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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Governor to promote Phuket in Japan
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Udomsak Usawarangkura will arrive in Japan tomorrow for seven-day visit to promote Phuket as a safe holiday destination.Gov Udomsak told the Gazette that he was invited by the Japanese government to verify that Phuket’s tsunami warning system is operational and ready to protect tourists in the coming high season.“I am traveling to Japan in order to confirm…
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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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Patong to host jet-ski competition
PHUKET: The island’s first jet-ski racing competition will be held in Patong Bay on December 10 and 11, Vice-Governor Niran Kalayanamit announced today.After returning from a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Suwat Liptapanlop last Thursday, V/Gov Niran said that with a prize purse of US$10,000 (approximately 410,000 baht), the tourney for the HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej Trophy is expected to…
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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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Provincial warning systems “to be linked by the end of the year’
PATONG: Suranand Vejjajiva, Minister of the Prime Minister’s office, has inspected the tsunami warning system in Patong and promised to link the systems in the six provinces affected by the tsunami with the National Disaster Warning Center (NDWC) at Nonthaburi by the end of the year.K. Suranand visited Phuket before joining a mobile cabinet meeting in Khao Lak.“The information I…
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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…
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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