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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Provincial Council by-election to go ahead despite complaint filed
PHUKET CITY: Tomorrow’s District 1 Phuket Provincial Council by-election has been complicated by a complaint filed against one of the candidates, Somkuan Tansakul, to the Phuket Election Commission (PEC) by another candidate, Wongwara Sa-nguansak.K. Wongwara has alleged that K. Somkuan’s use of photos of Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) President Anchalee Vanich-Thepabutra in his campaign material and her open support…
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Surveys reveal tsunami’s mental toll
PHUKET: Many people in tsunami-affected areas of Thailand suffered from depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) for at least nine months after the disaster, according to two new studies.Both studies were conducted initially in February 2005, with follow-ups seven months later, focusing on people in Phang Nga, Krabi and Phuket, the three provinces worst hit by the tsunami.The results…
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Phuket teens targeted in HIV awareness drive
PHUKET: The growing number of young adults testing positive for HIV/Aids in the province has prompted the launch of an awareness drive aimed at teenagers and those in their early 20s.At Phuket Provincial Hall, former Senator for Khon Kaen and women’s rights activist Rabiabrat Pongpanich, who is currently President of the Society for Promoting Happy Families, chaired a meeting of…
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English squire murdered, then burned
PETCHABURI (The Nation): An English country squire was killed and his body burnt on a charcoal fire after he divorced his Thai wife because of her gambling debts.After being burned, the body of Toby Charnaud, 41, was then dismembered and parts scattered in Kaeng Krachan national park, a court in Phetchaburi was told on Monday.Charnaud had sold Latimer Farm near…
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MAS doubles KL-Phuket flights
PHUKET: Malaysia Airlines today resumed its pre-tsunami schedule between Phuket and Kuala Lumpur, reverting to two flights a day. As of today, flights take off from Kuala Lumpur at 9:30 am and 6:10 pm every day, with return flights at 10:25 am and 7:20 pm. An introductory return fare of 2,222 baht is being offered for flights taken before or…
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Phuket police seize 7,568 ya bah pills
PHUKET: Police seized 7,568 ya bah (methamphetamine) pills in Phuket and arrested 117 people in connection with drug offenses, statistics for the July 1 to 25 period show. Of the 117 arrested, 56 were held for possession of ya bah, 22 for sniffing glue or paint thinners, 29 for possession of marijuana; nine for possession of krathom, an indigenous plant…
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Phuket tourism leaders tour Suvarnabhumi airport
PHUKET, BANGKOK: Following the inaugural flight from Phuket International Airport (PIA) to Thailand’s new Suvarnabhumi Airport on Saturday, key representatives of Phuket tourism businesses and the Provincial Government called on the central government to expand the major domestic airports throughout Thailand.With some 20 VIPs and members of the media from Phuket on board, Thai Airways International (THAI) flight TG 1882…
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Rearing to go
KATA: The infamously steep stretch of Patak Rd climbing out of Kata toward Chalong claimed another victim today – a truck laden with concrete slabs.No one was hurt when the load slipped off the end of the truck, but it was a couple of hours before a crane, brought in to offload the cargo, cleared it all to the side…
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Samudra, Somtam dominate Race Week
PHUKET: Driving rain and strong winds of 20 knots hammered the 31 boats competing on the final day of the third Evason Phuket Raceweek regatta today, but it was not enough to dampen the spirits of the skippers and their crews, who battled on to finish the final race in trying conditions with little visibility.David Lindahl kept an almost perfect…
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American fugitive held in Phuket
PHUKET (Gazette, Nation): An alleged pedophile wanted in the United States was arrested in Phuket yesterday morning after laying low in Thailand for five years.In cooperation with Interpol, United States Homeland Security and other agencies, Thai police tracked down and apprehended fugitive Charles Todd Stokes, 45, in a hotel room in Cherng Talay, Phuket Tourist Police Inspector Pol Maj Bundit…
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Duncanson keeps perfect record
PHUKET: Australian Scott Duncanson, a former junior world sailing champion, has a perfect record so far in this year’s Evason Phuket Race Week with five wins from the first five races.Duncanson, aboard the Phuket 8 Somtam Express in the sportsboat racing class, is ahead of another Phuket 8, Josh Lee’s Lee Marine Vino, with Wade Lewis’ Team Simpson Marine –…
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PGTV News Friday 28th July 2006
PGTV’s Phuket News this evening meets the recently elected president of the Phuket Tourist Association and discovers their goals for the coming years, looks at Phuket’s pilot E-Government programme and learns more about Phuket’s Heroine’s Monument. In addition to these and other news stories focused on Phuket, this evening’s show features an interview with Phuket photographer Dan Miles. PGTV, produced…
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Jetstar announces schedules for Sydney-Phuket service
PHUKET: Australian budget airline Jetstar has unveiled its fares and flight schedules for long-haul international operations that will include a service between Sydney and Phuket, starting in November this year. Subject to regulatory approval, the airline, a subsidiary of Australian flag carrier Qantas, will launch its Thai operations on November 23 with a direct Melbourne-Bangkok service. The following day, Jetstar…
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Race Week gets off to flying start
PHUKET (The Nation): Good winds of up to 20 knots gave the third annual Evason Phuket Race Week a great start as the first day’s racing got underway off Rawai yesterday.More than 30 boats, a record number for the regatta, started in almost perfect sailing conditions off The Evason Phuket, with the wind averaging about 14 knots, gusting to 20…
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PGTV News Thursday 27th July 2006
PGTV’s Phuket News this evening looks at the recently erected Kamala Tsunami Memorial, runs a story about an american caught with drugs, visits the new TAT Office and exposes credit card fraud here in Phuket. In addition to these and other news stories focused on Phuket, this evening’s show features an interview with expats who not only speak Thai but…
