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 plants 24k mangrove seedlings to honor HM Queen Sirikit
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut this morning led more than 1,200 people in a mass planting of mangrove trees to honor HM Queen Sirikit’s 80th birthday.A total of 24,000 seedlings were planted over about 47 rai of land in the Klong Mudong area of Chalong.“Among the specimens planted were Rhizophora apiculata, Ceriops tagal and white bean,” explained Kasem Sukwaree, chief…
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Officials stage rapid-response drill to bird flu outbreak
PHUKET: Officials in Phang Nga, north of Phuket, yesterday staged a rapid-response exercise simulating an outbreak of bird flu.“Phang Nga is a well-known tourist destination. A lot of tourists come from China, where a new strain of bird flu is spreading,” said Kuraburi District Chief Manit Pianthong.“About 35 Chinese have died in roughly six weeks from this new strain,” he…
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Phuket FC need to tame the Wild Horses
PHUKET: The Islanders will face newly promoted Rayong FC at Surakul Stadium tomorrow and will look to return to winning ways. Phuket’s push for promotion has stalled recently due to the club failing to win any of their last three games, which included two draws and a loss. Phuket currently sit sixth in the league, five points behind top of…
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Police urge Phuket tourists to use Tourist Buddy app
PHUKET: The Phuket Tourist Police are urging visitors to the island to download and register the agency’s Tourist Buddy application, which is now available on Google Play for devices running the Android platform (click here). The Tourist Police launched its Tourist Buddy app on Apple’s iTunes store last month, making it instantly available for iPhone and iPad users (click here).…
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Marine officials urge Phuket boat owners to be vigilant
PHUKET: In the wake of recent break-ins and thefts on yachts anchored around Phuket, the marine authorities are urging boat owners to ensure their boats are secure. “In order to protect yacht property from being stolen, I suggest yacht owners have round-the-clock security on their boats. They should protect their boats as they protect their houses,” said Lt Col Chatchai…
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Phuket coral restoration begins as seawalking continues
PHUKET: Marine officers and volunteer divers who headed to Khai Nai island on Tuesday to help restore damaged coral – allegedly wrecked by a seawalking tour company (story here) – found the company back on site leading a tour when they arrived. “We saw a ship named Sea Lion in the area with a speedboat alongside. People were on the…
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Phuket high-speed pursuit ends in fight, heroin bust
PHUKET: Two policemen on motorbikes chased two men believed to be carrying drugs through the early morning streets of Thalang today, fought with the pair and eventually arrested one of them – a vegetable seller – with almost 50 grams of heroin.Alerted by a tip-off that Wig Nillawan, 52, and another man would be picking up drugs delivered on the…
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Phuket ice factory blazes hot
PHUKET: A storage facility at the Thung Thong Ice Factory on Phuket’s busy Chao Fa West Road burst into flames this afternoon. The one-storey wooden building, north of the Software Park Phuket (map here), housed two ice storage freezers and one orange ice tank. Thung Thong Ice Factory Distribution Director Punnatorn Suphonthawee estimated the fire caused about 30,000 baht in…
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Resorts north of Phuket lose beachfront to raging sea
PHUKET: Waves two meters high have caused damage along 13 kilometers of beachfront at Bang Niang Beach in Phang Nga.The coastal erosion has forced at least one hotel owner to set up sandbags to protect against the sea and prompted the local mayor to call for help from the Phang Nga Governor.“Hotels in the area were damaged and a wall…
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Krabi farmers threaten airport blockade
PHUKET: Krabi palm oil and rubber plantation workers have threatened to blockade Krabi Airport if the government does not increase the legal minimum prices for their produce by next Thursday.More than 500 plantation workers gathered in front of Krabi Provincial Hall on Tuesday morning to file a complaint to be handed to Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.The complaint calls for the…
