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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FC Phuket shatter Glass Rabbits in friendly 2-1 win
PHUKET: FC Phuket proved once again that it can conquer a Premier League team in a deserved victory over Bangkok Glass Football Club (BGFC) on Tuesday in Pathum Thani. Phuket dispatched Thai Premier League (TPL) side Sri Racha in the Toyota Cup earlier this month in a two-leg encounter, 4-3 on aggregate. Tuesday’s outing at Ho Saeng Chai Stadium was…
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Phuket Live Wire: AIS rolls out 3G coverage
PHUKET: Finally, it’s here! 3G has arrived on Phuket and will be available later this month. AIS marketing and sales manager, Paiboon Rinsakul, gave a ground-breaking presentation at the Computer Clinic meeting last Sunday. Mr Paiboon demonstrated AIS’s new HSPA 3G service, with full internet access over AIS’s about-to-be-released wireless network. In front of 50 observers at the meeting, Mr…
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Phuket flight forced back to Bangkok now on the ground in Phuket
PHUKET: The Thai Airways flight that was forced to return to Bangkok this morning due to bad weather has safely landed in Phuket with all 316 passengers on board. “Flight TG301 left Suvarnabhumi Airport at 7:35am and was to land in Phuket at 9am,” said Boonlert Nuanla-or, chief of the Thai Airways critical information unit. “But when the plane arrived…
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Phuket police claim “breakthrough’ with drug mule bust
PHUKET: Police believe they have made a major breakthrough in breaking a Phuket drug delivery chain that leads all the way to Bang Kwang Prison in Bangkok. A provincial anti-drugs task force together with Border Patrol Police from Takuapa in Phang Nga arrested Prapan “Ae” Nammali during a sting operation in Saphan Hin Village on Sunday night. The arrest was…
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‘Surf House’ to promote Phuket surfing
PHUKET: Phuket surfing culture got a boost today with a major retailer opening a “surfing center” at Jungceylon shopping mall in Patong. Quiksilver Surf House opened today to promote the upcoming Quiksilver Thailand Surf Competition 2011 and to grow Phuket’s surfing culture, Quiksilver Retail (Thailand) Ltd General Manager Surached Mungthong said. “I would like to help expand the surfing community…
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Phuket landslide kills Burmese migrant worker
PHUKET: A Burmese migrant worker was buried alive at a Phuket construction site this morning when a large pile of dirt slid into the trench he was working in. Min Hla Thein, 45, was working on a large drainage system at the Phuket Villa 5 project in Wichit when the landslide filled the 2.5-meter ditch, police said. Phuket City Police…
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Dane’s death accidental: Phuket police
PHUKET: The Danish man found dead at a Phuket hotel last Tuesday likely died as a result of diabetes and heavy drinking and smoking, police said. The body of 62-year-old Preben Thamsen Schmidt was found in the gardens of the Print Kamala Resort early in the morning. He had wounds to his face and arms and was last seen drinking…
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Japanese to power up Phuket offshore students
PHUKET: Koh Lone School will receive their first free wind turbine in August following a joint initiative by a Japanese manufacturer and the Phuket Provincial Energy Office (PPEO). PPEO Chief Jirasak Tummawetch along with representatives from A-Wing Co Ltd, the Thai affiliate of the Japanese small wind turbine manufacturer, made the announcement at a meeting with Phuket Vice Governor Somkiet…
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Exciting finale at Phuket Six Senses Raceweek
PHUKET: Neil Pryde and his Team Premiere crew have claimed overall IRC Racing class honors at the Six Senses 2011 Phuket International Raceweek. Final day conditions brought early rains which gave way to good winds and allowed for decent racing. The battle for Racing class boiled down to who would take second. Ricky Pointon’s Jing Jing won both races to…
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Murder the ultimate risk in Phuket land. Did it trigger the temple murders?
