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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Unfinished Bangkok arena forces FIFA to move Futsal World Cup
PHUKET: Organizers of the FIFA Futsal World Cup Thailand 2012 have announced a revision of the match schedule, citing severe weather conditions delaying the construction of the event’s main facility, the 12,000-seat Bangkok Futsal Arena (BFA). Five group matches – mostly involving Thailand’s Group A – initially scheduled to be played at the yet-to-be-completed facility, are now set to be…
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Phuket FC fall in Cavalry charge, stumble on road to survival
PHUKET: The Islanders suffered their third straight loss and subsequently slipped into 15th place of the 18-team team league, following a 2-0 scoreline away at Suphanburi on Saturday night. One goal in each half by the Suphanburi FC Elephant Cavalry’s Yodrak Namangrak and Phaisan Pona on 23 and 53 minutes, respectively, sealed the result, securing the home side’s second-place standing…
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Rescued Phuket dolphin’s health improves
PHUKET: The condition of the injured Spinner dolphin rescued from Mai Khao Beach last month has improved, albeit slightly, thanks to the efforts of staff at the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC). However, the one-year-old female dolphin still has only a 50:50 chance of surviving, said Dr Patcharaporn Gaewmong, a veterinarian at the PMBC’s Endangered Species Unit (ESU). “We have…
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Rare “hairy leg mountain crab’ spotted in Phuket
PHUKET: A rare type of crab, thought to be extinct on Phuket, was recently found on the island, years after any previous confirmed sightings were reported. An officer at the Phuket Marine National Park Research Center caught a “hairy leg mountain crab” in a mangrove forest at Tah Chat Chai, at the northern tip of Phuket, last Wednesday. “This kind…
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USS John C Stennis and USS Mobile Bay docked in Phuket until Thursday
PHUKET: THE USS John C Stennis and USS Mobile Bay have docked in Phuket to give their complement of 5,350 servicemen and women the chance to grab some ‘R and R’ before possibly being re-deployed in the Middle East. Sailors will be rotated off the ship daily in groups of 1,500 to 2,000. The Stennis is the seventh Nimitz-class nuclear-powered…
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“Ruptured my right testicle….”
“Ruptured my right testicle, got a knee one minute into the second half, had to have it removed.” PHUKET: Warrington prop forward Paul Wood ruptured a testicle during Saturday’s Rugby League Grand Final. Wood suffered the injury at the start of the second half after catching a knee to the groin, but he played on before going to hospital after…
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Destination marketing: Heritage experts shed light on Phuket’s cultural identity
PHUKET: The American Chamber of Commerce teamed up with the Phuket PR Network last night to present a fascinating and most entertaining culture-preservation lesson at the Blue Elephant in the heart of Old Phuket Town.The event was headlined by two heritage preservation experts, who gave captivating lectures about the importance of Phuket’s cultural past, present and future.Dr Yongtanit Pimonsathean, a…
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Go Eco Phuket aims to maintain momentum
PHUKET: Go Eco Phuket, the local marine conservation group launched last weekend with the world’s biggest reef cleanup, is looking to maintain its momentum by joining the Royal Thai Navy in scuttling a ship to use as an artificial reef. Group members have already held discussions with local Naval officers about the project, which is expected to ease the pressure…
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PSS show improvement at YFH Soccer Tournament
