Phuket News
Phuket news, politics, business, tourism, and nightlife—stay updated with breaking stories, events, and expat updates from Thailand’s top island destination. Get the latest from The Thaiger, your trusted Phuket news source.
-
Sponsored Best weed shops in Chinatown, Bangkok [2025]
Bangkok's Chinatown isn't just for roast duck, gold shops, and neon-lit chaos anymore. Head over to Yaowarat Road and you'll find another kind of smoke drifting through the air. Yes, the weed scene had landed. Loud, proud, and surprisingly stylish....
-
Warehouse gutted in Phuket Town blaze
PHUKET: A warehouse blaze took Phuket firefighters about 30 minutes to extinguish early this morning. Phuket City Police at 2:30am received a report of a fire on Wirat Hongyok Road, a few doors down from the Lotus Express shop. By the time Phuket City and Wichit Municipality firefighters arrived, there was little they could do to save the warehouse, which…
-
FC Phuket vs PTT Rayong live on TV tonight
PHUKET: FC Phuket coach Surachai Jirasirichote has expressed confidence that his team can pick up its first road win of the season at PTT Rayong tonight in a football match that will reportedly be televised live on the Internet. Coach Surachai said he thought his players stood a good chance of winning at Rayong because Phuket is well aware of…
-
Phuket Bike Week rolls on
PHUKET: The official festivities for Phuket Bike Week 2011 draw to a close in Patong tonight after another full day of big bike fun and games, live music and road trips around the island. At 4pm today, a convoy of riders will leave Loma Park on Patong Beach, the main rallying point and concert venue for Phuket Bike Week this…
-
Phuket Public Transport: Cartels continue in the driver’s seat
PHUKET: The latest fiasco at Phuket’s Deep Sea Port once again underscores the need for an immediate overhaul of the island’s public transport system, but the results of the talks that ended this latest blockade confirm that reform will not be coming soon. (See front-page story, current issue of the Phuket Gazette. Digital subscribers click here to download the full…
-
Sick dolphin dies in Phuket
PHUKET: Despite the best efforts of veterinarians, the bottle-nose dolphin rescued off Phuket on Saturday died earlier today. Patcharaporn Kaewmong of the Marine Endangered Species Unit at the Phuket Marine Biological Center confirmed that the two-meter-long cetacean took its last breath at around 3am, following five days of intensive treatment at the facility. An initial examination of the body was…
-
Phuket Poll: Is everybody happy?
PHUKET: The results of a recent Abac Poll indicated that people living in Phuket report themselves as the “least happy” among residents of all 77 Thai provinces. Rather than delve into the accuracy of the polling methods or dwell on what they mean, the Phuket Gazette in our latest poll asks our readers directly: On a scale of 1 –…
-
Work on Phuket’s rival marina in Krabi well underway
PHUKET: Phuket’s rising popularity as a sailing destination is straining the capacity of the island’s four yacht marinas, particularly during high season. Fortunately for the region’s yachting community, work is well underway on a rival facility, Port Takola Marina, under construction across Phang Nga Bay in Krabi. Robert Reynolds, a property consultant working on the project, recently told The New…
-
Yantai delegation lobbies fruit, tourism trade links
PHUKET: A delegation from Yantai City in Shandong province, China, met Phuket Vice Governor Weerawat Janpen at Provincial Hall today to discuss commercial exchange in fruit, local products and tourism. Huang Yewen, Deputy Director of the China (Yantai) Asia-Pacific World Trade Center, opened the talks by inviting Phuket officials to attend the 12th International Fruit Vegetable Food Exposition to be…
-
Phuket student to represent Thailand in international public speaking competition
PHUKET: Former QSI Phuket student Philip Songkran Upton has won the International Public Speaking Competition (Thailand) 2011. He will represent Thailand in the global finals of the competition in London in May this year. Philip was one of four Stamford International University (STIU) students who competed against 14 other students in the semi-final round of the competition on February 25.…
-
Phuket Bike Week to rev up economy
