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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Top 5 luxury villas in Phuket and Koh Samui for your next holiday
Ask people to name the most beautiful places in Thailand, and you'll often hear Phuket and Koh Samui being mentioned. Who would disagree? One is renowned for its bustling nightlife, vibrant culture, and lively beach scene, while the other is...
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Asia’s top sailors set for Samui
PHUKET: The line-up of boats for the 2013 Samui Regatta, set to take place from today to June 1 off Chaweng Beach, features a strong mix of top international racers and regional regatta veterans. Organized by Regattas Asia, a leading regatta and marine-based sporting event management company in Asia, Samui Regatta is celebrating its 12th year. Familiar faces on the…
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Phuket Sports: May the tread be with you – F1
PHUKET: Last week, the world’s press was attacking Pirelli for its tyres. This column supported Pirelli, and received grumpy responses from those who supported the Red Bull tirade (click here for article). When Pirelli agreed to change their tyres from the Canadian GP, Ferrari and Lotus felt Red Bull had pressured Pirelli into conforming to their demands. The ‘Tyre Wars’…
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Governor: Phuket’s billion-baht prison desperately needed
Phuket’s billion-baht prison slated for construction in 2015 will provide welcome relief to the inmates at the current facility, whose number is now more than three times the century-old prison’s original capacity. With Cabinet approval already secured for the funding, all that remains to make the dream prison a reality are for the plans to be finalized and the construction…
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Phuket Sports: Laying odds for French Open; Murray ruled out
PHUKET: If I were a gambling man, which thank the Lord I’m not, then a punt on Serena Williams and Rafael Nadal would seem an obvious bet for the French Open. But even linked together as a double, the odds would be prohibitively short. Why? Just look at their 2013 records. Rafa, back after a seven month lay-off, has reached…
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Islanders look to trek the Elephants after Stallions rein in Phuket
PHUKET: Hungry for a win, Phuket FC are on the road this weekend, having bused it up to the area near the Cambodian border to take on Yamaha League One (YL1) newcomers, Trat FC tonight. The match, to be played at Trat city’s Central Sports Stadium with a 6pm kickoff, will be broadcast live on Siam Sports cable channel 114,…
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Gold shop thefts on the rise, police practice response
PHUKET: With millions of baht worth of gold being snatched from Phuket gold shops over the last year, Phuket police and gold shop owners joined together for a gold shop crime drill earlier this week. “The recent increase in the number of gold shops and supermarket robberies has made it necessary for shop owners and police to know exactly what…
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Phuket Tourist Police murder case on hold
PHUKET: The investigation into a Phuket Tourist Officer involved in a gunfight with neighbors that left two men dead and two, including the officer, injured on March 20 (story here) has come to a standstill. Police are still waiting for results from the Office of Forensic Science Police to determine whether the bullets that killed the two men were fired…
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Visakha Bucha Day underway in Phuket, alcohol sales halted
PHUKET: People gathered across Phuket and Thailand today to offer alms to Buddhist monks at merit-making ceremonies to mark Visakha Bucha Day.The public holiday commemorates three important events in the life of the Buddha: his birth, enlightenment and passing away. These events occur on the same day of the year in the Buddhist calendar: always on the full moon during…
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Dredging clears path for cleaner Phuket Bang Tao Canal water
PHUKET: Bang Tao Canal water, which was blamed for a rash of health problems for Phuket tourists and boatmen, is now flowing more freely with 80 per cent of the canal-dredging process complete. Akkarawat Hirunphun, director of the Phuket-based Regional Environmental Office 15, said tests conducted by his officers in April confirmed that the water in the canal at multiple…
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Mob violently bounces Aussies from Kangaroo Bar
PHUKET: Two drunk Australians were beaten down by a mob on Phuket’s famous party street, Soi Bangla, early yesterday. At about 1:30am Patong Deputy Superintendent Akanit Danpitaksat arrived on Soi Bangla (map here) to find both Australians sitting in the middle of the road covered in blood. Having only recently arrived in Phuket, the two men* Anotny Souners, 26, and…
