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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Sponsored FBS celebrates 16 years with an adventurous Birthday Quest
Leading global broker FBS is marking its 16th anniversary with a special campaign — FBS Birthday Quest. Over the past 16 years, FBS has been on an incredible journey alongside its clients. Now, as a way to give back, the...
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Phuket goes high-tech for Chalong Temple Fair fireworks
PHUKET: This year’s Chalong Temple Fair will feature the most impressive fireworks display ever seen in Phuket or anywhere else in the South of Thailand, organizers say. This year’s fair runs for seven days, the first day coinciding with the arrival of Chinese New Year on February 3.Samran Chindaphol, chairman of the organizing committee, said the fireworks display will take…
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Phuket Gov signs MoU to boost MICE industry
PHUKET: The Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) and Phuket Provincial Government today signed an agreement to develop an action plan to promote the island’s meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions (MICE) industry. Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha and Anusak Inthraphuvasak, Chairman of the Board of the TCEB, signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) this afternoon at the Westin Siray Bay Resort…
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FC Phuket put up brave fight against Muang Thong United
PHUKET: FC Phuket gave a creditable account of themselves last night in a narrow 3-2 loss to Thai Premier League champions Muang Thong United at Surakul Stadium. The one-goal defeat against the best team in the country can be deemed an encouraging result for new Phuket boss Surachai Jirasirichote, particularly as most of his squad have only trained together for…
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Phuket bar owners continue protests
PHUKET: About 500 bar owners and staff from Phuket Town and other popular tourist areas in Muang District gathered at Provincial Hall yesterday to protest the recent crackdown on closing times. The effort, hot on the heels of a 200-strong protest on Friday, was staged to support protest leader Suratin Lian-udom in his filing of a formal request for night…
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Phuket lures top performers for Chinese New Year
PHUKET: Phuket will ring in the Chinese New Year with top entertainment from mainland China. To mark the arrival of the lunar new year on February 3, the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization and the Phuket Provincial Office will stage seven hours of entertainment at Sanaam Chai field, opposite Phuket Provincial Hall, starting at 4pm. Highlights include the gravity-defying stunts of…
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Phuket braces for Gay Pride extravaganza
PHUKET: Gay tourists are expected to arrive in Patong in great numbers next month for the 10th Phuket Gay Pride Celebration, an annual event organized by the local lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. Activities kick off on the night of February 23, when there will be a pre-opening White Party on Soi Paradise, center of the town’s gay…
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Phuket or bust? Tourist Police to help visitors in trouble
PHUKET: The Tourist Police are teaming up with soft drink bottler Haad Thip to build a refuge shelter for foreign tourists who fall on hard times during their stay in Phuket. With millions of tourists visiting Phuket each year, inevitably some run into problems. These include financial difficulties, having no place to stay, and physical or mental health issues, said…
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Phuket tourism rebounds from 2010 political strife
PHUKET: Inbound passenger traffic at Phuket Airport during 2010 smashed all previous records with 3.5 million arrivals. The figure is a 22% increase on the previous year with new markets such as Russia and China emerging as the major drivers of growth, says leading Phuket-based consultancy C9 Hotelworks. In its latest market research report, the 2010 Phuket Hotel Market Update,…
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New FC Phuket signings impress in Camara benefit tournament
PHUKET: FC Phuket’s preparations for the 2011 season received a boost over the weekend, when they proved too strong for their provincial neighbors in the ‘Andaman Four-way Fight’ mini-tournament at Surakul Stadium. Victories over Krabi FC and Phang Nga FC handed Phuket local bragging rights and set them up for what promises to be a fiercely contested home friendly against…
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Deputy PM Suthep “rides on’ in Phuket
