Phuket News
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78 baby sea turtles hatch, 96 more eggs laid in Phang Nga
It’s been a good week for sea turtles in Thailand, particularly in the southern province of Phang Nga. Not only did 78 baby leatherback sea turtles successfully hatch, but a green sea turtle laid 96 eggs this week. In a positive sign for conservation efforts in Thailand, dozens of baby sea turtles have hatched and made their way to the…
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Officials bust Patong hookah venue over violations
Officials busted a Patong hookah venue on Friday night following complaints. The raid at Crystal Club on Bangla Road was ordered by Phuket Governor Narong, along with other officials. During the raid at around 11.30pm, officials seized a total of 52 hookah sets along with shisha and other equipment, and handed it to police, The Phuket News reported. The officials…
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Coral Rehabilitation for Divers Volunteers protects reefs
A new Coral Rehabilitation for a Divers Volunteers training program in Phuket has attracted several foreign divers interested in the restoration project. The course aims to provide participants with knowledge of how to operate procedures in coral rehabilitation following academic principles. The program, created by the Royal Thai Navy (RTN) and the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) has…
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2 Phuket restaurants busted with protected marine life
In Phuket, two floating restaurants have been busted possessing protected marine life in violation of environmental laws. The Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) inspected floating restaurants in Phuket on Friday to check whether they had protected marine life and found a stash. Social media posts shared the findings online. The DMCR inspection found that both restaurants had ornamental…
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Do your part: sign up as a Phuket Tourist Police volunteer
For all the armchair activists and online commenters saying the police should take more action, now is your chance to help. The Phuket Tourist Police are looking for a few good men and women. They have announced that they are seeking foreign volunteers to assist with law enforcement on the island. But don’t delay – the last day to submit…
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Body spotted off Phuket believed to be missing Romanian diver
Nearly two months after the search for the Romanian diver who went missing at sea off Phuket ended, officials believe that his body has been found. A body was spotted floating off Phuket’s Koh Kaew island yesterday, The Phuket News reported. At 12.30pm, an unnamed boat captain told Chalong Police that he found a legless body in the water some…
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Another meeting with French consul on French motorbikers in Phuket
There’s been yet another meeting with the French Consul in Phuket addressing the issue of dangerous motorbike driving by French nationals on the island. This is after the former French Consul in Phuket met with Patong Police over the issue just last month. The Honorary Consul of France in Phuket, Alain Faudot, along with the Consul at the French Embassy…
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Patong Police still probing the cause of Belgian man’s death
UPDATE Patong Police are still probing the cause of the death of a Belgian man reported on Wednesday. The Phuket Express reported yesterday that Patong Police are reviewing the incident to determine if the man did indeed slip and fall, as was reported earlier, or if his death was caused by a physical confrontation. The victim’s friend said they got in…
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Police say no action to take on German man’s traffic fine drama in Phuket
After a German man claimed that he had to pay a traffic fine of 2,000 baht in Phuket last month, Chalong Police say there is no action to take over the accusation, since there is no record of the fine. Reports said that on February 20, the man had been riding a motorbike through the Chalong underpass. The man said…
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Belgian man tragically dies after trying to defuse argument in Patong
A Belgian man tragically died after he reportedly tried to defuse an argument in Patong. The man’s friend told Patong Police that he had been in a heated argument with a Thai man at an apartment in Soi Nanai. The victim had been trying to stop the heated exchange, and for unknown reasons, he reportedly ran and slipped, hitting his…
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Phuket man fires gun in hospital car park in spat over parking space
Yet another parking spat in Thailand has resulted in a gun being drawn. A Phuket man yesterday fired a gun at another man’s car in a hospital parking lot in a spat over parking space. The incident happened on the fifth floor of Vachira Phuket Hospital’s car park building at 9.30am. The man, 31 year old Thanakorn Thongek, had reportedly…
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Thai navy busts Phuket umbrella operator for beach encroachment
The Royal Thai Navy busted a Phuket umbrella operator for encroaching on a beach yesterday. The incident happened on Koh Racha Yai, an island off southern Phuket. The navy inspected the island yesterday and found the operator on Ao Pratok Beach. Twenty sets of umbrellas were seized, and the operator was arrested and brought to Chalong Police Station for further…
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Phuket farang offers 4,000 baht reward for missing duck
A beloved pet duck has gone missing in Phuket, southern Thailand, and its farang owner is offering a 4,000 baht reward for the person who finds and returns it. A poster reveals that the duck is female and went missing on Friday, March 3, from behind Wat Khanaen Temple near Thalang Dog Hotel. CH3‘s Facebook page Nai Krasae (“In the…
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Tragic road death in Phuket after young man hits reduce speed sign
A tragic road death occurred in Phuket after a young man hit a reduced-speed sign with his motorbike on Sunday. The incident happened on Thepkrasattri Road southbound in Tambon Thepkassattri at 7.40am, The Phuket News reported. Rescuers arrived on the scene to find the victim, 24 year old Thanongsak Raiyai, lying dead near his motorbike. Thanongsak’s neck was broken, and…
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Shortcut road between Kathu and Thalang in the works
Phuket authorities are planning to construct a shortcut road between Kathu and Sri Soonthorn in Thalang. The road is being built in hopes of easing traffic congestion in Koh Kaew. The move was announced by Phuket Provincial Administration Organisation (PPAO) President, Rewat Areerob, who revealed that three prominent families in the region have donated land for public use to enable…
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Officials raid counterfeit brand name shirt factory in Phuket
