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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Tossaporn’s win under investigation
PHUKET: The Election Commission (EC) in Bangkok has accepted for investigation one complaint of electoral fraud against Tossaporn Thepabutr, one of the two Democrat Party candidates elected to represent Phuket in parliament in a landslide win in the December 23 general election. Phuket Election Committee (PEC) investigation officer Ratchapon Thongnuengarm confirmed yesterday that the EC had ordered him to collect…
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Phuket land prices skyrocket
PHUKET: The tax man will have some jolly years ahead as the government-assessed land prices for many locations in Phuket are seeing triple-digit rates of growth.On Thursday, the Phuket Provincial Treasury Office (PPTO) confirmed details of the new land values, which were leaked to a Prachachart Turakij reporter in October (click here for full story).https://phuketgazette.net/news/index.asp?fromsearch=yes&Id=6033Land appraisals are done every four…
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Windsurfers prepare for Phuket championship
PHUKET: The Eastern Windsurfing Club (EWC) is teaming up with the Windsurfing Association of Thailand and the Yacht Racing Association of Thailand to present Thailand’s first international windsurfing rally championship from January 15 to 20.Competitors will race along the west coast of Phuket.The first day of racing, January 16, will take place from Nai Yang Beach to Surin Beach. On the second day,…
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Wife comatose after severe beating
PATONG: A 37-year-old woman is clinging to life at Vachira Phuket Hospital after her enraged husband of 20 years allegedly beat her over the head with a dumbbell early yesterday morning.Pol Lt Col Serm Kwannimit identified the victim as Dawan Harnsena, a native of Nongkhai and long-time Patong resident.After questioning the victim’s younger sister, police learned that Dawan’s likely assailant…
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Chef scorched in Patong gas explosion
PATONG: The chef at a newly opened restaurant on Rat-U-Thit 200 Pi Rd suffered first- and second-degree burns to 40% of his body after a cooking gas cylinder exploded on Wednesday morning.Pol Capt Jongserm Preecha of the Kathu Police told the Gazette that he received a report at 8 am that there was an explosion at Patong Corner Restaurant, on…
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Tsunami memorial service lights up Patong
PATONG: Some 700 people joined a memorial service for those who died in the tsunami three years ago, each placing a lit candle in the sand, basking the beach in a solemn glow.Guests and dignitries, including Swedish Ambassador Lennart Linner and Tourism and Sports Minister Dr Suwit Yodmanee, joined the event, giving speeches on loss, grief and recovery and laying…
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Corpse washes up at Tah Chat Chai
TAH CHAT CHAI: Police are trying to identify a body that washed up on Tah Chat Chai Beach about 2:30 pm yesterday.Pol Lt Damrong Songchuoy, of Tah Chat Chai Police Station, said the body, now at Thalang Hospital, appears to be that of an Asian man, probably in his 40s.“There were no wounds or abrasions to indicate the man had…
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Tsunami victims remembered
PATONG: About 200 people took part in a memorial service at Loma Park this morning to mark the third anniversary of the 2004 tsunami disaster.The event, which began at 10 am, included a food and alms offering to 108 monks who spent an hour praying for those who perished.Phuket Vice-Governor Tri Augkaradacha opened the service, which was organized jointly by…
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Work begins on new retail center on bypass road
WICHIT: Amid rumors that a new shopping mall is under construction opposite Central Festival Phuket on the bypass road, the Gazette has learned that a new branch of homeWorks, a complete home decoration and building supplies subsidiary of retailing giant Central, is slated for the site.Work began recently on the large plot behind Darasamuth School, with trucks working day and…
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Airport post office relocated
MAI KHAO: The post office at Phuket International Airport has been relocated from the departures terminal to the arrivals terminal on the ground floor of the airport.Kusol Yamyean, manager of Post Office Region 8, told the Gazette that the post office was closed on December 22 so that furniture and equipment could be moved.The post office keeps the same opening…
