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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Thailand is a favourite spot for travellers who want to enjoy more while spending less. From cheap street food to low-cost hotels and fun attractions, it’s easy to stretch your budget here. But there’s one thing many people don’t think...
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Supalai Resort to install swim dock
PHUKET CITY: The provincial committee on waterways has approved a request by Best Western Premier Supalai Resort & Spa in Pa Khlok to construct a 200-meter floating dock to give resort guests access to the sea. The committee, chaired by Phuket Vice-Governor Worapoj Ratthasima, met at Phuket Provincial Hall on August 7 to discuss the license application. Its members include…
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Rawai mayor bullish on property picture
RAWAI: Rawai Mayor Aroon Solos estimates that investment in property projects in Rawai could reach as much as 2 billion baht this year.Mayor Aroon recently met with four prospective investors at Rawai Municipality Office to “clarify construction laws with regards to building new properties in Rawai”.The meeting is part of an initiative to boost tourism in places like Laem Phromthep,…
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Amputee turtle recovering well
CAPE PANWA: An immature Olive Ridley sea turtle whose badly infected front left flipper had to be amputated by veterinarians at the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) in early June is recovering well at the center, where it is eating well on a diet of fish and squid. Named Hope by members of the Mai Khao Sea Turtle Foundation that…
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Patrols help curb illegal trawling
PHUKET CITY: The number of fishing boats illegally trawling within Phuket’s three-kilometer exclusion zone has been greatly reduced thanks to stepped up patrols by authorities and good co-operation from local fishermen, the local Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) office has announced. Paitoon Panchaiyapoom, chief of the DMCR Region 4 Office in Phuket, said there have been just three…
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Kathu bars get green light for Mothers’ Day
PATONG: Despite widespread belief among bar owners that they will not be allowed to operate tomorrow night because of Mothers’ Day, the head of Kathu Police has confirmed that nightlife entertainment venues in the Kathu Police District will be allowed to operate as normal.“I haven’t received any orders to enforce a ban on alcohol sales tomorrow, so all bars can open…
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Funeral held for soldiers
RAWAI: Friends of Australian Jason Gerrard Flynn and James Plunkett Howe from the UK, whose bodies were discovered at a guesthouse in Rawai on July 28, attended a Buddhist funeral ceremony for both men on Sunday at Wat Sawang Arom temple in Rawai.The ex-servicemen were in their early 30s. They died unexpectedly overnight after celebrating during their last few days…
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Bangkok prisoner’s cell phone orders prompt Phuket drug raid
PHUKET: A man incarcerated on drug charges at Klong Prem Central prison in Bangkok managed to order a bus to transport 3,000 ya bah (methamphetamines) pills to his son in Phuket from his prison cell. However, not everything went according to plan for the father-son duo.The Phuket Provincial Police drug suppression unit discovered 2,893 of the pills when they raided three…
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OrBorJor targets bus service, hotel tax issue
PHUKET CITY: New projects launched by the new Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) include persuading more hotel owners to pay the controversial 1% hotel room tax and improving the OrBorJor bus service in and around Phuket City. OrBorJor President Paiboon Upatising told the Gazette the initiatives fall under the OrBorJor policy to improve public services and promote tourism in the…
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Southern singer injured in Phang Nga
PHUKET CITY: Southern Thai country singer Jeab Benjaporn is recovering in Bangkok Phuket Hospital today after being injured in a road accident in Phang Nga last night while on her way to Phuket to give a concert. The popular 29-year-old singer was traveling through Thap Put District when a dog darted in front of the car she was in, which…
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Healthy growth for local television
PHUKET: After recently extending its network from local provincial cable and the Web, where PGTV appears as Number One in Google under the prime search term “Phuket Television”, the Phuket Gazette’s daily English-language television content has now been added in healthy doses to all patient rooms at Phuket International Hospital, and to the 15-inch touch-screen monitors on all of the…