PHUKET: Murder the ultimate risk in Phuket land deals. Did it trigger the temple murders? The significance of the armed attack by six gunmen at Suwanpadit temple in Surat Thani last Sunday is not lost on Phuket people. The men, armed with pistols, entered the temple and opened fire on Songwut Noppakhun, an official serving with the Surat Thani Provincial…
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Storming last day ahead for Phuket Six Senses Raceweek
PHUKET: An eight point gap keeps Neil Pryde’s Team Premiere in pole position of the 2011 Raceweek regatta’s Racing class heading in to the final day of competition. A resurgent Katsu skippered by Ben Copley on 13 points has laid down a late challenge by taking over at second place from KukuKERChu with David Ross, while Ricky Pointon’s Jing Jing…
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Phuket pirates plea for sympathy, assert right to sell illegal goods
PHUKET: A group of pirates from Kata and Karon staged a protest in Phuket Town on Wednesday to fight rising opposition to the sale of illegal wares. The protest leaders first arrived at Phuket Police Station, where their letter of complaint was received on behalf of Phuket Police Commander Pekad Tantipong. The crowd of about 60 vendors then moved on…
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Phuket futsal clinic to promote FIFA Futsal World Cup 2012
PHUKET: The coach of the Thai national futsal team and 10 of his players will hold a futsal clinic for Phuket youth this weekend at Saphan Hin sports gym. Coach Jose Maria Paza Mendez and his team will be teaching futsal techniques to a group of 50 local students on Saturday and Sunday from 4pm to 5:30pm. Although the clinics…
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Pryde extends lead at Phuket Raceweek
PHUKET: Neil Pryde and his Team Premier crew today extended their lead in the Racing class of this year’s Phuket Raceweek regatta with two wins from two races. Team Premier now lead the class with just four points, leaving their nearest rivals in their wake. David Ross of KukuKERChu is in second place with 12 points and Rick Pointon’s Jing…
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Foul weather stalls search for missing Phuket tourist
PHUKET: Bad weather today hampered the search for a Chinese tourist who disappeared under large waves at Karon Beach yesterday evening. Rescue parties, including lifeguards from Karon Beach and the Royal Thai Navy, could only safely search for the 27-year-old tourist, named as ‘Mr Ruging Lin’, from 3pm to 5pm today, said Karon Municipality Sea Rescue Center Chief Supachai Junphet.…
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Phuket Amateur Golf Week tees off
PHUKET: Twenty-two amateur golfers from all over the world descend on Phuket this weekend to compete in the Golfasian Phuket Amateur Golf Week which runs from July 24 to July 28. Players of all abilities and handicaps, both ladies and gentleman from countries including New Zealand, India, Australia and Abu Dhabi will test their abilities on Phuket’s best golf courses.…
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Tiger cuts caddie
PHUKET: “I, along with a lot of people, lost a lot of respect for Tiger over his extra-marital affairs and I pointed out before his return at the Masters at Augusta in 2010 that he had to earn back my respect.” Steve Williams takes the moral high ground after his 12-year professional relationship with Tiger Woods as caddie came to…
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Phuket hotelier dies in sidewalk crash
PHUKET: A 54-year-old Swedish hotelier died after sustaining injuries in a motorcycle accident early Tuesday morning in Patong. Vachira Phuket Hospital identified the victim as Lars-Goran Salomonsson, who owned the Lars-Lita guest-house and restaurant in Patong with his wife, Lita. After hearing the sound of a loud crash around dawn, witnesses found Mr Salmonsson lying in a pool of blood…
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Double victories for Team Premier and Voodoo at Phuket’s Raceweek
PHUKET: Six Senses Phuket Raceweek faced unusually calm conditions on day one and kept crews in eager anticipation for the start of Asia best regatta. The Answering Pennant (AP) had been raised by Principal Race Officer (PRO) Simon James to signal that racing was postponed, but winds soon picked up to a worthy 13 knots and jockeying for the start…
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Plans unveiled for Phuket’s long-awaited Patong tunnel
PHUKET: Research consultants conducting the feasibility study for Phuket’s controversial Kathu-Patong tunnel project yesterday announced the route they plan to propose to the government. The proposed route would start from Soi Bang Thong on Phra Barami Rd near the Go-Kart Speedway in Kathu, tunnel through the hills and connect with Phang Muang Sai Kor Rd in Patong, explained Anurak Srisawaeng,…
