Phuket News
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Fisherman ends life by lethal injection with weed killer
RASSADA, PHUKET: A commercial fisherman allegedly cheated out of his pay by his employer ended his life yesterday morning by injecting himself with liquid weed killer. At 12:30pm on April 20, Phuket City Police duty inspector Pitak Sompong received a report from residents of Soi Hormok, off Srisuthat Road in Rassada Village 3, that they had found the body of…
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Satun oil spill clean-up starts today
PHUKET CITY: The waters off part of the resort island of Koh Lipe in Satun were polluted last weekend by an oil slick, estimated by authorities to cover an area of about five kilometers. Koh Lipe is about 160 nautical miles from Phuket. Marine Police Region 3 Inspector Banjerd Manawetch was first notified of the slick by the crew of…
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PMBC treats injured 120kg green sea turtle
CAPE PANWA, PHUKET: Veterinarians at the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) are treating an enormous green sea turtle whose carapace was cracked open by fishermen operating illegally in the waters off Rawai Beach. PMBC biologist Kanjana Adulyankosol, who heads the PMBC’s endangered species unit, said a team of officers from the Marine and Coastal Resources Department Region 5 office in…
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Phuket to host Asean summits
PHUKET: The abruptly suspended Asean Summit will be rescheduled in Phuket as soon as possible in an effort to restore foreign investors’ confidence in the country, Deputy Commerce Minister Alongkorn Pollabutr has announced. Asean chief Surin Pitsuwan said on Friday that the summit would take place no later than early June. Mr Alongkorn said the Asean Economic Summit would be…
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4 dead, 60 injured in Songkran road accidents
PHUKET CITY: The final tally for this years’ “Seven Days of Danger” road safety campaign over the Songkran holiday period in Phuket is four dead, with 60 people injured in 60 road accidents. The figures are almost identical to last year, when four were killed and 64 were injured in 64 accidents. In the annual accounting, only injuries requiring admittance…
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Political turmoil cost Phuket two direct flights from China
PHUKET CITY: Last week’s political turmoil in Bangkok has caused two Chinese airlines to shelve plans to launch direct flights to Phuket from Shanghai and Guangzhou. Following a tourism “roadshow” to mainland China, the Phuket Tourist Association’s Somboon Jirayus said that Shanghai Airlines was set to begin direct flights from Shanghai to Phuket, starting at the end of the month,…
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Phuket ‘Halal Expo’ starts April 30
PHUKET CITY: Phuket is set to host the “World of Halal Science, Industry & Business International Conference 2009” and “Halal Expo”, aimed at turning the southern region into a center of the halal-related industry. Winai Dahlan, dean of the faculty of allied health sciences at Chulalongkorn University, said the dual events were scheduled to be held between April 30 and…
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Phuket to host halal expo
PHUKET CITY: Phuket is set to host the “World of Halal Science, Industry & Business International Conference 2009” and “Halal Expo”, aimed at turning the southern region into a center of the halal-related industry. Winai Dahlan, dean of the faculty of allied health sciences at Chulalongkorn University, said the dual events were scheduled to be held between April 30 and…
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Phuket ready to host postponed Asean summit
PHUKET CITY: Phuket is ready to host the postponed Asean +3 and +6 conferences, following the abrupt cancellation of the financial summit in Pattaya over the Songkran holiday after anti-government protesters stormed the venue where it was being held. Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop said that the government originally planned for Phuket to host the summit, but moved the high-profile event…
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Gov promises action on sea gypsy issues
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop has promised to investigate and clear up issues faced by the impoverished sea gypsy community in Rawai. The announcement came following a protest at Phuket Provincial Hall on April 7 by members of the ’30 Communities Network’ who demanded the Governor take swift action to solve disputes over land ownership and issues over access to utilities.…
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PAD leader Sondhi in serious condition after shooting
PHUKET / BANGKOK: Sondhi Limthongkul, media mogul and one of the five core leaders of the yellow-shirted People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD), is in serious condition after being shot in the head early this morning. One of the attackers’ bullets hit his left skull, causing a brain hemorrhage, Vajira Hospital Director Dr Chaiwun Charoenchoktavee said. Doctors are conducting an urgent…
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AirAsia to open ticket office in Patong
PHUKET CITY: As part of its plan to develop Phuket as a second aviation hub for Thailand, Thai AirAsia hopes to establish direct air links with major cities in the region and will set up a sales office on the beach road in Patong, the company’s chief executive officer (CEO) told the Gazette.Thai AirAsia CEO Tassapol Bijleveld says that the…
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Thaksin’s passport revoked
PHUKET: The Foreign Ministry has revoked the Thai passport of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. The nullification of his right to travel under that document comes amid widespread concern, in and outside of the Thai government, that such travel could cause further damage to the Kingdom, government spokesman Tharit Charungvat said today. Thaksin’s revoked passport was his last Thai traveling…
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Thailand weakened, but government stronger after riots
PHUKET: Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva announced yesterday that the state of emergency would remain in place even though the authorities had managed to bring the anti-government protests to a tentatively peaceful conclusion. “The situation has eased and is almost back to normal. But the mission of the emergency decree has not been completed. The government will not be careless, and…
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Bangkok protests may be breaking up
PHUKET: Government TV Channel 11 reported late this morning that Veera Musigapong, a Thaksin supporter and red-shirt leader, told the protesters at Government House in Bangkok to disperse. Weng Tojitrakan, another red-shirted leader, asked soldiers to move back by 20 meters so that the protesters could pick up their belongings and leave the site. Veera told the crowd that the…
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Province to spend Bt1m on drug detection technology
