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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Asian Beach Games: Thailand scores two gold in ju-jitsu
PHUKET: Thailand captured superb form to win two gold medals in the ju-jitsu competition at the 4th Asian Beach Games at Saphan Hin, near Phuket Town, yesterday. The first gold came from women’s martial art duo Suphawadee Kaeosrasaen and Kunsatri Kumsroi in their impressive 36-33 win over Pakistan’s Sundus Salam Khan and Maryam 36-33 in the final. Areewan Chansri and…
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Phuket police take down gang of shoplifting youngsters
PHUKET: Phuket police arrested a gang of seven, mostly teenagers, last night for shoplifting at several convenience stores in the Chalong and Rawai areas over the last month. The group, which called themselves noo pee, or ghost rat, targeted four convenience stores: Big One Rawai branch, SuperCheap Rawai, SuperCheap Saiyuan and Tesco Lotus on Wiset Road in Rawai. “The gang…
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Phuket’s Yacht Solutions named consultant for Statham blockbuster
PHUKET: The Phuket-based marine services company Yacht Solutions has been appointed marine consultant for Jason Statham’s next blockbuster movie, Mechanic: Resurrection, which is scheduled for cinematic release in January 2016. Shooting started in Bangkok with Statham reprising his title role as a master assassin who faked his death in an attempt to walk away from his former profession in order…
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Phuket police charge man with attempted rape of Australian tourist
PHUKET: Police have charged a man for the alleged attempted rape of an Australian tourist at a resort on Koh Maphrao, an island off the east coast of Phuket. “We have the man in custody. He surrendered to police after we sent many officers to the island after the woman reported the incident,” said Capt Nucharee Longkaew of the Phuket…
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Cobra caught creeping near Phuket school
PHUKET: Kusoldharm Foundation rescue workers snapped into action yesterday when a two-meter-long cobra was found outside of a house only 20 meters away from the Phuket Thaihua Asean Wittaya School. Watchara Srikacha and a few other rescue workers rushed to the scene on Wichit Songkram Road Soi 4, near the Darasamuth Intersection, after a resident notified them of the reptile…
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Video Report: BISP Soccer 7s get serious
PHUKET: There are people out there who complain that kids nowadays spend all their free time in front of the TV, on the Internet or playing gaming consoles. A visit to the British International School Phuket (BISP) grounds during the recent Soccer 7s tournament would surely prove those people wrong. With over 1,300 competitors and teams flocking to the island…
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Asian Beach Games: Turkmenistan captures first gold
PHUKET: Babamuratova Gulbadam from Turkmenistan captured the first gold of the 4th Asian Beach Games after beating Kazakhstan’s Leila Konuspayeva 4-0 in the final showdown of the women’s 52kg Sambo yesterday. Supatra Nanong became the first Thai athlete to win a medal at the Phuket Games, winning bronze in the sambo women’s 72kg competition following her exceptional 4-0 win over…
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Myanmar workers wanted for devastating cooking accident
PHUKET: Police are searching for a group of Myanmar workers whose rented house was gutted by fire this afternoon in a blaze that is believed to have started in a cooking accident. The fire broke out at the rented abode, located in a worker’s camp in Soi Patchanee, Rassada, at about 1:10pm. “Two fire trucks from Rassada Municipality were called…
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Asian Beach Games: Twelve gold medals up for grabs on first day
PHUKET: The curtain quietly rose on the 4th Asian Beach Games in Phuket today, with the gold-medal hunt starting at 9am in four sporting events: sambo, jujitsu, flag football and squash. The flag football competition is being contested at the Saphan Hin Sports Center. Sambo is being fought out at Karon Beach, featuring the 52kg, 82kg, 64kg, 68kg and 100kg…
