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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The Great American Smokeout, held this year on November 17, is a nationwide event that encourages smokers to take their first steps towards a smoke-free life. If you’re an expat in Thailand, this day could be a timely reminder to...
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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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Gambling again crowns Phuket’s arrests inventory
PHUKET: Statistics released by the Phuket Provincial Police again show gambling as the crime category with the highest number of arrests.Between February 1 and 21, 249 people were busted for gambling-related offenses; 24 of these cases involved the sale of illegal lottery tickets.There were nine cases of attempted murder, with five arrests made. Two murders were reported during the period,…
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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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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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“New’ reef bigger than any in the region
PHANG NGA: Marine scientists are still charting the extent of an uncharted reef off Tai Muang, Phang Nga, covering, they say, at least four square kilometers – far larger than any known reef in the region.The discovery of the reef, made in the first week of January, was documented by Songpol Tippayawong, Head of the Thailand Marine and Coastal Conservation…
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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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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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Motorbike smash victim recovering
PHUKET CITY: Bangkok Hospital Phuket has listed motorcycle crash victim Steve Donnelly of Britain as conscious and in stable condition, though he is still connected to breathing apparatus. On Tuesday the hospital issued an urgent appeal through the Gazette and other avenues for donations of rare A-negative blood for Mr Donnelly, who was involved in a road crash in which…
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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…
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Sondhi addresses Phuket rally
PHUKET CITY: More than 20,000 people attended a rally at Saphan Hin last night, addressed by Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s nemesis, Sondhi Limthongkul. K. Sondhi and Sarocha Porn-udomsak, his co-host on the weekly political talk show on the ASTV satellite channel, Muang Thai Rai Sapda (Thailand Weekly), were the main speakers at the rally, holding forth in front of a…
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Overstay charge hiked to B500 a day
PHUKET: The fine for remaining in Thailand past the expiry date of a permit to stay, currently 200 baht a day, will rise to 500 baht a day with effect from March 15.However, the maximum fine payable will remain the same, at 20,000 baht, Pol Lt Gen Suwat Thamrongsrisakul, Commander of the Immigration Bureau, stated in a document posted in…
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Urgent call for A-negative blood
PHUKET: Anyone with the rare A-negative blood group is asked to report to Bangkok Hospital Phuket immediately to make a donation to save the life of British national Steve Donnelly, injured in a motorcycle accident in Patong two days ago. He is in critical condition and on life support with 11 broken ribs, punctured lungs, two broken collar bones and…
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Real Estate Club to stage property show
PHUKET: The Phuket Real Estate Club (PREC) will stage an exhibition showcasing property in Phuket and on Koh Samui, at Central Festival Phuket from April 6 to 10.PREC President Phummisak Hongsyok said that the exhibition is partly to support Governor Udomsak Uswarangkura’s aim of having more activities staged in Phuket, now that the tsunami anniversary ceremonies are over.“This is the…
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Frenchman found dead in Karon guesthouse
KARON: A Frenchman was found dead in a guesthouse in Karon on Sunday, the victim of an apparent suicide.Pol Maj Chana Suttimard, of Chalong Police Station, told the Gazette that he received a call from a maid at the Lucky Guesthouse at 11 am after she found the body of Bernard Roger Servel, 61, in one of the rooms.“The maid…
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Talbot murder trial to start next January.
