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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Sponsored A healthy tomorrow starts today: Celebrate the great American Smokeout day
The Great American Smokeout, held this year on November 17, is a nationwide event that encourages smokers to take their first steps towards a smoke-free life. If you’re an expat in Thailand, this day could be a timely reminder to...
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Phuket Town’s pink bus fleet set to double
PHUKET: Phuket Town’s fleet of pink buses is about to double in size and an additional route is in the pipeline, according to the provincial council. Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (PPAO) President Paiboon Upatising said he expects eight more of the pink people movers (known locally as poh thong) to come into service by the end of the month. Mr…
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PHUKET OPINION: A prescription for injustice
PHUKET: The arrest of a 17-year-old New Zealander for possession of diazepam without a prescription last month (see news pages) raises serious questions about the consistency of law enforcement in Phuket. The facts of the case are pretty clear. The teenager admits to buying the pills. And he admits he had no prescription for them. The Psychotropic Substances Act of…
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India gives aid to family of Phuket terror victim in Mumbai
PATONG, PHUKET: The Indian embassy yesterday presented additional financial assistance to surviving relatives of Jirachat Kanmanee, the Phuket native killed in the terrorist attacks in Mumbai in November 2008. Ms Jirachat was one of six Thais working as spa therapists at the Banyan Tree spa in the Trident Oberoi Hotel in Mumbai when the terrorists broke in and opened fire.…
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Pink pavilions for Phuket
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (PPAO) campaign to paint the island pink continues. The construction of 25 pink roadside pavilions at a cost of almost five million baht is complete, PPAO President Paiboon Upatising announced last week. Mr Paiboon, whose campaign color was pink in the last election, said the gazebo-like structures – known as sala in Thai –…
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Phuket celebrates Royal Thai Army Day in Phang Nga
PHANG NGA: Military staff from Phuket and Phang Nga celebrated Royal Thai Army Day on Monday with activities including an allegiance ceremony before the Tong Chai Chalerm Pon Flag. The flag, presented to military commanders by HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej in 1952, is the most revered flag in Thailand and is always present during Trooping of the Colors ceremonies held…
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Metered tuk-tuks ‘just an idea’: Phuket Gov
PHUKET: In a bid to end disputes between drivers and passengers over fares, the Phuket governor is considering introducing meters to Phuket tuk-tuks. Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop said natural gas-powered tuk-tuks could also be rolled out in order to cut down on fuel costs. Any metered fee structure would still have to reflect Phuket’s status as an international tourist destination,…
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Phuket beach guard starts February
PHUKET: Beach guards are set to begin ensuring safety at Phuket beaches again in February, the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (PPAO) has announced. PPAO President Paiboon Upatising said he would announce the winners of two five-million-baht contracts to provide lifeguard services at west coast beaches on January 29. Last year, LP Laikham Co held a single contract to supply beach…
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Phuket Police hunt for Burmese nanny
PHUKET: Chalong Police continue to scour Burmese labor camps on Phuket in search of a woman wanted in connection with the death of an infant left in her care by a Thai businesswoman last week. For the previous report of how four-month-old Pornprasert Phromraksa was found dead by his mother on Saturday morning, click here. Chalong Police Superintendent Chinnarat Rittakananond…
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Beachside food court coming to Patong
PATONG, PHUKET: Ocean Plaza Patong is investing 30-million-baht to build a rooftop food court that is set to open by the end of the month on the beach road in Patong. The center, to be named @Beach Food Loft, will be the first and only dining facility in Patong to offer customers inexpensive fare with ocean views, its developers say.…
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Protest over Phuket Airport limo concession
