Phuket News
-
Sponsored New in July: Save 10% for life on family health plans in Thailand
Cigna has a special offer this July for families in Thailand. When you sign up three or more people on a family health plan, you will save 10% on your premiums for life. This deal helps you get affordable, high-quality...
-
Appeal for information on two foreigners
PHUKET: The Chief of Phuket Immigration Police has appealed to the public for information on two foreign men who both disappeared a few weeks ago after separate strange incidents at the Kata Beach Resort. Pol Col Apirak Hongtong, Superintendent of the Phuket Immigration office, said police want to talk to a man, thought to be named Morris and believed to…
-
Elderly Japanese dies on coral tour
PHUKET: Japanese tourist Akira Yamagida, 67, died while on a coral sightseeing tour at Koh Hei on Sunday. Pol Maj Jasada Sangsuri, of Chalong Police Station, told the Gazette yesterday that Mr Yamagida was swimming with his friend Yasuhiro Yamauchi, 56, and two other tourists just five meters off a Koh Hei beach at about midday. After they had been…
-
Three dead, 311 injured during Songkran
PHUKET: Three people were killed in traffic accidents in Phuket during the four-day Songkran holiday, according to statistics from the island’s hospitals. The Phuket Provincial Health Office reported that all of the victims died in motorcycle accidents, and all were confirmed to have been under the influence of alcohol. In the same period, 311 people were injured on the roads.…
-
Two more Burmese murdered
PHUKET: Two Burmese men were killed in Phuket over the Songkran holiday, in separate violent attacks. Early Sunday morning, Phuket Town police received a call from residents of Soi Siang Tai, complaining about the noise of men fighting. Police arrived an hour later and found lying in the soi the body of a man who was later identified by workers…
-
Solution proposed for mangrove encroachment
PHUKET: Governor CEO Pongpayome Vasaputi has proposed assigning small plots of public land to poor people in order to stop further encroachment into Phuket’s dwindling mangrove forests. Gov Pongpayome said in a recent announcement that he had received several complaints about families setting up homes in the mangroves of Phuket. To solve the problem, he recommends building small “villages” with…
-
Girls, 13 and 14, busted for ya bah
THALANG: Marine Police officers arrested a 13-year-old girl Tuesday afternoon after she picked up a package containing ya bah (methamphetamine) and heroin from the Thalang post office. Police had received a tip-off alleging that the girl, who was accompanied by a 14-year-old girl friend, was acting as a drug courier for her father, Usman. Police watched her movements for several…
-
150 queue to wish Gov Happy New Year
PHUKET TOWN: About 150 Thais and foreigners, including government officers, local politicians and business leaders, gathered at the Governor’s Mansion on Narisorn Rd this morning to take part in the traditional exchange of New Year blessings with Phuket Governor CEO Pongpayome Vasaputi and his wife, Mantana. Phuket’s three Vice Governors were the first in a long queue of well-wishers to…
-
Police puzzled by multiple monikers
PHUKET TOWN: Police have been trying to figure out whether a man they arrested on Monday is mad, or just crazy like a fox. Pol Lt Prasaan Tovorn of Phuket Town Police Station explained to the Gazette that he and other motorbike police officers were on patrol in Soi Imjit 1 in the early hours of Monday morning when the…
-
American diver dies in cave
KRABI: The Royal Thai Navy today returned to Phuket with the body of American tourist Jeffrey S. Gall, 48, who disappeared March 25 while diving in a cave off Koh Ha Yai. Pol Lt Col Prasopchai Bunluesil, Deputy Superintendent of Phuket Marine Police, told the Gazette today that Mr Gall was on vacation with his wife, staying on Phi Phi…
-
Meatball vendor killed in robbery
THALANG: The body of a meatball vendor was found by villagers at the side of Thepkrasattri Rd last night. Police believe he was killed in the course of a robbery. The man has been identified as 38-year-old Charoon Sura, a resident of Thalang. Pol Maj Pornthep Phutluecha of Thalang Police Station told the Gazette that villagers called police at about…
