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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How one hospital visit in Thailand could cost more than your whole trip
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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Resident population continues to register
PHUKET: The island’s official population rose by 2,976 to 321,514 people between May 21 and June 20.The rise is being attributed to Phuket Governor Niran Kalayanamit’s campaign, initiated late last year, to increase the number of Thai citizens in the province whose names appear on household registration forms.Muang District saw the biggest jump with 1,622 new registrations. There were also…
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Free seminar on Phuket property issues
PHUKET CITY: The Phuket Real Estate Club (PREC) and Delice Thai Co Ltd will host a forum titled “Problems and Solutions in the Phuket Real Estate Market” on July 14.Speakers will include Thawan Thimasarn, director of the Subdivision of the Bureau of Standard Land Document Issuance; PREC President Phummisak Hongsyok; Eric Tomlin, secretary to the Association of Phuket Property Agents;…
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Tasar world championships under way
CAPE PANWA: Competitors in the G4S Tasar World Championships shoved off from Panwa Beach today for the first of seven days of racing in the first Tasar world championships held in Thailand.Fifty-eight boats crewed by sailors from eight nations, including two Thai crews, are racing in the event.The championship is being held off Cape Panwa, but results from the invitational…
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Chalong bomber investigation downgraded
CHALONG: The investigation into bombings that injured two Burmese workers and severely damaged three houses in Chalong on November 28 last year has been downgraded, Chalong Police Superintendent Col Chalit Kaewyarat has said.The announcement came during the Security Committee Provincial Monthly Meeting on Friday, when Col Chalit said that nearly eight months after the bombing there was still no strong…
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Phuket to have biggest aquarium in Southeast Asia
BANGKOK (The Nation): Ripley Entertainment, operator of Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum, plans to build and open a 2.1-billion-baht aquarium in Phuket within three years.The firm will enter into a joint venture with Thailand-based conglomerate Minor International Plc, the franchisee of the Ripley museum in Pattaya.The aquarium project will be Ripley’s second property in Thailand and its first aquarium…
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Beached dolphins have “slim’ chances of recovery
PHUKET: Two gravely ill dolphins are being treated at the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) after washing ashore in separate incidents – the first at Karon Beach yesterday and the second in Phang Nga’s Tai Muang District this morning.PMBC biologist Kongkiat Kittiwattawong told the Gazette that the first, a 40-kilogram female spinner dolphin (S. longirostris), washed ashore at Karon Beach about…
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The Sultan floats again!
PATONG: Eleven days after the 38-foot sailboat Sultan beached at the south end of Patong during a storm, salvage efforts at high tide around midday yesterday finally saw her afloat and sailing for safer waters.Sultan made landfall on Patong Beach about 1 am on June 19 after its anchor chain snapped during strong winds and large waves in Patong Bay.Skipper…
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“Farang’ robs Karon bank
KARON: Despite an intensive manhunt, police have yet to apprehend the Caucasian man who held up the Siam Commercial Bank branch on Patak Rd in Karon late yesterday afternoon, getting away with 420,000 baht in cash.At the monthly Phuket Provincial Security Committee meeting held at the ST Hotel in Phuket City this morning, Phuket Provincial Police Commander Maj Gen Decha…
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Five major hotels to be re-branded
PHUKET: Three Phuket hotels will be renamed under the Central Group’s re-branding of its hotel and resort business, while another two will be taken over by the Marriott chain of hotels.Central Karon Village, Central Karon Beach Resort and Central Kata Resort will be renamed Centara Villas, Centara Karon Resort and Centara Kata Resort, respectively.Centara, the Central Group’s new hotel brand,…
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Night Station ordered closed
