Phuket News
-
Sponsored 5 hospitals in Thailand digital nomads trust most
Thailand is still one of the best places for digital nomads, thanks to its low cost of living, comfortable lifestyle, and good healthcare system. For remote workers living far from home, having access to a trusted hospital is very important....
-
Immigration launches hospital visa service
PHUKET: The Phuket Immigration Office (PIO) has launched a new free visa extension service for foreigners in hospital.Pol Capt Krissarat Nusen of Phuket Immigration Office told the Gazette that the new service, launched a few days ago, covers only genuine inpatients, who must get the hospital to contact the PIO at least one day in advance of the expiry of…
-
Luxury yacht grounded after taking on water
PHUKET: The luxury charter yacht Phayoon 3 was grounded off the southern coast of Phuket early this morning after the vessel began taking on water in heavy seas.The 130-foot motor yacht, which is operated by Kingfisher Marine, came back from a season based in Singapore in October, and was on the way to pick up passengers from Myanmar.So far not…
-
Patong cracks down on street touts
PATONG: Municipal officials will patrol the streets of Patong day and night this high season in a crackdown on touts and street vendors harassing tourists, Patong Deputy Mayor Chairat Sukbal has announced.“We need to ensure that [touts] do not distribute leaflets or grab tourists’ hands to try to persuade them to buy from their shops. We will arrest them for…
-
World Vision denies “aid for souls’ reports
PHUKET: Tim Costello, Chief Executive Officer of Christian aid group World Vision Australia, has rejected reports that the group has used tsunami donations and aid in an attempt to entice Thais to convert to Christianity.World Vision has helped more than 50,000 tsunami-affected people, through food distribution and providing much-needed items including 300 boats, fishing gear for 2,449 families, and 4,848…
-
School closed after “pupils possessed by spirits’
THALANG: The Director of Cherng Talay Wittayakom secondary school sent students home for three days from Monday, following an apparent case of mass hysteria the previous Friday.On that afternoon, a number of students were supposedly possessed by a spirit after a backhoe being used as part of a renovation project accidentally damaged an old Chinese shrine behind the school.According to…
-
Big blues names coming to Phuket
KARON: The curtain rises on Phuket’s first international blues festival on December 16, with nine bands taking to the stage in the course of the two-day event, hosted by the Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort & Spa in Karon.The first band to take the stage, at 6:30 pm on December 16, will be Blue On Blue from Bangkok. They will be…
-
Suwat raps warning demo delay
PATONG: Deputy Prime Minister Suwat Liptapanlop yesterday rapped the Nonthaburi-based National Disaster Warning Center (NDWC) for a mix-up that resulted in a delay in a demonstration of tsunami sirens in Patong.The Deputy PM, who was in Phuket to check on preparations for the December 26 tsunami anniversary, had asked for the demonstration.“We are checking everything, especially the warning system [in…
-
2 die, 4 hurt in Patong landslides
PHUKET: Landslides caused by torrential rains claimed two lives in Patong last night and injured four others, according to Patong Hospital. The downpour also caused extensive flooding in Phuket City and many other parts of the island.Padungkiat Utoksenee, Deputy Director of Patong Hospital, said that while flooding in Patong often resulted in accidents, last night was the first time people…
-
Starwood buys Le Meridien
WHITE PLAINS, NEW YORK: Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide has announced that it has completed its acquisition of the Le Meridien brand and the related franchises and management contracts.It has paid about US$225 million (9 billion baht) for control of the 130 hotels and resorts worldwide – including Le Meridien’s two properties in Phuket, one in Khao Lak and one…
-
Tsunami alarm drill set for December 16
PHUKET: The National Disaster Warning Center (NDWC) will conduct a simultaneous test of all Information and Communications Ministry (ICT) tsunami warning towers in the Andaman provinces on December 16, Suranand Vejjajiva, Minister Attached to the Prime Minister’s Office, has announced. The timing of the test has yet to be set.K. Suranand made the announcement at a meeting on Tuesday with…
