Phuket News
Discover the latest news and updates from Thailand’s most famous and beautiful island, The Thaiger’s hometown, having previously operated as the Phuket Gazette.
Our team brings you breaking news, in-depth analysis, and exclusive stories from Phuket, covering everything from local politics and business to lifestyle and tourism. Learn about the island’s stunning beaches, vibrant nightlife, and thriving expat community, as well as keeping updated on events, and attractions.
The Thaiger is your ultimate guide to staying connected with Phuket’s ever-evolving landscape. To keep up with the most reliable news source on the island, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on social media.
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5 hidden healthcare costs in Thailand and how to avoid them
Thailand's healthcare system is affordable and supported by the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) scheme, offering essential services to most citizens. However, hidden healthcare costs can surprise patients and lead to unexpected expenses. These include specialist fees, insurance gaps, emergency services,...
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Million baht of counterfeit and prohibited goods destroyed
Fake goods, real machine to destroy it all. About 3,000 counterfeit items, valued at more than one million baht, including prohibited imported goods, have been torched at the incinerator in Phuket Town today. The destruction of the fake goods was held this afternoon and led by Phuket Customs Office Chief Kanjana Suwachino. Khun Kanjana says, “This is the final step in cases involving…
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Power outage to hit parts of Karon
The Phuket Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) says they’re going to have scheduled blackouts in Karon on October 16. Residents of Karon are being advised that there is a scheduled power outages on the day from 7am to 5pm as the PEA continues its work on high power voltage systems in the area. Areas to be effected are area in front…
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Regular boat checks being enforced on Phuket
Thailand’s Marine Department says it has assigned more officers to check boats at every port and pier on Phuket. It’s part of a campaign to tighten regulations for tourist boats and also improve marine security after the tragic boat accident that killed 46 Chinese tourists in July. According to a report filed by the Tourism Authority of Thailand Newsroom, the…
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UWC Thailand presents free screening of “SCREENAGERS”
In keeping with UWC Thailand’s (UWCT) commitment to helping students, parents and the wider community develop a ‘Good Heart, Balanced Mind, Healthy Body’, the school is hosting a complimentary showing of the internationally acclaimed film ‘Screenagers’ for families across Phuket on Friday, November 2 at 8:30am. In ‘Screenagers’, as with her award-winning documentaries on mental health, Physician and filmmaker Dr.…
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Body found floating at Phuket Beach
PHOTO: Kusoldarm Foundation An unidentified body has been found floating at Nai Thon Beach, on the northern coastline of Phuket. Sakoo Police were notified of the discovery from Nai Thon Beach lifeguards around 4pm yesterday (Wednesday). Police along with the Phuket Tourist Police and rescue workers arrived to find the body of a foreign man who was only wearing swimwear.…
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Phuket boys return tourist’s cash and belongings
PHOTOS: Newshawk Phuket Yesterday two Phuket boys did the right thing and returned a small bag to Police after they found it at Khao Kard – an Ao Yon viewpoint in Wichit. Wichit Patrol Police were delivered the bag by 14 year olds Peerayut Chaitin and Arneen Yukunthorn. They are both studying at Phuket Wittayalai School. Police say the boys…
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Airport tips for cheapies – Bangkok
Heading out of Bangkok and looking for a few financial short-cuts? Getting to the airport, Don Mueang or Suvarnabhumi, needs a bit of planning. To get to Don Muaeng from the Bangkok on time a taxi is probably going to be your best bet. If it’s in one of the peaks the taxi can take the ‘top floor’ route which…
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Phuket vegetarian festival processions kick off
The famous, or infamous, Phuket vegetarian street processions have started. Thais, expats and foreign tourists enjoyed watching some of the processions during this morning’s rain. The festival is held until October 17 this year. This year’s Phuket Vegetarian Festival was announced in the Royal Thai Government Gazette as a ‘Phuket event of cultural heritage’. Read more about the launch of…
