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 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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Phuket tunnel project to begin in 2013: Patong Mayor
PHUKET: Patong Mayor Pian Keesin told a crowd of supporters recently that he expects work on the Patong Tunnel Project to begin in 2013. Speaking at a “Patong Future Plan” public rally at Patong Sports Field on the beach road earlier this month, Mayor Pian presented his plans for easing problems that have arisen from the fast pace of development…
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Body of Russian tourist recovered off Phuket
PHUKET: Local fishermen have found what they believe to be the body of missing Russian tourist Alexey Agaponov, who went missing off Nai Thon Beach Monday afternoon. Phuket Marine Police Lt Jirayuth Onthong told the Gazette that local fisherman called in the gruesome discovery at 6:30pm yesterday. The body was found in a rocky area at Koh Krata, a small…
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Phuket tourism update: TAT to strengthen Aussie, Kiwi markets
PHUKET: In a bid to encourage more visitors to Thailand after the recent political turmoil, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has introduced new products and packages to 30 key travel operators in Australia and New Zealand. The overall package was announced yesterday by TAT governor Suraphon Svetasreni. Australia and New Zealand were chosen as the first overseas mission for…
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Phuket’s Patong Municipality gets UN award for disaster management
PHUKET: In an unexpected development , the United Nations has named Patong Municipality in Phuket as a “role-model city” for disaster management planning. The award ceremony, attended by Patong Deputy Mayor Chairat Sukhabaan, was held on October 13, which is designated as both International Day for Disaster Reduction and the ASEAN Day for Disaster Management. The Municipality was selected because…
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Aldhouse extradition: UK kickboxer in custody for Phuket murder
PHUKET: Fugitive British murder suspect Lee Aldhouse has been remanded in custody at City of Westminster Magistrates after his arrest on a Thai extradition request, the Birmingham Post has reported. The Birmingham native is wanted for the stabbing murder of 23-year-old US Marine DaShawn Longfellow in Rawai in August. According to the report, Mr Aldhouse will undergo a review hearing…
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Phuket pitches in for JW Marriott world record Thai dining attempt
PHUKET: There are still seats left at the tables throughout Phuket tonight for what organizers expect to be the world’s largest-ever Thai dinner party. Marriott chefs have created a Thai menu that will be served up simultaneously to diners in 3,400 Marriott hotels in 69 countries. Thus far about 80 people have made reservations for the meal at the JW…
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JSSL Arsenal soccer school returning to Phuket
PHUKET: THE JSSL Arsenal soccer school is returning to Phuket for the third year in a row for the annual Phuket 7s Tournament. Over 220 parents and children are expected to travel to Phuket with the Singapore-based soccer school this December. The tournament, for local and international teams alike, will kick off on December 12. JSSL Arsenal is Singapore’s largest…
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Phuket launches relief effort for Isarn flood victims
PHUKET: An operations center set up at Phuket Provincial Hall is accepting donations to help the more than 100,000 people affected by devastating floods in Thailand’s central and northeastern regions. Seven people have died so far from the floods, with tens of thousands more displaced. Nakhon Ratchasima, the worst hit province, had to evacuate one of its main hospitals. The…
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Westin Siray Bay reaches agreement with Phuket taxi co-op
PHUKET: A taxi drivers co-operative will be allowed to operate a stand just outside the Westin Siray Bay Resort in Phuket, but only under certain conditions hammered out during a meeting with hotel management last week. Local taxi co-operative Sirae Island Taxi Service earlier petitioned the hotel management to allow them to operate a stand at the luxury hotel, which…
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Top Phuket guides ponder the future
PHUKET: Some of Phuket’s top tour guides have expressed concern that the changing nature of the Phuket tourism industry might render their jobs obsolete in the future. Tour guide Kittitat Chookaew was among the eight Phuket-based tour guides who received a “Kinnaree”, a national award given by the Tourism Authority of Thailand for excellence and contributions to the Thai tourism…
