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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Fears of Phuket underpass traffic jams prompt ‘alternative routes’ plan
PHUKET: The Highways Department yesterday held a public meeting to suggest alternative routes for motorists to alleviate traffic congestion when construction of Phuket’s first underpass at the Darasamuth Intersection, in front of Central Festival Phuket shopping mall, begins next month. The news came at a public meeting chaired by Phuket Vice Governor Sommai Prijasilpa at Wichit Municipality Office. Present were…
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Phuket gold thief’s wife tips off police
PHUKET: Phuket Police this morning are combing the Kathu Waterfall area after the wife of smash-and-grab gold thief Mr Koson tipped off police to his probable whereabouts. The Burmese woman, yet to be named by police, was arrested at the Mo Chit Bus Station in Bangkok last night with gold jewelry valued at about 1.8 million baht in her possession,…
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Forensic report into cause of Phuket’s Tiger Disco fire postponed
PHUKET: After all the noise made by officials about the urgency to uncover the truth of the Phuket nightclub fire in August, the release of the investigators’ official report has been postponed while the forensic specialists attend a seminar in Bangkok.Superintendent of the National Office of Forensic Science stated during the investigation of the fire at the Tiger Discotheque on…
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Manhunt for Phuket gold shop thieves begins
PHUKET: Police now have arrest warrants issued for the two men wanted for the robbery of a Phuket gold shop yesterday and have set up two teams of officers to track the men down. Meanwhile, police stations throughout Southern Thailand have been alerted to be on the lookout for the suspects in their respective jurisdictions. Phuket Provincial Police Commander Chonasit…
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Phuket consuls praise Provincial Hospital
PHUKET: The British and Australian honorary consuls in Phuket have heaped praise on the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (PPAO) Hospital. Martin Carpenter, British honorary consul, and Larry Cunningham, Australian honorary consul to Phuket, also called for local media organizations to publicize the facility so people can take advantage of the new hospital’s services. At the meeting of Phuket’s honorary consul…
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Phuket Police identify one brazen gold thief
PHUKET: Phuket City Police have identified one member of the brazen gold bandit duo who robbed a shop of about 3 million baht worth of gold jewelry yesterday. Police identified the man only as “Son”, a roadside food vendor. After a dragnet attempt at a fish factory left police empty handed, they raided Son’s home, only to find that he…
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Live Wire: All I want for Xmas is a 3G tab
PHUKET: Welcome to the fourth and final installment of my series about where the computer industry is headed (click here to see related articles). With the Christmas season just around the corner many people are thinking about buying new electronics – computer, tablet, phone, maybe even a TV. This column will help you stay on top of developments between now…
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Phuket honorary consuls grill local transport chief over new taxi fares
PHUKET: In their first “regular” quarterly meeting with Phuket government officers since February, Phuket Honorary Consuls today delivered a barrage of questions over the new standard taxi fares “agreed to” on September 12. Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha, recently returned from a cultural tourism roadshow in Nepal, asked for input from honorary consuls about the new standard fares. Phuket Land Transportation…
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Phuket Police gold thief dragnet comes up empty
PHUKET: Phuket City Police have given up their attempt to net a pair of brazen gold thieves at a fish factory today. They have now issued “wanted alerts” for the two men to police stations throughout the neighboring provinces of Phang Nga and Krabi. Included in the alerts are images of the two wanted men, who police believe are Burmese,…
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Phuket Sports: Quiksilver Open finishes on the crest of a wave
PHUKET: Topping a long list of highlights in the four days of non-stop surfing and extreme sports action at the Quiksilver Open Phuket Thailand, Bali’s Mega Semadhi took the ASC/ISC Open Division final yesterday for his first contest win this year, while reigning Men’s Asian Surfing Champion Raditya Rondi (also from Bali, Indonesia) hoisted his second consecutive ASC Championship trophy…
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Police set up cordon to capture brazen Phuket gold shop robbers
PHUKET: Police have surrounded a disused fish processing plant on the east side of Phuket Town this afternoon in the hope of capturing two men who shot a gold shop owner with an air pistol before making off with an estimated 3 million baht in jewelry. Phuket City Police were informed at 1:30pm that the Yong Chuan gold shop in…
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US Embassy prepares for anti-American demonstrations in Thailand
PHUKET: The US Embassy in Bangkok has confirmed to the Phuket Gazette that the recent security warning issued to all American citizens was not linked to any specific threats in Thailand. The warning, issued by the US Embassy in Bangkok, reads: “As a general precaution, the U.S. Embassy advises you to exercise caution and to be aware of your surroundings,…
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“I think we’re all wise enough to understand…
“I think we’re all wise enough to understand that people write things and that what is written is not necessarily what is true. There’s a lot of speculation, there’s a lot of stories that aren’t true.” PHUKET: Lewis Hamilton responds to speculation surrounding his future. The Mclaren driver has been strongly linked in the past week with a move away…
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Phuket tourist safety boost as Patong taxis install GPS units
PHUKET: As a part of the ongoing “Phuket Safety Zone” project, Patong Police have joined with the private sector to install GPS tracking devices to Patong taxis. Patong Police Superintendent Chiraphat Phochanaphan joined Preechawut Keesin, Pisona Group Managing Director and president of the Patong Taxi Federation, in announcing the news on Saturday. “We along with the Pisona Group and other…
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Prime Phuket land sold to mystery buyer for B1.64bn
PHUKET: An unknown buyer has acquired 455 rai of land on Phuket’s west coast from the Bangkok Mass Transit System Public Company for 1.64 billion baht, reports Phuket Gazette Property columnist Bill Barnett. Bangkok Mass Transit System Public Company’s largest shareholder, BTS, had planned to develop the site north of Kamala Beach under the entity Kamala Beach Resort Company before…
