Phuket News
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Phuket prison officer shot and robbed of Bt 3mn
PHUKET: A Phuket prison officer was shot and robbed of 3 million baht in cash near Wat Chalong last night, in what police believe was a sweet business deal gone sour.At about 8:30pm, Chalong Police received a report about the shooting on Luangpor Chaem Road from a concerned local resident, who explained that despite injuries sustained the victim had driven…
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Indonesians nabbed with B2mn stolen from Phuket policeman
PHUKET: Four Indonesian men were arrested in Haad Yai, southern Thailand, yesterday while heading for the Malaysian border after stealing 2 million baht from a Phuket policeman. Tedi Usman Bin Husin, 43; Yusuf Anwar, 30; Aldi Pratama, 27; and Muhammad Amid, 34, were presented a few hours later at a press conference presided over by Phuket Provincial Police Commander Chonasit…
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Phuket MP petitions PM Yingluck, Chalerm for more police
PHUKET: One of Phuket’s two Members of Parliament is appealing for the Government to take immediate steps to shore up the island’s image following a highly-damning report by a Singapore-based website that brands Phuket: “The Crime Capital of Asia”. The report which includes images sourced from the Phuket Gazette, without permission, describes Phuket as: “one of the worlds [sic] most…
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Phuket Aussie stab suspects denied bail, behind bars
PHUKET: The two men arrested for the fatal stabbing of Australian tourist Michelle Smith were denied police bail yesterday and are now being held at the Phuket Provincial Court holding cells awaiting the formal pressing of charges. Chalong Police officers presented suspects Surasak Suwannachote and Surin Tadthong to Phuket Provincial Court at 11:30 am yesterday. Surasak has confessed to stabbing…
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BREAKING NEWS: Phuket-bound tour bus crashes, 11 injured
PHUKET: A tour bus bound for Phang Nga and Phuket crashed in Prachuap Khiri Khan province late last night, injuring 11 people. The state-run MCOT news agency reported that the coach was carrying 35 passengers when it crashed into the median strip drainage gully on the Petchkasem Highway in Thong Mongkol subdistrict, Bangsaphan District last night. The exact time of…
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Phuket Sports: FIVB Grand Prix update
PHUKET: Thai ladies continue to live up to their reputation as some of the world’s best ball control artists, with the final round of the Féderation Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) 2012 Grand Prix, providing the latest stage for them to demonstrate their considerable skills. Considered the women’s equivalent of the FIVB World League of mens volleyball, the annual tournament is…
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Phuket locals outraged by stab attack re-enactment
PHUKET: Police staved off scenes of chaos this morning as local residents shouted out insults at the two suspects who were required by police to carry out a public re-enactment of the botched bag-snatch that led to the fatal stabbing of Australian tourist Michelle Smith. Police intervened and kept the angry crowd members at bay. Surasak Suwannachote, who confessed to…
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Aussie murder fallout: CCTV saturation sought for Phuket
PHUKET: A top-level meeting at Phuket Provincial Hall yesterday heard that the island needs 10,000 CCTV cameras and more police officers to keep tourists and locals safe from criminals. Speaking to the media after the meeting, Phuket Provincial Administrative Organization (OrBorJor) President Paiboon Upatising said, “We want the government to provide a budget of about 2 billion baht to install…
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BREAKING NEWS: Aussie killers confess in Phuket
PHUKET: The two men arrested for the brutal stabbing murder of Australian travel agent Michelle Smith were presented to the media during a re-enactment of the crime outside the Katathani Hotel in Phuket this morning. During a press conference at the resort after the re-enactment, Deputy National Police Chief Pansiri Prapawat told some 50 media personnel that the pair confessed…
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Phuket man critically injured in head-on motorbike smash
PHUKET: A Thalang man is in critical condition at Vachira Phuket Hospital after suffering head injuries sustained in a head-on collision between two motorbikes last night. Thalang Police were notified of the accident at the Baan Lipon u-turn on Thepkrasattri Road at 9:15pm. Rushing to the scene with Kusoldharm Foundation workers, they found 40-year-old Chamni Ninyang lying unconscious on the…
