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.
-
Sponsored
5 hidden healthcare costs in Thailand and how to avoid them
Thailand's healthcare system is affordable and supported by the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) scheme, offering essential services to most citizens. However, hidden healthcare costs can surprise patients and lead to unexpected expenses. These include specialist fees, insurance gaps, emergency services,...
-
Prison Products Fair underway in Phuket
SAPHAN HIN, PHUKET: There are only four days remaining in the 6th annual Prisoners Product Fair taking place at the central stage area at Saphan Hin. A wide variety of sturdy, handmade products including tables, wardrobes, beds and baskets are on display. Items made by Thai prisoners from the 14 provincial prisons in the southern region, as part of their…
-
Phuket crime: 50,000 baht reward for clues in Australian assault case
PHUKET CITY: It has taken a phone call from the Australian diplomatic mission, but Phuket Police are now renewing efforts to catch the man responsible for a horrendous knife attack on a young Australian man several months ago.In early February this year, 20-year-old Jamie Shackleton was left with terrible facial injuries after being slashed in the face with a machete…
-
New medical science center opens in Phuket
SRISOONTHORN, PHUKET: The Public Health Ministry opened a new front in the war against infectious disease in Phuket late last week with the opening of the new Phuket Medical Science Center. Public Health Minister Witthaya Kaewparadai presided over the June 11 opening ceremony, which was attended by more than 200 public health volunteers as well as Phuket MPs Tossaporn Thepabutr…
-
Young Australian dies in Phuket motorbike crash
WICHIT, PHUKET: A young Australian man died just before dawn on Saturday morning when his motorcycle crashed at high speed on Chao Fa West Road. Inspector Yongyuth Kongmarai of Phuket City Police identified the deceased as 20-year-old Kain Bonow, an Australian national and long-time resident of Phuket. Police and rescue workers from the nearby Phuket Ruamjai Kupai Foundation responded to…
-
Phuket “Big Cleanup” now underway
PATONG, PHUKET: Public health workers in full anti-contamination gear sprayed and fumigated Soi Bangla yesterday in a bid to prevent the spread of contagious diseases like swine flu and chikungunya. The high-profile initiative followed a single confirmed case of swine flu infection by a staff member at a Patong disco last week. Tourists and local businessmen alike were curious about…
-
Phuket to Montana: Thanks for a great event!
(PHUKET): Phuket’s tourism industry is currently mired in the low season doldrums and there has been little to report in recent weeks to buoy enthusiasm. There has been plenty of talk recently of abysmal occupancy rates, imminent staff layoffs and factors conspiring to keep tourists away – from swine flu to the recent spate of drownings. Given the malaise, the…
-
Aussie romps to second Laguna Phuket marathon win
CHENG TALAY, PHUKET: Reigning Laguna Phuket International Marathon champion Stephen Paine of Australia defended his crown in style yesterday, leading from start to finish on his way to an impressive win at Laguna Phuket. A record 4,500 runners and walkers from more than 25 countries gathered at Laguna Beach Resort in the early hours of Sunday to contest five separate…
-
Phuket landfill causing a big stink
PHUKET: Fed up with the stench emanating from a nearby landfill, residents of Saphan Hin have put up banners and signs and are formally complaining to the city government about the foul odor. Phuket City Municipality Chief Administration Officer Thawatchai Tongmang has assured residents that the city is well aware of the problem and is working hard to resolve it.…
-
Free training at Phuket Meditation Center today
PHUKET CITY: A Middle Way meditation session will take place today at the Phuket Meditation Center next to Suan Luang Park, starting at 1:30 pm. The teaching monk is Phra Thada Jaranatharou. Fluent in English, Phra Thada graduated with honors with a bachelors’ degree industrial electrical technology from King Mongkut Institute of Technology, Thailand’s top engineering school. Phra Thada is…
-
Phuket tourism industry braces for swine flu impact
