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 Red Cross to raffle Bt2.5mn house
PHUKET: The Phuket Red Cross has revealed the 2.5-million-baht home that will be raffled off as top prize at its annual fund-raising fair next month. The two-storey townhouse in Phanason Villa housing estate at Bor Rae in Wichit covers 21 square wah. The three-bedroom home was donated by Bangkok-based real estate developer Phanason, which has built many residential projects in…
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An early Christmas gift for one of Phuket’s poorest
PHUKET: As Christmas fast approaches, one of the poorest elderly residents of Rassada, near Phuket Town, received a special gift this year: a complete renovation for his dilapidated, old house. Put “Uncle Put” Nuengraksa, 73, was identified by Rassada Municipality as the most needy among five candidates living in the sub-district. His ramshackle abode in Soi Ta Tan, near the…
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UFC’s Dana White steps in to save Phuket baby
PHUKET: Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) President Dana White has agreed to cover the cost of a liver transplant for Phuket baby Tuptim Jadngooluem. Ray Elbe runs the mixed martial arts (MMA) program at Tiger Muay Thai in Chalong, where the girl’s father, former World Muay Thai world champion Rattanachai Jadngooluem, is an instructor. Mr Elbe told the Phuket Gazette, “[I…
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Two dead, four injured in drunken Phuket grenade blast
PHUKET: Police suspect an explosion that killed two and injured four people in Rassada, near Phuket Town, early this afternoon was caused by an M67 grenade. Police arrived at the scene near Rassada Pier and found one man dead on a bench in front of a house on Soi Wanich 1. The man, identified as Sutthi Saeung, 25, of Nakhon…
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Phuket, South to be ‘medical tourism hub’
PHUKET: Development and promotion of southern Thailand as a medical tourism hub was the topic of an international conference last week at the Royal Phuket City Hotel. IMT-GT (Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle) cooperative initiative officials participated in the “IMT-GT Medical Tourism” meeting chaired by Thailand’s Ministry of Tourism and Sports Permanent Secretary Sombat Kurupan on December 15. Among the 350 people…
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Phuket tsunami warning buoys deployed
PHUKET: The operation to install tsunami direct-detection buoys in the Andaman Sea has concluded and been hailed a success. The Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (Seafdec) ship used to deploy the buoys returned to port in Phuket on Thursday. “The operation went smoothly. The first buoy was installed 250 kilometers west of Phuket, while the second was installed 150km from…
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Breaking news: FC Phuket trumps Rayong 2-0
PHUKET: Phuket football fans are rejoicing a solid 2-0 victory by FC Phuket over Rayong this evening. The win virtually assures the team’s promotion to Division I of the Thai League next year.Both goals were scored by Ivory Coast import Diarra Ali.The first came on a penalty kick half way though the first half.The insurance goal came half-way though the…
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Woman bites off husband’s penis, then stabs him to death
PATTAYA (Pattaya Daily News): A woman who was forced to have oral sex by her estranged husband bit off his penis. The act annoyed the victim and sparked a fight, during which the man, reportedly a senior official at the Ministry of Defence, was stabbed to death. Pattaya police were notified of the fight by a neighbor, Viroj Siritham, 70,…
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Crowds flock to Phuket Street Festival
PHUKET: The 2010 Phuket Street Show Festival kicked off yesterday evening on a packed Thalang Road with energetic performances by aerial acrobats from Bencha Theater Group. Some of the world’s best street performers have descended on Phuket Town this weekend for the event, which is sponsored by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT). The festivities, taking place in the old…
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Superyachts arrive in Phuket
PHUKET: Beachgoers along Phuket’s west coast would have had a hard time not noticing a flotilla of superyachts massing in Nai Harn Bay this week then moving up the coast to Pansea Bay yesterday. Leading the fleet, in Phuket for the annual Asia Superyacht Rendezvous, is the 74-meter MY Silver Zwei launched just last year. The Silver Zwei is rated…
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Phuket call to save ‘Tuptim’
PHUKET: “Tuptim” is only seven months old, but has a condition that requires an urgent liver transplant or she will die within weeks. She is the daughter of Rattanachai “Kru Nai” Jadngooluem, a well known trainer at Tiger Muay Thai (TMT) in Chalong and a former World Muay Thai world champion. Mr Rattanachai, “Nit”, the child’s mother, and Phuket’s muay…
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Phuket police beef up Patong security
PHUKET: Police in Kathu are boosting their presence on the streets of Patong for Phuket’s tourism high season. At a meeting with his top officers earlier this week, Kathu Police Superintendent Arayapan Pukbuakhao called for his officers to boost security, in terms of crime suppression and safety, and to work towards reducing the number of accidents involving tourists during the…
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Phuket carnival underway
PHUKET: Thousands of people in Phuket flocked to the streets of Patong to watch or join the annual Patong Carnival parade last night.Starting at 5pm with Patong Municipality’s ‘Pearl of the Andaman’ float, complete with its own angel of the clam, the parade continued for three hours. School bands and the traditional ladyboys dressed in glamorous outfits marched along the…
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Phuket Pirates: Being evil isn’t all it’s cut out to be
PHUKET: The Andaman Players new musical comedy, The Pirates of Phuket, takes to the stage of Le Meridien Phuket Beach Resort in Patong this Saturday evening, offering some sage advice for anyone considering a change of vocation. For instance, it’s well worth thinking twice before settling on “Evil Genius” as your new career path. As the Players ably explain in…
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Phuket’s first night tsunami drill hailed a success
PHUKET: Phuket’s first-ever night tsunami evacuation drill last night was a qualified success, but officials say more needs to be done to ensure residents in all risk areas are truly ready to conduct an after-dark evacuation. Last night’s drill was conducted at the Rajaprachanukroh 36 School in Kamala, just 100 meters from the high-tide mark at Kamala Beach. Activities, from…
