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 5 hidden healthcare costs in Thailand and how to avoid them
Thailand's healthcare system is affordable and supported by the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) scheme, offering essential services to most citizens. However, hidden healthcare costs can surprise patients and lead to unexpected expenses. These include specialist fees, insurance gaps, emergency services,...
-
Police rescue driver from mob after two killed at Phuket’s ‘hundred bodies curve’
PHUKET: Police yesterday quickly whisked away the driver of a six-wheeled truck that killed two people and injured four others at Phuket’s notorious “100 bodies curve” on Chao Fa West Road, to spare him from the wrath of an angry mob. Uthai Pilaput told police that he was heading northbound at about midday when he lost control on the wet…
-
Black market coral trade takes hit as police seize more than 600 live samples in Phuket
PHUKET: Chalong Police are hunting coral poachers who abandoned a long-tail boat containing more than 600 illegally cut pieces of coral that were destined for the black market. Officers rushed to the scene yesterday morning after being tipped off by locals who had watched the suspects carry the coral ashore. Locals told officers that the suspects were waiting to meet…
-
Win a free flight with the Gazette Reader Survey 2014
PHUKET: In the 20 years since our launch on May 4, 1994, the Phuket Gazette has evolved from a 12-page monthly, hand delivered by its founder to Phuket’s then tiny expat community, into the 80-page weekly that it is today as part of the island’s leading multimedia news organization. We’ve been here for our readers through natural disasters, coups, booming…
-
Video Report: Phuket farmers gearing up for National Goat Fair
PHUKET: Local farmers are gearing up for the 11th annual National Goat Fair, which will be held in Cherng Talay from May 23-25. The fair will provide an opportunity for farmers to exchange knowledge, learn from experts and showcase their products. “The main goal of the event is to urge goat farmers to continue developing better breeding techniques to maximize…
-
Phuket drug dealer identified by hair loss, arrested
PHUKET: Police arrested a drug dealer in Rawai on Monday with more than 1,500 pills of ya bah (methamphetamine) and 57 grams of ya ice (crystal methamphetamine). A tip-off from undercover police that a balding man about 170cm tall was selling drugs in Rawai led officers to a house on Wiset Road at about 7pm. “The man who answered the…
-
Former Phuket police volunteer jailed for dealing meth
PHUKET: Long-term expat and former Tourist Police Volunteer Garry Halpin was sentenced to nine years and eight months in prison for overstaying his visa and dealing a Category 1 Drug to teenagers in southern Phuket. Because Mr Halpin confessed to the charges during his trial, his sentence was halved. The original fine of 500,000 baht is now 250,000 baht, and…
-
Royal Phuket Yacht Club to close in wake of takeover
PHUKET: The Royal Phuket Yacht Club, the iconic resort that has drawn tourists to Nai Harn Beach for 28 years, will close its doors on May 31 for a major refit following a takeover by foreign investors. The news was confirmed today by staff at the resort who have received formal notice that employment of all staff will be terminated.…
-
Superyacht hits bottom off Phuket
PHUKET: Sailors navigating around the south of Phuket are urged to exercise caution after reports surfaced of a 55-meter superyacht hitting an uncharted submerged object in the waters between Rawai Beach and Koh Bon. “[Members of] the local marine community are reminding boaters of the danger, following a number of incidents which have caused near sinkings,” reported Phuket yachtsman Bob…
-
Chalong cooks up Phuket favorites at annual food fair
PHUKET: The annual “Chalong Food and Entertainment Festival” kicked off last night opposite Wat Ladthiwanaram (Wat Tai) on Chao Fa East Road. The fair’s opening night boasted a cooking show, dance competition and concerts. “I would like to personally invite everyone to attend the fair,” said Chalong Mayor Samran Jindaphol. After a show from the Elderly Club and a grand…
-
French Embassy pushes Phuket Police to find Frenchman’s killer
