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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Phuket python nabbed after exposing itself
PHUKET: Construction workers breaking the floor of a new house in order to remake it were shocked when instead of earth they saw the tail of a snake through the broken concrete. Kusoldharm foundation workers who were called to the site on Palien Road (map here), behind Provincial Hall this morning managed to capture the snake on their second attempt.…
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Garden variety motorbike arson near Phuket viewpoint
PHUKET: A motorbike was burned to a crisp near the Kata View Point on Phuket’s west coast yesterday afternoon, possibly the result of a feud between two gardeners. Karon Police responding to a 4pm call found the black skeleton of Parichat Prasertlo’s green Honda Dream about 200 meters off the coastal road near the tourist-popular scenic vantage point. Ms Parichat…
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Leaders fight to consolidate in King’s Cup before final day’s racing
PHUKET: The fleet set sail following the Royal Thai Navy sail pass on day four of the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta in light rain; the first such weather pattern of this week of racing. The key element though was brisk wind which was constantly shifting direction making for a high work-rate day for all of the crew members (numbering almost…
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British tourist withdraws complaint of spiked drink in Phuket
PHUKET: The British woman who told police that she tumbled from the second storey balcony of her Phuket hotel room on November 11 because she was given a spiked drink on Soi Bangla has asked police not to pursue the case. Extensive media coverage of the night’s events, which included 21-year-old Romany Mitchell’s claim that she was escaping an assailant…
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Phuket government maintains workflow despite protest closures
PHUKET: The main government offices in charge of keeping the island’s economy ticking over have reported no major disruptions to workflow despite the more than week-long closure of Provincial Hall. Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut agreed to close Provincial Hall on November 27, acquiescing to the firm request by thousands of anti-government protesters who rallied in front of the building (story…
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Phuket Immigration vows strictness on retirement visa requirements
PHUKET: Phuket Immigration has vowed to become stricter in its enforcement of retirement visas for married couples by upholding a law that came into effect in November 2008. The law states that foreign retired couples must each show evidence of 800,000 baht in their bank accounts in order to apply for or renew retirement visas, Phuket Immigration Inspector Napat Nusen…
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CCTV shopping images set police on trail of Phuket ATM thieves
PHUKET: Police have identified the men who robbed a Phuket ATM on Tuesday and are seeking arrest warrants. Based on CCTV images from a construction material store in Thalang, Phuket Police were able to identify the men purchasing supplies for the crime, which used a blowtorch to cut the back off the ATM. “We started by looking at CCTV images…
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Patong police make appointment for drug arrests
PHUKET: The arrest of one drug user in Patong on Monday morning allowed police to make an appointment with five other druggies later in the day. Acting on the orders of Phuket’s top cop to arrest anyone suspected of drug use, officers in Patong approached Komsak Tongsin, 21, in front of a SuperCheap store on Phrabaramee Road because he “looked…
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Ray Roberts eyes fourth King’s Cup trophy after Day 2 and 3
PHUKET: Cooler weather brought slightly lower wind speeds for the third day (December 4) of the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta, creating conditions that required good tactical decisions from all of the teams. In the IRC0 class, Ray Roberts’ OneSails Racing team continued their exceptional form to secure another win today in race four, and a 2nd place in race five,…
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Special Report – Thailand secretly dumps Myanmar refugees into trafficking rings
Special Report PHUKET: One afternoon in October, in the watery no-man’s land between Thailand and Myanmar, well-known to Phuket visa-runners, Muhammad Ismail vanished. Thai immigration officials said he was being deported to Myanmar. In fact, they sold Ismail, 23, and hundreds of other Rohingya to human traffickers, who then spirited them into brutal jungle camps. As thousands of Rohingya flee…
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Phuket ATM thieves leave B1.4mn in the machine
PHUKET: Thieves who used a blowtorch to break into an ATM in Patong early yesterday morning made off with 220,000 baht, but left 1.4 million baht in the machine. The robbery, at the Thanachart ATM opposite Loma Park on the beach road (map here), took place at 4am, said Patong Police Superintendent Chiraphat Pochanaphan. “The machine contained 1.7 million baht,…
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Phuket honors HM The King with gala event
PHUKET: Leading Phuket officials, honorary consuls, prominent business people, notable dignitaries and social figures from across the island gathered at Phuket Rajabhat University last night to honor HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej for his 86th birthday. The event, which was open to the public, was held at the university’s main conference hall. All guests arrived in splendid formal attire or traditional…
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No arrests for work permit delays caused by protests
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Employment Office (PPEO), responsible for issuing work permits to foreigners on the island, remains closed today, but those with work permits set to expire or in process need not fear arrest, PPEO chief Yaowapa Pibulpol told the Phuket Gazette this morning. “At this stage we are not sure when we can re-open the office, but all…
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Phuket beach community honors His Majesty
PHUKET: Hundreds of locals from Phuket’s Cherng Talay beach community turned out in force on Saturday to join a cycling and beach cleanup event to celebrate the 86th birthday of HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej on December 5. Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut officiated the opening of the event, organized by the Cherng Talay Tambon Administration Organization (OrBorTor), before leading the merit-making…
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Conflicting reports of coral damage at popular Phuket dive site
PHUKET: Many members of the Phuket diving industry stand at odds with the Phuket Marine Biological Center’s (PMBC) assessment of damage to corals at Racha Yai caused by a storm that lashed the region late last month.“The storm that day [November 23] was not the first time corals in the area have been damaged by inclement weather,” PMBC Director Ukkrit…
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Phuket marine life honored to celebrate HM King’s birthday
PHUKET: More than 500,000 marine animals were released in Phuket on Sunday to celebrate the 86th birthday of HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej on December 5. Among the animals were over 100 brownbanded bamboo sharks, released as part of an effort to rebuild declining shark numbers in Thai seas. Five species of shark were added to the Endangered Species list at…
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Russian tourists rescued from drowning at Patong Beach
PHUKET: Life guards at Patong Beach rescued two Russian men from drowning within 10 minutes of each other yesterday. Vladimir Himonov, 67, was rescued from the surf in front of the Ocean Plaza shopping center (map here) at 11am. “Life guards saw Mr Himonov swimming about 200 meters from shore. They realized that the Russian tourist was struggling in the…
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Phuket Poll: Millions of more tourists are on their way, but why do they come?
