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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Sponsored Infinito helps hotels in Thailand with revenue management
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 water woes in the spotlight
PHUKET: In response to a constant stream of complaints about water supply, Phuket Vice Governor Somkiat Sangkaosuttirak held a meeting last week to call for more long-term coordination among water authorities on the island. V/Gov Somkiat said that his office has received many complaints from Phuket residents about water supply problems and that many of them want the local tambon…
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Phuket Drug Wars: Westin Siray Bay joins the fight
PHUKET: The Westin Siray Bay Resort and Spa has become the latest hotel to sign up for the Phuket City Police Department’s controversial “White Hotel” anti-drugs project, which includes mandatory drug tests for employees. Westin hotel manager Sean Raine last week signed the White Hotel memorandum of understanding (MoU), pledging to adopt the so-called “Triple No!” strategy in dealing with…
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Phuket teen gunned down in Thalang
PHUKET: Thalang Police are investigating the shooting murder of a 13-year-old boy gunned down on a motorbike early this morning. Thalang Police duty officer Krissana Juntanit received a report of a shooting just after midnight. Capt Krissana, fellow police and rescue workers arrived at the scene, behind the Chinese shrine in the Ban Don area of Thepkrasattri subdistrict. Local residents…
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Phuket police raid nets bumper haul of IT goods
PHUKET: Has your home-office been ransacked lately? Do you want your PC or laptop back? Then pop on down to Phuket City Police Station where more than 60 stolen consumer goods are waiting to be reclaimed. Phuket Provincial Police Commander Pekad Thatipong is even offering amnesty to people who return stolen goods they bought from two suspects arrested yesterday. Police…
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Phuket scam artist tests the waterworks
PHUKET: The head of the Phuket Provincial Waterworks (PPW) office is warning people to check the credentials of officers who offer to install water meters at their homes, saying the home owners might be overcharged. Pisak Chonlayut, who heads the Provincial Waterworks Authority office in Phuket, said a former employee of the Phuket City Waterworks had been posing as a…
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Government warns Phuket hotels on tax evasion
THE Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) is threatening to take legal action against one-third of all hotel operators in Phuket for failing to pay the controversial hotel room tax. The organization hopes an awareness-raising campaign – backed by the threat of legal measures – can help it raise hotel room tax revenues from last year’s 60 million baht to 70mn…
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FC Phuket hold Thai premier champs to a draw
PHUKET: The undisputed champions of Thai club football, Muang Thong United, were held to a 1-1 draw by FC Phuket last night at Surakul Stadium. A buoyant home crowd watched Surachai Jirasirichote’s side produce an impressive display to deny the two time Thai Premier League champs the win. The encounter was the second meeting between the teams this week, with…
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Phuket tuk-tuk fares in the firing line
PHUKET: A provincial committee set up to find a solution to the old problem of tuk-tuk drivers overcharging tourists in Phuket will start by setting a maximum 200 baht charge for any tuk-tuk journey within Patong. The committee, chaired by Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha, met at Phuket Provincial Hall earlier today. Also in attendance were committee members Vice Governor Weerawat…
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Moscow blast prompts Phuket Airport security boost
PHUKET: In the wake of Monday’s bombing at Moscow’s Domodedovo Airport, Phuket International Airport Acting Director Passakorn Surapipith has ordered his staff to be extra vigilant for suspicious items and people. The Moscow blast, which was detonated in the arrival hall, killed 35 people and left more than 130 others in need of hospital treatment. “We do not allow vehicles…
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Phuket goes high-tech for Chalong Temple Fair fireworks
PHUKET: This year’s Chalong Temple Fair will feature the most impressive fireworks display ever seen in Phuket or anywhere else in the South of Thailand, organizers say. This year’s fair runs for seven days, the first day coinciding with the arrival of Chinese New Year on February 3.Samran Chindaphol, chairman of the organizing committee, said the fireworks display will take…
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Phuket Gov signs MoU to boost MICE industry
PHUKET: The Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) and Phuket Provincial Government today signed an agreement to develop an action plan to promote the island’s meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions (MICE) industry. Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha and Anusak Inthraphuvasak, Chairman of the Board of the TCEB, signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) this afternoon at the Westin Siray Bay Resort…
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Phuket bar owners continue protests
PHUKET: About 500 bar owners and staff from Phuket Town and other popular tourist areas in Muang District gathered at Provincial Hall yesterday to protest the recent crackdown on closing times. The effort, hot on the heels of a 200-strong protest on Friday, was staged to support protest leader Suratin Lian-udom in his filing of a formal request for night…
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Relief efforts for Phuket fire victims underway
PHUKET: Phuket is rallying as a community to provide relief for those who lost their homes to the blaze that ripped through a Patong slum late Sunday night. A makeshift emergency relief center has been set up at Soi Baan Buntham, where the fire broke out, to receive donations and to distribute them to those in need. Phuket Governor Tri…
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Phuket lures top performers for Chinese New Year
PHUKET: Phuket will ring in the Chinese New Year with top entertainment from mainland China. To mark the arrival of the lunar new year on February 3, the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization and the Phuket Provincial Office will stage seven hours of entertainment at Sanaam Chai field, opposite Phuket Provincial Hall, starting at 4pm. Highlights include the gravity-defying stunts of…
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Phuket braces for Gay Pride extravaganza
