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 A healthy tomorrow starts today: Celebrate the great American Smokeout day
The Great American Smokeout, held this year on November 17, is a nationwide event that encourages smokers to take their first steps towards a smoke-free life. If you’re an expat in Thailand, this day could be a timely reminder to...
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Phuket to host Asian Beach Games 2014
PHUKET: Phuket is set to host the fourth-ever Asian Beach Games in 2014 after Thai officials inked a deal with the Olympic Council of Asia on November 13. Thailand was the only country that made a bid, said Olympic Committee of Thailand president Yutthasak Sasiprabha. Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradecha said the sporting extravaganza could bring as much as one billion…
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Princess Sirindhorn to visit orphans in Phuket, Phang Nga
PHUKET: HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn will visit Phuket and Phang Nga on November 23. Her visit, announced by the Phuket Provincial Governor’s Office yesterday, will start at 9am at the SOS Children’s Village in Koh Kaew, where she will chair the opening ceremony for a new school building. The orphanage, built following the 2004 tsunami, is the fifth SOS…
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Volleyball challenge: Let’s keep Phuket a winner in tourism and sports
PHUKET: By all accounts, this year’s Phuket Thailand Open, the globe-trotting women’s beach volleyball tournament, was the biggest, best and most entertaining to date. A real boon for tourism at the tail end of the low season, the competition showcased the considerable talents of these professional athletes and culminated in an exciting day of finals with a rivetting tie-breaker for…
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FC Phuket beats Loei City 2:1
PHUKET: FC Phuket came from behind to beat Loei City 2-1 last night, greatly improving their chances for promotion to Division 1 of the Thai Football League. FC Phuket dominated play in the first half, but failed to convert on numerous scoring chances. A goal by Loei City early in the second half silenced the crowd, but a converted penalty…
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Phuket land dispute stalls sea gypsy culture center project
PHUKET: More than a hundred sea gypsies handed a letter of protest to Phuket Vice Governor Nivit Aroonrat on Thursday, demanding action over alleged encroachment at the site of the planned Urak Lawoi Culture Center on Koh Sireh. The protesters, who live in the nearby Laem Tukkae community, said they were at first unconcerned when they noticed workmen removing barbed…
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US Navy back in Phuket
PHUKET: The USS Peleliu dropped anchor in Phuket today, bringing along a complement of 960 sailors and about 1,900 Marines. The 5th Fleet support ship arrived straight from the Arabian Sea following 10 weeks of emergency relief work in flood-stricken Pakistan. The Peleliu, with its 254-meter-long and 40m wide flight deck, helped evacuate nearly 9,000 displaced persons and deliver more…
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Sink or swim Saturday for FC Phuket
PHUKET: Tomorrow evening’s clash at Surakul Stadium is a must-win for FC Phuket in their quest for promotion to Thai League Division One. Kickoff for the AIS Regional League Division 2 match against Loei City will be at 6pm. The Southern Sea Kirin need an immediate return to winning after a disappointing 1-1 draw against Bangkok FC last weekend. FC…
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More rain for Phuket, Andaman coast
PHUKET: The heavy rains Phuket is experiencing will continue over the next 24 hours, according to the latest Meteorological Department (MET) forecast. According to the latest report issued by the MET’s Southern Meteorological Center (West Coast) at Phuket Airport, a monsoon trough remains fixed over the Southern Thailand. More rain, with isolated heavy rain, is expected along the west coast,…
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Phuket landing fees slashed to lure more tourists
PHUKET: Airlines that launch a service connecting Phuket with a “new” destination will have their landing fees for all flights on that service slashed by 95%. As an added bonus, airlines that open any such new routes will receive 70 baht per passenger on any scheduled flights landing in off-peak hours: from 1am to 8:59am and 10pm to midnight. Effective…
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Internet in Phuket: Khun Woody speaks at IBAP meeting tonight
PHUKET: Local computer guru Woody Leonhard will be the keynote speaker at a meeting of the International Business Association of Phuket, or IBAP, this evening. Khun Woody will speak on the current state of Internet access in Phuket in a program entitled: Internet in Phuket: 3G, 4G, No G 4U. He will talk about 2G, 3G, and 4G phones, and…
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Phuket blackout schedule for November
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) has announced scheduled blackouts to carry out maintenance on high voltage power lines, install new lines and move power poles. The blackouts – in Rassada, Chalong and Kathu – will last from 9am to 4pm at the following dates and locations: November 15, Rassada: Thepprathan Road on Koh Sireh, from the T-Junction at…
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Temple thief shooting “self-defense’: Phuket Police
PHUKET: A man gunned down by police on Sunday was shot in self-defense, police say. “Police were chasing him, and the robber started shooting at the officers, so they returned fire,” Phuket City Police Superintendent Wanchai Ekpornpit said. The man was shot four times in the chest. “He died instantly at the scene,” Col Wanchai added. No identification was found…
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Phuket Poll: Are Phuket hospitals up to scratch?
