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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5 hidden healthcare costs in Thailand and how to avoid them
Thailand's healthcare system is affordable and supported by the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) scheme, offering essential services to most citizens. However, hidden healthcare costs can surprise patients and lead to unexpected expenses. These include specialist fees, insurance gaps, emergency services,...
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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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Krabi – Andaman Festival this weekend
PHUKET: The Krabi Chamber of Commerce (KCC) expects its annual festival, that starts Friday, to generate about 500 million baht for the local economy. KCC President Phuvadit Preechanont told the Gazette that more than 10,000 tourists are expected to join the Krabi – Andaman Festival 2010-2011, which will feature a range of activities designed to highlight Krabi tourist attractions, local…
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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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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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US wins Phuket Thailand Open
PHUKET: American Kerri Walsh won her 39th career FIVB world tour gold medal, part of a historic day in the US$190,000 Phuket Thailand Open, the women’s beach volleyball finals played here yesterday. Along with partner Nicole Branagh, the US side defeated surprise opponents Marta Menegatti and Valeria Rosso of Italy, 21-23, 21-14, 15-11. Carolina and Maria Clara Salgado of Brazil…
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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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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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Foul weather may prompt Phuket seafood price hike
PHUKET: The severe rains that have plagued the country over the past two weeks may cause significant revenue losses for Phuket’s fishing industry. Teerapong Apaip-atdee, a researcher at the Phuket Fisheries Operative Center, said the rains may cause damage to livestock in ponds that are used to farm saltwater fish and shrimp. “It may cause the salt content in saltwater…
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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…
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“Factory’ funplex to open on Phuket’s Soi Bangla
PHUKET: Construction crews are working overtime to ensure the site of the old Bangla Boxing Stadium in Patong will be ready for a grand opening on November 13 as the Factory Bar nightclub. Hailed as the largest capacity night entertainment venue in Phuket, able to accommodate nearly 1,000 party goers, the club will feature a 26-meter-long bar, dance floor and…
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The Great Phuket Rubber Duck Race returns
PHUKET: In the wake of its highly successful first fund-raising Race Day in November last year, the Phuket Community Foundation (PCF) today announced the popular fun event will return on January 23. Making the announcement at the Blue Elephant restaurant in Phuket Town, Alasdair Forbes, Vice President of the PCF and chair of the Race Day organizing committee, confirmed the…
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World champs stumble at Phuket Thailand Open
PHUKET: Spectators at the opening matches of today’s play in the US$190,000 Phuket Thailand Open were treated to an impressive display of raw determination on Karon Beach. Underdogs Heather Bansley and Elizabeth Maloney from Canada, seeded 26th, scored two upset wins – including a three-set win over defending world champs Jen Kessy and April Ross. “It’s pretty surreal to beat…
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Phuket coconut husker’s hand mauled
PHUKET: The new Phuket City Municipality fresh market on Ranong Rd claimed its first emergency early this morning when rescue workers were called to free a young man’s hand that was jammed in a coconut peeling machine. Kusoldharm Rescue Foundation workers arrived at about 4am and took more than an hour to free the hand, still attached to 19-year-old Burmese…
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Call for Phuket hotels to join tourist registration seminar
PHUKET: The Phuket Immigration Office is calling for hoteliers across the island to attend a seminar about registering their guests with Immigration. Phuket Immigration Superintendent Panuwat Ruamrak told the Gazette yesterday that more than 300 hotels have already registered in the system, including the Hilton Arcadia, Sri Panwa and Marriott hotels. The seminar will be held at the ICT Center…
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Phuket buses, planes resume services to the South
PHUKET: The sun shining on Phuket brought good news for travelers this morning when bus and plane services from Phuket to destinations throughout the South resumed. Nearly 100 foreigners expecting to board flights to Koh Samui and other travelers bound for southern provinces by bus were left stranded this week due to the lethal flooding in the region. Phuket Airport…
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Thai qualifiers bounce out at Phuket Thailand Open
