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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Tourist dies in head-on bike crash
KARON: An Australian youth was killed and a Swedish tourist hospitalized early yesterday morning when their motorcycles collided head-on near Le Meridien Phuket resort, on the road between Patong and Karon. Pol Lt Teerawat Liumsuwan of Chalong Police Station named the dead man as Simeth Julian, 18, of Melbourne. He said the Australian was riding a red Honda Dream toward…
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Thai customs nab Japanese drug trafficker
BANGKOK (AFP): Thai Customs officers charged a Japanese woman with drug trafficking this afternoon after she was arrested just before boarding a Thai Airways flight to Osaka, officials said. Customs officers searched Tamaki Nagayama, 29, and found 1,300 amphetamine tablets strapped to her stomach. Nagayama confessed she was trafficking in drugs and helped by friends from Thailand and Myanmar, said…
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Cook delivers special surprise aboard dive boat
BURMA BANKS: A 28-year-old woman gave birth to a baby girl at sea while on a seven-day live-aboard Millennium dive trip from Phuket to the Burma Banks. While guests aboard the boat, the Ugly Duck, were having dinner on the upper deck on the evening of January 2, Chamnan (“Nang”) Srinuan, a second cook working for High Class Adventure Phuket,…
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Occupancy rates improve dramatically
PHUKET: Occupancy rates at most of Phuket’s hotels are looking much better than two weeks ago. Almost all of the hotels contacted by the Gazette today report that cancellations have dwindled and bookings are picking up. Our table illustrates what has happened over the past two weeks. Generally, at this time of year, Phuket’s hotels budget for occupancies of 75-80%.…
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Long jail terms for Krabi tourist killers
KRABI (AFP): The two teenagers arrested for the murder of an Australian tourist in Krabi have received long jail terms after a nine-hour court session in which both pleaded guilty. The older of the two, 19-year-old Pairoj Yoamyat, was initially sentenced to death for robbing and murdering Cheree Cobcroft, 24, whose naked body was found tied to a stake near…
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German tourist killed “by shark’
BANGKOK (AFP): A German tourist has died after apparently being bitten by a shark in the waters off Koh Pha Ngan, police said today. The man, identified by police as Stephan Olaf Kahl, 35, from Hamburg, bled to death from a 10-centimeter-long cut on his right arm and a 15-centimeter cut to his right calf. “He was pronounced dead before…
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Two found murdered near fishing port
PHUKET TOWN: Two men, thought to be fishermen, were found dead on Si Sena Rd near Phya Thai Hospital in Phuket Town, one on Tuesday and another yesterday. Pol Maj Vinai Kongkaew of the Phuket Town Police Station told the Gazette that the first body was found at around 10 pm on Tuesday. The man is believed to have died…
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Phumisak Hongyok returns as mayor of Phuket
PHUKET TOWN: Phumisak Hongyok was again selected mayor of Phuket Town by the city’s Municipal Council today at its first meeting since the December 25 council elections. Mayor Phumisak, and the three newly appointed vice-mayors, Aryoot Tarnsiriroj, Somjai Suwansupapana, and Jongrak Nareukatpichai, are all from the Young People’s Party, the party with the most seats on the Municipal Council. Khun…
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Gruesome toll on Thai highways
PHUKET: The Public Health Ministry says at least 300 people died and 19,433 were injured in auto accidents in Thailand over the holiday period. Ministry officials speculate that many of the accidents were caused by drivers relying on amphetamines to stay awake. During the four-day New Year’s holiday here in Phuket, 261 people were injured and 9 killed in car…
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Night on town costs tourist 160,000 baht
PHUKET: A Swedish tourist says that spending New Year’s Eve with a prostitute cost him 160,000 baht. The victim, Sven Anders Fireballs (not his real name), 32, met a woman in a bar on Soi Bangla. After drinking and chatting, the two decided to go into Phuket Town where they checked into the 999 Motel on Kra Road for a…
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Controversy over suicide of Maikhao tambon boss
MAIKHAO: As reported earlier by the Phuket Gazette Online, the president of the Maikhao Tambon Administrative Council (OrBorTor), Boonchoo Rakrungsimansuk, 55, apparently took his life on December 17 by drinking a liter of pesticide. The police have confirmed that the death was a suicide and have declared the case “closed”. Dollar Loala, a member of OrBorTor Maikhao, disagrees and thinks…
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Bitterness expressed in bad taste
BANGKOK (AFP and the Phuket Gazette): Thailand’s opposition leader has given arch-rival Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai food for thought this New Year — seven boxes of iodised eggs, often used to ward off retardation in children. General Chavalit Yongchaiyudh said the eggs were “to nourish his brain and improve his intelligence,” according to local media reports today. “Eating the eggs…
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Doctors warned on unnecessary caesarian births
BANGKOK, Dec 25 (AFP): Thai authorities have warned doctors they risk losing their licenses if they perform caesarians to insure that a baby is born on the first day of the new millennium. Some parents are pressuring doctors to undertake the operations because they want their baby born on the highly auspicious day. Supachai Khunaratanaphruek, Deputy Permanent Secretary for Public…
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Van Morrison band to perform in Phuket
PATONG: Van Morrison’s band, The Red Hot Pokers, and Stan Boardman, a famous British comedian, will appear at Molly Malone’s Irish Pub in Patong on Monday evening, January 3, 2000. The famous entertainers are coming to Phuket for a one night appearance after performing for a Royal audience at the Shangri-La Hotel in Bangkok on New Year’s Eve. Stuart Montgomery,…
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Crackdown on illegal workers results in 375 arrests
PHUKET TOWN: A series of blockades and a sweep of construction sites in Phuket on December 19, 20, and 21 resulted in the arrest and deportation of 375 illegal Burmese immigrants. According to Phuket Governor Charnchai Soontharamat, the number of arrests and deporations could reach 600 by the end of the year. The arrests are part of a nationwide crackdown…
