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 Infinito helps hotels in Thailand with revenue management
Maximising revenue and profit–isn’t that the ultimate goal for every business in the hospitality industry? If you run a hotel, you might have heard that revenue management is an effective way to boost your top-line revenue. It involves using data...
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Phuket Live Wire: Keeping malware at bay for free
PHUKET: Continuing the series answering questions I hear most often from PC users here in Phuket, I have a very unpopular choice for antivirus (AV) software. Here’s the question: “Woody, I got a copy of (one of the major antivirus products) when I bought my new PC. It worked fine for six months, but now it wants money. I tried…
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Phuket poll: Irksome complaints by foreigners
PHUKET: Foreigners in Phuket, both tourists and residents, have developed somewhat of a reputation for complaining over the years. The latest Phuket Gazette readers poll, online now, asks readers: Which of the following topics are you most tired of hearing foreigners in Phuket complain about? And the nominees are: • Overpriced alcohol• Double-pricing (when foreigners pay more than Thais)• Tuk-tuks,…
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Pregnant Swede still in Phuket hospital after chlorine gas exposure
PHUKET: A pregnant Swedish woman exposed to a cloud of chlorine gas at a Phuket resort on Saturday remains in the hospital, despite the resort management’s claims that all of those affected were treated and released the same day. Patong Hospital official Hathairat Rangsansarit told the Phuket Gazette today that all 37 victims, initially rushed to Patong Hospital, were later…
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Tremor hits Phang Nga, no damage reported
PHUKET: Coastal residents of Takuapa District in Phang Nga were put on alert this morning following a minor earthquake. The event turned out to be a localized tremor that caused no damage, not the effects of a larger event further away like the tsunami-causing quake that devastated Phuket and the entire Andaman coastline in 2004. Somkiat Intorrajan, director of the…
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Paddling Lanta to Phi Phi
PHUKET: Relieved but exhilarated five paddleboarders successfully finished their 32-kilometer paddling challenge from Koh Lanta to Koh Phi Phi earlier this month. In a time of 4 hours and 32 minutes on February 3, the “Stand Up Paddle” (SUP) team successfully laid their boards to rest on Phi Phi Don. Team members were Starboard team rider, Lina Augaitis; Owner of…
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Village go coco-nuts over Patong defeat
PHUKET: In a crucial Phuket Island Furniture League match, Patong and the Village faced each other at the ACG with both teams needing a win to boost their hopes of a showdown with title favorites, Laguna CC. Undefeated so far this season, the Village knew that taking points from Patong would effectively end the reigning champions expectations of at least…
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Five dead, 16 injured in Phang Nga crash
PHUKET: Five people returning from a Phuket cremation ceremony were killed on Saturday night when the crowded pickup they were riding in slammed into a tree in Phang Nga. Sixteen others were seriously injured. A songthaew (pickup modified for passenger transport) was returning Buddhist adherents from the cremation ceremony of Mai Khao Temple Abbot Luangpor Daeng when the accident occurred…
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Sweet sixteen in Phuket’s AFL round four
PHUKET: Cancelled and postponed games meant only two matches were played in round four of the Phuket Adult Futsal League presented by Thanachart Bank. Despite only two games on the card, sixteen goals were scored to ensure an exhilarating night of football. TSLC and SGS faced off in the first encounter with the home side looking to keep their unbeaten…
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Royal Thai Navy intercepts 27 Phuket-bound Burmese
PHUKET: The Royal Thai Navy Third Area Command arrested 27 Burmese en route to Phuket aboard a fishing boat off the coast of Ranong on February 10. The group were charged with entering the country illegally and were taken ashore to be prepared for deportation. The arrest was made by the staff of HTMS Chonburi under the supervision of Lt…
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Slapping, spitting, boxing and bottling
PHUKET: “He’s blown his only chance, the last thing you want to do is pick a fight with Vitali.” Adam Booth, the boxing trainer of Britain’s David Haye (former WBA heavyweight champion), said Dereck Chisora lost any hope of beating WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko when he slapped him at Friday’s weigh-in… before their fight. British boxer Chisora, born in…