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Man, who drove off Patong Hill after allegedly killing wife, arrested
A man, who allegedly bashed his wife with a kitchen mortar at their home in Kathu, killing her on Monday, has been arrested. The man, who then sustained serious injuries after driving his car off the side of Patong Hill after colliding with a motorbike, was formally arrested yesterday. Kathu Police were notified on Monday that a woman had been…
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Overnight stays cancelled for Similan Islands
Environmentalists and marine biologists have scored another win for the local eco-system with the closure of the Similan Islands to overnight stays. Concern over degradation of coral reefs and the marine ecology of the Similan Islands, caused by polluted water discharged into the sea, is prompting the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plants Conservation to prohibit overnight accommodation on…
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Go Teng poles raised, Phuket Vegetarian Festival underway
Vegetarian Festival participants raised Go Teng poles at every Chinese shrine in Phuket yesterday afternoon. The 2018 Phuket Vegetarian Festival is now open and underway. Phuket Governor Pakkapong Tawipat attended the pole raising at the Jui Tui shrine to allow the Jade Emperor, one of the Nine Emperor Gods, to descend from the heavens – marking the start of the 2018 festivities.…
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Suspect drove off Patong Hill after killing wife
A man, who bashed his wife’s head against the wall, killing her, sustained serious injuries after driving a car, colliding with a motorbike and careering over the side of Patong hill yesterday around midday. The man has been identified as 42 year old Bancha Jaijan from Nan in northern Thailand. Kathu Police were notified that a woman had been killed at…
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Thailand Yacht Show & Rendezvous now joined by the Phuket Yacht Show
ONE united yacht show will now present next January in Phuket. Event organisers have united to show support for the yachting industry and Thai Government’s drive to make Thailand the yachting hub of Asia. Phuket’s one and only boat show is to be called “Thailand Yacht Show & Rendezvous.” In a joint statement issued today by Andy Treadwell, CEO of…
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Two suspects surrender to police
Two suspects, involved in the weekend’s Thalang murder, have surrendered to Chalong police after arrest warrants were issued. Read more about the crime that shocked the Thalang community HERE. The two suspects have been named as 20 year old Sutat Saarddee from Nakhon Si Thammarat while the driver’s name is 21 year old Jeerapong Jongchitklang from Nakhon Ratchasima. The arrest…
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Maya Bay compromise: “We’ll meet halfway”
The scientists say Maya Bay must remain closed until it has recovered from the rampant tourist ‘love’ and protective walkways and new landing piers can be constructed on the other side of Koh Phi Phi Ley. Tour operators say they’re going to suffer with the loss of the region’s most popular tourist attraction from their daily schedules. Krabi tourism stakeholders,…
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Unidentified body found in Phuket condo
Police are trying to identify a man who was found dead in a condominium in Wichit. Wichit Police were notified that the body of man was found in a room at a condominium in Ao Makham. Police arrived at the room on the first floor to find the body of a caucasian man, aged around 30-40 year old and wearing…
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Hands off Maya Bay
In one corner, marine scientists and biologists who are urging the government to keep Maya Bay closed as it struggles to rehabilitate following years of tourism abuse. In the other, local tour operators who say that the region’s main money-spinner has been taken away from them affecting their pockets and the many people they employ. Meanwhile Maya Bay is slowly…
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Vegetarian Festival price gouging arrives ahead of tomorrow’s festival
Vegetable prices have climbed up by a few baht per kilo ahead of the Chinese Vegetarian Festival, which will officially kick off tomorrow, principally in Phuket and Bangkok. Vendors at a fresh market in Bangkok believed vegetable prices would soar even higher during the festival, which runs up to October 17.The price of a kilo of celery, which cost around…
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250,000 baht in a day. Patong’s para-sailing business.
