Phuket News
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Out of Rh-negative blood, Phuket Blood Bank calls for donors
PHUKET: The Phuket Regional Blood Center (PRBC), often called upon to save the lives of Thais and foreigners, has no reserves of type O-negative and A-negative blood. The blood bank is also low on stocks of blood types A and B. “We try to maintain a daily minimum stock of 200 units of A, B and O blood types, and…
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VIDEO: Brothers Grimes grill Phuket’s Dylan Young
PHUKET: Young karters Ben and Sam Grimes, who compete in the 125cc Junior Class in the Rotax Asia Max Challenge (AMC) in Malaysia and the Thai Championships, recently interviewed racing driver Dylan Young about his career. The interview was the perfect opportunity for Dylan to pass on some of his experience to the brothers and for Ben and Sam to…
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Corals allegedly damaged by seawalking company to take years to grow back
PHUKET: Corals allegedly damaged by a seawalking company off Khai Nai Island, east of Phuket, could take five to six years to grow back, explained officials as they inspected the decimated underwater habitat yesterday. Over 300 square meters of coral were damaged to create a pathway for tourists to walk on the sea floor, said the Phuket Department of Marine…
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Phuket one-stop yacht center steers course for 2015 launch
PHUKET: With the long-awaited “one-stop center” for all yachts arriving in Phuket one year overdue, officials have now announced the complex is on track to open in 2015. The 70-million-baht rotunda-style building stands proud in Chalong Bay (map here), but remains to be occupied by the relevant agencies for yacht arrivals to clear immigration, customs and the harbor master. In…
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Phuket FC sign MoU with famous Brazilian club Cruzeiro
PHUKET: Pamuk Achariyachai, president of Phuket FC, announced that the club will sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with famous Brazilian club Cruzeiro Esporte Club, next week. The bilateral agreement means Phuket and Cruzerio will be able to exchange players. The Islanders currently have two Brazilians, Luiz “Dudu” Purcino and Junior “Juninho” Guimaro, in their squad. Pamuk is looking to…
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Saphan Hin teen gang member killed in Phuket drive-by
PHUKET: A series of violent incidents between two teen gangs culminated in one of the members being gunned down in the Saphan Hin area early yesterday morning. Jetsadakorn “Bank” Setnarm, 15, was shot twice in the chest and died while being transferred to Vachira Phuket Hospital, explained Wichit Police Inspector Passakorn Sonthikun. “At about 2:30am Mr Jetsadakorn and fellow gang…
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Swedish tourist caught in string of Phuket drug arrests
PHUKET: Karon Police arrested a Swedish tourist, along with three others, on drug charges last night. Karon Police led by Karon Police Deputy Superintendent Sophon Borirak arrested a Swedish man and his female companion at a hotel near Taina Road in Karon (map here) at 6pm. Police named the suspects as Jen Peter, 48, and Kwanpana “Tom” Thani, 29, from…
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Phuket monks defrocked after being caught with drugs
PHUKET: Four monks and a lay worker at the well-known Wat Kajornrungsan on Ranong Road in Phuket Town were arrested Tuesday night after a tip-off led police to catch them with drugs.“We went to Wat Kajornrungsan after local residents reported to us that they suspected some monks were using drugs,” Phuket City Police Deputy Superintendent Prawit Engchuan told the Phuket…
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Phuket loan shark, henchmen netted in raid
PHUKET: Crime Suppression Division officers arrested a Phuket loan shark and his six henchmen in a raid on a house in Thalang district late yesterday afternoon. Led by Maj Roongsak Maichandee and armed with a search warrant, the officers entered a house in Ban Muang Mai, off Thepkrasattri Road, and arrested Yutthana “Tum” Dorkjan, 31, for running a loan shark…
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Phuket hatchet-wielding thief still at large, motorbike recovered
PHUKET: A motorbike stolen by a hatchet-wielding man on the run was found yesterday parked at the Koh Kaew Post Office.The man, thought to be dangerous, is still at large.Police first encountered the man when they signaled him to pull over at a checkpoint in Cherng Talay on Thursday. He refused to stop, almost hitting a police officer as he…
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Reaching out for that helping hand