PHUKET: Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban in Phuket yesterday praised the island-wide helmet crackdown on motorbike drivers and passengers. “The project is historic. Phuket is the first province to run such a campaign and I hope this regulation continues to be enforced for people’s safety,” Mr Suthep said. The deputy PM promised to launch similar campaigns elsewhere in Thailand. A…
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Phuket Local Food Festival ends tonight
PHUKET: Tonight is the last night of the Phuket Local Food Festival, which drew big crowds at Saphan Hin over the weekend. Organized by the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor), the event features over 100 stalls offering local culinary specialties at “normal” prices. Entertainment on the main stage has included everything from cultural shows by local schoolchildren to song and…
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Inferno wipes out Phuket slum, leaving scores homeless
PHUKET: A massive fire broke out in a slum in the Ban Buntham community off Prabaramee Rd in Patong last night. The blaze erupted at about 10pm and incinerated many apartment rooms, shanties and other makeshift dwellings, but there were no reports of injuries. It took more than an hour for ten fire trucks and 40 firemen, drawn from as…
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Phuket beaches facing stiff competition
PHUKET: The Pollution Control Department (PCD) will assess the level of pollution at 16 Phuket beaches as part of its “star rating” campaign to classify beaches along the Andaman Coast and the Gulf of Thailand. Beach quality will be rated in four key areas: pollution, natural condition, tourism management and environmental management, said Chutamad Kawinseksan, Acting Director of the PCD’s…
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Phuket police slam media reports, forum gossip on Swede’s death
PHUKET: Sub Lt Pattapee Srichay of Patong police station reconfirmed to the Phuket Gazette this morning that neither he nor his colleagues believe there had been any kind of party in the Patong Tower room of Jan Larsson at the time of, or during the hours leading up to, his death. His body was found in the room on Thursday…
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FC Phuket Brazilian confounds Krabi
PHUKET: New Brazilian signing Paolo Reneto helped FC Phuket to a convincing victory over Krabi yesterday, scoring twice in the first round of the “Andaman Four-way Fight” mini-tournament at Surakul Stadium. The new-look FC Phuket side, freshly promoted to Thai League Division 1, dominated play in a match that ended 3-1 in Phuket’s favor. In the other first-round fixture, Phang…
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Chinese New Year to usher in billion-baht boost for Phuket
PHUKET: Phuket is gearing up to welcome the Chinese New Year and up to one billion baht in revenue as tourists flock to the island for the holiday, says the Phuket Tourism Association (PTA). PTA vice president Bhurit Maswongsa told the Phuket Gazette yesterday that the January booking rate for Phuket hotels is about 90% and may rise to 100%…
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Phuket hotels help Australian flood victims
PHUKET: Hotels in Phuket are being urged to donate holiday packages to a benefit auction for the flood-stricken communities of Queensland, Australia. Regions of Australia’s northeast have been devastated by recent flash floods, with raging floodwaters inundating thousands of homes and businesses in one of the country’s worst natural disasters. Phuket Tourism Association (PTA) President Bhurit Maswongsa says Australians currently…
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Miss Phuket to be crowned tonight
PHUKET: Miss Phuket 2011 will be crowned tonight at the 3rd annual Phuket Local Food Festival. The festival, now in its second day, is being held at Saphan Hin park all weekend. Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha opened the event, organized by the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor), last night. Entertainment at this year’s event includes a fashion show, jazz concert,…
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Phuket News: Swedish man dies in luxury condo
PHUKET: Patong Police are investigating the mysterious death of a Swedish man whose body was found in his luxury Phuket condo yesterday afternoon. Sub Lt Pattapee Srichay said staff at the Patong Tower condo on Thaweewong Road notified authorities after discovering the body of 53-year-old Jan Larsson at about 4pm. The Swede’s body was found lying face up on his…
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Phuket News: Soi Dog uses “firebreaks’ to stem distemper outbreak
PHUKET: Phuket animal welfare charity Soi Dog Foundation (SDF) has resorted to establishing vaccination centers at strategic locations to stop canine distemper from spreading across the island. “Mobile teams, supported by volunteers continue to work around the clock and the situation is being closely monitored to deal with additional outbreaks quickly,” said SDF Director John Dalley. “Areas where distemper cases…
