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.
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Arsonists torch “Thaksin Out’ stage
SAPHAN HIN: In what appears to have been a show of support for caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, arsonists set fire to the backdrop of a stage set up by opponents of the PM early yesterday morning, destroying most of it.The stage was set up several weeks ago by supporters of businessman Sondhi Limtongkul and the People’s Alliance for Democracy.…
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Patong beach chair “disorder’ slammed
PATONG: The unexpectedly swift recovery of tourism after the tsunami has resulted in “disorder” on Patong Beach, with tsunami escape routes blocked by beach chairs and harsh words at a recent meeting of Patong Municipality.At the meeting, Vice-Governor Worapot Ratthasima said that he had received an instruction from Governor Udomsak Uswarangkura to control the disorderly state of beach chairs and…
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Fire guts Crocodile Disco
PATONG: A fire early this morning gutted the popular Crocodile Disco on Soi Bangla, causing damage estimated at 40 million baht, according to the disco’s manager. The manager, Amnuay Kuabkum, told the Gazette that the fire broke out around 5 am, while guards were sitting outside to ensure the safety of the three-story complex, located at the end of Soi…
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Ex-cop sought for Patong murder
PATONG: Kathu police have issued an arrest warrant for an ex-policeman, L/Cpl Anan Hincheeranan, formerly of the Special Branch of the Royal Thai Police and latterly a security guard at Soi Bangla’s Crazy Bar, for the murder of Metha Thongkaew, his counterpart at the Snack Bar on Soi Tiger. Both bars are foreign-owned.K. Metha, 28, from Haad Yai, was shot…
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Mixed results for US boxers
SAPHAN HIN: A crowd of about 500 people turned up to the humid confines of Saphan Hin’s Gym 1 last night to watch the “Miss Lily Supermodel Muay Thai Championships 2006”, which pitted some of Thailand’s best female Muay Thai fighters against American fighters trained by Las Vegas-based Muay Thai trainer Thohsaphon “Master Toddy” Sitiwatjana.Some of the matches on the…
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Ranong quake rumor denied
PHUKET: The National Disaster Warning Center (NDWC) has denied rumors of a major earthquake in the Ranong area.Rumors circulating today stated that a quake of magnitude 7.5 on the Richter scale took place near Ranong this morning.But Patrawan Tuamlee of the NDWC said that this was not the case. She did say, however, that there had been a slew of…
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Jungceylon work to restart “by April’
PHUKET: The transfer of Manit Udomkunnatum’s 53% share in Phuket Square Co Ltd – the company that owns Jungceylon – to Rattanakamchai Co will take place on March 28, after which construction of the Patong mall will restart, the Gazette has learned.After the transfer, Rattanakamchai will pass the shares to Real Estate Capital Asia Partners (Recap), a US-registered investment fund…
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Burmese laborer murdered in Thalang
THALANG: A man was found dead of multiple stab wounds 400 meters from the Baan Laemsai School in Thalang District on March 8.Pol Capt Saichon Petsuwan of Thalang Police Station said witnesses told the police that the dead man was a 34-year-old Burmese laborer known as “San”. They said that three local men had attacked him with knives and, although…
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Gazette Guide the No 1 seller
PHUKET: It may not qualify as a racy read, but the Gazette Guide 2006 has topped the best-seller list in the Se-Ed Book Center at Tesco-Lotus for the past two weeks.Janjira Katekaew, the shop’s Supervisor, told the Gazette that she was very surprised that the Gazette Guide was top of the list. “We’ve seen very good sales of it. Some…
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Park boss calls for help in curbing poaching
KRABI: Amarin Intarasombat, the Chief of Koh Lanta Marine National Park, has urged dive operators and other park visitors to notify him immediately if fishing boats are seen in the park.He made his call after seeing photographs, passed to him by the Gazette and taken by a local dive operator, showing dozens of dead sharks on the deck of a…
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Call for more care in water use
PHUKET: Arun Kerdsob, Chief of the Phuket Office for Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (ODPM), has urged islanders not to waste water.“The provincial office has set up a center to try to prevent severe shortages, while the managing committee is overseeing water distribution. There are 86 deep wells and 92 tin mine lagoons on the island, making up a total of…
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Deadbeat dive operators under the microscope
PHUKET: Following a February 23 meeting to discuss problems in Phuket’s recreational dive industry, a new committee will be formed to ensure that all dive operators are accurately reporting their income – and paying taxes on it.Phuket’s Chief Administrative Officer (Palad), Nivit Aroonrat, who chaired the meeting, said that the Phuket dive industry currently comprises 106 operators, of which about…
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Woman survives four-day ordeal at sea
PHUKET: Australian mother-of-four Dominique Courteille, 57, survived an ordeal of four days adrift on the Andaman Sea and in the Straits of Malacca in a dinghy.Speaking to the media at Bangkok Hospital Phuket (BHP) today, the Belgian-born naturalized Australian said that on Thursday she and her crew went ashore on Koh Lipe, in Satun Province, to eat at a restaurant,…
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TRT candidates register for election
PHUKET: With little fanfare and facing an uncharted political landscape, Phuket’s two Thai Rak Thai (TRT) Party candidates this morning went to register for the snap parliamentary election due to take place April 2.Arriving at 10 am at Phuket Provincial Community Hall were TRT District 1 candidate Dr Sriyada Palimapan and District 2 candidate Wisut Santikul, both of whom were…
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Democrats slam PM at Saphan Hin rally
PHUKET CITY: More than 10,000 people attended a Democrat Party rally held at Saphan Hin on Sunday as part of the party’s “Southern Mobile Tour”.Many held up signs protesting against Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s perceived heavy-handed political and financial tactics. “We don’t want to be Thaksin’s washing powder!” read one. Another stated, “We don’t want to be Thaksin’s shoes!” while…
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Campaigner calls for child-sex tourism crackdown
