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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Sponsored Infinito helps hotels in Thailand with revenue management
Maximising revenue and profit–isn’t that the ultimate goal for every business in the hospitality industry? If you run a hotel, you might have heard that revenue management is an effective way to boost your top-line revenue. It involves using data...
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Man dies in second Phuket hit-and-run in two days
PHUKET: A 21-year-old security guard from Phattalung has died after the motorcycle he was riding was struck by a car on the road from the Heroines’ Monument (map here) to Pa Khlok late last night. He was the second person to be struck down in a hit-and-run in Phuket in two days (see story here). Thalang Police Duty Officer Chatree…
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Phuket Gazette office closed today
PHUKET: The Phuket Gazette would like to inform our readers and advertisers that our office in Koh Kaew had to be closed today, Thursday, February 28, due to yet another all-day blackout in the area to upgrade power lines. The blackout affects Soi Harn Farang and Soi Koh Kaew 33, and may affect adjoining areas that are supplied electricity from…
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DSI raids Phuket building supplies operator
PHUKET: Officers from the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) today raided a local construction supply company suspected of stealing sand from a National Forest to sell for use in Phuket’s booming property industry.The DSI made headlines last week for investigating illegal land title deeds in Sirinart National Park, on Phuket’s west coast.The raid started at 8am today when DSI chief…
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French family saved from speedboat adrift
PHUKET: A French man and his family were rescued on Tuesday night after their speedboat broke down about two nautical miles from Koh Sirae. Phuket Marine Police received a distress call from Patick Legros, 58, at about 8:30pm informing them that he, his wife and his 7-year-old daughter were in need of help. Chatchai Sakdee of the Marine Police led…
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Police suspect Chevy driver in Phuket hit-and-run
PHUKET: Police are searching for the driver of a Chevrolet vehicle believed to have been involved in a hit-and-run in Phuket Town last night. Phuket City Police duty officer Akaradech Phongprom received a report that a man riding a motorcycle had been struck down on Narisorn Road, near Phuket Provincial Hall (map here), at about 10:30pm. Officers arrived at the…
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Bourgeois tsunami sculptures to return to beach
PHUKET: “Hold me close”, the two sculptures designed by late French artist Louise Bourgeois to commemorate victims of the 2004 tsunami along the Andaman coast, will be given a new, secure home in Krabi. Local officials plan to provide a place on the beach at Hat Noppharat Thara where the metal sculptures can be admired, but will remain safe from…
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2013 ACYC Keel Boat and Multihull Club Championship Race Series 2 announced
PHUKET: Ao Chalong Yacht Club (ACYC) has announced the 2013 ACYC Keel Boat and Multihull Club Championship Race Series 2 – FCI Watermaker Series. The first race will be on March 3. Eligibility and entry: The series is open to all keel yachts and multihulls with an overall length of greater than six meters. Eligible boats may enter by completing…
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Vicious Pit Bull Attack: Phuket mother files for compensation
PHUKET: A compensation complaint for a hospital bill totalling nearly 700,000 baht was filed with Wichit Police yesterday after a man was savaged in a vicious pit bull attack.Benjarat Ekpaiboon’s 33-year-old son, Tiensak Ekpaiboon, was attacked by three of their neighbor’s five pit bulls around 8am on February 6.“He’s been in hospital for almost three weeks now. Some of the…
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Six injured on merit making trip to Phuket’s renowned Big Buddha image
PHUKET: A bus carrying 26 Burmese, en route to make merit at Phuket’s renowned Big Buddha image, swerved off the road yesterday injuring six passengers. The po thong, a six-wheeled “bus” with two planks for passenger seats, was driven by Abdollah Sairaya, 54. “I was contacted by the workers at about 5pm. They asked me to pick them up from…
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Phuket Gazette Sports: Gareth bails out Spurs; Arsenal profit; Laudrup to stay after cup win
