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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New three-digit lottery plan in place
PHUKET TOWN: Lottery agents were given registration details today in preparation for the new government lottery that will begin August 1 and which is aimed at subverting the popular underground lottery in which punters choose just three numbers. Each of 100 lottery agents in Phuket may have up to 50 lottery salespeople, and agencies and dealers will have to provide…
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Strong winds expected to continue
PHUKET: A government weatherman has warned that the high winds caused in Phuket by typhoon Imbudo are likely to continue for a few more days as the storm system moves slowly west across the South China Sea in the direction of Hainan island, China. Tawat Tantham-Nu, Director of the Southwestern Regional Meteorological Center, predicted that heavy gusts of wind, similar…
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Fugitive land officer arrested in Ranong
RANONG (Kom Chad Luek): Fugitive land official Bunchoo Limraksasin was arrested yesterday evening in Ranong province after returning from the Andaman Club hotel and casino on Koh Son, Burma, where, police said, he had been hiding since last Friday. Bunchoo is the second wanted land official to be caught, following the arrest of Uru Thipthep on July 13. A third,…
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Huge increase in visa fees next year
PHUKET: Starting January 1 next year, visa fees across the board will be increased dramatically, the Immigration Bureau in Bangkok confirmed today. The new visa fees will be: • Transit visa, single entry, 800 baht (currently 200 baht). • Tourist visa, single entry, 1,000 baht (currently 300 baht). • Non-immigrant visa, single entry, 2,000 baht (500 baht). • Non-immigrant visa,…
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Drivers strike in protest of “black’ taxis
MAI KHAO: Limousine drivers at Phuket International Airport went on strike this morning to pressure the provincial government into controlling freelance “black” taxis. The limousine drivers said that over the past six months they had sent letters to everyone from Governor CEO Pongpayome Vasaputi to Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, pleading with them to control the black taxis, which were taking…
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Officials inspect flooded thoroughfare
THALANG: Local government officials today rolled up their pants and inspected flooding on the island’s main artery, Thepkrasattri Rd, that was as much as 30 cm deep in places. Thalang District Chief Kanthee Silapa, Phuket Provincial Highways Office (PPHO) Chief Visute Maiwattana and local tambon leaders waded down the middle of the south-bound carriageway, past flooded houses and a gas…
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Fugitive land officials “in the South’
BANGKOK (Kom Chad Luek/The Nation): Pol Maj Gen Pansiri Prapawat, Deputy Commissioner for General Investigation, has revealed that police believe two fugitive former land officials are hiding somewhere in the South. The two wanted men are Bunchoo Limraksasin, formerly an officer in the Kathu District Land Office who was subsequently posted to Ubon Ratchathani, and Thawatchai Anukul, former chief registrar…
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Dam funding approved “in principle’
PHUKET: Rapid development of Phuket in the past few years has resulted in the island’s current water supply problems, Irrigation Project Director Watchara Arepornsiri said today. Deputy Interior Minister Pracha Maleenond and his team were in Phuket on Friday to meet with Provincial Waterworks Authority (PWA) governor Wanchai Kuprasert and officials of the Phuket Provincial Irrigation Office to discuss ways…
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Diplomats praise island tourism
KARON: Bangkok-based diplomats representing 20 Asian and European countries have completed a tour of Phuket and Samui that was designed to promote tourism to the islands following the Sars scare. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) organized the study tour for ambassadors, consuls and their spouses between July 18 and 20. The party of…
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Another year’s work on historical documents
TRANG: More than two years after they were discovered by workers fixing the roof at the Phuket Provincial Hall, four stacks of documents dating back as far as 80 years ago are now being classified in an ongoing project by the National Archives Office in Trang. The documents have been grouped into 300 different categories and thousands of sub-headings. All…
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They’re back! Tourist numbers double in June
PHUKET: The latest figures on arrivals and departures at Phuket International Airport indicate that people are beginning to travel again in substantial numbers. The total of international passengers landing and leaving the island increased by 133% in June compared to May. June saw 602 international flights come and go, carrying 74,354 people, compared to the previous month when 31,806 people…
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No more free water – Mayor
PHUKET TOWN: Reacting to the land investigators’ comments about ownership of tin mines, the Mayor of Phuket Town has warned that an end is approaching to the city’s free ride on the tin mines for water. “We’ve been doing a good deed for the city for quite some time,” Mayor Phummisak Hongsyok told the Gazette yesterday. “Now we have to…
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Phuket joins Portland in municipal project
PHUKET TOWN: Phuket Town officials will work together with counterparts from the city of Portland, Oregon, over the next two years in an effort to improve the city through mutual cooperation and an exchange of urban management expertise. The project, which is part of the International City/County Management Association’s CityLinks Program, will also include Chiang Mai and Khon Kaen municipalities.…
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Two more police charged in Big C slaying
PHUKET TOWN: Two Songkhla policemen accused of conspiracy to murder Phuket businessman Visanuwat Ngamjun, who was shot in his car in front of the Big C supercenter on February 28, turned themselves in to the Phuket Town Police on Tuesday morning. Pol Lt Col Paween Pongsirin, Superintendent of the Phuket Town Police Station, named the suspects as Pol Sgt Maj…
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Phuket to cement links with Andamans
PHUKET: Closer ties are to be established between Phuket and Port Blair, capital of the remote and intriguing Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Approximately halfway between Thailand and India, the islands were visited by Marco Polo and have a colorful history as a base for pirates and home for head-hunters. One tribe reportedly communes with the dead. Today the islands are…
