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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Third bus route under consideration
PHUKET TOWN: The town’s bus service may be expanded to include a third route, it was announced yesterday. The announcement followed the signing of a one-year extension of the contract between Andaman Trans (Thailand) and the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) to manage the OrBorJor‘s bus company. OrBorJor Deputy President Samroeng Chaisorn told the Gazette, “The bus service is going…
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Phuket masseuses get hands-on training
PHUKET TOWN: Practitioners of traditional Thai massage are getting some hands-on training this week, thanks to a workshop sponsored by the Department of Skill Development [DSD] and the Royal Spa and Health Club. The training, being held October 2-6 on the 2nd floor of the Big C Supercenter, is intended to improve the skills and professionalism of the island’s masseuses.…
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Warning over forged Immigration stamps
PHUKET: The Superintendent of the Phuket Provincial Immigration Office, Pol Col Sayan Krasaesan, has warned foreigners not to use the services of companies or individuals offering immigration services. His warning comes after 12 foreigners were arrested at Sadao Immigration office and others in Bangkok for having forged entry stamps in their passports. The foreigners, including British, New Zealand and French…
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Phuket flooded in wet season washout
PHUKET: Torrential rain throughout the morning left houses on the island knee-deep in floodwater, blocked major roads, caused landslides and turned much of Phuket Town into a giant traffic jam. Metha Mekarat, Chief of the Phuket Office of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (ODPM), told the Gazette that he had received reports that 18 bungalows on low-lying land in Soi Tanod,…
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Underground lottery kingpins busted
PHUKET TOWN: On his first day on the job, newly-installed Phuket Provincial Police Commander Maj Gen Veerayuth Sittimalic held a press conference to announce the arrest of two women who were allegedly running an underground lottery operation. The statement was made jointly with Pol Col Paween Pongsirin, Superintendent of the Phuket Town Police. The first suspect was identified as Bunruen…
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Police struggle to hit arrests target
PHUKET: Official police statistics show that during the period from September 1 to 25, two murders were reported with no arrests made, two attempted murders with one arrest, two cases of manslaughter with one arrest, and one rape was reported with one arrest made. There were also 15 cases of assault reported, with seven arrests made. Also during September, 24…
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Britons arrested for dealing drugs
KATHU: Two British men and four Thais have been arrested and charged with dealing ya bah (methamphetamines) after a series of “kiss-and-tell” raids on Monday. The charges carry the death penalty – an unlikely but theoretically possible punishment. Information obtained in the first raid led to a second raid, then a third raid. The Britons – named by police as…
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New Gov arrives in Phuket
PHUKET TOWN: Just one day before officially taking up his new post as Phuket Governor CEO, Udomsak Usawarangkura told reporters today that tourism development would remain a top priority under his leadership. “I will continue to emphasize tourism development for Phuket, as this is the island’s most important industry,” K. Udomsak said following a dinner with local officials at the…
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Nuclear reactor gets govt go-ahead
BANGKOK (The Nation): The controversial nuclear research reactor project in Nakhon Nayok has been given the construction go-ahead. This is despite the environmental impact assessment (EIA) not yet having been completed, and the safety analysis report having been rejected by a key committee. The National Commission on Atomic Energy for Peace yesterday approved the research project, to be built in…
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Drugs top priority for new Governor
PHUKET TOWN: A more intense campaign against illegal drugs will be the top priority when the new Governor CEO, Udomsak Usawarangkura, arrives in Phuket tomorrow, ready to step behind his desk on Wednesday. Coincidentally, October 1 also marks the beginning of a two-month nationwide campaign to eradicate illegal drugs from Thailand. It is hoped that by December 2, all 76…
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Meeting called to stem beachfront friction
PATONG: In a move to defuse growing tension between Phuket-native vendors in Patong and vendors who have migrated south to the resort town in hopes of making their fortunes, Patong Municipality on Friday held an all-day conference advocating more ethical business practices and a united front in serving tourists. “It’s not easy getting people from everywhere in Thailand to work…
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Andaman NGOs slam plans for Phuket links
PORT BLAIR, ANDAMAN ISLANDS: Two environmental lobby groups on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands have slammed plans for trade and tourism links between the islands and Phuket. Such links, they allege, would turn the islands from an idyllic tropical backwater into a sex tourism hotspot. “The Andamans do not have any professional sex workers, [but] we may soon need thousands…
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Four held for motorbike thefts
PHUKET TOWN: A police crackdown on gangs of teenage motorcycle thieves led to the arrest of four boys in two separate swoops early yesterday morning. In the first arrest, at about 12:25 am, Phuket Town Police nabbed 18-year-old Katha Kijnakom on Phang Nga Rd Soi 2 and charged him with stealing three motorcycles and trading in stolen motorcycle parts. Police…
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Vegetarian Festival gets under way
PHUKET TOWN: Phuket’s shrines were completing Lantern Pole Raising (Sao Go Teng) ceremonies this evening, the traditional start to what is anticipated to be a lively but probably damp nine-day Vegetarian Festival. Uthai Pimjaichon, the speaker of the Thai Parliament, formally opened the festival at the Jui Tui Shrine this afternoon. Theerawuth Sritulalak, Chairman of the Jui Tui Shrine, the…
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Burmese found drowned
PHUKET TOWN: The body of a man thought to be a Burmese fisherman was found on the shore near Sangaroon Pier, off Si Sena Rd, yesterday afternoon. Police theorize he drowned after falling from the pier, possibly while drunk. Pol Capt Sarit Buthnongsan, of Phuket Town Police Station, said that officers estimate that the man had been dead about 10…
