Patong
- Phuket News
Strong wind and waves this morning closes Phuket’s beaches, one swimmer rescued
Phuket’s Rawai Mayor, Aroon Solos, ordered all beaches in the area to close after a foreigner was rescued this morning after being unable to make it back to shore. The foreigner was swimming off Ao Sane beach, just north of the popular Nai Harn Beach, when lifeguards were sent out to help bring him back to shore. The recent weather…
- Phuket News
Missing retired police officer found pinned under tree in Patong
A retired police officer’s body has been found in Patong, Phuket after being reported missing in the foothills of the west coast Patong area. The man, 79 year old Lt. Seri Phupet, was found with his legs pinned under a fallen tree and had a machete reportedly by his side. Seri reportedly had been missing for the past six days…
- Covid-19 News
Lights are out on Ibiza – the world’s party islands go dark
“The party scene, by its nature, is all about getting together, dancing, celebrating ‘closeness’ and being social – the antithesis of social distancing and staying away from other people in the Covid-era.” Some of the world’s tourist islands are suffering badly from the lack of travel, it’s not just Bali and Phuket. The Spanish party island of Ibiza is also…
- Covid-19 News
UPDATE: Pushback from local associations over the Thai government’s “Phuket Model”
UPDATE: Amidst the “plans” and “models” being proposed by the government to re-open Thailand to some form of general tourism (nothing confirmed yet), there’s also been some pushback from operators in some of the hardest hit areas. The government had proposed the Phuket Model as a way of kicking off tourism from early October. But the model involves a mandatory…
- Tourism News
Will Phuket’s ‘safe and sealed’ campaign attract foreign tourists?
Summer starts to wane in the northern hemisphere with thoughts of autumn leaves and, then, colder weather. Naturally the eyes of the world’s travellers, largely cooped up inside their own borders since March, look at their suitcases and ponder a trip… to Thailand! That’s now a possibility although there are plenty of hoops to jump through in Thailand’s planned re-opening…
- Tourism News
Phuket’s ‘safe and sealed’ plan does nothing for the majority of the island’s hospitality sector
OPINION Damned if they do and damed if they don’t. Thailand is now taking a decisive step towards reopenits its borders to tourists with a pilot project in Phuket this October. The pilot precedes the annual high-season, and if successful, then will form the basis of a wider push for re-opening the country’s borders to the lucrative tourist market. TAT…
- Phuket News
Dozens of Burmese, Thai workers demand back pay, benefits in Phuket
An estimated 100 Burmese and Thai workers went to Phuket Provincial Hall yesterday to report their employer for not paying them for 3 months, and to try and get some clarity if they still have jobs. They filed their complaint with the ombudsman’s office and the Labour Protection Social Security Office. 27 year old Burmese national Min Thu Khu explained…
- Business News
Phuket’s (in)famous “Soi Bangla” district reopens today
Today is the official reopening of Phuket’s famous (or infamous) “Soi Bangla” nightlife district, but only about 20% of venues say they’re reopening during this early stage. The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration announced yesterday that all night entertainment venues may reopen but must strictly adhere to health guidelines set out to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Dr Taweesilp Visanuyothin,…
- Phuket News
Bangkok mother, daughter swindled out of 1.8 million baht, suspect arrested
Authorities in the southern province of Phuket have arrested a man wanted in Bangkok for swindling a woman and her mother out of nearly 2 million baht. Police in the island’s party town of Patong report that officers received a request from police in Bangkok to arrest 23 year old Narathip Sukprasert, originally from Lop Buri province, about 150 kilometres…
- Covid-19 News
24 Patong police placed under quarantine
Today at around 1pm, 24 Patong police officers were placed under quarantine at a prominent three-star hotel on Rat U Thit Road, Patong. This was after a police officer was confirmed as one of the cases founded in Phuket yesterday. Read more HERE. While 20 tested negative, 4 are still waiting on the results from supervising medical staff. Thai media…
