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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Five Westerners may be released from local prison
PHUKET: As many as five Westerners are expected to be on the list of people to be released from Phuket Provincial Prison in the next couple of days, in accordance with the nationwide amnesty declared to mark HM the King’s 72nd birthday. Exact numbers have yet to be ascertained, but Preeda Nijsiri, commander of Phuket Provincial Prison, said that the…
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Four arrested with ya bah
PHUKET: Police have arrested four people for ya bah violations in separate incidents at Kata Beach and Phuket Town. On Friday, plainclothes police arrested one man and two women at the public housing estate in Tambon Rassada, Phuket Town for possessing 778 tablets of ya bah with intent to sell. According to Pol Lt Col Manus Aemjareonchaikul, an inspector in…
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Swiss dies in fall from mast of yacht
PHUKET TOWN: Schmucki Gilgian, 58, from Switzerland died when he fell from the mast of his yacht while repairing it at the Boat Lagoon on Tuesday. Pol Capt Anukul Nookate told the Gazette that Mr. Schmucki died shortly after being admitted to the intensive care unit of Bangkok Phuket Hospital with severe chest and head injuries. A funeral is scheduled…
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Karaoka victorious in King’s Cup Regatta
KATA: The King’s Cup Regatta ended today with Ray Ordoveza’s Karaoka winning the Racing Class division. Second place honors went to Pla Loma, while Australia Challenge finished third. The Regatta, which had been without controversy, didn’t end that way. At the start of yesterday’s Performance Cruising division race, Monsoon Blue was sunk when struck in the stern by Stormvogel. In…
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Rises in Immigration fees put on hold
PHUKET: The Phuket Immigration Office, like all other Immigration offices in Thailand, has rescinded steep rises in visa and other fees which were introduced recently. The rises, which quadrupled the existing fees, were contained in a new immigration law brought into force on November 12. However, a subsequent notice from Immigration headquarters in Bangkok on November 29 ordered the new…
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Karaoka and Hi Fidelity neck-and-neck
KATA: With one day’s sailing still to go in the King’s Cup regatta, a clear winner has yet to emerge in the premier division, the Racing Class, with Neil Pride’s Hi Fidelity and Ray Ordoveza’s Karaoka continuing to slug it out for top honors. The regatta went into its fourth day without major problems, other than the continued strong winds…
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1999 sees higher than normal suicide rate
PHUKET: The number of suicides in Phuket this year has been higher than in most previous years, Dr Boonriang Chuchaisangrat, Chief of the Phuket Health Office, told the Gazette today. In previous years, between 12 and 20 suicides a year have been recorded, he said, but this year so far there have been “more than 20”. Of these, the highest…
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“Too sexy’ policewomen get a dressing-down
BANGKOK (AFP): Policewomen in Thailand were today ordered to cover up, after a top police chief complained that too many officers were wearing miniskirts and body-hugging uniforms. “A number of policewomen wore too tight uniforms with short skirts, colorful makeup and have dyed hair,” said a government statement. Pol Lt Gen Somchai Milindangkura said a special team had been established…
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Tough contest brewing for municipal seats
PHUKET TOWN: December 25 will see hot competition between 54 candidates from three political parties – the Young People’s Party, the People’s Party and the Creative Party – and four independent candidates for the 18 seats on the Phuket Town Municipal Council. The Municipality, which is expecting about half of Phuket Town’s 42,417 registered voters to make their mark, has…
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Five die in flash floods in southern Thailand
BANGKOK (AFP): Five people are dead and hundreds have been evacuated from their homes after a tropical depression sparked flash floods in southern Thailand. Two boys, aged seven and nine, were swept away by floodwaters in Yala province. Three other people drowned in nearby Pattani, Songkla and Chumporn provinces after a tropical storm hit the west coast of the Gulf…
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Man hangs himself after wage cut
PHUKET TOWN: A man was found dead yesterday morning, hanging from a beam in the room he rented in Tambon Rassada, a half-empty tube of glue on the floor nearby. The body of Anucha Foythong, 21, a native of Phang Nga, was discovered when a neighbor looked through a window and saw him hanging from the rafter. The dead man…
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Swiss snorkeler drowns off Racha Noi
PHUKET: A Swiss man drowned on Friday while snorkeling with family and friends off Racha Noi Island. The man, Carlo Wellinger, 45, was on holiday in Phuket, staying at the Sheraton Grande Laguna Beach in Bang Tao. Police said it appeared that Mr Wellinger fainted while swimming. Before he could be pulled from the water, a wave dragged him under.…
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Refinery fire put out, death toll rises to five
SI RACHA (AFP): Thai firefighters yesterday finally put out a fire which had raged at an oil refinery for 35 hours. By that time the death toll had risen to five, with the discovery of more bodies at the site of the initial explosion and subsequent fire. The blaze started after the blast ripped through a storage tank at the…
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400,000 fish released to mark King’s birthday
KATHU: The Phuket Provincial Fisheries Office today released 400,000 fish in the Bang Wat reservoir as part of the celebrations to mark the 72nd birthday of HM the King. Also present at the fish release was Phuket Governor Charnchai Soontharamut. Chada Wangboonkong, Deputy Chief Officer of the Phuket Provincial Fisheries Office told the Gazette that 100,000 of the fish had…
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Gambling again tops crime statistics
PHUKET: Gambling cases once again topped the crime lists in Phuket for the period November 1 through 25, according to statistics released today by the Phuket Provincial Police. A total of 184 people were arrested for gambling in the course of 94 police raids. Following close behind were illegal immigrants, 173 of whom were caught in the same period. Drugs…
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Two dead, 15 hurt in refinery explosion