PHUKET: Officers from the French Embassy are pushing for justice for Frenchman Fabrice Boigel, who was murdered in his sleep on April 18. Embassy officials met with Phuket’s top police officers yesterday to urge them to apprehend the prime suspect. Myanmar national Shwe Oo was arrested last Saturday and confessed to stealing from the murdered Frenchman (story here), but blamed…
-
Phuket pawnshop bolstered with B130mn as students head back to school
PHUKET: The state-run Phuket City Municipality pawnshop has been granted a budget of 130 million baht to exchange for goods as poor parents scratch to find the funds to send their children back to school. The budget last year was just 50mn baht, explained Suriya Ngasamun, an assistant at the Phuket City Municipality Pawnshop on Komarapat Road in Phuket Town.…
-
Threatened residents rise against temple donation scammers in Phuket
PHUKET: Thalang Police have warned Phuket residents against scammers asking for donations for temple development projects. The statement follows an incident in which Srisoonthorn residents who asked to see donation collection permits were threatened by the collectors. “Collectors often come to the Srisoonthorn market in the mornings to ask for money, claiming donations will go toward a temple development in…
-
Research team collecting Phuket corals mistaken as poachers
PHUKET: A group of six researchers studying the possibility of corals containing the key to curing cancer were mistaken as coral poachers by recreational divers at the popular Phuket dive spot Koh Dok Mai on Monday. “The divers were using tools to remove hard and soft corals and fans from the wall on the east side of Koh Dok Mai,”…
-
Phuket residents warned about sewage dumping
PHUKET: Governor Maitri Inthusut has warned residents and restaurant owners in the Soi Paniang area, north of Phuket Town, that they will be prosecuted if they are caught releasing untreated waste water into the Bang Yai Canal. “If Rassada residents are so concerned about environmental standards, they shouldn’t release untreated waste water into a public waterway,” he told a community…
-
We all have the swing in us
PHUKET: Gilles Duboueix, a professional golf coach and mental trainer, claims that we all have the swing in us, we just need to discover it, and he’s here to help. Having spent the past seven years working both with amateurs and professionals, he shares the secrets of his technique with the Gazette, proving that the most important part of a…
-
Phuket woman impaled by her mattress
PHUKET: Rescue workers from the Kusoldharm Foundation responded to an unusual plea for help yesterday afternoon: a woman had been impaled by her mattress. The rescue team arrived at an unnamed apartment building opposite the Bangkok Bank branch on Thepkrasattri Road, south of Satree Phuket School in Phuket Town, at about 5:30pm. “When we arrived, we heard a woman howling…
-
Light-fingered Phuket woman undone by iPhone app
PHUKET: Phuket Police used a location app today to track down within 10 minutes a woman who had stolen a Danish tourist’s iPhone. Michael Dybdahl, 51, from Denmark, reported that his iPhone was missing to the Patong Police at 11:30am. “He said a woman visited his room at Bangla House last night, but he could not find his phone after…
-
Local flowboarders head to Singapore
PHUKET: Phuket’s rising stars are set to depart our sunny shores for another installment in the new sport of flowboarding (surfing on an artificial wave) when they head to Singapore for the the final round of the Asian FlowJam series at Sentosa Island, Singapore. Locals may know that Annissa Flynn, who won the Asian Women’s surfing trophy in 2012 when…
-
Chinese tourists, skipper injured in speedboat collision off Phuket
PHUKET: Four Chinese tourists and one Thai national were injured yesterday after two speedboats collided at the docks on Koh Khai Nok, off the east coast of Phuket. “The Nontasak was heading toward the pier at about 3pm and crashed into the Star Andaman, which was carrying 32 Chinese tourists, as it was reversing from the pier,” said Lt Col…
-
Local sailors head to the Top of the Gulf Regatta
Leading Phuket yachtsmen Scott Duncanson and Alfie Rowson are travelling to Pattaya this week to compete in the 2014 running of the prestigious Coronation Cup. The royally affiliated regatta is held annually at Ocean Marina, Jomtien, in celebration of His Majesty the King’s accession to the throne. Now in its 19th year, the event is unique in that competitors race…
-
PACC anti-graft squad begins investigation of Phuket police extortion allegations