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Phuket schools close for Asian Beach Games
PHUKET: Schools throughout Phuket have been ordered to close tomorrow and Friday to ease traffic congestion during the opening days of the 4th Asian Beach Games, which get underway on Friday. “Many parents might worry about how this might affect their children’s education, but I would like to state that we have made this decision to do our part in…
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Video Report: Phuket’s Beach Police roll into action
PHUKET: Provincial Police Commander Patchara Boonyasit today unveiled the latest in Phuket law enforcement: the Beach Police, resplendent in their polo shirt and shorts uniform, with sidearms, and mounted on their patrol bicycles. “Phuket is a famous tourist destination that has many beautiful beaches and we want to ensure people’s safety while they are on our beaches,” he said. “Safety…
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Patong bar owners defer “anti-extortion strike’, appeal to Phuket Governor
PHUKET: Bar owners in Patong, Phuket’s premier resort town, have gone back on a vow to close their doors for three days in protest of corruption and recent orders to close down at 2am, as it would cost them too much in could-be profits. A letter that was passed among bar owners in Soi Bangla and elsewhere in Patong stated…
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Asian Beach Games ceremonial flame arrives in Phuket
PHUKET: A special ceremony was held yesterday in Phuket Town to display and honor a ceremonial flame provided by HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej for good luck during the Asian Beach Games, which begin on Friday. The flame, called fai phra ruek, arrived at Phuket International Airport at about 3:30pm and was displayed on a float that paraded to Saphan Hin,…
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Phuket Police search for hit-and-run driver
PHUKET: Police are looking for a hit-and-run driver who struck a motorcycle on the road between Phuket International Airport and Thepkrasattri Road late last night. Police were notified of the incident at 11:05pm, said Lt Col Sanit Nookong of the Thalang Police. “We received a call from a passing motorist reporting that a woman had been an injured after being…
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Phuket Yachting: ACYC race series goes down to the wire
PHUKET: What a difference a couple of weeks make. After the light winds of the previous two Ao Chalong Yacht Club’s (ACYC) race series, this past Sunday was wet and windy. The happy result was lots of smiling, soaked sailors returning to the clubhouse absolutely over the moon that they had a serious sailing breeze of 20-plus knots to compete…
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Phuket Governor puts underpass construction on hold for Beach Games
PHUKET: Governor Nisit Jansomwong has ordered construction of the island’s first two underpasses to be halted during the Asian Beach Games, which begin on Thursday (story here), so that all lanes can be open for traffic. “Three lanes at the Darasamuth Intersection underpass [near Central Festival Phuket] will be open, as well as the road between Central Festival Phuket and…
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Russian-language guide arrested attempting to bribe Phuket Tourist Police
PHUKET: A man arrested on Saturday for illegally working as a Russian-speaking tour guide has been charged with attempting to bribe the Tourist Police officers who arrested him. Dmitrii Pindiurin, 27, from the Kyrgyz Republic, was arrested at the Karon View Point at 10:30am. “We were on the lookout for illegal guides when three foreigners arrived,” said Sen Sgt Maj…
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Save the pooches: 15-kilogram python captured in Phuket
PHUKET: A frightened Phuket resident fearing for the lives of his neighbors’ pets called rescue workers to capture a 15-kilogram python that was attempting to escape into a drain early this morning. Wuttikai Dartdean called rescue workers from the Kusoldharm Foundation and the local municipality to the scene – in a residential area west of the Heroines Monument in Thalang,…
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Poll: Should jet-skis stay on Phuket’s beaches?