-
Man found dead in rubber plantation
KATHU: The badly decomposed body of a man was found yesterday morning in a Kathu rubber plantation.Pol Lt Prathung Pholmana, Duty Officer of Kathu Police Station, told the Gazette that he received a phone call from locals saying that they had discovered a male corpse in the Tung Tong area near Patong Hill.Police found the body under a tree but…
-
Island has water to last until mid-March
PHUKET: Despite almost daily rain over the past few months, Phuket’s principal water supply source is still only about half full.With the rainy season drawing to a close, Isara Anukul, Chief of the Water Allocation Division of the Phuket Irrigation Office (PIO), told the Gazette yesterday that the Bang Wad Reservoir in Kathu currently has 3.28 million cubic meters in…
-
Last minute rush of entries for memorial contest
BANGKOK: The final week for registration of competitors for the Tsunami Memorial Design Competition has seen a flood of new entries.By November 15, the deadline for registration, 679 contestants from 49 countries had signed up for the competition, a leap of 130 from the previous week.The US topped the list with 151 registrants, followed by Thailand (134), Japan (43), Germany…
-
Phuket still high in HIV/Aids rankings
PHUKET: The island has the fifth-highest reported number of people infected with HIV in the Thailand, and the second-highest in the South, according to the Phuket Provincial Health Office (PPHO).Eam-on Kittitornkul, Chief of the Aids Division at the PPHO, said that, at the last count, there were 3,729 known cases in the province: a substantial increase from the roughly 2,000…
-
PM’s Office announces ‘Andaman Grand Sale’
PHUKET CITY: In order to aid in the region’s post-tsunami economic recovery, the government has announced a special “Andaman Grand Sale” to take place in Phuket, Phang Nga and Krabi from December 27, 2005 to January 28, 2006. Chaiyapak Siriwat, Chief Advisor to the Prime Minister, announced the campaign at a press conference at the Royal Phuket City Hotel late…
-
Tennis tournament axed: lack of funds
PHUKET: A one-day international women’s tennis tournament, set to feature such tennis superstars as Serena Williams and Lindsay Davenport playing at the Saphan Hin municipal tennis courts on New Year’s Day, has been canceled due to lack of funding. Chaiyapak Siriwat, Vice-President of the National Olympic Committee of Thailand, made the announcement at a press conference on upcoming tsunami anniversary…
-
Indonesian property giant buys 123 rai at Bang Tao
BANG TAO: A 123-rai plot of land next to the beach at the northern end of Bang Tao Bay has been sold by Hongkong & Shanghai Hotels (HSH) to Indonesian property giant PT Jakarta Setiabudi Internasional Tbk (JSI).JSI bought the land through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Cayman Islands-based Durham Holdings, for just under 865 million baht – about 7 million baht…
-
Blues festival program announced
KARON: The organizers of the Phuket International Blues Festival have announced the program for the event, which will be hosted by the Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort & Spa on December 16 and 17.The festival will be officially opened by Phuket Governor Udomsak Uswarangkura at 6:25 pm, with the first band, Blue On Blue from Bangkok, taking the stage five minutes…
-
Alcohol sale rules tightened
PHUKET: The hours when alcohol may be sold in shops and supermarkets are to be shortened with effect from January 1, 2006, the Phuket Provincial Excise Office has announced, after receiving orders from Minister of Finance Thanong Bidaya.From New Year’s Day, sales of alcohol in retail outlets will be allowed only between 11 am and 2 pm, and between 5…
-
Monorail proposal to be aired
PHUKET: A proposal to build a passenger monorail system in Phuket will undergo its first public hearing in February. The aim of the hearing is to allow discussion between those likely to be affected by the project and the consultancies responsible for the planning and routing of the monorail.The proposed system would provide a route between the airport and Phuket…
-
Deadline set for Laguna triathlon registration
