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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Sponsored 5 ways retirees in Thailand lose money (and how to stop it)
Retiring in Thailand can be affordable and enjoyable, but many retirees lose money due to common mistakes. High living costs, scams, and unexpected expenses can quickly drain savings. There are five ways that retirees in Thailand can lose money and...
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Meet Phuket’s most dogged new reporter
PHUKET: Readers of the Phuket Gazette who have been in Thailand for awhile will recall the days of ‘Outside/In’, our regular weekly column summarizing news about Thailand from around the world. We’ve brought it back today, under the watchful eye of Master News Hound, a soi dog with an allergy to ‘long’. While the daily harvests of media scouting in…
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NEWS Hound: Phuket quiet in wake of court ruling
Phuket NEWS Hound – A daily, pocket-sized packet of news from around the world, compiled by Phuket Gazette reporters for foreigners who want it short, sharp and straight to the point. Business WeekDespite the bomb attacks on Bangkok Bank on Saturday night, in which four branches were targeted with grenades, the outlook may not be all bad for the Thai…
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More CCTV coverage for Phuket
RAWAI, PHUKET: Rawai Municipality has installed 34 CCTV cameras throughout Rawai in order to ensure tourists’ safety. Officers at Rawai Municipality Office are monitoring the cameras by day, while Chalong Police are watching them at night. The municipality has spent 20 million baht on the project. Phuket Deputy Governor Chaiwat Tepee chaired the opening ceremony, which took place on February…
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Phuket Gazette Readers’ Poll: Do you drink and drive?
PHUKET TOWN: Road safety is always a hot topic in Phuket, especially drunk driving. The latest Phuket Gazette Poll, posted today, asks readers if they have ever operated a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol in Phuket and, if so, how often. Let us know by clicking here or on the icon at the top right corner of…
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MOTORBIKES: Let’s get honest with tourists
PHUKET: Apart from the obvious need to fit all taxis and tuk-tuks on the island with meters, another pressing topic emerged during this month’s meeting between Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop and Phuket’s 16 honorary consuls: the need to give foreign tourists a better chance of returning home alive should they insist on renting a motorbike. Casualty figures alone justify the…
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Phuket jet-skis still uninsured
PHUKET: A number of jet-skis continue to operate in Phuket uninsured, despite a scheme launched last year aimed at having every jet-ski in Phuket covered by accident insurance. Of the island’s 219 registered jet-skis, 43 still have not joined the scheme. In addition, around 40 unregistered jet-skis continue to operate illegally on Patong Beach. Marine Transport Department Officer Songchai Na…
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Deliberate truck crash in Phuket
PHUKET: A tractor-trailer carrying 27 tons of building materials ended up in a roadside drainage ditch Wednesday afternoon after the driver decided to crash rather than risk hitting other vehicles. The 22-wheel rig was on its way from Bangkok to Patong with a shipment of ceramic tiles to be used on a building project at the Baan Laimai Beach Resort.…
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Phuket Police prepared for Thaksin assets ruling
PHUKET: Phuket’s most senior cop says he has no intelligence suggesting there will be political protests in Phuket today, when the Supreme Court delivers its verdict on the fate of Thaksin Shinawatra’s Bt76bn in seized assets. Despite this, Phuket Provincial Police Commander Pekad Tantipong said there could be ‘other kinds of mobs’ to deal with, so police need to be…
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Accident victims now monitoring Phuket roads
PHUKET TOWN: In a long awaited project to provide accident victims with gainful employment, four disabled people are now monitoring screens in the CCTV control room at Phuket City Police Station. Following a week of training on how to operate the cameras, the four new employees started work on February 11. They are spending eight hours a day watching live…
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Weather advisory for Phuket
