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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A bad week for dwindling dugong population
CAPE PANWA, PHUKET: A top marine mammal researcher is drawing up a national action plan for conserving the country’s dwindling population of dugong, three of which were found dead this week. “We have a national action plan for dugong and seagrass in Thailand to conserve the seagrass habitat, reduce mortality, continue monitoring numbers and study behavior,” said Kanjana Adulyanukosol of the…
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Bt 20m for Silaphan Beach upgrade
RASSADA, PHUKET: Rassada Municipality will invest 20 million baht to develop the Silaphan Beach area of Koh Sireh into a new tourist destination. Speaking at the end of his first year in office, Rassada Mayor Surathin Liangudom said the investment is one of many the municipality is undertaking to improve infrastructure in the subdistrict, which surrounds Phuket City to the…
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Protestors blockade Laguna Phuket
CHERNG TALAY, PHUKET: Disgruntled staff members at the up-market Laguna Phuket resort complex have abandoned their duties and blockaded the road entrances to the resort, causing disruption to operations and preventing access. Protesters said they were angry they had received a bonus of two weeks’ pay for 2008, rather than the usual four weeks, and had been denied pay increases.…
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Brit charged with drug dealing
KAMALA, PHUKET: A British man faces the prospect of a lifetime in jail after being caught at a Kamala Police checkpoint with cocaine, ya ice (crystal methamphetamine) and marijuana on Wednesday. David Kevin Griffin, 49, was driving toward Patong when he was stopped by Kamala Police officers at around 1:45 am at the checkpoint in Nanok Village. Police say they…
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Apirak orders gun crackdown
PHUKET CITY: Owners of unregistered firearms will soon feel the full force of the law as part of an island-wide crackdown recently announced by Phuket Provincial Police Superintendent Apirak Hongtong. In a statement released on January 31, Maj Gen Apirak said that due to the current economic downturn, Phuket is faced with the risk of rising crime rates. To combat this…
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OTOP fair is underway
PHUKET CITY: The 4th annual Phuket One Tambon One Product (OTOP) Fair began yesterday, with 200 booths set up around the main stage area at Saphan Hin in Phuket City. Tonight will be the official opening ceremony, featuring a performance by the Superdance team from Samkong. The event, which begins in the late afternoon and runs until about 11 pm…
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Fishing vessel salvaged after nine-day effort
RAWAI: It took a week of strenuous effort, but the fishing boat Sa-nguansin, which sank off the coast of Racha Yai island on the evening of January 25, was finally raised and towed ashore to Cape Panwa on February 2. All 14 members of the crew survived the accident unharmed, though boat owner Sanor Phopipat now faces a bill for…
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Dutch Artist Simon Cohen dies of accident injuries
PHUKET: Well-known Dutch artist Simon Cohen, 72, died on February 1, probably of internal injuries suffered during a traffic accident on January 28. Mr Cohen did not respond when his Thai wife tried to waken him early Saturday. Chalong police said he had been dead about three hours when they arrived at the couple’s home in Rawai Moo 7, not…
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National high-speed info network; Phuket already in the loop
BANGKOK (The Nation): All of Thailand’s government agencies will be able to integrate their information on to a superhighway network within four years in order to increase their efficiency and provide services on a high-speed infrastructure. Development of the 12-billion baht Government Information Network (GIN) project, which began in 2006, aims to help make the country more competitive. The executive…
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Ex-sailor confesses to slaying step-father
PA KHLOK, PHUKET: Police yesterday afternoon arrested a former Navy sailor for the brutal slaying of his elderly step-father with a sickle. At a press conference held at Thalang Police Station at 6 pm yesterday, Phuket Provincial Police Commander Apirak Hongtong and Thalang Police appeared with 31-year-old Ittipong “Juekai” Wetchapansombat, who confessed to the killing in front of the media.…
