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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Sirens sound for tsunami drill
BANG TAO: The tsunami warning sirens at Bang Tao Beach sounded at 10:30 am today in a tsunami evacuation drill organized by the provincial government to ensure local villagers, especially the teachers and students at the local school, are prepared for an emergency.The sirens were triggered locally for the simulation, which lasted about 60 minutes. School children were evacuated to…
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OrBorJor aims for Bt 80 million in room tax
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Organization Administration (OrBorJor) has set a target of 80 million baht in room tax revenue from hotels by the end of the current fiscal year, which ends September 30.The announcement was made by OrBorJor President Paiboon Upatising, who admitted that some hotel operators still refuse to pay the tax, which is levied at 1% of the room rate…
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Number of drug arrests shoots up
PHUKET: Crime statistics released by the Phuket Provincial Police show that the number of drug-related arrests in May was up 61% compared with the same month last year, while the number of arrests related to ya bah (methamphetamine) was twice the number for April.In May, there were 173 arrests for drug-related offenses, 101 of which involved ya bah, with a total…
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Clerk in bribe case to be summoned to court
BANGKOK (The Nation): The Supreme Court fact-finding committee on the 2-million-baht bribery scandal will later this week summon the lawyer’s clerk who allegedly handed a bag containing the money to a senior court official, a source said yesterday.The probe team, which consists of three Supreme Court judges, has spoken to the official in question, who said the clerk gave her…
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Governors warned over ASTV ban
BANGKOK (The Nation): The Democrat Party yesterday warned provincial governors they would be at risk of violating the Constitution if they blocked ASTV broadcasts in line with Interior Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung’s instruction.Although Chalerm backpedalled from Friday’s threat by arguing he wanted cable operators to just gag inflammatory comments instead of imposing a total ban on ASTV broadcasts of the Bangkok…
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Aussies dominate Laguna Marathon
CHERNG TALAY: Australian Stephen Paine completed the 42-kilometer course around the north end of the island in 2 hours 37 minutes and 52 seconds this morning to win the men’s championship title in this year’s Laguna Phuket International Marathon. In second place was defending champion Brent Roeger from the US. He rounded the course in 2:41:57, six minutes faster than…
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Aussie wins Laguna Marathon
CHERNG TALAY: Australian Stephen Paine completed the 42-kilometer course around the north end of the island in 2 hours 37 minutes and 52 seconds this morning to win the men’s championship title in this year’s Laguna Phuket International Marathon. In second place was defending champion Brent Roeger from the US. He rounded the course in 2:41:57, six minutes faster than…
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Oleydong to defend WBC title in Phuket
PHUKET CITY: Boxing fans are in for a treat on Wednesday afternoon when undefeated WBC minimum-weight champ Oleydong Sithsamerchai (26-0, 10 KOs) makes his first title defense against 15th-ranked Junichi Ebisuoka of Japan. The 12-round title bout will take place at Saphan Hin. Admission is free of charge.Oleydong, whose real name is Kittipong Jaikrajang, is the pride of Rassada district in…
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Crooked conductor caught in Mai Khao
THALANG: The Phuket Highway Police have arrested a bus conductor for stealing the equivalent of more than 18,000 baht from a young Aussie on his way to Phuket from Surat Thani.At a press conference yesterday afternoon, Phuket Highway Police Inspector Maj Jittrapol Kesornrak identified the suspect as Udon Thani native Rakpong Passawong, 22.His victim, 21-year-old Australian Jai Ruben Wadick, boarded a bus in…
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Kamala residents seek suspension of troubled cop
KAMALA: About 30 local residents this morning met Kamala Police Deputy Superintendent Lt Col Winai Kongkeaw to demand that one of his officers be removed from active duty because his behavior was “dangerous”.At 11 am, the residents, including Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) representative Sontaya Soontarak and other elected officials, explained to Col Winai that a police lieutenant under his command had…
