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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Rugby 10s tourney moves to Phuket City
PHUKET CITY: The 8th Molly Malone’s Phuket International Rugby 10s tournament, originally to have been played at Karon Municipal Stadium this Saturday and Sunday, will now be held at Sanam Chai, opposite Phuket Provincial Hall on Narisorn Rd.Tournament organizer Patrick Cotter, of the Phuket Vagabonds FC, told the Gazette that at about 3 pm today that he finally written received…
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3 arrested on smuggling charges
RASSADA: Two Thais and a Taiwanese citizen have been arrested for their involvement in smuggling cigarettes and batteries into Phuket.The contraband, seized along with the trio in a raid by officials from the Phuket Area Excise Office (PAEO), is estimated to be worth 5 million baht, the richest smuggling seizure in five years in the province.Led by Surat Sangnej of…
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Metal workers and mechanics to be moved
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Industry Office (PPIO) has announced that mechanics’ garages and metal workers’ shops in Phuket City are to be relocated to an area outside of the city center as part of a zoning scheme aimed at combating pollution. Businesses that refuse to comply will risk losing their licenses to trade.At a press conference at The Metropole hotel,…
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Missing fishermen safely home
AO MAKHAM: Two Thai fishermen missing after their boat sank on Tuesday night have returned home safely after being in the water for more than 20 hours. The men managed to climb ashore at Ao Makham yesterday evening after having drifted around the length of the island.The fishing boat Sin Piphat sank in rough seas about 13 miles west of…
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Migrant laborer rules “to be relaxed’
PHUKET: The complicated and much-maligned system for employing migrant laborers from Myanmar, Laos or Cambodia is to be overhauled, Boonchock Maneechot, Chief of the Phuket Provincial Employment Services Office (PESO), has announced.Previously, employers wanting to hire workers had to pay a “guarantee” of either 10,000 or 50,000 baht per worker, depending upon the immigration status of the worker.However, at a…
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Lovers slain during beach tryst
NAI YANG: A couple have died after being brutally attacked yesterday while they were enjoying a secret rendezvous on Nai Yang Beach in the early hours.Pol Lt Col Sakchai Limchareon, Deputy Superintendent at Tah Chat Chai Police Station, told the Gazette today, “The man was Chian Petcharat, 59, and the woman was Sriprai Chai-intha, 40. Both of them were married…
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World’s oldest liner books a call
PHUKET: The MV Doulos, the world’s oldest ocean-going passenger ship – it was built just two years after the Titanic sunk – is returning to Phuket for the first time in 10 years. The Malta-registered liner is now operated by Gute BĂ¼cher fĂ¼r Alle (GBA), a private non-profit organization based in Germany that has worked since 1977 to promote good…
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Crocodile Disco to reopen as go-go bar
PATONG: Crocodile Disco, which was gutted by fire in March, will reopen next year as an a-go-go venue, Amnuay Kuabkum, former Manager of Crocodile Disco, has told the Gazette.The fire, which broke out early on March 13, caused damage estimated at 40 million baht to the three-story complex, located at the end of Soi Moulin Rouge. The soi, more commonly…
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Soi Dog Foundation and Livestock Office bury the hatchet
PHUKET: There was a time, not so long ago, when the Soi Dog Foundation (SDF) and the Phuket Provincial Livestock Office (PPLO) fought like cats and dogs. Now, however, they have buried the hatchet.Members of the board, headed by its new President, Dr Prasit Koeysiripong, met with PPLO chief Dr Sunart Wongvorachart recently for what they described afterward as “extremely…
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Phuket-Port Blair “sister city’ status under threat
PHUKET CITY: Phuket Governor Udomsak Uswarangkura will move to revoke the “sister city” status of the Andaman & Nicobar Islands if trade proposals to be discussed next month fail to bear fruit.Governor Udomsak told the Gazette that the “sister-city” relationship, ratified by the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two parties on June 29 last year, should…
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Fiberglass “Phuket Dog’ home for good
