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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Managing medical expenses in Thailand is important as healthcare costs continue to rise. The country’s healthcare system includes both public and private options, but even with the Universal Coverage Scheme (UCS) for citizens, many still face high out-of-pocket medical expenses....
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Back surgery success for cliff-jumping belly dancer
PHUKET CITY: Just one week after major spinal surgery following a cliff-jumping accident on Koh Phi Phi, American tourist Melissa Kelman flew home today. Ms Kelman, 28, a dance and English teacher from St Louis, Missouri, shattered three vertebrae in her back when she jumped into the sea from a height of 20 meters as part of a Phi Phi…
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PM supports new Saphan Hin road: Phuket governor
PHUKET CITY: Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva supports the controversial plan to build a new road connecting Saphan Hin and Sakdidet Road, according to Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop. Speaking at the project’s opening ceremony held near Chalermprakiat Somdejprasrinakarin Phuket School yesterday, Gov Wichai said he discussed the project with PM Abhisit last month. “The prime minister agreed with my project proposals,”…
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Phuket FC take on Krabi on Saturday
PHUKET CITY: Phuket FC will face Krabi at Surakul Stadium on Saturday in what will be their final chance for a home win this season. In six home matches so far, Phuket FC have failed to accumulate a single point, losing all six encounters – many in heartbreaking fashion. Saturday’s match, which kicks off at 7pm, is the home side’s…
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A safety hint for visitors to Phuket, with love from Bangkok
PHUKET: The coach of the Afghan judo squad attending the Asian Martial Arts Games in Bangkok was robbed of hundreds of thousands of baht after falling for a ladyboy he met in the notorious Nana Plaza adult entertainment complex. ‘Ladyboy’ is the widely-used English word for the Thai katoey, generally understood to mean a male-to-female transgender person. Assaladee Sakala, 43,…
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July crime statistics for Phuket
PHUKET CITY: Statistics for July released by the Phuket Provincial Police show that gambling was the most common criminal offense, with 177 people arrested in 47 cases. The figure represents a 42.5% increase year-on-year. There were also 23 arrests for involvement in the underground lottery, statistics for which are tabulated separately. There were 137 drug arrests for the period, an…
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Surgery on Phuket’s ‘little mermaid’ a success
PHUKET CITY: Doctors in Haad Yai have successfully completed emergency surgery to create an artificial anus for the Burmese baby born with ‘mermaid syndrome’ in Phuket on Sunday night. For the original report of the baby’s birth, click here. A public relations officer at the Prince of Songkhla University Hospital, where the surgery was carried out yesterday, said the life-saving…
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Drownings continue in Phuket: Italian, Thai dead
PHUKET CITY: An Italian tourist and a Thai recreational fisherman are Phuket’s two most recent drowning victims. Kathu Police were notified at 5pm on Monday that Italian national Antonio Salvatorebucca, 46, went missing in the surf at Patong Beach, across from the Thara Patong Beach Resort. The report was made by a friend of the deceased, 39-year-old Italian Zanchetta Gianluca.…
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Drug bust at Phuket Airport
PHUKET CITY: A Thai woman was caught at Phuket International Airport on Monday trying to smuggle a large stash of ya bah (methamphetamine) pills onto the island, police say. Pojjanee Thuptim, 31, was caught with 1,330 ya bah (methamphetamine) pills stashed in a thigh support of the type used for sports injuries, a source at the Phuket branch of the…
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Phuket prays for baby with “mermaid syndrome’
PHUKET CITY: Surgeons are working desperately to save a Burmese baby born in Phuket with a rare birth defect known as ‘mermaid syndrome’, a condition in which both legs are fused together from the torso down. The infant, named Sui, was born at Vachira Phuket Hospital at 8:40pm on Sunday. Vachira Phuket Assistant Director Dr Sirichai Silapa-archa said Sui was…
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Bike rider killed in truck crash
