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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Pullman Phuket Panwa Beach Resort puts sustainability at its heart
The term sustainability is often thrown around as a buzzword in the hospitality industry, but at Pullman Phuket Panwa Beach Resort, it’s genuinely part of their mission. Located in Makham Bay, just south of Phuket Town, the beautiful resort puts...
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Park officials demolish illegal homes
THALANG: Some 200 heavily-armed police and officers of Sirinath National Park today tore down 14 buildings constructed illegally in the Pason Layan area of the park, including one abandoned holiday home. Satien Chuaynu, Chief of National Parks, Region 19, who is based in Nakhon Sri Thammarat and has responsibility for Nakhon Sri Thammarat, Krabi, Phang Nga and Phuket, told the…
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Work permit rules to change again
PHUKET: A heads-up for foreigners married to Thais: you may soon be in demand by companies, when new draft Labor Ministry regulations covering work permits for aliens come into force in October. Although the new regulations have not yet been published, Wirada Yuvaves, Chief of the Criteria System for Alien Work Permit Approval Consideration at the Ministry of Labor and…
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Mega property auction set for December
PHUKET TOWN: During a weekend visit to the island, Justice Minister Pongthep Thepkanjana announced that the Legal Execution Department’s (LED’s) first-ever nationwide property auction using teleconferencing will be held on December 14. The auction will feature properties from Phuket, Bangkok and Chiang Mai each valued at more than 20 million baht. The teleconference auction is one of several new measures…
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Best Western enters Phuket resort market
PHUKET: Two Phuket resorts will soon join the Best Western international hotel network of some 4,100 properties worldwide, in a rebranding and marketing scheme being finalized this month. The first property, the 180-room Phuket Ocean Resort at Karon Beach, will be rebranded as the Best Western Phuket Ocean Resort. The second property is a new 199-room property on Bang Tao…
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Dead pets thought to be work of poisoner
KAMALA: Residents of a village in Kamala suspect a poisoner has killed six pet dogs belonging to expatriates in the village over the past eight weeks. A Weimaraner German hunting dog valued at 100,000 baht almost became the poisoner’s seventh known victim earlier this month. According to the dog’s owner, Englishman Andrew Scatter, he was fortunate to save the life…
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B14m tourist rescue center opens
CHALONG PIER: After more than six months of setting-up, the Phuket Tourist Rescue Center (PTRC) at Chalong Pier was officially opened by Phuket Governor CEO Pongpayome Vasaputi this morning. The PTRC, funded by 14 million baht from the Tourism Authority of Thailand, coordinates emergency response teams for people in distress in the waters off Phuket, Krabi and Phang Nga. Dr…
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Bomb emergency practice at airport
PHUKET AIRPORT: Phuket International Airport staff underwent a training session today to prepare its staff to deal with a terrorist bombing aboard an aircraft. More than 40 people from both Thai Airways and Bangkok Airways took part in the operation, while more than 100 personnel from local hospitals and other local organizations looked on. The drill, which began at about…
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Heads up: helmets-for-all crackdown
PHUKET TOWN: From October 1, Phuket police will enforce a law requiring both riders and passengers on motorcycles to wear helmets. The long-standing law has been applied in recent years only to riders, not passengers, but concern has continued to grow over the number of deaths and injuries on the island’s roads. The latest crackdown comes at the instigation of…
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Game over: Two held on software violations
PHUKET TOWN: Police officers accompanied by a lawyer from a software firm seized 25 computers and made two arrests in raids on Internet gaming shops in Phuket Town this afternoon. The attorney, representing Asiasoft International Co Ltd, first went to Net Pic, on Damrong Rd, where 11 computers were confiscated, and then to Log-in Internet, on Ong Sim Phai Rd,…
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Illegal slaughterhouse raided
