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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Laguna Phuket ready for triathlon, Ironman 70.3
PHUKET: Reigning Ironman 70.3 world champion Michael Raelert of Germany will head a first-class field of professional triathletes coming to Phuket for two exciting competitions in November. Mr Raelert, joined by some 900 competitors, will take on the back-to-back challenge of the Laguna Phuket Triathlon (LPT) and the inaugural Ironman 70.3 Asia-Pacific Championship, all in the space of seven days.…
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Phuket yachties to get ‘Data Center’
PHUKET: As part of a project to set up a ‘data center’ for the local yachting industry, Prince of Songkla University researchers have set up a website intended to serve as a central database and information hub. The new website was unveiled yesterday at a seminar at the Phuket Merlin Hotel in Phuket Town. The “Yachting Seminar on ICT Infrastructure…
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Phuket tourism resilient in the face of strong baht
PHUKET: Thanks to rising tourist arrival figures overall, the Phuket economy has thus far not been too badly affected by the recent surge in the baht against major currencies.However outbound tour operators nationwide expect the strong baht to cause a 13% increase in the number of Thais traveling abroad.Charoen Wangananont, president of the Thai Travel Agents Association (TTAA) that monitors…
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FC Phuket promotion bid starts Sunday
PHUKET: Football fans will be in for a treat over the next few months, as FC Phuket vie against top teams from the AIS Regional League Division 2 for promotion to Division 1 of the Thai League. The “mini-league” fixtures were announced at a meeting of the coaches of the 12 qualifying teams held on September 29 at the Sofitel…
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“Amnesty” mulled for “pseudohotel” operators in Phuket
PHUKET: A provincial standing committee is considering offering “amnesty” to small accommodation establishments on the island as a way of encouraging them to register as “hotels” and raise their standards. The move follows the announcement last month that more than 400 establishments that offer accommodation on Phuket were not properly registered as hotels. Offering a period of “amnesty” was raised…
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Thailand not ready to upgrade English
PHUKET: It’s too soon to declare English as Thailand’s second language for teaching in schools, says Tongthong Chandransu, secretary-general of the Office of the Education Council (OEC). News reports late last week said the Education Ministry planned to declare on October 22 that English is officially the second language for teaching in Thai schools. But Tongthong denied there would be…
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Charity paddle: Father, daughter to circle Phuket by kayak
PHUKET: If there were any father-and-daughter team you would place money on being able to paddle 120 kilometers around Phuket by kayak, it would be Les Bird and his daughter Victoria.Iron-man athlete Les, 59, and seven-time triathlon champion Victoria, 11, plan to circumnavigate Phuket over three days in an effort to raise money for charity.Victoria, a seventh-grade student at the…
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Phuket to welcome Qatar Airways tomorrow
PHUKET: With the high season for tourism fast approaching, international airlines have been launching new – and more – flight services to Phuket, with some starting this month. Phuket International Airport Director Prateung Sornkham confirmed that from tomorrow, October 12, Qatar Airways will operate a new flight from Doha to Phuket, via Kuala Lumpur. Qatar’s new service will see three…
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Phuket remembers Nick Jackson
PHUKET: The final service for Nick Jackson – well-known for founding the popular Katoeys R Us bar in Patong, and more recently for his game fishing tours off Phuket – will be held at the temple across from Loma Park in Patong tomorrow morning. Mr Jackson passed away in his sleep sometime last Friday night or Saturday morning, a family…
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Phuket crime statistics: September 2010
PHUKET: According to the latest crime statistics released by the Phuket Provincial Police, crime in September fell year-on-year. The number of crimes reported in most categories last month dropped compared with the number announced for September 2009. The only major increases were in the number of gambling cases reported. Gambling: 160 people arrested in 59 reported cases, a 47.5% increase…
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Climate change: fatal for Phuket
PHUKET: Phuket’s environment will be destroyed and the island “totally ruined” within 10 to 20 years, the senior director of Thailand Environment Institutes (TEI) said yesterday. Chamniern Paul Vorratnchaiphan – who is also the Rockefeller Foundation’s Asian Cities Climate Change Resilience Network (ACCCRN) project director for TEI – made the comments at a one-day ACCCRN seminar organized by the TEI…
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Crime surge greets Phuket Veg Fest
PHUKET: Just days after Phuket’s top police officer warned crime would increase during the Vegetarian Festival, the island appears to be facing a wave of criminal activity. Yesterday alone saw at least two burglaries, the theft of a motorcycle and the arrest of a Burmese man for possession of krathom leaves. Bike theft: At around 6.30pm yesterday a school teacher…
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Old Phuket Town project wins Thailand Tourism Industry award
PHUKET: Phuket City Municipality has won a Thailand Tourism Industry 2010 “Kinnaree” Award for its Old Phuket Town redevelopment project. Phuket City Mayor Somjai Suwansupapana collected the prize in person at the awards ceremony, held on September 27 World Tourism Day at the Bangkok Convention Center at the Central World shopping complex. The judges voted to bestow the Phuket project…
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Phuket Vegetarian Festival underway
PHUKET: The Phuket Vegetarian Festival 2010 officially got underway with the arrival of the new moon early this morning. Activities to welcome down the Nine Chinese Warrior Gods from their celestial realm actually took place last night with the raising of go teng poles at participating Chinese shrines, most of which are located in or near Phuket Town. There will…
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Phuket Police investigate mystery crash fatality
PHUKET: A Phuket man died early yesterday morning in a mysterious motorbike accident on Thepkrasattri Road. Thalang Police were notified of the road fatality at about 3am yesterday. At the scene, near the Muang and Thalang district borderline, police found the body of Worrawit Thaksin, 25, lying dead at the side of the road with a badly broken jaw and…
