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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Airport traffic in February take-off
PHUKET: Passenger traffic at Phuket International Airport rose by 8.85% in February compared with the same month last year, according to figures just released by airport officials. The statistics show that 376,829 passengers arrived at, or departed from, the airport, compared with 346,179 last February. The number of international passengers rose by 17.94% to 156,185, while the number of passengers…
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Walking street project postponed
PHUKET TOWN: The launch of the “Seven Wonders of Phuket” project planned for April 7 has been postponed until April 21. The project aims to attract visitors to the town’s historical areas with activities supporting a “Seven Wonders” theme, and by turning Thalang Rd into a pedestrian-only zone on Sundays. Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra is expected to preside over the…
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Phuket ax man kills, then flees
PHUKET TOWN: A fierce argument between two laborers ended when one hacked the other to death with an ax, then fled. Police are still hunting for the killer. Officers were called to a construction camp in Sakdidet Soi 9 soon after 10 pm on Wednesday where they found a man, dressed only in blue jeans, with deep wounds at the…
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Mutilated body washed up in mangroves
THALANG: Police have no clues in the hunt for a killer or killers who disemboweled a man and dumped his mutilated body at sea. The body washed up among mangroves near the Fishery Center at Moo 4, Baan Laem Sai, where villagers found it about 6 pm yesterday. The victim’s throat had been slashed with such force that his head…
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Villagers fight to save klong
BANG TAO: About 30 villagers are fighting to preserve a public klong [canal] they say is being filled in by a private company against their wishes. Villagers of Baan Bang Tao submitted a complaint to the Cherng Talay Tambon Administration Organization (OrBorTor) at an extraordinary meeting yesterday. The villagers say 10 fishing boats could once park in the klong behind…
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Injunction slapped on editors’ assets probe
BANGKOK (The Nation): The Administrative Court has issued an injunction on a money-laundering investigation into journalists critical of the government, pending its review of the matter. Senior journalists of Nation Multimedia Group (NMG), who had petitioned the court for the injunction, hailed the decision as a symbolic gesture by the judges and a strong message upholding press freedom. “This court’s…
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Briton drowns at Patong Beach
PATONG: A British man who had been living in Phuket for 10 years drowned at Patong Beach today. Police named him as Anthony Lord, 71, of Soi Sainamyen, Patong. Mr Lord appeared to get into difficulties about 10.15 am and although other swimmers raced to his aid, they were unable to save him. Pol Maj Sanguan Muangtham, Inspector of Kathu…
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German tourist dies of head injuries
KAMALA: A 40-year-old German tourist was found dead on a stairway with severe head injuries early this morning. Police believe his death was accidental but have not ruled out foul play. Police named the man as Peter Otto, of Kamala Buri Guesthouse. Other guests heard what sounded like Mr Otto’s door opening about 4 am, and then heard someone falling…
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Drought puts spotlight on mine pits
BANGKOK (The Nation): The Town and Country Planning Department is looking into the possibility of using mine pits as supplementary sources of fresh water for Phuket, where current water resources are being depleted, the department head said yesterday. Phuket has more than 100 mine pits capable of supplying about 49.5 million cubic metres of water for consumption each year, said…
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Riddle of the frozen fisherman
RASSADA: Police believe a Filipino tuna boat crewman, whose body parts were kept in a freezer after a fatal incident at sea last month, died accidentally. After the “Hong Swun Ju” docked at Rassada on Sunday morning, the captain, Hsu Kuo-Ho, 52, told Phuket Town police what happened. He said that while fishing in international waters on February 24, he…
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Weapons of war found in Patong
PATONG: A sack of hand grenades, guns and ammunition found near a hotel in Patong has sparked a police hunt for whoever dumped the dangerous weapons. Police received a telephone call at about 6pm on Thursday, alerting them to the discarded sack of munitions found near the Patong Palace Hotel on the Patong-Karon Road. Inside the bag were two grenades,…
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Broken heart drives Norwegian to suicide
PATONG: Police believe a 31-year-old Norwegian tourist hanged himself at the weekend because his Thai girlfriend had found another man. Officers from Kathu Police Station were called to a house in Phra Barami Rd about 3.30 am on Saturday where they found the man’s body in a rented room. His girlfriend had earlier discovered the tourist, who was hanging from…
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Snatch-and-go robbers grab gold
PHUKET TOWN: Two men on a red Honda Dream snatched a gold chain from a woman’s neck on Thursday as she rode a motorcycle with her husband. The couple, Jian Boontiem, 68 and his wife Kiat Saetan, 68, told police they had been shopping at the market on Ranong Rd and were returning along Soi Phuton about 9 am when…
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Phuket slated for ban on firearms
BANGKOK (The Nation): Police will slap a sweeping ban on firearm carrying in Phuket under a plan to strengthen security and orderliness in the island, the national police chief said today. Only police in uniforms will be permitted to carry firearms under the plan, the time frame for implementation of which has yet to be worked out, said Pol Gen…
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Goods valued at B2m netted in Rawai raid
RAWAI: Marine police today raided the 2nd Hand shop on Wiset Rd and seized boat parts they estimate to be worth more than two million baht. Officers raided the store after being tipped-off by an informant, who stands to receive a reward of 30% of the value of the goods determined by Customs. Officers asked shop owner Kaewta Brickley to…
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Transport office silence prompts legal threats
