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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Tonight, Tonight: Phuket Police chief to square off against boxing legend
PHUKET: The island’s “Top Gun” will take on Thailand’s legendary boxing champion tonight in a charity bout to raise relief funds for the families of police still suffering from the devastating flooding in parts of the south that took place in late March. Phuket Provincial Police Commander Pekad Tantipong will enter the ring against former WBA champion Khaosai Galaxy in…
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Phuket youngster killed in shrimp farm machinery
PHUKET: A seven-year-old boy was killed on Saturday after becoming stuck in an aerator drive shaft at a shrimp farm pond. Chonnakan “Thua Lek (small child)” Sae-lao suffered multiple broken bones, including a broken neck, when his clothing was snagged by the rotating drive shaft. Chonnakan’s parents, Sommai Pengpaitoon, 37 and Piraphong Sae-lao, 41, are fruit vendors and had gone…
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FC Phuket caught by Hares
PHUKET: Recovering from their disappointing home loss last week, FC Phuket traveled to eastern Thailand on Saturday where they managed a draw against Chantaburi FC. The 12th-place Chantaburi “Hares”, who drew against Suphanburi FC 2-2 in an away game last week, were not to be taken lightly on their home turf. A lethargic 45 minutes and several poorly missed opportunities…
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Wedding double booking bumps Phuket MP registration
PHUKET: A wedding booked at the Community Hall in Phuket Town means that candidates wanting to contest the upcoming elections must now register at a makeshift center at Provincial Hall. “The couple had booked their wedding before the election day of July 3 was announced and they have already sent out their wedding invitations,” Phuket Election Commission Director Kitipong Thiengkunakrit…
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Aussie “marathon centurion’ to run Laguna Phuket
PHUKET: Completing one marathon is on the “to do” list for many people, but Australian Julia Thorn has gone more than 100 times better than most: she plans to complete her 115th at the Laguna Phuket International Marathon (LPIM) on June 12. Not content with adding another notch to her belt, the-53-year old Melbourne mother of three has set herself…
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Phuket prisoners ready to break out the furniture
PHUKET: The annual fair for inmates to sell their wares made while serving their prison sentences will return to Phuket from June 3 to 12, Phuket Prison Chief Rapin Nichanon has announced. Handmade products from 25 prisons throughout Thailand’s 14 southern provinces will be on sale at Saphan Hin in Phuket Town at the 8th annual Southern Prison Products Fair.…
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Phuket’s fireball yacht probe hits the doldrums
PHKET: The police investigation into whether or not any people were trapped inside a 40-foot yacht that burst into flames and sank last Saturday has stalled. Chalong Police Duty Officer Boonlert Onklang told the Phuket Gazette on Wednesday that no person had claimed ownership of the yacht, which was identified by a witness to the fire as Karni. “I checked…
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Abhisit heads for Phuket, Anchalee to run for Democrats
PHUKET: Caretaker Prime Minister Abihist Vejjajiva will visit Phuket next Thursday to head a Democrat rally at Saphan Hin. The news came today as longstanding Phuket Democrat Anchalee Vanich Thepabutr confirmed she will be the Democrat Party candidate contesting the Phuket 1 constituency in the July 3 general election. Mrs Anchalee this morning spent an hour visiting residents on Thalang…
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Phuket murder victim found nearly decapitated
PHUKET: The partially decapitated body of an unidentified man was discovered in a Phuket rubber plantation this morning. The victim’s completely severed right hand was found near the body, which was discovered on Koh Sireh in Rassada by a Burmese rubber tapper. Phuket City Police led by Charoon Plaiduang estimated the age of the victim at 40 to 45. There…
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Police yet to question crew over Phuket diver death
PHUKET: Almost two weeks after Japanese dive tourist Hitomi Shibata died after being struck in the head with a boat propeller off Koh Racha Noi, police have yet to question the crew of the boat she was on. Chalong Police Duty Officer Attawat Suwannarat on Wednesday told the Phuket Gazette that he was still investigating the case and had not…
