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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Seized Boonkeng land returned to state
BANGKOK: Four plots of land seized from businessman Boonkeng Srisansuchart in June were yesterday handed over to the Agricultural Land Reform Office (ALRO) by the Anti Money Laundering Office (AMLO) in Bangkok.AMLO confiscated the land – off the bypass road around Panturat Hill – after the Phuket Appeal Court ruled that K. Boonkeng had wrongfully obtained it.AMLO Deputy Secretary Pol…
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Gov fires new salvo at high-flying investigators
PHUKET CITY: Phuket Governor Udomsak Usawarangkura today enlarged on his tough criticism of the investigation team from Bangkok, led by Crime Suppression Division (CSD) Chief Pol Maj Gen Kosin Hintao, who inspected land plots on Phuket, Koh Racha and Koh Hei on Wednesday last week.“The police just stayed in their helicopter and pointed at developments on beautiful plots of land…
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Pongsaklek title defense called off
PHUKET CITY: WBC world flyweight champion Pongsaklek Wonjongkam’s October 8 title defense against 15th-ranked challenger Carlos Bouchan was called off after the Mexican challenger suffered a training injury.The Asian Boxing Council (ABC), an affiliate of the WBC, has instead organized a non-title fight on the same date, featuring Pongsaklek against Randy Mangubat of the Philippines.On the same fight card, to…
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Immigration clarifies cash requirement rule
PHUKET: Immigration checkpoints nationwide are free to enforce minimum currency requirements on foreigners entering Thailand at their own discretion, a top Immigration official confirmed on Friday.Commenting on the posting of notices at several Immigration checkpoints in the north of Thailand, Pol Col Chalermpong Vadhanasukha, Deputy Superintendent of Immigration Division 3, in Bangkok, said, “[The rule] has been in effect since…
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Jeab murder case lodged with court
PATTAYA: The Provincial Court in Pattaya has renewed bail for Sam Van Treeck, the 24-year-old Belgian man accused of murdering Phuket-based divemaster Chompoonut “Jeab” Kobram, 23.Van Treeck’s bail was renewed on Monday (September 20), the same day as the police submitted their case to the court.K. Jeab was found dead on June 25 in Van Treeck’s apartment in Pattaya. She…
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Judgment day for Daeng the dog
PHUKET CITY: In a judgment worthy of Solomon, the Chief of the Phuket Provincial Livestock Department (PPLO) today defused a nasty dispute over custodianship of a dog being held at the infamous Middle Road Dog Pound. His solution: the dog should decide.Trouble erupted at the pound on Tuesday night when Margot Homburg Park of the Soi Dog Foundation attempted to…
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Grumbling Patong closes earlier
PATONG: More than 200 entertainment places in Patong are closing earlier, in the wake of a new order from the Interior Ministry. The order means that many venues that previously could stay open until 2 am now have to close at 1 am, and in some cases, midnight, although the closing time on New Year’s Eve will, as before, be…
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Palad moves up a rank
PHUKET TOWN: Phuket’s Chief Administrative Officer Visawa Sasismith has moved up one rank in the Thai bureaucracy, being promoted to the position of acting Deputy Governor of Trang province. The appointment is effective October 1, 2004. K. Visawa was one of 32 government officers assigned to serve as acting deputy governors in the latest Interior Ministry reshuffle. No replacement Chief…
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Eight-year tax holiday for IT companies
PHUKET: A new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed by the Software Industry Promotion Agency (Sipa) and the Board of Investment (BoI) exempts IT companies from company tax for eight years, and enables them to import IT products and services duty-free. The MOU, signed on August 24 by Sipa President Dr Manoo Ordeedolchest and BoI Secretary General Somphong Wanapha, is designed…
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Tycoon arrested again over Samsara land
PATONG: Chamnan “Daeng” Pachantabutr, former owner of the land on which the Samsara luxury property development is being built, was arrested this morning at his home in Patong.Chamnan is one of the owners of the Phuket Cabana Resort and of the Kan Eang restaurants in Chalong.Leading the arrest party were the Chief of the Crime Suppression Police, Pol Maj Gen…
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Transvestite performer drinks himself to death
