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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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,...
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Phuket temple receives 1.2mn baht to mark Kathin ceremony
PHUKET: Temple administrators at Wat Kata yesterday received a donation of over 1.2 million baht as part of the Kathin Ceremony, held each year to mark the end of the Buddhist “month of gratitude”. The donation was presented by officers from the Royal Thai Navy, joined by Karon Municipality officials and a gathering of about 2,000 other Buddhist disciples. “The…
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Hot withdrawal: Phuket ATM robbed of B1.6mn
PHUKET: Thieves used a blowtorch to make off with an estimated 1.6 million baht from an ATM at the entrance to the Boat Lagoon this morning. The theft, at a Siam Commercial Bank ATM, was discovered at about 11am by an employee who had come to service the machine. “The thieves broke the lock on the door of the building…
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Phuket students in mass rally against amnesty bill
PHUKET: Hundreds of whistle-blowing students streamed through Phuket Town last night on their way to Phuket Provincial Hall to protest the amnesty bill. Starting at about 6pm, students from Phuket Wittayalai School, Satree Phuket School, Phuket Technical College, Rajabhat University and the Prince of Songkla University Phuket Campus gathered in front of Provincial Hall to make their opposition to the…
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Phuket Governor leads boat safety blitz
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut yesterday continued his campaign to boost marine safety as he inspected boats operating to and from Koh Maphrao, off Phuket’s east coast. The tour was part of a current blitz on marine safety, which was launched following a heavily overloaded ferry from Pattaya capsizing off Koh Lan, injuring many passengers and causing the deaths of…
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False alarm over bomb at Phuket school
PHUKET: A cardboard box found at the entrance to Satree Phuket School yesterday morning raised fears among security guards that the package might contain explosives. Police were called to the scene, near the busy Tungka Intersection in Phuket Town (map here), just before midday. “When we arrived, we found a box and an envelope, in a plastic bag from a…
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Phuket alumni, hospital workers protest amnesty bill
PHUKET: Opposition to the amnesty bill continued in Phuket yesterday as university alumni and hospital staff made their opinions known.About 20 Chulalongkorn and Thammasat University alumni association representatives presented Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut a letter of opposition to the bill while explaining how an amnesty could affect Phuket.“If this bill passes, the nation as a whole will experience more corruption,”…
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Phuket rescue too late for chicken
PHUKET: A chicken-owner tried to save his fowl from a python yesterday morning, but his efforts came too late; the chicken had already expired.An official of Radio Thailand Phuket called Kusoldharm Foundation rescue workers for help catching the snake at 7:30am.The official, who asked not to be named, told rescue workers that he was alerted to the snake’s presence when…
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Swedish national police chief praises Phuket Police
PHUKET: Sweden’s national police chief Bengt Svenson yesterday praised the Phuket Police for utilizing foreign volunteers and for developing deeper relations with the community.“The way they presented it here, it is the best way [for police] to work: with volunteer tourist police and to be near the citizens, near the tourists, to be among them. That is the best way…
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ABBA Fever has Phuket organizers, ticket sellers maxed out
PHUKET: With less than 36 hours remaining before the doors open to Friday night’s ‘ABBA Forever’ concert at Laguna Phuket, organizers Events International have asked the Phuket Gazette to advise readers as follows. The entourage from London arrives in Phuket today. Tomorrow night’s concert is sold out. There are still some tickets available for Saturday night, but few if any…
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Tuk-tuk ejection scheme draws mixed reactions
PHUKET: As the clock starts to tick down on a plan to evict tuk-tuk drivers from parking spots in Patong, response from tuk-tuk drivers varies from flat refusal to requests for fairness in the application of the new measure. “Most tuk-tuk drivers will not agree to move off the road. Where would we work then?” said Sakol Srisompoch, who earlier…
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Phuket beach closed after croc scare
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut asked hotel staffers and local residents yesterday to help keep people out of the water along Mai Khao Beach after a 2.5-meter-long crocodile was spotted in the area on Sunday (story here). “To ensure the safety of tourists and residents, Governor Maitri declared the area a no-swim zone,” Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR)…
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Phuket’s BIS to host largest international schools’ football tournament
PHUKET: Over 1,100 young footballers aged 8 to 18 years and from nine different countries will congregate in Phuket this Friday and Saturday (November 8-9) for the 12th annual British International School Phuket (BISP) International Football Tournament, sponsored by Outrigger Laguna Phuket Beach Resort and the Phuket Gazette. The expansive 39-acre BISP campus with 10 seven-a-side football pitches, is the…
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Phuket gold snatch duo hail police pickup as getaway car
PHUKET: Two men who snatched a gold necklace from a 50-year-old woman on Sunday night were arrested after they accidentally waved down a police pickup truck to hitch a ride as they fled. Preeda Adam, 25, from Pathum Thani, and Phuket native Somsak Puangcharoen, 23, were arrested just after midnight yesterday. Both men reportedly worked as kitchen hands at the…
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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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Dozing motorist brings blackout to northern Phuket
PHUKET: A man who fell asleep at the wheel while returning home from dropping his girlfriend off at Phuket International Airport early this morning slammed into a power pole and caused a blackout throughout a large residential area in Thalang. Col Sarit Bootnongsaeng of the Thalang Police and first responders from the Kusoldharm Foundation arrived at the scene on Thepkrasattri…
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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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Top cop warns new officers over bribes, extortion
PHUKET: Phuket’s new top cop warned the island’s police reinforcements that swift disciplinary action will be taken and criminal charges will be levied against them if they go crooked. “The most important thing is to not use your career to benefit your own pocket,” Phuket Provincial Police Commander Ong-art Phiwruangnont told the 97 recruits, all recent graduates of the police…
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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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Phuket taxi driver’s feud leads to fatal stabbing
PHUKET: A Karon taxi driver was stabbed to death early this morning by a neighbor he was feuding with. Police were called to the Samkong Shrine area at about 3:30am. When they arrived, they found Teeranan Phongkrathin, 29, lying in the road with a knife protruding from his chest. Friends who witnessed the stabbing told police that Mr Teeranan had…
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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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Speed cameras coming to Phuket roads
PHUKET: Four speed cameras are being set up on Phuket roads in an effort to reduce road traffic accidents and increase awareness of speed limits, police told the Phuket Gazette on Monday. The cameras may also help police solve crimes, as they may capture images of suspects fleeing crime scenes, said Phuket Provincial Police Deputy Commander Saneh Yawila. The total…
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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…
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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