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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Bangkok death toll hits 16
PHUKET: The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration’s Emergency Health Center this morning revised its death and injury toll from yesterday’s clashes between troops and protesters, to 16 dead and 157 people injured. Andrew Drummond, a British journalist with decades of experience in reporting news in Thailand and Southeast Asia, told the Gazette that the capital seemed “much quieter” and traffic seemed to…
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Phuket still safe for tourism: Russian Ambassador
PHUKET: The Russian ambassador to Thailand reaffirmed Phuket as a safe tourist destination after a tour of the island last weekend. Santi Udomkiratak, Deputy Honorary Consul of the Russian Federation for Phuket, Krabi and Phang-nga, said that Russian Ambassador Alexander Mariyasov reiterated during his visit that the current political turmoil in Bangkok had very little effect on the safety of…
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Internet outages plague Phuket
PHUKET: Following a week of intermittent internet access, at times leaving consumers with no access at all, Triple Broad Band Internet (3BB) has confirmed that the outages are expected to continue until the end of the month while the company installs a new network. Pongsakorn Yuktawet, General Manager of 3BB’s Upper Southern Region, based in Phuket, said the outages were…
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Phuket hotel occupancy in “massive decline”
Phuket NEWS Hound – A daily digest of news from around the world compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PHUKET: The Tourism Authority of Thailand’s deputy governor for marketing communications, Prakit Piriyakiet, has just completed an inspection of hotels and resorts in Phuket, Krabi and Khao Lak to shortlist properties for the annual Thailand Tourism Awards. The trip revealed…
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Blackout in Thalang
THALANG: The Thalang office of the Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) has announced power cuts to carry out maintenance on high voltage wires from 9am to 5pm on Saturday. Affected areas are along the west side of Thepkrasattri Road, from the offices of the Kata Thai Company (near the old Siam City Cement plant) all the way to the Muang Thalang…
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Crucial Phuket road deteriorating
PHUKET: The state of the Patong-Karon road has gotten worse over the years and accidents are now an everyday occurrence, local residents say.The name of the winding road, dubbed Route 4233, changes from Sirirat Road on the Patong side to Patak Road after passing into tambon Karon near Le Meridien Phuket Beach Resort.Three sections are particularly hazardous due to poor…
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Phuket bids to save the dog conch
PA KHLOK, PHUKET: In a bid to increase depleted stocks, fisheries workers released 12,000 cultured dog conch shells into the sea off Pa Khlok in Phuket earlier this month.The operation was conducted jointly by the Marine and Coastal Resources Conservation Center 5 in Phuket and the Phang Nga Coastal Fishery Research and Development Center, where the dog conches (hawy chak…
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“Kathu Culture Road’ fair in Phuket
PHUKET: Kathu will host its second annual ‘Kathu Culture Road’ fair from June 25 to 27, the municipality has announced. Kathu Mayor Chaianan Suthikul said they decided to host this year’s event in June as a way of attracting more tourists in the low season and to preserve Kathu’s unique culture. With a total budget of about 1 million baht,…
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Summary / Update on Thai crisis
PHUKET: Thailand is tense this morning after clashes between “Red Shirt” anti-government protesters and troops left one dead and eight wounded, including a renegade general allied with some factions among the demonstrators. The fresh violence in Bangkok last night came after Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva shelved a plan to hold early elections in November and hopes faded for resolution of…
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Thailand, but not Phuket, in lockdown
PHUKET: The Centre for the Resolution of the Emergency Situation (CRES) has imposed emergency law in 15 more provinces in the central, northern and northeastern parts of Thailand, CRES spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd said. Phuket, however, is not on the list of affected provinces and remains calm, as it has been since the red-shirt demonstrations began two months ago. The 2nd…
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Patong tuk-tuk drivers get driving lessons
PATONG: Yes, the headline is correct. In hopes of boosting the image of public transport in Patong, the newly-launched Patong Taxi Federation (PTF) saw its first 80 members complete a driver’s training course on May 8 at the Phuket Land Transport Office. Preechavude Keesin, president of the PTF and son of Patong Mayor Pian Keesin, oversaw the training, which consisted…
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Hong Kong man dies in Phuket car crash
CHERNG TALAY, PHUKET: A Chinese man was killed in a car crash when he overshot a curve and slammed into a wall on Monday night. Hong Kong resident Kam Yum Lee, 57, died in his car near Cherng Talay School on Srisoonthorn Road. Cherng Talay Police Duty Officer Suphachai Poolkaew received a report of the accident around 10pm on Monday.…
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New marketing director at Laguna Phuket
Phuket NEWS Hound – A daily digest of news from around the world compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PHUKET: The Sheraton Grande Laguna Phuket has announced the appointment of Ms Erica Robinson as Director of Marketing Communications. She will lead the marketing and communication strategies for the resort, which is based in the Laguna Phuket complex. With ten…
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Phuket shunned by travellers
PHUKET: In poll results sure to shock many in Phuket, Thailand’s Koh Lanta, Khao Lak, Koh Pha-Ngan and Koh Samui have won 4 out of 10 honors for the Top Ten beach destinations in Asia. Phuket did not rank among them. The poll, conducted by TripAdvisor and titled ‘Traveler’s Choice Awards for 2010’, closed yesterday. The Thai beach resorts were…
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Hot, humid conditions in Phuket
PHUKET: Thai authorities issued a public health warning earlier this week after nationwide temperatures soared to their highest in 20 years. With temperatures across the country hitting 40 degrees Celsius, the Public Health Ministry advised people to stay indoors to avoid getting heat stroke. Public Health Minister Jurin Laksanawisit said exposure to heat could result in abnormally high body temperature,…
