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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Phuket ready for Chinese tourists
PHUKET: Roughly 800,000 foreign tourists are expected to take part in concurrent celebrations of Chinese New Year and Valentine’s Day in Thailand today, with many of them having arrived in Phuket on charter flights. Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Governor Suraphon Svetasreni said on Friday that 120,000 ethnic Chinese were expected to arrive inn Thailand from China, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong…
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Swedes skate from Chiang Mai to Singapore
PHUKET TOWN: Two Swedes who are skating almost 5,000 kilometers from Chiang Mai to Singapore are on course to roll into Phuket next month for a quick respite – and maybe a foot massage or two. Education workers Jim Petersson, 25, and his girlfriend Maria Larsson, 29, have endured high speed spills, heat and exhaustion, but say they’re relishing the…
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Phuket beach safety delayed
PHUKET TOWN: The return of lifeguards to Phuket beaches has been delayed because no companies have bid for the contract to supply them. The Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (PPAO) has had to sweeten the contractual terms to encourage more bidders to come forward. The winning company will now have to supply beach guards for 10 months of the year instead…
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‘Patong Taxi Federation’ formed
PATONG, PHUKET: More than one thousand tuk-tuk, motorbike and car taxi drivers are banding together to form a new ‘Patong Taxi Federation’. One of the organization’s primary goals will be to clean up the image held by many of Patong’s taxi drivers. A second aim will be to improve traffic flow by having a central body that will oversee all…
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Paragliders to get high in Phuket
RAWAI, PHUKET: International daredevils are getting ready to throw themselves from the island’s southernmost cliffs as part of Phuket’s first ever ‘Fun Fly’ paragliding festival in May. The festival will take place at Laem Phromthep, Nai Harn Beach, Ya Nui Beach, and Koh Deang, where Phuket’s only wind turbine is located. The death-defying event is the brainchild of Phuket Paragliding…
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Human smuggling: soldiers nabbed in Phuket
PHUKET: Two former soldiers face up to five years in jail for attempting to smuggle four Burmese illegal immigrants from Phuket to Kanchanaburi. Immigration Police arrested Cpl Chettha Moonnam, 52, and L/Cpl Prasit Moonnam, 48, on Tuesday night. There were four Burmese women in the back of the men’s pick-up when it was stopped at around 10pm on Thepkrasattri Road…
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Haiti fundraiser in Phuket tonight
PATONG, PHUKET: The Phuket Chapter of the Thai Red Cross Society is holding a large fundraiser for victims of the Haitian earthquake in Patong tonight. From 6pm until midnight, performers from Phuket FantaSea and Simon Cabaret will take to a stage set up by the beach at Loma Park. There will also be a fashion show staged by the local…
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Home invasion: Frenchman fends off Fortuner attack in Phuket
PHUKET TOWN: Chalong Police are hunting for the owner of a ‘beer bar’ who allegedly drove his Toyota Fortuner into the house of a former friend, then entered the home and began smashing property. When Chalong Police arrived at the house on Soi Saiyuan in Rawai around 2pm yesterday, they found 31-year-old Gabriel Troisgros in a state of shock. Mr…
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Tourist safety: Phuket Gov meets honorary consuls
PHUKET TOWN: The Phuket Governor met with honorary consuls from 16 countries yesterday afternoon to discuss ways to improve safety for foreign tourists on holiday in Phuket. Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop chaired the meeting, which was hosted by the Royal Phuket City Hotel. Only the honorary consul from Spain was unable to attend. After all attendees introduced themselves at the…
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Danish Prince Henrik coming to Phuket
PHUKET TOWN: Phuket is preparing for the arrival of Prince Henrik of Denmark in mid-February. Louis Bronner, manager of Mom Tri’s Boathouse, last week met with Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop to discuss security arrangements during the Danish royal’s stay on the island. Governor Wichai said he was notified by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that Prince Henrik, husband of the…
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Phuket braces for “ice’ storm
PHUKET: Ya ice is replacing ya bah as the drug of choice for Phuket’s teenagers, according to the island’s top police officer. Phuket Provincial Police Commander Pekad Tantipong’s comments came after police seized 100,000 baht’s worth of ya ice (crystal methamphetamine) in a sting operation over the weekend. Six were arrested on drug charges. Maj Gen Pekad and Phuket City…
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February blood drive in Phuket
PHUKET TOWN: The Phuket Chapter of the Thai Red Cross Society in conjunction with the Phuket Regional Office of the National Blood Center has announced the following dates and times for it mobile donation clinics for February: February 10 (10am to 2pm): Phuket Wittayalai School, Phuket Town February 11 (11am to 3pm): Jungceylon, Patong February 15 (1pm to 4pm): Radi…
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Car crushes cobra in Mai Khao
PHUKET TOWN: A cobra trying to cross Thepkrasattri Road in Thalang got crushed by oncoming traffic late yesterday afternoon. Estonian freelance photographer Ardo Kaljuvee, who happened to be driving past at the time, was among the many motorists who stopped to view the remains of the flattened serpent, which was at least three meters in length. The snake’s final slither…
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Phuket fishing boat scuttled after blaze
RASSADA, PHUKET: A wooden fishing boat that burst into flames during repair work this morning was deliberately sunk in the waters of Klong Tha Cheen. After receiving a report of a boat fire at about 9:30am, Phuket City Police, Marine Police and four fire engines from Rassada Municipality and Phuket City Municipality rushed to the scene. Arriving at the Pichai…
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Phuket Readers’ Poll: closing times
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop is reportedly lobbying the government in Bangkok to have the closing time for bars and nightclubs in Patong extended to 4am. What do you think is the best closing time for nightlife venues in Patong? Click on the icon on the top right of this screen or here to cast your vote in the latest…
