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 5 hidden healthcare costs in Thailand and how to avoid them
Thailand's healthcare system is affordable and supported by the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) scheme, offering essential services to most citizens. However, hidden healthcare costs can surprise patients and lead to unexpected expenses. These include specialist fees, insurance gaps, emergency services,...
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Flood of candidates register for OrBorJor election
PHUKET: Scores of people arrived at Phuket Community Hall on Tuesday as candidate registration for the August 26 Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) council election opened. A total of 24 council seats are up for grabs, with 15 for Muang district, six for Thalang district and three for Kathu. OrBorJor Chief Administrative Officer Manop Leelasuthanon told the Phuket Gazette that…
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Foreigners urged to give blood at Phuket Immigration
PHUKET: The Phuket Regional Blood Center (PRBC) will host a special blood donation drive at Phuket Immigration Headquarters on August 9 to honor the 80th birthday of HM The Queen three days later. PRBC Director Pornthip Rattajak told the Gazette her agency hopes the drive will help the center stock up its supply of rare Rhesus negative (Rh-) blood types…
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Phuket Sports: Badminton scandal rocks London Olympics
PHUKET: The badminton scandal that has rocked the London Olympics not only reflects badly on the players involved, but also on the sport as a whole. Speaking to iSportconnect, before the eight players were disqualified from the women’s doubles, President of the Badminton World Federation (BWF) Dr Kang Young-Joong was confident the sport would be successful at the Olympics, and…
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Two-day booze ban in effect in Phuket from tomorrow
PHUKET: Retail sales of alcohol will banned in Phuket tomorrow and Friday, when Buddhists will celebrate Asarnha Bucha Day and Khao Pansa Day, the start of Buddhist Lent. Provincial Police Deputy Commander Peerayut Karajedee confirmed to the Phuket Gazette today that alcohol sales will be banned on both days under the Prohibition of Alcoholic Beverage Sales Act of 2009. “Thursday…
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TAT Phuket Director steps up to Bangkok
PHUKET: Bangonrat Shinaprayoon, Director of the Phuket office of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), bade her final farewell to Governor Tri Augkaradacha at Phuket Provincial Hall this morning before her move to Bangkok.Ms Bangonrat leaves the island on August 1 to take up her new position in Bangkok as Director of Attractions Promotion Division.“My new department is responsible for…
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Phuket expat Dokset murder trial: all charges denied
PHUKET: In a day for denying criminal charges at Phuket Provincial Court, Norwegian national and long-term Phuket expat Stein Havard Dokset yesterday denied all charges against him for the murder of his ex-girlfriend Rungnapa Suktong. Dokset was arrested in a police raid on his luxury villa in Kata on February 28. Officers searching the house found the remains of a…
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Krabi killers escape after ‘M16 ambush’
PHUKET: Krabi Police suspect revenge was the motive for a shooting in Khlong Kanan subdistrict on Saturday, when gunmen opened fire on a moving pickup truck in a well-planned ambush. One person was killed and five others were injured in the attack. The murder victim, driving an Isuzu D-Max, was identified by police as Paruhas Kongbannuek, village headman of Baan…
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Michelle Smith “killers’ reject confession
PHUKET: The two men charged with the death of Australian travel agent Michelle Smith, who died from a stab wound inflicted in a bag-snatch in June, yesterday denied all charges against them. Surasak Suwannachote, 26, and Surin Tadthong, 37, were presented at Phuket Provincial Court to enter pleas to the charges, which collectively accuse the men of murder and gang…
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Phuket Live Wire: How Windows 8 will roll out
PHUKET: Even if you have no intention of getting Windows 8, there are currently forces at work in the computer industry that will have an enormous impact on what kinds of computers are available in the near future, and how much they will cost. If you’re thinking about buying a new computer, you need to understand what’s about to happen.…
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Belgian ‘Most Wanted’ arrested in Phuket