PHUKET TOWN: Following heavy rains over much of Phuket this morning and afternoon, the Southern Meteorological Center (West Coast) office at Phuket International Airport has issued its first weather advisory of 2010. Issued at 1pm, the advisory warns people in risk areas to beware of thunderstorms and strong gusts of wind. Meteorologist Sopon Sangkaew told the Gazette there was no…
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Supercheap employee strangled
PHUKET: Police are hunting for the boyfriend of a Supercheap employee found strangled to death in her room yesterday. Miss Thipkasen ‘Khwan’ Heep-phech, 24, was found in her room in Koh Kaew by a colleague after she was absent from work for two days. She had a mobile telephone charger cord wrapped around her neck and a pillow over her…
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Indian navy training in Phuket ends today
PHUKET: Some 900 Indian Navy midshipmen are shipping out from Phuket this afternoon after taking part in training exercises aboard three visiting Indian warships: the INS TIR, the INS Krishna and the ICGS Varuna. An Indian delegation, including Southern Naval Area Commander-in-Chief V/Adm Krishnan Nair Sushil and Indian Ambassador Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty, met their Thai counterparts at the Royal Thai…
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Wildfires flare in Phuket
RASSADA, PHUKET: Phuket firefighters have been battling wildfires along the bypass road in recent days. The first broke out in a field opposite Tesco-Lotus in Rassada at about noon on Sunday. Rassada Municipality dispatched four firetrucks and 20 firefighters to try to douse the flames, which were fueled by thick, dried out vegetation. “As we arrived there to put it…
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Phuket leukemia patient gets royal treatment
PHUKET: After writing a letter to HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej asking for help, a sixteen-year-old leukemia patient has been granted 800,000 baht to pay for medical treatment. Jenarong Tapklaeng was first diagnosed with leukemia about one year ago. Due to his illness, he has been unable to attend classes at Dowroong Wittaya School for over a year. In a letter…
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Phuket drug detectors under fire
PHUKET: The Science and Technology Ministry is set to test the effectiveness of the Alpha 6 ‘molecular resonance’ substance detector in use by anti-drug agencies in Phuket. The move comes after tests on the similar GT200 bomb-detection device revealed it was ineffective. Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said double-blind tests carried out by the Science and Technology Ministry showed the GT200…
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Briton, Thai killed in head-on bike crash in Phuket
CHALONG, PHUKET: A young British man and a Thai man were killed in a motorcycle crash in Phuket early this morning. A Danish man was seriously injured. Police found the bodies of Adam William Menagh, 22, and Chainarong Wathana, 24, lying on Chao Fa East Road opposite Soi Thanoothep in Chalong at 5:30am. Mr Menagh was in Phuket for Muay…
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Belgian fraud suspect nabbed at Phuket Bus Station
PHUKET TOWN: A Belgian fugitive wanted by police for nine months in connection with two fraud cases was arrested on February 15 at Phuket City Bus Station aboard a bus bound for Bangkok. Yvon Van Eyersen, 57, was sought for his involvement in the misappropriation of 6 million baht in customer investments from his Phuket Patong Assest Company last year.…
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Phuket launches ambitious debt reduction program
PHUKET: More than 4,000 Phuket residents owe a total of 432 million baht to loan sharks, it emerged last week. The figures were revealed at a recent meeting at Phuket Provincial Hall attended by government officials, police officers and bank representatives, all members of a new provincial committee set up to deal with the problem of usury and indebtedness. The…
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Phuket Gazette Readers’ Poll: 2am best closing time for Patong
PHUKET TOWN: Opinion on the best closing time for bars and other nightlife entertainment establishments in Patong varies widely, but overall 2am was the most popular closing time according the results of the latest Phuket Gazette Readers’ Poll. In the poll, readers were asked: What do you think is the best closing time for nightlife venues in Patong? Possible answers…
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Phuket water supply update
PHUKET TOWN: Addressing concerns that Phuket may not have enough water to get through the current dry season, the Phuket Provincial Irrigation Office (PPIO) has reported that the Bang Wad Reservoir in Kathu has water to last until May if not replenished with rainfall. Mr Issara Anukool, who heads the PPIO’s water management department, said the reservoir currently hold 5.3…
