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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Russians targeted in Phuket illegal company crackdown
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community 56 Phuket firms targeted for using Thai nominees The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The Commerce Ministry is targeting 56 companies in Phuket suspected of breaching the Foreign Business Act (FBA) by having Thais acting as nominees so that foreigners can hold majority control. The ministry…
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DSI called in to tackle taxis and raid foreign businesses
PHUKET: A Department of Special Investigation (DSI) task force will arrive in Phuket next week to carry out raids and arrest illegal taxi drivers and foreign business operators found breaking the law. The officers, expected to arrive on Thursday for a two-day campaign, will target taxi drivers at Phuket International Airport and businesses suspected of using Thai nominees. The news…
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Sumatra quake gives Phuket ‘a little shake’, nothing to fear
PHUKET: The earthquake off the northern tip of Sumatra this morning was felt in Phuket, but was no cause for alarm, the head of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, Phuket office (DDPM-Phuket), San Janthawong, told the Phuket Gazette this morning. No tsunami alert has been issued for Phuket or any other province along the Andaman Coast. “The earthquake…
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Phuket Gazette World Sports: England maybe next for self-employed builder as cricketing world buzzes
English club player hits 311 runs in 40 overs Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: A self-employed builder from Cornwall in south-west England hit 311 runs from 40 overs to help his club to a regional record scoreline yesterday, at a strike rate of 130. The BBC reported that Andrew Brenton lashed 53 boundaries, with 11 sixes, after coming in at…
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Phuket beach rescue saves Japanese surfer from strong surf
PHUKET: A Japanese surfer rescued this afternoon from the strong surf at Kata Noi Beach, on Phuket’s west coast, is conscious and recovering, the Phuket Gazette was told.Lifeguards saw the man, believed to be in his early 50s, out surfing the large waves at the popular tourist beach.“We are are not sure what happened, but the next time the lifeguards…
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Phuket sea turtle on the hook – saved
PHUKET: The Phuket office of the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) rescued an Olive Ridley sea turtle with a large fishing hook penetrating one of its flippers yesterday.“A fisherman near Lone Island notified us that there was an injured sea turtle that needed our help, as it had been pierced by a fishhook,” Phuket DMCR chief Thanate Mannoi…
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Phuket braces for more strong wind, heavy thundershowers
PHUKET: The erratic stormy weather across Phuket today, with heavy showers and gusts of wind reaching up to 35km/hr, is no cause for alarm, says the local weather office.However, islanders should prepare to hold onto their hats as the wind is expected to breach Force 6 on the Beaufort scale by Thursday.“So far no weather warning has been issued for…
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Chonburi draw in first match of world futsal club tourney
PHUKET: Sixteen of the world’s finest futsal clubs, including Thailand’s 5-a-side champions, have gathered in the heart of the Middle East since July 10 to contest the Kuwait Mini World Futsal Club Tournament. Playing in their opening match last Saturday, the winners of the 2012-2013 Thailand Futsal Premier League, Chonburi Blue Wave drew in their first of three scheduled group…
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Drunk driver walks away from motorbike crash with parked 18-wheeler
