Phuket News
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Gambling tops crime stats again
PHUKET: In October gambling once again topped the crime statistics in Phuket, with 166 people arrested for indulging in illegal games of chance during the October 1-25 reporting period. Twenty-two of the arrests were linked to the underground lottery.Other crime figures released by the Phuket Provincial Police included 42 arrests for illegal use or possession of narcotics, with 222 tablets…
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Night venues win “unofficial’ 2 am reprieve
PATONG: Entertainment venues in Patong and Kata-Karon this evening won an interim “unofficial” reprieve from the Governor, who has said they may stay open until 2 am.In return, they have agreed to call off their protest at the football field on Thaweewong Rd.After meeting with Phuket Governor Udomsak Usawarangkura early this evening, Sompetch Moosophon, President of the Patong Entertainment Business…
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Plague of bugs hits coconut trees
PHUKET: Phuket’s coconut trees have been attacked by an estimated one billion coconut hispine beetles this year.Songwat Tiwthao, of Phuket Provincial Agriculture Office, told the Gazette that the problem was a new phenomenon, with the beetles (scientific name brontispa longissima) being found in Phuket only during the past two years. They are particularly prevalent in Chalong and RawaiThe coconut hispine…
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Phuket 100pc safe – police chief
PHUKET: The island’s highest-ranking police officer gave his assurances today that there is no possibility of the recent violence in the Deep South spreading north to Phuket. The violence, said Phuket Provincial Police Commander Maj Gen Suvith Othong, remains confined to the three troubled southern border provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat.He said it was “impossible” for an event similar to…
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Plans to solve landslide and flood problems
PHUKET: The Chief of the Phuket Office of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (ODPM), Metha Mekarat, has outlined both short- and long-term plans that he hopes will reduce instances of flooding and landslides in Phuket. K. Metha told the Gazette that the recent flooding and landslides were caused both by nature and by human interference.“Some housing projects have caused watercourses to…
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New law aims to protect Phang Nga
PHANG NGA: The government is debating a new law to preserve and enhance the environment in Phang Nga. The Chief of the Phang Nga Provincial Office of Natural Resources and Environment, Jarin Inkeaw, said the law has been under consideration by the Office of the Council of State (OCS) since September. It will have to be presented to the Cabinet…
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PM to review 1 am closing – Gov
PHUKET: Following mass protests in Patong and Phuket City today, Governor Udomsak Usawarangkura has informed representatives of the entertainment industry in Phuket that Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra will discuss closing times with the Cabinet next Tuesday (November 2).Packdee Ritthisaman, of the Phuket City Entertainment Association, told the Gazette that the Governor informed him that the Cabinet will discuss a proposal…
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Night venues set for mass protest
PHUKET: Less than one week before the official start of the high season for tourism on November 1, nighttime entertainment venue operators appear set to move forward with their planned work stoppage to protest the government’s early closing times.More than 200 bar owners, staff and others affected by the new regulations gathered at the Crocodile Pub on Soi Bangla last…
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Patong Carnival to go ahead
PATONG: Despite the gloom brought on by the enforcement of early closing hours, sparking plans to stage a mass protest next Tuesday and possibly even close all entertainment venues indefinitely from that date, the 19th Patong Carnival is still on track to run from November 1 to 3, marking the beginning of the 2004-2005 high season for tourism.This year’s activities…
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Locals welcome first hotel on Koh Maphrao
PHUKET: Koh Keaw Tambon Administration Organization (OrBorTor) has welcomed the news that a 600-million-baht hotel is to be built on Koh Maphrao, in Phang Nga Bay, east of Phuket City.Managing director Lily Udomkunnatum unveiled Burasari Resort’s plans for the development, the first hotel on Koh Maphrao, and the company’s third in Phuket, after the Burasari Resort, Patong, which opened in…
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Phuket works on stray dog problem
PHUKET CITY: Governor Udomsak Uswarangkura held a round-table discussion at the Provincial Hall Meeting room yesterday to outline his plan for solving Phuket’s chronic stray dog problem.About 30 people attended the meeting, including local and provincial officials and animal charity representatives.The Governor acknowledged that there were “management” problems at the Mid Road Dog Shelter in Thalang, which render the facility…
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German dies from knife wounds
RAWAI: Hans Jurgen Ottmar Bayer, 37, from Germany, died on Monday night from knife wounds sustained in a fight with his live-in partner, Nakorn Koipud, 25, at their home in the Happy Home housing estate.Pol Capt Chana Sutthimas, of Chalong Police Station, said that Nakorn told police she was slicing vegetables in the kitchen at about 9 pm, when Mr…
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Phuket Immigration “best in South’
PHUKET: Pol Col Witawat Buranasompop, Superintendent of the Phuket Provincial Immigration Office (PPIO), today announced that his office has been chosen as the best immigration office in the south for its level of service and the improvements it has made.The PPIO received the award from Immigration Division 3 on September 30, Col Witawat said, proudly adding that PPIO Deputy Superintendent…
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Myanmar upheaval “no cause for concern’
PHUKET CITY: The current political upheaval in Myanmar should not cause any material changes to the position of Burmese labourers in Phuket, the Superintendent of Phuket Immigration Office, Pol Col Witawat Buranasompop, said today.Col Witawat told the Gazette that his office had been advised by the national immigration office to monitor Burmese labourers on the island in the wake of…
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Underground power plans delayed by funds hurdle
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Electricity Authority (PPEA) will start to install underground power cables in Phuket City and Patong … when the money can be found for the project.PPEA Manager Amorn Sang-hearn told the Gazette today that the PPEA had earmarked Thalang Rd in Phuket City and Thaweewong Rd in Patong as the first places where power cables would be…
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Early hours will cut flesh trade – Gov
