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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Thailand's healthcare system is affordable and supported by the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) scheme, offering essential services to most citizens. However, hidden healthcare costs can surprise patients and lead to unexpected expenses. These include specialist fees, insurance gaps, emergency services,...
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Phuket futsal clinic to promote FIFA Futsal World Cup 2012
PHUKET: The coach of the Thai national futsal team and 10 of his players will hold a futsal clinic for Phuket youth this weekend at Saphan Hin sports gym. Coach Jose Maria Paza Mendez and his team will be teaching futsal techniques to a group of 50 local students on Saturday and Sunday from 4pm to 5:30pm. Although the clinics…
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Pryde extends lead at Phuket Raceweek
PHUKET: Neil Pryde and his Team Premier crew today extended their lead in the Racing class of this year’s Phuket Raceweek regatta with two wins from two races. Team Premier now lead the class with just four points, leaving their nearest rivals in their wake. David Ross of KukuKERChu is in second place with 12 points and Rick Pointon’s Jing…
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Foul weather stalls search for missing Phuket tourist
PHUKET: Bad weather today hampered the search for a Chinese tourist who disappeared under large waves at Karon Beach yesterday evening. Rescue parties, including lifeguards from Karon Beach and the Royal Thai Navy, could only safely search for the 27-year-old tourist, named as ‘Mr Ruging Lin’, from 3pm to 5pm today, said Karon Municipality Sea Rescue Center Chief Supachai Junphet.…
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Phuket Amateur Golf Week tees off
PHUKET: Twenty-two amateur golfers from all over the world descend on Phuket this weekend to compete in the Golfasian Phuket Amateur Golf Week which runs from July 24 to July 28. Players of all abilities and handicaps, both ladies and gentleman from countries including New Zealand, India, Australia and Abu Dhabi will test their abilities on Phuket’s best golf courses.…
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Tiger cuts caddie
PHUKET: “I, along with a lot of people, lost a lot of respect for Tiger over his extra-marital affairs and I pointed out before his return at the Masters at Augusta in 2010 that he had to earn back my respect.” Steve Williams takes the moral high ground after his 12-year professional relationship with Tiger Woods as caddie came to…
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Phuket hotelier dies in sidewalk crash
PHUKET: A 54-year-old Swedish hotelier died after sustaining injuries in a motorcycle accident early Tuesday morning in Patong. Vachira Phuket Hospital identified the victim as Lars-Goran Salomonsson, who owned the Lars-Lita guest-house and restaurant in Patong with his wife, Lita. After hearing the sound of a loud crash around dawn, witnesses found Mr Salmonsson lying in a pool of blood…
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Double victories for Team Premier and Voodoo at Phuket’s Raceweek
PHUKET: Six Senses Phuket Raceweek faced unusually calm conditions on day one and kept crews in eager anticipation for the start of Asia best regatta. The Answering Pennant (AP) had been raised by Principal Race Officer (PRO) Simon James to signal that racing was postponed, but winds soon picked up to a worthy 13 knots and jockeying for the start…
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Plans unveiled for Phuket’s long-awaited Patong tunnel
PHUKET: Research consultants conducting the feasibility study for Phuket’s controversial Kathu-Patong tunnel project yesterday announced the route they plan to propose to the government. The proposed route would start from Soi Bang Thong on Phra Barami Rd near the Go-Kart Speedway in Kathu, tunnel through the hills and connect with Phang Muang Sai Kor Rd in Patong, explained Anurak Srisawaeng,…
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FA Cup run ends for FC Phuket
PHUKET: Sponsor Thai Premier League (TPL) side TOT SC hosted FC Phuket at their new stadium in Nonthaburi yesterday to see who would advance to the FA Cup fourth round. This match was the very first match to be played at the home side’s new stadium. TOT automatically qualified for this stage of the competition while Phuket earned their position…
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Phuket police have doubts over mum’s suicide
PHUKET: Cherng Talay Police are investigating the death of a mother who was found hanged from a beam in the family’s Phuket home yesterday. When officers arrived at the house in Bang Tao, her 13-year-old son was crying nearby and her husband was sitting in front of the house drunk and incoherent. Duty Officer Lt Col Yodpat Suwannasit told the…
