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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Thailand is a favourite spot for travellers who want to enjoy more while spending less. From cheap street food to low-cost hotels and fun attractions, it’s easy to stretch your budget here. But there’s one thing many people don’t think...
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Phang Nga trawler tragedy: 1 dead, 5 missing
PHUKET CITY: One man is dead and five still missing following a collision between a Phang Nga-based fishing trawler and a cargo ship off the coast of Chonburi. Kiattipong Parnsa-nga, 28-year-old captain of the trawler Sangjaroern 10, said the 21-meter vessel capsized after suddenly being struck by a cargo ship at about 2am yesterday. The accident occurred as the crew…
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Japanese yachtsman safe in Phuket after solo voyage
PHUKET: Sailing the Pacific Ocean, literally single-handedly with the use of only one arm, solo Japanese sailor Akio Yonago arrived in Phuket earlier this month, more than five weeks after setting off from the Seychelles on a solo voyage in his yacht EMU II.Mr Akio’s arrival in Phuket on June 8 was a relief to the international yachting community, and many…
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Good news for Phuket: swine flu infection rate falling
PHUKET CITY: In a sign that Thailand might be winning the war against swine flu, Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) today announced a lower number of daily new cases, 43, compared to earlier this week. Disease Control Department Director Dr Somchai Chakrabhand believes the falloff in new cases, by almost half, is a sign that preventive measures in schools…
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Phuket impact: Gov’t should waive duty on luxury goods
PHUKET: A major retailer’s suggestion yesterday – that import duties be removed on luxury products – could draw more tourists to Phuket and boost Thailand’s economy. The measure was part of proposals made by Thailand ‘s largest retail conglomerate, Central Retail Corporation (CRC), along with with major suppliers who are seeking government support for retail and related industries. The priority…
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Phuket Q1 tourism figures down
PHUKET CITY: Although Thailand has seen a significant drop in tourist arrivals in the first quarter of 2009, Phuket is faring better than many other parts of the country, the head of the local tourism development office has said. Statistics released by the Office of Tourism Development showed an overall drop in international arrival figures nationwide from 5.5 million in…
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Phuket students fall ill from spoiled milk
PHUKET CITY: Seven Phuket City schools have stopped serving UHT milk purchased under the government’s “free milk for schoolchildren” program after 48 students at one school fell ill after drinking the milk yesterday. Sixteen children from Piboonsawaddee School in Phuket City were hospitalized after drinking the milk, while a further 32 students became ill but did not require hospital treatment.…
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Phuket’s premier viewpoint to get palms, paths
RAWAI, PHUKET: The beauty of Phuket’s famous Phromthep Cape is on the decline, the Mayor of Rawai warned yesterday. The death of palmyra trees and the trampling of grass by tourists have left the promontory scarred by patches of dry, yellow earth, Rawai Mayor Aroon Solos said. Mr Aroon met with Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop yesterday to discuss ways of…
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Software Park Phuket opens tomorrow
WICHIT, PHUKET: Software Park Phuket is to officially kick off services from its first phase of development with an opening ceremony tomorrow. Director Kongkiat Kespechara said the soft opening is intended to demonstrate the readiness of the park’s facilities and its business-incubation center. The first phase of development has cost about 25 million baht. The park has 1,250 square meters…
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Strong rains, heavy seas in Phuket
PHUKET CITY: The Meteorological Department (MET) has issued an advisory of strong monsoon conditions in Phuket over the next few days resulting in unusually rough seas and scattered showers with the possibility of torrential rain at times. In its national weather advisory issued earlier today, the MET reported that a trough of low pressure lies across the North and upper…
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Phuket beaches finally get lifeguards
PHUKET: It will come as little consolation to the families and friends of those who drowned off Phuket’s beaches in recent weeks, but lifeguards are finally in place on 12 of the popular local strands. New signs have also been erected at the beaches alerting tourists to the dangers of swimming during the monsoon season. A spokesman for the Phuket…
