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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JSSL Arsenal soccer school returning to Phuket
PHUKET: THE JSSL Arsenal soccer school is returning to Phuket for the third year in a row for the annual Phuket 7s Tournament. Over 220 parents and children are expected to travel to Phuket with the Singapore-based soccer school this December. The tournament, for local and international teams alike, will kick off on December 12. JSSL Arsenal is Singapore’s largest…
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Phuket launches relief effort for Isarn flood victims
PHUKET: An operations center set up at Phuket Provincial Hall is accepting donations to help the more than 100,000 people affected by devastating floods in Thailand’s central and northeastern regions. Seven people have died so far from the floods, with tens of thousands more displaced. Nakhon Ratchasima, the worst hit province, had to evacuate one of its main hospitals. The…
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Similans park chief warns Phuket dive tour operators
PHUKET: The chief at the Mu Ko Similan National Park has warned that tour operators entering the park without a permit after its November 1 reopening may face a 10,000 baht fine – or even have their tourism license revoked. The warning follows park officers at the Similans over past few weeks handing out booklets explaining a number of regulations…
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Westin Siray Bay reaches agreement with Phuket taxi co-op
PHUKET: A taxi drivers co-operative will be allowed to operate a stand just outside the Westin Siray Bay Resort in Phuket, but only under certain conditions hammered out during a meeting with hotel management last week. Local taxi co-operative Sirae Island Taxi Service earlier petitioned the hotel management to allow them to operate a stand at the luxury hotel, which…
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Phuket accident causes commuter misery
PHUKET: A four-car collision on Thepkrasattri Road southbound in Phuket this morning caused a two-kilometer-long traffic tailback. The accident, which occurred near near the Isuzu Showroom in Koh Kaew at about 10am, left a traffic tailback all the way to the Heroines Monument in Thalang. Phuket City Police arrived at the scene, at the northernmost fringe of their jurisdiction, at…
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Chula to open learning center near Phuket Airport
PHUKET: Chulalongkorn University’s Sasin Graduate Institute of Business Administration is planning to develop a Sasin International Learning Center in Phang Nga to provide management education for both Thai and international executives. The project covers a 50-rai plot of land just 15 minutes from Phuket International Airport, an ideal location for business people willing to fly in for learning over weekends.…
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Chinese seek Bt10bn Phuket investment
PHUKET: Representatives of Chinese investment conglomerate Shang Mao Group met the Phuket Governor last week to express interest in investing some 10 billion baht in Thailand, probably in Phuket or Chiang Mai. Six representatives of the Nanjing-based firm got a warm welcome from Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha at Provincial Hall on Friday afternoon. Shang Mao Group President Wang Guiyuan told…
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World #1 beach volleyball duo signed up for Phuket Open
PHUKET: The world’s top female volleyball players have all signed on for this year’s Phuket Open women’s beach volleyball tournament to be held on Karon Beach from November 2 to 7. Event manager Geoffrey Rowe, Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha and Phuket Sports Association director Chedthawit Tantipanwadee participated in a meeting last week to iron out details for the event and…
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Phuket poll: Readers rate local driving skills
PHUKET: The steady stream of casualties on Phuket’s roads shows the need for residents and visitors to take the utmost of care when driving on the island. But why are there so many accidents? Is it because drivers in Phuket are particularly careless? In our latest Phuket Gazette Poll, we’re asking our readers to rate the behavior of motorists in…
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Phuket poll: Doctors’ certificates won’t improve road safety
PHUKET: Nearly three-quarters of Phuket Gazette readers believe having to submit a doctor’s certificate when applying for a driving license will make no difference to road safety in Thailand, according to our latest readers’ poll. Under new Transport Ministry regulations, all new license applicants, and those renewing licenses, will have to submit a doctor’s certificate in order to ensure that…
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Phuket Vegetarian Festival ends with a ‘boom’ tonight
PHUKET: Tonight marks the end of the annual Phuket Vegetarian Festival, which will culminate with shrines holding street processions to Saphan Hin, where the final farewell ceremony for the Nine Chinese Warrior Gods will take place. There will be no “mah song” spirit mediums taking part tonight, but plenty of fireworks. Those who shy away from loud noise would be…
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Phuket politician nabbed in meth bust
PHUKET: The vice president of Kathu Municipality was among three people arrested in Phuket for the sale of ya Ice (crystal methamphetamine) yesterday. Kathu Police Crime Suppression Inspector Akanit Danpitaksat identified the suspect as 44-year-old Somkuan Somboon, arrested in a roadside sting operation in Kathu at about 4am. The successful sting operation followed the arrest, at about 1am the same…
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Phuket resident Brad Kenny receives Thai Navy award
PHUKET: Phuket resident Brad Kenny, a long-time member of the Rotary Club of Patong Beach, recently received the prestigious Sahataya Naval Insignia and Certificate from the Royal Thai Navy. The award ceremony, held at the Royal Thai Navy Convention Hall in Bangkok, was followed by a special lunch in the VIP lounge. Mr Kenny was awarded the honor for his…
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Phuket superyacht event lands major sponsor
PHUKET: The Asia Superyacht Rendezvous has landed premier independent yacht broker Merle Wood & Associates as a co-sponsor for this year’s event, to be held in Phuket in December. Headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Merle Wood has established solid international yachting relationships throughout the world, including the US, Europe, the Middle East, the Far East, South America and Mexico. The…
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‘My Storage’ opens in Phuket
PHUKET: A new 50-million baht storage facility providing secure, clean and cost effective self-storage has opened in Patong. Located in Jungceylon, this is the first branch in Thailand for the My Storage company. Storage space varies in size from one to 40 square meters. The new facility has a minimum rental period of one month. Managing Director Sukanda Chiaranussati said…