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ASEAN steps up to support Korean tourism to Phuket
PHUKET: A three-day intensive training course attended by about 50 staff from Phuket tourism businesses concludes today, with the aim of providing better services to inbound Korean tourists. The course, being held at the Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort & Spa, is part of the “ASEAN Tourism Human Resources Development Program” organized by ASEAN-Korea Center (AKC) in cooperation with Tourism Authority…
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Phuket land issues to be reported “direct to PM’
PHUKET: Encroachment on protected forest land and illegal land ownership were the top two issues identified by a panel of specialists who recently conducted a fact-finding tour of Phuket, Phang Nga and Krabi. The panel of five from the National Coordinating Center for Special Security reports to the Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC), which will report its findings directly to…
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Phuket Police on lookout for panty bandit
PHUKET: Phuket police are on the lookout for a panty snatcher caught on CCTV stealing underwear from outside a woman’s apartment near Wat Kittisangkaram (Kata Temple). The CCTV footage, taken on June 21, shows a man wearing trousers and a light-colored jacket lingering near a laundry rack outside the apartment at about 5am. The man glanced in several directions as…
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Phuket’s Six Senses Raceweek under starters orders
PHUKET: SIX Senses Phuket Raceweek began last night with their themed Carribean launch party. The eagerly awaited race schedule begins today at 10am on the waters off the Evason Phuket. The regatta, recently bestowed the honor of Best Asian Regatta 2011, is the first event on the Asian Yachting Grand Prix (AYGP) circuit and the first opportunity for serious contenders…
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FC Phuket take on TOT SC in FA Cup third round today
PHUKET: FC Phuket clash with TOT SC in the third round of the FA Cup today in Nonthaburi. Phuket dispatched Sponsor Thai Premiere League (TPL) side Sri Racha in the Toyota Cup last week, and now face another Sponsor TPL team in the form of 15th position TOT SC. TOT SC manager, Somchai Subpherm, who is considered to be “Thailand’s…
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Canadian Women Olympians grace Phuket
PHUKET: SYNCHRONIZED swimming combines the highest level of core strength, balance, flexibility, artistry and grace – a rare combination on the international stage. Speaking to the Phuket Gazette and PGtv (see video interview here), Canada’s Olympic coach Julie Sauvé and team captain Marie-Pier Boudreau-Gagnon explained the challenges of their chosen sport and future hopes of success. The Canadian team, known…
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47 injured as “Phuket express’ train slams into truck
PHUKET: An express train from Bangkok to Surat Thani, commonly used by travellers heading for Phuket, plowed into a truck at a crossing in Ratchaburi this afternoon, injuring 47 passengers on board. “At about 10:30am, there was a big accident between an express train from Bangkok to Surat Thani and a truck at Moo 3 Pak Tho, Ratchaburi,” Lt Col…
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Phuket holiday: Dane found dead in Kamala
PHUKET: A 62-year-old Danish man was found dead in a resort garden near his Phuket hotel room this morning. Lt Col Anek Mongkol, duty officer at Kamala Police Station, told the Phuket Gazette that staff at the Print Kamala Resort discovered the man’s body at about 6:30am and called the police immediately. “His body was found in gardens beside a…
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Voodoo and Miss Saigon win Phuket’s 2011 Multihull championships
PHUKET: The fourth SEA Property International Phuket Multihull Championship reached an exiting conclusion on Sunday with David Liddell’s Miss Saigon winning the inaugural Corsair Cup and Voodoo skippered by Ian Coulson taking the Firefly 850 One Design Class. Performance Multihull Class (PMC) was an extremely tight contest over the three days. On the first day Paul Larsen skippering the Andaman…
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AIS rolls out 3G coverage for Phuket
PHUKET: AIS is currently rolling out Phuket’s first island-wide full 3G service with a target launch date slated for the end of the month, the Phuket Gazette has learned. The news follows a ground-breaking demonstration of the service by Paiboon Rinsakul, AIS Marketing and Sales Manager for Upper Southern Thailand, at the Woody Leonhard Computer Clinic held in Chalong on…
