hall yesterday by his uncle Prapan Waharak, 40,…
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All safe after Phuket speedboat capsizes in rough seas
PHUKET: The Phuket Marine Police have confirmed that none of the tourists or crew on board a speedboat that capsized in the heavy seas off the coast of Phi Phi Island are missing.The 24 Chinese tourists on board the boat, Luk Pradu 26, arrived at Chalong Pier late this afternoon.Seven of them had suffered minor injuries and were taken to…
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Phuket ‘false rape’ victim Bamford to reveal all on Australian prime time TV
PHUKET: Stevie Bamford, the 21-year-old Australian tourist who in June confessed to Thai police that she had filed a false rape claim in Phuket, steps onto the Australian prime-time television show Today Tonight to reveal the ‘truth’ about her sexual assault in Thailand. In her original report of the incident to Patong Police, Ms Bamford claimed she was attacked by…
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Heavy rain blamed for Phang Nga bus accident
PHUKET: Police assess that heavy rain caused a bus carrying 20 passengers from Haad Yai to Phuket to overturn on a curve in Phang Nga yesterday, injuring 16 people. Lt Col Sanae Aukod of Phang Nga Town Police received notice of the accident, at the Phu Nga Thani curve, in Takdad, Muang, Phang Nga, at about 6pm. Police accompanied by…
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Patong Hospital ramps up flood defenses
PHUKET: A project costing 16 million baht to better protect Patong Hospital from flooding is expected to be completed by January 7, Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha and Pheu Thai Party Government Spokesman Prompong Nopparit were told on Friday. The news follows Patong Hospital flooding during the downpours last week, prompting Governor Tri and MP Prompong to visit the facility to…
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Push for new Patong Road in protected Phuket forest gains ground
PHUKET: Officials are hoping to have enough public support by October to start the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) for a 100-million-baht road through protected Phuket forest connecting Patong and Chalong. The EIA will be a critical hurdle for the project as the proposed route will cut through at least one kilometer of protected national forest in the Nakkerd Hills. In…
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Phuket FC ready for showdown with Ratchaburi
PHUKET: First-place Ratchaburi FC is in “fine form” and preparing to play attacking football in tonight’s highly-anticipated match against Phuket FC, the team’s coach told a pre-match press conference yesterday. Speaking in the Phuket FC office opposite Surakul Stadium, Ratchaburi Coach Somchai Maiwelai said, “Even though there is a considerable gap between our teams [26 points], we’re not going to…
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Phuket Police nab serial snatch bandit
PHUKET: Police on Wednesday arrested a serial snatch-and-run thief who allegedly committed at least 12 robberies in Phuket Town over the past month.The suspect was identified as 20-year-old Wuttipong Uonpong, listed as a resident of Ayutthaya.Lt Col Prawit Engchuan of the Phuket City Police told the Gazette that his office had received numerous theft reports from the Samkong area of…
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Loan shark bagman shot in Phang Nga
PHUKET: A debt collector for a local loan shark survived a bullet wound to his back inflicted by a gang of teenagers in Phang Nga yesterday afternoon.The victim, Somchai Chaonalai, arrived by motorbike to Thung Kha Ngok District Police Station after the shooting to ask police there for assistance in getting to hospital. Lt Prajuab Wongthong, who was on duty…
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Thailand’s coral reefs 50% gone: Phuket marine biologist
PHUKET: With coral reef systems in Thai coastal waters at a “crisis” level, the director of the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) has vowed to step up his department’s efforts to mitigate the damage caused by the fishing industry and other human factors.“Currently, our natural coral reefs are not half of what they used to be – we are in…
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Phuket Sports: Rory roars to another Major
PHUKET: The last Major on this year’s PGA Tour golfing calendar, the PGA Championship, was played at the Ocean Course Kiawah Island South Carolina, one of the most difficult courses in the world. Before the tournament started, Kiawah Island had heavy thunder storms, similar to the weather in Phuket presently. As all the world’s top professionals gathered, including newly crowned…
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Poll: Should Phuket be exempted from election-day alcohol bans?
PHUKET: Alcohol sales will be banned island-wide this weekend due to the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization election on Sunday, while Patong will face two consecutive weekends of lost nightlife trade due to municipal council elections, due to take place there next weekend. The alcohol bans will be in effect from 6pm on Saturday through to midnight on Sunday. Retail outlets…
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Phuket Sports: Premiership preview
PHUKET: The Premiership returned last weekend to bring joy and pain back to football fans across Phuket again. The drama and excitement of the world’s most popular football league was played out across England, with all 20 teams playing over Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Saturday saw seven games played with the stand-out result being West Brom’s 3-0 victory over Liverpool.…
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PM Yingluck Shinawatra invited to speak at Phuket Halal Expo
PHUKET: The organizers of the annual Phuket Halal Expo, to take place early next month, have invited Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and Asean Secretary-General Dr Surin Pitsuwan to give speeches at the event, which will have special activities in Patong and Phuket Town. Officially entitled “Phuket Andaman Halal for Tourism 2012”, the expo is intended to showcase the island’s Muslim…
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Phuket Sport: International round up
PHUKET: The following is a round up of international sports news, compiled by the Phuket Gazette for the island’s international community. ATHLETICS: Yohan Blake did the unthinkable at the Lausanne Diamond League meeting: he managed to take the headlines away from Usain Bolt. Blake ran the third fastest 100-meter race of all time, clocking 9.69 seconds. Bolt holds the world…
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Tonight! Phuket Seafood Fiesta in Patong
PHUKET: The Phuket Seafood Fiesta casts its net today in an effort to draw more visitors to the island during the current low season for tourism. The Seafood Fiesta, held in conjunction with the Andaman Hoteliers 2012 event, runs from 3pm to 10pm today and tomorrow at the Jungceylon shopping complex in Patong. “At the festival you can experience all…
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Gardener, 60, drowns in Phuket tin mine pond
PHUKET: Phuket Police are investigating the drowning death of a 60-year-old man found floating face-down in a tin mine pond in Thalang late yesterday afternoon. The discovery of the body was reported to Thalang Police at 5:30pm by a roommate of the deceased who gave his name only as “Gai”. Mr Gai told investigators he went looking for his friend,…
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Full-scale tsunami rescue drill “freaks out’ Phuket tourists
PHUKET: Two tourists on holiday from Vietnam panicked after witnessing the full-scale tsunami rescue drill being conducted off the east coast of Phuket this afternoon. “Oh my God! My friend and I thought it was some kind of terrorist attack or that a really big accident had happened. We had no clues it was a drill.” said Ms Julie as…
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Dinosaurs heading for Phuket holidays
PHUKET: Dinosaurs are taking a holiday in Phuket, along with all the other old bones on the island, in a travelling museum exhibition open from August 28 to September 16. The free-entry exhibition, with information in Thai and English about paleontological and geological discoveries in Thailand, will be open daily at the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) between 8:30am and…
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500 Phuket homes affected by floods
PHUKET: Tentative estimates by officials are that about 500 households were affected by the floods yesterday.The news follows Phuket City Mayor Somjai Suwansupana’s confirmation that despite more rain today, the floodwaters in Phuket Town have completely receded and the situation has returned to normal.“Our trucks had washed off all the mud from the main roads in Phuket Town by last…
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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