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Bangkok officers in Phuket to stamp out public butts
PHUKET: Flagrant disregard for non-smoking laws in Phuket has prompted officers from the Bureau of Tobacco Control in Bangkok to plaster Phuket International Airport, Phuket Bus Terminal 2 and a variety of private businesses across the island with no-smoking stickers.“Most public areas are smoke-free areas by law, yet we still have found many tourists and local business operators disobeying the…
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Phuket Gazette Sports: Chelsea take European victory with late goal
Late Ivanovic goal wins Europa League for Chelsea Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Branislav Ivanovic made up for the heartbreak of missing last year’s Champions League triumph by heading a dramatic stoppage-time goal to lead Chelsea to a 2-1 win over Benfica in the Europa League final last night.The Serbian defender, sidelined for the final against Bayern Munich 12 months ago…
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Phuket teens deny attacking Burmese man, motorbike arson
PHUKET: Three Phuket teenagers arrested last night have denied police charges of beating a Burmese man and setting his motorbike on fire.A fourth member of the gang is still being sought by police.The suspects, Vechayun Boonsit, 19, as well as a 16-year-old minor and a 18-year-old, whose names police asked to be withheld, allegedly attacked a Burmese man and threatened…
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Phuket taxi meter cheats under fire
PHUKET: The Phuket Land Transportation Office (PLTO) will seek help from the Highway Police to tackle metered taxi drivers who refuse to use their meters. “I am aware that many tourists are unhappy with taxi drivers. We are going to talk about how to stop metered taxi drivers from cheating,” PLTO Chief Terayout Prasertphol told the Phuket Gazette. The PLTO…
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Australians consider opening consulate on Phuket
PHUKET: A decision on whether or not to open an Australian consulate in Phuket is expected to be made within a month, Australian Honorary Consul Larry Cunningham told the Phuket Gazette this morning. “We have more deaths in Phuket than we have in Bali. We certainly need extra staffing,” he said. Mr Cunningham discussed the issue with Australian Ambassador James…
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After Phuket, Capt Tan makes record-breaking landing in Malaysia
PHUKET: Captain James Anthony Tan of Malaysia has completed the world’s youngest solo flight circumnavigation after departing Phuket at 11am today to land safely in Kuala Lumpur at 4:51pm local time. Capt Tan arrived in Phuket yesterday and attended a party in his honor at the Dewa Phuket Beach Resort in Nai Yang last night, hosted by Tourism Malaysia, which…
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Major u-turn for Phuket’s roads; life delivered, not taken
PHUKET: Phuket rescue workers, regular crusaders rendering assistance to all those involved in accidents on the island’s notorious roads, were called to a very different emergency before dawn this morning: the delivery of a baby girl.Staff at the rescue operations center in Mai Khao received a call at 5:15am, asking for assistance to transport Jintara Butrarit, 24, from her home…
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Phuket teen motorbike rider survives slam into juggernaut
PHUKET: A Phuket teenager is in hospital this morning after the motorbike he was riding slammed into the back of a cement truck near the Heroines Monument in Thalang (map here) late last night. Lt Col Apidet Chuaykue said Thalang Police were notified of the accident at one minute past midnight. Police arrived quickly at the scene, along with an…
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Middle-aged Phuket meth dealer goes quietly
PHUKET: Acting on a tip off about frequent drug transactions at the entrance to a soi in Thalang, police arrested a drug dealer in possession of ya bah (methamphetamine), and ya ice (crystal methamphetamine) yesterday. Police questioning led to the confession of Nirun Yokcharern, 58, at the entrance to Soi Lak Muang 2 off of Thepkrasattri Road, said Thalang District…
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British national’s extended holiday goes to pot at Phuket “dope hotel’
PHUKET: Phuket Immigration officers today arrested a British man for drug possession and for overstaying his visa by more than two* years. The arrest was made at the same resort, off Taina Road in Karon, where a Swedish man was arrested on drug charges last Thursday (story here). “At 11:30am, we received a report from our undercover officers to investigate…