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“Pastrygate” scandal intensifies
BANGKOK (Daily Xpress): Top Supreme Court Justice Kriengchai Jungchatupit says he would have arrested the lawyer suspected of attempting to bribe judges “on the spot”.“If I had been there, I would have arrested him on the spot,” says Kriengchai. “I would not have let him take the money back. I would have charged him with contempt.“I have learned that the person who…
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Ex-cop executed in Patong
A former Kathu Police sergeant, dismissed for involvement in human trafficking and blacklisted as a threat to society, was shot dead early yesterday morning outside his home in Patong. After receiving a call at about 4:30 am, Kathu Police officers found the body of Decho Kaewnabon, 37, also known as “Sia Decho” or “Sergent Decho”, beside his car in Soi Kuan…
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Snack box with a bonus winds up in court
BANGKOK (The Nation): The Supreme Court has set up a committee to investigate an alleged attempt by a politician’s lawyer to bribe court officials, which a spokesman for ex-prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra described as “a joke and impossible”.Sarawut Benjakul, deputy secretary-general of the court, confirmed a report that a lawyer representing a politician had given a box of pastry filled with…
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Chief Ombudsman hears Phuket complaints
PHUKET CITY: Phuket people’s top source of grief were problems stemming from land, Chief Ombudsman Gen Theeradej Meepien told reporters after two days of hearing complaints from Phuket residents.Gen Theeradej and his staff heard complaints from local people and held public information sessions explaining the role of the Ombudsman’s Office at the Phuket Merlin Hotel on June 3 and 4.“This…
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Seafood prices ready to soar?
PHUKET: Royal Thai Navy Chief Adm Narong Yutthawong, who once served as Supreme Commander of the Thai Armed Forces, has met leading local fishing industry figures as part of his senatorial fact-finding tour into the impact of rising fuel prices on the nation’s fishing industry.At a meeting at Phuket Provincial Hall on June 4, Adm Narong said that his tour…
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Tsunami drill at Bang Tao
PHUKET CITY: A tsunami evacuation drill will be held at Bang Tao Beach on June 17, Chotenarin Kerdsom, chief of the Phuket office of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM), has told the Gazette.“All the commanding officers involved in the drill will meet at Laguna Beach Resort on June 16.“Then, from 9 am to midday on June 17,…
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Failure rate for Bangkok condos nears 50%
BANGKOK (The Nation): The chance of failure for condominium developers in Bangkok has grown to almost 50 per cent as competition heats up amid a glut of fresh supplies, warned Aquarius chief executive Yongyuth Chaipromprasert.After conducting a study over the past five months, the building consultant said even the inner Sukhumvit area, once deemed immune to downturns, “no longer guarantees success”.“The average take-up…
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Gen Apirak returns to Phuket
PHUKET: Phuket Provincial Police yesterday morning held a ceremony bidding farewell Pol Maj Gen Decha Budnampeth on his last day of duty as Phuket Provincial Police Commander and welcoming back his replacement, Pol Maj Apirak Hongthong.Gen Decha has been promoted to the position of commander of general staff at Police Region 8 headquarters in Surat Thani.Among those attending the ceremony were…
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Tawee still Karon Mayor
KARON: In the Karon municipal council election on Sunday, incumbent Mayor Tawee Tongcham, running unopposed, easily received the minimum 20% of all eligible votes required for him to reclaim the mayoral seat.Voter turnout was just over 60% of the 4,601 eligible voters. Of these, 2,269 people voted for Tawee.Eleven of the 12 regular council seats went to members of Tawee’s…
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4 nabbed, 1,500 pills seized in ya bah raids
PHUKET: Following a three-day investigation, the Muang District drug suppression unit yesterday arrested four men and seized a total of 1,572 ya bah (methamphetamine) pills is a series of sting operations.Police identified the suspects as Nontawat Intawanti, 19; Soontorn Boonjunkong, 24; Wannachai Kongsonpet, 24, and a minor aged 17.Muang District Palad Teerapon Sittaboot told the press that undercover officers arranged…
