Phuket News
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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…
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BIS Phuket calls for boats, life vests to help Bangkok flood victims
PHUKET: British International School Phuket (BIS) is appealing for donations of boats and life vests to help those affected by the floods in Bangkok. “Due to the flooding problems in Bangkok, Rangsit University has formed a group of rescue team to help the Rangsit and Muang Eak communities and they are desperately in need of additional supplies as the water…
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Phuket readies for Loy Krathong 2011
PHUKET: Loy Krathong, the “festival of light,” is on November 10 this year and will be celebrated by communities across Phuket and all of Thailand. Thousands of people across the nation will be releasing krathong, lotus-shaped floats traditionally made of banana leaves, with a small offering of food, flowers, joss sticks and/or candles into the waters of Thailand. This annual…
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Phuket officials rally to stave off flood shortages, price hikes
PHUKET: Top officials at Phuket government offices yesterday met to discuss critical issues with product shortages and prices hikes in Phuket brought on by the floods in and around Bangkok. Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) President Paiboon Upatising said that his organization had received many complaints from Phuket residents about the product shortages and rising prices. “Even though Phuket Governor…
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Aussies deported over false Phuket robbery claim
PHUKET: The two Australian tourists on holiday in Phuket who were charged with filing a false robbery report last weekend have been deported, the Phuket Immigration Office has confirmed. The Australian couple, Abdul Karim El Rajab, 31, and Zeidan Nouha, 30, were arrested for filing a bogus report of being robbed in Patong last Sunday. Police believe the couple filed…
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China, USA march on at Phuket FIVB volleyball open
PHUKET: The FIVB Swatch Beach Volleyball Phuket Thailand Open powered by PTT gave spectators an exciting third round full of action and suspense on Karon Beach today.China’s top-seeded Xue/Zhang earned their 34th final four appearance out of 67 career FIVB Swatch World Tour tournaments together. Second-seeded Kessy/Ross will be in the 30th final four in 61 career FIVB Swatch World…
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Phuket market for flood price relief sells out ‘within hours’
PHUKET: Phuket Town residents took just hours to snap up all the produce on sale at a special market yesterday aimed at providing relief from price rises brought on by the floods in Bangkok and Central Thailand.The market, set up in front of the Phuket Chamber of Commerce offices in Phuket Town, sold out of 200 kilograms of chicken, 7,500…
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Phuket All Stars and Singapore CC open the ACG on Saturday
PHUKET: The Alan Cooke Ground (ACG) officially opens its gates this weekend with two exhibition matches against the Singapore Cricket Club who are traveling to Phuket specifically for this inaugural event.A selection of players from the Phuket Cricket Groups’ Island Furniture Leagues will join forces as the Phuket ‘All Stars’ to face Singapore CC over two games on Saturday and…
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Phuket All Stars and Singapore CC open the ACG today
PHUKET: The Alan Cooke Ground (ACG) officially opens its gates this weekend with two exhibition matches against the Singapore Cricket Club who are traveling to Phuket specifically for this inaugural event. A selection of players from the Phuket Cricket Groups’ Island Furniture Leagues will join forces as the Phuket ‘All Stars’ to face Singapore CC over two games on Saturday…
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Phuket’s Tuptim gets support for life
PHUKET: The Rama Foundation at the Ramathibodhi Hospital in Bangkok has pledged to provide the financial support needed to keep Phuket baby Tuptim Jadngooluem alive – for life. Dr Suporn Treepongkaruna at Ramathibodi Hospital in Bangkok called Tuptim’s father, Rattanachai “Kru Nai” Worvalapol, to confirm that the Ramathibodi Foundation will from now on cover all expenses for any further surgeries…
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Phuket Live Wire: Throttling and net neutrality
PHUKET: This week I’d like to talk about throttling – the infernal ability for Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to look at what you’re doing online, and cut back your speed if you try to do something that doesn’t conform to the ISP’s concept of what you should be allowed to do. It’s a hot topic, not just in Thailand, but…
