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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German tourist dies at Bang Tao
THALANG: A 53-year-old tourist from Germany appears to have drowned yesterday off Bang Tao after going into the water to swim alone. Police named the dead man as Hans Peter Otto Krieter, who arrived a few days ago for a vacation with a friend, Alfred Herbert Prusseit, 55. Pol Capt Banchop Songnarong, of Cherng Talay Police Station, told the Gazette…
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Anchalee quits as MP in bid for OrBorJor seat
BANGKOK (The Nation, Phuket Gazette): The Democrat Party yesterday agreed to have party-list (unelected) MP Anchalee Vanich Thepabutr resign from Parliament so she can contest the Provincial Administrative Organisation (OrBorJor) election in Phuket. Democrat spokesman Ong-art Klampaiboon said Anchalee will run with the aim of becoming OrBorJor president, a post soon to be vacated by Dr Prasit Koeysiripong, who recently…
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Bridge to connect Koh Yao islands
PHANG NGA: Koh Yao Yai and Koh Yao Noi islands are to be connected by a suspension bridge and a luxury hotel will be developed on one of the islands, District Chief Songpol Konkaew told the Gazette yesterday. An 8-million baht budget has already been issued by the central government to study the bridge project’s technical and financial requirements, he…
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AirAsia lands in Phuket
PHUKET: The first no-frills AirAsia flight from Bangkok to Phuket landed at around midday today with all 148 seats filled. Thirty passengers aboard the Boeing 737-300 paid just 99 baht apiece for the one-way flight.The remainder forked out 1,900 each. AirAsia put 20,000 of the 99-baht tickets up for sale in mid-January for routes between the capital and Phuket, Chiang…
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Tourism booms as passengers top 500,000
PHUKET TOWN: The latest figures on air passenger arrivals and departures show that Phuket is in the middle of a tourism boom with a record 509,841 visitors coming and going in January. This is the first time the half-million figure has been exceeded in a single calendar month. The number represents a whopping 23% increase on the figure of 390,109…
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Jewelry thieves net B1m from Kamala home
KAMALA: Jewelry and cash worth about 1 million baht were stolen from a Kamala house on the night of January 26 while the French owners – a couple in their 60s – were in Patong. The couple, named by police as Mr and Mrs Gerard Bonnaval, left their home to go to their business in Patong at 7:30 pm and…
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TRT shock as Prasit says, “I won’t run’
PHUKET TOWN: The outgoing President of the Provincial Administration Organization, (OrBorJor), Dr Prasit Koeysiripong, dropped a bombshell at his farewell media appearance last night when he said he would not be standing as a Thai Rak Thai (TRT) candidate in next year’s parliamentary elections. It had been widely anticipated that Dr Prasit would lead the TRT campaign in 2005 when…
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Dead birds “victims of vigilante action’
PHUKET: Fears surrounding the spread of avian ‘flu have led members of the public to take matters into their own hands and poison wild birds, it was claimed today. An autopsy conducted on a dead bird found in Phuket Town showed that it died from ingesting insecticide mixed with rice. Officers from the Phuket Provincial Livestock Office (PPLO) have examined…
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Illegal immigration arrests top 200
PHUKET TOWN: Statistics released by the Phuket Provincial Police for the January 1-25 period revealed that illegal immigration again topped the crime figures, with 211 arrests made. Other common crimes were gambling (178 arrests) and possession or use of illegal narcotics (60 arrests). Thirty-eight ya bah (methamphetamine) tables were seized. Prostitution is still a crime in Thailand, and 43 unlucky…
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Chicken ban aimed at easing ‘flu fears
PHUKET: Although there has been no effect on tourist numbers and health authorities remain unconcerned, an outbreak of bird ‘flu in 25 other provinces of Thailand has led Phuket Governor Udomsak Usawarangkura to ban the import of live chickens to the island as a precaution. Properly processed birds may still be brought in and Phuket itself has the capacity to…
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Honeymooning tourist drowns
CHALONG: An Indian who was on his honeymoon in Phuket drowned yesterday while on an outing to Coral Island. Police named him as Sharma Dusmyant, aged 30. Pol Maj Anek Mongkol, of Chalong Police Station, told the Gazette that Mr Dusmyant was with a tour group. Details of the circumstances surrounding his death remain sketchy. Police were advised of the…
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Man surrenders over Freeway murder
PHUKET TOWN: A man sought for more than eight months over a double murder at the Freeway Restaurant on Bang Tao Beach surrendered to police yesterday. Police issued an arrest warrant for Suwat Kaewkong soon after the double murder on May 10 last year and alleged that Suwat, who owns another restaurant at Bang Tao, had been involved in a…
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Klong Bang Yai ideas floated
PHUKET TOWN: A floating market similar to Ratchaburi’s famed Damnern Saduak was one of the suggestions put forward at a public meeting today to discuss the future of Klong Bang Yai, which flows – occasionally – in and around Phuket Town. Other ideas floated at the meeting included gentrification projects, the construction of another passenger port and a flood-defense scheme.…
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Six “smuggled’ boats seized
CHERNG TALAY: Phuket Marine Police yesterday seized three jet-skis and three jet-boats worth a total of about 10 million baht during a raid on a house in Cherng Talay. Pol Lt Col Prasert Srikunnarath, Inspector of the Phuket Marine Police, told the Gazette that officers had not been provided with official documentation to show how the vessels were brought to…
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One dead, 11 hurt in Patong pileup
PATONG: A man died and 11 other people were slightly injured in a three-vehicle pileup that paralysed traffic during peak hour at one of Patong’s major intersections yesterday. A truck laden with construction tools and bags of cement came barrelling down Patong hill about 5 pm, crashing into a pickup laden with workers and a mini-bus. The force of the…
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300 fake watches seized in Karon
