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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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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Nine Phuket students given anesthesia after suffering from Khao Lak “curse’
PHUKET: Nearly two dozen Phuket students were rushed to Patong Hospital this morning after they collapsed screaming and convulsing during morning assembly – three out of the nine students who were administered anesthesia by doctors at the hospital remain there. According to reports, the culprit seems to be a ghost in the tourist haven Khao Lak who was offended by…
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Phuket Grimes brothers’ karting season speeds up
PHUKET: Ben and Sam Grimes’ 125cc Junior Class karting season continues at a blistering pace. The brothers recently completed two rounds of the Thai National Championship and two rounds of the Rotax Asia Max Challenge (AMC) series, held in Malaysia. At round two of the Thai Championship in Saraburi, Ben qualified fourth with Sam coming in seventh. An erratic race…
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Retired Microsoft expat found dead in Phuket luxury villa pool
PHUKET: A retired Microsoft engineer was found dead this morning in his Phuket luxury villa pool located at Ao Makham.The body of the 69-year-old American expat was floating face down in the pool when police arrived at the scene.“He was wearing black swimming trunks. There was blood around his ear – but no trace of a struggle,” said Lt Anurak…
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Phuket FC loses direction as FA Cup draws them to Bangkok
PHUKET: The Islanders were unable to maintain their top-five standing in conclusion to the Yamaha League One (YL1) 2013 season’s first half, losing at home 0-1 on Saturday evening to a more-determined Nakhon Ratchasima FC. Phuket FC’s fixture list is rapidly becoming congested facing two-and-a-half matches in just eight days, including an away match in the FA Cup to SCG…
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Phuket family man struggling with debt hangs himself
PHUKET: A 52-year-old Phuket ice cream vendor who was despondent over heavy debts was found hanged at his home in Baan Don, Thalang, yesterday.Police presume the death to be suicide.Rabieb Kasiraksa woke at 5:20am to find her husband Chinda hanged from a beam in the kitchen, said Lt Thani Petchswee of the Thalang Police.“When we arrived at the house, Mrs…
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Blaze engulfs Phuket cable yard
PHUKET: Fire broke out at the TT&T cable yard on Thepkrasattri Road in Koh Kaew last night, causing an estimated 10 million baht in damage. No injuries were reported. Firefighters arrived soon after 8pm to find the yard next to the TT&T main office building – located opposite the Isuzu showroom, north of Boat Lagoon (map here) – engulfed in…
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Phuket Gazette World Sports: Brazil dominate Spain to win Confed Cup
Brazil crush 10-man Spain to win Confederations Cup Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Brazil humbled world and European Champions Spain with a crushing 3-0 win in the Confederations Cup final on Sunday, ending their opponents’ three-year record run of 29 unbeaten competitive matchesTwo goals from Fred, one either side of a stunning left-foot shot from Neymar, gave next year’s World Cup…
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Phuket police street shooter walks free
PHUKET: All charges against a Phuket police officer arrested for shooting dead a civilian in Phuket Town have been dropped. Cpl Rachaporn Semaksorn and his brother, Dechaporn, were arrested after witnesses identified Cpl Rachaporn as the man who pulled out a gun and shot 21-year-old Ekkasit Sangangam at point-blank range. The incident occurred on Phun Pol Soi 11, in the…
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Patong ladyboys given stiff treatment, Phuket club shut down
PHUKET: The Dragon Club, an erection behind the Jungceylon shopping mall in Patong (map here), was shut down on Thursday night after it was found to be hosting lewd shows in addition to doing business without a required license. “We raided the entertainment venue at about 10:30pm and found a naked show being performed on stage,” Lt Col Nikorn of…
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Belgian expat stabbed by Thai girlfriend out of Phuket ICU
PHUKET: The 62-year-old Belgian expat who was stabbed multiple times by his Thai girlfriend earlier this week is out of intensive care, hospital staff have confirmed. Ferdinand Salden was stabbed repeatedly by his girlfriend of six years, Yossapa Janthep, 36, amid a violent domestic dispute at their Patong home on Wednesday night (story here). Mr Salden lapsed into a coma…
