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.
-
Sponsored Infinito helps hotels in Thailand with revenue management
Maximising revenue and profit–isn’t that the ultimate goal for every business in the hospitality industry? If you run a hotel, you might have heard that revenue management is an effective way to boost your top-line revenue. It involves using data...
-
Loan shark gang preys on Phuket sea gypsies
RAWAI, PHUKET: Police arrested a gang alleged to be loan sharks when they were attempting to collect money from members of the Rawai sea gypsy community at about 1am on Thursday.The arrests were made by Chalong Police after they received a report from the community that members of the gang had entered the community to forcibly collect on outstanding loans…
-
Phuket Lions club a roaring success
PHUKET: The Lions Club of Patong Beach celebrated their Charter Night on May 29. Almost 80 Lions from clubs throughout Thailand watched on as Charter President Lion Rohn-Napa Kanjanayothee and First President Claude de Crissey were officially presented with their club Charter by former district governor Somchai Chirayus.Lions Clubs International has more than 1.4 million members in over 44,500 clubs…
-
Paiboon’s fraud case starts June 23
PHUKET CITY: The Region 8 Court of Appeals will on June 23 examine witnesses and preliminary evidence in the electoral fraud case against suspended Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (PPAO) president Paiboon Upatising and teammate Sawat Muchawej. Mr Paiboon and Mr Sawat were handed yellow cards by the Election Commission (EC) in Bangkok on March 19. For our previous report, click…
-
Australia and New Zealand education expos in Phuket
PHUKET CITY: Antipodean cousins New Zealand and Australia are set to go head-to-head in pursuit of young minds later this month, with both countries hosting education expos in Phuket. On June 16, the New Zealand Education Center and the New Zealand Embassy will host the New Zealand Education Fair 2009 at the Phuket ICT Skill Development and Learning Center at…
-
17 killed, 30 injured in Krabi bus accident
PHUKET CITY: A chartered bus taking officials of the Samut Prakan Provincial Administrative Organization on a study tour overturned in Krabi this morning, killing 17 and injuring 30 passengers. The accident occurred at 6:30 am on the Phanom-Khao Tor Road in Krabi’s Plai Phraya district. Twelve passengers died at the scene; five more died at hospitals. Thirty other passengers were…
-
Aussie family narrowly avoids drowning in Phuket
KARON, PHUKET: A family of Australian tourists who ignored red warning flags narrowly escaped drowning at Karon Beach on Tuesday afternoon. Chalong Police identified the victims as Mr Samir Mourad, 58, his daughter Zeinab, 16, and Mr Mourad’s wife, whose first name and age were not reported. According to the report, Mr Mourad was sunbathing while his wife and daughter…
-
Free concerts by Montana State University in Phuket
PHUKET CITY: The Montana State University Symphony Orchestra will be performing two free concerts in Phuket over the weekend; one on Saturday at Rama IX Park (Suan Luang) on Chao Fah East Rd in Phuket City and another on Sunday at Phuket Rajabhat University in Rassada. The Phuket concerts are part of the orchestra’s Southeast Asia goodwill tour. A complement…
-
Two teens arrested, confess to Phuket murder
PHUKET CITY: At a crime re-enactment held yesterday morning it took nearly 200 policemen to prevent a crowd from lynching two teenagers who have confessed to the brutal stabbing murder of an elderly woman last month. Police identified the pair as 19-year-old Hussadin “Mai” Wongrinyong of Phuket City and a 17-year-old male accomplice, whose name was withheld because of his…
-
Phuket jungle walk marks World Environment Day 2009
PA KHLOK, PHUKET: More than 50 Phuket students on Monday morning completed an eight-kilometer jungle trek all the way from Bang Pae Waterfall to Ton Sai Waterfall, located inside Khao Phra Thaeo National Park. The event was organized jointly by PTT Exploration and Production Co (PTTEP), Radio Thailand, and the Phuket Public Relations Department. PTTEP External Relations Manager Sidhichai Jayant…
-
New Phuket Chief Justice urges more mediation
