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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Three Phuket businessmen charged with encroachment
PHUKET CITY: Three prominent Phuket businessmen yesterday morning presented themselves at the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) headquarters in Bangkok to face allegations of land encroachment at Koh Yao Yai in Phang Nga. Pol Lt Col Prawuth Wongsrinil, head of the DSI’s consumer and environment protection unit, identified the businessmen as Thawat, Tara and Prasit Tantipiriyakij. A fourth man, Bumrung…
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Burrowes free after paying 500 baht fine
PHUKET CITY: The Simon Burrowes saga appears to have finally come to a conclusion as the Englishman pled guilty to a charge of being impolite to a state official and was fined 500 baht. Burrowes was due to fly back to the UK on January 31, but became involved in an altercation with Immigration Police officials at Phuket International Airport,…
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Pollution solution due in October, 2010
PHUKET CITY: Phuket City Municipality last week held a hearing to present to the public its plan to build a second waste-to-energy incinerator, scheduled to go on-line in October, 2010. About 300 government officers and members of the public attended the session, held last Thursday afternoon at the Phuket Merlin Hotel. Phuket Vice-Governor Worapoj Ratthasima chaired the hearing and Phuket…
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Social security contributions lowered
PHUKET: In a bid to increase spending, the Thai Social Security Fund (SSF) plans to lower monthly contributions from both employers and employees during the ongoing economic crisis. The Social Security Office board, which manages the fund, is scheduled to meet today to conclude details of the contribution reduction. “The reduction should be applicable for six months starting from June,”…
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Airport Authority lowers landing fees again
MAI KHAO, PHUKET: Airports of Thailand (AOT) is to make a further reduction in landing fees at the six airports under its control, including Phuket International Airport (PIA). In a bid to help struggling airlines battered by dire economic conditions and Thailand’s continuing political turmoil, fees will now be reduced by 30%. Parking fees will also be waived for aircraft…
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Mother of murder suspect alleges corruption
PHUKET CITY: The mother of a suspect in the high-profile killing of Matichon journalist Athiwut Chainurat has accused a senior policeman of taking a bribe to secure her son’s release. Prasert Kaowseesot, 53-year-old mother of murder suspect Lamduan Kaowseesot, 31, took the case to the Nakhon Sri Thammarat Justice Center after the police officer allegedly failed to follow through with…
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Tourism businesses urged to join Phuket re-branding launch
PHUKET, Thailand: A group of local hoteliers and businesses in Phuket have “cancelled” Low Season – April 15 through November 1 – and are renaming the period more appropriately as “Summer Season”, to better reflect the fact that Phuket is one of the world’s top year-round vacation and second home destinations. For further details about Summer in Phuket, visit www.summerinphuket.com…
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Samkong Bridge project nears completion
PHUKET CITY: Workers from the Phuket Rock Company toiled hard over the weekend making repairs to part of the Samkong Bridge, which supports two lanes of traffic on Yaowarat Road.The bridge, built in 1970, passes over Klong Bangyai near Bangkok Hospital in the busy Samkong part of Phuket City.Klong Bangyai, Phuket largest watercourse, drains water from large parts of Muang…
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Gov Wichai to push four road projects for Phuket
PHUKET CITY: In a bid to ease traffic congestion, Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop will push four new road projects for the island. Gov Wichai told a press conference at Phuket Provincial Hall earlier this week that the ever-increasing number of cars on Phuket’s roads makes expansion of the island road network a necessity. The first project would be a new…
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Private sector hails lifting of emergency decree
PHUKET CITY: The government’s lifting of the State of Emergency Decree in Bangkok and surrounding areas yesterday has drawn applause from the private-sector.Federation of Thai Industries chairman Santi Vilassakdanont said the move would help restore confidence in the country.The situation would return to normal in two weeks, he predictedHowever the government must move more quickly to explain the situation to…
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Tourism outlook positive after lifting of emergency rule
PHUKET: Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has pledged to ensure peace and normalcy by relying on relevant laws following the lifting of emergency rule in Greater Bangkok yesterday. “It is the duty of my government to keep the peace, and I pledge to allay public concerns about security by invoking relevant laws without taking any extra measures,” he said. PM Abhisit…
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Frogmen plug leaking oil tank in Satun
PHUKET CITY: A team of frogmen yesterday sealed a hole in the tank of a sunken fishing vessel off Satun’s Koh Lipe, stopping an oil leak that left some island beaches blackened earlier in the week. The oil leak was first noticed early last Saturday morning at Ao Pramong, on the north coast of Koh Lipe. In an all-day operation…
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Mob leader slams Cherng Talay Police
CHERNG TALAY, PHUKET: A member of the mob protesting alleged police inaction in the murder of a 12-year-old boy by an Internet cafe owner spoke with the Gazette late yesterday afternoon about why the group continued to block a stretch of Srisoonthorn Road through the night – even after the victim’s family had disbanded after meeting with the governor. Identifying…
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Gaga’s mom talks to the Gazette, issues ultimatum to police
CHERNG TALAY: The mother of slain schoolboy Amornthep “Gaga” Panya-sirikul is giving police five days to bring to justice the man who took her son’s life by shooting him in the head inside a computer game center yesterday afternoon. Gaga’s mother, Mrs Somjai Sudjit, told the Gazette today she took the boy’s remains home at 11am today after identifying Gaga…
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Cherng Talay protesters finally disband
CHERNG TALAY, PHUKET: An adamant group of protesters continued to block a 300-meter stretch of Srisoonthorn Road in Baan Bang Tao most of today, demanding police catch the man responsible for the shooting murder of 12-year-old Amornthep “Gaga” Panya-sirikul. The group finally disbanded late this afternoon following unconfirmed reports that the shooter was about to turn himself in to authorities.…
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Boy killed in gun play gone wrong
