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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Heavy drinking blamed for Brit’s fatal tuk-tuk tumble
PHUKET: Excessive alcohol consumption has been blamed for the British woman’s fatal fall from a Phuket tuk-tuk during the early hours of Sunday morning. The sole witness to the incident, Paul Henry Fortuna, 30, told police in his statement that 29-year-old Elizabeth Corrigan was feeling sick from drinking and attempting to cross from her side of the tuk-tuk to his…
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Nai Harn prepares for ‘Phuket Countdown 2016’
PHUKET: Tourism Authority of Thailand officials are preparing for this year’s ‘Phuket Countdown 2016’ at Nai Harn Beach with five days of events leading up to the ‘final sunset’ at Promthep Cape. Celebrations will include stage performances from local schools, celebrities and a band from the Royal Thai Navy. “Phuket is known as the Pearl of the Andaman. We aim…
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Police parade down Soi Bangla to inject confidence into Phuket tourists
PHUKET: Boots hit the ground in unison on Tuesday as Phuket police officers paraded down the island’s premier party destination, Soi Bangla, to boost tourists’ confidence in public safety during the holidays. “Police must remain vigilant throughout this time. The high season of Phuket is in full swing as we celebrate Christmas and New Year – both of which are…
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Starwood and Grand Bay announce new Sheraton Phuket Grand Bay Resort
PHUKET: Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide Inc recently announced an agreement made with Grand Bay Hotel Co Ltd, owned by Apex Development Public Co Ltd, to unveil their joint collaboration on the Sheraton Phuket Grand Bay Resort, slated to open in January 2019. The newest resort will support Sheraton’s 2020 goal of adding 150 hotels to their franchise in the…
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Police withhold key witness’s statement about Brit’s deadly tuk-tuk ride
PHUKET: Police declined to reveal any information procured from the statement of the sole witness to a British woman’s death after she fell from the back of a tuk-tuk in Phuket. “We have yet to rule the death a murder, accident, or result of reckless driving or anything else at this point,” said Kamala Police Superintendent ML Pattanachak Jakkapan. “We…
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Island prepares to “Light Up Phuket’ to honor tsunami victims
PHUKET: The world’s eyes will be on the Andaman coast this Saturday, as Thailand honors the victims of the Indian Ocean Tsunami, which devastated the region’s coastline on December 26, 2004. Remembrance services will be held at the Tsunami Memorial Wall in Mai Khao, on Patong Beach and Bang Tao Beach, as well as at Phuket Provincial Hall and in…
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Video: Phuket crash victim pummeled by oncoming truck
PHUKET: A 60-year-old man was hit by a truck moments after staggering to his feet from a motorbike crash on Thepkrasattri Road in Phuket on Sunday. CCTV video recorded Kan Sawaengkaew, 60, attempting to cut across multiple northbound lanes toward a u-turn point and crashing into 23-year-old Chinese national Chuai Cher. Both crash victims were sent skidding across the empty…
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Officers seize illegal umbrellas, mats from Phuket beach
PHUKET: In the wake of an anonymous complaint to the Governor’s Office, officials seized about 100 illegal beach mats and umbrellas from Surin Beach this morning. “We sent a team of about 30 officers in a joint mission to the beach after receiving a complaint that the beach vendors were breaking the rules,” Cherng Talay Police Superintendent Serm Kwannimit told…
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5-meter python caught at Phuket Villa 5 estate
PHUKET: Rescue workers last night caught a 5-meter-long python at the Phuket Villa 5 housing estate, near Kajonkietsuksa School in Wichit. “We received a report from security guards at Villa 5 that a big python was moving around the streets in the estate,” said Phuket Ruamjai Rescue Foundation Chief Saiyan Thamaphan. It took rescue workers only five minutes to bag…
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Foul play not ruled out in death of unidentified woman
PHUKET: Police have yet to rule out foul play in the death of an unidentified woman whose body was found floating in a Rassada canal this morning. Officers believe that the woman had been dead for two days before her body was discovered by villagers. “At this point, all we know is that she is about 150-160 centimeters tall and…