PHUKET: A top-secret investigation has led to the arrest of one of Belgium’s most-wanted criminals in Phuket. The suspect, named as Marc de Schutter, was reportedly wanted for murder, money laundering and economic crimes in his native Belgium. His arrest by some 30 officers of the Crime Suppression Division and Chalong Police followed a one-month investigation launched at the request…
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Election alcohol bans to cost Patong venues B5mn a night
PHUKET: The mandatory ban on the sale of alcohol for upcoming elections at the end of this month will cost Patong’s nightlife industry at least 5 million baht a night, the Phuket Gazette has been told. The sale of alcohol will be banned across Phuket on August 26 and again in Patong on September 2 as voters go to the…
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Decomposing body recovered off Koh Racha, Phuket
PHUKET: Chalong Police are trying to identify a badly-decomposed human body found washed ashore at Koh Racha Yai early this morning, and now in storage on Phuket.After the Phuket Tourist Rescue Center at Chalong Pier was notified of the discovery at 7am, they dispatched a speedboat marked as operated by the “Chalong Tambon Administration Organization” (now called Chalong Municipality) to…
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Restaurant, resort ordered removed from Phuket protected forests
PHUKET: More than 150 officers from the Royal Forest Department (RFD) led raids on three sites in Phuket on Saturday.In Thalang, officers discovered a resort under construction within the boundaries of the protected Bang Kanoon Forest.“We found buildings that looked like a resort under construction on land inside the forest. However, there was no one at the site to declare…
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Yamaha Division One: Phuket 0 – 1 PTT Rayong
PHUKET: A single goal was all that PTT Rayong FC needed to prevail over Phuket FC on Saturday night at Surakul Stadium in Phuket Town. It was the second time the two sides met this season; exactly two weeks earlier Phuket endured a 6-0 thrashing at Rayong. It was the last straw for former coach Milos Josic of Serbia, who…
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Bone fragment of Lord Buddha installed at Phuket temple
PHUKET: A bone-fragment relic of Lord Buddha was respectfully installed at Chedi Dok Bua Kaew “Crystal Lotus Pagoda” in Nakaram Temple, Wichit, during a ceremony on Friday. The ceremony was led by Phra Thepsitthimunee, Deputy Monk Dean of Region 16 from Dusidaram Warrawiharn Temple in Bangkok, along with 108 Buddhist monks from the greater Phuket area. “The relic of the…
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Phuket man rescued from dire drunk dozing decision
PHUKET: A drunken man chose an exceptionally bad place to sleep off the effects of alcohol over the weekend: in the middle of the busiest and most deadly road in Phuket.A good citizen called the Phuket Kusoldharm Foundation at 6:45pm yesterday to report that a man was asleep in the left lane of Thepkrasattri Road outbound in Srisoonthorn, opposite the…
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Phuket’s Big Buddha project cleared of wrongdoing
PHUKET: An internal inquiry by the Royal Forestry Department’s Community Forestry Management Bureau has found no wrong doing by any parties involved in the Phuket Big Buddha project. The inquiry was launched after a flood of complaints, led Phuket Vice Governor Somkiet Sangkaosutthirak, demanding a completion date from the project’s managers, the Mingmongkol Faith 45 Foundation. The complaints have now…
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Wildlife activist supports Forestry, National Parks merger
PHUKET: A well-known wildlife activist has told the Phuket Gazette that he supports the planned merger of the Royal Forest Department and the Department of National Parks (DNP), Wildlife and Plant Conservation. The merger was announced on July 11 by Preecha Rengsomboonsuk, who heads the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry that controls both departments. Once the merger gets the green…
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Krabi drug rehab student drowned in escape, says friend
PHUKET: Eyewitness reports are now indicating that the student who died after escaping a youth drug rehab facility in Krabi last week was not beaten to death by teaching assistants, as initially reported, but rather drowned during his escape. Allegations that student Maha Manitaya was beaten to death by the teaching assistants at Por Noh Klong Gom School prompted more…
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Phuket’s Muslim prison inmates gifted supplies for Ramadan