PHUKET: Jet-skis are back on the beaches and back in the headlines. The latest news that jet-ski operators are allowed to continue renting their machines to tourists despite a notorious week of safety slip-ups – including the death of a Russian tourist – inspired a huge reaction from Phuket Gazette readers (story here). To better gauge public opinion on whether…
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Billion-baht Belgian pot dealer arrested in Phuket
PHUKET: Immigration officers arrested Belgian national Patrick Lagrou, 55, who was wanted on an Interpol notice as a fugitive drug dealer, as he was attempting to leave Phuket on Saturday night. Mr Lagrou is renowned as the biggest marijuana grower in Belgium’s history, amassing a fortune of 25 million euros – more than a billion baht – in assets before…
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Off the ball: The Broncos lose the battle against the Patriots
PHUKET: It may be hard to believe, but the National Football League (NFL) is more than half way through its 2013 – 2014 regular season. If one thing remains clear in this league of engineered parity, it is that the old adage “On any given Sunday, any team can beat any other team” not only remains valid for the league,…
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Laguna Phuket bestowed award from HRH Sirindhorn for Red Cross blood donations
PHUKET: Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, as the executive vice-president of the Thai Red Cross Society, has awarded a Certificate of Honor to Laguna Phuket in recognition of its long-term contribution and commitment to the Red Cross blood-donation program. Since 2003, Laguna Phuket has donated 1,376,550cc of blood from 3,059 associates who have participated in the resort’s quarterly…
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Phuket beach club dodges demolition, pending appeal
PHUKET: The local contingent of the Royal Thai Army yesterday called for the demolition of a Phuket beach restaurant to be halted while the owner’s appeal is heard in court. The Beach Club restaurant and the Baan Bussaba Massage & Beauty venue at Nai Yang Beach were both targeted for demolition under the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO)…
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Formula One heads to Brazil
PHUKET: Austin was a great race for Mercedes. Hamilton, passed Rosberg while he was taking a nap, and Ricciardo had a great race for Red Bull. So its on to Interlagos, located in São Paulo between two lakes, in the slums of Cidade Dutra. The track was inaugurated in May 1940. The first real F1 Brazilian GP was held at…
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Phuket officials play down rumors of foreign-teacher crackdown
PHUKET: Immigration and education officials doused rumors today that have been swirling around the Phuket foreign-teacher circles about a possible crackdown on teaching requirements and work permits. Chalam Attatham, director of the Phuket Primary Educational Service Area Office, confirmed that there would be no such crackdown on foreign teachers, and that all policies and requirements remain the same. “I have…
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Phuket warned of heavy rain, flash floods for the weekend
PHUKET: The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) Phuket office has issued a weather warning ahead of expected heavy rains and possible flash floods this weekend. “We received an official weather report from the Thai Meteorological Department [TMD] today, which forecasts increasingly heavy rainfall by this weekend,” said Santhawat Riwleung, chief of the DDPM Phuket office. “Please be prepared…
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Phuket worker seriously injured by electric shock, fall from building
PHUKET: One man is in critical condition at Vachira Phuket Hospital after he and a co-worker suffered severe electric shock and fell two stories from a building they working on in Patong this morning. Both men, whose identities have yet yet to be confirmed but are believed to be Myanmar nationals, were rushed to Patong Hospital after the accident. “We…
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Phuket underpass will not open in time for Beach Games
PHUKET: The Phuket Highways Office director has admitted that the underpass at the Darasamuth Intersection will not be complete in time to welcome the expected massive influx of tourists for the Asian Beach Games next week. He did, however, vow that the underpass, located beside the Central Festival Phuket shopping mall on the bypass road, would be complete by the…
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Phuket jet-skis to stay despite week of lethal danger, confirms Marine chief
PHUKET: Jet-ski operators will continue renting out their machines to tourists on the island’s beaches despite mishaps, injuries and the death of a Russian tourist killed in a jet-ski accident this week. Phuket Marine Office Chief Phuripat Theerakulpisut announced the news on Tuesday, when he explained to Phuket Governor Nisit Jansomwong that jet-ski operators could stay as long as they…
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Phuket butcher robs 7-Eleven at knifepoint
PHUKET: A local butcher robbed a 7-Eleven of 1,000 baht at knifepoint early yesterday morning, then used the stolen cash to pay for a prostitute, a deputy commander of the Phuket Provincial Police revealed today. Wichit Police received a report from the Tung Charoen 7-Eleven branch at about 4:20am. “There were three staff working at the time of the robbery,…
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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