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Snooker stars take their cue for Phuket Cup
PHUKET: Snooker is back in the frame from June 6 to 11 when 19 professional players challenge for the 2011 SangSom Phuket Cup to be held at the Royal Paradise Hotel and Spa Patong. The tournament is part of Thailand’s Ranking Circuit Snooker Championship and will include two English professionals: Stuart Bingham and Alfred Burden. Thai star Ratchapol Pu-Ob-Orm, or…
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Phuket police probe into drinking shooting death on hold
PHUKET: The key witness to the shooting death of a Ratcha Buri man in Phuket last weekend remains at large, and the investigation is suspended until relatives hold funeral services for the deceased. The victim, 34-year-old Yodthong Pinjit, was found dead of a gunshot wound to the top of the head in his small home near Patong Temple last Saturday…
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Phuket visit of Bikini babes postponed
PHUKET: The highly anticipated visit to Phuket of the Miss Thailand Beach International 2011 finalists next month has been postponed. Scheduled to stimulate the streets of Patong from June 3 to 5 with a calendar shoot, fashion show and “Save the Environment on Earth Day” event, the girls will have to wait for a later date, organizers confirmed today. Nittaya…
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Korean investors bid for Phuket light rail transport system
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha yesterday received yet another delegation expressing interest in developing a light rail system on the island. Kwang Sik Chun, Chairman & CEO of Korean firm Jung Yong Development Corp (JYDC), said his company would like to invest in the project, starting with a pre-feasibility study on the two proposed routes: from Chalong Circle to Phuket…
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Phuket AirAsia workers in late night car crash
PHUKET: Four Thai AirAsia employees were seriously injured early this morning when the car they were riding in crashed into a power pole in Thalang. The accident, reported at 2:10am, occurred about 200 meters from the Mae Ju souvenir shop on Thepkrasattri Road northbound in Thepkrasattri subdistrict. A rescue worker reported there was heavy rainfall and flooding at the time…
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Phuket Live Wire: iPad2 in Thailand is a steal
PHUKET: The Tourism Authority of Thailand should take out a full-page ad in the New York Times. “Fly to Thailand,” it could say, “and get a 20 per cent discount on a new iPad 2.” Hard to believe, but the iPad 2 is significantly cheaper in Thailand than in the US – and the savings are even greater if your…
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Phuket sea gypsies continue quest for identity
PHUKET: Thirty Phuket sea gypsies recently took the first step in the daunting process of applying for Thai citizenship. Their plight as stateless people was one of many issues raised during a May 4 meeting at Phuket Provincial Hall. Chaired by Vice Governor Weerawat Janpen, the gathering was intended to discuss ways to preserve sea gypsies’ traditional lifestyles in a…
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Phuket locals alarmed by tsunami-tower silence
PHUKET: Officials in Bangkok say all 19 tsunami warning towers in Phuket are operational and functioning correctly, yet some local residents say they haven’t heard the sirens sound for months. The towers are supposed to be tested by playing the national anthem at regularly-scheduled times twice a month. But Siriprapa Auychai, a 29-year-old masseuse who works at the south end…
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Phuket meth mule busted, 1500 pills seized
PHUKET: In the latest drug arrest, Phuket City Police last night nabbed a man found in possession of 1,500 ya bah (methamphetamine) pills and a small amount of ya ice (crystal methamphetamine). Police said Tossapol Maneepakorn, 21, was pulled over at a police checkpoint on Rassadanusorn Road in the Ban Kuku area of Rassada at about 11:30 pm. As they…
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Service for Phuket’s Louis Bronner this Sunday
PHUKET: A funeral service for Louis Bronner will be held at Wat Ladthiwanaram in Chalong on Sunday. Mr Bronner, the renowned general manager of the Boathouse restaurant in Kata, died on Monday after complications from heart surgery. He was 70 years old. His remains are being kept at Sala 16 of Wat Thadthong in Bangkok, where friends and family can…
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Monk found dead in Phuket Mercedes Benz
