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 Police name “mastermind’ suspect behind “Ae Inside’ murder
PHUKET: Police today announced the name of the man they believe masterminded the assassination of Wisut “Ae Inside” Tangwitthayaporn, who was shot dead in rush-hour traffic while driving to Phuket Town on January 12. Maj Gen Chonasit Wattanavrangku, superintendent of Phuket Provincial Police, this morning confirmed that arrest warrants had been issued for Atsadakorn “Pod” Seedokbuab (pictured above), 48, and…
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Phuket’s Luangpor Daeng passes away, age 79
PHUKET: More than 1,000 people, including the Phuket Governor, attended a memorial service for Luangpor Daeng, the revered abbot of Mai Khao Temple since 1978. Originally from Nakhon Sri Thammarat, Luangpor Daeng was ordained at Wat Khunapanangtun Temple in Phattalung in 1967. He was appointed abbot at Mai Khao Temple in 1978, serving as a teaching abbot there until his…
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Phuket tourism: China lifts travel warning
PHUKET: Good news for the Phuket tourism industry came yesterday when China removed its travel advisory for Thailand. Thai Foreign Affairs Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul immediately expressed his appreciation for the move. Mr Surapong attributed China’s decision to Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra’s recent participation in a New Year celebration at the Chinese Embassy in Bangkok, during which the issue was discussed…
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Phuket’s Patong Immigration office to reopen
PHUKET: Phuket Immigration Office Superintendent Panuwat Ruamrak has confirmed to the Phuket Gazette that the Immigration Office in Patong will reopen next week. The news comes amid rumors that the Patong Immigration Office, which is located right next door to the Patong Tourist Police Volunteers office, had been closed permanently. “The Patong Immigration Office has not been shut down. It…
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Flirting with the Blues
PHUKET: ‘It’s like flirting with a girl. Perhaps she will resist you at first, but if you continue to ask her out, it always ends well. Never give up.” Zhu Jun describes negotiations with Chelsea to sign striker Didier Drogba for his side, Shanghai Shenhua. Drogba could be joining forces with former team-mate Nicolas Anelka as the Chinese club moves…
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“Safety boost’ at death bend not working: Village chief
PHUKET: The village headman of Baan Kho En has called for officials to install more safety features at the notorious “death bend” on Thepkrasattri Road where the small community resides in the north of Phuket. Somnuek Patee made his plea on Thursday at a high-powered meeting held to review the slew of safety measures put in place on the lethal…
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Phuket villagers protest land claim via dubious title deed
PHUKET: In the latest land dispute in Phuket, more than 100 residents of the Soi Kingkaew Community in Rassada have protested to the governor over alleged attempts by a private investor to get a Chanote land title deed for a 300-rai plot in the area. Led by 41-year-old Thongchai Kaewthong, the residents of Rassada Village 3 went to see Phuket…
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Officials warn of “fake monks’ targeting Phuket tourists
PHUKET: The ‘monk police’ of Phuket are warning everyone on the island of con men who are impersonating Buddhist monks and tricking locals and tourists into giving them money. Chatpawit Jinapong, Director of the Phuket branch of the National Office of Buddhism, which operates directly under the Prime Minister’s Office, spoke with the Phuket Gazette about these fraudulent “monks”. “High…
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Phuket Sports: Patong lead the field
PHUKET: Patong CC top the Island Furniture cricket league after a comfortable win over Phuket’s youth development team, the Leopards, played at the ACG last Sunday. With all seven teams in the competition moving into the third round of matches, a victory and taking every available bonus point was a must for Patong while the Leopards were on the prowl…
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Phuket Events: New vehicle for tickets in Phuket
PHUKET: With more and more events gracing Phuket every year, and with the vast majority of them sponsored by the Phuket Gazette, the newspaper’s events promotion team thought it time to do something special for event organizers and attendees alike. Phuket Tickets is now in “business” and doing all it can to help promote the next two ‘tickets required’ events…
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Nong Pin’s mom asks Phuket Governor for help
PHUKET: The desperate mother of Samudchaya “Nong Pin” Yanpunya yesterday met with the Phuket governor to seek high-tech help in tracking down her missing 12-year-old, who vanished without a trace over six weeks Nong Pin’s mom Samruay Saenthaweesuk asked Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha yesterday for help from the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology in tracing the origin of her…
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Phuket poll: How to steer kids clear of “corruption mindset’?