PHUKET, CHERNG TALAY: A 12-year-old boy was shot and killed following a gun play accident at an internet and games shop in Baan Bang Tao, Cherng Talay at about noon yesterday.The shooting occurred at Dr Com Electronic Center located opposite Baan Bang Tao School on Srisoonthorn Road when the owner of the cafe, Ekawood Pipatratana, 34, was showing off his…
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Oil still leaking from sunken fishing boat off Koh Lipe
PHUKET CITY: Oil continues to rise to the surface from a sunken fishing vessel off the coast of Satun, endangering marine life and threatening the tourism industry of nearby Koh Lipe. Yesterday, Alee Suksuwan, head of the Satun Provincial Environmental Protection department, visited the site where oil continues to break the surface from the fuel tank of the vessel, which…
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Gov Wichai to push for reservoir at Kathu Waterfall
KATHU, PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Office will seek a budget from the central government to construct a new reservoir at Kathu Waterfall in order to solve chronic dry season drought problems in the area. On Monday, Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop toured the proposed project site, also a popular tourist destination. He was accompanied by Kathu District Chief Siripath Patakul, Kathu…
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PM confirms plan for Phuket to host Asean summit in June
PHUKET: The government has tentatively chosen Phuket to host the Asean summit with six dialogue partners from the Asia-Pacific region in June, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said yesterday. The summit, initially to be held from April 10-12, had to be canceled after it was stormed by red-shirt protesters in Pattaya. Dates for the next summit could not be fixed yet because several…
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Fisherman ends life by lethal injection with weed killer
RASSADA, PHUKET: A commercial fisherman allegedly cheated out of his pay by his employer ended his life yesterday morning by injecting himself with liquid weed killer. At 12:30pm on April 20, Phuket City Police duty inspector Pitak Sompong received a report from residents of Soi Hormok, off Srisuthat Road in Rassada Village 3, that they had found the body of…
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PMBC treats injured 120kg green sea turtle
CAPE PANWA, PHUKET: Veterinarians at the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) are treating an enormous green sea turtle whose carapace was cracked open by fishermen operating illegally in the waters off Rawai Beach. PMBC biologist Kanjana Adulyankosol, who heads the PMBC’s endangered species unit, said a team of officers from the Marine and Coastal Resources Department Region 5 office in…
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Phuket to host Asean summits
PHUKET: The abruptly suspended Asean Summit will be rescheduled in Phuket as soon as possible in an effort to restore foreign investors’ confidence in the country, Deputy Commerce Minister Alongkorn Pollabutr has announced. Asean chief Surin Pitsuwan said on Friday that the summit would take place no later than early June. Mr Alongkorn said the Asean Economic Summit would be…
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PAD concert goes off without a hitch
SAPHAN HIN, PHUKET: Last night saw more than 30,000 yellow-shirted People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) followers gather in a show of support for injured leader Sondhi Limthongkul at the sold-out PAD 6th political concert, which was aired nationwide on ASTV. Maj Gen Chamlong Srimuang, one of the PAD’s five core leaders, told the crowd he felt happy to see such…
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4 dead, 60 injured in Songkran road accidents
PHUKET CITY: The final tally for this years’ “Seven Days of Danger” road safety campaign over the Songkran holiday period in Phuket is four dead, with 60 people injured in 60 road accidents. The figures are almost identical to last year, when four were killed and 64 were injured in 64 accidents. In the annual accounting, only injuries requiring admittance…
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Phuket ‘Halal Expo’ starts April 30
PHUKET CITY: Phuket is set to host the “World of Halal Science, Industry & Business International Conference 2009” and “Halal Expo”, aimed at turning the southern region into a center of the halal-related industry. Winai Dahlan, dean of the faculty of allied health sciences at Chulalongkorn University, said the dual events were scheduled to be held between April 30 and…
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Phuket to host halal expo
PHUKET CITY: Phuket is set to host the “World of Halal Science, Industry & Business International Conference 2009” and “Halal Expo”, aimed at turning the southern region into a center of the halal-related industry. Winai Dahlan, dean of the faculty of allied health sciences at Chulalongkorn University, said the dual events were scheduled to be held between April 30 and…
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PAD concert to go on despite Sondhi shooting
SAPHAN HIN, PHUKET: The People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) benefit concert will go on as scheduled tomorrow night, despite the shooting of PAD leader Sondhi Limthongkul early this morning. Phuket PAD coordinator Aparat Chartchutikumjorn told the Gazette today that Mr Sondhi is now in a stable condition and able to speak after surgeons at Vajira Hospital in Bangkok successfully removed…
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Phuket ready to host postponed Asean summit
PHUKET CITY: Phuket is ready to host the postponed Asean +3 and +6 conferences, following the abrupt cancellation of the financial summit in Pattaya over the Songkran holiday after anti-government protesters stormed the venue where it was being held. Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop said that the government originally planned for Phuket to host the summit, but moved the high-profile event…
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PAD leader Sondhi in serious condition after shooting
PHUKET / BANGKOK: Sondhi Limthongkul, media mogul and one of the five core leaders of the yellow-shirted People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD), is in serious condition after being shot in the head early this morning. One of the attackers’ bullets hit his left skull, causing a brain hemorrhage, Vajira Hospital Director Dr Chaiwun Charoenchoktavee said. Doctors are conducting an urgent…
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AirAsia to open ticket office in Patong
PHUKET CITY: As part of its plan to develop Phuket as a second aviation hub for Thailand, Thai AirAsia hopes to establish direct air links with major cities in the region and will set up a sales office on the beach road in Patong, the company’s chief executive officer (CEO) told the Gazette.Thai AirAsia CEO Tassapol Bijleveld says that the…
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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