PHUKET CITY: A vice-president of the Phuket Tourist Association has warned that travelers and the general public could be frightened by the heightened level of alert for swine flu, which the WHO raised from phase 5 to phase 6, the highest level, on Thursday. Phuket Tourism Association Vice-President for Marketing Bhuritt Maswongsa also noted that despite the phase 6 warning,…
-
Amateur Photo Contest offers free stay at Phuket resort
Fancy yourself as a photographer? Got a snap that says it all about Phuket lifestyle? If so, you could win a FREE three-night stay at the Evason Phuket & Six Senses Spa in Rawai, during the Six Senses Raceweek from July 22-26. Send us your best digital photo depicting Phuket lifestyle for the chance to win your three nights at…
-
Thirty suspected swine flu cases in Phuket
PHUKET: Four tourists in Phuket are suspected of being infected with swine flu and are currently in quarantine in Phuket hospitals. According to the Phuket Public Health Office (PPHO), three of the quarantined tourists are Pakistani nationals. They were immediately quarantined at Patong Hospital after thermo scanners showed they were suffering from high fevers. The fourth tourist is a Thai…
-
Phuket marine life to benefit from dugong conservation MoU
PHUKET: After two years of lobbying by the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC), the government has finally agreed to sign an international memorandum of understanding (MoU) aimed at protecting the endangered dugong population in Thai waters, the Gazette has learned.Kanjana Adulyanukosol of the Phuket Marine Biological Center’s Endangered Species Unit said the government is now ready to sign the memorandum,…
-
Phuket fitness center goes bust
PHUKET: Members of the Easy Fitness Center on Chao Fa West Road in Phuket were left without a gym on April 30, when repossession teams, under police supervision, seized fitness equipment valued at several million baht, forcing the center to close.The center, which opened in 2005, offered a variety of fitness classes with membership fees ranging from Bt7,200 for three…
-
Swine Flu: Phuket facing further downturns in tourism
BANGKOK / PHUKET: A Bangkok school will today be partially closed for three days after an 11-year-old boy came down with type-A (H1N1) influenza in what is the second known case of local infection in Thailand. Thirteen of his classmates have also developed a fever. Deputy Public Health Minister Manit Nopamornbodi said the Bangkok student, whose name was withheld, had…
-
Chikungunya continues to rise in Phuket
PHUKET: Chikungunya continues to spread in the province, with 694 confirmed cases in the island’s official records. And the actual figure is probably far higher. Phuket Provincial Health Office (PPHO) Director Dr Pongsawas Ratanasang confirmed that 669 Thais have received hospital treatment for the disease. Dr Pongsawas said a further 25 cases, all foreigners, have also been treated: 17 Burmese,…
-
Hong Kong man ill with swine flu after Phuket holiday
PHUKET CITY: A 33-year-old man from Hong Kong fell ill with human swine influenza following a stay on Phuket, the Gazette has learned. The Hong Kong Department of Health said the man visited Phuket with a friend from June 4 to 8. He reportedly developed a cough on June 7. The travelers returned to Hong Kong on Dragonair flight KA213…
-
Phuket Gov to launch “Project Palmyra”
PHUKET CITY: In an effort to beautify two of the island’s main roadways, the Phuket governor is keen to plant scores of Palmyra palm trees along Thepkrasattri Road and the bypass road. At a recent meeting at Phuket Provincial Hall, Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop raised the idea with representatives of agencies slated for involvement in the project; most seemed to…
-
Phuket enchanted by MSU orchestra
PHUKET CITY: Music lovers in Phuket were granted a rare treat over the past weekend: two performances by the world-class musicians of the Montana State University (MSU) Symphony Orchestra. Under the direction of internationally renowned Japanese conductor Shuichi Komiyama, the 85-member orchestra kicked off with a rousing medley arrangement entitled Go West. Certainly not to be confused with the Pet…
-
Breast squeezer goes to jail
KHON KAEN / PHUKET: Having failed to get anywhere with begging, an unemployed man was arrested on June 6 after squeezing the breasts of a number of women. Like Little Tramp in Modern Times, the man claimed the act had nothing to do with sexual appetite, but was done in hopes of being arrested and sent to prison – where…
