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.
-
Sponsored Is tap water in Thailand safe to consume?
Wondering if you can drink the tap water in Thailand? From brushing your teeth to filling up a bottle, it’s helpful to understand a few basics. Tap water safety in Thailand varies by location, and while some people use it...
-
Jet-skis to rule roost for high season
PHUKET: Jet-skis will continue to offer their services on Phuket beaches this high season, Phuket Governor Nisit Jansomwong confirmed yesterday. “We will be implementing the same zones as last year to separate jet-skis and swimmers to ensure everyone’s safety,” Governor Nisit said. “I am aware that a lot of people do not want jet-skis on our beaches, as they have…
-
Phuket prepares for King’s Cup Regatta 2015
PHUKET: The island is readying its sails for the King’s Cup Regatta 2015, which will take place off of Kata Bay from December 5 to December 12. Hosting international racing classes, the event will see more than 150 boats and 1,500 sailors competing for one of sailings most prestigious trophies. Inaugurated in 1987 to celebrate the 60th birthday of HM…
-
Russian man found dead in swimming pool
PHUKET: A Russian man was found dead near his swimming pool this morning after his friend discovered him unconscious in the water. When police arrived at the house on Moo 2 in Rawai, they found Oleg Ten, 65, on the ground near the pool, confirmed Capt Patiwat Yodkwan of the Chalong Police. “We found no signs of a struggle and…
-
Gov Nisit vouches for Chamroen’s beach management judgment
PHUKET: The new governor will make the right choices for Phuket’s beaches, vowed outgoing Phuket Governor Nisit Jansomwong today. “I believe that Chamroen Tipayapongtada knows Phuket much better than I do, as he is a native. I think his policies will be what’s best for Phuket,” Governor Nisit told the Phuket Gazette. Gov Nisit will leave his post on Wednesday,…
-
Egco ready to fill power supply gap, if Krabi coal plant fails
KRABI: Electricity Generating (Egco) is well positioned to take part in the bidding for new power plants if the government’s coal-fired power projects fail to get off the ground, says its outgoing president. Sahust Pratuknukul said that if the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (Egat) was unable to proceed with its Krabi and Thepha coal-fired projects in the South, Egco…
-
A Decade Ago: AA saves families, lives – test yourself
PHUKET: The 4-billion-baht pipe to bring water to Phuket from the Chieo Lan Reservior in Surat Thani was a ‘done deal’ according to Deputy Interior Minister Somchai Sunthornvat, a decade ago. The mega-project was going to be the nail in the coffin for the island’s water worries and was expected to be completed in just 18 months. However, 120 months…
-
Big wave sweeps fisherman from Phuket rocks
PHUKET: Phuket Marine Police have failed to find a fisherman who was swept from a rock outcropping on Kamala Beach last night “Due to the current weather, it has been very difficult to conduct a thorough search,” said Phuket Marine Police Chief Panya Chaichana today. “Rescue workers and Kamala Police Officers searched the area as soon as Prayat Janmee, 50,…
-
One dead, one injured in Kamala motorbike crash
PHUKET: One woman is dead and another seriously injured after the bike they were riding crashed on a steep downward slope as they entered Kamala last night. “We’ve yet to identify the deceased. However, the other woman had an ID card on her, which named her as Yanika Midseang, 22,” said Lt Col Somneuk Dumkaew of the Kamala Police. “She…
-
Ten rescued from teetering Phuket yacht
PHUKET: Phuket Marine Police helped dislodge a yacht stranded on a submerged rock outcropping off Koh Nai Nui yesterday afternoon, following the rescue of ten people from the boat. “The boat, Pim Praw, might have just settled onto the rock as the tide went out,” Phuket Marine Police Chief Panya Chaichana told the Phuket Gazette. “We were called to the…
-
Human-trafficking crackdowns return empty handed
PHUKET: The two-month crackdown on human smuggling and human trafficking on the island came up empty handed, despite several such cases ‘organically’ surfacing just last year. Last June, two debt-trapped Cambodians were freed from Phuket Town after officers were tipped off by one of the victim’s relatives (story here). Earlier that year, a 10-year-old Cambodian boy and his 6-year-old sister…