PHUKET TOWN: Some 100 members of the Phuket Airport Limousine and Business Cooperative Ltd (PBC) assembled at Phuket Provincial Hall this morning to protest a new concession that gives a rival group of taxis the right to operate 30 new vehicles at Phuket International Airport. Airports of Thailand (AoT) yesterday approved a request by Phuket Mai Khao Sakoo to operate…
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Kiwi teen in Phuket court tomorrow
PHUKET: A 17-year-old New Zealander arrested in Patong for possession of diazepam pills remains stranded in Phuket, where local police admit they are not seeking to arrest the seller of the drugs. Speaking on condition of anonymity, a police source told the Gazette his team asked the teenager where he bought the pills, but the youth declined to answer. “He…
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Phuket sea gypsies arrested for cyanide fishing
RAWAI, PHUKET: Ten Rawai sea gypsies were arrested by Marine Police late Sunday night and charged with collecting protected species for the illicit trade in tropical fish. The arrests were carried out by Phuket Marine Police and officials from the Phuket Marine and Coastal Resources Conservation Center (PMCRCC). Under the direction of PMCRCC Director Paitoon Panchaipum, the officers intercepted two…
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TAT to focus on tourist spending, not numbers
PHUKET TOWN: Juthaporn Rerngronasa, The Tourism Authority of Thailand’s returning deputy governor for international marketing, has unveiled several strategies to approach a range of potential markets this year. Mrs Juthaporn was reappointed to head the international marketing department following an internal management reshuffle supervised by new TAT new governor Suraphon Svetserni. “This year, the authority will not aim at luring…
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Phuket Police nab murder suspects
PHUKET TOWN: Phuket City Police have arrested two minors for the stabbing murder of two men during an alcohol-fueled knife fight outside a Phuket Town nightclub on Saturday night. Phuket Provincial Police Superintendent Pekad Tantipong presented the young suspects at a press conference at Phuket City Police Station this morning. They are accused of stabbing to death two members of…
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Chanthaburi gem fair in Phuket
PHUKET TOWN: A gem and jewelry fair at Central Festival Phuket is doing brisk business, with some shops reporting sales of more than 500,000 baht on the first day. The Chanthaburi Gems & Jewelry Fair, organized by the Chanthaburi Commerce Office, will run until January 20 in the Grand Hall at Central Festival. From January 21 to 25 the fair…
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Phuket Blues Rock Festival is back
PHUKET TOWN: Presented by Thai Airways International, the Phuket International Blues Rock Festival is back with its biggest bang since its inception in 2005. Once again hosted by the Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort and Spa, the show takes place on February 26 and 27 in Karon, where gates open and beer begins to flow at 5 pm. Music starts at…
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Murder most foul: infanticide in Phuket
CHALONG, PHUKET: Chalong Police are searching for a Burmese nanny they think was responsible for the murder by suffocation of a four-month-old Thai child left in her care. Police were notified of the death at 8:30am yesterday by the boy’s mother, 32-year-old Palida Phromraksa, a native of Ao Luk District in Krabi. When police led by Chalong Police Deputy Superintendent…
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Valium bust strands Kiwi teen in Phuket
PHUKET TOWN: A teenager from New Zealander is stranded in Phuket after being arrested for possession of diazepam pills without a prescription. The 17-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was set to fly back to his current home in Australia on December 11. But four days before he was due to leave, he was caught by Kathu Police…
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Rotarians launch Haiti relief fund in Phuket
PHUKET TOWN: The Rotary Club of Patong Beach is accepting donations to provide relief to survivors of the devastating earthquake in Haiti on Tuesday that killed tens of thousands and left many more without food and shelter. Brad Kenny, chairman of the clubs’ services committee, issued the following statement about the project: ‘The world opened their hearts to us in…
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Phuket pine tree killers still at-large
PHUKET TOWN: A police investigation into the mysterious felling of eight pine trees near the West Sands resort project in Mai Khao has yet to produce any suspects. Members of a panel set up to investigate the matter met at Phuket Provincial Hall on Wednesday to discuss developments in the case. The felling of the ‘ton son‘ pine trees caused…
