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 Celebrity meet-and-greet events to look forward to in Thailand (2025)
Meet-and-greet with your idols? That’s exactly what 2025 has in store. This year, plenty of world-famous stars are coming to Thailand to meet their fans in more intimate settings. From dining with a sports legend to seeing your favourite K-drama...
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Power cuts in Phuket tomorrow
PHUKET CITY: The Phuket Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) has announced there will be power cuts in some areas of the island tomorrow between 9am and 4pm. The cuts are required so maintenance on high-voltage wires can be carried out. Affected areas will include: Chao Fah West Road, east of Phuket Power Distribution Control Center 2, Thinawut Village Project 2, Thinawut…
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Phuket tsunami drill a success: Suthep
PHUKET: Phuket’s tsunami warning towers sounded the alert yesterday morning, sending crowds running down Soi Bangla to the higher ground further inshore. The exercise was all part of a full-scale tsunami warning and evacuation drill, which Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban pronounced a resounding success. “This will help tourists trust our tsunami warning system and encourage them to return to…
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Phuket to become AirAsia regional hub
PHUKET CITY: Thai AirAsia will begin direct flight services to Phuket from several new major cities in the region starting by the end of the year, the low-cost carrier has announced. AirAsia will base five aircraft at Phuket International Airport as part of its plan to establish Phuket as an aviation hub, Thai AirAsia CEO Tassapon Bijleveld told a press…
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Phuket’s ‘Coral Reef Squadron’ 90% destroyed: TDA
PHUKET CITY: Phuket’s ‘Coral Reef Squadron’ sunk off Bang Tao Bay last November is 90 percent missing or destroyed, the Thai Dive Association admitted today. Rainer Gottwald, head of the Thai Dive Association (TDA) technical committee, said TDA divers visited the site on Wednesday and were only able to find one of the 10 aircraft that formed the artificial reef.…
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Phuket tsunami evacuation drill this morning
PHUKET CITY: There will be a a full-scale tsunami warning and evacuation exercise in Phuket this morning starting at 10am, the National Disaster Warning Center (NDWC) has announced.The drill, to run until 12 noon, will also be conducted in Phang-Nga, Krabi, Ranong, Trang, and Satun provinces. This is only a drill. Warning tower alarms will go off in all participating areas. The Phuket exercises…
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Phuket’s men of the cloth in plastic purgatory
PHUKET CITY: With the landfill at Saphan Hin continuing to pile up at the alarming rate of about 300 tonnes of waste per day, the provincial government hopes a new campaign promoting the use of cloth bags will help cut down the waste stream until a second incinerator is completed. The island’s sole incinerator, built and operated by Phuket City…
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“Lovely Road, Lovely Phuket’ project launched
WICHIT, PHUKET: Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop presided over a tree-planting ceremony along the new road from Wichit to Kathu on Tuesday morning. Dubbed the ‘Lovely Roads, Lovely Phuket’ project, the initiative is one of many around the island in recent weeks marking the birthday of HM Queen Sirikit on August 12. Also in attendance was Senator Phummisak Hongyok, whose Anuphas Vividhkran…
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Mangroves planted in Phuket to honor HM The Queen
PA KHLOK, PHUKET: More than 200 villagers took part in a mangrove planting ceremony in Phuket yesterday to mark the birthday of HM Queen Sirikit. The event was organized by the Pa Khlok Tambon Administration Organization and presided over by its president, Atipong Kongnam. Also taking part were students from the Weerasatri Anusorn Primary School, Phuket Panyanukul School for special…
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Dangerous dogs rounded up in Phuket City
PHUKET CITY: Phuket City vets rounded up a group of vicious stray dogs at a temple today following complaints that the dogs were biting worshipers and killing local cats. Phuket City Municipality veterinarian Boonsom Roongudom and two helpers took away at least 10 dangerous dogs from the grounds of Wat Langsarn in Phuket City this morning. The dogs were taken…
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Asean summit venue to be finalized on Monday
PHUKET CITY: Confusion reigns over the siting of the Asean Summit scheduled for October 23 to 25, with Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva telling the state-run Thai News Agency that the venue site will not be finalized until next Monday. Mr Abhisit said yesterday that the agencies involved will meet on August 24 to consider the timetable and venue for the…
