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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Burglars raid Post Office
PHUKET TOWN: Thieves broke into the main Post Office in Phuket Town on Sunday night and stole 200,000 baht in cash. Pol Lt Parichat Jaturonpun of Phuket Town Police Station told the Gazette the burglars came in through a ventilation window on the first floor of the building while the security guard was on the third floor. They took 200,000…
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Deputy PM to open Chalong Pier
PHUKET: Deputy Prime Minister Pongpol Adireksarn is to attend the official opening ceremony of the Chalong Pier on Friday. After that event, which gets under way at 10 am, K. Pongpol and his entourage will board a Fisheries Department boat for an inspection trip to the Phi Phi Islands. At 8:30 pm, the party will begin a tour of Patong…
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Concessionary park fees scheme extended
PHUKET: The Parliamentary Tourism Committee has decided to extend the concessionary scheme on national park entry charges for tour and dive operators. Deputy Minister Prapat Panyachatirak, Deputy Minister of Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives said at a meeting of the committee that he will set up a sub-committee to study the problem of entry fees and that in the meantime…
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Police crack mobile phone racket
PHUKET TOWN: Nine people were arrested yesterday in a series of raids by police from Phuket and Bangkok on people offering cheap phone calls. The raids on the phone call kiosks – small tables offering calls to anywhere in Thailand for 2 baht a minute – were part of a joint taskforce operation to crack a criminal ring using forged…
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Fall in arrests of illegal workers
PHUKET: The latest crime statistics issued by the police, for the period from September 1 to 24, show the number of arrests of illegal immigrants dropping dramatically to 47 compared with 230 in the same period in August. The decrease is largely a result of the current Employment Services Office drive to register all foreign workers on the island. Pol…
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Bosses urged to register foreign labor
PHUKET: Governor Pongpayome Vasaputi called yesterday for employers to register their foreign laborers at the Provincial Employment Service Office (ESO). His appeal came after the ESO said that it estimated that 4,000 Burmese, Laotians and Cambodians working in Phuket had still not been registered. Speaking at the monthly meeting of senior provincial officials yesterday, Gov Pongpayome said, “I’m worried about…
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TT&T to share TOT’s lower long-distance charge
PHUKET: From October 1, Thai Telephone and Telecommunication (TT&T) subscribers will be able to use the Telephone Organization of Thailand’s (TOT) discounted long-distance service – Y-Tel 1234. The TOT announcement comes after management met last Friday and decided that customers of both TT&T and Bangkok-based TelecomAsia Corp will be able share the service. Somkiat Lorprasertchai, Manager of the TOT Phuket…
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Gay cook suicides over missing fiancé
PHUKET TOWN: In the third suicide reported in Phuket within a week, heartbroken Jitpanu Pattana-anusorn, a 26-year-old cook at the Boonlert Beer Garden on Chana Charoen Rd, committed suicide on Tuesday because, police surmised, he had been abandoned by his gay lover. Pol Capt Anukul Nookate of the Phuket Town Police Station told the Gazette that he received a call…
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Muslims “back Thai support for US’
BANGKOK (AFP): Transportation and Communications Minister Wan Muhamad Nor Matha said yesterday that after talks with Muslim leaders in southern provinces, the government had won their support in joining the US-led alliance against terrorism. Wan said he had explained the government’s position and its reasons for aligning with the United States. “There are no problems,” he told reporters. “We have…
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New Vice-Governors named
PHUKET: The Ministry of Interior (MoI) has announced the names of Phuket’s three new Vice-Governors, who will take up their positions on October 1. They are Vinai Buapradith, currently a vice-governor of Ranong; Manit Watanasen, now a vice-governor of Phang Nga; and Niran Kalayanamit, a Director of the Foreign Affairs Division of the Office of the Permanent Secretary for the…
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Woman dies in bizarre suicide
PHUKET TOWN: In a bizarre suicide, a woman who was having money problems killed herself on Thursday by drinking a bottle of dishwashing liquid. The husband of Pattama Maneesri, 44, came home in the afternoon to find her lying unconscious on the kitchen floor of her home on Wichit Songkhram Rd. She was still holding the empty dishwashing liquid bottle,…
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Ten monks held in drug bust
BANGKOK (AFP): Five Thai monks have been defrocked after confessing to using methamphetamines (‘ya bah’), while another five caught in a drug raid also face being ousted from religious life, police said this morning. Acting on a complaint from local worshippers, police yesterday carried out urine tests on 26 monks living at a temple in the central province of Ratchaburi.…
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Bridge completion delayed
PHUKET TOWN: Completion of the new bridge over the Klong Bangyai on Kra Rd will take 70 days more than originally scheduled. Fawn Boonkatunyu, Chief of the Technical Office of the Phuket Town Municipality, explained, “We found that a sewer runs right under the place where one of the legs of the bridge is supposed to be anchored, so the…
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Loch Palm set for championship finals
KATHU: Surin Bumrungpon scored 67 off a handicap of 4 to win the third and final round of the Loch Palm Golf Club Championship preliminaries, which was held at the club on Saturday. Manoon Ouanpokhlang won Flight A with his score of 69 points off a 12 handicap, beating Blair Speers’ score of 70 points (10) and Dr Kitthipat Pongpet’s…
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Muslim leaders criticize attacks on US
PHUKET TOWN: The leaders of the Muslim community in Phuket today criticized the terrorist attacks on the United States and voiced their hope for continued peace in the world. Speaking at an assembly of senior Muslim figures at the ST Hotel, Manot Phanchalard, secretary of the Islamic Committee of Phuket, said, “Muslims in Phuket do not agree with what happened…
