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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Phuket’s New Year revelers start the long journey home
PHUKET: Phuket Land Transport Office Chief Terayout Prasertphol has ordered more buses be provided to ensure that all tourists who came to Phuket to celebrate the new year will get home in time to start 2012 without delay. “I have ordered the [state bus operator] BorKorSor to boost bus services by 20 per cent to ensure that no passengers are…
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FC Phuket to appeal home match ban
PHUKET: FC Phuket has filed an appeal with the Football Association of Thailand (FAT), asking that it be allowed to play its final home match of the season at Surakul Stadium on January 7, as originally scheduled. FC Phuket secretary Soranan Sanae said the appeal follows a ruling by the FAT board that the team lose its right to host…
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Phuket Tourism 2011: “It was what it was’
SPECIAL YEAR-END REVIEW A look back at the roller-coaster ride that Phuket’s tourism industry took from start to finish in 2011.PHUKET: The past year was marked by an ever faster and more furious flow of information on the crest of a digital technology wave. Tuk-tuk drivers beating tourists, bus crashes, landslides on the only road over Patong Hill, and the…
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Bob Dwyer to hold Phuket rugby clinic
PHUKET: Phuket Rugby in conjunction with Strategic Sports are proud to present the first of three rugby coaching clinics to be held in Phuket this year. The clinics are to be run by World Cup winning coach Bob Dwyer and Mike Penistone of Bob Dwyer’s Rugby Workshops. The first of the courses will be held from March 9 to 11,…
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After “bloody’ New Year, Phuket holiday road toll eases
PHUKET: After New Year’s Day claimed the lives of three Phuket motorists, carnage during Day 5 of the “Seven Days of Danger” holiday road-safety campaign was relatively light, with no fatalities and just six injuries reported. According to figures provided by the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Phuket Office (DDPM-Phuket), none of the six accidents reported yesterday were attributed…
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ACG official opening dates announced
PHUKET: Dates for the official opening of Phuket’s first dedicated cricket facility, the Alan Cooke Ground (ACG), have been announced with a two-day event scheduled for January 28 and 29, 2012. The ACG has already hosted a number of international touring teams in celebration of the ground’s establishment, including the prestigious Singapore Cricket Club who played in Phuket at the…
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Phuket Cricket: The South will have to rise again
PHUKET: Cricket’s stronghold of Southern Hemisphere (SH) representatives on Phuket had their Christmas celebrations cut short after a sound thrashing from their Northern Hemisphere (NH) counterparts at the ACG on Boxing day. In a 40 over seasonal special, the batting of Seemant Raju and Rishi Sadarangani proved too strong for the southeners with both players scoring 50 to help secure…
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Phuket Poll: Most-needed tourism development project for 2012
PHUKET: The year that was 2011 saw rapid development of the tourism sector in Phuket that was largely led by private-sector development in new hotels and new attractions, as highlighted in our Annual Review in the current issue of the Phuket Gazette on news stands now. [Digital subscribers click here to download the full newspaper.] Meanwhile, several government plans to…
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Russian woman dies in Phuket motorbike accident
PHUKET: A young Russian woman died when her motorbike was hit by a car early yesterday, making her the sixth road accident fatality in the first four days of the “Seven Days of Danger” holiday road-safety campaign in Phuket. The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Phuket Office (DDPM-Phuket) identified the deceased as 26-year-old Elena Kireeva. According to DDPM-Phuket, Ms…
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New Year’s Eve pub murder rocks Phuket
PHUKET: A simmering dispute between two Patong business owners turned deadly on New Year’s Eve when one gunned down his rival outside a well-known Phuket pub just before dawn yesterday. The shooting was reported to Patong Police by 15-year-old Rachain Noonpakdee, said a report in today’s Siangtai Daily newspaper. Rachain said that one of the “big brothers”, 35-year-old Wirote “Baomee”…
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Boy, 7, on life support after rescue at Phuket beach
PHUKET: A young boy is on life support in the intensive-care unit (ICU) at Vachira Phuket Hospital in Phuket Town this evening after being pulled from a popular swimming area near Nai Harn Beach late yesterday afternoon.“His name is Methee Khunsuinhu, 7 years old. He is now in the ICU. He will be transferred to the children’s ward if he…
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Phuket’s ‘Persons of the Year’: A Sailor’s Salute
PHUKET: As with our Person of the Year Award in 2009, we have opted for the plural again this year and are delighted to announce that the honor goes to four of the driving forces behind the annual Phuket King’s Cup Regatta. Many forces are required to stage an event of this magnitude, but because of the length of their…
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Wishing all a very happy New Year
PHUKET: One would guess that quite a few of Phuket’s residents were up well past their usual bed times last night as 2011 slipped into history and 2012 dawned. It’s probably likely that for an equal number it was business as usual, with 3am considered a respectable time for turning in. Regardless, what to do now that those long made…
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Phuket boosts water-safety as New Year countdown nears
PHUKET: As the Seven Days of Danger road-safety campaign continues across Phuket, the Marine Police are joining the effort on the water by stepping up safety checks and deploying vessels to conduct 24-hour operations. The moves comes as Phuket struggles to accommodate the huge influx of tourists who have arrived for the island’s “peak season” in tourism, a period that…
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Gov Tri gets Red Cross Fair underway
PHUKET: Scores of people turned out last night the opening night of the Phuket Red Cross Fair in Phuket Town, with many people among the huge crowd hoping to win the top prize in the popular lucky draw: a brand-new Honda City car. The 11-day fair, being held at the Central Stage Area at Saphan Hin, was declared officially underway…
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Phuket New Year road toll battered as three die