PHUKET: Police are investigating whether winning the lottery is behind the death of an affluent and well-known monk whose half-robed corpse was found in the back seat of his Mercedes-Benz on Saturday. Rumors are circulating through the Thai media that the 62-year-old Buddhist monk, named in reports only as “Chom”, recently won the lottery, stirring among followers suspicions of foul…
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Phuket water shortage solution entered into royal contest
PHUKET: A small project created by villagers in Thalang to help them cope with chronic water shortages has landed them in a national competition for the most innovative water resource project in the country. The project, in Baan Pakrongcheep, Thepkrasattri, comprises a 1,500-cubic-meter reservoir near the Klong Phra Taew Dam and a smaller 500-cubic-meter reservoir behind Baan Pakrongcheep School. The…
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Phuket Gov to marry again, Baba style
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha and his wife Nalinee will renew their wedding vows as part of a Baba Pernanakan (“Straits Chinese”) mass wedding ceremony in June. The news was announced last week when Gov Tri met a delegation from the Thai Peranakan Association led by its President, Dr Kosol Tang-Uthai. During the meeting, which focused on details of the…
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Renowned Phuket hotelier Louis Bronner dies from heart complications
PHUKET: Louis Bronner, the general manager of Phuket’s renowned Boathouse restaurant in Kata, died at 8am this morning from complications following heart surgery on Friday. Mr Bronner underwent extensive surgery to correct several deficient arteries. Although Mr Bronner showed good recovery immediately after the surgery, his condition deteriorated in the following days. Mr Bronner first gained his popular reputation on…
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Phuket yacht erupts into fireball, casualties unknown
PHUKET: A 40-foot catamaran anchored in Chalong Bay, off Phuket’s east coast, burst into flames at about 10pm last night. Three explosions were heard while the fire engulfed the boat, which sank about two hours later. Police have yet to determine whether anyone was on board. Chalong Police Duty Officer Boonlert Onklang reported witnesses saying that the fire broke out…
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Man shot dead during Phuket drinking session
PHUKET: Phuket police are investigating what happened between two “cousins” last seen sitting together drinking in front of a house in Patong yesterday morning. One man was found still at the scene, shot in the head and grasping a 9mm handgun. The other man is missing. Lt Col Chaowalit Neamwadee, duty officer at Patong Police Station, said police received a…
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Tonight: FC Phuket vs Saraburi FC
PHUKET: After last Sunday’s 2-2 draw on the road at Samut Prakarn, FC Phuket are thirsty for three points in tonight’s home fixture with Saraburi FC. Phuket currently sits seventh in the 18-team Division 1, one place ahead of the Saraburi “Warlords”. Highly anticipating tonight’s 6pm kickoff at Sarakul Stadium, both squads are hoping to prevail and climb up the…
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Election Thailand: Phuket voters face postal vote farce
PHUKET: All Thais who cast ballots by post in the general election four years ago will have to return to their home provinces to cast regular ballots in the general election on July 3. Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha announced the voting conundrum on Wednesday after a closed-door meeting with the Phuket Provincial Election Commission. “People who submitted a request to…
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Old Phuket Town to be “wireless’ by November
PHUKET: Municipal workers will start pulling down power poles along Thalang, Dibuk and Theprasattri Roads in the Old Town by November if all goes according to plan, the Phuket City Mayor has announced. Speaking at a meeting at Provincial Hall last week, Mayor Somjai Suwansupapana said that stage two of the project to install all power and telecommunication cables underground…
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Governor expects 70% turnout for Phuket polls
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha expects about 70 per cent of all eligible voters in Phuket to cast their ballots in the upcoming July 3 national election. “The candidates contesting seats in Phuket are all from different parties. This choice will encourage more people to cast their votes,” he said yesterday after a closed-door meeting with the Phuket Provincial Election…
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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