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Sword attack nets cellphone, 200 baht
RASSADA, PHUKET: A man is recovering in hospital after surviving a vicious sword attack by two robbers near the entrance to the Fish Marketing Organization pier last night. Phuket City Police Duty Officer Warit Jado identified the victim as 39-year-old Somsak Krongyuti, a resident of Kantang district in Trang. A crew member of the fishing boat Hong 7, Mr Somsak…
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Colleges in bid to halt student online flesh trade
BANGKOK / PHUKET: Colleges and universities need to act against students engaging in “direct-sale” prostitution via social-network websites like Hi5, according to a well-known academic. Assoc Prof Sukhum Chaloeysap of Suan Dusit Rajabhat University, which has a campus in Phuket, said all institutes of higher learning should admit that the problem exists and join forces to combat it. Some students…
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Urgent need for O-negative blood for expat resident
PHUKET: Long-term Phuket resident Paul James, owner of the Expat Hotel, is in urgent need of O-negative blood. Mr James is at Bangkok Hospital Phuket, but donations of his blood type can only be made at Vachira Phuket Hospital. Vachira Phuket is located less than two kilometers from Bangkok Hospital Phuket, both being on Yaowarat Road in Phuket City. Donations…
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Man killed in Sapam car smash
KOH KAEW, PHUKET: A 32-year-old man was killed yesterday when he lost control of his car at a bend on Thepkrasattri Rd in Sapam and crashed into the support pillar of a roadside home. Taweewat Sitti, a 32-year-old engineer from Nakhon Sri Thammarat, was driving along Thepkrassatri Rd towards Phuket City at high speed at the time of the accident,…
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10th Phuket Chinese New Year Festival starts tonight
PHUKET CITY: Chinese New Year will be celebrated with flair in Phuket tonight with a little help from the Chinese cities of Yantai and Hainan. Chinese opera, demonstrations of kung fu, cultural performances from China and Thailand, as well as a host of Chinese snacks and delicacies will all be served up at the 10th Phuket Chinese New Year’s Day…
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Paiboon leads fight against bogus banknotes
PHUKET CITY: Believing the problem of counterfeit banknotes to be serious, Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) President Paiboon Upatising has spent his own money to buy 1,000 UV flashlights, which he distributed to vendors at two wet markets in Phuket City on January 23. Mr Paiboon gave the devices away free to traders at Kaset Market, the fresh market near…
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Three Chiang Rai men arrested for murder, assault
PHUKET CITY: Police yesterday held a press conference to announce the arrest of three young men charged with the bludgeoning murder of a teenage boy in Tambon Wichit on Tuesday night. The press conference was conducted by Phuket Provincial Police Commander Apirak Hongtong, Phuket City Police Superintendent Wanchai Ekpornpit, and Deputy Superintendent Chaiwat Auykham. They identified the victim as 16-year…
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Phuket phone book sets record
PHUKET: The 2009 edition of the Gazette Guide, (Phuket’s ‘yellow pages’), goes on sale at noon today. It is the largest in the publication’s 12-year history, providing comprehensive contact details for 4,125 local businesses, up from 3,608 last year. The price of the directory is 120 baht. A list of retailers in Phuket, Phang-nga, Krabi, Koh Samui, Pattaya, Hua Hin…
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Another boatload of Rohingyas arrives in Thailand
BANGKOK / PHUKET : A boat with 78 Rohingyas arrived in Ranong on the southern Andaman coast yesterday amid mounting pressure on the government over ill-treatment of the ethnic minority from Burma. The latest boat people are aged 14 to 55. Some of those found in a rickety boat with a broken engine off the coast of Ranong near the…
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The Year of the Ox is here
PHUKET CITY: Yesterday marked the first day of the first month in the Chinese lunar calender, the beginning of the Year of the Ox. Chinese New Year is celebrated with gusto by Phuket’s ethnic Chinese community and by the many Chinese tourists who travel here during the holiday. Legend has it that Chinese New Year began with a fight against…
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Football fans furious over FA Cup blunder
