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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Top cop expects arrests in three murder cases ‘soon’
PHUKET CITY: The Royal Thai Police Region 8 Commander has ordered Phuket Provincial Police and three local police stations to expedite their investigations into three high-profile murders that have taken place on the island in just the past ten days – two involving foreigners. After meeting with the heads of the Kathu, Phuket City and Tung Tong Police Districts where…
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TDA cleanup day at Khok Kloy on Wednesday
PHUKET CITY: The Thai Dive Association (TDA) and Phang Nga Provincial Office will on Wednesday (March 4) hold a beach and sea cleanup at Khok Kloy Beach, just over the Sarasin Bridge in Phang Nga. The event is sponsored by Eden Divers and Aqua Divers Phuket, who will provide the necessary equipment such as trash bags, scissors and gloves. All participants…
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Businessman gunned down on Sakdidet Rd
WICHIT, PHUKET: Phuket city police are investigating the murder of a local businessman shot to death in his car last night. The murder was reported to Phuket City Police at about 10:15 pm. Phuket Provincial Police Commander Apirak Hongtong rushed to the scene with Phuket City Police, forensics officers and rescue workers from the Kusoldharm Foundation. At the scene, near…
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Temple booze ban campaign launched
PHUKET CITY: Temple fair enthusiasts take note: it is now not only immoral to drink on temple grounds – it is also illegal. This is the message of a new “Temples are not Bars; Salas are not Gambling Dens” campaign launched by Phuket Governor Preecha Ruangjanon on February 26. The campaign was launched as part of a merit-making ceremony at Manik…
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Laguna Phuket promo: 100,000 room nights free!
CHERNG TALAY, PHUKET: Laguna Phuket is giving away 100,000 complimentary room nights at its six resort hotels for guests who book online in March. The “100,000 Smiles in Laguna Phuket” promotion is being run in co-operation with the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), which will help to market the initiative. TAT Governor Phornsiri Manoharn and Laguna Phuket Managing Director Michael…
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Toyota Vigo winner out there somewhere
PHUKET CITY: For those who bought raffle tickets at the 2009 Phuket Red Cross Fair, it might be worth taking another look at the number – you may have won a Toyota Vigo. The 650,000-baht vehicle was the top prize in the annual raffle at the fair, but it remains unclaimed seven weeks after the January 9 draw. The deadline for claiming…
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Karon, Wichit to get independent police districts
PHUKET CITY: Phuket Provincial Police plan to establish two new independent police districts on the island to take pressure off Chalong Police, whose jurisdiction currently covers all of Chalong, as well as Rawai and Karon. Pol Col Peerayut Kara-jedee, Superintendent of General Staff of the Phuket Provincial Police, said the two new districts would be for Karon and Wichit. Rawai…
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Gov Preecha downplays spoiled milk scare
PHUKET CITY: Phuket Governor Preecha Ruangjan on Monday sought to downplay concerns following the latest in a series of scandals involving the distribution of spoiled milk to Thai schoolchildren. The governor was speaking in the wake of an incident on February 13, when a consignment of spoiled milk was sent to Laem Panwa School in Wichit district. Upon inserting straws…
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English businessman clubbed to death
KATHU, PHUKET: Police investigating the murder of an Englishman yesterday suspect the killing may have been motivated by a real estate dispute.At 10:30 am yesterday, Tung Tong Police were notified by security guards of a murder at the Royal Place project on Phra Phuketkaew Rd, at the Tesco-Lotus junction.The victim was later identified as Ian Kenneth Stuart, 61.Police, including Phuket…
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Australian teenager dies after tragic boating mishap
PHUKET CITY: The parents of a 16-year-old Australian girl injured in a yacht accident last Wednesday took the decision to switch off her life support last night. Miss Ali van Os, from Darwin, died in Bangkok Hospital Phuket at around 6 pm surrounded by family members. She was hit in the head by a mooring rope tied to a “superyacht”…
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Asean+3 bailout fund raised to US$120b
CHERNG TALAY, PHUKET: East Asian finance ministers will finalize the upgrading of the region’s bilateral currency-swap arrangement into a US$120 billion multilateral facility at their next meeting in May. “In order to ensure regional market stability and to foster confidence in the markets, we stress the importance of ‘operationalizing’ the multilateralization of the Chiang Mai Initiative,” Finance Minister Korn Chatikavanij…
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Foreigner’s head found hanging from a Bangkok bridge
BANGKOK (The Nation): The head of a man, believed to be a foreigner in his 40s, was found hanging by a rope from the Rama IX Bridge in Bangkok’s Phra Nakhon district yesterday. The head had apparently been put in a plastic bag and hung from the bridge’s railing. But when it was found, at about 2pm, the bag had…
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Region 8 Police take charge of Degioanni murder case
PATONG, PHUKET: Police Region 8 Commander Santarn Chayanon arrived in Phuket yesterday to personally oversee the investigation into the murder of Francis Alex Degioanni, the Canadian man who was shot and killed by two men outside his Panorama Condominium office on February 19. For our earlier report click here. Lt Gen Santarn then chaired a two-hour meeting at Kathu Police…
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It’s showtime! Phuket’s Blues Rock fest starts tonight!
