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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Surin demolition pushed to next month
PHUKET: The expected demolition of buildings on Surin Beach has been pushed back to next month, announced Phuket Vice Governor Chokdee Amornwat. “The problem we are facing is with the documentation process,” Vice Governor Chokdee said. “We have to ensure that we are following all legal processes and are being very careful when demolishing government buildings.” V/Gov Chokdee noted that…
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Unidentified foreigner killed after allegedly jumping in front of tour bus
PHUKET: Police are working to identify a foreigner who was killed after allegedly jumping in front of a tour bus in Patong early this morning. Bus driver Somkhit Wongpan, 33, told officers that he was on his way to Patong after picking up about 20 Chinese tourists from the airport, confirmed Maj Pattapee Srichai of the Patong Police. “Mr Somkhit…
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MOTS director lays out strict guidelines for tour operators
PHUKET: Hundreds of tour operators gathered earlier this month to listen in on the government’s plans for Phuket’s tourism industry for the upcoming year. Santi Pawai, director of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports (MOTS) Phuket Office revealed his plans, which include the completion of several projects already in the works (story here). “We talked to the tour operators about…
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Phuket airport on high alert for MERS
PHUKET: Health officials at Phuket International Airport have ramped up efforts to identify any Phuket travellers who could be infected with the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus (Mers-CoV). The news follows Thailand’s second confirmed case of the virus on Saturday (story here). Officials have been checking to ensure that airport screening is being strictly enforced. “All staff members at the airport…
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Two fires burn hot in Phuket
PHUKET: Firefighters from five firetrucks spent 30 minutes battling the flames from a house fire in Phuket Town, which was only one of two fires that erupted yesterday. “The 60-year-old homeowner, Sookjai Teerapittayanon, was running errands in the neighborhood when the fire started in her kitchen,” said Phuket Provincial Police Deputy Commander Peerayuth Karajedee. “Fortunately, nobody was in the house…
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Bar patron batters police officer for closing pub
PHUKET: An allegedly drunk man attacked a Phuket police officer after learning that the bar where he was drinking was being forced to close for the night. “Lt Col Wanchana Assompoch of the Phuket City Police was attacked while he was on patrol, closing down venues that had continued to operate past legal hours early Sunday morning,” said Lt Col…
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Desperate plea for blood made to save German in Phuket
PHUKET: Vachira Phuket Hospital is making a desperate call for A-negative blood to save a German man who was involved in a motorcycle accident this morning. “We gave him the only two units we had in our stock, but we need more, as he will probably need to undergo three more surgeries,” Ampai Saengwichitr, medical technologist of Vachira Phuket Hospital…
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Another marine tragedy hits Phuket: one killed, one injured
PHUKET: One man was killed and another injured after the boat they were crewing from Phuket to Phi Phi Island burst into flames and sunk this afternoon. “The boat, which was transferring supplies to the Phi Phi Village Hotel, was near Koh Dok Mai when it caught fire,” explained Phuket Marine Police Chief Panya Chaichana. “We received an SOS from…
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Illegal fishing vessel owner arrested in Phuket
PHUKET: A man was arrested this weekend for his role in two Phuket-based boats illegally fishing in international waters. “We were contacted by the Crime Suppression Division (CSD) about 37-year-old Thanongsak Raksawong being in charge of two of the six Thai-flagged boats currently under investigation for illegal fishing,” said Phuket Marine Police Chief Panya Chaichana. Officers arrested Mr Thanongsak at…
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A Decade Ago: TAT battles direct flights to key markets
PHUKET: More direct flights from key tourist source markets to Phuket were put forward as the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Phuket Office scrambled out of a ‘lion’s den’ of hoteliers and property industry figures a decade ago. “It seems to me, from what I have heard here, that there are tourists who want to come, but there are no…
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University students to perform Chinese opera at Central Festival today
PHUKET: Central Festival Phuket started off Chinese New Year celebrations in style on Sunday with a sensational ensemble of martial arts, dragon dance, folk music and Chinese opera from an all-Chinese cast of professional artisans and performers. Celebrations will continue today with a Chinese opera and other performances from Wenzhou Medical University students. Organized by the Confucius Institute at Phuket…
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Sober driver slams into Phuket Police Station
PHUKET: An entirely sober woman survived slamming her car into the outer gates of the Phuket Provincial Police Station Sunday morning. Sriwan Saelong, 30, was only slightly injured during the accident. “Ms Sriwan told us that she had just overtaken a black car at about 2:30am as she was driving down Yaowarat Road. The car she passed then turned right…
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New Zealand national dies in single vehicle crash
PHUKET: A New Zealand national was killed in a single vehicle crash in Chalong early this morning. The woman*, whose name is being withheld until the embassy is informed of the death, was found at a curve on Soi Ta Eid. Her Zoomer-X motorbike was found severely damaged nearby. “While at the scene, the woman’s friends came and told us…
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Rassada woman saved from burning home
PHUKET: A handicapped woman was rescued from her burning home yesterday afternoon in Rassada. Firefighters were sent to the home of Pornnatcha Bumpen, 42, after locals reported hearing an explosion and seeing smoke. Neighbors were quick to rescue Ms Pornnatcha, who is unable to walk, from the fire. “It took nearly 30 minutes for firefighters to put out the flames,”…
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Kiwi dies in early morning tryst
PHUKET: A 68-year-old New Zealand man died early this morning, at the home of a bar owner in Patong. Police confirmed that the man had gone home with the bar owner, whom he met on Soi Paradise at about 1:30am. “The bar owner and the man were having intercourse for about 15 minutes when the foreigner fell unconscious,” said Lt…
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Phuket International Airport looks to ban paging boards
