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 road blockade over Islamic cemetery
THALANG, PHUKET: Around 500 angry villagers blockaded Phuket’s Thepkrasattri Road for two hours yesterday after forestry officials arrested about 30 Muslims for trying to clear protected forest land.Those arrested wanted to use 30 rai of Pa Bang Khanun Reserved Forest to build a new cemetery for Muslims from Tambon Thepkrasattri villages 6, 8 and 9.One of those was the imam…
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Dragons rounded up before Phuket’s veg fest
PHUKET CITY: Three members of the so-called ‘Dragon Gang’ wanted for a string of robberies in Phuket City were arrested yesterday as part of a pre-Vegetarian Festival crackdown.Thanachote ‘Liw’ Saekhor, 19, Kriangsak Sawasduang, 21, and Rachan Khumphum, 27, all had intricate dragons tattooed on their backs, earning the gang its police nickname.Phuket Provincial Police Commander Pekad Tantipong and Phuket City…
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Phuket bungee jumper in near-fatal accident
KATHU, PHUKET: A British tourist was nearly killed in a bungee jumping accident at the Jungle Bungy Jump center in Phuket, it emerged today. Rishi Baveja hit the water below the 165-foot high platform at around 130km/h after the harness slipped from his legs during the jump. Luckily he took the full force of the impact on his chest, escaping head…
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Phuket people pray for King’s health
PHUKET: Muslim and Thai-Chinese religious groups held independent mass prayer meetings in Phuket yesterday to wish His Majesty the King a quick recovery as he receives treatment for a fever and a lung infection at Siriraj Hospital in Bangkok.More than 1,000 Muslims gathered in prayer yesterday afternoon at the Dubai Mosque, Koh Kaew, which is also the location of the…
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Countdown clocks put Phuket motorists at ease
PHUKET: Drivers are likely to have noticed new countdown displays that have been installed at eight Phuket intersections recently.The work has been funded by the Phuket Provincial Administrative Organization to the tune of three million baht.The intersections where the countdowns have been installed are at Phuket International Airport, Bangku, Samkong, Darasamut, Wat Naka, Kajornkiat School, Laemchan and Ban Teen Khao.“We’ve…
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Phuket Tourist Police promote 1155 hotline
PHUKET: Foreign tourists arriving at Phuket International Airport (PIA) are being introduced to their ‘first friend’ on the island, the Tourist Police, with the distribution of bookmarks displaying important telephone numbers, including that of the Tourist Police hotline.The nationwide public relations campaign, titled ‘Your First Friend’, was launched by the Tourist Police last month with the aim of putting a…
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“Floating gold’ washing up on Phuket beach
MAI KHAO, PHUKET: The most expensive excrement in the world has been washing up on a Phuket beach since last weekend: ambergris, or ‘floating gold’, as it is known.Villagers living near Mai Khao Beach have been scrambling to collect the substance, which begins life as bile excreted by sperm whales and is extremely valuable.Several hundred kilograms of it have already…
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Polish beauties bound for Phuket
PHUKET: Gentlemen at Phuket International Airport on Wednesday evening (Oct 7) will get a generous eyeful when 25 Miss Poland 2009 contestants arrive aboard their Bangkok Airways flight. The Slavic beauties are spending 10 days in Thailand as part of a ‘preparation camp’ ahead of the final competition in Poland. As well as Phuket, the girls are set to visit…
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Aussies’ turn for shore leave in Phuket
PATONG, PHUKET: Royal Australian Navy fleet replenishment vessel HMAS Sirius, with a complement of 70 officers and crew, is anchored off Patong for a five-day stay. The ship has been at sea for the past seven months.On Tuesday, the ship’s captain, Commander John Cowan, paid a visit to Phuket governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop, where he told the assembled press, “We are…
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Revamped Phuket hospital to offer low-cost treatment
PHUKET CITY: Phuket’s Phyathai Hospital is being refurbished at a cost of 265 million baht and will be renamed ‘Phuket Provincial Administration Organization Hospital’, PPAO President Paiboon Upatising said last week.He said the hospital should enter service in the middle of next year.The PPAO originally bought the Phyathai Hospital from the Thai Asset Management Corporation for 327 million baht in August…
