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 hidden healthcare costs in Thailand and how to avoid them
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,...
-
Phuket Readers’ poll results: Phuket is safe
PHUKET: Phuket is a safe place to visit or live, a majority of Phuket Gazette readers believe. A recent Gazette readers’ poll asked the question: “All things considered, do you think Phuket is a safe place to visit and live?” Overall, just under 63% of the people who took part answered that Phuket is “very safe” or “fairly safe”, compared…
-
“Lucky plates’ rake in millions for Phuket
PHUKET: The sixth annual “Lucky License Plate Auction” kicked off today at the Metropole Hotel in Phuket Town with the much sought after Kor Nor 9999 plate selling for 1.4 million baht. The numbers “8” and “9” are auspicious numbers according to traditional Thai beliefs. In addition to taking home today’s top seller, motorcycle repair shop owner Jaruk Kaewpunnaray, 30,…
-
Motorbike taxi driver dies in Phuket police cell
PHUKET: After a collision with a pedestrian, a Phuket motorcycle taxi driver was found dead in his cell at Patong Police Station early Thursday morning. Chalee Jampa-ngam, 53, was driving along Phra Barami Road in Patong, looking for custumers, around noon on Wednesday. As he drove past the Government Savings Bank he collided with a pedestrian and fell off the…
-
Phuket sea kayak guide dies during tour
PHUKET: Funeral services are being held this morning for a Phuket tour guide who drowned during a kayak tour in Phang Nga Bay yesterday afternoon. The deceased has been identified as 25-year-old Suriyan “Mee Mee” Rachapai, a resident of Ao Por. Mr Suriyan was employed by well-known kayak tour operator John Gray’s Sea Canoe. Mr Suriyan apparently had a diabetic…
-
New regulations to impact Phuket development
PHUKET: New environmental regulations may significantly affect property developments and land values, leading law experts told those gathered at the American Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM) Greater Phuket Chapter’s inaugural 2011 event yesterday. The keynote speakers at the event, entitled “Changes In Greater Phuket Planning and Environmental Regulations”, were Sorachon Boonsong and Kammalard Urapeepatanapong, partners at Baker & McKenzie, and Anurag…
-
Phuket longtails get new pier at Chalong
PHUKET: Work on a new pier for longtail boats in Chalong Bay is now about 25 per cent complete and should be finished by the scheduled completion date in late May, the project contractor says.Work on the 11.6-million-baht project, known in Thai as “Saphan Reua Hang Yaow”, is funded by the Ministry of Transport. Wandee Suwanchot, controller of the main…
-
Here comes the weekend: Phuket Gazette hits the streets
PHUKET: This week’s Andaman Edition of the Phuket Gazette goes on sale this afternoon and our Nationwide Edition will be released in Bangkok and placed on board the major international airlines serving Thailand early tomorrow morning. Both editions contain scores of information, all in one place, including: NEWS – Elephant rampage – MP Tossaporn calls for a new hospital in…
-
Isarn comes alive in Phuket
PHUKET: An Isarn (Northeastern Thailand) cultural heritage fair is underway in Phuket with fashion shows and products such as premium Isarn silk on offer. The “Heritage Cultural of Southern E-San” event began yesterday and will run through Monday in the 1st floor Event Hall at HomeWorks on the bypass road. The fair, which features the cultural heritage of Isarn’s Nakhon…
-
Elephant tragedy victim still in Phuket ICU
PHUKET: All but one of the people injured in the elephant tragedy in Khao Sok National Park on Tuesday have been released from hospital. Christine Colomb of Switzerland remains in the ICU at Bangkok Phuket Hospital. Mrs Colomb met with the Phuket Gazette briefly last night after conducting a telephone interview for the Swiss newspaper Blick. Connected to several tubes…
-
Artificial reefs sunk off Phuket’s west coast
PHUKET: About 200 concrete cubes were sunk in Bang Tao Bay, on Phuket’s west coast, today as the ongoing artificial reef project resumed. The current four-day installment, costing 7.9 million baht, aims is to sink 1,630 concrete cubes by sunset on Monday. The ongoing project is funded by the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (PPAO) and being carried out by the…
