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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Gov prepared to pay B2.05m missing tsunami money
PHUKET CITY: Governor Udomsak Uswarangkura is prepared to pay 2.05 million baht out of his own pocket should he be found ultimately responsible for the tsunami aid money that was reported missing from Phuket Provincial Hall on February 15.“Under administrative law, there is no way that government funds can just disappear,” he told reporters on Tuesday. “But don’t worry; if…
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Jet-ski victim still in ICU
BANGKOK: Australian Antonio Scognamiglio, 19, who was involved in a jet-ski collision off Patong Beach on November 23, is recovering in intensive care after undergoing brain surgery at Bumrungrad Hospital in Bangkok.Mr Scognamiglio sustained his injuries when a fellow jet-ski rider crashed into him. He was rushed unconscious to Patong Hospital where his heart stopped. Staff managed to revive him…
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Tsunami memorial service for Australians
PATONG: There will be a tsunami memorial service for Australian families in front of the Graceland Hotel on Patong Beach, from 8 am to 9 am on Monday. The memorial service, organized by the Australian Embassy, will precede formal Thai ceremonies at Patong Beach, commencing at 10 am, and other venues throughout the day. For more information contact the Australian…
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Phang Nga ‘stealing Phuket tourism staff’
PHUKET: Employers in Phuket’s hotel and tourism industry are losing skilled staff to Phang Nga businesses – which are reportedly offering up to double the workers’ current salaries. Phuket Provincial Labour Office (PPLO) Chief Decha Prekpattanarak said today, “The ‘stealing’ of labor is a major problem that is creating a shortage of skilled workers in Phuket this high season.” He…
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Sort out Nai Yang problem, Gov demands
NAI YANG: Phuket Governor Udomsak Uswarangkura is angry that almost half of a 15-million-baht government budget to beautify Nai Yang Beach has already been wasted – and that bickering between the two government agencies involved now puts the rest of the money at risk.At a meeting at Phuket Provincial Hall yesterday, Gov Udomsak ordered the Tambon Sakoo Administration Organization (OrBorTor…
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Phinij to open clinic for gay men
PATONG: Public Health Minister Phinij Jarusombat will tomorrow preside over the official opening of Patong Hospital’s “Sabaidee Clinic”, which will cater to the medical needs of gay men, whether residents or tourists. The ceremony will take place at the auspicious time of 7:09 am.The hospital’s Deputy-Director, Padungkiet Utokasenee, told the Gazette that the clinic, part of a network known as…
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Hundreds get the blues
KARON: A bit of rain and blustery winds couldn’t dampen the spirits of the hundreds of people who turned up for first night of the two-day Phuket Blues Festival 2005, in the Grand Ballroom of the Hilton Arcadia Resort and Spa yesterday. The event kicked off with the all-Thai Blue on Blue band from Bangkok, followed by Phuket’s own Big…
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Tour boat sinks; all aboard saved
PHANG NGA BAY: Twenty-two passengers and crew are safely back on dry land after the Armitis, a tour boat, sprung a leak and sank in heavy seas yesterday in Phang Nga Bay.Pol Lt Col Prasert Srikunnarat, Inspector of Phuket Marine Police Region 5 told the Gazette that he received a distress call saying that the boat, captained by Chamrus Tohmok,…
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Rain damps enthusiasm for tsunami drill
PATONG: The sirens went off (click here for a sound clip), but only about 200 people joined a tsunami evacuation drill in Patong yesterday afternoon, with rain being blamed for the poor turnout. Boonchai Somjai, Head of Phuket Provincial Office Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (ODPM), told the Gazette, “I was in Patong when the evacuation drill began. It went satisfactorily,…
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Tsunami memorial finalists chosen
KHAO LAK: Design teams from Finland, the US, Spain, China and Australia have made it into the finals of the competition to design a tsunami memorial, which will be erected on Lek Beach in Khao Lak Lamru National Park.The five teams that made the cut are Anu Puustinen and Ville Hara, from Avanto Architects of Finland; Raveevarn Choksombatchai and William…
