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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Sponsored Infinito helps hotels in Thailand with revenue management
Maximising revenue and profit–isn’t that the ultimate goal for every business in the hospitality industry? If you run a hotel, you might have heard that revenue management is an effective way to boost your top-line revenue. It involves using data...
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Close to 2,000 illegal foreigners in Phuket not deported
Phuket Police Commander, Pol Maj Gen Teerapon Thipcharoln has revealed that about 1,730 cases of illegal foreigners in Phuket ‘discovered’ by local police from many police stations across Phuket were not handed to Phuket Immigration Office and the cases are being investigated. The total criminal cases where foreigners were arrested from October 2016 – October 2017 is 2,415 people with…
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THAIGER TODAY Tuesday, November 14
HRH Princess Sirindhorn opens conference in Phuket | Thailand’s annual road toll increases | Checks on Patong Beach smoking ban | APEC doesn’t sanction Myanmar over Rohingya | Removal of ‘red flags’ on Thai airlines | HM The King sends a gift to ‘Toon’.
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Authorities check the smoking ban along Patong Beach
The Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) Director General, Chatuporn Burutpat, along with his team, visited Patong Beach to follow up on the cigarette prohibition now in force on the famous tourist beach. 26 smoking spots were set up along the 3 kilometre stretch of beach by Patong Municipality last week. The Director General and Patong Mayor, Chalermluck Kebsup,…
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HRH Princess Sirindhorn opens astrophysics conference in Phuket
HRH Princess Sirindhorn Chaired the 11th International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics (IOAA) 2017 hosted at the Duangjitt Resort in Patong. The opening ceremony was arranged for yesterday morning (November 13). A number of Phuket authorities including Phuket’s Governor, the Patong Mayor, Rawai Mayor and the Dean of Prince of Songkla University welcomed HRH Princess at the ceremony. The IOAA…
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THAIGER TODAY Monday, November 13
Some retailers ‘not playing fair’ | HRH Princess Sirindhorn in Phuket | APEC kicks off in Vietnam | 200 year old Siamese cannons found | Another fatal bus crash in Bangkok | Rubber planters call off BKK protest.
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Two killed in eight hours on Phuket’s roads
Accident on Patong Hill killing one this morning At about 2 am this morning (November 13), Kathu police got a report of a pick-up truck that had an accident hitting an electric pole killing the 35 year old driver, Wittaya Chanadet, while the passenger suffered from injuries and was taken to Hospital. The passenger was not named. Police revealed that…
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Government crackdown uncovers 100,000 illegal immigrants
The 95 arrested in Phuket last week for overstaying their visas could be just the tip of a 100,000 person iceberg, according to the country’s Deputy PM Prawit Wongsuwan. 62 Indians, 11 Pakistanis, 6 Egyptians and 16 foreigners from other nationalities were rounded up last Friday by immigration police whilst 15 Phuket-based police are being being asked to ‘please explain’ why…
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Vachira wants to be paid before Stacey can leave hospital
PHOTO: 9news.com.au “Last night she told 9NEWS that animals walked freely through the hospital wards and said the family was worried about the risk of infection so soon after Ms Liddle’s surgery”. An Australian woman who could lose her leg after a horrible scooter accident in Thailand (Chalong, Phuket) fears being held hostage over her hospital bill (at Vachira Hospital).…
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Phuket Immigration Police arrest 95 illegal foreigners, mostly overstayers
Today (November 10), Phuket Immigration Police announced the results of a crackdown with 95 foreigners arrested, mostly on the basis of overstay. The mix of nationalities comprises 62 Indians, 11 Pakistanis, 6 Egyptians and 16 foreigners from other nationalities. 70 of them were overstaying (the longest one is 2,000 days or nearly five and a half years) while 24 others…
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15 Phuket police officers under investigation over bribes allegations
Deputy Police Commissioner General Pol Gen Srivara Ransibrahmanakul An investigation has been launched against 15 police officers in Phuket accused of taking bribes from illegal immigrants. Deputy Police Commissioner General Pol Gen Srivara Ransibrahmanakul said he had been assigned by the national police chief to head the probe into allegations that local police, tourist police and immigration police in Phuket…
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THAIGER TODAY Friday, November 10
Suspicious object found at Phuket Airport | Phuket Gateway V2.0 launches soon | Police investigate Ayutthaya fatal crash | Huge hauls of drugs and illegal animal products overnight | Ponzi scheme seminar held in Phuket Town. And our bike helmet challenge!
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Suspicious item found near the Phuket International Airport
A suspicious item, that looked like a M67 grenade, was found at a taxi queue next to the Phuket International Airport last night (November 9). The object was in a perfect shape with the bolt wrapped in blue tape. The team covered the item using old tyres and cordoned off the scene from the public. Phuket International Airport’s EOD team…
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The Laverty’s Little Lie – how NOT to scam your insurance company
PHOTO: express.co.uk When we first saw this story, not provided by one of our reporters but from a UK provincial rag, we were suspicious. We contacted the local police. Nothing. We asked other reporters around the island. Nothing. We re-published the article with the caveat that we were trying to verify the facts with local police. We weren’t the only…
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Phuket Gateway 2.0 to be ready next month
Phuket Gateway will be ready to kick off on December 12 this year and is expected to be the welcoming landmark of Phuket at the top of the island providing useful information to travelers. This morning (November 9) Phuket’s Governor, Norapat Plodthong, chaired a meeting to follow up on the project – the Phuket Gateway at Thachatchai – which was…
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THAIGER TODAY Thursday, November 9
Governor cracks down on Kamala | Five killed in van crash | Flash floods in Prachuap Kiri Khan | Bangkok voted #2 for tourism.
