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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Sponsored A healthy tomorrow starts today: Celebrate the great American Smokeout day
The Great American Smokeout, held this year on November 17, is a nationwide event that encourages smokers to take their first steps towards a smoke-free life. If you’re an expat in Thailand, this day could be a timely reminder to...
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In wake of Pattaya ferry disaster, top brass stages safety tour in Phuket
PHUKET: Police Region 8 Commander Panya Mamen yesterday morning led a team of officers on a safety inspection of passenger vessels at Rassada Pier, a major jump-off point for tourists boarding ferries and tour boats to islands in Phang Nga Bay and along the Andaman coast. The safety blitz followed a heavily overloaded ferry from Pattaya capsizing off Koh Lan,…
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Crocodile spooks Phuket beach tourists
PHUKET: A large crocodile spotted offshore Phuket’s northern beach of Mai Khao yesterday morning has raised concerns that the amphibious predator may return and endanger local residents and tourists. The alarm was raised at 8:30am by a staffer at the Maikhao Dream Villa Resort and Spa Phuket, at the southern end of Mai Khao Beach (map here). “A crocodile was…
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SuperCheap Burmese miss Phuket employment office deadline
PHUKET: None of the 100 Myanmar nationals who allegedly quit SuperCheap after an enormous blaze demolished the megashop (story here) reported to the Phuket Provincial Employment Office (PPEO) by the November 1 deadline (story here). “The workers were required to report their resignation to us by November 1, but until now none of them have shown up,” PPEO chief Yaowapa…
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Former Outrigger GM found dead in bed
PHUKET: A former General Manager of Outrigger Hotels and Resorts was found dead at his luxury villa in Cherng Thalay early yesterday afternoon.William Marshall, 55, was found in his bed by his wife. There were no signs of a struggle, police said.Mr Marshall’s wife, Grace Lee Marshall, 49, told police that the couple had slept in the same bed the…
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Phuket protesters take stand against amnesty bill
PHUKET: Over 5,000 protesters rallied against the amnesty bill yesterday, blocking Surin Road in front of Phuket Provincial Hall as they listened to democrat leaders vehemently denounce the bill and the Yingluck administration. The protesters, mostly from Phuket and Phang Nga, signed their names in denouncement of the recently passed, controversial bill (story here) during the six-hour protest. “I cannot…
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Phuket FC unlucky 13th in season finale
PHUKET: The Islanders ended their Yamaha League One (YL1) 2013 on a low note, falling to their final position of 13th place following a 3-0 away loss to Nakhon Ratchasima FC on Saturday night in Thailand’s Northeast. Following the opening exchanges, it was Phuket who looked to be the most threatening, with Giorgi Tsimakuridze netting the ball in the 20th…
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China beats USA in FIVB Phuket Thailand Open final
PHUKET: It took just two sets for the Chinese team, Chen Xue and Xinyi Xia to beat the American pair Emily Day and Summer Ross and win the gold medal in the FIVB Phuket Thailand Open Powered By PTT 2013. The Americans failed to crack the great Chinese wall despite numerous attempts and the high flying, petite Xinyi Xia’s precise…
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Phuket Top Cop demands tuk-tuks and taxis give up Patong parking spots
PHUKET: Phuket’s top cop promised yesterday to push tuk-tuks and taxis off of some of their regular patches, including Patong beach road, in order to create parking spots for the general public.“We’ll have new parking zones set up in two weeks,” he said.Police called in the heads of every taxi stand, as well as the people who lend drivers parking…
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Phuket taxi driver killer turns himself in
PHUKET: The man who fatally stabbed a Karon taxi driver in Samkong early yesterday morning turned himself in today.Jirawat Kongtanote, 22, has been charged for the murder of his neighbor, Teeranan Phongkrathin, 29 (story here). Mr Jirawat accepted the charge, saying, “We were friends and I stabbed him.”The two men had a long-running argument that involved, at least in part,…
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UK backs cross-cultural negotiation education for Phuket government officials
PHUKET: High-ranking local government officers in Phuket will start an English language and cross-cultural negotiation course this month as part of the ongoing cooperation between the United Kingdom and Thailand, said British Ambassador to Thailand Mark Kent. The announcement of the course came after a closed-door meeting between Amb Kent and Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut yesterday afternoon. “The UK embassy…