Brilliant Bale lifts Spurs up to third Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Gareth Bale’s stunning late goal lifted Tottenham Hotspur to a 3-2 win over West Ham United on yesterday which took them up to third in the Premier League table. Bale opened the scoring on 13 minutes but left his best until the 90th minute when he unleashed a…
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New multi-million baht Chalong dam plagued with problems
PHUKET: Construction issues plague the Klong Pee dam project in Chalong less than a year after it was completed at a cost of over 10 million baht.Villagers complained to the Irrigation Project of Phuket, but after nine months of silence have turned to the Phuket Governor and the Phuket Press Club for help.“On February 15 of this year, we filed…
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Three Phuket residents die on journey to make merit
PHUKET: Three Phuket residents died and two were injured on their way to make merit for Makha Bucha Day when their car went off the road and landed in a pond in Phang Nga today. One of the passengers, a five-year-old girl, was thrown from the car and was found dead in the pond water. “At about 8am this morning,…
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Bottlenose dolphin, rare in Phuket, found dead
PHUKET: A bottlenose dolphin was found dead on Bang Tao Beach this morning, the first to be found beached in Phuket in years. “The dolphin was a female bottlenose dolphin,” Dr Kongkiat Kittiwattanawong of the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) said. “They mostly live west of Maithon island in Phang Nga and in Ranong. This dolphin was about 2.2 meters…
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Alcohol banned tonight for Makha Bucha
PHUKET: A nationwide ban on the sale and purchase of alcohol is in effect today, Makha Bucha Day, one of the four annual religious holidays in Thailand.“Alcohol is banned in Phuket and across the country out of respect for the holy day,” Peerayuth Karajedee, Deputy Commander of Phuket Provincial Police, told the Phuket Gazette this morning. “We have sent out…
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Phuket officials squelch Dengue fever rumors
PHUKET: Residents must do their part in controlling dengue fever by not allowing water to stand in containers around their homes, officials have told the Phuket Gazette as rumors started to grow last week of an outbreak in Karon. In response to a complaint from a reader living on Patak Road Soi 24 in Karon that at least nine people…
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Thailand Futsal: Phuket United back on track with away victory
PHUKET: Five different Phuket United players scored the goals that contributed to the team’s away-victory (2-6) against Samut Songkhram on Sunday afternoon in Bangkok. Played at Bangkok’s Fashion Island Futsal Arena, the match was both side’s 24th of the 30-fixture GMM Sport Thailand Futsal Premier League (TFPL) 2012-2013 season. Phuket United’s goals were scored by Brazilian Jardel, who scored both…
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Mangrove flyover given start date, plans tweaked
PHUKET: A May start date for the long awaited 170-million-baht Klong Koh Pee flyover project, which will now traverse 700 meters of protected mangrove forest, was announced yesterday by the Phuket Governor. “The people of Phuket have been waiting for this project to start for almost 20 years,” Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut said. “The project is important, as it provides…
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Phuket Gazette Sports: Premiership managers fed up with questions over future
Mancini swears he is fed up of questions over future Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: If Mario Balotelli had left his “Why Always Me?” T-shirt behind in Manchester, his former manager Roberto Mancini might well have fancied wearing it yesterday. The Manchester City boss, who used to joke that all his news conferences started with questions about fellow Italian Balotelli…
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French Ambassador sees SME business opportunities in Phuket
PHUKET: The new French Ambassador to Thailand, Thierry Viteau, made his first visit outside of his station in Bangkok to Phuket on Thursday to discuss the need to strengthen relations in the tourism market. “Phuket and Nice in France have been ‘sister cities’ since 1989; I want to take this opportunity to re-strengthen and renew our relations,” Amb Viteau, who…
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Thailand Futsal: Phuket United get new coach after losing streak
PHUKET: The spirits of Phuket United futsal fans are in a state of recovery, following the announcement of a new head coach after the resignation of Coach Suphol “Hum” Senapeng on Thursday. Initially reported on the Thai website, SMM Online, Coach Suphol’s resignation announcement follows the team’s recent loss to Samut Sakhon FC by a score of 6-1 on Wednesday…
