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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Thailand is a popular destination known for its dynamic culture, stunning beaches, and bustling cities however, travellers can face unexpected travel emergencies that include medical issues, road accidents, petty theft, and natural disasters. To ensure a safe and enjoyable trip,...
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Clean Phuket toilets to impress Songkran tourists, say officials
PHUKET: Armed with brushes and detergent, Phuket officials put on gloves and face masks to scrub down some of the island’s public toilets in an attempt to impress Songkran tourists this month. Last week, Tourism and Sports Minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul and Public Health Minister Piyasakon Sakolsattayatorn launched the WC OK: Happy Tourist Toilet campaign in Bangkok, which has since trickled…
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AccorHotels acquires DoubleTree Resort in Surin
PHUKET: AccorHotels announced on April 1 its expanded partnership with Destination Resorts Co Ltd to take over management of DoubleTree Resort by Hilton Hotel Phuket Surin Beach. Under the new management deal, the resort has now been re-branded as Novotel Phuket Surin Beach Resort, bringing to eight the number of AccorHotels managed by Novotel Resorts in Thailand. “The Novotel brand,…
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Home robbers murder Phuket woman
PHUKET: Two suspects were arrested last night for murdering a woman during a home burglary in Phuket on Saturday. The body of Ubon Romporee, 49, was found by her 11-year-old son in their home in Pa Khlok Saturday afternoon. “Ms Ubon had been stabbed multiple times and had her throat cut,” confirmed Thalang Police Superintendent Chanuchan Cholsuwat. “We have arrested…
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Bangkok Ombudsman pushes for Samkong underpass completion
PHUKET: After months of delays, the Samkong underpass is expected to be open later this month and be fully operational by May, it has been confirmed. Inspectors from the Ombudsman Office in Bangkok visited the construction site yesterday and confirmed the underpass should be open to traffic within the next few weeks. Boon Tapanadul from the Bangkok Ombudsman Office was…
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Fire threatens forest, leisure facilities in Cherng Talay
PHUKET: Fire fighters were called out this morning to tackle a blaze which broke out in Cherng Talay and threatened to spread to nearby forest and damage a golf course in the area. Witnesses say the fire started at about 11:00am. Cherng Talay fire chief Teerapol Sakpracha told the Phuket Gazette that fire fighters managed to bring the blaze under…
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Interior Ministry designates Phuket as pilot province for social enterprise initiative
PHUKET: The Interior Ministry has designated Phuket as a launch pad for a new government-backed social enterprise initiative to help grass-roots businesses flourish and contribute to bolstering the local economy. On a visit to Phuket to officially launch the nationwide initiative on March 31, Interior Minister General Anupong Paochinda said the aim of the initiative was to increase income for…
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Phuket airport retailers forced to drop prices
PHUKET: Phuket International Airport has slashed the cost of drinking water on sale inside its terminals by 75 per cent and has launched lower priced menus to appease hungry travellers on a budget. Under pressure from irate tourists complaining on social media about the high costs of food and drink inside the infamous airport, the Ministry of Commerce ordered the…
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Video Report: Animatronics attraction lands in Phuket
PHUKET: Life-like dinosaurs, giant spiders and aliens have landed in Phuket on board the space ship Ghostinium; a new high-tech animatronic attraction which opened at Central Festival East today. The new indoor exhibition featuring a variety of robotic creatures is located on the third floor of the shopping center next to Homeworks. “Ghostinium offers a great, fun way for kids…
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Mysterious fire guts house in Chalong
PHUKET: Authorities are trying to track down the owner of a house in Chalong that was gutted by fire this afternoon. The fire broke out at about 12:45pm at the single-storey residence situated in a row of terraced houses in Soi Songkun. “We believe the house is rented out by a foreigner, who was last seen leaving for work this…
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Phuket beach makes cut for best in the world