PHUKET: On the occasion of National Children’s Day celebrated in Phuket and throughout Thailand last weekend, a survey by Suan Dusit Rajabhat University revealed that teachers play a “crucial” role in the development of an “anti-corruption mentality” in children. In the latest Phuket Gazette online poll, we ask readers who plays the most important role in instilling an “anti-corruption” mentality…
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Countdown to ‘Phuket Life & Style’: Launch issue hits the streets today
PHUKET: Enclosed in your Phuket Gazette due out this afternoon, you’ll find our all-new magazine, ‘Phuket Life & Style’. This 32-page launch issue is packed full of features dedicated to Asia’s Favorite Island. We’ve cobbled together interviews with Allan Zeman, Gulu Lalvani, Bill Heinecke and more. Golf, fashion, yachting, spas, property, tourism and aviation will also vie for your attention…
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Red Shirt leader hails Phuket’s ‘Ae Inside’ as ‘brave, fearless’
PHUKET: Friends, family and colleagues paid their final respects to slain reporter Wisut “Ae Inside” Tangwitthayaporn during an emotional cremation ceremony at Wat Kosit in Phuket Town this afternoon. Mr Wisut, an investigative reporter and head of the “red shirt” political movement in Phuket, was ambushed and shot dead by two assailants near his Rassada home last Thursday. Mr Wisut’s…
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“Get the gunmen off our streets’: Phuket Governor
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha has told Phuket’s top police officers that he wants a concerted effort by police to arrest the gunmen in recent murder cases in order to restore people’s faith in public safety on the island. The order came at a meeting at Phuket Provincial Police Station yesterday, in the wake of two assassinations on the streets…
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Phuket ‘spike girl’ returns victim’s passport
PHUKET: Another Phuket tourist is believed to have fallen victim to ‘drink spiking’ in Patong last night by a woman who made off with his valuables as well as the room safe, but made sure his passport was returned. Arndt Schneider, 47, from Germany, went out Tuesday night to a bar along Soi Sansabai to play pool with a friend…
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Phuket update: US embassy maintains terror threat warning
PHUKET: The US Embassy in Bangkok sees American citizens in Thailand as still facing the threat of terrorism and will thus keep a controversial warning on its website, despite the Thai government’s insistence that Thailand is not a target for international terrorists, a senior embassy official said yesterday. “Nothing changes” when it comes to the perceived threats and America’s need…
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Wiki blackout hits Phuket at high noon
PHUKET: The Phuket Gazette would like to inform its readers that English Wikipedia will be shutting down at noon today (Phuket time) to protest proposed legislation in the United States. The proposed Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) in the US House of Representatives and PROTECT IP Act (PIPA) in the US senate “if passed, would seriously damage the free and…
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Phuket ‘Ae Inside’ murder: Thai media reports police closing in on killers
PHUKET: Phuket Police appear to be closing in on the person who ordered the killing of Phuket investigative reporter Wisut “Ae Inside” Tangwitthayaporn, according to reports in the Thai-language media. Following yesterday’s re-enactment of the crime with the confessed driver of the gunman, police say they have gathered enough evidence to apply for arrest warrants for alleged gunman Sanya Klinchum,…
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New 50-baht banknote in Phuket by this weekend
PHUKET: Phuket residents will have to wait until tomorrow or Friday before they can get their hands on the new 50-baht banknotes released nationwide today. The new-look 50-baht notes, announced by Bank of Thailand Governor Dr Prasarn Trairatvorakul last week, will not be available in Phuket until tomorrow at the earliest, banks on the island have told the Phuket Gazette.…
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Phuket Simon Cabaret stars spread their wings
