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 Public Transport: The decision to have public buses is ours
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Land Transportation Office has responded admirably to criticism that it has obviously failed over the past 20 years to develop public bus transportation in this province. (See front page, current issue of the Phuket Gazette. Digital subscribers click here to download the full newspaper.) Office Chief Terayout Prasertphol says he has applied to his superiors in…
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Phuket’s “Buffalo Alley’: car overturns, bus damaged in vehicular bovicide
PHUKET: One car overturned, a bus was damaged and two buffaloes were killed on November 11 after a motorbike driver clipped one of the beasts as he drove past, spooking both animals and causing them to run into oncoming traffic. Kusoldharm Rescue Foundation workers received a report at about 12:30am that an accident involving three vehicles and two buffaloes had…
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French victory in Phuket ITF mens singles tennis final
PHUKET: A second set tie-break was required to determine the Chang ITF Thailand Pro Circuit Tour mens singles tennis champion and it was Laurent Rochette of France who held his nerve to clinch the title.Rochette looked in control throughout the match, pulling out big serves when needed, and took the first set comfortably with a 6-4 score, having had a…
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Phuket expat, wife arrested for M16 assault rifle in car
PHUKET: Phuket police early this morning arrested a long-term expat and his wife after finding what they identified as an M16 automatic assault rifle with a loaded clip in the back of their car.Thung Thong Police Duty Officer Lt Col Chana Suttimard told the Phuket Gazette, “At 4am today, police arrested Ivan Vaclavik, 43, from Slovakia, and 32-year-old Phuket-native Suppasa…
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Phuket officials push for buses from airport to main beaches
PHUKET: Phuket Provincial Land Transportation Office (PLTO) Chief Terayout Prasertphol has announced that his office will apply for Phuket to have two new bus routes operating from the airport: one to Rawai and another running through Patong to Kata-Karon. He expects bus services along the new routes to be in operation by February. “The next step is to apply to…
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Phuket ITF Tennis: Canada-China twosome take doubles title
PHUKET: Partnering each other for the first time in doubles competition, Kelsey Stevenson from Canada and Zhe Li from China earned an unexpected but well deserved victory in the Chang ITF Thailand Pro Circuit Men’s tennis doubles final. Having defeated the tournament’s number three seeds, Soong-Jae Cho and Ji Sung Nam, both from Korea, Stevenson and Li faced the number…
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Bangkok Flood “phishing’ scam sinks hooks into Phuket
PHUKET: A scam email appealing for users’ bank details under the guise of helping to make a flood relief donation of one million dollars for flood victims in Bangkok is finding its way into the in-boxes of many residents in Phuket and probably around the world.“Every disaster brings scammers, and the flooding in Thailand is no exception. We’ve seen several…
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Phuket Poll: How alcohol dependent is Phuket?