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Phuket Sports: Tyres, teams and tracks – F1
PHUKET: We are seven races down in a nineteen race season. It is a good time to reflect. Pirelli succumbed to pressure and ran Montreal on intermediates instead of softs on a surface as smooth as a worm’s belly. That proved what we all knew; with tyres that do not degrade on a smooth dry track, the fastest car will…
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Lions beat Wallabies by a whisker
PHUKET: The first Test against Australia on June 22 turned out to be a ferocious confrontation. At times, the pitch resembled a battlefield. Though the Lions held the initiative for long periods, the Wallabies came back strongly in the second half, and were awarded a last minute penalty that would have settled a bruising encounter in their favor. In the…
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Thai athletes prepare for battle at the AIMAG
PHUKET: Over 2,000 athletes from 45 countries, including 116 athletes from Thailand, will compete at the upcoming 2013 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games (AIMAG), to be held in Incheon, South Korea through to July 6.The event kicked off earlier this week. AIMAG is a multi-sport event held every two years and regulated by the Olympic Council of Asia. The…
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Rohingya trafficking suspect to be charged for abduction, rape
PHUKET: The man accused of repeatedly raping a Rohingya woman he was allegedly to smuggle from a welfare shelter in Phang Nga, north of Phuket, to Malaysia will face rape and abduction charges, police today confirmed to the Phuket Gazette. “We were issued an arrest warrant today that will allow us to take him into custody and proceed with pressing…
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Busted: Alleged drug dealer’s operation across from Phuket school
PHUKET: Police busted a Burmese drug dealer suspected of operating out of a house across the street from a Phuket school yesterday evening.Staking out a house across from Baan Kata School, Phuket Provincial Police officer Wanchai Palawan and his team waited for Anan Kanyarat, 36, to leave the residence before stopping and searching him.Police found 4.5 grams of marijuana on…
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Phuket expat, in death revealed as witness in shocking Sweden murders
PHUKET: The 57-year-old Swedish expat found dead in her home in Chalong earlier this month was a key witness to one of the most shocking murder trials in Sweden’s history. The body of Aino Marianne Seppala was found lying on a couch in her living room on June 10. There was no evidence of violence in the room, reported police…
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False start for Phuket murder trial of Swedish man
PHUKET: The murder trial of Johan Sebastian Ljung – charged for his role in the killing of fellow Swedish national Maksim Schantz in Phuket two years ago – floundered yesterday after the case investigator failed to present himself in court. Mr Ljung, 25 at the time of the killing, was brought from Phuket Provincial Prison, located immediately next to the…
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Special Report: Navy ships scuttled south of Phuket for fishy passengers
Special Report: Three Royal Thai Navy vessels have been scuttled in Krabi Province to provide superstructures for artificial reefs as part of the province’s bid to create underwater learning centers for divers and boost the Andaman province’s tourism industry. The Gazette’s Irfarn Jamdukor reports. PHUKET: The ships are designed to function as both artificial reefs – human-made underwater structures usually…
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New Phuket detour to ease congestion at underpass construction site
PHUKET: Officials this week inspected the site of a new two-lane detour that will allow travellers between Patong and Chalong to bypass the Darasmuth Intersection in front of Central Festival, relieving congestion. The detour is in response to traffic jams at the intersection caused by the construction of the Darasmuth underpass (story here), said Phuket Vice Governor Sommai Prijasipa. One…
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Poles are for climbing at Phuket Agricultural Fair
PHUKET: Seven kinds of goats could be found behind Tesco Lotus in Cherng Talay on Monday and Tuesday this week, during Cherng Talay’s ninth annual agricultural fair, which also entertained local residents with durian races, pole-climbing matches, cooking contests and animal competitions. “Tourism in Phuket has made agricultural jobs less important,” said Cherng Talay Subdistrict Administrative Organization (OrBorTor) President Ma-ann…