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One killed, one injured after motorcycle plummets into canal
PHUKET: One Myanmar national was killed and another injured after their motorcycle plummeted into a canal in Wichit yesterday. Police believe that Zin Kyaw Kyaw Lat Jaw Lar, 32, and his passenger Thin Thin Maw, 37, were on their way back from shopping when they lost control of their motorcycle on a curve and plunged into the water near Suan…
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Phuket police yet to question key witness of fatal Brit tuk-tuk incident
PHUKET: Police have yet to question the only witness to the death of a British woman who fell from the back of a Phuket tuk-tuk in the early hours of yesterday (Sunday) morning. Elizabeth Corrigan, 29, was allegedly inebriated as she and a foreign man, who police decline to name, made their way from Soi Bangla in Patong to their…
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Surin Beach demolition stalled yet again
PHUKET: The expected end-of-year demolition of buildings on Surin Beach has been delayed, according to Phuket Vice Governor Chokdee Amornwat. “There are many documents that the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization [PPAO] need to review and prepare before demolition begins, as some of the buildings at Surin were built by the government,” Vice Governor Chokdee told the Phuket Gazette. “There will…
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Phuket landing a first for European budget airline into Southeast Asia
PHUKET: Eurowings, Lufthansa Group’s long-haul budget airline, spearheaded its push into Southeast Asia this morning as its inaugural Cologne-Phuket flight landed at Phuket International Airport. The flight marks the first European low-cost carrier to link with Southeast Asia. Eurowings will fly Airbus A330s, with a capacity of 380 passengers, on the route twice a week. Christian Hein, senior vice president…
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Mum denounces Phuket teacher for alleged child abuse
PHUKET: The mother of a student at Satree Phuket School accused a teacher of abusing her 14-year-old daughter on December 14. Chomphunut Bunsophap claimed in a Faceook post that a teacher, who she did not name at the request of the school, struck her daughter in the back of the head with a hard-backed book as a form of punishment.…
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18-wheeled Phuket truck bursts into flames
PHUKET: The cab of an 18-wheeled truck burst into flames while south bound on the bypass road in Phuket at about 1:15 this afternoon. The driver of the truck, Sanit Kartmek, 43, was not injured in the incident. “At this point, we assume that the fire was caused by a short circuit in the vehicle. However, we will investigate further,”…
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Escaped TB prisoner surrenders to Phuket police
PHUKET: Police last night surrounded the house where an escaped prisoner was hiding, forcing him to surrender. Nimit Jindamanee, 45, was on the run after he managed to free himself from his restraints and elude his custodian at Vachira Phuket Hospital. He was admitted to the hospital on September 28 in order to be treated for tuberculosis and immune deficiency…
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Digging starts at Chalong Underpass site
PHUKET: Construction workers have started digging drainage ditches on each side of Chao Fa West Road for the Chalong Underpass project, the Phuket Highway Department confirmed yesterday. Work started on December 17, closing one south-bound lane of Chao Fa West Road. “It will only take us 15-20 days to put in the drains along a two-kilometer stretch of the road,”…
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Governor attempts to revive Phuket International Convention and Exhibition Center
PHUKET: The Phuket governor is attempting to resurrect the Phuket International Convention and Exhibition Center (ICEC) after the plan was killed during the Yingluck Adminsitration’s rule. “I am willing to breathe new life into this project in Mai Khao; as a member city of Thailand’s MICE [Meetings, Incentive Travel, Conventions, Exhibitions], the only thing we are missing to fully comply…
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Police hunt for escaped Phuket prisoner
PHUKET: Police are searching for an escaped prisoner who bolted from Vachira Phuket Hospital while receiving treatment today. Nimit Jindamanee, 45, is on the run after he managed to free himself from his restraints and elude his custodian. He was admitted to the hospital on September 28 in order to be treated for tuberculosis and immune deficiency issues. “A committee…