PHUKET CITY: The new Chief Justice of Phuket Provincial Court held a press conference yesterday to promote greater use of the court mediation system to settle legal disputes, the backlog of which is overwhelming the provincial court system and leading to long delays between trial dates. Phuket Provincial Court Chief Justice Varangkana Sujaritkul said she will promote the use of…
-
Monkey business at Phuket Provincial Hall
PHUKET CITY: A brazen monkey wandered onto the grounds of Phuket Provincial Hall this morning, making off with a belly full of fresh cucumbers after a standoff with a stunned food vendor. The unusual visit came at about 9:30 this morning at an open-air curry stall on the grounds of Phuket Provincial Hall. The monkey, one of the many pig-tailed…
-
Phuket bar operators seek closing time extension
PATONG, PHUKET: Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop has reacted coolly to a fresh initiative by nightlife operators to extend operating hours, saying any extension must come with Interior Ministry approval. Sompetch Moosophon, president of the Patong Entertainment Business Association, said that local business operators are facing losses resulting in staff lay-offs. Sharp declines in customer numbers have forced around 30% of…
-
Phuket City begins cable work on Thalang Rd
PHUKET CITY: Work on the project to bury power cables along Thalang Road in Old Phuket Town got underway yesterday morning, with workers marking lines near the pavement to mark the trench that will house the conduit. The narrow trench, about half a meter wide, will run along the right-hand side of the one-way road, once the heart of Phuket’s…
-
Thai Immigration crackdown on border runners
BANGKOK / PHUKET: In a crackdown on foreigners who “abuse” the tourist exemption rule allowing15-day visit extensions at border entry points, the Immigration Bureau has confirmed and informed ThaiVisa.Com of the following new regulation, which went into effect yesterday: A foreigner who has entered the kingdom four consecutive times on 15-day tourist exemption stamps will not be allowed to leave…
-
Czech checks bag bandit and bites back
PHUKET: Authorities in neighboring Phang Nga province are revamping registration procedures for Burmese migrant workers while closely monitoring their activities after a worker attempted to rob a foreign dive instructor yesterday. Provincal governor Yiamsuriya Phalusuk said measures to be taken include more police patrols and possibly stricter regulations on workers traveling at night. Any Thais or employers found to provide…
-
Human smuggling suspects arrested in Ranong
PHUKET CITY: Immigration Police in the early hours of Saturday arrested 34 illegal Burmese immigrants and two Thais in a raid on a house in Ranong’s Muang District, seizing notebooks listing the names of members of security forces who had allegedly been bribed to secure safe passage for the migrants. At 4am, a team of Ranong Immigration Police led by…
-
Fourth swine flu case confirmed in Thailand
BANGKOK / PHUKET: While there have been no confirmed cases of A-type (H1N1) in Phuket, the Ministry of Public Health yesterday confirmed its fourth case of the disease in Thailand – a Thai man who just returned from the US. The A-type (H1N1) flu has already hit 53 countries, killing 99. Thai Public Health Minister, Witthaya Kaewparadai, said the 50-year-old…
-
Asean reaffirms regional confidence in Phuket
KARON, PHUKET: The Asean Senior Officials meeting held at the Movenpick Resort and Spa from May 18 to 21 resulted in a number of agreements in addition to the previously reported agreement to hold the twice-postponed Asean Summit in Phuket next October. Manasvi Srisodapol, deputy director-general of the Foreign Ministry’s Department of Asean Affairs, told the Gazette that the Phuket meetings…
-
Phuket hammered again: Thai justice under fire
PHUKET: One of the many interesting aspects of being a journalist in Phuket is observing the way that stories we break here are picked up by foreign media outlets – and the spin that these outlets put on them. Smaller countries often adopt an ‘us-against-them’ mentality when one of their own gets arrested in Thailand, rushing to defend the suspect…
-
Phuket beach gets green carpet
PHUKET CITY: The beach at one of Phuket’s most popular recreational areas has been inundated with bright green seaweed since the middle of May. The affected area is at the tip of Saphan Hin park, which juts out into Phuket Bay. Fisheries specialist Ukkrit Sataphumin of the Phuket Marine Biological Center at Cape Panwa said the seaweed was first reported to…
