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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French tourist dies snorkeling in Phi Phi speedboat accident
PHUKET: A French tourist died after being struck by a speedboat while snorkeling off Phi Phi Island, near Phuket, yesterday afternoon. Phi Phi Police named the man as Olivier Jannequin, 42 years old. Police were notified of the accident at about 12:30pm. Mr Jannequin was travelling with four Frenchmen. Two of them went snorkeling not far from the shore, the…
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Tiger Disco fire: British man appeals to find lost brother
PHUKET: A British man today held a public appeal to find his brother, who was last known to be at Tiger Discotheque at the time the deadly fire broke out at about 4am on Friday. With tears in his eyes, Joseph Tzouvanni, 26, told the press in Phuket that his brother, Michael Pio Tzouvanni, 24, had not been heard from…
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Tiger Disco fire: French, British named as probable victims
PHUKET: Patong Police Superintendent Jirapat Phochanaphan this afternoon confirmed to the Phuket Gazette that police were now investigating at least three more missing persons now suspected of being victims of the Tiger Discotheque fire that killed four people early Friday morning. “Police are investigating four people named as missing. We will ask for DNA samples to be provided so they…
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Phuket knock off Bangkok FC, 1-0
PHUKET: Phuket FC fans who gathered at the Nok Sanarm sports bar near Surakul Stadium in Phuket Town this morning erupted with cheer when the Islanders scored late in their away-match at Bangkok FC, then held on to win 1-0. The result marks the Islanders third consecutive victory, all from a 1-0 scoreline, and gives them great momentum going into…
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Patong electricity chief denies transformer started Tiger inferno
PHUKET: The chief of the Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) Patong office today refuted allegations that the Tiger Discotheque fire yesterday morning was caused by an exploding transformer. The popular nightclub was reportedly packed with tourists when the fire broke out. Four people died in the blaze. Atipong Thongyon this morning told the press, “We have checked the transformer and it…
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Phuket corruption probe reveals “hundreds’ of suspicious land titles
PHUKET: The investigation by the Office of Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) into illegally issued land titles in Phuket has identified 100 plots that will be investigated thoroughly, but the number could easily double if tip-offs from local informants are accurate.PACC Secretary General Col Dusadee Arayawuth said that “some” of the 100 plots investigated so far had been cleared and…
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Mass-circulation ‘Asia Weekly’ launched in Phuket
PHUKET: The Phuket Gazette is proud this week to be ushering into Phuket the China Daily Asia Weekly, a world-class publication built in Hong Kong by, among others, senior expatriate editors from the UK, the United States, Europe, India, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand.Please find the launch issue tucked into this week’s Phuket Gazette, now on sale throughout the…
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Phuket Airport B5.7bn expansion “likely to start next year’
PHUKET: The 5.7-billion-baht expansion of Phuket International Airport is likely to begin next year, and take two and half years to complete, the Senate Standing Committee on Transportation was told this week. The Standing Committee, led by Committee Chairman Kecha Saksomboon, heard the news at a high-profile meeting at Phuket Airport on Wednesday. “The 5.7-billion-baht expansion project has now passed…
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Tiger Disco Fire: Friend identifies watch, bracelet of missing Thai waitress
PHUKET: A Thai waitress who worked at the Tiger Discotheque may have been identified today after a friend recognized a wristwatch and a bracelet found on one of the four bodies incinerated by the blaze. Phuket Provincial Police Commander Chonasit Wattanavrangkul today confirmed that several people had come forward to identify at least one of the four victims incinerated in…
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Round-the-clock treatment fails to save Phuket dolphin
PHUKET: The ailing striped dolphin that was under treatment at the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) died last weekend, two weeks after she washed ashore in Phang Nga. Despite round-the-clock treatment that included the fitting of a harness to help her swim, the female dolphin took her last breath on August 12. Dr Kongkiat Kittiwattanawong, who heads the PMBC’s Endangered…
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Protest against Tesco Lotus in Phuket Town
PHUKET: More than 500 local traders, business owners and residents marched on Provincial Hall yesterday to petition the Governor to stop construction of a new Tesco Lotus outlet planned for Phuket Town. After assembling at Rama X Park (Suan Luang), the protesters marched through the streets carrying signs with slogans reading “Tesco ruins our life in Phuket Town”, “We don’t…
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Phuket Sports: F1 mid-season report card
PHUKET: The season is half way through, everyone is taking the half-term holiday and it’s time to look at where the teams and drivers are. Red Bull gets a B. They have had many solid performances, but there are suspicions of cheating in tests in a car that is now off the pace. They have certainly pushed the regulations to…
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Tiger fire “sounded like a bomb’, report staff
PHUKET: Staff at the Tiger Discotheque in Patong initially thought the sound of an exploding transformer was a bomb, which caused people to panic and stampede towards the door when fire broke out at the Phuket venue early this morning. Four people were killed and at least 12 others injured, according to officials. Thamrongsak Boonrak, Legal Counsel for Tiger Discotheque,…
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4 dead, 11 injured in Tiger disco inferno
PHUKET: A pre-dawn blaze at the popular Tiger Bar and Discotheque in Phuket has left four people dead and 11 people injured. Among the injured were four French nationals.Kathu Police were notified of the blaze at the well-known Patong nightspot at about 4am. Patong Municipality Fire Department rescuers raced to the scene with eight fire engines. It took them about…
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Phuket Prisoners bestowed Royal Pardon
PHUKET: More than 100 inmates at Phuket Provincial Prison were given a Royal Pardon today in honor of HM Queen Sirikit’s 80th birthday and HRH Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn’s 60th birthday.The Royal Pardons were granted by HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej to 750 convicts across Thailand today, 175 of which were incarcerated at Phuket Prison.Phuket Provincial Chief Administrative Officer Chaiwat Taepee…
