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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Two more tourists drown in Phuket
PHUKET CITY: The official death toll from drowning in Phuket since the beginning of the year now stands at 33, following the two most recent cases – both foreign tourists. Ukrainian Viktor Pravoyuk, 59, got into trouble at the stretch of Patong Beach in front of Loma Park in Patong in the early afternoon last Friday and was pronounced dead…
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Almost half of Phuket’s hotel projects delayed
PHUKET: Up to 48 percent of all new hotel developments in Phuket are experiencing major construction delays due to the global economic downturn and concerns over Thailand’s political stability, an authoritative report has found. However, according to the Phuket Hotel Market Update Mid-Year Report (Click here to download the full report) released by respected hospitality consulting firm C9 Hotelworks, the…
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Dasta seeks listing for all of Phuket
PHUKET CITY: The agency pushing to develop the Ao Phuket mega-project off Saphan Hin has finished holding public hearings and says it has overwhelming support for listing all of Phuket as a special administrative zone for sustainable tourism development. Designated Areas for Sustainable Tourism Administration (Dasta) held the first in a series of public hearings with representatives from Phuket’s Muang,…
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Phuket FC lose at home again
WICHIT, PHUKET: A heartbreaking last-minute goal gave a 10-man Phatthalung side a shock 1-0 win at Surakul Stadium on Saturday, consigning the hapless Phuket Sea Dragons to their sixth straight home defeat. The defeat sees Phatthalung leapfrog Phuket FC in the table, leaving Somsak Waijerean’s men firmly rooted at the foot of the table in the eight team league. The…
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Rassada storms into Masters Cup final in Phuket
RASSADA, PHUKET: A 30-yard thunderbolt from Englishman Dave Iszatt helped set the Rassada Municipality football team on its way to victory against Srisoonthorn in the 2009 Rassada Masters Cup semifinals last Wednesday. Rassada will now face Kan Eng 2, who defeated Kathu in the first semifinal. Iszatt, 51, is the only non-Thai playing in the tournament. The Rassada fullback played…
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Mystery motorcyclist blamed for Phuket pile-up
PHUKET: The erratic behavior of a mystery motorcyclist was the reason the driver of a souped-up Ford Sierra gave for wrecking his car, flattening vegetation and slamming into a pick-up truck in Phuket yesterday. The sporty-looking Sierra spun across two lanes on the road to Patong Hill, slid across the central reservation, collided with an expat-owned pick-up truck heading in…
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Phuket FC determined to win tonight’s game
PHUKET CITY: Phuket FC return to action tonight, determined to get their first-ever home win against last-place Phattalung. In their last match at Yala, the Sea Dragons appeared on course for a second successive away point until Yala pounced in the 88th minute to complete home and away victories against Phuket. According to Phuket FC coach Somsak Waijeran, the two-week…
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Freedom for giant turtle captured off Phuket
PHUKET: A green sea turtle rescued near Phuket in April this year has finally been given its freedom. The turtle, thought to be about 50 years old, was almost a meter long and weighed a massive 120kg. It was rescued off Koh Bon during an early morning raid by Phuket-based marine inspectors who had been tipped off about an illegal…
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New luxury hotel for Phuket
PHUKET: Leading global hotel brand Accor have signed an agreement to manage the 280-room Pullman Phuket Arcadia at Nai Thon Beach which is scheduled to open in 2012.The new hotel is aimed at the luxury market and is currently under development by the owners of the Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort.Despite the economic downturn, investment in hospitality assets is on the rise…
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Townhouse demolition goes ahead for Phuket road expansion
PHUKET: Two townhouses which have been at the center of a court battle for 20 years are finally being torn down to allow road expansion in Phuket City to go ahead.The townhouses, located on a 500 meter stretch of Phunpol Road, have held up expansion of the road from two lanes to four.A number of restaurants, houses and businesses that line the…
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New tsunami buoys on the Phuket horizon
PHUKET CITY: Phuket could soon get more tsunami direct detection buoys similar to those installed along the Indian coastline earlier this year. The president of the National Disaster Warning Center (NDWC), Surawong Tientong, was on the island this week and met with Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop to discuss the proposal. The first tsunami direct detection buoy in the Indian Ocean, funded by the US government’s USAID…
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Logging destroys 18 rai of Phuket forest
PHUKET: Illegal loggers got away with clearing a huge swathe of pristine national park forest on Kamala Hill near the west coast of Phuket for more than two weeks before officials moved in to stop them. Acting on a tip-off, Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop led a team of Royal Forest Department officials and more than 30 forest preservation volunteers to…
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Accused teen set to fly home
PHUKET CITY: After spending more than five months in a Phuket jail, the German teenager arrested along with 43-year-old Briton Dax Young on child sex abuse charges in March is set to fly home next month. The 18-year-old, who cannot be named, pleaded guilty at the Phuket juvenile court today and was handed a four-year suspended sentence and fined 17,000 baht. He…
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Phuket to host shuttle launch
PHUKET: Phuket is set to give badminton a boost next month when it hosts the first Dunlop Phuket Open at the Saphan Hin sports center from August 5 to 9.The event is expected to attract Thailand’s top badminton players, who will battle it out with their rackets and shuttlecocks for prize money totaling 750,000 baht.The five-day event has been jointly…
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Missing American could be in Phuket
PHUKET: Police throughout the country have been asked to help find a 29-year-old American university student who is missing in Thailand.The student, Michael Griffin Harrie, 29, a second year veterinary medicine student who was studying for a month at Iwate University in Morioka, Japan, was last seen on July 14 while on a sightseeing trip in Thailand.He traveled to Bangkok…