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Phuket accident causes commuter misery
PHUKET: A four-car collision on Thepkrasattri Road southbound in Phuket this morning caused a two-kilometer-long traffic tailback. The accident, which occurred near near the Isuzu Showroom in Koh Kaew at about 10am, left a traffic tailback all the way to the Heroines Monument in Thalang. Phuket City Police arrived at the scene, at the northernmost fringe of their jurisdiction, at…
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Chula to open learning center near Phuket Airport
PHUKET: Chulalongkorn University’s Sasin Graduate Institute of Business Administration is planning to develop a Sasin International Learning Center in Phang Nga to provide management education for both Thai and international executives. The project covers a 50-rai plot of land just 15 minutes from Phuket International Airport, an ideal location for business people willing to fly in for learning over weekends.…
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World #1 beach volleyball duo signed up for Phuket Open
PHUKET: The world’s top female volleyball players have all signed on for this year’s Phuket Open women’s beach volleyball tournament to be held on Karon Beach from November 2 to 7. Event manager Geoffrey Rowe, Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha and Phuket Sports Association director Chedthawit Tantipanwadee participated in a meeting last week to iron out details for the event and…
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Thai League promotion playoffs: FC Phuket draw with Samut Prakarn
PHUKET: In the first round of play in the Thai League Division 2 promotion playoffs this weekend, FC Phuket picked up a valuable point on the road with a 0-0 draw at Samut Prakarn. Fellow Division 2 South qualifiers Trang FC were less successful, going down to FC Phichit at home 2-1. Results of other matches played over the weekend:…
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Phuket poll: Readers rate local driving skills
PHUKET: The steady stream of casualties on Phuket’s roads shows the need for residents and visitors to take the utmost of care when driving on the island. But why are there so many accidents? Is it because drivers in Phuket are particularly careless? In our latest Phuket Gazette Poll, we’re asking our readers to rate the behavior of motorists in…
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Phuket poll: Doctors’ certificates won’t improve road safety
PHUKET: Nearly three-quarters of Phuket Gazette readers believe having to submit a doctor’s certificate when applying for a driving license will make no difference to road safety in Thailand, according to our latest readers’ poll. Under new Transport Ministry regulations, all new license applicants, and those renewing licenses, will have to submit a doctor’s certificate in order to ensure that…
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Phuket politician nabbed in meth bust
PHUKET: The vice president of Kathu Municipality was among three people arrested in Phuket for the sale of ya Ice (crystal methamphetamine) yesterday. Kathu Police Crime Suppression Inspector Akanit Danpitaksat identified the suspect as 44-year-old Somkuan Somboon, arrested in a roadside sting operation in Kathu at about 4am. The successful sting operation followed the arrest, at about 1am the same…
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Phuket sea gypsies prepare for ‘Loy Ruea’ festival
PHUKET: Phuket sea gypsies will pay their respects to the ocean as part of the annual “Boat Floating” festival next week. The event, organized by Rassada Municipality, will take place at Baan Laem Tukkae sea gypsy village on Koh Sireh from October 21 to 23. Rassada Municipality Deputy Mayor Chaolerd Jitjumnong said the festival, known in Thai as “Loy Ruea“,…
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Phuket resident Brad Kenny receives Thai Navy award
PHUKET: Phuket resident Brad Kenny, a long-time member of the Rotary Club of Patong Beach, recently received the prestigious Sahataya Naval Insignia and Certificate from the Royal Thai Navy. The award ceremony, held at the Royal Thai Navy Convention Hall in Bangkok, was followed by a special lunch in the VIP lounge. Mr Kenny was awarded the honor for his…
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Phuket superyacht event lands major sponsor
PHUKET: The Asia Superyacht Rendezvous has landed premier independent yacht broker Merle Wood & Associates as a co-sponsor for this year’s event, to be held in Phuket in December. Headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Merle Wood has established solid international yachting relationships throughout the world, including the US, Europe, the Middle East, the Far East, South America and Mexico. The…
