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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Hotel supply cap “pointless’ for Phuket
PHUKET: Hotel operators are lukewarm to an effort by the Thai Hotels Association to lobby the government to limit the number of new hotel licenses it issues, saying the real problem is the number of accommodation establishments that operate illegally. Following reports that the association planned to lobby returning Tourism and Sports Minister Chumpol Silpa-archa to help develop the industry…
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Phuket rubber tapper injured by falling tree
PHUKET: A Phuket rubber tapper was left unconscious and unable to move yesterday when a para rubber tree he was cutting down fell on him. The rubber-tapper, 29-year-old Seree Thongampol, went out to fell mature rubber trees in a plantation in Paklok Village 8 yesterday afternoon.Working alone, he used a chainsaw to cut the tree at its base. To his…
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FC Phuket trump Songkhla in deep south battle
PHUKET: FC PHUKET got their second road win of the season last night, with a well-deserved 1-0 win against Songkhla FC in a hard-fought match at Tinsulanond Stadium in Songkhla Town. The lively match was played under clear skies, following light showers earlier in the day. Some 23,000 fans turned out making it the largest crowd Phuket has played in…
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Beach Volleyball: Phuket Thailand Open ready to decide World Number One
PHUKET: Seventeen of the world’s top 20-ranked teams have confirmed their participation in the PTT Phuket Thailand Open, the final round of the FIVB Beach Volleyball Swatch World Tour, which will take place on Phuket’s Karon Beach from November 1 to 6. The Phuket tournament is the world’s largest women’s beach volleyball event and will see the teams competing this…
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Phuket ‘security guard’ confesses to stabbing murder
PHUKET: A security guard has confessed to the murder of a maid at a workers’ guesthouse in Phuket last night. Patong Police duty officer Weerapong Rakkito identified the deceased as 39-year-old Nuanchawee Sarating, until the time of her death the maid at a workers’ guesthouse in Kalim. At about 9:45pm, her body was found face-up outside her room under the…
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Worldwide Photo Walk: Phuket event to focus on Vegetarian Festival
PHUKET: Shutterbugs should move quickly to sign up for the Phuket event of the Fourth Annual Worldwide Photo Walk on October 2, when local and visiting photographers will capture images of the colorful spectacle that is the annual Phuket Vegetarian Festival. Part of what is described as “the largest global social event for photographers”, the Photo Walk in Phuket will…
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Battle for Phuket’s Surin Beach goes on
PHUKET: The saga over the stalled clearing of a restaurant encroaching on Surin Beach continues, with the restaurant owners refusing to remove structures and local authorities planning to file yet another report. Pla Restaurant was spared from a raid on Wednesday morning when a multi-agency task force of no less than 30 officers acting under an order from the Governor…
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Clarification sought over car tax rebate plan: Phuket Excise Office
PHUKET: First-time car buyers should wait until rules regarding the much-publicized tax rebate are clarified before signing off on purchases, Phuket’s Excise Office has advised. Thanongsak Booncluab, Acting Director of the Phuket Excise Office, told the Phuket Gazette yesterday that a senior specialist will be arriving on Phuket on Monday to explain the populist program. “Ministry of Finance Inspector General…
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Road work clogs Phuket’s main artery
PHUKET: Motorists commuting along Phuket’s Thepkrasattri Road northbound should try to avoid rush hour as resurfacing work is causing long tailbacks and dirty conditions. The work is part of a three-month, 42-million-baht contract to improve the road from in front of the Seventh Day Adventist Church near Super Cheap to Srisoonthorn Temple, which is 12 kilometers to the north. The…
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Phuket’s Windsor big in Japan
PHUKET: British International School (BIS) Phuket swimming sensation Raymond Windsor is making waves for his local swimming club in Japan. In July, during the BIS summer vacation period while at home in Japan, Raymond dived into Japan Prefectural (State) competitive swimming for the first time. At the Japan Junior pre-Olympic cup meet for Tochigi Prefecture (Honshu Island) on July 17,…