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Two boys arrested in murder of Australian tourist
PHUKET: Two boys suspected of murdering Cheree Joy Cobcroft, 24, an Australian tourist, on December 17 in Krabi were arrested on Christmas day at Rajabhat Phuket Institute. Pairoj Yoamyat, 19, and a boy of 15 were apprehended at 2 pm by police from Phuket Town and a special investigation team from Krabi. According to police, the two confessed to murdering…
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StarAid funds used to support several projects
PHUKET TOWN: Funds raised from the StarAid event held at the Sheraton Grande Laguna Phuket last June were used to organize a Christmas celebration for 30 HIV infected children at Vachira Hospital last Sunday. On the same day, 30,000 baht was donated to the slum village of Langho Prachum for the development of an HIV educational fund for the children…
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Young People’s Party dominates municipal elections
PHUKET: Results of the election for the Phuket Municipal Council have been released: the Young People’s Party won 13 seats, the Creative Party four seats, and the People’s Party one seat. Of the municipality’s 42,378 registered voters, only 53% voted in the election. Current Mayor Phumisak Hongyok is a member of the Young People’s Party so it appears likely that…
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Occupancies soft at Phuket hotels
PHUKET: As can be seen in the data above, compiled from hotels the Gazette was able to contact today, the occupancy situation in Phuket is not robust. Room cancellations are rising, continuing a trend that started early in November. All the hotels represented in our chart report that the usual occupancy rate for this time of year is 80% or…
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Weather has little impact on local business
PHUKET: Amorn Chantanavivate, Director of the South Western Regional Meteorological Center, reports that the cold and windy weather Phuket has experienced over the past few days will continue until January. He warns all boats to be careful and urges small craft to remain in port until the weather improves. Local marine operators expect the weather to have little impact on…
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84 Burmese arrested in Chalong
CHALONG: Police yesterday arrested 84 Burmese who were working illegally in the Chalong area. According to Pol Capt Thanate Poungmanee of Chalong Police Station, 54 of the 84 arrested were male. After the sweep, the Burmese were transferred to the Immigration Office in Phuket Town where their arrests were recorded. They were then immediately sent to the Thai-Burma border in…
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Lumberyard burns on Kwang Rd
PHUKET TOWN: Chaijaras Kah Mai, a lumberyard on Kwang Rd, suffered damage estimated at 2 million baht when a fire swept through the premises at 1 am this morning. No deaths or injuries were reported. Strong winds and the highly combustible lumber forced firefighters to battle the blaze for almost two hours before putting it out. Pol Capt Surat Muangsri…
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Woman arrested for illegal possession of fish
RAWAI: A woman has been arrested for possessing tropical fish of a protected species. Pol Lt Teerawat Liumsuwan from Chalong Station told the Gazette that police and officers from the Phuket Provincial Fisheries Office raided a house at 5/3 Wiset Rd in Rawai last Friday evening. In the house they found about 40 fish of different protected species, 55 fish…
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No Westerners to be freed under amnesty
PHUKET TOWN: Contrary to earlier expectations, no Westerners are to be released from Phuket Provincial Prison under the terms of the amnesty declared to mark the 72nd birthday of HM The King. A total of 159 people will be released tomorrow at 9 am. Of these, 16 are foreigners, 14 of them Burmese. The remaining two are Korean Jin Yong…
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Police hunt for novice monk in tourist murder
BANGKOK, Dec 21 (AFP) – Thai police said Tuesday they were hunting for a 14-year-old novice monk allegedly involved in the brutal murder and suspected rape of an Australian tourist in the southern beach resort of Krabi. Police Major Khejorn Siriwan said warrants had been issued for the novice and a 19-year-old man over the murder of Cheree Cobcroft, 24,…
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Australian woman murdered in Krabi
KRABI: Cheree Joy Cobcroft, 24, an Australian tourist, was brutally murdered in Krabi on Friday. Her body was found naked, hanging by a belt from a tree in the woods behind the Kaew Krowararam temple in Krabi Town. Her clothing and personal belongings were scattered on the ground below her. Police estimate the murder occurred between 6:00 am and 1:30…
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Man drowns at Patong Beach
PATONG: A man drowned while swimming 60 meters from shore in front of Loma Park at Patong Beach on Saturday afternoon. According to Pol Capt Boonlert Oonkrang of Kathu Police Station, the man waved his hand, yelling for help. He was eventually taken ashore by a tourist on a jet-ski, but died in the ambulance on the way to Patong…
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Chuan easily defeats no-confidence motion
BANGKOK (AFP): Thailand’s government survived a no-confidence vote in parliament today after a bitter five-day debate in which it faced allegations of corruption and economic mismanagement. The majority of the six-party coalition led by the Democrat Party of Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai held rock-steady in the vote in the lower House of Representatives. A total of 229 members supported the…
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Fantasea still showing a loss – CEO
KAMALA: Pin Kewpaisal, President and CEO of Phuket Fantasea, admitted last night that the cultural theme park is still losing money but said that he remains optimistic about the future, and that he believes Fantasea is on the right track. Khun Pin didn’t reveal actual loses, but said Fantasea has to pay about 50 million baht a month just to…
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Maikhao tambon boss commits suicide
MAIKHAO: The president of the Maikhao Tambon Administrative Council (OrBorTor) was found dead at his home at 164 Moo 3, Tambon Maikhao, Amphur Talang, early yesterday morning, having apparently committed suicide. Pol Capt Adul Nirapai of Phuket Town Police Station said the dead man, Boonchoo Rakrungsimansuk, 55, is believed to have died after swallowing about a liter of pesticide. Though…
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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