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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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 “floating corpse’ to be buried if unclaimed
PHUKET: The body of the foreign man found floating in the sea south of Phuket last month will be buried at the Mai Khao Cemetery if it remains unidentified, the Phuket Gazette has been told. The corpse is currently being held at Vachira Phuket Hospital in Phuket Town. “The hospital has already contacted me and said that if no relatives…
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No appeal in Fanelli case: Phuket prosecutor
PHUKET: The Phuket Public Prosecutor’s Office will not file an appeal over sentencing in the case of convicted murderer Ronald Fanelli, the Phuket Gazette has learned. Fanelli, a former US Navy officer, was on November 1 convicted of the June 2010 stabbing murder of Wanphen Pienjai, a hostess at the Sweethearts Bar in Kata. Fanelli was sentenced to 20 years’…
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Phuket Special Report: Slavery on the high seas
Workers in Thailand’s fishing industry often find themselves living a violent nightmare with no escape in sight and no help. Meanwhile, human rights experts and local organizations look for ways out.SPECIAL REPORTPHUKET: The next time you sit down to a seafood dinner in Phuket, think of Min, a Karen-Burmese migrant worker from Shan State.Min is one of countless migrant workers…
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Music idol Todd Tongdee wants to see ‘magic mix’ of Thais and foreigners at Phuket World Musiq Fest
PHUKET: One of the lead organizers of the World Musiq Fest to be launched tomorrow evening at Saphin Hin in Phuket Town says he wants to see the concert audiences reflecting the name and character of the festival itself. “It’s that magic mix of Thais and foreigners enjoying things together that generates the atmosphere and buzz to create a truly…
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Phuket Reminder: US Embassy consular outreach today
PHUKET: The American Citizen Services section of the United States Embassy in Bangkok is at the Hilton Arcadia Phuket Resort and Spa in Karon this morning. Consular staff will be available to provide following services until noon: • Passport renewal applications • Notarial services • Embassy registration and/or address change for on-line information• Absentee ballot application and voting abroad information…
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Phuket officials aim to lift landslide ‘disaster warning’
PHUKET: In a sign that the worst of the 2011 monsoon season may be behind us, Phuket authorities are preparing paperwork to revoke a landslide disaster warning for a section of the bypass road in Rassada. The warning was put in place for a section of the bypass road northbound following torrential rains in early October that caused a landslip.…
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Phuket “drug, rob and run’ woman arrested – again
PHUKET: Phuket police have arrested yet again one of six women charged in October with luring foreign tourists to hotel rooms, where they were drugged and subsequently robbed. Suspect Suchada Yusuk, 29, was arrested on Soi Bangla at 3:30am today. “We had an investigation team tailing her. When she started acting suspiciously while walking along Soi Bangla, the officers stopped…
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Phuket police warn junk shops over stolen water meters
PHUKET: Police in Phuket’s northern district of Thalang have warned owners of junk shops they will be charged with receiving stolen property if they are found in possession of any stolen water meters. The warning comes after police have arrested people in connection with six separate thefts of steel items in the past month, says Lt Col Weerayut Sittirattanakul. “We…
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Phuket Live Wire – You’ve got scam mail
PHUKET: Have you ever received a message like the following and wondered who sent it to you? I have a group of 24 people who will be traveling in your vicinity in December and we would like to book reservations at your establishment. We will pay for services, including tax and tips, in advance. Please advise what you have available…
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Villagers wallop hairy Lizards in Phuket’s cricket league
PHUKET: The third match of Phuket’s Island Furniture League 2011-2012 season saw The Village take on the Liquid Lounge Lizards (LLL) at the Alan Cooke Ground (ACG). Both team squads included several new players which have bolstered their sides for this season. LLL, which mainly comprises British International School (BIS) teachers, included a number of players sporting large mustaches in…
