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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Tsunami warning towers test on December 16
PHUKET: The 15 operational tsunami warning towers on Phuket will be tested in conjunction with the National Disaster Warning Center (NDWC) on December 16 at 1:30 pm. The government has also assigned the NDWC to run tests in Ranong, Phang Nga, Trang, Krabi, and Satun Provinces, again at at 1:30 pm.Boonchai Somjai, head of the Phuket Provincial Office of Disaster…
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Gov vows to help with little Solitaire
PHUKET: Governor Udomsak Uswarangkura has assigned a team to help Sascha and Patchara “Riem” Meissmer investigate the identity and whereabouts of the Eurasian-looking girl in a photograph posted on the Internet.The Meissmers believe the girl in the picture may be their daughter, Solitaire, who was identified as having died in last year’s tsunami.The Governor told a news conference this morning,…
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Boat show rated a success
KOH KAEW: As the Phuket International Marine Exhibition (PIMEX) 2005 closed on Sunday, exhibitors were in an excellent mood. At least 12 boats were sold during the show at the Boat Lagoon, and initial estimates of solid sales achieved amount to approximately US$4 million (160 million baht).Dealers and brokers all reported new contacts made and strong leads to follow up…
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Top golf gals heading for Phuket
PHUKET: Ninety-four professional players are scheduled to compete in the Phuket Thailand Ladies Masters (PTLM) tournament from tomorrow until Saturday (December 14 to 17). The tournament will gather top women golfers from 16 countries or regions: Thailand, Austria, Brazil, Canada, China, England, Finland, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, South Korea, Sweden, Taiwan and Wales. The line-up includes 32-year-old…
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Task force formed to blitz illegal labor
PHUKET: A task force of about 50 officers has been set up to crack down on illegal labor in Phuket.Phuket Provincial Employment Services Office (PESO) Chief Boonchock Maneechot announced the crackdown following a closed meeting last Thursday with Phuket Governor Udomsak Uswarangkura and new the Phuket Provincial Immigration Office (PPIO) Superintendent, Pol Col Prayut Chommalee.K. Boonchock cited poor sanitary conditions…
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Parents still hope to find daughter alive
PHUKET: Sascha and Patchara “Riem” Meissmer have new hope of being reunited with their five-year-old daughter, Solitaire, who was presumed lost in the tsunami in Phang Nga nearly a year ago. Since friends in Germany alerted them last week to an Internet photo showing a young, Eurasian-looking girl they thought resembled Solitaire, the Meissmers have been trying to determine the…
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Layan Marina construction to start next month
PHUKET: Construction of the 1.7-billion baht Layan Marina project will begin next month.The Managing Director of Layan Marina Co, Nathaphut Na Pathalung, confirmed today that the project, on 51 rai of land at the north end of Bang Tao Beach, is still going ahead.He noted, however, that the start date has been put back in light of developments on neighboring…
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Drumstick wins King’s Cup
PHUKET: Ray Roberts’ Drumstick Quantum Racing this morning beat Neil Pryde’s Hi Fi by nearly three minutes to win the final race of the Racing class and clinch this year’s King’s Cup.Drumstick‘s consistent good performance saw the crew amass 7 points for the series, two points clear of Hi Fi.Nick Burns’ Mandrake, despite finishing sixth this morning, came third in…
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Airport Immigration chief hopes to up staffing
PHUKET: Pol Col Chirdchai Rattanametanon, the new Superintendent of the Immigration Office at Phuket International Airport, has applied for more officers in order to reduce tiresome delays in processing tourists.Col Chirdchai told the Gazette, “I understand that there are not enough Immigration officers at the airport to process the volume of tourists, but I have already applied to my superior…
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Home stay project aims to provide tsunami relief
PHUKET: The Employer’s Confederation of Thailand (ECOT) will launch a “home stay” pilot project this month in a bid to help tsunami sufferers get long-term income. “The project will be launched on Koh Lone and at Cape Panwa, Ao Makham, Khao Khat and Baan Bo Rae. The idea is that local people will welcome foreigners into their homes so the…
