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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Boy missing, feared drowned
A 16-year-old boy is missing, feared drowned, after disappearing from Karon Beach about 6pm last night (Sunday night).The teenager, from Pijit Province, is a Phuket resident and went swimming with friends who said he went into the water about 6pm, but did not return.Chalong police and rescue teams using a jet boat searched for him, but have so far been unable to…
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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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June tourist arrivals down almost 22.9%
PHUKET CITY: The number of international tourists arriving at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport in June was down almost 23% year-on-year, according to the Thai Immigration Bureau. Figures for June arrivals into Phuket from abroad are not yet available. June’s international arrivals into Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airport were 642,732, down 29.7% from the 833,678 arrivals in June 2008. Arrivals from East Asian countries…
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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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Hillary Clinton in Phuket: Asean urged to be open about human rights
PHUKET: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her diplomatic entourage flew into Phuket yesterday on two private jets. Mrs Clinton was then whisked off to the Sheraton Grande Laguna Phuket, the Asean Ministers’ Meetings Phuket venue, where she gave a speech that included a call on the Burmese junta to release democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been…
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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.…
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Temporary ICU for Asean talks in Phuket
CHERNG TALAY, PHUKET: Emergency medical facilities including a temporary intensive care unit (ICU) are in place at Laguna Phuket in case any delegates at the Asean Ministerial Meetings fall seriously ill during the talks. Three medical aid points have been set up specifically for such an event. The most well equipped is ‘Medical Center 1201’, located inside host venue the…
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New Phuket City market to open by year’s end
PHUKET CITY: Structural work on the new municipal market on Ranong Road is complete, but the 167-million-baht facility probably won’t be open for business until the end of the year. Phuket City Mayor Somjai Suwansupana said the four-story market building and the 27 shophouse units surrounding it were finished, but interior work would probably take several months to plan and…
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Phuket swine flu infections drop
PHUKET CITY: Phuket appears to be winning the battle against swine flu, but the island’s top public health official is asking the public to maintain vigilance.Phuket Public Health Office (PPHO) director Dr Pongsawas Ratanasang said yesterday morning the number of new cases reported daily has fallen to fewer than five, on average.So far there have been 123 reported cases of…
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Phuket Red Cross blood donation schedule
PHUKET CITY: The Phuket Chapter of the Red Cross Society has arranged for its mobile unit to accept blood donations at the following places and times in Phuket and Krabi in August.August 1 (8am to 12 noon): HM Queen Sirikit Park, Thalang Rd, Phuket CityAugust 3 (9am to 5pm): Bangkok Hospital Phuket, Phuket CityAugust 4 (9am to 12 noon): Krabi…
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Clubbers survive brutal beating in Phuket
CHERNG TALAY, PHUKET: Two people have been hospitalized after a brutal attack in the early hours of Saturday.Narissa Phokabut, 28, and her 30-year-old English friend, were leaving the Stereo Lab nightclub before dawn on Saturday when they were attacked by two Thai men.Yards away, revelers were still partying at the Hed Kandi night, an event put on by the popular…
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Phuket residents decidedly calm in run-up to Asean
PHUKET CITY: Asean Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan yesterday told the international community that the upcoming meetings of Asean foreign ministers and dialogue partners would be secure. “I want to assure you all that the security arrangements are superb and the meetings will proceed without disruption,” he said. In April, anti-government protesters stormed into the Asean Summit’s venue in Pattaya, forcing the…
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Internet shop closure not enforced in Phuket
PHUKET CITY: The government-ordered closure of internet shops and tutorial schools nationwide to stop the spread of swine flu is not being enforced in Phuket, public health officials admit. Most of the 480 registered internet shops on the island simply ignored the order, which they view as unfair and illegal. Cabinet last Thursday approved a proposal by the Ministry of…
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EC seeks to disqualify Phuket MP, 12 others
PHUKET CITY: Party list MP Chalermlak Kebsup of Phuket is among 13 MPs the Election Commission is seeking to have removed from office for holding shares in a restricted business. The Election Commission (EC) yesterday ruled that 13 MPs, all from the ruling Democrat Party, had violated the Constitution by holding stocks in media firms or telecom businesses operating under…
