Phuket News
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Penalty miss could cost FC Phuket
PHUKET: FC Phuket squandered a golden opportunity to defeat Thai Premier League outfit Sri Racha Suzuki to gain an advantage in this last 16 round match of the Toyota League Cup at Surakul Stadium last night. Phuket started the game in lively fashion, but found Sri Racha difficult to break through. But a superb passage of play from Phuket on…
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Phuket plans parks at two reservoirs
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Administrative Organization (OrBorJor) is looking to develop tourist parks and facilities at two dam sites. A public hearing was held on Tuesday to gauge public opinion on a plan to turn areas surrounding Bang Wad Reservoir and Bang Neaw Dam Reservoir into eco-tourist destinations. “The areas have good potential. They are accessible by main roads and…
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Body of missing Aussie tourist found
PHUKET: A Phuket lifeguard this morning found the body of missing Australian tourist Jennifer Laidley. Uten Singsom, head of the Phuket Lifeguard Club contingent assigned to patrol Karon beach, said the discovery was made by fellow lifeguard Phachoke Jamjareonjan at about 8:15am today. The body, recovered about one kilometer offshore from Nong Harn Lagoon at the north end of the…
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Phuket man killed instantly in motorbike crash
PHUKET: A road sign intended to save lives became an instrument of death last night when a Phuket motorcycle rider crashed into it at high speed and was killed instantly. Thalang Police were informed of the death at 10:20pm. Arriving at the scene, on the southbound lane of Thepkrasattri Road near the Tha Reua Chinese Shrine, police found the body…
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Scholes pans Arsenal
PHUKET: “They just flatter to deceive. It doesn’t irritate me that people say they’re the best footballing team because, while they’re doing that, we’re winning games.” Paul Scholes is tipping Chelsea to be Manchester United’s main contenders for next season’s Premiership title race and that Arsenal pose little or no threat. Scholes also admitted he’d never heard of Chelsea’s new…
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FC Phuket v Sri Racha Suzuki FC tonight at Surakul
PHUKET: Toyota League Cup play advances to the final 16 tonight, with FC Phuket set for a challenge from struggling Thai Premier League (TPL) side Sriracha Suzuki FC. The competition now changes to a two-leg (home and away) format, with Phuket enjoying home advantage in this first encounter. Next Wednesday, Phuket travel to play the second leg at Sriracha’s Suzuki…
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Phuket’s Paiboon presses Pheu Thai for progress
PHUKET: The president of the Phuket provincial council has wasted no time in appealing to Yingluck Shinawatra’s new Government now taking shape to tackle the problems from the rising cost of living as soon as possible. Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) President Paiboon Upatising made his appeal through the media yesterday. “I would like to ask the new Cabinet to…
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Phuket lifeguards continue search for missing Aussie tourist
PHUKET: The search for missing Australian tourist Jennifer Laidley, feared drowned, continued off Karon Beach today. Lifeguards searched throughout the day using their jet-skis to comb the waters of Karon Bay, said Uten Singsom, head of the Phuket Lifeguard Club contingent assigned to patrol Kata-Karon. He still holds on to a glimmer of hope she may be found alive, but…
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Aussie woman missing, feared drowned off Phuket
PHUKET: Rescue workers are searching for an Australian tourist reported missing at Karon Beach yesterday. Jennifer Laidley (initially named by police as “Jennifer May”), 44, was staying with a friend at the Phuket Orchid Resort at the south end of Karon Beach. The friend reported Ms Laidley missing after she lost sight of her at about 6pm. Karon Municipality rescue…
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Filipino injured in Phuket motorbike crash
PHUKET: The dimly lit Baan Don – Layan road in Cherng Talay was the scene of yet another Phuket accident last night in which a Filipino man was injured. Teddy Dilag, the 38-year-old assistant operations manager at the Phuket & Marbella Villa Rental Management Company, suffered a broken arm when his motorbike and a pickup truck collided near the entrance…
