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.
-
Sponsored
5 hidden healthcare costs in Thailand and how to avoid them
Thailand's healthcare system is affordable and supported by the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) scheme, offering essential services to most citizens. However, hidden healthcare costs can surprise patients and lead to unexpected expenses. These include specialist fees, insurance gaps, emergency services,...
-
Police return after Bush security detail
PHUKET TOWN: Phuket-based police officials who made up the core of the security detail for US President George Bush during the recent Apec summit in Bangkok are now back on the island. Phuket Provincial Police Deputy Commander Pol Col Decha Butnampetch, who was appointed chief of the “front line command center” to secure the US President, told the Gazette that…
-
B1.5m in pirate CDs seized
PATONG: Patrons of Patong’s formerly bustling trade in copy CDs and other pirated goods might have been forgiven for thinking it would be back to business as usual once the Apec delegates left the country, but a raid on a Patong shop last Friday night indicates otherwise. The raid, led by newly-installed Phuket Governor Udomsak Usawarangura and Phuket Provincial Police…
-
Hijacked jumbo joins the party
CHALONG: The elephants partied big on Friday, and it was the kind of celebration that none of them will ever forget – especially Boonma, the hijacked jumbo. Chokchai Sertpradit, General Manager of Island Safari on Chao Fa Rd West, told the Gazette that Boonma, an adult female, had just returned home after being stolen late one night last month. “We…
-
New party to contest mayoral poll
PHUKET TOWN: About 500 people turned out for the launch of a new political party this week – the Sangsan Party (Creative Party – CP). The new party will field candidates in Phuket Town municipal elections and seek to topple the Khon Num (Young Turks) Party from the mayoral seat. The new party was officially launched at Phuket Polytechnic College…
-
Rawai villages pronounced drug-free
RAWAI: In the countdown to declare Phuket a drug-free province by November 30, seven villages in Rawai and Nai Harn have been pronounced free of illegal drugs. At a ceremony at Muang Phuket School on October 24, Vice-Governor Pongpow Ketthong asked more than 400 locals to pledge in front of a picture of HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej not to become…
-
German boy dies on jet-ski
PATONG: A 13-year-old German boy died yesterday after the jet-ski he was riding crashed into a moored long-tail boat in the sea off Patong. The boy, named by police as Jonathan Nerlich, was riding a jet-ski that police officers said had been hired for him by his father. The father was on the beach at the time. The boy died…
-
Local developers target Bangkok
BANGKOK: Property developers from Phuket and Koh Samui will head for the capital at the beginning of next month in a bid to capture a bigger slice of the Bangkok market for high-end homes. In a unique twist for a property show, the organizers of the Phuket & Samui Property Exhibition in Bangkok, to take place November 6-8, have arranged…
-
Rescuers lose fight to save dolphin
PANWA CAPE: A rare Risso dolphin, at first thought to be a melon-headed whale, has died at Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) after rescuers fought to save the life of the beached creature. Kongkiat Kittiwattawong, a biologist at the center, told the Gazette that the 2.6-meter adult female died about 5 am on Thursday. She was in a pool meant…
-
Strategic cluster’ plan for three provinces
PHUKET TOWN : Phuket, Phang Nga and Krabi represent a strategic “cluster” for economic development and water-related tourism, a conference heard today. Phuket Vice-Governor Winai Buapradit told representatives from business, government and academic groups, and other interested parties that more planning was needed to make the most of the “cluster.” About 150 people gathered at the Royal Phuket City Hotel…
-
Landslide stops Patong Hill traffic
KATHU: A landslide early this afternoon close to the crest of Patong Hill brought traffic to a standstill as rain continued to blanket Phuket. Vice-Governor Pongpow Ketthong told the Gazette that earth and large branches tumbled onto Prabaramee Rd, on the Patong side of the hill near the Pun Tao Kong Chinese shrine, causing huge traffic jams in both directions.…
-
Auction of car numbers planned
PHUKET: Phuket will be the first province outside Bangkok to stage an auction of desirable car registration numbers. A total of 301 numbers will go on the block at the auction at the end of next month at the Royal Phuket City Hotel. Prasit Amarapan, Chief of the Phuket Provincial Transportation Office (PPTO), said that the auction follows two similar,…
-
Tourist arrivals up 30pc despite rains
PHUKET: While heavy rains and flooding have stopped many Thai tourists from visiting Phuket and the Andaman region, the number of foreigners arriving on the island is up by 30% compared with the same time last year. Napasorn Kakai, the Deputy Director of the local Tourism Authority of Thailand office, today told the Gazette, “We expected to have more Thai…
-
Putin takes a break in Phuket
PHUKET: The President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, is making a private visit to Phuket in advance of the start of the regional summit of leaders of Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation economies in Bangkok on Sunday. Phuket Governor Udomsak Usawarangkura confirmed that President Putin arrived at Phuket International Airport at 2:40 pm today. The Governor added that he was…
-
Speed up land probe, Gov urges
PHUKET TOWN: Governor Udomsak Usawarangkura today urged officials looking into alleged land title abuses on the island to speed up their investigations and to work together in a more analytical way. After talking in detail to some 25 officers at the Provincial Hall, the Governor told media that the land issue needed to be resolved because delays could damage the…
-
Robber’s golden luck runs out
PHUKET TOWN: If you bought a fortune-telling ticket that said, “You will have luck in everything you wish to do,” what would you do? According to police, if you were Arthit Srithep, you’d rob a gold shop. Arthit, 24, a native of Nakhon Sri Thammarat, robbed a gold shop in Phuket Town on Tuesday, walking out with bracelets worth 328,500…