Suicide rates have increased 60 per cent worldwide over the past 45 years, according to the World Health Organization. Phuket is not immune, but there is help available for those in need. The Phuket Gazette’s Leslie Porterfield reports. PHUKET: KHEMMANIT Jantharaapa was 38 years old when she walked onto Thao Thepkrasattri Bridge in tears on April 24. She took off…
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Phuket beach party ends with shotgun blast
PHUKET: A man enjoying a laid-back beach party with friends at Kalim, north of Patong Beach, last night managed to push away a shotgun that was pointed at his head just before it went off. Khatawut Sangngam, 23, was with friends on Kalim Beach (map here) when three men rode by them on motorbikes, looked them over, and rode on.…
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Tourism Minister: International licenses a must for Phuket car, bike rentals
PHUKET: Tourists will need to have a valid international driver’s license to rent cars and motorbikes, the Minister of Tourism and Sports announced on Saturday. The news came as Tourism and Sports Minister Somsak Pureesrisak sifted through a slew of issues facing the state of tourism in the Andaman provinces of Phuket, Phang Nga and Krabi at a meeting at…
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Phuket Tourist Police arrest illegal Chinese guides
PHUKET: Tourist Police arrested two Chinese nationals in Phuket Town yesterday for working illegally as tour guides catering to Chinese tour groups. Phuket Tourist Police Inspector Urumporn Khundejsumrit named the two men as Hung Jin Tia, also known as “Mr Tawan”, 34, and Cao Jiandong, 40. Accompanying Tourist Police in the raid on the men’s tour kiosk on Phun Pol…
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Police await fingerprint results over Phuket yacht thieves’ knife attack
PHUKET: Police are waiting for fingerprint test results to determine whether the two yacht thieves arrested last weekend also carried out a knife attack on a Frenchman who disturbed the duo while they were trying to rob his yacht just two days earlier. Niwat Duangmanee and Theeraphol Malasan, both 21, were charged with using knives to commit armed robbery, using…
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Phuket football: Islanders unable to tame Port Lions
PHUKET: The Islanders drew 1-1 with the Port Authority of Thailand’s pro soccer team, Singhtarua FC on Saturday night at Phuket’s Surakul Stadium, and the home team will feel unlucky not to have claimed all three points. Playing their 9th fixture away, in their first season ever in the Thai Division 1 (Yamaha League One or YL1), the Singhtarua FC…
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New Phuket court to deliver tourists justice
PHUKET: A new series of courts will be established in Phuket and other key vacation destinations in Thailand, including Bangkok, Pattaya, Chiang Mai, Phang Nga and Krabi, to assist foreign visitors.“Tourists who are the victims of thefts and robberies may have to face a lengthy trial and experience inconvenience because they only stay in the country for a short time,”…
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More trekking elephants suspected illegal in Phang Nga raids
PHUKET: Officers from the regional Natural Resources and Environment Crime Suppression Division have identified 26 more elephants they suspect were illegally acquired. The news follows raids on elephant trekking companies in Phang Nga, north of Phuket, earlier this week, during which officers identified 40 elephants they suspect are illegal (story here). The trekking camps are well known for providing popular…
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Tourism minister pledges to push B100mn Phuket Port expansion plan
PHUKET: The Minister of Tourism and Sports, in Phuket to inspect the Deep Sea Port today, has pledged to push forward the 100-million-baht plan to expand Phuket’s key port facility.“I will raise the issue with the Minister of Transportation next week,” Somsak Pureesrisak told reporters today.Joining Mr Somsak in his visit to Phuket today was Tourism of Thailand (TAT) Governor…
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Man arrested for selling corals at Phuket market
PHUKET: Police last night arrested a market trader for selling pieces of dead coral as ornaments fitted to leather bands at the popular Saphan Hin Park in Phuket Town. Officers moved in and arrested Suphachok Worramatamart, 37, after they received a tip-off that dead specimens of coral were being sold at the market. Marine Police Region 8 Deputy Superintendent Lt…
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Fresh push to give Phuket beaches lifeguard boost