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Swine flu update: seven confirmed cases in Phuket
PHUKET CITY: There have been seven cases in Phuket of the viral infection that causes swine flu, but the situation is “under control”, health officials say. PPHO Office Director Dr Pongsawas Ratanasang told the Gazette that the first confirmed case was that of an Australian tourist who visited Phuket before moving on to Hong Kong, where he developed flu symptoms…
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Five-star hotel chef gunned down in Kathu
KATHU, PHUKET: A chef at a five-star resort in Phuket was gunned down in the early hours of yesterday morning. Kanchai Yoksri, 31, was found dead with two bullet wounds to the chest in front of the police radio monitoring station on Wichit Songkhram Road in Kathu. Tung Tong Police received a report of the shooting at 1am and rushed to…
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Phuket property worst hit at “high end”
PHUKET: More than 10 residential projects with a combined market value of nearly 10 billion baht remain “on hold” in Phuket, because demand from both domestic and foreign buyers – especially for luxury homes – has fallen to less than half of last year’s level. Wanwipa Horbut, deputy managing director of luxury property developer Surin Hill Development, said demand for…
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Karon residents rally against Chalong Police
KARON, PHUKET: Citing dereliction of duty and a surge in crime, more than 200 residents of Karon on Monday rallied to call for the transfer of Chalong Police Superintendent Chinnarat Rittakananond. The protest, held in a field at Karon Temple starting at 1pm, was led by tambon chief Winai Chitchiew. Also taking part was Karon Mayor Tawee Tongcham. Mr Winai…
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Laguna Phuket to host 42nd Asean Foreign Ministers Meeting
PHUKET CITY: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is expected to be among diplomats attending the 42nd Asean Ministerial Meeting in Phuket next month. Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop yesterday chaired a meeting at Phuket Provincial Hall to prepare for the meetings, which will be hosted at the Laguna Phuket resort complex in Cherng Talay from July 16 to 23. “This…
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More monkey business at Phuket Provincial Hall
PHUKET CITY: Dog bites man isn’t news, as the old journalistic adage has it. But what about dog bites monkey – and snaps its tail off? Bleary-eyed civil servants were greeted with just such a scene yesterday morning, when a pig-tailed macaque from Toh Sae Hill wandered onto the grounds of Phuket Provincial Hall. A local dog took offense at…
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Phuket crime: 50,000 baht reward for clues in Australian assault case
PHUKET CITY: It has taken a phone call from the Australian diplomatic mission, but Phuket Police are now renewing efforts to catch the man responsible for a horrendous knife attack on a young Australian man several months ago.In early February this year, 20-year-old Jamie Shackleton was left with terrible facial injuries after being slashed in the face with a machete…
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New medical science center opens in Phuket
SRISOONTHORN, PHUKET: The Public Health Ministry opened a new front in the war against infectious disease in Phuket late last week with the opening of the new Phuket Medical Science Center. Public Health Minister Witthaya Kaewparadai presided over the June 11 opening ceremony, which was attended by more than 200 public health volunteers as well as Phuket MPs Tossaporn Thepabutr…
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Young Australian dies in Phuket motorbike crash
WICHIT, PHUKET: A young Australian man died just before dawn on Saturday morning when his motorcycle crashed at high speed on Chao Fa West Road. Inspector Yongyuth Kongmarai of Phuket City Police identified the deceased as 20-year-old Kain Bonow, an Australian national and long-time resident of Phuket. Police and rescue workers from the nearby Phuket Ruamjai Kupai Foundation responded to…
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Swine flu cases surpass 200 mark
PHUKET CITY / BANGKOK: Thailand yesterday reported 51 new cases of swine flu, bringing the total number to 201, Public Health Ministry spokesman Suphan Srikamma has announced. Education Minister Jurin Laksanavisit said that nine schools have suspended classes to prevent spreading of the flu, all in or around Bangkok. Among them are such prestigious schools as St Gabriel’s, St Francis…
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Phuket to Montana: Thanks for a great event!