PHUKET: A man charged for drunk driving survived slamming into the door of a parked 18-wheeler in Phuket before dawn today. Rescue workers called to the scene at 3am this morning found Nattapol Kansol, 44, with a bloodied face and injured eye next to his motorbike about 500 meters south of Tesco Lotus Thalang on Thepkrasattri Road (map here). Witnesses…
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Phuket Pythons: “Magic’ baby snake appears in locked locker
PHUKET: A soybean milk vendor was given a fright today after a baby python pulled a Houdini and appeared in a her locked locker. Phuket Kusoldham Rescue Foundation workers, responding to the frightened woman’s emergency call, were able to wrangle the one-meter python from its new resting place. “The shop owner closed her shop normally last night, and there was…
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First cop to be charged with trafficking suspended from force
PHUKET: Sgt Maj Weerayuth Feuangfu, the Phang Nga policeman believed to be the first Royal Thai Police officer charged with human trafficking (story here), was indefinitely suspended from active duty last week. “He was suspended from the Royal Thai Police last week pending the outcome of the ongoing investigation,” Phang Nga Provincial Police Commander Chalit Kaewyarat told the Phuket Gazette…
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Phuket police net motorbike thieves
PHUKET: Police arrested three Phuket teenagers yesterday for stealing multiple motorbikes and selling the parts for pocket money. The teenagers were caught in possession of nine stolen bikes in good condition and one that had been dismantled, said Phuket City Police Deputy Superintendent Prawit Engchuan. The teenagers’ activities came to police attention on July 2 when a Mattayom 2 student…
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Phuket man mutilates self in jealous rage
PHUKET: A 19-year-old man charged for assisting in the attack on Vorasit “Pla wan” Issara last year (story here) was found bleeding heavily in his Phuket Town room early yesterday morning after he reportedly stabbed himself in the leg in a fit of jealous rage. Police arrived at the scene, an apartment off Phun Phol Road, at about 3:50am to…
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VIDEO REPORT: Go Eco Phuket scrambles to remove fishing net at top dive site
PHUKET: Local marine conservation group Go Eco Phuket on Friday launched two dive boats in an emergency procedure to remove a fishing net at one of Phuket’s top dive destinations, Shark Point. At a Go Eco Phuket meeting last week, in preparation for the group’s annual massive reef and beach cleanup (story here), local dive company Sea Bees revealed video…
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Thai skipper sails Sansiri into the lead at TRANSPAC
PHUKET: The 2013 Transpacific Yacht Race (TRANSPAC) started in perfect Southern California conditions on Monday July 8 with Thai entry Sansiri in the first of three starts in a westerly breeze of 15 knots. Co-skippered by Michael Spies and Thai sailor Patinyakorn Bunranrom, the five-strong crew on Sansiri are the first ever Thai entry in a global Ocean Race and…
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Stalemate edges Phuket FC into fifth
PHUKET: The Islanders moved into fifth place of the 18-team Yamaha League One thanks to a goalless draw with second placed team, PTT Rayong on Saturday evening at Surakul Stadium, Phuket Town. Actual play only lasted 40 minutes, as this was the conclusion to the game abandoned on June 9 due to rainstorms over Phuket forced the match officials to…
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Phuket top province for Dengue Fever outbreak
PHUKET: Phuket is now listed as the highest ranking province in Thailand for Dengue Fever outbreaks, Phuket Provincial Health Office (PPHO) Deputy Chief Dr Krit Sakulpat confirmed to the Phuket Gazete today. Despite the ranking, there is no reason to panic, said Dr Krit. “For the statistic, the number of patients is divided by the registered population, which in Phuket…
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Phuket Poll: Chalong underpass: six routes diverge in chaos and I choose”¦ eh, um, err….