PHUKET: With two international hospitals and numerous private clinics, Phuket has been much touted as a medical tourism hub. But just how good are the services offered at these facilities? In the latest Phuket Gazette poll, we ask readers to rate the overall quality of private healthcare facilities on the island. Have your say by clicking here or on the…
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Phuket cabbie returns German tourist’s purse
PHUKET: A Phuket taxi driver saved a German tourist from holiday hell yesterday when he arranged for the purse she left in his vehicle to be returned. The tourist, Hebecca Lexamora, went on a solo shopping trip to Central Festival Phuket yesterday morning. When she was finished at 11am, Central Festival taxi stand manager Pom Sukkasem arranged for driver Sompote…
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Phuket surf claims two more victims
PHUKET: Friends and relatives watched in horror as Thai construction worker Kittisak Thongtirat was swamped by a big wave, then disappeared in rough surf at Karon Beach on Monday. He was one of two people who drowned at the popular beach that afternoon. Duty officer Nitikorn Rawang of Chalong Police said Mr Kittisak, 25, went swimming near the Centara Grand…
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Patong taxis to get meters, call center
PHUKET: Following numerous complaints about overpricing and poor service, the Phuket Land Transport Office will impose order on black-plate taxis and tuk-tuks operating in both Patong and Kamala, it was announced yesterday. The news followed a meeting yesterday between Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha, Police Civil Service Commission board member Pol Gen Pichit Khuantechakup, Phuket Land Transport chief Kanok Siripanichkorn and…
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Iced beer is queer: Phuket poll
PHUKET: A majority of Phuket Gazette readers frown on the practice of putting ice in beer as a way of keeping it chilled, the results of a recent readers’ poll reveal. Of the 689 people who voted in the twelve-day poll, 53.7% overall answered: “It’s wrong. Beer isn’t meant to be drunk that way.” However a significant number, 37.7%, approved…
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Phuket City Police investigate spate of car arson attacks
PHUKET: Phuket Police are investigating a wave of arson attacks, all with the same modus operandi, that have damaged or destroyed six vehicles on the island over the past week The latest attack, at 1am today, took place on a passenger car parked on a small soi off Phang Nga Road, in the heart of Phuket Town. Phuket City Police…
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Phuket picks up Condé Naste awards
PHUKET: Phuket has once again made its way into top global travel rankings, claiming several honors in Condé Naste Traveler’s 2010 Readers’ Choice Awards. Phuket was ranked third in the Top Islands Asia category, with a score of 80.2 out of 100. The Maldives scored 86.4 and Bali 84.4, claiming the top two spots respectively. Koh Samui was 8th, with…
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AirAsia to launch Phuket – Bali flights
PHUKET: AirAsia will operate four flights weekly between Phuket and Bali starting December 17. “I know it’s a challenging route, but with the high number of people visiting Bali, I believe that some of them may want to visit Phuket, too,” Thai AirAsia CEO Tassapon Bijileveld said at the launch yesterday. “I also believe that Scandinavian tourists in Phuket want…
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Shock and fall: Burmese worker plummets to his death in Phuket
PHUKET: A Burmese laborer fell to his death yesterday after suffering an electric shock while trimming tree branches in Chalong. Chalong Police were informed of the accident just after dusk. At the scene, inside the Andaman residential estate off Chao Fa West Road, officers found the body of 53-year-old laborer Nui Yong. He had suffered severe head trauma after falling…
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PIWC ready for annual Phuket ball
