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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Asean summit venue to be finalized on Monday
PHUKET CITY: Confusion reigns over the siting of the Asean Summit scheduled for October 23 to 25, with Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva telling the state-run Thai News Agency that the venue site will not be finalized until next Monday. Mr Abhisit said yesterday that the agencies involved will meet on August 24 to consider the timetable and venue for the…
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Deputy PM orders investigation into Phuket jet-ski scams
PHUKET: Australian diplomats regard the problem of jet-ski rip-offs in Phuket so seriously they have complained to the prime minister, Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop said yesterday.As a result, Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban has ordered a thorough investigation into scams on the island, particularly those involving jet-skis and motorcycle taxis, Gov Wichai said.There are about 300 jet-skis on five beaches…
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Asean summit not coming to Phuket
PHUKET CITY: The 15th Asean Summit meeting in October will take place in the twin resorts of Cha-am and Hua Hin, not Phuket, the government has confirmed.Suthep Thaugsuban, deputy prime minister in charge of security issues, confirmed the decision this morning.With the island’s successful hosting of the Asean Foreign Ministers’ Meetings at the Laguna Phuket resort complex in Cherng Talay…
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Annissa Flynn wins surf titles in Kamala, Phuket
KAMALA, PHUKET: Eleven-year-old surf sensation Annissa Flynn stole the show on the final day of the King of the Jungle 2009 Quiksilver Thailand Surf Series event on Sunday, claiming both the women’s open and groms divisions on a great day of competition at Kamala Beach. Kata-based Flynn, who learned how to surf just two years ago, successfully defended the groms…
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Ritz Carlton Reserve rises in Phang Nga
PHUKET: Luxury brand Ritz-Carlton is set to debut in Phang Nga with the recent signing of Similan Beach, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve.Located in Bo Dan, just north of Tha Sai, the 79-villa resort will open by the fourth quarter of 2011. Developed by an institutional private equity firm, the site was previously owned by Kingdom Hotel Investments and had been earmarked…
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Aussie carrier launches Phuket service
PHUKET CITY: Australian long-haul carrier V Australia yesterday announced Phuket as one of its two new destinations, with direct flights to the island from Brisbane and Melbourne set to begin later this year. Twice weekly flights to Phuket from Brisbane will begin on November 22, while once weekly flights from Melbourne will begin on December 3. As part of its…
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Jilted lover stabs girlfriend, plunges to death
KOH RACHA, PHUKET: A luxury resort on Racha Yai Island was left reeling after one of its employees stabbed another to death before plunging to his own demise. Harin Tipnarong, an electrician at The Racha resort, planned the murder after his girlfriend and colleague Voraporn Pithom told him she wanted to end their relationship, police said. Superintendent Chinarat Rittakananon of…
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Dane drowns in Phuket
KARON, PHUKET: A Danish tourist is the latest victim to have drowned in Phuket. Chalong Police investigator Boonlert Onklang identified the victim as 57-year-old Jorgen Hauge Andersen, who was vacationing in Phuket with his son Emil, 20. Both were staying at the Marina Phuket Resort, at the south end of Karon Beach. Mr Andersen and his son ignored the red…
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Phuket shark release to honor HM Queen Sirikit’s birthday
PHUKET CITY: In one of the many ceremonies that took place to mark the birthday of HM Queen Sirikit last week, 39 sharks and more than 10,000 other fish and marine animals were released into the sea off Phuket on Friday morning. The release was organized by the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources through its Phuket Marine Biological Center…
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Phuket still in contention for Asean summit: PM
PHUKET CITY: It has not yet been finalized whether the 15th Asean Summit in October will be moved out of Phuket, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said in a surprise announcement on Saturday. Pending further information from the state agencies concerned, the government would make the decision about the venue later this week, the prime minister said. The comments contradict a…
