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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Phuket Governor cracks down on illegal alien workers
PHUKET CITY: Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop yesterday morning convened a meeting of local government office representatives, ordering them to crack down on illegal alien workers harming the Phuket tourism industry.The meeting took place at Phuket Provincial Hall, where representatives from the local Immigration, Employment, Culture, Fine Arts and Revenue Department offices were among those ordered to carry out the crackdown.The…
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Struggling Phuket families get homes of their own
SRISOONTHORN, PHUKET: A low-cost housing project opened in Thalang this week is set to become home to more than 400 low-income families. Loans from the Government Housing Bank have allowed many of the families to buy units in the latest ‘Eua Arthorn’ public housing project and become home owners for the first time. The 846-million-baht project covers 40 rai and…
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Protection plan launched for Phuket forests
PHUKET: In just six years, the rate of destruction of Phuket’s forests has almost quadrupled, figures from the Office of Natural Resources and the Environment show.In 2004, 66 rai of forest were destroyed in 15 recorded cases of land encroachment.This year has already seen 62 cases of land encroachment, with the destruction of 239 rai of forest.The stark figures were…
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Phuket agog over strange fruit
PA KHLOK, PHUKET: Villagers in Pa Khlok are unsure whether two recently discovered agricultural oddities are signs of good luck – or eerie harbingers of man’s impact on the environment. The strange specimens were found on the grounds of two local primary schools located side-by-side in the small coastal community of Ban Thala. Manoj Hawharn, a janitor at the Phuket…
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Floodlights for Phuket’s Chalong Circle
PHUKET CITY: The latest plan to improve traffic conditions at Phuket’s Chalong Circle is to illuminate the thoroughfare with strong, white floodlights set atop of a 15-meter iron pole. Phuket Highways Department official Sathaporn Sornchana said the extra lighting, comprising eight lamps in all, would help reduce accidents at the busy junction. The pole would not obscure views of oncoming traffic as it would…
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New reef project for Phuket
PHUKET CITY: Local divers will welcome the news that three old ships are scheduled to be sunk off Racha Yai Island to create a new artificial reef. The project, organized by the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMRC) regional office in Phuket and a host of other local government agencies, is scheduled to start next month. The initiative enjoys…
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Phuket police celebrate at new HQ
PHUKET CITY: Police combined the official opening of the new Phuket Provincial Police headquarters with National Police Day celebrations yesterday.Police from every station in Phuket attended the ceremony, which started at 9.30am.Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop and Phuket Provincial Police Commander Pekad Tantipong gave speeches to the assembled officers outside the new station on Yaowarat Road.As part of an annual tradition,…
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Officials tour Taj Exotica resort site in Phuket
RAWAI, PHUKET: The developers of the Taj Exotica Resort and Spa planned for Koh Lone will consider abandoning their request to build a pier if the idea is rejected during the environmental impact assessment (EIA) approval process, the Gazette has learned. Members of a provincial oversight committee on Monday afternoon toured the proposed 136-rai project site, located on the east…
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Villagers protest Phuket Panason City Project