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German’s Phuket stay goes to pot
PHUKET: A 33-year-old German man is facing deportation after being found overstaying his visa and in possession of half a gram of marijuana. Chalong Police stopped Nico Bergmann about midday on Sunday as he drove through a checkpoint in Soi Thanuthep. Officers, led by Lt Col Weerayut Sitthirattanakul, believed Mr Bergmann was acting suspiciously and searched his car. In his…
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Phuket November: A month of murder
PHUKET: There were five premeditated murders in Phuket last month, according to crime statistics released by the Phuket Provincial Police. Once again leading the number of reported cases and arrests were narcotics offenses. Overall 320 people were arrested in 282 cases, a 4.7% decrease year-on-year. The breakdown of these arrests was listed as follows: Consumption: 116 arrests Possession: 114 arrests…
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Phuket Rotary joins anti-polio effort
PHUKET: Rotary Clubs on the island are joining the Phuket Provincial Health Office (PPHO) in the local effort to eradicate polio. Rotarians will lend a hand at the PPHO’s upcoming mobile polio vaccination clinics to be held across the island as part of National Immunization Day for Polio Eradication on December 15. On the day, free polio vaccinations will be…
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Phuket to party for health
PHUKET: In a bid to boost confidence among tourists that local food is safe to eat and that local health services are reliable, the Phuket Public Health Office (PPHO) will host a “Party in the Park” from December 16 to 18. Lined up for the Public Health for Tourism (Andaman Group) Health Station Expo, to be held at Queen Sirikit…
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Phuket’s sad tale of two Russians
PHUKET: Russian tourist Nikoley Bobrova, 64, rushed to his wife’s aid as soon as he saw her in trouble in Phuket’s surf yesterday but could not save her. Mr Bobrova and his wife Irina, also 64, arrived in Phuket on holiday on December 1. The couple were due to fly home tomorrow. Police said the couple arrived at Karon Beach…
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Phuket not surveyed, but Bangkok now ranked as world’s 2nd cheapest city
PHUKET: In what can only be good news for Phuket and the Thai tourism industry, Bangkok appears as the second most affordable city in the world, according to a list compiled and published by PriceRunner.com yesterday. Oslo tops the list of the world’s most expensive cities, and each of the Scandinavian capitals appears in the top seven. According to a…
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Thai Inflation: Phuket may be at the forefront next year
PHUKET: A national committee on public-sector compensation is expected to seek Cabinet approval on Tuesday to raise the salaries of all civil servants, MPs and senators by 5-14.9%. If approved, it will cost taxpayers an extra 13 billion baht a year, according to a well placed government source. The proposal comes on the heels of news earlier this month that…
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Phuket King’s Cup yachts still stranded
PHUKET: As the sun sets on the last day of 24th Phuket King’s Cup Regatta, at least four yachts remain stranded on Kata Beach after a day of relentless hammering by strong waves. More than 10 boats were beached this morning by strong winds and big waves that Regatta Director Simon James described as “abnormal”. A spokesman for the regatta…
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Phuket tsunami warning buoys arrive
PHUKET: The ship bringing the two tsunami direct-detection buoys to be installed off Phuket has arrived at the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) at Cape Panwa. The Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (Seafdec) ship docked with the “tsunameters” on board at the PMBC pier last night after setting sail from Samut Prakarn on Monday. The ship will depart about 1…
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Phuket’s DEA “drug lord’ souvenirs on hold
PHUKET: The US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) office in Bangkok has confirmed that its “spot a drug lord” souvenirs will not be available in Phuket until the new year. The souvenir items, a collection of coffee mugs, pens and T-shirts bearing images of some of the DEA’s “most wanted” drug traffickers, were initially intended to be distributed this week to…
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Phuket storm pushes King’s Cup racers aground
PHUKET: Racers in the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta are working furiously this morning to recover several yachts pushed ashore by strong winds and swell during the night. The last race of the regatta was canceled as organizers stared at four boats beached at Kata Beach and seven boats caught in the surf break. Many boats have already left the bay…
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Phuket King’s Cup: Ichi Ban scores “hat trick’, Thai Navy pipped
PHUKET: Mixed winds brought mixed fortunes today in the last day of racing in the 24th King’s Cup Regatta. IRC 1 class winner Matt Allen on Ichi Ban lifted his third consecutive class trophy without even racing. They had won the class with an impressive 1-2-1-3-1-1-3 scorecard by sundown yesterday. No racers in the King’s Cup have won three consecutive…
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Evolution Racing wins Phuket King’s Cup 2010
PHUKET: Ray Roberts and his Evolution Racing crew just held onto series honors today to win the 24th Phuket King’s Cup Regatta. It was a dramatic start for Roberts. Missing the start gun put Evolution at the back of the pack on the start line. Then the big boat of the fleet, Frank Pong’s Jelik III, along with Song Xia…
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Phuket’s Laem Phromthep now a no-smoking landmark
PHUKET: Laem Phromthep is now a no-smoking peninsular. “The prohibition zone starts at the bottom of the stairs and extends along the hill,” Rawai Municipality officer Sanya Kontien told the Gazette. The ban, which includes the drinking of alcohol, began at the end of last month and signs have been posted to inform visitors at Phuket’s iconic tourist attraction. The…
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Phuket Poll: Fair to have English tests for UK spousal visas?
PHUKET: All Thais must now pass an English-language test in order to be granted a visa to stay in the United Kingdom on the basis of being a spouse or legal companion of a UK national. Is this new restriction, which applies to all non-Europeans, appropriate and fair? Have your say by voting in the new Phuket Gazette readers’ poll…
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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