PHUKET: Phuket Soccer Schools (PSS) participated in the annual Youth Football Home (YFH) Soccer Tournament in Thalang last weekend. The tournament saw the finest juniors teams on the island compete in two age groups, with players represented at Under 11 (U11) and U13 levels. Each age group consisted of 10 teams in two groups of five. Saturday saw each team…
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Phuket Police dubious over Russian tourist’s stolen booty
PHUKET: Phuket Police are treating as suspicious claims by a Russian man that the 400,000 baht in foreign currency he buried for safekeeping on Thursday was stolen.Lt Col Boonlert Onklang of the Chalong Police told the Phuket Gazette that the man, who he declined to name, said he buried the booty beside his rental holiday villa where he was staying…
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Phuket village headmen rally against new election law
PHUKET: More than 200 subdistrict chiefs and village headmen gathered at Phuket Provincial Hall yesterday morning to protest the amendment of a law dictating the amount of time between their elections.Previously, the law allowed subdistrict chiefs and village headmen to maintain their position until they reached the age of 60. The new amendment changes the length of the “elected term”…
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Phuket worker’s family compensated after electrocution
PHUKET: The Arrow Media advertising company has agreed to pay 100,000 baht compensation to the family of one of its workers who was electrocuted by a bare high-voltage power line at the Darasamuth Intersection on September 28.Wai Hayoung, 32, was killed instantly after being electrocuted by a 115,000 volt (115kv) power line while climbing an advertising board to make repairs.An…
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Outfall of tropical cyclone expected to hit Phuket
PHUKET: A “tropical cyclone” warning was issued by the Thai Meteorological Department this morning for “Gaemi” which is currently in the middle of the South China Sea, but expected to make landfall today. “Strengthening, it will make landfall over central Vietnam by October 6 [today], then downgrade and move pass the lower Northeast, the East and the Central of Thailand.…
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Phuket gas stations not swayed by news that petrol tax “not new’
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Administrative Organization (PPAO) today refuted claims that they had introduced a “new” tax to be collected on the sale of all fuels in Phuket, including diesel, marine diesel, benzine and gasohol. The “maintenance tax”, levied as a 10 per cent surcharge on the sale of all engine fuels, is the same tax previously collected by the…
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Police re-confirm no further investigation into Belanger sisters’ deaths
PHUKET: Krabi Police re-confirmed to the Phuket Gazette today that they have ceased any further investigation into the deaths of Canadian sisters Audrey and Noemi Belanger. No further investigation into the death of the sisters will be conducted, unless the Public Prosecutor or the Canadian Embassy orders that the police resume their work on the case, explained Lt Col Jongrak…
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Man with gibbon escapes Bangla loris raids
PHUKET: Environmental crime police and Phuket wildlife conservation officers are on the lookout for a man who escaped arrest with a gibbon last night after a raid on Patong’s Soi Bangla netted five touts charging tourists for taking photos with protected animals. A team of officers led by Awat Nitikul, chief of the Environmental Conservation Unit based at Phuket’s Khao…
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‘Phuket Today’ soars up to prime time on UBC/True Visions
PHUKET: ‘Phuket Today’, the island’s only national television show, has just been awarded a prime time slot on Thailand’s pre-eminent cable television provider, UBC/True Visions. The weekly half-hour show now kicks off at 7:10pm on Sundays, and is then re-run six times for a total of seven appearances every week. The prime time award comes just six weeks after the…
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“His reputation has already been affected by his unsuccessful….”