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Funds raised for Phuket boy’s heart surgery
PHUKET: Ten-year-old Rino Vogt, who suffers from a rare cardiac condition requiring immediate open heart surgery, is scheduled to undergo the procedure in mid-November, the Gazette is pleased to announce. Runners from around Phuket who plan to participate in the “Run4Rino Charity Run” at Nai Harn Lake on Sunday will be pleased to know it appears that enough funds have…
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Phuket killer nabbed while selling fish
PHUKET: Six months after gunning down an ex-friend and colleague in Phuket, a former Patong tout is in police custody after his arrest in his home province of Nakhon Sri Thammarat on Monday. Thung Thong Police investigators arrested Viroon “Beer” Sudthue at the Chalermprakiat Market in tambon Kapang, Thung Song district. He was helping his mother, a local fishmonger, at…
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Thieving meth-heads arrested in Phuket
PHUKET: The crime spree of three drug-addicted thieves came to an end on Monday, following a series of arrests that began when one gang member was caught smoking ya bah (methamphetamine). The trio were presented to the press at a conference held at Phuket City Police Station on Wednesday. Phuket City Police Commander Pekad Tantipong identified the accused as Adisorn…
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Phuket’s neighbor Krabi needs more flights: tourism chief
PHUKET: The Chairman of the Krabi Tourism Association, Ittirit Kinglake, recently told the TTR Weekly that Krabi needs more airlines to support the hotel industry, a situation similar to that facing Phuket during the early months of this year. Room capacity in Krabi is running ahead of airline seat supply, and there are not enough flights to Krabi for tourists…
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Huge increase in Phuket vehicle numbers
PHUKET: There has been a nearly 600% increase in the number of new vehicle registrations being made in Phuket each month, according to the Phuket Land Transport Office (LTO). Phuket LTO director Kanok Siripanichkorn told the Gazette that 500 to 600 automobiles are being newly registered on the island each month, compared to just 50-100 per month at the same…
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Englishman commits suicide in Phuket hotel
PHUKET: An Englishman found dead in his Patong hotel room yesterday morning apparently died from an overdose of prescription drugs. Police are treating the case as suicide. Kathu Police duty officer Jongserm Preecha identified the deceased as Brian Bibby, a 57-year-old originally from Wigan in the UK. Staff at The Gallery hotel on Soi Jintana in Patong reported the death…
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Stolen Phuket bikes ‘bound for Burma’
PHUKET: A young man arrested for motorcycle theft in Phuket yesterday confessed to police that he was disassembling the vehicles and preparing the parts to be smuggled into his native Burma. At a press conference attended by Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha at Phuket City Police Station yesterday, Phuket Provincial Police Commander Pekad Tantipong presented five crime suspects to the media.…
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Road record: British fire engine “Martha’ makes it to Phuket
PHUKET: A team of Britons who are attempting to circumnavigate the globe in their fire engine “Martha” rolled into Patong this afternoon. Since setting out from London on July 18, Steve Moore and his “follow that fire engine” team have passed through 20 countries, clocking up over 12,000 miles. By the end of their trip the team will have driven…
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Phuket dive boat goes up in flames
PHUKET: Fire gutted a dive boat operated by a well-known Phuket dive tour operator this morning, leaving one man with serious burns and six others needing hospital treatment. Phuket City Police received a report that the Laddawan 2 liveaboard dive vessel belonging to West Coast Divers was ablaze at Rassada Pier at about 10:30am. Six fire engines were dispatched from…
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New artificial reef to be sunk off Phuket
PHUKET: An artificial reef project in Karon Bay has been given the final nod of approval, its second public hearing on September 29 passing without objection. The placement of hollow cubic structures made of concrete on the sea floor is set to begin in mid-2011. The hearing, held at the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) office, was chaired…
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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