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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American teacher drowns off Karon
KARON: An American teacher drowned in heavy seas off Karon Beach on June 25, after she and three friends apparently ignored red flags and warnings by beachguards not to swim.Chalong Police Inspector Pol Lt Col Jessada Saengsuree named the victim as Elena Baldwin, 20. He told the Gazette that she had been teaching English language as a volunteer at a…
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PGTV News Tuesday 27th of June 2006
PGTV’s Phuket News this evening features the Club Med Children’s Day, a story about the tragic drowning of twenty year old American woman, how to get a Visa for Britain in Phuket, and a look at handicrafts made in local prisons. In addition to these and other news stories focused on Phuket, this evening’s show features an interview with local Property…
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Andaman Sea Rally revived
PHUKET: After a hiatus of more than two years years, the Andaman Sea Rally – a race from Phuket to Port Blair in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands and back – has been revived, with the next race scheduled to take place between January 13 and 27 next year. “We are happy that 2007 will see the return of the…
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Phuket City to get new market
PHUKET CITY: Work will begin next January on a 260-million baht market complex to replace the squalid public market on Ranong Rd.Phuket City Mayor Somjai Suwannasuppana said the new municipal market would be a four-story building, with two floors of public parking above two floors of market stalls, as well as 27 shophouse units.The new complex will bring improvements in…
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Phuket service launched for UK visas
PHUKET: Freight forwarding and courier company Phuket Universal Services Co Ltd (Pusco), near the Mercedes-Benz showroom on Thepkrasattri Rd, is now accepting applications for visas to enter Britain. The new service follows the April 21 announcement by the British Embassy in Bangkok that it has entered into a partnership with VFS (Thailand) Ltd in a bid to improve the its…
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PGTV News for Friday 23rd June 2006
PGTV’s Phuket News this evening features an update on the plans by a local firm to salvage two WWII manned torpedoes found on the sea bed near Phuket, a story about illegal workers in Phuket, footage of Pro Women’s volleyball, and advice on how to keep fit in Phuket town. In addition to these and other news stories focused on Phuket, this…
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PGTV News for Thursday June 22nd 2006
PGTV’s Phuket News this evening features an American thief, a story about the recent MOU meeting with Brunei to discuss cultural exchanges, spectacular footage of the Supercross Masters of Thailand 2006, and a look at girls who earn money being “pretty”. In addition to these and other news stories focused on Phuket, this evening’s show features an interview with local Property Consultant…
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Chariot salvage attempt scotched
PHUKET: The British government has scotched, at least for the time being, a planned attempt by local salvage company East Marine SBS Co to raise two British World War II Chariots from the waters off Phuket. The Military Attache from the British Embassy in Thailand, Col Mark Rayner, today delivered to Governor Udomsak Uswarangkura a letter from the British Royal…
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PGTV News Monday 19th of June 2006
PGTV’s Phuket News this evening features a story about the recent yellow shirt shortage, advice from a doctor about keeping fit during the world cup, a visit to the Phuket Aquarium, and video of the arrival, in Phuket, of HRH Crown Prince Jigme Khesar Namgel Wangchuk of Bhutan. In addition to these and other news stories focused on Phuket, this…
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Top beach volley players heading for Phuket
PHUKET: The island will play host in November to the Swatch-FIVB World Tour Women’s Professional Beach Volleyball tournament, from November 1 to 5 at Kata Beach, it was announced yesterday. Prize money of US$200,000 (about 7 million baht) will be up for grabs for the winners among some 60 two-player teams from countries including Germany, Brazil, the US, China and…
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Taiwanese dominate Phuket Marathon
CHERNG TALAY (Gazette, Nation): Taiwan’s Ko Shih Chieh won the inaugural Phuket International Marathon on June 18, while two Thai SEA Games gold medalists, Boonchu Chandecha and Boonthueng Srisang, were the best of the local runners, winning gold in the half marathon and 10k events, respectively.Boonchoo, from Chumphon, won the gold medal in the marathon in the 2005 SEA Games…
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Swedish Royals give grants to tsunami kids
PHUKET: HM King Carl XVI Gustaf and HM Queen Silvia of Sweden this morning visited Satree Phuket School. Later in the day they were taken to the Tsunami Gallery at Bangkok Phuket Hospital.Their majesties are staying in Phuket until tomorrow on a six-day unofficial visit after attending HM King Bhumibol’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations in Bangkok.This morning at 11:30 am they…
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Carabao heading for Phuket
PHUKET: Thai superstars Carabao are to perform in Phuket on Monday. The group will be joined on stage by Thai songstress Thanaporn “Parn” Waegprayoon, who collaborated with them on their latest album.Carabao’s career spans 25 years and their songs are some of the most recognizable in modern Thai music. The 12-piece band is part of the “Songs for Life” movement.…
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Dive industry facing tough new rules
PHUKET: Phuket’s Chief Administrative Officer (Palad) Nivit Aroonrat yesterday handed the Governor a proposal to issue an order that will require all dive businesses on the island to register with the government within 30 days. Thereafter, the dive shops will have to provide specific details – including how many foreigners they employ and whether the foreign employees have work permits.The…
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Fascinating detail revealed by cache of old documents
PHUKET: The effort to classify four huge stacks of old documents found by workers fixing the roof of Phuket Provincial Hall nearly six years ago should be completed by the end of September, the official in charge of the project says.Suntree Sungayuth, Chief Archivist at the National Archives in Trang, told the Gazette that some of 70,000 pages of official…
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Public urged to wear yellow shirt every week
