Phuket News
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Sponsored Long-term life in Thailand? 5 reasons private health insurance pays off in the long run
Thailand is a great place for expats and retirees, offering a warm climate, affordable living, and rich culture. However, healthcare can be tricky for foreigners since they aren’t eligible for public health coverage, and private care can be expensive. Private...
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Phuket Software Park announces “Tech Talk” schedule
PHUKET: Software Park Phuket has announced the schedule for its “Tech Talk” seminars for September as follows: September 2: “Blogspot: An easy way to create a website,” by Phuket Innovation Incubation Center, Software Park Phuket. Thai-language presentation. September 23: “Creating a blog with WordPress,” by Kudos Technovation. Thai-language presentation with English-language slides. September 30: “Business on Facebook / Fan Page,”…
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Woman dies in Phuket car crash
PHUKET: A young woman died of injuries sustained in a high-speed car crash on the bypass road near Tesco Lotus early this morning. Phuket City Police were informed of the crash at 4:20am. The accident occurred in the southbound lane, in front of the Tesco shopping complex. Arriving at the scene they the found a red Toyota Vios overturned on…
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50 foreigners dead in Phuket this year
PHUKET: More than 50 foreign tourists have died in Phuket so far this year, according to statistics released by the island’s top police officer at this week’s consuls’ meeting. Phuket Provincial Police Commander Pekad Tantipong said 52 foreigners died between January 1 and August 17 this year. By contrast, just 28 deaths of foreigners were recorded in all of 2009.…
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Phuket firm wins national award
PHUKET: The Phuket Software Factory has won a Ticta Award for its iPP health-information software. Ticta is a national software competition jointly organized by Thailand’s Information and Communications Technology Ministry and the Association of Thai ICT Industries. The Phuket-developed iPP is used as a clinical tool to generate information ranging from personal health data to overall medical data. The data…
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Chinese interested in Phuket light rail project
PHUKET: The island’s dream of having a reasonably-priced, efficient public transport system took a small step forward on Monday, when representatives of a Chinese construction conglomerate confirmed their desire to build a light rail network for Phuket. Phuket MP Raywat Areerob on Monday brought representatives of the Ershisanye Construction Group for a second meeting with Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngob. It…
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Phuket Police identify body of suicide jumper
PHUKET: Police have identified the woman who committed suicide yesterday by jumping from a Phuket condominium block. The woman was Thai, not Korean as initially speculated. Phuket City Police Duty Officer Yongyuth Krongmalai identified the deceased as Nantanut Meenoy, 25-year-old owner of the Image Design clothing store on Phun Pol Road Soi 7 in Phuket Town. A native of Petchaburi…
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Phuket Airport expansion on track: AoT
PHUKET: The 5.8-billion-baht expansion of Phuket International Airport will increase annual passenger traffic capacity to 12.5 million by 2013, Airports of Thailand (AOT) officials confirmed at a meeting on Monday. AOT President Serirat Prasutanond said the expansion is needed to cope with steadily increasing air traffic and to cement Thailand’s status as a regional air hub. Mr Serirat was speaking…
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Phuket Tourism: Thailand Fan Club launched
PHUKET: The Tourism Authority of Thailand is setting up the Thailand Fan Club in Europe to help draw tourists to Phuket and other key destinations in the Kingdom, including Bangkok. “The TAT feels confident the club will encourage tourists from Europe to return to Thailand this peak season,” TAT governor Suraphon Svetasreni said yesterday. More than 5,000 tourists from major…
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South African military chief vacations in Phuket
PHUKET: South Africa’s top military commander arrived in Phuket today on an unofficial visit. Gen Godfrey Nhlanhla Ngwenya, Chief of the South African National Defense Force, was welcomed upon arrival at the Naval Section runway at Phuket International Airport by Vice-Admiral Chumnum Ajwong, Commander of the Royal Thai Navy Third Area. General Godfrey, 60, and his wife Busisiwe Portia arrived…
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Death plunge victim probably Korean: Phuket Police
PHUKET: Police suspect that a woman who apparently fell to her death from a condo block in Wichit earlier today was Korean. The body of the woman crashed through the corrugated zinc roof of a Burmese construction worker’s camp at the base of the seven-story Pornsawan Condotel, located on Chao Fa East Road in Wichit. The death was reported to…
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Dengue fever now at 230 new cases a day
PHUKET: Seven people died from dengue fever last week, two of them from Phuket’s neighboring province Krabi. The other five fatalities came one each from Chiangrai, Phetchabun, Lop buri, Chachoengsao and Nakhon Si Thammarat. The new fatalities bring to 70 the number of dengue fever deaths recorded across Thailand to date this year, it was announced by Public Health Minister…
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Phuket Poll: Current “low” season – good or bad?
