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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Tourist couple wake to burglary nightmare
CHALONG: A Swedish couple on holiday in Karon woke up in the early hours yesterday to a nightmare: a burglar in their room holding their three-year-old daughter with his hand over her mouth. The Winnheds, in their 30s, were woken by a noise in their room and sat up to see the burglar with their daughter in his arms. Mrs…
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Lotus opening creates massive traffic jams
PHUKET: Lotus yesterday opened its new super store on the edge of Phuket Town, the company’s 17th in Thailand. The “soft” opening caused huge traffic jams in all direction as shoppers rushed to check the place out. Grinning widely, Gwyn Sundhagul, Senior Vice President of Operations, admitted that the company, which is majority-owned by British retailing giant Tesco, had underestimated…
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Businesses help tax office stay on track
PHUKET: With 11 months of the taxman’s year complete, The Phuket Provincial Revenue Office reports that collections are up very slightly compared with the same period last year. There have been significant falls in VAT revenue, down 47 million baht; in Specific Business Tax (mostly from banks and finance companies), which fell 32 million baht; and in Personal Income Tax,…
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Taiwan team wins Phuket Soccer Cup
KO KAEW: The Kaohsiung 100 Pacers set a pace that proved too hot for the Lions Singapore in the finals of the 1999 Phuket International Football Cup at Dulwich International College last weekend. The Lions had no chance to respond to the Pacers’ 1-0 lead by half-time. And when the Pacers slammed home another in the last few minutes of…
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Korean tourist drowns off Coral Island
RAWAI: A tourist from South Korea on a day trip to Koh Hei, (Coral Island), drowned yesterday afternoon. Police named the dead man as Hong Joonhan, 27, who was on holiday with his wife. Despite the heavy seas, the couple went swimming and Mr Hong disappeared. His body was not found until an hour later. An autopsy at Wachira Hospital…
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Last call for listings for local “yellow’ pages
PHUKET TOWN: The deadline for listings in the Year 2000 Gazette Guide is 5 pm, Friday, November 12. Local businesses are urged to enter (or check/update) their listings by going to https://thethaiger.com/guide/form.asp as soon as possible before that date. Listings, or alterations to listings, received after the deadline will not appear in the 2000 Gazette Guide, (although they will be…
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Drug suspects “attempted to bribe police’
PHUKET TOWN: Two alleged ya bah dealers arrested by Phuket Town police on Friday got themselves into even bigger trouble when they tried to bribe officers to release them. Pol Maj Prakarn Permwassana, inspector of the Phuket Town investigation team, told the Gazette that officers had received information that ya bah dealers were due in town, that they would be…
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Phuket counts cost of storm damage
PHUKET: Provincial officials have today been counting the cost of repairing damage caused by the tropical depression which has buffeted Phuket over the past few days, and which has now moved away into the Andaman Sea. Electricity company staff spent the day working to repair downed power lines and blown transformers in parts of Phuket Town, Patong, Ao Makham, Kata-Karon…
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Australian tourist drowns off Kata Noi
KATA: A 57-year-old Australian tourist named by police as Ian Branwell drowned in heavy waves off Kata Noi beach on Friday morning. Mr Branwell was staying with his wife at the Kata Thani Hotel. The couple went swimming mid-morning. Mrs Branwell, who last saw her husband floating on his back, noticed that he had disappeared and summoned help. A beach…
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20 dead, 709 hurt in traffic accidents
PHUKET: Twenty people died in traffic accidents in Phuket between August 20 and September 20, according to statistics from the province’s three government hospitals. Of these, 17 were on motorcycles and three were in cars. Ampaipan Pawawattananusorn, the Professional Nurse at the Phuket Provincial Health Office, reported that 709 people were injured on the roads during the same period. Of…
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Arrest warrant issued for former mayor of Patong
PHUKET: A warrant has been issued for the arrest of the former Mayor of Patong, Dr Anan Ananthanawat, on charges of involvement in last year’s murder of an ex-policeman. Pol Lt Col Paween Pongsirin, Deputy Superintendent of Investigation at Phuket Town Police Station, told the Gazette that five men had already been arrested for involvement in the murder of the…
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Mayor slams environmentalists over trash
PHUKET TOWN: The Mayor of Phuket Town, Phumisak Hongyok, has responded angrily to criticism by environmentalists of the town’s garbage incinerator, which began operations just a couple of months ago. At a recent conference in Phuket Town, organized by such groups as Greenpeace and the Phuket Environmental Protection Group, Dr Paul Connett, chemistry professor from the University of St Lawrence…
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Chuan sacks driver after seizure of pirated CDs
BANGKOK (AFP): Thai Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai has sacked his driver after police seized pirated compact discs which were about to be delivered to his official residence, police said this afternoon. Police guarding Chuan’s home said they made the bust as Malaysian national Liew Chee Kong, 41, arrived at the prime minister’s residence to allegedly hand over 80 illegal CDs…
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Investigator gives evidence in Tong trial
PHUKET TOWN: The prosecutor in the trial of five men accused of participation in the June 24, 1997 murder of American Danis Wayne Tong today called Pol Capt Thanet Poungmanee, investigation inspector of Chalong Police Station, to the witness stand. The trial was adjourned until November 5. On trail are Manit Panme, Pratin Praktong, Prajuab Sukkong, Pairat Raksawong, and Hugo…
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British tourist shot dead in Pattaya
PATTAYA (AFP): A British tourist was shot dead and another seriously wounded during an attack in a Pattaya bar early yesterday, British embassy officials said today this morning. An embassy spokesman named the dead man as Terence Morley, 31, from Romford in Essex. Dean Brendan Sherrin, also from Romford, was seriously wounded. “We regret to confirm that Mr Morley died.…
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Tourist Police move to new offices
PHUKET TOWN: Phuket’s Tourist Police have moved their headquarters to new offices in the Srisuchart Grandview project on the Bypass Road, about one kilometer south of the Gems Gallery. The new address is 100/31-32 Bypass Rd, Tambon Rassada, Muang, Phuket. The office also has new telephone numbers: 355015 and 254693.