PHUKET: Kata Noi Beach wiggled its way into the TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice awards for best beaches in the world this year. The west-coast beauty spot ranked third best in Asia while Nai Harn Beach was awarded 6th place. Not too far behind Phuket were Phra Nang Beach and Railey Beach – both in Krabi. Kata Noi was also awarded first…
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B468k electricity bill shocks shophouse owner
PHUKET: The owner of a small shophouse in Vichit was shocked to get an electricity bill for almost half a million baht this week. Boonlert NokBanjong, 48, who has never paid more than 2,000 baht a month to power his single-storey shophouse, was stunned when his bill for March arrived demanding 468,182.82 baht. “I only use one air conditioner,” complained…
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Man fires gun in Phuket shellfish dispute
PHUKET: A Myanmar national was beaten to the ground inside a Phuket school after having discharged a firearm in a shellfish dispute at a nearby local market today. The 20-year-old man, named by police only as ‘Suriyan’, allegedly pulled the homemade gun on 64-year-old fresh food vendor Somjai Utsaha. “Mr Suriyan allegedly attempted to shoot Mr Somjai after he refused…
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A Decade Ago: Airline safety no April fools joke
PHUKET: The April 1, 2006 edition of the Phuket Gazette was no joking matter, as the European Commission (EC) blacklisted the now-defunct Phuket Airlines due to safety concerns. However, even as the Gazette went to press a decade ago, the company had applied to launch another airline, to be called Holiday Airplanes. Phuket is no stranger to horrific airline crashes,…
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Phuket’s top chefs to serve up a show at Lighthouse Market
PHUKET: The Lighthouse Market returns to the Boat Lagoon and this time it’s bigger, better… and tastier. Over the last two years, the Lighthouse Market has introduced great outdoor dining and fun activities in a fantastic atmosphere. Now, to keep things exciting for the third edition in 2016, the market is bringing out the big guns: this Friday and Saturday…
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Monkey attacks on tourists spark official action
PHUKET: Park officials concerned about the changing behavior of macaque monkeys on Monkey Beach have erected signs urging tourists not to feed the wild animals. “When the monkeys see a tour boat stop, they gather and move toward the tourists. If the tourists don’t have any food, the monkeys get agitated, sometimes biting or scratching them,” explained Sarayuth Tanthien, chief…
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Video Report: Beach Volley Festival Phuket hailed slamming success
PHUKET: The Thai national team was knocked out of the professional men’s final of the Thailand Beach Volley Festival Phuket as the USA/Brazil team dug into the sands and spiked a win against the Russian/Guam team. Brian Chappy and Danillio Lamparlio took the top place in the men’s finals. The professional women champions were Yupa Phukrongploy and Orawan Auying. Nearly…
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Disputed beach access road built on private land
PHUKET: The vice governor of Phuket confirmed on Tuesday that a local developer is within its rights to block off a public road leading to Laem Nga Beach in Rassada after it was revealed that the road was built on private land owned by Laem Nga Development Co Ltd. An investigation into the road closure was sparked after locals submitted…
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Reader Photo Contest: Dumped in Paradise
PHUKET: We want to know the story behind your trashy pictures… and we’ll reward you for it. The Phuket Gazette is proud to announce the launch of ‘Dumped in Paradise’ – an eight-week competition where we are calling on you to help get Phuket out of the trash can. The procedure is simple: Step 1: Take a photo of waylaid…
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Video Report: Ultraman champ splashes into ‘Swim Around Phuket’
PHUKET: Swedish Ultraman World Champion Jonas Colting splashed into Phuket’s waters this morning with the goal of swimming around the entire island in eight days. Mr Colting led a group of swimmers, including four-time triathlon World Champion Chris McCormack, on the first leg – 14 kilometers – of the ‘Swim Around Phuket’ challenge. The endurance swim will take place from…
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Animal welfare campaigners resubmit Milo case
PHUKET: National park officials yesterday resubmitted to Phuket police the alleged wildlife-trafficking case of Milo the orangutan. Officials spent a month preparing the case after it was initially rejected due to lack of evidence. Phuket Zoo management stonewalled officers investigating the disappearance of the 13-year-old orangutan ahead of a raid, and her subsequent discovery in a locked cage deep in…