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Phuket illegal taxi driver charged with sexual assault
PHUKET: The illegal taxi driver accused of holding a 19-year-old Chinese tourist captive in his vehicle for five hours has been charged with sexual assault, the Phuket City Police chief confirmed. Paitoon Kruain, 32, who operated an illegal taxi picking up tourists at Phuket International Airport, presented himself to police for questioning last Saturday (story here). After intensive questioning by…
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Phuket house construction worker dies in fall
PHUKET: A Phuket construction worker died yesterday after falling from scaffolding at a house being built in Thalang. Thalang Police were called to the site, in Soi Lak Maung in Baan Muang Mai, at about 10:30am. At the scene they found Manit Mongkhon, 42, from Nan Province in Northern Thailand, dead from a fatal head injury. Coworkers Sataphon Phaojumroon, 49,…
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Chinese arrested for illegally selling souvenirs at Phuket temple
PHUKET: Nine Chinese were arrested on Tuesday for illegally selling amulets and souvenirs at Wat Kathu, one of the oldest temples on the island. Phuket Immigration Office Superintendent Pol Col Sanchai Chokhayaikij led officers to the revered site at about 4:30pm, where they found the Chinese nationals actively selling amulets and souvenirs to visitors at the temple (map here). “We…
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Phuket Governor faces taxi doubleheader at Phuket International airport
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut was met en masse late yesterday by the drivers of a second taxi company after having already been dragged to Phuket International Airport due to an all-night vigil held by the illegal taxi drivers of Mook Andaman co-operative outside his official residence Tuesday night (story here). After concluding his meeting with Mook Andaman, with no…
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Phuket drowning victim identified as British national
PHUKET: Police have identified the man whose body washed ashore on Patong Beach early yesterday morning (story here) as 37-year-old Jeremy Thomas O’Neill. Because Mr O’Neill’s body was found without any identifying documents, police circulated a photo of him to hotels in Patong hoping he would be recognized, Patong Police Deputy Superintendent Akanit Danpitaksat explained. His identity was confirmed when…
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Phuket illegal taxi drivers stalk Governor, demand resolution
PHUKET: A sortie of about 30 illegal taxi drivers from the Mook Andaman co-operative staged an all-night vigil in front of the Governor’s Residence last night, finally causing the governor to agree to meet with them today to seek a resolution to their demand to serve passengers at Phuket International Airport. Police were called in to ensure the drivers kept…
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Power returns to Phuket
PHUKET: Electricity supply was restored to the south of the island after 9:30pm tonight following what was reported as Thailand’s biggest blackout on record. Phuket, along with all 13 other provinces that comprise Southern Thailand, was plunged into darkness just before 7pm. Power was restored to key areas on the island after just one hour, but residents outside major built-up…
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Phuket hit by major blackout
PHUKET: A major power outage struck across Phuket just before 7pm tonight.Phuket Town, Chalong, Koh Kaew and Thalang are three heavily populated areas suffering from the outage, the Phuket Gazette confirmed.The local electricty authority has confirmed the entire south of the island is also affected.The Gazette has recived report of a major blackout in Trang, indicating the blackout may be…
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Convicts claim to steal gold for milk money north of Phuket
PHUKET: A pair of snatch-thief convicts were snapped up by police shortly after they ripped two gold necklaces from the neck of a woman taking her child to school in Phang Nga this morning.After her necklaces – worth about 30,000 baht – were stolen, Waroon Chaisang called the police, who notified officers at a checkpoint down the road in the…
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Unidentified male foreigner found dead on Phuket beach
PHUKET: A bearded male foreigner was found dead on Phuket’s premier party beach of Patong early this morning. The body was found at about 6am across from Loma Park (map here), the site of multiple drownings last year, wearing only a red t-shirt. “We are examining the body, but have found no form of identification and have yet to be…
