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 joins Royal project to turn aluminum trash into prosthetic legs
PHUKET: The chief of the Phuket Environment Office is calling for all donations of aluminum to donate to a nationwide project that seeks to recycle at least 80 tons of aluminum into prosthetic legs. The project, initiated by the Prostheses Foundation of HRH The Princess Mother (click here), aims to reduce the volume of garbage and make prosthetic legs more…
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Phuket motorcyclist survives slide under chicken truck
PHUKET: A motorcyclist riding the wrong way on Thepkrasattri Road ended up under a pickup loaded with fresh chicken meat last night, bruised and scratched but without major injuries. Wang Promma, 38, was riding his motorcycle north in the southbound section of Thepkrasattri Road, about 500 meters north of the Heroines Monument (map here), said Capt Narong Muangdoung of the…
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Laguna return to form in Phuket cricket league
PHUKET: As Phuket’s Jones Lang LaSalle cricket league nears completion of its round robin matches, teams are still fighting for a finals spot. Laguna returned to the Alan Cooke Ground (ACG) after suffering a comprehensive defeat against league leaders Patong the previous week, hoping to get back on track against the Village, who were also defeated by Patong in their…
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Phuket Sports: Barton in trouble with ‘ladyboy’ tweet
PSG threaten action against Barton for ‘ladyboy’ tweets Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Paris St Germain (PSG) threatened action against Joey Barton yesterday after the Olympique Marseille midfielder likened Brazilian defender Thiago Silva to a transsexual and called him an “overweight ladyboy”. “These attacks are serious and go beyond a simple verbal clash,” the Ligue 1 leaders said in a…
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Phuket Gazette Sports: Motorcycling – No end in sight for the reign of Spain
Motorcycling – No end in sight for the reign of Spain Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Valentino Rossi is back on a Yamaha but it will take some heroics for the aging Italian great to wrest the MotoGP title from Spanish hands in the season that starts under the Qatar floodlights this weekend.Honda’s Dani Pedrosa lines up as the early favourite,…
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Famous boxer arrested in Phuket for dealing drugs
PHUKET: Karon Police yesterday arrested famous former Muay Thai boxer Sumonchai Mad-adam, better known to his boxing fans as Rungsaknoi Dejrit (“Powerfully Popular”), for dealing ya bah (methamphetamine) in the car park of a Phuket hotel. Maj Theeradet Jiraksa led fellow police officers in a sting operation, during which an undercover officer bought several pills from Sumonchai, 32, who was…
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Phuket Environment: Time for Racha to sink or swim?
SPECIAL REPORT PHUKET: With only two weeks remaining until the deadline set by Phuket Vice Governor Sommai Prijasilpa to have environmental protections in place on Racha Yai Island, questions are being asked about how much has been achieved and what remains to be done to protect the popular tourist island’s pristine environment. A campaign lasting nearly a year asking for…
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Phuket doctors unaffected by health care pay reform
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Health Office (PPHO) today confirmed that the introduction of the new P4P “Pay for performance” system of calculating rural doctors’ remuneration will not affect any public health care services in Phuket.The news follows at least 146 doctors – among them 11 specialists –announcing they will resign their positions at public hospitals across the country in protest…
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Phuket Gazette Sports: Baseball opening day – a celebration of hope and renewal
Baseball opening day – a celebration of hope and renewal Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: The crack of the bat, packed crowds and the smell of hot dogs on the grill signaled Major League Baseball’s Opening Day, a celebration of hope and renewal giving teams and their fans a fresh start to a new season. It is a rite of spring…
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Phuket Sports: The rise of Thailand’s futsal team
PHUKET: Sitting on a weathered white couch in the VIP section of the Saphan Hin Indoor Sports Complex, Thailand’s national futsal coach, Vic Hermans looks like he’d rather be on the touchline at the Phuket United vs Surat Thani match instead of watching it from the stands. The Dutchman visited Phuket recently to check out a few members of the…