Following the death of Australian 70 year old businessman, Roger Hussey, in July 2017, and the subsequent investigation and promises for a ‘crackdown’ on the local parasailing industry, things appear to have settled back to ‘normal’. Again. Read about the tragic death of Mr. Hussey HERE. We have nothing against good people doing business in their own country. Most of…
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Ranong Ranger killed in suspected grenade blast
A Ranong ranger has been killed by a grenade blast at his official residence in the Muang district last night. Ranong is a five hour drive, north of Phuket, and borders Myanmar. 35 year old Sgt Supatthanachai Makprasit from the Narathiwat-based 48th Ranger Regiment, died from his injuries after being taken to Ranong Hospital. He had been involved in maintaining…
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Three alternatives to Maya Bay
“Stop complaining and take tourists somewhere else – National Park officials.” National parks officials, looking after the Phi Phi islands, say there are plenty of other great locations to visit besides just Koh Phi Phi Ley’s Maya Bay. They were responding to complaints from both tourists and tour operators. Tour operators say that the move to indefinitely close the famous…
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How is Phuket’s tsunami alert system working?
Last week’s Palu tsunami on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, has brought out some raw emotions again in Phuket and prompted questions as to whether the local alarm system is working properly – onshore and offshore. Tim Newton visited Patong Beach to check out the local systems and some of the facts behind tsunamis in the region… https://www.facebook.com/thethaigernews/videos/291301938153535/
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No vegetables are safe – Phuket Vegetarian Festival
The most colourful and vibrant celebration of the ninth lunar month of the Chinese calendar, the Phuket Vegetarian Festival 2018, is held from October 9-17. It also coincides with the Nine Emperor Gods Festival. In accordance with tradition, many religious devotees will strictly adhere to a vegetarian diet to ensure purification of the mind and body. They also traditional abstain…
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One of two tsunami warning buoys not working since October last year
One of the tsunami buoys, part of the warning system for the Andaman Coast, has been broken since last year. GMM 25 news quotes the Director of the the National Disaster Warning Centre (NDWC) Suppapimit Paorik as saying… “Only one Tsunami warning buoy is still working. There are two of them. One of them remains broken since October last year.…
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Faulty warning systems worries locals – Phuket
Since the deadly tsunami struck Phuket in 2004, local people have trained their ears to listen to any alerts from the local warning towers only to learn that the system does not work properly. “I don’t have much confidence in the warning towers system,” Kantima Datthuyawat, a masseuse on the Kamala Beach in Phuket province, lamented. She said she always…
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Phuket Governor inspects the Phoenix salvage site
Phuket’s Governor Pakkapong Tawaipat headed out to the scene of the salvation operations to recover the Phoenix, the boat that sank on July 5 causing the drowning death of 47 Chinese tourists. The Phuket PR Office says a team of officials, headed up by the new Governor, departed from Chalong Pier on a speed boat at 4pm yesterday to the…
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Tsunami risk is statistically very low
by Pratch Rujivanarom The chances of an imminent repeat tsunami in the Andaman Sea is remote, while the tsunami risk in the Gulf of Thailand is even smaller to nearly impossible chance, say leading seismologists in the wake of public tsunami fears triggered by the recent devastation in Palu, Indonesia. Nevertheless, say experts, the authorities, business sector and citizens in…
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Extensive dredging gives Royal Phuket Marina round-the-clock access
Royal Phuket Marina, working closely with the Marine Department in Phuket, have recently completed dredging of its marina basin and access channel, increasing the depth to two metres at the lowest tide and enabling motor boats up to 35 metres round-the-clock access. “The recent dredging program is part of our ongoing commitment to customers and our desire to drive Thailand’s…
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Bridge over troubled floodwaters – Kamala to Patong Road
Clean up efforts are well underway following damage to the Patong-Kamala coast road on Tuesday. A damaged bridge was checked yesterday. The Kamala Administrative Organisation (OrBorTor) has issued a temporary ban for the use of some damaged areas which are part of a hotel adjacent to the road’s main bridge. A team of officials, led by the Phuket Vice Governor…
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Two tsunami warning towers on Koh Phi Phi not working
PHOTO: Tsunami warning systems on Koh Phi Phi’s Ton Sai Bay – Daily News Two towers on Koh Phi Phi have tsunami warning systems that are not working. 700 people died on the island in the 2004 Asian tsumani that killed around 5,000 people along the Andaman coast of Thailand. Daily News is reporting that, just days after thousands were killed…
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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