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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Another murder in port area
PHUKET TOWN: The “Burmese Cemetery” has claimed yet another victim with a vicious weekend stabbing of a Burmese fisherman. Pol Lt Parichat Jaturonpan, of Phuket Town Police Station, said a motorbike taxi driver called police just after midnight on Sunday after seeing a man’s body by the side of Si Suthat Rd, near Rassada Port. Although police did not release…
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Pub hours extended for holidays
PHUKET: Deputy Interior Minister Pracha Maleenond has confirmed that entertainment venues with a pub license will be allowed to remain open all night on both Christmas Eve (December 24) and New Year’s Eve (December 31). The official closing times on both dates have been set at 6 am the following morning. K. Pracha asked club operators for cooperation in refusing…
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Austrian hangs himself over illness
PATONG: Austrian tourist Gerhard Buchhart yesterday hanged himself from a crossbeam in his hotel bathroom, just two weeks after his 50th birthday. Pol Capt Serm Kwannimit, of Kathu Police Station, told the Gazette that a hotel maid discovered his body about 3:40 pm when she checked his room at Paradise Mansion, on Rat-U-Thit Rd, after he failed to check out.…
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Deputy PM to lead Xmas Day raids
PHUKET: A Christmas gift to vendors with dodgy goods and iffy advertising or consumer contracts: Deputy PM Korn Dabbaransi will be in Phuket on Christmas Day to inspect companies about which the Consumer Protection Board has received complaints. It was announced today that DPM Korn will arrive in Phuket on December 24 and stay at The Metropole hotel. The announcement…
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Antiques seized in raid on shop
PHUKET TOWN: Police this morning raided antiques store Tommy Vintage and Collectibles, on Thalang Rd, and seized two antique carved wooden doors and an ornate Buddhist prayer table, all believed to be about 100 years old. Thamrongsak Sukhajiradej, the store’s Manager, was charged with selling antiques without a proper license. He told the Gazette that the antiques belonged his father.…
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Speedboat seized, owner sought
MAI KHAO: Phuket Marine Police last night seized the speedboat “Cedar Swan Tender” from a house near the Yacht Haven Marina. Pol Col Phira Boonliang, Superintendent of Phuket Marine Police, said, “The boat had been brought into the country illegally without any import duty paid on the hull or the engine.” He added that officers had tried to contact the…
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Booster for fight against polio
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Health Office (PPHO) is offering free poliomyelitis vaccinations to Thai and foreign children under the age of five. PPHO Chief Dr Wanchai Sattayawutthipong explained that parents may take their children to any health center, hospital or medical clinic on December 18 to receive the primary polio vaccination, and on January 21 for a booster shot. “We…
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Officers to play hero for a day
PHUKET: Emergency rescue service teams will stage several rescue exercises this Saturday (December 14) to boost people’s confidence in the authorities’ ability to cope with emergencies. Starting at 10 am in Patong Bay, officers will simulate rescuing people from a boat on fire, then perform a cliff rescue at Laem Phromthep. They will then perform a rescue of a scuba…
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Immigration Chief promoted
PHUKET TOWN: Pol Col Apirak Hongtong, Superintendent of Phuket Provincial Immigration Office (PPIO), has been promoted to Deputy Commander of Phuket Provincial Police. He will take up his new post on Monday (December 16). Speaking with the Gazette, Col Apirak said that in his new post he would continue the fight against all aspects of the illegal drugs trade. “We’ve…
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Taxi, tuk-tuk drivers block road in protest
KATA: A mob of 200 tuk-tuk and taxi drivers this morning blocked Koktanode Rd to protest safari tour companies depriving them of customers. The mob gathered at about 7 am near the junction with Patak Rd and demanded that four safari companies – Siam Safari, Island Safari, Southern Eco and Amazing Bhukit – continue to honor a verbal agreement reached…
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New rules to govern local elections
KATHU: New regulations coming into force on July 9 next year stipulate that committees set up by the Office of the Election Commission of Thailand (OECT) will oversee the running of local elections instead of officers from the Ministry of Interior. Phuket Senator Paiboon Upatising made the announcement at a seminar on Friday entitled Distribution of Authority and Elections Under…
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Yo wins King&’s Cup
KATA: A fifth place in today’s race off Kata was good enough for Peter Ahern and his crew on board Yo! to take provisional first place overall in the Racing Class of the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta. Yachts crossed the start line at 8:30 am with a breeze of up to 15 knots breathing new life into the regatta, which…
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Police find Kamnan killer’s shotgun
THALANG: Police have found the gun used in Sunday night’s hitman-style slaying of Moo Baan Saku’s village leader Somboon Panyawai, the area’s police chief said today. Pol Lt Col Jakrit Srisuwan, Chief of Tah Chat Chai Police Station, told the Gazette that the gun was found 300 meters from the scene of the shooting during an extensive search of the…
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Park chief deals with abuse claims
PATONG: Authorities at the Similan National Park are making changes to the ticketing system to stave off allegations of abuse and corruption. Representatives from about 30 dive companies met yesterday evening at Crissey Village with the park’s chief. Alistair Beveridge, President of the Phuket Chapter of the Dive Operator’s Club of Thailand (DOCT), told the gathering that he had been…
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Pla Loma leading King’s Cup race
PHUKET: Pla Loma has held onto the lead in the Racing division on the third day of the King’s Cup Regatta. Provisional series rankings for all classes are as follows: Racing 1. Pla Loma – Keith Moore, 2. Yo – Peter Ahern, 3. Linklaters Mandrake – Robert Elliot. Premier Cruising 1. Australian Maid – John Wardill, 2. Elektra – Marcel…