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Free surgery offered at Patong Hospital
PATONG: Volunteer surgeons and nurses from the US are coming to Patong Hospital to offer a range of surgical procedures free of charge from February 11 to February 15 next year. The medical team will be available to treat ailments such as harelips, cleft palates, hernias, hemorrhoids, gynecological problems and inflamed tonsils. This will be the second time Patong Hospital…
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King’s Cup sees fast racing and collisions
PHUKET: Strong winds gusting up to 20 knots sent boats flying across the water from Kata out to Koh Racha and back in today’s racing in the King’s Cup Regatta.The hefty gusts saw two collisions, happily with no injuries. The lovely 100-year-old Eveline was retired after her stern was damaged when was she clipped by Lady M, a 104-foot superyacht.Platu…
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Drumstick tastes victory
PHUKET: Ray Roberts’ Drumstick Quantum Racing set a clear lead in the Racing class of this year’s King’s Cup Regatta by pipping Neil Pryde’s Hi Fi on corrected time to win all three of today’s International Racing Class (IRC) races. Although Hi Fi crossed the finish line first in all three races, making amends for yesterday’s fifth-place result, Drumstick won…
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Eight venues get “white’ approval
PHUKET: Eight businesses in Phuket have received “white entertainment venue” certificates, indicating that they are scrupulous about following the law.The eight are The Green Man Pub in Chalong; Zanzibar at the Royal Phuket City Hotel and the Walk In Pub in Phuket City; Phuket Bar, Baan Lai Mai and Crocodile Discotheque in Patong; and Surin Beer Garden and Koy Karaoke…
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Still time to register mobile phones
PHUKET: The deadline for registration of mobile phones using prepaid cards is officially over, but the Minister of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Sora-at Klinprathum, has announced on the Ministry’s website that phone users may still register at network service centers, by bringing their phones and ID card or passport with them.Some 80% of Thailand’s 400,000 prepaid SIM card users…
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Mystery surrounds death of Yasothorn woman
RASSADA: Police are investigating the violent death of a woman from Yasothorn Province who was found with her throat slashed on the morning of December 4. Pol Lt Col Amponwat Sangrueng of the Phuket City Police identified the victim as Nittaya Weruwanarak, 30, from Tambon Phai, Saimoon District, Yasothorn. Her body was found at about 6:15 am at an unnumbered…
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Aussies dominate triathlon
CHERNG TALAY: Australians swept the top three places in the 12th annual Thai Airways International Laguna Phuket Triathlon yesterday. Winner Greg Bennett overtook compatriot and two-time winner Craig Alexander at the 6-kilometer marker on the run course and never looked back, winning in 2:31:40 and earning US$3,000 (120,000 baht) in prize money. Less than a minute behind, Alexander claimed second…
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Gov cool to idea of twinning with Denpasar
PHUKET: Governor Udomsak Uswarangkura was noncommittal about a proposal by the Indonesian Ambassador to Thailand that Phuket City and the Balinese capital of Denpasar become “sister cities”, saying he would first have to raise the idea with local tourism industry associations.The idea of twinning the two cities was proposed by Indonesian Ambassador Ibrahim Yusuf during a December 2 courtesy call…
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Arcadia-Hilton split denied
KARON: A representative of the owners of the Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort & Spa has denied widespread rumors that the Hilton brand will be dumped next year.Hilton International took over management of the Phuket Arcadia Beach Resort on October 1 last year, and the property was rebranded.The rumors posited that the Arcadia owners were unsatisfied with Hilton’s performance, and planned to take…
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Gambling still top of crime stats
PHUKET: According to figures released by the Phuket Provincial Police, gambling once again topped the list of criminal offenses in November, with 217 people arrested. Forty-two cases involved the sale of underground lottery tickets.Eighty four people were arrested for the illegal possession or use of controlled substances, with precisely 2,189½ ya bah (methamphetamine) tablets seized. Fifteen people were arrested for…
