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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Body of missing Chinese swimmer washes ashore Phuket’s Kata Beach
PHUKET: The body of a Chinese tourist who disappeared while swimming at Karon Beach on Monday was found washed ashore at Kata Beach, about three kilometers away, yesterday afternoon.“We have now found the body of Sheng Caoliang, who was 31 years old and reported as missing on Sunday,” Karon Police officer Lt Sathaporn Seenoon said.“Mr Sheng and a friend went…
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Phuket ladyboys pickpocket Swedish tourist
PHUKET: Karon Police arrested two ladyboys on Tuesday following a theft complaint from a Swedish tourist.Robin Hedberg, 18, told police on Sunday that he and a friend had been walking past the Club Med hotel in Karon at 2:45pm when two ladyboys rode up to them on a motorbike and started talking with them.“While Numpong Phuchai chatted with them, Pairat…
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Driver overshoots Phuket curve, car collides with utility pole
PHUKET: A driver escaped serious injury after he overshot a curve on Phuket’s Baan Don-Thalang road and slammed into a roadside power pole on Monday night.The vehicle, a Ford Fiesta with Phang Nga license plates, was seriously damaged, but the driver and bystanders escaped injury.“We arrived at the scene with Kusoldham rescue workers to find a the car blocking the…
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Three security men slain in hail of bullets in Krabi
PHUKET: A former Krabi village headman who owned a security company was gunned down at the site of a new job early yesterday morning, along with two of his staff. The three men were shot in a security box at the entrance to the Krabi Rubber Plantation Research Center in Lam Thap just after midnight. Witnesses said the three men…
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Two Chinese tourists mugged on the way to Cherng Talay supermarket
PHUKET: Two Chinese women on their way to a supermarket in Cherng Talay last night were attacked and robbed by two men on a motorbike.The women were walking to Tesco Lotus when the two men rode toward them.“The passenger got off the motorbike and snatched their bags, and the tourists fought to get the bags back,” said Jirasak Sungwisut of…
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Aussie taxi driver intimidates other drivers with gun, blade
PHUKET: An Australian allegedly working illegally as a taxi driver in Patong attempted to intimidate a female taxi driver yesterday afternoon with a bladed weapon and a gun. Garry Porting was arrested later in the day by Patong Police for illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition, explained Kathu District Chief Veera Kerdsirimongkol. Mr Porting went to the Graceland Hotel…
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Chinese tourists drowns at popular Phuket day-trip location
PHUKET: A Chinese tourist drowned at Koh Racha Yai yesterday afternoon, 14 weeks after another Chinese national drowned at the popular Phuket day-trip destination. Lin Hunhing, 30, was swimming near the island after lunch when he ran into difficulties. “There were big waves, up to two meters high,” said Thada Sodarak of the Chalong Police. “He tried to swim back…
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Russian expat likely killed in shallow-water blackout, says expert
PHUKET: A freediving expert believes that long-term Phuket expat and Russian freediver Denis Lipatov, 39, drowned off Koh Racha Noi on Saturday afternoon after diving alone and suffering a shallow-water blackout. Mr Lipatov, freediving alone, made his last descent at 3:50pm, to 25.5 meters according to his dive computer. The computer also recorded a very fast ascent, explained one of…
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Phuket’s new top cop makes a stand for human dignity
PHUKET: The incoming commander of the Phuket Provincial Police, Maj Gen Ong-art Phiwruangnont, has vowed to better protect the privacy and human dignity of suspects by calling for careful consideration before staging public “re-enactments” of crimes and criminal press conferences.“I will not order a ban on officers staging such events, but I will ask the superintendents of all police stations…
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Bangla daylight raid nets Phuket slow loris
PHUKET: Kathu District Chief Veera Kerdsirimongkol yesterday led a team of officers along Patong’s Soi Bangla in a daylight raid that netted one slow loris tout.Warawuth Saiudom, 20, from Kalasin province, was caught in the act of receiving money from a tourist for having a photo taken with one of the nocturnal creatures.“An undercover officer informed us that a slow…