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Superyachts return for Phuket Rendezvous
PHUKET: The annual Asia Superyacht Rendezvous, the exclusive international event for both motor and sailing superyachts, returns to Phuket on December 16-18. The annual event, one of the largest gathering of superyachts in Asia, welcomes sail and motor yachts over 100-feet long to the festivities taking place over three days on and off the waters of the Phuket and the…
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Phuket police launch manhunt, announce B50,000 reward for knife thief
PHUKET: Phuket police today announced a 50,000-baht reward for information that leads to the arrest of the man who robbed a Siam Commercial Bank money exchange booth near Karon Circle on Saturday night. Chalong Police Superintendent Krittapad Dej-intorrasorn today also released a composite sketch of the wanted man, drawn from descriptions by witnesses, in hopes that it will assist in…
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Phuket ‘brand’ up for discussion at Wednesday’s AMCHAM meet
PHUKET: The Greater Phuket chapter of the American Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM) will be holding its next meeting at the Anantara Resort in Mai Khao on Wednesday (November 30). “This meeting is a ‘must attend’ for those working in the hospitality, travel, property and hotel sectors,” says real estate guru Bill Barnett. “At a time when Phuket is making a…
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Phuket Dinghy Series booms sailing success
PHUKET: Following on from two previous Phuket Dinghy Series race events, twenty-six Optimists and five Lasers competed in the series decider held on November 19 and 20. Overall positions in the event were all to sail for, given that plenty of points were available from the six races that were scheduled over the two days. Phuket Dinghy Series Event Manager…
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Phuket Leopards tamed by Tigers
PHUKET: The second match of the Island Furniture League 2011-2012 season saw the young guns of Phuket cricket, the Phuket Youth Development team (Leopards), take on newcomers the Thanyapura Tigers on Sunday, 20 November, 2011 at the Alan Cooke Ground. The ground was basking in sunshine with the pitch and outfield fast, so expectations were high of some big scores.…
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Three Phuket athletes bring home gold
PHUKET: Three athletes from Phuket earned gold medals at the 26th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Indonesia. Nitchaon Jindapol earned a gold medal with the Thailand women’s badminton team, who made hosts Indonesia settle for silver in the final bout. Maneepong Jongjitt also gave Phuket badminton a name, earning a bronze medal with Thailand’s mens’ team. Maneepong, with doubles partner…
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FC Phuket draw with Saraburi in league restart
PHUKET: After a month-long league lay-off FC Phuket drew with Saraburi FC Warlords in a heated match on Saturday evening with a final score of 2-2 in their Division One encounter. The match was played in front of a crowd of 2,500 at the Saraburi Provincial Administration Organization M150 Stadium. Phuket went ahead in the 16th minute from a strike…
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Phuket “death bend’ gets ‘band aid’ safety, for now
PHUKET: The Phuket Highways Office has closed one southbound lane at the Kor En ‘death bend’ as a temporary measure to stop more accidents at the notorious black spot in Thalang. Also installed as temporary measures are signs warning motorists to slow down and small concrete blocks separating the vehicles exiting Baan Kor En from the traffic speeding past heading…
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Southern Thai football is charging ahead with Krabi and Pattalung
PHUKET: Southern Thai football is charging ahead with Krabi FC and Pattalung FC each prevailing at the top of their respective groups in the Thai Premier League (TPL) 2011 Division Two AIS League promotion playoffs. The playoffs, which began in October and are set to conclude in December, divide 12 fine finalists into two groups of six. Upon conclusion, only…
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AMCHAM meeting to focus on “Phuket’ brand
PHUKET: The American Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM) Greater Phuket chapter will be holding its next meeting at the luxury Anantara Resort in Mai Khao on Wednesday. “This meeting is a ‘must attend’ for those working in the hospitality, travel, property and hotel sectors,” said Real estate guru Bill Barnett. “At a time when Phuket makes a transition into a mass…
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Russian tourist dies after Phuket beach rescue effort