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Punchline Comedy Club returns to Phuket
PATONG, PHUKET: British TV comedy star Bob Mills is among the noted funnymen performing at Punchline Comedy Club when it returns to Phuket on October 14. Mills is best known as star of TV show ‘In Bed With Medinner’, and has a long list of presenting and writing credits under his belt. Time Out magazine called him “a master of…
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Dugong’s last moments a frantic fight for survival
PHUKET: Following an eight-hour autopsy of the 40-year-old female dugong found dead off the coast of Trang on Tuesday, marine biologists say the animal died from trauma and exhaustion, most probably from trying to out swim or escape entanglement in a trawling net.According to Phaothep Cherdsukjai, a researcher at Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC), examination of the dugong’s pulmonary system…
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Phuket tsunami alert update
PHUKET: The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center has issued a tsunami alert for Indonesia, Malaysia, India and Thailand, according to an Associated Press report.The center issued the warning following a powerful earthquake of magnitude 7.6 about 50km west of Padang in Western Sumatra at 5.16pm.There were no immediate reports of a high waves or injuries, it added.An officer at the Department of…
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Phuket on high alert following tsunami warning
PHUKET: Phuket authorities are on high alert following a tsunami warning after a magnitude 7 earthquake off Sumatra.More details shortly. — Gazette Reporters
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Leading financial advisors put on Phuket seminar
PHUKET: Tax-free pension plans for expats will be on the menu of financial advice served up by international investment gurus at the Holiday Inn Resort, Patong Beach tomorrow night.Award-winning fund management advisor Sam Liddle will be joined by Billy Popham – ‘the first Financial Adviser in Thailand to successfully effect transfers from UK pensions to QROPS (Qualifying Recognised Overseas Pension…
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Phuket storms caused by killer typhoon
PHUKET CITY: The rain lashing down on Phuket this week is not normal monsoon rain but the outer rings of Typhoon Ketsana, which arrived in Thailand today, according to Phuket Meteorological Office. Phuket Meteorological Officer Sophon Sanggaew said the conditions would persist for another two or three days. Typhoon Ketsana was downgraded to a tropical storm after making landfall in…
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Phuket Passport Office opens Thursday
PHUKET CITY: Phuket’s Thai citizens will be able to apply for new passports without leaving the island once the new Ministry of Foreign Affairs office opens at Phuket Provincial Hall on Thursday.Foreigners hoping for visa services, certificate translations and marriage certification services will have to wait, however.Acting chief of the ministry’s passport section, Jackrid Kanjanasoon, said the office will begin…
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Young man killed in Phuket gang fight
PATONG, PHUKET: A 20-year-old shop assistant was stabbed 10 times in the chest and died in front of Bangla Boxing Stadium last night. Tawatchai ‘Noom’ Pookanknam, who sold clothes in a nearby shopping center, died on the scene. Chief Investigator Sophon Borirak said fighting erupted between two gangs of teenagers at around 11pm. The cause of the fighting was probably…
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Crowd batters thieves at Phuket’s Roy Fest
KARON, PHUKET: Chalong Police officers had to defend three suspected thieves who were set upon by revelers at Phuket’s otherwise highly successful Roy Fest concert on Karon Beach. The attack took place in the early hours of Saturday morning. Karon village chief Winai Chitchiew said the three suspects, Wittaya Khahapana, 30, Rachet Harun, 25, and Manusak Kobthing, 20, were all…
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Phuket Vegetarian Festival drives need for blood
PHUKET CITY: Entranced participants at Phuket’s Vegetarian Festival can pierce their faces with sharp objects, sprint across hot coals and climb knife-blade ladders – without shedding blood, according to local belief. But that hasn’t stopped Phuket Regional Blood Center launching a fresh donation drive in time for the festival, which starts on October 18. Porntip Rattajak, the center’s acting chief,…
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Aussies put Phuket in World Top 10