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AFL Phuket dishes out another night of thrills
PHUKET: Round three of Phuket’s Adult Futsal League (AFL) season eight presented by Thanachart Bank Premier Division kicked off with much anticipation for an action packed night on Thursday at Thanyapura Sports and Leisure Club. Reigning champions Portrait FC played Honda in the first match of the evening’s schedule. Portrait’s top scorer Pongsatorn got his team off to the perfect…
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Phuket Police help nab drug kingpin in Krabi
PHUKET: After a gunfight and a chase through a rubber plantation, police on Wednesday arrested two men in connection with a drug-trafficking network that allegedly spanned from Phuket to Malaysia. One of the men was a known kingpin already wanted by police in Bangkok. Police presented the suspects – Krabi resident Songchai “Aied” Chumpon, 51, and alleged associate Paechon Navadej,…
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Phuket drug haul: 4 suspects, 4 guns and B13.5mn in drugs seized
PHUKET: A small pier popular for tourists heading out to the islands in Phang Nga Bay was a major drug-trafficking portal, Phuket police revealed today. The news was announced by Phuket Provincial Police Commander Pekad Tantipong at a press conference to present to the media four suspects arrested for trafficking ya bah (methamphetamine) and ya ice (crystal methamphetamine). On show…
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Phuket Police recover fake bomb used in botched bank heist
PHUKET: Phuket City Police have recovered what they believe to be the fake bomb and clothing used by a man in a botched attempt to rob a Phuket Town bank on Monday. Phuket’s top police rushed to a remote rubber plantation in Rassada at about 11am today after they were informed that what appeared to be a bomb was discovered…
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Tsunami drill on Phuket’s west coast
PHUKET: A tsunami-evacuation drill will be held tomorrow afternoon (September 16) at Baan Kalim School, just north of Patong, on Phuket’s tourist-popular west coast. The drill, organized by Patong Municipality, will involve 191 students and teachers from Baan Kalim School and from Tessaban Baan Sai Nam Yen School, in the heart of Patong. The teachers and students from Baan Sai…
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Angels and Demons
PHUKET: “I ain’t going to say attack don’t let the media make u believe that was terrorist that did it. #OTIS.” Liverpool striker Nathan Eccleston apparently sent out a comment on Twitter indicating his belief that the September 11 attacks on the US were not those of terrorists. Allegedly OTIS is an abbreviation of “Only The Illuminati Succeed.” When not…
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Phuket green group “seeks’ NGO status
PHUKET: The “Coalition of Global Citizens” known as SEEK Phuket (Society, Environment, Economy, Knowledge) is currently compiling its application to become a fully-fledged non-governmental organization (NGO) in Thailand, one of their founders has told the Phuket Gazette. “We started informally about four months ago and our lawyers are currently in the process of attaining formal Thai NGO status,” said Nick…
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Phuket hosts Thai handicrafts fair
PHUKET: Fans of Thai handicrafts will want to visit Phuket’s Jungceylon shopping complex over the weekend, as the second annual Thai Handicrafts Domestic Roadshow is in town until Monday. Phuket Vice Governor Weerawat Janpen presided over the event opening yesterday. A large and varied selection of the best Thai handicrafts are on sale from 11am to 10pm daily in the…
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Phuket Live Wire: Finding your “True’ internet speed
PHUKET: I’ve received email from all over the world as a result of the ‘Bang for the Baht’ chart that Khun Roger and I put together for the August 27 Live Wire in the Phuket Gazette. The emails I received fall into three broad categories. Some people expect to be in Phuket shortly – either moving here or taking an…
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Korean tourist rescued from Phuket drainage ditch
PHUKET: Phuket rescue workers and local residents came to the aid of a Korean tourist whose leg became wedged between two cement drainage ditch covers on Tuesday night. Phuket Kusoldham Foundation rescue workers were alerted to the man’s plight at about 8:30pm on Tuesday. Racing to the scene, near the Bank of Ayudhya branch on Chao Fa East Road in…
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Phuket investor Allan Zeman to speak about Brand Andara at AMCHAM on Friday