-
Purachai launches “Happy Families’ project
PHUKET TOWN: Visiting Deputy Prime Minister Purachai Piemsomboon today announced that Phuket will be one of two pilot provinces in the Government’s new “Happy Family Skills Training Project”. The project is intended to provide useful skills to couples who wish to raise happy and healthy families. The other province chosen was Prachin Buri. K. Purachai, formerly Thailand’s second most powerful…
-
B9m boost for beach guard service
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) will spend more than 15 million baht next year on beach guards and equipment to boost water safety at Phuket beaches. OrBorJor Vice-President Soratham Jinda, head of the organization’s water safety project, said today that the boost in funding, up from 6 million baht this year, was approved in light of the beach…
-
Amsterdam murders trigger Phuket raid
CHALONG: A Bangkok-based Dutch police officer joined four Drug Suppression Unit officers in a weekend raid on the Phuket home of a Dutchman who was murdered in Amsterdam and was suspected of involvement in the international illegal drugs trade. Saturday’s 6 am raid on the home of Jules Leo Jie at Land and Houses Park led to the discovery of…
-
Governor proposes new sports complex
PHUKET: Phuket’s new Governor, Udomsak Usawarangkura, would like to see 2,000 rai of government land at Tah Chat Chai, the northern end of the island, developed as a sports complex with the aim of encouraging sports tourism. He told the Gazette in an exclusive interview today that implementation of the idea should follow the recent decision to build the International…
-
Carnival set to open high season
PHUKET TOWN: About 5.2 million baht is to be spent on this year’s Patong Carnival from November 1 to 3 to mark the opening of the tourist high season. Live music will be performed nightly over the Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Other highlights will include a beach-cleaning campaign, fireworks, a mini-marathon, the Miss Andaman Patong Contest and beach volleyball and…
-
Healthy profit tipped for airport
PHUKET TOWN: Phuket International Airport is expected to increase its profit by 1.4% this year despite the Sars crisis, a gathering to mark the airport’s 15th anniversary heard on Wednesday. Lt Cdr Boonchart Prompoon, Director of the Airports Authority of Thailand, Phuket, said that revenue for the first eight months of this year was 784 million baht, well on track…
-
Foreign husbands still tied in knots
BANGKOK (The Nation): The Constitution Court yesterday issued a ruling that won’t make it any easier for foreign men married to Thai wives to become Thai citizens. The ruling effectively means that men born overseas will still be subject to complicated citizenship procedures. Foreign women married to Thai men are currently allowed to seek Thai nationality without having to go…
-
Two gunned down on bypass road
PHUKET TOWN: Two men were killed last night after a gunman opened fire on their pickup truck while they were waiting at traffic lights at the junction of Wichit Songkhram Rd and the bypass road, across from the Thainaan restaurant. A witness, who said the shooting happened about 7 pm, told the Gazette that he was riding his motorbike from…
-
PTA chief calls for more open skies
PHUKET TOWN: Phuket Tourist Association President Pattanapong Aikwanich believes Thai Airways should only fly international routes and leave domestic flights to smaller, more competitive airlines. He aired this belief today in welcoming the return of Phuket Air to two local high-season routes, adding that if aviation were divided in this way, Phuket would more quickly become a hub for southern…
-
Expo center to be built at Saphan Hin
PHUKET: Phuket’s International Convention and Exhibition Center (ICEC) will be built on land reclaimed from the sea off Saphan Hin, a site favored by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) but opposed by many island residents. The controversial decision is understood to have been made yesterday when Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak met with the TAT Governor Juthamas Siriwan, Phuket…
-
Three held after Karma Lounge drug raid
KARON: The Karma Lounge Music Café in Karon is likely to be closed after police raiding the place allegedly found the illegal drugs Ecstasy, cocaine, ketamine and marijuana there, as well as a lesbian sex show underway, Governor CEO Udomsak Usawarangkura said. Police carried out the raid at 2:30 am on Sunday and said they seized a gram of cocaine,…
-
Rawai houses flooded, crops destroyed
RAWAI: Incessant rain has left homeowners parts of Rawai scrambling to sandbag their houses while farmers scurry to save what crops they can. Prakaikhum Jeepukhum, 43, who has a 1.5-rai vegetable farm near Mimmi’s restaurant, on Saiyuan Rd, said that she had lost nearly her entire crop and that her husband and local villagers scrambled to sandbag their property line.…
-
Alleged murder masterminds get bail
PHUKET TOWN: Murder suspects Wipa Jantong and her husband Sompong Jantong, charged with conspiracy to commit murder in the May 5 slaying of Prasert and Thavorn Trairat, were released from the Phuket Provincial Court Prison on Friday after posting bail of 1.5 million baht each. The couple were arrested on October 1 in front of the offices of the Phuket…
-
Patong faces anti-drugs “X-ray’
KATHU: Patong will come under “X-ray” scrutiny in the government’s current campaign to eliminate drugs, Phuket Governor CEO Udomsak Usawarangura said yesterday. Speaking at an anti-drugs concert at the Kathu District Office, the Governor said, “Phuket is moving to get rid of the 5% left [of people involved in drugs]. The marked area is Patong, where we must strictly ‘re-X-ray’.…
-
Flooding swamps Phuket Town
PHUKET TOWN: More torrential rain overnight triggered landslips and flooding that has left many streets in Phuket Town looking like rivers, with gridlock being the order of the day. Cleaning up and making repairs will cost 50 million baht in municipal funds, new Governor CEO Udomsak Usawarangkura said this morning. The latest downpour topped up a wild and wet start…
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.
Don't forget to check out some other things to do in Thailand - get help starting a business or finding a job in Thailand, buy Thailand property, rent a yacht or book a medical procedure worldwide.