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Druggy catches Phuket cop on the can, steals firearm, heads to McDonald’s
PHUKET: A Patong Deputy Superintendent was caught with his pants down in Kathu Police Station during the graveyard shift after a meth-fiend robbed his office as he was taking a 20 minute break in the washroom. “When I returned from the toilet, I found my property had been stolen,” said Patong Police Deputy Superintendent Paisarn Sangthep. Among the missing items…
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DNA tests for two more Phuket baby elephants
PHUKET: Officers raided two locations last week suspected of housing baby elephants illegally snatched from the wild and conducted DNA tests on the two animals to determine their parentage. Officers suspect that the two elephants are the offspring of a wild elephant in Kaeng Krachan National Park. Both elephants had microchips in their ears and the necessary registration and transfer…
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Phuket FC survive execution by Ayutthaya’s Ancient Warriors
PHUKET: The Islanders failed to beat Ayutthaya FC in their Yamaha League One (YL1) away game on Saturday. The 1-1 draw dropped Phuket FC down to 6th in the table, five points behind top of the table Air Force United. Ayutthaya are third from bottom after 10 games. The home team took the lead in the 36th minute after Phuket’s…
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Not open yet, but Phuket’s Chalong Marina already needs repairs
PHUKET: The chief of the Phuket Marine Office has appealed to all boat operators to exercise caution while using the still incomplete Chalong Bay Marina to allow passengers – mostly tourists – to board and disembark vessels. The news comes after a Phuket Gazette reader sent in photos of tourists cautiously avoiding a gaping hole in the gangway that joins…
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Phuket’s Tourist Court given “absolute support’
PHUKET: The move to establish a new series of Tourist Courts in Phuket and at other key holiday destinations in Thailand – including Bangkok, Pattaya, Chiang Mai, Phang Nga and Krabi – has received much support on the island. Chanchai Duangjit, director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Phuket office, gave his “absolute support” for the idea. “This is…
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Phuket serial resort thief confesses
PHUKET: A serial resort thief down on a “holiday crime spree” in Phuket from Bangkok has only confessed to two thefts of high-end resorts on the island, but police believe more confessions will be forthcoming. Ritthimeth Singhaumpai, 33, and his girlfriend Sasithorn Seekam, 22, were arrested on May 1 for robbing guest rooms in five high-end Phuket resorts. “We have…
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Phuket teens confess to Saphan Hin revenge killing
PHUKET: The two teens involved in the revenge murder of a member of a rival teen gang in Saphan Hin on Wednesday have turned themselves in. Tanit Kantiangtham, 18, and the 17-year-old teenager given the pseudonym “Aom” because of his age were escorted to the Wichit Police station by their cousins. At the station they confessed to having gunned down…
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Patong finish top of Phuket’s cricket league
PHUKET: In the final round robin match before the finals, Patong played TNT on Sunday, May 5 at Phuket’s premier cricketing facility, the ACG. A Patong win would see them finish top of the league, whereas TNT were hoping to secure a confidence boosting end-of-season win. Patong ran out comfortable winners in the end, posting a solid total of 272…
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Tennis at Phuket’s TSLC
PHUKET: The final of the second International Tennis Federation (ITF) women’s tournament between number six seed Melanie Klaffner from Austria and Serbia’s Eric Doroteja was held at Thanyapura Sports and Leisure Club (TSLC) last weekend. Melanie won the final 3-6, 6-3 and 6-2 to make up for her semifinal defeat in the first ITF women’s tournament by Luksika Kumkhum. Eric,…
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Phuket Sports: Rumors, rivals and Renault – F1
PHUKET: The Sports Authority of Thailand has confirmed that a six-kilometer Formula One circuit will be created near the Royal Thai Naval Dockyard in Bangkok, possibly with the main stands in the Chao Phraya river. There are plans for an inaugural F1 night race in 2015. Red Bull is a keen backer. Interestingly, the Malaysian GP at Sepang is probably…
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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