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Phuket babies may need to carry ID cards
PHUKET: The House of Representatives yesterday passed the first reading of a Bill to require one-year-old babies nationwide to have an identification card. The bill, proposed by the Interior Minister. would lower the requirement age for carrying an ID card from 15 to one year. Following a debate of more than an hour, the Bill was approved, with 222 to…
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Phuket police warn of snatch bandits
PHUKET: Chalong Police are urging all women riding motorbikes to be wary of snatch bandits after a young woman had her gold necklace stolen in broad daylight yesterday. Thitiporn Somjan, a 23-year-old from Sakhon Nakhon, told police she was riding along Soi Na Yai with a work colleague at about 3pm when she was robbed. They were returning to their…
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Phuket cop sought over bar demolition
PHUKET: Chalong Police are looking to question a fellow police officer over his alleged role in the demolition of a bar in Kata.Boonlert Thamsue, owner of what was until recently the ‘So Nice’ bar near Club Med, told police that Pol Maj Wichan Suwannasit arrived around 8am yesterday with four other men and pulled down his bar.Chalong Police said Maj…
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Free Wi-Fi in two Phuket Town parks
PHUKET: Phuket City Municipality is now providing free Wi-Fi internet access at Saphan Hin and testing a similar service at Queen Sirikit Park on Thalang Road.The TOT has signed a contract to provide 24-hour access in both areas for three years, the municipality agreeing to paying 180,000 baht annually for the service.Phuket City Mayor Somjai Suwansupapana said the project targets…
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Phuket drivers face new layer of bureaucracy
PHUKET: Phuket drivers be warned: all new driver’s license applicants are now required to have a doctor’s certificate in order to ensure that health conditions will not adversely affect driving performance, the state-run National News Bureau of Thailand has reported. Deputy Government Spokesman Supachai Jaisamut revealed the news after a draft Transport Ministry regulation was passed by Cabinet. The Transport…
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Global warming seminar in Phuket tomorrow
PHUKET: The Thailand Environment Institute (TEI) will tomorrow hold a seminar on global warming, bringing together key Phuket businesspeople and local government leaders to raise awareness of climate change and the possible consequences for Phuket and its tourism industry. The seminar, to be held at the Phuket Merlin Hotel in Phuket Town from 8:30am to 4:30pm, is being organized under…
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‘Mud Garden’: Phuket residents protest mudslides, flooding
PHUKET: Residents of Rock Garden Phase 5 project in Rassada, who have watched in anguish as muddy floodwaters inundated their homes in recent weeks, will have to wait several more weeks before flood prevention work begins. Following yet another major flooding late last month, the fourth in two years, about 50 residents on September 26 staged a protest over the…
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Phuket IT update: ‘Facebook for business’ clinic in Patong
PHUKET: Software Park Phuket is giving a special encore presentation of its “Using Facebook to Drive Business” seminar, a free clinic designed to introduce Phuket businesses to using Facebook to augment their online sales campaigns. Sitthichai “Mr. X” Laoveerakul, director of PhuketSchool.com, originally gave the presentation last month at a Software Park Phuket meeting. Local computer expert Woody Leonhard and…
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Phuket Veg Fest: human blood needed
PHUKET: The Phuket chapter of the Thai Red Cross Society is asking for more blood donations to meet an expected rise in demand during the upcoming Phuket Vegetarian Festival and high season for tourism that follows. Pornthip Rattajak, acting director of the local Red Cross chapter, said increased stocks are needed during the high season, when the increased number of…
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Phuket Police crack motorbike theft gang
PHUKET: Phuket City Police on Sunday night arrested a member of a local motorbike theft gang. Phuket City Police on September 15 received a report from local resident Nawapon Khanom that his Yamaha Fino motorbike was stolen at 3am that day. Discovering a vehicle with no license plate parked in front of an apartment block in Rassada at 9:30pm on…
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Westin Phuket defers taxi decision
PHUKET: Management at the Westin Siray Bay Resort and Spa, a local affiliate with global resort giant Starwood Hotels, has deferred announcing its decision on whether to allow a local taxi counter inside its new luxury resort on Koh Sireh in Phuket. The announcement was made at a meeting on Saturday between the resort management team and representatives of local…
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Phuket to lead Veg Fest spending of 33.5 billion baht
PHUKET: Thais are expected to splurge 26.3% more, 33.5 billion baht altogether, on this year’s vegetarian festival, researchers in Bangkok said yesterday. “More people feel that they would like to participate in the Vegetarian Festival as the sentiment in the Kingdom this year was bad after the political turmoil,” said Saowanee Thairungroj, vice president for research at the University of…
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New Phuket governor meets honorary consuls on first day at work
PHUKET: New Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha began his work this morning by meeting honorary consuls from 11 nations and assuring them that tourism development is his top priority. The meeting took place after Gov Tri performed a traditional ceremony for incoming governors – paying respects at a statue of King Rama V outside Phuket Provincial Hall. He then met and…
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Phuket poll: Vegetarian Festival 2010
PHUKET: Phuket is busy making final preparations for the annual Vegetarian Festival, which officially gets underway with the arrival of the new moon on Friday. A great number of Phuket Town residents dress in white and observe 10 days of physical and spiritual purification by abstaining from meat, alcohol and other things viewed as contaminants by devotees. Those who choose…
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Phuket poll: Price-fixing not the answer to hotel price war
PHUKET: Fewer than 20% of Phuket Gazette readers think setting minimum standard room prices at small hotels and guesthouse in Patong is the answer to the current price-cutting war going on there. In the last Phuket Gazette readers’ poll, participants were asked: Do you think setting minimum standard room prices is the answer to price-cutting wars among small hotel and…
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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