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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Phuket police seize 10,000 discs in pirate family raid
PHUKET: Police arrested six members of the same family and confiscated more than 10,000 CDs and DVDs in a pre-dawn raid north of Phuket Town yesterday. Phuket’s top-brass police led a sortie of 30 officers in the early-morning raid on three adjacent homes on Soi Han Farang in Koh Kaew. Inside the houses, police caught the family literally in the…
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Jet-ski smash turns Phuket honeymoon into tragedy
PHUKET: A Chinese couple on their honeymoon died this morning after the jet-ski they were riding on slammed into a catamaran. Police confirmed to the Gazette that the accident occurred about 11am nearly a kilometer offshore from the bridge at the south end of Patong Beach. Zhao Qiang and his fiancee Chu Fang, both 28, suffered serious trauma to their…
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Netherlands ambassador lauds honorary consuls
PHUKET: Netherlands Ambassador to Thailand Tjaco van den Hout last night praised the work of honorary consuls, saying it was a “thankless” job requiring the consuls to be available at all hours to attend to often “grisly” affairs. “I am so happy to have a consulate here to take care of an estimated 1,500 to 1,800 Dutch residents in this…
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Phuket gets nearly Bt 1bn for Asian Beach Games
PHUKET: Tourism and Sports Minister Chumpol Silapa-archa on Monday had good news for sports development on the island. Phuket had applied for 700 million baht to develop and prepare the island to host the Asian Beach Games 2014. Instead, the central government has approved nearly a billion baht, he said. “Phuket will host the Asian Beach Games in 2014, and…
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Foreigner appointed as advisor to Phuket Governor’s office
PHUKET: Who is that foreigner standing next to the governor welcoming HRH Princess Sirindorn to Phuket? There he is again, with the party greeting President Jimmy Carter. He can be seen quietly slipping in and out of meetings with the governor, vice governors and the many ambassadors and senior government officials who visit Phuket every year. Now, for the first…
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Big bikes to roar into Phuket
PHUKET: More than 2,000 bikers from around Thailand and Southeast Asia are set to come roaring into Phuket next month for Southern Big Bike Party and Charity 2010. Organizer Kittiwong Jansattham met Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha at Provincial Hall last week to finalize arrangements for the event, activities for which will be centered at Saphan Hin Public Park December 17…
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Phuket golf series heating up
PHUKET: The race to become Phuket’s top amateur golfer is beginning to heat up with five qualifying rounds of the Phuket-Times.Com Amateur Open already completed. There are eight events in total, culminating in the season-ending Master’s Final next year that will determine who will be crowned the island’s best amateur golfer. Laong Cameron is the current Order of Merit leader,…
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New Phuket marina will not affect drug trade: poll
PHUKET: Phuket Gazette online readers are skeptical that the opening of the new Chalong Marina will have much of an impact on drug trafficking on the island, results of the latest readers’ poll reveal. The poll question asked readers: “Officials hope the opening of the new Chalong Marina, with improved Customs and Immigration controls, will lead to a decrease in…
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BIS touch rugby tourney in Phuket open to all
PHUKET: British International School Phuket will host a “touch rugby” mini-tournament on Saturday. The tournament and post-event gathering at the Spice Island in the Boat Lagoon marina is open to everyone – no matter what gender, age or fitness level. Participants do not need to know the rules as they will be explained to you beforehand, and individuals will be…
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Cigana, Granger reign supreme at Laguna Phuket Triathlon
PHUKET: It was a big day of former champions at the 2010 Laguna Phuket Triathlon yesterday, as Italian Massimo Cigana and Australian Belinda Granger took top honors. The pair were in dominant form in their respective races, crossing the finish line well ahead of the chasing pack, which included a host of top professional athletes and more than 800 amateurs…
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Central Festival Phuket to get Bt.5bn upgrade
PHUKET: Central Retail Corporation (CRC) has announced a .5 billion baht facelift of the Central Festival Phuket shopping mall that will include the opening of its fourth floor.The renovation, the first since the complex opened in September 2004, will be completed by the beginning of next year. It is intended to cash in on the recovery of the Phuket tourism…
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Phuket hails Rino’s recovery
RINO Mangon Vogt, a 10-year-old suffering from a rare and congenital heart condition known as Ebstein’s Anomaly, had his successful life-saving operation in Bangkok. The Phuket Gazette first ran the story on August 17, which was picked up by the ThaiVisa website and this media attention led to the generous donations needed to pay for expensive treatment, including 750,000 baht…
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Phuket police seeking “white guy’ sneak thief
PHUKET: Police believe a Caucasian man carried out a burglary in Kalim around midnight Tuesday, while the Canadian homeowner and his wife were asleep in their bedroom. The Canadian, who asked to remain anonymous, said he discovered something was wrong only when he could not find his laptop computers around 9am the next day. In all, about US$ 5,000 dollars…
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Illegal worker “sweep’ to target Phuket
PHUKET: A special task force of government officers will sweep through Phuket and arrest and likely deport any foreigners found working illegally, the Gazette has learned. The move follows the creation of a Phuket Provincial Employment Office (PPEO) task force set up to identify and arrest any foreigners found working without appropriate permits. Headed by PPEO chief Noppadol Ployudee, the…
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Gov lauds PPAO sponsorship of Laguna Phuket Triathlon
PHUKET: Ahead of the 17th Laguna Phuket Triathlon this Sunday, Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha has lauded the Phuket Provincial Administrative Organization (PPAO) for becoming an official sponsor of the event for the first time ever. The annual triathlon kicks-off a week of sporting and social activities culminating with the inaugural Ironman 70.3 Asia-Pacific Championship the following Sunday on December 5,…
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Business Air increases Phuket – South Korea flights