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Billion baht sports & conference complex to be built at Mai Khao Beach
Phuket’s Governor led a team to visit 150 rai of land on Mai Khao Beach today (November 8) to review the plans to build a sports complex with a 900 – 1,000 million Baht budget from the budget year 2019. The sports complex is expected to attract more sports tourism to the island featuring a sports centre, exhibition hall and…
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3 day old baby left at Phang Nga hospital
PHOTO: Takuapa Hospital in Phang Nga – THMaps.com A healthy 3 day old baby has been dumped in a Takuapa hospital’s ER section along with 2,000 Baht in cash. At about 9pm on November 6, at Takuapa Hospital in Phang Nga, a baby was found next to a medicine room. He is 2.6 kilograms and estimated to be only 3…
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No ifs or butts. Smoking ban starts on Patong Beach.
Patong City Council has designated 20 smoking areas along Patong Beach to comply with the smoking-ban-on-the-beach policy of the Marine and Coastal Resources Department (MCRD). The Patong City Administration Organisation opened the smoking areas in order to encourage people not to smoke and drop cigarette butts on the beach, and instead support the department’s new policy. Patong Beach is among…
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23 day tax break to stimulate economy
The Cabinet on Tuesday approved a 23-day tax break for consumers to boost shopping activities nationwide by an estimated 10 billion baht and stimulate the economy. The Finance Ministry will lose about 2 billion baht in personal income tax collection as a result of the campaign, but the retail and other sectors will probably gain a combined 10 billion baht…
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UPDATE: Krabi rape case
The results from a complete body examination of the 15 year old girl from Krabi, who was allegedly raped by her stepfather for five consecutive years, will be ready in one month. The President of Muslims for Peace revealed that the stepfather also forced her to get an abortion when he realised she was pregnant. “The relatives told me that…
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178 rai at Layan & Laypang beaches to be public park
Phuket’s Governor has set up a committee to work on the 178-rai land’s issues at Layan and Laypang beaches. He’s made it quite clear… “businesses and whoever is occupying the beach land must move out”. “We will enforce the law according to the court to evict them. First of all,we will announce that it is illegal from now on to…
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THAIGER TODAY Tuesday, November 7
Veterans urge NCPO not to start political party | Khon Kaen hotel owner sues water authorities | Mystery over 50 year old Brit ‘bashed in Phuket’ | Mystery over Phuket’s ongoing bad weather…will it come? Today at the Melbourne Cup Charity function raising money for Phuket Has Been Good To Us and Good Shepherd Foundation.
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15 year old allegedly raped by stepfather for 5 years
Muslims for Peace Foundation rescued a 15 year old girl who alleges she was a rape victim of her 67 year old stepfather for 5 years. The Foundation as well as the staff of Krabi Children and Family Shelter brought the girl to the police on November 2 claiming that she had been raped since she was 10 years old…
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Gulf of Thailand battered – heading towards the Andaman Sea, north of Phuket
(There is an update from the TMD at the bottom of this article – the tropical depression is weakening as it moves across the landmass from Gulf of Thailand towards the Andman Sea, north of Phuket) A severe weather warning was issued for the South Eastern Region on Monday, as the Meteorological Department forecast heavy rain for the entire region,…
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Supreme Court says Layan beachfront is ‘public land’
PHOTO: y Travel Blog Today the Phuket Gazette visited Layan Beach following the verdict in the Thai Supreme Court that confirmed that the land, where six beach restaurants and businesses continue to operate, was public land. The land in question spans the an entire 3 kilometre frontage including stretches of Layan and Laypang beaches and covering some 178 rai of…
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50 year old Brit’s dream holiday turns into a nightmare
A dream holiday turned into a nightmare for a husband and wife when he was robbed at gunpoint and left so badly hurt he needed emergency surgery. Mik Laverty was mugged during he and wife Denise’s first full day in Thailand and now the couple’s friends are raising money towards his treatment and to help get them home. Mr Laverty…
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THAIGER TODAY Monday, November 6
Layan Beach restaurants poised for eviction following loss of Supreme Court battle | No selfies with ‘Toon’ please | 65 year old woman finds a partner after posting an ad on her gate | Hua Hun-Pattaya ferry service suspended today | Local tour boat capsizes with 16 on board.
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Fake land deeds in Krabi
UPDATE on the fake land deeds in Krabi… The Village Chief, Sucha Wansuk, said that after checking, the land deeds were indeed fake with the name of dead people and fake signatures on them. “One of the title deeds for 7 rai has the name of the owner as Malem Pankwan, who passed away at least 10 years ago,” said…
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AoT airports increase traffic 6% in past 12 months
A total of just over 129 million passengers travelled through the six airports operated by the Airports of Thailand in 2017, a 7.73% increase from the previous year (September 2016 – September 2017). The six airports operated by the AoT are Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang, Phuket, Chiang Mai, Hat Yai and Mae Fah Luand in Chiang Rai. From September 2016 to…
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Supreme Court says Layan beachfront is ‘public land’
PHOTO: y Travel Blog Today the Phuket Gazette visited Layan Beach following the verdict in the Thai Supreme Court that confirmed that the land, where six beach restaurants and businesses continue to operate, was public land. The land in question spans the an entire 3 kilometre frontage including stretches of Layan and Laypang beaches and covering some 178 rai of…
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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