PHUKET: As the tourism high season looms nigh, Phuket residents and business folk are readying themselves for another record-setting onslaught of tourists to see the new year in. Right on cue, the Phuket Carnival “Fun Fest”, the island’s annual week-long party to unofficially mark the beginning of the high season, will start on December 15 (story here). Even before the…
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Phuket King’s Cup Regatta day 1 results
PHUKET: Day 1 of the 27th Phuket King’s Cup Regatta has officially concluded – the racing anyway – and the results are as follows:IRC 01. Boat: Jelik Skipper: Frank Pong Country: Hong Kong2. Boat: Oi ! Skipper: Ahern Bailey Wilmer Country: Australia 3. Boat: OneSails Racing Skipper: Ray Roberts Country: Australia IRC 11. Boat: Foxy Lady VI Skipper: Bill Bremner…
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Australian real estate agent in arson murder-suicide over internet usage
PHUKET: Jealousy and his stepson’s obsession with the internet drove an Australian real estate agent to burn down his house around him with his family inside, the man’s wife told Krabi Town Police. Naruthai Port, recovering in Krabi Hospital from serious burns across 60 per cent of her body, told police that Australian Richard Port locked all the doors to…
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Phuket protesters promise not to target airport, bus station
PHUKET: Protesters in Phuket have vowed not to attempt to close Phuket International Airport or bus stations on the island as they continue their campaign to garner support from government officers. Last Wednesday thousands of protesters gathered at Phuket Provincial Hall demanding that officers walk away from their desks as a sign of support for the anti-government rally (story here).…
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Rasmus Petreus and Melissa Hauschildt win Challenge Laguna Phuket
PHUKET: Rasmus Petreus of Denmark and Melissa Hauschildt of Australia are the respective men’s and women’s champions of the inaugural Challenge Laguna Phuket, having crossed the finish line with times of 4:05:06 and 4:30:29, respectively. Mr Petreus was followed closely by Alberto Casadeli of Italy who clocked in at 4:07:13, and his Italian compatriot Alberto Alessandroni in 4:07:52. From strength…
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Phuket officials set date for Patong Carnival
PHUKET: The island’s premier party town of Patong is set to kick off the Phuket tourism high season with its annual carnival, from December 15 through December 20. “Phuket is ready to host thousands of tourists this coming high season. Be assured that you will have a wonderful time here and be impressed with the beauty of our island,” says…
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Phuket Sport: Inaugural Thanyapura Junior Challenge triathlon winners
PHUKET: Hundreds of junior athletes and spectators alike turned up at Thanyapura Phuket this morning to participate in the inaugural Thanyapura Junior Challenge triathlon event, which turned out to be a special and timeless day for many. Indeed, the spirits of staff, local media, peers, parents and relatives were seemingly unhindered by the morning’s blistering heat and humidity; supporters wholeheartedly…
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Swimming skills for life surface at Phuket’s Thanyapura
PHUKET: Water is integral to the Phuket lifestyle – to the island way of life. Yet, surprisingly, many locals born and raised in this tropical paradise risk growing up without ever learning how to swim. Avoidable, tragic drownings are an all-too-common reminder and result of this deplorable lack of swimming knowledge and skills. It’s easy for us to take our…
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Alleged Phuket ghost rider in motorbike crash with foreigners
PHUKET: A pair of injured foreigners reported to police that a ghost rider slammed into them in the southbound lane of Thepkrasattri Road near the Kor En ‘death bend’ early this morning. American Mike Waltman, 23, was not seriously injured in the incident. However, his 20-year-old Ukrainian passenger, Karl Midman, broke his leg, said Capt Thanom Thongpan of the Tah…
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Phuket’s football academy offers trials for scholarships
PHUKET: British International School Phuket (BISP) is holding football trials (try-outs) for outstanding male and female footballers (aged 14 to 17 years) who wish to be considered for a scholarship place in the high performance BISP/Cruzeiro Football Academy. The trials for scholarship applicants will be held at BISP on 25/26 January 2014, but applicants need to apply via the BISP…
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The Genesis of the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta
PHUKET: It was in June, 1986, when a number of leading lights in the Thai sailing fraternity came together with an idea: A Regatta for our King who would turn 60 the following year and the regatta to be held in Phuket, previously untouched by a sail-fest of such significance. Then current-Commodore of the Royal Varuna Yacht Club, Chris J…
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Patong eyes giant Ferris wheel to get Phuket high season rolling
PHUKET: Phuket officials are scrambling to find a location to set up the Patong Eye, a giant Ferris wheel that is hoped to spin out fresh revenue during and after the Patong Carnival starting on December 15. “The Patong Eye could generate money to compensate for financial losses from Thailand’s National Youth Games last year,” said Patong Deputy Mayor Chairat…
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DSI puts violent Phuket taxi driver rank in cross hairs
PHUKET: The head of the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) team operating in Phuket believes that enough information was gathered during a sting operation of a violent taxi rank on the island to launch a full-out investigation. “For us to step in, we must declare a case a ‘special investigation’. Given what happened at the Merlin Beach Resort at Tri…
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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