PHUKET: The Simon Star Cabaret show, Phuket’s third ladyboy extravaganza, opens on Thursday with a special discount available for Thai nationals only, through February. Executives of Simon Cabaret held a press conference at The Metropole hotel in Phuket Town today to announce the opening, which is the culmination of a 130-million-baht investment. The venue is located on the grounds of…
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Fire contained in densely populated area of Phuket Town
PHUKET: Three homes in a public housing community in Phuket Town were damaged last night in a fire that took firefighters about one hour to extinguish. The fire broke out at about 9pm in a home on Soi 9 of the Saphan Ruam 2 Community, on the east side of Phuket Town near the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (PPAO) Hospital.…
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Phuket top sailing destination in Asia: Survey
PHUKET: Phuket was voted as top in Thailand, while Thailand as a nation was voted the favorite sailing venue and best regatta location in Asia, according to a survey of international sailors from around the world conducted at the 2011 Phuket King’s Cup Regatta. The survey was undertaken by the Top of the Gulf Regatta in co-operation with the Phuket…
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Phuket prepares for Chinese New Year
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) is preparing an extravagant celebration to ring in the Year of the Dragon with the arrival of the Chinese New Year next week. The celebration is slated to kick off at Sanam Chai (the filed opposite Phuket Provincial Hall) at 4pm on January 23. “Acrobats from Puyang, China will be performing as well…
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Phuket Video Report: Suspect denies any role in murder of journalist
PHUKET: The man who Phuket Police have arrested for conspiracy to commit murder in the case of Wisut “Ae Inside” Tangwitthayaporn, today publicly denied any involvement in the killing. Noppadol “Pae” Praisri, 43, this afternoon told the press gathered at Phuket City Police Station that he used to come down to Phuket to sell fruit, but that that was years…
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Phuket Live Wire: So what’s all this about a 3G auction?
PHUKET: Continuing my series of articles answering questions that I hear most often… the next question is one I expect to hear a thousand times in the next few months. It’s a little complicated, but you’re going to get confused anyway, so let me try to simplify things as best I can. “Woody, I hear that Thailand is finally going…
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Phuket Police arrest alleged gunman in “Ae Inside’ murder
PHUKET: The first suspect wanted in connection with the shooting murder of Phuket reporter Wisut “Ae Inside” Tangwitthayaporn last Thursday has been arrested and is set to appear at a police press conference today. An arrest warrant for the suspect, 43-year-old Petchburi native Noppadon “Pae” Praisri, was approved by Phuket Provincial Court on Saturday. The exact time and details of…
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Phuket Media Watch: 800 dogs rescued; Thailand number 1 for Brits
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community 800 dogs rescued from smugglers in Nakhon Phanom Phuket Gazette / The Nation PHUKET: A Mekong patrol unit headed by Captain Thirakiart Thong-aram found the dogs detained in more than 40 cases on a six-wheel truck on the riverbank in Don Paeng village in Tambon Ban…
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Phuket update: Warrant issued for ‘Ae Inside’ murder suspect
PHUKET: Phuket Police have issued an arrest warrant for one of two men wanted for the assassination of investigative reporter Wisut ‘Ae Inside’ Tangwitthayaporn on Thursday. The police name the suspect as Noppadon “Pae” Praisri, 43, from Phetchburi province. The arrest warrant names Mr Noppadon as wanted for conspiracy to commit premeditated murder. The warrant was issued after witnesses were…
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Rampant rental car thefts in Phuket
PHUKET: Seven hire cars remain missing from a Phuket rental firm. Two suspects are in custody but three more are evading capture having failed to return the vehicles. The rental company owner suspects they may have been fraudulently sold or have been used to get finance from a pawn-broker. In the middle of October last year, Sarun Thongularn, 37 and…
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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