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Phuket villagers plead for new road
PHUKET: Tired of plowing through the mud every time it rains in order to reach their homes, residents at Baan Nai Thon on Phuket’s west coast today filed a complaint at Phuket Provincial Hall to finally get the ball rolling on a road project that has stalled.About 20 villagers arrived at the Damrongtham Center (provincial Ombudsman’s Office) at about 10am…
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Phuket Police reveal identities of the Michelle Smith stab murder suspects
PHUKET: Phuket Provincial Police have announced the identities of the two men arrested today for the stabbing murder of Australian travel agent Michelle Smith which took place near Kata Beach last Wednesday night. Officers at Phuket Provincial Police headquarters in Phuket Town named Surasak Suwannachote, 26, originally from Nakhon Sri Thammarat, as the man who allegedly stabbed Mrs Smith, puncturing…
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Breaking News: Two men arrested for stabbing murder of Phuket tourist Michelle Smith
PHUKET: Two suspects wanted for the stabbing murder of Australian travel agent Michelle Smith are in custody in Chumphon province and are expected to be returned to Phuket later today, the Phuket Gazette has learned.News of the arrests came from Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha this morning during a meeting with local officials and tourism industry representatives.The meeting, also attended by…
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Phuket Live Wire: Get legal, get locked down
PHUKET: Last week I talked about the likely increase in the amount of spam being generated by botnets running on PCs here in Phuket. I don’t have any numbers – nobody does – but Thailand’s Internet Service Providers are getting blocked left and right by spam filters, all over the world. The reason is simple. An enormous number of people…
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Phuket Police release sketch of Michelle Smith murder suspect
PHUKET: As the manhunt continues in Phuket for the killers of Australian tourist Michelle Smith, police have released a composite sketch of the prime suspect in the hope that some member of the public can identify him. Phuket Provincial Police Commander Maj Gen Chonasit Wattanavrangkul said that both men involved in the attack were probably in their late 20s and…
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Phuket car crashes into overpass, 1 dead
PHUKET: A Phuket man was killed instantly this morning when his car slammed full force into a pedestrian overpass on Thepkrasattri Road in Thalang District. Thalang Police were informed of the latest tragedy on Phuket’s deadliest road at 2:20am. Duty officer Somchai Nuboon, police and Kusoldharm Foundation rescue workers raced to the scene, on Thepkrasattri northbound in front of the…
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Bt300,000 reward for info leading to killers of Aussie tourist in Phuket
PHUKET: A 300,000 baht reward was offered yesterday for any information leading to the arrest of the snatch thieves that murdered Australian Michelle Smith earlier this week. The reward was announced by National Police Advisor Gen Chatchai Potranan; Police Region 8 Commissioner Santi Pensute, and Kata Thani Hotel and Beach Resort Director Sombat Atiset at a meeting in Phuket yesterday.…
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Pungent piggery prompts Phuket petition
PHUKET: Residents of a residential housing estate in Thalang have filed a letter of complaint to Phuket Provincial Hall, charging that filth from a nearby pig farm is contaminating the local water supply and casting a putrid pall over their community. Representatives of The Valley 2 housing estate in Srisoonthorn said they decided to file a formal complaint at the…
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Aussie slaying in Phuket prompts increased security measures
PHUKET: Local officials gathered at Phuket Provincial Hall on Thursday to draw up measures to try and prevent violent crimes like the stabbing murder of Australian tourist Michelle Smith in Kata earlier this week. The slaying has prompted the Government to order beefed up security for tourists throughout Thailand “The incident that occurred that night [June 20] was totally unexpected,”…
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Phuket Sports: Olympic torch update
PHUKET On its way to London, the Olympic Torch traveled aboard the Tern one of the oldest steamers on Lake Windermere, England’s longest lake. The torch was carried by local schoolgirl Stephanie Booth on the vessel, which is operated by Windermere Lake Cruises. Managing Director Nigel Wilkinson said “The Tern was built in 1891, 5 years before the start of…