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Ministry of Farang Affairs: Footloose driving skills
The Ministry of Farang Affairs is a one-stop shop where foreigners in Thailand can learn all they need to know about living here. No, we’re not talking about work permits, visas or taxes. We’re talking about day-to-day life in the Land of Endless Shocks and Riddles, of Blur, Befuddlement and the Bizarre. Stay tuned for weekly insights from Minister Stephff.…
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Police work to identify victim of single vehicle crash
PHUKET: Officials are looking to identify one of the two victims of a single vehicle crash in Chalong early this morning. Police believe that Chiang Rai native Surapong Sae-lee, 24, lost control of his pick-up truck at a curve near King Power Phuket, causing him to slam into a utility pole. The impact killed both Mr Surapong and his passenger,…
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Brit beaten by Patong tuk-tuk driver
PHUKET: Police have charged a Phuket tuk-tuk driver for savagely beating a British national over a discrepancy in the price of a ride in Patong on December 15. “William Joseph Kamarell, 22, explained that a tuk-tuk driver had picked him up at Soi Bangla in Patong and took him about five kilometers to where he was staying on Nanai Road,”…
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Phuket to host “Southern Architectural Expo 2016′
PHUKET: The Association of Siamese Architects under Royal Patronage (ASA) is hosting the ‘Southern Architectural Expo 2016’ in Phuket from January 29-31. “The theme of the event is Yapp Roi (South Up) which is meant to reflect and promote the identity of the south,” said Prachya Sukkaew, the vice president of the ASA Southern Office. Mr Prachya explained that education…
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A Decade Ago: Renewed spark of hope
PHUKET: A decade ago on page one, the Phuket Gazette told the story of a renewed spark of hope that filled the souls of Sascha and Patchara Meissmer, as they re-launched the search for their young daughter, Solitaire, who went missing in the 2004 tsunami. “On December 26, I held onto Solitaire as tightly as I could, but the second…
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“Missing’ British backpacker gone diving on Phi Phi
PHUKET: Phi Phi Police located a British backpacker, who was reported missing by deeply-concerned family members after an unnerving ‘final’ phone call, as he was signing up for a scuba diving course on the tropical island at about 4pm yesterday. Jordan Lewis Jacobs, 21, has been on the road since September 2014, having postponed his return to the United Kingdom…
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Three killed in Krabi plantation dispute
KRABI: One police officer and two other people were killed when they attempted to evict a group of squatters from a heavily-disputed, 8,200-rai oil palm plantation in Krabi on Tuesday. The men were named as 45-year-old Payaprasit Suvannman of the Thungsong Police in Nakhorn Sri Thammarat; Veerasak Kuekaew, 50; and Preecha Kuedam, 44. A fourth man found at the scene,…
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Hilltribe member arrested after impersonating tourist police officer
PHUKET: Police arrested a man belonging to a northern hilltribe on Tuesday, after receiving several complaints about him impersonating a tourist police officer. Police were informed that Kersiv SaeJang, 35, was going to different hotels in the area and asking for discounts. “We were able to track down Mr Kersiv with a phone number that he had left with one…
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Asia News Network, Phuket Gazette win Google gold for tsunami publication
PHUKET: The Asia News Network / Phuket Gazette joint publication on the 10th anniversary of the Indian Ocean Tsunami won a gold medal at the 6th Digital Media Awards, presented in Hong Kong on November 18 by Google and the World Association of Newspapers and Publishers. The publication, entitled “Ocean’s Fury: Are We Ready?” was presented and submitted by The…
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Phuket complaint center rolls out mobile unit
PHUKET: In an effort to quickly resolve complaints made to the Damrongdhama Center (ombudsman’s office), the Phuket governor launched the ‘Rapid Damrongdhama Unit’ yesterday. Currently, complaints filed with the office are forwarded to relevant officials. It then takes anywhere from a few days to a few weeks for residents to see results. However, the new unit is designed to expedite…
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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