(PHUKET): Phuket’s tourism industry is currently mired in the low season doldrums and there has been little to report in recent weeks to buoy enthusiasm. There has been plenty of talk recently of abysmal occupancy rates, imminent staff layoffs and factors conspiring to keep tourists away – from swine flu to the recent spate of drownings. Given the malaise, the…
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Aussie romps to second Laguna Phuket marathon win
CHENG TALAY, PHUKET: Reigning Laguna Phuket International Marathon champion Stephen Paine of Australia defended his crown in style yesterday, leading from start to finish on his way to an impressive win at Laguna Phuket. A record 4,500 runners and walkers from more than 25 countries gathered at Laguna Beach Resort in the early hours of Sunday to contest five separate…
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Phuket landfill causing a big stink
PHUKET: Fed up with the stench emanating from a nearby landfill, residents of Saphan Hin have put up banners and signs and are formally complaining to the city government about the foul odor. Phuket City Municipality Chief Administration Officer Thawatchai Tongmang has assured residents that the city is well aware of the problem and is working hard to resolve it.…
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Phi Phi tourist deaths remain a mystery, autopsies inconclusive
The Royal Thai Police Institute of Forensic Medicine in Bangkok has concluded its examination of tissue samples from two young women who died mysteriously on Koh Phi Phi early last month. The evidence is inconclusive. Deputy chief of Krabi Public Health Office Dr Buncha Kahkhong said that the autopsies failed to turn up anything that could have caused the deaths…
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Phuket tourism industry braces for swine flu impact
PHUKET CITY: A vice-president of the Phuket Tourist Association has warned that travelers and the general public could be frightened by the heightened level of alert for swine flu, which the WHO raised from phase 5 to phase 6, the highest level, on Thursday. Phuket Tourism Association Vice-President for Marketing Bhuritt Maswongsa also noted that despite the phase 6 warning,…
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Amateur Photo Contest offers free stay at Phuket resort
Fancy yourself as a photographer? Got a snap that says it all about Phuket lifestyle? If so, you could win a FREE three-night stay at the Evason Phuket & Six Senses Spa in Rawai, during the Six Senses Raceweek from July 22-26. Send us your best digital photo depicting Phuket lifestyle for the chance to win your three nights at…
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Thirty suspected swine flu cases in Phuket
PHUKET: Four tourists in Phuket are suspected of being infected with swine flu and are currently in quarantine in Phuket hospitals. According to the Phuket Public Health Office (PPHO), three of the quarantined tourists are Pakistani nationals. They were immediately quarantined at Patong Hospital after thermo scanners showed they were suffering from high fevers. The fourth tourist is a Thai…
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World Blood Donor Day 2009 in Phuket
PHUKET CITY: The Phuket Chapter of the Thai Red Cross Society is encouraging people to make merit by donating blood on June 14, World Blood Donor Day. The event, organized by the Blood Bank at Vachira Phuket Hospital, will take place at Bangkok Hospital Phuket on Yaowarat Road in Phuket City starting at 1pm. The World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes…
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Phuket fitness center goes bust
PHUKET: Members of the Easy Fitness Center on Chao Fa West Road in Phuket were left without a gym on April 30, when repossession teams, under police supervision, seized fitness equipment valued at several million baht, forcing the center to close.The center, which opened in 2005, offered a variety of fitness classes with membership fees ranging from Bt7,200 for three…
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Swine Flu: Phuket facing further downturns in tourism
BANGKOK / PHUKET: A Bangkok school will today be partially closed for three days after an 11-year-old boy came down with type-A (H1N1) influenza in what is the second known case of local infection in Thailand. Thirteen of his classmates have also developed a fever. Deputy Public Health Minister Manit Nopamornbodi said the Bangkok student, whose name was withheld, had…
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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