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Administrative Organization (PPAO) is pushing to get extra lifeguard watchtowers set up at five tourist-popular beaches on Phuket’s west coast. The move comes as the contract with the Phuket Lifeguard Club expires at the end of this month, coinciding with the regular arrival of the annual rainy season, when the island’s beaches claim tourists’ lives each…
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Dwarf sperm whale treated, released in Patong
PHUKET: A dwarf sperm whale measuring 2.4 meters long was treated with a dose of antibiotics and released back into the sea after being spotted off Patong Beach on Wednesday.Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) officers received a report of the ill whale at about 8:30am.The animal, weighing only an estimated 150 kilograms, was found in front of the police box…
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French expat, 26, found hanged in Phuket
PHUKET: The body of a 26-year-old French expat was found hanging in a rented Rawai house on Tuesday.Chalong Police and Ruamjai Foundation rescue workers were notified of the death at about 4:30pm, after the owner of the house had entered the building to investigate a stench that was disturbing neighbors.“Officers on duty found the body of the foreigner sitting inside,…
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Governor proposes solution for Rassada water pollution
PHUKET: After inspecting the site in Rassada where highly polluted wastewater is pumped directly into the Bang Yai Canal in Phuket Town (story here), Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut has drawn up a plan to solve the problem. Before drawing up his plan, Gov Maitri broadened his scope of appraisal and inspected drainage ditches behind the Radio of Thailand official residences…
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Immigration chief highlights Rohingya plight in Thailand
PHUKET: Immigration Bureau Commissioner Pharnu Kerdlarpphon, in Phuket for a closed-door meeting of high-ranking officials, has expressed his concern for the growing number of Rohingya refugees being detained in Thailand.Lt Gen Pharnu’s visit to Phuket on Tuesday was to head a meeting tabled to discuss the bureau’s “working policy” at which Phuket’s own immigration superintendent did not attend.Following the meeting,…
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Phuket bike burner confession treated as ambiguous, police continue search
PHUKET: A man who rambled while confessing to police that he had burned several motorbikes in Phuket has been arrested while police continue their investigation and look for accomplices.Police picked up Thaweesak Nathang, 37, on Monday because he looks similar to a man seen in CCTV images of a motorbike burning in Kamala.When questioned by police, Mr Thaweesak confessed to…
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Serial Phuket resort thief nabbed
PHUKET: A joint investigation by police from Karon, Kathu and Phuket City has resulted in the arrest of a Bangkok couple who stand accused of robbing guest rooms at nine high-end hotels and resorts in Phuket.Ritthimeth Singhaumpai, 33, and Sasithorn Seekam, 22, were arrested on Wednesday after they entered the Jungceylon car park in a black-on-black Mercedes-Benz E200 sports sedan.The…
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After five months, missing American Brett Bean calls home
PHUKET: Brett Bean, the American expat whose disappearance last November gained extensive press coverage, has contacted his family after 155 days of unnerving silence, the Phuket Gazette has confirmed. “It was a very brief call,” his mother, Lynne Bean, said. “We still do not know where he is, but it was very good to hear his voice,” she added. “At…
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Phuket Wake Park latest victim of illegal Russian raids
PHUKET: Following the arrest of 35 Russians found allegedly working illegally in Patong nightclubs last week (story here), three more Russians have been arrested at the tourist-popular Phuket Wake Park in Kathu. Cherdsak Wisutthikul, from the Department of Employment in Bangkok, led a team of 20 officers to raid the wakeboard park at about 5:30pm on Thursday. Following a chaotic…
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Phuket FC to entertain with Singhtarua
PHUKET: The Islanders will be hoping to get their push for promotion back on track when they host 4th place Singhtarua FC at Surakul Stadium this evening. Phuket FC lost their last away game to Air Force United 2-1. The match was the second time in three days the two teams played each other at Thupatemee Stadium, on the northern…
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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