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’s new hospital to open in May
PHUKET: The hunt is on for qualified medical staff to work at the first Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (PPAO) Hospital, now scheduled to open by the end of May. The hospital, on Sri Sena Road in Phuket Town, will be the first in the country to be administered by a provincial authority. “The outpatient department will open around the end…
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Phuket Tourist Police in the spotlight
PHUKET: Members of a special government working committee were in Phuket earlier this month to gather information for a study on whether Tourist Police nationwide should be transferred out of the Royal Thai Police for administration by a different government agency or agencies. Among those who visited the Tourist Police station in Phuket Town were committee chairman Asst Prof Noppadon…
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Murder suspect arrested in Phuket after 17 years in hiding
PHUKET: After 17 years on the lam, a suspect wanted for a 1994 stabbing murder of a man in Uthai Thani province was arrested by Phuket City Police yesterday. The suspect, 44-year-old Pornsak “Nu” Ketkaew, was arrested when he took a 10-wheel dump truck for repairs at a garage off Thepkrasattri Road. Mr Pornsak was arrested by officers who confirmed…
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Phuket ATM scams run rife
PHUKET: An English expat has gone public about 814,000 baht allegedly stolen from his bank account in an ATM scam. Following the Phuket Gazette report of the arrest of a Romanian gang for ATM fraud in Patong on March 13, Paul Treherne felt it was time to let other people know about his own ordeal. The four Romanians were arrested…
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Thai Health Minister Jurin in Phuket
PHUKET: Thai Public Health Minister Jurin Laksanawisit was in Phuket today to inspect first hand the anti-radiation tablets being issued free to passengers at Phuket International Airport bound for Japan. “In the past five days, 71 people – 69 Japanese, one American and one Thai – have each collected a 130mg bottle of Potassium Iodide from the booth,” said Minister…
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British pilot dies in Phuket accident
PHUKET: Police are investigating the death of a 41-year-old British pilot after he came off his bike south of Patong, on Phuket’s west coast, and was run over by an oncoming pickup on Saturday. Capt Weerapong Rakkittoo of Patong Police said that Martin William Wooller was riding northbound to Patong after spending the afternoon swimming at Karon Beach when the…
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Fears of explosion spark Phuket gas shop raid
PHUKET: Fears of a serious explosion at a local store illegally refilling gas cylinders prompted a raid by officials from the Phuket Energy Office this morning. Led by Phuket Energy Office chief Jirasak Tummawetch, the officers arrived at the unnamed gas shop near Kettho Junction on Wichit Songkram Road in Kathu. Energy chief Jirasak said, “Normally, small shops are not…
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Phuket convention center one step closer
PHUKET: Finance Minister Korn Chatikavanij told a public hearing in Phuket yesterday that he can “guarantee” the project to build a convention and exhibition center will go ahead if his Democrat Party holds on to power in the upcoming elections. Mr Korn was speaking at a public hearing at The Metropole hotel in Phuket Town to present three architectural plans…
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Phuket rescue drill for upcoming Songkran Festival
PHUKET: Phuket officials and rescue organizations are set to begin road accident drills in preparation for the upcoming Songkran water festival. During the Songkran “seven days of danger” road safety campaign last year, Phuket saw 60 reported traffic accidents resulting in two deaths, according to the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) Phuket office. The “seven days” this year…
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Phuket Live Wire: CAT runs out of fast wireless receivers
PHUKET: Internet speeds in Phuket continue their roller coaster ride with True and 3BB delivering generally good speeds on international downloads, and TOT’s speeds highly dependent on where you’re located. 3BB had a five-hour outage in the southern part of the island last Thursday. Expensive TOT Fiber Optic service continues to go up and down: when it’s working, it’s fast,…
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Japan tragedy touches Phuket
