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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One dead, one critical after karaoke fight
THALANG: One man was stabbed to death and another remains in critical condition following an argument over whose turn it was to use the microphone at the Kon Suay (Beautiful People) karaoke bar and restaurant in Cherng Talay around 1 am yesterday. Police arrested the alleged killer, 24-year-old Veerasak Nantasin, from Surat Thani, some three hours later at his home…
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Princess to sing in Phuket
PHUKET: HRH Princess Ubol Ratana Rajakanya will visit Phuket on May 18 to preside over a “To Be Number One” campaign event. Her Royal Highness will also sing at a concert in the evening. The campaign, devised by the Princess as a way to get young people to excel in sports, music and other activities, is being supported by provincial…
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Phuket Air slashes Andaman fares
PHUKET: Phuket Air has drastically reduced its economy class fares on flights between Phuket and Bangkok, and Krabi and Bangkok. The promotion offers one-way fares at 1,500 baht and round-trip fares at 3,000 baht. Previously, the best prices were 4,350 baht for the Krabi service, round-trip, and 3,950 baht for Phuket. Busara Dusadeeisariyawong, Southern Branch Manager of Phuket Air, told…
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Land probe targets Nai Harn resort
NAI HARN: The developers of a resort being built in Nai Harn, near Le Royal Meridien Phuket Yacht Club, will likely be ordered to dismantle it by June 10. The order is expected to be issued after government officers found that no permission had been given for the resort’s construction. Vice-Governor Pongpow Ketthong told the Gazette yesterday that he visited…
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OrBorJor officers elected
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Administration Organization OrBorJor has elected Hutt Katanchaleekul as Chairman. At the inaugural session of the newly-elected body on April 29, Chaivichit Dattvatkanee was elected deputy chairman and Wacharapong Kuawong second deputy chairman. All three are Democrat Party members. The 24-member body, dominated by its 19 Democrats, was elected in polling on March 14. The election results…
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Entire police squad transferred over murder probe
THALANG: The entire team of police officers investigating the double murder of Prasert and Thavorn Trairat have been transferred after an internal probe into their conduct by officers from Provincial Police regional headquarters in Surat Thani. K. Prasert and K. Thavorn, the parents of Thepkrasattri Mayor Prasong Trairat, were gunned down in their shophouse home on May 5 last year.…
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Phuket police on heightened alert
PHUKET CITY: Governor Udomsak Usawarangkura has ordered a heightening of security for all government buildings and tourist areas in Phuket following Wednesday’s killings in Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat, and warnings by a Muslim separatist group that foreigners should stay away from the South and neighboring provinces. Phuket’s Provincial Police Commander, Maj Gen Veerayuth Sittimalic, said “We have seen the trouble…
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Top comedy trio to play Phuket
PHUKET: Three first-rate British comedians – Tim Clark, Pierre Hollins and John Fothergill – will perform at the Watermark restaurant, at the Boat Lagoon, on May 26. Heading the trio will be host Tim Clarke, of whom The Guardian newspaper said, “Comperes are the unsung heroes of stand up comedy. The current master of this underrated art is Tim Clarke.”…
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Narathiwat “still safe for visa runs’
NARATHIWAT: Visa-run businesses are still operating normally to Narathiwat despite the outburst of violence in the South yesterday, which resulted in more than 100 deaths. Those who organize the visa-run services say that foreigners are safe. Kanitha Saelao, Manager of the Patong branch of Royal Silk Travel, which organizes visa trips to Kota Bahru via Narathiwat, told the Gazette that…
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Cop heading South vows to be “careful’
PHUKET: The 26th police officer seconded from Phuket to the turbulent South of the country left today for Narathiwat, vowing to be “very careful” after yesterday’s gun battles resulted in more than 100 deaths. Pol Capt Sanya Potchsalee, 32, Deputy-Inspector of Phuket Tourist Police, has been detailed to join a new unit of Tourist Police that has been established at…
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Pongtorn murder probe faltering
PHUKET: A year after the assassination of Pongtorn Hiranyaburana – the Deputy Chief of the Phuket Land Office ordered to investigate suspect land titles – the trail leading to his killers has apparently gone cold. Pol Col Ronapong Saikaew, Superintendent of Investigation of Police Region 8, based in Surat Thani, told the Gazette today, “We still need more time to…
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Dog rescued from “rapist’
KAMALA: Animal lovers have rescued a small dog from a European man, who raped the animal repeatedly over a period of about six months. The dog was rescued by a Thai woman after she was told that people had heard it screaming many times. The rescuer, K. Gaew (who asked that her full name be withheld for fear of reprisal),…
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Airport departure tax to rise 40pc
PHUKET: Departure taxes for international flights from Phuket will be hiked by 40% next year, soaring from the current 500 baht to 700 baht. Domestic passengers, who currently pay 50 baht a flight, will also face a hefty rate increase. The amount has yet to be set but according to Lt Cdr Boonchart Prompoon, Director of the Airports Authority of…
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Apply early for one-year permits – Immigration
PHUKET: Pol Capt Krissarat Nuesen, the Deputy Inspector of the Phuket Provincial Immigration Office (PPIO), yesterday urged foreigners seeking extensions to one-year permits-to-stay to apply at least a month before their current permits expire. “We need to receive applications about a month before the current permit expires to give us enough time to check the documents [submitted with applications],” Capt…
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BoI mulls tax break for IT investors
PHUKET CITY: An eight-year tax break for IT investors is among incentives being considered by the Board of Investment (BoI) to kick-start Phuket’s much-desired role as a software development center. The tax break proposal was revealed by the President of the Software Industry Promotion Agency (SIPA), Manoo Ordeedolchest, when he came to Phuket to exchange views with participants at a…