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Labor camp raided near Mai Khao
TAH CHAT CHAI: Some 50 police and local villagers raided a laborers’ camp beside a construction site near Mai Khao Beach Tuesday morning, taking into custody 82 male workers on charges of illegal entry into the Kingdom. As is commonly the case when such raids take place in Phuket, no employer was found or charged. Pol Lt Col Jamroon Plaiduong…
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OrBorJor back in charge at Chalong Pier
CHALONG: The Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) was on August 1 back at the helm running operations at Chalong Pier after cutting ties with Chokaree Tour Co Ltd, the company previously enlisted to collect berthing fees and run the pier on the OrBorJor‘s behalf. A team led by OrBorJor Vice-President Chaowalit Na Nakorn visited the pier on August 1 to…
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Nok Air resumes Phuket service
PHUKET CITY: Nok Air is resuming twice-weekly flights to Phuket from Bangkok following media reports of Phuket-bound tourists stranded in Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok. The Phuket Gazette’s report as well as other media reports were used by the board in their decision making, Nok Air media and public relations representative Dechavut Vuttisilp told the Gazette. The limited service, which resumes…
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Elderly Belgian hospitalized after roadside incident
PHUKET CITY: A morning cycle ride turned into a nightmare for a 68-year-old Belgian expat who was hospitalized after allegedly being knocked off his bicycle by a pickup truck and then set upon by the driver. Paul Cassiens was cycling along Chao Fa West Rd yesterday morning when at 6:30 am his bike came into contact with a bronze Toyota…
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Yachting events giant acquires PIMEX
PHUKET: World-class yachting events organizer Informa Yacht Group has acquired the Phuket International Marine Expo (PIMEX), adding Phuket’s premier boating exposition to its calendar of international yachting events.The announcement was made at a press conference at Royal Phuket Marina today, attended by more than 100 press and VIPs, to announce the opening of the new Royal Phuket Marina Exhibition and…
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Backlund murder trial enters final days
PHUKET: The final hearing of witnesses in the Hanna Backlund murder trial will be held this Friday, Phuket Provincial Court Registrar Sittipong Engchuan told the Gazette today.Akaradech Tongay is accused of stabbing Ms Backlund to death in broad daylight at Mai Khao Beach on March 15.He will be given a final chance to add to his confession and Pol Lt Col Somkit…
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New orphanage nearing completion
KOH KAEW: Construction of the Phuket SOS Children’s Village on 10 rai on the road from Thepkrasattri Rd to British International School (BIS) is expected to be completed by the end of this month. The SOS Foundation of Thailand, under the Royal Patronage of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit, is a member of the Austria-based charity SOS Kinderdorf International (SOS-KDI). The…
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Phuket-bound tourists stranded in Bangkok
PHUKET: Now that One-Two-Go and Nok Air have stopped flying to Phuket, many tourists are unable to find flights to our southern isle.Angry Finnish tourist Arto Tiitinen called from Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok this morning to inform the Gazette that many other irate Phuket-bound tourists were awaiting standby flights.“I’m surprised that there are not extra flights; now my family must holiday elsewhere.…
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Land brokers in murder-suicide
THALANG: A local land broker shot dead his female business partner and then turned the gun on himself in a murder-suicide last Sunday.The incident occurred at Manas House rented apartments on Thepkrasattri Rd in Srisoonthorn.After the owner of the apartment block heard gunshots, he called the police, who arrived at the scene about 5 pm, Pol Maj Prakob Boonkwun told the Gazette.The…
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Soldiers of fortune found dead in Rawai
RAWAI: Two men who worked for a “security” company in Iraq died from suspected drug overdoses in Rawai on Monday while on holiday in Phuket.Australian ex-soldier Jason Gerrard Flynn, 32, from Perth, and James Plunkett Howe, 34, from the UK, were staying in Soi Sammakkee 2 with their Australian friend Mark Leo, who discovered their bodies on Monday morning.“Both of…