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Urgent debate over national park fees
BANGKOK: With the concessionary scheme on national park entry charges for tour and dive operators about to come to an end, operators around the country have urged the Royal Forestry Department (RFD) to reconsider the full fees, which they regard as being too high. On October 1 last year the RFD introduced new park entry fees for foreigners: 200 baht…
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Korean tour guide beaten and robbed
PHUKET TOWN: Police are looking for a man who beat and robbed a 30-year-old Korean tour guide off Sakdidet Rd early on Saturday morning. Pol Maj Pitsanu Punwong, of Phuket Town Police Station, told the Gazette that the guide had asked that her name be kept confidential, but that she was working for a Korean travel company in Panthep Condotown.…
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Crackdown on students in Internet shops
PHUKET TOWN: The owners of 25 Internet shops have agreed to impose greater controls on youngsters using their facilities, Pol Col Paween Pongsirin, superintendent of Phuket Town Police Station, said today. Speaking at a meeting with the press, he explained that police had received complaints from parents that their children were spending too much time playing computer games in the…
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Phuket worries about effects of US horror
PHUKET: The Governor of Phuket, Pongpayome Vasaputi, has ordered local officials to report to him any effects on tourism arising from Tuesday’s horrific events in the United States. “I think there may be some effect on tourism in Phuket during the coming high season,” he told the Gazette, “because some people may feel uncomfortable about traveling abroad.” He said that…
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Kathu police got mail
PATONG: The Kathu Police Station now has an email address for people who wish to ask questions or make suggestions to the police. Pol Col Chalit Thintanee, superintendent of Kathu Police Station, told the Gazette, “I think this will be good for people who want to contact us to complain or make suggestions about the problems in Patong. We will…
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CEO to have power to move district chiefs
PHUKET: The Ministry of Interior has announced that the Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of five provinces, who will take over from provincial governors on October 1 in an experimental program aimed at giving provincial leaders more autonomy, will be able to authorize the transfer of district office chiefs who are deemed not to be doing their job properly. Under the…
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US Embassy closes after NY carnage
PHUKET (Gazette, AFP): American citizens have been asked to refrain from calling their embassy in Bangkok following the carnage in New York City and Washington. Will Hebler, American Consular Warden in Phuket, told the Gazette, “I have received a call to say that the US embassy in Bangkok is closed until further notice. “A desk is manned, but US citizens…
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Bars facing Bangkok-style drug raids
PHUKET TOWN: Owners of entertainment places in Phuket Town were warned yesterday to expect raids “soon” by police and health officers clamping down on the distribution and use of narcotics. The warning came at a meeting attended by more than 200 owners of entertainment businesses at the Phuket Town Police Station. Among those attending were owners of pubs, bars, restaurants,…
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Ya bah dealer dies in shoot-out
THALANG: Bunyat Tangman, 34, wanted by police for his involvement in ya bah trafficking, was found dead this morning in a rubber plantation near the Shell Gas Station on Thepkrasattri Rd, after a shoot-out the previous evening with undercover police. Pol Lt Col Wuttichai Khamphut, Deputy Superintendent of Thalang Police Station, in charge of investigations, said that police officers had…
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Tuk-tuks oppose plan for metered taxis
PHUKET: More than 200 tuk-tuk drivers assembled early this morning at the Provincial Hall to protest against plans by a private company to set up a metered taxi service in Phuket. The protest was sparked by the distribution of handbills by Phuket Metered Taxi Service Co, announcing its plans for a metered taxi service that would be cheaper to use…
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Phuket locals win regional Isuzu rally
KOH KEAW: Watcharin Areerob and his team, all from Phuket, won the southern qualifier for the Isuzu Di 4×4 National Championship Rally on Saturday in a 2.8-liter Isuzu Rodeo with a total time over the six stages of 10 minutes 28 seconds. Rodeo 4WDs dominated the rally, finishing in four of the top five places. The exception was Amnuoy Somjai’s…
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Police release photo of drowning victim
KATHU: Police have released a photograph of the foreigner who drowned off Patong Beach on August 31 in the hope that someone may recognize the unidentified man. The victim, who was wearing a black swimming costume, was about 6 feet (1.83 meters) tall and was in his mid- to late 30s. He had short hair with patches of gray. He…
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Another Thai minister rebukes foreign press
BANGKOK (AFP): Interior Minister Purachai Piemsombun has lashed out at the foreign media for its criticism of his “social evils” campaign which, he claims, is aimed at ridding Thailand of drugs and underage drinking. Purachai attacked a report in Time magazine that he thinks suggests that his crusade to shut down nightclubs, bars and karaoke joints by 2:00am is merely…
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Motorbike injuries soar in 2001
PHUKET: The number of people injured in traffic accidents involving motorcycles has jumped this year, with 6,589 hurt between January 1 and July 20, compared with 6,068 in the same period of last year and 5,691 in 1999. Eighteen people died in traffic accidents between June 20 and July 20, according to statistics from the Wachira, Thalang and Patong government…
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Sex show gets Flash bar closed again
PATONG: Phuket Governor Pongpayome Vasaputi has ordered the closure of the Flash A-Go-Go bar in Soi Bangla for a month after it was caught staging lewd shows a second time. At the beginning of last month Gov Pongpayome ordered Flash to close for 15 days for staging such entertainment. He told the Gazette today, “After they had been open again…
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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