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.
-
Sponsored
5 best wine bars in Bangkok offering rich and quality wine
It’s wine o’clock! Whether you’re all about fruity reds, sweet whites, or funky naturals, Bangkok has many great spots to sip your favourite varieties. But with an array of options to choose from, and the constant rise and fall of...
-
Toyota League Cup: Phattalung def FC Phuket, 4-3 on aggregate
PHUKET: FC Phuket’s hopes of advancing to the final four of the 2011 Toyota League Cup were squashed Wednesday night by Division 2 upstarts Phattalung FC, who played to a wild 3-3 extra time draw to win on aggregate 4-3. The pressure was on for the Southern Sea Kirin in their first home match in seven weeks, fueled by a…
-
FC Phuket need win by two goals
PHUKET: Football action returns to Surakul Stadium tonight at 7pm with FC Phuket set to host Pattalung FC in the second leg and deciding match of the Toyota League Cup 2011 quarterfinals. Phuket’s loss to Pattalung last week from a solitary goal means that Phuket will need to win by two goals tonight if they are to advance in the…
-
Phuket Land Dept officer dies in motorbike crash
PHUKET: A young woman employed by the Phuket Land Office died when her motorbike was struck from behind by a pickup on Thepkrasattri road in Thalang this morning. Witnesses told police the victim, 24-year-old Wattana Jamchat, was riding her motorbike along Thepkrasattri Road northbound near the new PTT service station in Srisoonthorn subdistrict when she was struck from behind by…
-
Mother reclaims Phuket “Ramadan’
PHUKET: The mother of the baby reported found abandoned on Sunday night has presented herself at Patong Hospital and is now reunited with her one-month-old son, named Ramadan. Kamala Police Duty Officer Somnerk Dumkeaw said, “It was a misunderstanding. The baby boy was not abandoned. His name is Ramadan because he was born in the Muslim month of Ramadan. His…
-
HRH Chulabhorn grants free medical care to three Phuket afflicted
PHUKET: HRH Princess Chulabhorn Valayalaksana today granted much-needed specialist medical care to three Phuket residents who would otherwise not receive the treatment they need. Princess Chulabhorn arrived at Baan Sapam Mongkol Wittaya School in Koh Kaew, just north of Phuket Town, at 2:30pm in support of a free mobile medical clinic being held there under the Princess Mother’s Medical Volunteer…
-
Phuket Live Wire: WiFi you wouldn’t believe
PHUKET: There’s important breaking news on the internet scene in Phuket: TOT is now offering something they call “WiFi”. The first, most important thing to understand is that this isn’t the kind of WiFi you know. It’s completely different. TOT has taken confusing terminology to new lows. The “WiFi” TOT is selling has nothing to do with the WiFi you…
-
Dutch diplomat warns of Phuket tourism “landslide’
PHUKET: Critical issues affecting Phuket tourism must be contained, or else the industry could “slide out of control”, the Dutch Ambassador to Thailand warned yesterday. On his first official visit to Phuket, Ambassador Joan Boer asked Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha what he intended to do about the problems, specifically naming jet-ski rip-off scams and unscrupulous tuk-tuk drivers as the key…
-
Phuket taxi cartel grants US Military safe passage
PHUKET: More than 4,000 United States Military personnel arrived at Phuket’s Deep Sea Port yesterday with no reports of transport problems as they made their way to destinations around the island. The USS Boxer amphibious-ready group consisting of three ships – the USS Boxer amphibious assault ship, the USS Green Bay amphibious transport dock ship and the USS Comstock amphibious…
-
Phuket drug tip-offs lead to four arrests, 6,000 pills seized
PHUKET: An anti-drug squad in Thalang District, which covers most of the north of Phuket, last night nabbed four people for drugs, culminating with the arrest of an alleged dealer with more than 5,000 pills early this morning. The squad, comprising four Thalang Police officers and officials from the Thalang District Office, began the night’s work with the arrest of…
-
FC Phuket bag first road win
PHUKET: After a series of ten consecutive losses and draws, FC Phuket won their first road game against a luckless RBAC side in Bangkok yesterday afternoon. FC Phuket scored the only goal of the match just two minutes into play, when a long pass from Nittiroj Sukuma was chested down inside the penalty area by Watcharapong Jun-ngam, then deftly passed…