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Outboard boat ruling taxes Customs
PHUKET: After 10 days of cross-checking and confusion, Customs officials in Bangkok have now confirmed that there is no import tax on motorboats with outboard engines. Two boat owners wanting to import such boats contacted the Gazette after being informed that the 30% import tax still applied to these boats, although tax on leisure boats was dropped on February 18.…
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Phuket sends reinforcements to South
PHUKET CITY: Police from Phuket are being sent as reinforcements to three troubled southern provinces to help quell continuing violence and attempt to improve relations between local agitators and law enforcement officers. The inclusion of 24 Phuket officers among 335 additional police being sent from Region 8 to Region 9 was revealed yesterday by Phuket Provincial Police Commander, Maj Gen…
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Anchalee’s election confirmed
PHUKET: The election of Anchalee Vanich-Thepabutr as President of the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) has been confirmed by the Central Election Committee (CEC) in Bangkok, though an official announcement has yet to be made in Phuket. Dr Prapa Kayee, Chairman of Phuket Election Commision (PEC) told the Gazette that the CEC had also confirmed the elections of other members…
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Rumors of Thaksin plans for Koh Yao denied
PHANG NGA BAY: Land prices on Koh Yao Noi and Koh Yao Yai are soaring, but local officials and residents have dismissed rumors that the boom is the result of speculation that Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra is planning a mega-project for the islands. Koh Yao District Chief Songpol Konkaew told the Gazette yesterday that many foreign investors have paid deposits…
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Vehicles owners warned
PHUKET CITY: In the latest move to reduce motor mayhem on Phuket, it has been announced that anyone who lends a vehicle to an unlicensed driver will face a fine of 500 baht and seizure of the vehicle. Pol Lt Col Jeerasak Siamsak, Inspector of Traffic Police at Phuket City Police Station, told the Gazette that although the facility to…
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Wildlife touts arrested in Patong
PATONG: Four photo-taking touts have been arrested by police and charged with having young gibbons in their possession without the required wildlife licences. One has already been fined 20,000 baht. The men were taken into custody over Songkran in Patong after a steady stream of complaints from tourists. Further charges will be laid against the four if allegations that the…
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Water supply projects completed
PHUKET: Two new mains water projects by the Phuket Provincial Waterworks Department (PPWD) are now in operation, and the authority is nearing completion of three additional supply lines as part of its fiscal 2004 budget. Speaking at the Governor’s monthly press conference at the Phuket Provincial Health Office yesterday, PPWD chief Sayun Vareearoonrod said residents could now apply for hook-up…
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Green light for bypass road widening
PHUKET CITY: Work to widen Chalermprakiat Ror IX Rd (the bypass road) to four lanes and, along one section, to six lanes, is due to begin on May 7. The 111-million-baht project, which will be paid for by the central government, will run from just south of the Dara Samut School intersection (known to many people as the Thainaan intersection)…
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Kata boatmen blockade Amancruises yacht
KATA: A dispute over business territory led to a seaborne blockade at Kata Beach this morning in which a motor launch from the exclusive Amanpuri resort was forced to sail without eight passengers. The 38-foot motor yacht Maritess, operated by Amancruises, had been booked to pick up four adults and four children from Kata Beach, and take them to Phi…
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Laws of physics win
OOPS: Passers-by at the Thepkrasattri Rd – Komarapaj Rd intersection in Phuket City on Saturday night were astonished to come across this humpbacked pickup truck. Witnesses said that the truck, heavily laden with fruit, was not involved in an accident, but had jack-knifed – vertically – after its driver slammed on his brakes at the lights.
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First road death recorded in “Safe Songkran’
PATONG: Within minutes of government officials urging people to ride safely, Sarawuth Kohavee became the first road fatality in Songkran week in Phuket. About noon his motorbike, bound for Phuket City, slammed into the rear of a six-wheel truck as it turned into a soi in Chalong, near the entrance of Phuket Vanich Company. K. Sarawuth was not wearing a…
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Report to Immigration, foreigners told
PHUKET CITY: The Phuket Immigration Office has renewed its warning that foreigners holding any type of one-year extension-of-stay must visit an Immigration office every 90 days to confirm their identity and address, or face a 2,000 baht fine. More stringent application of the rules – along with random visits by officers to check passports in areas where foreigners gather –…
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Deputy mayor victim of “poisoning’ attempt
THALANG: Police are investigating whether a bottle of water in the Thepkrasattri Municipal Offices contained poison – and whether it was part of a murder attempt by municipal officers bent on revenge after being accused of embezzlement of municipal funds. Accusations of skulduggery and fraud – and possible links to a double murder – were flying today at the troubled…
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More Songkran water play zones designated
PHUKET CITY: Phuket Governor Udomsak Usawarangkura has designated two more zones for Songkran water play, adding to the three previously announced by Phuket Provincial Police. In a pamphlet issued by the Provincial Public Relations Office, the Governor listed the following areas as places where people may legally fling water at one another during Songkran: Muang District: Saphan Hin, Tambon Rawai,…
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Two-tier pricing claim baffles developers
PHUKET: Real estate developers have reacted with bafflement and irritation to an accusation that the property industry in Thailand indulges in double pricing, with foreigners paying up to 75% more than Thais do for homes. The accusation came in a report published yesterday by the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong – the biggest market by far for the…
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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