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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Hot time in Old Phuket Town tonight
PHUKET: Tonight is the last night of the annual Phuket Old Town Festival, centered in Thalang and Phang Nga Roads and in Queen Sirikit Park in Phuket Town. Despite being held mid-week, this year’s event has been busier than ever with a wide range of staged entertainments, food and drink, and exhibitions focused on life in the olden days. The…
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Anchalee calls for all islanders to register as Phuket residents
PHUKET: Anchalee Vanich Thepabutr, Secretary-General to the Prime Minister, this morning urged all people living in Phuket to register as residents so that appropriate-size development budgets could be allocated for the number of people actually living on the island. The rapid pace of development in Phuket was a serious concern of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and the Cabinet, and the…
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German methadone survivor out of Phuket ICU
PHUKET: A German man whose male partner died of an apparent methadone overdose by penile injection last week is out of a coma, staff at Vachira Phuket Hospital have confirmed. The German, in his mid-30s, was transferred to Vachira Phuket Hospital from Bangkok International Hospital last Friday. “He was released from the ICU [on Tuesday], but is still under close…
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Thai lawyers urge action over refugees, human trafficking
PHUKET: The Lawyers’ Council of Thailand (LCT) today released a statement demanding the government to “tackle Rohingya trafficking organizations”. The statement comes after 68 Rohingya were arrested in Phuket last week, and 158 in Trang and Satun provinces last month. The status and location of the 226 Rohingya is currently unclear amid conflicting reports of transfers and possible human rights…
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Phuket Old Town Festival starts today
PHUKET: The 12th-annual Phuket Old Town Festival kicks off at 7pm tonight, offering a wide range of performances, food and fun activities along Thalang Road and at Queen Sirikit Park. Coming less than a week after the arrival of the Year of the Rabbit, one of the highlights of this year’s events is two objects related to reverence of the…
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Phuket committee agrees to set standard tuk-tuk fares
PHUKET: A maximum fare of 200 baht has been set for any tuk-tuk or taxi ride within Patong, a Phuket provincial committee confirmed today. The committee was tasked to address problems associated with tuk-tuk drivers overcharging customers. Members held a meeting at Provincial Hall today to reach a final agreement on the fares, which are now set to be standard…
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Phuket “mangrove road’ EIA approved
PHUKET: After more than a decade, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE) has finally approved an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for a controversial road through a mangrove forest in Phuket Town. News that the EIA of the Klong Koh Phee Road project had been approved was announced yesterday at a project committee meeting chaired by Phuket Governor Tri…
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Mutilated body found in Phuket palm plantation
PHUKET: The body of a Burmese man was found on a Phuket palm plantation yesterday morning with a half-severed head and intestines spilling out. Thalang police were informed of the gruesome discovery at about 8am. The body lay in Palm Anchalee, just south of the Heroines’ Monument and adjacent to the offices of the Phuket Gazette, off Thepkrassatri Road. The…
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Mick Tonkin funeral set for Wat Prathong, Phuket
PHUKET: The funeral for well-known Phuket resident Mick Tonkin is now scheduled for Tuesday, February 8, at Wat Prathong in Thalang. The ceremony will start at 12 noon and be followed by a wake at the Black Cat restaurant, one of Mick’s favorite places, in Cherng Talay. For directions to Wat Prathong, see Google Maps and enter the search term:…
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German dead in Phuket from penis injection
PHUKET: One German tourist is dead and another in hospital following apparent overdoses of the drug methadone, with one of the men allegedly injecting the drug into his penis. Chalong Police said the tourists, a gay couple in their mid-30s, arrived in Phuket on January 26 as part of a group tour and were staying at a five-star hotel in…
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Chinese New Year surge for Phuket tourism
PHUKET: Phuket is reaping the rewards of a huge surge in tourists for this year’s Chinese New Year. The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) expects revenue generated over the festival period to top the eight-billion-baht mark nationwide, from both domestic and foreign markets. Reports from around the island point to occupancy rates hitting 90 percent in the three and four-star…
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Phuket’s 2011 Business Directory goes on sale today
PHUKET: The Gazette Guide for 2011 goes on sale this morning at vendors throughout Phuket and the Andaman region. With contact details of thousands of businesses classified into 142 different categories, the 368-page book is priced at just 50 baht. A list of our retailers in Phuket, Phang-nga, Khaolak, Krabi and Koh Samui is available here. Discounts are available on…
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Phuket puts on spectacular Chinese New Year show
PHUKET: Chinese New Year kicked off with a hail of fireworks and live performances by acrobats, dancers and some of Thailand’s top musical acts at Sanaam Chai field in Phuket Town yesterday evening. The event, hosted by the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor), started at 4pm and saw thousands of people turn out for the food and entertainment. “This event…
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TAT invites Phuket tourists, locals to join shrine tours