PHUKET TOWN: Officials from the Phuket Provincial Livestock Office (PPLO) raided an illegal slaughterhouse in Phuket Town early today and made one arrest. Phuket Town municipal officers accompanied the officials, led by PPLO Chief Suranarth Vongchawalit, to premises on Mae Luan Rd about 1 am as part of a crackdown in a national Safe Food campaign. The meat from five…
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Firms urged to promote tourist VAT refunds
PHUKET TOWN: To help boost the tourism industry and the local economy, all tourism-related businesses should promote and take part in offering value-added tax (VAT) refunds for tourists, Suri Buakhom, Deputy Director-General of the Revenue Department, said today. Speaking at an all-day seminar to promote and explain the system, known as VRT (VAT Refunds for Tourists), K. Suri said, “All…
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Three land officials “guilty’ – inquiry
BANGKOK: The SorPorKor 4-01 land investigation in Phuket reached a milestone yesterday when an official inquiry found that the former Chief of the Phuket Agricultural Land Reform Office, Surat Wasinwattana, had intended to destroy important evidence related to the issue of illegal SorPorKor papers, after investigators found documents in his house and car. The inquiry found two other officials, Ittichai…
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Evason dispute ends
RAWAI: The industrial dispute involving nearly 350 staff of the Evason Phuket Resort is over, following negotiations and arbitration by officials from the Phuket Labor Office. In an official statement released last night, the resort announced, “The Labor Office encouraged both parties to meet and hold discussions. The [hotel staff] union withdrew its outstanding demands and accepted all demands made…
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Land probe turns to tin mines
PHUKET: The Phuket land investigation moved into a new phase this morning when Phuket Provincial Land Office (PPLO) Chief Saroj Ninkhate went to the Governor’s office to present Governor CEO Pongpayome Vasaputi with a list of 57 former tin mine concession land plots in Kathu now in the hands of private owners. The PPLO alleges that all were issued Chanote…
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Second Hilton deal for major Phuket resort
BANGKOK: Hilton International Co is to take over management of Karon’s Phuket Arcadia Beach Resort, which will be rebranded as the Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort and Spa from October 1 next year. The deal between Hilton International and PPC Holdings Ltd., which currently runs the resort, was announced today. It is the third addition in as many months to Hilton’s…
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Phuket, Samui property show tops expectations
HONG KONG: Contracts worth a total of more than 180 million baht for the sale of homes in Phuket and Koh Samui were signed at the second annual Phuket & Samui Property Exhibition at Hong Kong’s Convention and Exhibition Center on September 12-14. At the show, organized by Graham Doven and Artasia Press, and co-sponsored by the Phuket Gazette, Laguna…
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Quake tremors stir Phuket
PHUKET TOWN: Tremors from a distant earthquake that measured 5.0 on the Richter scale were recorded in southern Thailand early on Sunday. Thawat Thantumnu, Director of the Southern Meteorological Center, West Coast, said that the quake, with its epicenter about 360 kilometers away in Sumatra, Indonesia, was felt on the island at 3:42 am. “Phuket has nothing to fear,” he…
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Evason staff protest at hotel
RAWAI: About 300 unionists on the staff of The Evason Phuket Resort and Spa staged a peaceful protest at the entrance today in a dispute over pay and conditions. Watched by Chalong Police officers, the demonstrators, many wearing red headbands, sang songs, pounded on drums and waved placards as guests moved unimpeded past the gathering. The protest began at 6…
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Phuket buses hailed a success
PHUKET TOWN: The revamped Phuket bus service is a success, Samroeng Chaisorn, Vice-President of the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor), said today. Speaking at a press conference at the OrBorJor offices at Phuket Provincial Hall, K. Samroeng said, “Under the old system, the bus service cost the OrBorJor 1.7 million baht in rent and operating costs a month, but in…
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Beware bogus inspectors: PPEA warns
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Electricity Authority (PPEA) today warned people to beware of a gang posing as PPEA workers who rob homes during or after bogus inspections. Sornchai Uparamai, the Manager of the PPEA, said that the gang members, dressed in PPEA workers’ uniforms, arrive unannounced at homes and ask to inspect electrical appliances or the electrical meter, claiming that…
