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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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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A New Year’s message from the Phuket Governor
SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM THE GOVERNOR OF PHUKET Tri Augkaradacha took up the position of Phuket Governor in October 2009 after serving almost four years as vice governor. Having already reached the mandatory retirement age of 60 years, he will finish his career in the civil service at the end of October this year. Since his appointment as Governor, he has…
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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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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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Russian tourist dies in fall at Phuket home
PHUKET: A Russian tourist died in a fall from an interior balcony at a holiday rental home in Kathu, central Phuket, early yesterday morning. Thung Thong Police received a report at 2:45am that Russian tourist Anton Oleynikov, 32, had died in the fall at the private residence at Loch Palm. Police Duty Officer Chana Suttimard said that Mr Oleynikov and…
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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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‘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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New Phuket Police chief orders holiday crackdown
PHUKET: Newly-installed Phuket Provincial Police Commander Chonasit Wattanavrangku has ordered all officers on the island to strictly enforce the law and ensure public safety over the New Year holiday now underway. Chonasit Wattanavrangkul, whose last assignment was as Songkhla Provincial Police Commander, took over the position from Maj Gen Pekad Tantipong in the latest police reshuffle announced on Christmas Day.…
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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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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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Soi Bangla Phuket’s number one attraction: Poll
PHUKET: Soi Bangla is the number one “must see” tourist attraction in Phuket, according to the results of a recent Phuket Gazette online survey. On December 6, the Gazette asked readers: Phuket has so many tourist attractions that most visitors to the island do not have enough time to see them all during their stays. Given this fact, which of…
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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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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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Brazilian found dead in Phuket guesthouse
PHUKET: A Brazilian tourist was found dead in his Phuket hotel room on Tuesday after he and a male friend brought two Patong bar hostesses back to their room. The body of the deceased, 30-year-old Daniel Rocha Jordan Brasileiro, is under examination at Patong Hospital. A member of the staff at the guest house where the pair were staying said…
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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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FC Phuket’s ‘Ko Lek’ to step down
PHUKET: FC Phuket manager Narubas “Ko Lek” Aryupong revealed today that he will withdraw from running the team next season due to the current financial crisis.“A lot of money is needed to run a football team in Division 1. Yearly expenses reach over 40 million baht and I cannot afford that anymore. I will run a team in Division 2…
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Club Med Phuket sets up swim zone at Kata Beach
PHUKET: A second swim area has been cordoned off at Kata Beach in Phuket, but lifeguards continue to worry about the safety of swimmers and snorkelers who venture outside the float ropes and into the path of speedboats and jet-skis. Safety issues at the popular west coast beach were highlighted earlier this month when Russian tourist Nikolai Nefedov, was hit…
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Phuket aglow with tsunami memorial ceremony
PHUKET: A dignified silence settled over Patong Beach yesterday evening as hundreds gathered to light candles in remembrance of the people who were killed or went missing in the 2004 tsunami that devastated Thailand’s west coast. The Light Up Phuket memorial service was attended by Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha, Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) President Paiboon Upatising and Dutch Honorary…
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Phuket Live Wire: Is Phuket cheaper?
PHUKET: Hardly a day passes when somebody doesn’t ask me, “Woody, should I buy a laptop (phone, desktop computer, iPad, printer, camera, TV) here in Phuket, or is it cheaper in the US (or Bangkok, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Seoul, Europe)?” Once upon a time, it was relatively easy to answer that question. Times have changed. Three or four years…
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Girls saved in Phuket, safely back in France
PHUKET: The two French girls who spent eight months on the streets of Phuket are now back in France, where they are undergoing evaluation by social workers. The girls, 12-year-old Manel and her sister Chaima, 11, have been reunited with their paternal grandmother and are now in the care of French social services. Meanwhile, the Gazette has been informed of…
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Finance Ministry to press for Phuket ICEC
PHUKET: Finance Minister Thirachai Phuvanatnaranubala has pledged to accelerate long-delayed property projects run by the Treasury Department, including the Phuket International Convention and Exhibition Center (Phuket ICEC). The Phuket ICEC, slated to be built on 1.5 rai of Treasury Department land in Mai Khao, has 2.6 billion baht in funding approval from the department. However the project is on hold…
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Phuket PDL Darts: Hemingways A down Starfish, 10-3
PHUKET: In Week 10 of the 2011-2012 Patong Darts League, Shakers hosted the hottest dart team in Phuket at the moment: Hemingways A. Shakers titan and daytime schoolteacher Ryan played Big Ronnie in the first match up to get the evening going. With high scoring from both sides, the epic ended in a 1-1 draw. Veteran of the Swedish professional…
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Phuket tsunami memorial service honored by few
PHUKET: A somber air hung over the tsunami memorial service at the Tsunami Memorial Wall in Mai Khao this morning as about 50 people turned up to remember those lost to the killer waves that struck Phuket in 2004. Thai official figures state that the tsunami killed 5,398 people and more than 3,700 disappeared in the waves that day. Hundreds…
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Phuket “anti-Santa’ behind bars
PHUKET: A Russian man was arrested by Kamala Police yesterday on suspicion of robbing several homes during the festive holidays. The 35-year-old, Pavel Zhuravlev, was arrested at 3am at a house where he was staying on Soi Massayid Naka in Kamala. He was found in possession of 800 milligrams of ya ice (methamphetamine) and drug-taking paraphernalia, as well as many…
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Top Muay Thai kickboxer takes the stage
PHUKET: Renowned Muay Thai kickboxer Buakaw Por Pramuk, the holder of three national-title belts, steps into the ring at the Patong Boxing Stadium, Phuket, tonight (December 26). Buakaw, who won his third national title on December 18, is not scheduled to fight at the stadium competitively. However he will spar with a partner to demonstrate his skills and techniques to…
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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