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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Crackdown on land officials imminent
BANGKOK (The Nation): The top money-laundering examiner yesterday sounded an alarm that rogue officials in Phuket, Phang Nga, Ranong and Krabi were behind scams to issue land-right documents unlawfully for plots overlapping forests.“From confidential investigations by the Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO), [we have ascertained that] rogue officials in four southern provinces have abused their office to issue false documents for…
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Bad news for booze
PHUKET: The Excise Department’s tax increase on distilled spirits, which went into effect September 6, is gradually being reflected on store shelves across the island as retailers replace old stock with new. The increase, which ostensibly has the twofold goal of cutting down on alcohol consumption and boosting government revenue, applies to all distilled alcohol products including brandy, whisky, “special…
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Two singers sought for rape
PATONG: Two Thai singers are being sought on charges of sexually assaulting a young woman from the Netherlands in the early hours of Saturday morning.Pol Lt Weerapong Rakhito of Kathu Police Station said that, at 3:30 am on Saturday, Patong Hospital reported that two women tourists, one apparently the victim of a sexual assault, had arrived there by tuk-tuk.Eighteen-year-old “Anna”…
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Ticket scam suspect makes bail
PATONG: British national Jonathan Duncan, charged with selling fraudulently obtained air tickets to tourists, has been released on bail of 50,000 baht after spending five days locked up following his arrest.Duncan, 24, was arrested August 30 on charges of fraud, following complaints by people who had bought cheap air tickets from him. It is alleged that he bought them by…
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Don’t forget us – Phi Phi
PHI PHI ISLANDS: Phankam Kitithorakul, the Chairman of the Ao Nang Tambon Administration Organization (OrBorTor), which is responsible for the Phi Phi Islands, yesterday called for greater government support because, he believes, the islands are being overlooked in favor of Phuket and Khao Lak.K. Phankam said that, eight months after the tsunami, the central government had still to help boost…
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Students to clean up Kamala Beach
KOH KAEW: After reading the recent Gazette article [August 20] about the sorry state of Kamala since the tsunami, students from The British Curriculum International School (BCIS) decided to do something about it. On Saturday, September 17, at 10 am, some 400 students will converge on Kamala Beach to clean it up as the focus of their sixth annual Clean…
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Phuket FantaSea bounces back
PHUKET: Phuket FantaSea will be open six days a week from October 1. The “ultimate nighttime cultural theme park” attracted 3,000 to 6,000 visitors daily before last year’s tsunami, but opened only intermittently in the following months. In July it shut its doors two days a week in order to save costs.Sirikul Amaramorn, FantaSea’s Public Relations Director, told the Gazette…
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Old town set for seven-week festival
PHUKET CITY: Thalang Rd, Krabi Rd and Dibuk Rd will be transformed into a cultural medley showcasing local food stalls and performances between 7 pm and 11 pm every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from September 23 to November 6.The “7 weeks of Phuket City’s Cultural Roads” festival will have shows from a variety of countries, Minister of Culture Uraiwan Thienthong…
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Ruby Goddess arrives in Phuket
PHUKET: A large turnout welcomed the 2005 Phuket Vegetarian Festival’s main invited guest, the Mazhofu statue – otherwise known as the Ruby Goddess – at Navamindra Memorial Square last night.Mazhofu is a well-known Chinese deity originating on Meizhou Island in Fijian Province. Devotees believe that Mazhofu protects followers from the dangers of the sea. The deity has about six million…
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OrBorJor wins “transparency’ award
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) is one of only two OrBorJor in the country to win an award from the King Prajadhipok Institute, which monitors the progress of democracy in Thailand, for its “transparent” practices.Senate President Suchon Chaleekrae handed the award to Phuket OrBorJor President Anchalee Vanich-Thepabutr at the Rama Gardens Hotel in Bangkok on Monday.OrBorJor Vice-President Sutin…
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Earthquake felt in Phuket
PHUKET: Two early morning earthquakes, measuring 5.0 and 5.3 on the Richter Scale respectively, posed little danger to Phuket.The Meteorological Department reported that the first earthquake was recorded at 6:22 am with the epicenter at 5.78°N, 98.33°E, about 260 kilometers from Phuket off the west coast of Satun Province.The tremor was felt in both Phuket and Phang Nga Provinces, but…
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One more year for Gov Udomsak
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Udomsak Uswarangkura will be in the province for one more year before retiring, the Ministry of the Interior in Bangkok announced today.Vice-Governor Winai Buapradit has been appointed Governor of Phang Nga, while Vice-Governors Niran Kalayanamit and Supachai Yuwaboon will continue serving in their posts in Phuket Province.Before being appointed to Phuket, Gov Udomsak was Deputy Director-General for…
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Nopadol offers Thai experts to help ID “Katrina’ victims
PHUKET: The head of the Thailand Tsunami Victim Identification center (TTVI) today offered the services of Thai fingerprinting experts if the United States needs outside help in identifying the bodies of Hurricane Katrina victims.Pol Gen Nopadol Somboonsub told the Gazette that he is unsure of the exact situation in the US now, but he assumes that bodies could be in…
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Woman commits suicide off Sarasin Bridge
TAKUA TUNG: In an eerie echo of a famous double suicide of the 1960s, a 36-year-old Phuket woman died yesterday evening after jumping into the sea from Sarasin Bridge.Pol Maj Apidej Chauykua of the Khok Kloy Police Station, Phang Nga, told the Gazette that the woman, Boonsri Anekthammapinit, of Moo 2, Tambon Wichit, drove her Honda motorbike onto the bridge,…
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Phuket hotels need more than 6,500 staff
PHUKET CITY: Phuket’s service industries – hotels in particular – have many job openings available, the head of Phuket Provincial Employment Service Office (PESO), Boonchock Maneechot, has revealed.Speaking at a PESO-organized employment fair at the Thavorn Grand Plaza Hotel yesterday, he reported that the 216 companies represented at the fair had registered 6,504 vacancies.K. Boonchock said that between January to…