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Prompong in Phuket to launch tourist safety campaign
PHUKET: Government spokesman Prompong Nopparit was back in Phuket last night to launch a new tourist safety campaign that will see a rapid expansion in the number of closed-circuit television cameras in Patong and other popular tourist destinations. Mr Prompong, a party list MP for the ruling Pheu Thai Party, at 7pm held an informal meeting with the press on…
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Tourism finds Phuket swiftlet aviaries difficult to swallow
SPECIAL REPORT Having caused problems in other regions of Thailand, the growing number of swiftlet barns in Phuket came under scrutiny at Phuket Provincial Hall last week. Officials have decided to set up ‘zones’ for the business – despite the fact that it is illegal. The Phuket Gazette‘s Stephen Fein and Warisa Temram report. PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Office will…
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Phuket experts date Krabi relics at 3,000 years old
PHUKET: A trove of ancient artifacts unearthed in Krabi recently could be up to 3,000 years old, experts at the Fine Arts Department Office in Phuket have estimated. Reporters invited by a village headman in Baan Klang subdistrict, Ao Luek, were the among the first to view the items, discovered by residents of Baan Khao Ngam village last week. Ban…
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Jetstar flights to Phuket to airlift stranded Aussies home
Suggested Heading: PHUKET: Jetstar has scheduled an additional ad-hoc service from Phuket to Australia on Sunday in order to assist travellers stranded by the overnight collapse of Air Australia on Thursday. The ad-hoc services will be operated by an A320 aircraft with up to 180 seats and will fly from Phuket to Darwin (via Singapore) with onward connections to Jetstar’s…
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Chlorine gas guests return safely to Phuket resort
PHUKET: All the guests affected by the chlorine gas cloud at the Phuket Orchid Resort in Karon this morning have safely returned to the resort, it was announced at a press conference this afternoon. “Every single person taken to hospital has returned to the resort. Not a single person has checked out. They are all okay,” said resort general manager…
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Dozens injured in Phuket resort pool chlorine “blast’
PHUKET: Dozens of tourists and resort workers were rushed to hospital this morning after a mix of pool cleaning agents “exploded” into a cloud of gas beside a pool at a Phuket resort.Staff at the Phuket Orchid Resort in Karon confirmed to the Phuket Gazette that the cloud of gas was formed by a mix of chlorine and other cleaning…
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Phuket kickboxer murder fugitive Lee Aldhouse wins right to appeal extradition
PHUKET: The return to Phuket of fugitive British murder suspect Lee Aldhouse remains on hold, as the kickboxer has won the right to appeal an extradition order, the UK media has reported. Lee Aldhouse, 27, successfully fled Thailand after he allegedly stabbed American Deshawn Longfellow to death in August 2010. He was later arrested at Heathrow Airport on an unrelated…
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Phuket Gazette Sports Bag: This week in Sports
PHUKET: The starter’s gun has fired and first out of the blocks is this week’s Phuket Gazette sports round-up.Your international sports page features a sprint through the Premiership with a glance to the side at Spurs’ rout of Newcastle, Thierry Henry’s parting gift to Arsenal, Zambia’s African Cup of Nations win, another Luis Suarez shake-down and why Carlos Tevez is…
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Air Australia tourists tired, angry over Phuket ordeal
PHUKET: Australian tourists stranded in Phuket after low-cost carrier Air Australia went bust overnight last night are losing patience with the wait to get home, and some are running out of the cash needed to pay for their flight home. Trevor Moloney, 30, and Caley Wilkinson, 30, arrived Phuket 12 days ago. They were supposed to leave Phuket on board…
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Battle to keep Phuket beaches clear continues
PHUKET: The battle to keep Phuket’s beaches free of illegal vendors continues to be a pitched one, with each small advance seemingly followed by a setback.In the latest development, four local residents have set up small restaurants on the sands of Kata Beach with low-to-the-ground Japanese-style dining tables selling grilled and barbecued meats every evening starting at dusk.Orders by Karon…
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Qantas, Jetstar offer way home for stranded Air Australia tourists