PATONG: A sculpture of an over-sized dog by a famous Japanese artist has returned, this time permanently, to Patong Beach. The sculpture, known as Phuket Dog, is 3½ meters tall and was originally created for an art exhibition held on the beach last year in commemoration of the tsunami. The artist who made the fiberglass dog, Yoshitomo Nara, explained the…
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Saxberg body sent to Bangkok for autopsy
PHUKET: The body of Canadian Lorne Saxberg, who apparently drowned on Saturday while snorkeling off Koh Khai, in Phang Nga Bay, was sent to Bangkok today for forensic tests to determine what caused his death.An officer of the Phuket Police Station, who spoke to the Gazette on condition of anonymity, said, “We have yet to receive the results of the…
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THAI to increase flight prices
THAILAND: Thai Airways International (THAI) has announced that it will increase its ticket prices on both domestic and long-haul international flights yet again, citing increased fuel costs.But prices on flights to some destinations within Southeast Asia will be cut.The new prices will come into effect from June 1.The price adjustments will be calculated based on the distance flown. This means that while…
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Judges vote for new general election
BANGKOK (Nation, Gazette): A general election will be held, Judge Ura Wangormklang announced today after the Constitutional Court today declared the controversial April 2 election to be invalid.Judge Ura said that of the 14 judges involved in the ruling, eight to six voted to annul the April 2 snap election on the grounds that it was unconstitutional, and nine judges…
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Veteran CBC broadcaster dies snorkeling
PHUKET: Veteran Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) broadcaster Lorne Saxberg died on Saturday while snorkeling with friends off Koh Khai, Phang Nga. The 48-year-old Ontarian had been holidaying in Phuket. An officer from Phuket City Police Station told the Gazette, “We received a report at about 4 pm on Saturday that a man had died while swimming in Phang Nga Province.…
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Mission to salvage human torpedoes
PHUKET CITY: Chalong-based marine engineer Capt Chris Parton yesterday asked Phuket Governor Udomsak Uswarangkura for permission to salvage two World War II Chariots – sometimes know as “human torpedoes” – from the sea floor off Koh Dok Mai.The Chariots – torpedoes powered by batteries and converted to carry scuba divers – were used 62 years ago by Britain’s Royal Navy…
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Company accountant shot while jogging
PHUKET CITY: Police are scratching their heads after company accountant Somporn Pattanakij, 61, was shot dead by a gunman while jogging with his wife near Suan Luang Park early yesterday morning.The gunman shot K. Somporn once in the face with an 11mm pistol before jumping on a motorcycle and being driven away by an accomplice.K. Somporn died while being taken…
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Belgian found hanged
CHALONG: A 66-year-old Belgian man was found dead in his home on Tuesday, apparently having committed suicide. Police reported that the man, whom they named as Jose Wiame, had hanged himself. Two empty beer bottles and a note accusing his wife of cheating him and deserting him were found next to the body. The suicide note, addressed to his wife,…
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New “Mayor’ for Laguna
CHERNG TALAY: Michael Ayling will take over from James Batt next month as Managing Director of Laguna Resorts & Hotels PCL (LRH), the Gazette has learned.Mr Ayling, who was born in Kent, England, is an Associate Chartered Accountant of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, and holds a BA (Hons) in accounting and finance from Manchester Metropolitan…
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Gumballers launch from Phuket
PHUKET: Movie star Darryl Hannah of Kill Bill fame, stuntman extraordinaire Ryan Dunn, Oscar winner Adrien Brody, Jackass’s Bam Margera, skateboarding legend Tony Hawk, hip-hop superstar Missy Elliot, singer Pink and many others were among participants in the Gumball 3000 race, which took off with smoking tires from Phuket this morning, headed for Bangkok.The rally participants, driving everything from ancient…
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Officials launch crackdown on smuggled fuel