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It’s a Toy Library
PHUKET: With the aim of developing children’s imaginations, emotional responses and social skills, the Phuket Community Foundation (PCF) and Phuket International Hospital (PIH) will be opening the island’s first toy library at the end of July. The PCF is appealing for donations of new and secondhand toys in good condition and it is hoped that, in time, a series of “toy…
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Fighting chance: green turtle has flipper amputated
CAPE PANWA: A green sea turtle rescued from a fishing net in Satun last week had a badly inflected flipper amputated at the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) this afternoon.PMBC veterinarians led by Sontaya Manawattana said that the “flipperectomy” was the only way to save the animal, an otherwise healthy 20-year-old female.The turtle was found off Koh Rayatot Yai, in…
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Dial S for stolen
PHUKET AIRPORT: Following the arrest of two baggage handlers for stealing a mobile phone from luggage at Phuket International Airport, police are urging airline passengers not to pack valuables in checked-in luggage.At a press conference last night, Tah Chat Chai Police Superintendent Col Sakchai Limchareon said that Sarawuth Saowarun, 21, of Nakhon Sri Thammarat, and Chiang Rai native Surakrai Sirisor, 22, had…
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BIS calls for donations for mugging victim
PHUKET CITY: The British International School Phuket (BIS) is asking for donations to help pay medical bills for Jake Carey, one of two BIS community members seriously injured in a motorbike crash that resulted from a violent mugging in Patong early Sunday morning.The other victim was Carly Moorhouse, who graduated from BIS last week and is the daughter of well…
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SPECIAL: Letter from Myanmar
BANGKOK: Since Cyclone Nargis devastated the Irrawaddy delta region in Myanmar on May 2, the world has stood by waiting to help those still suffering while the ruling military junta lets in only a trickle of relief supplies and workers. A Thailand-based Rotarian, whose name has been withheld at his request, describes the situation on the ground in Myanmar, and…
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Whale stranded in Patong dies
PHUKET: A dwarf sperm whale that washed up on Patong Beach this morning died from ingesting a wide variety of man-made items, researchers at the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) today told the Gazette. The whale was discovered by local residents on the beach near the Soi Bangla intersection about 6 am. Villagers and Kusoldharm Foundation rescue workers pushed the…
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US Navy servicewoman dies in Patong
PATONG: A US servicewoman accidentally fell to her death from a seventh-floor hotel room in Patong yesterday, the Gazette has been told.In a news release posted on its website at noon today, Manager Online quoted Kathu Police Superintendent Col Grissak Songmoonnark as identifying the woman as 25-year-old Ebony Cooper.There were few other details in the report, except that police were…
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Korean businesswoman found dead
WICHIT: A Korean woman found dead in her third-floor bedroom in the Tango Pub building on Chao Fah West Rd last Tuesday has been confirmed by police as the pub’s owner, Kim Chu Mi, 48.Lt Col Vijak Tarom of Phuket City Police said that Mrs Kim may have been dead for more than eight hours before she was found by…
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PPEO moves to allay manual labor shortage
PHUKET: In a bid to ease Phuket’s manual labor shortage, the Phuket Provincial Employment Office (PPEO) is accepting applications to extend by one year the work permits of the 19,000 Burmese, Laotian and Cambodian laborers working in Phuket whose work permits are set to expire this month.Employers can register their migrant laborers at the PPEO building on Rattanakosin 200 Pi…
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Laguna Marathon traffic restrictions announced
CHERNG TALAY: As the island gears up for the big Laguna Phuket International Marathon on Sunday, June 15, the event’s organizers have announced traffic restrictions that will apply during the marathon so athletes can safely complete the course. Traffic along the following roads will be directed by police for the safety of runners as follows: 1. All roads within Laguna Phuket…
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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