KATHU, PHUKET: A man was killed on Sunday morning after his motorbike collided with a 10-wheel truck. Mr Aroon Nopprat, 53, died instantly after his head was crushed under the truck’s wheels. When police arrived at the scene, the newly resurfaced bend of Wichit Songkhram Road between Makro and Ketho Temple in Kathu, the truck driver was nowhere to be…
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New Patong to Chalong road on hold – for now
PHUKET CITY: Work on the new Patong-Chalong road could continue soon, despite the project not having Cabinet approval for a hilltop stretch which cuts through national forest land. The road has long existed as a dirt pathway over the Nakkerd Hills, but its highest parts are only passable by all-terrain vehicles due to its sharp inclines, twisting turns and rough…
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No tsunami warning for Phuket
PHUKET / PHANG NGA: A tsunami warning was issued in Phang Nga’s Ban Nam Khem village last night, but there were no warnings or evacuations in Phuket. About 400 residents of the village in Phang Nga’s Takua Pa district were then evacuated early this morning following further warnings that a tsunami could hit their shore. The warning followed a 7.6…
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Phuket landlord arrested for triple homicide
RAWAI, PHUKET: Police have arrested a suspect for the Saturday night murder of three men who were gunned down as they drank beer together outside their Rawai home. A fourth victim, also shot in the attack, is in stable condition at Vachira Phuket Hospital. Police received a report of the shooting just before midnight on Saturday and were at the…
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Phuket FC stun Nakhon Sri Thammarat, 2-1
PHUKET CITY: Two goals and a vastly improved defensive performance gave Phuket FC a surprise 2-1 road win at fourth-place Nakhon Sri Thammarat yesterday. The victory brought to an end a dismal run of 10 losses for the Sea Dragons. Failure to score the vital second goal has been to blame for the poor run, but a brace by African…
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Tsunami warning buoy for Phuket now dead in the water
PHUKET CITY: The tsunami direct detection buoy launched from Phuket in 2006 is inoperable because the Thai agency responsible for maintenance has not been able to replace its battery, the Gazette has learned. The Deep-ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunamis (DART) buoy was put into place 600 nautical miles northwest of Phuket early in December 2006. After its deployment, maintenance…
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Budget sought for “monkey viewpoint’ in Phuket
PHUKET: Rassada Municipality is seeking a large central government budget for three tourism development projects in and around the ‘monkey viewpoint’ area on Srisuthat Road. Rassada Mayor Surathin Lianudom said the work, if approved, would include a network of boardwalks through mangrove forest, renovation of the Mali Kaew Dam and Wat Phranon, as well as the construction of a gymnasium,…
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Phuket warned of torrential rains, flash flooding
PHUKET: The national Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department [DPMD] has warned Phuket of torrential rains. Borne of the strong southwest monsoon currently prevailing over the Andaman region, the deluge, expected to cause flooding, is predicted to hit later today and to continue through tomorrow. The warning was issued late yesterday afternoon and includes three other Andaman provinces: Ranong, Trang and…
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Chinese scam gang banged up in Phuket
PHUKET: Police yesterday arrested 40 Chinese and Taiwanese nationals in Phuket who were believed to be involved in an international extortion and money-laundering scam. More than 70 police officers from Phuket and Bangkok raided six homes in Bang Tao, Kathu and Phuket City after following the gang for several months on a trail that began in Chiang Mai. One of the…
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Phuket police make little progress in Stuart murder case
KATHU, PHUKET: Almost six months after it began, the investigation into the murder of British expat Ian Kenneth Stuart appears to have gone cold. Mr Stuart, 61, was a Phuket-based businessman. He was beaten to death at his home and workplace near the Tesco-Lotus intersection on February 23. Police now believe the murder occurred during a botched burglary attempt. Tung Tong…
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Road closed for Saturday’s Buddhist festivities
PHUKET CITY: Buddhists and Saturday-morning commuters are advised that there will be a large alms-giving ceremony on Wirat Hongyok Road tomorrow from 6am to 8:30. To accommodate the ceremony, the west end of Wirat-Hongyok Road near Wat Naka will be closed to traffic from 4am to 8:30 am. Traffic along Chao Fa West Road should not be affected. The event,…
