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 Provincial Hall silent after anti-government protests
PHUKET: Phuket Provincial Hall has bowed to the peaceful demands of thousands anti-government of protesters yesterday, and has shut down its operations. “No officers will work today or tomorrow at Provincial Hall or the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization [PPAO] Office,” said a public relations officer, speaking on condition of anonymity. “We also didn’t work yesterday.” The closure of both provincial…
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Phuket officials target taxi ranks
PHUKET: Phuket officials put taxi ranks on the chopping block on Tuesday in hopes of allowing police to take quick action against illegal parking. As a result, all taxi rank operators in Phuket must identify themselves to local police stations by December 31, the same deadline day for all taxi, tuk-tuk and tour van drivers on the island to become…
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Phuket provincial government shut down in anti-Yingluck protests
PHUKET: Thousands of Phuket residents stormed Phuket Provincial Hall this morning, forcing the provincial government to shut down in protest of “Thaksinocracy” and the Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra administration. “Phuket residents came here without being called on, which shows that they truly don’t want this government any more,” said former Rassada Mayor Suratin Liangudom. “We have prepared a bouquet of…
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Triathlon champion Chris McCormack takes reins of Thanyapura Phuket
PHUKET: Thanyapura Phuket has appointed multiple world champion athlete, Chris McCormack, as Executive Chairman of the island’s world-class megaplex as it takes a big stride into the future with the establishment of Thanyapura International to take its unique and ground-breaking “Thanyapura Active Healthy Lifestyle” concept to the world.Mr McCormack will take up the reins at Thanyapura Phuket on December, 1,…
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Slashed woman dies after Phuket hotel fall, roommate found dead
PHUKET: A Chinese tourist has died after falling from the second-floor balcony of a Phuket Town hotel this morning while bleeding heavily from deep lacerations.Jiang Chengyuem, 42, left a suicide note behind before leaping from The Pago hotel balcony with cuts across her throat, wrists, chest and stomach, said Phuket City Police Deputy Superintendent Prawit Engchuan.Chinese tourists who were part…
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Marine safety summit sails forward with local, international support
PHUKET: Safer Phuket, a new marine-safety non-government organization (NGO), made a splash today with the announcement of the Coastal Water Safety Summit in January at the PIMEX Boat Show. The announcement comes in the wake of over 200 tourists being stranded on nearby islands over the weekend due to heavy weather (story here), and fatal rip currents on Phuket’s west-coast…
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Phuket Heartbreak: Father identifies Gao Yang’s body
PHUKET: The father of Gao Yang underwent the heart-wrenching process of identifying his son’s body today. The 20-year-old Chinese national Gao Yang slipped from the rocks at Promthep Cape and fell into the sea at the iconic promontory last Wednesday. His body was recovered after it was spotted by a passing speedboat on Friday (story here). Gao Haiming, 49, arrived…
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Victory is Sweet for Swiss Olympian at 20th Laguna Phuket Triathlon
PHUKET: Swiss Olympian Ruedi Wild has triumphed once again at the Laguna Phuket Triathlon, successfully defending his title from his debut performance in the iconic endurance event last year. In the women’s field, Challenge Laguna Phuket Tri-Fest’s headliner from Australia, Melissa Hauschildt, newly-crowned 2013 ITU Long distance World Championship and 2013 Ironman 70.3 World Champion, who made her LPT debut…
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Don’t risk tourists’ lives, warns Royal Thai Navy
PHUKET: The Royal Thai Navy has warned all tour operators to obey orders to stay in port during dangerous weather conditions following navy ships being dispatched to rescue tourists stranded at Koh Racha and the Similan Islands over the weekend.“If the ports are ordered to close due to the weather, please do not launch your vessels. We understand it is…
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Man with throat slashed found in Patong pond
PHUKET: Police are looking to identify a man whose body was found in a lagoon behind the Patong Municipality offices early yesterday morning. The man’s throat had been slashed and his torso had been stabbed at least 17 times, reported officers at the scene (map here). “The body was found at 8am by local tuk-tuk driver Pattanapong Sombat, 36,” Maj…
