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 residents on British New Year Honours List
PHUKET: Cindy Ratcliffe, President of the Phuket International Women’s Club (PIWC), Martin Carpenter, Chairman of the British Business Association of Phuket (BBAP), UK Honorary Consul Alan Cooke and Lucy Norton have been made Members of the British Empire (MBE) in the UK’s New Year Honours List for their efforts in helping tsunami victims, it was announced on Saturday.“I feel quite…
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Japan wins international beach volleyball tourney
PATONG: Japan defeated Thailand 2-0 in the final of the Phuket Thailand Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) Beach Volleyball Challenge 2005 in front of some 3,000 spectators at Patong Beach yesterday afternoon.Southeast Asian Games gold medalists Jarunee Sannok and Kamoltip Kulna, comprising one of Thailand’s three teams, entered the finals after beating Bulgaria’s Yanchulova sisters 2-0 in the semi-finals. Petia…
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Reward offered for missing catamaran
KATA: Yacht owner Chris Sieber is offering a US$5,000 reward for information directly leading to the recovery of his 46-foot catamaran Kilo, which went missing off Kata Beach on December 18. Mr Sieber told the Gazette this morning that Kilo was last seen anchored offshore from the Kata Beach Resort on December 17, following the King’s Cup Regatta, for which…
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Tourists hurt as bus overturns
PATONG: A tour bus carrying 37 Israelis overturned on Prabarami Rd in rainy weather about 5 pm yesterday, while it was en route to Patong from Khao Lak in Phang Nga. Two passengers were seriously injured in the crash.All of the passengers were taken to Patong Hospital to be checked for injuries.Theerayuth Prasertphol, Chief Technical Officer of the Phuket Provincial…
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No closing time on New Year’s Eve
PHUKET: Entertainment venues will be able to stay open as long as they wish on New Year’s Eve, Phuket’s top law enforcement official told the Gazette today.Pol Maj Gen Decha Budnampeth, Commander of Phuket Provincial Police, said that the exception to the normal closing time would apply only on the night of December 31-January 1. From the evening of January…
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Stray dog round-up to begin – again
PHUKET: Representatives from just five of the island’s 13 local government bodies attended a meeting yesterday morning to address the island’s long-standing stray dog problem. At the meeting it was also announced that dog owners in two areas can now apply for “passports” for registered pets.The low-key meeting, held at Phuket Provincial Hall and chaired by Phuket Governor Udomsak Uswarangkura,…
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She said YES! Tsunami victim to wed doctor who looked after him
PHUKET CITY: In a year when it seemed that almost every story concerning Phuket was relating bad news – with perhaps the exception of Hannes Bergstrom, the “unidentified” Swedish toddler reunited with his uncle and grandmother two days after the tsunami – ending these 12 months with a story of hope is a newspaper’s dream.December 26, 2004 saw Ron Bombiger,…
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Move for airport taxi meter desk stalls
PHUKET: Governor Udomsak Uswarangkura’s October 31 call for a service counter for metered taxis to be installed inside the terminal at Phuket International Airport has stalled, with his request yet to be reviewed by the Airports Authority of Thailand (AAT) headquarters in Bangkok.Gov Udomsak called for meter taxis to have a counter at the airport within two weeks following a…
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Police to set up New Year road safety checkpoints
PHUKET: Police will set up checkpoints across the island from December 29 to January 4 in a campaign to reduce the number of road fatalities during the New Year celebrations.The checkpoints, manned by police, volunteers and officers from the Phuket Office for Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (ODPM), will be set up at:– Thepkrasattri Rd (in front of the Muang Mai…
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Vendors forced from Kamala Beach
KAMALA: More than 40 police officers forced beachfront food stall vendors and sun-bed operators to vacate Kamala Beach yesterday morning, to clear the area for the tsunami memorial services on Monday.Kathu District Chief Khantee Silapa told the Gazette the beach was cleared after an order from Phuket Governor Udomsak Uswarangkura, because Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra is to visit the area.However,…
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Work on B46m “Welcome Gate’ under way in Tah Chat Chai
TAH CHAT CHAI: For most of next year, the northern tip of the island will become a building site as heavy machinery is used to transform scrub forest in the area into a landscaped “Welcome Gate” rest stop and vehicle control point (VCP).Work on the 46-million-baht project, the brainchild of Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) President Anchalee Vanich-Thepbutr, officially began…
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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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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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Gov sets Dec 26 deadline for bypass road
PHUKET: In a meeting this morning to check on final preparations for the upcoming tsunami memorial services, Phuket Governor Udomsak Uswarangkura ordered that work on the bypass road widening project be completed before December 26.“Work on the bypass road must be finished before December 26 so we can provide comfortable transport for our visitors,” Gov Udomsak told those at the…
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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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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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B2bn boost for Blue Canyon Country Club
MAI KHAO: Even the deafening barrage of fireworks, set to the strains of Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture to mark Blue Canyon Country Club’s (BCCC) 15th anniversary on Wednesday night, could not eclipse an announcement beforehand of a 2-billion-baht investment in the golf club.The investment comes as part of a “strategic partnership” between RREEF Global Opportunities Fund II – an investment fund…
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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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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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Poor response to tsunami free visits offer
PHUKET: Only 180 hotels rooms in Phuket have been reserved thus far under a government plan to subsidize accommodation for tsunami victims and their relatives coming to attend memorial services to mark the first anniversary of the disaster, it was revealed at the CEO Governor’s meeting on Wednesday.Lack of interest in the plan – the number is less than 2%…
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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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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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Court issues warrant for Jeab murder suspect
PATTAYA: The Pattaya Court has issued a warrant for the arrest of fugitive murder suspect Sam Van Treeck, who fled to his native Belgium in October, 2004, after his release on bail the previous month. Van Treeck was 24 years old when he was arrested for the brutal stabbing murder of Phuket-based dive instructor Chompoonut “Jeab” Kobram in October, 2004.…
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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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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…
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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