KARON, PHUKET: The 4th Phuket International Blues Rock Festival kicks off this evening with blues superstar Eric Bibb, the main attraction of a stellar line up that includes the popular Rich Harper and his band. Further highlights of the opening night include Phuket’s very own blues rock band, The Groove Doctors, and a tribute band “Chasing Jimi” in homage to…
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Canadian gunned down on his birthday
PATONG, PHUKET: A Canadian real estate developer died on his birthday yesterday after he was riddled with bullets by two men on a motorcycle. At the time of the attack, Francis Alex Degioanni was sitting in his black Toyota outside his seven-story Panorama Condominium block, located in a hillside area off Nanai Rd in South Patong. Kathu Police officers were…
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Italian dead of apparent heart failure
PATONG, PHUKET: An Italian national found dead in a guesthouse on Wednesday night is thought to have died of heart failure. The deceased was identified as Sergio Pollastro, aged 56. Kathu Police were notified of the death at about 9:30 pm by Phuket Tourist Police Volunteers Vijay Kumar and a fellow volunteer identified only as Miss Malika. Mr Pollastro was…
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MOI to publish pub safety manual
PHUKET CITY: Entertainment venues in 14 provinces around the south of Thailand have been put on notice to ensure they measure up to new government safety regulations or face the consequences. Addressing a press conference at the Phuket Merlin Hotel on February 13, Deputy Minister of the Interior Thavorn Senniam announced deadlines for entertainment venues around the region to fall…
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Phuket PAD joins Isarn road trip
PHUKET: Approximately 20 of Phuket’s People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) supporters traveled to Udon Thani to attend a PAD rally on February 14. Udon Thani is a stronghold of the now-disbanded People Power Party (PPP). The Phuket PAD supporters used vehicles with Bangkok registered license plates to avoid possible confrontations and returned to Phuket the next day. There were no reports…
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Patong declared “Red Zone” in war on Pirated goods
PHUKET CITY: Acknowledging the scale of the trade in counterfeit goods on the island, the head of the Phuket Customs Office has identified Patong as one of several “red zones” in the battle against pirated goods, the state-run Thai News Agency has reported. Phuket Customs Office chief Sompong Onprasert said the problem was the worst in areas popular with tourists,…
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Komkai murder suspect turns himself in
PHUKET CITY: A village headman from Pattalung province yesterday surrendered himself to Phuket police in a bid to clear his name over allegations he was involved in the shooting murder of Jintana Plaza heiress Komkai Kositkoon in July last year. Mr Wiroj “Plop” Issara, 47, a headman in Phatthalung’s Koh Maak district, surrendered himself to Police Region 8 Commander Santarn Chayanon…
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Police closing in on Makha Bucha Day shooter
CHALONG, PHUKET: Chalong Police say they are making good progress in their investigation into the attempted murder of businessman Chalermpol Pranweerapaiboon, who was shot in the back of the neck by an assailant at Wat Luangpoo Supha on Maka Bucha Day (February 12). Despite the claims of progress, Chalong Police Duty Officer Parichat Jaturonphan declined to name any suspects or…
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Jintana Plaza goes up in flames again
PATONG, PHUKET: For the second time in four days, flames tore through the stalls of Jintana Plaza shopping arcade early on Tuesday morning, causing an estimated four to five million baht’s worth of damage. Police once again suspect arson as cause of the fire, the sixth of its kind since the center was opened. The fire was reported at around…
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Solution to Patong Hospital doctor shortage in sight
PATONG, PHUKET: Starting in April, Patong Hospital will have have more doctors and other medical staff working – enough to serve patients 24 hours day. The plan was confirmed by the provincial Chief Doctor, Pongsawas Ratanasang, who insisted that the doctor shortage at the state-run facility had been tackled. The short-term solution is to have four doctors on duty: Hospital…
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Briton takes life by hanging
PATONG, PHUKET: Kathu Police are treating the death of a British man found in a Patong guesthouse early Thursday morning as a suicide. Kathu Police Duty Officer Jongserm Preecha identified the deceased as 36-year-old Robert William Hilton. The death was reported to Kathu Police at around 4 am by his girlfriend, 30-year-old Srisaket native Sommai Deejai. When police including Kathu…
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TAT targets Spanish, Japanese markets
PHUKET: The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) hopes to see a surge in the number of visitors from Spain, following its participation in the Feria Internacional de Turismo 2009 tourism trade show in that country earlier this month. The TAT took its “Seven Wonders of Amazing Thailand” roadshow campaign to Spain, which is emerging as a valuable market for Thai…
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Thai added to Google translation website
PHUKET: Lost in translation? Here’s an end to your worries, cyber folks. Google has added Thai to the beta version of its free translation website – https://translate.google.co.th – now making it possible to translate 42 languages to and from Thai. With these free tools, Thai-speaking users can translate anything from whole websites down to single words. They can also use…
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Jintana Plaza gutted in alleged arson attack
PATONG, PHUKET: A fire ripped through the Jintana Shopping Center early Friday morning, causing an estimated 10 million baht’s worth of damage. Police believe the fire was started deliberately as it follows a number of arson attacks on the center, as well as the mafia-style murder of center heiress Komkai Kositoon in July last year. Duty Officer Jongsrame Preecha of…
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Man commits suicide in Rassada
RASSADA, PHUKET: A young man on Thursday committed suicide by hanging in the home he shared with relatives in Tambon Rassada, police have revealed. Phuket City Police Duty Officer Anek Mongkol and Kusoldharm Foundation officers at 12:20 pm responded to a report of the suicide and went to the scene, an apartment on the fourth floor of building five in…
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Dead infant found floating in Kamala Bay
KAMALA, PHUKET: Kamala police have launched an investigation to try to find the mother of an infant girl whose tiny body was recovered from a black plastic bag found by fishermen in Kamala Bay. The gruesome discovery was reported to Kamala Police at about 1:30 pm on Thursday. Police and Kusoldharm Foundation workers rushed to the scene to examine the remains…
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Karon Beach power lines going underground
KARON, PHUKET: The Phuket Office of the Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) has announced plans to lay a new underground electric power cable from Karon Circle to Kata Beach. Work is scheduled to begin in July and to be completed by the end of the year. At a joint press conference held yesterday, the PEA and Karon Municipality announced that the…
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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