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Seven Suzukis for Phuket City Police
PHUKET TOWN: The Phuket Chamber of Commerce and two private sector companies on Wednesday took part in a ceremony to hand over seven donated motorbikes to the Phuket City Police. Phuket City Police Superintendent Wanchai Ekpornpit accepted the Suzuki motorbikes at 10am in front of the police station. Phuket Chamber of Commerce President Sirichai Silapa-archa said the chamber had joined…
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Phuket Governor visits Aussie accident victims
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop rushed to Bangkok Hospital Phuket yesterday afternoon to comfort the 26-year-old widow of the young Australian killed in a jeep crash on Big Buddha Hill today. Gov Wichai told Aimee Malonzo, who married her husband Michael just a week ago, how sorry he was for her loss. The governor offered Mrs Malonzo and the other…
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Partial eclipse in Phuket
PHUKET: Thanks to clear skies, the partial solar eclipse predicted by astronomers was clearly visible throughout Phuket yesterdday. The entire event lasted three hours and 34 minutes, with as much as 57 percent of the sun’s surface obscured at its peak at 3:28pm. Because Phuket is the most westerly province of Thailand, it was the first province in the Kingdom…
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Glimmer of hope for Phuket sea turtles
MAI KHAO, PHUKET: In a rare positive development for the critically endangered leatherback sea turtle, an enormous female has laid a clutch of eggs at Mai Khao Beach. Vigilant staff of the Mai Khao Sea Turtle Conservation Group carefully prodded the sands with a sharp iron bar to discover the eggs on Tuesday night following reports by villagers that a…
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45 murders in Phuket in 2009
PHUKET: Crime statistics compiled by the Phuket Provincial Police reveal 45 murders and 310 cases of manslaughter on the resort island in 2009. Based on the official population of just over 320,000, the figures put the total number of instances of murder and manslaughter at an alarming rate of more than one victim per 1,000 residents over the year. However,…
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Danes arrested on work permit violations
PHUKET TOWN: The Thai Hotels Association has sought help for a Patong-based tour company whose Danish employees were arrested for working illegally late last month. Tan Chee Kiong, vice president of the Thai Hotels Association (Southern Chapter), on Tuesday morning went to Phuket Vice Governor Tri Augkaradacha to plead the company’s case. The company, the local affiliate of a large…
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Phuket begins swine flu vaccinations
PHUKET TOWN: Doctors and nurses at Vachira Phuket Hospital on Monday became the first island residents to receive swine flu vaccinations. The hospital has joined others around Thailand in kicking off the nationwide vaccination campaign, which aims to reduce the number of victims of an expected second wave of A(H1N1) influenza. Dr Krit Sakulpat, Head of Community Medicine at Vachira…
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Egat plans third substation for Phuket
PHUKET: The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (Egat) is preparing to invest 300 million baht to build a high-voltage substation in Koh Kaew. Dr Anuchart Palakawongse Na Ayudhaya, director of Egat’s Natural and Environment Evaluation Department, met with Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop on Tuesday to discuss the project. Egat already has Cabinet approval for the project, which is currently under…
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Young mom killed in Phuket hit-and-run
PHUKET: A young mother riding a motorbike was killed instantly in a head-on collision with a car in Srisoonthorn early yesterday morning. Maj Sekson Komsakorn of the Cherng Talay Police identified the deceased as 26-year-old Dok-aor Ponsri, a native of Ubon Ratchathani. After receiving a report of the accident just before 2am, Kusoldharm Foundation workers rushed to the scene to…
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Phuket to catch first glimpse of eclipse in Thailand
PHUKET: A partial solar eclipse on Friday will be visible in Phuket before any other province in Thailand, scientists say. Asst Prof Dr Sakshin Bunthawin, head of the Biotechnology of Electromechanics Research Unit at Prince of Songkla University Phuket Campus, said the eclipse will begin at 1:51pm and reach its peak at 3.28pm, at which time 57% of the sun’s…
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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