KARON: About 300 fake luxury-brand watches with an estimated retail value of more than 500,000 baht were seized in two sting operations in the Karon area on Friday night. Two dealers were taken into custody. Pubate Mingkwan, legal representative in Thailand for a number of well-known brands, came to Phuket from Bangkok to investigate reports that knock-off watches bearing logos…
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Doubt thrown on jet-ski ban plan
PHUKET TOWN: Following Governor Udomsak Usawarangkura’s announcement in late December that jet-skis will be phased out in Phuket over a seven-year period, the Phuket Marine Office (PMO) has set a January 31 deadline for jet-ski owners to register their machines. From February 1 the PMO will begin cracking down on unregistered machines, underage riders and other violations. But the man…
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A chunk of change for good karma
PHUKET TOWN: A pair of good Samaritans returned two cash checks with a combined value of 526,000 baht to their rightful owner after discovering them beneath a car on Monday. Swede Fredrik Klingvall, owner of O’Malley’s Irish Pub on Montri Rd, and his Thai friend Kraiwut Kunbaan had just finished eating lunch at a restaurant on Yaowarat Road when they…
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More tales from the dog pound
PHUKET TOWN: The dog pound design that turned out to be a dog’s breakfast has been cleaned up, say officials. Capable of holding 1,000 animals, Phuket’s pound will open for business on March 1 next year at the latest, the Chief of the Phuket Provincial Livestock Office (PPLO), Sunart Wongchawalit, told the Gazette yesterday. There was consternation last year when…
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Pian gets green light for election
PHUKET TOWN: The Phuket Election Committee (PEC) has dismissed a complaint against mayoral candidate Pian Keesin, allowing him to stand in the Patong mayoral election on February 8. Kittipong Thiengkunagrit, Director of the PEC, told the Gazette today that the PEC had carefully considered the complaint, lodged on January 19 by rival candidate Songserm Kepsap. K. Songserm presented the PEC…
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Five teens held for gangland execution
PHUKET: Five teenagers are being held by police and two more are still being hunted over the savage gangland execution of a 15-year-old youth on Koh Sireh. Khajornkiat Tongdeesuk was tied up, gagged and beaten before being taken to Naamsai beach early on Saturday where his killer fired a shotgun into his head. Police allege that another 15-year-old known as…
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Crackdown prompts driving license surge
PHUKET TOWN: A crackdown by Phuket police has sparked a rush by car drivers and motorcyclists to apply for licenses, with the number of applicants jumping from an average of 65 a day to around 120. Another factor in the increase has been a change in national policy that allows people registered as living in other provinces to take a…
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Pian dismisses allegation as “a game’
PATONG: Pian Keesin, leader of the recently-formed Rak Patong Party, has dismissed an attempt to have him barred from forthcoming municipal elections in Patong as “a political game”. As reported yesterday by the Gazette Online, the leader of the Patong Progress Party, Songserm Kepsap, has furnished officials of the Phuket Election Commission (PEC) with documents he claims show that K.…
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TRT throws its weight into local elections
PHUKET TOWN: The involvement for the first time of the powerful Thai Rak Thai (TRT) party should add a new dimension to Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) elections in Phuket, scheduled for March 14. This development has put two former vice-presidents and colleagues, Samroeng Chaisorn and Wisut Santikun, on opposing teams as rival candidates for OrBorJor President. K. Samroeng will campaign…
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Patong protests early closings
PATONG: More than 400 workers in Patong’s entertainment industry gathered on Saturday at Loma Park to vent their anger over government proposals to restrict the opening hours of entertainment venues to the period from 6 pm to midnight. The change, if approved, is likely to go into effect March 1. Patong Entertainment Business Association (PEBA) president Somphet Moosopon urged the…
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Pian facing corruption allegation
PHUKET: Patong mayoral candidate Songserm Kepsap and three members of the Patong Progress Team today filed a complaint with the Phuket Election Committee (PEC) against the leader of their opponents, Pian Keesin of the Rak Patong Team, claiming that K. Pian is ineligible to stand in the February 8 Patong mayoral election. K. Songserm said, “We lodged the complaint in…
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Out with foreign touts
PATONG: Phuket Immigration officers rounded up 24 foreigners over the weekend and charged them with illegal entry into Thailand and working without permits. They are now being held in a Phuket Immigration Police cell awaiting deportation. The operation was aimed at enforcing Article 38 of the Immigration Act of 1979, which has long been ignored by many guesthouse owners. Under…
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Phuket Air “won’t join fares war’
PHUKET TOWN: Phuket Air will not be joining the cheap-tickets war sparked by the launch of Air Asia, its Chief Executive Officer said today. Group Capt Patana Tareekes was speaking at Phuket International Airport, where the inaugural flight of Phuket Air’s new five-times-weekly service, linking Haad Yai with Ranong via Phuket, landed at 10:30 this morning. “We are not going…
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Low-price airfare “open to all’
PHUKET TOWN: Confusion at some airline sub-agencies may have led to some customers missing out on a low-cost airfares promotion by Thai Airways International, an airline spokesman admitted today. “Perhaps some sub-agencies were not properly informed,” Viset Sontichai, Upper-Southern Thailand District Sales Manager for THAI, told the Gazette. “It’s possible that some agencies lost the correct information. THAI has about…
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Gov backs earlier bar closing
PHUKET TOWN: Phuket Governor Udomsak Usawarangkura today came down squarely behind Bangkok’s push to introduce early closing for all entertainment venues. He added that he did not believe the island’s tourist trade would be affected because it was Phuket’s natural beauty that visitors came to see, an argument repeatedly put forward by his predecessor, Pongpayome Vasaputi. The governor’s comments put…
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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