Phuket News
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Phuket lucky licence plate auction next weekend
PHUKET: The Phuket Land Transport Office (PLTO) is hoping to raise more than 20 million baht from this year’s Lucky Licence Plate Auction, which will be held in Phuket Town next weekend. The two-day event at the Phuket Merlin Hotel will begin on May 23 at 9am, with 301 licence plates to go to the highest bidders. All licence plates…
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Cheap tuk-tuk service to be launched in Phuket Town
PHUKET: The Phuket Land Transport Office (PLTO) is organizing a tuk-tuk service in Phuket Town that will provide affordable transport for locals and tourists alike within the city limits. The news follows multiple complaints filed at Provincial Hall, the latest made on May 8, by a group of illegal tuk-tuk drivers who have been trying to obtain legal taxi status…
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Enormous king cobra caught creeping into Phuket hotel
PHUKET: A four-meter-long king cobra was wrangled into submission by rescue workers as it tried to sneak into a Phuket hotel room last night. Saiyan Thamaphan, chief of the Phuket Ruamjai Rescue Foundation, and his team arrived at Star of Phuket Resort to find panicked tourists and locals gathered outside. “We found the king cobra trying to gain access to…
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Phuket youth football team wins international championship
PHUKET: Four teams from Cruzeiro Football Academy at British International School Phuket (BISP) brought home gold, silver, bronze and shield medals from the Bangkok International Youth Football Festival 2015, held on April 25-26. Head Coach Jonathas Candido said the Under-11 team earned championship gold, the U9 squad struck silver, the academy’s U15 team garnered bronze and the U13’s took shield.…
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Government vows to revisit Koh Kaew canal dredging project
PHUKET: The Marine Department director-general has vowed to renew efforts to find the best solution to the congested Koh Kaew canal, which links two of Phuket’s prominent marinas to Phang Nga Bay. The extension of the Koh Kaew canal, which leads to Royal Phuket Marina and the Boat Lagoon, was reported as being completed on December 28, 2014, allowing easier…
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Thailand takes four-pronged approach to maritime-hub goal
PHUKET: The government will be pushing Thailand as a major yachting destination in the region using a four-pronged approach, the Marine Department director-general revealed at a public meeting in Phuket yesterday. To achieve Thailand’s goal, government offices will be working closely with maritime industry leaders to establish potential locations for new marinas in Thailand, develop and promote a yacht show,…
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Man dies, son in ICU after fainting in Krabi well
PHUKET: A man died and his son is in Krabi Hospital’s Intensive Care Unit (ICU) after the two fainted while digging a groundwater well in Krabi. Prapan Chaikhao, 59, and his son, Somnuek Chaikhao, 38, were hired to deepen the 1-meter-wide, 7-meter-deep well because it had dried up, local villagers told police. “The two went down together to dig, while…
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Summons issued for dangerous Phuket driver
PHUKET: The Phuket City Police are demanding that the owner of a black Fortuner SUV, whose vehicle was captured on video being driven recklessly, endangering other drivers, present himself to police. The video clearly shows the Fortuner cutting off two men on a motorbike in heavy traffic as it merges onto the bypass road from Yaowarat Road, and then coming…
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Massive python found near Phuket Town school
PHUKET: A five-meter-long python was found coiled up at the entrance of a street across from Bangneaw School in Phuket Town yesterday morning. Kusoldharm Foundation rescue workers rushed to the scene at Soi Jan Asawaksuk after being notified of the massive reptile by local villagers. “It took eight of us to lift and bag the snake. It weighed about 60…
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Koh Lanta tagged as potential hotspot for human trafficking
PHUKET: Officials investigated Koh Lanta yesterday, following the popular tourist island being named as a potential hotspot for human trafficking. “We were alerted to the potential issue of people being smuggled into Thailand through Koh Lanta District after locals reported seeing a group of suspected Rohingya,” said Koh Lanta District Chief Suriyan Narongkul. “By the time we got there, the…
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Loan shark death threats motivated me, says Phuket tour company fraudster