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Lions Pearl raises B600k for Child Watch
KARON BEACH: The Lions Club of Phuket Pearl raised 600,000 baht for the Child-Watch Phuket charity during its “Ray of Hope” Gala Dinner on October 9 at the Phuket Arcadia Hotel. The money came from the sale of dinner tickets, raffle tickets, and auctions. Vilaiwan Dienel, President of Lions Pearl, said, “It is a worldwide Lions tradition to honor the…
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Two tourists survive, four missing in boat mishap
BANGKOK, (AFP): Two Singaporeans narrowly escaped with their lives today and four other tourists are missing after a sightseeing boat overturned on Bangkok’s Chao Phraya River, police and rescue officials said. Police said they were still searching for the missing passengers, whose nationalities were not immediately known, as well as the driver of the traditional Thai long-tail boat. Police said…
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Man arrested for stealing, cooking dog
PHUKET TOWN: A worker from Isaan was arrested on Saturday after he was caught cooking a dog he had stolen from a neighbor. Pol Capt Suwarit Prommul of Phuket Town Police Station told the Gazette that police were called by the dog’s owner, a Khun Kanda. She told them that in the morning she had let her one-year-old dog out…
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67 treated for Vegetarian Festival injuries
PHUKET: A total of 67 people needed hospital treatment for injuries arising from the annual Vegetarian Festival, which ended yesterday. Hospitals reported that 39 of the victims were hurt by firecrackers, while 25 required treatment for injuries sustained in ceremonial face-piercing. One was burned with hot oil which he deliberately splashed on himself during a ceremony; one was hit by…
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Burmese fisherman murdered by gang
PHUKET TOWN: A Burmese fisherman was stabbed to death in the early hours of Thursday morning in a boat at the entrance to the fishing port on Soi Si Sena, near Phya Thai Hospital. He was the third person murdered in the fishing port in the past week. Pol Lt Passakorn Sonthikul of Phuket Town Police Station told the Gazette…
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Hotel guests robbed of 25,900 baht
PHUKET TOWN: An Italian tourist and his Thai girlfriend, who came to Phuket from Chiang Mai to see the Vegetarian Festival, were robbed of 25,900 baht and their credit cards on Thursday. Pol Maj Winai Kongkaew of Muang Station said that the couple, who were staying at the Suksabai Hotel in Phuket Town, admitted that when they went out to…
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German tourist drowns off Kata
KATA: A German tourist, named by Phuket Town police as Mr E. Utzke, aged 68, drowned off Kata Beach on Wednesday. Mr Utzke was staying at the Kata Beach Hotel with his wife. Police believe he may have suffered cramps while in the water. Alerted by people on the beach, members of the Kupai Foundation searched for him using a…
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Two badly injured in steel bar assaults
PHUKET TOWN: A Swedish resident of Phuket, 38-year-old Borje Karlsson, spent five days in the intensive care unit in Wachira Hospital after being hit in the face and legs with a steel bar. He was the second person to be assaulted in this way on Sunday. The first was Jongjit Tanchuvong, 40, a motorcycle taxi driver. Pol Lt Kanung Pitakkulthon…
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Thai banks slash interest rates for foreigners
PHUKET: Thai banks here and across the country have quietly followed the legions of tuk-tuk drivers and street vendors who practice “two-tier” pricing – one for Thais and another for foreigners. In this case, the pricing relates to interest paid on savings accounts and fixed deposits. While the rates paid to foreigners vary from bank to bank, almost all are…
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Standard and Poor’s doubtful about bank recoveries
BANGKOK (AFP) – Thai banks need a further injection of 863.5 billion baht (23.3 billion dollars) to restore solvency, global ratings agency Standard and Poor’s said in a report issued today. The report was critical of the high levels of bad loans as well as capital quality, and expressed doubts whether restructuring efforts are sustainable. “Thailand’s banking sector still requires…
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Tong trial postponed because defendant has flu
PHUKET TOWN: The trial of five men charged with participation in the murder of businessman Danis Wayne Tong was adjourned today until October 21. Lawyers for the accused told Judge Pachara Panichwara that one of their clients, Pratin Praktong, was suffering from influenza and therefore unable to attend the court. They argued that it would not be fair to continue…
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Local “Shopper Card’ takes off
PHUKET TOWN: A discount card for Phuketians disillusioned with ‘international’ pricing and the gaps so often found between ‘Thai’ prices and those charged to locally resident foreigners, has met with strong demand following its October 4 launch. More than 40 “Shopper-friendly businesses” have signed on to the Gazette Shopper program, and requests for cards are being received at an average…
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Depositors sue bank over embezzled deposits
PHUKET TOWN: Twelve people holding time deposit and savings accounts in Bangkok Bank’s Thepkrassatri Rd branch are suing to recover a total of more than five million baht allegedly embezzled by bank employees. One of the victims was Chamnong Tiansub. “On September 1, my daughter was called to the bank by [one of the accused] who told her to bring…
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Tobacco excise tax goes up tonight
BANGKOK (AFP): Tobacco taxes are to be raised from midnight tonight in an effort to offset government revenues lost by diesel tax cuts last week. The cabinet endorsed a Ministry of Finance proposal to increase the excise tax on tobacco products, Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai said. “Cigarettes are the main target for this tax adjustment,” he said, following a weekly…
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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