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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Five “tigers’ to expedite Patong plan
PHUKET: Governor Udomsak Usawarangkura has appointed a committee of five “tigers” to speed up the implementation of the recovery plan for Patong Beach.The committee will be chaired by Vice-Governor Winai Buapradit, who will be joined by Patong Mayor Pian Keesin; Kathu District Chief Khantee Silapa; Kathu Police Station Superintendent Pol Lt Col Teeraphol Thipjaroen, and Phuket Tourist Association President Pattanapong…
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British arts minister pays respects
MAI KHAO: British Arts Minister Estelle Morris today became the latest member of a foreign government to pay respects to the tsunami dead.Ms Morris, accompanied by senior British police office Detective Chief Superintendent Nick Bracker, visited the Disaster Victims Identification (DVI) centre at Mai Khao, where she laid a wreath at the international wall of remembrance and observed a minute’s…
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Sponsors sought for NZ triathlon bid
PHUKET: Island resident Les Bird, a former police commander in Hong Kong, will take part in the gruelling New Zealand Ironman Triathlon and is seeking sponsors to help raise money for Laguna Phuket’s Tsunami Recovery Fund. The race takes place March 5 and comprises a 3.8-km swim, 180-km cycle race and full-length marathon. Mr Bird hopes to complete the course…
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Authorities prepare to move Yan Yao bodies
PHANG NGA: The stench from the 1,000-plus corpses of tsunami victims being held at Wat Yan Yao now permeates the temple and the area around it, and local people are too scared to enter the wat to make merit.Authorities are therefore planning to move the bodies to the Thai Tsunami Victim Identification Center (TTVI), in Mai Khao, Phuket.However, Phang Nga…
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Festival to give Andaman coast a boost
PATONG (The Nation): Music, sports, a swimwear fashion show and even a bodybuilding contest will be among the highlights of a project to help restore international tourists’ confidence in the Andaman coast provinces.The “Loving Andaman” campaign, organized jointly by Thai Airways International (THAI), the Office of the Supreme Commander and the UBC Group, will also include a damage survey, and…
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Mob blocks road in rent protest
SAPAM: More than 200 people blocked Thepkrasattri Rd for half an hour yesterday evening as they protested against plans to make them pay rent on the land where they have lived for 15 years.The rally was sparked by a February 17 visit to Moo 3, Tambon Koh Keaw by city officers, who told the residents they must now pay rent…
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Deal struck for Kamala homeless
KAMALA: More than 70 families in Kamala have agreed to rent state land near the beach from the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization for minimal rents ranging from 20 baht to 1,000 baht per rai per year, figures fixed by Phuket Governor Udomsak Usawarangkura.The families – all of whom had been encroaching on state land before the disaster of December 26…
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Patong Mayor ordered to get a move on
PATONG: Phuket Vice-Governor Winai Buapradit yesterday ordered Patong Mayor Pian Keesin to pick up the pace in carrying out orders to make Patong Beach more orderly, remarking that the Patong beachfront area appears to be slipping back into pre-tsunami chaos.The order came during a meeting of a special committee set up to oversee the redevelopment of Patong Beach in line…
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Four corpse containers “malfunctioning’
PHANG NGA: Four cold-storage containers housing the unidentified bodies of tsunami victims are malfunctioning, causing rapid decomposition of the corpses within and spreading a gruesome stench in the areas where they are located.Pol Gen Noppadol Somboonsab, head of of Thai Tsunami Victim Identification Centre (TTVI), said the problem freezers are at Wat Yan Yao and Wat Bang Muang in Phang…
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King of Sweden thanks Thais
PHUKET CITY: Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia visited Phuket Provincial Hall this morning as part of a state visit to Thailand to thank the Thai people for their efforts in the aftermath of the December 26 tsunami. The royal couple, accompanied by Thai Foreign Affairs Minister Surakiat Sathirathai, were greeted by Phuket Governor Udomsak Usawarangkura and a…
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Missing millions probe to finish “within 15 days’
PHUKET: Vice-Governor Supachai Yuwaboon has pledged that the commission set up after the theft of more than 2 million baht intended for tsunami victims will complete its investigation within 15 days.The commission has already summoned two people for interview but, V/Gov Supachai said, “To be fair to everyone, we cannot give any more details until we have finished the investigation…
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338 bodies sent home from Mai Khao
PHUKET: A total of 338 tsunami victims buried temporarily at Mai Khao Cemetery have been identified and returned to their families.Thai Tsunami Victim Indentification Centre (TTVI) head Pol Gen Noppadol Somboonsab says he expects all 1,890 bodies at Mai Khao to be identified within three or four months.All but two of the bodies identified so far were foreigners, said Gen…
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Divers break world record off Koh Tao
SURAT THANI: More than 720 people from at least 35 countries have set a world record for the most divers diving simultaneously off Koh Tao, as part of the Koh Tao Underwater Day festival.The event was held to promote awareness of how global climate change is slowly killing coral and to mark the coming into effect today of the Kyoto…
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Swedish royals to visit Phuket, Phang Nga
PHUKET: Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia will arrive in Phuket on Friday for a tour of the island and Phang Nga.Their plane will arrive at 9:30 am at Phuket International Airport, and the royal couple will be received at Phuket Provincial Hall by Governor Udomsak Usawarangkura and representatives of the Thai government, before visiting the Bangkok Phuket…
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B2m in tsunami aid “disappears’
PHUKET: More than two million baht intended for tsunami victims has gone missing from a safe in Provincial Hall.The theft was reported to police yesterday by Metha Mekarat, Chief of the Phuket Office of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (ODPM).Altogether, 2,050,000 baht is missing from the safe, which is in a strongroom at Provincial Hall.K. Metha said that since the tsunami, the…