PHUKET: Organizers of Phuket Bike Week 2011 believe this year’s event could attract a record 6,000 big bikes to the island, and along with the annual Songkran Festival, inject at least 600 million baht into the economy. Last year’s event was a smaller affair than usual, after the red-shirt protests in Bangkok led so many visitors to stay away. With…
-
Phuket tourism players hold “fire sale’ for flood victims
PHUKET: Representatives from Phuket’s tourism industry will be at Siam Paragon in Bangkok this weekend selling bargain-priced holiday packages to raise money for flood victims. Phuket Tourist Association (PTA) President Somboon Jirayus said he expected to raise more than 1.5 million baht from the campaign, which aims to sell 1,000 Phuket tour packages. All proceeds will be handed over to…
-
Phuket’s sick dolphin now comatose, clinging to life
PHUKET: The future appears grim for the sick bottlenose dolphin rescued by marine biologists off Phuket last week. Paralyzed and comatose, the cetacean is now being kept alive by life support measures provided by staff at the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC). Fourteen staff at the PMBC Marine Endangered Species Unit are currently working around the clock to keep the…
-
Taxis blockade Phuket cruise passengers – again
PHUKET: The latest taxi and tuk-tuk blockade at the Phuket Deep Sea Port led to a victory for the drivers, who from today will be given a “50-50 share” of access to disembarking cruise ship passengers. Vice Governor Nivit Aroonrat, Phuket City Police chief Chote Chitchai and local Marine Police brokered the agreement at about noon today, four hours after…
-
Phuket Rotary clubs hit the streets tonight for Japan relief
PHUKET: All six Rotary Clubs in Phuket will take to the streets of Patong tonight, collecting donations for Japan relief. Rotarians will gather at The Port area in the center of the Jungceylon shopping complex, from where they will set out at 9pm. All are invited to join the collection effort. Participants should be easily identified by their white Rotary…
-
Canadian seeks support for B900mn Phuket aquarium project
PHUKET: A Canadian expat is seeking support from the Phuket Provincial Office for his plan to develop a 900-million-baht aquarium in Rawai. Accompanied by Rawai Mayor Aroon Solos, businessman Daniel McDaniel today presented his proposal to Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha at Provincial Hall. As managing director of Phuket Ocean Front Co Ltd, Mr McDaniel said Phuket still possesses huge tourism…
-
Phuket’s Thung Thong Walking Street opens
PHUKET: Kathu Municipality is hosting a street fair until tomorrow evening to boost the local Phuket economy, entertain tourists and showcase the area’s unique local history. The event is taking place on Thung Thong Road, located off Wichit Songkram Road westbound between the entrances to Phuket Country Club and Bang Wad Reservoir. Local food stalls, stage performances, handmade local products…
-
Phuket YouTube girl “not dead’, but another woman’s body found
PHUKET: Phuket authorities have dismissed as inaccurate a video clip posted on You Tube today showing a woman lying beside a road in Rawai – presented by whomever made the clip as if she were dead. The video clip is labelled “Body of a young girl found in Rawai / Phuket on 4th of April” “The woman certainly was not…
-
Burmese laborer dies from fever
PHUKET: The body of a Burmese rubber tapper was recovered from a rubber plantation high above a public water reservoir in Phuket today. The man’s son-in-law, a Burmese who identified himself only as “Mr Pha”, identified the deceased only as “Mr Sorapong”. Mr Sorapong, 45, died at about 11pm on Thursday after a month of fever, coughing and lack of…
-
Phuket tailor shop goes up in flames
PHUKET: Fire ravaged a two-storey tailor shop and damaged other units in a row of shophouses on the Patong beach road, on Phuket’s west coast, early this morning. Motorbike taxi driver Wirote Thongthep alerted the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation division of Patong Municipality of the blaze at about 3:45am. Eight fire trucks and 18 officials from the division rushed to…
-
Serial rapist confesses to Phuket Police
PHUKET: A serial rapist who preyed on young female members of the Phuket ethnic Nepali community is behind bars tonight after confessing to multiple charges of sexual assault, robbery and impersonating a policeman. The accused, 30-year-old Phakpoom Maneerat, was presented to the media at a press conference at Patong Police Station at 10:30am. The gravity of the case was evidenced…