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Guns, fights and ganja – but no election violence: Police
PHUKET: The police crackdown in Phuket in the run-up to the July 3 election landed a bumper haul of guns, drugs and arrests – but resulted in no arrests for violence related to the election. A total of 45 factory-made and homemade guns were seized and 350 people were arrested for drugs since May 12, according to statistics issued today…
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Phuket Democrats line up parliamentary agenda
PHUKET: Raywat Areerob, the elected Democrat Phuket MP for the Phuket 2 constituency, this afternoon identified traffic, crime and drugs as voters’ three most-pressing issues that need to be addressed. “While I was campaigning, people told me that the top three problems they need us to urgently solve are traffic congestion, increasing crime and drugs, especially in Pa Khlok and…
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Election Thailand: Full count for Phuket is in
PHUKET: After a long day and night of work, the Phuket Election Commission has sent the following results to the Election Commission in Bangkok for final certification: Phuket 1 Constituency (Muang district, except Koh Kaew and Rassada subdistricts): Anchalee Vanich Thepabutr (Democrat Party): 52,921 votes. Wisit Jai-arj (Pheu Thai Party): 16,573 votes Weerasak Woranetiwong (Thaen Khun Phaendin Party): 281 votes…
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Jealous Phuket cop kills wife, self
PHUKET: A jealous policeman shot his wife point-blank then turned the gun on himself in the latest murder-suicide in Phuket. Patong Police identified the victim as 25-year-old Suchapha Saman-iam, wife of Snr Sgt Maj Boonsuk Saman-iam, 39. According to eyewitness accounts, the shooting took place at about 8pm at the couple’s home on Nanai Road, where they operated the Yaris…
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Wimbledon dream for Djokovic
PHUKET: “This is my favourite tournament, the tournament I always dreamed of winning, the first tournament I ever watched in my life. I think I’m still sleeping, I’m still having my dream.” Serbian Novak Djokovic claims the Wimbledon Men’s Singles Tennis title after a four set victory (6-4 6-1 1-6 6-3) over Spain’s Rafael Nadal in Sunday’s Final. By reaching…
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Election Thailand: Democrats win Phuket
PHUKET: While Pheu Thai will form the next Thai government after winning at least 262 seats in the general election, Phuket remained firmly Democrat with incumbent MPs Anchalee Vanich Thepabutra and Raywat Areerob retaining their seats by huge margins. Mrs Anchalee secured the Phuket 1 constituency by receiving 50,881 votes. Wisit Jai-arj of Pheu Thai secured 16,179 votes. Weerasak “Ko…
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Election Day: Gov Tri urges Phuket voters to ignore rain
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha this morning called on voters to ignore heavy rain across the island and turn up at polling stations to cast their ballots. “We had heavy rain last night and more rain is predicted all day today, which may deter some people from turning up to vote. “Please do not ignore your right to vote. Turn…
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FC Phuket call for Choi’s return
PHUKET: FC Phuket are demanding the return of South Korean player Choi Jai Won, following reports that he was preparing to leave the team for Thai League Division 1 rival Saraburi FC. FC Phuket allowed Choi to leave the team for a trip home to his native Korea, where his wife had a miscarriage, it was previously reported. However, the…
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Phuket politician cleared of vote-buying allegation
PHUKET: Five days after it was seized, over half a million baht has been returned to a former Phuket politician cleared of vote-buying allegations. Prasong Trairat, a former president of the Thepkrasattri Tambon Council, today went to Cherng Talay Police Station to collect 542,000 baht in assets taken from his home in Thepkrasattri by a provincial police anti-vote-buying task force.…
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World’s largest floating book fair heading back to Phuket
PHUKET: After six years since their last visit aboard the MV Doulos, the crew aboard the MV Logos Hope will be returning to Phuket, bringing with them more than 5,000 books as part of their “global mission to serve humanity”. The Logos Hope is twice as large as any previous vessel operated by German-based charity GBA Ships, including the Doulos,…
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Phuket gears up for election weekend