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Phuket British school issues statement over Russian motorbike crash victims
PHUKET: The British International School – Phuket (BIS), this morning issued a statement concerning the two teenage Russian students who are in hospital after a serious motorbike crash on the bypass road on Saturday (story here). Neil Richards MBE, headmaster at the school, wrote in the statement today: “On Saturday 30 March 2013, two students of Russian nationality, from the…
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Luckless fisherman lands crocodile in Phuket heartland
PHUKET: Decades since a freshwater crocodile was last spotted in the wild on Phuket, a local fisherman on Sunday accidentally landed a baby specimen while fishing in Srisoonthorn, in central Phuket.Khamchit Sangsuwan, 32, a resident in the neighboring district of Kathu, went fishing at Baan Bang Jo canal. After two hours of luckless angling, the end of his line suddenly…
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Trash fires cause evacuations on Koh Lanta
PHUKET: Villagers on Koh Lanta, across Phang Nga Bay from Phuket, have evacuated their homes because of respiratory problems caused by garbage fires at a landfill. Local authorities say they are unable to control the fires. The villagers sought to publicize the trash burning problem about three weeks ago by appealing to the Krabi Press Club, saying that local authorities…
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Phuket pond cleanup uncovers dumped motorbike
PHUKET: Police are looking into whether a motorbike found this morning dumped in a lagoon in Rawai was stolen or had been involved in a crime. Rawai Municipality officials found the red-and-black Yamaha Nouvo after they began dredging the Baan Sai Yuan public pond near the Rawai Palm Beach Resort at about 10am. “The pond was shallow because mud was…
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Phuket Gazette Sports: Murray’s win takes him to number 2 in world rankings; Serena sees off Sharapova
Murray goes to number two with Miami tie-break win over Ferrer Reuters/ Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Britain’s Andy Murray defeated Spain’s David Ferrer 2-6 6-4 7-6 in a grueling Sony Open final yesterday to move above Roger Federer to second in the world rankings. Murray was far from at his best against a dogged Ferrer but won the tie-break comfortably 7-1…
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Phuket Russian teen students still in ICU after motorcyclist crash
PHUKET: Two Russian students from Phuket’s British International School are tonight still in the intensive care unit (ICU) at Phuket International Hospital after being involved in a horrific motorbike accident on the bypass road yesterday. Staff at the hospital declined to give details of the students’ condition, but did confirm that both Vlabislan Adrashko and Sevastan Lukashov were still under…
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Phuket Songkran may be drier than usual
PHUKET: Following the ban on “water battles” in trucks recently announced by Deputy Interior Minister Chat Kuldilok for Songkran celebrations (link here), the Gazette has been informed of possible new restrictions being proposed, given the island’s current drought-like conditions. Phuket is facing its driest quarter in 10 years with only about 2.9mn cubic meters at the Bang Wad Dam (story…
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Cyclists head to Phuket
PHUKET: THE final stage of this year’s cycling event, the “Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn’s Cup Tour of Thailand”, will be held here in Phuket. Lt Gen Decha Hemkasri, secretary general of the Thai Cycling Association, under the Royal Patronage of His Majesty The King said: “The Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn’s Cup Tour of Thailand will be held from April 1-10…
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Phuket Blood Center stocks up for Songkran
PHUKET: The Phuket Regional Blood Center (PRBC) wants to boost its blood reserves to prepare for higher demand during the Songkran Festival. “We maintain a daily minimum stock of 200 units of A, B and O blood types, and 20 units of Rhesus-negative blood, but during the Songkran Festival we anticipate more accidents and more people needing blood, so we…
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Phuket FC constructing a new complex on Chao Fa West road
PHUKET: THE island’s football club, Phuket FC, are in the process of constructing a new state-of-the-art training facility just south of Phuket Town, en route to Chalong. This complex will afford players badly needed upgrades to equipment and facilities and will include a natural grass football pitch, as well as an artificial grass pitch, swimming pool, fitness center and physical…
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Italians take path less travelled