PHUKET: The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) office in Phuket Town is inviting residents and tourists to take part in special po thong bus tours of nine Chinese Shrines in Phuket. The cultural tours, conducted aboard 10-seat open-air buses known locally as po thong, will start from the TAT office on Thalang Road at 9am and 10am daily. Those wishing…
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Popular Phuket expat resident Mick Tonkin is dead
PHUKET: The well-known Phuket businessman and computer software entrepreneur Mick Tonkin has died suddenly in Bangkok. Mick collapsed as he arrived at Suvarnabhumi Airport early on Wednesday evening for a business meeting. Efforts to revive him at the scene and later in hospital were unsuccessful. It is understood he suffered a massive heart attack. Born in south London at the…
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Vachira Phuket Hospital opens outpatient clinic
PHUKET: Vachira Phuket Hospital, Phuket’s main government hospital located in Phuket Town, has opened an off-site outpatient clinic to ease the workload at the hospital’s main facility. “Vachira Phuket Hospital 2 was set up to help reduce the number of patients at Vachira Phuket Hospital, which is now up to 2,000 a day,” Hospital Director Dr Jessada Chungpaibulpatana told the…
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BREAKING NEWS: Phuket murder suspect Lee Aldhouse in court
PHUKET: Phuket “kickbox murder” suspect Lee Aldhouse appeared in Westminster Magistrates Court in London on Tuesday for an extradition hearing following a request from the Thai authorities, the UK Home Office has confirmed. He will remain in custody in the UK until at least March 1, when he will return to the same court for extradition proceedings, Sam Eversden of…
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Coconut shortage hurting Phuket retailers
PHUKET: Phuket grocers are struggling to keep coconut products on their shelves amid a nationwide shortage due to drought and an insect infestation in the heart of Thailand’s coconut country. Supermarket giants Tesco Lotus and Big C both told the Phuket Gazette that their orders for coconut milk – a main ingredient in many Thai foods, especially desserts – are…
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Phuket “heinous” crimes up, murders down in 2010
PHUKET: There were 40 premeditated murders reported in Phuket in 2010, down from 45 in 2009, according to crime statistics released by the Phuket Provincial Police. The figures compare reported crime in five categories, along with arrest rates, over the two years. The first category, heinous crimes, saw a 36% increase overall, with 72 cases in 2009 increasing to 98…
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Mystery body might be from Phi Phi: Phuket police
PHUKET: Police believe the body of the man found by a dive tour yesterday afternoon may have been blown across the bay from the popular tourist islands of Phi Phi or even Lanta. Chalong Police Duty Officer Tianchai Duangsuwan told the Phuket Gazette that the condition of the body indicated it had been in the water for several days. “We…
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Dead body discovered by Phuket dive boat tourists
PHUKET: A body was found floating in the sea by passengers on a Phuket dive boat this afternoon. The gruesome discovery was made in the waters between Koh Racha Yai and Chalong pier. Chalong Police told the Phuket Gazette that Marine Police have retrieved the body, which arrived at Chalong Pier about an hour ago. The boat, a Dive Chalong…
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Phuket Rotary continues fire relief efforts
PHUKET: The Rotary Club of Patong Beach is continuing its drive to provide relief to about 120 people who lost their homes in the Patong fire last week. “The club has approved a 50,000-baht emergency fund and collected 6,300 baht from our own membership to help the people who lost their homes,” said Stan Bailey. “This money is being used…
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Rohingya refugees arrested on arrival in Phuket
PHUKET: A boatload of 70 Rohingya refugees landed at Rawai Beach at the southern end of Phuket early this morning, only to be rounded up and taken to Chalong Police Station. Duty Officer Boonlert Onklang of Chalong Police said he arrived at the beach with fellow officers at about 5:30am. Within 90 minutes, police had arrested 35 of the refugees,…
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FC Phuket Division 1 fixtures released
PHUKET: FC Phuket will start their 2011 Division 1 campaign with an away game against Suphanburi on February 12. The match will mark the beginning of the 17-game season, during which Phuket’s ‘Southern Sea Kirin’ (FC Phuket’s official name) will play every other team in the division only once. Playing their first season under Surachai Jirasirichote, FC Phuket will be…
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Phuket in eye of national park corruption storm
PHUKET: Seven marine national parks for which Phuket is a major gateway for tourists will be investigated for alleged corruption in the collection of admission fees. A team officers to investigate the alleged corruption was selected on Saturday. Sunant Arunnopparat, director-general of the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, said an impartial official from the department would be…
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No fatalities as Phuket tour bus overturns
PHUKET: A tour bus carrying 17 Chinese tourists overturned last night after the driver allegedly lost control at the Tesco-Lotus “crossroads”, colliding with two other vehicles, and injuring seven people. Phuket City Police Duty Officer Teerawat Amnartcharoenying said the accident occurred around 8:30pm. At the scene, police found the overturned bus. Nearby was a sedan with a smashed front end…
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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 tuk-tuks protest Patong one-way
PHUKET: More than 100 Phuket tuk-tuk drivers staged a protested at Kathu Police Station yesterday afternoon, calling for changes to be made to the new one-way system in Patong. To hear their grievances, Kathu Deputy Superintendent Lt Col Kittipong Klaikaew jammed 45 of them into a meeting room at the station. Mardlee “Bang Lee” Sawangpon, 56, spoke on behalf 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.
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