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Phuket Sports: Islanders entertain with hard fought draw
PHUKET: The Islanders moved up one place into eleventh in the 18-team Thai Yamaha One league thanks to a 1-1 home draw last night with southern rivals Pattalung FC. Both sides, facing the threat of falling into the relegation zone, were hungry for points in the tense, high-stakes match that saw a new record for attendance this season set at…
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Phuket to host first Southern Thailand Museum Festival
PHUKET: For the first time, more than 30 museums from across Southern Thailand will be collaborating to create a single event: the Southern Thai Museum Festival 2012, to be held in Phuket next week. “Visitors will be able to experience the exhibition which will include precious antique objects. We are proud to be able to show these antiques as they…
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Phuket to stage biggest PADI “Diving for Debris’ reef cleanup in world
PHUKET: Go-Eco Phuket, a recently established marine environmental group, has announced that it is now looking to stage the biggest PADI “diving for debris” reef cleanup project on record on September 30. The event has escalated from what was originally expected to be a reef cleanup carried out by a coalition of several PADI dive centers on the island to…
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Phuket News: Inaction over Tiger inferno sparks fire-safety blitz
PHUKET: The lack of follow-up on fire safety standards more than a month after the deadly Tiger Discotheque inferno on August 17 that killed four people, has prompted Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha to launch a campaign to improve fire safety at large public venues across the island. Governor Tri told the Phuket Gazette that he had already called on the…
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“We have listened and learnt’
“We have listened and learned.”Narayana Ramachandran, President of the World Squash Federation, is confident that the sport has adapted to become a modern-day game, fit for the 2020 Olympics.Having failed in previous attempts to push squash into the Olympic program, the sport has changed and eradicated any problems that existed. Narayana Ramachandran said: “We have had extensive discussions with the…
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Phuket Sports: Islanders look to gulp bird nest soup
PHUKET: Following their 3-0 away loss to Airforce United last week, Phuket FC are facing the threat of relegation ahead of tonight’s high-stakes regional rivalry match against the Pattalung FC “Swiftlets”. With 30 points after 26 matches, the Islanders are 12th in the 18-team Yamaha 1 league. Their opponents, Pattalung, in 13th place, trail the Islanders by only one point…
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Phuket Immigration launch search for fugitive Filipino Reyes brothers
PHUKET: Phuket Immigration officers are scouring the island for fugitive Filipino brothers Mario Joel Tolentino Reyes and Mario Tolentino Reyes Jr, despite not yet receiving any formal request to apprehend the pair. The news comes as Phuket Immigration Superintendent Panuwat Ruamrak told the Phuket Gazette this afternoon, “Even though we have yet to receive any formal requests, we are searching…
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“He spoke well, looks fit and he wants to have one more hurrah.”
“He spoke well, looks fit and he wants to have one more hurrah.” General Secretary of BBBoCPHUKET: “No-one should be encouraging him to return and I just hope it doesn’t wind up being a big disappointment for him.” Hatton’s former promoter Frank Warren. Former light-welter weight and welter weight champion Ricky Hatton moved a step closer to making his return…
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Phuket National Park chief lays to rest death threat rumor
PHUKET: Sirinath National Park chief Cheewapap Cheewatham has denied claims that he or any other officers investigating alleged encroachment onto national park land have received death threats. “Since I started my work here, I have not received any death threats from anyone. I have not heard any reports of any other officers receiving death threats, either,” chief Cheewapap said. “However,…
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Phuket taxis agree to standard fares
PHUKET: More than 50 representatives from taxi organizations across Phuket have agreed to a schedule of standard fares to be charged island-wide. The benchmark agreement, which is expected to resolve many of the issues – and violent conflicts – related to fares charged, was forged at a meeting at Phuket Provincial Hall on Wednesday. The schedule of standard fares will…
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Bogus Phuket tour guides, gem rip-offs in firing line
PHUKET: Phuket jewelry shops that overcharge tourists and tour companies that hire illegal guides are to be targeted by the latest campaign by provincial authorities to preserve a “billion baht” business, officials were told this week.“I want tour companies to follow the law. Their main tour guides must be Thai. If they do not, they will be in trouble,” Phuket…
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PM Yingluck heads to Krabi over disaster preparedness
PHUKET: Officials in Krabi province, across Phang Nga Bay from Phuket, are ramping up security ahead of a lightning visit by Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra on Saturday, when she will head a meeting of provincial governors from the five provinces of the “Andaman cluster” to discuss “disaster preparedness”. PM Yingluck will attend the foundation-stone laying ceremony for the new emergency…
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Sea turtle with fish net wounds saved on Phuket beach
PHUKET: Yet another female sea turtle was rescued on Phuket’s shores yesterday, after suffering lacerations to its flipper from fishing nets. The turtle, found on Patong Beach, is the 25th female Olive Ridely sea turtle found injured on the coastline of Phuket and Phang Nga within the past two months, confirmed Dr Kongkiat Kittiwattanawong, who heads the Phuket Marine Biological…
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Phuket Sports: Quiksilver Open at Patong Beach update
PHUKET: Women’s division competitors were the first to be sent out yesterday morning under sunny tropical skies and two foot waves, to kick off day one of the 6-star ASC/ISC sanctioned Quiksilver Open Phuket at Patong Beach.Local Thai surfer and current ASC rankings leader Annissa Flynn had no trouble winning her heat and looks in fine form to make it…
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Heavy rain prompts flood, landslide warning
PHUKET: The Thai Meteorological Department (TMD) has issued its sixth official warning in 36 hours for flash flooding, forest run-off and landslides in Phang Nga, Krabi and Trang – but has yet to issue a warning for Phuket. Likewise, the Phuket Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) confirmed to the Phuket Gazette this afternoon that no flash flood or…
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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