-
Russian tourist’s stolen phone recovered
PHUKET: A Myanmar national was arrested yesterday after being tracked down in Kathu for allegedly stealing a mobile phone from a Russian tourist. Dmithy Surkov, 32, reported that his phone was stolen from Patong Beach on September 12, said Phuket Tourist Police Chief Urumporn Koondejsumrit. “We tracked down the phone on September 19, when we were able to see that…
-
Special Report: Paddling against child abuse
PHUKET: A great white shark knocked Damien Rider from his paddle board during one of eleven shark encounters he faced as he paddled 800 kilometers from Rainbow Bay, Gold Coast, to Bondi Beach, Sydney, in January 2015. However, the demon that he was battling wasn’t below the ocean’s surface, but in the vivid world of abuse that he endured as…
-
Python enjoys breakfast at Governor’s Residence
PHUKET: A massive python was caught gobbling up a chicken in the hen house at Phuket Governor Nisit Jansomwong’s Residence this morning. “Inside the chicken coop we found the engorged snake. It was barely able to move after having eaten the whole chicken,” said Nantapong Klaithin, a Kusoldharm Foundation rescue worker. Governor Nisit was not at home during the commotion,…
-
New route set to reduce Bang Khu traffic jams
PHUKET: In an effort to reduce traffic congestion at the Bang Khu underpass construction site (where the bypass road intersects with Thepkrasattri Rd, at Toyota Pearl), officials are testing a new route that requires switching off traffic lights at the normally busy intersection. Starting on October 1, motorists heading from town to Koh Kaew will have to turn left and…
-
Scotsman found dead in Patong rental room
PHUKET: A Scottish tourist was found hanging from a wire inside the closet of his rental room in Patong this morning. The body of 45-year-old Michael William Smith, born in Edinburgh, was discovered by an employee of the residence and a friend, confirmed Lt Col Jongserm Preecha of the Patong Police. “His friend, who lives next door, came to ask…
-
Phuket dolphinarium scores import permit
PHUKET: The unopened Nemo Dolphinarium in Chalong has secured permission from the Department of Fisheries in Bangkok to import dolphins and other marine animals for the hotly-contested Phuket attraction. “We are now working on importing the animals for the show. However, we have yet to confirm how many will be allowed for the performance,” said the dolphinarium project manager, who…
-
Filipino fugitives to be deported
PHUKET: Two of the Philippines’ most wanted’ fugitives were handed over to Phuket Immigration last night for deportation, Lt Col Jamroon Plaiduang confirmed today. Joel Reyes, former governor of Palawan, and his brother, Mario JR Reyes, former mayor of Coron, were arrested in Phuket on Sunday. The pair are wanted for the 2011 murder of environmental activist Gerry Ortega (story…
-
Navy tables limits for island tourism
PHUKET: The Royal Thai Navy tabled the idea of limiting the number of tourists to islands in the Andaman region, including Phi Phi Don, in order to promote environmental sustainability. “We are concerned that not enough is being done to preserve our nation’s environment, which is essential to the tourism industry,” said Sayan Prasongsamrej, commander of the Royal Thai Navy…
-
Male nanny off the hook for alleged baby rape
PHUKET: The results of an autopsy confirmed that there were no signs that a baby boy who died in April had been raped by a male nanny, as had been alleged. Somsak Yakob, 38, was alleged to have raped and killed a 1-year-old boy in Phuket Town. He had called and told the child’s mother that her son had fallen…
-
China-based social media to unlock door to FIT Chinese
PHUKET: Key Opinion Leaders (KOL) and Chinese-based social media applications are the key to unlocking access to the high-end Free Independent Travellers (FIT) for Phuket, experts told a packed room at the American Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM) Thailand seminar last week. The in-bound Chinese market for Thailand is booming with more arrivals between January and June this year than all…
-
Ammonia leak scares Rawai locals
