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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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…
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Top golf gals heading for Phuket
PHUKET: Ninety-four professional players are scheduled to compete in the Phuket Thailand Ladies Masters (PTLM) tournament from tomorrow until Saturday (December 14 to 17). The tournament will gather top women golfers from 16 countries or regions: Thailand, Austria, Brazil, Canada, China, England, Finland, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, South Korea, Sweden, Taiwan and Wales. The line-up includes 32-year-old…
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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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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 wins King’s Cup
PHUKET: Ray Roberts’ Drumstick Quantum Racing this morning beat Neil Pryde’s Hi Fi by nearly three minutes to win the final race of the Racing class and clinch this year’s King’s Cup.Drumstick‘s consistent good performance saw the crew amass 7 points for the series, two points clear of Hi Fi.Nick Burns’ Mandrake, despite finishing sixth this morning, came third in…
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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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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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King’s Cup sees fast racing and collisions
PHUKET: Strong winds gusting up to 20 knots sent boats flying across the water from Kata out to Koh Racha and back in today’s racing in the King’s Cup Regatta.The hefty gusts saw two collisions, happily with no injuries. The lovely 100-year-old Eveline was retired after her stern was damaged when was she clipped by Lady M, a 104-foot superyacht.Platu…
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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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Eight venues get “white’ approval
PHUKET: Eight businesses in Phuket have received “white entertainment venue” certificates, indicating that they are scrupulous about following the law.The eight are The Green Man Pub in Chalong; Zanzibar at the Royal Phuket City Hotel and the Walk In Pub in Phuket City; Phuket Bar, Baan Lai Mai and Crocodile Discotheque in Patong; and Surin Beer Garden and Koy Karaoke…
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Still time to register mobile phones
PHUKET: The deadline for registration of mobile phones using prepaid cards is officially over, but the Minister of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Sora-at Klinprathum, has announced on the Ministry’s website that phone users may still register at network service centers, by bringing their phones and ID card or passport with them.Some 80% of Thailand’s 400,000 prepaid SIM card users…
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Mystery surrounds death of Yasothorn woman
RASSADA: Police are investigating the violent death of a woman from Yasothorn Province who was found with her throat slashed on the morning of December 4. Pol Lt Col Amponwat Sangrueng of the Phuket City Police identified the victim as Nittaya Weruwanarak, 30, from Tambon Phai, Saimoon District, Yasothorn. Her body was found at about 6:15 am at an unnumbered…
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Mandrake takes early lead in King’s Cup
KATA: Nick Burns and Fred Kinmonth’s Mandrake from Hong Kong won the first race in the Racing Class in this year’s King’s Cup Regatta with a provisional corrected lead of 28 minutes ahead of Ray Roberts’s Drumstick.Bill Bremner’s Foxy Lady finished third in the class with a corrected time of 5 hrs 44 min 56 s, 1 min 58 sec in…
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Gov cool to idea of twinning with Denpasar
PHUKET: Governor Udomsak Uswarangkura was noncommittal about a proposal by the Indonesian Ambassador to Thailand that Phuket City and the Balinese capital of Denpasar become “sister cities”, saying he would first have to raise the idea with local tourism industry associations.The idea of twinning the two cities was proposed by Indonesian Ambassador Ibrahim Yusuf during a December 2 courtesy call…
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Arcadia-Hilton split denied
KARON: A representative of the owners of the Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort & Spa has denied widespread rumors that the Hilton brand will be dumped next year.Hilton International took over management of the Phuket Arcadia Beach Resort on October 1 last year, and the property was rebranded.The rumors posited that the Arcadia owners were unsatisfied with Hilton’s performance, and planned to take…
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Gambling still top of crime stats
PHUKET: According to figures released by the Phuket Provincial Police, gambling once again topped the list of criminal offenses in November, with 217 people arrested. Forty-two cases involved the sale of underground lottery tickets.Eighty four people were arrested for the illegal possession or use of controlled substances, with precisely 2,189½ ya bah (methamphetamine) tablets seized. Fifteen people were arrested for…
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Immigration launches hospital visa service
PHUKET: The Phuket Immigration Office (PIO) has launched a new free visa extension service for foreigners in hospital.Pol Capt Krissarat Nusen of Phuket Immigration Office told the Gazette that the new service, launched a few days ago, covers only genuine inpatients, who must get the hospital to contact the PIO at least one day in advance of the expiry of…
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Patong cracks down on street touts
PATONG: Municipal officials will patrol the streets of Patong day and night this high season in a crackdown on touts and street vendors harassing tourists, Patong Deputy Mayor Chairat Sukbal has announced.“We need to ensure that [touts] do not distribute leaflets or grab tourists’ hands to try to persuade them to buy from their shops. We will arrest them for…
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World Vision denies “aid for souls’ reports
PHUKET: Tim Costello, Chief Executive Officer of Christian aid group World Vision Australia, has rejected reports that the group has used tsunami donations and aid in an attempt to entice Thais to convert to Christianity.World Vision has helped more than 50,000 tsunami-affected people, through food distribution and providing much-needed items including 300 boats, fishing gear for 2,449 families, and 4,848…
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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