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Deputy PM orders investigation into Phuket jet-ski scams
PHUKET: Australian diplomats regard the problem of jet-ski rip-offs in Phuket so seriously they have complained to the prime minister, Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop said yesterday.As a result, Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban has ordered a thorough investigation into scams on the island, particularly those involving jet-skis and motorcycle taxis, Gov Wichai said.There are about 300 jet-skis on five beaches…
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Asean summit not coming to Phuket
PHUKET CITY: The 15th Asean Summit meeting in October will take place in the twin resorts of Cha-am and Hua Hin, not Phuket, the government has confirmed.Suthep Thaugsuban, deputy prime minister in charge of security issues, confirmed the decision this morning.With the island’s successful hosting of the Asean Foreign Ministers’ Meetings at the Laguna Phuket resort complex in Cherng Talay…
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Community group helps pay off Phuket sea gypsy loans
RAWAI, PHUKET: Threats of beatings and electrocution by loan sharks have abated for scores of Moken sea gypsies since a Phuket-based community organization stepped in to help. The ‘Poor’s Right to Develop Phuket Network’ (PRDPN) paid off debts worth more than half a million baht for 162 Rawai sea gypsies earlier this month. Nevertheless, hundreds of residents of the sea…
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Ritz Carlton Reserve rises in Phang Nga
PHUKET: Luxury brand Ritz-Carlton is set to debut in Phang Nga with the recent signing of Similan Beach, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve.Located in Bo Dan, just north of Tha Sai, the 79-villa resort will open by the fourth quarter of 2011. Developed by an institutional private equity firm, the site was previously owned by Kingdom Hotel Investments and had been earmarked…
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Aussie carrier launches Phuket service
PHUKET CITY: Australian long-haul carrier V Australia yesterday announced Phuket as one of its two new destinations, with direct flights to the island from Brisbane and Melbourne set to begin later this year. Twice weekly flights to Phuket from Brisbane will begin on November 22, while once weekly flights from Melbourne will begin on December 3. As part of its…
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Jilted lover stabs girlfriend, plunges to death
KOH RACHA, PHUKET: A luxury resort on Racha Yai Island was left reeling after one of its employees stabbed another to death before plunging to his own demise. Harin Tipnarong, an electrician at The Racha resort, planned the murder after his girlfriend and colleague Voraporn Pithom told him she wanted to end their relationship, police said. Superintendent Chinarat Rittakananon of…
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More Phuket mangroves destroyed
RASSADA, PHUKET: In the latest assault on Phuket’s natural environment, more than 10 rai of mangrove forest has been felled by encroachers. The encroachment was reported to the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMRC) Phuket office on Thursday afternoon. Led by office chief Surachat Chararat, DMRC officers visited the site, located near the confluence of the Tha Chine and…
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Phuket shark release to honor HM Queen Sirikit’s birthday
PHUKET CITY: In one of the many ceremonies that took place to mark the birthday of HM Queen Sirikit last week, 39 sharks and more than 10,000 other fish and marine animals were released into the sea off Phuket on Friday morning. The release was organized by the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources through its Phuket Marine Biological Center…
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Phuket still in contention for Asean summit: PM
PHUKET CITY: It has not yet been finalized whether the 15th Asean Summit in October will be moved out of Phuket, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said in a surprise announcement on Saturday. Pending further information from the state agencies concerned, the government would make the decision about the venue later this week, the prime minister said. The comments contradict a…
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Phuket FC record historic first point at Surakul
PHUKET CITY: Phuket FC registered their first ever point at home at Surakul Stadium following a keenly contested match against Krabi on Saturday night that ended 0-0. Phuket enjoyed the lion’s share of possession in the first 45 minutes, but it was Krabi who had the best chance to open the scoring when their striker was given time and space…
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Is Phuket challenged in grasping the gist?
