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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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,...
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Phuket porker: mutant or miracle?
SRISOONTHORN, PHUKET: The talk of the town in Thalang in recent weeks is the birth of a deformed piglet that locals feel bears a striking resemblance to Ganesha, the elephant-headed Hindu deity worshiped by many Thai Buddhists. The reason for their conviction is a large growth of tissue protruding from the piglet’s head that bears a striking resemblance to an…
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Phuket jungle walk marks World Environment Day 2009
PA KHLOK, PHUKET: More than 50 Phuket students on Monday morning completed an eight-kilometer jungle trek all the way from Bang Pae Waterfall to Ton Sai Waterfall, located inside Khao Phra Thaeo National Park. The event was organized jointly by PTT Exploration and Production Co (PTTEP), Radio Thailand, and the Phuket Public Relations Department. PTTEP External Relations Manager Sidhichai Jayant…
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New Phuket Chief Justice urges more mediation
PHUKET CITY: The new Chief Justice of Phuket Provincial Court held a press conference yesterday to promote greater use of the court mediation system to settle legal disputes, the backlog of which is overwhelming the provincial court system and leading to long delays between trial dates. Phuket Provincial Court Chief Justice Varangkana Sujaritkul said she will promote the use of…
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Monkey business at Phuket Provincial Hall
PHUKET CITY: A brazen monkey wandered onto the grounds of Phuket Provincial Hall this morning, making off with a belly full of fresh cucumbers after a standoff with a stunned food vendor. The unusual visit came at about 9:30 this morning at an open-air curry stall on the grounds of Phuket Provincial Hall. The monkey, one of the many pig-tailed…
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Phuket Governor orders probe into illegal quay at Ao Por
PA KHLOK, PHUKET: Resort developers have converted a section of seaside jungle into a 200-meter-long quay at Ao Por without official permission, it has emerged.The developers used heavy machinery to uproot trees and remove earth from the hillside to create an artificial quay in Tambon Pa Khlok, near village 6.Although the work began at the start of 2008, it has…
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Phuket City begins cable work on Thalang Rd
PHUKET CITY: Work on the project to bury power cables along Thalang Road in Old Phuket Town got underway yesterday morning, with workers marking lines near the pavement to mark the trench that will house the conduit. The narrow trench, about half a meter wide, will run along the right-hand side of the one-way road, once the heart of Phuket’s…
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Thai Immigration crackdown on border runners
BANGKOK / PHUKET: In a crackdown on foreigners who “abuse” the tourist exemption rule allowing15-day visit extensions at border entry points, the Immigration Bureau has confirmed and informed ThaiVisa.Com of the following new regulation, which went into effect yesterday: A foreigner who has entered the kingdom four consecutive times on 15-day tourist exemption stamps will not be allowed to leave…
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Czech checks bag bandit and bites back
PHUKET: Authorities in neighboring Phang Nga province are revamping registration procedures for Burmese migrant workers while closely monitoring their activities after a worker attempted to rob a foreign dive instructor yesterday. Provincal governor Yiamsuriya Phalusuk said measures to be taken include more police patrols and possibly stricter regulations on workers traveling at night. Any Thais or employers found to provide…
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Bt119m for new Rajabhat Phuket commencement hall
RASSADA, PHUKET: Work is well underway on a 119 million baht conference room and commencement hall complex on the grounds of Phuket’s Rajabhat University. A contract between the university and Bangkok-based contractor Kumjornkij Construction Co Ltd was signed in mid-November last year. The scheduled contract completion date is December 27, 2010. The project’s oversight director is Rajabhat Phuket University Associate…
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Fourth swine flu case confirmed in Thailand
BANGKOK / PHUKET: While there have been no confirmed cases of A-type (H1N1) in Phuket, the Ministry of Public Health yesterday confirmed its fourth case of the disease in Thailand – a Thai man who just returned from the US. The A-type (H1N1) flu has already hit 53 countries, killing 99. Thai Public Health Minister, Witthaya Kaewparadai, said the 50-year-old…