PHUKET: Underpasses are the new mega-project craze on Phuket as officials scramble to find long-term solutions to the island’s mounting traffic congestion. Work is already well underway for Phuket’s first underpass at the Darasamuth Intersection in front of the Central Festival Phuket shopping mall, which was started on November 23 last year (story here). The newest addition to several underpass…
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DSI denounces con artists’ use of department name to squeeze criminals for “protection money’
PHUKET: The Department of Special Investigation denied providing “protection services” for illegal businesses in a notification released yesterday, which claimed that con artists in Phuket were using the department’s name to squeeze people for protection money. “We received reports that there are people using the DSI’s name to collect money from business owners who are involved in the illegal employment…
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Man caught on CCTV nicking clean Phuket knickers
PHUKET: Police are now sniffing out the trail of a chronic underwear thief who was caught on CCTV stealing over twenty pairs of drying panties from an apartment complex in Phuket Town.After receiving multiple complaints from residents of Chaloemlarp Apartment about their underwear being stolen, the owner of the complex set up a CCTV camera system.“On July 2 at about…
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Phuket Sports: Twenty20 season opener sees old rivalries resumed
PHUKET: THE Outrigger T20 league kicked off at the ACG cricket ground last Sunday with an action-packed double header. In the first match, The Village took on last season’s finalists Island Cricket Club (ICC) while the second match saw defending champions Laguna take on arch rivals Patong. After a disappointing showing in the recently completed senior league season, the Village…
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Phuket Airport Express bus ready to roll on July 19
PHUKET: In what seems to be the last shuffle of dates for the launch of the long-awaited Phuket Airport Express bus service, wheels are now to be rolling by July 19, operator Prakob Panyawai confirmed to the Phuket Gazette. “The airport buses will be ready to run on July 19. We thought we could start on July 15, but we…
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Phuket Poll: blimp takes back seat to light-rail system
PHUKET: In response to the 2.6 billion baht that remains unaccounted for after Deputy Prime Minister Plodprasop Suraswadi last month confirmed that Phuket will not be bestowed an International Convention and Exhibition Center “unless they vote for Pheu Thai” (story here) – readers of the Phuket Gazette have opted to have a light-rail system built instead. The latest Phuket Gazette…
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Swiss man breaks leg in fall from motorcycle
PHUKET: A Swiss man is recovering well following surgery after a motorcycle accident in Thalang yesterday afternoon. Carlo Somaini, 54, was about 300m north of the Heroine’s Monument riding north on Thepkrasattri Road when a motorbike emerged from a soi in front of him. “He was startled,” said Thalang Police officer Thani Petchswee. “He tried to avoid the motorbike, and…
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Thailand’s Human Rights Commission silent on Rohingya shootings
PHUKET: Thailand’s Human Rights Commission (HRC) yesterday told the Phuket Gazette they were “unable to report” on their own investigation into reports of Royal Thai Navy sailors opening fire on a boatload of Rohingya, allegedly killing at least two of the refugees, in February. The news comes four months after Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra promised the international press the allegations…
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Woman rescued two hours after fall from Phuket bridge
PHUKET: A 43-year-old woman was rescued from the fast-flowing water in the channel separating Phuket from the mainland two hours after she was seen standing at the railing of Thao Thepkrasattri Bridge. Rescue workers and Tah Chat Chai Police rushed to the scene soon after 10pm, when villagers reported seeing a woman stop her car halfway across Thao Thepkrasattri Bridge…
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Trail cold but Phuket mother still hopes to meet daughter missing since 2011
PHUKET: A girl who seemed to have vanished into thin air after a Facebook session in Phuket Town in December 2011 remains missing, confirmed Chalong Police. The girl, Samudchaya “Nong Pin” Yanpunya, was 12 years old at the time of her disappearance (story here). “I transferred the case to the Crime Suppression Division in Bangkok before I was transferred to…
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Call for A- blood after Brit expat suffers motorbike crash head injury
PHUKET: The Phuket blood bank at Vachira Phuket Hospital is calling for donations of A- blood following an operation on British national Marc Harrington yesterday. Mr Harrington, 66, was admitted to hospital for a head injury sustained in a motorbike accident in Phuket on June 22. “He underwent an operation yesterday, in which we needed to use A- blood. He…
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Phuket beauty salon owner overwhelmed by debt, found dead
PHUKET: The 28-year-old owner of a Phuket beauty salon is believed to have committed suicide due to the stress of overwhelming debt. Local residents spotted the body of Dussadee Ngoy-phutorn, from Sakon Nakhon, in a lagoon behind Phuket Rajabhat University (map here) at 7:20am today. Ms Dussadee, owner of the My Mint beauty salon in Samkong, Phuket Town, was last…
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Laguna Phuket Marathon to be still bigger and better next year
PHUKET: Now in its ninth year, the Laguna Phuket International Marathon (LPIM) is going from strength to strength with numbers of participants expected to break 6,000 next year including runners from Asia, Europe and the Americas. LPIM is the largest destination marathon in Southeast Asia and sees participants push themselves to the limit in order to raise money for charity.…
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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