PHUKET: Earthquakes are a part of daily life in Japan, so are the ensuing tsunami alerts. This is a country that is a product of 15 million years of tectonic movement that ripped it away from mainland Asia. But nothing – not even the Japanese people’s millenia-long struggle with Mother Nature – could have softened the blow that was dealt…
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Breaking news: FC Phuket 3 – JW Rangsit 1
PHUKET: Excellent teamwork led FC Phuket to a 3-1 win over Thai League Division 1 side JW Rangsit FC in rainy conditions at Surakul Stadium in Phuket this evening. FC Phuket dominated the first half during a driving rainstorm that started just minutes into the game. Goals by Niran Phantong and Ivory Coast player Nenebi Sylvestre at seven and 20…
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Phuket Butti murder: Italian business partner charged, hitman still at large
PHUKET: Police have arrested the alleged Italian “mastermind” and three others in connection with the shooting murder of resort owner Luciano Butti, 61. Mr Butti, also Italian, was gunned down while riding a rented motorbike in Pa Khlok on Tuesday night. Lt Gen Kokiat Wongvorachart, Commissioner of Region 8 Provincial Police, presented the four suspects at a press conference at…
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Phuket parents seek return of runaway girl, 14
PHUKET: The parents of a 14-year-old Phuket girl who ran off with her young boyfriend are asking the public for help in securing her safe return. Jintana Wangnurat and her English husband Huwy Williams came to the offices of the Phuket Gazette this morning with a picture of their daughter Grissana “Green” Wangnurat, age 14. Mr Williams, a nine-year Phuket…
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Breaking News: Suspects arrested for Butti murder
PHUKET: Police have arrested at least four people in connection with the shooting murder of Italian resort owner Luciano Butti, 61. Mr Butti was gunned down while riding a rented motorbike in Pa Khlok on Tuesday night. Takuapa District Police Inspector Wannarat Mahachode and his team of investigators arrested 23-year-old Rachanon Saowaree at the Takuapa Bus Station yesterday, according to…
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Luangta Maha Bua remains in Phuket, in spirit and reality
PHUKET: Scores of people are expected to join a ceremony tomorrow morning to place bone fragments of the highly-revered Luangta Maha Bua Yanasampanno at a temple in Phuket Town. The fragments will be installed at Wat Jaroen Samanakij, known locally as Wat Lang San, near Phuket Provincial Hall. The event will begin at 7am with the giving of alms to…
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PHUKET REMINDER: FC Phuket at home against JW Rangsit tomorrow
PHUKET: FC Phuket will be going all-out for three points tomorrow at Surakul Stadium, where they take on JW Rangsit FC in a Thai League Division 1 match starting at 6pm. The Southern Sea Kirin, who sit in sixth place after the third week of the season, will be trying for their second win. Both sides are playing in their…
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Phuket, Pattaya police earn big thanks from Germany
PHUKET: The German Embassy in Bangkok has issued an official letter of commendation to the Royal Thai Police Immigration Bureau praising the efforts of officers in Phuket and Pattaya in helping to track down, arrest and deport three Germans found hiding in Thailand over the past 12 months. The letter, from German Ambassador Dr Hanns H. Schumacher to Royal Thai…
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Phuket home to UN marine management project
PHUKET: Getting eight culturally diverse countries with varying systems of government and historically contentious relationships to co-operate on environmental management is a mammoth task. That is precisely what the Bay of Bengal Large Marine Ecosystem project (BOBLME) hopes to facilitate over the next four years with nations in the Bay of Bengal region. BOBLME, covering about 6.2 million square kilometers…
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“LOVE AID – To Japan From Phuket With Love’ benefit concert scheduled
PHUKET: A benefit concert entitled “LOVE AID – To Japan From Phuket With Love” has been scheduled for April 2 on Karon Beach, with 100 per cent of proceeds going to help victims of the Japan earthquake, tsunami and subsequent explosions at a nuclear power plant. The event was originally scheduled for next Thursday, but has been changed to Saturday,…
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Free anti-radiation tablets for Phuket travelers to Japan