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Phuket truck crash leaves residents in blackout
PHUKET: A tractor-trailer driver overshot a U-turn on Phuket’s Thepkrasattri Road this morning, crashing into several shops, vehicles and a telephone pole, causing an electricity blackout and effectively shutting down the island’s TOT phone service from the rest of the country. A Kusoldharm Rescue Foundation worker told the Phuket Gazette that the driver of the truck, which was loaded with…
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Phuket’s first ITF tennis tournament heads into finals weekend
PHUKET: The Chang ITF Pro Circuit tennis tournament being held at Thanyapura Sports and Leisure Club (TSLC) saw another surprise exit from the competition on Thursday with number two seed Jimmy Wang form Taipei losing to the unseeded Korean, Song-Jae Cho in two sets 6-2, 7-6. Other singles results went with form, but disappointment for Thailand came when their young…
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Thailand U23s all at SEA against FC Phuket
PHUKET: Thailand’s U23 team played their final pre-SEA Games warm up match at Surakul Stadium last night and went out on a low, losing 2-1 to a determined FC Phuket side. Despite the national team dominating possession in the first half and peppering Phuket’s Jonathan Matijas with attempts at goal, it was the local boys who took a one goal…
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Phuket FIVB beach volleyball: Lower teams dig deep for upset wins
PHUKET: Eight teams from six countries remain undefeated at the 2011 FIVB Beach Volleyball Swatch World Tour Phuket Thailand Open powered by PTT following two rounds of the main draw today. Two teams each from Australia and the Czech Republic advanced along with teams from Brazil, Belgium, China and the United States. Tomorrow’s schedule features 22 matches, ending with the…
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Phuket Games 2012 postponed due to Bangkok floods
PHUKET: The 28th National Youth Games, originally scheduled to be held in Phuket from March 18-28, have been postponed. Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha announced the news yesterday at a meeting of the organizing committee, attended by Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) President Paiboon Upatising and Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT) Phuket Office Director Wirat Patee. Dubbed the “Phuket Games 2012”,…
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Phuket prohibition: Upcoming elections bring alcohol ban
PHUKET: Alcohol will be off the menu as residents go to the polls on November 19 to elect presidents and council members for six Phuket Tambon Administration Organizations (OrBorTor). The ban on alcohol sales, as is policy for every election in Thailand, will begin at 6pm on November 18 and last until midnight on election day. Residents in Koh Kaew,…
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American Fanelli sentenced to 10 years for Phuket bar girl murder
PHUKET: American Ronald “Mad Yank” Fanelli has been sentenced to 10 years and three months imprisonment for the stabbing murder of bar hostess Wanphen Pienjai last year. Phuket Provincial Prison Director Rapin Nichanon today confirmed that the court’s decision was handed down on Tuesday. The sentence will be reduced by the 471 days Fanelli has already been detained, he added.…
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FC Phuket newsflash: Thailand U23 game moved to 5pm
PHUKET: Tonight’s charity match between FC Phuket’s ‘A’ team and Thailand’s U23 national team at Surakul Stadium has been moved forward to 5pm, and not 6pm as previously announced by the organizers. Tickets will be priced at 100 baht for adults, with free entry for young children. A portion of the proceeds will be donated for flood relief efforts in…
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“Bar girls’ nabbed for spiking drinks, robbing Phuket tourists
PHUKET: Phuket police last night arrested six women for spiking tourists’ drinks and robbing them after they fell asleep. The women all worked in bars on Patong’s famed Soi Bangla, Phuket’s main center for tourists enjoying the local nightlife. Police named the six women as Saeng Nuansri, 47, from Phuket; Kemporn Pooseedin, 45, from Maha Sarakham; Wanida Yusuk, 36, from…
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Aussie couple in Phuket arrested over fake robbery claim
PHUKET: An Australian couple on holiday in Phuket have been arrested for filing a bogus report of being robbed in Patong with the aim of filing a fake insurance claim. Abdul Karim El Rajab, 31, and Zeidan Nouha, 30, were arrested at the Sunset Beach Resort on Phra Barami Road in Patong yesterday. According to a police statement, the couple…
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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