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Ruedi Wild and Melissa Hauschildt win 20th Laguna Phuket Triathlon
PHUKET: Preliminary results are in, and it was Ruedi Wild of Switzerland and Melissa Hauschildt of Australia who won this year’s Laguna Phuket Triathlon (LPT). Mr Wild won the men’s class with a time of 02:34:41, while Ms Hauschildt was the top women finisher in 02:45:24.This year is the 20th edition of the LPT.For full results and pre-coverage of the…
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Storm sinks Phi Phi ferry, ravages longtail, speedboat fleet
PHUKET: Heavy seas at Phi Phi Island this morning sunk a large passenger ferry, beached a cargo boat and heavily damaged at least six speedboats and 20 longtail boats, officials have confirmed. The Andaman Jet Wave ferry, registered to carry 250 passengers, had yet to begin its daily operations of carrying tourists to and from Krabi and Phi Phi, explained…
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Phuket yachties in dramatic boat rescue from sea wall
PHUKET: A handful of brave members at Phuket’s Ao Chalong Yacht Club (ACYC) scrambled to save a French expat’s yacht from smashing into the sea wall in front of the clubhouse this morning. The onslaught of strong waves saw the 30-foot yacht break free from its anchor at about 11am, sending the boat pitching dangerously toward the sea wall (map…
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Port closed, yachts beached as storm lashes Phuket
PHUKET: Local authorities this morning ordered Phuket Rassada Port closed as strong wind and waves lashed the coast and driving rain wreaked havoc with motorists across the island.Hundreds of tourists waited dockside as the ban took effect, as Rassada Port, located on the east side of Phuket Town, is a major jump-off point for tourists boarding ferries and tour boats…
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Phuket Customs catch Indian drug mule with B15mn of ya ice
PHUKET: Customs officers arrested a drug mule attempting to smuggle 4.5 kilograms of ya ice (crystal methamphetamine) into Phuket from Delhi, India, yesterday.The 37-year-old Indian woman, Aizawl Lalchhuanthangi, was presented at a press conference yesterday at Phuket International Airport.“When Ms Lalchhuanthangi’s suitcase went through the x-ray machine our officers were suspicious, as it showed up all black inside – making…
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Friends fail to identify body of Gao Yang, parents en route to Phuket
PHUKET: The parents of Chinese national and Singaporean student Gao Yang, who slipped from the rocks at Phuket’s Promthep Cape late Wednesday afternoon, are on their way to the island. “We expect them to arrive in Phuket tomorrow or Sunday,” Qin Jian, Vice Consul of the Consulate-General of the People’s Republic of China, told the Phuket Gazette this afternoon. A…
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Phuket Rotary Club continues push for Philippines relief
PHUKET: The Rotary Club of Patong Beach has collected over 226,000 baht through its Philippines Typhoon Haiyan Disaster Relief Fund. However, the club is pushing for more donations in light of the desperate need of those in the affected areas. Half of the funds raised will be sent directly to the Disaster Fund of Rotary District 3860, based in the…
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Chinese tourists on Phuket ladyboy tour safe after bus dies on Patong Hill
PHUKET: An entire busload of 35 Chinese tourists were quickly and safely evacuated from a tour bus after its engine died while climbing the steep road up Patong Hill last night. The tourists were en route from the Aphrodite ladyboy show on the bypass road to the famed Simon Cabaret ladyboy show in Patong when the bus broke down just…
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Body found off Phuket believed to be missing Singaporean student
PHUKET: A Phuket speedboat returning from dropping tourists off at Koh Hei today reported the grisly discovery of a body floating about seven kilometers south of Phuket. Police suspect that the body found is that of missing Chinese national and Singaporean student Gao Yang, who slipped from the rocks at Phuket’s Promthep Cape late Wednesday afternoon (story here). Officers from…
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British tourist alleges attacker in hotel room before balcony fall
PHUKET: Police are waiting for the results of a toxicology report for British tourist Romany Mitchell after she told them her drink in Phuket was spiked. The tests were ordered after the 21-year-old student from Edinburgh reported to police that she was fleeing an assailant in her hotel room before she plunged from the second-floor balcony of the building on…
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Laguna Phuket Tri-Fest – Let the games begin! [VIDEO]
