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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German held for manslaughter in Khao Lak
KHAO LAK, PHANG NGA: Phang Nga Police are investigating the death of a young German tourist found dead on the beach in Khao Lak early yesterday morning. The body of 21-year-old Sebastian Wolff of Munich, covered in cuts and bruises, was discovered about 30 meters from the Briza Beach Resort and Spa at about 6:30am. Police estimated the time of…
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Phuket Poll: How do we brand the virus?
PHUKET: It’s all about ‘branding’, baby, and the Phuket Gazette Poll is asking for your views on how a tourist-oriented community might best brand a pest. Two weeks ago, we learned that the island had lost its romantic rainy season, traditionally known as “The Low Season”. The Low got summarily canceled and “Summer Season” was ushered in. (The weather itself,…
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Like a Virgin? Aussie carrier seeks Phuket entry
PHUKET CITY: At a time when the Phuket tourism industry could use some good news, Australian low-cost carrier Virgin Group has applied for permission to begin a daily service from Australia to Phuket, according to a company press release published this morning by online Australia-based tourism industry newsletter etravelblackboard. If approved, it would be Virgin Group’s first destination in Thailand.…
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Phuket Film Festival canceled
PHUKET: The Phuket Film Festival, scheduled for June 4 to 11, has been canceled. The festival organizer, Scott Rosenberg, sent out a press release yesterday afternoon to call off the event. He cited fears of Phuket being in an “armed state” a few days “after” the festival as his reason for the cancellation. “We sincerely apologize to our partners, our…
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Pressure drop in Phuket City
PHUKET: Is your water tank almost empty? Now might be a good time to fill it. Residents of parts of Phuket City will be without water for about an hour starting at around 4pm today, the Phuket City Waterworks has announced. Affected areas will include much of downtown Phuket City, including Damrong Road, Maeluan Road, Phuket Road, Srisuthat Road and Srisena Road. There will…
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Local PAD commends Phuket red shirts, but issues warning
PHUKET CITY: The People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) spokesperson for Phuket has commended the local “red shirt” group for its commitment not to disrupt the upcoming Asean-led summit meetings in June, but vowed to mobilize PAD members to prevent any incursion onto the island by red shirt protesters from other parts of the country. Phuket PAD coordinator Aparat Chartchutikumjorn this…
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Phuket property developer blamed for flooding
PATONG, PHUKET: As the monsoon season approaches, Patong residents fear that unusually prolonged flooding on a section of Nanai Road will only get worse. Despite efforts by Patong Municipality to rectify the problem, the section of Nanai Road has remained permanently under three feet of water for the past few weeks. It has become such a constant fixture that local residents have nicknamed the stretch…
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Thailand confirms first two cases of swine flu
PHUKET CITY: Thailand yesterday confirmed its first two cases of Influenza 2009 in patients who had returned from Mexico.Public Health Minister Witthaya Kaewparadai said tests carried out by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States and the Thai Medical Science Department had confirmed the A(H1N1) virus in samples from the two Thai nationals.“There are two confirmed cases…
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Phang Nga murder linked to land dispute
PHUKET CITY: The recent murder of a village headman on the island of Phra Thong in Phang Nga’s Kuraburi District, about a four-hour drive north of Phuket, may have been related to a land dispute, local police said. The Thai-language Siangtai Daily newspaper recently carried a report of the killing on the Phang Nga mainland, close to the island. On…
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Four Chikungunya cases reported in Phuket
PHUKET CITY: Chikungunya, the viral disease that is sweeping the Deep South, has now surfaced in Phuket, according to the Phuket Provincial Health Office. A press release issued by Kusuma Sawangpan of the Disease Control and Prevention Division confirmed four cases of the disease on the island, with all the patients being treated at Vachira Phuket Hospital. The vector for…
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UK man dies in motorbike crash
RAWAI, PHUKET: An accident in the early hours of Sunday morning left one British tourist dead and a Thai man seriously injured. Tourist Kenneth Nicholas Ibrahim, 27, was killed when the motorcycle he was riding collided with a truck outside the Sai Yuan Bungalows in Rawai. The Thai driver of the truck was also seriously injured. Mr Ibrahim, a semi-professional…
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Abhisit, in Phuket, confirms Security Act for Asean summits
MAI KHAO, PHUKET: Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has confirmed the government intends to invoke the Internal Security Act during the Asean summits scheduled to be held at the Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort in mid-June. The announcement came at a press conference at Phuket International Airport last night. PM Abhisit was on his way back to the capital following a secret…
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THAI to launch direct Oslo-Bangkok flights
PHUKET CITY: In a move that could provide some help to Phuket’s summer season tourism prospects, Thai Airways International (THAI) has announced the introduction of direct flights between Bangkok and Oslo, Norway. The service, to be inaugurated on June 15, will make THAI the first southeast Asian carrier to serve passenger demand between Norway and Thailand. THAI’s Bangkok-Oslo route will…
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PM confident Phuket Summit to be peaceful
PHUKET CITY: Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said yesterday the Asean-led summits in Phuket next month will not see a repeat of the Pattaya fiasco as his government had a good new security plan in place. The government was ready for the summit and would enforce the internal security law to have more power to handle the situation, he said in…
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More than rooms for sale at Thai hotels
PHUKET: More than 100 hotels and resorts in Thailand are now for sale, as operators succumb to the impacts of the economic crisis and political unrest, industry insiders say. The number is expected to rise if the situation does not improve within two years, said Chanin Donavanik, chief executive officer of one of Thailand’s largest hotel chain operators, Dusit International.…