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Phuket crowd mobs DEA for “Most Wanted’ souvenirs
PHUKET: Tourists and workers along Soi Bangla last night pushed and shoved to get their hands on the latest craze: DEA ‘Most Wanted’ souvenirs. The free handout was held from 10 to 11pm, with hundreds of people scrambling to get beer coolers, T-shirts, pens, match boxes and computer mouse pads emblazoned with images of the US Drug Enforcement Administration’s most…
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Phuket’s Tuptim survives marathon 18-hour surgery
PHUKET: Eight-month-old Tuptim Jadngooluem has been given a second chance at life after she successfully underwent surgery at Ramathibodi Hospital in Bangkok yesterday. Tuptim, who was diagnosed at three months with a terminal liver condition known as biliary obstruction, has spent over a month in hospital awaiting a parental donor liver transplant to save her life. To keep her baby…
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“Gruesome twosome’ arrested for Phuket security guard murder
PHUKET: Police yesterday arrested two teenage gang members for the murder of a Phuket security guard at a municipal parking lot last month. Phitakpong Chaetaphai and Namchok Saetan, both 19, were taken by police this morning to re-enact the events that led to security guard Winai Buathongkham being killed by a single bullet to the head. Police said that Phitakpong…
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Phuket Reminder: QSI fun run on Saturday
PHUKET: The ninth annual QSI International School Phuket Fun Run will be held at Bang Wad Dam in Kathu on Saturday. Organizers expect more than 200 children and 50 adults to compete. Students from all schools in Phuket are welcome to take part and trophies will be awarded to the top three schools finishing on the highest points. All races…
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Phuket market vendors outraged by fake cop shake down
PHUKET: Vendors at the Banzaan Market behind Jungceylon massed at Phuket Provincial Hall yesterday afternoon to file a complaint over police handling of an extortion attempt.The vendors handed Vice-Governor Weerawat Janpen a letter saying that at about 5pm on Monday two men claiming to be police officers demanded cash from them. The men, both described as tall and dark skinned,…
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Phuket jam: Patong motorists stuck in first gear
PHUKET: The new one-way traffic flow in Patong has caused havoc for some Phuket motorists. Traffic jams have been reported at several junctions that were affected by the change. “[To] those who thought the old way was crazy just because it allowed two-way traffic on too many east-west cross roads, check out how smooth traffic now flows at the northern…
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Eight Phuket residential projects approved
PHUKET: Construction of eight new projects was approved at a meeting of a Phuket provincial committee on residential estate development yesterday. The meeting, held at the Phuket Land Office, was chaired by Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha. All of the eight projects considered by the committee were approved, namely: 1. Jomthong Thalang, by Jomthong Property Co Ltd 2. Promphun Paklok, by…
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Phuket caddie killers behind bars
PHUKET: Four people have been arrested for last month’s shooting murder of a Phuket golf caddie. Ms Amornrat Petchtrong, 26, was killed by a single gunshot to the head outside Mission Hills golf club in the early hours of December 7. Four suspects, Ms Prathum Chumrat, Mr Paisan Preecha, Mr Pongsak Boorana and a 17-year-old boy, were presented at a…
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FC Phuket scores Thai star as manager
PHUKET: Former Thai national team star Surachai Jirasirichote today stepped into his new role as manager of FC Phuket. Surachai, 40, is a former national team defensive stalwart with over 50 caps and two goals for his country. He takes over the reins of FC Phuket (also known as the “Southern Sea Kirin”) from former boss Arjharn Songngamsap, who stepped…
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New Patong one-way system now in place
PHUKET: Police launched the new one-way traffic system in Patong on Saturday, with one change from the original plan: Soi Ruamjai is now one-way heading toward the beach, not one-way away from the beach. Kathu Police Superintendent Arayapan Pukbuakhao explained to the Phuket Gazette that having the road heading away from the beach caused traffic jams on Prachanukroh Rd at…
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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