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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Chain of tsunami lookout towers planned
PHUKET CITY: Three beach guard stations – out of 50 being built along the coasts of Phuket and the other Andaman provinces – will be in place in Patong before the end of July. A further 16 will be built in Phuket later.The stations will enable beach guards to monitor the sea for signs of tsunamis, as well as watch…
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Fired deputies call for Mayor to quit
PHUKET CITY: Ayuth Tansiriroj, one of three Deputy Mayors recently fired by Phuket City Mayor Somjai Suwannasuppana, yesterday called for the Mayor herself to resign.Mayor Somjai dismissed her three deputies – K. Ayuth, Niwate Aroonrat and Piya Siamhan – on April 8. K. Niwate was, however, given another position on the Mayor’s administrative team.K. Ayuth and K. Piya yesterday held…
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Take care not to start fires – Municipality
PHUKET: Phuket City Municipality has issued fire prevention advice and has ordered its Office of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (ODPM) to be on standby to deal with fires as the dry season drags on.The municipal authorities are advising residents to be especially careful when handling fire, such as when they are lighting offerings at shrines, or when cooking.Residents should also…
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Official held in B2m aid theft case
PHUKET CITY: Police this evening arrested the Chief of the Finance Division of the Phuket Provincial Financial Office, Apichart Nooprod, as the ringleader in the theft of more than 2 million baht of tsunami aid money, which was reported missing on February 15.Apichart, from Nakhon Sri Thammarat, has denied the charge, and was tonight undergoing questioning at Phuket City Police…
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Evacuation practice set for April 29
PHUKET: Tourists hitting the sands of Patong Beach early next Friday morning may find themselves in for a bit of a surprise, as the province plans to conduct a tsunami evacuation drill in the area at 10 am on April 29. An “evacuation route map” and a variety of warning signs were presented Wednesday to a seminar at The Metropole…
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Phang Nga Gov raps banks over slow loans
PHANG NGA: Phang Nga Governor Anuwat Metheeviboonwut yesterday criticized banks and other financial institutions for taking too long to process applications for soft loans by business owners affected by the tsunami.Gov Anuwat said, “The problem we have today is that 80% of the business owners are still waiting for loans from financial institutions to be approved.“If the financial institutions were…
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Phuket recovery impresses Sri Lankans
PHUKET CITY: Government officers from Sri Lanka, on a three-day fact-finding visit to Phuket and Phang Nga, declared themselves impressed by the speed with which the region is recovering from the tsunami.The 17 officers from tsunami-affected areas of Sri Lanka are here to see if the experiences of Phuket and Phang Nga could be used to help their own regions…
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Schoolkids launch tsunami education book
PHUKET: Pupils at Satree Phuket school have unveiled a book they have produced about the tsunami.The book, titled Tsunami Monton Phuket Mahantapai Leuad Yen (Tsunami: Phuket’s Cold-blooded Killer) contains information about tsunamis, how and why they happen, and advice on what to do if another one should hit Phuket.Launching the book on Tuesday morning, school Principal Kiattisak Pillawart said he…
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Britain’s Prince Andrew to visit Phuket
PHUKET: HRH Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, will arrive in Phuket on Monday evening to thank Thai people and the local British community for their assistance to British citizens in the aftermath of the December 26 tsunami.During his stay on the island, the Prince – younger brother of Prince Charles, heir to the throne of England – will make…
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Police still bamboozled by bomb
THALANG: Police remain bamboozled in their investigation into the mysterious time bomb that was discovered in a quiet residential area of Pa Khlok more than a month ago.Police said the device, which was eventually destroyed in a controlled explosion, consisted of two sticks of C4 plastique wrapped tightly in black insulating tape and connected by wires to a cheap alarm…
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Eel makes meal of diver’s digit
PHUKET: A 32-year-old Briton is recovering in hospital here after his left thumb was bitten off and eaten by a giant moray eel while he was diving at the well-known East of Eden dive site in the Similan Islands.Matt Butcher, of Stanstead, Essex, said he had fed the 2.2-meter eel regularly over the past 18 months, and that she was…
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Similans tsunami monitoring station operational
PHUKET: The first of nine tide monitoring stations is now operational on the Similan Islands’ Koh Mieng and the remaining eight should be ready within six months, the head of the Royal Thai Navy announced on April 20.The project was announced this morning by Navy Commander Adm Surin Roengarom, who chaired a meeting with officials from the six tsunami-affected provinces,…
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Mayor denies machinations
PHUKET CITY: Phuket City Mayor Somjai Suwannasuppana has denied that political machinations were behind the shock dismissal of her entire deputy mayoral team on April 8 and says the move was merely intended to ensure that the “most suitable people” served under her.The three former Deputy Mayors, Niwas Aroonrat, Ayuth Tansiriroj, and Piya Siamhan, are all members of the “Young…
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Arthit fails to convince Dulwich parents
PHUKET: In a stormy meeting in the Dulwich International College auditorium this afternoon, the school’s CEO and founder, Dr Arthit Urairat, clearly failed to allay parents’ worries about the future of the school.Central to the parents’ concerns is the relationship between Dr Arthit’s team and the franchiser, Dulwich College, London (DCL), with several parents making it quite clear that if…
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New rules for motorbike taxis
PHUKET CITY: Motorcycle taxi drivers in Phuket will have to be registered and fitted with yellow license plates from May 11, it was explained at a public information seminar at The Metropole hotel yesterday.Regulation 13 of the Car Act of 2004, which includes clauses aimed at regulating motorcycle taxis, will come into force on May 11, Phuket Provincial Transportation Office…
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Two-month deadline set for tsunami victims ID