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Letters from Abu Dhabi: It’s the F1 pits and a flying circus
Abu Dhabi: The motorway to the Yas Marina Circuit hops from Abu Dhabi onto Sadiyaat Island, en-route they are building a Guggenheim Museum, a Louvre, and lots of expensive housing. Right now Sadiyaat Island it is a flat naked barren sun-blasted atoll interspersed with cranes, but when Abu Dhabi has a will, there is a way. Then we crossed onto…
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New gun, security guard laws aim to improve tourist safety
PHUKET: Gun owners with permission to carry their weapons in public may no longer do so in tourist areas, it was announced on Tuesday. The order issued by the Royal Thai Police applies nationwide and is part of an ongoing effort to improve tourist safety. Carrying guns in tourist areas or in areas where crowds gather is no longer allowed,…
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Russian found dead in Phuket resort pool
PHUKET: A 38-year-old Russian man was found dead in a Phuket resort swimming pool early this morning.Royal Crown Hotel & Palm Spa Resort staffers informed Patong police of the death at 4:30am.Police and Kusoldharm rescue workers arrived at the scene to find the man floating face down in the pool.“He was only wearing swimming trunks, and there was a bottle…
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Jet-ski operators sorted out ahead of Phuket’s high season
PHUKET: Governor Maitri Inthusut stepped out onto the sand yesterday to inspect Patong Beach jet-ski operators. As the island gears up for an increased number of tourists during the high season, the governor made it clear that jet-ski safety was of utmost importance. “Jet-skiing is a popular activity for tourists in Phuket, and it can also be dangerous,” Gov Maitri…
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Phuket airport taxi collides with tipsy motorbiker
PHUKET: An airport taxi driver rushing to pick up a tourist at the airport collided with an inebriated motorbike driver in Thalang yesterday.The man on the motorbike suffered minor injuries.The taxi driver, Wattana Patan, 36, told police that he was en route to the airport and saw the motorbike riding in the left lane on the Cherng Thalay-Baan Don Road,…
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Royal Thai Navy keep eye on young seawolves – Phuket Youth Sailing
PHUKET: Organized by Phuket Youth Sailing Club (PYSC), 28 sailors from Phuket and Sattahip between the ages of 6 and 18 years took part in the inaugural Phuket Youth Week Training Camp & Regatta 2013. The two-day regatta sponsored by The Sponsorship Experts – PP(SEA)CL and Topper Sail Phuket produced some exciting and close racing across the four divisions. Eighteen…
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Thailand’s favorites keep local hopes alive at Phuket Open
PHUKET: Thailand’s favorites Varapatsorn Radarong and Tanarattha Udomchavee are through to the knock-out stage taking two wins in Pool A, at the 2013 FIVB Beach Volleyball Phuket Open on Thursday. Thailand has hosted over 10 women’s and one men’s FIVB tournament and the Open is back for an eighth consecutive year. Despite losing their final pool match to Dutch pair…
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More historical heroes coming to Phuket
PHUKET: Nine important figures in Phuket’s history will be honored with statues in Thalang by the beginning of next year.The goal of the 26-million-baht project is to remind Phuketians of their brave ancestors who defended Phuket from Burmese invaders, said Phuket Vice Governor Sommai Prijasilpa.“We chose nine figures to honor HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej because he is the ninth king…
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Letters from Abu Dhabi: Chapter One: Circuses – F1
Abu Dhabi: There are three kinds of sports; men against distance, men against men, and man-and-machine against man-and machine. Athletics is the first type, rugby and boxing are of the second. Motor Sports and horse racing are of the third. So which does history say is the most popular? Greece, Rome and Byzantium had all these sporting types. In Rome…
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Central Festival Phuket installs life-saving automatic external defibrillators
PHUKET: Central Festival Phuket has became the first Central shopping mall in Thailand to have Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) for use in the treatment of heart attack victims. Motivated by the death of a patron about four months ago, Central Festival made the AEDs available in conjunction with a new medical bay operated by Phuket International Hospital which opened in…
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Phuket – BISP – Cruzeiro football academy announced