PHUKET: The 25-year-old man wanted for defrauding a Phuket tour company of about 1.5 million baht handed himself into police on April 29, claiming that the crime was made under the duress of death threats from loan sharks. Peerapat ‘Deer’ Singhon, his lawyer and his parents appeared at the Phuket City Police Station after Mr Peerapat went into hiding for…
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Video Report: Only B600k of B4mn raised for quake victims handed to Nepal Embassy so far
PHUKET: Charitable islanders raised more than 4 million baht in the past week for the victims of the earthquake in Nepal, which killed more than 7,500 and affected an estimated 8mn people, according to the UN. The funds raised through the ‘Phuket Together For Nepal Disaster Victims’ were originally to be given directly to the Embassy of Nepal on March…
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All Phuket incinerators to go offline – temporarily
PHUKET: The already overwhelmed solid-waste incinerators operating at the Saphin Hin landfill site in Phuket Town will grind to a halt this month, adding thousands of tonnes of trash to the overflowing landfill. Though three incinerators are located at the site, one has been out of commission since 2012 (story here), leaving the other two – with a total burning…
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Suspected druggy arrested for Phuket pharmacy robbery
PHUKET: A 16-year-old suspected to be under the influence of drugs was arrested after robbing a Phuket Town pharmacy at knifepoint last night. The teen – named by police only as Nan – entered Rukya Pharmacy and threatened the owner with a knife. “Chanikarn Longsama, 30, was in the pharmacy alone when she saw the teenager park his bike in…
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Fourth quake shakes in Phang Nga Bay
PHUKET: A fourth earthquake, measuring 2.7 in magnitude, rattled Phang Nga Bay just after noon today. The Thai Meteorological Department reported the quake as striking at 12:14pm, with its epicenter halfway between Phuket and Koh Yao Yai. It struck close to the epicenter of the 4.6 magnitude earthquake that occurred before dawn Wednesday (story here) and subsequent tremblors at 12:25pm…
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Phuket’s Port in-Port out Control Center open for business
PHUKET: The Port in-Port out Control Center (PIPO) at the main fishing port in Phuket officially opened on Wednesday as a measure to help with Thailand’s crackdown on illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishers. The center is set up at the Coastal Fisheries Radio Station Phuket office near Rassada Pier. “All 26 coastal fishery radio stations across the country opened…
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Phuket designates 60 “Cheap Shops’ with food under 40 baht
PHUKET: Officials have designated 60 food shops throughout Phuket to be ‘Cheap Shops’, which sell plates of food for 40 baht. The move follows ongoing complaints from locals and tourists alike made directly to Governor Nisit Jansomwong through his Facebook page regarding high food prices in Phuket, said Office of Commercial Affairs Phuket Chief Prakong Rukwong yesterday at the Governor’s…
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Asleep at the wheel: Krabi hotel employee killed in head-on collision
PHUKET: An Ao Nang hotel employee was killed in a head-on collision with a 10-wheeled truck in Krabi yesterday. Klongthom Police and rescue workers were called to the scene at about 5:30pm to find 26-year-old Isahark Thammajit critically injured and trapped inside his pick-up truck. The driver of the 10-wheeled truck, which was abandoned on the side of the road,…
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Full-scale Phuket tsunami drill postponed
PHUKET: The full-scale tsunami evacuation and emergency-response drill scheduled to be held today on Koh Sireh, on the east side of Phuket Town, has been postponed to May 19. The decision to postpone the event was made last week, said Santhawat Riwleung, chief of the Phuket office of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM). The earthquakes that shook…
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Human smuggler busted with 10 illegal immigrants in Phang Nga
PHUKET: A Thai national was arrested for attempting to smuggle 10 illegal Myanmar laborers through a checkpoint in Phang Nga last night. Ranong native Pidech Janjue, 36, had picked up the illegal workers at a fishing port in Phang Nga’s Kuraburi district and was transporting them through Takuapa district to the Khok Kloi bus station. From there, the group was…
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Video Report: Third quake in 24 hours sends Koh Sireh villagers running for hills