PHUKET: A 57-year-old Russian tourist has died after being pulled from the water at Phuket’s Kata Beach this morning. Lt Tianchai Duangsuwan of Chalong Police named the victim as Uriu Varnakov. “He was on holiday in Phuket with his girlfriend and his girlfriend’s parents,” he said. Uten Singsom, head of the Phuket Lifeguard Club stationed at Kata Beach, told the…
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One dead, one injured in Phuket high-speed crash
PHUKET: One man died and another was seriously injured in a high-speed accident in the north of Phuket early this morning.Lt Kraisorn Misang of Thalang Police told the Phuket Gazette that at about 4am he received a report that a car had hit a power pole in front of the Caltex Gas Station near Wat Srisoonthorn on Thepkrasattri Road, north…
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Phuket Opinion: Mob behavior not always necessary
PHUKET: The hundreds of Baan Kho En villagers who formed a mob and commandeered the southbound lanes of Thepkrasattri Road in Phuket last week all knew one thing: they had been down this road before. The tragic, avoidable deaths of Anupong Sae-Yu and his aunt Malai Kaewkluan were only the latest deaths on the notorious stretch of road, known locally…
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Knife-wielding robber makes off with B2mn from Phuket currency exchange
PHUKET: Two staffers at a currency exchange kiosk in the popular Phuket tourist area of Karon Beach were bound and gagged and robbed at knife point of mixed currencies with a total value of about 2 million baht last night. Amnard Ponpramun, 27, told the Phuket Gazette that he and his colleague Wilaiwan Khao-ong, 22, were closing up the Siam…
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Phuket King’s Cup Regatta offering “Parties for Smarties’
PHUKET: The organizers of the King’s Cup Regatta are calling for volunteers to help officials on the water on race days. “We’re looking for Phuket-based volunteers to help on the water. They must be available for the entire Regatta week, and yachting experience is required,” says Duncan Worthington, one of the organizers of the regatta. Volunteers are needed primarily to…
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Laguna Phuket Triathlon exceeds 1,000
PHUKET: Entries for the Laguna Phuket Triathlon (LPT) tomorrow have raced beyond the 1,000 mark for the first time since the inaugural event in 1994.This record number of participants is a confirmation of Phuket’s reputation as one the most popular triathlon destinations in Asia.Sunday morning will see a total of 1,078 athletes from 41 countries jostle for position at the…
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Phuket police nab “serial thieves’
PHUKET: An investigation into a spate of robberies in northern Phuket has led to three arrests, but police believe the break-and-enter gang’s ringleader is still at large. Thalang Police Superintendent Witun Kongsudjai, yesterday, presented the three suspects charged with being “sneak thieves” and receiving stolen property. The suspects were Subandit “Bee” Boonsit, 27, Kittisak Wongsaard, 36, and Somyot Taweesaeng, 44,…
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Athletes flock for Laguna Phuket’s 18th international triathlon
PHUKET: Over 1,000 competitors are descending on the island for the 18th Laguna Phuket Triathlon (LPT) which officially begins today with race registration and a press conference at the Dust Thani Laguna Phuket.Registration numbers have smashed all previous records from the 17 year history of this prestigious Southeast Asian athletic event.Master of ceremonies Whit Raymond will introduce several guest speakers…
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Phuket business owners at Karon Beach win reprieve from street clearing
PHUKET: Business owners in the chaotic street of “Soi Centara“, formerly known for years as “Soi Islandia Resort“, in Phuket’s tourist-popular Karon Beach area, have won a reprieve from having structures on their street demolished. Adam Simone, owner of Bershat Guesthouse and a resident in the area for more than 12 years, told the Phuket Gazette, “Two days ago we…
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Phuket gets dedicated “rape case’ police officer
PHUKET: Phuket now has a female police officer dedicated to handling rape and sexual assault cases, Phuket Provincial Police Commander Pekad Tantipong confirmed yesterday. Speaking at the quarterly meeting of Phuket’s honorary consuls and top officials on the island, Maj Gen Pekad confirmed that the officer is stationed at Phuket City Police Station and is on call to handle cases…
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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