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Man killed in bypass road collision
RASSADA, PHUKET: A young man was killed last night when he drove his motorbike at high speed into the back of an 18-wheel truck parked on the bypass road. Police believe 22-year-old Uthen Thepohol failed to notice the truck because its tail lights were switched off. Mr Uthen, from Nakhon Phanom province, died instantly in the smash, which happened around…
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Phuket prepped for Super Bowl
PHUKET TOWN: Super Bowl XLIV (that’s 44), the culmination of the NFL season and the biggest annual sporting event in the USA, will kick off early tomorrow morning, Thai time. The New Orleans Saints and the Indianapolis Colts will meet in Miami to decide the destination of the next Vince Lombardi trophy. It will be an historic occasion for the…
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Phuket bar destroyed in arson attack
RAWAI, PHUKET: Police are investigating an arson attack that completely destroyed the popular Roxanne Bar on Wichit Rd in Rawai early yesterday morning. Chalong Police were notified of the blaze at 3:30am. It took two Rawai Municipality fire engines about 30 minutes to put out the flames, but not before they destroyed the bar and everything inside. Located near the…
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Maimed pilot in Phuket: ‘I will fly again’
PHUKET TOWN: Cathay Pacific airline pilot Scott McDonald is trying to put his life back together after his lower calf and foot were sliced off by a speeding motorbike in a freak accident in Phuket late last month. As the American lay bleeding on the pavement, a passerby who witnessed the accident used the victim’s cellphone to call for help…
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Paddlers go for gold in Phuket
PA KHLOK, PHUKET: One of the more colorful events taking place this weekend is the 6th Annual ‘Hua Tong’ Boat Paddling competition at Ao Por Pier in Pa Khlok. Eighteen teams with ten paddlers each are taking part in the main competition, which began at 9am yesterday with an opening ceremony presided over by Phuket Vice Governor Smith Palawatwichai. In…
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Donations sought for Phuket road project completion
PHUKET TOWN: Wichit Municipality is seeking donations to help build a new house for a family of squatters who are holding up completion of a new road running behind Darasamuth School. Wichit Mayor Kreetar Saetan told the Gazette the municipality currently lacks the funds to build a new home for Chamnan Rungklin and his family, even though they already have…
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American found dead in Phuket home
PHUKET TOWN: Police are investigating whether an Immigration Police Volunteer found dead in his Rawai home committed suicide or was murdered. American national Richard Johnson, 67, was found slumped against his bedroom door with electrical cord around his neck yesterday evening. There were wounds to his neck and forehead. The death was discovered by an unidentified friend of the deceased,…
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Red shirts plan big Phuket rally
PHUKET TOWN: Leaders of Phuket’s small red shirt movement yesterday declared the group will no longer back down against parties denying them their right to free speech – and say they are planning a large regional rally in Phuket. Four leaders of the ‘Phuket Protect Democratic Group’ [sic], the local branch of the National United Front of Democracy Against Dictatorship…
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Phuket cops speak on tourist murders
PATONG, PHUKET: Patong’s most senior cop says perceived injustice, drunkenness and robbery attempts are the three factors that lead Thais to assault foreigners. Kathu Police Superintendent Grissak Songmoonnark says it is important to examine the underlying causes of Thai-on-farang violence. The comments come just after the announcement of Col Grissak’s transfer from the bright lights of Patong to Phang Nga’s…
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Phuket to benefit from EVA – Bangkok Air agreement
PHUKET TOWN: Bangkok Airways and Taipei-based long-haul carrier EVA Air have signed a ‘code share’ agreement for services from Amsterdam, Vienna, London (Heathrow) and Taipei to Phuket, Koh Samui, Phuket and Chiang Mai. A code share agreement enables two airlines to sell seats on the same flight. Under the agreement, EVA will operate the international flights and Bangkok Air will…
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No more free visas for Phuket tourists and expats
PHUKET: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bangkok, who oversees the Royal Thai Embassies and Consulates worldwide, today confirmed that visa fees will be levied for all visa classes from March 5, 2010. Tourist visas are valid for a 60 day-stay and may be extended at local Thai Immigration offices. Foreigners entering Thailand under the Tourist Visa Exemption category (free…
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Phuket red shirt rally foiled by residents
WICHIT, PHUKET: Plans by supporters of deposed Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to hold a peaceful rally at the Navy Base at Cape Panwa early this afternoon got off to a bad start this morning, when the red-shirts got into a fight with local residents. Following the argument, the red-shirted members of the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) were…
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Phuket could benefit from Finnish retirement community plan
PHUKET TOWN: Finland plans to build serviced apartments for retirees in Thailand, the Finnish website aamulehti.fi has reported. The move is intended to help Finnish retirees enjoy their golden years in this country, where their pension savings and other benefits will go much further than in Finland. According to Finnish government projections, the population of people aged 65 years and…
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TAT moves to keep “zero fare tour’ packages out of Phuket
PHUKET TOWN: The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is working to establish a standardized system of ‘branded’ tours to Phuket specifically for the Chinese market. The initiative, intended to keep ‘zero tour fare’ package operators out of Phuket, was discussed at a meeting of tourism industry leaders held at The Metropole hotel last week. Presiding over the meeting was TAT…
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Phuket firemen battle inferno
WICHIT, PHUKET: It took over fifty firefighters three hours to bring a blaze at a recycling center in Wichit under control last night. The blaze started at about 7:40pm at the Naka Recycle warehouse, located just north of the turnoff to Wat Naka on Chao Fah West Road. A total of 18 fire engines rushed to the scene: six from…
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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