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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Phuketians turn out for mass show of national pride
RAWAI, PHUKET: Thousands of flag-waving Phuketians braved the threat of rain yesterday evening to join the nationally-televised singing of the Thai National Anthem at Phromthep Cape. Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop and his wife Thaisika led the stirring rendition, with about 10,000 people and a school band lending support. Yachts and a Royal Thai Navy vessel Bang Prakong from the Navy…
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Snake fever: Another Phuket resident attacked
PHUKET: A 12-foot python attacked a Phuket-based jewelry designer when he returned home to find the aggressive snake outside his front door on Wednesday night. Expat resident Daniel Clark said he and a friend fought with the snake for about two hours, fending it off until they were able to wrestle it to a nearby clearing at Ao Chalong Country…
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Team Thailand lift Phuket Kata Group Cup
PHUKET CITY: Bryan Robson made a winning start to his career as Team Thailand boss, his side storming back from two goals down to lift the Red Bull Phuket Kata Group Cup trophy after a nail-biting sudden death penalty shootout.With the game level at 2-2 after 90 minutes, Robson’s side successfully converted all seven of their penalty kicks to lead…
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Used car dealer mugged by thugs
PHUKET CITY: The owner of a used car dealership in Phuket Town was robbed at gunpoint on Sakdidet Rd yesterday morning. Phuket City Police received a report of the mugging at 10:30 am yesterday. Officers led by Superintendent Col Wanchai Ekpornpit responded to the call. The victim, 36-year-old used car dealer Surachai Hiab, told investigators he was washing a car…
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Phuket Gazette Readers’ Poll: Vegetable Fest
PHUKET CITY: With this year’s Phuket Vegetarian Festival behind us, the Gazette asks readers what, if anything, should be done by authorities to guide the event’s future development. Have your say by clicking here and casting your vote!
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Iguana starts fight on Soi Crocodile, tourist stabbed
PHUKET: A Syrian tourist was stabbed in Patong on Tuesday night after an argument over an iguana turned ugly. Four Thai men were later arrested and charged for the stabbing and face charges of assault and grievous bodily harm.According to Patong police, four iguana handlers ganged up on Mohammed Imed Arab, 20, after he got into an argument with one…
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Phuket retailers to charge for plastic bags
PHUKET CITY: In a bid to deal with Phuket’s waste management crisis, the island’s top retailers have agreed to start charging customers for plastic bags from December. In a meeting with government officials at Phuket Provincial Hall on Monday, the retailers’ representatives agreed to the move, saying they are prepared to sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on the issue.…
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Phuket firm charged with encroachment
PHUKET CITY: The state prosecutor’s office has charged the owner of a Phuket company with conspiracy to encroach on state land on Yao Yai Island in Phang Nga Bay. The defendant was identified as Chaiyapon Phoojareorn, owner and manager of Ji Liang Phuket Fishing Co Ltd. Mr Chaiyapon was yesterday formally charged in the Region 4 Criminal Court in Bangkok…
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Snake shock at Phuket hospital, man bitten
PHUKET: A large python was captured at Vachira Phuket Hospital this morning, biting one of its captors during the struggle. A staff member of the hospital’s X-Ray unit was shocked to discover the snake in an enclosed grassy area of the hospital at 9am and called in Phuket’s snake catchers. A team of five snake men, including Environmental Health officer Umnaj…
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Sailor influx prompts Phuket ladyboy crackdown
PHUKET: In advance of the arrival of two more US Navy ships full of marines ready for R&R in Phuket this week, Kathu Police are cracking down on criminal gangs of ladyboys.Kathu Police Commander Grissak Songmoonnark said last time a large contingent of US Navy sailors were in Phuket around 80 ladyboys were arrested for petty crime.About half of them…
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Briton killed in Phuket bike crash
CHERNG TALAY, PHUKET: A successful British advertising director was killed when his motorbike smashed into a six-wheel truck in Cherng Talay in Phuket this afternoon. Wayne David Maule, 56, was riding a Honda Click down Srisoonthorn Road towards Surin when the tragedy happened at about 1:15pm. The truck driver said Mr Maule veered into his truck from the opposite lane…
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Toasted sandwiches: one night only in Phuket
PATONG, PHUKET: A fire seriously damaged a Subway restaurant in Phuket in the early hours of yesterday morning. No-one was injured the blaze, which broke out at the branch on Taweewong Road in Patong around 3am. It took 25 fire officers in four fire engines until around 4am to put out the fire. — Atchaa Khamlo
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THAI launches direct Phuket – Hong Kong flights
PHUKET CITY: With the high season for tourism almost here, Thai Airways International (THAI) has begun direct flights between Phuket and Hong Kong three times weekly.An Airbus 330-300 leaves Phuket at 1:15pm on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.Return flights leave Hong Kong at 8am on the same days.Forty-two seats are reserved for passengers in business class, with the remainder in economy.The…
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Last night for Phuket Veg Fest ’09
PHUKET CITY: Devotees who have spent the last eight days without meat, alcohol or sex will be able to resume their usual ways at the stroke of midnight tonight when the Chinese Warrior Gods depart and the annual Phuket Vegetarian Festival comes to an end. As in years past, Saphan Hin is expected to be the center of activity this…
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Phuket Poll Results: Start digging!
