Phuket News
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Bus driver in Phuket crash tests positive for drugs
PHUKET: A Chinese tour bus driver tested positive for drug use after crashing on Kata Hill in Phuket on Tuesday afternoon (story here). Six of the tourists on the Xin Tour Phuket bus, as well as a local resident in one of the five vehicles tangled up in the accident, were slightly injured. They were taken to Phuket International Hospital…
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Mystery surrounds deaths of Phuket cave divers at Khao Sok National Park
PHUKET: Two experienced Phuket cave divers died after a diving accident on technical rebreathers near the entrance of Tiger Cave in the Chio Lan Reservoir, Surat Thani, on Monday. Dmitry Dokuchave, 46, died at the scene, while fellow Russian national Alexander Solomatin was pronounced dead at Surat Thani Hospital. “Both bodies were transferred to Vachira Phuket Hospital, with the preliminary…
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Merry Christmas Phuket!
PHUKET: It’s that time of the year again – when the hoteliers disappear from any social function that isn’t work related, the retirees hide in their homes for fear of high-season traffic and the rest of us locals buckle down for the long haul. Oh, yes, the holiday high-season is here. There will be no reindeer (though plenty of red…
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Official New Year holiday period unchanged, says Phuket Governor
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Nisit Jansomwong has laid to rest rumors on social media sites that the Thai government is planning to extend the official New Year holiday period to five days. “The government has already announced that the official holiday period will cover three days, from December 31 to January 2,” Gov Nisit confirmed to the Phuket Gazette. Coupled with…
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World’s toughest Ironman shares his training tips with Phuket
PHUKET: A great triathlete has to be fast. But there’s much more to the sport than speed. Persistence, perseverance and resistance are also essential qualities. Andreas Raelert, a German triathlon champion has it all, and as the Ironman World Record holder, he is fast – very fast. Raelert came to Phuket two weeks ago to train at Thanyapura Phuket. Less…
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Manhunt launched for traffickers, six escaped refugee caught
PHUKET: Officers in Phang Nga have launched a manhunt for 300 people reportedly being herded through the area by gun-toting human traffickers. The search began after two men presented themselves at a checkpoint in Takuapa before dawn on Sunday claiming that they had fled their armed captors. “The men said that they had fled a camp where they were being…
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Breaking News: Bus crash on Kata hill
PHUKET: Police and rescue workers are at the scene of a devastating bus crash in Phuket on Kata hill today. Five vehicles have been damaged in the crash near Baan Kata School. Officers have yet to confirm how many, if any, were killed or injured in the accident. “Right, now we are helping manage the accident scene and the traffic,”…
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Phuket Navy airlifts official hurt in speedboat fall
PHUKET: An official is under observation at Bangkok Hospital Phuket after a Navy medivac helicopter returned him from the Surin Islands yesterday. Amnuay Komonthee, a skills development officer from Phang Nga, suffered spinal injuries in a fall while riding in a speedboat that was en route to a sea gypsy village in the islands. A local team of Navy medical…
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Phuket motorbike chop-shop Facebook gang arrested
PHUKET: Phuket Police arrested several members of a motorbike chop-shop gang last night that rebuilt bikes with stolen parts and sold them on Facebook. “We had a tip-off that a rowdy group of young people were staying at a rental house in Rassada and that there were always lots of motorbikes and bike parts laying around,” Phuket City Police Deputy…
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Privy Councilor Surayud eyes Phuket sea gypsies needs
PHUKET: Gen Surayud Chulanont, Privy Councilor to HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej and former prime minister, has suggested that local authorities take further steps to improve the quality of life of the Phuket sea gypsies living in the north of the island. Gen Surayud chaired a meeting in Thalang last Thursday to hear the current state of the living conditions of…
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Phuket dolphinarium tangled in red tape (video)
PHUKET: The hotly contested Phuket dolphinarium has yet to meet the necessary standards prescribed by the Department of Fisheries, the Phuket Gazette has confirmed. “There are several things that Phuket Aqua Project Co Ltd needs to change at the Nemo Dolphinarium in order to meet our standards,” said Kiattikhun Charoensawan, chief of the Phuket Fisheries Office. Fisheries officials from Bangkok…
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Teen mum yet to be charged for attempted infanticide
PHUKET: Phuket police have yet to charge a teenage mother who tried to drown her newborn in the cistern of a public toilet. Thung Thong Police were called to the scene at a public toilet in Kathu Municipality Park, where they found the mother locked in a toilet stall with her newborn baby. “A concerned passersby told me that a…
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Phuket man blasts penis with make-shift pesticide torch
PHUKET: One member of a make-shift pest-control team suffered damage to his penis after a flaming bottle of pesticide backfired on him and his partner as they attempted to kill a colony of wasps today. Prapanpong Sinmalee, 29, and his 22-year-old co-worker Phollawat Suwong were moving spools of power-cables from a truck into a field along Thepkrasattri Road near Baan…
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Germans rescued from wrecked Phuket tour boat
PHUKET: A group of tourists were rescued from a tour boat after it grounded on the rocks off Laem Ka Cape, on the east coast of Phuket’s Rawai area, yesterday. The 12 people on board Electric Blue, including nine German tourists and one Thai tourist, were rescued after locals spotted the crashed boat and dispatched three longtails and a rescue…
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Laguna Phuket’s revamped course ready for New Year tee-off
PHUKET: The revamped Laguna Phuket championship golf course, which officially re-opens on January 1 after a full makeover, now has a “real sense of place and belonging” according to its designer, Paul Jansen. The former lead architect for Faldo Design, who created Laguna Phuket’s award-winning sister course in Vietnam, says the layout retains much of its former character and appeal,…
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Phuket golfers raise B1.2mn for Life Home Project charity
