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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Siam Niramit opens in Phuket
PHUKET: After six years in the making, the Siam Niramit Phuket theater is now staging its “Journey to the Enchanted Kingdom of Siam” art and culture show before packed houses of people who are taking advantage a limited-time, 399-baht-per-ticket promotional offer. Last night, members of the Phuket media were treated to a complimentary viewing of the show, related attractions and…
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Phuket Tsunami Memorial Wall caretakers sign up for long haul
PHUKET: Members of the US Navy League in Phuket have made a preemptive strike against the deterioration of the Tsunami Memorial Wall in Mai Khao, pledging to maintain the respected site for years to come. It appeared that the wall had never been maintained at all. Armed with weed wackers, painting supplies and new flags, volunteers from the USS Pinckney,…
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Girl, 16, struck dead by pickup truck on main Phuket road
PHUKET: A 16-year-old Burmese girl was struck dead by a pickup truck while crossing Thepkrasattri Road, the main road to Phuket Airport, in Thalang last night. The girl, named only as “Dao”, was crossing the busy road with her father in front of Baan Porn Furniture store just before 10pm when the pair were hit by a black Toyota Vigo…
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Phuket plays host to international DMAT rally
PHUKET: Tourists at Nai Yang Beach, on Phuket’s northwest coast, received a surprise this morning when seven Disaster Medical Assistance Teams (DMATs) arrived and began life-saving rescue drills. The exercises were part of the first-ever International Medical Rally in Asia, which brought together for a one-day event four DMATs from Thailand and three DMAT crews from Japan, Korea and Sri…
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Phuket police take stand against sex slavery
PHUKET: Police have warned nightclub, karaoke and massage parlor operators in Phuket’s party town of Patong that human trafficking and luring young women into forced prostitution will not be tolerated. The warning came at a meeting in Patong on Wednesday, following the Department of Special Investigations’ (DSI’s) rescue of 41 young women from a sex trafficking ring in a raid…
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Future of FC Phuket foreign players in question
PHUKET: FC Phuket fans will be granted at least one more performance by local football stars Kone Adama and Johnathan Matijas on Christmas Day, in the team’s last match of 2011 against Air Force United. The news follows rumors circulating on Phuket FC’s fan club website that none of the current five foreign players will continue with FC Phuket next…
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Phuket Sports: Westwood wins at Amata Spring
PHUKET: Lee Westwood claimed the inaugural Thailand Golf Championship and a US$158,000 prize purse last Sunday at the Amata Spring Country Club in Chonburi. The 38-year-old from England fired a three-under-par 69 in the final round to defeat South Africa’s Charl Schwartzel by seven shots following a four-shot overnight lead. Westwood’s 22-under-par 266 aggregate total, fourth victory of 2011 and…
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Fair Play to Brazilian Soccer Schools
PHUKET: Organized by Brazilian Soccer Schools (BSS) Phuket, The Fair Play League for boys and girls will resume on January 14, 2012 at the British International School (BIS). Tawan Sea Adventures and The Yorkshire Inn have stepped in as title sponsors which has enabled the registration fee to be set at 500 baht per player for the full eight week…
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Phuket official stabbed by accident
PHUKET: A municipal official who tried to break up a lovers’ quarrel on Patong Beach yesterday evening is being treated in a Phuket hospital for a stab wound after his stomach was accidentally sliced open by an enraged young woman. Patong Municipality officer Prakij “Oh” Phenjun was on Patong Beach at about 7:30pm yesterday when he heard a young man…
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Pitch invasion fail!