PHUKET: It’s here and it’s going to be big! Laguna Phuket Triathlon schedule. Click here for more details. Challenge Laguna Phuket Press Conference in Bangkok. The much-anticipated Laguna Phuket Tri-Fest 2013 will kick off with the legendary Laguna Phuket Triathlon (LPT) on Sunday (November 24) which is celebrating its 20th anniversary and will finish with the Challenge Laguna Phuket a…
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Runaway Phuket Thai Post truck slams into cars on Patong Hill [Video]
PHUKET: A Thai Post lorry that failed to make the steep climb up Patong Hill yesterday afternoon, faltered then careened backward down the hill, slamming into cars and pickups as it went. “The truck slid down the hill at about 2:15pm. It ended up stopping at almost the same spot as the student bus that rolled backward down the hill…
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Python snared near Phuket Town park
PHUKET: A Phuket City street sweeper raised the alarm in Phuket Town earlier this week when he spotted a five-meter python hiding in a storm drain near Saphan Hin Park. “Many people were exercising in the area. I was afraid it posed a danger to them,” the street sweeper told the Phuket Gazette. Saphan Hin Park (map here) is renowned…
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Weather dampens spirits, search for missing Singaporean tourist continues
PHUKET: The search resumed today for missing tourist Gao Yang, who slipped from the rocks at Phuket’s Promthep Cape late yesterday afternoon. “We resumed our search this morning,” said Phuket Marine Police Inspector Chatchai Sakdee. “Rawai Municipality officers have joined the mission. They provided one speedboat and one small boat to help conduct the search,” he added. “We have divided…
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British tourist drowns after Phuket weather warning issued
PHUKET: A British tourist drowned at Karon Beach yesterday afternoon, hours after a heavy weather warning was issued for Phuket and other areas along the Andaman coast. Police named the victim as Edward Joseph Brookes, 63, from England. Mr Brookes disappeared in the surf in front of Karon Municipality Stadium (map here) at 2:40pm after enjoying lunch with his wife,…
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Phuket King’s Cup Regatta hosts underline support
PHUKET: Kata Group Resorts Thailand is to be the host sponsor of the 27th Phuket King’s Cup Regatta, making this the 15th year that the World Luxury Hotel Awards 2013 Nominee has supported the renowned international yachting spectacle. The regatta will be held from November 29 to December 6, 2013. Kata Beach Resort and Spa, one of six properties owned…
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Singaporean tourist missing after fall from iconic Phuket cape
PHUKET: A search-and-rescue operation was launched late this afternoon after a Singaporean tourist slipped from the rocks at Phuket’s iconic Promthep Cape and plunged into the waves below. Officers at the Phuket Tourist Rescue Center were notified of the incident at 5:40pm. “Two Singaporean men slipped on the wet rocks and fell from the famous cape in Rawai this afternoon,”…
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Phuket panty sniffer caught mid-snatch
PHUKET: An off-duty security guard was caught red-handed stealing women’s panties off a clothesline in Phuket Town last night. Residents of Phol Place apartments, behind Surakul Stadium (map here), heard someone walking around the dimly-lit area near their building at about 9:30pm. “They saw a man lurking near the building, and they kept an eye on him. When they spotted…
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Prominent Belgian expat among Phuket Immigration arrests
PHUKET: Prominent Belgian expat Georges Sirre, who has lived in Phuket for nine years, was among three foreigners named by Phuket Immigration today to face deportation for previous offenses. Officers arrested Mr Sirre, 56, at his home in Rawai late yesterday afternoon after receiving a request from the Belgian Embassy in Bangkok, Phuket Immigration Superintendent Sunchai Chokkajaykij told a press…
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Phuket Governor inspects Patong ahead of tuk-tuk clearout
PHUKET: Ahead of the December 31 deadline to clear parking spaces along the Patong beach road for tourists, Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusust yesterday inspected the sites where tuk-tuks will no longer be permitted to park after December 31. “The project [story here] can reduce traffic jams in Patong and make the beachfront look more beautiful,” Governor Maitri said. During his…
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![Runaway Phuket Thai Post truck slams into cars on Patong Hill [Video] | Thaiger](https://thethaiger.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/phuketnews_20131121164827136_JycKgihERDGabQmTVNhZPgloRSuNZQAmoYlJDgxc_jpeg.jpg)
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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