PHUKET: More than 10 officers from the Public-sector Anti Corruption Commission (PACC) are on the island investigating allegations that Chalong Police officers extorted money from the Phuket dive community. The team arrived in Phuket yesterday and have yet to set a date for their departure, the team’s lead investigator, who asked not to be named, told the Phuket Gazette. “We…
-
Frenchman murdered in his sleep, confesses suspect
PHUKET: French tourist Fabrice Boigeol was bludgeoned to death in his sleep, Myanmar national Shwe Oo confessed yesterday. The body of Mr Boigeol, 37, was found in a pool of blood partially under a mattress in a room at the Moragot Resort, located off Saiyuan Road in Rawai, on April 18 (story here). After days scouring the area for clues,…
-
Lifeguards walk off Phuket beaches as PPAO drops ball on contract
PHUKET: Lifeguards abandoned the island’s tourist beaches today after the Phuket Provincial Administration Office (PPAO) failed to break the deadlock surrounding a 22-million-baht lifeguard contract that expired yesterday. “Since the contract has ended, it is no longer our responsibility to patrol the beaches. All 108 lifeguards have quit their jobs,” Phuket Lifeguard Club President Prathaiyut Chuayuan told the Phuket Gazette…
-
Phuket blockade over “100 bodies curve’
PHUKET: A blockade on Chao Fa West Road, lasting nearly three hours, was lifted yesterday afternoon after Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut agreed to have short-term safety measures installed at the dangerous “100 bodies curve” within five days. A temporary barrier, warning lights and safety signs will be erected at the curve, Governor Maitri told the press. “As a long-term solution,…
-
Phuket’s black wastewater oozes toward tourists
PHUKET: Alarmed officials are concerned how the weather has turned the flow of black wastewater from a canal at Bang Tao toward a beach area where tourists swim. “All tourists are afraid to swim here. They are going to Layan Beach instead,” said local resident Jumnong Korkaew. When Governor Maitri Inthusut inspected the site on April 12 (story here), the…
-
Phuket teens waive police brutality claim
PHUKET: Two of the three teenagers allegedly struck by police officers investigating the rape of a pregnant woman in Phuket last Sunday night have publicly declared that the officers never struck them. The declaration was made during a public meeting this morning at Provincial Hall in the presence of Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut. “Police did not hit or threaten any…
-
Phuket faces no lifeguards on beaches as contract debacle ebbs on
PHUKET: There may be no lifeguards patrolling Phuket beaches on Monday if compromise is not reached between the island’s lifeguard club and Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (PPAO) over the new, hotly-debated 22-million-baht club budget. Though the current contract expires today (April 27), Phuket Lifeguard Club President Prathaiyut Chuayuan is holding firm to his desire to increase salaries for his staff…
-
Road-raged Russian attacks Australian tourist, knocking his teeth out
PHUKET: A Russian national has been charged with attacking an Australian tourist walking down the street with his family on Wednesday night. Police were called to the scene by customers at the nearby Spice House Restaurant on Karon Beach at about 9:30pm, said Maj Theeradech Jiruksa of the Karon Police. The Russian, 27-year-old Evgenii Baturin, had already fled the scene…
-
QSI Kid Expo kicks off this Sunday
PHUKET: Prep the kids for this Sunday because QSI International School Phuket will hold its first-ever “Kid Expo” from 1-5pm. Dozens of local business will be on-site offering services and activities for children, aiming to provide “everything a family needs” in one place. The expo will see companies offering an enormous range of activities aimed at young children and teens,…
-
Phuket Pride Week’s Grand Parade to block beach road on Sunday
PHUKET: Phuket Pride Week 2014 will go out with a bang on Sunday with its Grand Parade – the highlight of the eight-day event – marching down Patong’s beachfront road. The beach road will be blocked during the parade, which starts at 3pm at Soi Tan and will present a plethora of floats, fantastically dressed people, street entertainment and music.…
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.