PHUKET: The island is about half-way through the “low season” for tourism and approaching its statistically rainiest month, September. With that in mind, now seems an appropriate time to take stock by asking our readers the simple question: How well is the Phuket economy doing in the current low season? To have your say in the latest Phuket Gazette readers’…
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Heavy rain causes Phuket-bound flight to divert to Krabi
PHUKET: Due to heavy rain and strong winds this morning, a Thai Airways flight was unable to land safely at Phuket International Airport and had to be diverted to Krabi. The conditions also caused delays in the arrival of a number of domestic inbound flights, although no international arrivals were affected. An officer at the airport control tower said several…
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Phuket resorts lax in warning tourists of surf dangers: poll
PHUKET: Almost 75% of Phuket Gazette readers polled feel that resorts on the island are not doing enough to warn their guests of the potential dangers at beaches during the monsoon season. The poll was prompted by a recent spate of tourist drownings and a call by exasperated members of the Phuket Lifeguard Club for more cooperation from resorts. Overall,…
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Blackouts in Phuket this week
PHUKET: The Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) has announced scheduled blackouts in Phuket this week to carry out maintenance on high voltage power lines. Affected areas and times are as follows: August 24, Kathu: Wichit Songkram Road from Soi Bang Thong junction to the Kathu District Administration Office, covering Bang Thong Village, Bang Thong Hill Side and Baan Pho Thong Village.…
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Charity golf tournament in Phuket
PHUKET: Golfers get your gear out for the Charity Golf Tournament and Ball to be held on August 29 at Laguna Phuket. Both events are organized by The Rotary Club of Patong and will be to support disadvantaged children. Tee off for the Charity Golf Tournament will be at 11:30am at Laguna Phuket Golf Club (LPGC). The golf format is…
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World Expo 2020: Phuket fails to make the cut
Phuket NEWS Hound – A daily digest of news about Thailand from around the world, compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community. PHUKET: Ayutthaya, Chon Buri and Chiang Mai have been short-listed in a six-month-long effort to name a Thai candidate city to host World Expo 2020. The three possible venues, which have emerged after a six-month study by…
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Phuket villagers seek Bt10m over home demolition
PHUKET: Villagers in Patong whose modest homes were destroyed by a backhoe last week are seeking 10 million baht in compensation from the development company that ordered the demolition work. The residents of Phra Barami Road Soi 8, in the Kalim area of Patong, last Saturday awoke to the sound of a roaring backhoe that demolished their houses in less…
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Phuket motorists advised to avoid Chao Fa East Rd
PHUKET: Motorists traveling along Chao Fa East Rd are in for a real treat this weekend, as drain installation work along a stretch of the busy artery begins today. The roadwork will affect northbound and southbound traffic along the section of road from Dowroong School south to the Tor Song Saeng Hotel, just before Pattana Thongthin Rd. Chao Fa East…
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Phuket police auction seized motorbikes
PHUKET: Chalong Police this week took the opportunity to clear out their car park with a public auction of motorbikes seized as evidence in drug-related cases. It was short work, with all 18 motorbikes sold in an hour on Wednesday. The proceeds, a total of 100,100 baht, will be handed over to the Ministry of Finance, said Snr Sgt Maj…
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Thai League Cup: FC Phuket draw high-energy opponents
PHUKET: FC Phuket will face a real test of their prowess later this month when they take on Thai Premier League (TPL) team Osotspa Saraburi FC in the opening round of the 2010 Toyota League Cup, the Thai League’s version of England’s FA Cup. The pairing, set for August 29, was the result of a lucky draw among 64 qualifiers,…