PATONG: Night Station discotheque, in Soi Sukhumvit on Rat-U-Thit 200 Pi Rd, has been ordered closed for 60 days for late trading and allowing minors entry to the club.Phuket Governor Niran Kalayanamit signed the order Thursday, and the closure went into effect last night. The club is ordered to remain closed until August 27.Kathu District Chief Khantee Silapa told the…
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OrBorJor closer to buying Phyathai building
PHUKET CITY: After years of failed negotiations, the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) has taken a step forward in buying the abandoned Phyathai Phuket Hospital building and re-opening the facility as a hospital with public organization status.OrBorJor President Anchalee Vanich-Thepabutr met with Phuket Governor Niran Kalayanamit Wednesday afternoon to discuss buying the building for 327 million baht, with 273 million…
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Tsunami evacuation drills in Rassada, Phuket City
PHUKET CITY: The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM-Phuket) will hold two planned tsunami evacuation drills over the next two days. The first will be at Laem Tokkae tomorrow morning and the second at Saphan Hin and parts of Rassada on Saturday morning.DDPM-Phuket Chief Aroon Kerdsom said the tests will be followed on July 25 by a regional testing…
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Rotting corpse found in Thalang
THALANG: Police made a grim discovery on Monday morning, when they found the badly decomposed body of an unidentified man lying in a ditch.A local fisherman alerted police of a sickening odor at Tambon Srisoontorn Village 1, where the body was discovered by Pol Lt Col Kritthana Putluecha and his team around 8:30 am.The victim, who suffered a fractured skull…
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Huge kratom bust in Thalang
THALANG: Police seized about 2,000 kilograms of kratom leaves and cut down kratom trees up to 15 meters tall at a house in Thalang last Thursday.In what is believed to be the biggest kratom bust in the district, officers raided the house in Tambon Sri Soontorn after obtaining a search warrant, applied for after an investigation led to a tip-off.Lt…
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Police bust ya bah ring
KATHU: On a night of rain, gunfights and car chases, a Phuket Provincial Police drug suppression unit smashed a major ya bah (methamphetamine) ring on June 19, arresting five people and seizing 1,384 ya bah pills and 115,000 baht in cash as evidence in the case. The operation started with a routine drug bust on June 18 in front of…
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Woman dies in Kata hit-and-run
KATA: Lamphun Kotpanna, 27, from Sakhon Nakhon, died last night after her motorbike was hit by a pickup truck on the steep hill near the Marina Phuket Resort.Sayan Thammapan, of the Phuket Ruamjai Rescue Foundation, told the Gazette, “She was riding her blue Honda Sonic motorbike on the hill in front of Marina Cottage Hotel in Kata, which has a…
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Chinese tourist drowns
PATONG: Strong waves claimed the life Chinese tourist Wing Wong, 40, who drowned at Patong Beach about 1:30 pm yesterday.Sub Lt Naruwat Puthawiro, duty investigator of Kathu Police Station, today told the Gazette, “He and his friends were swimming at Patong Beach. Although I have yet to question his friends, at that time there were strong waves. I suspect that…
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Beauty applied
PATONG: Twenty-four beauties from Southern Thailand on Sunday signed up at Jungceylon to enter the Miss Thailand World 2007 beauty pageant organized by Thai TV Channel 3 and BEC Tero Entertainment.The applicants, from 17 to 24 years old, came from as far as Trang, Surat Thani and Songkhla hoping to be named to be the most beautiful woman in the…
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Body found in Klong Bang Yai
RASSADA: The body of a man aged 20 to 30 was found floating in Klong Bang Yai near the Chokthawee fish raft in the port area around noon on Sunday.Capt Krurg-rit Ritnuang of Phuket Police Station told the Gazette, “When I arrived at the scene, the body was still floating in the klong. Fishermen helped drag it to the fish…
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Danish “Queen of Jazz’ to perform in Phuket
PHUKET: In a concert titled “A Touch of Jazz Romance”, the soulful voice of Katrine Madsen will waft over the audience at the Beach Club of the Kata Thani resort this Sunday evening, July 1. She will be backed by the popular Jesper Bodilsen Trio. The Phuket event is a sequel to the star’s concert at Bangkok’s Thailand Cultural Center on Saturday,…