-
Phuket gets another toy library from the Phuket Community Foundation
Community Foundations (CFs) are a powerful force for doing good in society. They are also financial powerhouses. For example, Rotary has total worldwide assets – that is, investments from which Rotary clubs draw an income – of around US$700 million. In contrast, the Tulsa Community Foundation alone has assets of US$3.l7 billion, and the top 10 in the US have…
-
Phuket says farewell to Steve Swan
PATONG, PHUKET: A cremation ceremony was held last week for US serviceman Steve Swan, who survived for three weeks following a motorcycle accident on April 30 but died from complications on May 22. The following obituary is provided by Lee Thayer, also a retired US Navy serviceman and, together with Steve, an owner of the Crow’s Nest Bar on Soi…
-
Letter from Phuket to the World Boxing Council
PHUKET: The Phuket Gazette‘s editorial this week comes in the form of an open letter to World Boxing Council (WBC) President Jose Sulaiman on the topic of race-based pricing at the world title fight held at the Bangla Boxing Stadium in Patong, Phuket on May 29. Dear Mr Sulaiman: As you are no doubt aware, WBC champion Oleydong Sithsamerchai recently…
-
Loan shark gang preys on Phuket sea gypsies
RAWAI, PHUKET: Police arrested a gang alleged to be loan sharks when they were attempting to collect money from members of the Rawai sea gypsy community at about 1am on Thursday.The arrests were made by Chalong Police after they received a report from the community that members of the gang had entered the community to forcibly collect on outstanding loans…
-
Paiboon’s fraud case starts June 23
PHUKET CITY: The Region 8 Court of Appeals will on June 23 examine witnesses and preliminary evidence in the electoral fraud case against suspended Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (PPAO) president Paiboon Upatising and teammate Sawat Muchawej. Mr Paiboon and Mr Sawat were handed yellow cards by the Election Commission (EC) in Bangkok on March 19. For our previous report, click…
-
Australia and New Zealand education expos in Phuket
PHUKET CITY: Antipodean cousins New Zealand and Australia are set to go head-to-head in pursuit of young minds later this month, with both countries hosting education expos in Phuket. On June 16, the New Zealand Education Center and the New Zealand Embassy will host the New Zealand Education Fair 2009 at the Phuket ICT Skill Development and Learning Center at…
-
Frenchman and Thai drown in Phuket
KARON, PHUKET: A Frenchman and his Thai companion drowned while swimming in heavy surf off Karon Beach yesterday afternoon. After the deaths were reported to Chalong Police, rescue workers from the Phuket Ruamjai Kupai Foundation, Phuket Tourist Rescue Center and Karon Hazard Prevention Unit rushed out on surfboards and boats to find the victims. After about 20 minutes they found…
-
17 killed, 30 injured in Krabi bus accident
PHUKET CITY: A chartered bus taking officials of the Samut Prakan Provincial Administrative Organization on a study tour overturned in Krabi this morning, killing 17 and injuring 30 passengers. The accident occurred at 6:30 am on the Phanom-Khao Tor Road in Krabi’s Plai Phraya district. Twelve passengers died at the scene; five more died at hospitals. Thirty other passengers were…
-
Free concerts by Montana State University in Phuket
PHUKET CITY: The Montana State University Symphony Orchestra will be performing two free concerts in Phuket over the weekend; one on Saturday at Rama IX Park (Suan Luang) on Chao Fah East Rd in Phuket City and another on Sunday at Phuket Rajabhat University in Rassada. The Phuket concerts are part of the orchestra’s Southeast Asia goodwill tour. A complement…
-
Two teens arrested, confess to Phuket murder
PHUKET CITY: At a crime re-enactment held yesterday morning it took nearly 200 policemen to prevent a crowd from lynching two teenagers who have confessed to the brutal stabbing murder of an elderly woman last month. Police identified the pair as 19-year-old Hussadin “Mai” Wongrinyong of Phuket City and a 17-year-old male accomplice, whose name was withheld because of his…
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.
Don't forget to check out some other things to do in Thailand - get help starting a business or finding a job in Thailand, buy Thailand property, rent a yacht or book a medical procedure worldwide.