-
Bike Week off to a roaring start
PHUKET: About 200 bikers rumbled around Phuket today as part of the 8th annual Phuket Bike Week. Hundreds of big bike enthusiasts from all over the country and from overseas have been arriving over the past few days for the six-day festival in Phuket. Yesterday evening, Rat-U-Thit 200 Phi Rd in Patong was jammed with big bikes for a welcome…
-
Gov leads raid to “save gambling children’
PHUKET TOWN: Governor CEO Pongpayome Vasaputi led a raid on a gambling den in Poonphol Night Plaza on Saturday night after receiving a letter from parents worried about children gambling. Arriving at the address at about 7:30 pm, officers found 20 men, one woman and two boys, aged 14 and 16, in a room watching a soccer match. In the…
-
“Women auction parties’ report denied
PHUKET: Col Apirak Hongtong, Superintendent of Phuket Immigration Police, yesterday emphatically denied a newspaper report alleging that regular parties are held in Phuket at which Thai women are auctioned off to foreigners. His comments followed the publishing of a front-page article on Thursday in a local Thai newspaper. The paper named Col Apirak as its source for the story. Col…
-
Schoolboy in love triangle machete attack
PHUKET TOWN: A high school student has been charged with attempted murder after allegedly chasing two fellow students on a motorcycle and slashing one of one them with a machete. Pol Lt Kittitat Dangnui, of Phuket Town Police Station, told the Gazette that police were called into Wachira Phuket Hospital at about 1 am Thursday to investigate an incident involving…
-
Immigration plans big improvements
PHUKET: Phuket Immigration has announced plans to radically improve its service to tourists and foreigners living in Phuket. Pol Col Apirak Hongtong, the Superintendent of the Phuket Immigration Office, told the Gazette today that many foreigners who come to Phuket want to extend their stay in the country, but when their Immigration stamps expire, they do not know the correct…
-
Bus service a big hit
PHUKET TOWN: After just four days of operation, Phuket’s first public bus service has received generally glowing reviews. Samroeng Chaisorn, Vice Chief Executive of the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor), told the Gazette today, “We are very pleased; it is going very well. The other day, myself and some of my team hopped on a bus and, to our surprise,…
-
Don&’t bore your guests – Gov
PHUKET TOWN: Governor CEO Pongpayome Vasaputi today urged organizers of events in Phuket to be aware of what their guests are likely to enjoy, and not to bore them with endless speeches and other formalities. His remarks came at an all-day seminar held at the Royal Phuket City, focusing on Tourism Destination Preservation and Being A Good Host. Gov Pongpayome…
-
Parks launch underwater self-guided tours
SIMILANS: The marine national parks at the Similan and Chumphon islands have each launched an underwater trail along which divers can enjoy a self-guided tour of corals and other underwater marine life. Divers will be handed three plastic cards with the pictures and names of the many corals and tropical fish they are likely to see as they travel the…
-
Policeman stabbed while making arrest
PHUKET TOWN: A police officer was knifed while making an arrest at about 3 am on Sunday at the Sri Sena fishing port. Pol L/Cpl Rakchart Suksrinuan went to question Ruengsak Cholasarn, 33, following a complaint by Pairoj Kongchartthai, 19, that Ruengsak had stabbed him during an argument. K. Pairoj was admitted to Wachira Hospital with minor stab wounds to…
-
Man found shot dead in palm plantation
THALANG: The battered body of a man was found by villagers in a palm plantation in Thalang on Friday. Pol Maj Pornthep Phutluecha of Thalang Police Station said that the man, estimated to have been 30 to 40 years old, was wearing navy blue trousers and a T-shirt. His arms were raised over his head and handcuffed together. He had…
-
Prison still brimming with drug offenders
