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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Phuket blackouts continue in Chalong tomorrow
PHUKET: The Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) has scheduled another blackout in Chalong tomorrow to carry out maintenance on high-voltage power lines. The power cut is set to begin at 9am and expected to end around 4pm. The affected areas will be along the east side of Chao Fa West Road from Wat Chalong to Chalong Circle, including Soi Mae Lamai,…
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Phuket water shutdown postponed
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Waterworks Authority (PPWA) this morning canceled the major water mains shutdown that was set to affect key parts of Phuket Town and nearby areas today and tomorrow. PPWA Manager Sayan Wareearoonroj said the new water mains could not be installed because some parts did not fit the old mains. The department needs a few more days…
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Phuket hoteliers seek solution to price-cutting woes
PHUKET: In a bid to keep small hotels and guesthouses in Patong from falling into bankruptcy, a group called the Patong Hotel and Guesthouse Association (PHGA) is calling for hoteliers to end current price wars by agreeing to set minimum room prices. The informal consortium of hoteliers wrote in its “Letter of Awareness Awaking” sent to members last week: “During…
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Thais eye nuclear power; steroids as gay lube; drug bust
Phuket NEWS Hound – A daily digest of news about Thailand from around the world, compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community. Is Thailand ready for nuclear energy? PHUKET: The Nation reports that energy officials and private operators renewed their support for nuclear power development in Thailand at a seminar on Friday, amid resistance from protesters as well as…
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Storm off Phuket sinks trans-Pacific kayakers’ dream
PHUKET: While paddling nine kilometers off Phuket’s southeast coast just after midday on August 24, two men in a kayak braced as a wave shattered the support beam holding together their twin-hull sailing kayak. As strong winds lashed the raised sail, the kayak listed and seawater gushed into the left hull. The boat began to sink, and along with it…
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Major Phuket water shortage starts Monday
PHUKET: Residents in parts of Wichit, Kathu and Phuket Town are advised to start storing water over the weekend, as their water supply will be cut off from 9am on Monday through Tuesday afternoon. The Phuket Provincial Waterworks Authority announced that the scheduled supply disruption is to allow installation of water mains on Wichit Songkram Road, in front of Surakul…
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Korean commits suicide in Phuket
PHUKET: A Korean man found hanging by the neck at a Patong guesthouse this week had told his long-term Thai girlfriend he had safely returned to South Korea, police said. The body of 34-year-old Lee Jai Yup was discovered at Tina Guesthouse on Rat-U-Thit 200 Pee Road on Tuesday afternoon. Just days earlier, Mr Lee had seen off his girlfriend…
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Phuket Town officials tackle Saphan Hin woes
PHUKET: Foul smells, litter strewn throughout the area and a downturn in local trade were named as three of the biggest problems arising from large-scale events being held at the Saphan Hin central stage area, officials were told on Wednesday. Located at the Tin Mining Monument roundabout, the stage and its large brick-paved open area (about the size of a…
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Phuket Moon Festival celebrations begin Monday
PHUKET: The Chinese Moon Festival will be celebrated in Phuket with three nights of activities at Queen Sirikit Park on Thalang Road in Phuket Town, starting at 7pm on Monday. The event is organized by Phuket Municipality, the Muang District Culture Committee and the Old Phuket Foundation. Phuket Town Mayor Somjai Suwansupana announced details of the festival on Wednesday. “The…
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Phuket celebrates revered monk’s 114th birthday
PHUKET: Birthday celebrations are ongoing today as revered Phuket monk Luang Pu Supha is joined by hundreds of well-wishers at his namesake temple in Chalong. Luang Pu Supha is 114 years old today. Having helped build 38 temples throughout Thailand, Luang Pu Supha is regarded as an iconic theological figure and inspiration by many. More than 200 monks from around…
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Two firsts for Phuket King’s Cup 2010
PHUKET: In a move to broaden the appeal of yacht racing and support youth sailing in the region, organizers of the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta have announced two major changes to the annual international event. It was announced yesterday that, for the first time, in the regatta’s 24-year history, dinghies will race as part of the official King’s Cup Regatta…
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August drug cases up 70% year-on-year: Phuket Police
PHUKET: August has seen a 70% jump in the number of reported drug cases year-on-year in Phuket, according to statistics released by the Phuket Provincial Police. According to the statistics, 333 were people arrested in 305 drug cases last month, a 70.1% increase on the number of cases reported in August 2009. However, the numbers for last month were down…
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New Phuket hospital to open next year: Paiboon
PHUKET: The long-awaited Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (PPAO) Hospital is likely to open early next year, PPAO President Paiboon Upatising has told the Gazette. The hospital was scheduled to start offering limited medical services last month, but procedural delays have deferred the planned “soft opening”. The PPAO is still waiting for the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) in Bangkok…
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Bangkok bound: Five tons of toxic waste rolls off Phuket
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (PPAO) held a “send off” ceremony Tuesday morning for a five-ton truckload of toxic household waste that will be destroyed at a plant near Bangkok. Collected from local administration organizations over a period of months, the waste comprised fluorescent bulbs, dry batteries, used chemical containers and other items not suitable for incineration. The waste…
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Phuket sea gypsy cultural center moves ahead
PHUKET: The award-winning design of the Orang Laut Culture Center is one big step closer to construction now that the extra budget needed has been approved. The Phuket Cultural Office (PCO) announced they will soon be seeking tenders for construction. The center, which takes its name from the Malay Orang Laut, meaning “sea people”, will be built at Baan Laem…