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PGTV News Wednesday 26th July 2006
PGTV’s Phuket News this evening features updates on recent road shows to promote Phuket abroad, a story about the opening of the “Happy Home” in Patong, the results of recent local elections and we sample the wares of an egg and peanut lady. In addition to these and other news stories focused on Phuket, this evening’s show features a documentary about…
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Island to host world sailing championships
PHUKET: The island has been chosen to host the 13th Tasar World Championships from July 2 to 11 next year, with a fleet of at least 60 boats expected to take part, the first time that the one-design championship for the 4.5-meter, two-person craft has been held in Phuket. The boats and approximately 200 crew and family members are expected…
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TAT opens new office in Phuket
PHUKET CITY: The Tourism Authority of Thailand opened its new Region 4 branch office on Saturday with an opening ceremony presided over by caretaker Tourism and Sports Minister Pracha Maleenont.The 14-million-baht office is a bright orange, two-story edifice built in the Sino-Portuguese style and located on one rai of government land next to Queen Sirikit Park on Thalang Rd. It…
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Banker warns of boom in fake cards in Phuket
PHUKET: A senior banker has warned that there has been a dramatic rise in the number of counterfeit credit cards and ATM cards in Phuket and other tourism centers, such as Chiang Mai and Haad Yai. Prayootd Tansrisuwarn, Senior Vice President of Kasikorn Bank’s Retail and SME E-Business Department, told the Gazette that gangs of con artists are using “skimmer”…
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Phuket to lead Thailand in e-government
PHUKET: An Internet website offering one-stop service from 15 private-sector and government bodies will be launched in Phuket in September, making the province the first in Thailand to offer such a service. The initiative, known as “One Click Finish All: One Stop Services”, is being designed by the Software Industry Promotion Agency (SIPA).When operational the website will give access to…
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Phuket Tourist Association elects new leader
PHUKET: The Phuket Tourist Association (PTA) has elected Maitree Narukatpichai as its new president, replacing Pattanapong Aekwanich, and has at the same time announced its policy agenda for 2006-2008.K. Maitree, Owners’ Representative of the Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort & Spa, was elected, along with a new 18-member committee, at a meeting at the Phuket Merlin Hotel. The PTA elects a…
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PGTV News Monday 24th July 2006
PGTV’s Phuket News this evening features updates on local accident statistics and the airport transport problems, a story about the minimum wage and a trip to a butterfly farm. In addition to these and other news stories focused on Phuket, this evening’s show features a documentary on beliefs and superstitions. PGTV, produced by the Phuket Gazette, is aired daily on…
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Kathu voters elect new OrBorJor member
KATHU: Charnsak Phummak has won the Phuket Provincial Council by-election held in the Kathu area of District 2 on July 22. K. Charnsak now becomes a member of the council until the end of its four-year term in March, 2008.The by-election was held to replace former council member Boonma Eabsub, who resigned on June 1. Of 7,371 eligible voters in…
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Kamala tsunami memorial unveiled
KAMALA, PHUKET: Caretaker Deputy Prime Minister Suwat Liptapanlop this morning officially unveiled the tsunami memorial in Kamala.Kamala was one of the two towns in Phuket worst hit by the December 26, 2004, tsunami, the other being Patong.The memorial, which forms the centerpiece of a new park in the town, is a 10-meter-high metal sculpture called Jitt Jakawan (Heart of the…
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F1 boat racing for Phuket in 2008
PHUKET: The Formula 1 boat racing that was due to come to Phuket in March 2005 but was canceled following the tsunami, will come in 2008 instead, the Gazette learned today. Bangkok-based organizers Paragon Events announced that the Phuket race will take place from March 14 to 16, 2008, in the Deep Sea Port at Ao Makham. “The F1 UIM…
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Road deaths dip in June
PHUKET: Sixteen people died in traffic accidents in Phuket in June, according to official figures obtained from Vachira Phuket, Thalang and Patong government hospitals. This was slightly less than the monthly average of 18 deaths for the year to date.Of the 16 dead, 15 died in motorcycle accidents. The remaining death came in an accident involving a bicycle. During the…
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PGTV News Thursday 20th July 2006
PGTV’s Phuket News this evening features an update on the proposed Chalong-Patong highway, a look at how mobile phone numbers will be increased to ten digits, music from a famous Tibetan monk and musician and a story about how changing a flower’s name made it popular. In addition to these and other news stories focused on Phuket, this evening’s show…
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Gov calls meeting for dive industry regulation
PHUKET: Governor Udomsak Uswarangkura will convene a public hearing to discuss impending changes aimed at regulating the island’s dive industry, some members of which have come under suspicion of evading taxes and employing foreign nationals without work permits.Phuket Provincial Chief Administrative Officer (Palad) Nivit Aroonrat told the Gazette on July 18 that the Governor has accepted the general concept of…
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Phuket unaffected by Java earthquake
PHUKET (Gazette, Nation, Kom Chad Luek): Thailand was not affected by the 7.2-Richter magnitude earthquake that sent deadly two-meter tsunami waves crashing into the Indonesian island of Java on Monday, killing at least 300 people.Although the quake was stronger than the 7.0 Richter threshold used by the Nonthaburi-based National Disaster Warning Center (NDWC) for issuing tsunami warnings, the distance from…
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Mobile phone numbers to change
PHUKET: Mobile phone users will be giving their thumbs a serious workout between September 1 and November 30 as the country switches from nine-digit mobile numbers to 10-digit ones.The change, which will not apply to land lines, will be brought about by adding the number 8 after the initial zero. For example, a mobile number beginning with 01 will be…
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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