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Phuket yachting legend Rolly Tasker dies, at 86
PHUKET: Australian yachting icon and long-term Phuket resident Rolly Tasker has died, age 86. Staff at the Rolly Tasker sail loft on Chao Fa West Road today confirmed that Mr Tasker passed away in Australia overnight (Phuket Time) after a long battle with cancer. The general manager of the loft, Michael Tasker (no relation), who had been working for Mr…
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Phuket Sports: The other Euro tussle
PHUKET: The European Grand Prix (EGP) was originally an honorific title for the Italian Grand Prix in 1923, followed by the French and Belgian Grands Prix. In 1983, the F1 schedule was disrupted by a track cancellation three months before the event, and as a stopgap Brands Hatch was able to create an EGP in its place. The success of…
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Phuket update: Krabi Police tight-lipped over Belanger case
PHUKET: The governor of Krabi has named the provincial police commander as the only person authorized to release information to the media concerning the deaths of Noemi and Audrey Belanger, Canadian tourists who died of apparent poisoning on Phi Phi Island last week, the Phuket Gazette has learned. Recently-released media reports have revealed that the hotel’s CCTV system captured images…
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Phuket Live Wire: Goodbye to CAT EV-DO; Tips for iPad; PCs4Kids update
PHUKET:I remember the day well. October 1, 2007. The people at CAT let me take a sneak peek at their new “AirCard” service – the first wireless broadband service in Phuket. I’m sad to say that, by the end of this year, that service will be officially phased out. I call the service “EV-DO”, although the technology is actually called…
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Medical company steps in to help Phuket kickboxer fight for recovery
PHUKET: An international medical company has made a pledge to find the “best treatment” for an Australian muay thai fighter whose father fears was not in a motorbike accident as Phuket police believe, but was beaten and left for dead. Daniel Ketley, 22, was rushed to hospital in the early hours of June 8 after he was found in Nai…
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Phuket teenager hangs self after break-up with girlfriend
PHUKET: Police are treating as suicide the death by hanging of a 19-year-old construction worker in Phuket Town yesterday. Phuket City Police received a report at 1:15pm of man found hanged in a room on Soi Hatchana-Nivet on Srisena Road, Talad Yai. Police and Kusoldharm rescue foundation workers went to the scene and recovered the body of the teenager, Danupong…
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Bangkok squad called in to catch Phuket “bag snatch killer’
PHUKET: More than 50 police officers, including a team from the Crime Suppression Division in Bangkok, have been dedicated to catching the two men who attacked Australian tourist Michelle Smith, 60, who was stabbed to death in Kata last night. Ms Smith died after being stabbed in the chest, puncturing her heart and a lung, when a bag snatch attempt…
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Phuket Live Wire: What to do if your email is blocked
PHUKET: I send out a lot of email – many dozens of pieces every day. Lately, I’ve been having more and more problems with the email being rejected at the receiving end. Here’s a message I just received in response to a message I sent to a reader in the US last night: “SMTP error from remote mail server after…
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Burmese fisherman, electrocuted at sea, returned to Phuket
PHUKET: Two Burmese fishermen working on a local fishing boat were brought to Phuket’s Rassada Pier yesterday, after apparently being electrocuted at sea.Once notified, police and Kusoldharm Rescue Foundation workers rushed to the scene to find grieving relatives surrounding the two bodies.“Mr Kham, 25, and Mr Wan, 27, were pulling a fishing net from the sea, when Mr Kham touched…
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Whitewater raft trip widows newlywed wife
PHUKET: Egyptian couple Hossam and Sarah boarded a plane on June 2 bound for their dream honeymoon in Phuket. However, their love story, which began in their mid-teens, came to an unfathomable and abrupt end in Phang Nga, when their tour company decided to brave rough waters and lead a whitewater rafting trip that ended in disaster.It wasn’t until three…
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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