PHUKET CITY: Phuket Provincial Court Judge Yupawan Pirisinsith was briefed this morning on defense and prosecution witness lists in the case of Briton Paul Chetwynd-Talbot, accused of murdering his girlfriend, fellow Briton Debra O’Hanlon.The judge scheduled the next hearing in the case for January 18 next year, to allow the prosecution time to question eight witnesses. Judge Yupawan, who will…
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Island Ironman calls for charity sponsorship
PHUKET: Les Bird, Phuket’s resident ironman athlete, who is competing in this year’s Ironman Australia Triathlon, at Port Macquarie in New South Wales on April 2, has issued a plea for sponsors to back him to raise money for charity. All sponsor donations will go to the Maesai Childlife Foundation in Chiang Rai, he explained. Mr Bird hopes to complete…
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Low-cost carriers keen on Krabi
KRABI: Low-cost carrier Thai AirAsia will launch daily direct flights from Bangkok to Krabi on March 1, while Singaporean low-cost carrier Tiger Airways has announced it will extend its Singapore-Krabi service to run throughout the low season. Thai AirAsia Public Relations Executive Jaqueline Mercader told the Gazette that the new service, designated FD 3165, will depart Bangkok daily at 5:05…
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Gov proposes new Patong-airport road
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Udomsak Uswarangkura yesterday ordered the Phuket Provincial Highways Office (PPHO) to conduct a study into the feasibility of building a road between Phuket International Airport and Patong.“Right now, a lot of properties are being developed along the main road from the airport [Route 402], and soon Phuket will have traffic congestion problems,” he said.“The same happened in…
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Poison warning to Nai Harn dog owners
NAI HARN: Dog owners who take their animals for exercise on Nai Harn Beach are advised to keep them on the leash – or walk them somewhere else – as poisoners are once again at work.David Couchman, a retiree who lives in the area and walks his dogs on the beach, told the Gazette this evening that he knows of…
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204 couples wed on Valentine’s Day
PHUKET: More than 200 couples on Phuket were married on the most romantic day of the year, Valentine’s Day.Karnjana Hongboonyanurak, the Registration Officer at the Phuket Muang District Office, told the Gazette that her office was the busiest on the island, with 142 couples, including five cross-cultural couples, registering their love.“Some couples arrived at the office before it opened in…
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Jet-ski races get thumbs-up
PATONG: Despite the Governor’s announced policy to rid Phuket of jet-skis by 2011, Phuket Province has given the green light for Patong to host the first round of the 2006 Jet Ski Thailand Championship, on March 4 and 5.The go-ahead for the event was confirmed yesterday at a meeting between Vice-Governor Niran Kalayanamit and members of the Thai Jet Sports…
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Second printing of Guide distributed
PHUKET: The second printing of the 2006 Gazette Guide, Phuket’s English-language “Yellow Pages”, is now on the shelves at bookshops, bakeries, coffee shops and other outlets around Phuket, Khao Lak and Krabi. Guestroom copies have already been distributed to Phuket’s leading hotels and resorts. The new Gazette Guide has 3,115 listings in 465 pages – making it 11% larger than…
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Patong porn peddlers pinched
PATONG: An undercover investigation team from Kathu Police Station led by Pol Maj Serm Kwannimitra raided two VCD outlets opposite the Patong Tourist Police office on Thaweewong Rd recently, arresting two people and confiscating some 5,000 obscene VCDs.The alleged offenders were Nattaporn Sornram, 33, and Jirawit Nonthapanthawat, also 33, both Phuket natives. They were found to be in possession of…
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Overstay 12 still in jail, face deportation
RANONG: A group of 12 foreign tourists arrested for overstaying their visas have spent their second night sleeping on the floor of a jail cell at Ranong Police Station.Ranong Immigration Police, who have announced that they will deport the group, say they are only following “standard procedures” and will send the 12 to an Immigration detention center in Bangkok “soon”.The…
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Promthep wind power project stalled
LAEM PROMTHEP: A ban on structures taller than eight meters at Laem Promthep has stalled the construction of three 50m-tall wind turbines, each costing 40 million baht, at Phuket’s premier sunset tourist attraction.Ong-ad Thanachanmongkol, Chief of the Phuket office of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, said on Tuesday that he must first obtain the go-ahead for the project…
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Moves to make Patong Beach “more orderly’
PATONG: Vice-Governor Worapot Ratthasima on Tuesday was appointed chairman of a committee charged with cleaning up Patong Beach and ensuring that beach operators are regulated.Committee member and Patong Municipality Chief Administrative Officer Poonsak Naksena said that the known 55 renters of beach chairs and umbrellas have until by February 24 to tidy up the layout of their 2,300-odd umbrellas and…
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Police arrest 12 on Ranong “visa run’
RANONG: Twelve foreign tourists were pulled off a “visa run” bus just 40 miles from Ranong and confined to a jail cell overnight for overstaying their visas. The company that arranged the tour claims that the arresting officers, from the Tourist Police and Highway Police, demanded 5,000 baht from each of the overstayed tourists in exchange for letting them go.…
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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