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Temple shootout prompts Phuket security concerns
PHUKET: The gunfight at a temple in Surat Thani early this morning that claimed the lives of a local official and a five-year-old girl has sparked security concerns at temples in Phuket. Six men armed with pistols entered the Suwanpadit temple just after midnight last night and opened fire on local administrator Songwut Noppakhun, killing him. Mr Songwut was handing…
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Phuket hospitals join fight against breast, cervical cancer
PHUKET: Two of Phuket’s major international hospitals will be providing discount breast and cervical cancer screening packages throughout August. Urairat Atiset, president of the Phuket chapter of the Business and Professional Women’s Association (BPW) of Thailand, today announced that Bangkok Hospital Phuket (BHP) and Phuket International Hospital (PIH) will be offering the breast and cervical cancer examinations for 3,000 baht.…
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Six Senses Phuket Raceweek off to record start, before the first gun
PHUKET: A record more than 40 yachts are expected to cross the starting line for the eighth Six Senses Phuket Raceweek starting on July 21 in the waters off the Evason Phuket and Koh Bon in Rawai. The regatta, recently bestowed the honor of Best Asian Regatta 2011, is the first event on the Asian Yachting Grand Prix (AYGP) circuit…
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Clarke claims the British Open
PHUKET: Northern Ireland celebrated a second major golf victory of 2011 when Darren Clarke raised aloft the famous claret jug at Royal St. Georges as the 140th Open Champion. With Graeme McDowell winning the US Open in 2010 and 22 year-old Rory McIlroy taking the 2011 title, Clarke’s performance shows the small country to be the golf capital of the…
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Phuket downpours mark arrival of Khao Phansa
PHUKET: A deluge of scattered heavy showers ushered in Buddhist Lent (Khao Phansa) in Phuket today, with the Thai Meteorological Department (MET) forecasting more rain on the way. Khao Phansa is also called the “rains retreat”, when young men traditionally enter Buddhist temples to serve as novice monks for three months. True to the nickname, in the 24 hours preceding…
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Driver plows Phuket trees, hits pole
PHUKET: A businessman driving from Phang Nga to Phuket crashed his pickup truck in Thalang yesterday, taking out six small roadside trees before finally crashing into a power pole. Thalang Police were notified of the accident just after 10am. At the scene, in front of the Yee Teng Mansion on Thepkrasattri Road near the Isuzu dealership, police and rescue workers…
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Phuket’s Tri-Asia to launch Dewa Karon Beach resort in November
PHUKET: Phuket-based hospitality management company Tri-Asia has signed a management agreement to launch and run a unique new property at Karon Beach. The resort will be operated as Dewa Karon Beach Phuket, reflecting its status as sister to the highly successful Dewa Nai Yang Beach hotel launched two years ago. The announcement was made by Lars Ydmark, founder and managing…
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Phuket’s Pariwat second at Junior World Golf Championships
PHUKET: Fourteen-year-old Pariwat Pinsawas claimed a share of second place at the Callaway Junior World Golf Championships held at Riverwalk Golf Club in California on Thursday. A two-under-par third round of 70 secured Pariwat a final score of 211 and joint-second place with two other players: Danny Hopoi from Hawaii and Corey Shaun from the US. The three young golf…
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Phuket dive boat ‘did not capsize’
PHUKET: The dive boat that 27 people were safely recovered from yesterday evening is now back in Phuket, a source at the dive company who was on the boat told the Phuket Gazette this morning. “The boat did not capsize. The bilge pump failed, so the captain pulled the boat into calm waters behind an island,” he said. “We were…
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BREAKING NEWS: Phuket tourists, crew saved from sinking dive boat
PHUKET: A joint rescue effort by the Phuket Tourist Rescue Center and the Royal Thai Navy has safely recovered all 27 people aboard a sinking dive boat off Phuket tonight. A distress call was received from the dive boat Laksanawadee at 6:15pm, an officer at the Tourist Rescue Center in Chalong told the Phuket Gazette. The boat, a large, two-level…
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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