PHUKET: Passengers traveling to areas in Japan where they may be exposed to radiation are being offered free Potassium Iodide tablets at Phuket International Airport. The anti-radiation tablets are available at a Phuket Provincial Public Health Office (PPHO) booth set up today on the second floor of Terminal 1. The booth is open from 6:30am to 9:30pm daily until further…
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Phuket honors respected civil servant
PHUKET: A Royal Cremation ceremony was held in Phuket today for Wannapreuk Sukyiran, who died of natural causes on Thursday at the age of 79. Mr Wannapreuk, father of Phuket deputy chief prosecutor Tawan Sukyiran, had a distinguished career in civil service as a member of the Phuket Public Health Office. More than 300 people attended the service, including Phuket…
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Phuket Police: “Business deal’ prime motive for Butti murder
PHUKET: Police believe a business deal was the prime motive for the murder of Luciano Butti, 61, who was gunned down in Phuket on Tuesday night. However, officers are also investigating Mr Butti’s ongoing divorce proceedings. Mr Butti was to appear in court for divorce proceedings yesterday, Lt Col Phisit Cheunphet of Thalang Police told the Phuket Gazette today. Mr…
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Phuket raid nets Bt100k in smoking contraband
PHUKET: Officials from the Phuket Excise Office yesterday seized 956 packs of illegally imported cigarettes and packs of tobacco with a total street value of about 100,000 baht. Most of the contraband was imported by post, said Excise officer Chingchai Borwornthanasan. Three people were arrested in the raid: Yusaree Yun from Pattani, and Ussamarn Wangdee and Je-padeemoh Yun, both Phuket…
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Phuket Punchline Comedy sends in the April fools
PHUKET: ‘Exciting, eccentric and experienced’ describes the three acts appearing on April 20 at the Holiday Inn Resort Patong for the second Phuket Punchline Comedy Club show of 2011. Three very different acts from the highly respected UK comedy circuit are set to amuse and entertain with their own inimitable comedy styles. Compere for the evening is the high energy,…
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Big stink at Phuket fish factory
PHUKET: Following complaints from a neighboring hotel, the management of a seafood packaging plant in Phuket Town has been given three months to get the stink out. Phuket Vice Governor Somkiat Sangkaosuttirak and a team of government officers inspected the Phuket Union Foods facility yesterday afternoon. Among those present were representatives from the Phuket Provincial Industry Office (PPIO), Phuket City…
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Phuket moves for Japan disaster relief
PHUKET: Bangkok Hospital Phuket has set up a drop-off box to collect donated items for survivors of the earthquake and tsunami disaster that struck Japan on Friday. Estimates of the earthquake’s magnitude made it the most powerful earthquake to ever hit Japan, and the fourth most powerful earthquake in the world since record-keeping began in 1900. Japanese Prime Minister Naoto…
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Phuket Swindle: Romanians charged in Bt100mn ATM scam
PHUKET: Four Romanians were arrested by Phuket police yesterday and charged with running an ATM card scam that is claimed to have stolen 100 million baht. The four were named by police as Gavrila Florin Eugen, 33; Ene Bogdan Constantin, 23; Vilvoi Claudiu Constantin, 36; and Gavrila Alexandra, 26. All four suspects were arrested at their rented room at the…
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Warrant issued for driver of overturned Phuket tour bus
PHUKET: Police have confirmed that an arrest warrant has been issued for the driver of the tour bus that overturned in Phuket last week. Kathu Police Superintendent Arayapan Pukbuakao told the Phuket Gazette the warrant was issued today. The double-deck tour bus overturned on Patong Hill just two kilometers short of its final destination. The 53 people on board were…
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Lady Pie is off to the Hong Kong Sevens
PHUKET: It will be the life of pie for hungry rugby fanatics later this month when a popular Phuket eatery sends 8,500 “scrummy” pastries to Hong Kong for the world-renowned Cathay Pacific/Credit Suisse Rugby Sevens tournament. A bulging crowd of 120,000 people are expected to descend on Hong Kong Park over three days, starting on March 25, to see which…
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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