PHUKET: Memories of Eric Cantona’s attack on Crystal Palace supporter Matthew Simmons – when he jumped into the crowd kung-fu style – came flooding back at a Dutch KNVB Cup match on Wednesday evening.With seven minutes remaining in the first half during Ajax and AZ Alkmaar’s last 16 cup tie, a home fan evaded security, ran on to the pitch…
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Bagged testicle puts Scott Dann out of action
PHUKET: “Our physio [Dave Fevre] cannot believe it. He has two players [Dann and Givet] out with problems he has never come across before in all his years of experience.”Blackburn Rovers manager Steve Kean explains that striker Scott Dann has sustained a ruptured testicle while putting the ball in the back of the net during the Rovers’ painful 2-1 defeat…
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MMA fighter Junie Browning surrenders to Phuket Police
PHUKET: Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter Junie Browning turned himself over the Chalong Police yesterday afternoon. Mr Browning walked into Chalong Police Station at about 2pm with his lawyer and filed a counter-complaint against Australian Simon Menzies. Mr Menzies had already filed a complaint against Mr Browning after the pair became involved in a brawl in a bar in Karon.…
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Young dad dies in high-speed Phuket crash
PHUKET: A young father died instantly in a high-speed single car crash yesterday after his car spun out of control while he was rushing to pick up his child from school in Phuket Town. Tung Tong Police Duty Officer Watthanathon Bamrungthin told the Phuket Gazette that 28-year-old Boonrit Aphithammawong was on his way from Patong, where he worked as a…
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Phuket blitz on booze in New Year gift baskets
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Public Health Office (PPHO) yesterday launched a series of raids on major retailers selling New Year gift baskets to ensure that they do not contain alcoholic beverages. “I have informed all major retailers that New Year gift baskets may not contain alcohol,” said PPHO chief Dr Sak Tanchaikul. “The PPHO have right to report to the…
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Tsunami no longer a factor in Khao Lak tourism: Survey
SPECIAL REPORTby Bill Barnett PHUKET: Phuket and other provinces along the Andaman Coast are currently making preparations to mark the seventh anniversary since the tsunami struck on December 26, 2004. However, a market survey just released by brand agency Quo Global has concluded that memories of the 2004 tsunami no longer negatively affect decisions to travel to the Thai resort…
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FC Phuket unable to fend off Elephant Cavalry charge
PHUKET: FC PHUKET were defeated 1-0 by Suphanburi FC last night in front of a somewhat rowdy home crowd at Surakul Stadium in Phuket Town. The game’s only goal came in the 30th minute by the visitor’s Cameroonian import, Ronald Kufoin Djam, who initially flicked the ball to the back post from a corner kick by Santi Chaiyaphauk. The ball…
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FC Phuket call for massive support tonight against Suphanburi FC
PHUKET: FC Phuket players and coaching staff are appealing for a flood of fan support for tonight’s league match against Suphanburi FC, also known as the “Elephant-back Warriors”. Assistant Coach Apichart “Mo” Mosika asked the Phuket Gazette to encourage FC Phuket fans to be at Surakul Stadium tonight for the team’s 31st game of the 2011 Division One schedule. “It…
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Machine gun seized in Phuket meth raid
PHUKET: Police conducting drug raids on three houses in Mai Khao, at the northern tip of Phuket, today seized a slew of guns, including a .45 Thompson submachine gun. Armed with search warrants, officers from Tah Chat Chai Police Station first searched the home of 38-year-old Chaicharn Kao-ian, where they found 60 ya bah (methamphetamine) pills hidden in his washing…
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Phuket DMAT teams take on Japan, Korea in disaster rescue face-off
PHUKET: Disaster medical assistance teams (DMAT) from across Thailand yesterday began a four-day intensive training course at Phuket’s Boat Lagoon complex in preparation for the first-ever International Medical Rally to be held at Sirinath National Park, Nai Yang, on December 23. Taking part in the training are DMAT teams from Chiang Rai, Khon Kaen, Udon Thani, Nakorn Sri Thammarat, Krabi,…
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Phuket Gov to give ‘key to City’ away for Red Cross Fair
