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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Bangkok tip-off prompts Phuket abortion pharmacy shutdown
PHUKET: An unlicensed pharmacist in central Phuket Town has been charged with illegally selling abortion pills after being caught in an undercover operation carried out by Ministry of Public Health officials.A complaint filed directly to police in Bangkok resulted in the sting operation on the City Health Care pharmacy, on Dibuk Road, near the junction with Soi Romanee, late yesterday…
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Human Rights Watch calls for probe into alleged Rohingya shootings
PHUKET: New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) today issued a statement calling for the Thai authorities to investigate reports of Royal Thai Navy sailors opening fire on a boatload of Rohingya off the Phang Nga coast, north of Phuket, allegedly killing at least two of the refugees. “Rohingya fleeing Burma should be given protection, not shot at,” said Brad Adams,…
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Phuket Gazette Sports: Champions League latest; Barc and Galatasaray win; Arsenal falling short – Graham
Magical Messi lifts Barca to stunning comeback Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A fired-up Lionel Messi answered his critics by inspiring Barcelona to a sensational Champions League comeback against AC Milan last night with two goals in a 4-0 home win to help them reach the quarter-finals. A rampant Barca, all-but written off after a surprise 2-0 reverse at Milan’s…
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Vietnamese Defense Minister visits Naval Command in Phuket
PHUKET: The Royal Thai Navy’s Third Area Command gave a warm welcome to General Phung Quang Thanh, Vietnam’s Minister of National Defense, yesterday as he made his first diplomatic visit to the Phuket naval base responsible for Thailand’s Andaman coast.“I am very lucky to have had the opportunity to visit Thailand several times. This is my first official visit to…
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Phuket Vice Governor tees off probe into course-side land conflict
PHUKET: Conflicting descriptions of property boundaries on the land titles for a plot beside the Loch Palm Golf Course and for the course itself has prompted Phuket Vice Governor Somkiet Sangkaosuttirak to launch an investigation into which title deed is accurate. Vice Governor Somkiet visited the site in person after Rattana Bunyoungponglert filed a complaint that Loch Palm had built…
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Bikes found flaming near popular Phuket Beach
PHUKET: Police are investigating the possible arson of four motorbikes parked on public land at the entrance of Laem Sing Beach.At about 3:45pm today Kamala Police received a report that four vehicles had burst into flames.“Three of the motorbikes belong to locals who work on the beach as masseuses; the other motorbike was the rental bike of a tourist who…
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The digital blues of Phuket computing – Live Wire
PHUKET: Over the years I’ve talked a lot about how computing in Phuket is different – what you can expect, what will never come to pass, how to work around a whole lot of problems. This week I want to share with you a couple of stories from some friends of mine, who got stung simply because they were trying…
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Officers arrest six foreigners for working illegally in Phuket
PHUKET: Phuket Immigration officers yesterday raided a software design office in Rawai, where they arrested six foreigners, half of them Russian, for working illegally. Phuket Immigration Investigator Chidchanok Sakornyen led the raid, which saw his team of officers enter the site at 12:30pm. We found six foreigners working as software and web design consultants and operating a website. We questioned…
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Photographer offers B100,000 reward for return of life’s work
PHUKET: A professional travel photographer and boutique resort owner in Phuket is offering a 100,000-baht reward for any information leading to the return of his MacBook Pro and backup hard drive – which contain his life’s work.Brian Skyum, owner of Coco Palace Resort in Rawai, returned to Phuket after five weeks in the Philippines to find his maid was the…
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Phuket celebrates 54th anniversary of HM the King’s visit
PHUKET: A ceremony to mark HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s visit to Phuket 54 years ago was led by Phuket Vice Governor Somkiet Sangkaosutthirak today.A merit-making ceremony with nine monks at the Governor’s residence started the proceedings at about 7 am, after which Phuket V/Gov Somkiet carried the Phuket Provincial sword through the streets of Phuket.The revered sword was presented to…