- Phuket News
Phuket reports 4 new Covid-19 cases, breaking 7 day streak
Phuket Health authorities reported 4 new cases the Covid-19 coronavirus, breaking a week-long streak with no new reported cases on the island. The number of officially confirmed infections since the outbreak began in Phuket has now risen to 224. Here are the details of today’s new cases… Case 221: A 23 year old Thai woman, a secretarial assistant who lives…
- Tourism News
Thailand’s hotels face more pain after European tour group asks to defer debt
Hotels in Thailand, particularly in Phuket and some surrounding regions, have been hit with a double whammy. First the whole Covid-19-related wipe-out, now a cash-flow problem brought about after the TUI Group – an Anglo-German multinational travel and tourism company – has stalled repayments for hotel rooms. The amount owed to Thailand hotels is believed to exceed 2 billion baht. TUI is…
- Covid-19 News
21 new coronavirus cases in Phuket, total now 161 (Thursday)
The southern province of Phuket today (Thursday) confirmed 21 new Covid-19 coronavirus cases, up from 14 yesterday. All the new cases are Thai citizens and are centred around Patong’s Bangla Road or Bang Tao. Today’s new cases bring the total in Phuket to 161 cases since the start of the outbreak in January. Phuket has become a hotbed for new…
- Covid-19 News
Phuket reports 14 new coronavirus cases, total now 140
Phuket has reported 14 new Covid-19 coronavirus cases today (Wednesday). The island is on virtual lockdown, especially Patong, home of the Bangla Road red light area, the flashpoint of most of the island’s infections. The new number bring the island’s infections to 140. Phuket has closed off all land and sea routes and barred entry to all but essential goods vehicles,…
- Covid-19 News
Phuket’s new cases (Tuesday), all originating from Bangla Road area
Numbers are out for new cases in Phuket over the past 24 hours. Case 124: 23 year old Russian women Case 125: 26 year old Kazakhstan women Case 126: 28 year old Russian women All 3 new cases in Phuket had a history of visiting or staying in the Bangla Road entertainment zone for up to a month, and having…
- Covid-19 News
Hungarian tourist dies in Phuket after failing to reveal Bangla Road visits
Dr Chalermpong Sukhonthapol, the director of Phuket’s Vachira Hospital, has revealed details of a Hungarian tourist who recently died of Covid-19, but had earlier withheld details of his visits to the island’s red light district in Bangla Road, Patong. Bangla Road has been the island’s hotzone for new cases of the Covid-19 coronavirus. The case has resulted in more than…
- Covid-19 News
10 new coronavirus cases in Phuket today (Sunday)
The island of Phuket in Thailand’s south has reported 10 new Covid-19 coronavirus cases today (Sunday), bringing the total to 119. Today’s new cases aren’t all in Patong, as has been the trend over the past week, with new cases being reported in Bang Tao, just north of Surin Beach area. Among the confirmed cases announced today are six members of…
- Covid-19 News
Phuket reports 13 new coronavirus cases, total now 100
The southern island province of Phuket confirmed 13 new cases of the Covid-19 coronavirus today (Friday), bringing the total there to exactly 100. Most appear to have originated in the island’s Patong area, largely from the Bangla Road red light district. The town of Patong was placed on unofficial curfew Wednesday as its governor issued a public decree urging residents…
- Covid-19 News
Phuket rooftop party busted, drugs seized
Police arrested 9 foreigners and 5 Thai women for partying in Patong in violation of orders against gathering in crowds, to control the spread of coronavirus disease. They were arrested on the rooftop of a rental house on Sirirat Road in tambon Patong of Kathu district last night after police received a complaint about a loud party. Those arrested included Australians,…
- Covid-19 News
Phuket reports 12 new coronavirus cases, all from Patong
The southern island province of Phuket confirmed 12 new cases of the Covid-19 coronavirus today (Thursday), bringing the total on the island to 87. All appear to have originated in the island’s Patong area, most from the Bangla Road red light district. The town of Patong was placed on unofficial curfew yesterday as its governor issued a public decree urging…