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Democrats cruise to Phuket victory
PHUKET CITY: On a day when over 74% of registered voters in the province made it to the polls, official results from yesteday’s general election saw Democrat Party candidates Rewat Areerob and Tossaporn Thepabutr winning both of Phuket’s two constituency MP seats by huge margins. Also, two-time constituency MP Chalermlak Kebsup-Democrat will likely return to parliament as a party list…
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Security guard, 26, murdered in Kamala
KAMALA: Police are investigating the murder of a security guard found beaten and shot to death outside a room at an apartment building in Kamala on Saturday afternoon.Duty Officer Pol Lt Chaiyapong Thamasurin of the Kamala Police identified the victim as 26-year-old Jirasak Khundamri, who was employed as a security guard by a private firm in Cherng Talay. He was…
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Luangpoo Supha, 114, blesses “safe teddies’
CHALONG: Phuket Vice-Governor Tri Augkaradacha traveled to Wat Luang Phu Supha Saturday morning to present 2,000 “Nong Prodpai” (“safe sister bear”) teddy bears for blessing by revered monk Luangpoo Supha.The teddy bears are to be distributed to motorists at police checkpoints during the “seven days of danger” period, from December 28 to January 3.Luangpoo Supha, who is reputed to be…
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The Metropole lights huge Xmas tree
PHUKET CITY: Expats feeling a twinge of homesickness for the sights and sounds of Christmas may wish to pay a visit to The Metropole hotel on Phuket Rd, where Christmas carols fill the air and an enormous Christmas tree was lit up in a ceremony on Thursday night. Staff at the hotel say the 10-meter-tall tree is the largest in…
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Phuket welcomes first Estonia charter flight
MAI KHAO: The first charter flight from Tallinn in the Republic of Estonia to Phuket touched down at Phuket International Airport on December 19.At 8 pm, a group of 220 Finnish and Estonian tourists arrived in Phuket aboard a Boeing 757-200 operated by Air Finland.The tourists were welcomed by members of the local press, Phuket International Airport Deputy Director Yutthana…
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DDPM-Phuket announces road-safety campaign
PHUKET CITY: In its annual attempt to limit road carnage over the holiday period, the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM-Phuket) will once again organize a multi-agency effort to promote safe driving during the “seven days of danger” period, from December 28 to January 3.DDPM-Phuket Chief Chotenarin Kerdsom said in an official DDPM-Phuket press release the annual migration of…
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Couple arrested, 2000 pills seized in ya bah bust
THALANG: Thalang Police made two arrests and confiscated about 2,000 ya bah (methamphetamine) pills on December 13, said Maj Anukul Nuket of Thalang Police Station.The arrests were made after an undercover police officer posing as a buyer arranged to buy 400 ya bah pills for 90,000 baht from Sitthichai Prasit, 20, a native of Nakhon Sri Thammarat Province, and Kanjana…
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Phuket prisoners pardoned
PHUKET CITY: Phuket Provincial Prison yesterday released 147 prisoners, 136 were men and 11 women, at 9 am following a royal decree from HM King Bhumipol Adulyadej to mark his 80th birthday.Also released from Baan Bang Jo detention center were two women and two men who had been detained there instead of paying fines.The royal decree was issued on December…
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Strong turnout for absentee vote
PHUKET: There was a strong voter turnout in advance polling for the December 23 general election, with 25,956 voters from around the country making their way to Phuket Community Hall on December 15 and 16 to cast absentee ballots in their home constituencies. Phuket Election Commission (PEC) Director Supap Akkam told the Gazette that the turnout exceeded 85% of the…
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Tsunami memorial services
PHUKET-PHANG NGA: To mark the third anniversary of the Asian tsunami on December 26, a number of services will be held throughout the region. In Patong, there will a merit-making ceremony at Loma Park involving 108 Buddhist monks, along with speeches and a minute of silence in remembrance of the victims, from 10 am to 10:30 am.Phuket Governor Niran Kalayanamit…
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Land acquisition funds approved for Chalong dam