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200 villagers demand justice in shooting
PHUKET TOWN: About 200 villagers from Rawai descended on Phuket Provincial Hall this morning to demand that police expedite the investigation into the September 6 shooting of a 17-year-old boy, allegedly by an off-duty policeman. The shooting, which occurred at 2 am at the Monkey Pub on Takuapa Rd, in Phuket Town, has left the first-year Phuket Technical College student…
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Man arrested in VCD raid
KATHU: After complaining that it was frequently difficult to arrest sellers of fake goods, officials yesterday finally scored with the arrest of a man and the seizure of 8,040 VCDs with a street value of 800,000 baht. Tharadol Thongruang, Deputy Director of the Phuket Commercial Affairs Office, told the Gazette that PCAO and Tungtong Police officers raided a shop in…
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Officials monitor Singapore Sars case
PHUKET: Officials are monitoring the progress of a new case of Sars in Singapore in case precautionary measures again become necessary for direct flights from the island-nation to Phuket. A 27-year-old post-graduate student in Singapore has contracted the virus and 25 other people who had been in contact with him have been quarantined. While the case brought back memories of…
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Motorcycle theft gang nabbed
PHUKET TOWN : Police have cracked a gang involved in stealing motorcycles over the past several months with the arrest of seven young men and a young woman early today. Announcing the arrests this afternoon, Pol Col Paween Pongsirin, Superintendent of Phuket Town Police Station, expressed frustration with the legal system. “Because of the softness of the punishment these days,…
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Phuket gets set for Vegetarian Festival
PHUKET TOWN: Governor CEO Pongpayome Vasaputi chaired a planning meeting today for the Phuket Vegetarian Festival, which will run from September 25 to October 5. “We invite everyone from near and far to participate,” the Governor said. Prasert Fakthongphon, President of the Phuket Shrine Club, said, “We’d like to preserve this ancient tradition. If we don’t help to preserve it,…
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Protesters seek power for the people
PHUKET TOWN: More than 200 villagers protested today at Phuket Provincial Hall about the lack of adequate electric power for their homes in a small community off Chao Fa East Rd in Chalong. About 1,000 people live in 570 dwellings at Kok Tanode, also known as Chalermprakiat, without permanent electricity, Governor CEO Pongpayome Vasaputi was told when he met a…
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10 Indonesian fishermen nabbed
AO MAKHAM: Ten Indonesian fishermen are being held at Phuket Provincial Prison after being arrested on Saturday night for fishing illegally in Thai waters. The two fishing boats the men were crewing were seized after being intercepted by two patrol craft from the Third Fleet, Royal Thai Navy, about 30 kilometers from Koh Racha Yai. Thai fishermen alerted authorities to…
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Stolen coral seized but gang flees
RAWAI: More than 400 pieces of stolen coral were returned to the sea today after police interrupted a gang transferring it from a boat to land on Saturday night. Marine Police were given a tip-off that the gang would be landing their contraband at Rawai at 10 pm. When the officers arrived, they saw four people moving the coral to…
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Phuket to get new police chief
PHUKET: Phuket Provincial Police Commander Maj Gen Kongpol Suwannaraks has been promoted to Assistant Commissioner of Police Region 8, based in Surat Thani, with effect from October 1. Gen Kongpol’s promotion was one of 202 police promotions and transfers recently approved by the Cabinet as part of the annual reshuffling of government employees. Gen Kongpol told the Gazette that he…
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Finance Minister has high hopes for growth
CHERNG TALAY: Suchart Jaovisidha, Thailand’s Minister of Finance, today annnounced that he expects steady economic growth in the Asian region for the rest of the year. “We are pleased that, despite a weak international environment due in part to the Sars outbreak and the war in Iraq, which affected the first half of the year, we expect the region to…
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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