PHUKET: Leading Asian-based entrepreneur and businessman Allan Zeman talks about his journey developing Andara Phuket into a sought-after brand, and how his investment in Phuket has paved the way for a continuing success story. Organized by the Greater Phuket Chapter of the American Chamber of Commerce in Thailand (AMCHAM), the event is expected to draw substantial attendance. A spokesperson for…
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Phuket Big Buddha image nears completion, huge ceremony planned
PHUKET: The Big Buddha image in the Nakkerd Hills is scheduled for completion next month, with a nationally-televised prayer ceremony in honor of HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej and HM Queen Sirikit to take place in November, its builders say. The Mingmongkol Faith 45 Foundation, set up to construct the Big Buddha, made the announcement at a press conference on September…
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Phuket passenger van crashes in Trang: 1 dead, 4 injured
PHUKET: One person was killed and four badly injured when a Phuket passenger van bound for Haad Yai lost its brakes and crashed into a car in Trang yesterday afternoon. Muang District Police in Trang were notified of the accident at 2pm yesterday. At the scene, a four-way intersection on the Trang bypass road in Nayong subdistrict, they found a…
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Phuket Airport to double car park
PHUKET: Phuket International Airport will open its new car park to vehicles by November, Airport Director Duangchai Condee announced today. “The new car park will be ready to use by this coming high season,” Ms Dungchai told a meeting chaired by Phuket Vice Governor Weerawat Janpen. The new car park, located in front of the airport cargo buildings just to…
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Phuket’s Soi Dog Foundation opens cat hospital
PHUKET: Phuket’s renowned animal welfare charity Soi Dog Foundation has opened the island’s first facility dedicated to providing medical treatment to cats. The new “Cat Hospital“, which cost more than a million baht to build and equip, opened quietly last week and already has 10 cats in its care. “Previously, cats have had to be kept in small cages, often…
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Phuket’s Koh Kaew Market to rise from the ashes
PHUKET: Forensic Police continue to investigate the cause of the fire that ripped through the Koh Kaew Market in Patong last month, raising the distinct possibility that the complex could be rebuilt and open for business before the cause of the blaze is determined. Tossapol Rungruengpawan, president of Patong Retail Business Club, said work cleaning up debris is ongoing and…
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Korean Ambassador says “Farewell, Phuket’
PHUKET: South Korean Ambassador to Thailand Chung Hae-moon today paid a visit to Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha at Provincial Hall to say farewell before his return home.“I am going back to [South] Korea at the end of this week as I have completed my four-year term in Thailand,” Ambassador Chung told the Phuket Gazette. He encouraged more Korean companies to…
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Phuket “mad bomber’ bank robbery foiled by closing time
PHUKET: Police are hunting for a man who tried robbing a bank in Phuket Town late this afternoon reportedly with grenades strapped to his chest, but was foiled by the bank having been closed for business just five minutes earlier. The man, described as dark-skinned and about 30-35 years old, arrived at the Kasikorn Bank branch on the corner of…
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Phuket ‘Kidnap rapist’ freed from jail, Nepali community in fear
PHUKET: In response to media reports on the release of a man who confessed to multiple counts of kidnapping, imprisonment, and repeated rape and robbery of Nepali women, the Thai-Nepalese Club held a meeting yesterday to discuss the community’s fear of reprisals and options for legal action. Phuket’s Nepali community members are living in fear of the “powerful” Phakpoom Maneerat,…
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Phuket weather report: wet and windy all week
PHUKET: The Thai Meteorological Department (TMD) has issued another weather advisory for Phuket, the second in as many days. Issued at 6am today by the Southern Meteorological Center at Phuket Airport, the advisory notes a “rather strong” southwest monsoon over the Andaman Sea and coastline. People living in windward coastal areas should be especially prepared for “abundant and heavy” rain…
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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