PHUKET: The floods in Bangkok and Central Thailand continue to wreak havoc with domestic production of beer and its distribution to Phuket. The disruptions have caused serious shortages, much to the bane of hoteliers, restaurateurs and bar owners across the island. The Phuket Gazette has received many reports of severely inflated prices, up to nearly double for one brand of…
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Bangkok floods prompt PM Yingluck to call for cheap THAI flights to Phuket
PHUKET: Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra today called on Thai Airways International to reduce airfares for flights to Phuket and other destinations in Southern Thailand. Prime Minister Yingluck’s call comes in response to the likely flooding of Rama II Road in Bangkok, the main artery connecting Bangkok with the South. “Thai Airways International will offer airfare discounts in response to PM…
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Phuket Airport ready for flood-redirected flights
PHUKET: Phuket International Airport (PIA) is ready to take on the role as the Airport Authority of Thailand (AoT) Emergency Operations Center if Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok succumbs to floods.“We held a meeting to discuss the possibility of PIA becoming the alternate [main] airport in case Suvarnabhumi Airport is unable to operate,” said an AoT Phuket spokesperson yesterday.“We are…
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Flood price rises no match for Phuket flower power on Loy Krathong
PHUKET: Floods in Bangkok and Central Thailand forcing the prices of some flowers to double in Phuket have not stopped people from splashing out for the Loy Krathong festival tonight. The krathong, lotus-shaped floats traditionally made of banana leaves, with a small offering of food, flowers, joss sticks and/or candles, are usually adorned with lotus and orchids. Prices of both…
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Phuket models call for votes in Thai Supermodel contest
PHUKET: Two young Phuket models are seeking votes in the Photogenic Model competition, part of the Thai Supermodel Contest 2011. Uraisri “Yim” Watrsang, 16, and Vanessa “Van” Herrmann, 20, have both made it to the final round of the contest to be broadcast on Channel 7. Miss Watrsang attended Phuket’s Plookpanya School before moving on to Srinagarindra, where she is…
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Pullman Phuket Arcadia Nai Thon nears opening
PHUKET: Construction of the five star Pullman Phuket Arcadia began in October 2010 on Nai Thon’s headland and with the project completion target date of August 2012 approaching, marketing and recruitment proposals are scheduled for the end of this year. Mr Maitree Narukapichai, the project owner’s representative and managing director of Villa Zolitude Resort and Spa in Chalong, detailed the…
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Phuket Live Wire – Google in English online all the time
PHUKET: How many times have you typed google.com in a browser’s address bar and ended up at google.co.th? Let me show you how to fix Google so it won’t do that any more – and at the same time, show you how to set up your favorite web browser so it brings up the pages you want, whenever you start…
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Phuket officials ordered to crack down on flood price gouging
PHUKET: Phuket Vice Governor Somkiat Sangkaosuttirak today ordered Phuket Provincial Commercial Affairs acting chief Jarus Phetpakdee to conduct price checks on consumer goods in Phuket and to crack down on any irregularities. At a meeting of top officials convened at Provincial Hall this morning expressly to tackle the issue, V/Gov Somkiat said, “We have received many complaints about the rising…
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Phuket food to be nominated for UNESCO gastronomical prize
PHUKET: Efforts are underway to collate recipes and historical information of local Baba (“Straits Chinese”) cuisine in order to have Phuket Town recognized by UNESCO as a City of Gastronomy. Dr Kosol Tang-Uthai, president of the Thai Peranakan Association, said that 65 local Baba chefs were involved in the process. “Phuket Baba food combines recipes from Royal Thai Cuisine, common…
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Young woman crushed to death on Phuket beach road
PHUKET: A young Phang Nga woman was killed on the Patong beach road, on Phuket’s west coast, yesterday when a six-wheeled truck ran over her after colliding with the motorbike she was driving. Kathu Police received a report of the accident on Thaweewong Road, near the junction with Phra Barami Road, at about 6pm. Arayada Budsayakul, 27, was killed instantly,…
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Floods force Bangkok buses to Phuket to relocate to brewery
PHUKET: Rising flood waters in Bangkok have forced the Transport Company to relocate bus services to Phuket from the main southern bus terminal, Sai Tai Mai, to the Holland Beer Restaurant on Rama 2 Road in Bangkok’s Bang Khuntien District, Thonburi. “We had to close the southern bus terminal because all the roads around it were flooded,” said Transport Company…
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Phuket longtail fisherman watches helpless as nephew drowns