PHUKET: Island officials are aiming to educate local residents about earthquakes and tsunami warnings after the third earthquake to rattle Phuket in 24 hours sent Koh Sireh villagers running for the hills early this morning. The quake, which measured 4.5 in magnitude, shook Phuket at about 12:30am. The Thai Meteorological Department reported its epicenter at 15 kilometers southeast of Phuket,…
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Officials play down Phuket earthquakes
PHUKET: Officials today played down fears that the 4.6 magnitude earthquake off Phuket this morning signaled potentially more destructive temblors from the same fault line in the future (story here). The quake struck at 4:18am, with an epicenter about 20 kilometers off Phuket’s east coast, Governor Nisit Jansomwong told the press this morning. Following the governor’s announcement, a second, lighter…
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Second, lighter earthquake rattles Phuket
PHUKET: A second earthquake, measuring 3.2 in magnitude, shook Phuket just after noon today. The Thai Meteorological Department reported the quake as striking at 12:25pm, with its epicenter halfway between Phuket and Koh Yao Yai in Phang Nga Bay. It struck close to the epicenter of the 4.6 magnitude earthquake that occurred before dawn today (story here). The most recent…
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Boy, 5, killed in motorbike crash on Phuket bridge
PHUKET: A 5-year-old boy was killed after his 16-year-old relative crashed into the back of a car parked illegally on the Srisoonthorn Bridge, from Phuket to Phang Nga, yesterday afternoon. “The boy died instantly. However, his relative Cholnakorn Cheylangsad, 16, was still alive when we arrived,” Maj Santi Prakobpran of the Tah Chat Chai Police told the Phuket Gazette. Kusoldharm…
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Suspected human-trafficking victim’s body uncovered in Phang Nga
PHUKET: A suspected human-trafficking victim’s body was uncovered in a shallow grave north of Phuket in Phang Nga this morning. The discovery follows the news of police uncovering mass graves in the Thai-Malaysian border province of Songkhla last weekend (stories here and here). The badly decomposed body, believed to be that of a woman, was unearthed after officials launched a…
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Illegal pangolin traders killed in Krabi double-homicide
PHUKET: Police in Krabi are searching for at least three suspects in connection with a double-homicide of a couple who were engaged in illegally trading pangolins. The bodies of the married couple, Taweesak Janwiang, 41, and Jinda Janwiang, 43, were found with their hands bound and nylon ropes tied around their necks in a Tambon Huay Nam Khaw rubber plantation…
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Soldier nabbed for bag-snatch theft in Phuket
PHUKET: An army private and his friend were arrested in Thalang last night for bag-snatching. “We were able to identify the suspects from a description given to us by the victim,” Cherng Talay Police Superintendant Serm Kwannimit told the Phuket Gazette today. “The two suspects grabbed the victim’s bag and sped off together on a motorbike.” Private Chonlatea Krolek, 23,…
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Hotly contested Phuket land earmarked for public park
PHUKET: A plan by Patong Mayor Chalermluck Kebsup to transform an area of 69 rai of long-contested land near Tri Trang Beach into a public park received special attention last weekend. Maj Gen Intarat Yodbangtoey, adviser to Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Petipong Pungbun Na Ayudhya, inspected the site on Saturday. Gen Intarat explained to the accompanying members of the press…
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Cyclists injured in Phuket Town firework explosion
PHUKET: A firework injured four cyclists after it exploded in a crowd at the start line of a night ride in Phuket Town on Saturday. The four injured were taken to Bangkok Hospital Phuket for minor injuries and released within a few hours, confirmed one of the organizers of the Plukpanya Night Ride, who declined to be named. “We will…
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Phuket’s Chalong Marina given “final’ B172mn
PHUKET: The Transport Ministry has granted the Phuket Marine Office a total of 172 million baht in order to complete the seawall and marina in Chalong Bay. Transport Deputy Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith on Saturday revealed the news during his inspection of the facilities, which are currently under construction. “The Marine Department has approved 98mn baht to complete the final phase…
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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