WICHIT, PHUKET: For the fifth time in three months, villagers living in Ketkaew Village near Phuket’s Panason City Project took to the streets in protest yesterday. This time they claimed the housing complex, off Chao Fa East Road, was causing flooding in their village and polluting their water supply. Using a large tent, the protesters blocked access to the 78-rai…
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Phuket jet-ski operators agree to insurance plan
PHUKET CITY: It’s official. Following a deal signed at Phuket Provincial Hall today, Phuket jet-ski operators will now be required to get mandatory insurance for their machines. Phuket Jet-ski Association President Anusorn Sahreh signed the deal with Saiwalee Sakornjit of Ayudhya Insurance Public Company Limited just before noon. The event was witnessed by around 15 jet-ski operators. Phuket Governor Wichai…
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Phuket power cuts announced
PHUKET CITY: The Phuket office of the Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) has announced the following scheduled power cuts to carry out maintenance on high voltage wires, starting with parts of Chalong on Thursday.October 15 (9am to 4pm): ChalongAffected areas include parts of Patak Rd, left hand side, from Chalong Circle to the Phuket Shooting Range. Patak Villa is among the…
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Phuket man murdered over Bt10,000 debt
PHUKET CITY: Following an argument over a 10,000 baht debt, a man stabbed his friend to death as they were driving together in Phuket City. Nathee Pinyayo, a 30-year-old resident of Phang Nga’s Kuraburi District, confessed to slashing 34-year old Pornsil Makphol’s neck and stabbing him several times in the chest while Mr Pornsil was driving, just after midnight on October…
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Hearing held for two Phuket road megaprojects
PHUKET CITY: If Friday’s public hearing is any indication, there appears to be little grassroots opposition to two major road projects being considered for Phuket.The event at Royal Phuket City Hotel combined two public hearings into one.By coincidence, the two hearings were scheduled to take place at the same time in the same hotel, causing a great deal of confusion…
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October blood donation drive in Phuket
PHUKET CITY: The Phuket Chapter of the Thai Red Cross Society has arranged for its mobile unit to accept blood donations at the following places and times in Phuket in October.October 15 (noon to 7pm): Tesco Lotus Phuket, RassadaOctober 16 (noon – 6pm): HomeWorks Phuket, WichitOctober 29 (10am – 7pm): Tesco Lotus Phuket, RassadaOctober 30 (noon – 6pm): Phuket Airport,…
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‘Exciting opportunities’ at Phuket AOCAP event
PHUKET: Phuket property and tourism professionals are taking advantage of networking opportunities and learning more about the boom in fractional ownership at the Alternative Ownership Conference–Asia Pacific, which got underway this morning at the Millenium Resort Patong. Key speakers in the property and tourism industries have flown into Phuket from around the world for the region’s first two-day AOCAP conference.…
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Four murder suspects rounded up in Phuket
PATONG, PHUKET: Kathu Police continue to investigate the June 21 shooting murder of 24-year-old Daruwat “Bank” Burintarakot, a nephew of murdered business tycoon Komkai Kositkun. A major break in the case came last Wednesday afternoon, when Kathu Police led by Superintendent Grissak Songmoonnark and Duty Officer Jakkapong Luang-on arrested four suspects. Col Grissak identified the men as: Wuttichai Burintarakot from…
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Phuket triathlon champs to defend titles in December
LAGUNA, PHUKET: Defending champions Richie Cunningham and Belinda Granger of Australia will return to Phuket in December to defend their Laguna crowns, following maiden victories in 2008.For both Cunningham and Granger, victory last year came as a great relief. Neither had ever managed to top the Laguna podium despite competing in the ‘Race of Legends’ five and six times respectively.This…
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Phuket Piracy: Who controls the gold?
