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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Phuket athletes at the Nakorn Trang Games
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (PPAO) recently held a small ceremony to send off 50 athletes representing Phuket, who are currently in Trang province competing in the Nakorn Trang Games – the 29th Southern region finals for Thailand’s local youth Olympic games. The Nakorn Trang games began on October 25 and continue for a month, concluding on November 23.…
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Singaporean recovers in Phuket after crash kills friend
PHUKET: Singaporean Anthony Chaw Tat Soon, 39, is recovering at Phuket International Hospital with three broken limbs – a lucky escape from a head-on crash in Phang Nga last Thursday that killed fellow rider and friend Charlene Jade Tay, 31. A hospital staffer today told the Phuket Gazette that Mr Chaw was rushed from Phang Nga Hospital to Phuket on…
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Organizers undaunted as floods cost Phuket FIVB beach volleyball 15 teams
PHUKET: A lack of clarity in understanding which parts of Bangkok were flooded and how travelers could transfer to flights heading to Phuket has resulted in 15 teams pulling out of the FIVB Beach Volleyball Swatch World Tour, which starts on Karon Beach tomorrow. However, tournament director Geoffrey Rowe of Pentangle Promotions today pointed out that the teams who have…
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Phuket pedestrian killed on merit-making journey
PHUKET: A Phuket woman was struck by a car and killed yesterday, moments before embarking on a merit-making tour to a temple in Ranong Province. Police received a report at 5:30am that a woman had been hit by a car in the southbound lane of Thepkrasattri Road in front of Thepkrasattri Municipality. At the scene police found Somboon Keawprasert, 60,…
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Phuket retailers scramble to stem flood shortages
PHUKET: Phuket’s major retailers are reeling from the effects of the floods in Bangkok and Central Thailand, which have crippled their distribution networks, sparking shortages of consumer goods and forcing local prices to skyrocket. The Phuket Internal Trade Office (PITO) has launched a blitz against market vendors and retailers gouging customers, saying there is no need for panic as Phuket…
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Thailand U23 outshine Phuket All Stars
PHUKET: In the first of two friendly charity games scheduled for Surakul Stadium, the Thailand U23s annihilated a Phuket All Stars team by a score of 6-1 on Sunday evening.The All Stars team was in fact an FC Phuket ‘B’ team given the opportunity to showcase their abilities against the junior national team preparing for the SEA Games, due to…
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Phuket Tennis: Chang ITF tournament main draw starts today
PHUKET: The first Chang ITF Tournament Pro Circuit to be held in Phuket gets underway in earnest today with both Men’s Singles and Doubles main draw matches gracing the tennis courts of the Thanyapura Sports and Leisure Club in Thalang. Seven seeded players will face their first test with number four seed Laurent Rochette of France (ranked 374 in the…
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Phuket Lomas International Youth Rugby Tournament sees King’s College Bangkok victorious
PHUKET: The first Phuket Lomas International Youth Rugby Tournament hosted by Thanyapura Sports and Leisure Club (TSLC) enjoyed fantastic support yesterday with King’s College Bangkok securing the inaugural champion’s title. In a tense final against Centaurs RFC of Singapore, the Bangkok side proved their worth as deserving victors by scoring two breakaway tries and one conversion late in the second…
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Phuket All Stars play Thailand’s U23 squad tonight at Surakul
PHUKET: Thailand’s U23 national team has announced schedule changes for their southern tour schedule, moving their friendly charity match against FC Phuket to Friday, November 4 at 6pm, instead of Saturday as initially announced. The change follows a request by 2011 SEA Games host Indonesia to bring forward the starting date of the SEA Games to November 9 from November…
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‘Amateur’ gold thief nabbed by Phuket Police
PHUKET: A 22-year-old Phuket man has been arrested in connection with yesterday’s brazen 950,000-baht gold heist. Dechin Gongsinon was arrested at his home this morning after police followed a trail of clues left by the seemingly hapless thief. Mr Dechin was found in possession of two of the stolen gold chains, police said. “The thief was an amateur,” declared Phuket…