KATA: The leader of a workshop on countering child sex tourism, yesterday called for hotel and tourism industry workers, and even tourists themselves, to report any behavior they suspect might be leading up to child sex abuse.The workshop, at the Kata Beach Resort, was aimed at teaching those present – 64 government officers, hotel staff, souvenir vendors, tour company and…
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Tsunami aid theft case totters on
PHUKET: More than a year after 2.05 million baht in tsunami aid funds went missing from Phuket Provincial Hall, the police investigation against the sole suspect is still far from complete. The most recent delays have resulted from the wrong forms being submitted, twice, to the Police Forensic Science Office in Bangkok. Meanwhile, the man charged with the alleged theft,…
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Top Democrats head for Phuket
PHUKET: The Democrat Party is to hold a rally at Saphan Hin central stage from 5 pm to 11 pm on Sunday (March 5) as part of what it is calling its Southern Mobile Tour.Manoo Onksantipab, Chairman of the Phuket branch of the Democrat Party, told the Gazette that the rally’s purpose is to explain to the public what caretaker…
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Blue Canyon Lakes Course to be redeveloped
MAI KHAO: Blue Canyon Country Club (BCCC) has announced that its Lakes Course will undergo upgrading from April 3 on, with the end of this year penciled in as the target date to reopen the course.The Canyon Course will remain open for play.The redevelopment of the Lakes Course follows the announcement in December last year of a “strategic partnership” between…
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Phuket’s tour guide shortage addressed at seminar
PHUKET CITY: A seminar on the shortage of tour guides in Phuket attracted some 150 tourism industry employees to the Royal Phuket City Hotel on February 23. The seminar was chaired by Thanitta Maneechote, Director-General of the Office of Tourism Development, part of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports. “We have held this seminar three times before – in Bangkok,…
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Worker in grave condition after electrocution
PATONG: In a dramatic accident that took place in full public view, a young man was electrocuted and severely injured on Monday afternoon while hanging off the side of the Thaweewong Rd Post Office, welding a new sign.A bolt of high-voltage electricity shot through Roong-atit Piboon, 18, from Surat Thani, after he swung his arc welder and accidentally touched an…
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Gov in drive against encroachment
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Udomsak Uswarangkura has ordered the Phuket office of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE) to step up efforts to protect the island’s natural resources after four cases of encroachment on Government forest land were reported in February. Speaking at the monthly meeting of government department heads at Phuket Provincial Hall this morning, Gov Udomsak ordered…
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Dirty water spurs Patong “seaweed’ surge
PATONG: Nipawan Bussarawit, a marine biologist at the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC), has confirmed that the rising level of “organic contaminants” in Patong Bay has been a contributing factor in the explosive growth of stinking brown seaweed that has been washing up on Patong Beach for the past month.K. Nipawan said that the water quality in Patong Bay was…
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Phuket gears up for April elections
PHUKET: Voters in Phuket and across the country will be busy in April with two national elections: the Parliamentary election slated for April 2 (though that date may be changed)and the Senatorial election on April 19.Dr Sriyada Palimapan will be the Thai Rak Thai (TRT) party candidate for Phuket’s Parliamentary District 1 while Wisut Santikul will stand for District 2.Whether…
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Employers threaten strike over labor crackdown
PHUKET CITY: Some 200 angry employers descended on Phuket Provincial Meeting Hall this morning, threatening to go on strike if their demands for an easing of rules on foreign laborers are not met.Key representatives of the Phuket Provincial Fisheries Association, the Phuket Provincial Construction Association and other Phuket businesses handed Phuket Governor Udomsak Uswarangkura a petition urging him to reduce…
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Mysterious seaweed invades Patong Beach
PATONG: Tourists strolling along Patong Beach now have an extra something to remember about their stay in Phuket – a slimy, brown seaweed with a stench to match its looks. This is not the first time seaweed has invaded the Patong shore. Two years ago bright green seaweed covered the sand (See story here). This year, however, the seaweed is…
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Supermodel kickboxers heading for Phuket
SAPHAN HIN: NS Sport and online flower delivery service Misslily.com will jointly host the “Miss Lily Super Model Muay Thai Championships 2006” featuring a bevy of female kickboxers from the United States. The event will be held at the Saphan Hin Sports Complex on March 10, starting at 5 pm.Organizers Surasak Mookpradap of NS Sport (Thailand) and Rawat Chindapol, Managing Director…
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Suwat pushes for fast action on Phi Phi
PHUKET: In an abrupt government about-face after more than a year of blocking rehabilitation of Koh Phi Phi Don following the tsunami, Deputy Prime Minister Suwat Liptapanlop has urged redevelopment of the island be pushed ahead to hasten the island’s return to its former status as a tourism hotspot.At a meeting held at the Royal Phuket City Hotel on Wednesday,…
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Tsunami tower test causes consternation
PHUKET: Officials declared this morning’s test of 12 tsunami warning towers a success, but residents of some parts of the island said they were terrified as they had received no warning of the test, during which full emergency messages were broadcast.One woman living in Chalong said, “The warning tower kept broadcasting a message telling us to get out and run…
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Plan to relax license rules for yacht skippers
BANGKOK: The Ministry of Tourism and Sports (MoTS) is planning to put before Cabinet a proposal to allow people with foreign captain’s licenses to skipper Thai-registered sailing yachts.The proposal, intended to give a boost to the marine tourism industry, would do away with an existing regulation that requires foreign skippers wanting to sail boats in local waters to obtain Thai…
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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