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American chip shop owner commits suicide in Phuket
CHALONG, PHUKET: Friends and family are this week morning the loss of Thomas and Parnpan Quigly, otherwise known as ‘Uncle Tom’ and ‘Auntie Porn’, who ran the island’s first fish and chip shop on the road to Chalong Pier. Mr Quigly, a 61-year-old American, was found dead of a .22 caliber gunshot wound to the head inside the couple’s home…
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Illegal aliens: 50,000 workers register in Phuket by deadline
PHUKET: More than 50,000 illegal workers from neighboring countries were registered with the Phuket Provincial Employment Office during the grace period that ended on July 30. However, scores more still working illegally on the island, and an Immigration crackdown looms. Phuket Provincial Employment Office chief Thanawan Tongsukchote announced that 7,790 Thai employers registered their desire to employ a total of…
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Ultimate Frisbee takes off in Phuket
PHUKET CITY: A small group of ultimate frisbee enthusiasts are determined to see the sport take off in Phuket. A mixture of traditional football, American football and netball, the high-intensity sport combines skill, athleticism, speed and stamina. The driving force behind establishing the sport in Phuket is Chris Fisher. “Playing ultimate within the spirit of the game is hugely important.…
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Samui crash ‘will not affect tourism’
PHUKET / SURAT THANI: The chairman of the Southeastern Thai Hotel Association is confident that Tuesday’s Bangkok Airways plane crash at Samui Airport will not affect tourism on the island. Ruangnam Jaikwang said he believed ‘tourists would understand that the crash was an accident.’ The Bangkok Airways plane skidded off the runway before crashing into an old control tower. The…
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Phuket mangroves to be cleared for new road
PHUKET CITY: Work on a long-awaited road connecting Saphan Hin and Sakdidet Road will begin next month, even though the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE) has yet to approve the project. Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop told a press conference at Phuket Provincial Hall on Monday that he has authorized work to begin. Cabinet approval could come at a…
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Phuket beaches take a pounding
PHUKET CITY: The problem of coastal erosion has been worsening in Phuket, the state-run Thai News Agency has reported. Residents in some areas of Phuket complain that coastal erosion is occurring at an average rate of as much as 10 meters a year due to both natural causes and coastal development. One hard hit area is the cliff-backed Lepang Beach…
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Samui Airport reopened
SAMUI / PHUKET: Samui Airport resumed operations at 2 pm today, Bangkok Airways announced in a press release. The first departing flight was Bangkok Airways PG100, which took off at 2 pm, bound for Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport. The co-pilot of the Bangkok Airways flight that crashed into an abandoned control tower yesterday afternoon remains in critical condition at Bangkok Hospital in the…
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Blood urgently needed for Samui air crash victims
PHUKET / SAMUI: Bangkok Airways is calling for blood donations of all blood types, especially from foreigners, following the crash at Samui Airport this afternoon of Bangkok Airways flight PG 266 from Krabi to Samui.The pilot was killed and a total of 34 people were seriously injured in the accident.Samui Airport has been closed following the accident. All flights to…
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Two more tourists drown in Phuket
PHUKET CITY: The official death toll from drowning in Phuket since the beginning of the year now stands at 33, following the two most recent cases – both foreign tourists. Ukrainian Viktor Pravoyuk, 59, got into trouble at the stretch of Patong Beach in front of Loma Park in Patong in the early afternoon last Friday and was pronounced dead…
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Almost half of Phuket’s hotel projects delayed
PHUKET: Up to 48 percent of all new hotel developments in Phuket are experiencing major construction delays due to the global economic downturn and concerns over Thailand’s political stability, an authoritative report has found. However, according to the Phuket Hotel Market Update Mid-Year Report (Click here to download the full report) released by respected hospitality consulting firm C9 Hotelworks, the…
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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