PHUKET: National Australian airline Qantas and low-cost carrier Jetstar have announced special fares for tourists left stranded by the financial collapse Air Australia yesterday. Air Australia management declared going into voluntary administration late last night Phuket time, which resulted in the immediate grounding of their entire fleet. Qantas this morning announced the airline was drawing up a plan to assist…
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Phuket struggles to airlift stranded Air Australia tourists
PHUKET: Scores of Australian tourists have been left stranded at Phuket International Airport after low-budget carrier Air Australia grounded all flights yesterday due to insolvency. The state-run Australian Broadcasting Commission news quoted a source as saying that Air Australia was even unable to buy fuel at Phuket Airport last night for a flight ready to take tourists home. The directors…
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Phuket coral bounces back from bleaching blight
PHUKET: Considerable improvement in the condition of bleached coral reefs around Phuket and along the Andaman Coast has been noted by government researchers, it was announced at a meeting early this week. Boonchob Sudthamanaswong, Director-General of the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources Andaman Coast Group (DMCR-Andaman), chaired a seminar at the Phuket Merlin Hotel on Monday to discuss government…
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Phuket’s Paiboon calls for snap election
PHUKET: Paiboon Upatising, who earlier today announced his shock resignation as president of the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor), this afternoon explained that his resignation is to pave the way for elections before April 20. Mr Paiboon officially resigned from his position yesterday. “I submitted my resignation to Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha yesterday. My term as president was scheduled to…
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Phuket’s Paiboon resigns in shock move
PHUKET: Paiboon Upatising has resigned his position as president of the Phuket Provincial Administrative Organization (OrBorJor). More details about the shock resignation will be revealed at a press conference this afternoon, the Phuket Gazette has been told. Mr Paiboon was elected to office in April 2008, and was cleared of vote-buying allegations by the Appeals Court in Bangkok on September…
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Phuket Video Report: Alleged contract killer surrenders to Phuket police, claims innocence
PHUKET: Phuket businessman Atsadakorn “Pod” Seedokbuab, wanted by police for being the mastermind behind the assassination of Phuket newsman Wisut “Ae Inside” Tangwitthayaporn early last month, surrendered to police this morning. “I had nothing to do with it. I knew Ae very well. Even when he joined the red shirt protests in Bangkok, he called and asked me for money…
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Phuket on high alert in wake of Bangkok terror bombs
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha has ordered all police units on the island to be on high alert following the arrests of three Iranians for the bomb blasts in Bangkok on Tuesday. Phuket Provincial Police Commander Chonasit Wattanavrangkul has also ordered all police to boost patrols in Phuket’s popular tourist areas. The move follows the police learning that at least…
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Bahrain F1 get Bernie’s backing
PHUKET: “I don’t think it’s anything serious at all. It doesn’t change our position in any shape or form.” Bernie Ecclestone, head of Formula One, told British media that despite recent outbreaks of violence in Bahrain, the scheduled April 22 Grand Prix (GP) should take place. He added that if he was advised by the government in Bahrain not to…
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130 couples wed at Phuket Muang District Office on Valentine’s Day
PHUKET: Hearts were aflutter at Muang Phuket District Office yesterday, as 130 couples appeared to register marriages on Valentine’s Day 2012. Muang District Chief Supachai Pochanukul told the Phuket Gazette, “We prepared a special registration desk for the couples and gave them all Valentine’s Day gifts. We issued certificates to 130 couples; it was a very lovely day.”Among the newlyweds…
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Phuket mass wedding goes off – with a hitch
PHUKET: Organizer have confirmed the mass wedding at Phromthep Cape is going ahead today, even though some government agencies wanted it canceled. Phuket Vice Governor Somkiet Sangkaosutthirak received a letter of complaint claiming that the private sector shouldn’t be allowed to use public land for commercial purposes. Part of the event includes a flower exhibit that would remain on the…
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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