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Phuket Grocery warns of new scam
PHUKET: A Phuket supermarket is warning local businesses to be on the lookout for a female con artist who recently relieved them of 45,500 baht in an audacious scam. Phuket Grocery general manager Thavich Boonprasert asked the media to inform the public about their experience as a warning to be on the lookout. On the morning of August 13 a…
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Remote-control aircraft crashes into Phuket temple hall
PHUKET: One of the island’s most famous temples is threatening to file a police complaint after a remote-controlled aircraft crashed into the roof of the nuns’ dining hall on Wednesday night. News of the damage at Wat Luang Pu Supha in Chalong Village 6 was reported to the media yesterday at 12:30pm by Mr Piyawat Leehaweerachart, a 45-year-old layman who…
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Phuket hospitality; stocks, autos boom; ‘Death Merchant’ verdict today
Phuket NEWS Hound – A daily digest of news about Thailand from around the world, compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community. Phuket ready for Asian Hospitality Show Phuket’s first Asian Hospitality and Travel Show is shaping up to be a winner, with strong buyer and seller interest in the run-up to the October 1-3 event. Events Thailand, the…
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Update: Phuket Immigration nabs Taiwanese for drugs
PHUKET: As reported in the Gazette’s Phuket NEWS Hound earlier today, Phuket Immigration Police yesterday announced the arrest of a man wanted for drug smuggling eight years ago in his native Taiwan.Phuket Immigration Superintendent Col Panuwat Ruamrak named the man as Wu Jung Mu, 51.He was arrested at the Mei Zhou Phuket Hotel on Luang Por Wat Chalong Rd on…
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Phuket ready for ‘Hungry Ghost’ ceremony
PHUKET: The island’s ethnic Chinese community is preparing for the annual Por Tor Festival, featuring special events organized by Phuket City Municipality from August 26. The Kusoldharm Foundation began its preparations by holding two days of ancestor worship at their headquarters on Phun Pol Rd Soi 9 last week. The event, including various merit-making activities, also saw 122 scholarships of…
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Are you one of the Top 10 Beach Clubs in Phuket?
Welcome to the new Thaiger Gold Awards which list the Top 10 in a series of popular categories searched often on the internet. With The Thaiger already ranking highly on Google we are proud to present this exclusive opportunity to be part of the Top 10 Beachclubs in Phuket list. There can only be ten in the list, obviously, and…
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Phuket smackdown: Five arrested on narcotics charges
PHUKET: Phuket City Police arrested five people and seized seven vehicles, firearms and a heady variety of narcotics during a drug raid on a home in Koh Kaew on Tuesday. Officers led by Phuket Provincial Police Deputy Commander Komol Watrakorn told a press conference at Phuket City Police Station yesterday that the first arrest was that of Koh Kaew resident…
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Phuket Update; foreigner nabbed; Phuket airline happy; Wiki wasted
Phuket NEWS Hound – A daily digest of news about Thailand from around the world, compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community. Phuket airport arrivals soar Passenger traffic through Phuket International Airport during the first half of this year surged 28 per cent compared to a year earlier – marking a dramatic recovery for Phuket as the island resort…
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Phuket police: Violent crime, drug cases soaring
PHUKET: Forty murders in Phuket since the beginning of the current fiscal year have led a 95% year-on-year increase in the number of violent crime cases on the island, according to official police statistics. Figures released by Phuket Provincial Police for this year show eight cases of premeditated murder in July alone, with arrests in five cases. Figures for the…
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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