PHUKET: Thailand is now jumping into the intellectual property protection game in a big way. For decades prey to foreign-controlled bounty hunters who collect commissions by seizing pirate editions of copyrighted works, the nation is now moving to secure local copyrights and patents – and to marginalize foreign violators. Together with its regional partners, Thailand will create an ‘Asean Database…
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Phuket braces for vegetable frenzy
PHUKET: Residents in downtown Phuket are busy gearing up for the annual Vegetarian Festival. Celebrated by the Chinese community on an island best known for its beaches, stylish resorts, and laid-back attitude, the annual Vegetarian Festival showcases Phuket’s more ‘mystical’ side. A combination of vegetarian food, peaceful chants, non-stop ear-splitting firecrackers and often macabre processions, the festival is primarily for…
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Phuket Poll Results: Legalize prostitution
PHUKET: Almost half of the Phuket Gazette‘s readers believe prostitution should be legalized and properly regulated, according to the newspaper’s latest poll. While a majority of expat respondents (51%) favor legalization, just 21% of the Thai respondents did. This is just one of many differences in opinion revealed by the poll, which provoked an avalanche of feedback from readers. The…
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Phuket culture center construction stalled
RASSADA, PHUKET: Development of a new cultural center in Phuket to educate visitors about Phuket’s sea gypsy traditions is on hold until more funding can be found to complete the project. Another two million baht is needed to complete the Urak Lawoi Culture Center, which is being built near the Laem Tukkae sea gypsy village on Koh Sireh in Phuket. Two million baht in government funding from…
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Beatles memorabilia up for auction at Beach Fun Fest
PHUKET: A guitar signed by members of the Beatles is just one of the unique items of entertainment and sporting memorabilia to be auctioned off for charity at next Saturday’s Beach Fun Fest at Surin Beach. Other autographed items on auction at the much-anticipated fundraising event organized by the Patong Rotary Club include a Pele 1960s Brazil shirt; a US…
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Morning Nai Harn jog turns into nightmare
RAWAI, PHUKET: An expat Phuket resident narrowly escaped an attempted rape in the Nai Harn area of Phuket when she was attacked by a Thai man wielding a screwdriver last Friday morning. The victim, 39, told the Gazette today that the attack came as she was out for a morning jog near Nai Harn Lake at about 8am. She was…
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Miss Poland does Phuket
PHUKET: Poland unveiled some of its most prized assets yesterday when 25 Miss Poland finalists stripped down to their bikinis for a photo shoot at James Bond Island off Phuket.The bevy of beauties were quite a sensational spectacle for tourists when they sailed to the island on a Chinese junk-style sailboat and chilled on the beach between photo shoots.Miss Poland…
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Phuket car bangers busted
PHUKET: When Phuket police eventually arrested four men in connection with a spate of car break ins in Phuket City, they found the suspects in possession of stolen laptops, a camera, mobile phones, a diamond ring, guns, marijuana and tools for breaking into cars.Three of the men are suspected of breaking into more than 30 cars parked along Thalang, Yaowarat and…
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‘Bypass overpass’ unveiled in Phuket
WICHIT, PHUKET: Two hulking siblings, the Central Festival Phuket and HomeWorks shopping complexes, were finally linked by a long-awaited pedestrian overpass today.Phuket Vice Governor Tri Augkaradacha opened a 20-million-baht footbridge across the bypass road, allowing shoppers to enjoy the pleasures of both megamalls without getting in a car, on a bike – or soaking wet.Both centers are owned by the…
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Wet week predicted for Phuket
PHUKET CITY: Phuket residents will get little relief from heavy rains and dark skies over the next week, but the severity of storms should lessen, according to the Meteorological Department office in Phuket. Methawee Nuanla-or, an officer at the Meteorological Department’s South (West Coast) station near Phuket International Airport, said current rainy conditions are expected for the rest of the…
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Karma catches up with Phuket temple robbers
RAWAI, PHUKET: Karma has caught up with two thieves who yesterday confessed to committing a string of temple donation box robberies in Phuket.Monks at Nai Harn Temple called Phuket police yesterday after detaining a man they caught trying to steal money from a donation box on the temple grounds.Chalong Police led by Jarun Bangprasert arrived at the temple yesterday afternoon to find 36-year-old Phuket native Komon Khajornklin detained by…
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Miss Poland contestants touch down in Phuket
PHUKET: Eyebrows and blood pressures were raised in Phuket this evening when 25 Miss Poland contestants touched down at Phuket international Airport.The Polish beauty pageant contestants are in Phuket courtesy of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) and they’ll be visiting various venues around the island over the next few days, taking part in a series of photo shoots.TAT’s Frankfurt Office director Suwalai Pinpradab accompanied…
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Phuket drug cases up 161%
PHUKET: Crime statistics released by the Phuket Provincial Police for September show that wet weather has not put a damper on recreational drug use, as narcotics-related cases were up 161%. There were 230 drug cases reported over the period, an increase of 161.4% year-on-year. Police arrested 250 people and confiscated a wide variety of narcotics, including 5,271 ya bah (methamphetamine)…
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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