PHUKET: The Phuket International Women’s Club (PIWC) annual ball will take place on the night of November 13 at the Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort and Spa. The PIWC has been hosting extravagant parties for more than 20 years to raise funds for its local scholarship program for needy students. Under the exotic theme ‘One Night in Rio’, this year’s ball…
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FC Phuket draw with Bangkok FC; Camara improving
PHUKET: FC Phuket drew 1-1 with Bangkok FC in the Division Two “Champions League” on Saturday, their first match since midfielder Camara Ahmed suffered a heart attack during a match a week earlier. FC Phuket supporters at the match wore white t-shirts bearing the stricken midfielder’s image. About 5,400 baht raised through shirt sales will go towards his growing medical…
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US Embassy announces consular outreach services for Phuket
PHUKET: The Consular Section of the US embassy in Bangkok has announced its staff will be in Phuket on December 17 to provide consular outreach services. “Dates are subject to change, but we intend to stay as close to this schedule as possible,” the embassy wrote in a recent release. During the outreach session, US consular staff will provide the…
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Phuket keeps on truckin’ for flood relief
PHUKET: Hundreds of people descended on the Phuket Merlin Hotel in Phuket Town yesterday to donate items for flood relief. The hotel meeting room was overrun by people handling the donations, while more than a hundred donor organizations were setting out their stockpiles in the car park. With Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha at the helm, many lent a hand stowing…
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Phuket Thailand Open final: US vs Italy
PHUKET: Marta Menegatti and Valeria Rosso defeated Brazilians Carolina and Maria Clara Salgado in a semifinal match in the US$190,000 Phuket Thailand Open to become the first Italian team to ever compete for a gold medal on the FIVB women’s beach volleyball world tour. Their opponents will be Americans Nicole Branagh and Kerri Walsh, who swept Sanne Keizer and Marleen…
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Blazing bikes at Boat Lagoon
PHUKET: Police are investigating what caused the blaze that engulfed seven motorbikes at the Boat Lagoon yesterday afternoon. Somruedee Polmat, a 21-year-old gardener, spotted the bikes ablaze at about 3pm. She yelled for the nearby security guard to summon an on-site fire truck and the fire was extinguished within minutes. Seven bikes in the front row of the motorbike parking…
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Phuket rescue volunteers seek redemption
PHUKET: Volunteer rescue workers in Patong are demanding a clear explanation after being sacked by the Kusoldharm Foundation. The September dismissal affected all 33 Patong volunteers, who were locked out of their operations center near Kathu Police Station. The move leaves just seven paid foundation workers to continue the rescue work in Patong, despite the fact that Phuket’s thriving tourism…
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Phuket Thailand Open: Dutch, Brazilians first through to semis
PHUKET: A team from the Netherlands and another from Brazil are through to the semi-finals of the US$190,000 Phuket Thailand Open after another day of world-class volleyball at Karon Beach today. The top match saw Salgado sisters Maria Clara and Carol from Brazil upset tournament favorites Chen Xue and Xi Zhang of China. Despite a comeback in the second set…
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Phuket tsunami warning “a rumor’: NDWC
PHUKET: The National Disaster Warning Center (NDWC) has denied local government reports that tsunami warning towers mistakenly sounded the alarm yesterday morning. However, the Phuket governor and top officials at Kamala and Mai Khao have confirmed that tsunami alarm towers went off at around 10am yesterday, causing people in the area to panic. “More than a hundred people on Nai…
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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