PHUKET: British International School Phuket (BISP) have officially announced plans to launch an unprecedented football academy in collaboration with Phuket FC and top-tier Brazilian football club, Cruizeiro EC. The plans (story here) were formally presented to local media at a press conference held this afternoon at the expansive BISP campus in Koh Kaeo, just north of Phuket Town. Presiding over…
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Phuket airport tackles Chinese tourists’ immigration queue congestion
PHUKET: Officials attempted to tackle the issue of immigration congestion at Phuket International Airport caused by the island’s largest inbound tourist market, the Chinese.Chinese tourists who arrive on charter flights are often not given the TM6 arrival and departure card required by immigration. As a result, they are forced to queue up for the card in the immigration arrival hall,…
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“Brother Pom’ says he’s clear of extortion charges; DSI disagrees
PHUKET: Pom Sukkasem, the leader of the Central Festival taxi group arrested in September on extortion charges, has announced that the charges have been dropped. However, the Department of Special Investigations (DSI) begs to differ. “I reported to the Criminal Court in Bangkok on Monday as required, and I was told that the prosecutor decided not to pursue my case,”…
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Phuket airport aims to bring swift justice to shoplifters
PHUKET: Phuket International Airport has established a new policy for dealing with airport shoplifters.Passengers suspected of shoplifting in the airport who attempt to escape prosecution by boarding their flights will now be asked to deplane to be arrested. However, the arrest and the retrieval of the passenger’s luggage must all be completed within an hour.The announcement, made on October 29,…
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King cobra joins guest in hotel room, gets evicted [video report]
PHUKET: A foreign tourist staying at at hotel in Bang Tao on Tuesday night had an uninvited visitor enter his room: a two-meter long king cobra.Thanakorn Puyati, 29, a security guard at Bangtao Beach Gardens, was called to the scene, and quickly summoned Kusoldharm rescue workers. “We rushed to the hotel and found a frightened foreigner and his Thai girlfriend…
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Social network app helps finds missing Alzheimer’s patient
PHUKET: A man with Alzheimer’s disease who went missing last Saturday was located on Sunday, within hours of police posting a notice on a popular social network site. Benjawan Moonket reported her 60-year-old father, Muang Moonket, missing to Thalang Police at about 5pm on Sunday (story here). Officers shared the information via Line, a social networking application, and about three…
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USA’s Kessy joins up with Sweat to top Pool G at Phuket Open
PHUKET: USA’s Jennifer Kessy and Brooke Sweat top Pool G after securing two wins on the first day of pool play at the 2013 FIVB Beach Volleyball Phuket Open yesterday. The penultimate Open of the year is back in Thailand for its eighth consecutive year, taking place from October 28 to November 3. Kessy/Sweat were first on court at 9:00…
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Baburina/Mulenko dig deep to knock out top seeded qualifiers at Phuket Open
PHUKET: Svitlana Baburina and Diana Mulenko from Ukraine knocked out top seeded qualifiers Sweden’s Nina Grawender and Karin Lundqvist at the 2013 FIVB Beach Volleyball Phuket Open yesterday. The penultimate Open of the year is back in Thailand for its eighth consecutive year, taking place from October 28 to November 3. Baburina/Mulenko had the longest time on court in the…
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In memory of “Mrs Palmer of the Phuket Hash House Harriers’
Well-known local healer and Phuket triathlete Richard Patrick Cracknell, 66, passed away in Hawaii in the care of his son Jesse on October 24. He succumbed to complications arising from an idiopathic degenerative motor neuron disease (MND).PHUKET: This singular American athlete and healer, known by the Phuket Hash House Harriers (Phuket HHH) as Mrs Palmer, arrived in Phuket in the…
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Traffic resumes after 10-wheeler flips on Patong Hill
PHUKET: Both lanes of traffic resumed up Patong hill (map here) shortly after a flipped 10-wheeler was hauled away. The driver of the truck lost control at about 11:30am on the notorious section of road in Phuket. The truck flipped and crashed into a sedan, Lt Jaruwat Tiamnaka told the Phuket Gazette. “Fortunately nobody was injured,” Lt Jaruwat said. —…
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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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