CHERNG TALAY: The number of participants registered for this year’s Thai Airways International Laguna Phuket Triathlon on December 4, has far exceeded expectations. As a result the organizers have announced that registration for both the individual and the team relay events will close on Friday, November 18 at 5 pm. They warned that no entries received after that deadline will…
-
More work ordered on tsunami aid theft case
PHUKET: Orders for police to conduct further investigations into the disappearance of 2.05 million baht of tsunami aid money from Phuket Provincial Hall nine months ago have finally arrived in Phuket.The Special Public Prosecutor in the Phuket State Attorney’s Office, Bantoon Thongtan, told the Gazette yesterday that he had just received, from the Regional Director of Prosecutions in Surat Thani,…
-
Free concert to feature top Japanese acts
PHUKET: In a bid to lure more Japanese visitors to Phuket this high season, “Sawasdee Phuket”, a free concert to be held in Patong on Saturday, November 19, will feature singers famous in Japan.The concert is scheduled to take place from 5 pm to 1 am at the soccer field on Thaweewong Rd.Performers will include Ai Kawasaki, Ryota Mitsunaha, Asuka…
-
Low response to free tsunami trip offer
PHUKET: The government had expected some 10,000 relatives of tsunami victims to take advantage of its offer of free flights and a one-night stay for the tsunami anniversary commemoration ceremonies. In the event, only 400 people have signed up so far. The Director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, Region 4, Suwalai Pinpradab, told the Gazette that the government has…
-
Dutchman rams gunmen into power pole
PHUKET (Gazette, Kom Chad Luek): A Dutchman turned the tables on two men who allegedly fired a gun at him as he drove his pickup along Chao Fa West Rd yesterday morning, chasing them down and ramming their motorbike into a power pole.One of the two men was killed, the other seriously injured.Pol Lt Col Jessada Sangsuree of the Chalong…
-
Dog pound to have December grand opening
PHUKET: Sunart Wongchawalit, Chief of the Phuket Provincial Livestock Office, has told the Gazette that, rather than closing down the controversial Mid Road Dog Shelter in Thalang, it is to have a grand opening in December.At a meeting on August 31, Governor Udomsak Uswarangkura stated that a decision would be reached by the end of September whether or not to…
-
Fatal crash on Kata Hill
KATA: One motorcycle rider was killed and several motorists were injured when a water truck careened into traffic and overturned by Ban Kata School on Kata Hill, at around 2 pm on November 10.The K-Tech construction company lorry collided with two cars and a motorcycle, trapping the bike and its rider, Kittipong Aiyarak, under it. The injured man was rushed…
-
432 entrants so far for tsunami memorial contest
BANGKOK: An astonishing 432 entrants from 44 countries have registered so far for Thailand’s Tsunami Memorial Design Competition. Registration closes next Tuesday (November 15). The aim of the competition is to gather conceptual designs for building a memorial at Khao Lak that will be “appropriate and interactive” and “serve as a permanent tribute” to those who lost their lives in…
-
Surin Beach gets facelift, Nai Yang muddles on
PHUKET: In an effort to beautify the Surin and Nai Yang beach fronts for the high season, 100 police volunteers and three local government officials helped to clear the illegal stalls at both beaches yesterday.Cherng Talay OrBorTor (Tambon Administration Organization) Chief Administative Officer Suwat Pakobporn explained to the Gazette that it is provincial government policy to remove illegal stalls and…
-
Call for stricter building law enforcement
PHUKET: Provincial government officials and the Phuket Real Estate Club today made a joint call for stricter enforcement of building regulations to be applied across the island.At the weekly meeting of the heads of provincial government offices at Phuket Provincial Hall this morning, Chaloerm Rakmak of the provincial office of the Department of Public Works and Town & Country Planning,…
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.
Don't forget to check out some other things to do in Thailand - get help starting a business or finding a job in Thailand, buy Thailand property, rent a yacht or book a medical procedure worldwide.