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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Patong serial snatcher arrested
PHUKET: Police arrested a serial purse snatcher in Patong yesterday, after tracking his whereabouts with CCTV footage. Police apprehended Nissan Islam, 21, as he was driving from Kamala to Patong. “A woman reported that a man on a motorbike snatched her purse and fled while she was walking on Soi Kebsab last week,” said Col Chaiwat Auikam of the Patong…
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Phuket FC pres furious after false reports of club’s bankruptcy
PHUKET: The president of the Phuket Football Club (Phuket FC) is fuming after news reports about the club’s alleged financial troubles went public earlier this month. Reports stated that management owed club players and staff two months in back pay, amounting to more than 1.6 million baht. Reports also stated that electricity services were cut at the team’s headquarters, after…
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Woman upset with daughter jumps down a well
KRABI: Krabi locals yesterday reported a woman jumping into a well behind Ao Leuk Police Station. “Sawat Bootkrajong, 59, reportedly jumped into the five-meter-deep well, due to a domestic dispute involving her daughter’s return to her hometown in Ratchaburi,” said Pornthip Paklang of the Ao Leuk rescue team. Rescue workers spent about 40 minutes negotiating with Ms Sawat, before convincing…
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Experts meet challenge of sustainable development in honor of HM King
BANGKOK: The nation’s top environmental experts and planners met in Bangkok this week to address the challenges faced in bringing about sustainable development in Asia, in a conference held in honor of His Majesty the King of Thailand’s 70th Anniversary of his accession to the throne. The two-day seminar, dubbed ‘Sustainable Development Challenge in Asia’, was held at the Dusit…
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Crumbling pillars force closure of Jungceylon shops
PHUKET: Jungceylon CEO Prawit Janyasitikul confirmed today that four concrete pillars were found to be damaged on Monday in the mall’s basement indoor market, the Port Zone. The area was immediately closed off after the discovery on Sunday evening. However, the rest of the shopping mall remains open for business, said Mr Prawit. “The safety of our shoppers and staff…
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Blinding light at intersection disgruntles locals
PHUKET: Wichit Municipality has asked the advertising company operating an LED billboard at the Central Festival Intersection to dim their sign, after receiving complaints from commuters. Wichit Mayor Kreetha Chotwitpipat said locals have sent in complaints to his office that too much light emanates from the billboard at the Central Festival-Darasamuth intersection, particularly at night. “At this stage, we have…
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Suspects in Patong killing captured
PHUKET: Police have captured two men allegedly involved in a Patong cafe brawl that left one dead and another injured on Tuesday. Police said the two men were apprehended after one man turned himself in and revealed the location of his accomplice. “We received reports that the primary suspect, Nattasak Srimok, 24, and his friend Issara Boontos, 25, were fleeing…
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Thai, Laos leaders meet in Phuket to combat human trafficking
PHUKET: Thai and Laos officials are currently engaged in talks to discuss solutions to prevent human trafficking between the two countries. Phuket Vice Governor Chokdee Amornwat addressed participants at the five-day conference being held at Cape Panwa Hotel until tomorrow. “In 2005, our two nations signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to prevent human trafficking and help the victims, especially…
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Two dead, 20 injured in speedboat collision [video]
PHUKET: Two tourists were killed and about 20 injured, many of the seriously, when two speed boats loaded with tourists collided near Phi Phi about 12:30pm today. The boats, named Chanakit 856 and Hongfah 20 were carrying 36 and 26 passengers respectively. The bodies of the dead tourists and the injured were ferried back to Phuket’s Rassada pier where emergency…
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Surin Beach reopens tomorrow as Rajabhakti Park
PHUKET: Surin Beach is to be officially reopened as Rajabhakti Park tomorrow, in a ceremony to commemorate the reign of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who ascended the throne on the same date in 1946. Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada has invited Phuketians to dress in yellow and attend the public event at Phuket’s ‘Beach of Honor’, which King Bhumibol visited…