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Phuket investors dream big with world’s highest Ferris wheel
PHUKET: The world’s highest Ferris wheel will be built in Phuket, investors announced this afternoon. “The Giant Ferris Wheel will break the record for the highest Ferris wheel in the world. It will be Phuket’s land mark,” said Igor Protasov, the chief executive officer for Thai Business Development Co Ltd (TBD). Currently, the highest Ferris wheel in the world is…
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Phuket drug bust leads to two arrests, four still at large
PHUKET: Thalang Police arrested two women and are searching for four other suspects after a raid yielded more than 40 kilograms of kratom leaves in Mai Khao last night. Police were alerted to the goings-on when neighbors filed a complaint about suspected drug activity at the residence. “When we arrived, we saw four men flee the scene,” said Thalang Chief…
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Marine committee proposes temporary closure of 32 dive sites
PHUKET: A joint committee on March 25 called for the temporary closure of 32 diving spots in the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea in a bid to protect against coral bleaching. The move is part of a group of four proposals the committee made to relevant authorities. The panel comprises representatives from the Department of Marine and Coastal…
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B3mn Phuket longtail bursts into flames
PHUKET: Police suspect a battery caused an explosion and subsequent fire that destroyed a longtail boat worth 3 million baht in Phuket last night. “The boat was parked along a section of mangrove forest near the Bang Rong Pier in Pa Khlok when it caught fire at about 11pm,” said Phuket Marine Police Chief Panya Chaichana. “There was nobody on…
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Finnish woman died after night out in Patong
PHUKET: Police are still piecing together the circumstances around the death of a teenage Finnish woman whose body was found in Phuket yesterday afternoon. Ida Maria Bexar, 19, fell from the rooftop of the Good Dreams Guesthouse onto the roof of a nearby building in the early hours of the morning. However, her body was not discovered until that afternoon…
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First Phuket Balloon Music Festival ready to rock [video]
PHUKET: Get ready to soar as Phuket holds its first ever Balloon Music Festival from April 14 to 17, with clear skies and more than six popular bands lined up for the event. “There will be more than 20 balloons participating in the festival at Phuket Paradise Park, near the British International School Phuket. We have received positive feedback from…
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Suspected Phuket meth user dies behind bars
PHUKET: A man arrested for the possession of ya bah (methamphetamine) early this morning was pronounced dead about an hour after being put behind bars in Phuket. Yagareeya Hadohloh, 29, was picked up for the possession of one ya bah pill in Patong. He was processed and put in a Patong Police Station cell just after midnight. At about 1:15am,…
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Body on Phuket beach identified as British superyacht builder
PHUKET: Police have identified the body found on a Phuket beach this weekend as the British builder of the 31-meter superyacht Raja Laut. The body of Georges E K Carraz, 66, was found on Surin Beach by two passersby at about 7am on Saturday (story here). Nearby, police found a rental car in the name of Winai Sawatdeesarn. “Mr Winai…
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Divers to cough up extra cash for Phi Phi marine park fee
PHUKET: Officials expect to start collecting an additional 200 baht per diver in April for those plunging below the surface of the Phi Phi marine national park. Park officials currently collect a national park fee of 400 baht per person. However, scuba divers will now have to pay a total of 600 baht, confirmed Sarayuth Tanthien, chief of the Hat…
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Phuket police hunt bank machine vandal
PHUKET: Police are hunting a man who allegedly damaged an Automatic Deposit Machine (ADM) at a Bangkok Bank in Patong early this morning. Police were alerted to the incident after a local found the damaged machine near the Mae Ubon Market on Nanai Road. “According to the witness, he saw a man leaving the area as he drove up to…
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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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