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.
-
Sponsored A healthy tomorrow starts today: Celebrate the great American Smokeout day
The Great American Smokeout, held this year on November 17, is a nationwide event that encourages smokers to take their first steps towards a smoke-free life. If you’re an expat in Thailand, this day could be a timely reminder to...
-
Phuket cat burglar fails as roof caves in
PHUKET: A would-be cat burglar bungled his attempt to rob a Phuket minimart after falling through the roof into the store’s stockroom below, leaving him trapped until he was found by staff this morning.Arriving at the scene, a minimart in Pa Klok, police found 38-year-old Thepmongkol Thongsri lying injured in the stockroom.“He gained access to the store by climbing onto…
-
Phuket protesters back home after rally in Bangkok
PHUKET: The hundreds of Phuket protesters who joined the Pitak Siam anti-government rally in Bangkok over the weekend have arrived home safe in Phuket. Concerns were raised on Saturday when police officers with riot shields enforcing a cordon around the protest site at the Royal Plaza started firing tear gas into the crowd and clashes between the protesters and police…
-
Phuket Sports: Man Utd go top as City stutters; Full football round-up
PHUKET: Barcelona maintained their three-point lead in Spain after an inspired Andres Iniesta pulled the strings in a 4-0 win at Levante and Manchester United reclaimed top spot in the Premier League after a 3-1 victory over Queens Park Rangers. Bayern Munich went nine points clear in the Bundesliga while Serie A table-toppers Juventus slipped up with a 1-0 defeat…
-
Phuket protesters home safe after Pitak Siam rally in Bangkok
PHUKET: The hundreds of Phuket protesters who joined the Pitak Siam anti-government rally in Bangkok over the weekend have arrived home safe in Phuket. Concerns were raised on Saturday when police officers with riot shields enforcing a cordon around the protest site at the Royal Plaza started firing tear gas into the crowd and clashes between protesters and police ensued.…
-
Wild marks Laguna Phuket debut with title win
PHUKET: Swiss Olympian Ruedi Wild produced a clockwork performance in his debut at today’s Laguna Phuket Triathlon to snatch the title from a top-class field of fellow pros in just under two and a half hours. He become his country’s first-ever winner of the iconic endurance event, now in its 19th year. In the women’s field it was another Olympian,…
-
Thailand Futsal: Phuket United fall to Bangkok in home opener
PHUKET: The island’s professional five-a-side soccer club, Phuket United fell 3-5 to the Bangkok Futsal Club, in an exciting and intense match-up in Phuket Town last night.Played in front of nearly 1,000 spectators at Phuket’s new 4,000-seat Indoor Sports Complex in Saphan Hin, the match was both sides’ third match of the 30-fixture, GMM Sport Thailand Futsal Premier League (TFPL)…
-
Pitak Siam leader abruptly ends anti-govt rally
PHUKET: General Boonlert Kaewprasit, the leader of the Pitak Siam anti-government protest in Bangkok, admitted to his “loss to evil” after calling off the rally yesterday evening.Retired General Boonlert Kaewprasit said he called off the protest because the number of participants was smaller than expected. He blamed this on efforts by authorities and police to prevent many prospective protesters from…
-
Phuket underpass roadwork sparks fears over ambulance access to hospitals
PHUKET: Staff at Phuket International Hospital and officers from the Phuket City Police Traffic Division are working together to come up with viable routes for ambulances to make sure they can get patients to the facility in an emergency during rush hour. The news follows project contractor Italian-Thai Development Co’s placement on Friday night of concrete blocks on the inside…
-
Phuket Police not “preventing’ protesters from joining Bangkok rally
PHUKET: Police at the Tah Chat Chai checkpoint, the only road linking Phuket with the mainland, have confirmed they are not stopping or discouraging any people from Phuket from joining the Pitak Siam mass protest in Bangkok. The news follows Phang Nga Governor Thamrong Charoenkul saying yesterday that he had received an order from the government to keep an eye…
-
Phuket Police appeal for help in identifying floating body, possibly that of a foreigner