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Patong cafe clash leaves one dead
PHUKET: One man is dead and another wounded after they were attacked outside a karaoke venue in Patong during the early hours of the morning. According to Patong police reports, the fight began in the Mon Can Cafe at 2:30am. “Rachan Banlangsuang, 32, said he was finishing a shift waiting tables at the cafe, when he and the cashier, a…
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Russian man found hanged in Patong hotel room
PHUKET: Police are investigating the death of a Russian man who was found hanged by the neck in a room at a Patong hotel yesterday. Hotel staff found Ivan Romankin, 29, at about 5:20pm, hanging from a steel beam. Patong police refused to release the name of the four-storey hotel. They suspect Mr Romankin had been dead for six hours…
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Second turtle killed by propellers in Krabi this week
KRABI: Marine officials are urging boat operators to slow down and take greater care while plying Phang Nga Bay, after the body of a green sea turtle washed ashore in Phi Phi National Park on Saturday. Officers believe the endangered animal was killed by a boat propeller. “The turtle is about 90 centimeters long and weighs about 40 kilograms. The…
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DSI looks into more mangrove encroachment cases
PHUKET: Officers from the Department of Special Investigations (DSI) on Friday surveyed and collected information on two plots of land suspected to overlap the mangrove forest at Baan Kuku. The DSI team was joined by officers from the Navy and Rassada Municipality. “Locals claim that the land in Baan Kuku Moo 3 is public land, dating as far back as…
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Airport axe-man charged, gets licence suspended [video]
PHUKET: An axe-wielding taxi driver was arrested hours after a video of him at Phuket International Airport was published on Facebook on Saturday. “The video, uploaded by Woratat Wuttikorn, shows 45-year-old Nuttawut Chidjui waving the axe before putting it back in the vehicle,” confirmed Deputy Superintendent Lt Col Bundit Khaosutham of the Tourist Police Region 5. This rude taxi driver…
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Phuket international school eyed for takeover
PHUKET: The British International School Phuket (BISP) is in talks with global education provider Nord Anglia, which is making a bid to take over the school’s operations. In a letter addressed to parents last week, BIS CEO Apiwat Ourairat stated that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between the school and Nord Anglia over the potential lease of…
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Boiler explosion injures two at Krabi palm oil factory
KRABI: Two workers were injured, one of them seriously, when a boiler exploded yesterday at a palm oil refinery in Khao Phanom, Krabi. Police reported that the boiler exploded around midday. Officers arrived to find palm oil spilled throughout the facility. The two injured workers were taken to Khao Phanom Hospital. Ekkachai Sawaddiwong, 21, was released from the hospital yesterday.…
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Sea gypsies plead for DSI help
PHUKET: The Rawai sea gypsy community, involved in an ongoing land dispute with a developer, submitted a letter to a Department of Special Investigations (DSI) team yesterday. A sea gypsy representative, Nirund Yangpan, met with a DSI team in Phuket Town. Mr Nirund reportedly urged the team to prove the legality of a walkway that the sea gypsies use to…
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Strong waves, winds wash up trash on Phi Phi
PHI PHI: Officials are cleaning up piles of trash that washed up on Hat Noppharat Thara Beach in Phi Phi National Park yesterday due to monsoon season rains and strong waves. “The beach is about two kilometers long. Most of the trash is plastic bags and bottles that people do not dispose off properly,” said Pinit Engchuan of Phi Phi…
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Rescuers remove mating pythons from pipes
PHUKET: Rescue workers yesterday removed two four-meter long pythons found mating behind a house in Mai Khao. “Locals reported the incident to us about 9:45am. When we arrived, they were hiding in the cement drainpipe behind the house,” said Chokdee Inthaklab of the Mai Khao Administrative Organization (OrBorTor). “The drainpipe is very deep, so we had to pry them out…
