Phuket News
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Engine fire forces emergency landing at Phuket Airport
PHUKET: An engine fire shortly after takeoff forced an Air Berlin flight to make an emergency landing at Phuket International Airport earlier tonight.All flights were diverted away from Phuket’s critical tourism portal while emergency crews evacuated the 247 passengers on board and attended to the disabled aircraft left stranded on the runway.The Air Berlin Airbus A330-200, serving flight AB-7425 from…
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Phuket artificial reef project continues off Kata, Karon bays
PHUKET: The ongoing project to develop artificial reefs off the west coast of Phuket continued today as the process of dropping 1,880 concrete frames to the sea floor began off Karon Beach. Over the next several days, the concrete frames will be dropped in clusters over a total area of 24 square kilometers, stretching from the north end of Karon…
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Wife missing after husband found stabbed
PHUKET: Police are searching for the wife of Baan Don villager Boonsri Kummongkhun after he was found stabbed in the stomach at his central Phuket home last night. Thalang Police were notified of the incident by Baan Don village headman Sirichat Junthawat at about 9:30pm, after neighbors heard Mr Boonsri’s cries for help. Rushing to Mr Boonsri’s assistance, neighbors found…
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Andaman Pearl stung by Killer Bees
PHUKET: Phuket United suffered a 3-1 defeat to the Nonthaburi “KillerBees” FC in last night’s Thai Futsal Premier League (TFPL) match at their temporary home stadium at Fashion Island, Bangkok Andaman Pearl’s assistant coach, Mr Patt Srivijit, told the Phuket Gazette that confidence within the team was high before this game, after two successive wins against Prachin Futsul Club and…
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Phuket 7-Eleven scythe robber arrested
PHUKET: A man nabbed by police for snatching a Frenchwoman’s bag on Tuesday confessed to having also robbed a Phuket 7-Eleven with a scythe multiple times this year. The suspect, Winai Soimuea, 26, was presented to the press at Phuket City Police Station in Phuket Town on Tuesday. Mr Winai was arrested shortly after grabbing the woman’s bag near Wat…
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Thailand Sports: War Elephants mauled by the Lions
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Thailand’s title hopes in balance Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Singapore took a big step to a record fourth Suzuki Cup title after deservedly beating Thailand 3-1 at home in a niggly first leg of the Southeast Asian Championships last night. Defender Baihakki Khaizan smashed home…
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Phuket Sports: F1 review – Upgrades, upsets and upstarts
PHUKET: The F1 2012 season was the longest ever, and six World Champions took part; the most ever. Pirelli advanced its ‘made to degrade’ rubber, and managing tyres became a critical driver attribute. The first half of the season was perhaps the most exciting ever. We saw seven different winners in seven races, at the end of which Lewis Hamilton…
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Three Phuket tour van crash victims still in hospital
PHUKET: Two tourists and a tour guide travelling in a tour van that had its roof ripped off by a crane in Chalong yesterday are recovering in hospital, the Phuket Gazette has confirmed. All nine occupants in the van at the time of the accident were taken to hospital, Chalong Police Sub Lt Kraisorn Boonprasob told the Gazette. “A Russian…
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British ambassador joins fight against tourist scams
PHUKET: The British Ambassador to Thailand, Mark Kent, has joined a campaign by Thailand’s Ministry of Tourism to tackle tourist scams and will be in Phuket in the new year to discuss the issue with high-ranking Phuket officials. Ambassador Kent is being featured in a nationwide television campaign that will run until the end of December. In the video, Ambassador…
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No formal change in Non-Imm B visas
PHUKET: The Department of Consular Affairs head office in Bangkok, which coordinates policy for issuing visas at all Royal Thai Embassies around the world, has confirmed to the Phuket Gazette that there has been no formal change in policy concerning non-immigrant Business (“B”) visas issued in Malaysia. “The Royal Thai Embassy in Kuala Lumpur is still issuing multiple-entry, non-imm B…
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International Sports: Aussies snatch victory from jaws of a draw
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – International sports news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Siddle strikes to spark dramatic Australia win Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Seamers Peter Siddle and Mitchell Starc shared six late wickets to give Australia a dramatic 137-run victory over Sri Lanka in the last hour of the fifth and final day of the first…
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Breaking News: Busted penis prompts Phuket fighter to come forward
PHUKET: Speaking exclusively with the Phuket Gazette, MMA fighter Ray Elbe has come forward about the penis injury he suffered in his Kuala Lumpur condo earlier this month.Ray, who founded and for years ran the MMA program at Phuket’s renowned Tiger Muay Thai training camp in Chalong, urged all men who suffer a similar injury to immediately seek treatment.“I came…
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Tsunami warning app lands on Phuket shores
PHUKET: The National Disaster Warning Center (NDWC) launched a mobile phone application this month that allows iPhone and Android phone users to receive instant notifications of any tsunami alerts and warnings issued by the center. The “app” was launched on the online Apple App Store for iPhones and iPads on December 11, with an Android version launched on the Android…
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Crane rips roof off Phuket tour van
PHUKET: A retractable crane arm hanging over Patak Road in Chalong ripped the roof off a Phuket tour van full of tourists just after 9am today.The west-bound tour van was about 200 meters from Chalong Circle when it collided with the arm of the crane.The van was not overturned in the accident and at this stage no deaths or serious…
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French tourists in Phuket struck by falling tree
PHUKET: An unlucky pair of French tourists were enjoying a scenic motorbike ride along the road from Patong to Kamala on Saturday when they were struck down by a falling tree.Ruamkatanyu Foundation Phuket workers rushed to the scene after being notified of the accident by Kamala Police at about 4:30pm.“At the scene, we found the man had suffered only slight…
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Brazen youths caught after bag snatch in front of Phuket police