PATONG: Well-known transvestite performer “Nok Cabaret Show” drank himself to death in a rented room above the Twilight Pub on September 18, police say.The 44-year-old performer, whose real name was Jamnien Neuaha of Nakhon Ratchasima, had been employed by the My Way Bar on Soi Paradise, but lost his job about three months ago. After that, he rented a room…
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Fairground developers answer critics
RAWAI: The would-be developers of a controversial British-style “fun fair” on seven rai of seaside land in Rawai expect to hear soon whether the project will be approved and are defending the idea in the face of criticism that it is inappropriate for Phuket. Steve Rutter and his wife Sharon, of Manchester, England, plan to create a small fairground for…
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Senior police in annual reshuffle
PHUKET: Senior police officers from four Phuket police stations have been promoted, with effect from October 1. Two other officers will be moving to take up posts in other stations in the same rank.Pol Lt Gen Somsak Buppasuwan, Surat Thani-based commander of Police Region 8 has announced the promotions and transfers of a total of 27 police officers from Region…
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WBC champ to defend title in Phuket
KARON: WBC world flyweight boxing champion Pongsaklek Wonjongkam will defend his title during the 42nd Annual WBC Convention, to be hosted by the Phuket Arcadia Hilton Hotel October 4-9.The fight will take place on October 8 in Karon, though a precise venue has yet to be decided.According to the popular website boxingtalk.net, Pongsaklek’s opponent will be 15th-ranked Carlos Bouchan of…
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Post Office to increase fees
PHUKET: The Thai Post Office will increase the fees for its express mail service (EMS) and for registered mail within Thailand, with effect from Monday. Visal Pongtiwattanakul, the Postmaster of Phuket Post Office, told the Gazette that it has been four years since postal fees have been increased, despite rises in Post Office costs. However, he said, the changes also…
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New Zealander dies in smash
KARON: Terence Wayne Garnett, 41, from New Zealand, died when his motorbike collided with a six-wheel truck outside Karon Municipality offices on Patak Rd early on Thursday morning.Mr Garnett, originally of Palmerston, arrived in Phuket on August 17 for a three-month stay.He was wearing a crash helmet when his motorbike collided with the truck at about 1:30 am, but he…
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Phuket bids to host F1 power boat races
PHUKET: The island is hoping to host a round of next year’s international UIM F1 Powerboat Grand Prix circuit, the world’s premier inshore power boat racing championship. Governor Udomsak Usawarangkura told the Gazette that he had already met with F1’s Vice President for Marketing, Giancarlo Tschuor from Switzerland, and that a tentative agreement had been reached to stage the Phuket…
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Phuket to press PM for underpasses
PHUKET CITY: Vice-Governor Pongpow Ketthong yesterday confirmed that the Phuket Provincial government will continue to pursue the budget required to build two underpasses along the bypass road.“Phuket needs the underpasses,” he told a meeting at Provincial Hall.V/Gov Pongpow’s comments follow the rejection by Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra during his recent visit to Phuket of an 800-million-baht budget request for the…
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Cabinet to see duty-free zone plan next month
PHUKET: The Customs Department is to present plans to set up a duty-free zone in Phuket to the Cabinet next month.Six companies have expressed an interest in running the zone, which would sell duty-free or reduced-duty goods to tourists.The news came after a meeting yesterday at the governor’s mansion, chaired by the Chief of Customs in Phuket, Surachart Janthawatcharagorn, and…
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Gas blast damages nine homes
WICHIT: A gas explosion yesterday evening wrecked a house in Jomthong Thani housing estate on Kwang Rd and damaged roofs and interiors in eight other houses nearby. Luckily, no one was killed or injured.Pol Maj Yongyuth Krongmalai, of Phuket City Police station, told the Gazette that investigating officers believe gas leaked into the single-story house after the pipe from an LPG…
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Ex-Governor to run Korat
BANGKOK: Pongpayome Vasaputi, the former governor of Phuket, will take up the post of Governor of Nakhon Ratchasima (also known as Korat) in October. He will replace Soonthorn Riwreang.The announcement was made yesterday at a meeting of the Cabinet in Bangkok, during which Prime Minister Thaksin Shinnawatra approved transfers of senior government officers.K. Pongpayome is currently the Director-General of the…
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New lease on life for Lucky Complex?