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Phuket celebrates National Thai Language Day
PHUKET: Today, July 29, is marked by Thais as National Thai Language Day, and was celebrated in Phuket earlier this week with ceremonies involving more than 1,000 students, historians and prestigious scholars. The celebrations at Rajaphat University Phuket on Monday included a writing contest, a Thai folk song contest, traditional dancing and speeches by leading scholars on the importance of…
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Father killed in bid to save couple wired for death
PHUKET: A Phuket man was killed while trying to revive his son and his son’s girlfriend who were electrocuted in what police say may have been a bizarre ‘murder-suicide’. Police in Phuket Town said Jitti Choowong arrived home last Friday night to find his son Ekalak and his girlfriend dead on the floor of the home they shared in Rassada.…
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Water World set to make waves in Phuket
West Sands Water World in Mai Khao is the latest tourist attraction currently under construction in Phuket.Construction began last year and is expected to be complete by December.The water park is part of the West Sands five-star resort complex and was designed by Whitewater Industries, a world leader in water park design and a major player in the US water…
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Flower power for Phuket
PHUKET: Flowers of all kinds and colors have temporarily taken root at Saphan Hin in Phuket for the 17th Annual Ornamental Plants & Flowers Fair Phuket, which began on Friday and runs until Sunday.The flower fair’s covered market-stall area boasts more than 130 stalls of colorful flora and other ornamental items for gardens of any size.Among the items on offer…
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Search continues for missing teenager
PHUKET: Rescue teams have spent the day searching in vain for a 15-year-old boy who became caught in an undertow at Karon Beach and is feared drowned.The boy, Pattharadanai ‘Ooad’ Kampong, was last seen waving for help in heavy surf about 6pm on Sunday.Lifesavers saw him in trouble, and tried to save him, but were unable to battle through the…
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Suspected Phuket ‘gangster’ jumps bail
PHUKET CITY: An arrest warrant has been issued for a Pakistani man who failed to make a mandatory court appearance while on bail for attempted murder of a compatriot in Rawai in 2007, police say. The suspect, identified as Imran Ahmed “Munna” Qureshi, was arrested by the Phuket Tourist Police in October 2007 for the attempted murder of fellow Pakistani…
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Phuket Tourism: Patong performs best
PHUKET CITY: Patong is outperforming the rest of Phuket in a low-season that many local hotel industry experts describe as dismal.Phuket Tourist Association (PTA) President Somboon Jirayus said current average occupancy rates are about 30-40% in most parts of the island, down about 30% year-on-year, on average.Revenue is down even further because of all the discounts and promotions hotels are…
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Asean ends, troops leave Phuket
PHUKET: As of midnight last night, the tight security surrounding the Asean venue for the past two weeks in Phuket was relaxed.Troops began packing up at midnight last night as the Asean Foreign Ministers Meetings officially ended and the Internal Security Act was lifted.The Internal Security Act was enforced for the very first time in Phuket from July 10 to 24…
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Three out of three for Evolution Sails
SIX SENSES PHUKET RACEWEEK, DAY 2: Ray Roberts’ boat Evolution Sails made it three out of three with a third consecutive victory in the morning race to put him in pole position in the Racing class.However, Roberts did not have it all his own way, as Neil Prydes’ Hi Fi broke Evolution Sails‘ monopoly, to win the afternoon race. Hi…
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Olive branch offered to Burma during Phuket Asean talks
CHERNG TALAY, PHUKET: Members of the Asean Regional Forum (ARF) in Phuket yesterday offered to help Burma promote democracy, human rights and well-being among its people, but avoided mentioning the controversy over pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi. “Asean, as well as members of the ARF, would like to work with Myanmar [Burma] and are ready to assist in its…
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Good gusts on first day of Six Senses Phuket Raceweek
PHUKET SIX SENSES RACEWEEK: Ray Roberts drew first blood in the race to become the 2009-10 Asian Yachting Grand Prix Champion.Racing on Evolution Sails, formerly known as Quantum Racing, he claimed first place in both races in the IRC Racing class.The 2008-09 winner, Neil Pryde, finished second and third on Hi Fi with Peter Ahern on Yo! 2, also securing…
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Heavy rains in Phuket cause landslide
PHUKET/PATONG: Torrential rain last night caused a massive landslide in Patong which left 200 meters of Sirirat Road covered in thick mud and debris.The road blockage and flood waters caused traffic jams and long delays.The landslide started from a construction site on Petchakut Road, 150 meters above Sirirat road, opposite Simon Cabaret.Patong Deputy Mayor, Prasarn Yordtor said water from a…
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Police identify victims of Phuket shootout
PATONG, PHUKET: Kathu Police have identified the man who died in a wild west-style gunfight that broke out at Patong Beach on Tuesday as 24-year-old Daruwat Burintarakot, nephew of the late Jintana Plaza heiress Komkai Kositkoon who was murdered in July last year. Police have also released the names of the three men injured in the shootout, during which dozens…
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Bomb scare at Laguna Phuket
CHERNG TALAY, PHUKET: A loud boom reported at Laguna Phuket this morning was caused by security officials who blasted a suspicious motorbike with high-pressure water from a fire hose.Reuters news agency reported that a ‘loud blast’ of unknown origin was heard by witnesses.A source at Laguna Phuket confirmed that security officers at the resort found a suspicious motorbike parked near the Laguna Holiday Club, less than a…
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Phuket City students glimpse eclipse
RASSADA, PHUKET: Despite overcast conditions, students who turned up to view the partial solar eclipse this morning at Rajabhat Phuket University did not go away completely disappointed. “Today we had a lot of clouds, but fortunately we were able to observe the eclipse for about 5 minutes at around 8am,” said Prof Sukchai Petchuay, Assistant Dean of Rajabhat University Phuket.…
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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