PHUKET CITY: Most Phuket Gazette readers think the proposed Patong Tunnel project should go ahead, according to the results of our latest poll. The poll asked readers to give their views on the proposed project, which would involve digging a road tunnel through the hills that divide Patong from the rest of Kathu. Of the 900 readers who voted, 55.6%…
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Friends of Simon Grant invited to join farewell ceremonies
PHUKET: Following the sudden death of Ao Por Marina manager Simon Grant last Thursday after a motorcycle accident in Phuket, funeral rites began today and will continue until Wednesday, when Simon’s body will be cremated in a Buddhist ceremony. Mr Grant, a 45-year-old father of two, was a well known figure in the Phuket expat community. Those who knew Simon…
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OPINION: TAT should do more for Phuket festival
PHUKET: The Vegetarian Festival ends this evening – not just here in Phuket, but also in other ethnic Chinese communities all over the country. Phuket’s Chinese community rightfully takes great pride in their town being the birthplace of the festival in Thailand – as well as the fact that Chinese communities in other provinces have followed suit. The event is…
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B100 million seized in Phuket drug bust
PHUKET: The Narcotics Crime Suppression Bureau carried out a sting operation in Phuket at 2am yesterday, arresting a man and seizing 2,000 ya bah (methamphetamine) pills, 300,000 baht in cash, weapons, vehicles, gold and land. The value of the items seized totals more than 100 million baht, according to the Narcotics Crime Suppression Bureau. The suspect was arrested after a policeman pretended to be a…
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Phuket’s Happy Air ready for takeoff
PHUKET CITY: New carrier Happy Air will launch its Phuket to Haad Yai route on October 31, following on November 1 with flights to Langkawi in Malaysia.Happy Air Marketing Manager Phatcharapon Sontipun said the service will be aboard the carrier’s Swedish-built SAAB 340 A, a 34-seat twin-engine turboprop.The aircraft is expected to arrive in Phuket on Monday.The daily flights will…
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Phuket Vegetable Festival in full bloom
PHUKET CITY: The Vegetarian Festival got into full swing this morning, when the Jui Tui Shrine, in downtown Phuket City, held its annual street procession. Scores of picture-popping tourists who turned out for colorful event didn’t leave disappointed, as those who braved the deafening sound of firecrackers and banging drums were able to catch wave after wave of spirit mediums…
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Finnish expat dies in Phuket
PHUKET CITY: A Scandinavian expat was found dead in his Patong apartment on Tuesday night, police said. Kathu Police Duty Officer Jongserm Preecha identified the deceased as 62-year-old Jan Christer Hoglund, from Finland. Mr Hoglund’s body was discovered at around 11pm by his Thai wife, age 31. The woman told police she made the discovery after returning from Phuket City…
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Phuket celebrates Chulalongkorn Day
PHUKET CITY: Several hundred people this morning gathered at Phuket Provincial Hall to mark Chulalongkorn Day. Led by Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop, the crowd placed a wreath around a portrait of the great monarch at the auspicious time of 9:09am. Many of those who took part were government officers. October 23, a national holiday in Thailand, is the anniversary of…
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Phuket wishes HM The King quick recovery
PHUKET CITY: More than 200,000 people in Phuket have signed a book wishing His Majesty the King a speedy recovery. According to the latest statement from the Royal Household Bureau, His Majesty’s condition is now stable. “His physical strength has increased. His sleep and food intake is normal,” the bureau announced yesterday. Doctors would continue to give antibiotics to His…
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Body of Australian tourist found in Phuket hotel room
PHUKET: The body of an Australian male was found in a Phuket hotel room earlier today. The death appears to be a suicide.The body of the 39 year old was discovered at Horizon Karon Beach Resort & Spa by one of the hotel’s cleaning staff on regular housekeeping duty just after midday.The body was lying in a pool of blood…
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Phuket Vegetarian Festival schedule update
PHUKET: With the Phuket Vegetarian Festival in full swing, Phuket’s Chinese temples are packed with worshipers wearing white from early morning until late at night, and the surrounding roads are lined with meat-free food stalls, strung with yellow garlands and red lanterns. Below is the schedule of processions and other vegetarian festival related activities taking place at Phuket’s Chinese shrines…
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Phuket leads the south in A(H1N1) infection
PHUKET CITY: Phuket is among seven provinces in the country with the highest incidence of infection with the swine flu virus, the state-run Thai News Agency has reported. Permanent Secretary for Public Health Dr Paijit Worajit yesterday informed the press that there have been three more deaths from swine flu in Thailand, while the total number of fatalities rose to…
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Phuket strengthens ties with Russian sister
PHUKET CITY: A delegation from the Russian city of Nakhodka met the Phuket governor at Provincial Hall this afternoon as part of a bid to tighten the relationship between the two cities. Nakhodka and Phuket became sister cities in September 2006. First Vice-Mayor of Nakhodka Boris Gladkikh presented Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop with a commemorative plate as a gift from his…
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Fo Guang Shan Buddhists visit Phuket
PHUKET CITY: Among the scores of ethnic Chinese flocking to the island to take part in the Vegetarian Festival were some 1,700 Chinese Buddhist monks and followers from the Taiwan-based Fo Guang Shan monastic order. The monks arrived at Phuket Deep Sea Port yesterday aboard the 268-meter Star Cruises SuperStar Virgo. They were aboard the massive vessel for a meeting of Fo…
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Jet-skis under control: Phuket police
PATONG, PHUKET: A much-vaunted mandatory insurance scheme aimed at ending disputes between jet-ski operators and tourists in Phuket will be in place by November 16. But Patong’s top cop says: “We’ve already solved the problem.” Kathu Police Superintendent Grissak Songmoonnark said the police have set up a committee of experts to adjudicate in disputes, deciding who should pay for any…
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Patong tunnel study details revealed
PHUKET CITY: The director of the consulting company undertaking a 40-million-baht feasibility study into construction of a tunnel to Patong has revealed more details about its initial findings. Tanin Pongrujikorn, Director of Epsilon Co Ltd, told the Gazette, “Patong Municipality, which initiated the project, invited six Thai consulting companies registered with the Ministry of Finance and with relevant experience to…
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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