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Phuket FC record historic first point at Surakul
PHUKET CITY: Phuket FC registered their first ever point at home at Surakul Stadium following a keenly contested match against Krabi on Saturday night that ended 0-0. Phuket enjoyed the lion’s share of possession in the first 45 minutes, but it was Krabi who had the best chance to open the scoring when their striker was given time and space…
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British tourist in Phuket faces life for forgery
PHUKET CITY: A British tourist faces life in prison after being charged with forging English pound notes and trying to exchange them for Thai baht. According to Chalong Police, Martin William Pritchard, 52, from Bristol, went to the Karon branch of the Nakorn Luang Thai Bank and tried to exchange twenty 20-pound notes for 21,972 baht. The teller became suspicious…
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Phuket City’s Kaset Market gets a hose down
PHUKET CITY: A ‘big cleaning day’ was held at Kaset Market as part of celebrations marking the birthday of HM Queen Sirikit on Wednesday. Municipal workers, shopkeepers and volunteers all got behind the effort, spraying the floors of the market with high-pressure hoses, picking up garbage and scrubbing the filthy floors with detergent. Targeted for extermination by poison as part…
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New swine flu cases down 50% in Phuket
PHUKET CITY: The number of new swine flu cases reported in Phuket has been reduced by almost half, with 271 reported cases and the death toll still at two. To help people who contract the type A(H1N1) virus that causes the disease, the Phuket Public Health Office (PPHO) has signed contracts with 12 private clinics to distribute the the antiviral…
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Phuket’s “little mermaid’ breathing on her own
PHUKET CITY: There have been encouraging signs for the Burmese baby born in Phuket with ‘mermaid syndrome’ last Sunday: the infant has been taken off a respirator and is now breathing on her own. According to the Prince of Songkla University (PSU) Hospital in Songkhla, where the baby girl is being treated, she has now been given the name ‘Nichapa’ by…
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Hua Hin, not Phuket, to host Asean+3 summit
PHUKET CITY: The 15th Asean summit in October will be held in Cha-Am and Hua Hin, not Phuket as originally planned.“After consulting with the security agencies concerned, we decided to choose Cha-Am and Hua Hin for the meeting,” Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya said yesterday.The 15th summit of Asean leaders and partners from Asia and Pacific will be held October 23…
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Rajabhat Phuket to host science fair
PHUKET: Phuket Rajabhat University will host a science fair from August 18 to 20.The event is aimed at getting youngsters more interested in science and technology.A part of ‘Thailand Science Week’, the fair will be dedicated to the memory of King Mongkut (Rama IV), known as the ‘Father of Thai Science and Technology’.King Mongkut (1804 – 1864) embraced Western science and…
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Vegetable Festival takes the fall for Phuket’s Asean loss
PHUKET: The 15th Asean summit in October will be held in Cha-Am/Hua Hin, a shift from Phuket where it had originally been scheduled to happen. The big loss for Phuket was chalked up to security concerns, Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya said this afternoon. “After consultation with security agencies, we decided to choose Cha-am/Hua Hin for the summit meeting,” he said,…
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Phuket yellow shirts sue red shirts over petition
PHUKET CITY: Phuket’s yellow shirt leaders have filed police charges against the island’s red shirt organizers for gathering signatures seeking a royal pardon for exiled former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. The move echoes similar actions taken by People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) leaders around the country. Led by Phuket PAD coordinator Aparat Chartchutikumjorn, around 30 PAD members filed complaints at…
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Phuket could lose Asean summit: PM
PHUKET CITY: Thailand is considering moving the ‘Asean plus three summit’ scheduled for October from Phuket to the resort town of Hua Hin in Prachuab Khiri Khan province, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva confirmed yesterday. Leaders from ten Asean member states, plus South Korea, Japan and China, were tentatively scheduled to meet in Phuket from October 19 to 22. However, some…