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Luxury yacht grounded after taking on water
PHUKET: The luxury charter yacht Phayoon 3 was grounded off the southern coast of Phuket early this morning after the vessel began taking on water in heavy seas.The 130-foot motor yacht, which is operated by Kingfisher Marine, came back from a season based in Singapore in October, and was on the way to pick up passengers from Myanmar.So far not…
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Patong cracks down on street touts
PATONG: Municipal officials will patrol the streets of Patong day and night this high season in a crackdown on touts and street vendors harassing tourists, Patong Deputy Mayor Chairat Sukbal has announced.“We need to ensure that [touts] do not distribute leaflets or grab tourists’ hands to try to persuade them to buy from their shops. We will arrest them for…
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World Vision denies “aid for souls’ reports
PHUKET: Tim Costello, Chief Executive Officer of Christian aid group World Vision Australia, has rejected reports that the group has used tsunami donations and aid in an attempt to entice Thais to convert to Christianity.World Vision has helped more than 50,000 tsunami-affected people, through food distribution and providing much-needed items including 300 boats, fishing gear for 2,449 families, and 4,848…
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Property in the spotlight at forum
PHUKET: The Provincial Land Office and the Phuket Real Estate Club (PREC) will jointly organize a Phuket International Property Forum on December 17 as part of tsunami anniversary activities – and to assure potential buyers that the property market remains as buoyant as ever. PREC President Phummisak Hongsyok, who will serve as the seminar’s moderator, told the Gazette, which is…
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Big blues names coming to Phuket
KARON: The curtain rises on Phuket’s first international blues festival on December 16, with nine bands taking to the stage in the course of the two-day event, hosted by the Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort & Spa in Karon.The first band to take the stage, at 6:30 pm on December 16, will be Blue On Blue from Bangkok. They will be…
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Suwat raps warning demo delay
PATONG: Deputy Prime Minister Suwat Liptapanlop yesterday rapped the Nonthaburi-based National Disaster Warning Center (NDWC) for a mix-up that resulted in a delay in a demonstration of tsunami sirens in Patong.The Deputy PM, who was in Phuket to check on preparations for the December 26 tsunami anniversary, had asked for the demonstration.“We are checking everything, especially the warning system [in…
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2 die, 4 hurt in Patong landslides
PHUKET: Landslides caused by torrential rains claimed two lives in Patong last night and injured four others, according to Patong Hospital. The downpour also caused extensive flooding in Phuket City and many other parts of the island.Padungkiat Utoksenee, Deputy Director of Patong Hospital, said that while flooding in Patong often resulted in accidents, last night was the first time people…
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Aussie teen latest jet-ski casualty
PATONG: An Australian teenager was critically injured on Wednesday afternoon when his rented jet-ski was in collision with another jet-ski operated by a friend.Both men were rushed to Patong Hospital after the crash, which happened at the south end of the beach at about 4 pm.Pol Maj Sophon Borrirak of Kathu Police said 19-year-old Antonio Scognamigli, was rushed unconscious to…
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Tsunami alarm drill set for December 16
PHUKET: The National Disaster Warning Center (NDWC) will conduct a simultaneous test of all Information and Communications Ministry (ICT) tsunami warning towers in the Andaman provinces on December 16, Suranand Vejjajiva, Minister Attached to the Prime Minister’s Office, has announced. The timing of the test has yet to be set.K. Suranand made the announcement at a meeting on Tuesday with…
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Man found dead in rubber plantation
KATHU: The badly decomposed body of a man was found yesterday morning in a Kathu rubber plantation.Pol Lt Prathung Pholmana, Duty Officer of Kathu Police Station, told the Gazette that he received a phone call from locals saying that they had discovered a male corpse in the Tung Tong area near Patong Hill.Police found the body under a tree but…
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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