CHALONG: Some 160 million baht for the final land acquisition for the Klong Krata reservoir project has been approved and landowners will receive compensation payments within two months.News that the funding had been made available under the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives was reported during a project update meeting chaired by Phuket Vice-Governor Smith Palawatwichai at Phuket Provincial Hall yesterday…
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Bars must close this weekend – and the next
PHUKET: The upcoming general election will be a sobering experience for the island’s party people, as a ban on alcohol sales will force bars to close for two consecutive weekends – starting at 6 pm tomorrow night.Phuket Election Commission Director Supap Akkam this morning confirmed that the new election law prohibits alcohol sales not only on election day, but during…
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Frenchman dies in mystery fall
PATONG: A Frenchman died at Patong Hospital in the early hours of this morning after falling off a bar stool and banging his head early last night.Kathu Police Superintendent Pol Col Grissak Songmoonnark identified the deceased as Gros Laurent, who had been drinking happily with friends at Tiger Entertainment Complex on Soi Bangla. After consuming two beers at the venue,…
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Supreme Court upholds SorPorKor ruling
PHUKET CITY: (Nation/Gazette): The Supreme Court yesterday confirmed an appellate decision to evict members of the Tantiwit family from a 69-rai plot designated for landless farmers in Kathu.“The national-land-reform [SorPorKor] program is reserved for farmers. Non-farming individuals are not qualified to utilize land-reform plots,” the High Court said in its verdict, read out at the Phuket Provincial Court Building.The Supreme…
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Three years on: Phuket marks tsunami anniversary
PATONG: Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) is organizing Light Up Phuket on December 26 to mark the third anniversary of the tsunami tragedy in 2004.More than 100,000 candles will be lit along the three-kilometer stretch of sand at Patong Beach.At 10:50 am, 108 monks will pray during a ceremony at Loma Park, Patong.Candles will be placed in the sand on…
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B-negative blood needed urgently
PHUKET CITY: The blood bank at Vachira Phuket Hospital is in urgent need of type B Rhesus-negative blood to treat a patient needing a blood transfusion. Anyone with this blood type is urged to contact the hospital as soon as possible.Donations of any blood type are also welcome and first-time and regular donors with at least three months since their…
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Democrats hit back
PHUKET: A lawyer representing the two Democrat Party candidates running in the December 23 general election has filed a complaint with the Phuket Election Commission (PEC) against a local Thai-language newspaper Siang Tai and several opposition candidates.Alleging numerous violations of the 2007 Election Act, the lawyer has asked the PEC to ban three candidates from political activities for one year…
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Home blaze in Koh Kaew
KOH KAEW: A house near Muslim Wittaya Phuket School in Koh Kaew caught fire early in the evening of December 9, causing damages estimated at 500,000 baht. No injuries were reported.Phuket City Police Duty OfficerPol Lt Somchai Noobun described the gutted dwelling as a one-story property in a small soi near the school. He identified the homeowner as Amarin Phinyo,…
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Jelik wins King’s Cup Regatta
PHUKET: Under pressure for a perfect start in strong winds this morning, Ray Roberts’ Quantum Racing crossed the start line just three seconds before the start horn sounded, leaving Frank Pong’s 75-foot Jelik to sail off round the course and win the 21st King’s Cup Regatta.The windiest King’s Cup since 1994 sorted the men from the boys to end on…
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Blackouts scheduled for Chalong and Wichit
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Electricity Authority (PPEA) has announced scheduled blackouts that will leave residents in Wichit and Chalong without power on December 12 and 13.The power cuts will allow the authority to carry out necessary maintenance and inspection work on high-voltage power lines in both vicinities.The areas will be affected as follows:December 12, 9 am to 5 pm.WICHIT: Pattana…
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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