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Stranded Phi Phi tourists towed to Phuket safety
PHUKET: Sixty-six tourists were towed to safety in Phuket last night after spending hours stranded at sea when the speedboat they were on broke down. In addition to the Australian, French, Indian, Spanish and Thai tourists aboard the Kamika speedboat, there were four staff members of the operating company, Phi Phi Island Marine. Tourist Rescue officers in Chalong informed Marine…
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Thief makes off with 950k baht in Phuket gold heist
PHUKET: A man posing as a customer made off with almost one million baht in gold yesterday after snatching a display tray from a Phuket gold shop. Police received a report at 3pm that Thong Tanet 1 gold shop near the Kaset Market in Phuket Town had been robbed. Phuket City Police top-brass, including Superintendent Chote Chitchai, Lt Col Jumroon…
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“Troubled’ lovers plunge from Phuket bridge, whereabouts unknown
PHUKET: A search has been launched for a pair of troubled lovers who were last seen on Thepkrasattri Bridge and are now missing, believed to have leaped into the fast-flowing waters heading out to the Andaman Sea. Tah Chat Chai Police Duty Officer Watcharin Jiratikarnwiwat received a report just after midnight last night that a man and a woman had…
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Floods force south-bound trains out of Bangkok
PHUKET: Floods in Bangkok have forced trains bound for Surat Thani, a popular jump-off point for tourists heading to Phuket, to start from the Nakhon Pathom railway station, on the west of the Thai capital. An operator at the State Railway of Thailand’s call center today told the Phuket Gazette that the move to shut down Southern Line services at…
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Japanese refugee in Phuket pot bust
PHUKET: A Japanese man fleeing the flood waters in Bangkok was caught with about 24 grams of marijuana this morning as he entered Phuket by car. Police stopped a white Honda Jazz at about 9:30am at Tah Chat Chai checkpoint for a routine inspection. In the car were three Japanese men, including Haruyuki Masuoka, 27. Police found four plastic bags…
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Phuket tourist mum dies, son seriously injured in motorbike accident
PHUKET: A German tourist was killed and her son seriously injured in a motorbike accident on Wednesday about 100 meters ahead of her husband and the boy’s twin brother, who were on another motorbike.Nicole Wittig, 47, was driving the motorbike at about 11pm on a road near the Laguna resort complex with her 17-year-old son, Mark, riding pillion when she…
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Thanyapura serves up ITF tennis for Phuket on Saturday
PHUKET: Following their success at the recent Thanyapura Tennis Challenge, Tachakorn Tonnon and Pavaporn Limsakul are now preparing for another opportunity to showcase their talents at the Chang International Tennis Federation (ITF) Thailand Pro Circuit 2011 tournament.Enthusiasts of the sport in Phuket are also anticipating an exciting exhibition of tennis from a number of the finest players in the region,…
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Phuket Governor goes shopping for flood price hikes
PHUKET: Governor Tri Augkaradacha today inspected Phuket’s three largest grocery retailers after receiving complaints of price rises on some products following the floods in Bangkok.Joining Governor Tri were Prajiad Aksornthammakul of the Phuket Provincial Office, Phuket Internal Trade Office Director Supatcha Boonpalit, and Phuket MP Raewat Areerob.At each store, Gov Tri and his entourage were welcomed by the store manager…
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Phuket rises to send more flood-relief
PHUKET: On behalf of the Rotary Club of Patong Bach (RCPB) the Phuket Gazette office in Koh Kaew is serving as a drop-off point for flood-relief donations. The reception desk is accepting cash as well as bottled water, clothing (particularly warm items), blankets, baby products, canned or dried food, life vests, flashlights, small boats, and anything else that donors feel…
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Phuket tourists finger American snatch thief
PHUKET: An American man was arrested last night after allegedly committing a string of snatch thefts in popular tourist beach areas on Phuket’s west coast. Jake Bordes, 27, was stopped by police and charged with robbery after two tourists reported being robbed in separate incidents while walking in Karon. A Chalong Police report states that “Ritua Walli” was robbed at…