Officials raided a counterfeit brand name shirt factory in Phuket‘s Kathu district yesterday. The team of officials from the Intellectual Property Department said they found machines and equipment used for shirt production at a house in a housing district near Kathu Waterfall. The officials also raided two nearby houses where they found thousands of counterfeit brand name shirts, The Phuket…
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Aussie man apprehended in Phuket after taking erratic joy ride in stolen car
Thai police apprehended an Aussie man after he was found to have stolen a car at the Phuket International Airport and proceeded to take an erratic joy ride. The man reportedly stole the car at the airport’s car park, hit a parked vehicle and fled the scene. He then ran through two police checkpoints before he was apprehended. According to…
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Cops charge Canadian who claimed he was mugged in Patong
UPDATE Cops have charged the Canadian tourist who last month claimed he was violently mugged in Patong. Patong Police say the tourist, 28 year old William Lamarche-Saint-Louis, was not robbed as he said he was, and he started the fight. Police said that after a full investigation, it was found that the incident began when Saint-Louis sat on a beach…
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Ladyboy steals English tourist’s gold necklace in Phuket
Police managed to reunite an English tourist with his gold necklace after it was snatched by a ladyboy in the Patong area of Phuket, southern Thailand, in the early hours of this morning. At 4.30am, officers at Patong Police Station were informed that a tourist’s gold necklace was stolen in front of the Central Department Store in Patong. Police rushed…
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Motorbike crash kills Phuket man
A motorbike crash killed a Phuket man in the early hours of this morning, while another two people were left injured. The fatal crash happened at 3am on Sri Soonthorn Road, in the Cherng Talay area of the Thalang district. Rescuers arrived on the scene to find the body of 51 year old motorbike rider Pomngnara. His female passenger had…
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Phuket immigration launches ‘red card’ system for wayward foreigners
Phuket immigration is launching a ‘red card’ system for wayward foreigners which will see them deported after two offences. Praphansak Prasansuk, Commander of the Immigration Region 6 office, announced the system yesterday. “Under the system, a foreigner will be designated a ‘yellow card’ for a first offence. The foreigner will be issued a formal warning and the relevant embassy will…
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Over 7,000 Russians in Phuket apply for visa extensions
Over 7,000 Russians in Phuket are applying for visa extensions in a bid to stay in Thailand. Local immigration chief, Thanet Sukchai, says the great weather is one factor in their attempts to stay. “Phuket is a nice place to visit with delicious food and good weather. As word has spread about the island, Russian tourists keep coming to the…
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Patong Police swoop on street racers
Patong Police swooped on street racers on Monday night, following the area’s numerous problems with foreign motorbike racers. Officers were stationed across Patong after 10pm. Meanwhile, Patong Traffic Police set up a checkpoint at the bottom of Patong Hill. Patong Police did not specify how many people were caught dangerously speeding, The Phuket News reported. Last week, the Thai government…
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Phuket police arrest Swedish man on drug production charges
Police arrested a Swedish man in Phuket, southern Thailand, on drug charges today and are preparing to revoke his permission to stay in the kingdom, reports Matichon. On December 15 last year, police initiated the project, “White Residence for Foreigners (Free From Crime and Drugs) Project” in Phuket province. The ongoing project aims to weed out drug crimes and criminal behaviour among…
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Russians own 40% of foreign-owned condos in Phuket
Thailand’s Real Estate Information Centre (REIC) reported that Russian citizens own nearly 40% of foreign-owned condominiums in Phuket, worth a collective 880 million baht (US$25). In Phuket, Russians have overtaken the Chinese as the No.1 condo buyer. Since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24 last year, Thailand has become a refuge for Russian citizens, as reported by Al Jazeera. The…
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Group rallies in Patong for end to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
A group rallied in Patong on Saturday, calling for an end to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The group of around 30 people gathered a year and one day after Russia first invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022. The demonstrators, many of whom were Ukrainians and Russians, held placards with slogans in English and Russian, The Phuket News reported. Slogans included…
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Phuket police bust another bar over legal closing time
Phuket police busted another bar over the legal closing time. Officers from Mueang Phuket District and Wichit Police raided Phuket a bar in the Wichit sub-district of the main city district in the early hours of Friday morning. This was after concerned citizens complained that the bar was opened past the legal closing time. The cops arrested the bar’s manager,…
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10,000 baht offered for missing stray dog in Kathu
While Thailand is riddled with stray dogs roaming the street, one lost dog could net you 10,000 baht. That’s the reward a devoted pet owner has offered in Phuket for the safe return of a dog that has gone missing. Residents of Kathu in Phuket are being asked to help find an ex-stray dog that has been missing for three…
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Drunk Saudi tourist steals jet ski on Patong Beach
A drunk foreign tourist caused a commotion on Patong Beach in Phuket yesterday after he was caught trying to steal a jet ski. The tourist, who was described as anxious and intoxicated, also attacked a jet-ski caretaker and tried to escape. The incident was reported to the Patong Police at noon yesterday, and when they arrived at the scene, they…
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Officials find illegal houses encroaching on Phuket mangrove area
Officials found illegal houses encroaching on a protected mangrove area in Phuket. The team of officers from the Mangrove Resource Conservation Division of the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) found the six illegal houses on Wednesday. The team found the illegal houses on Soi Rong Foam in Moo 1 in Ratsada. The houses had been built in an…
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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