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Alleged encroachment on protected Phuket mangroves in cross hairs
PHUKET: An investigation was launched into allegations that a Rassada landowner was encroaching on a protected mangrove forest and preventing villagers from accessing the forest for fishing. At the property, Phuket Vice Governor Somkiet Sangkaosuttirak and his team were greeted by Koompha Thammapradit, who claimed to know the land owner and presented a Sor Kor 1 title deed for 300…
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Police open fire as drug suspect rams Phuket Town blockade
PHUKET: Police officers opened fire on a suspected drug dealer after he rammed his Honda Jazz into a police patrol pickup blocking his escape in Phuket Town early yesterday evening. Police were following the Honda Jazz of 28-year-old Thaweepong Kerdpol, a suspected drug dealer, after they received a tip-off that he was in the Chalong area. Mr Thaweepong stopped for…
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Phuket Gazette World Sports: Webber to end F1 career
Mark Webber to quit Formula 1 at the end of season Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Red Bull’s Mark Webber will quit Formula One at the end of the season for Porsche’s new sportscar programme, the Australian announced today. The 36-year-old spent 12 years in Formula One, winning nine races and twice finishing third in the championship. Lotus driver Kimi…
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Phuket officials stage pre-emptive strike against canal-clogging flower
PHUKET: Acting early to prevent the flooding, and stagnant water, that plague the Ban Yai Canal area in Srisoonthorn every year, officials took action yesterday to remove the culprit: water hyacinths that grow rampant in the canal. “Local residents complain every year that the hyacinths block water flow and cause flooding and bad-smelling water,” said Somjit Limpattawong, Municipal Clerk of…
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Phuket Police turn to Skype to catch criminals
PHUKET: In a move to catch criminals faster, officers across Phuket are to use Skype so victims and witnesses can relate their descriptions of suspects directly to police artists in Surat Thani.Under the Royal Thai Police project called “Sketch on Skype”, experts from Forensic Science Region 8 in Surat Thani arrived in Phuket on Tuesday to explain the program to…
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Koh Kaew u-turn lane lengthened to relieve congestion
PHUKET: The northbound u-turn lane at the Koh Kaew intersection on Thepkrasattri Road is in the process of being lengthened in an effort to tackle the chronic congestion in the area.“Right now the u-turn lane is not long enough for all the cars that want to turn at the Koh Kaew intersection, and cars that can’t get into the turn…
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Phuket FC slay the Ratchaburi ‘Dragon’ in Thai FA Cup
PHUKET: The Islanders caused a Thai FA Cup upset last night knocking out Thai Premier League (TPL) side Rachaburi Mitrphol 2-0 at their home ground, Surakul Stadium in Phuket Town. The first half started brightly with both sides adopting an attacking style but the end-to-end football was quickly replaced by caution. Phuket FC started the match against the Dragons, who…
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Phuket Airport Bus can start July 15, says bus owner
PHUKET: The soonest the airport bus can start running is July 15, the owner of the bus company, Prakob Panyawai, told the Phuket Gazette on Tuesday. “I wish the bus could roll on July 1 as the Phuket Land Transport Office (PLTO) chief demands,” he said, “but we’re just not ready [story here].” “All the buses have been checked at…
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Phuket tuk-tuk drivers protest illegal taxis
PHUKET: A protest by about 100 tuk-tuk drivers today won the drivers a crackdown on illegal taxis, which the tuk-tuk clan says are stealing their jobs. After staging a convoy from Kathu, the protesters parked their tuk-tuks at Sanam Chai, across the street from Provincial Hall in Phuket Town (map here). “We do not have enough money to pay the…
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Monsoon wind to spare Phuket from Indonesian haze
PHUKET: The Phuket weather office has predicted that the strong southwest monsoon wind that has caused the current rough seas along the Andaman coast will also keep the record-level hazardous haze from Indonesia away from Phuket. The haze, born of forest fires across Sumatra (click here for NASA interactive map showing fires and haze), saw air pollution reach record levels…
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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