PHUKET CITY: The Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) has agreed to issue a concession for private company Phamonkij Witsavakram (PW) to refurbish the abandoned Lucky Complex at Saphan Hin and run it as a duty-free plaza for 25 years.OrBorJor President Anchalee Vanich-Thepabutr made the announcement on September 13.However, the agreement is contingent on several key factors, including Customs Department approval…
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Plea for fairness in “spa wars’
PHUKET CITY: The Chairman of the Phuket Spa Business Club (PSBC) has called for spas to work together to train staff rather than poaching employees from one another.Pakin Raktae-Ngam said that poaching was not a problem within the club. But club members, and other smaller spas that are not members, were having problems with spas belonging to large chains, which…
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Wisut to stand for Thai Rak Thai
PHUKET: Wisut Santikul, former Vice-President of the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor), will stand in next February’s general election as a Thai Rak Thai (TRT) candidate, he and the party confirmed yesterday.K. Wisut, who stood as an independent in the OrBorJor elections in March, but lost to Democrat-backed Anchalee Vanich-Thepabutr, will contest District 2 – all of the island except…
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Murder suspect released on bail
PATTAYA: Belgian Sam Van Treeck, 24, who is accused of the murder his ex-girlfriend has been released on bail by the Pattaya Provincial Court.Chompoonut “Jeab” Kobram was found stabbed to death at Van Treeck’s apartment on June 25. The accused denies the charge, claiming he came home after being out drinking and found the body. K. Jeab had been stabbed…
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Police urged to take care of Australian tourists
PHUKET: Police in Phuket have been urged to take special care of Australian tourists in the wake of last week’s car bomb in Jakarta, Indonesia, which killed at least 10 people and did massive damage to the Australian embassy.The Deputy Commissioner of the National Central Investigation Bureau, Pol Maj Gen Chachavan Suksomjit, also called on the tourist police in Phuket…
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Travelers snap up Tiger’s cheap seats
PHUKET: Singapore’s first budget airline, Tiger Airways, will begin flights this month between Singapore’s Changi Airport and Bangkok, Phuket and Haad Yai. Salinla Seehaphan, Manager of Tiger Airlines Thailand, told the Gazette that one third of the tickets for the first week of one-way flights are promotional-fare tickets priced at S$1 (25 baht), excluding fees, insurance and taxes. She said…
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Malls comply with earlier closing order
PHUKET CITY: Shopping centres and malls in Phuket have been told that they must restrict their opening hours to save energy.Panjit Pissawong, Chief of Phuket Provincial Commercial Office (PPCO) told the Gazette that the island’s shopping malls had to fall into line with the resolution made by the national cabinet on Wednesday. But, she added, the PPCO would monitor how…
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Gov moves to reduce drowning toll
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Udomsak Usawarangkura is planning to erect signs at island beaches warning swimmers how to react if they get caught in a dangerous current. The idea follows a recent report that drowning claimed the lives of 13 tourists in the past eight months.“I just met with a foreign expert in sea safety, and he told me that swimmers…
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Sipa calls for more discounted software
PHUKET: The Software Industry Promotion Agency (Sipa) has called for all Thai software development companies to join its Small-to-Medium Enterprise Software Exchange (SMEse) project, which will provide cut-price Thai-language computer programs to the Thai private sector. To encourage developers and vendors to provide software for the project, Sipa has set up a website at www.smese.net as a marketing portal for…
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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