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Asean reaffirms regional confidence in Phuket
KARON, PHUKET: The Asean Senior Officials meeting held at the Movenpick Resort and Spa from May 18 to 21 resulted in a number of agreements in addition to the previously reported agreement to hold the twice-postponed Asean Summit in Phuket next October. Manasvi Srisodapol, deputy director-general of the Foreign Ministry’s Department of Asean Affairs, told the Gazette that the Phuket meetings…
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Phuket hammered again: Thai justice under fire
PHUKET: One of the many interesting aspects of being a journalist in Phuket is observing the way that stories we break here are picked up by foreign media outlets – and the spin that these outlets put on them. Smaller countries often adopt an ‘us-against-them’ mentality when one of their own gets arrested in Thailand, rushing to defend the suspect…
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Phuket Health and Wellness Festival 2009
PATONG, PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Public Health Office in association with the Phuket Spa Association, public and private hospitals, and government agencies in Phuket will hold the “Phuket Health and Wellness Festival 2009” from June 11 to 13 at the Jungceylon Shopping Complex in Patong. The event is aimed at promoting Phuket as a hub for Thai and foreign tourists…
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Englishman collapases, dies in Rawai
RAWAI, PHUKET: An Englishman living in Phuket collapsed and died of apparent heart failure at a pharmacy in Rawai on Wednesday afternoon.According to witnesses, 59-year-old John Powell entered the pharmacy to buy some medicine but then collapsed.Chalong Police were notified of the death at about 3:30pm.They rushed to the scene, a pharmacy in the Baan Saiyuan residential estate, with rescue…
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Phuket remains free of swine flu
PHUKET CITY: While the viral disease chikungunya continues to spread in Phuket, the island has yet to record a single case of infection with the A(H1N1) virus that causes swine flu, PPHO Director Dr Pongsawas Ratanasang told the Gazette today. Two foreign tourists – one Australian and one Norwegian – were briefly quarantined and tested for A(H1N1), but both tested…
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Phuket FC tryouts rescheduled for Monday
KATHU, PHUKET: Following the last-minute cancellation of the expat football trial scheduled to take place yesterday, the Phuket FC manager has announced that the trials will now to take place on Monday, June 1, at the Prince of Songkla University stadium, off Wichit Songkram Road in Kathu. The trial will begin at 4.30pm. It is hoped that Friday’s last-minute cancellation…
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Phuket youth incarceration: German ambassador speaks out
PHUKET CITY: German Ambassador to Thailand Dr Hanns Schumacher has spoken out in defense of the German teenager currently incarcerated in the Phuket Juvenile Observation and Protection Center on charges of sexually abusing minors. In an interview with the Gazette, Dr Schumacher said he believed the evidence against the youth justified the investigation, but expressed hope that the court would…
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Punchup in Phuket: Oleydong defends WBC belt this afternoon
PATONG, PHUKET: WBC straw-weight champ Oleydong Sithsamerchai has been busy shedding pounds to meet the 105lb limit for his WBC title defense against Muhammad Rachman of Indonesia this afternoon. At a press conference held at the the Bangkok Residence Hotel on Soi Sansabai on Tuesday, Oleydong and Rachman posed for photos with Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop. The fight will take…
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Incarcerated German youth’s mother died on Phuket
PHUKET CITY: The mother of the German youth incarcerated in the Phuket Juvenile Observation and Protection Center on charges of sexually abusing minors died last month, the Gazette has learned. The woman, who will not be named in order to protect the youth’s identity, died in Vachira Phuket Hospital on April 23. She was 56 years old. The youth was…
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Nike to host running clinic at Laguna Phuket
CHERNG TALAY, PHUKET: Sportswear giant Nike and Laguna Phuket will host a free running clinic and shoe trial on Saturday, June 6, as part of pre-event activities for the upcoming 2009 Laguna Phuket International Marathon. The clinic, from 4pm to 6pm at the Laguna Beach Resort tennis courts, will feature 2002 Bangkok Marathon winner Jason Mayeroff of the US as…