PATONG: Marine Police and Customs officers are conducting random inspections of ships in the Andaman region while police officers and Department of Energy officials are inspecting gas stations on the island in a crackdown on fuel being smuggled into Thailand.Arthon Keesiri, Director of the Investigation and Suppression Office, Excise Department, Ministry of Finance, announced at a seminar on Saturday, “The…
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Disinterest sinks “swimming with dolphins’ plan
PHUKET CITY: The Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) and Danish marine biologist Judith Kongsted have announced that plans for a dolphin center at Cape Panwa have fallen through due to the lack of participants in a proposed fund-raising committee. Ms Kongsted had invited PMBC Director Wannakiat Thapthimsang and other potential committee members to attend a meeting at the Pearl Hotel…
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Beware of police impostors – Police Chief
PHUKET CITY: Phuket Provincial Police Commander Pol Maj Gen Decha Budnampeth yesterday warned people to be on the lookout for gangsters impersonating police officers.“Many rubber plantation owners have complained that thieves are disguising themselves as police, and even carrying pistols, in order to demand money from their Burmese laborers,” Gen Decha said.“Most cases reported have been from labor camps in…
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Chinese official calls for greater safety for tourists
PHUKET CITY: Yao Bomin, China’s Consul-General in Songkhla, has called for the Thai government to help make travel to Phuket safer for Chinese tourists following the deaths of three Chinese nationals from accidents in Phuket earlier this year.“The Chinese government is very concerned about the safety of Chinese tourists, especially as three have died as a result of accidents in…
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Publisher assassinated
PHUKET CITY: Opas Noothong, 59, owner of the recently-launched newspaper Fahkumnod (“Natural Order”) and of the Jao Khun Karaoke on Luang Por Rd, was gunned down by two teenagers while walking back to his office about 11:30 pm on Saturday.Pol Capt Rassada Kluengwong, of Phuket City Police Station, told the Gazette, “Witnesses said that K. Opas was walking from Chatuchak…
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Saudi giant buys Crowne Plaza
KARON: The Crowne Plaza Karon Beach Phuket resort has been bought by Dubai-listed hotel and resort investment company Kingdom Hotel Investments (KHI), which is headed by Saudi Arabia’s Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud.KHI paid US$98.5 million (3.7 billion baht) for the property, including US$30.5 million (1.1 billion baht) in debt.The Prince was listed by Forbes magazine earlier…
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THAI, Bangkok Airways sign cooperation deal
BANGKOK: Rivals Thai Airways International (THAI) and Bangkok Airways signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Thursday aimed at helping THAI coordinate its flights with services to Koh Samui and give it better access to destinations in China.THAI Acting President Somchainuk Engtrakul said that the signing of the MOU signifies development of network coordination between the two carriers.“This has an…
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Work permits renewed in 15 minutes
PHUKET CITY: Work permits are being renewed in just 15 minutes and new work permits approved faster than ever thanks to streamlined procedures recently introduced at the Phuket Provincial Employment Office (PPEO).PPEO Chief Boonchok Maneechot explained, “We have been using the new system for two weeks. I consulted with work permit officers for a month to find out the best…
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On yer bikes – Gov tells officials
PHUKET CITY: Phuket Governor Udomsak Uswarangkura this morning urged government officers to ride bicycles instead of using motor vehicles in order to save fuel, in light of the recent price hikes at Phuket gas pumps.At the monthly meeting of provincial chief officers, Gov Udomsak said, “We have to save fuel and save money. Please think of ways to do this.…
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Phuket delegation heading for Dubai
PHUKET: Vice-Governor Niran Kalayanimit will lead a delegation of government officials, tourism industry experts and the press to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in a bid to lure investment to Phuket from the UAE’s booming commercial capital, Dubai. The four-day trip, from May 6 to 10, will be paid for by the Governor’s Office. A total of 30 people are…
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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