Kathu

  • Thailand News

    Power outage to hit Kathu, Phuket for maintenance tomorrow

    Phuket will experience a significant power outage affecting a large section of Kathu tomorrow to allow for essential maintenance work on the high-voltage network. The Provincial Electricity Authority for Phuket (PEA Phuket) announced that the outage would occur from 9am to 4.30pm. A map provided by PEA Phuket highlights the affected area, stretching from in front of Sam Burger shop…

  • Thailand News

    Teen shatters taxi window in heated Kathu dispute, pays damages

    A heated exchange between a youth and a taxi driver in the Kathu district of Phuket on Tuesday night escalated to a point where the taxi’s rear window was shattered. The incident led to the youth being called in by police to pay for the damages but facing no charges. The altercation took place near the Si Kor Intersection, close…

  • Thailand News

    Australian fugitive nabbed in Phuket for visa overstay

    Phuket Provincial Police apprehended a 26 year old Australian fugitive who had been lurking in a hotel near the Sri Kor Intersection in Kathu, Phuket. The Australian man, whose identity remains undisclosed by authorities, committed a double crime of visa overstay and bill evasion, spiralling from a tangled web of incidents dating back to January 31. The tale began with…

  • Phuket News

    Kathu residents eligible for upcoming mayoral election in Phuket

    The Phuket branch of the Election Commission of Thailand (ECT Phuket) officially announced that residents of the Kathu subdistrict will be eligible to participate in an upcoming mayoral election in January. The announcement was made public through a notice yesterday, November 29, although the official date of the election was not disclosed on Kathu Municipality’s official website or Facebook page.…

  • Phuket News

    10,000 baht offered for missing stray dog in Kathu

    While Thailand is riddled with stray dogs roaming the street, one lost dog could net you 10,000 baht. That’s the reward a devoted pet owner has offered in Phuket for the safe return of a dog that has gone missing. Residents of Kathu in Phuket are being asked to help find an ex-stray dog that has been missing for three…

  • Transport News

    PLTO focuses on foreigners using rental cars as illegal taxis

    The crackdown on illegal taxis – those operating outside their jurisdiction or without proper licenses or permissions – continues in Phuket. Authorities have turned their attention to a new target: foreigners using personal rental cars as taxis. In response to numerous complaints, Phuket officials launched an investigation into reports of foreign tourists acting as illegal taxi drivers. A joint team…

  • Phuket News

    Fireworks and sky lanterns still illegal in Phuket

    Officials in Phuket have issued another reminder to the public that releasing fireworks and sky lanterns in public areas is illegal. The warning put out yesterday is a reminder of a rule passed earlier this year on May 6 that called for a crackdown on all illegal fireworks. Phuket Vice Governor Anupap Rodkwan Yodrambam made that original proclamation on behalf of…

  • Phuket News

    After heavy floods, Patong Hill road reopens to some traffic

    While officials now believe it will take months to fully repair the storm-damaged motorway over Patong Hill, the road has been partially reopened to limited traffic this morning. The reopening comes after a night of heavy rain caused flash flooding all around the island. Kathu and Phuket Town were particularly hard-hit by the torrential downpours. Amid the heavy rains in…

  • Phuket News

    Patong Hill road closed to cars just 2 days after reopening

    Heavy rains have continuously closed down the road between Patong and Kathu in Phuket. The road had opened to pedestrians for a while, and then motorbikes only, before reopening to cars. But now, the road over Patong Hill has been closed to cars again, starting early this morning due to road repairs and soil shifting. The announcement was made late…

  • Thailand Weather Updates

    Kathu illegal excavation investigated as possible factor in landslide

    Phuket continues to be rocked by the fallout from storms, flooding and landslides. One landslide has been cleared enough in Patong Hill to allow pedestrians to cross. Another has led to the agreement to demolish an abandoned hotel near a bypass in Ratsada town. And authorities are now investigating if an illegal excavation led to a landslide that threatened the…

  • Thailand Weather Updates

    Patong Hill opened to foot traffic only after landslides

    Phuket continues to be rocked by the fallout from storms, flooding and landslides. One landslide has been cleared enough in Patong Hill to allow pedestrians to cross. Another has led to an agreement to demolish an abandoned hotel near a bypass in Ratsada town. And authorities are now investigating if an illegal excavation led to a landslide that threatened the…

  • Tourism News

    Carnival Magic theme park opens in Phuket to fanfare

    After launching on Tuesday, the bright and energetic new theme park Carnival Magic has attracted local Thais and international tourists flooding to Phuket. The park is the first of several scheduled to open throughout the country in the next few months as tourists return to Thailand and companies race to provide exciting new attractions for them. Safari World is the…

  • Phuket News

    Striped dolphin dies in Patong after washing ashore injured

    A striped dolphin has died after beaching itself in Patong despite local rescuers’ best efforts. The dolphin was found after having washed up on shore with a serious injury and was reported first to the Patong Police just before 5:30pm yesterday. Kathu district lifeguards were the first to spot the striped dolphin as it came ashore and when they saw…

  • Phuket News

    Another Phuket festival showcases the island’s traditional clothing

    Another Phuket seafood festival, but this time, there’s a unique new feature! From Friday until Saturday night, officials in Kathu district Phuket organised the ‘Suk Jai Naithu’ festival. The festival included a parade of people dressed in colourful, elaborate costumes. These costumes are the traditional clothing of Phuket. ‘Suk Jai Nathu’ means ‘Happy Naithu’. Phuket Vice Governor Amnuay Pitsuwan and…