(PHUKET): The GAT (General Achievement Test) and PAT (Professional Aptitude Test) results for July, officially released yesterday, have Thai educators scratching their heads over some very grim results. The July tests were the second round for Thai students this year, the first having been in March. The National Institute of Education’s Testing Service (NIETS) is probing the causes of the…
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Phuket City’s Kaset Market gets a hose down
PHUKET CITY: A ‘big cleaning day’ was held at Kaset Market as part of celebrations marking the birthday of HM Queen Sirikit on Wednesday. Municipal workers, shopkeepers and volunteers all got behind the effort, spraying the floors of the market with high-pressure hoses, picking up garbage and scrubbing the filthy floors with detergent. Targeted for extermination by poison as part…
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New swine flu cases down 50% in Phuket
PHUKET CITY: The number of new swine flu cases reported in Phuket has been reduced by almost half, with 271 reported cases and the death toll still at two. To help people who contract the type A(H1N1) virus that causes the disease, the Phuket Public Health Office (PPHO) has signed contracts with 12 private clinics to distribute the the antiviral…
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Phuket’s “little mermaid’ breathing on her own
PHUKET CITY: There have been encouraging signs for the Burmese baby born in Phuket with ‘mermaid syndrome’ last Sunday: the infant has been taken off a respirator and is now breathing on her own. According to the Prince of Songkla University (PSU) Hospital in Songkhla, where the baby girl is being treated, she has now been given the name ‘Nichapa’ by…
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Emergency response plan coming for Phuket Airport
PHUKET CITY: A provincial committee will draw up an emergency response plan for Phuket International Airport (PIA), the first of its kind in Thailand.The announcement came at a meeting chaired by Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop at Phuket Provincial Hall on Thursday.Representing the airport at the meeting was PIA Deputy Director Sutheep Sansiripan.Governor Wichai said the need for an emergency response…
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Rajabhat Phuket to host science fair
PHUKET: Phuket Rajabhat University will host a science fair from August 18 to 20.The event is aimed at getting youngsters more interested in science and technology.A part of ‘Thailand Science Week’, the fair will be dedicated to the memory of King Mongkut (Rama IV), known as the ‘Father of Thai Science and Technology’.King Mongkut (1804 – 1864) embraced Western science and…
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Vegetable Festival takes the fall for Phuket’s Asean loss
PHUKET: The 15th Asean summit in October will be held in Cha-Am/Hua Hin, a shift from Phuket where it had originally been scheduled to happen. The big loss for Phuket was chalked up to security concerns, Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya said this afternoon. “After consultation with security agencies, we decided to choose Cha-am/Hua Hin for the summit meeting,” he said,…
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Phuket yellow shirts sue red shirts over petition
PHUKET CITY: Phuket’s yellow shirt leaders have filed police charges against the island’s red shirt organizers for gathering signatures seeking a royal pardon for exiled former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. The move echoes similar actions taken by People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) leaders around the country. Led by Phuket PAD coordinator Aparat Chartchutikumjorn, around 30 PAD members filed complaints at…
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September auction of lucky license plates
PHUKET: Lucky license plates will be up for grabs in Phuket next month at the Phuket Department of Land Transport’s 5th Annual License Plate Auction.A total of 301 license plates will go under the hammer in the Prapitak Grand Ballroom at the Metropol Hotel Phuket between September 12 and 13, not August 12 and 13 as had been earlier reported.Some…
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Back surgery success for cliff-jumping belly dancer
PHUKET CITY: Just one week after major spinal surgery following a cliff-jumping accident on Koh Phi Phi, American tourist Melissa Kelman flew home today. Ms Kelman, 28, a dance and English teacher from St Louis, Missouri, shattered three vertebrae in her back when she jumped into the sea from a height of 20 meters as part of a Phi Phi…
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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