PHUKET: Bangkok-based airline Business Air has announced plans to increase flight frequency on its service connecting Phuket with Incheon, South Korea. The extension to the carrier’s existing Phuket – Incheon route will make it easier for holidaymakers to travel between the two destinations during the high season for tourism. Business Air already runs four weekly flights from Phuket to Incheon,…
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Phuket VIPs greet cruise ship passengers
PHUKET: Phuket officials gathered in Patong yesterday to welcome 900 tourists who arrived from Indonesia aboard a Royal Caribbean cruise ship. Wannaprapa Suksomboon, deputy director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) office in Phuket, said her office hopes to encourage more Indonesian tourists to visit Phuket. Officials from the TAT, Patong Municipality and Kathu Police welcomed the tourists as…
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Phuket Immigration launches online hotel guest registration drive
PHUKET: Phuket Immigration is warning hoteliers they could soon face fines if they fail to register their guests’ details though the agency’s new online database. Phuket Immigration Superintendent Panuwat Ruamrak made the announcement at an instructional seminar at the ICT Center in Saphan Hin earlier this month. “After one month, we will look at how the system is performing. We…
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Case closed on bizarre murder-suicide in Phuket restaurant
PHUKET: Police have closed the case file on the bizarre murder-suicide that shocked Phuket Town earlier this month. Diners at Khrua Pailin Restaurant were stunned when restaurateur Bundit Anurakbundit stood up from a table of friends, walked across the restaurant floor to his sister-in-law Wassana Jarit and shot her in the head point-blank. He then turned the gun on himself.…
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British expats’ Phuket home burgled
PHUKET: A British couple living in Rawai returned home from dinner last night to find their house burgled, with several valuable items stolen. Charles Stuart Crompton and his wife left their home in Soi Natai at 8:30pm on Tuesday night and went out for a meal. When the couple returned home two hours later they found their house had been…
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British PM: Phuket, I’m not coming
PHUKET: British Prime Minister David Cameron will cancel a planned family holiday in Phuket over the Christmas holidays following concerns about negative publicity and Thailand’s human-rights record, the British press has reported. Matt Chorley, political correspondent at The Independent, wrote that Prime Minister Cameron had faced claims that the trip would be viewed as showing support for the government of…
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Phuket Poll: Will the new Chalong Marina curtail the drug trade?
PHUKET: Officials hope the opening of the new Chalong Marina, with improved Customs and Immigration controls, will lead to a decrease in drug trafficking on the island. How much of an effect on the island’s drug trade do you expect the new facility to have? Have your say in the new Phuket Gazette readers’ poll by clicking here or on…
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UK language testing for spousal immigrants starts Monday
PHUKET: Thai spouses applying for visas to join or marry British partners in the UK now have to pass an English language test that is unavailable in Phuket. “From November 29, any non-European migrant who wants to enter or remain in the UK as the partner of a British citizen or a person settled in the UK will need to…
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Strong Thai baht will hurt Phuket: Poll
PHUKET: The surging Thai baht will have a negative affect on this year’s high season for tourism, a majority of Phuket Gazette online readers think. The poll asked online readers: With the Thai baht up more than 11% against the US dollar this year and gaining against many other foreign currencies, it is more expensive for many foreigners to travel…
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Facebook seminar in Phuket tomorrow
PHUKET: Following his standing-room-only Facebook presentation last month, PhuketSchool.com director Sitthichai “Mr X” Laoveerakul will present a follow-up seminar tomorrow night. The seminar at The Nap hotel in Patong last month drew about 70 people, possibly the largest computer-related gathering ever in Phuket, said Phuket IT guru Woody Leonhard. That event focused on using Facebook to publicize businesses, charities and…
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Phuket update: Chalong Marina project
PHUKET: Phase two of the construction of the new Chalong Marina is well underway and scheduled for completion in September 2011. Officials say the opening of the new marina should help reduce drug trafficking in Phuket. Project work is being carried out jointly by Golden Plan Co Ltd and Prommitr Co Ltd. Phase one of the project saw construction of…
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The Chedi Phuket rebrands as The Surin Phuket
PHUKET: The Chedi Phuket has been re-branded as The Surin Phuket, the name change effective from the beginning of this month. Senior Sales Executive Sureerat Bunpanluek said The Chedi Phuket was managed by General Hotels Management (GHM) as The Chedi since 1995. Last year the resort’s Board of Directors decided not to renew its contract with the management company. “Since…
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Korean Ambassador visits Phuket
PHUKET: The Korean ambassador to Thailand met with Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha on Friday, asking him to make it easier for Korean tour guides to work on the island. Ambassador Chung Hae-moon made the request at a Phuket Provincial Hall meeting also attended by Korean Honorary Consul and Phuket MP Tossaporn Thepabutr and Korn Suwanasai, head of Phuket Passport Office.…
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Phuket property massacre: Mother and daughter killed
PHUKET: A well-known real estate dealer and her daughter were killed when their car was riddled with bullets by gunmen in Phuket Saturday evening. A second daughter was seriously injured in the attack, which took place in the Yoojaroen Project 1 estate in village 8, Pa Khlok. Police are hunting the killers and the mastermind behind the slaughter. They believe…
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Dengue control inititiative launched in Phuket Town
PHUKET: Phuket City Municipality has designated four city temples as “pilot areas” in the battle to stop the spread of dengue fever. Phuket Town Mayor Somjai Suwansupapana told the state-run MCOT news agency there have been 693 confirmed cases of dengue in the city so far this year. The number of new cases being reported is on the rise. Monsoon…
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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