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Phuket tourism on high ground
PHUKET: Tourism in Phuket will not be negatively affected by flooding in other parts of Thailand – in fact, the industry is doing better than last year, according to Phuket Tourist Association (PTA) Vice President for Marketing Bhuritt Maswongsa. “The flood disaster is not affecting Phuket tourism because most of Phuket’s tourists come from abroad – there are more than…
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Second event completed in Phuket Dinghy Racing Series
PHUKET: The second edition of the Phuket Dinghy Series took place off Nai Yang Beach on October 15 and 16 with 33 sailors in contention for honors. Organizers selected Nai Yang for this edition as part of three different racing areas, with the intention of allowing sailors to experience a range of conditions and test their seamanship throughout the three…
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Phuet Youth Sailing Club’s sailors selected for Youth Games
PHUKET: Six Phuket Youth Sailing Club (PYSC) members have been selected to represent Phuket at the National Sports Festival in Khon Kaen during November 2011 and the National Youth Games to be held in Phuket during March 2012. The six sailors are, Mak Sarawat (Laser Standard Class), Akapoj Kankaew and Sukanya Saiman (Super Mod Class), Teerapong Tohkratoak, Tanaporn Budgrim and…
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Phuket’s schools ready for PTT Cup
PHUKET: The PTT sponsored Schools Volleyball Cup will again take place on Karon Beach as a forerunner to the main PTT Swatch FIVB Phuket competition. Four schools will participate, including Rachaprachanukroh School, British International School, Headstart, and SOS Children’s Village. The event will be run over two days, starting on November 5, after the FIVB semi finals, and will finish…
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Phuket Irish Times race 5
PHUKET: What initially looked like a small crowd turned into a fleet of seven for the Irish Times Series race five off Ao Chalong Yacht Club. Participating in the Racing Class were Linda, Dreamtime and Remington, while in the Multihull Class were Nina, Moto Inzi, Miss Saigon and Sidewinder. A sunny day greeted the crews with a good breeze beginning…
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Running tips by Jurgen Zack for Phuket’s triathlon
PHUKET: I started as a distance runner at the age of 14. I always had the desire to be independent. Running meant freedom for me and I could choose to run on my own anytime and anywhere in the world. Running is a sight seeing tour and I enjoy the stress relieving effect it has on my body. Running, for…
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F1 Grand prix in Jersey
PHUKET: “They compare it to Spa in Belgium, but it will have the feel of Monaco.” West New York attorney Joe DeMarco recently made a comparison between the New Jersey, 3.2-mile street circuit that will host the Grand Prix of America in 2013 – and the famous Monaco circuit. Firstly, I wonder who “they” are? And secondly, comparing New Jersey…
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Nok Air to resume Bangkok-Phuket flights
PHUKET: Nok Air will resume flights between flood-struck Bangkok and Phuket tomorrow by temporarily moving their operations to Suvarnabhumi Airport. Nok Air ground attendant Nonglak Sangcharoen, based at Phuket International Airport, today confirmed to the Phuket Gazette that, “Due to the floods, all Nok Air flights from Phuket to Bangkok from tomorrow, October 27, through to November 10 will land…
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Phuket bus crash driver blames brake failure
PHUKET: The driver of the Phuket tour bus full of Russian tourists that ran off the road on a steep curve heading into Patong this afternoon told police that brake failure caused the accident. “The brakes failed. That’s what caused the crash,” said Nakrob Tiewtrakul, 42, from Ratchaburi, who suffered a deep cut on his forehead when the bus plowed…
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Cyclists make the Big Push for Phuket
PHUKET: TEN riders representing the Royal British Legion and the Thai War Veterans Organization are set to cross Phuket’s Thepkrasattri Bridge tomorrow, completing a 855-kilometer bike ride from Bangkok in a bid to raise 500,000 baht for charity. Completing the ride, called the “Spice Roads Royal British Legion Big Push”, are British ex-service folk, the oldest of whom is Tony…
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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