PHUKET: Phuket Police are appealing to the public for help in identifying the body of a man found floating yesterday afternoon off Koh Racha Yai, an island about 25 kilometers south of Phuket.Lt Wuttiwat Liangboonjinda of the Phuket City Police said officers received a report from local fisherman who discovered the badly decomposed body floating in the sea.Police think the…
-
Bangkok Police fire tear gas to disperse Pitak Siam rally
PHUKET: The Royal Thai Police have fired tear gas into the crowds of Pitak Siam protesters gathering in Bangkok in an attempt to stop the mass anti-government rally today. Apharat Chartchutikumjorn, the Pitak Siam coordinator for Phuket, told the Phuket Gazette by phone this morning that police action started last night, steering groups of protesters away from the main stage…
-
Phuket United ready for home-debut tonight against Bangkok Futsal Club
PHUKET: The island’s pro futsal team, Phuket United are set to play their inaugural home match in the GMM Sport Thailand Futsal Premier League (TFPL), tonight against Bangkok Futsal Club. The match will be played at Phuket Town’s brand new, 4,000-seat Indoor Sports Complex in Saphan Hin with a 7pm kickoff. It will be the third fixture of the TFPL…
-
Phuket Governor reveals his “Seven Wonders’
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut in an exclusive interview with the Phuket Gazette this week revealed his personal philosophy in handling the high-level decisions and complicated issues that facing the resort province .“This is my seventh week as the Governor of Phuket and the Phuket Gazette is the first English-language publication I have had a chance to talk to exclusively.Friendly,…
-
Phuket Sports: World golf round-up; Golfing tip
PHUKET: Kingston Heath Golf Club was the venue for the Australian Masters last week. The course is the ‘pride of the sand belt’ in Victoria. Adam Scott and Ian Poulter were the two highest world ranking players at number 5 and number 13 respectively. Going into the last round, Scott was 12-under and Poulter 13-under. With home crowd advantage and…
-
Phuket Sports: F1 – Interruptions and Interlagos
PHUKET: Austin was a great race for McLaren. Lewis Hamilton, on the dirty side, lost ground on the first corner, but after four laps passed Mark Webber. Then he hunted down Sebastian Vettel and when Narain Karthikeyan momentarily slowed Vettel, swooped into the lead on lap 42. Jenson Button started on the dirty side, dropped to 15th and fought back…
-
Laguna Phuket Triathlon attracts world-class field
PHUKET: The 19th Laguna Phuket Triathlon (LPT) takes place this Sunday at 6:30am. The event has attracted a world class international field to Asia’s premier destination triathlon. The LPT consists of a 1.8 kilometer swim, 55km bike ride and 12km run through the tropical scenery of Laguna. Australian Chris “Macca” McCormack, the two-time Ironman World Champion and one of the…
-
Hard Rock Cafe Phuket gives thanks to first responders
PHUKET: Hard Rock Cafe Phuket celebrated ‘Thanksgiving’ on Thursday by inviting 20 firemen for a Thanksgiving lunch at Hard Rock Cafe. These were the first responders from Patong Municipality Fire Department who assisted with the Hard Rock Cafe patio fire that took place on October 18 causing superficial damage but no injuries. The firefighting team, led by Visit Mathasoontornpoj, general…
-
Work to commence on the Phuket underpass tonight, footbridge to go
PHUKET: The concrete blocks that will block lanes in front Central Festival Phuket so that work can commence on Phuket’s first underpass will be put in place tonight, the contractor’s project manager confirmed to the Phuket Gazette today. “At about 10pm, we will start by installing the barriers to close off the lanes we will be working on,” explained project…
-
Phuket teaching assistant suspended over “child hitting’ allegation
PHUKET: A female teaching assistant at Koh Kaew Child Development Center has been suspended pending an investigation over a mother’s claim that the assistant slapped her 4-year-old son in the face.Ratkaphat Tonnum, the 41-year-old mother of the student at the center of the incident, told the Phuket Gazette yesterday that she had originally filed a complaint with the Koh Kaew…
-
PM Yingluck addresses nation ahead of fears of violence at Bangkok protest
PHUKET: Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra this evening addressed the nation in a televised broadcast to explain the Thai Government’s reasons for invoking the Internal Security Act ahead of this weekend’s mass anti-government rally in Bangkok. To see the address, complete with English subtitles, click here. Chief among the Prime Minister’s concerns were: “Public gatherings and protests, especially those arising from…