PHUKET: After a string of complaints, municipality officials found that a water plant in Rawai had been leaking ammonia into the main canal on Sunday. Rawai Mayor Aroon Solos received complaints from locals on Saturday, claiming that they suffered itchy eyes and sore noses after a strong ammonia smell was allegedly coming from The Crystal Drinking Water plant. “By the…
-
Owner yet to come forward in Thalang bovicide
PHUKET: A woman escaped serious injury after her car collided with a cow in Thalang this morning. Thanyaluck Plongnirat, 26, was heading to the airport at about 5am when the accident occurred, Lt Kraisorn Boonprasop of the Thalang Police told the Phuket Gazette. “I was on my way to catch a flight when I saw a shadow try to pass…
-
Andara’s new project bags 4 awards
PHUKET: Further entrenching the Andara brand on the island is the sweeping of four awards for the developer’s latest entry in Kamala, Andara Signature Resorts and Villas, at the Thailand Property Awards 2015 last week. Building up on the huge success of the 26 Andara Villas and 37 Andara Residences, the new phase was named Best Villa Development (Phuket); Best…
-
Missing IUU vessel now chased internationally
PHUKET: The ongoing search for the illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing vessel that slipped through the fingers of Phuket officials earlier this month (story here) is now the subject of an international pursuit, confirmed Vice Admiral Sayan Prasongsamrej, commander of the Royal Thai Navy Third Area Command yesterday. “As soon as we received the report that the vessel had…
-
Officials reveal plans for Surin beachfront makeover
PHUKET: Cherng Talay Administration Organization (OrBorTor) President Ma-ann Samran has revealed his dream project for Surin’s beachfront after the current land encroachment cases have been settled. “Originally I planned to have a public park, activity space and a walkway, as well as a stadium,” Mr Ma-ann said. “The plan was submitted to the governor several months ago with an estimated…
-
Philippines’ ‘most wanted’ arrested in Phuket
PHUKET: Former Palawan Governor Joel T Reyes and his brother Mario Reyes were arrested in Phuket on Sunday, according to a Philippine Daily Inquirer police source. The source, an official of Task Force Usig, the tracker group assigned to catch big-name fugitives from the Philippines, said that the Reyes brothers had long been wanted for the slaying of Palawan environmentalist…
-
Video Report: Phuket guides demand action
PHUKET: About one hundred tour guides descended upon Phuket Governor Nisit Jansomwong today, demanding that they be allowed to partake in the investigation into illegal tour guides and that the governor evaluate the performance of the current director of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports (MOTS) Phuket Office. “We are following up on promises made last year about foreign tour…
-
Property Watch: Pitfalls in Thai property market
PHUKET: Inevitably I have seen a fair amount of unethical and immoral behavior in Phuket connected to my work and the experiences of clients. This, combined with the huge changes in the Phuket business, infrastructure, development and demographics, has led me to conduct a quick mental check on where we stand in Phuket when it comes to morals, and how…
-
New 3D smartphone app aims to help tourists – but not in Phuket
PHUKET: Thailand’s Tourist Police launched a new smartphone application last week in hopes of improving service and convenience for tourists – but not for those on the tourist island of Phuket. The augmented reality application, ‘Thailand Tourist Trips and Tips AR Book’, enables tourists to use their smartphones to learn about the basics of Thai culture; to get tips on…
-
Chinese tourists saved from sinking boat
PHUKET: More than a dozen Chinese tourists and a speedboat crew were safely rescued after their boat sank near Koh Kai this weekend. The 16 tourists were on their way to Phi Phi from Phuket when their speedboat, Papangkorn, struck an unknown object causing the boat to take on water, Phuket Marine Police Chief Panya Chaichana told the Phuket Gazette.…
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.
Don't forget to check out some other things to do in Thailand - get help starting a business or finding a job in Thailand, buy Thailand property, rent a yacht or book a medical procedure worldwide.