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.
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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…
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Chinese acrobats to perform in Patong
PHUKET CITY: About 1,000 people who patiently braved the elements at Saphan Hin last night were treated to a stunning performance by one of the world’s top acrobatics troupes. The troupe, the 40-strong Beijing Acrobatics Fantasy, are in Phuket for two special performances coinciding with the annual Phuket Vegetarian Festival. Last night’s show got underway well past the scheduled start…
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Phuket Governor leads prayer for HM The King
PHUKET CITY: Some of Phuket’s most important leaders and around 2,000 other well-wishers gathered at Saphan Hin last night to wish HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej a speedy recovery. The event was held on the occasion of the Phuket Vegetarian Festival, which began at midnight Saturday with the arrival of the new moon starting the ninth month of the Chinese calendar…
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Half a million expected for Phuket veg fest
PHUKET CITY: Half a million people are expected to attend this year’s Phuket Vegetarian Festival, bringing in around 33 million baht, a senior tourism official said. Wanaphapar Suksombul, Assistant Director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s Phuket Office, said 80 percent of Phuket City’s hotel rooms have been booked up during the event, which officially started at midnight on Saturday.…
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Safe robbery dangerous for Phuket thieves
KATHU, PHUKET: Two bungling robbers broke their legs in a motorcycle crash while trying to drive home with a 25-kilogram safe they stole from a British expat’s house, police said. Jirawat Khongsuwan, 24, and Chanakarn Sukhumdecha, 22, deny taking the box from David Kelleway’s house at the Phuket Country Club in Kathu last Saturday. But Inspector Kittipong Kaikaew of Tung…
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Phuket Vegetarian Festival Procession Routes
PHUKET: Following inaugural ceremonies in Phuket over the weekend to summon Chinese ancestral gods to take part in the island’s Vegetarian Festival, Phuket City’s Chinese temples are buzzing with activity and shrouded in the smoke from thousands of firecrackers and incense lit throughout the day.Now that those gods have taken up temporary residence on Phuket in the bodies of believers…
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Phuket’s ‘tunnel vision’
PHUKET: Of the many ‘megaproject’ ideas conceived for Phuket over the years, few have captured the public imagination like the ‘Patong Tunnel’. Of course, the decades-old plan to build a world-class convention center somewhere on the island has been the subject of more ink, political infighting and expensive study over the years, but the idea of such a facility is…
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Phuket Police sweep the city clean for Vegetable Festival
PHUKET CITY: Phuket police swept the city last night in a final crime crackdown before the start of the annual Vegetarian Festival that officially starts at midnight tonight. Officers assembled in front of Phuket City Police Station at 6.30pm before fanning out and setting up police checkpoints at the following spots: In front of Muang Mai Motors on Thepkrasattri Road;…
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Phuket to stage ‘National Anthem Singing’
PHUKET CITY: Phuket’s iconic Phromthep Cape will be in the national spotlight on October 29 when a large crowd is expected to turn out for a nationally televised singing of the Thai National Anthem. The announcement that Phuket’s southernmost tip has been chosen for the event came at meeting chaired by Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop at Phuket Provincial Hall yesterday.…
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Phuket contestants needed for PCF Race Day
PHUKET: Phuketians are invited to form teams to race rafts, dragon boats, kayaks and even cardboard boxes for the chance to win awards and prizes at the Phuket Community Foundation’s upcoming Race Day charity fundraiser.The day of family fun in and around the water will be held at Canal Village, Laguna Phuket on November 7, which still gives potential participants…
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Phuket Governor cracks down on illegal alien workers
PHUKET CITY: Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop yesterday morning convened a meeting of local government office representatives, ordering them to crack down on illegal alien workers harming the Phuket tourism industry.The meeting took place at Phuket Provincial Hall, where representatives from the local Immigration, Employment, Culture, Fine Arts and Revenue Department offices were among those ordered to carry out the crackdown.The…
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Protection plan launched for Phuket forests
PHUKET: In just six years, the rate of destruction of Phuket’s forests has almost quadrupled, figures from the Office of Natural Resources and the Environment show.In 2004, 66 rai of forest were destroyed in 15 recorded cases of land encroachment.This year has already seen 62 cases of land encroachment, with the destruction of 239 rai of forest.The stark figures were…
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Phuket agog over strange fruit
PA KHLOK, PHUKET: Villagers in Pa Khlok are unsure whether two recently discovered agricultural oddities are signs of good luck – or eerie harbingers of man’s impact on the environment. The strange specimens were found on the grounds of two local primary schools located side-by-side in the small coastal community of Ban Thala. Manoj Hawharn, a janitor at the Phuket…
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AirAsia’s “Phuket Air Hub’ ready for takeoff
PATONG, PHUKET: Thai AirAsia has geared up for the establishment of Phuket as a new regional air hub next month with its “AirAsia Loves Phuket Fair”, which ends at Jungceylon today.Thai AirAsia CEO Tassapon Bijileveld visited the fair yesterday, presenting a model AirAsia aircraft to Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop as part of the festivities.November 15 has been designated as the official…
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Floodlights for Phuket’s Chalong Circle
PHUKET CITY: The latest plan to improve traffic conditions at Phuket’s Chalong Circle is to illuminate the thoroughfare with strong, white floodlights set atop of a 15-meter iron pole. Phuket Highways Department official Sathaporn Sornchana said the extra lighting, comprising eight lamps in all, would help reduce accidents at the busy junction. The pole would not obscure views of oncoming traffic as it would…
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Phuket police celebrate at new HQ
PHUKET CITY: Police combined the official opening of the new Phuket Provincial Police headquarters with National Police Day celebrations yesterday.Police from every station in Phuket attended the ceremony, which started at 9.30am.Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop and Phuket Provincial Police Commander Pekad Tantipong gave speeches to the assembled officers outside the new station on Yaowarat Road.As part of an annual tradition,…
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Officials tour Taj Exotica resort site in Phuket
RAWAI, PHUKET: The developers of the Taj Exotica Resort and Spa planned for Koh Lone will consider abandoning their request to build a pier if the idea is rejected during the environmental impact assessment (EIA) approval process, the Gazette has learned. Members of a provincial oversight committee on Monday afternoon toured the proposed 136-rai project site, located on the east…
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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