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Back surgery success for cliff-jumping belly dancer
PHUKET CITY: Just one week after major spinal surgery following a cliff-jumping accident on Koh Phi Phi, American tourist Melissa Kelman flew home today. Ms Kelman, 28, a dance and English teacher from St Louis, Missouri, shattered three vertebrae in her back when she jumped into the sea from a height of 20 meters as part of a Phi Phi…
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PM supports new Saphan Hin road: Phuket governor
PHUKET CITY: Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva supports the controversial plan to build a new road connecting Saphan Hin and Sakdidet Road, according to Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop. Speaking at the project’s opening ceremony held near Chalermprakiat Somdejprasrinakarin Phuket School yesterday, Gov Wichai said he discussed the project with PM Abhisit last month. “The prime minister agreed with my project proposals,”…
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Phuket FC take on Krabi on Saturday
PHUKET CITY: Phuket FC will face Krabi at Surakul Stadium on Saturday in what will be their final chance for a home win this season. In six home matches so far, Phuket FC have failed to accumulate a single point, losing all six encounters – many in heartbreaking fashion. Saturday’s match, which kicks off at 7pm, is the home side’s…
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A safety hint for visitors to Phuket, with love from Bangkok
PHUKET: The coach of the Afghan judo squad attending the Asian Martial Arts Games in Bangkok was robbed of hundreds of thousands of baht after falling for a ladyboy he met in the notorious Nana Plaza adult entertainment complex. ‘Ladyboy’ is the widely-used English word for the Thai katoey, generally understood to mean a male-to-female transgender person. Assaladee Sakala, 43,…
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July crime statistics for Phuket
PHUKET CITY: Statistics for July released by the Phuket Provincial Police show that gambling was the most common criminal offense, with 177 people arrested in 47 cases. The figure represents a 42.5% increase year-on-year. There were also 23 arrests for involvement in the underground lottery, statistics for which are tabulated separately. There were 137 drug arrests for the period, an…
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Surgery on Phuket’s ‘little mermaid’ a success
PHUKET CITY: Doctors in Haad Yai have successfully completed emergency surgery to create an artificial anus for the Burmese baby born with ‘mermaid syndrome’ in Phuket on Sunday night. For the original report of the baby’s birth, click here. A public relations officer at the Prince of Songkhla University Hospital, where the surgery was carried out yesterday, said the life-saving…
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Drownings continue in Phuket: Italian, Thai dead
PHUKET CITY: An Italian tourist and a Thai recreational fisherman are Phuket’s two most recent drowning victims. Kathu Police were notified at 5pm on Monday that Italian national Antonio Salvatorebucca, 46, went missing in the surf at Patong Beach, across from the Thara Patong Beach Resort. The report was made by a friend of the deceased, 39-year-old Italian Zanchetta Gianluca.…
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Drug bust at Phuket Airport
PHUKET CITY: A Thai woman was caught at Phuket International Airport on Monday trying to smuggle a large stash of ya bah (methamphetamine) pills onto the island, police say. Pojjanee Thuptim, 31, was caught with 1,330 ya bah (methamphetamine) pills stashed in a thigh support of the type used for sports injuries, a source at the Phuket branch of the…
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Phuket prays for baby with “mermaid syndrome’
PHUKET CITY: Surgeons are working desperately to save a Burmese baby born in Phuket with a rare birth defect known as ‘mermaid syndrome’, a condition in which both legs are fused together from the torso down. The infant, named Sui, was born at Vachira Phuket Hospital at 8:40pm on Sunday. Vachira Phuket Assistant Director Dr Sirichai Silapa-archa said Sui was…
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Bike rider killed in truck crash
KATHU, PHUKET: A man was killed on Sunday morning after his motorbike collided with a 10-wheel truck. Mr Aroon Nopprat, 53, died instantly after his head was crushed under the truck’s wheels. When police arrived at the scene, the newly resurfaced bend of Wichit Songkhram Road between Makro and Ketho Temple in Kathu, the truck driver was nowhere to be…
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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