-
Phuket experts treating sick dolphin
PHUKET: Experts at the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) are nursing a sick bottlenose dolphin back to health after it was found floating in the polluted shallows of Klong Tha Cheen in Rassada yesterday. The dolphin, fully grown at around two metres long, is being looked after by the Marine Endangered Species Unit at the PMBC, located at Cape Panwa.…
-
Nepalis protest rape, extortion at Phuket police station
PHUKET: Over 200 ethnic Nepalese converged at Patong Police Station last night to protest the actions of a Thai man they allege raped at least four members of their community and stole and extorted valuables of several other Nepali women. The alleged rapist, 29-year-old Phakpoom Maneerat, was arrested in Phuket Town at about noon yesterday. A native of Nonthaburi province,…
-
No landslides in Phuket: Officials
PHUKET: Vice Governor Nivit Aroonrat and Phuket Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Chief San Jantharawong yesterday dispelled landslide warnings for two areas in the north of Phuket. The two top officials inspected Baan Phru Somparn in Thepkrasattri Subdistrict and Baan Mak Prok in Mai Khao, both in Thalang District, after the government Disaster Relief Committee included the two villages on its…
-
Stars join Thai, Japan disaster relief event in Phuket
PHUKET: Guitarist Yuki Masahiko of popular Japanese rock band Lucifer will join a bevy of Thai stars at a “walking street” event on Thalang Road in Phuket Town on April 9 and 10. The event is being held to raise money for victims of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami in Japan, and the recent flooding and mudslides in southern…
-
Thai floods: AirAsia re-routes to Phuket
PHUKET: Thai AirAsia has issued an announcement that any passengers heading to the flooded southern province of Nakhon Sri Thammarat should re-route to other airports, including Phuket, or cancel travel plans altogether. “Due to flood situation in southern Thailand, extreme conditions have caused difficulties in road transportation. Nakhon Sri Thammarat airport remains closed. “Bus services previously offered by the Public…
-
Phuket joins relief efforts for flood, landslide victims
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Health Office (PPHO) today shipped 1,000 medical kits to hard-hit Nakhon Sri Thammarat province as part of its efforts to provide assistance to flood and landslide victims throughout Southern Thailand. Today’s effort follows the PPHO delivering 1,050 first-aid kits to flood-stricken areas yesterday. The kits were shipped to Weingsra Hospital and Phra-saeng Hospital in Surat Thani…
-
PM visits, Phuket rescue teams assist in flooded South
PHUKET: Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva yesterday visited parts of Krabi where rescue teams from Phuket are assisting victims of devastating mudslides and flooding earlier this week. The Thai premier, accompanied by high-ranking military staff including Royal Thai Army Commander-in-Chief Gen Prayut Chan-O-Cha, toured a shelter at Wat Tam Kob in Na Khao subdistrict, offering consolation and encouragement to victims staying…
-
Phuket Police arrest snatch thief in Patong
PHUKET: Phuket Police yesterday arrested a man for a snatch-and-ride robbery in Patong the night before. Police identified the suspect as 21-year-old Manop Rakharp. The arrest followed a complaint by Teerawat Pansopa, 23, that a man on a Yamaha Fino motorbike snatched his bag as he walked along Sirirat Road in Patong at about midnight on Wednesday. The white bag…
-
Phuket Business: Corruption and Customs practices seen as major deterrent to trade
PHUKET: In a report released yesterday by the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), the Thai Customs Department comes under fire as a barrier to trade, and does so to the disadvantage of both countries. Corruption is seen to be at the root of the problem. Herewith, some brief extracts from the report: “The United States continues to…
-
Storms smash Phuket fishing boats
PHUKET: This week’s storms have put the livelihoods of many of Phuket fishermen at risk after violent waves damaged more than 30 fishing boats and left fish farming pens washed up onto shoreline rocks. Kawi Saranakhomkun of the Phuket Provincial Fisheries Office yesterday said that villagers from all three districts of Phuket had asked the office for help after their…
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.