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Phuket’s “Brother Pom’ leads Central taxi flock to legal co-op
PHUKET: The informal network of taxi drivers operating at Central Festival Phuket shopping mall will be registered as a formal co-operative as part of the drivers’ efforts to work as part of a fully-legal entity by November 30. The co-operative will call itself the Andaman Taxi Service Co-operative, explained network leader Pom Sukkasam, also known as “Brother Pom”. “We have…
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Tour operators warned of imposters in Similian National Park
PHUKET: The Similan Islands National Park authority has warned tour operators over a group of people posing as park officers and offering reduced entry fees to the islands. “A couple of weeks ago, a number of tour operators informed me that there was a group of people who approached them, claiming to be national park officers,” Similan Islands National Park…
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Alarmed drunkard dumps temple bell, flees scene
PHUKET: Police are on the lookout for a man who reportedly tried to sell a temple bell to a secondhand store in Thalang while drunk. Natthakarn Rattanaphan, 33, called the Thalang Police yesterday afternoon after a man arrived at her secondhand store in front of the well-known Term Fun housing estate in Baan Manik (map here). “The man, aged about…
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Go Eco Phuket starts eco-warrior recruitment
PHUKET: The first fifty people to contact local marine conservation group Go Eco Phuket will earn a spot at the Go Eco Camp, which plans on certifying and training islanders to be active marine conservationists. “Go Eco camp is now open for applicants. Applications will be accepted from expats, students and locals until November,” Jirayu Naragoonphithak, the project’s coordinator, told…
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Phuket jet-ski thug gets first taste of swift tourist court justice
PHUKET: The first cases heard in Phuket’s tourist court, which involved a jet-ski operator who attacked two tourists on Kata Beach, were resolved less than 36 hours after the incidents happened. Danaichet Yomjinda, 25, who pled guilty to charges of assaulting the two men on Friday with a “No Swimming” flagpole, was issued a 1,000-baht fine and put on probation…
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Krabi’s Andaman Eagles swoop down on Phuket FC
PHUKET: The Islanders fell into 11th place of the 18-team Yamaha League One (YL1) as a result of their latest defeat, 3-1 to Krabi FC in a tense “Andaman derby” match on Saturday evening in Krabi Town. As a result, Phuket FC and the Krabi “Andaman Eagles” swapped rankings, the latter moving up to 9th place with 38 points –…
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Phuket tour bus brakes fail, driver avoids disaster
PHUKET: Faulty brakes almost resulted in a tour bus smashing into a house on Patong Hill last night, in a near-repeat of an accident that occurred at almost the same location about four months ago (story here). “No injuries were reported. The Daow Duang Mai Travel company bus had no passengers. It was only carrying tourists’ luggage when the accident…
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Phuket’s new ‘top cop’ arrives on the island
PHUKET: Phuket’s new Provincial Police Commander, Maj Genl Ong-art Phiewruangnont, has arrived in Phuket. On arriving here yesterday evening, in a convoy of nine police vehicles, Maj Gen Ong-art first visited Baan Muang Mai stone and then the Heroines Monument, to pay his respects to Phuket’s illustrious history and cultural heritage. Speaking to the Phuket Gazette before his arrival, Maj…
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Russian dive instructor drowns at Racha Noi Island
PHUKET: A Russian dive instructor who worked in Phuket drowned off Racha Noi Island on Saturday afternoon.Denis Lipatov, 39, was at the island with friends when he developed a cramp while swimming at about 5pm. By the time he was rescued he was unconscious, and efforts to resuscitate him failed.His friends returned to Chalong pier with his body, where they…
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Rubber protests yield gains in Phuket
PHUKET: Rubber protests in recent weeks in Southern Thailand are now paying dividends for plantation owners in Phuket and the rest of the nation. Though the direct demands of the protests, which included a government subsidy for sheets of rubber were not met, the government has allocated a total of over 21 billion baht to be paid out to households…
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Samkong underpass construction set to begin in November