PHUKET: A private company hoping to set up the island’s first metered taxi service announced today that it plans to sue the Phuket Provincial Public Transportation Office (PPTO) for failing to reply to its request to register a vehicle. Tawatchai Meeniam, managing director of Phuket Metered Taxi Service Co, said, “We contacted the office 15 days ago about registering our…
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Watchdogs rap Thaksin for media fiasco
PHUKET (AFP & Gazette reporters): In an address to the Phuket Reporters Club last night, Governor CEO Pongpayome Vasaputi declared his support for freedom of expression in the press. Reporters are not obligated to write only good things about government, he said, noting that criticisms were both “normal” and expected. The governor received a thundering round of applause, apparently in…
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Motorbike taxi rider shot dead
PATONG: Police have launched a murder investigation after a motorcycle taxi rider was shot dead on Patong Hill last night. A blood-stained red Honda Dream and three spent shells from a 11mm pistol marked the spot on the Bonsai Curve on Phra Barami Rd to which police were called at 1:35 am. At Wachira Phuket Hospital an autopsy on the…
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U.S. senator dismayed by Thai government
WASHINGTON (AFP): U.S. Senator Jesse Helms on Monday slammed the Thai government’s move to expel two reporters, warning that their deportation could cause Washington to rethink its aid to Thailand. “The Thai government’s decision to expel an American journalist and one from Great Britain is the most recent move toward authoritarianism in Thailand,” said Helms, the ranking Republican on the…
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Motorcycle deaths halved
PHUKET: Nine people died in traffic accidents between December 20 and January 20, according to the latest statistics from the Wachira, Thalang and Patong government hospitals. The figures show a sharp decline in road deaths over previous years. In 1999-2000 and again in 2000-2001, 18 were killed in accidents during the same December-January period. In all three years, all of…
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Police order story off worldwide web
BANGKOK (AFP): Thai police have today ordered The Economist magazine to take its controversial Thailand survey off its website, where it was made available for free after being barred from (hard-copy) distribution here. The Economist’s circulation director for Asia, Peter Bakker, said the company decided to put the 14-page survey on the website to serve readers and subscribers in Thailand…
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Economist magazine in trouble
BANGKOK (AFP): The latest edition of the Economist magazine is likely to be banned in Thailand over an article that referred to the monarchy, police said yesterday. “It’s highly likely that the authorities will impose a ban on the sale or distribution of the magazine here,” a Special Branch police source said. A police review found that a 14-page survey…
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Yellow boxes to help police
PHUKET TOWN: Ten yellow boxes will be placed in public areas around Phuket Town to allow people to provide written feedback to the police, including tip-offs, suggestions and criticism. The idea for the yellow boxes came from a focus group of 10 people from various walks of life, which was set up by police to evaluate police actions. In a…
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Warning over dengue fever
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Health Office (PPHO) has advised people to take precautions to protect themselves against dengue fever. The warning came after statistics showed a rise in the number of dengue cases in January and February, compared with the same period last year. Dr Wanchai Sattayawutthipong, Chief of the PPHO, told the Gazette, “This year, there seems to be…
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Call for entries for tourism awards
PHUKET: The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is inviting applications for the 4th Thailand Tourism Awards, to be presented in every region of the country on World Tourism Day on September 27. The program was set up in 1996 by the TAT with the aim of improving administrative and service quality in the industry, and to support sustainable tourism. Trophies…
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Prison stuffed with drug offenders
PHUKET TOWN: Statistics released by the Phuket Provincial Prison this week show that more than half of the prison population consists of narcotics offenders or those awaiting trial on drug-related charges. Among the 1,180 prisoners, 506 men and 109 women are in for narcotics offenses. Pol Col Paween Pongsirin, Superintendent of the Phuket Town Police Station, told the Gazette today,…
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Pollsters intimidated by government
BANGKOK (AFP): A Thai polling organisation accused the government of intimidation this morning, saying police and military swooped on its offices and seized documents after its most recent survey showed flagging support for Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. “Special Branch police came here yesterday and warned us that we should inform them in advance both before conducting new surveys and releasing…
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207 arrested in labor crackdown
PHUKET TOWN: More than 200 Burmese have been arrested this week by the Phuket Immigration Police as part of national crackdown on illegal workers launched on February 10. Pol Maj Gen Ukrit Phatchimsawas, Deputy Commissioner of the Immigration Bureau of the Royal Thai Police (RTP), visited officers at the Phuket Immigration Office today to check on local progress in the…
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Probe promised on illegal fishing
KRABI: A senior official of the Koh Lanta National Park has promised swift action over photographic evidence of fishing at the protected Hin Daeng reef 10 days ago. Hin Daeng was recently also the target of dynamite fishing, with considerable destruction of its famed coral and marine life. The photographs, copies of which were passed to the Gazette, were originally…
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“Behave yourselves today,’ citizens told
BANGKOK (AFP): Police enforcing Thaliand’s “social order” campaign aimed at curbing drugs and sleaze, today urged citizens to be on their best behavior to mark Makha Bucha Day. Pol Maj Gen Pongsapat Pongcharoen told reporters that officers nationwide would strictly monitor entertainment venues for any activity that violated the spirit of the Buddhist festival. “We ask all entertainment venue owners…
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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