PHUKET: The Phuket authorities’ goal to keep the road toll this year under the four deaths of last year suffered a severe setback when three men died in motorcycle accidents on Thursday night – the first night of this year’s ‘Seven Days of Danger’ road safety campaign. Polish national Pawel Jack Gilman, 37, died after the limited edition Liverpool FC…
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Phuket yachting community remembers lost sailor
PHUKET: Friends of long-term Phuket expat Leslie Beasley, who was found dead on a yacht moored in Chalong Bay on December 23, have told the Gazette about their shock and sadness over the local sailor’s death. Mr Beasley was looking after the yacht for the owner, who is currently overseas. His body was discovered after the owner had repeatedly failed…
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Russians in hospital after tour van smash
PHUKET: Four Russian tourists on their way to a Phuket magic show got a painful dose of reality on Thursday night, when the passenger van they were riding in collided with a delivery truck south of Patong. The accident happened at about 7pm on Wiset Road in front of Le Meridien Phuket Beach Resort on the first day of the…
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‘Colorful Phuket Countdown 2012’ now underway
PHUKET: The clock is now ticking at Sanamchai in Phuket Town, where the “Colorful Phuket Countdown 2012” got underway at 8pm last night. The opening ceremony was chaired by Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha, who took a stroll though a 20-meter-long “under the sea” tunnel of lights and decorations. He was accompanied by Paiboon Upatising, president of the Phuket Provincial Administration…
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Phuket police nab sacrilegious burglar
PHUKET: Phuket City Police on Wednesday arrested a serial thief caught with stolen religious objects, jewelry and other items. Police Superintendent Chote Chitchai said Wichit resident Eakkat Tipmart, 29, confessed to burglarizing the Phuket Town apartment of Saengduan Chaigma. It was just the latest burglary in a string of similar thefts, Col Chote said. Ms Saengduan, 39, reported to police…
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Phuket employers urged to hire disabled workers
PHUKET: With the Phuket labor shortage reaching critical levels, authorities are encouraging employers to hire more disabled workers and are advising large organizations that they are legally required to do so. Officials from Phuket Provincial Office, Phuket Provincial Employment Office and the Human Development and Security Office held a recent meeting to inform employers about the subject at the Phuket…
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Disgraceful strategy
PHUKET: “We have been done in the past – like with Woodgate. We should have surrounded the referee to get him sent off.” Stephen Hunt, Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder, suggests his team mates need to follow the example of other sides by ganging up on officials to encourage correct or even harsher decisions. Hunt was referring to their recent match against…
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Phuket events slated to inject B370mn into local economy
PHUKET: A number of large events being held in Phuket this month are expected to generate as much as 370 million baht in revenue, government officials were told yesterday. The news was announced at a meeting yesterday morning at Phuket Provincial Hall. Phuket Governor Tri Aukaradacha chaired the meeting, which was attended by representatives from various government departments. Buayan Suwanmanee,…
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Snakes in a sack seized on Koh Lanta
PHUKET: A fruit seller has been caught smuggling protected snakes onto Koh Lanta in Krabi province, across Phang Nga Bay from Phuket. Pin Sangduk, 43, was found with eight live snakes stuffed into fertilizer sacks in the back of his pickup truck, which was otherwise loaded with fruit. Mr Pin was caught when Sgt Maj Terdsak Rakdaeng of Koh Lanta…
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Let Phuket’s Countdown to the New Year begin
PHUKET: The holiday season kicks into high gear today with the opening of two important annual fairs in Phuket Town and the launch of police checkpoints all over the island as part of the nationwide “Seven Days of Danger” road safety campaign. Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha is a busy man today, presiding over the openings of both the Phuket Red…
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Phuket raids land 15mn baht in pirated goods
PHUKET: Two separate raids in Phuket over the past week have netted pirated copyrighted goods with a combined street value of more than 15 million baht. Prayut Maneechote, director of the Customs Bureau regional head office in Haad Yai, on Monday announced that a team of his officers had traced an illegal importing network of pirated goods to a warehouse…
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No short-term solution for Phuket Airport Immigration bottleneck
PHUKET: Tourists waiting up to an hour and a half to clear immigration during peak periods at Phuket Airport are unlikely to receive any reprieve until a separate international terminal is completed. Pol Maj Wannee Songsanguan of Phuket Airport Immigration told the Gazette that her office was well aware of the situation, but could do nothing more to speed up…
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Phuket’s annual ‘Best of Phuket’ Awards to be unveiled tomorrow
PHUKET: The winners of the Phuket Gazette‘s ‘Best of Phuket’ awards for 2011 are announced in a special four-page supplement tucked into the newspaper’s December 31 issue, due out on the streets at noon tomorrow. The awards comprise 33 winners in five major categories: Person of the Year (4); Business (4); Service (6); Environment (2); and Restaurants (17). Our winners…
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FC Phuket fans attacked by blog site
PHUKET: “The club, with its finances and its future as up in the air as a corner kick, also has to pay a 20,000 baht fine.” A local blog uses this woefully inappropriate simile in commenting on FC Phuket’s uncertain future and the aggressive actions of a few supporters at the club’s last home game. Perhaps the blogger is unfamiliar…
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Phuket parade marks New Year road safety campaign
PHUKET: The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) Phuket staged a parade at Saphan Hin in Phuket Town today ahead of the nationwide ‘Seven Days of Danger’ road safety campaign for the New Year holiday. “Phuket has a lot of tourists, and the roads will be busy during the new year. During this time, the number of accidents on…
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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