PHUKET: Phuket International Airport is considering banning private paging boards at the arrival hall, confirmed Somsak Pakdeerak, deputy president of the Phuket International Airport Administration Department. An announcement was posted on the facility’s Facebook page, AOT [Airpots of Thailand] Phuket International Airport, announcing that the new policy banning private agents using the boards to pick up passengers would come into…
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Principled park official saves the day for Iranian tourist
KRABI: An Iranian man was reunited with his lost wallet containing nearly 100,000 baht worth of cash on Wednesday after an honest national park officer reported finding it. Wuthichai Prathumthong, chief of a forest protection unit at Hat Noppharat Thara – Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park, found a pair of trousers Tuesday containing the wallet on Maya Bay. “The…
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Missing yacht found sunk off Green Island
PHUKET: A 50-foot sailing yacht reported missing yesterday morning was discovered run aground off an island between Phuket and Phi Phi. Somboon Chooseng, the owner of Anemone, reported that the yacht had gone missing from Phi Phi Don on Wednesday night, confirmed Phuket Marine Police Chief Panya Chaichana. Within 45 minutes of the report being filed, Krabi Marine Police discovered…
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No wastewater contamination at Kata Noi, says PMBC [video]
PHUKET: The first test results of seawater off Kata Noi showed no contamination by wastewater at the popular Phuket beach. Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) officers took water samples yesterday evening following a 43-second drone video going viral on Facebook. The video showed heavy discoloration of the water lapping against the beach. The title of the video is: ‘Kata Noi…
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One map, one more problem: PM Prayut told survey cut out 1,200 rai
PHUKET: Officials in Bangkok are fuming after Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha was told that the ‘One Map’ project, aimed at seeing state agencies using a map set at the same scale, sliced off about 50 billion baht’s worth of national park and forestry land in Phuket for the benefit of private investors. In the past, the use of maps…
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Team Thanyapura takes top honors at Tour of Takola
PHUKET: Team Thanyapura took top honors in the Tour of Takola in Takuapa on Sunday. Local cyclists competed in the challenging 70 kilometer course, which featured a rolling terrain and two climbs, totaling a distance of 9.3km with an average grade of six per cent. Daniel Amby, of Team Thanyapura, took the top spot on the podium finishing 25 seconds…
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Motorbike taxi driver found dead at Bang Wad Dam
PHUKET: Police are investigating the death of a Patong motorbike taxi driver after his body was found floating in a secluded area in Bang Wad Dam. Officers were called to the area after a local discovered the body of Chanon Phumpinai, 25, on Wednesday afternoon. “We had to walk quite a long way into the forest to reach the body,”…
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Phuket officials suspend licence for companies hiring illegal guides
PHUKET: Officers arrested six illegal tour guides in Phuket on Wednesday and suspended the business licences for the companies that hired them. “Working along with military personnel and police, we stopped buses and passengers at the Tah Chat Chai checkpoint in an effort to crack down on illegal tour guides on the island,” said Santi Pawai, director of the Ministry…
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All tourist boarding boats must carry ID, says Gov
PHUKET: Tourists will be required to show a form of government identification to CCTV cameras before boarding boats at any piers on the island, Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada confirmed to the Phuket Gazette yesterday. “Having passengers show their identification will help us check on tourists’ safety,” Governor Chamroen explained. “If anyone goes missing or is involved in accident, we will…
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Minimum age requirement for jet-ski rental to be implemented in 30 days
PHUKET: New jet-ski regulations will now mandate that every renter must be at least 18 years of age to be allowed to operate the vehicle by himself. Six new jet-ski regulations are to be put in place within 30 days, confirmed Vice Governor Chokdee Amornwat at a meeting with jet-ski operators this morning. “Should a driver be under the age…
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Taxi driver escapes death in single vehicle crash
PHUKET: A taxi driver narrowly escaped death early this morning after he crashed his taxi into a power pole in Thalang. Ong-art Kamruang, 32, ‘lost control’ of his vehicle near the entrance to Bang Kanoon Forest, in the northbound lanes of Thepkrasattri Road, confirmed Lt Col Sanit Nukong of the Thalang Police. “Witnesses stated that Mr Ong-art was driving too…
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Bulgarian skimmer busted in Karon
PHUKET: Police apprehended a Bulgarian ATM skimmer on Monday after a tipoff was received from a bank in Bangkok. Boris Tulumbadzhiev, 30, was arrested at an ATM in Karon by Provincial Police after investigators were alerted to suspicious card activity by the Kasikorn Bank headquarters. “We knew we would find the suspect using a particular Family Mart ATM on Sirirat…
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French national found dead in Patong guesthouse
PHUKET: A French national was found dead in his Patong guesthouse last night. Police believe that Stephane Santin, 48, died two days before his body was discovered. “Mr Santin’s friend was concerned that he hadn’t heard from him since Monday,” said Lt Col Weerapong Rakhito of the Patong Police. “He went to go check on him at his room, but…
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Official scolds former park chief for latest encroachment claims
PHUKET: Paiboon Koomchaya, chair of the national state land boundary enhancement committee, has called for evidence of ongoing boundary adjustment at Sirinath National Park from former national parks chief Damrong Phidet, who claimed that changes are being made for the benefit of rich land encroachers (story here). Mr Paiboon, who is also Justice minister, rebuked Mr Damrong for speaking to…
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Quadrilingual website to guide Phuket investors
PHUKET: A quadrilingual website to guide foreign investors will be launched through the Phuket Provincial website next month, Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada told the Phuket Gazette in an exclusive interview this week. The website will be launched in Thai, English, Chinese and Russian. “We are pushing hard to establish the Investment Institute in Phuket,” said Governor Chamroen. Phuket already has…
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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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