-
International Cricket: Clarke blasts a double; Proteas lose pace
PHUKET: Michael Clarke blasted his second double-century in consecutive innings to drive Australia to a mammoth first-day total of 482-5 in the second test today as South Africa’s pace attack was brought to its knees by injury.Captain Clarke blasted 39 fours and a six in a sparkling unbeaten 224 in bright sunshine at Adelaide Oval to demoralise the Proteas after…
-
Phuket Sports: Brazil top futsal world rankings after winning fifth title
PHUKET: Brazil’s national futsal team have reclaimed their world number 1 ranking after being crowned world champions in Bangkok last Sunday. Meanwhile, the previous number one, Spain unofficially become the world’s second best team after holding the top ranking for the past two years. Brazil concluded their dominance of the FIFA Futsal World Cup 2012, winning all seven of their…
-
Live Wire: Getting wired into Phuket
PHUKET: High season is approaching. Every year about this time I start getting inquiries about connecting to the Internet in Phuket. As people flock to Phuket for vacations and new jobs, many decide to stay for a week or a month or a decade, and one of the very first questions they have is how in the world to get…
-
Phuket protesters to bolster ranks of anti-government rally in Bangkok
PHUKET: A group of Phuket anti-government protesters called the “Phuket Mass Power Group” will join the Pitak Siam anti-government rally at the Royal Plaza in Bangkok on Saturday. “We are not happy with the government’s work,” Apharat Chartchutikumjorn, Pitak Siam coordinator for Phuket, told the Phuket Gazette. “Pitak Siam leader Gen Boonlert Kaewprasit will lead thousands of us in a…
-
Phuket Sports: Bowling for a good cause
PHUKET: The Phuket Cricket Group (PCG) hosted the Chris Hart Memorial T20 fund match on November 18 at the Alan Cooke Ground (ACG) last Sunday. The event was a huge success and the PCG would like to thank everyone that played, as well as all the supporters who turned out to pay their respects to Chris. In addition to giving…
-
Phuket FC get new head coach ahead of next season
PHUKET: The Islanders, Phuket FC have secured a new Head Coach, with an official announcement expected to be made this Saturday. Paniphon “Tu” Kerdyaem, a former coaching staff member of Thai Premier League team, Army United will fill the vacancy left by Anurak “June” Srikerd, who coached the struggling team in the final six matches of last season, and helped…
-
Thailand Futsal League – Phuket United down Samut Prakarn on the road
PHUKET: The island’s pro futsal team, Phuket United, were victorious in their second match of the Thailand Futsal Premier League 2012-2013 season, winning 3-0 on the road last night against Samut Prakarn United. Goals were scored by both of the club’s foreign players – Brazilian duo, Rogerio Moreira and Jackson Santos – as well as Thai player, Nattaphong Buachary. After…
-
Krabi Police clamp down on noisy motorbikes
PHUKET: Krabi Police destroyed more than 600 illegal motorbike exhaust pipes seized during police checks across the bay from Phuket in September. At a ceremony on Tuesday to mark the culmination of a campaign entitled “Youths join together: ride motorbikes without modified exhaust pipes”, Krabi Governor Prasit Osathanon and Krabi Police Commander Nantadech Yoinuan witnessed the crushing of the impounded…
-
Champions League football: English riches not enough on European stage
PHUKET: Real Madrid and AC Milan led a procession of six teams into the Champions League last 16 last night while big-spending Manchester City failed again on the European stage to further dent English soccer’s standing. Milan qualified with a 3-1 win at Anderlecht, their goals including a spectacular overhead kick by Philippe Mexes which was a near carbon copy…
-
Phuket biologists believe stranded dolphin now safely out to sea
PHUKET: Officers at the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) who released a stranded Spinner dolphin back into the sea on Saturday are confident that it is now safe. “Our officers monitored the release area after letting the dolphin go on Saturday. We haven’t seen it return to the beach,” Dr Kongkiat Kittiwattanawong, who heads the PMBC’s Endangered Species Unit, told…
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.
Don't forget to check out some other things to do in Thailand - get help starting a business or finding a job in Thailand, buy Thailand property, rent a yacht or book a medical procedure worldwide.