PHUKET: Three teenagers were arrested minutes after they snatched a bag from a Chinese tourist right in front of four Phuket police officers in a patrol pickup truck on Saturday night.“The officers watched as the young men on a motorbike with no license plate approached the woman, Wang Ying, while she was walking by the side of the road with…
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Phuket rallies for expat sailor Kevin Ashby
PHUKET: Hundreds of people turned out at the Ao Chalong Yacht Club (ACYC) on Friday night to contribute much-needed money for the life-saving surgery of beloved Phuket expat sailor Kevin Ashby. Kevin, 42, was recently diagnosed with stage three colon cancer, but does not have the health insurance needed to cover the critical surgery. “It was a great event. More…
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Police, officials knew of death threats, alleges Reisz girlfriend
PHUKET: A woman close to Hungarian murder victim Peter Reisz gave her statement to Phuket police, claiming that Samui Police and officials at the Hungarian embassy in Bangkok were aware of death threats being made against Mr Reisz but failed to act appropriately on them. The woman, a Vietnamese national who asked not to be named in fear of compromising…
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Family positive in identification of missing American Brett Bean
PHUKET: Based on CCTV footage the family of missing American Brett Bean have identified the man using Brett’s ATM card on November 23 as Brett. “My husband, my daughter and I all thought that the video on the 23rd was Brett. None of us are sure of the other videos. We are actively working on those videos, so that we…
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Child rape case handed over to Phuket Public Prosecutor
PHUKET: The Phuket Public Prosecutor will present charges on December 21 against a man who allegedly raped a 9-year-old girl in Mai Khao on October 7. “This is a grave and serious case. We have no choice but to charge him to the full extent of the law,” Public Prosecutor Atikun Puangprom told the Phuket Gazette yesterday. The lead investigator…
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Patong Carnival underway today
PHUKET: The island’s premier party town of Patong is set to kick off the tourism high season with its annual carnival, starting today and running to December 20. Organized by the Patong Municipality, the annual festival draws thousands of visitors from all over the world to mark the start of the tourism high season in Phuket, which traditionally runs from…
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Phuket Sports: Andaman Pearl’s home games under threat
PHUKET: Phuket United’s home at the new 4,000-seat futsal arena in Saphan Hin is under threat after Phuket City Municipality has asked that the parquet playing surface be relayed with rubber. The Andaman Pearl’s Saturday game was postponed to Sunday, at Fashion Island in Bangkok, because of issues with the playing surface at Saphan Hin’s futsal stadium, said Samak Rattanadilokna,…
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Phang Nga officials implicated in illegal palm plantation
PHUKET: Several high-ranking Phang Nga officials have been implicated in the operation of an illegal 16-rai palm plantation raided by officers yesterday after the site was deemed to be encroaching on protected park land.More than 70 officers cleared 420 palm trees in yesterday’s raid.The offensive targeted a district border area at the tourist-popular Ton Pariwat Wildlife Conservation Area, north of…
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‘Paris Hilton’ Phuket beach party gets green light
PHUKET: The “Paris Hilton” New Year beach bash organized by Sydictive Element on Surin Beach has, after strong opposition, finally been approved, local officials have confirmed to the Phuket Gazette. The approval came after Sydictive Element assured the local government that they will take care of three key areas of concern, Ma-ann Samran, president of the Cherng Talay Tambon Administration…
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Phuket Sports: Patong CC slay old foe
PHUKET: Patong Cricket Club (PCC) squared off against old foes Island Cricket Club (ICC) in the second game of the Jones Lang LaSalle League last Sunday. Patong Cricket Club emerged victorious after an exciting day of cricket. PCC won the toss and elected to bat, losing their fist wicket in the second over. After a cautious start, opener Mike Khan…
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Hungarian suspect Kvalka retraces steps to Peter Reisz killing
PHUKET: Gyorgy Lajos Kvalka, the second suspect arrested in connection with the murder of Peter Reisz in Phuket late last month, today reiterated to police his claim that he played no part in the killing of the Hungarian businessman. However, Mr Kvalka today did confess to assisting the Israeli-Hungarian dual national Moshe David – named as Gabor Nemeth on his…
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Phuket human trafficking victim now safe in children’s home
PHUKET: The Cambodian child who literally ran to the safety of Phuket officials to escape her life as a human-trafficking victim and being forced to beg on the streets of Soi Bangla is now safe in a home for children, Patong Deputy Mayor Chairat Sukban confirmed to the Phuket Gazette today. “We coordinated with all relevant departments immediately after she…
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Turtle egg find floats hope of leatherbacks returning to Phuket region
PHUKET: Hopes that turtles are returning to their traditional nesting sites along the Andaman Coast soared as a second clutch of leatherback turtle eggs was discovered on Tai Muang Beach in Phang Nga, just north of Phuket, within an eight day period.The discovery of the nest on Tuesday follows a leatherback turtle being spotted laying eggs on the beach on…
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Phuket Customs deliver “crushing blow’ to copyright pirates
PHUKET: Phuket Customs destroyed an estimated 29 million baht’s worth of pirated goods yesterday as part of their ongoing battle to protect intellectual property rights on the island. Fake copies of designer brand-name purses, sunglasses, shoes and mobile phones were among the nearly 10,000 items destroyed. “The 9,762 counterfeit items destroyed today are from 44 closed cases related to pirated…
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International Sports: Assumptions that cricket has largely eradicated corruption are challenged
Spot fixing threatens integrity of modern game Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Any comfortable assumptions that world cricket has largely eradicated corruption after the shock of the Hansie Cronje match-fixing scandal are challenged in a disturbing new book investigating India’s illegal bookmaking underworld. In “Bookie Gambler Fixer Spy; A Journey to the Heart of Cricket’s Underworld”, English author and cricket…
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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