PHUKET CITY: Governor Udomsak Usawarangkura has revealed a long-suspected but until now unstated reason for the new rules mandating 1 am closure of entertainment venues – the need to reduce prostitution.The Governor was responding to threats by entertainment business leaders in Patong to close their doors indefinitely from October 26 to protest recently introduced rules requiring venues in entertainment zones…
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Work permit rules tightened
PHUKET: Changes to the criteria for granting work permits were quietly introduced in Phuket on October 8, tightening many of the rules, closing some loopholes and clarifying some gray areas.Labor Department offices around the country received the new rules in an order dated September 30 and signed by the Director General of the Department of Employment, Juthathawat Intharasuksri.The main points…
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Night venues threaten indefinite closure
PHUKET CITY: Entertainment venues throughout Phuket are set to close their doors for an indefinite period on October 26 in protest against the government’s new early-closing policy.Sompetch Moosophon of Patong Entertainment Business Association (PEBA) told the Gazette that PEBA members had decided to take the drastic decision to close their businesses at a meeting on Saturday at The Metropole hotel.According…
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Road death toll shows improvement
PHUKET: Official figures for the year to September 20 show 122 deaths of people on motorcycles on the roads of Phuket, 15 more in cars, and one on foot for a total of 138.The figures are an improvement on those for the same period of 2003, when 145 died on Phuket’s roads, 139 of them while riding motorbikes.Sixteen people died…
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Patong flooded again
PATONG: Phuket’s favorite entertainment district flooded again last night, less than a week after heavy rains inundated the town on the nights of October 9 and 10, leaving one tourist dead by electrocution.After several days of partly sunny weather, the skies opened again last night.Vichit Phuangsombat, Director of the Southern Meteorological Center (West Coast) told the Gazette that 69 millimeters…
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5-4-3-2-1-blastoff!
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Highways Office (PPHO) has installed “count-down” traffic lights at three points on Thepkrasattri Rd.The Chief of the PPHO, Wanchai Wattanasiri, said the installation of the new lights – which show how many seconds are left before the signal changes – is aimed at cutting the number of accidents resulting from people running red lights.The new lights,…
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Duty-free zone hits bureaucratic speed bump
PHUKET: The committee responsible for drafting a plan to establish a duty-free zone in Phuket has postponed its October meeting in order to give new members time to review the details of the scheme.No date has been set for the next committee meeting.The delay follows the latest reshuffle in Thailand’s bureaucracy, during which key members of the committee were transferred…
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Thaksin, Badawi tackle border issues
LAGUNA PHUKET: In two hours of consultation yesterday, Thai Prime Minister Thaksin and Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi discussed progress on initiatives aimed at improving bilateral ties and improving security in the troubled region along the border between the two countries. The initiatives, laid out in the nine-point Joint Development Strategy (JDS) Action Plan signed by the…
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Jeab murder suspect escapes to Belgium
PATTAYA: Sam Van Treeck, the 24-year-old Belgian tour leader accused of the brutal stabbing murder of Phuket-based dive instructor Chompoonut “Jeab” Kobram, is now back in his home country after fleeing Thailand while out on bail. The Belgian Consul in Bangkok, Hilde Van Inthoudt, confirmed that Van Treeck arrived in Belgium on Friday, but denied emphatically that the embassy had…
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Tourist electrocuted during rains
PHUKET: A 19-year-old Canadian tourist was electrocuted by a downed power cable in Patong during Saturday’s torrential rains.Noah Yelizarov, of Richmond, was found on the sidewalk near the Jintana Hotel. A broken electrical cable was nearby.Firefighters used a piece of wood to move the cable away and retrieve Mr Yelizarov’s body, but he was pronounced dead at Patong Hospital.Hospital director…
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Phuket Airport revenues soar
PHUKET AIRPORT: Phuket International Airport recorded almost 30% more revenue last year than in the previous year.Figures released this week during celebrations marking the airport’s 16th anniversary, show it brought in revenue of just over 1 billion baht between October 1 2003 and August 31 this year, compared to 785 million baht over the same 11 months in 2002 -2003.The…
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Patong businesses threaten “mob’ action
PATONG: After two weeks of unsuccessfully petitioning the government to compromise on operating hours, members of the Patong Entertainment Business Association (PEBA) said in a meeting at Patong Hospital on Friday night they would have no alternative but to demonstrate if a last-ditch appeal to PM Thaksin Shinawatra is ignored.PEBA President Sompetch Moosophon said, “We will send the final petition…
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Inter Milan soccer clinic for Phuket
PHUKET CITY: A soccer clinic affiliated to top Italian side Inter Milan and featuring former Thai national players will be held in Phuket from December 4 to 6.Pimkamol Prasertwongse, Managing Director of Inter Campus Thai, a soccer academy set up by Inter Milan, said, “We expect that the island will be at the center of the sport’s development in southern…
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Thai champ wins lackluster Patong fight
PATONG: In the highly anticipated non-title fight between World Boxing Council flyweight champ Pongsaklek Wonjongkam and Randy Mangubat of the Philippines, the Thai champ improved his record to 55-2 in a rather lackluster win on points. However, in the first bout between Asian Boxing Council (ABC) Flyweight Champion Denburapha TwinsSpecial and top-ranked challenger Ponomrunglek Kratingdaeng-gym, the crowd was treated to…
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Thaksin to meet Malaysian PM in Phuket
PHUKET: Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra will hold his annual meeting with his Malaysian counterpart, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, at the Sheraton Grande Laguna Phuket next Wednesday.Yesterday, Phuket Governor Udomsak Usawarangkura called a meeting with the heads of government departments in Phuket to prepare for the mini-summit, during which cabinet ministers from both sides will also meet for talks.The governor…
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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