-
No drama for Phuket pilots in Taiwan
PHUKET: A website report this morning of a “dramatic near miss” involving two aircraft on the ground at Taiwan’s Taoyuan International Airport has come as a surprise to at least two of the pilots. Contacted by telephone in Taiwan early this afternoon, South African pilot James Pitman was clearly astounded by the report, saying that at no time was his…
-
Football: FC Phuket to fight for first Division 1 road win today
PHUKET: FC Phuket are in Bangkok today to try to record their first road win in Division 1 against last-place RBAC, who have yet to win a home match after 10 attempts. Phuket’s Southern Sea Kirin will go into the match without defensive stalwart Nene Bi Tra Sylvestre, who must sit out the game due to a one-game penalty suspension.…
-
Phuket pineapple goes on show
PHUKET: The annual Phuket Pineapple and Flower Fair is now underway at Saphan Hin Park in Phuket Town. Organized by the Phuket Provincial Agricultural Office, Phuket City Municipality and the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization, this year’s fair will feature exhibitions of Phuket Pineapple (called yanat in the local southern Thai dialect), pineapple peeling and processing competitions, and flower decoration contests.…
-
Phuket Airport taxi worker killed in motorbike crash
PHUKET: An employee of the Phuket Airport taxi cooperative was killed instantly yesterday when her motorcycle was hit head-on by a pickup truck cutting across traffic at a U-turn on Thepkrasattri Road in Thalang. Thalang Police were notified of the accident at 3:30pm. At the scene, the turn-off to Baan Pa Krong Cheep off Thepkrasattri Rd southbound in Thepkrasattri subdistrict,…
-
Phuket Yachting: Krabi Marina to open in November
PHUKET: The development firm behind Phuket’s Boat Lagoon will open their second marina across the bay in neighboring Krabi province in November. Approved by Thailand’s Board of Investment (BoI), the Krabi Boat Lagoon project occupies 110 rai in Taling Chan. The first phase, covering 42 rai, will include 90 berths, 70 hardstands, workshops and commercial facilities and undercover quays for…
-
HRH Princess Chulabhorn to visit Phuket
PHUKET: HRH Princess Chulabhorn Valayalaksana will visit Phuket on Tuesday in support of the volunteers who provide free healthcare under the The Princess Mother’s Medical Volunteer Foundation. The foundation is renowned for providing free general healthcare and critically needed medical services to people who otherwise could not afford it. Princess Chulabhorn will arrive at Baan Sapam Mongkol Wittaya School by…
-
Welcome to Phuket: Swede robbed of B1 million on Day One
PHUKET: A couple who moved into their new Phuket home in a quiet neighborhood yesterday have already reported their house being burgled – and losing valuables totaling about one million baht in the process. They had not spent a single night in their new home before they were robbed. Lars Gustav Torsten Lindgren, 57, told the Phuket Gazette today that…
-
Poles apart
PHUKET: “This morning I watched the two sides warming up. I saw India, and they looked like they’d got their kit out of the garage! They were all in different gear. England looked really professional next to them. They just looked poles apart.” Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff expressed his disappointment yesterday with the Indian side’s preparations for the fourth and final…
-
One dead, two injured at Phuket’s ‘Pigpen Curve’
PHUKET: One man died and his two passengers were injured when a pickup slammed into a tree at a notorious blackspot in Phuket’s Thalang district early this morning. Thalang Police identified the deceased as 35-year-old Prakit Ploonang. The late Mr Prakit, listed as a resident of Khlong Thom District in Krabi, was driving two female friends home from their work…
-
Free Thai Massage: Phuket prepares to set world record
PHUKET: A total of 584 pairs of hands will be working together tomorrow at Kata Beach in Phuket’s attempt to set the world record for the most people simultaneously performing Thai massage. The current record stands at 232 pair, set on March 20 last year by Tourism Victoria Australia. Phuket’s attempt will more than double the record, but the digits…
-
Red turtles rise in Phuket Town