PHUKET: According to statistics released to the Phuket Gazette today by giant hotel booking website Wotif.com, Australians have changed their travel patterns and are visiting Asia more and more. And Phuket has ascended into the mega-site’s Top Ten world destinations over the past two years. Pointing to the website’s league tables below, Kristy Harrison, Wotif’s Marketing Director for Asia, notes…
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Beach volleyball bounces back to Phuket
PHUKET: The fourth Beach Volleyball Phuket Thailand Open, powered by PTT, is scheduled to take place at Karon Beach from November 3 through 8. Some of the best players from around the globe will be here for the tournament, including the world ranked Number One team of Larissa Franka and Juliana Silva from Brazil. The pair have amassed an impressive…
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Phuket people help spread global message of peace
PHUKET: Tonight, people in Phuket will be dancing to a global beat of peace for Earthdance 2009, an annual, synchronized event held every September in hundreds of locations around the world in recognition of the United Nations International Day of Peace.At 4pm Pacific Standard Time on Saturday, September 26 (6am Sunday in Thailand), thousands of people in more than 200…
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Regional IT experts head for Phuket software forum
PHUKET: More than 300 software development experts from nine countries are expected to attend the The Asia Oceania Software Park Forum 2009 scheduled to take place in Phuket next month.The regional IT forum, which will also include the IT Architect Regional Conference 2009, is jointly organized by Software Industry Promotion Agency (SIPA) and Phuket’s recently-opened Software Park.The three-day seminar will…
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Work restarts on fire-ravaged Phuket homes
MAI KHAO, PHUKET: Work to rebuild 17 houses that were burned to the ground in a fire at a sea gypsy village in Phuket at the end of June restarted yesterday after a two-month hiatus. Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop arrived at Ban Hin Look Diow village in the morning to set 150 builders off to work again. The rebuilding of…
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New bridge plan good news for Phuket yachties
PHUKET: Phuket yachties will be pleased to know that a 300-million baht deal to build a new Sarasin Bridge includes raising the old bridge to give up to 10-meters’ clearance beneath all three bridges.The old Sarasin Bridge will become a car-free tourist attraction once construction of the third bridge is complete.Italian-Thai Development Co, which built Sarasin Bridge and the newer…
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Roy’s the word at Phuket’s beachside shindig
KARON, PHUKET: Thousands of youngsters converged on Karon Beach last night for the first ever Roy Fest, the island’s new music festival. A hefty dose of Roy – Southern Thai for ‘fun’ – was in the air as a succession of bands and DJs did their thing from an enormous stage erected by the beach road. The rain that had…
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Phuket businesses face software inspection raids
PHUKET: Computers used in Phuket businesses will be targeted in raids by modern bounty hunters on the lookout for unlicensed copies of software from October 26 onwards.Under intellectual property rights legislation, the Business Software Alliance (BSA) will be sending inspectors acting on behalf of copyright holders to search offices, first in Bangkok and then in Phuket, which is a principal…
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Phuket Gazette Poll Results: Prevent drownings with better safety campaign
PHUKET: Phuket Gazette readers favor a tourist information campaign as the most effective way to prevent drownings on Phuket’s beaches, according to the last Gazette Poll. Of 806 readers who voted, 34 percent thought a campaign warning of the dangers of swimming in the sea was the best way to prevent more deaths. Thai nationals were only 25 percent in favor…
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Doors open for Phuket Hospitality Show
PHUKET: Cooks, cakes, wines, spas and a plethora of products and services catering to the hospitality industry went on display today when the RPM International Exhibition & Conference Center opened its doors for Phuket’s first International Hospitality Show. The three-day event is attracting a wide variety of people and businesses involved in the region’s hospitality sector, giving participants and attendees the…
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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