PHUKET: It wasn’t a good round for Thai hopefuls in the qualifying rounds of the US$190,000 Phuket Thailand Open women’s beach volleyball tournament in Karon, as all three qualifiers bounced out in Round 1 yesterday. The pairing of Phupanee-Numwong went down in straight sets to the Canadian pairing of Valjas-MacTavish in 39 minutes (16-21, 21-23). The Japanese pairing of Ozaki-Kaneda…
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Prayers for stricken FC Phuket star Camara tonight
PHUKET: Players, coaches, fans, friends and family of FC Phuket will hold candlelight prayers tonight for stricken star midfielder Camara Ahmed. Camara, from the Ivory Coast, collapsed on field from a heart attack at Surakul Stadium on Saturday during the FC Phuket match against Chainat FC. He was revived en route to hospital, but has been in a coma since.…
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Longtail boats run aground at Bang Tao Bay, Phuket
PHUKET: Wind-driven waves damaged seven longtail boats anchored in Bang Tao Bay this morning, but it looks as if Phuket has been spared serious damage from the tropical depression that has ravaged other parts of the South in recent days. After receiving a report that the effects of the tropical depression passing over Phuket would start to be felt at…
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Phuket donations sought for flood victims nationwide
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Office and the Phuket Red Cross are asking for the public to donate items for flood victims nationwide. Donations of cash, clothes and dried or sealed foods will be accepted at the Jamjuri Ballroom at the Phuket Merlin Hotel in Phuket Town on Saturday between 1pm and 5pm. Money transfers can be made to: Account name:…
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Phuket Thailand Open beach volleyball to go ahead on schedule
PHUKET: Organizers of the Phuket Thailand Open have confirmed that qualifying matches for the international beach volleyball event will go ahead as planned from 9am tomorrow on all match courts on Karon Beach. Although organizers are keeping an eye on the weather, only heavy rain will be allowed to delay play, said Kaewjai “Pu” Kaewpratoom of event organizers Pentangle Promotions.…
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Grand ambitions: Phuket teen joins Women’s Tennis Association tour
PHUKET: Local tennis player Helen De Cesare looks set for stardom after winning a place on the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) tour at just 15 years of age. Confident she can advance to the highest echelons of the sport, Miss De Cesare has her sights set on eventually breaking into the world’s top 10. “One day, I want to win…
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Songkhla flooded, tropical depression headed to Phuket
PHUKET: A tropical depression that made landfall in Songkhla yesterday is expected to bring heavy to very heavy rain to Phuket. The latest weather advisory issued by the Southern Meteorological Center (West Coast) at 6am today said the depression was centered over Krabi province at 5am, moving westward at a speed of 15kmh. The system is expected to pass over…
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UPDATE: FC Phuket star clings to life at Bangkok Hospital
PHUKET: Teammates of FC Phuket player Camara Ahmed were today camped out at Bangkok Hospital Phuket, where the star midfielder remains in intensive care after suffering cardiac arrest during Saturday night’s 1-0 playoff win over Chainat FC. FC Phuket advisor Paitoon Chutimakornkul told the Gazette this afternoon that expert care by staff at the hospital’s Cardiac Care Unit kept the…
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New Kamala – Kathu Road touted for Phuket
PHUKET: Kamala’s top official has proposed construction of a new road linking the West Coast town with Kathu Municipality, bypassing Patong. The five-kilometer road would head directly over the hills behind Phuket FantaSea and join an existing road at Kathu Waterfall. The new road, if approved, would cost more than 17.4 million baht just for the 2.6-kilometer stretch in Kamala.…
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Phuket poll: Ice in beer, yea or nay?
PHUKET: The Phuket Gazette readers’ poll has covered some pretty serious topics in recent months, so, to add some lighthearted refreshment, our latest survey asks readers the age-old, simple question: Is it acceptable to put ice in beer? To have your say, click here or on the icon at the top-right corner of this page. We’ll be back to a…
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Phuket poll: Readers split on ‘White Hotel’ project
PHUKET: Gazette readers are somewhat dubious that a new “White Hotel” project being set up by Phuket City Police and local hotel operators will have the desired affect of reducing illegal drug use. One of the key elements to the initiative, still in its preliminary stages, would be mandatory, random drug testing of all staff at hotels, guest houses and…
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FC Phuket star fighting for his life
PHUKET: Celebrations of FC Phuket’s crucial 1-0 victory over Chainat last night have been muted by midfielder Camara Ahmed collapsing on field from a heart attack. The Ivory Coast midfielder, on loan from Muangthong United, collapsed during the second half of the game and was resuscitated en route to Bangkok Hospital Phuket. He is now in a coma in intensive…
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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