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Old Phuket Town Festival underway
PHUKET TOWN: Motorists planning to go downtown tonight should take note, as sections of several major arteries are now closed to traffic for the Old Phuket Town Festival that starts today. From 3pm until midnight on all three days of the festival, the following roads will be blocked off: Phuket Road: From the intersection with Dibuk Road south to the…
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Brick-wielding thug robs Phuket 7-Eleven, gets Bt360
CHALONG, PHUKET: A down-and-out man who robbed a 7-Eleven store by threatening the shop assistant with a brick this morning got off with just 360 baht in coins – and was arrested soon after. Mongkhol Pintajan, 33, told police he robbed the store because he had no money. Police said Mr Mongkhol walked into the 7-Eleven on Wiset Road in…
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Patong Darts League Roundup: Week 4
PATONG, PHUKET: Four weeks into the season Piccadilly remain at the top of the pack after an impressive 7-2 home win against Shakers. Most of the games were close, but Shakers had a case of ‘double trouble’ when it mattered most. Matt of Shakers got the high score with a 140. Queen Mary took a 5-4 advantage over Celtic, but…
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200,000 baht snatched in Phuket heist
CHALONG, PHUKET: Two men on a motorcycle snatched and rode off with a bag containing 200,000 baht in cash outside a rice shop in Chalong yesterday afternoon. Sompon Famangkorn, an employee of Namsaeng Rice Company, was getting out of his pickup outside the Nam Riab Rice Shop on Chao Fa West Road when the heist happened at around 3:30pm. Mr…
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Phuket hospital painted pink
PHUKET TOWN: A hospital has become the latest piece of Phuket to get the pink paint treatment. The Phuket Provincial Administration Organization Hospital, now under reconstruction on Anupas Phuket Karn Road in Phuket Town, will now join the Phuket Town buses and the new roadside pavilions which dot the island’s roads in being painted various shades of pink. PPAO President…
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Thaksin asset ruling: embassies issue travel advisories
PHUKET: The British Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is warning its citizens throughout Thailand to exercise ‘great caution’ in advance of a Supreme Court ruling on the fate of exiled former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s 76 billion baht in seized assets. A statement posted on the FCO’s website and signed by British Ambassador to Thailand Quinton Quayle reads as follows:…
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Cherng Talay suffers from drought
CHERNG TALAY, PHUKET: Cherng Talay is drying up. That’s the fear of many local residents, who voiced their concerns at a meeting at Phuket Provincial Hall on Monday. Phuket Vice Governor Teerayut Eimtrakul chaired the discussion, which saw community representatives explain the area’s water management problems to Cherng Talay Tambon Administration Organization (TAO) officials and hydrology experts. Residents say Cherng…
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Phuket gears up for Bike Week 2010
PHUKET: Organizers of Phuket Bike Week 2010 expect the event to generate 200 million baht in tourism revenue from big bike enthusiasts visiting from more than 20 countries. Organizers and local authorities met with Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop earlier this month to discuss preparations for the event, to be held from April 8 to 11 this year. Representing the Tourism…
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Cement truck overturns in Phuket
PATONG, PHUKET: A heavily laden cement truck overturned along the Patong to Kamala road in Phuket around midday today. The driver, 57-year-old Sukhon Sang-iat of Nakhon Sri Thammarat lost control of the vehicle while rounding a curved section of the road. The truck, carrying ten tons of Insee brand ready-mixed concrete, fell into a roadside drainage ditch and overturned. Mt…
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Phuket plastic bag plan hits snag
PHUKET TOWN: The ‘Phuket No Shopping Bag’ project was officially launched on Sunday, but a controversial plan by island retailers to begin charging for plastic bags is apparently on hold. The launch ceremony, which included the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), was held at 4:30pm at Central Festival Phuket. The ceremony was presided over by Energy Minister Wannarat…
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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