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Bomb found at ASTV Phuket office
PHUKET: A shopping bag containing a live hand grenade was found hanging from the front door of the ASTV television network office in downtown Phuket Town this morning. Phuket City Police were informed by the Phuket Special Branch Police at about 9am that someone had called in to report that a bomb had been placed at the office, located in…
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Frank Visakay dies in Phuket, age 71
PHUKET: Long-term Phuket expat Frank Visakay of the USA died in his rented home in Rawai today of apparent heart failure. He was 71. Neighbors discovered his body in his home on Soi Pattana after becoming concerned because he had not left the house for a few days. Friends close to Mr Visakay said he had been suffering from a…
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Phuket police nab serial thief
PHUKET: Chalong Police are seeking a foreign tourist whose credit card and Norwegian driving license were recovered during the arrest of an alleged serial thief over the weekend. Chalong Police Inspector Sutham Rattanasawangwongse received a tipoff at 5:30pm on Sunday that 40-year-old Sombat Supprasit was spotted riding a motorbike without a license plate near Nong Harn Lake in Karon. Mr…
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Riddle in THAI’s Phuket policy
Phuket NEWS Hound – A daily digest of news from around the world compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PHUKET: Cancellations and a shortfall in advance bookings are forcing THAI Airways to revise its route network, capacity and fleet use to curb losses. Phuket continues to be a riddle in the plans. According to TTR Weekly, adjustments are…
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Russian tourist dies in Phuket motorbike crash
PHUKET: One Russian tourist is dead and another critically injured following a motorbike collision in Karon yesterday. Chalong Police were notified at 2am of a crash near the PTT service station on Patak East Road. The body of the deceased, identified as 28-year-old Russian national Sergei Poliakov, was taken to Vachira Phuket Hospital. His passenger, 28-year-old Savila Donovakina, was also…
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Firefighting blunder leaves Phuket lumberyard in cinders
PHUKET: A lumberyard in Thalang sustained hundreds of thousands of baht in damages yesterday after firefighters from Thepkrasattri Municipality rushed to fight the blaze with an empty water tank. Local residents reported a fire at Ta Wood Trading on Thepkrasattri northbound at about 2pm yesterday. The fire was still small when the firefighters arrived, but after realizing their fire truck’s…
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FC Phuket down Surat Thani, 2-0
PHUKET: FC Phuket went into the mid-season break on a high note, defeating the Surat Thani Roosters 2-0 at Surakul Stadium on Saturday. Despite the absence of influential Ivory Coast midfielder Diarra Ali, the Southern Sea Kirin put on another solid performance. Both sides struggled to find rhythm early in the game, but FC Phuket eventually took the lead in…
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Phuket car sales on the rise
PHUKET: Car dealerships in Phuket are reporting that first quarter sales are up about 40 percent year-on-year, with sales to foreigners accounting for as much as half of sales at some showrooms. Buyer preference is shifting from pick-ups and SUVs to passengers cars, which are easier to park on the island’s increasingly congested streets, several dealerships report. Among dealerships the…
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Phuket tsunami alert canceled
PHUKET: A tsunami alert for Phuket and five other nearby Andaman provinces this afternoon was canceled less than a hour after it had been issued. The National Disaster Warning Center issued the alert for Phuket, Phang Nga, Krabi, Satun, Ranong and Trang at 1:18pm. The alert followed a 7.4 magnitude earthquake which struck off northern Sumatra in Indonesia at 12.59pm.…
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TAT bike tour of Old Phuket Town
PHUKET: The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) office in Phuket is inviting people to take part in an educational bike ride around Phuket Old Town on May 23. The four-hour ride, which starts at 7am, will be a cultural tour of the town with stops at historically important sites and explanations about the local way of life. The event is…
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Phuket jabs ‘Swine Flu’
Phuket NEWS Hound – A daily digest of news from around the world compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PHUKET: Around 700 service people in Phuket, comprising drivers of taxis, tuk tuks, motorbike taxis, and other vehicles for hire, along with their family members, were vaccinated against the A H1N1 virus earlier this week. The free inoculations were…
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Score one for Phuket football
PHUKET: Officials from the newly-formed Phuket Football Association (PFA) have committed themselves to develop football in the province following an AFC Vision Asia team’s assessment visit to initiate their Vision Thailand Project in Phuket. Football officials in Phuket have high hopes that the island will become the next haven for the Asian Football Confederation’s (AFC’s) Vision Asia program. The AFC,…
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Swedish tourist slashed in Phuket robbery
KARON, PHUKET: Police are hunting a bandit who slashed a young Swedish tourist’s wrist after she resisted his efforts to steal her bag. The victim, 22-year-old Emilia Therese Andersson, needed several stitches at Patong Hospital after the attack, which took place near the tsunami warning tower on the beach road. Miss Andersson told Lt Chachawan Phoonareumit of Chalong Police she…
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New EMS service launched in Phuket
PHUKET: Delivering pianos to Chiang Mai and letters to mom in New York got easier on April 30 when Thailand Post opened a new service center in Koh Kaew. ‘Phuket EMS World and Logispost’ is the only facility in the region dedicated to international deliveries and shipments of large items. EMS World and Logispost chief Narat Sangarkas said service standards…
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Backhoe saved from Phuket mire
RASSADA, PHUKET: A machine operator is crediting divine intervention for the safe recovery of his backhoe, which was successfully pulled from a saltwater mud flat after a 15-hour operation yesterday. Backhoe owner-operator Prasert Nakhaphan was contracted by Rassada Municipality to dredge a drainage ditch from a tin mining pond into Phuket Bay in Rassada Village 7. Access to the work…
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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