The Phuket News
B59MN POURED INTO BIENNALE AS PHUKET AIMS FOR ARTS HUB
Phuket’s hosting of the Thailand Biennale 2025 will cost taxpayers nearly B59 million, according to official budget documents, as the island launched the five-month contemporary arts festival last Saturday (Nov 29). Government leaders have hailed the...
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Phuket leads visa-free crackdown
Immigration officials in Phuket have begun enforcing some of the toughest screening measures in years as the national crackdown on so-called “visa runners” intensifies, with officers warning that repeated visa-free entries, unclear travel plans and...
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Online attack spurs action
…it noted, is “highly competitive and increasingly digital,” with some operators controlling multiple brands and online portfolios, blurring the lines for consumers trying to identify independent agencies. “While we make no allegations against any...
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SHRINE ELDER CALLS FOR VEGETARIAN FESTIVAL TO RETURN TO ITS SPIRITUAL ROOTS
As Phuket’s famous Vegetarian Festival this year marks 200 years since its founding, elders at the festival’s birthplace, Kathu Shrine, say the nine-day celebration has drifted from its origins as a ritual of healing and moral purification. “The...
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LACK OF BUDGET, PLANNING LEAVES PHUKET TRAPPED IN CRISIS
Phuket’s chronic lack of budget allocation and utilisation for infrastructure is trapping the island in a ‘vicious cycle’ that threatens both its residents’ quality of life and its standing as a world-class tourist destination, warns Associate...
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Bad landlord warning
Phuket officials, private sector operators and the Phuket Real Estate Association (PREA) have urged tenants to protect themselves against unscrupulous landlords, warning that the island’s booming rental market is opening the door to more disputes and...
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Phuket fights for self-governance
PPhuket MP Somchart Techathavorncharoen with a draft of the ‘Phuket Metropolis Act’. huket needs just 10,000 signatures of eligible voters ‒ from anywhere in the country ‒ in order to have a draft bill presented to Parliament that will give Phuket...
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PLANS AFOOT FOR THAILAND’S FIRST SUSPENSION BRIDGE TO SERVE PHUKET
Thailand could soon see its first-ever suspension bridge, linking Phuket to the mainland province of Phang Nga, as part of a major infrastructure upgrade to the region’s key highway. The ambitious proposal, led by the Department of Highways, was...
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MaAnn sentence overturned
Suwat Saowarat, Chief of Phuket office of the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC Phuket) has criticised the Office of the Attorney General for not appealing the overturned conviction of MaAnn Samran, who was earlier sentenced to two years in...
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LALITA VOTED PATONG MAYOR, VOWS TO PUT B721MN TO WORK
Lalita Maneesri, sister of outgoing Patong Mayor Chalermsak Maneesri, has won the Patong Municipality election and been unofficially declared the new Mayor of Patong. The unofficial results of the municipal elections in 12 major areas on the island...
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PHUKET DIVIDED ON PROSPECT OF HOSTING A CASINO
As the Thai government moves forward with draft laws to legalise casinos and integrated entertainment complexes, Phuket has become a battleground of opinions. On one side, locals warned of social and cultural harm; on the other, business leaders see...
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HEAVYWEIGHTS WEIGH IN AS PHUKET GOES TO THE POLLS
Anationwide ban on the sale of alcohol will go into effect from 6pm tonight (Jan 31) as the country goes to the polls for the Provincial Administration Organisation (PAO) elections tomorrow (Feb 1). In accordance with election law in Thailand, the...
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PHUKET’S 80-METRE BUILDING RESTRICTION REPEALED
ACabinet resolution now allows construction above the 80-metre limit in Phuket, which is likely to see a surge in single-building development in the hills across the island, with a windfall for owners of land on high ground. The Cabinet last month...
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GOVERNOR, KEY FIGURES LOOK AT SHAPING PHUKET’S FUTURE
As Phuket prepares to usher in the New Year, Governor Sophon Suwannarat and other key figures have spoken with The Phuket News, reflecting on the significant events of 2024, a year marked by both trials and triumphs. From natural disasters to soaring...
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THREE MAYORS FIGHT CORRUPTION CHARGES IN COURT
Three Phuket mayors ‒ Rawai Mayor Aroon Solos, Pa Khlok Mayor Panya Samphaorat and Juta Dumlak, Chief of the Kamala Tambon Administrative Organisation (OrBorTor) ‒ are all currently fighting corruption charges in court, Phuket Vice Governor Ronnarong...
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OFFICIALS STUMPED OVER ILLEGAL BEACH CHAIR SPRAWL
Phuket officials have been stumped with what to do about a sprawl of beach chair operators that have taken more huge areas along Kata and Kata Noi beaches. At Kata Noi, the usually quiet beach just south of Kata main beach, now has beach chairs along...
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NEBU RESORT IN CHERNG TALAY FACES STIFF RESISTANCE
Local residents in the Pasak Soi 6 area of Cherng Talay have ramped up efforts to prevent a seven-storey hotel, the ‘Nebu Resort Bangtao’, from being built in the residential neighbourhood, a development highly criticised for bringing tourist traffic...
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‘AXE’ RAWLINSON LEADS ADVENTURE CHARITY DRIVE FOR MIGRANT KIDS
Asix-day, 350-kilometre human-powered journey of running, cycling and kayaking is underway to raise funds for the St Euthrasia Banya Literacy Center. Organised by a dedicated team of 21 individuals led by Grant Rawlinson and Stephanie Rawlinson, the...
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BALI CONSTRUCTION BAN NOT ON THE CARDS FOR PHUKET
Not one of Phuket’s leading figures are willing to propose a temporary ban on any new construction, similar to what local residents in Bali are calling for, to help preserve Phuket’s fastdisappearing green areas. Like Phuket, Bali’s biggest money...