PHUKET: The Phuket Islamic Committee gifted food items to Muslim inmates at Phuket Provincial Prison on Thursday so they could properly partake in Ramadan.At 11:30am, Phuket Islamic Committee President Komon Doomluck handed over rice as well as other dried foods, such as palm dates, which are the traditional foods for breaking fasts, to the 225 male and female Muslim prisoners…
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Drug rehab youths escape facility after friend beaten to death
PHUKET: More than 200 youths escaped from the drug rehabilitation center at Por Noh Klong Gom School and sought the protection of a local mosque in Krabi on Thursday after one of their classmates was allegedly beaten to death by teaching assistants. The school, although in Krabi, serves as a drug rehabilitation center for about 800 troubled youths from throughout…
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Queen’s Cup Hua Hin International Triathlon 2012 starts August 19
PHUKET: Following the successful Columbia Trail Masters 2012, sponsored by the Phuket Gazette at Thanyapura earlier this year, the idyllic fishing village of Kao Tao, 10 kilometers south of Hua Hin, will host the 4th edition of the Queen’s Cup Hua Hin International Triathlon 2012 on August 19. The event will honor Her Majesty the Queen’s 80th birthday. The event…
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Phuket T20 Cricket gets under way
PHUKET: The T20 cricket league kicked off last weekend with Neill Culpan scoring 57 not out, helping current champions Laguna defeat last season’s runners-up Patong in the first game. Patong won the toss and chose to bat first. They didn’t start well, losing opener Richie Desmond for five with only 12 runs on the board. Manesh Sadarangani scored 32 not…
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Anonymous donor gives stranded Kiwi ticket home
PHUKET: Sean Kenzie, the 27-year-old New Zealander stranded and unable to pay his mounting medical bills after a hit-and run-accident, boarded a plane for home today thanks to an anonymous donor who supplied the funds for his flight. Sean looked a little tired when he arrived at Phuket Airport; he walked straight to the Thai Airways check-in counter to catch…
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Phuket FC set for home battle with PTT Rayong
PHUKET: Soccer fans who missed out on seeing Phuket FC’s new line-up which was successful against Songkhla on Wednesday will have their next chance tomorrow evening when the Islanders are set to host PTT Rayong FC. Kick off for the league match, to be played at Surakul Stadium, will be at 6:30pm. Aside from seeing some of Phuket’s new signings…
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Phuket gold shop damaged in youth street brawl
PHUKET: A group of eight students attacked two others in front of a gold shop in the heart of Phuket Town yesterday morning. The attack, at about 10:15am, was launched in front of a hardware and electronics store on Ong Sim Pai Road in front of Kaset Market. The two students who were set upon ran to the Sri Thong…
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Phuket Sports: Olympics kick off
PHUKET: The first day of competitive sport at the London Olympics was overshadowed by a diplomatic faux pas. WOMEN’S FOOTBALL: The North Korea women’s football team walked off the pitch as the flag of South Korea was displayed before their game against Colombia. The match at Hampden Park was delayed for almost an hour before the North Korea team returned…
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Alcohol linked to Phuket vegetable dealer’s death
PHUKET: Phuket Police believe that cardiac arrest, possibly triggered by excessive alcohol intake, may have caused the death of a man whose body was found by the side of a road in Sakoo yesterday afternoon. Tah Chat Chai Police were notified of the discovery at 2:45pm. At the scene in Sakoo Village 4, off the old airport road near Nai…
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British Ambassador calls for “safety first’ when travelling
PHUKET: British Ambassador to Thailand Asif Ahamd has repeated his call for UK nationals to exercise caution when travelling to Thailand and to make sure they have adequate insurance coverage when they do visit. “I have seen the sadness and anguish of victims and relatives after incidents which, if thought through, are entirely avoidable. Like the majority of visitors and…
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Phuket Architect & Engineering Exhibition 2012 underway
PHUKET: Good news for the island’s builders, designers and property owners: the Architect & Engineering Exhibition 2012 is now underway on the second floor of the Royal Phuket City Hotel. The event runs daily from 11am to 8pm through Sunday, featuring a number of exhibitions and booths showcasing products from more than 100 manufactures and importers. As tourist numbers wane…
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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