-
HIV up among Phuket ladyboys
PHUKET: Increasing sexual activity among the youngest members of Phuket’s transgender community is leading to a worrying rise in HIV infection rates, public health officials say. Dr Sak Tanchaikul, chief of Phuket Provincial Public Health Office (PPHO), said he was deeply concerned about HIV infection rates among “men who have sex with men”, which his agency members refer to collectively…
-
Exclusive Interview: Scheffczik in Phuket protests his innocence
PHUKET: Arrested German national Lars Scheffczik denies being involved in an alleged internet scam that defrauded people of about one million euros. Speaking exclusively to the Phuket Gazette from a holding cell at Chalong Police Station, Scheffczik said, “I have never used these people like that.” Scheffczik, 38, was arrested by Phuket Immigration at his home in Rawai on Monday.…
-
Phuket Zoning, Environment rules on firing line at public seminar tomorrow
PHUKET: The Greater Phuket Chapter of AMCHAM Thailand has organized a seminar on the recent changes to the Planning and Environmental Regulations of both Phuket and Phang Nga.Two keynote speakers, both leading law experts, are featured: Sorachon Boonsong, Partner, Baker & McKenzie Thailand; and Anurag Ramanat, Partner, South Asia Law. Their briefings will be followed by a Question & Answer…
-
New Phuket Zoning and Environment rules on firing line at public seminar tomorrow
PHUKET: The Greater Phuket Chapter of AMCHAM Thailand has organized a seminar on the recent changes to the Planning and Environmental Regulations of both Phuket and Phang Nga. Two keynote speakers
-
Another Phuket Burmese labor camp destroyed by fire
PHUKET: A Burmese labor camp said to belong to a Phuket City policeman was completely destroyed by fire this morning. The blaze, which broke out in the Samkong camp at about 4:30am, leveled 15 huts and damaged three neighboring homes. More than 30 workers were asleep in the camp, but none was injured. Four fire trucks took almost 40 minutes…
-
Elephant trek tragedy: Victims speak from Phuket hospital
PHUKET: A Swiss woman is dead and three other foreign tourists are in hospital in Phuket after an elephant went berserk during a trekking tour in Surat Thani yesterday. Speaking from his wife’s bedside at Bangkok Hospital Phuket this afternoon, Australian tourist Sean Gothe said he and his wife Helen were among eight couples on a one-day tour to Khao…
-
BREAKING NEWS: Sale of Phuket’s Laguna Beach Resort approved
PHUKET: THE 252-room Laguna Beach Resort in Phuket has transacted to Laguna Phuket Club Co, a Thai company controlled by Singapore-based private equity fund Recap. According to documents filed with the Stock Exchange of Thailand, the Board of Directors of Laguna Resorts and Hotels (LRH) approved the sale of the company’s 60% shareholding in the resort for 723.565 million baht.…
-
Phuket communities disappointed by Cabinet inaction
PHUKET: Six communities in Phuket, of 34 others across Thailand, hoping to receive “community” land title deeds have reacted with disappointment after Cabinet’s decision yesterday not to address their concerns. A Prime Minister’s Office regulation announced last year called for the government to legalize and protect communities who make their living on idle plots of government land. After a lengthy…
-
British tourist drowns in Phuket
PHUKET: A party among friends turned tragic early this morning when a British tourist, whom Cherngtalay police had originally identified as French, entered the surf and drowned at Phuket’s northern Bang Tao Beach. Lt Col Wicharn Suwannasit of the Cherng Talay Police identified the victim as 34-year-old Daniel Medhurst. He was a guest at the Best Western Laguna Phuket Resort,…
-
Phuket police seeking survivor of assassination attempt
PHUKET: Police are seeking a half-Thai, half-French man recovering from a gunshot wound sustained in Phuket Town Sunday afternoon. They expect to arrest his assailant soon. Phuket City Police duty officer Anek Mongkol said he suspects the victim, 27-year-old Patong businessman Markudom Boulbet, may be intentionally avoiding police questioning. Mr Boulbet was shot once in the right shoulder by a…
