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 prepares for HRH Princess Bejaratana’s birthday
THALANG, PHUKET: Phuket will join the rest of the nation in celebrating the 84th birthday of Her Royal Highness Princess Bejaratana Rajasuda Sirisobhabannavadi on November 24. Tha Rua Temple in Thalang has been chosen as the focal point for the celebrations. Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop will open the activities at the temple at 9.30am. Locations for celebrations held by the…
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Fury over flooding in Patong
PATONG / PHUKET: Pedestrians and motorists were struggling through meter-deep floodwater on Nanai Road this evening following heavy rains earlier today. Local residents fed up with the flooding, which they claim has become worse over the past few months, have nicknamed the 50-meter stretch of road ‘Nanai River’. Several local residents who spoke to the Gazette in May predicted severe…
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Phuket man demands justice after cops’ “black bag’ threat
PHUKET CITY: A foreign exchange teller questioned in connection with the theft of 1.8 million baht from a Patong bank claims Kathu Police officers threatened to send him home ‘in a black bag’ unless he confessed to the crime. Samarn Pul-ied, who spent around 24 hours in custody at Kathu Police Station on November 8 and 9, also claims officers…
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Reef relief: Phuket fishermen get massive haul
KARON, PHUKET: An artificial coral reef sunk off Phuket’s Karon Beach two years ago is thought to be responsible for a bumper haul of fish caught by local fishermen earlier this month. Around 400 jacks weighing four to five kilos each were caught in a single day by a small group of fishermen using a local type of net called…
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Expectations high for Phuket’s high season
PHUKET CITY: The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has announced that hotel occupancy rates in Phuket should hit 80 percent during the high season. According to the new TAT South Region 4 office director Ms Bangornrat Shinaprayoon, Phuket hotel and tour operators say advance bookings are on the rise. Occupancy rates should climb to 80 percent after the Christmas and New Year…
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Belgian beauties arrive on Phuket
PHUKET: Twenty Miss Belgium 2010 contestants began an eight-day stay on Phuket today with an introduction to the media at the Cape Panwa Hotel and Spa.The beauty pageant finalists are in Phuket by invitation of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) and will be taking part in photo and video shoots, kayaking and Thai cooking classes around the island.TAT South…
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Celestial light show over Phuket this week
PHUKET: If the night sky over Phuket remains clear this week stargazers will be treated to the spectacle of hundreds of meteors streaking overhead, early Wednesday morning.The annual celestial show known as The Leonids occurs as the Earth passes through the trail of an ancient comet.Astronomers predict a shower of up to 500 meteors per hour, visible to the naked…
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Phuket bike bandit leaves Brits broke
PHUKET: Two tourists robbed in Kata were left penniless when a thief snatched a bag containing all their remaining holiday cash from the basket on their rented motorbike last week.The thief, riding another motorbike, snatched the bag on Kata Noi Road early Monday evening.The bag belonging to British holidaymaker 21-year-old Emma Kim Parker, a passenger on the bike driven by a male…
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Race against time on Phuket’s Thalang Road
PHUKET CITY: Work to bury power cables along Thalang Rd is nearing completion and the city is hoping to have the project completely finished in time for the fourth Old Phuket Town Festival next month. Aekapop Patpathom, project engineer with the Provincial Electrical Authority (PEA) office in Phuket, said all of the underground conduits have been installed. He initially expected…
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Phuket land dispute heats up
PHUKET CITY: The tense standoff at the Panason City construction site heated up this morning when landless villagers set fires to prevent backhoes from covering their modest homes with dirt and warning gunshots were fired by workers. The fires were set at about 10am today and warning shots were fired into the air by backhoe operators around noon, one of…
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Phuket Veg Fest out of control: Readers’ Poll
