Phuket News
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Patong business operators want transgender sex workers “cleaned up”
Patong business operators on Bangla Road want transgender sex workers to be “cleaned up,” in addition to food and drink vendors. The president of the Patong Entertainment Business Association, Weerawit Kreuasombat, said… “While Patong officials are now increasing safety management measures on Bangla Road, transgender prostitutes should be cleaned up too. We consistently get complaints that they are annoying and…
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Phuket man who slit father’s throat faces murder charges
UPDATE The Phuket man who slit his father’s throat on Monday now faces charges of murder. The man, 26 year old Arnon Kammanochart, slit the throat of his father, 51 year old Uthai Kammanochart, in Thalang district. Arnon claimed that he was defending himself from his father. He said his father physically attacked him when he didn’t have money for…
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Rawai expat arrested for owning whale bones
Bart Simpson famously used to say, “Don’t have a cow, man!” But maybe, also don’t have a whale! In Rawai, a Frenchmen was arrested after he was discovered in possession of part of a whale skeleton. It turns out that owning whale bones violates the Wild Animal Protection Act. The Phuket Express reports that the man was nabbed when officials…
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Charter flights to Phuket and Pattaya filled with Russian tourists
Charter flights to Thailand’s hotspots of Phuket and Pattaya are being filled with Russian tourists. The chairman of the Chonburi Council of Tourism Industry, Thanet Suparashasrangsi, said… “The Azur Airline will start bringing in charter flights from November 26 on B757 carriers, which can hold about 202 passengers and will improve the number of tourists in Pattaya significantly.” Russia’s Ikar…
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Rowdy monkeys moved on Phuket island
Two rowdy monkeys on an island off Phuket have been moved to the far side of the island after bothering residents. The two macaques had been disturbing locals and causing trouble, according to the head of Khao Phra Thaeo Nature and Wildlife Education Center Pongchart Chuahom. Officers from a rescue foundation of the Khao Phra Thaeo Non-hunting Area arrived on…
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Artists sell work at Phuket exhibition to help underprivileged children
Several artists are selling their work at an exhibition in Phuket, with proceeds going to help underprivileged children. The 1st Andaman Art Creation exhibition opened on November 18 and will run until November 30. It is being held at Central Floresta in Kathu. The exhibition includes over 80 items from 50 artists. The proceeds will go to children in the…
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Turtle lays over 100 eggs in Phang Nga, marking the start of nesting season
A sea turtle marked the start of nesting season by laying over 100 eggs in Phang Nga yesterday. Officials from the Khok Kloi area found the nest of 118 eggs, with track marks from the turtle, a Bang Khwan Beach. The officials confirmed that a leatherback sea turtle had laid the eggs. Out of the 118 eggs, 106 were fertile…
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Phuket expects 1 billion baht revenue boost from yacht tourism
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) hosted the Thailand Charter Week 2022 at Phuket Yacht Haven Marina on Wednesday in a bid to boost nautical tourism. The TAT believes accommodating the sailing community in Phuket will generate 1 billion baht in revenue. The Deputy Governor of the Domestic Marketing Department of TAT, Thapanee Kiatpaiboon, revealed that the Thailand Charter Week…
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New direct flight from Oman makes its way to Phuket
A new direct flight from Oman made its way to Phuket International Airport on Monday. The Oman Air flight arrived in Phuket from Muscat, Oman’s capital. The flight carried a total of 162 passengers, who received HKT souvenirs upon arrival, The Phuket Express reported. Phuket has seen a number of new direct flights arrive recently. The flagship airline of Russia…
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After seeing smoke, Swedish man’s car burst into flames
A Volvo turned into a fiery inferno in Phuket with its owner barely escaping injury after pulling over the car when he saw smoke. The incident took place on Monday afternoon as a Swedish man was driving toward Rawai Beach. The 57 year old man had been driving around without any sign of a problem until he saw smoke under…
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After heavy floods, Patong Hill road reopens to some traffic
While officials now believe it will take months to fully repair the storm-damaged motorway over Patong Hill, the road has been partially reopened to limited traffic this morning. The reopening comes after a night of heavy rain caused flash flooding all around the island. Kathu and Phuket Town were particularly hard-hit by the torrential downpours. Amid the heavy rains in…
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Free concert with renowned Russian Jazz artist coming to Phuket
Jazz lovers in Phuket will soon have an opportunity to attend a free concert with a renowned Russian jazz artist, Igor Butman. Butman is known as a virtuoso saxophonist. The concert, titled “Igor Butman and Friends,” will be held at Karon Beach on Friday, December 13, at 6.45pm. The concert is being held as part of the 125th anniversary of…
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PHUKET TASTIVAL festival coming up
Another one of Phuket’s food festivals is coming up this week. The festival, titled PHUKET TASTIVAL Seafood & Gastronomy: Dive Thru Seafood, will be held from November 17-21. The festival will be held at Patong Beach at the Dolphin Public Park (Loma Park) from 11am to 8pm each day. Locals and tourists alike can taste fresh seafood, and there will…
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A million tourists have arrived in Phang Nga this year
A million tourists have made the trip to Thailand’s holiday hotspot province of Phang Nga this year. Phang Nga’s millionth foreign tourist, Veronika Labajova from Slovakia, was welcomed with gifts from tourism officials on November 6. Now, Phang Nga has set a goal of drawing up to 10 million tourists next year. Governor Ekkarat Leesen spoke on Saturday at the launch…
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Road repair on Patong Hill may take more than 2 months
The extensive road damage due to landslides on Patong Hill is now expected to take longer to repair than the original 45-day prediction. Pounding rains and land erosion have severely damaged the road which has been closed and opened several times to varying degrees in an attempt to allow people to pass between Patong and Kathu. After heavy rains caused…
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Phuket pickup truck racers fined
