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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Vietnamese man, 26, commits suicide in Phuket
PATONG, PHUKET: Kathu Police are treating as a ‘probable suicide’ the case of a Vietnamese man found hanged to death in his rented home in Patong early Monday morning. The corpse was identified as that of 26-year-old Huynh Tan Phong, shown in his passport as a resident of Thua Thien-Hue province in Vietnam. The body of Mr Phong, wearing white…
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Phuket’s ‘Fun Run’ to return
PHUKET: The sound of pounding running shoes will once again echo around the island when the fifth annual Laguna Phuket International Marathon kicks off on June 13. Now Asia’s fastest-growing destination marathon, more than 5,000 entrants from 45 countries are expected to take part in the event, which is preceded by a two-day expo featuring sponsors’ booths and fun activities.…
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Songkran stabbing in Phuket
CHALONG, PHUKET: Chalong Police are searching for the man responsible for a stabbing attack that left a young man in critical condition yesterday. Police were notified of the attack at about 5:30pm. By the time they arrived at the scene, an unnamed curry shop and dry goods store on Soi Thanuthep in Chalong Village 8, the victim had already been…
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Phuket tuk-tuk driver to be charged with theft from tourist
PATONG, PHUKET: Kathu Police will charge a Patong tuk-tuk driver with theft after a Maltese tourist claimed the man purposely drove off with a bag containing his cash and valuables. The tourist, 44-year-old Charles Bonavia, appeared at Kathu Police Station accompanied by a friend and two Thai women on Monday afternoon. At around 2pm that day, he and five friends…
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Phuket Police road safety crackdown underway
PATONG, PHUKET: Scores of motorists were stopped and charged with road safety violations at a police road checkpoint set up on Patong Hill at midnight on Sunday. The violators, mostly foreign tourists, had to make their way to Kathu Police Station to pay fines for a variety of infractions including operating a motorbike without a helmet, driving without a license…
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Heroic rescues prevent Phuket beach tragedy
RAWAI, PHUKET: A Thai man who helped save four children from drowning yesterday is being treated in hospital after being pulled unconscious from the water by an Italian kayaker. The near-tragedy occurred when four Phuket City youths were swept out to sea at the South end of Nai Harn Beach, the same area where 10-year-old Apichet ‘Nong Max’ Srinakarak drowned…
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Increase in flights to Phuket Intl Airport: AOT
PHUKET CITY: The effect of the political turmoil on passenger traffic at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport has thus far been limited, with increased traffic at Phuket International Airport making up for some of the shortfall, Airports of Thailand (AoT) has announced. Suvarnabhumi Airport Director Niran Theeranatsin said that before the protests 16 international and domestic carriers had requested an additional…
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Hong Kong shuns Bangkok, Phuket not affected
Phuket NEWS Hound – A daily digest of news from around the world compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PHUKET: Hong Kong travel agents yesterday announced the cancellation of all tours to Bangkok until at least April 21 because of the political violence in the Thai capital. Earth Times reports that around 80 tour groups with more than…
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Phuket Tourism at Ground Zero
PHUKET: While the term ‘ground zero’ became the idiom for the 9/11 attacks in New York in 2001, the phrase is far older than that, dating at least as far back as the Manhattan Project and the World War II bombing of Hiroshima. On the heels of Saturday’s tragic events in Bangkok, Thailand’s tourism industry has become the global poster…
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Phuket Bike Week 2010 rolls on
PATONG, PHUKET: Big bike enthusiasts have been enjoying Phuket Big Bike Week 2010, which started with a mechanical roar in Patong on Friday. Riders will today take a break from the many organized activities and prepare for Songkran festivities that start tomorrow. Over the past few days, riders have enjoyed concerts, beach parties, beauty and tattoo contests and convoy rides…
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Phuket safe, but warnings on ‘Thailand’ vary widely
Phuket NEWS Hound – A daily digest of news from around the world compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PHUKET: Germany advised travelers yesterday to avoid going near large crowds when visiting Thailand. The update to the travel advisory, reported by Earth Times, notes that the Foreign Ministry website says Germans should “stay well away from demonstrations” and…
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Phuket-bound tourists may file insurance claims
PHUKET TOWN: Foreign tourists affected by recent rioting in Bangkok may be eligible for financial compensation of up to US$ 10,000 through a state-run insurance scheme. According to the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) website, the Royal Thai Government in May 2009 set up an insurance scheme for foreigners visiting the Kingdom ‘who are affected by losses or harms…
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A THAI LAMENTS: “Our darkest hour”
PHUKET: The saddest thing is everyone had predicted this and there were so many opportunities to prevent it. In the end, either the curse was too strong or the dark wills of some of those involved to see it happen simply overwhelmed efforts to stop it from happening. A nation that once thought it had matured learned the hardest way…
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‘Normal’ Songkran expected for Phuket
Phuket NEWS Hound – A daily digest of news from around the world compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PHUKET: Songkran celebrations in Phuket as well as 13 other Thai provinces are scheduled to take place as planned, despite the current state of emergency and cancellation of official celebrations in Bangkok. Asia One News reports that China has…
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15 dead as Bangkok protests explode
PHUKET: Fifteen people have been killed and more than 650 injured in clashes between troops and anti-government protesters in Bangkok. Five soldiers are being held hostage by demonstrators and a journalist with Reuters news agency is among the dead. In a report filed at 3am in Thailand today, Sky.com says soldiers fired rubber bullets and some live rounds at opposition…
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Violence and arson at troubled Phuket project
