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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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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Van plunges from expressway, killing eight
BANGKOK (The Nation): A packed transport van plunged from an expressway onto Rama VI road in Bangkok this evening before bursting into flames, killing at least eight. The van swerved and hit the expressway railing near the Rama VI exit before plunging onto the road near Samsen School at about 5pm. The van then burst into flames, police said, killing…
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Breaking sports news: FC Phuket 1 – 0 Chainat
PHUKET: FC Phuket beat Chainat FC by a score of 1 – 0 tonight in the Thai League playoffs for promotion to Division 1. Chainat FC went into the match at the top of the table with two wins, but they were dominated by FC Phuket in the first half. FC Phuket scored on a brilliant header early in the…
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Cabinet approves Phuket Bt2.6b convention center
PHUKET: Cabinet has approved plans for the long-awaited International Convention and Exhibition Center (ICEC) in Mai Khao to go ahead, with construction likely to get under way mid-2012. That was the news at a public hearing for the mega-project held at the Phuket Merlin Hotel on Wednesday. “Cabinet approved the project on September 28 after the Treasury Department sent the…
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FC Phuket ready for showdown with Chainat FC
PHUKET: FC Phuket will take on Chainat FC tomorrow in a crunch match that will be crucial to their chances of being promoted to Division 1 of the Thai League. “Chainat FC is currently favorite to win our group in the playoffs. The game tomorrow is expected to be an interesting one – and exciting,” said FC Phuket Coach Ajharn…
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Phuket murder suspects arrested in Nongkhai
PHUKET: Two brothers wanted for the murder a man in Patong last month were arrested in their home province of Nongkhai and flown back to Phuket to face charges earlier this week. Suphat “Tu” Tiangnoi, 26, and his younger brother Somchai “Bao Dam”, 23, were presented at a press conference at Kathu Police Station on Wednesday. The pair were arrested…
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Finn dies in Phuket hotel room
PHUKET: A Finnish tourist died in Patong late Tuesday night after a heavy drinking session, police said. Kathu Police duty officer Jakkapong Luang-aon said the Finn, 58, had been in Patong to celebrate the birthday of his Thai girlfriend. At the party that evening he drank a great deal, witnesses said. His girlfriend left him alone in his Patong hotel…
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Four drownings in two months: Phuket Lifeguard Club
PHUKET: At least four people have drowned in the rough monsoon surf at Phuket beaches over the past two months. The Phuket Lifeguard Club’s latest incident report says two died in 371 “incidents” between September 26 and October 25. The number of incidents was up sharply over the previous four weeks, when 184 incidents were reported. As usual, foreigners were…
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Phuket Governor warns developers of flood, landslide risks
PHUKET: Governor Tri Augkaradacha has urged officials and local agencies to be vigilant in preventing flooding and landslides near construction sites and at recently completed housing projects. The call followed the Thai Meteorological Department on Wednesday issuing a wet weather warning for 15 provinces in southern Thailand through the end of the month. Heavy rains caused by a monsoon trough…
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Top Buddhist scholar to give workshop in Phuket
PHUKET: The Phuket International Academy Mind Center (PIAMC) will host a three-day workshop by leading Buddhist scholar Dr Jeffrey Hopkins in December. Taking place over the weekend of December 3-5, the program is based on the Dalai Lama’s enlightening book, How to Expand Love: Widening the Circle of Loving Relationships, which provides everyday guidelines for transforming self-centered energy into outwardly…
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American student found dead in Phuket
PHUKET: An American man studying to become an English teacher was found dead in his Phuket Town hotel room last night. Phuket City Police said it appears that Peter Williams, a 39-year-old from New York State, committed suicide in his room at Roongrawee Mansion, near Vachira Phuket Hospital on Yaowarat Road. Yesterday evening at around 11pm, four friends went to…
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Phuket truck accident: 45 gas cylinders hit the road
PHUKET: A tire blowout on a delivery truck left Phuket’s central artery strewn with 45 filled gas cylinders this morning. Fortunately none of the vessels exploded and there were no serious injuries. The accident occurred at around 9am on Thepkrasattri Road southbound in Mai Khao, near the entrance to Blue Canyon Country Club. By 9:30am local police, firefighters and rescue…
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Phuket IT update: ‘Facebook for Business’ seminar on Saturday
PHUKET: Computer guru Woody Leonhard will speak at two upcoming IT seminars in Phuket, starting with an encore of the popular Phuket Software Park seminar Using Facebook to Drive Business in Patong on Saturday morning. PhuketSchool.com director Sitthichai “Mr X” Laoveerakul gave the Facebook presentation last month at a Software Park Phuket meeting. Khun Woody and several Computer Clinic members…
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Deadline for Phuket ‘yellow pages’
PHUKET: Businesses wishing to appear in the 2011 Gazette Guide, Phuket’s ‘yellow pages’, have until 6pm on Friday, November 12, to enter (or update) their listings. Entries after that date will appear in the Gazette Guide Online only – not in the hard-copy book for 2011. The 400-page book, with details of more than 4,700 businesses serving the international community…
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Phuket Software Factory wins APICTA 2010 award
PHUKET: A Phuket-based software development company was among six Thai firms winning an APICTA 2010 information and communication technology award last week. The Phuket Software Factory won a merit award in the “e-Health” category of the Asia Pacific Information and Communication Technology Awards (APICTA) 2010, held in Malaysia. The Phuket Software Factory was founded by Dr Kongkiat Kespechara to improve…
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New international hospital under construction in Krabi
PHUKET: A new private hospital under construction in Krabi Town has prompted talk among local residents of less reliance on medical facilities in Phuket. The 120-bed facility, under construction by Krabi Nakharin Company, will be located on Pisalpop Road. The management company has links with, but is independent from, the group that runs the 135-bed Nakharin Hospital in Nakhon Sri…