PHUKET: An Italian couple who lost their way while sight-seeing at the Khao Phra Thaew wildlife sanctuary in Thalang were recovered safely on March 27. Meiko Parisani and Valentina Bolognini entered the park at about 3:30pm, hoping to see the Ton Sai Waterfall, but soon lost their way. “We were very scared. We saw a monkey with big teeth, it…
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Phuket Gazette Sports: Messi nets record, United and Bayern march on
Sio shines as Sochaux sink Lyon Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Lionel Messi scored in a 19th successive league match as Barcelona maintained a 13-point lead in La Liga despite being held to a draw by Celta Vigo, while a deflected goal kept Manchester United 15 points clear in England. Claudio Pizarro scored four times as Bayern Munich hammered Hamburg SV…
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Breaking News: Phuket FC inhale victory against Tobacco Monopoly
PHUKET: The dozens of die hard Phuket FC football fans who’ve so far spent 16 hours on the road since yesterday night, have something to celebrate on their 12-hour ride home following their team’s victory away to TTM Lopburi (0-1) tonight in Bangkok. The match’s only goal was scored by Phuket’s Kritsada Sakaeo from a perfectly weighted free kick late…
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Phuket Immigration seeks help in coping with overload of Rohingya arrivals
PHUKET: The arrival of more than 100 Rohingya men, women and children last weekend has left Phuket Immigration overflowing, with no respite on the horizon. The huge influx of refugees fleeing strife-torn Myanmar has forced Phuket Immigration to seek help elsewhere, said Capt Angkarn Yasanop. Of the 102 Rohingya taken into custody last weekend when the refugees sought shelter on…
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Phuket helps turtles break for the waves
PHUKET: The Mai Khao Marine Turtle Foundation and JW Marriott Phuket Resort and Spa hosted the 4th Mai Khao Turtle Release yesterday afternoon. The important annual event is organized to raise funds for, and awareness of, the plight of Phuket’s critically endangered sea turtles. Supported by the Phuket Marine Biological Center and the Royal Thai Navy, the event released rehabilitated…
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Phuket Police on lookout for three drivers in two fatal hit-and-runs
PHUKET: Chalong Police are looking for the drivers of three vehicles involved in two separate hit-and-runs on Thursday night. Just after midnight yesterday morning, police received a report that a man had died in a road accident near the entrance to Soi Pratana on Chao Fa West Road in Chalong (map here). Chalong Police investigator Wuttiwat Liangboonjinda identified the victim…
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Phuket hotels given one month to start reporting foreign guests
PHUKET: Hotels and other guest accommodation establishments across the island have until May 1 to start filing daily reports identifying their guests to Phuket Immigration before officers start raiding – and charging – the hotel operators. The news follows Phuket Immigration Superintendent Sunchai Chokkajaykij on Thursday laying down the law to his officers, ordering them to launch a campaign to…
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Truck water fights banned for Thai New Year
PHUKET: Deputy Interior Minister Chat Kuldilok yesterday announced that people engaging in running water battles from the backs of trucks and pickups during the upcoming Thai New Year Songkran festival will be subject to criminal charges. The news follows a meeting of the national Road Safety Center on Thursday to draw up road-safety measures to be enforced during Songkran, Lt…
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Phuket job fair offering more than 6,000 jobs
PHUKET: More than 6,000 jobs are up for grabs at the two-day “e-jobs@Phuket 2013” employment fair, which started today at Phuket Rajabhat University (map here). “The fair offers prospective employers and employees the opportunity to meet directly and increase their chances of finding a ‘best match’ for the work and the people they are seeking,” Phuket Provincial Employment Office chief…
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Murder fugitive’s 10-year run ends with drug-fuelled road frenzy
PHUKET: A murder fugitive on the run for a decade was arrested yesterday in Phang Nga, just north of Phuket, after an armed drug binge ended with police shooting out his tyres.Phonchai “Bao” Phetrit, from Trang, wanted by Ladprao Police in Bangkok on a murder warrant issued in 2003, was finally placed under arrest after he rammed through three checkpoints,…
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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