SI RACHA (AFP): A huge fire devoured millions of litres of oil today after a string of explosions ripped through a refinery here, killing two people and injuring 15. Sheets of flame soared 100 meters into the air as hundreds of firemen battled to stop the blaze from engulfing the entire structure run by Thai Oil Co, some 70 kilometers…
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Dead whale examined by biologists at Cape Panwa
CAPE PANWA: A dead whale was brought by fisherman from Phang Nga Bay to the Phuket Marine Biological Center this morning for an autopsy. Kongkiat Kittiwattanawong, a biologist at the Center, identified the 4.3 meter long animal as a Bryde’s Whale of one to two years of age. He told the Gazette that the ‘fragrant’ whale had been dead for…
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Angry chicken fanciers besiege Governor
PHUKET OWN: An angry crowd of more than 100 people protested in front of the Phuket Town Police Station yesterday, alleging the police had used unnecessary force on Sunday evening when arresting Rassada villagers for betting on cock-fighting. Among those arrested were three members of the Tambon Rassada Administration Organization. They were released on bail Monday morning, but returned to…
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Police issue sketch of foreign gunman
CHERNG TALAY: Thai police have issued a sketch of a Western gunman wanted for murdering Thai restaurateur Lor-man Karnjanasadoong last Tuesday at Bang Tao Beach. The gunman is described as being about 170 cm tall, with pale skin and a silver cap on an upper right tooth. Police believe the man goes by the name “Oliver” and that he is…
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Singapore, Thailand sign deal on civil servants
SINGAPORE, Nov 28 (AFP): Singapore and Thailand have signed an agreement to improve ties and exchange ideas about civil servants, the Sunday Times reported this morning. It said the agreement, signed yesterday, is aimed at upgrading the quality of civil servants in “both” countries. The Thai government has been slow to upgrade its civil service, one of the most bureaucratic…
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Sketch of murder suspect hits glitch
PHUKET: Composition of a police sketch of the foreigner wanted for killing a Thai restaurateur three days ago has hit a snag: the computer used to create the sketches is unable to handle Western faces. Pol Maj Gen Kongpol Suwannaraks, commander of Phuket Provincial Police, told the Gazette that “Yesterday my officers took the witness [the dead man’s wife] to…
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Man arrested for three robberies
PHUKET: Leng Permthong, 21, a construction worker from Ranong province, was arrested last night for robbing three petrol stations during the past few weeks. The arrest confirmed police suspicions, reported earlier in the online Gazette, that the same individual was responsible for all three robberies. When questioned by Pol Col Chalit Thintanee, superintendent of Muang police station, Leng admitted committing…
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Ranong crossing reopens for visa runs
RANONG: Following a visit to Myanmar by Thai Foreign Minister Surin Pitsuwan on Monday, border crossings between Thailand and Burma reopened yesterday afternoon, allowing foreigners from Phuket once more to take a long-tail boat from Ranong Town to the Burmese side to renew their visas. Although some media announced that all border crossings had opened yesterday morning, Ranong was initially…
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Indonesia arrests 56 Thai ships
JAKARTA (AFP): The Indonesian navy has arrested 56 Thai ships and 1,276 crewmen for illegally fishing in the country’s waters, the official Antara news agency reported earlier today. “The 56 Thai ships with their 1,276 crew have been arrested and taken to Sabang from Rusa island in Western Aceh,” said Colonel Syahrin Abdurrahman, who heads the navy base in Sabang…
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Execution of woman is first in 20 years
BANGKOK (AFP): Thailand has executed its first female prisoner in two decades, the Corrections Department said in a statement today. It said that Samai Barn-in, 59, was executed by firing squad late yesterday, along with two men. She received the death sentence after police found four kilograms of heroin in her possession in 1994. She had 12 previous convictions for…
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Swiss Tourist Drowns at Karon Beach
KARON: A Swiss student, Andrea Antonio Tavecchio, drowned yesterday morning in front of the Phuket Arcadia Hotel at Karon Beach. He was 24 years old. Pol Capt Sanae Panmee of the Chalong Police station told the Gazette that Mr Tavecchio and three friends went for a swim together. His friends reported that he was carried out to sea and in…
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Police target criminals who prey on tourists
BANGKOK (AFP): In a major publicity drive ahead of His Majesty The King’s birthday celebrations next month, Thai police today launched a nationwide crackdown on criminals who target tourists. The operation was launched simultaneously by the national Tourist Police in major centres around the country, officers said. “This sweep is against any illegal activity involving tourism, illegal tour operators, unfair…
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Tourist’s purse snatched in Patong
PATONG: Two men who appeared to be Thai snatched a handbag from a Japanese tourist while she walked along a road at Patong Beach at approximately 7:40 pm on Saturday. According to Pol Capt Boonlert On-klang, the case investigator, Nana Nishizawa, 23, reported that two men were involved. One, described by Ms Nishizawa as a young Thai with long hair,…
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Cabinet approves huge hike in work permit fees
BANGKOK: A proposal by the Ministry of Labor to raise the price of renewing a work permit has been passed by the Thai Cabinet, bringing massive rises in fees a step closer. The proposal must be ratified by Parliament before the change in legislation comes into effect. This may take up to a year. Should the proposed legislation be accepted…
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Call for divers to join Koh Kai clean-up
PHUKET: Phuket Marine Police and the Phuket Diving Club will be cleaning the sea floor off Koh Kai on Saturday and Sunday, (November 20 and 21), and are inviting all divers to join them. Pol Lt Col Chaleampol Maliwan, inspector of the Phuket Marine Police, explained that there are now growing numbers of tourists diving off Koh Kai, so it…
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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