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Tiger Woods: ‘That’s why I work my tail off…’
Tiger works his tail off Reuters / Phuket Gazette“I enjoy being there. That’s why I work my tail off to lift all those weights, hit all those balls and spend those countless hours out there to be in that position,” Tiger Woods said after clinching victory at the WGC-Cadillac Championship. PHUKET: Tiger Woods made 27 birdies on his way to…
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Six children caught in Phuket beggar bust
PHUKET: Six children were part of a group of Cambodian beggars rounded up in Patong on Friday, as police continue to crackdown on beggars from abroad (story here). Police took six children into custody, aged between 5 months and 8 years, in addition to arresting six adults – three men and three women. None of the adults had a passport…
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Koh Lanta villagers seek media help to end dumping ‘health issue’
PHUKET: Villagers in Koh Lanta, east of Phuket, have appealed to the Krabi Press Club to help resolve health problems caused by the recent burning of rubbish at a landfill which they say local authorities have ignored. “We have asked the OrBorTor Saladan [in Koh Lanta] to solve the problem, but nothing has been done,” said Phakob Solaem, a local…
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Baby buffalo killed in Phuket hit-and-run, owner blamed
PHUKET: A pickup truck struck and killed a young buffalo and then drove off north of Phuket Town on Saturday night, but authorities say the buffalo’s owner was at fault. “In this case, the owner of the buffalo must pay for the damage to the pickup truck,” Phuket City Police chief Col Sermphan Sirikong explained to the Phuket Gazette. “He…
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Phuket United beat Samut Prakarn, win five in a row
PHUKET: Playing their final home match of the season, Phuket United defeated Samut Prakarn Futsal Club 4-1 in a thrilling match on Saturday night in Phuket Town. The victory was the Andaman Pearl’s fifth in a row, and was both side’s 28th game of the 30-fixture GMM Sport Thailand Futsal Premier League (TFPL) 2012-2013 season. Played at the 4,000-seat Saphan…
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Phuket Gazette World Sports: Slim pickings will be offered by Wales in finale of Six Nations
Everything to play for in Cardiff finale Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: After a painfully poor-quality weekend of Six Nations rugby that produced three tries and an off-the-chart penalty count, fans will hope that next Saturday’s title showdown between Wales and England in Cardiff lives up to its billing. It will undoubtedly be a fantastic occasion with the Millennium Stadium…
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Phuket Sports: Thailand beat England 4-2 at BIS – Fair Play League
PHUKET: THE Fair Play League (FPL) continued last Sunday (March 3), at Phuket’s British International School (BIS). The under-11s were first up and had some exciting matches in store. Spain continued their fine form beating a determined Brazil in their first match and Thailand managed to edge past an improving England side. The second set of matches saw an upset…
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Phuket Sports: Brits dip into TSLC
PHUKET: Thanyapura Sports and Leisure Club’s (TSLC) management recently added the British sprint swim team to their list of world class sporting guests, welcoming the team of Olympians and world record holders to the international standard sports training facility in Phuket. Among the swimmers who flew out to Thailand for the training programme were two times world champion and world…
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Phuket Gazette Sports: Chelsea force replay as Liverpool win thriller; Euro roundup
Chelsea fight back as Bayern, Juve move clear Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Chelsea came from two goals down at Manchester United to draw 2-2 in a thrilling FA Cup quarter-final yesterday that capped a bad week for the Premier League leaders who were knocked out of the Champions League on Tuesday. Their conquerors in midweek, Real Madrid, beat struggling…
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Phuket book launch makes history
PHUKET: It was standing room only as more than 250 people crammed into the auditorium next to Les Anges bakery at Royal Phuket Marina (RPM) yesterday evening for the launch of Colin Mackay’s potentially seminal work,”A History of Phuket and the Surrounding Region”.More than six years in the making, the book references more than 800 texts detailing the arrival of…