PHUKET: Local golfers in colorful dress on the fairways of Phuket have raised 1.2 million baht for island-based charity the Life Home Project Foundation. The 4th Annual Life Home Project Charity Golf Event took place at the Blue Canyon Country Club on November 15, when more than 100 golfers took to the fairways and greens of the spectacular Lakes Course.…
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Thai glory at Suzuki Cup final
PHUKET: Thailand’s triumph at the 2014 Asean Football Championship on Saturday night is the latest and most compelling evidence underlining the fact that former national striker Kiatisak Senamuang is the man the country has long searched for to bring back the glory days to Thai football. Few could have predicted when Thailand last won the region’s showpiece tournament in 2002…
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Phuket’s “abductor soldiers’ arrested by mistake, says military
PHUKET: The military’s highest-ranking officer in Phuket under martial law has called the arrest of five soldiers for the alleged abduction of two Ukrainians on Friday a “mistake”. The soldiers, named by the Chalong Police on Friday (click here), were acting as “mediators”, Maj Gen Theenachat Jinda-ngern, Commander of the 41st Military Circle, told a press conference at Phuket Provincial…
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Phuket to celebrate Christmas with ancient Thai boxing contest
PHUKET: An international contest among disciples of muay khat chueak – the ancient form of Thai boxing where fighters tie rope around their fists – will be held on Christmas Day, Phuket Governor Nisit Jansomwong announced this week. Fighters from France, Cambodia, Morocco and other countries around the world will be stepping into the ring to battle it out during…
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NFL Week 16: Jaguars square off against rivals Tennessee Titans
PHUKET: In a showdown on Thursday Night Football two of the worst teams in the NFL, the Jacksonville Jaguars improved their record to 3-12 with a 21-13 home win over AFC South division rivals the Tennessee Titans (now 2-13). Despite both teams having long been eliminated from playoff contention, it was still a closely contested match; it did not appear…
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Legendary Thai rocker Carabao in Phuket for New Year countdown concert
PHUKET: Legendary Thai folk-rock artist Yuenyong Opakul, better known by his stage name Ad Carabao, is set to headline three-days of entertainment in Phuket Town to count down to the New Year. The “Colorful Countdown Phuket 2015” will usher in the New Year with light shows and live concerts at Sanam Chai Park, across the road from Phuket Provincial Hall,…
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Cricket: Island CC wrestles victory from jaws of defeat in Phuket
PHUKET: Fiery old rivalries were reignited on Sunday when Patong CC faced Island CC in the second fixture of the 2014/2015 Senior League season at the Alan Cooke Ground. In a match that saw the T20 finalists face Patong’s players hoping to exact retribution after their defeat in September, it was the Islanders who claimed victory by a solitary run…
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Phuket police investigate apparent murder-suicide
PHUKET: Police have yet to rule out foul play in what appears to be a murder-suicide by a Trang official at a Patong hotel yesterday. Officers were called to Baan Ton Sai Garden Resort Hotel at 4pm, said Lt Col Pratuang Polmana of the Patong Police. The body of Yuwadee Sriket, 29, was naked on the bed, covered by a…
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Phuket beach vendors return for trial run
PHUKET: Vendors renting out umbrellas, offering massages or selling food and drinks are allowed to return to Phuket’s beaches – but not vendors who rent out sun-loungers or beach chairs. Governor Nisit Jansomwong delivered the news at a meeting at Provincial Hall yesterday, when he laid down a stringent list of conditions under which beach vendors will be permitted to…
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Phuket takes to water for New Year “Seven days of Danger’ campaign
PHUKET: Safety measures to reduce and prevent accidents on Phuket’s roads, as well as the surrounding sea, will be rolled out on December 30. The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) will be heading the annual Seven Days of Danger safety campaign for the New Year holidays. The campaign will run from December 30 through January 5. On the…
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Phuket underpass to partially close
PHUKET: The southbound lane of the underpass adjacent to Central Festival Phuket will be closed Friday and Saturday nights, from 9pm to 6am, the Phuket Gazette confirmed today. “We have to close the southbound lane so that we can work on the roof,” said project manager Narong Horee. “Motorists heading north can use the underpass as normal.” Wichit Police Deputy…
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Phi Phi resort partner, dive boat captain arrested
PHUKET: Police arrested a dive boat captain who is also a co-owner of a bungalow resort on Phi Phi Island for possession of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia yesterday. Acting on a tip-off, officers arrived at the house of 45-year-old Preecha Riabrieng, in Rassada, at about 6:30pm. “We received information from a source about a suspected drug dealer operating on Phi…
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Phuket 7-Elevens to join crime-fighting campaign in New Year
PHUKET: All Phuket 7-Eleven convenience stores are set to join a campaign to improve police response times by early next year, it was announced this week. The campaign, taking advantage of the number of 7-Eleven stores on the island and their visibility, will see staffers trained to receive crime reports and contact police on the behalf of victims. Representatives from…
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Illuzion offers sneak peek in Phuket tonight
PHUKET: Illuzion, an interactive show and discotheque, will offer a sneak preview tonight of the dazzling grand-opening show on Soi Bangla tomorrow. In the center of Jungceylon, near the water fountain, a Rihanna tribute band will kick off the pre-opening show at 6pm. Following Rihanna on stage will be a Lady Gaga tribute, with what organizers are calling a “Paparazzi…
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Phuket’s We Freedive Suunto Series finish with breath-holding trinity Sunday
PHUKET: The We Freedive Suunto Series 2014 comes to a close this Sunday with competitors taking deep breaths before launching into a trinity of events: Static Apnea, Dynamic No Fins (DNF) and Dynamic with Fins (DYN). It will be a tight race for overall winner of the series with American Walter Johnson leading Melanie Long from the UK with just…
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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