PHUKET: Construction is to start on the 850-million-baht underpass at the Samkong intersection in mid-November.“We have already started to clear the area in preparation for the construction,” Phuket Highways Office Director Samak Luedwonghad told the Phuket Gazette this week.“We will start by digging up the median strip on the bypass road north of the Samkong intersection,” he said.Drivers should be…
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Video Report: Transnational drug lord Hunter deported, new Thai search laws enacted
PHUKET: High on the United States authorities’ most-wanted list, Joseph Manuel Hunter was deported back to the US this morning, days after the Prevention and Suppression of Transnational Organized Crime Act was enacted in Thailand. Mr Hunter, 48, who was arrested in Phuket by officers from Phuket Immigration and the Crime Suppression Division on Wednesday (story here). He was taken…
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All invited to Islamic New Year fiesta in Phuket Town
PHUKET: Everyone, regardless of faith, has been invited to mark the Islamic New Year with a fiesta and keynote speakers in Phuket Town on November 8 and 9. “The event to honor Hijrah 1435 [the upcoming Islamic New Year] will be held on November 8 and 9 at Sanaam Chai Field (map here), opposite Provincial Hall in Phuket Town,” said…
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Police boost ranks as high season approaches
PHUKET: Much needed police boots will march onto the island in mid-November to help protect the swelling numbers of tourists and the general population of Phuket as officers ready for high season. “Our ranks will grow by 146 officers by mid-November,” said Phuket Provincial Deputy Commander Saneh Yawila. On September 25, 49 more officers will take station on Phuket and…
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Gunman Dj Bee on the run
PHUKET: Police suspect Dj Bee and his two alleged accomplices in the gunning down of man in Phuket’s party town of Patong on Sunday have fled the island. “The court issued an arrest warrant yesterday for Wanchit Sornsaree (also known as Dj Bee), Tookta Saleekoop and Moe Than Daroo for attempted murder and the possession of an illegal firearm and…
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Strict firework controls put in place for upcoming Vegetarian Festival
PHUKET: Officials agreed on Wednesday to adapt extra measures to control the use and sale of fireworks during the Vegetarian Festival next week, with special emphasis on keeping particularly loud and quick-to-ignite pyrotechnics off the streets.The small red strings of firecrackers will be allowed, said Chaiwat Taephee, Phuket Provincial Chief Administrative Officer (Palad). But only at shrines and during parades.Officials…
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Enraged villagers protest over-sized truck nuisance, get results
PHUKET: Villagers on Soi Han Farang finally lost their patience with the constant stream of over-sized trucks rumbling past their homes and held a protest yesterday afternoon to demand an end to what they view as a serious nuisance and health hazard. The road is used many times a day by trucks bringing soil and construction materials to about half-a-dozen…
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Patong Mayor Pian suspended
PHUKET: Patong Mayor Pian Keesin was suspended from office by the Administrative Court Region 8 in Phuket Town yesterday over a vote fraud complaint filed against him by the Election Commission in Bangkok. “We received the court order yesterday instructing Mayor Pian to cease all activities in his capacity as Mayor of Patong,” confirmed an official at Mayor Pian’s office.…
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Water stoppage to hit parts of Phuket on Monday
PHUKET: The water supply is set to be suspended to parts of Phuket on Monday, September 30. Residences and businesses in Kamala, Cherng Talay, Sri Soonthorn, Koh Kaew and Rassada will be affected. “We have to stop the water supply on Monday to expand the piping network in order to extend our service to Baan Mak Prok, in the Mai…
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Similian National Park to protect swimmers from speedboats
PHUKET: The Similan National Park chief vowed to establish zones to protect swimmers from speedboats* as the park prepares for opening day on November 1.The swimmers will be separated from speedboats by buoys.“This will prevent swimmers and snorkellers from being hit by speeboats. We want to ensure that all visitors feel safe, and can fully enjoy their visit to the…
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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