PHUKET: A longtail boat operator drowned near Phuket’s Ao Por Pier this morning as his uncle helplessly looked on. The drowned man’s uncle, “Rut”, described the series of events to family friend Suriya Dujpayak, but was too grief-stricken to speak to the press. Boonchuay Piewsoy, 35, developed cramps at about 7:30am while swimming out to his boat, which was anchored…
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Training tips for the Phuket Triathlon – fuel for your body
PHUKET: Completing a successful triathlon is not just about swimming, biking and running. You need to fuel your body with the right energy sources and ensure you are properly hydrated. Use the days before the race to load up on fuel. Carbohydrates deliver the most energy. Make a shift in your diet toward this kind of food. Good sources of…
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Phuket not alone in problem of abandoned babies
Phuket NEWS Hound – World news selected by Phuket Gazette editors for Phuket readers Russia places boxes for mothers to drop off unwanted babies PHUKET: Russian hospitals have begun to introduce so-called baby boxes where new mothers will be able to place their unwanted newborns, officials said on Monday. According to the RIA Novosti news agency, Russian health officials said…
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Phuket gets cooking for Bangkok flood victims
PHUKET: The cafeteria at Phuket Vocational College in Phuket Town has been dedicated to cooking at least 12,000 meals a day to be delivered to flood victims in Bangkok. “The Ministry of Interior has asked all provinces with the potential to help to provide assistance to flood victims in Bangkok,” said Phuket Vice Governor Somkiet Sangkhaosutthirak. “Phuket has been assigned…
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No “nipple gangs’ in Phuket: Police
PHUKET: Phuket police today were firm in the assertion that there are no “nipple gangs” at work in Phuket. The news follows a report by a Chinese daily newspaper saying that Singaporean men on holiday in Phuket had been drugged by knock-out drops smeared onto women’s breasts. Once drugged unconscious, the men were robbed, the report said. Other newspapers and…
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Hit-and-run slams Phuket woman off the road and into a ravine
PHUKET: Phuket police are searching for the driver of a pickup truck that was involved in a hit and run on the Chalong-Kata Hill on Sunday. Witnesses reported seeing the pickup collide with a motorbike, resulting in the woman rider plunging over the edge of the steep slope and landing in a ravine about eight meters deep. The accident was…
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Bangkok flood ‘stranglehold’ on fixing deadly Phuket road
PHUKET: Phuket Provincial Highways Office (PPHO) chief Arun Sanae has applied for a budget of eight million baht to fix the damaged Patong Hill road, but says he does not know when the funds to begin repairs will arrive. The road suffered a severe rip in its surface last month after heavy rains caused a landslide underneath it on October…
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China’s Xue, Zhang win gold at Phuket FIVB beach volleyball final
PHUKET: China’s Chen Xue and Xi Zhang defeated Americans Jennifer Kessy and April Ross to win the final of the 2011 FIVB Beach Volleyball Swatch World Tour at Karon Beach today. Favorites Xue/Zhang defeated the second-seeded Kessy/Ross 21-16, 21-14 in 40 minutes, rounding off a perfect tournament of six wins, zero losses. In the battle of former Phuket champions, the…
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Body of foreign man found floating off Phuket
PHUKET: A Thai fishing boat this morning found the body of a caucasian man floating in the waters between Racha Yai Island and Coral Island, to the south of Phuket. Samnieng Srisan of the Phuket Tourist Rescue Center at Chalong Pier told the Phuket Gazette that the squid fishing boat Sor Naja made the discovery at about 10:15am. “The body…
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Mystics fail to reveal bodies of missing Phuket lovers
PHUKET: The families of the man and woman who have yet to resurface since disappearing from Thepkrasattri Bridge last week have called in soothsayers to help find the bodies. However, despite at least five mystics proffering descriptions of where to look in the fast-flowing waters under the Phuket bridge, divers have yet to find the bodies of troubled young lovers…
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Thai Floods: Kudos and consequences for Phuket
PHUKET: While the floods laying siege to Bangkok have dominated national news and made headlines around the world for weeks, Phuket has remained safe and dry. And as such, the province has been, as it well should be, a major platform for flood relief for hundreds of thousands of victims throughout Thailand’s central plains. Heartwarming initiatives continue underway in Phuket…
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China, USA to face off in Phuket FIVB beach volleyball final today
PHUKET: China’s top-seeded duo Chen Xue and Xi Zhang will take on the second-seeded team of Jennifer Kessy and April Ross from the United States in the gold medal final of the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour at Karon Beach this afternoon. Both teams ground out semifinal match victories yesterday to advance to the internationally-televised final, scheduled to start on…
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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