UPDATE Pickup truck drivers who went viral in a video for racing on a Phuket road last week have been fined. Three racers presented themselves at Phuket City Police Station on Friday and admitted that they were the drivers in the viral clips. The three men have now been fined 2,000 baht each. They are facing charges of causing loud…
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Aeroflot adds 14 more weekly Russian flights to Phuket
Less than two weeks after Russian airlines made their triumphant return to Phuket, Aeroflot has announced an increase in direct flights to the island. The flagship airline of Russia announced yesterday that it would be adding 14 new flights a week from Russia to Phuket. The exact start date of these new flights has not yet been confirmed, but the…
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Phuket prison cookery contest stirs the taste buds
Inmates at Phuket prison have been learning new cooking skills and taking part in a cookery contest to prepare them for release. Street Food Cooking Contest to Build a Career (Season 2) event, organised by Phuket Provincial Probation Office concluded the food and nutrition department of Phuket Polytechnic College Thursday. Judging the contest, Phiphat Wongteerakijkosol, director of the probation office,…
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Patong Hill road closed to cars just 2 days after reopening
Heavy rains have continuously closed down the road between Patong and Kathu in Phuket. The road had opened to pedestrians for a while, and then motorbikes only, before reopening to cars. But now, the road over Patong Hill has been closed to cars again, starting early this morning due to road repairs and soil shifting. The announcement was made late…
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Russians the biggest tourist group in Phuket in November so far
Russians have made up Phuket’s biggest group of tourists so far in November. From November 1-10, Phuket saw 18,370 Russian tourists. The total number of foreign tourists was 75,247, The Phuket Express reported. The next top four countries for tourism in Phuket were: India with 8,939 tourists, Australia with 5,275 tourists, the UK with 4,511 tourists, and Germany with 4,152…
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Officials plan to step up Phuket’s education standards
Phuket officials are planning to step up the island province’s education standards. Phuket Governor Narong led a meeting on the issue yesterday. Officials discussed using Big Data to develop Phuket’s entire education system. The aim would be to ensure that all students have an equal education, with no students left disadvantaged. Narong said that this would make Phuket an “international…
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Mass tree-planting planned for Phuket beach after illegal structures removed
After police removed removed illegal structures from a beach in Phuket‘s Thalang district, they now plan to recover the beach’s nature. Phuket Vice Governor Amnuay announced at a meeting on Monday that a mass tree-planting would start at Layan Beach on Tuesday, November 15. The tree-planting event will begin at 9am, and will include a beach cleanup, he said. Amnuay…
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First LOT Polish Airlines flight arrives in Phuket
Phuket International airport welcomed its first LOT Polish Airlines flight yesterday. The flight carried 252 passengers from Warsaw to Phuket. Officials and staff greeted the passengers and handed them HKT We Care souvenirs upon arrival, The Phuket Express reported. This news comes after an inaugural flight from Uzbekistan arrived in Phuket on Sharq Airlines just last week. The flight carried…
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New Zealand expat arrested in Phuket over weapons, including explosives
A New Zealand expat has been arrested in Phuket for possessing several weapons, including 11 explosives. The man, 63 year old Gareth Alan Davies, was also found to have 19 guns and ammunition in his house in the Kathu district. Region 8 Police Commander Surapong Thanomjit said that Davies had claimed that the weapons were just collectables. But Commander Surapong…
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Police remove illegal food and drink venues at Phuket beach
Police have on Wednesday removed illegal food and drink venues from a beach in Phuket‘s Thalang district. The police found three venues on Layan Beach that were providing food and drinks, as well as beach chairs, sunbeds, and umbrellas. Two people who said they were owners of two of the outlets were arrested for seeling alcohol without permission, and violating…
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Phuket vehicle crash kills Russians and Thai
A motorbike and car crash in Phuket killed a Russian man, Russian woman, and a Thai woman in the early hours of this morning. The three lives were tragically taken after a big bike, a motorbike, and a taxi car all collided in the town of Rawai. Rescuers arrived to find the damaged vehicles scattered over the road. Nearby, they…
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Singaporean dies in Kamala motorcycle crash
A Singaporean man died when he lost control of his motorbike on the coast road south of Kamala and crashed head-on into an oncoming truck yesterday. This follows this week’s death of an Australian resident, the death of a police officer in Bangkok, and the death of a passenger in a car driver by a Danish man last night in…
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Inaugural flight from Uzbekistan arrives in Phuket
An inaugural flight from Uzbekistan arrived in Phuket this morning. Sharq Airlines flight HH2203 arrived at Phuket International Airport from Uzbekistan’s capital city of Tashkent. The flight carried 238 passengers, who received HKT We Care waterproof bags from the airport, The Phuket Express reported. This news comes after Thai tourism officials announced last month that they were seeking more tourists…
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Police raid 4 Phuket venues for underage drinking
Raids in Phuket last night saw police targeting businesses accused of selling alcohol to minors. Police say they received numerous complaints that some venues in the area were selling alcohol to children. The legal age for drinking in Thailand is 20 years old. Last night officials from many local and provincial police forces and government departments descended on a number…
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Snarky Phuket man claims stealing ex-girlfriend’s car was just a joke
A snarky Phuket man claims that he only stole his ex-girlfriend’s car as a joke. The 54 year old Somsak, stole the car on October 30 from his former girlfriend’s house in a housing estate in the Wichit sub-district of the main city district. Sopawan said she parked the sedan near her house before finding out in the morning that…
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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