  • Thailand News

    Phuket plans to set up 10 more isolation centres as Covid concerns linger

    The escalating Covid situation in Phuket has prompted officials to establish 10 more isolation centres. Phuket’s governor, Narong Woonsiew said yesterday that the rise in infections mirrors the Covid situation in Bangkok 2 months ago. Phuket has been averaging 200+ Covid cases a day for the past 13 days (between 206 and 258 new daily infections), which “represents a serious…

  • Phuket News

    Phuket governor eyes construction camps for stricter Covid measures

    Yesterday, Phuket’s governor Narong Woonciew inspected workers’ construction camps throughout the island. His inspections concerned the disease control measures that were put in effect after 13 workers at a Patong camped tested positive for Covid, which led to officials claiming the camp down in a month of “Bubble and Seal” quarantine. Kathu District Chief, Trithip Sakulpradit, and officers from the…

  • Phuket News

    Power outages coming to Kathu, again

    Electricity will be temporarily cut in parts of Kathu, Phuket tomorrow, announced the Provincial Electricity Authority. Further work is being done to install high voltage cables. Affected areas the westbound section of Phra Phuketkaew Rd, from Kathu intersection to Si Kor intersection. The power will only be out from 9 am to pm. The PEA apologises for any inconvenience not…

  • Thailand News

    Power outages coming to Kathu

    Electricity will be temporarily cut in parts of Kathu, Phuket tomorrow, announced the Provincial Electricity Authority. Further work is being done to install high voltage cables. The power will only be shut off from 9 am to 4:30 pm in the Kathua area on the Wichit Songkram Road, and between the Kathu Wittaya School to the intersection with the Kathu-Koh…

  • Road deaths

    Phuket woman impaled by steel rod in motorbike accident

    Police were called to the scene of a gruesome motorbike accident just after midnight in the Kathu area of Phuket, where a woman was impaled by a steel rod. The 34 year old woman crashed her motorbike into a concrete power pole on Wichit Songkram Rd between the Kathu Shrine and Kathu Municipality. rescue workers responded, and together with police,…

  • Tourism News

    The road less travelled – trekking to the Kalim Viewpoint

    There are two well known ways to get from Kathu to Kalim or Kamala – one is across the Patong Hill, and the other is much longer, through Srisoonthorn and along the coastal road from Surin the Kamala (very scenic too). But there’s also another way. Also very scenic but will take you about 2 hours through dense forest although…

  • Environment News

    Phuket plans a drought-proof future

    In the high season of 2018/2019 a water shortage emerged on Phuket and reached a critical phase just as the wet season of 2019 began. For a few months there seemed to be more water trucks delivering expensive water to residents than tourist passenger vans on the road (usually ubiquitous). Phuket’s three water sources were critically low, one of them…

  • Phuket News

    Phuket firefighters rescue dogs from blazing home

    Firefighters in the southern province of Phuket today rescued 2 dogs from a burning house in the island’s Kathu district. Police say emergency services were called to the scene at the Sing Thao Thani housing around 2:30pm. When police and firefighters arrived, local residents were already trying to put out the fire themselves, according to police. Firefighters took command and…

  • Covid-19 News

    Phuket adds Kathu and Chalong sub-districts to ‘lockdown’ list

    Chalong and Kathu districts are now being added to Phuket’s “lock down” list by the Phuket Governor. The notices, like the others for Rawai, Karon and Patong, say all non-essential vehicles are banned entry or exit into these two areas, including public transport. “People are asked to say in their homes, and public health teams will be deployed to check…

  • Events

    Last night of Phuket vegetarian festival was a blast – VIDEO

    Last night (October 7), Phuket local shrines gathered for the final day parades of the Phuket Vegetarian Festival, which took place from September 29 to October 7. Almost all of the Chinese shrines in Phuket had their Mah Song walking around the city with members of the shrine holding palanquins adorned with Chinese gods for blessing people lining the streets…

  • Phuket News

    Three suspects arrested with over 500 kilograms of kratom in Kathu, Phuket

    Police have arrested three suspects with a total of 502 kilograms of kratom in Kathu, central Phuket. Border Patrol police have arrested three suspects – 34 year old Nattee Sukan, 20 year old Nattawut Lakhin and 18 year old Nantawan Kuna – at a rented room in Kathu. Police seized 502 kilograms of kratom leaves. They were taken to the…

  • Food

    Thong Dee, the Kathu Brasserie loved by foodies and Phuket locals

    The Thaiger was invited to a special ‘taster’ at one of our favourite restaurants on the island of Phuket, Thong Dee. As usual, the food spoke for itself – no fuss, classy, so so tasty, eclectic. The Thaiger was a guest of the hosts Patrik and Ponchan for the evening. Thong Dee – The Kathu Brasserie, located in Kathu in…

  • Business News

    Hermès opens its first store in Phuket at Central Floresta

    Hermès has opened of its first store in Phuket at Central Floresta, the newly opened lifestyle shopping destination in the heart of the island, opposite Central Festival. As Hermès’ first venture outside the Thai capital, the new Hermès Phuket store makes a significant statement of expansion and confidence in the market. The new address in this world-renowned island will allow the…

  • Phuket News

    More CCTV cameras being installed around Kathu

    Baddies, look up. Big brother is watching you… yes YOU. 37 more CCTV cameras are headed for the streets around Kathu to upgrade safety. Kathu Police Chief Col Dr Jakkrawat Boontaweesakun says, “Kathu has continued to grow up and the population has increased. We are concern about city development, especially safety.” Kathu also sees the majority of traffic to and…