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Driver with drugs in black plate taxi trunk gets attempted bribery charges to boot
PHUKET: A Phuket bound “black plate” taxi was caught doing double-duty yesterday as it hauled 45 kilograms of kratom leaves back from Surat Thani after dropping a group of Russian tourists off in a resort in Nakorn Sri Thammarat. The drug-running duo in the car have been charged with the intent to sell a category five drug and for bribery…
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Phuket concrete-mixing truck kills 5-year-old boy
PHUKET: A concrete-mixing truck ran over a 5-year-old Burmese boy in Thalang on Friday night. The boy, “Juggy”, was on a motorbike with his 35-year-old mother, Mrs Namprik, and his 3-year-old sister. The concrete-mixing truck, allegedly being driven at a high speed toward a construction site in Patong, struck the motorbike at around 9:45pm on the Baan Don-Cherngtalay Road, Roonnaphum…
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Phuket Sports: England in for hard time with Italian visit
PHUKET: Glasgoq Warriors flyhalf Duncan Weir will make his first start for Scotland in Saturdays’s Six Nations championship match against Wales at Murrayfield after replacing Ruaridh Jackson in the squad announced on Tuesday, Weir, 21, who has won his three previous caps from the bench, is one of two changes to the starting lineup who defeated Ireland in the last…
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Entangled manta ray ensnares international attention
PHUKET: The sighting of a 5-meter manta ray entangled in heavy ropes off Koh Racha Noi has galvanized marine experts from as far away as Bangkok and Singapore to come to its rescue. Nantarika Chansue, the director of the Veterinary Medical Aquatic Animal Research Center and faculty of Veterinarian Sciences at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, has called on the entire…
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Aussie life savers dive in to boost Phuket beach guard training
PHUKET: The Phuket Lifeguard Club (PLC) yesterday announced it has joined with the renowned Surf Life Saving Australia (SLSA) to develop world-class public education programs that aim to improve water safety and reduce the number of drownings on Phuket’s beaches. This week, six senior lifeguard trainers from Phuket beaches and resorts worked with SLSA Community Education Manager Anthony Bradstreet to…
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Phuket Sports: Rotary Club of Patong paired up with Laguna for fun in the sun
PHUKET: On Friday March 1, the Rotary Club of Patong Beach held a charity golf tournament at Laguna Phuket Golf Club. A total of 66 players braved the brutal heat to battle for prizes in several categories. Singles winner was Best Wannamakok with 36 stableford points. The winning pair were Keith Bennet and Sandor Levai. The winning team were Martin…
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Dutch tourist retracts Phi Phi rape report
PHUKET: A Dutch woman who reported to police that she was raped on Monday while on holiday on Phi Phi Island, near Phuket, recanted her story yesterday. The 25-year-old woman told police that she and a friend arrived on Phi Phi on Monday and checked into a hotel. “She then went alone to a bar by the beach,” said Krabi…
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Phuket Poll: Time to round up the dogs?
PHUKET: The island of Phuket has a lot of dogs – from pampered poodles that ride motorcycles with their masters to skinny, mangy dogs that live on charity in the streets. Because there are no leash laws and because people support stray dogs by feeding them, it’s easy to see all types of dogs out and about on their own.…
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Phuket tourists warned about illegal slow loris touts
PHUKET: A seven-day educational campaign against profiteering from slow lorises and other wildlife is now underway on the streets of Patong. Last night about 30 government officers handed out English-language brochures on the illegal use of wildlife in one of the most tourist-dense areas of Phuket, between Loma Park and Soi Bangla in Patong (map here). The officers were from…
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Phuket Gazette Sports: Chelsea face second exit as Spurs trounce Inter
Tottenham thump sorry Inter, Chelsea stung Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Tottenham Hotspur trounced a sorry Inter Milan 3-0 in the Europa League yesterday while last year’s European champions Chelsea were humbled 1-0 by Steaua Bucharest after being stung by a Raul Rusescu penalty.Big-spending Russian pair Zenit St Petersburg and Anzhi Makhachkala failed to manage a goal between them. Zenit lost…
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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