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Phuket alcohol ban for Visakha Bucha on Friday
PHUKET: Bars, restaurants and other retailers across Phuket are required to refrain from selling alcohol from midnight Thursday night to sunrise Saturday morning as a total ban on alcohol sales comes into effect nationwide for the Buddhist holy day Visakha Bucha on Friday.“Visakha Bucha Day is one of the four annual religious days on which the sale of alcohol is…
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Phuket Police scour Patong for motorbike ransom gang
PHUKET: Phuket Police are on the lookout for three men who evaded arrest last night when officers raided an address given as that of the ringleader of a teenage motorbike extortion gang. The raid originated from a complaint filed by Sasiprapha Sukhang, 18, from Buri Ram, who told police she lent her motorbike – which she had rented – to…
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Thalang defense volunteer charged for illegal possession of a firearm
PHUKET: A Thalang defense volunteer was charged with illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition after being pulled over at a checkpoint in Phuket. Krit Meesit, 52, wearing military trousers and a black shirt with “Royal Thai Marine Corps” written across it, was stopped at a checkpoint on Nanai Road in Patong at about 2am yesterday. “The man presented us…
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Phuket tourist hits pedestrian on Thepkrasattri Road
PHUKET: A tourist arriving on Phuket from Bangkok in his pick-up truck last night struck an unidentified man who allegedly had stepped out into one of Phuket’s busiest roads. Thalang Police received a report at 11:45pm that a man had been hit in the southbound lanes of Thepkrasattri Road about 150 meters north of the Heroines’ Monument (map here). At…
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Phuket taxi driver arrested over Chinese tourist sex assault complaint
PHUKET: A Phuket taxi driver is being held by Phuket City Police today following a 19-year-old Chinese tourist alleging the driver held her captive for hours and tried to sexually assault her. “Both the taxi driver and Chinese tourist have been brought in for questioning,” Detective Nucharee Longkaew, the Phuket City Police specialist officer for interviewing victims of sex crimes,…
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Australian gunmen walk free after short Phuket Prison stint
PHUKET: Two Australian tattoo parlor owners are now out of prison after mistakenly shooting two German tourists while trying to gun down alleged Danish mafioso Dennis Mark Knudsen on January 22. John Cohen, 32, and Adam Shea, 26, were released on April 11 after having served about 40 days of prison time. “They were sentenced to a six-month, 15-day suspended…
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Phuket resorts caught in illegal construction blitz
PHUKET: A team of Ministry of Interior officials landed in Phuket yesterday to raid four sites in and around Patong, all of which are now under investigation for illegal construction.Leading the raids was Lt Gen Jutti Thammanovanich from the Office of the Commissioner-General of the Royal Thai Police, ranking him among the top police commanders in the country.Joining him were…
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Phuket Sports: England must improve to beat NZ
PHUKET: After the high drama of England’s final test match in New Zealand, which ended with Monty Panesar nervously blocking the final five balls to avoid defeat and the dreaded ignominy of a series loss, the first game before the return Test matches against the Lions (effectively England’s second eleven), ended in a drab draw. Rain, as usual, was the…
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Phuket hospital offers free checkups in honor of HM Queen Sirikit
PHUKET: Phuket residents are invited to sign up for free medical checkups at the Phuket Provincial Hospital on May 31 in honor of HM Queen Sirikit’s 81st birthday later this year. The first 1,253 Phuket-registered residents to contact the Provincial Hospital (map here) before May 29 can take advantage of one of a number of checkups available. The hospital will…
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Phuket Sports: Boots, boredom and bluster – F1
PHUKET: What a boring race! The second drag reduction system (DRS) did not enliven Catalunya. Pirelli caved-in to pressure and supplied 2012-style hard tyres. They degraded anyway. Pirelli’s intention is to create two and three stop strategy options for each race; four stops is too many. The race became a shambles that even drivers could not follow. Pirelli has said…
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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