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Reservoir 70pc full
KATHU: Despite unusually high rainfall during a month that traditionally marks the onset of the dry season, Phuket’s only reservoir is still far from full – and has only enough water to meet demand until the end of April.Isara Anukul, Chief of the Water Allocation Division of the Phuket Irrigation Office (PIO), told the Gazette yesterday that there is now…
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Blues Festival moves indoors
KARON: After a night of squalls and heavy rain the organizers of the Phuket Blues Festival – which opens tonight – have decided to move the two-day event indoors, into the ballroom of the Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort & Spa.The overnight storms blew down tents set up for the festival, shredding some of them, and turned the outdoor venue into…
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Officials seize illegally felled hardwood
KOH KAEW: A team of government officials recovered hardwood planks valued at an estimated 1.5 million baht from an illegal logging and wood processing operation on forest conservation land in the Phanthurat Hills on Wednesday morning.The loggers, tipped off to the operation by a helicopter surveying the area before the raid, used their knowledge of the difficult terrain to evade…
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Brox set for big blues blowout
KARON: British Blues legend Victor Brox, who arrived on the island yesterday for the Phuket Blues Festival tomorrow and Saturday, says that island-based musicians proficient in playing blues are welcome to join him on stage.Asked about his reputation for jamming with a lot of people, Brox said, “There’s a Welsh guitarist on the island [Rob Davies] that I’m going to…
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Khao Lak skeleton is TTVI Phuket’s last case
PHUKET: A skeleton discovered in Khao Lak last week became the final case to be dealt with in Phuket by the Thai Tsunami Victim Identification unit (TTVI) which closed its doors on Monday in preparation for opening new premises in Bangkok on January 4 next year.Pol Col Khemmarin Hassiri, Superintendent of the TTVI’s Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) unit, told the…
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Tsunami alarm test mix-up scares 6 provinces
PHUKET: Tsunami warning towers in the six tsunami-affected provinces sounded a false alarm at noon today because of a mix-up at the National Disaster Warning Center (NDWC).Adm Thaweesak Daengchai, Adviser to the National Disaster Warning Center, told the Gazette, “Radiance International Co was testing the tsunami warning system and the towers to confirm they will be ready for the test…
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WTO says tsunami recovery needs publicity
PHUKET: A World Tourism Organization (WTO) report has concluded that complete post-tsunami recovery will not be possible until hotel capacity on Thailand’s Andaman coast, in Sri Lanka and the Maldives, and seat capacity on flights to these regions, return to pre-disaster levels.The report noted that Phuket’s latest official statistics show arrivals on the island down by 50% in August, although…
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Tsunami warning towers test on December 16
PHUKET: The 15 operational tsunami warning towers on Phuket will be tested in conjunction with the National Disaster Warning Center (NDWC) on December 16 at 1:30 pm. The government has also assigned the NDWC to run tests in Ranong, Phang Nga, Trang, Krabi, and Satun Provinces, again at at 1:30 pm.Boonchai Somjai, head of the Phuket Provincial Office of Disaster…
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Gov vows to help with little Solitaire
PHUKET: Governor Udomsak Uswarangkura has assigned a team to help Sascha and Patchara “Riem” Meissmer investigate the identity and whereabouts of the Eurasian-looking girl in a photograph posted on the Internet.The Meissmers believe the girl in the picture may be their daughter, Solitaire, who was identified as having died in last year’s tsunami.The Governor told a news conference this morning,…
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Boat show rated a success
KOH KAEW: As the Phuket International Marine Exhibition (PIMEX) 2005 closed on Sunday, exhibitors were in an excellent mood. At least 12 boats were sold during the show at the Boat Lagoon, and initial estimates of solid sales achieved amount to approximately US$4 million (160 million baht).Dealers and brokers all reported new contacts made and strong leads to follow up…