PHUKET: Phuket’s ethnic Chinese community is in the midst of celebrating its annual Por Tor festival to honor their ancestors. The annual festival is held on the first day of the waxing moon in the seventh Chinese calendar month. This year, the festivities began on Tuesday with a ceremony at the Fresh Market on Ranong Rd in Phuket Town after…
-
Phuket hosts Indonesian tourism push to revive Aceh
PHUKET: A delegation from the Indonesian Ministry of Culture and Tourism will host a reception for about 200 Phuket residents at Ao Chalong Yacht Club (ACYC) tomorrow. The event is part of the ministry’s strategy to revive and promote tourism to Aceh Province, the hardest hit landfall of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. The ministry has identified yachting as a…
-
Toyota League Cup result: Phattalung 1 – 0 FC Phuket
PHUKET: FC Phuket lost 1-0 at Phattalung FC in the first leg of their quarterfinal pairing with the Division Two side last night. The two teams appeared to be headed for a scoreless draw until Phattalung scored in the 80th minute on a long shot by Anukon Sangrum that was deflected into the net by FC Phuket keeper Jonathan Matijas.…
-
Phuket airport limo in vehicular bovicide
PHUKET: A Phuket airport limousine plowed into and killed a roaming buffalo early Monday morning at the same location where a tourist passenger van killed two buffaloes late last month. No people were injured in this latest accident. “The car was heading toward Phuket Town at about 1:30am. The driver said the buffalo appeared from nowhere, crossing the road right…
-
Aldhouse extradition for Phuket murder ‘not decided’
PHUKET: Despite local reports to the contrary, the British Home Office today confirmed to the Phuket Gazette that no decision has been made regarding the extradition of murder suspect Lee Aldhouse, wanted in Thailand for the stabbing death of American Dashawn Longfellow last August. Mr Longfellow died on August 14 last year after allegedly being stabbed multiple times by Aldhouse.…
-
Phuket Live Wire: More players in the island’s new internet game
PHUKET: Two weeks ago Live Wire covered the current state of the Internet in Phuket. At the time, evaluating TOT Fiber 2U and AIS GHSPA services was not touched upon because there was not enough data on the Phuket Internet Speed Reporting site. The numbers are pouring in now thanks to those of you who take a minute to report…
-
Tuk-tuks: no more beatings, blockades – warns Phuket police chief
PHUKET: The commander of the Phuket Provincial Police yesterday ordered the tuk-tuk drivers responsible for beating two Dutch tourists in Patong earlier this month to turn themselves in or face stiffer punishment. Commander Pekad Tantipong and Kathu Police Superintendent Arayapan Pukbuakao chaired a meeting with representatives of tuk-tuk co-operatives at Patong Police station to discuss the beating of Unobovd Alcawbimel,…
-
Phuket tourist dies after Kata Beach rescue
PHUKET: A Swiss man died after falling unconscious while swimming at Kata Beach yesterday. Kathu Police confirmed that a Swiss man was pronounced dead at around 5pm at Patong Hospital following an incident at Kata Beach. Witnesses reported to lifeguards at about 4:30pm that they saw the man “swimming” about 150 meters from shore, Uten Singsom, head of the Kata-Karon…
-
Patong’s “middle road’ to get facelift before Christmas
PHUKET: Work on surfacing Phang Muang Sai Kor Road in Patong, which runs behind the Jungceylon shopping complex, will begin before the end of the year, the Phuket Gazette was told today. “The construction contract was signed in Bangkok and work on the road will start by the end of this year,” Teeraporn Jirarattanakorn, director of the Department of Rural…
-
Phuket’s Swedish murder suspects may not do ‘hard’ time
PHUKET: The Swedish duo charged with the August 1 murder of Maksim Schantz would likely serve out their sentences in Sweden, a consular official told the Phuket Gazette. Johan Sebastian Ljung, 25, and Tommy Viktor Söderlund, 26, confessed on August 2 to attacking and stabbing to death the Russian-born Swedish national Mr Schantz, police said. The pair allegedly were angered…
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.
Don't forget to check out some other things to do in Thailand - get help starting a business or finding a job in Thailand, buy Thailand property, rent a yacht or book a medical procedure worldwide.