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RAWAI EXPERIMENT HELPS TO YIELD FOOD FOR DUGONGS
An experiment in Rawai to grow marine plants as a substitute for seagrass for dugongs for feed on is showing positive results, reports the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR). A dugong has been found eating the plants grown at the...
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Nd B500MN SPENT ON MAINTAINING ISLAND’S ONE OPERATING INCINERATOR
Phuket City Municipality has inked a deal to pay more than B511 million for the upkeep of the island’s only working public incinerator for the next 15 years. The half-billion-baht contract comes while a second incinerator is built at the Saphan Hin...
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CHINA STATE ENTERPRISE TO RESOLVE PHUKET’S BEACH WASTEWATER WOES
After years of black wastewater flowing across Phuket’s key touristpopular beaches at the end of every rainy season, a Chinese state-owned enterprise has now been brought in to resolve critical wastewater problems at several locations across the...
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New Patong promenade on its way
FUNDS Patong Municipality needed to seek central government funds for the project, simply due to the nature of the ‘hidden population’ in Phuket’s busiest tourism town, Mr Weerawit noted. “The problem is we must acknowledge that many residents in...
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NEW EV SMART BUS LAUNCHED FOR PHUKET TOWN - PATONG
Phuket Smart Bus (PKSB) has launched a new electric bus service connecting Phuket Town and Patong. The new service costs just B50 per passenger each way. Phuket Governor Sophon Suwannarat presided over the opening ceremony at the launch event on Oct...
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BIG BUDDHA FOUNDATION TO FACE nd CHARGES OVER DEADLY LANDSLIDE
The Phra Phuttha Ming Mongkol Sattha 45 Foundation, which operates the tourist-popular Big Buddha viewpoint on the hills between Kata and Chalong, will face charges for at least contributing to the devastating landslide on Aug 23 that claimed 13...
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VISA-FREE POLICY HARnMd ING PHUKET’S PUSH FOR ‘QUALITY TOURISM’
Phuket Governor Sophon Suwannarat and Phuket Tourist Association President Thaneth Tantipiriyakij have both voiced concerns about the growing issue of ‘overtourism’ in Phuket, and the effect of appealing to ‘cheaper’ tourists visiting is having on the...
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LEADING FIGURES QUESTION PHUKET’S ‘OVER-TOURISTED’ LABEL
Thaneth Tantipiriyakij, President of the Phuket Tourism Association, has challenged Phuket being branded the ‘most crowded tourist destination in the world’ as reported by UK daily newspapers, citing a survey posted online by a money transfers...
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CLOSED
The tourist-popular Big Buddha viewpoint and temple complex on the hills separating Kata and Chalong has been closed for safety while the site is inspected for illegally encroaching on protected forest at the top of the Nakkerd Hills. Bannaruk...
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BIG SEIZE
Local forestry officials posted signs at the Big Buddha complex last Friday (Aug 30) indicating which areas had been seized as part of the investigation into the foundation that operates the iconic tourist attraction. The investigation began after...
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CONSTRUCTION NAMED ‘SIGNIFICANT FACTOR’ IN DEADLY LANDSLIDE
Sopon Thongsai, Chief of the Phuket Provincial Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Office (DDPM Phuket), has named construction at the bottom of the hill a ‘significant factor’, but not the sole cause, of the deadly landslide that killed 13 people...
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PHANG NGA WATER SUPPLY ORDERED TO BE ONLINE BY 2027
The water supply pipeline from Phang Nga is to be completed within three years, Chakkraphong Saengmanee, Minister for the Prime Minister’s Office, told the Phuket Irrigation Office last week. Coinciding with the visit to Phuket by Prime Minister...
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MAYOR BATTLES REPEATED FLOODING IN SRISOONTHORN
Srisoonthorn Mayor Chalermphon Kerdsap has blamed construction and development that obstructs natural water runoff as primary causes of recurring floods in the fast-developing area of Tambon Thepkrasattri. Mayor Chalermphon argued that, “The...
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FREE LEGAL SERVICE EXPANDED TO FOUR MAJOR POLICE STATIONS
An Australian father last week located his 28-year-old son within 24 hours after contacting a free legal service now provided at four major police stations in Phuket. The father, Darren Cramer, 55, made the appeal in the search for his missing son,...
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NEW POLICE CAMPAIGN TARGETS MOTORBIKE SAFETY AMONG TOURISTS
Police across the island have launched a new campaign targetting motorbike safety among tourists, including a push to ensure motorbike rental operators rent out motorbikes only to people who have correct licences. The campaign was announced at a press...
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LIFEGUARD CALLS FOR MORE ACTION AS TWO TEENAGERS DROWN AT SURIN
Viroon Chuasaman, Head Lifeguard at Surin-Bang Tao Beach, has repeated his call for intensive campaigns to educate tourists and local residents of the dangers of rip currents and strong waves during the southwest monsoon after two 15-year-old boys...
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PM ORDERS ALL CANALS TO BE CLEARED TO AVOID MORE FLOODS
Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has called on officials across the island to ensure all waterways are cleared of debris and dredged sufficiently to maximise water flow as a measure to help avoid future flooding similar that suffered across central...
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MORE THAN 740 HOUSEHOLDS, 1,468 PEOPLE AFFECTED BY FLASH FLOODS
Phuket Governor Sophon Suwannarat led a huge cleanup in Kamala on Monday (July 1) after heavy downpours flooded the resort town, as they did across much of Phuket last Sunday, causing traffic disruption, flight delays and flooding of entire...
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