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Phuket Police train for Asean summit
PHUKET CITY: There was more action than usual at Phuket City Police Station yesterday when some 300 local police took part in crowd control and anti-riot training under the watchful eye of Royal Thai Police Region 8 Commissioner Santarn Chayanon. The special training is in the run-up to the Asean+3+6 summit, tentatively scheduled to take place at the Hilton Phuket…
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Swine Flu case reported in Bangkok
PHUKET: The Public Health Ministry said yesterday it had detected a suspected first case of the deadly type A (H1N1) influenza in Thailand and is awaiting confirmation of the infection from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) in the United States. The result of the CDC’s tests are expected within seven days. No suspected cases of the type A (H1N1)…
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Phuket tsunami warning tower tested
SAPHAN HIN, PHUKET CITY: People enjoying their morning workouts at the Saphan Hin municipal park at 8am on Wednesday were a bit surprised when the Thai National Anthem was played through the tsunami warning tower there for the first time. Apart from rousing nationalist passion, the music also marked the latest testing of the National Disaster Warning Center’s (NDWC’s) tsunami…
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Mission Possible: non-profit hospital continues expansion
RASSADA, PHUKET: Work on a new canteen and car park project at Mission Hospital Phuket began in early May and is scheduled for completion some time in July, hospital management has told the Gazette. Assistant Chief Operations Manager Atikom “Tom” Sriratanaprapat said the 10-million-baht project, clearly visible from Thepkrasattri Road, is being designed and built on a turnkey basis by…
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Phuket City Police nab bike theft gang
PHUKET CITY: Phuket City Police arrested a gang of nine alleged teenage bike thieves this week. The suspects, eight boys and one girl, confessed to theft charges. They are also believed to have been responsible for a number of crimes across Phuket, the police say. The roundup of the gang members followed a series of arrests, some of which took…
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Thalassemia Day
PHUKET: Today, May 8, marks Thalassemia Day.Thalassemia is a genetic blood condition that affects hemoglobin and causes anemia and other debilitating symptoms in sufferers of the disease, which is particularly prevalent among Thais, who have the highest rate of the disease in South East Asia.One out of every 100 Thais suffers from the effects of Thalassemia and 40 out of…
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Phuket Governor: ‘No bail for drug crimes’
PHUKET CITY: Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop has issued written orders to all police districts on the island instructing them not to allow people arrested on drug charges to be granted bail. The issue was a major topic of discussion during the monthly meeting of the Phuket Provincial Security Council, held at Phuket Provincial Hall on April 29. The governor, who…
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US Consular Outreach to Phuket on May 13
PHUKET: The Consular Section of the American Embassy in Bangkok has announced an additional consular outreach visit to Phuket on May 13. Consular staff will be available to provide consular services for American citizens at the Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort and Spa from 8am to 12pm on Wednesday, May 13. The following consular services will be available during the outreach…
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No evidence of poisoning in Phi Phi tourist deaths
KRABI: Following the mysterious deaths on Phi Phi Island of three foreign tourists in just over a month, Krabi police and doctors are still unable to explain how the American and two Norwegians became fatally ill. Contrary to an initial local blog entry speculating that cyanide poisoning may have been the cause of the deaths, Krabi police told a Gazette…
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Body of Swiss tourist found on Krabi beach
PHUKET: The body of a female tourist from Switzerland was found on a beach in Krabi province today. Police said the tourist had apparently been strangled on Noppharat Beach in Tambon Aonang of Muang district. The beach lies roughly 20 kilometers east of Phuket by boat across Phang-nga Bay. She was found lying down with the strap of her handbag tied around her neck. She was…
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Mystery illness kills foreign tourists on Phi Phi
KRABI: Two foreign tourists have mysteriously died and two others are seriously ill from unknown causes after holidaying on Phi Phi Island. Much speculation surrounds the circumstances of the deaths as authorities have yet to make any official statements regarding the matter. Press Attache at the US Embassy in Bangkok Michael Turner told the Gazette that US citizen Jill St.…
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Two dead in Phi Phi poison mystery
PHUKET CITY: Two tourists died and two others became seriously ill after staying at the same guesthouse on Phi Phi Island in Krabi this week. US citizen Jill St. Onge, 26, died on May 2, shortly after being taken to hospital by her boyfriend Ryan Kells, who also fell ill. Both tourists were vomiting severely before Miss St. Onge’s admission…
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Phuket Governor leads pro-peace rally
PHUKET CITY: With Phuket gearing up to host the Asean+3+6 summits in mid-June, Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop on Monday led a group of about 200 flag-waving people in a “Stop harming the Country” campaign at Phuket Provincial Hall. Participants at the event swore an oath and called on all parties involved in the current conflict to refrain from resorting to…
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Flu scare cruise ship given the all clear
PHUKET: Phuket doctors declared all 1,900 passengers on board the holiday cruise ship Super Star Virgo free of the A(H1N1) influenza virus after the vessel docked at Ao Makham Deep Sea Port on May 4 for a seven-hour stopover. The passengers, comprising Chinese, Singaporean, Australian, Indian and European nationals, were all checked for flu symptoms before disembarking in the afternoon…
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Phuket to the world: Web forum zeros in
PHUKET: The Phuket Gazette has entered the booming online forum sweepstakes by signing a partnership agreement with ThaiVisa.Com, Thailand’s largest English-language Web board. The agreement results in the birth of the Phuket Gazette/ThaiVisa Forum, a collection of thousands of pages of reader knowledge and observations on just about every aspect of life in Phuket. The Gazette endows the venture with…
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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