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Funds raised for Phuket boy’s heart surgery
PHUKET: Ten-year-old Rino Vogt, who suffers from a rare cardiac condition requiring immediate open heart surgery, is scheduled to undergo the procedure in mid-November, the Gazette is pleased to announce. Runners from around Phuket who plan to participate in the “Run4Rino Charity Run” at Nai Harn Lake on Sunday will be pleased to know it appears that enough funds have…
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Thieving meth-heads arrested in Phuket
PHUKET: The crime spree of three drug-addicted thieves came to an end on Monday, following a series of arrests that began when one gang member was caught smoking ya bah (methamphetamine). The trio were presented to the press at a conference held at Phuket City Police Station on Wednesday. Phuket City Police Commander Pekad Tantipong identified the accused as Adisorn…
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Phuket’s neighbor Krabi needs more flights: tourism chief
PHUKET: The Chairman of the Krabi Tourism Association, Ittirit Kinglake, recently told the TTR Weekly that Krabi needs more airlines to support the hotel industry, a situation similar to that facing Phuket during the early months of this year. Room capacity in Krabi is running ahead of airline seat supply, and there are not enough flights to Krabi for tourists…
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Bangkok Airways to launch Phuket – Trat flights
PHUKET: Bangkok Airways has announced the launch of its new Phuket – Samui – Trat flight service, which is set to begin on December 2. This extension of the carrier’s existing Phuket – Samui service will make it easier for holidaymakers to travel from Phuket to the resort island of Koh Chang or pass overland into Cambodia. Round-trip flights aboard…
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Huge increase in Phuket vehicle numbers
PHUKET: There has been a nearly 600% increase in the number of new vehicle registrations being made in Phuket each month, according to the Phuket Land Transport Office (LTO). Phuket LTO director Kanok Siripanichkorn told the Gazette that 500 to 600 automobiles are being newly registered on the island each month, compared to just 50-100 per month at the same…
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Stolen Phuket bikes ‘bound for Burma’
PHUKET: A young man arrested for motorcycle theft in Phuket yesterday confessed to police that he was disassembling the vehicles and preparing the parts to be smuggled into his native Burma. At a press conference attended by Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha at Phuket City Police Station yesterday, Phuket Provincial Police Commander Pekad Tantipong presented five crime suspects to the media.…
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Road record: British fire engine “Martha’ makes it to Phuket
PHUKET: A team of Britons who are attempting to circumnavigate the globe in their fire engine “Martha” rolled into Patong this afternoon. Since setting out from London on July 18, Steve Moore and his “follow that fire engine” team have passed through 20 countries, clocking up over 12,000 miles. By the end of their trip the team will have driven…
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Fire walking at Phuket shrines tonight
PHUKET: Things are really heating up in the 2010 Phuket Vegetarian Festival, with several participating shrines staging their Fire Walking demonstrations this evening and the street procession for Phuket’s most famous Chinese shrine set to take place tomorrow morning. Fire walking takes place at the following locations and times tonight: 8pm: Jui Tui Shrine, held at Saphan Hin Park 8pm:…
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Phuket dive boat goes up in flames
PHUKET: Fire gutted a dive boat operated by a well-known Phuket dive tour operator this morning, leaving one man with serious burns and six others needing hospital treatment. Phuket City Police received a report that the Laddawan 2 liveaboard dive vessel belonging to West Coast Divers was ablaze at Rassada Pier at about 10:30am. Six fire engines were dispatched from…
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Laguna Phuket ready for triathlon, Ironman 70.3
PHUKET: Reigning Ironman 70.3 world champion Michael Raelert of Germany will head a first-class field of professional triathletes coming to Phuket for two exciting competitions in November. Mr Raelert, joined by some 900 competitors, will take on the back-to-back challenge of the Laguna Phuket Triathlon (LPT) and the inaugural Ironman 70.3 Asia-Pacific Championship, all in the space of seven days.…
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Phuket yachties to get ‘Data Center’
PHUKET: As part of a project to set up a ‘data center’ for the local yachting industry, Prince of Songkla University researchers have set up a website intended to serve as a central database and information hub. The new website was unveiled yesterday at a seminar at the Phuket Merlin Hotel in Phuket Town. The “Yachting Seminar on ICT Infrastructure…
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Phuket tourism resilient in the face of strong baht
PHUKET: Thanks to rising tourist arrival figures overall, the Phuket economy has thus far not been too badly affected by the recent surge in the baht against major currencies.However outbound tour operators nationwide expect the strong baht to cause a 13% increase in the number of Thais traveling abroad.Charoen Wangananont, president of the Thai Travel Agents Association (TTAA) that monitors…
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FC Phuket promotion bid starts Sunday
PHUKET: Football fans will be in for a treat over the next few months, as FC Phuket vie against top teams from the AIS Regional League Division 2 for promotion to Division 1 of the Thai League. The “mini-league” fixtures were announced at a meeting of the coaches of the 12 qualifying teams held on September 29 at the Sofitel…
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“Amnesty” mulled for “pseudohotel” operators in Phuket
PHUKET: A provincial standing committee is considering offering “amnesty” to small accommodation establishments on the island as a way of encouraging them to register as “hotels” and raise their standards. The move follows the announcement last month that more than 400 establishments that offer accommodation on Phuket were not properly registered as hotels. Offering a period of “amnesty” was raised…
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Thailand not ready to upgrade English
PHUKET: It’s too soon to declare English as Thailand’s second language for teaching in schools, says Tongthong Chandransu, secretary-general of the Office of the Education Council (OEC). News reports late last week said the Education Ministry planned to declare on October 22 that English is officially the second language for teaching in Thai schools. But Tongthong denied there would be…
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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