TAH CHAT CHAI, PHUKET: Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop has approved the purchase of two state-of-the-art detection devices, one for explosives and the other for contraband. The devices will be used at the Tah Chat Chai checkpoint.The Alpha 6 detectors, which cost around 500,000 baht each, use “molecular resonance” technology to detect the presence of drugs and explosives from up to…
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Phuket hotel operators upbeat despite cancellations
PHUKET: The Phuket office of the Thai Hotels Association today reported that about 20% of reservations made at Phuket hotels prior to the Songkran holiday have been canceled following the Thai government’s declaration of a state of emergency in the nation’s capital late yesterday.According to the office, most of the cancellations were from Japanese and Chinese tourists, following the issuance of…
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Phuket Songkran marred by road deaths
PHUKET: Phuket’s Songkran celebrations have been marred by the deaths of two Thai citizens and one foreigner in motorcycle accidents. Chotinrin Gerdsom of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) said that over April 10-11 there were 11 road accidents, with 12 injuries and the death of an 18-year-old Thai man. Ekkachai Jantuang died in hospital on April 11…
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Phuket Airport operating normally
PHUKET (thephuketinsider.com): A visit to Phuket International Airport this morning confirmed that flights between Phuket and Bangkok are operating as usual, despite the Thai government’s declaration of a state of emergency in the nation’s capital late yesterday. Thai Airways staff as well as those of other airlines say there has been no disruption of scheduled flights.Phuket Airport Director, Wicha Nernlop…
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Breaking News: State of Emergency declared in Bangkok
BANGKOK (The Nation): Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has announced a State of Emergency in the Nation’s capital as well as neighboring provinces Nonthaburi, Samut Prakan, Pathum Thani, Nakhon Pathom and Ayutthaya. Phuket and other southern provinces are not affected. Speaking on TV at 5:20 this afternoon (Sunday), the PM asked the public not to panic with the chaos caused by…
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Governor leads oath of allegiance
PA KHLOK, PHUKET: Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop yesterday morning led a large number of government officers and local politicians from across Thalang District in a ceremony swearing their allegiance to HM The King and the rule of law. The ceremony, held at the Pa Khlok Administration Office, was held to mark “Senior’s Day” in Pa Khlok, as the entire month…
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EU blacklisting irrelevant: One-Two-Go chairman
PHUKET: The chairman of One-Two-Go says the recent addition of the carrier to a European Union blacklist will have no effect on the company, which has never flown to Europe. One-Two-Go’s addition to the updated blacklist was announced in a press release yesterday. To view the release, click here. One-Two-Go chairman Udom Tantiprasongchai told the Gazette this afternoon that the…
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Developers put luxury projects on hold
BANGKOK / PHUKET: Resort-area residential projects that are worth more than 10 billion baht have been put on hold now that demand from foreign investors is showing a significant drop since last year. The key areas affected are Phuket, Krabi, Hua Hin, Pattaya and Koh Samui. According to a survey by The Nation newspaper last week, a number of property…
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Poor communities protest at Provincial Hall
PHUKET: A crowd of several hundred people from poor communities in Phuket gathered in the grounds of Phuket Provincial Hall yesterday morning to demand swift action be taken by the Phuket Governor to improve living conditions in their communities. The sit-in was organized by the ’30 Communities Network’, which comprises poor communities in Phuket, including the Pla Katak Pattana Community…
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Over 1,700 men take part in military conscription draw
PHUKET CITY: Over 1,700 young men presented themselves to draw lots in the annual military conscription lottery that took place in Phuket from April 1 to 4. The draws were conducted at the Kathu Witthayalai School in Kathu District on April 1, the Thalang Pranangsang School in Thalang District on April 2 and the Phibul Songkraam School in Muang District…
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Summer camp for convicts
PHUKET CITY: Some lucky inmates at Phuket Provincial Prison are taking part in an experimental four-day “scout camp” education and training workshop between April 7-10. The wide-ranging program, including academic and vocational classes as well as a moral training session, is a good break in the tedium of life behind bars for those attending. In all, 55 men and 25 woman volunteered for…
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Google Maps now available for Phuket Classifieds
PHUKET: Initially introduced as a feature in the Gazette Guide, Phuket’s ‘yellow pages’, Google Maps were launched this morning at Phuket’s primary classified marketplace, the Island Trader Online. Classified advertisers can now pinpoint precisely where the item, property or business they’re advertising is located – a major benefit in a community where postal addresses are often more confounding than enlightening.…
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‘8 x 100’ sweeps the South
PHUKET: A new recreational drug cocktail known as “8 x 100”, a direct descendant of the “4 x 100” that came to prominence in 2006, is now sweeping the Deep South, security officials say. Thanu Neuang-uthai of the Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC) for Region 4 said that he had visited many provinces in the region and found that the drug…
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Phuket Rajabhat students protest UDD actions
PHUKET CITY: The Phuket Rajabhat University student organization has released a statement condemning the actions of “certain individuals and groups” which it claims are violating the sanctity of the institution of the Thai monarchy. Though the statement does not mention any names, it clearly refers to former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his red-shirted supporters in the United Front for…
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Phuket Prem supporters demonstrate
PHUKET CITY: Hundreds of Prem Supporters’ Association members from around the South on April 2 marched through the streets of Phuket City in support of General Prem Tinsulanonda, president of the Privy Council.Around 300-400 mostly yellow-shirted members of the organization took part in the demonstration, which assembled at Queen Sirikit Park at around 12:30pm.Some of the protesters came from as…
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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