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Increase in violent crime reports in Phuket
PHUKET: There has been a sharp increase in violent crime over the past 12 months, recently-released statistics by the Phuket Provincial Police reveal. The figures compare the numbers of reported crime cases for fiscal year 2009 and fiscal year 2010, which ended on September 30. The statistics show a 72.9% increase in reported cases of “heinous crimes”: group muggings, armed…
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Work on Phuket landmark delayed
PHUKET: Work on the “Patong City” welcome sign project is more than a month behind schedule, but should be ready sometime next month, officials say. Construction work was abandoned during heavy rains last week, Patong municipal officer Siwapong Chechang told the Gazette. “It is too dangerous to continue work when it rains heavily so the project is going much slower…
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Arson suspected in Phuket Town car blaze
PHUKET: Police are investigating a presumed arson attack that turned a parked car into a ball of flames in Phuket Town last night. First on the scene, a soi off Phuket Road near Bang Neaw Shrine, were emergency rescue workers from the Kusoldharm Foundation. Although equipped with three chemical sprayers, they could do little but watch as the flames completely…
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Kajonkiet to open international school in Phuket
PHUKET: Phuket parents seeking English-language education for their children will have a new option from May next year, when a new Kajonkiet international school is scheduled to open in Kathu. The Kajonkiet group of schools, already the largest provider of private bilingual education in Phuket, hopes to open its first international school in time for the start of the international…
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Highway robbery in Phuket
PHUKET: Three teenagers held up a pair of young women at gunpoint in Thalang early Sunday morning and stole their motorbike. News of the hold-up was reported to Thalang Police by Wirach Rawdboot, the older brother of one of the victims. The woman, with a female friend riding pillion, was driving her Yamaha Fino home from work along a quiet…
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FC Phuket draw with Rayong FC, 1-1
PHUKET: FC Phuket drew on the road at Rayong FC last night, making success in this Saturday’s home match against undefeated Chainat FC crucial to their chances for promotion to Division 1 of the Thai League. In last night’s game in the AIS Regional League “mini-league” playoffs, FC Phuket went in with one point following a road draw at Samut…
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Asia’s best golfers signed up for Phuket Pro-Am charity event
PHUKET: More than 20 international golf stars are confirmed to play in Phuket’s first-ever Pro-Am golf charity event on November 5. With more pros signing up, organizers of the 2010 Phuket Property Dot Com Pro-Am Invitational expect a total of about 30 professionals to take part. Among the star-studded lineup are Simon Yates (Scotland) and Scott Hend (Australia) – each…
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Phuket poll: Will the drug testing of hotel staff help?
PHUKET: The Gazette on Friday reported that Phuket City Police and hoteliers in Phuket City Police District will launch a “White Hotel” project that will eventually subject hotel staff to mandatory drug testing. Do you think this could be an effective step toward reducing the problem of illegal drug use? Have your say in the latest Phuket Gazette readers’ poll…
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Phuket drivers ‘the worst’: Gazette poll
PHUKET: Phuket drivers don’t think much of fellow road users, with more than 80% saying they are worse than drivers abroad, the results of the latest Phuket Gazette reader’s poll reveal. In the poll launched a week ago, readers were asked: How would you rate the overall behavior of motorists in Phuket compared to those in other places, outside of…
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Phuket City hotel staff to face mandatory drug testing
PHUKET: Mandatory drug testing is part of an initiative by Phuket City Police aimed at ridding the district’s hotels and guesthouses of illegal drugs. Representatives of 75 accommodation establishments met yesterday for a briefing on the initiative, dubbed the “White Hotel” project. The scheme is the brainchild of Phuket City Police Deputy Superintendent Chaiwat Auykham, who wants to create a…
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Phuket sea gypsies protest water shortage
PHUKET: Phuket Police and local officials are in meetings with leaders of the Rawai Sea Gypsy community this afternoon following a street protest that held up traffic for about an hour this morning. About 250 members of the community took part in the protest, which began at about 8:30am on a section of Wiset Road near Rawai Pier. At the…
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Phuket Thailand Open: Brazilians Franca and Da Silva top seeds
PHUKET: Larissa Franca and Juliana Felisberta Da Silva of Brazil, currently the world’s number-one women’s beach volleyball team, have been ranked as top seeds for the US$190,000 Phuket Thailand Open. The tournament, with PTT as the main sponsor, is the last stop on the 2010 Swatch FIVB Beach Volley World Tour to be held on Karon Beach November 2 to…
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Relatives of Aussie fall victim in Phuket notified
PHUKET: Relatives of the Australian tourist who died of head injuries sustained in a bathroom fall in Patong earlier this week have been notified, the Australian diplomatic mission in Thailand has confirmed. Australian Honorary Consul for Phuket Larry Cunningham told the Gazette this morning that relatives of the deceased, Joseph Edward Thoms, were notified of his passing at 9:30pm yesterday.…
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Phuket flood relief ready to roll
PHUKET: Two trucks loaded with disaster relief supplies for Northeast flood victims will roll out of Phuket today, with a third set to leave tomorrow. The first load of donations, collected by the Kusoldharm Foundation, will leave Phuket this afternoon for flood-stricken Nakhon Ratchasima province. More donations collected by the Red Cross at Provincial Hall will depart Phuket by truck…
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Aussie tourist dies in Phuket bathroom fall
PHUKET: An Australian tourist died of a head injury apparently sustained after he slipped and hit his head on the bathroom floor in a Phuket guesthouse. Kathu Police at 4:20pm yesterday received a report that a foreign man was discovered dead in the bathroom of his rented room on the third floor of the Vech Guesthouse on Rat-U-Thit 200 Pi…
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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