-
Mayor Pian ponies up for Phuket police houses
PHUKET: Patong Mayor Pian Keesin today handed over one million baht to build two retaining walls around accommodation being built for Phuket police officers. Mayor Pian handed over the cheque to Kathu Police Superintendent Col Arayapan Pukbuakhao at a ceremony at Patong Municipality offices this morning. The money was garnered from rental fees levied on fair operators for staging a…
-
Phuket police raids reap grenade, drugs
PHUKET: Complaints to police about “suspicious youngsters” in a housing estate in Wichit sparked three days of raids that led to 13 arrests and netted seven stolen motorbikes, heroin and other drugs – and a defunct grenade. The raids followed tip-offs from residents at Irawadee Village who complained about youngsters constantly riding motorbikes without license plates through the estate, located…
-
Phuket’s “landless’ pin hopes on Cabinet support
PHUKET: The fate of six Phuket communities hinges on the outcome of a key Cabinet meeting tomorrow that could result in their gaining title deeds to the state-owned land they live on. The six villages are among 35 nationwide selected to pilot a Prime Minister’s Office regulation from last year that allows for issuance of so-called “community” Chanote land titles.…
-
Phuket police investigate Englishman’s “whiskey poisoning’
PHUKET: Patong police have sent a bottle of Johnnie Walker Red Label whiskey for laboratory tests to determine whether a 77-year-old Englishman found dead in his Phuket guest suite was poisoned. Duty Officer Lt Col Jongserm Preecha today told the Gazette that the tests were only a precaution. No evidence of fighting was found in the man’s room, in a…
-
Five Phuket tourists die in Cha-am horror crash
PHUKET: Five tourists returning home from a holiday in Phuket were killed yesterday morning when their minivan slammed into the back of an 18-wheel truck on a highway in Cha-am District, Petchaburi province. The minivan driver, Uthen Faksaeng, 34, is in police custody and will be charged with causing death by negligent driving, police say. The 10 passengers of the…
-
Phuket Island View: Get more creative with Phuket’s image
PHUKET: I was happy to read Janpen Upatising’s article last week [Phuket Gazette: ‘Lights, camera, action for future island creativity’, February 12]. As a retired creative marketer, I can say that if there’s demand, or if you can create demand for something and supply it, you will be successful. Phuket needs to develop at least one festival or event each…
-
Phuket Petition: Foreign donations critical in recurring calls for blood
PHUKET: Coming as it does every year during the high season for tourism here in Phuket, Valentine’s Day once again coincided with urgent pleas for donations of rare negative blood, this time for a Danish road accident victim desperately in need of it. Negative blood types are very rare among Thais, who make up the bulk of the donors at…
-
Phuket woman, 80, dies in family water well
PHUKET: Police are treating as accidental the apparent drowning death of an elderly woman whose body was discovered in the family water well early this morning. Thalang Police Inspector Lt Patiwat Yawdkhwan was informed of the death by the family of the victim, 80-year-old Saner Bureerak, a resident of Thepkrasattri Village 4. Responding to the 4:30am call with Kusoldharm Foundation…
-
Phuket weekend with your Gazette
PHUKET: This week’s Andaman Edition of the Phuket Gazette went on sale last night and our Nationwide Edition was released in Bangkok and placed aboard the major international airlines serving Thailand early this morning. Both editions contain reams of information not available here in the Gazette Online. NEWS – Tunnel of Love? An update on the Patong Tunnel plan, and…
-
Phuket snatch bandits strike again
PHUKET: A pair of Phuket snatch bandits have robbed no fewer than five people in the same part of Phuket in the past 30 days, according to one of the most recent victims. The victim, a woman who asked that her name not be revealed, lost over 30,000 baht to the bandits when they pounced on her in front of…
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.