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Thailand to step up fight against “ice’
NAI YANG: Thailand will improve its coordination with Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) partners as part of its fight against drug trafficking in the region, with particular focus on the growing popularity of “ice”, a crystalline form of methamphetamine (ya bah).Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Minister Pol Gen Chidchai Vanasatidya made the announcement at the Senior Officials Meeting on…
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19 die on Phuket roads in July
PHUKET: Nineteen people died in traffic accidents in Phuket in July, according to official figures obtained from Wachira Phuket, Thalang and Patong government hospitals, and Phuket International and Ruampaet private hospitals.Of the total, 18 people died in motorcycle accidents and one person was killed in a car accident.During the same period 1,277 people were injured in road accidents. Of these,…
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Airport bus service to launch in October
PHUKET: The island is to get a regular bus service between Phuket City and the airport, the Gazette was told exclusively this week.The service will use four buses, each of them capable of seating up to 34 people. It will start at 5:30 am every day from Phuket City and 6:30 am from the airport. The last bus will leave…
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Decision on dog pound “in one month’
PHUKET CITY: Governor Udomsak Uswarangkura has said that he plans to reach a decision on whether or not to shut the controversial Mid Road Dog Shelter in Thalang by the end of September.At a meeting on August 31, which was held to discuss a number of topics and attended by representatives of every government agency in the province, Gov Udomsak…
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British business task force to assess tsunami needs
PHUKET: A delegation of senior British businesspeople under the banner of the Prince of Wales International Business Leaders Forum (IBLF), is currently visiting Phuket, Phang Nga and Krabi as part of a tour of tsunami-stricken areas in Asia. The IBLF and the business leaders make up what they have dubbed “The Tsunami Business Task Force”, formed to assess local needs…
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Briton charged with cheap air ticket scam
PATONG: British national Jonathan Duncan, 24, was arrested today and charged with fraud after allegedly selling what he said were cheap air tickets to foreign tourists.He was arrested at 3:30 pm in Room 112 of the Patong Grand View Hotel, where police also seized a laptop computer as evidence.Pol Lt Col Boonlert Onklang said at Kathu Police Station that Duncan…
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Gov rebuffs offer of 10,000 tsunami homes
PHUKET CITY: Governor Udomsak Uswarangkura has rejected an offer from a mysterious businessman from Dubai to build 10,000 homes for tsunami victims.The Governor explained that Phuket already has enough donated homes to house all tsunami victims in the province.The businessman, who gave his name simply as “John”, visited Phuket Provincial Hall on August 25 to request that land be donated…
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Phuket Air banned by France
PARIS: Problem-plagued Phuket Air hit another hurdle this week when it was revealed that it has been banned from flying into France since June 4 on safety grounds. The Bangkok-based carrier has already been barred from British and Dutch airspace.The French civil aviation authority (Délégation Générale de l’Aviation Civile – DGAC) website included Phuket Airlines in a list of six…
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Karon drops opposition to gay event
KARON: Phuket is set to host “Nation V”, Asia’s largest gay and lesbian party, from November 4-6 as originally scheduled, after organizers met with the Phuket Governor and leaders of the Kata-Karon Municipality in a closed-door meeting. The municipality, who earlier nixed plans to hold the party in their bailiwick, have approved the use of Karon Stadium for Fridae’s fifth…
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TAT sees revival of Japanese tourism in Phuket
PATONG: The Director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Tokyo office expects about 300,000 Japanese to visit Phuket during the second half of 2005, as the message that it is now safe to return to Phuket is finally being heard.TAT Tokyo Office Director Patchaneelux Swatdee made the comments during a meeting of tourism industry experts at the Graceland Resort…
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Soccer hero to return for football clinic
PHUKET: Peter Withe, arguably Thailand’s most successful head coach ever and currently Indonesia’s national coach, is to return to Thailand to take part in a football clinic in Phuket, for children who were affected by the tsunami.This Sunday, August 28, the three-hour free clinic at Surakul Stadium for some 400 students from 19 schools will start at 8:30 am with…
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PM to hold Cabinet meeting in Phang Nga
PHUKET: Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra will hold a “mobile” Cabinet meeting in Phang Nga on September 5 and 6.On September 5, he will arrive, accompanied by some of his ministers, at Phuket International Airport in the morning, and be driven to Tambon Khuek Khak (Khao Lak) and Takuapa district in Phang Nga, before having lunch with local people.The Prime Minister…
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Bank launches mortgages for foreigners
PHUKET: Bangkok Bank has broken ranks with the Thai banking establishment to become the first Thai bank to offer mortgages targeted firmly at foreigners wanting to buy property in Thailand.The mortgages are fairly limited in scope – they can be applied only to condos; the buyer must come up with the first 50% of the purchase price; and the mortgage…
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TOT blamed for mobile phone jams
PHUKET: Mobile phone operators, who once touted their services as the solution to the lack of land lines on the island, are now finding themselves victims of their own success.They are fending off waves of customer complaints and trying to find solutions to the overloading of telephone networks in the peak hours between 5 pm and 10 pm.Boonkul Masangchai, Manager…
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Property industry club launched
PHUKET: Members of the island’s property and construction industries, along with related occupations, met last night at the Green Man pub in Chalong to launch a Phuket chapter of the Lighthouse Club, an international networking organization that also does charitable work for construction workers and their families.Officiating at the launch was a founder and former president of the Lighthouse Club…
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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