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Charoen told to vacate SorPorKor plots
BANGKOK (The Nation): The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld an Appeals Court verdict and ordered Phuket businessman Charearn Thavornwongwongse to vacate four plots of SorPorKor land for landless farmers covering roughly 16 rai in Kamala and Kathu Districts.According to the court, K. Charearn could no longer be considered a farmer because he owned various businesses.He is the Managing Director of…
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Dutchman arrested for office hold-up
PHUKET CITY: A down-on-his-luck Dutchman was arrested yesterday for the June 15 robbery of the management office at the Phuket Villa California residential development.The man, identified as Jeroen De Valk, 35, allegedly made away with 74,000 baht – but not before CCTV cameras recorded his motorcycle license plate number.On June 15, a man dressed in black walked into the offices of the…
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Cops nab office thief
PHUKET CITY: Provincial bureaucrats will sleep better at night, following the arrest of a man wanted for stealing valuables from government offices on the island.At a press conference yesterday, Phuket City Police Station Superintendent Col Nos Sawetalek presented 30-year-old Prayuth Kruakaew as the thief, along with four laptop computers, three mobile phones and cash in baht, US dollars and Chinese…
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High and dry
PATONG: Six days after it washed up on the south end of Patong Beach, the 38-foot sailboat Sultan remains high and dry after several unsuccessful efforts to dislodge and re-float her.The Sultan washed up on the south end of Patong Beach during a strong storm about 1 am on Tuesday.Skipper Michael Wilson of the UK, who was asleep on the…
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Looking for beautiful Thai women
PHUKET: Girl watchers might want to pay a special visit to Jungceylon on June 24, when starry-eyed beauties from all over the southern region will converge on the second floor to apply for the chance to compete in the Miss Thailand World 2007 beauty pageant. The pageant, organized by Thai TV Channel 3 content provider BEC Tero-Entertainment, will determine which…
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Thieves cash in on dark and stormy night
PHUKET CITY: While storm winds whipped through Phuket City on Tuesday night, thieves made off with about 90,000 baht in cash after breaking into a Christian foundation at Phun Pol Night Plaza.Lt Col Ampolwat Saengrueng, duty inspector of Phuket Police Station, told the Gazette, “Burglars broke into the New Life Foundation at 74/123 Phun Pol Night Plaza. They scaled a…
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Japanese hotel worker killed in crash
KARON: A Japanese circus entertainer from Club Med died after he was run over by a tuk-tuk on a hill near Le Meridien Phuket Beach Resort at about 6 am on Tuesday.Lt Col Sanguan Muangtham, duty inspector of Chalong Police Station, identified the victim as Nakamura Masakazu, 41. Mr Masakazu was riding a rented Honda Dream motorbike in heavy rain…
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Beachcomber’s nightmare in Nai Thon
NAI THON: Police are hoping to establish the identity of a headless and badly decomposed human corpse discovered washed up on Nai Thon Beach late Tuesday morning. Sub Lt Thianchai Duangsuwan of the Tha Chat Chai Police Station told the Gazette the gruesome discovery was made at about 10:30 am on the stretch of beach in front of the Naithonburi…
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Phuket shrines to make Chinese-style Jatukham amulets
PHUKET CITY: Three Chinese shrines on the island are joining forces to make Chinese-style versions of the popular Jatukham Ramathep amulet in order to raise money to build a 60-million-baht VIP wing at Vachira Phuket Hospital. A press conference was held at Pud Jor Shrine on June 18 to describe the amulet-making process and inform the public how to reserve…
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Yacht beached after heavy storm
PATONG: The 38-foot sailboat Sultan washed up on the south end of Patong Beach about 1 am last night during a strong storm, waking owner Michael Wilson, who was asleep on the vessel when it hit the shore.Mr Wilson, from the UK, had sailed 17 days alone through stormy weather from Sri Lanka before reaching Phuket yesterday. Upon inspecting his…
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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