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Phuket plant fair starts next week
PHUKET CITY: Green thumbs take note: the 17th Annual Ornamental Plants & Flowers Fair will take place at Saphan Hin from July 24 to August 2. Somchai Hengwatcharaphaibul, chief of the Phuket Agriculture and Cooperatives Office, said he expects this year’s event to generate about 40 million baht in sales. The fair will include exhibitions, displays, competitions in flower arrangement…
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Phuket still safe despite Jakarta bombings
PHUKET: The bomb blasts which shattered Jakarta’s Ritz-Carlton and JW Marriott Hotels this morning, killing at least nine people and injuring dozens more, have sent the topic of terrorism rocketing to the top of the agenda at the 42nd Asean Foreign Ministers Meeting which got underway in Phuket today. Asean Secretary General Dr Surin Pitsuwan said officials and delegates were…
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Partial solar eclipse in Phuket on Wednesday
PHUKET CITY: Weather permitting, a partial solar eclipse will be visible in Phuket on Wednesday morning. The eclipse, blocking about 20% of the sun at its peak at 8.10am, will last around six minutes. Rajabhat Phuket University is hosting a viewing event at the traffic circle in front of the Dean’s Office on the Rajabhat campus. Assistant Professor Sakchai Phetchuai…
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New police HQ spells trouble for Mai Khao villagers
MAI KHAO, PHUKET: Twenty families in Mai Khao have signed a petition vowing to fight an order to vacate government land earmarked for construction of the new Police Region 8 headquarters, scheduled to open in 2011. Plans to move the existing Region 8 headquarters from Surat Thani province to Phuket were set in motion in 2007. Krabi, Nakhon Sri Thammarat,…
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Dasta holds public hearings in Phuket
PHUKET CITY: The public organization pushing to develop the Ao Phuket mega-project off Saphan Hin is conducting public hearings to gauge reaction to the possibility of designating all of Phuket as a special administrative zone for sustainable tourism. Designated Areas for Sustainable Tourism Administration (Dasta), a public organization whose board answers directly to the Prime Minister’s Office, held the first…
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Swine flu “service centers” open in Phuket
PHUKET CITY: There have been 77 confirmed cases of A(H1N1) infection in Phuket since the swine flu outbreak first hit the island in early June, the Gazette has learned. To combat the spread of the new flu strain, the Phuket Public Health Office (PPHO) has launched three “One Stop Service” (OSS) centers for suspected swine flu cases at Phuket’s three…
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Rolly Tasker donates land for Phuket road project
PHUKET CITY: Rolly Tasker Sails Co Ltd yesterday morning donated eight rai of land to the state for construction of a second airport road. Company founder Mr Tasker, an Australian sailing legend, handed over the title deeds to Phuket Governor Wichai Praisa-ngop at a ceremony at Phuket Provincial Hall yesterday morning. Gov Wichai has pushed for the new new airport…
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Inmates spruce up Phuket roadsides for ministers’ meeting
PHUKET: The Phuket governor called in Phuket Provincial Prison inmates to help clean up and landscape the Airport Road that delegates to the 42nd Asean Foreign Ministers’ Meeting will pass on their way to the host venue Laguna Phuket.The order followed an inspection tour of the road on Friday during which Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop found the median strip and roadsides…
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Foundered ferry under tow to Phuket
PHUKET CITY: Salvage workers are today trying to tow back to Phuket the unregistered passenger ferry that foundered in heavy seas in Phang Nga Bay over the weekend. Phuket Marine Police on Sunday morning rescued the captain and crew of the unregistered ferry Kacha Marine, which sank during a sea squall near the Mu Sung Rocks about seven miles off…
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Phuket storm warnings
PHUKET CITY: The Meteorological Department has issued a weather warning as the Andaman region continues to be battered by heavy rain and strong winds.The warning said strong southwest monsoonal conditions continue to affect the Andaman Sea and southwest coast of southern Thailand.Rain, very heavy at times, continues in most west coast areas.As there is a risk of flash-flooding and landslides,…
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ASEAN Meetings: Phuket residents rush for stickers for fast-track security clearance
PHUKET: Col Piyapong Wongchan, Deputy Chief of the Internal Security Operations Command in Phuket, said this afternoon that Phuket vehicle owners who want special passes to facilitate clearance through the many special security checkpoints now being set up around the island should contact their village heads in Thalang and Kathu districts. More than 40,000 such stickers have already been issued…
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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