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 resident Brad Kenny receives Thai Navy award
PHUKET: Phuket resident Brad Kenny, a long-time member of the Rotary Club of Patong Beach, recently received the prestigious Sahataya Naval Insignia and Certificate from the Royal Thai Navy. The award ceremony, held at the Royal Thai Navy Convention Hall in Bangkok, was followed by a special lunch in the VIP lounge. Mr Kenny was awarded the honor for his…
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Phuket superyacht event lands major sponsor
PHUKET: The Asia Superyacht Rendezvous has landed premier independent yacht broker Merle Wood & Associates as a co-sponsor for this year’s event, to be held in Phuket in December. Headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Merle Wood has established solid international yachting relationships throughout the world, including the US, Europe, the Middle East, the Far East, South America and Mexico. The…
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‘My Storage’ opens in Phuket
PHUKET: A new 50-million baht storage facility providing secure, clean and cost effective self-storage has opened in Patong. Located in Jungceylon, this is the first branch in Thailand for the My Storage company. Storage space varies in size from one to 40 square meters. The new facility has a minimum rental period of one month. Managing Director Sukanda Chiaranussati said…
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Funds raised for Phuket boy’s heart surgery
PHUKET: Ten-year-old Rino Vogt, who suffers from a rare cardiac condition requiring immediate open heart surgery, is scheduled to undergo the procedure in mid-November, the Gazette is pleased to announce. Runners from around Phuket who plan to participate in the “Run4Rino Charity Run” at Nai Harn Lake on Sunday will be pleased to know it appears that enough funds have…
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Thieving meth-heads arrested in Phuket
PHUKET: The crime spree of three drug-addicted thieves came to an end on Monday, following a series of arrests that began when one gang member was caught smoking ya bah (methamphetamine). The trio were presented to the press at a conference held at Phuket City Police Station on Wednesday. Phuket City Police Commander Pekad Tantipong identified the accused as Adisorn…
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Phuket’s neighbor Krabi needs more flights: tourism chief
PHUKET: The Chairman of the Krabi Tourism Association, Ittirit Kinglake, recently told the TTR Weekly that Krabi needs more airlines to support the hotel industry, a situation similar to that facing Phuket during the early months of this year. Room capacity in Krabi is running ahead of airline seat supply, and there are not enough flights to Krabi for tourists…
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Bangkok Airways to launch Phuket – Trat flights
PHUKET: Bangkok Airways has announced the launch of its new Phuket – Samui – Trat flight service, which is set to begin on December 2. This extension of the carrier’s existing Phuket – Samui service will make it easier for holidaymakers to travel from Phuket to the resort island of Koh Chang or pass overland into Cambodia. Round-trip flights aboard…
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Huge increase in Phuket vehicle numbers
PHUKET: There has been a nearly 600% increase in the number of new vehicle registrations being made in Phuket each month, according to the Phuket Land Transport Office (LTO). Phuket LTO director Kanok Siripanichkorn told the Gazette that 500 to 600 automobiles are being newly registered on the island each month, compared to just 50-100 per month at the same…
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Stolen Phuket bikes ‘bound for Burma’
PHUKET: A young man arrested for motorcycle theft in Phuket yesterday confessed to police that he was disassembling the vehicles and preparing the parts to be smuggled into his native Burma. At a press conference attended by Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha at Phuket City Police Station yesterday, Phuket Provincial Police Commander Pekad Tantipong presented five crime suspects to the media.…
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Road record: British fire engine “Martha’ makes it to Phuket
PHUKET: A team of Britons who are attempting to circumnavigate the globe in their fire engine “Martha” rolled into Patong this afternoon. Since setting out from London on July 18, Steve Moore and his “follow that fire engine” team have passed through 20 countries, clocking up over 12,000 miles. By the end of their trip the team will have driven…
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Fire walking at Phuket shrines tonight
PHUKET: Things are really heating up in the 2010 Phuket Vegetarian Festival, with several participating shrines staging their Fire Walking demonstrations this evening and the street procession for Phuket’s most famous Chinese shrine set to take place tomorrow morning. Fire walking takes place at the following locations and times tonight: 8pm: Jui Tui Shrine, held at Saphan Hin Park 8pm:…
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Phuket dive boat goes up in flames
PHUKET: Fire gutted a dive boat operated by a well-known Phuket dive tour operator this morning, leaving one man with serious burns and six others needing hospital treatment. Phuket City Police received a report that the Laddawan 2 liveaboard dive vessel belonging to West Coast Divers was ablaze at Rassada Pier at about 10:30am. Six fire engines were dispatched from…
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Laguna Phuket ready for triathlon, Ironman 70.3
PHUKET: Reigning Ironman 70.3 world champion Michael Raelert of Germany will head a first-class field of professional triathletes coming to Phuket for two exciting competitions in November. Mr Raelert, joined by some 900 competitors, will take on the back-to-back challenge of the Laguna Phuket Triathlon (LPT) and the inaugural Ironman 70.3 Asia-Pacific Championship, all in the space of seven days.…
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Phuket yachties to get ‘Data Center’
PHUKET: As part of a project to set up a ‘data center’ for the local yachting industry, Prince of Songkla University researchers have set up a website intended to serve as a central database and information hub. The new website was unveiled yesterday at a seminar at the Phuket Merlin Hotel in Phuket Town. The “Yachting Seminar on ICT Infrastructure…
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Phuket tourism resilient in the face of strong baht
PHUKET: Thanks to rising tourist arrival figures overall, the Phuket economy has thus far not been too badly affected by the recent surge in the baht against major currencies.However outbound tour operators nationwide expect the strong baht to cause a 13% increase in the number of Thais traveling abroad.Charoen Wangananont, president of the Thai Travel Agents Association (TTAA) that monitors…