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999 ride for the King’s birthday
THALANG: A total of 999 bicycle riders headed off today from Thalang District Office to Surin beach and back on a ride to celebrate the 75th birthday of HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej. Sending them off on the 30-kilometer round trip were the President of the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization, Prasit Koeysiripong, and MP Chalermlak Kebsab. Dr Prasit said, “I’m very…
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Winds tease King’s Cup racers again
KATA: The wind faded again after a good start to racing on day two of the King’s Cup Regatta yesterday. Winds of 10 to 12 knots at Phi Phi as the fleet headed for Kata on Phuket had faded by lunchtime. Some of the Racing Yachts failed to complete the course. In other groups, the first race was shortened to…
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New lists of visa exemptions
PHUKET: A revision of the lists of countries whose citizens can obtain a 15-day visa or a 30-day visa on arrival will come into effect on December 29. Visitors holding passports from specified countries for a temporary visit not exceeding 15 days can obtain a tourist visa on arrival at the airport. This list has been reduced from 96 countries…
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A feast for franchisees
PHUKET TOWN: The third Franchise B2B Thailand event will be held at The Metropole hotel on December 9 and 10, organized by the Department of Business Development. During the event there will be more than 70 Thai food and beverage and service franchises present to meet with potential franchisees. There will also be a seminar with lectures covering different topics…
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New Pay at Post service
PHUKET: The Communications Authority of Thailand (CAT) has launched a service called Pay at Post, under which customers can pay various bills and traffic fines at any post office. Services – some at a fee of 40-50 baht – include annual vehicle tax payments, compulsory motor insurance, general vehicle insurance, third party insurance payment service, traffic fines, mobile phone services…
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Shotgun slaying by after-dinner killer
THALANG: A dinner with family and friends ended in the execution-style shotgun murder of a local leader at Nai Thon last night. Somboon Panyawai, 44, Kamnan of Baan Saku, was blasted as he walked across the road to return to his car parked about 40 meters away. His wife was already in the car. Police believe the killer, waiting among…
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Gusts hamper King&’s Cup opener
PHI PHI: A good breeze that aided the start of King’s Cup racing today vanished around noon, leaving some yachts fighting variable winds or drifting past the wrong side of gates. The wind was described as “very flukey”. In some instances, yachts were becalmed while others not far away managed to capture gusts. Despite conditions, there were finishes in every…
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Bar closed over lewd show
PATONG: Governor CEO Pongpayome Vasaputi has temporarily closed a go-go bar in Patong’s Soi Seadragon after complaints that a lewd and immoral show was performed there. Two Norwegian tourists took photographs to Kathu police as evidence of Norwegian women competing with Thai bar girls in what they described as a “shameful performance.” At first the Pink Panther bar was fined…
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World darts champ to take on island&’s best
PHUKET: British darts legend John Lowe is in Phuket and has thrown down the gauntlet to the island’s players to “send me your champion”. Four bars on the island – Heroes in Patong, the Whispering Cock in Cherng Talay, Duncan’s in Phuket Town and the Anchor Bar in Kata – are hosting preliminary rounds this week to sort out who…
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Aussie, Canadian win triathlon
CHERNG TALAY: Australians once again had a strong showing in the annual Laguna Phuket Triathlon, even though last year’s men’s and women’s champions both failed to reclaim the top spots in this morning’s competition. Among the men, Craig Alexander of Australia took first place, followed by American Tim De Boom, while last year’s winner, Courtney Atkinson of Australia, finished third.…
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King’s Cup racing to start Monday
PHI PHI: An expected 80 entries are gathering today at Phi Phi in preparation for the 16th King’s Cup Regatta (KC). The week of racing begins Monday off Phi Phi, followed by a Phi Phi-to-Phuket race, then three days of racing off the west coast of Phuket. The regatta wraps up in Kata on Saturday. Pundits are tipping Linklaters Mandrake…
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International boat show set for Phuket
PHUKET: An international boat show is to be held in Phuket at the end of next year. As well as being a venue for the boating industry, the Phuket International Marine Expo 2003 (PIMEX) will also showcase the Royal Phuket Marina Resort and Spa, which is due to be completed next year. Supported by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT),…
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Tourists secure, Gov tells Scandinavians
PHUKET TOWN: Phuket Governor CEO Pongpayome Vasaputi today reassured a group of visiting Scandanavian travel agents and print and TV journalists that Phuket was a secure destination for tourists. His visitors came from Denmark and Norway, which, after the Bali atrocity in October, were among the first countries to issue travel advisories warning their citizens to exercise extreme caution when…
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Tourist drowns at Kamala
KAMALA: A 63-year-old Swiss tourist died in an ambulance on the way to hospital yesterday after being pulled from the sea at Kamala. Police named him as Alexander Jost, a regular visitor to the island who had been in Phuket on his latest visit since November 20. Pol Capt Narong Loypatumviroj, Inspector of Kathu Police Station, said that Thais and…
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Mechanic found dead at fishing port
PHUKET TOWN: The naked body of Thai boat mechanic Lertchai “Tui” Thammajong, 36, from Kanchanaburi, was found yesterday morning at the Saeng Aroon raft in the Rassada port area. Officers arrived about 7 am to find the body lying among barrels of boat fuel on the raft. His clothes were found nearby. A post-mortem showed that K. Lertchai had been…
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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