-
Englishman collapases, dies in Rawai
RAWAI, PHUKET: An Englishman living in Phuket collapsed and died of apparent heart failure at a pharmacy in Rawai on Wednesday afternoon.According to witnesses, 59-year-old John Powell entered the pharmacy to buy some medicine but then collapsed.Chalong Police were notified of the death at about 3:30pm.They rushed to the scene, a pharmacy in the Baan Saiyuan residential estate, with rescue…
-
Phuket remains free of swine flu
PHUKET CITY: While the viral disease chikungunya continues to spread in Phuket, the island has yet to record a single case of infection with the A(H1N1) virus that causes swine flu, PPHO Director Dr Pongsawas Ratanasang told the Gazette today. Two foreign tourists – one Australian and one Norwegian – were briefly quarantined and tested for A(H1N1), but both tested…
-
Phuket FC tryouts rescheduled for Monday
KATHU, PHUKET: Following the last-minute cancellation of the expat football trial scheduled to take place yesterday, the Phuket FC manager has announced that the trials will now to take place on Monday, June 1, at the Prince of Songkla University stadium, off Wichit Songkram Road in Kathu. The trial will begin at 4.30pm. It is hoped that Friday’s last-minute cancellation…
-
Chikungunya cases in Phuket: 349
PHUKET CITY: Cases of chikungunya continue to rise in the province, with 349 confirmed cases in Phuket – and the actual figure is probably far higher. The Phuket Provincial Health Office (PPHO) yesterday confirmed that 331 Thais are receiving hospital treatment for the disease, along with 18 Burmese immigrants. Two foreign tourists – one from Korea and one Scotsman –…
-
Punchup in Phuket: Oleydong defends WBC belt this afternoon
PATONG, PHUKET: WBC straw-weight champ Oleydong Sithsamerchai has been busy shedding pounds to meet the 105lb limit for his WBC title defense against Muhammad Rachman of Indonesia this afternoon. At a press conference held at the the Bangkok Residence Hotel on Soi Sansabai on Tuesday, Oleydong and Rachman posed for photos with Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop. The fight will take…
-
Incarcerated German youth’s mother died on Phuket
PHUKET CITY: The mother of the German youth incarcerated in the Phuket Juvenile Observation and Protection Center on charges of sexually abusing minors died last month, the Gazette has learned. The woman, who will not be named in order to protect the youth’s identity, died in Vachira Phuket Hospital on April 23. She was 56 years old. The youth was…
-
Nike to host running clinic at Laguna Phuket
CHERNG TALAY, PHUKET: Sportswear giant Nike and Laguna Phuket will host a free running clinic and shoe trial on Saturday, June 6, as part of pre-event activities for the upcoming 2009 Laguna Phuket International Marathon. The clinic, from 4pm to 6pm at the Laguna Beach Resort tennis courts, will feature 2002 Bangkok Marathon winner Jason Mayeroff of the US as…
-
Phuket FC holds tryouts for foreigners tomorrow
PHUKET CITY: The long-awaited Phuket FC football club recruitment tryout for foreign talent will take place at at Saphan Hin Stadium starting at 4:30pm tomorrow. With the Sea Dragons languishing in the bottom half of the table, Phuket FC manager Mr Somsak is hoping to find some gems amongst Phuket’s expat population to relaunch the team’s dismal start to the…
-
Phuket PO Box 101 is a hit, says governor
PHUKET CITY: The number 101 is a cinch to remember for those who have read George Orwell’s grim parable of totalitarianism Nineteen Eighty-Four or taken a freshman college class. Whether this fact figured in Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop’s thinking when he launched PO Box 101 – an address any Phuket resident can use to inform the governor, anonymously, of crimes…
-
Bt20m for tourism improvements in Rassada
RASSADA, PHUKET: In a recent meeting, Rassada Municipality agreed to allocate almost Bt20 million to improve landscaping and build new facilities near the causeway leading to Koh Sireh, in a bid to promote tourism and improve the quality of life for local people. The work will take place near the Malikaew embankment in the Koh Sireh community in Rassada Village…
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.
Don't forget to check out some other things to do in Thailand - get help starting a business or finding a job in Thailand, buy Thailand property, rent a yacht or book a medical procedure worldwide.