PHUKET: Gay tourists are expected to arrive in Patong in great numbers next month for the 10th Phuket Gay Pride Celebration, an annual event organized by the local lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. Activities kick off on the night of February 23, when there will be a pre-opening White Party on Soi Paradise, center of the town’s gay…
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Phuket tourism rebounds from 2010 political strife
PHUKET: Inbound passenger traffic at Phuket Airport during 2010 smashed all previous records with 3.5 million arrivals. The figure is a 22% increase on the previous year with new markets such as Russia and China emerging as the major drivers of growth, says leading Phuket-based consultancy C9 Hotelworks. In its latest market research report, the 2010 Phuket Hotel Market Update,…
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A Phuket call to join The Bay Regatta
PHUKET: The Bay Regatta is back, with yachts taking part in the annual race around Phang Nga Bay ready to set sail from Phuket on February 9. Although the five-day event is being run by the Ao Chalong Yacht Club (ACYC) this year, the club has confirmed the racing is being coordinated by the same team as in previous years.…
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New FC Phuket signings impress in Camara benefit tournament
PHUKET: FC Phuket’s preparations for the 2011 season received a boost over the weekend, when they proved too strong for their provincial neighbors in the ‘Andaman Four-way Fight’ mini-tournament at Surakul Stadium. Victories over Krabi FC and Phang Nga FC handed Phuket local bragging rights and set them up for what promises to be a fiercely contested home friendly against…
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Deputy PM Suthep “rides on’ in Phuket
PHUKET: Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban in Phuket yesterday praised the island-wide helmet crackdown on motorbike drivers and passengers. “The project is historic. Phuket is the first province to run such a campaign and I hope this regulation continues to be enforced for people’s safety,” Mr Suthep said. The deputy PM promised to launch similar campaigns elsewhere in Thailand. A…
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Inferno wipes out Phuket slum, leaving scores homeless
PHUKET: A massive fire broke out in a slum in the Ban Buntham community off Prabaramee Rd in Patong last night. The blaze erupted at about 10pm and incinerated many apartment rooms, shanties and other makeshift dwellings, but there were no reports of injuries. It took more than an hour for ten fire trucks and 40 firemen, drawn from as…
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Two foreign tourists dead in Phuket this morning
PHUKET: A Hungarian man was found dead in a hotel swimming pool at 7am today and a Swedish man was killed on a motorbike about an hour and a half later. The names of both of the deceased are being withheld by the Phuket Gazette pending notification of next-of-kin. The Hungarian, 41, was discovered in the pool at the Sunprime…
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Phuket beaches facing stiff competition
PHUKET: The Pollution Control Department (PCD) will assess the level of pollution at 16 Phuket beaches as part of its “star rating” campaign to classify beaches along the Andaman Coast and the Gulf of Thailand. Beach quality will be rated in four key areas: pollution, natural condition, tourism management and environmental management, said Chutamad Kawinseksan, Acting Director of the PCD’s…
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Phuket police slam media reports, forum gossip on Swede’s death
PHUKET: Sub Lt Pattapee Srichay of Patong police station reconfirmed to the Phuket Gazette this morning that neither he nor his colleagues believe there had been any kind of party in the Patong Tower room of Jan Larsson at the time of, or during the hours leading up to, his death. His body was found in the room on Thursday…
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Chinese New Year to usher in billion-baht boost for Phuket
PHUKET: Phuket is gearing up to welcome the Chinese New Year and up to one billion baht in revenue as tourists flock to the island for the holiday, says the Phuket Tourism Association (PTA). PTA vice president Bhurit Maswongsa told the Phuket Gazette yesterday that the January booking rate for Phuket hotels is about 90% and may rise to 100%…
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Dive site closure “will not affect tourism’: official
PHUKET: The immediate closure of many dive sites in seven marine national parks will not have a big impact on Phuket’s critical tourism industry, says at least one official. Malinee Jannoi, an officer at the Center for Tourism Development, Department of National Parks, today told the Phuket Gazette, “It will not affect tourism much as we’re not closing whole parks,…
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Phuket hotels help Australian flood victims
PHUKET: Hotels in Phuket are being urged to donate holiday packages to a benefit auction for the flood-stricken communities of Queensland, Australia. Regions of Australia’s northeast have been devastated by recent flash floods, with raging floodwaters inundating thousands of homes and businesses in one of the country’s worst natural disasters. Phuket Tourism Association (PTA) President Bhurit Maswongsa says Australians currently…
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Miss Phuket to be crowned tonight
PHUKET: Miss Phuket 2011 will be crowned tonight at the 3rd annual Phuket Local Food Festival. The festival, now in its second day, is being held at Saphan Hin park all weekend. Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha opened the event, organized by the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor), last night. Entertainment at this year’s event includes a fashion show, jazz concert,…
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Phuket News: Soi Dog uses “firebreaks’ to stem distemper outbreak
PHUKET: Phuket animal welfare charity Soi Dog Foundation (SDF) has resorted to establishing vaccination centers at strategic locations to stop canine distemper from spreading across the island. “Mobile teams, supported by volunteers continue to work around the clock and the situation is being closely monitored to deal with additional outbreaks quickly,” said SDF Director John Dalley. “Areas where distemper cases…
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BREAKING NEWS: Phuket bar owners protest at Provincial Hall
PHUKET: Over 200 bar operators from Kata, Karon, Chalong and Rawai are at Phuket Provincial Hall this morning protesting the recent government crackdown on closing times. A provincial task force under orders from the Ministry of Interior have been raiding Phuket bars to enforce closing times regulations. The protesters told the Phuket Gazette that the raids are driving away business.…
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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