PHUKET CITY: The bodies of 2,370 tsunami victims remain unidentified due to a lack of forensic evidence, but the operation to identify them will be wound up soon, a senior Phuket police officer said yesterday.All those that have not been identified within the coming two months will be buried at the Sea Gypsy cemetery in Mai Khao, Provincial Police Deputy…
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Arthit introduces new Dulwich team
PHUKET: As the crisis over the future of Dulwich International College continues unresolved, the school’s CEO and Founder, Dr Arthit Ourairat, is in Phuket for two meetings, one with teachers this afternoon, and another with parents, scheduled for 2 pm tomorrow.At this afternoon’s meeting he introduced the new Headmaster he has chosen for the school, Canadian Prof Dr George Hickman,…
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Evacuation plans under discussion
PHUKET CITY: Plans for evacuating Patong and other parts of Phuket during an emergency are due to be discussed at a workshop on Wednesday.The event will be overseen by Vice-Governor Niran Kalayanamit and former Vice-Governor Pongpow Ketthong, who is now Deputy Director-General of the national Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department (DPMD). These are the men Phuket Governor Udomsak Usawarangkura has…
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Songkran traffic crackdown effective
PHUKET: Two people died in Phuket over the Songkran period, one less than last year. Another 359 were injured between April 8 and 15, compared with 424 injured last year.The deaths occurred on April 10 and 12. Both victims were male.The figures were well below the official target of no more than five dead and 611 injured. This year’s “target”…
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Dulwich school’s fate hangs in balance
PHUKET: Parents and teachers of the island’s best-known private school, Dulwich International College, are waiting with bated breath for confirmation or denial of reports that the board of Dulwich College in London has withdrawn permission for the use of its name.All attempts by the Gazette to obtain information from Dulwich College in London, the Phuket school’s owners, parents’ and teachers’…
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Seven-hour ordeal after dive boat sinks
ANDAMAN SEA: Six passengers and seven crew spent around seven hours in the water yesterday morning waiting to be rescued after their liveaboard dive boat sank, apparently without warning and in just six minutes, close to the Surin Islands.The MY Rhapsody, operated by Kata-based Oceanic Divecenter, was anchored 300 meters from the popular Richelieu Rock just after midnight yesterday morning…
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Patong alarm system test “a success’
PATONG: The last of the alarms in Patong’s newly-installed emergency warning system was tested yesterday. It emitted a 121-decibel alert that could be heard 1,500 meters away.The alarm at Phuket Cabana Hotel, connected to 24 loudspeakers, was tested for 10 minutes at 2pm yesterday afternoon.Installation of the system, which will eventually be linked to the National Disaster Warning Center (NDWC),…
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Spaghetti-strap mosquito menace
BANGKOK (TNA, Gazette): Last year the Ministry of Culture tried to bar Thai women from wearing spaghetti-strap tops during Songkran, with a warning from Culture Minister Uraiwan Thienthong that “revealing clothes may induce sexual harassment”.It didn’t work. Apart from anything else, police had no support from the law of Thailand for enforcing a ban on the detestable, damaging-to-Thai-culture spaghetti strap.All…
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Ministry puts Phuket Air under microscope
BANGKOK (TNA, Gazette): The Ministry of Transport has promised to launch a probe into budget airline Phuket Air following a 24-hour delay in a flight from Bangkok to London which left more than 400 passengers stranded on April 11.The seriousness with which the ministry is treating the matter was highlighted by the response of Deputy Transport Minister Phumtham Vejjayachai, who immediately…
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Tsunami chops OrBorJor income by 20pc
PHUKET CITY: The December 26, 2004, tsunami has chopped about 100 million baht, or 20%, off the expected revenue of Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) for fiscal 2005.OrBorJor President Anchalee Vanich-Thepabutr told the Gazette on April 8 that the organization’s initial revenue projection of 500 million baht, from business taxes and fees, has been lowered to about 400 million due to…
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Trees to act as “tsunami breaks’
PHUKET: Trees may be planted along the Andaman Coast to give some protection to the land from future tsunamis, Natural Resources and Environment Minister Yongyuth Tiyapairat said this weekend.The Minister, on a visit to Phuket, said that buildings that had been sheltered from the sea by trees, particularly casuarinas, appeared to have suffered much less damage during the tsunami than…
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Phuket to get provincial art gallery
PHUKET CITY: The Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) has announced that it intends to build an art gallery for the province, after the successful opening of the “Painting Phuket, the Pearl of the Andaman” art exhibition yesterday.OrBorJor President Anchalee Vanich-Thepabutr said the art gallery would contain art and literature and artefacts relating to the history of Phuket.There could even be…
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Marine police on lookout for oil smuggling
PHUKET CITY: Despite the recent rise in diesel price of more than 20%, local authorities say there is still no sign of a resurgence of large-scale smuggling of oil into Phuket.Pol Lt Col Prasopchai Bunleusin, Deputy Superintendent of Marine Police Region 5, explained that most of the oil smuggling along the Andaman Coast takes place in waters off the coasts…
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Park to fill Pak’s shoes
MAI KHAO: South Korean Si Re Pak has pulled out of next week’s Tiger Skins 2005 golf tournament, citing a back injury. She will be replaced by compatriot Grace Park.Much is expected of Park, 26, who won two major Ladies’ Professional Golf (LPGA) tournaments last year, including the Kraft Nabisco Championship. She was also awarded the the 2004 Vare Trophy…
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Masseuse found dead in woods
THALANG: Police are waiting for an autopsy report to confirm their belief that a masseuse whose body was discovered in woods in Cherng Talay yesterday evening either died of a chronic illness or committed suicide. An initial examination of the body revealed no signs of violence, said Cherng Talay Police Deputy Superintendent Lt Col Suwat Kaewprom, who identified the woman as…
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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