PHUKET CITY: Almost half of Phuket Gazette readers think the annual Phuket Vegetarian Festival is ‘getting out of hand’ in terms of firecrackers and self-mutilation, and that the authorities should step in and impose some order. Of the 330 readers who took part in the poll, 48.8% overall agreed with the statement that: ‘The fireworks and self-mutilation are out of…
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Phuket teen nets badminton gold
PHUKET CITY: Phuket badminton star Maneepong Jongjit, 18, helped to secure Thailand’s first-ever gold medal at the Yonex-Sunrise BWF World Junior Championship in Malaysia earlier this month, winning the mixed doubles title with partner Rodjana Chuthabunditkul. Maneepong and Rodjana overcame Indonesian duo Angga Pratama and Destiara Haris Della by two sets to one (21-19, 14-21, 21-17) in 38 minutes to…
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MNRE orders halt to Phuket mangrove destruction
THEPKRASATTRI, PHUKET: After receiving a deluge of complaints, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE) Suwit Khunkitti has ordered his department to put a stop to the continuing destruction of Phuket’s dwindling mangrove forest reserves. On Wednesday morning, Mr Suwit sent high-ranking officials to a site at Thamaphrao Village in Tambon Thepkrasattri, where more than 50 rai of forest have…
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Award winning DJ makes Phuket debut
PATONG, PHUKET: US DJ and remix artist extraordinaire David Morales will make his long-awaited Phuket debut this Friday at Seduction Beach Club and Disco at Patong Beach.The multi-award winning producer and artist is probably most famous for his 1998 hit single Needin’ U, which was released under the alias The Face.The American ‘superstar DJ’ will bring his own blend of…
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Michael Jackson’s This Is It arrives in Phuket
PHUKET: The Michael Jackson documentary This Is It is now showing at the SFX Coliseum cinema in Central Festival Phuket, an SFX spokesperson has confirmed.The announcement follows news last month that Phuket cinemas could not show the digital version of the movie upon its worldwide release on October 28 as none of the theaters had the digital projection equipment required.However,…
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Swiss arrested on child molestation charges
PHUKET CITY: A former Swiss bank employee and tourist to Phuket has been arrested in Chiang Mai on charges of sexually harassing boys under the age of 15.Region 5 Police identified the alleged pedophile as Swiss national Cornel Josef Wietlisbach, age 54.Mr Wietlisbach’s arrest followed a one-month investigation by police and Swiss Embassy officials.Police made the arrest after questioning his…
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Phuket reds, yellows ready to roll
PHUKET: Phuket’s yellow-shirted People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) supporters and their red-shirted opponents, the United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD), will both be traveling to large gatherings in the near future.The Phuket PAD will be heading to Bangkok to protest former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s appointment to a high-level advisory position by Cambodian premier Hun Sen.The protest will…
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Phuket child protection agency seeks donations
PHUKET CITY: The Phuket Juvenile Observation and Protection Center is accepting donations of second-hand goods to sell as part of its ‘Share our love with Children’ charity project set to take place at the annual Red Cross Fair over the New Year’s holiday period this year. The 2009 Red Cross Fair will take place at Saphan Hin for 10 days,…
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Belgian beauties bound for Phuket
PHUKET CITY: Twenty Belgian beauties will touch down in Phuket on Monday as part of eight days of activities in the run up to the 2010 Miss Belgium pageant. Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) South Region 4 office director Bangornrat Shinaprayoon said the activities will include beach tours, photo and video shoots, kayaking in Phang Nga Bay, Thai cooking classes,…
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Chalong – Patong road ‘coming soon’
PHUKET CITY: A new road linking Chalong and Patong will reduce accidents, save fuel and result in the destruction of fewer trees than detractors believe, the Phuket governor said on Monday. Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop was addressing a meeting at Provincial Hall to discuss progress on the controversial project, a key part of his plan to improve Phuket’s road network.…
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Phuket blackout schedule announced