PHUKET TOWN: Statistics released by Provincial Prison officials last week show that narcotics offenders, or those awaiting trial on drugs-related charges, make up more than half of the prison population. Of the 1,247 inmates, 523 men and 119 women are in for narcotics offenses. Of the remaining prisoners, 217 are being held for theft, 136 for murder or attempted murder,…
-
Nation takes stake in Phuket Gazette, joins board of directors
PHUKET: Pana Janviroj and Prasert Lekavanichkajorn have joined the board of directors of The Phuket Gazette Co Ltd following the acquisition of a 19.7% interest in the local newspaper by the Nation Multimedia Group Pcl (NMG). Khun Pana is editor of ‘The Nation’ and Khun Prasert is the paper’s chief operating officer. With a Master’s Degree in economics from Tuft’s…
-
A glorious act of philanthropy
PATONG: Any person whose face matches a photocopy of one of the passports seized in Haad Yai last week can claim 10,000 baht and a handwritten chit to reclaim the passport in Bangkok from a man waiting on Thaweewong Rd. Clutching his belt pouch tight, the philanthropist, who identified himself only as “Mr May”, said he will give 10,000 baht…
-
Eco-tour firms protest tuk tuk ‘bullies&’
PHUKET TOWN: About 70 staff from five eco-tour companies gathered in front of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) office on Phuket Rd last night to protest the “bullying” behavior of tuk tuk drivers in the Kata-Karon area. The protest blocked traffic for about an hour. Anupharb Thirarath, director of the TAT Phuket office, was handed a letter by the…
-
Four arrested for credit card offenses
PHUKET TOWN: Police have nabbed one Malaysian and three Thais suspected of a major credit card fraud and forgery operation. Lee On Chin, a 49-year-old Chinese Malaysian, and Kiattikorn Rakkaew, 33, were arrested Tuesday in front of Daeng Plaza Hotel on Phuket Rd while using credit cards to draw money from an ATM machine. Prajak Nalita, 32, was arrested the…
-
Another runaway bus on Patong Hill
PATONG: Twenty-six people were injured yesterday afternoon when a bus careered off the road and into a wall at the bottom of Patong Hill. Aboard the bus belonging to Chiang Mai tour company Udom Tour were 39 Thai passengers, aged from 40-60, who were on a 10-day tour of the South. Pol Serg Maj Suthep Sukeaw, of Kathu Police Station,…
-
Rush to solve Laguna dispute
PHUKET TOWN: Thalang District Chief Kanthee Silapa yesterday set himself a deadline of three weeks from now to report his findings on the dispute over whether Thai Wah Development, Laguna Resorts and Hotels’ parent company, had encroached on government land. K. Kanthee announced his deadline – April 20 – at a meeting at Provincial Hall, which was attended by representatives…
-
B2m damage in three-home blaze
PHUKET TOWN: A kitchen fire raged out of control and gutted three units of a two-story townhouse complex in Moo Baan Karn Kaeha yesterday afternoon. Total damage is estimated at more than 2 million baht. Five firefighters took nearly one hour to put out the blaze. No injuries were reported. The fire started in the kitchen of one of the…
-
Police officer robbed during Phuket stay
PHUKET TOWN: An Immigration Police officer from Surat Thani, working in Phuket on assignment, had his jewelry and his gun stolen from his hotel room at the S.T. Hotel on Sakdidet Rd on Saturday night. Pol Lt Parichat Jaturonphan, of Phuket Town Police Station, said that Pol Capt Sudjarit Vongsakate was staying at the hotel with his family. Lt Parichat…
-
Immigration scandal officer to be prosecuted
BANGKOK: Investigations into the corruption scandal at the Patong Immigration Office have already nailed one officer, according to a highly-placed source in the Immigration Department in Bangkok. The source, who requested anonymity, told the Gazette today, “One Immigration officer [from Phuket] has been found to have behaved incorrectly. We will be bringing criminal charges against him. “Another officer is still…
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.
Don't forget to check out some other things to do in Thailand - get help starting a business or finding a job in Thailand, buy Thailand property, rent a yacht or book a medical procedure worldwide.