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Land purchase through Thai spouse forbidden: Land Dept
PHUKET CITY: The director general of the Land Department has reiterated that foreigners using Thai nominees to buy land anywhere in the country will have their land title deeds revoked if caught – even if the nominee in question is a lawfully wedded spouse.Land Department Director Anuwat Meteewiboonwut made the comments during a recent stop in Phuket as part of a…
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Phuket PO Box 101 is a hit, says governor
PHUKET CITY: The number 101 is a cinch to remember for those who have read George Orwell’s grim parable of totalitarianism Nineteen Eighty-Four or taken a freshman college class. Whether this fact figured in Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop’s thinking when he launched PO Box 101 – an address any Phuket resident can use to inform the governor, anonymously, of crimes…
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Bt20m for tourism improvements in Rassada
RASSADA, PHUKET: In a recent meeting, Rassada Municipality agreed to allocate almost Bt20 million to improve landscaping and build new facilities near the causeway leading to Koh Sireh, in a bid to promote tourism and improve the quality of life for local people. The work will take place near the Malikaew embankment in the Koh Sireh community in Rassada Village…
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Power cut on Sakdidet Road tomorrow
WICHIT, PHUKET: There will be a power cut along part of Sakdidet Road in tambon Wichit tomorrow, as the Phuket Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) conducts maintenance and repair work on power lines in the area. The affected area will start near Soi Thanit and run south along Sakdidet Road all the way to the Muang Thong three-way intersection, including Soi…
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Land tax could spur the economy
BANGKOK: A respected economist has backed a proposal that the government impose a land tax, saying the move will ease concentration of land ownership in the hands of a few rich people and open more land to agriculture. Speaking at a round table conducted by Krungthep Thurakij newspaper last week, economist Duangmanee Laovakul said the faculty’s Economic Research and Training…
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German still in Phuket Juvenile after three months
PHUKET CITY: Despite efforts by the German Embassy, a young man arrested on charges of sexually abusing minors remains in detention at the Phuket Juvenile Observation and Protection Center almost three months after his arrest. The youth, who was just 17 when he was arrested on March 9, recently spent his 18th birthday behind bars. His arrest, together with that…
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German manslaughter suspect gets bail, whereabouts unknown
PHUKET CITY: German tourist Florian Zehentmair, charged with the manslaughter of his friend Sebastian Wolff in Khao Lak, has been released on bail. Police do not know where he is staying. In another development in the case, preliminary investigation into the cause of death by the police forensics institute in Surat Thani has determined the cause of Mr Wolff’s death…
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Man loses leg in Phuket shophouse explosion
PHUKET: An explosion this morning at an air-conditioning service shop in Phuket has seriously injured two men and caused extensive damage to the single-story shophouse.According to police at the scene, a large gas tank used for servicing air-conditioning units exploded in the shop at about 10am. The shop’s owner is reported to have had his leg blown off in the…
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Body found on Nai Harn Beach Phuket remains unidentified
CHALONG, PHUKET: Phuket Police have yet to identify the remains of a heavily tattooed Caucasian man found washed ashore on Nai Harn Beach late last week. For the original report click here. Lt Col Boonlert Onklang of the Chalong Police told the Gazette today that no missing person reports have been filed to aid in identification of the body, which…
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Phi Phi tourist deaths possibly food poisoning
PHUKET CITY: The mysterious deaths of two female tourists on Phi Phi Island earlier this month were possibly caused by food poisoning, preliminary lab findings suggest. Krabi Provincial Police Commander Maj Gen Pasin Noksakul told the Gazette today that researchers at the Police Institute of Forensic Medicine in Bangkok have found signs of microbial infection in blood samples taken from…
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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