- Covid-19 News
13 cases in Phuket, official
13 cases of Covid-19 coronavirus have now been confirmed in the southern Thai island of Phuket. 6 new cases have been announced in the past 24 hours. On Friday the Phuket Governor admitted to five cases on the island – 2 Chinese visitors in early February and 3 current cases involving a Danish family. 188 new cases have been announced…
- Phuket News
Patong cancels all official Songkran events
“This year, Patong will not hold any official Songkran festival celebration events at all.” All official Songkran events in Phuket’s Patong municipality, including the “Songkran on the Beach” play zone and the DJ dance party have been cancelled. Patong Mayor Chalermluck Kebsup made the announcement on her social media channels yesterday. Patong is the traditional epicentre for Songkran festivities in…
- Phuket News
17 kids rescued in Phuket human-trafficking raids
“All 17 children were Cambodian and were taken to the Phuket Shelter for Children and Families on Koh Siray.” Thai police have taken 17 children into protective custody after a series of coordinated raids in Patong. They say the children were being exploited by a human trafficking gang, who beat them with a wire clothes hanger if they did bring…
- Phuket News
Austrian man dies in Patong condo fall
A 68 year old Austrian man is dead after falling from his 12th floor condominium in Patong. His body was found at about 10 last night, on the ground outside the Patong Night Plaza condominium, where police say he lived alone. According to his passport he entered Thailand on December 19 on a 90 day visa. Blood pressure diabetes medications…
- Phuket News
Russian woman drowns in Patong
A 34 year old Russian woman drowned while swimming at Patong beach on Saturday. Lifeguards performed CPR on the woman before she was taken to Patong Hospital, where she was pronounced dead, according to police, who were alerted at 9am. Police say the woman, whose name was witheld pending notification of relatives, travelled with her boyfriend to Patong with the…
- Phuket News
Phuket, Bangkok and Chiang Mai hard hit over ‘palpable’ tourism drop
The 2019-nCoV coronavirus, the official name for the Wuhan or Novel Corononavirus, is resulting in dozens of high-season flights to Thai southern beach resorts being cancelled. The virus is already deemed an international public health emergency by the World Health Organisation. “While Patong survived and thrived after SARS, the tsunami and a few army coups, this virus is stripping our…
- Tourism News
Phuket’s high season delayed until after Christmas
PHOTO: The Hotel Specialist “Diversifying Phuket’s market to rely less on Chinese tourists is key to improving tourism in the province.” It will be a quiet Christmas in Phuket as the island’s high season will come late for hotels this year, with most reservations are for after the Christmas celebration. Tourism in Phuket usually increases in November, but this year’s November…
- Phuket News
Phuket tollway and tunnel project, linking Kathu and Patong, awaiting approval
PHOTOS: Phuket People’s Voice Phuket’s first ever tolled highway, to be built linking Kathu to Patong route, is awaiting approval from the government’s committee on public-private partnership. This will be the first ever tolled highway in Thailand that also allows motorcycles. The infamous, and much-discussed, Patong Tunnel, and accompanying link roads, has been a slow-burn story over the past two…
- Phuket News
Phuket hotels slashing the price of rooms
by Sophie Deviller Hotels on Thailand’s most popular holiday island are being forced to slash prices, with rooms left vacant and beaches sparse as Thailand’s tourism chiefs struggle with a plunge in Chinese visitors caused by the US trade war and a stronger baht. Phuket was the most visited destination in the country last year, after Bangkok, and a good gauge of…
- Phuket News
Patong Mayor hands out useless, cheap face-masks
In a shameless PR stunt, the Patong Mayor Chalermluck Kepsup yesterday wandered along the Patong Beach foreshore handing out ineffective cheap paper face masks to bemused locals and tourists. The beach-walk was in response to the current onset of poor air quality caused by by the intentionally-lit plantation fires on northern Indonesian islands. Whilst the local media took up the…