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Phuket engineer slain in Cherng Talay
CHERNG TALAY: A construction engineer was gunned down yesterday evening on the main road linking Thalang Town and Cherng Talay. Cherng Talay Police received a report at 9:30pm that a man had been shot dead on Baan Don-Cherng Talay Road. Arriving at the scene, Superintendent Witoon Kongsudjai and duty officer Capt Tatchagrit Ritnuang found the bloody, bullet-riddled body of Sirichai…
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Phuket blackouts: Chalong tomorrow, Rawai Friday
PHUKET: The Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) has announced scheduled blackouts in Chalong tomorrow and in Rawai on Friday, in order to continue its work on power lines in those areas. The power outages will take place from 9am to 4pm on both days. The following areas will be affected: September 16, Chalong: East side of Chao Fa West Road, from…
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Two-headed turtle dies in Phang Nga
PHUKET: The two-headed Hawksbill turtle born on the Similan Islands in July died in late August at about one month of age, the Gazette has learned. Chaloemsak Chaijit, information officer at the Royal Thai Navy base in Phang Nga, said the reptile died at about noon on August 29. Staff at the Sea Turtle Conservation Unit there noted a lack…
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Qatar Air ready for Phuket; Sheraton Phuket eyes mice
Phuket NEWS Hound – A daily digest of news about Thailand from around the world, compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community. Qatar Air to launch daily flights to Phuket PHUKET: Qatar Airways will expand and strengthen its first and business class offerings with the addition of Phuket to the airline’s Thailand routes. The daily service to and from…
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Phuket’s dirtiest road set for October cleanup
PHUKET: After months of dumped trash piling up along Pracha Uthit Road in Rassada, efforts to clean up the mess will start October 1, Rassada Municipality has confirmed. Nichmon Keatmanee, Director of the municipality’s Public Health and Environment Division, said: “We admit that Pracha Uthit Rd is under the responsibility of Rassada Municipality. We have a private company to pick…
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SUCCESS: Phuket sea gypsies salvage oil carrier
PHUKET: A team of sea gypsy divers have successfully re-floated and towed ashore the Choke Taworn 6, which sunk in heavy seas off Phuket earlier this month with an estimated 25,000 liters of diesel fuel aboard. The team, led by Surin Pramongkij, successfully brought the vessel to the surface at 11am. The boat was then towed by its sister vessel…
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‘Run4Rino Charity Run’ in Phuket next month
PHUKET: Runners of all ages from around Phuket are coming together to help young Rino Mangon Vogt, who is bravely battling a rare cardiac condition and urgently needs heart surgery. Participants in the “Run4Rino Charity Run” at Nai Harn Lake on October 17 will each set a target number of laps to run around the 2.1-kilometer circuit. Before the run…
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Phuket sea gypsies perform turtle exorcism ritual
PHUKET: Sea gypsies in Rawai held an exorcism ceremony on Mai Thon Island recently to seek forgiveness from their guardian spirit. They were hoping to appease spirit Balai Da Toe after two fellow sea gypsies died from food poisoning in June after eating Hawksbill turtle meat. Many others fell seriously ill, but survived the meal. The late-August ceremony, involving the…
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Phuket Town tackles power line problem
PHUKET: Phuket City Municipality, working with the Provincial Electric Authority and public and private telecommunication companies, on Saturday began stripping down unused power lines and other overhead cables along Mae Luan Rd in Phuket Town. Phuket City Mayor Somjai Suwansupapana told the Gazette the pilot project is part of a municipal plan to beautify Old Phuket Town and surrounding areas.…
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Phuket siren song: DDPM chief says “pump up the volume’
PHUKET: The head of Thailand’s Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) pronounced this morning’s tsunami evacuation drill in Patong an overall success, but said he would call for an increase in the volume of the “siren song” from the Soi Bangla tower so that it can be better heard in windy conditions. More than 1,000 people, mostly students from…
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Bt3.8m toilets completed at Phuket’s Laem Phromthep
PHUKET: A new restroom costing 3.8 million baht at Phuket’s landmark tourist attraction Laem Phromthep is now complete, but not yet ready for business. The men’s toilets feature six cubicles and eight urinals, while women’s facilities are served through 11 separate chambers. A ceremony to mark the transfer of the new toilets from the Ministry of Tourism and Sports’ Office…
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Call for action over illegal Burmese workers in Phuket
PHUKET: The Phuket Chamber of Commerce (PCC) is demanding that action be taken to deal with the the large and growing population of Burmese in Phuket. Dr Sirichai Silapa-archa, chairman of the PCC and also a deputy director at Vachira Phuket Hospital, told the Gazette that the number of newborns at Vachira alone ranges from about 60 to 100 a…
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Art Village Weekend at Royal Phuket Marina
PHUKET: Art lovers will want to visit Royal Phuket Marina (RPM) on September 18 and 19, designated “Art Village Weekend”. The weekend includes several forms of art and music, including paintings, sculptures, mixed media, handmade products, batik apparel, postcards, tattoos, performance art, shadow puppet shows as well as performances by local bands and other talented artists. All are invited to…
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Thai attitude to foreign labor needs urgent fix
BANGKOK: If Thailand is to move forward as a nation, we have a moral obligation to be fair. In what is billed as the largest human-trafficking case ever brought by the US federal government, six contractors have been accused of a scheme to hold 400 Thai workers in virtual slavery on farms in Hawaii and Washington State. Global Horizons Manpower…
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Phuket Surf Lifesaving Carnival a hit with tourists
PHUKET: The Surf Lifesaving Carnival was in full swing today as spectators, bands, surfers and VIPs gathered on Patong Beach for some fun in the sun. The event, organized by the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization and sponsored by the Phuket Gazette, began at 9am with competitive events with age categories ranging from under 15s to over 50s. Among the numerous…
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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