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Ministry of Farang Affairs: Waiting 20 minutes for a roti
The Ministry of Farang Affairs is a one-stop shop where foreigners in Thailand can learn all they need to know about living here. No, we’re not talking about work permits, visas or taxes. We’re talking about day-to-day life in the Land of Endless Shocks and Riddles, of Blur, Befuddlement and the Bizarre. Stay tuned for weekly insights from Minister Stephff.…
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Naka Noi ‘owner’ pleads for Land Department reversal
PHUKET: The owner of a land company claiming 24 rai on Naka Noi Island is petitioning the Land Department director-general in Bangkok, after a committee voted to revoke his company’s land documents. The land dispute over parcels of Naka Noi, some three kilometers off Phuket’s east coast, has long been a source of controversy, with reported sightings of armed gunmen…
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Samui drug addict dies while in custody
SAMUI: Officials are investigating the death of a man who was being held in custody at the Bo Phut Police Station in Koh Samui yesterday. “Kosin Tongjutha, 44, originally from Nothanburi Province, was found dead in his jail cell with no signs of a struggle,” said Lt Col Denduang Tongsisuk of the Bo Phut Police. “A urine test has confirmed…
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Phuket university aims to produce young tourism ambassadors
PHUKET: The Prince of Songkla University (PSU) Phuket Campus held a Young Tourist Ambassador 2016 (Young TAMB) camp to support quality tourism in the Andaman region from May 26 to 31. “We recruited 58 students from various schools in Phuket, Phang Nga, Krabi, Trang and Ranong,” said Asst Prof Dr Rattana Wetprasit, director of the community college of PSU-Phuket Campus.…
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MOTS director ready for new beginning
PHUKET: Santi Pawai, the director of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports Phuket Office (MOTS), is being transferred to the position of director at the Institute of Personnel Development for Physical Education and Sports in the Department of Physical Education. “The order will come into effect on June 8 but until then, it’s business as usual,” Mr Santi told the…
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Third time unlucky for store stick-up man
PHUKET: Police caught a convenience store robber yesterday after his third armed hold up in Phuket. “The robber, named by police as Veerachai Singniew, 26, was arrested in Pa Khlok yesterday afternoon after he robbed a Family Mart in Baan Lipon, holding up staff with a 28cm-long kitchen knife. Police tracked the man down to his home in Pa Khlok…
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Two dead, two seriously injured in rain-drenched Krabi crash
KRABI:Two people were killed and two more seriously injured in a mid-morning car crash in Krabi. “Reports of the accident came in about 10:30am. It took place near the Nua Khlong junction,” said Lt Col Suthorn Kampaphan of the Nua Khlong Police. “A white SUV was wedged into a brown pick-up truck, with two people trapped inside each vehicle.” Rescuers…
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Red Cross blood donation drive schedule for June
PHUKET: Mobile blood donation clinics will be popping up all over the island this month, the Phuket Red Cross announced today. The Phuket Regional Blood Center (PRBC) is hoping to supplement its limited supplies of O, A, and AB blood types. “We need to maintain a daily minimum of 200 units of these blood types, in addition to 20 units…
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Eight Chinese busted for working illegally
PHUKET: Eight Chinese photographers were arrested for working illegally in Phuket on Tuesday. “The suspects were preparing to take photographs of couples for a wedding ceremony being held at Chalong temple at about 11:30am,” said Phuket Provincial Labor Office Chief Suttipong Saisakares. “Our officers asked for their work permits, but they were unable to provide any. So, we explained to…
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Vandals damage clown fish sculpture in Krabi
KRABI: A clown fish sculpture was damaged by unknown vandals yesterday, leading to a disappointed Facebook post by Krabi City Mayor Keeratisak Phukaoluan. “Whoever did this is heartless,” said Mr Keeratisak in his post. “The sculpture was built using public taxes in order to accentuate the beauty of the province for tourists. It is damaged at the tail and was…
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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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