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FA Cup run ends for FC Phuket
PHUKET: Sponsor Thai Premier League (TPL) side TOT SC hosted FC Phuket at their new stadium in Nonthaburi yesterday to see who would advance to the FA Cup fourth round. This match was the very first match to be played at the home side’s new stadium. TOT automatically qualified for this stage of the competition while Phuket earned their position…
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Phuket police have doubts over mum’s suicide
PHUKET: Cherng Talay Police are investigating the death of a mother who was found hanged from a beam in the family’s Phuket home yesterday. When officers arrived at the house in Bang Tao, her 13-year-old son was crying nearby and her husband was sitting in front of the house drunk and incoherent. Duty Officer Lt Col Yodpat Suwannasit told the…
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ASEAN steps up to support Korean tourism to Phuket
PHUKET: A three-day intensive training course attended by about 50 staff from Phuket tourism businesses concludes today, with the aim of providing better services to inbound Korean tourists. The course, being held at the Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort & Spa, is part of the “ASEAN Tourism Human Resources Development Program” organized by ASEAN-Korea Center (AKC) in cooperation with Tourism Authority…
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Phuket land issues to be reported “direct to PM’
PHUKET: Encroachment on protected forest land and illegal land ownership were the top two issues identified by a panel of specialists who recently conducted a fact-finding tour of Phuket, Phang Nga and Krabi. The panel of five from the National Coordinating Center for Special Security reports to the Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC), which will report its findings directly to…
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Phuket Police on lookout for panty bandit
PHUKET: Phuket police are on the lookout for a panty snatcher caught on CCTV stealing underwear from outside a woman’s apartment near Wat Kittisangkaram (Kata Temple). The CCTV footage, taken on June 21, shows a man wearing trousers and a light-colored jacket lingering near a laundry rack outside the apartment at about 5am. The man glanced in several directions as…
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Phuket’s Six Senses Raceweek under starters orders
PHUKET: SIX Senses Phuket Raceweek began last night with their themed Carribean launch party. The eagerly awaited race schedule begins today at 10am on the waters off the Evason Phuket. The regatta, recently bestowed the honor of Best Asian Regatta 2011, is the first event on the Asian Yachting Grand Prix (AYGP) circuit and the first opportunity for serious contenders…
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FC Phuket take on TOT SC in FA Cup third round today
PHUKET: FC Phuket clash with TOT SC in the third round of the FA Cup today in Nonthaburi. Phuket dispatched Sponsor Thai Premiere League (TPL) side Sri Racha in the Toyota Cup last week, and now face another Sponsor TPL team in the form of 15th position TOT SC. TOT SC manager, Somchai Subpherm, who is considered to be “Thailand’s…
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Canadian Women Olympians grace Phuket
PHUKET: SYNCHRONIZED swimming combines the highest level of core strength, balance, flexibility, artistry and grace – a rare combination on the international stage. Speaking to the Phuket Gazette and PGtv (see video interview here), Canada’s Olympic coach Julie Sauvé and team captain Marie-Pier Boudreau-Gagnon explained the challenges of their chosen sport and future hopes of success. The Canadian team, known…
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47 injured as “Phuket express’ train slams into truck
PHUKET: An express train from Bangkok to Surat Thani, commonly used by travellers heading for Phuket, plowed into a truck at a crossing in Ratchaburi this afternoon, injuring 47 passengers on board. “At about 10:30am, there was a big accident between an express train from Bangkok to Surat Thani and a truck at Moo 3 Pak Tho, Ratchaburi,” Lt Col…
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Phuket holiday: Dane found dead in Kamala
PHUKET: A 62-year-old Danish man was found dead in a resort garden near his Phuket hotel room this morning. Lt Col Anek Mongkol, duty officer at Kamala Police Station, told the Phuket Gazette that staff at the Print Kamala Resort discovered the man’s body at about 6:30am and called the police immediately. “His body was found in gardens beside 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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