PHUKET CITY: The Kingdom’s legions of football fans who tuned in hoping to catch live coverage of matches in the fourth round of the English FA Cup last weekend were left disappointed. Coverage of English football in Thailand is generally excellent, but this weekend’s games – which included mouthwatering match-ups of Manchester United vs Tottenham, and Liverpool vs Everton –…
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Finance Ministry resurrects Phuket convention center plan
PHUKET, MAI KHAO: Deputy Minister of Finance Pruttichai Damrongrat on January 23 visited the proposed site for an international convention center in Mai Khao, saying the project would fit in nicely with government plans to help the Andaman region’s ailing tourism economy. Accompanying Mr Pruttichai on the visit were Phuket MP Tossaporn Thepabutr, Phuket Vice-Governor Smith Palawatwichai and Praphat Sriyanaluck,…
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Ukranian arrested in Phuket on child porn charges
PHUKET: Police on Saturday announced the arrest of a Ukrainian man allegedly involved in the international distribution of child pornography over the Internet. The suspect, 31-year-old Maxsim Shynkarenko, was arrested by Tourist Police on Friday at a luxury rented house on Saiyaun Road in Chalong. He has denied the charges.Announcing the arrest were Tourist Police Commander Attakrit Thaneechat, Phuket Provincial Police…
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Eclipse today
PHUKET: The paths of the moon and sun will cross above Thailand later today, causing a solar eclipse that will be visible throughout several provinces, including Phuket. The eclipse, which falls on the first day of the Lunar New Year, is set to begin at 4.05pm and last until 5.53pm.
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British man dies in motorbike smash
PHUKET, KAMALA: A British tourist was killed in a head-on collision with a passenger van near the entrance to the Tavorn Beach Village and Spa yesterday morning. Peter Stephenson, 52, had been in Thailand for two months and was planning to marry his Thai girlfriend, according to Duty Officer Chansarawut Saengarun of Kamala Police. The owner and driver of the…
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Rassada first municipality to microchip pets
RASSADA, PHUKET: To keep the island rabies-free and reduce the number of stray dogs, Rassada Municipality on January 21 held a free clinic during which some 300 pets were either sterilized, vaccinated or implanted with microchips. The event, held at the Rassada Municipal Children’s Playground, was the first of its kind by any of Phuket’s 19 local administrative bodies. Organized…
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Thais vs Danes in King’s Cup final
PHUKET CITY: Thailand will take on a highly favored Denmark side in the finals of the King’s Cup soccer tournament, with kick-off at Surakul Stadium at 7 pm tomorrow. Thailand made it through to the final after beating Lebanon in a game marred by a series of ugly second-half brawls. The match, televised nationwide by Thai TV Channel 7, saw…
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Navy denies human rights violations
PHUKET: In response to allegations regarding the mistreatment of Rohingya boat people trying to gain entry into Thailand, officials from the Third Area Naval Command headquarters in Phang Nga have defended their actions.Chief of Staff Admiral Songkitti Jakabat on Sunday told the Gazette that those attempting to gain unlawful entry must be prohibited from doing so.“Once the refugees are in…
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Local Food Festival starts today
PHUKET CITY (SAPHAN HIN): A four-day ‘Phuket Local Food Festival’ starts today at Saphan Hin.The festival, organized by the Phuket Provincial Administrative Organization (OrBorJor), aims to promote Thai food to holiday makers and other travelers to demonstrate that Thai cuisine is not only delicious, but that it is prepared with exemplary standards of hygiene.All vendors at the festival will prepare…
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Australian sentenced to 3 years in jail
Bangkok (The Nation): A Thai court sentenced an Australian author to three years imprisonment on a lêse majesté charge this afternoon. Lêse majesté, a French term, is the crime of violating majesty, or offending the dignity of a reigning sovereign. The court’s ruling came as Harry Nicolaides, 41, pleaded guilty to the charge. He wrote a novel in 2005 which…
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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