PHUKET: This year’s Red Cross Fair will be held from December 29 to January 8, 2012 at Saphan Hin central stage in Phuket Town. The opening ceremony, starting at 6pm on December 29, will feature a fireworks show, and performances by nationally-renowned acts will be staged every night. As in years past, the most anticipated event will be the charity…
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Swede found dead on superyacht in Phuket
PHUKET: Phuket Police do not suspect foul play in the death of a Swedish woman whose body was discovered yesterday in the cabin of a superyacht where she worked as a crew member. Devina Marie Lindgren, 21, was found dead aboard a private yacht moored off Patong Beach yesterday. The 90-meter yacht Lauren L, taking part in the Asia Region…
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Phuket Town hotel raises stink over fish factory smell
PHUKET: The Silver Hotel in Phuket Town has complained to the province that odor from a nearby seafood processing plant is costing them up to 400,000 baht monthly in lost revenue. Phuket Vice Governor Somkiat Sangkaosuttirak met with Silver Hotel Managing Director Monluck Tantipornsawat on Thursday to discuss the issue. The formal complaint followed an inspection of the nearby Phuket…
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Expert panel to lead Phuket tsunami memorial activities
PHUKET: A panel of experts led by Dr Smith Dharmasaroj, former head of the National Disaster Warning Center, will stage a public discussion on disaster management as part of the tsunami memorial services on December 26 this year. Dr Smith, also a former head of the Thai Meteorological Department, is renowned as the man who warned the Thai government to…
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Phuket hotel reimburses robbed Aussie tourists
PHUKET: The management of a Phuket hotel agreed to pay some 150,000 baht in compensation to an Australian couple who claimed their room safe was robbed of 255,000 baht. Australian tourist Jim Nagi, 44, said he first noticed cash missing from the safe in his hotel room at the Andaman Beach Suites Hotel in Patong on December 8. “At first,…
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Don’t judge Thorpe… yet.
PHUKET: “It’s not a concern now. Maybe later, but now it’s too premature. I’m in training at the moment. I don’t look at where I come in the race.” Ian Thorpe, former Olympic and world swimming champion, said it was much too early to judge his recent comeback results in Italy. Thorpe finished 16th overall in the 100m freestyle and…
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Dispute between Phuket expats may lead to charges of extortion
PHUKET: Police yesterday arrested a restaurant owner in Phuket’s busy tourist town of Patong, on Phuket’s west coast, after he visited another Patong restaurant owner and threatened him if he didn’t “repay” 7 million baht. Lt Col Tammasan Boonsong told the Phuket Gazette today that he arrived at Orient Restaurant at 7pm last night with a squad of police officers…
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Villagers mourn death of Plai Sang, 67
PHUKET: Villagers of Lam Tab District in Krabi, a 40-minute boat ride across Phang Nga Bay from Phuket, are mourning the death of one of their most respected members – 67-year-old Plai Sang. The bull elephant was caught in 1956 and is believed to have been a sibling of Plai Pra Sawet, a highly respected elephant that was caught and…
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MMA bar brawler Junie Browning: “not in Phuket’
PHUKET: Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter Junie Browning, who is wanted by Phuket Police for his role in two serious brawls, has contacted the Phuket Gazette with his detailed version of events. At the time of posting, the Gazette was seeking comments from people and institutions mentioned in Mr Browning’s version of events. In his email below, Mr Browning did…
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Phuket golfers getting ready for Youth Games
PHUKET: The Youth Golf Club of Phuket has sent one young player to compete in the United States before preparing for the Phuket Youth Games to be held from May 28 to June 5 with 10 other members of the club. Jinjuta Thongtan, a student at Satree School Phuket, was selected to represent Thailand at the World Junior Golf Series…
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Phuket Youth Sailing Club stars in King’s Cup dinghy events
PHUKET: A strong fleet of 34 Optimist and eight Lasers took part in the recent King’s Cup International Dinghy Regatta, with fifteen sailors from the Phuket Youth Sailing Club (PYSC) between the ages of seven and 15 who joined other sailors from Phuket, Phang Nga, Samui, Songkhla and Sattahip to take part in the three-day event. On day one, 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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