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THAI defends decision to cut flights
PHUKET: National carrier Thai Airways International (THAI) has defended its decision to axe a number of flights to Phuket in the wake of the tsunami, including all direct international services.Kalayapha Panich, the Phuket-based District Sales Manager for Upper-Southern Thailand, told the Gazette that the company had decided it could not continue to operate routes at a loss.“So few passengers currently…
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Bypass road to close for construction
PHUKET CITY: Parts of the bypass road (Chalermprakiat Ror IX Rd) will be closed for two afternoons a week until April because of construction work.Phuket Provincial Highways Office Chief Thanit Sakiya announced today that traffic will be barred from various parts of the road between 1 pm and 3 pm on Mondays and Thursdays until the first week in April.…
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Crime rate rising after tsunami
PHUKET CITY: Police are reporting a surge in crime brought about by the downturn in the tourism industry following the tsunami disaster, and are advising people to take extra precautions to protect themselves against opportunistic thieves.In a press release issued by the Phuket City Police, Superintendent Pol Col Paween Pongsirin said there has been an increase in home and office…
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Dr Pornthip gives up, heads South
PHUKET: Leading forensic scientist Dr Khunying Pornthip Rojanasunan will not be allowed to re-start her work on identifying tsunami victims at Wat Yan Yao, Phang Nga, despite Justice Minister Pongthep Thepkarnjana deciding just five days ago that she could.The Head of the Thai Tsunami Victims Identification Centre(TTVI), Pol Gen Noppadol Soomboonsub, told the Gazette today that he has sufficient staff…
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Hit me with your rhythm stick
PATONG: Tourists on Soi Bangla enjoyed a live concert by the Harvey Thompson Jazz Band and the Waikado Yamato Drummers Sunday night.The show was organized by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) as part of its ongoing efforts to revive Phuket tourism in the aftermath of the tsunami.The Detroit-based baritone, accompanied by saxophonist Paul Fleischer, performed a number of songs…
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Tsunami risk areas being mapped
PHUKET: A map of the areas of the Andaman coast most likely to be hit by flooding resulting from any future tsunami will be ready in March, Pipob Wasuwanich, the Deputy Director of the Department of Mineral Resources (DMR), said yesterday.Speaking at a seminar at the Royal Phuket City Hotel, K. Pipob said that the map will also indicate “escape…
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Busy day for Cupid
PHUKET: Valentine’s Day has been especially romantic for 231 Phuket couples – they got married today.Sirinee Leelanont, chief administrator of Phuket Town District Office said 159 couples registered their marriages today between 8am and 4pm, 19 more than during the same period last year.“The atmosphere today was very happy, every couple was smiling,” said Palad Sirinee. “Some brides were pregnant,…
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Emergency number back in service “by end of month’
PHUKET: The 1155 emergency telephone number for tourists should be working properly again by the end of this month, Phuket Tourist Police Inspector Pol Maj Bundit Khaosutham has told the Gazette.Maj Bundit said the line had been damaged during the tsunami, but the police were now pushing to have it repaired so that it will be fuctioning normally soon.Maj Bundit…
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Finnish tourists back in Phuket
PHUKET: Starting today, tour operators bringing tourists from Finland to Phuket expect to be running three charter flights a week until April, although the number of vacationers will be only half what they would have been if there had been no tsunami.A spokesman for Royal Andaman Travel Group, the local partner of travel company Star Tour, said that around 230…
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B2bn tsunami memorial proposed
PHUKET CITY: Plodprasop Suraswadi, Adviser to Deputy Prime Minister Suwat Liptapanlop, today announced that a proposal to build a memorial to remember the victims of the December 26 tsunami with a budget of up to 2 billion baht will be submitted to Cabinet for approval next Tuesday.At a high-level meeting of officials from Phuket and Phang Nga at the Phuket…
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Old Phuket’ draws big crowds
PHUKET CITY: Thousands of people thronged streets in the old part of Phuket City last night to celebrate the arrival of the Chinese Year of the Rooster and the first night of the 7th Old Phuket Festival.Thalang Rd and Dibuk Rd in the old quarter of Phuket were filled with the sights and sounds of celebration, as well as the…
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Pornthip to return to Wat Yan Yao
PHUKET: Battling forensic scientist Dr Khunying Pornthip Rojanasunan is to resume her work on identifying tsunami victims after Justice Minister Pongthep Thepkarnjana intervened in the row between her and Thai Tsunami Victim Identification Centre (TTVI) boss Pol Gen Nopadol Soomboonsub.Dr Pornthip and her team left Phang Nga last week after the mortuary at Wat Yan Yao, which had been their…
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US group vows to help boost Phuket tourism
PHUKET CITY: A 61-strong group of Americans met Phuket City Mayor Somjai Suwannasuppana this morning to deliver a message of hope and friendship, along with US$1,200 (48,000 baht) for grants for students affect by the tsunami.The Americans, 42 of whom are from the state of Oregon, are members of the “Flight of Friendship” organisation, which has been set up to…
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Sea gypsies protest at “lack of government help’
PHUKET: More than 50 sea gypsies from Rawai rallied outside the offices of Phuket Governor Udomsak Usawarangkura this morning to protest at what they say is a lack of help from the government since the tsunami.The government has said it would make one-off payments of 2,000 baht to anyone who lost his or her job because of the tsunami. But…
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Monitoring of foreigners gets a boost
SAPHAN HIN: Phuket Administration Organization (OrBorJor) President Anchalee Vanich-Thepabutr today handed over the new 1.5-million-baht Center of International Crime Information and Immigration Service to the Phuket Immigration Office.Phuket Immigration Superintendent Pol Col Witawat Buranasompop said the building will be used by officers who will monitor the movements of foreigners in Phuket.He said more and more foreigners are coming to 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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