“His reputation has already been affected by his unsuccessful return to the sport.”PHUKET: Motor racing legend Sir Jackie Stewart is happy Michael Schumacher has chosen to retire from Formula One at the end of this season. Schumacher’s announcement comes less than a week after Lewis Hamilton joined Mercedes to replace the German next season.The most successful F1 driver ever, his…
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Petrol retailers fight Phuket pump price rise
PHUKET: Operators of local gas stations are fighting to stave off a price rise at Phuket pumps following the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (PPAO) announcement of its intention to impose a local “maintenance tax” on fuel.The surcharge, which would raise costs for operators by no less than 3 satang per liter, was revealed to operators in a letter issued by…
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Phuket Police hunt serial masturbator
PHUKET: Phuket City Police are now searching for a man wanted for sexually harassing restaurant staff in Phuket Town after he exposed himself and masturbated in front of them four times in three days. “We launched a search for him last night, but we have yet to find him. Our officers have been alerted to the car’s license plate number…
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Brand Phuket: AMCHAM/PR Network to focus on culture, heritage at tomorrow’s event
PHUKET: The Phuket chapter of the American Chamber of Commerce, in collaboration with the Phuket PR Network, continues its ‘Brand Phuket’ series of public meetings tomorrow at the Blue Elephant. The event is designed to heighten awareness of Phuket’s diverse history, particularly its Paranakan roots and early ‘shophouse’ communities. With well over 100 bookings for the meeting, the organizers told…
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Phuket officials tackle water shortages, floods
PHUKET: Despite heavy rain forecast for the coming few days, the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (PPAO) this week held its second public meeting to discuss possible solutions to stave off chronic water shortages. At the Phuket Merlin Hotel on Tuesday, PPAO Vice President Soratham Jinda chaired the event, under the slogan “One Tambon, One Water Resource”, with PPAO Chief Administrative…
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Phuket police seize heroin at Phuket checkpoint
PHUKET: Phuket police making a routine stop at a checkpoint in Thalang early yesterday morning seized 33 grams of heroin after searching a car that was not fitted with any license plates. Crime Suppression officers led by Inspector Prasarn Thoworn were on duty at a checkpoint in Baan Yamu, Paklok, when a white Kia sedan arrived at 1:30am. Noticing the…
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Life of Liberty, after the crash
PHUKET: On an island where almost any crash that isn’t fatal is missed in the news, countless personal struggles and victories of the victims of Phuket road accidents are overlooked. Liberty Jefferson had been an English-language teacher at Kanjonkietsuksa School for three and half years, before her was leg shattered in a motorbike crash. Heading north on Thepkrasattri Road from…
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Phuket Poll: Do record-breaking events really achieve their goals?
PHUKET: Following the Go Eco Phuket record-breaking Dive Against Debris reef cleanup operation, in which more than 500 participants in 14 boats collected an amazing 15 tons of debris, the Phuket Gazette asks its readers if they believe that such events have a deep impact on the issue at hand? To have your say in our latest poll, click here.…
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CCTV short circuit sparks Phuket antiques shop fire
PHUKET: An in-store CCTV system monitor is believed to have started a fire at an antiques and souvenir shop in the Phuket tourist area of Kata, destroying goods valued at more than half a million baht. Chalong Police duty officer Chianchai Duangsuwan was informed that a fire had broken out at the Sawasdee shop on Taina Road at 10:45am on…
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Phuket Sports: Pacquiao expected to sign contract to fight Thailand’s Buakaw
PHUKET: Emmanuel “Manny” Pacquiao (54-4-2, 38 KOs) is expected to sign a contract tomorrow agreeing to take on Thailand’s most famous fighter, Sombat Banchamek, commonly known as Buakaw, in a special fight planned for December 21. Narong Hengtrakul, one of Thailand’s most renowned international matchmakers for both conventional boxing and Muay Thai fights, will meet Pacquiao in Manila tomorrow to…
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Case closed on Belanger sisters’ deaths
PHUKET: Krabi Police have closed the case on the deaths of Canadian sisters Audrey and Noemi Belanger with no more investigations to be conducted. Audrey, 20, and Noemi, 25, from Quebec, were found dead in their hotel room on Phi Phi Island on June 15. Both had suffered a violent physical reaction to suspected poisoning. Autopsies conducted by forensic police…
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“I thought we had the power to go far….”
“I thought we had the power to go far in this tournament but, with a young side, you get good performances and you get some average ones.” PHUKET: England captain Stuart Broad is understandably disappointed after his team were knocked out of the World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka. The defending champions lost to Sri Lanka by 19-runs to miss out…
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Mayor Pian blasts Phuket land probes as “hypocritical’
PHUKET: Following the inaugural meeting of the newly elected Patong Town Council yesterday, Patong Mayor Pian Keesin blasted the effectiveness of the current spate of ongoing and ever-increasing Phuket land investigations.“I want to see real law enforcement on this issue. Land in Phuket needs to be preserved and its development planned with a long-term view,” Mayor Pian, who was born…
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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