WICHIT, PHUKET: A violent confrontation and arson attack outside the troubled Phanason City project last night ended when police arrived and fired warning shots, causing those involved to run for cover. The latest skirmish in the months-old battle started at about 9pm. Around 200 men alleged to be project workers tried to destroy and burn some 40 motorbikes and a…
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Meditation training in Phuket
PHUKET CITY: The Middle Way will resume its free meditation training with a special pre-Songkran session at the Phuket Meditation Center starting at 3pm tomorrow. The teaching monk will be Phra River Bhaddako, a Theravadan Buddhist monk for three years with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Swansea University where he founded that school’s Open Meditation Society. Phra River has…
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Phuket protest over Club Med wall
KATA, PHUKET: More than 100 local residents yesterday gathered at the Club Med Hotel in Phuket to protest construction of a concrete wall enclosing the resort’s property. Protester Pradit Thamwatthana said hotel staff began staking out the position of the wall with bamboo poles two weeks ago. The 1.5-meter-high wall would seal off six rai of land that in recent…
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Phuket calm as drama escalates in Bangkok
Phuket NEWS Hound – A daily digest of news from around the world compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PHUKET: The latest development in the month-long standoff in the Bangkok-based anti-government demonstrations saw the protesters storming a satellite television station yesterday. Meanwhile, Phuket remained as calm and seemingly detached from the action as Perth, Pretoria or Pittsburgh. The…
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Coming soon: Phuket’s new bridge
MAI KHAO, PHUKET: The construction firm building a new bridge to Phuket has released computer generated images of what the project will look like upon completion. Project engineer Dr Phattanapong Thonsuk of project contractor Italian-Thai Development Co said the old Sarasin Bridge has suffered from years of saltwater corrosion and wear and is being replaced following concerns by the Highway…
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Bike in wrong lane causes Phuket truck flip
PHUKET: A motorcyclist driving down the bypass road in the wrong direction caused a truck to flip over in Phuket this morning. The driver of the modified pickup, 27-year-old Niwasan Duangjan, panicked when he saw the bike heading straight for him, and turned sharply on the highway opposite Premium Outlet around 10am. No-one was injured. — Atchaa Khamlo
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Phuket tourism: TAT targets Vietnam
PHUKET: The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) hopes the establishment of Phuket as a regional air hub will help the country attract more than 400,000 visitors from Vietnam for the first time this year. Pichai Raktasinha, Director of the TAT office in Ho Chi Minh City, said the number of Vietnamese arrivals in Thailand has risen steadily in recent years,…
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Tourists told to visit Phuket
Phuket NEWS Hound – A daily digest of news from around the world compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PHUKET: Thailand’s PM Abhisit Vejjajiva has declared a State of Emergency in Bangkok and surrounding provinces. A State of Emergency dramatically increases the power of the government, but it really means little to the average tourist and very much…
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Songkran 2010: Northern turmoil boosts Phuket
PHUKET: With red shirts now rallying in provinces across Thailand’s North and Northeast, Phuket is an increasingly attractive destination for tourists over the upcoming Songkran holiday. Members of the United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD) are gathering in 17 northern provinces to support their fellow protesters in Bangkok, Interior Minister Chaovarat Chanweerakul said earlier today. “Although protests are sprouting…
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Phuket leatherback eggs fail to hatch
MAI KHAO, PHUKET: Hopes that two clutches of eggs could spell a reversal of fortune for Phuket’s endangered leatherback sea turtle population were dashed last month when the eggs failed to hatch. Mai Khao Sea Turtle Conservation Group member Somporn Anupun said the 130 eggs, laid in mid-January, failed to hatch as expected in March. The two clutches, thought to…
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Malaysia gains edge over Phuket
Phuket NEWS Hound – A daily digest of news from around the world compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PHUKET: Etihad Holidays, a division of Etihad Airways, has announced a new cooperative agreement with Tourism Malaysia to promote holiday packages to Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Langkawi and Kota Kinabalu, giving them a clear advantage over Phuket as a popular tourist destination in…
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Songkran splashdown in Old Phuket Town
PHUKET: While getting soaked during Songkran in Patong has long been inevitable, the chances of staying dry in Phuket Old Town used to be somewhat higher. Not this year. In a bid to reduce crowding on Patong Beach, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is pushing Phuket Old Town as an alternative setting for the New Year water fight. In…
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Tsunami alert prompts confusion in Phuket
PHUKET: Confusion reigned in coastal areas of Phuket this morning after a tsunami ‘advisory alert’ was mistaken by many as a full-scale evacuation order. The alert followed a 7.5-richter earthquake at about 5:15am local time along the north coast of Sumatra in Indonesia, along the same fault zone that triggered the 2004 tsunami disaster. Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop ordered the…
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Woman charged over Phuket road killing
PHUKET: Chalong Police have charged a 28-year-old Thai woman with causing death by dangerous driving after she ran over a pedestrian in her pick-up truck last night. Sumarin Jaiboon hit Sathit Saenkla, a 57-year-old builder from Phang Nga, at high speed on Chao Fa West Road at the entrance to Soi Yodsane at around 11pm. Mr Sathit, who had just…
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Phuket landlord electrocuted on roof
PHUKET TOWN: A landlord was electrocuted on Saturday while trying to fix the roof of a house in Phuket Town. Phuket native Vissanu Thipsunthornnon, 42, was found dead with his legs dangling off the roof of the house on Wichit Songkhram Road at around 9am. Mr Vissanu’s wife said tenants had complained the roof was damaged in heavy rain the…
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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