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Phuket National Park chief transferred after island resorts raided
PHUKET: National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department (DNP) Director-General Damrong Phidet yesterday announced that the chief of Sirinath National Park will be transferred from Phuket after less than a month in office. “The Sirinath National Park Chief will be transferred to work at the DNP [offices] in Bangkok for 30 days,” said Mr Damrong. He went on to explain…
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Mother of Phuket Swedish murder victim sues for B24.5mn as trial postponed
PHUKET: Swedish nationals Johan Sebastian Ljung and Tommy Viktor Soderlund, who have been charged with the stabbing murder of Maksim Schantz on August 1 last year, appeared at Phuket Provincial Court on Tuesday. However, as multiple witnesses, necessary to the case, failed to present themselves at the court, the judge reconvened the trial for 9:30am on November 2. Aeknara Luangsanam…
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Chuvit Facebook tip-off sparks Phuket gambling raid
PHUKET: Phuket Police last night raided a gambling den operating near a major government school in Kathu after its location was revealed by controversial MP Chuwit Kamolvisit, leader of the Rak Thailand Party, on one of his Facebook pages. The raid on the gambling den, at 7:20pm in a house about 100 meters from Baan Kathu School, was conducted by…
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Forensics to probe suspected Patong jet-ski ‘arson attack’
PHUKET: Police yesterday called in forensic experts to investigate a fire that gutted a house and destroyed five jet-skis in Patong earlier that morning. At the scene, a burnt-down wooden house on Phang Muang Sai Kor Road, they discovered tyres had been placed near where the jet-skis were housed. Suspecting arson, they requested forensic assistance. Lt Col Kittisak Nuphueng, Inspector…
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Satree Phuket takes the initiative for AEC
PHUKET: In the next three years, the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) will come into force, and the region’s languages will be as important as English. A school on the resort island of Phuket in Thailand’s south has been providing Myanmar language classes to its high-school students. Secondary students at Satree Phuket School in the provincial seat are paying special attention…
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Damrong leads National Park raids on Phuket resorts
PHUKET: National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department (DNP) Director-General Damrong Phidet yesterday led raids on 10 resorts alleged to have encroached on National Park land on Phuket’s west coast. The raids started in the afternoon with Mr Damrong leading 10 teams of investigators brought in from 10 different offices of the Royal Forest Department (RFD) from across Thailand. In…
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Phuket Sports: Orphans team up with Olympic finalists
PHUKET: A group of school children on Phuket played its part in helping the American pair of Jennifer Kessy and April Ross reach the recent Beach Volleyball Olympic final. Last year the duo competed in the Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) Women’s World Tour in Karon and took some time out from competing in their tournament to watch a school…
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Phuket Town underground cable project ’90 per cent complete’
PHUKET: Phase two of the 39-million-baht project to bury central Phuket Town’s electricity mains cables is more than 90 per cent complete, Phuket City Mayor Somjai Suwansupana has confirmed. The Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) has already finished burying the electricity mains cable on Krabi and Deebuk Roads. They are now focused on burying the mains supply along sections of Thepkrasattri…
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Phuket Police close case on death of German woman
PHUKET: Police have closed their investigation into the death of a German woman in Phuket last Friday following the request of her husband, who has accepted that she died from cardiac arrest. Angelika Geibler, 60, was found dead by her husband at their home in Rawai. He woke early and left the house; when he returned he found her dead,…
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Turtles rescued after oil dumping raises alarm
PHUKET: The Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) has put the dumping of used oil into the sea back to the top of their agenda after two oil-stained sea turtles found their way to shore during the last two months. Kongkiat Kittiwattanawong, head of the PMBC’s Endangered Species Unit, has called on all relative organizations to step up their efforts on…
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Foul complaints prompt Phuket piggery inspection
PHUKET: An inspection of a chicken and pig farm led by Phuket Vice Governor Somkiet Sangkaosuttirak has resulted in several recommendations for the farm owners to follow, but otherwise found nothing untoward other than the foul odor emanating from the site. The inspection follows residents at the The Valley 2 housing estate filing a group complaint with the Damrongtham Center…
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Olympics: Medalists come home to heroes’ welcome
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Rousing welcome Phuket Gazette / The Nation PHUKET: Thailand’s Olympic athletes returned home to a resounding heroes’ welcome yesterday after capturing three medals – including two silver – at the London Games. The Kingdom finished 57th out of 205 countries that competed in the sporting extravaganza.…
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Protest pressures Phuket police to reopen teen death crash probe
PHUKET: Following a public protest yesterday, Chalong Police will reopen their investigation into a traffic accident in which a 16-year-old boy died on Sunday. About 20 people, including the aggrieved father, Sompong Sae-min, friends and family, gathered at Chalong Police Station at about 10am. According to the police report, Weerachat Sae-min, a 16-year-old first-year commerce student at Phuket Technology College,…
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Phuket Sports: Islanders prevail in Chanthaburi 1-0
PHUKET: A single goal by Watcharakorn “Bird” Klaithin was enough for Phuket FC to prevail 1-0 over Chanthaburi FC in their 22nd fixture of the season on Sunday evening. The away match was played in front of a humble crowd of 420 at Chanthaburi’s Central Stadium in Chanthaburi town in Eastern Thailand. Though Phuket were heavily favored, there was a…
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Phi Phi islanders, resort tackle rising tide of monsoon trash
PHUKET: Island residents and local resort staff on Koh Phi Phi Don teamed up for a mass beach cleanup on Sunday, removing more than 100 trash bags worth of rubbish that had washed ashore.Local residents together with more than 45 staff from the Holiday Inn Resort Phi Phi Island tackled the rising tide of trash at Lanah Bay, one of…
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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