PHUKET: More than 300 polling stations will be set up across Phuket for the island’s nearly-300,000 registered voters to cast their ballots in the general election tomorrow. The polling stations – to open at 9am and close promptly at 3pm– will be set up at schools, mosques, public pavilions, parks and other community locations. Registered voters must cast their ballots…
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Land Dept claims 90% of prime Phuket land controlled by foreigners
PHUKET: Phuket leads all of Thailand in the amount of land held by foreigners, with up to 90 per cent of prime beachfront land being illegally held through Thai nominees, claims one of the country’s top land officials. Speaking at a recent seminar on legal issues relating to land ownership, Land Inspector Sriracha Charoenpanit said Thailand’s positive characteristics, friendly people…
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Aussie family doubt suicide claim by Phuket police
PHUKET: The family of Australian tourist Marc Gerard Hoy, 34, who fell to his death from the sixth floor of a Phuket hotel last weekend, have expressed doubts that he committed suicide. “His relatives in Australia are finding it difficult to believe that he jumped off the building, but I told them that I have CCTV footage as evidence and…
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Contador’s Tour de force
PHUKET: “The idea victory could be taken away if I win, I just find ridiculous.” Alberto Contador vents his frustration at being left in limbo before the start of this year? Tour de France. The most famous bicycle race begins this Saturday. The three-time Tour de France champion was cleared by the Spanish Cycling Federation over a positive clenbuterol test…
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Long-term Phuket expat Joanne Cooney dies, age 51
PHUKET: Long-term Phuket expat Joanne Cooney died in Queensland, Australia, on Sunday night. She was 51. Originally from Adelaide in South Australia, Ms Cooney first arrived in Phuket in 1983. Ms Cooney became well known on the island. She spent years working for Thai Marine Leisure and was one of the original editors for the Phuket-based sailing magazine SEA Yachting.…
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Rolling boulders crash into Phuket resort
PHUKET: The management of an upscale hillside villa resort in Phuket has filed a police complaint after huge boulders tumbled down from a road construction project last Saturday, causing property damage and frightening guests. Wassana Yukhunthon, public relations manager at the luxury L’Orchidee Residences off Phra Barami Road Soi 4 at the north end of Patong, told the Phuket Gazette…
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High hoops for youth basketball in Phuket
PHUKET: THE PHUKET Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) and the Phuket Basketball Club’s second annual provincial basketball competition is now underway. The opening ceremony of the “Basketball PPAO Phuket Junior League 2011” was held at Saphan Hin, Gymnasium 1, on June 25 and the league will run until September 23 with matches starting at 4pm every Friday. OrBorJor President, Paiboon Upatising,…
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Phuket Red Cross blood drive for July
PHUKET: Following a successful campaign in June, the Phuket Regional Blood Center has announced the dates for its July blood drive. “By June 28, we had 2,124 blood donations for the month. This was above our target of 1,500-2,000 donors,” said Suphawan Rattanachan, an officer with the Phuket Red Cross. “This month the need for blood won’t be as high…
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Phuket guides call for action over Korean, Russian rivals
PHUKET: A Phuket provincial sub-committee has been formed to tackle the issue of illegal guides from Russia and Korea working in the local tourism industry. Phuket Vice Governor Nivit Aroonrat on Tuesday chaired a provincial committee meeting aimed at tackling a variety of tourist rip-offs. The gathering followed a visit to Phuket by the Interior Ministry in May when officials…
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Sailing courses at Phuket’s ACYC
PHUKET: Ao Chalong Yacht Club (ACYC) is now an officially recognized Royal Yachting Association (RYA) Shore Based Training Center and will be running theory courses at the club in Chalong. Courses are open to members and non-members and apply equally to sail boats and powerboats. Being shore-based, the courses are invaluable to people who have their own powerboat, but have…
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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