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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Minister battles devastating illegal fishing practices
PHUKET: New fishing regulations are to hit Phuket as Thailand looks to close legal loop holes and enforcement issues being abused by illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishers. Experts estimate that the global value of economic losses from IUU fishing range between $US10 billion and $US23.5bn annually, reported US-based National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in 2011. “IUU fishing poses…
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Man slashed in break-and-enter, claims fleeing teen gang attack
PHUKET: Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding a man who was found bleeding profusely in a stranger’s home in central Phuket early this morning. Officers arrived at the home, in the Permsak Villa estate in Baan Manik, Thalang, at about 2:30am. “When we arrived, we found Channarong Unong, 25, on the ground bleeding in front of the house,” said Lt…
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Epileptic crabber drowns on the hunt in Phuket
PHUKET: An epileptic man drowned while catching mole crabs at Mai Khao Beach yesterday afternoon. Uthai Wongpen, 45, was pulled from the water by Centara Grand Hotel lifeguards on patrol in the area. “We were told by eyewitnesses that Mr Uthai was catching mole crabs in knee-deep water, when he suddenly collapsed into the sea. He was floating in the…
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Mother, sister join Navy search for missing American tourist
PHUKET: The mother and sister of missing American tourist Joshua Devine today joined a search by air for their lost loved one, who disappeared from a dive boat off Phuket on April 11 (story here). Mr Devine’s mother, Marie Gallant Major, and his sister Jennifer Bakowski boarded a Royal Thai Navy helicopter after being briefed on the search efforts at…
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Phuket Police bust major dealer, seize more than B7m of drugs
PHUKET: A major Phuket drug dealer was arrested with more than 7 million baht of drugs in Phuket Town on Friday night after police were tipped off by one of her sellers. Thammarat ‘Ken’ Matte provided police with the nickname and clues to the location of his supplier after he was arrested with 400mg of ya ice (crystal methamphetamine) earlier…
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Phuket teen gun-maker shoots self in leg
PHUKET: An 18-year-old man accidentally shot himself in the leg while assembling a homemade gun at his house in Mai Khao on Saturday evening. Anuphong Phuangjan was taken to Thalang Hospital for treatment after police were notified of the incident by his neighbors. “He was assembling a handgun made from parts of a BB gun when he accidentally shot himself…
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Energy officials target Phuket’s power hungry
PHUKET: The Ministry of Energy will launch a campaign that aims to reduce Phuket’s power consumption by 10 per cent within six months. The campaign will target hotels, shopping malls and condo projects – and government offices, explained Pramoul Chanpong, an inspector with the Ministry of Energy. “Phuket is one of the top three power users in all of Southern…
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F1: The Bahrain challenge – tyres, team rivals and turns
PHUKET: Shanghai provided the exact result I forecasted: Lewis Hamilton followed by Nico Rosberg and Sebastian Vettel, with Kimi Raikkonen well in contention. In fact, the safety car may have stopped any further attrition by the Iceman. It was nice to see Kimi back in form. I speculated before Shanghai about how close Williams could get to Ferrari. The answer…
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Deputy PM calls for Phuket light rail to serve the beaches
PHUKET: Deputy Prime Minister MR Pridiyathorn Devakula yesterday told the governors of five Andaman provinces that he would like to see the Phuket light-rail project serve popular beaches on the island. “In my opinion, having the light rail expanded to serve the beaches would be a good idea,” Deputy PM MR Pridiyathorn said. “A lot of people visit the beaches,…
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Phuket security boost for royal visit
PHUKET: Security will be ramped up across the island during a royal visit by HRH Princess Chulabhorn Valayalaksana to Phuket next week. Princess Chulabhorn will arrive at Tessaban 2 Baan Kathu School at 1:40pm on April 26 as one of the final stops during her tour of Princess Mother’s Medical Volunteer Foundation centers in Krabi, Phang Nga and Phuket, from…
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Phuket man overrun with debt found hanged
PHUKET: Police are treating the death of a 60-year-old man found hanged at a housing estate in northern Phuket this morning as a suicide. Aphisit Nomrit, 13, found the body of his father, Mr Sommai, inside a wastewater-treatment room at the Karn Keha public housing estate in Thalang at about 9:30am. Mr Sommai lived and worked as a security guard…
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Phuket officials prepare to call off search for missing US diver
PHUKET: Officials leading the search for missing US diver Joshua Michael Devine are preparing to call off their efforts if they fail to find any clues by end of day, Sunday. Mr Devine went missing from the Chontara 1, a Similans-bound liveaboard, on April 11. He was travelling with his wife, Ms Thadsana, and 22 other divers (story here). Officers…
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No charges over boat collision off Phuket
PHUKET: Police will not press any charges over the incident in which a dive boat and a sailboat collided heavily north of Koh Mai Thon, east of Phuket, last Saturday. On returning to Phuket last Saturday afternoon, the captain and crew on board the sailboat Starship alleged that the dive boat North Star struck their vessel and fled after throwing…
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Ronins shot down by Air Force Central
PHUKET: The island’s Phuket FC is looking to rebuild their confidence after their 2-0 loss away to Air Force Central (AFC) FC on April 8. AFC supporters had to wait until only the 19th minute to roar with delight as the Bangkok squad’s Nigerian midfielder Julius Obioh slotted the ball into the net after receiving a superb cross from fellow…
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Phuket readies for Gran Fondo road race
PHUKET: About 150 riders will take to the streets of Phuket this Sunday for the Thanyapura Gran Fondo, a 120km bicycle road race to be headed by Tour de France green jersey winner Baden Cooke. “Among the cyclists travelling to Phuket to join the major event are the women’s bike team W2 from Bangkok and lots of Phuket cyclists as…
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Phuket lifeguards back on beaches “within a week’