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Phuket Sports: Fair play league
PHUKET: THE 5th Annual Fair Play League (FPL) kicked off its new five-week season at British International School (BIS) last Sunday. Run by Phuket Soccer Schools (PSS), the league is designed to promote fair play in football and help players integrate and play with other children from different schools, as well as cultural and social backgrounds. Before the under-14 matches,…
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Phuket Sports: Laguna end first round undefeated
PHUKET: In the final match of the first round, and one of the most highly anticipated matches so far this season, Jabudays took on the undefeated Laguna at the Alan Cooke Ground (ACG) on last Sunday. Many thought this match might see the Laguna side capitulate to a very strong Jabudays side, the only side to defeat them in 2012.…
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More floods threaten Phuket Town if Klong Bang Yai project is delayed further
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Maitri Inthsut paid a visit to the behind-schedule Klong Bang Yai project, which, if incomplete by the coming rainy season, threatens Phuket Town with another round of serious flooding. “The klong is the main waterway draining water from Kathu to Saphan Hin. If it is not finished before the heavy rains start, homes and businesses in the…
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Phuket Sports: Siam’s motocross mania; Reds and Blues to Bangkok; Futsal Cup; Thai Open
BANGKOK (The Nation): Thailand’s best bikers will go up against the global elite for the first time when the 2013 FIM (Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme) Motocross World Championship Grand Prix of Thailand makes its debut in the Kingdom in March. The race weekend will be hosted at the Pinthong Industrial Estate 3 track in Chon Buri from March 8 to…
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Drug dealer attempts to kill Phuket City Police Deputy Superintendent
PHUKET: Two Phuket Police officers were injured during a sting operation of two Cherng Talay drug dealers after one of the dealers took an officer’s gun and attempted to shoot Phuket City Police Deputy Superintendent Parinya Tanthasuwan. “During the arrest, Witoon ‘Bang Ann’ Piwluang took the gun from one of my men,” said Lt Col Parinya, the case investigator “He…
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Myanmar Navy makes history
PHUKET: The Royal Thai Navy gave a warm welcome two Myanmar Navy ships yesterday morning as they made their country’s first diplomatic visit to a foreign country.Captain Aung Zaw Hlang brought the two coastal patrol ships UMS 561 and UMS 562 to the Phuket Deep Sea Port early this morning. Waiting for him was Royal Thai Navy Third Area Command…
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Dutch ambassador guides reform
PHUKET: Speaking at the Phuket Gazette offices recently, Ambassador Boer explained about his efforts to galvanize the international diplomatic community to jointly deliberate with authorities in Bangkok to bring an end to the various scams that have done so much damage to the tourism industry in Phuket and other destinations in Thailand. Amb Boer, now in the second year of…
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“White Police’ to change Thai police culture
PHUKET: Members of the Office of Inspector General (OIG) arrived on Phuket as part of the launch of a nationwide program designed to oust crooked police officers and slowly change police culture in Thailand. Each of the 1,460 police stations across Thailand will have 10 of its officers selected this year to help gather information about the behavior of police…
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Phuket Gazette Sports: Arsenal outgunned by devastating Bayern
Classy Bayern in command after 3-1 victory at Arsenal Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Bayern Munich seized control of their Champions League last 16 tie against Arsenal as goals from Toni Kroos, Thomas Mueller and Mario Mandzukic earned the German giants an emphatic 3-1 first leg win at the Emirates last night.A clinical early strike from Kroos opened the scoring and…
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DBD investigates Thai firms suspected of helping foreigners set up companies illegally
PHUKET: A special investigation by the Department of Business Development (DBD) into foreign-owned businesses in Phuket has revealed links to Thai legal and accounting firms on the island that may be helping companies set themselves up illegally in Thailand. “We suspect that these firms may be allowing foreigners wanting to open a business to use their company address to represent…
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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