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FC Phuket promotion bid starts Sunday
PHUKET: Football fans will be in for a treat over the next few months, as FC Phuket vie against top teams from the AIS Regional League Division 2 for promotion to Division 1 of the Thai League. The “mini-league” fixtures were announced at a meeting of the coaches of the 12 qualifying teams held on September 29 at the Sofitel…
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“Amnesty” mulled for “pseudohotel” operators in Phuket
PHUKET: A provincial standing committee is considering offering “amnesty” to small accommodation establishments on the island as a way of encouraging them to register as “hotels” and raise their standards. The move follows the announcement last month that more than 400 establishments that offer accommodation on Phuket were not properly registered as hotels. Offering a period of “amnesty” was raised…
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Thailand not ready to upgrade English
PHUKET: It’s too soon to declare English as Thailand’s second language for teaching in schools, says Tongthong Chandransu, secretary-general of the Office of the Education Council (OEC). News reports late last week said the Education Ministry planned to declare on October 22 that English is officially the second language for teaching in Thai schools. But Tongthong denied there would be…
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Charity paddle: Father, daughter to circle Phuket by kayak
PHUKET: If there were any father-and-daughter team you would place money on being able to paddle 120 kilometers around Phuket by kayak, it would be Les Bird and his daughter Victoria.Iron-man athlete Les, 59, and seven-time triathlon champion Victoria, 11, plan to circumnavigate Phuket over three days in an effort to raise money for charity.Victoria, a seventh-grade student at the…
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Phuket to welcome Qatar Airways tomorrow
PHUKET: With the high season for tourism fast approaching, international airlines have been launching new – and more – flight services to Phuket, with some starting this month. Phuket International Airport Director Prateung Sornkham confirmed that from tomorrow, October 12, Qatar Airways will operate a new flight from Doha to Phuket, via Kuala Lumpur. Qatar’s new service will see three…
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Phuket remembers Nick Jackson
PHUKET: The final service for Nick Jackson – well-known for founding the popular Katoeys R Us bar in Patong, and more recently for his game fishing tours off Phuket – will be held at the temple across from Loma Park in Patong tomorrow morning. Mr Jackson passed away in his sleep sometime last Friday night or Saturday morning, a family…
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Phuket crime statistics: September 2010
PHUKET: According to the latest crime statistics released by the Phuket Provincial Police, crime in September fell year-on-year. The number of crimes reported in most categories last month dropped compared with the number announced for September 2009. The only major increases were in the number of gambling cases reported. Gambling: 160 people arrested in 59 reported cases, a 47.5% increase…
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Climate change: fatal for Phuket
PHUKET: Phuket’s environment will be destroyed and the island “totally ruined” within 10 to 20 years, the senior director of Thailand Environment Institutes (TEI) said yesterday. Chamniern Paul Vorratnchaiphan – who is also the Rockefeller Foundation’s Asian Cities Climate Change Resilience Network (ACCCRN) project director for TEI – made the comments at a one-day ACCCRN seminar organized by the TEI…
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Crime surge greets Phuket Veg Fest
PHUKET: Just days after Phuket’s top police officer warned crime would increase during the Vegetarian Festival, the island appears to be facing a wave of criminal activity. Yesterday alone saw at least two burglaries, the theft of a motorcycle and the arrest of a Burmese man for possession of krathom leaves. Bike theft: At around 6.30pm yesterday a school teacher…
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Old Phuket Town project wins Thailand Tourism Industry award
PHUKET: Phuket City Municipality has won a Thailand Tourism Industry 2010 “Kinnaree” Award for its Old Phuket Town redevelopment project. Phuket City Mayor Somjai Suwansupapana collected the prize in person at the awards ceremony, held on September 27 World Tourism Day at the Bangkok Convention Center at the Central World shopping complex. The judges voted to bestow the Phuket project…
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Phuket Vegetarian Festival underway
PHUKET: The Phuket Vegetarian Festival 2010 officially got underway with the arrival of the new moon early this morning. Activities to welcome down the Nine Chinese Warrior Gods from their celestial realm actually took place last night with the raising of go teng poles at participating Chinese shrines, most of which are located in or near Phuket Town. There will…
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Phuket Police investigate mystery crash fatality
PHUKET: A Phuket man died early yesterday morning in a mysterious motorbike accident on Thepkrasattri Road. Thalang Police were notified of the road fatality at about 3am yesterday. At the scene, near the Muang and Thalang district borderline, police found the body of Worrawit Thaksin, 25, lying dead at the side of the road with a badly broken jaw and…
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Phuket babies may need to carry ID cards
PHUKET: The House of Representatives yesterday passed the first reading of a Bill to require one-year-old babies nationwide to have an identification card. The bill, proposed by the Interior Minister. would lower the requirement age for carrying an ID card from 15 to one year. Following a debate of more than an hour, the Bill was approved, with 222 to…
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Phuket police warn of snatch bandits
PHUKET: Chalong Police are urging all women riding motorbikes to be wary of snatch bandits after a young woman had her gold necklace stolen in broad daylight yesterday. Thitiporn Somjan, a 23-year-old from Sakhon Nakhon, told police she was riding along Soi Na Yai with a work colleague at about 3pm when she was robbed. They were returning to their…
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Phuket cop sought over bar demolition
PHUKET: Chalong Police are looking to question a fellow police officer over his alleged role in the demolition of a bar in Kata.Boonlert Thamsue, owner of what was until recently the ‘So Nice’ bar near Club Med, told police that Pol Maj Wichan Suwannasit arrived around 8am yesterday with four other men and pulled down his bar.Chalong Police said Maj…
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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