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German, 25, stabbed to death
PATONG: A 25-year-old German man died early on Sunday morning of stab wounds received in a furious argument with his Thai girlfriend in their rented room on Nanai Rd.Pol Lt Col Chawalit Niamwadee, of Kathu Police Station, told the Gazette, “I received a call from Patong Hospital at 4 am that a man had been brought into the emergency room,…
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Task force formed to blitz illegal labor
PHUKET: A task force of about 50 officers has been set up to crack down on illegal labor in Phuket.Phuket Provincial Employment Services Office (PESO) Chief Boonchock Maneechot announced the crackdown following a closed meeting last Thursday with Phuket Governor Udomsak Uswarangkura and new the Phuket Provincial Immigration Office (PPIO) Superintendent, Pol Col Prayut Chommalee.K. Boonchock cited poor sanitary conditions…
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Parents still hope to find daughter alive
PHUKET: Sascha and Patchara “Riem” Meissmer have new hope of being reunited with their five-year-old daughter, Solitaire, who was presumed lost in the tsunami in Phang Nga nearly a year ago. Since friends in Germany alerted them last week to an Internet photo showing a young, Eurasian-looking girl they thought resembled Solitaire, the Meissmers have been trying to determine the…
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Layan Marina construction to start next month
PHUKET: Construction of the 1.7-billion baht Layan Marina project will begin next month.The Managing Director of Layan Marina Co, Nathaphut Na Pathalung, confirmed today that the project, on 51 rai of land at the north end of Bang Tao Beach, is still going ahead.He noted, however, that the start date has been put back in light of developments on neighboring…
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Drumstick and Hi Fi head for King’s Cup showdown
PHUKET: Ray Roberts’ Drumstick Quantum Racing will be aiming to make the most of its four-point lead over Neil Pryde’s Hi Fi in tomorrow’s final race of the Racing class of this year’s Phuket King’s Cup Regatta.In winds gusting up to 14 knots today, tight racing saw Hi Fi win Race 6 by just 51 seconds over Drumstick, which in…
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Airport Immigration chief hopes to up staffing
PHUKET: Pol Col Chirdchai Rattanametanon, the new Superintendent of the Immigration Office at Phuket International Airport, has applied for more officers in order to reduce tiresome delays in processing tourists.Col Chirdchai told the Gazette, “I understand that there are not enough Immigration officers at the airport to process the volume of tourists, but I have already applied to my superior…
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Home stay project aims to provide tsunami relief
PHUKET: The Employer’s Confederation of Thailand (ECOT) will launch a “home stay” pilot project this month in a bid to help tsunami sufferers get long-term income. “The project will be launched on Koh Lone and at Cape Panwa, Ao Makham, Khao Khat and Baan Bo Rae. The idea is that local people will welcome foreigners into their homes so the…
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Free surgery offered at Patong Hospital
PATONG: Volunteer surgeons and nurses from the US are coming to Patong Hospital to offer a range of surgical procedures free of charge from February 11 to February 15 next year. The medical team will be available to treat ailments such as harelips, cleft palates, hernias, hemorrhoids, gynecological problems and inflamed tonsils. This will be the second time Patong Hospital…
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Cigarette tax goes up
PHUKET: A proposal by the Excise Department to increase cigarette tax from 75% to 79% of the factory price was approved by the Cabinet yesterday and came into effect today.Thai brand cigarette prices rose by 5 or 6 baht a pack, while foreign brands rose by 7 or 8 baht. Under Thai law, tax on cigarettes may not exceed 80%…
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Drumstick tastes victory
PHUKET: Ray Roberts’ Drumstick Quantum Racing set a clear lead in the Racing class of this year’s King’s Cup Regatta by pipping Neil Pryde’s Hi Fi on corrected time to win all three of today’s International Racing Class (IRC) races. Although Hi Fi crossed the finish line first in all three races, making amends for yesterday’s fifth-place result, Drumstick won…
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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