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Nok Air ceases Phuket flights
PHUKET: From August 1, low-cost carrier Nok Air will no longer operate flights between Phuket and Bangkok, the Gazette has confirmed.The move follows Nok Air ceasing its services between Krabi and Bangkok on July 1.“Nok Air has no official statement regarding its marketing strategies, but if one looks carefully at what we are doing they might be able to figure…
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“Wave watcher’ may predict tsunamis
PHUKET: An automatic weather station to be installed on Koh Racha Noi will also measure wave and tidal movements, which may be able to help warn against impending tsunamis.The proposal has been approved by the Royal Thai Navy and the Town & Country Planning Department, though the budget required has yet to be determined, said Chumnong Chitpukdee, Director of Southern…
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Tosaporn named Korean Honorary Consul for Phuket
PHUKET CITY: Phuket Member of Parliament Tosaporn Tephabutra has been appointed the Republic of Korea’s Honorary Consul for Phuket and the new consular office here opened yesterday. Its opening occurs in a year coinciding with the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and Thailand, which will be observed on October 4. Presiding over the opening ceremony at the new office, located near Surakul Stadium on Wichit Songkram…
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Father who allegedly abducted girl to Cambodia is arrested
SWEDEN (Nation): Alicia Elfversson on Friday arrived in Sweden with her mother and aunt, who for the past year have been looking for the girl. Alicia was reported missing on June 4 last year after her father, Torgier Nordbo, picked her up for a routine visit to see relatives in Norway. (Click here for previous report.) Nordbo, who has business…
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Phuket “69ers’ to promote Thai ICT in China
PHUKET CITY: Representatives from Phuket businesses and other organizations will travel to Nanning City in Guangxi, China, for the 5th China-ASEAN Expo (CAEXPO) to be held from October 22-25.Phuket Vice-Governor Smith Palawatwichai met officers from the Department of Export Promotion (DEP), the Phuket Office of the Software Industries Promotion Agency (SIPA) and Phuket business operators at Phuket Provincial Hall yesterday…
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Immigration chief targets “national stability’
PHUKET CITY: In Phuket to officiate at the opening of the new Phuket Provincial Immigration Office at Saphan Hin today, Immigration Commissioner Lt Gen Chatchawan Suksomchit yesterday announced that he is shaking up his ranks to use technology to be more effective.Gen Chatchawan, Thailand’s top Immigration officer, said his goal is to improve “national stability” in order to restore investor…
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Anti-smuggler task force stages simulation
AO CHALONG: While the record fleet was wrapping up racing in the Six Senses Phuket Raceweek at Chalong Bay on Sunday, the Phuket Marine Police, Thai Customs officers and the Royal Thai Navy Third Fleet staged a co-ordinated, simulated raid on a fishing boat with the crew pretending to be arms smugglers.In the exercise, a response group combining all three organizations…
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Man drowns in “freak wave’
PATONG (Gazette, Kom Chad Leuk): The body of one of the three men who were dashed against rocks at Paradise Beach by a single large wave on Saturday was recovered today.Cap Nithikorn Rawang, duty officer at Kathu Police Station, told the Gazette that the men were fishing off a rocky outcrop near Paradise Beach when they were swamped by a…
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Yo!2 blitzes Phuket Raceweek regatta
AO CHALONG: Perth-based sailor Peter Ahern, skippering his new boat Yo!2, left the rest of the fleet in his wake at this year’s Six Senses Phuket Raceweek with eight wins from eight races to take the honors in the top-flight IRC 1 class today. Ahern, who is also the Commodore of the Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club in Perth, finished…
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OrBorTor moves to keep Koh Maphrao clean
KOH MAPHRAO: In a move to keep Koh Maphrao clean, Koh Kaew Tambon Administration Organization (OrBorTor), the local authority responsible for Koh Maphrao, will place trash cans around the island.Koh Kaew OrBorTor President Kuakiat Jitkua today told the Gazette, “I’m trying to improve waste disposal at Laem Hin and Koh Maphrao. “On Wednesday, we held a beach cleanup with local…
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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