PHUKET: Lifeguards are expected to be back on duty at Phuket’s beaches within the coming week, the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (PPAO) has announced. The news follows Phuket Governor Nisit Jansomwong yesterday signing his approval for the PPAO to expedite the process of hiring lifeguards by directly negotiating with the Phuket Lifeguard Club (PLC). “I signed my approval as soon…
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Phuket top cop labels bomb threat via Line a “rumor’
PHUKET: The island’s top cop has brushed aside a Phuket car bomb threat circulating on social media sites as only an unsubstantiated rumor. Nonetheless, the governor has asked that police boost security measures throughout the island. The increased security measures follows a message being passed through the Line application and social media sites that urges readers to be weary of…
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D-Day for Surin Beach businesses swiftly approaches
PHUKET: The deadline for 39 Surin Beach businesses, including several iconic beach clubs, to appeal eviction notices handed down by the Cherng Talay Tambon Administration Organization (OrBorTor) is swiftly approaching, confirmed Cherng Talay OrBorTor President Ma-ann Samran. “The deadline to appeal to the Administrative Court is Saturday. We will be going to Surin Beach on Monday to find out whether…
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No Phuket deaths recorded for Songkran Seven Days of Danger campaign
PHUKET: Phuket ended the national Seven Days of Danger road-safety campaign for the Songkran New Year festival with no fatalities to report. The campaign drew to a close at midnight last night with a final tally of zero road deaths and 58 injuries during the week-long holiday, reported the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) Phuket office. Last year,…
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Officials ramp up search for missing American diver
PHUKET: Officials ramped up their search yesterday for an American diver who went missing from a Similans-bound liveaboard on April 11. Joshua Michael Devine, 36, a civilian IT operative working at a United States military base in Kuwait, was on the CRP Transport diving trip with his Thai wife, Thadsana, and 22 other divers (story here). The Phuket Marine Police…
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Japanese tourist drowns on Krabi snorkelling tour
PHUKET: A tourist who owns a cosmetic company in her native Japan drowned while snorkelling at Koh Gai, off the Krabi coast, yesterday. “Akemi Kato, 52, was pulled from the water at about noon,” said Capt Prapan Nhuchaikaew of the Krabi City Police. “Ms Kato was one of 10 tourists on a speedboat tour run by Ao Nang Orchid Co…
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Drunk drivers targeted as Phuket police relax enforcement on Songkran bans
PHUKET: Police in Phuket targeted drunk drivers, arresting hundreds of people driving under the influence yesterday, while relaxing their efforts to enforce other banned Songkran activities, the Phuket Gazette was told today. Prior to yesterday’s celebrations, a nationwide ban that Phuket police said that they would be strictly enforcing was put on sexy outfits, sexy dancing and rolling water-fight trucks.…
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Alleged Phuket tour fraudster a no show – arrest warrant issued
PHUKET: An arrest warrant has been issued for a man who is wanted for allegedly defrauding a Phuket tour company of about 1.5 million baht. The warrant for Peerapat ‘Deer’ Singhon, 25, was issued after the alleged fraudster failed to present himself to police on April 7. “As Mr Peerapat failed to present himself in accordance with the police summons,…
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No deaths on day five of Phuket’s Seven Days of Danger
PHUKET: The island escaped another day in the Seven Days of Danger road-safety campaign without a single death yesterday. By the end of day five, at midnight last night, 49 people had been injured in a total of 48 road accidents, according to the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Phuket office (DDPM-Phuket), which collates all road accident statistics in…
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Phuket search continues for missing American diver
PHUKET: The Phuket Marine Police are continuing their search today for an American scuba diver who went missing from a Similans-bound liveaboard early Saturday morning. Joshua Michael Devine, 36, a civilian IT operative working at a United States military base in Kuwait, was on the CRP Transport diving trip with his Thai wife and 22 other divers. “We arrived in…
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Changing winds: Minister puts weight behind changes to boost marine tourism
PHUKET: A special task force has been formed to come up with viable suggestions for changes to visas and yacht-charter regulations to help boost marine tourism in Phuket, with a working deadline for rolling out the changes by 2016. “The task force comprises officials from relevant government agencies, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Tourism and Sports and…
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Myanmar worker hospitalized following electrical leakage
PHUKET: A Myanmar worker was injured by an electrical shock from a metal wall divider inside a Phuket worker camp in Cherng Talay yesterday. The 28-year-old man, named only as ‘Mr Ao’, was taken to Thalang Hospital by Kusoldharm rescue workers following the accident. “He was at his place when he touched a metal sheet that we used to separate…
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Zero road deaths as Phuket enters day five of ‘Seven Days of Danger’
PHUKET: The island has made it more than halfway through the nationwide ‘Seven Days of Danger’ road-safety campaign for Songkran without a single death. By the end of day four, at midnight last night, there were 34 people injured in a total of 33 road accidents, according to the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Phuket office (DDPM-Phuket), which collates…
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Comment: Gazette Forum back on line after major revamp
PHUKET: Critics, complainers, doomsayers, drifters, fraudsters, panhandlers, trolls and all the other intellects lurking among the cognoscenti of Phuket, can get back to their keyboards. The island’s largest online forums are back up and running after a major revamps. The Phuket Forum was taken off line earlier this month as record traffic, mostly from the local marine department, cops and…
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Fishing boat explosion leaves seven crew seriously injured
PHUKET: Seven Myanmar fishermen were seriously injured after a battery allegedly exploded, sparking a fire inside their fishing boat off the coast of Phang Nga early this morning. One of the Myanmar nationals, whose name was withheld by hospital staff, is in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Vachira Phuket Hospital after he sustained severe burns to his entire body,…
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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