PHUKET CITY: The Phuket office of the Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) has announced the following scheduled power cuts to carry out maintenance on high voltage wires, starting with parts of Chalong on Thursday.November 12 (9am to 4pm): ChalongAffected areas include parts of Patak Rd, south side, from Chalong Circle to the Phuket Shooting Range. Patak Villa is among the affected…
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Phuket FC tryout rescheduled
AO MAKHAM, PHUKET: Open trials for Phuket FC soccer team have been postponed two days until November 14. The trial will now take place at the FIFA Tsunami Memorial Center at Ao Makham this Saturday from 4pm to 6pm. Phuket FC are looking to bolster the squad ahead of the 2010 season. Several players, including Thai premiership veterans, have contacted…
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Hainan delegation tours Phuket
PHUKET CITY: Representatives from the Chinese province of Hainan paid a visit to Phuket as part of a three-day study tour examining tourism management and development strategies. The Hainanese delegation held talks with Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop, Vice Governor Smith Palawatwichai and other officials at Provincial Hall yesterday afternoon. It was the final day of their three-day stay in Phuket,…
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More trouble at Panason City in Phuket
WICHIT, PHUKET: Problems continue at the troubled Panason City housing project, with workmen this morning allegedly trying to bury seven houses under mounds of earth using three excavators, according to residents of nearby Ketkaew village. Four of the houses were still occupied, 50-year-old local woman Yaowaluck Promsiri said. The incident caused outrage among local residents, 30 of whom are understood…
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Chinese takes top honors in Phuket programming meet
PHUKET CITY: IT whizzes from universities across Asia convened in Phuket last week to compete in an international computer programming contest. The Association for Computing Machinery International Collegiate Programming Contest (ACM-ICPC) took place at Prince of Songkla University on Tuesday and Wednesday. Sixty teams of three students each from universities in Thailand, China, Vietnam, Japan, Taiwan, Indonesia, Singapore, Philippines, South…
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Road to encroachment divides Phuket
MAI KHAO, PHUKET: Villagers and local officials are at odds over whether a new road in Mai Khao caused the destruction of 25 rai of peat swamp forest – or stopped the encroachment from being much worse. Mai Khao Tambon Administration Organization built the 28-million-baht road, which is 3.5 kilometers long and skirts the boundary of Jik Forest. Mai Khao…
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Americans cash in on Phuket volleyball win
KARON, PHUKET: With a masterful performance, the American pair of Jen Kessy and April Ross captured their second-straight Phuket Thailand Open title on Karon Beach yesterday, walking off the sand with the winners’ check of US$30,000.The top-seeded Kessy and Ross finished their four days of competition by downing compatriots Angie Akers and Tyra Turner with clinical precision in the 37-minute…
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All-American volleyball final in Phuket
KARON, PHUKET: The US teams of Jen Kessy/April Ross and Angie Akers/Tyra Turner will square off in the championship match of the US$190,000 Phuket Thailand Open this afternoon. The top two-seeded teams scored semi-final victories yesterday afternoon to advance to the ‘final four’ of the final women’s event on the 2009 world tour. The third-place final will see another US…
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Phuket Thailand Open: World’s largest women’s beach volleyball event!
KARON, PHUKET: Top seeds powered their way into the semi-finals of the US$190,000 Phuket Thailand Open on Karon Beach yesterday, with April Ross and Jen Kessy-Boss of the US surviving a sturdy challenge from the Netherlands. The FIVB announced yesterday that the Phuket Thailand Open was officially the largest event in women’s beach volleyball, having attracted a record-breaking 66 teams…
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Shooting murder in Phuket flower shop
CHALONG, PHUKET: A middle-aged man found shot to death in a Chalong flower shop early this morning is thought to be the victim of a jealousy-inspired murder. Police identified the victim as 38-year-old Surat Thani resident Weerathep Kamchan. Chalong Police received a report of the shooting at about 4:30am from the victim’s alleged mistress, 36-year-old Boonruen Buasi. Investigators including Chalong…
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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