PHUKET CITY: Vice Governor Vorapot Rattasima has urged everyone, whether in government service or the private sector, to wear a yellow polo shirt with the symbol of HM King Bhumibol’s Diamond Jubilee every Monday for the rest of the year.He was speaking at the regular gubernatorial meeting with the press today. Also there was Sompoch Sungkapong, Chief of the Phuket…
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Swedish royals arrive in Phuket
PHUKET: HM King Carl XVI Gustaf and HM Queen Silvia of Sweden arrived in Phuket yesterday for a week’s stay in a private villa at Trisara, near Nai Thon Beach, after attending HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations in BangkokDuring their Phuket stay they will celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary. They were married on June 19, 1976.HRH Crown Prince…
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Direct flights from HK, Korea “coming in July’
PHUKET: Dragonair still has no plans to restore its direct Hong Kong-Phuket service, but no fewer than three other airlines are planning to start flights on the route, a Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) official has announced. The first of these will start flying as early as next month.Anoma Wongyai, Assistant Director of the TAT office in Phuket, returned from…
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Bike gang terrorizes Kalim motorists
KALIM-KAMALA: Kathu Police Station Superintendent Pol Col Teerapol Thipjaroen has warned motorists using the Kalim-Kamala road at night to take extra caution after one woman was dragged off her bike and nearly held at gunpoint and another woman had the rear window of her car smashed by a motorbike gang.Vanessa Temple reported that she was attacked while riding her motorbike…
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More yellow shirts on the way
BANGKOK (The Nation): Clothing manufacturers have been asked by the government to produce 500,000 more yellow shirts, commemorating HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s diamond jubilee, to meet huge demand from the public. The shirts will be available at supermarkets including Big C, Makro and 7-Eleven stores nationwide. Siriphol Yordmuangcharoen, Director General of the Department of Commerce, said he has met with…
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Chalong police issue burglaries warning
CHALONG: Pol Col Chalit Kaewyarat, Superintendent of Chalong Police Station, this morning urged residents in the Chalong and Rawai areas to take extra precautions against burglaries following a recent spate of break-ins, mostly involving homes of foreigners.“A house in Soi Taiad [Chalong] and another one in Soi Samakkee 2 [Rawai] were recently broken into by burglars.“A couple of days ago…
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Phuket to receive award for “fastest recovery’
PHUKET CITY: Phuket has won the Arabian Travel Market 2006 (ATM) “New Frontiers Award” for being the tourism destination that recovered fastest from a natural disaster, Governor Udomsak Uswarangkura announced yesterday.“The Arabian Travel Market has praised Phuket for its outstanding recovery and positive contribution to tourism development after the tsunami,” Governor Udomsak said.“The island was chosen after organizers consulted professionals…
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Police get strict with red-plate cars
CHALONG: Traffic Police set up a checkpoint on Chao Fa East Rd on Monday night to check that all vehicles bearing red “temporary” license plates for newly-purchased cars were registered with the Transport Department and that the vehicles were not stolen or being used to commit crimes. The checkpoint, near the intersection with Soi Palai, was also manned by officials…
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Land Office moves to allay property bust fears
PHUKET: The Chief of the Phuket Provincial Land Office (PPLO), Supot Suwannachote, has moved to reassure businesspeople that the closer inspection of companies wanting to register land titles, as ordered by the Ministry of Interior, does not mean that transfers of ownership will be refused.He stressed that he did not want to see a slowdown in Phuket’s booming property industry.…
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Airport limos give ground to keep concession
PHUKET CITY: The Phuket Limousine and Business Services Cooperative Ltd (PBC) is to have its concession to operate limousines at the airport renewed, but members will have to agree to a number of conditions. The news came after both the PBC and the Airports Authority of Thailand (AAT) asked the provincial authorities to intercede in negotiations. The current concession agreement…
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More than 3,000 ya bah pills seized in May
PHUKET: Statistics released by the Phuket Provincial Police show that 3,183 ya bah (methamphetamine) pills were seized by police, with 71 arrests made in connection with the drug, between May 1 and 25. Seizures of ecstasy were also up on last month’s figures. In total, 121 people were arrested on drug-related charges. The second most commonly seized intoxicants were solvents…
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Market launched to honor HM The King
PHUKET CITY: An open-air market is being held from 9 am until midnight at Queen Sirikit Park on Thalang Rd as part of the activities being held around the island to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of HM The King’s ascension of the throne. The market, organized by the Phuket Provincial Commercial Office (PPCO) and the Phuket Market Vendors’ Association, opened…
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Official denies extortion and bodily harm charges
CHALONG: Sassiri Klinhom, a district official from Surat Thani, presented himself to Chalong Police Station on June 1 to deny charges of extortion and causing bodily harm.Pol Lt Col Jessada Sangsuree told the Gazette that at about 10 am on May 29, he and other officers responded to a call saying that a woman had been found handcuffed and drugged…
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Property boom makes tax office glow
PHUKET CITY: If taxes paid are any indication of economic health, then Phuket’s economy, in particular the property sector, is very healthy indeed. Between October 1 last year and April 30 this year, the Phuket Area Revenue Office (PARO) collected 455.75 million baht in taxes from property businesses alone – an increase of 64.58% on the same six-month period a…
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Blue Canyon out of bankruptcy
BANGKOK: The Central Bankruptcy Court (CBC) in Bangkok today announced its decision to allow Murex Co Ltd, the holding company for Blue Canyon Country Club (BCCC), to officially exit the debt restructuring process it has undergone under the court’s administration.BCCC, in an official release, stated, “The Plan Administrator of Murex, BC Golf Resort Management Co Ltd, has been instrumental in…
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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