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Park officials demolish illegal homes
THALANG: Some 200 heavily-armed police and officers of Sirinath National Park today tore down 14 buildings constructed illegally in the Pason Layan area of the park, including one abandoned holiday home. Satien Chuaynu, Chief of National Parks, Region 19, who is based in Nakhon Sri Thammarat and has responsibility for Nakhon Sri Thammarat, Krabi, Phang Nga and Phuket, told the…
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Mega property auction set for December
PHUKET TOWN: During a weekend visit to the island, Justice Minister Pongthep Thepkanjana announced that the Legal Execution Department’s (LED’s) first-ever nationwide property auction using teleconferencing will be held on December 14. The auction will feature properties from Phuket, Bangkok and Chiang Mai each valued at more than 20 million baht. The teleconference auction is one of several new measures…
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Best Western enters Phuket resort market
PHUKET: Two Phuket resorts will soon join the Best Western international hotel network of some 4,100 properties worldwide, in a rebranding and marketing scheme being finalized this month. The first property, the 180-room Phuket Ocean Resort at Karon Beach, will be rebranded as the Best Western Phuket Ocean Resort. The second property is a new 199-room property on Bang Tao…
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Governor begins farewell rounds
PHUKET TOWN: Outgoing Governor CEO Pongpayome Vasaputi began the traditional round of farewell functions last night at a farewell party with the media, at which he promoted competitions for singing children and “Good Phuket People.” While the governor was coy about the positive results of three years in the post that he relinquishes on October 1, he was keen to…
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Dead pets thought to be work of poisoner
KAMALA: Residents of a village in Kamala suspect a poisoner has killed six pet dogs belonging to expatriates in the village over the past eight weeks. A Weimaraner German hunting dog valued at 100,000 baht almost became the poisoner’s seventh known victim earlier this month. According to the dog’s owner, Englishman Andrew Scatter, he was fortunate to save the life…
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Bomb emergency practice at airport
PHUKET AIRPORT: Phuket International Airport staff underwent a training session today to prepare its staff to deal with a terrorist bombing aboard an aircraft. More than 40 people from both Thai Airways and Bangkok Airways took part in the operation, while more than 100 personnel from local hospitals and other local organizations looked on. The drill, which began at about…
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Heads up: helmets-for-all crackdown
PHUKET TOWN: From October 1, Phuket police will enforce a law requiring both riders and passengers on motorcycles to wear helmets. The long-standing law has been applied in recent years only to riders, not passengers, but concern has continued to grow over the number of deaths and injuries on the island’s roads. The latest crackdown comes at the instigation of…
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Panel probes cheating in OrBorTor polls
PHUKET: Allegations of cheating and vote-buying have delayed the official appointment of Tambon Administration Organization (OrBorTor) executive committees in nine of the 12 tambon in Phuket where polling took place last month. An investigation is underway by the Phuket Election Committee, which will reveal details of the allegations only when it has completed the probe. It was, however, announced that…
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Game over: Two held on software violations
PHUKET TOWN: Police officers accompanied by a lawyer from a software firm seized 25 computers and made two arrests in raids on Internet gaming shops in Phuket Town this afternoon. The attorney, representing Asiasoft International Co Ltd, first went to Net Pic, on Damrong Rd, where 11 computers were confiscated, and then to Log-in Internet, on Ong Sim Phai Rd,…
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Firms urged to promote tourist VAT refunds
PHUKET TOWN: To help boost the tourism industry and the local economy, all tourism-related businesses should promote and take part in offering value-added tax (VAT) refunds for tourists, Suri Buakhom, Deputy Director-General of the Revenue Department, said today. Speaking at an all-day seminar to promote and explain the system, known as VRT (VAT Refunds for Tourists), K. Suri said, “All…
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Three land officials “guilty’ – inquiry
BANGKOK: The SorPorKor 4-01 land investigation in Phuket reached a milestone yesterday when an official inquiry found that the former Chief of the Phuket Agricultural Land Reform Office, Surat Wasinwattana, had intended to destroy important evidence related to the issue of illegal SorPorKor papers, after investigators found documents in his house and car. The inquiry found two other officials, Ittichai…
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F-16 fly-by “no cause for alarm’
PHUKET: The roar of an F-16’s jet engines ripped through the air over Phuket at 3:20 this afternoon, startling more than a few people across the island. The Royal Thai Air Force warplane was on a practice run from its base in Haad Yai and back again, said Sumeth Charoensin, Watch Supervisor of the Phuket branch of Aeronautical Radio of…
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Evason dispute ends
RAWAI: The industrial dispute involving nearly 350 staff of the Evason Phuket Resort is over, following negotiations and arbitration by officials from the Phuket Labor Office. In an official statement released last night, the resort announced, “The Labor Office encouraged both parties to meet and hold discussions. The [hotel staff] union withdrew its outstanding demands and accepted all demands made…
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Second Hilton deal for major Phuket resort
BANGKOK: Hilton International Co is to take over management of Karon’s Phuket Arcadia Beach Resort, which will be rebranded as the Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort and Spa from October 1 next year. The deal between Hilton International and PPC Holdings Ltd., which currently runs the resort, was announced today. It is the third addition in as many months to Hilton’s…
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Phuket, Samui property show tops expectations
HONG KONG: Contracts worth a total of more than 180 million baht for the sale of homes in Phuket and Koh Samui were signed at the second annual Phuket & Samui Property Exhibition at Hong Kong’s Convention and Exhibition Center on September 12-14. At the show, organized by Graham Doven and Artasia Press, and co-sponsored by the Phuket Gazette, Laguna…
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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