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Phuket Town wins Ministry award
PHUKET TOWN: Phuket Town Municipality will receive a 2 million-baht prize from the Ministry of Interior (MoI) for placing fourth in terms of administrative excellence among southern Thailand’s Tessaban districts. The announcement was made at the Phuket Town municipal offices today by Mayor Phummisak Hongsyok. The MoI awards were allotted to three outstanding Provincial Administration Organizations (OrBorJor) in Thailand, 30…
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Hotels urged to watch for suspicious foreigners
PHUKET TOWN: The Deputy Commander of Phuket Provincial Police, Pol Col Apirak Hongtong, last night appealed for hotel and resort staff to be on the lookout for foreigners acting suspiciously, in order to aid police in solving crimes committed by tourists. Speaking at the annual meeting of the Thai Hospitality Club of Phuket, held at The Metropole hotel, Col Apirak…
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Phuket Town blackout postponed
PHUKET TOWN: The Phuket Provincial Electricity Authority has postponed the Phuket Town blackout scheduled for tomorrow (July 17). The blackout, from 9 am to 4 pm, will now be on Tuesday, July 22. The affected areas are: Montri Rd, from Phuket Post Office to Surin Circle; and Phang Nga Rd, from the Mazda showroom junction to the Sinthavee Hotel. Please…
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Beachside villagers resist expulsion
CHERNG TALAY: Villagers in Cherng Talay today called a press conference to demand fair treatment as a deadline set by Governor CEO Pongpayome Vasaputi for them to vacate public land expired. On March 16, the Governor gave the villagers four months to quit the beach and other pieces of land near the Laguna resort complex after no records of ownership…
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Take a policeman home
CHALONG: Chalong police are now more visible around the clock in response to an increase in muggings in the Chalong, Rawai and Nai Harn areas. Pol Col Sati Malakanond, Superintendent of Chalong Police Station, told the Gazette, “It’s not just tourists that have been attacked. So have locals and foreign residents running businesses.” Police officers are now more visible at…
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Job losses mounting, but recovery on track
PHUKET: Latest figures indicate that the island’s recovery from the negative effects of Sars is on course but that more suffering may lie ahead before good times return. The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) predicts that by December, total visitor numbers may be only slightly down on last year. Paradoxically, small businesses and workers continue to feel the after-effects of…
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TAT Deputy slams tourism restructuring
PHUKET TOWN: Following many complaints about delays in tourism business and tour guide registrations, the Deputy Director of the local Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) office yesterday criticized the shift of responsibilities to Bangkok in the government’s latest restructuring efforts. As of July 1, as part of a move to place the TAT under the authority of the Sports and…
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No helmet, no hill: safety crackdown
PHUKET: Patong Hill has been chosen as the island’s first “Helmet Heaven”, with motorcyclists barred from it from next month unless they wear helmets. While details are still being worked out, Governor CEO Pongpayome Vasaputi told the Gazette that riders traveling without helmets would be turned back at checkpoints on both sides of the hill, day and night. It is…
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MP’s sister involved in land probe
PHUKET: Investigators led by Pol Maj Gen Pansiri Prapawat today inspected three more plots of land with allegedly suspect titles. The three pieces belong to Yanyong Kebsup, a sister of Phuket Democrat MP Chalermlak Kebsup and wife of Phuket Provincial Administration Organization member Chaianan Suthikul; Boonkeng Srisansuchart, who was called to Phuket Town Police Station yesterday for questioning, and Pantong…
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Hilton enters Phuket market
PHUKET: Hilton International has finally made an entry into the Phuket market after negotiating a contract to manage the Panwaburi Resort and Spa at Cape Panwa. The resort, which will undergo a US$7-million (292-million-baht) refurbishment, paid for by its owners, is expected to reopen in October as the Conrad Phuket Resort and Spa. Conrad is Hilton’s top-of-the-line five-star brand. Methee…
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Markets, restaurants face food checks
PHUKET: Officers from the Phuket Provincial Health Office (PPHO) will next month start inspecting restaurants displaying the “Clean Food Good Taste” (CFGT) seal of approval to see whether they have in fact been authorized by the PPHO to display the logo. They will also check fresh produce sold at markets from next month to ensure it is free of harmful…
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More fishing but fewer fish
PHUKET TOWN: The number of illegal alien workers on fishing boats in the Andaman Sea was increasing at the same time as vital marine stocks were being depleted, said Vice-Admiral Pairoj Theerachai of the Royal Navy Third Fleet. Fishing boats were using large illegal gill nets that diminished fish resources and also trapped and killed other marine animals, he explained…
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Two businessmen questioned in land scandal
PHUKET: Two senior members of Phuket’s business community were called to Phuket Town Police Station today for questioning about dubious land titles. About 50 officers from the Crime Suppression Division (CSD), the Forestry Police, Phuket Town police, the National Parks Department and the Royal Thai Navy, armed with warrants from the court, also searched four homes at 5 am. Questioned…
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Top businessman held over Samsara deed
PHUKET TOWN: Chamnan Pachantabutr, former owner of the land on which the Samsara luxury property development is currently being constructed, was arrested today for his alleged part in falsifying a land document – the original title for the Samsara site. Chamnan, who is one of the owners of the Phuket Cabana Resort and of the Kan Eang restaurants in Chalong,…
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Startling plans for Phuket’s future
PHUKET TOWN: Four Cabinet members attended high-powered meetings with Phuket government officials and local businessmen on Friday and Saturday (July 4 and 5), indicating that the government is still committed to Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s vision of Phuket as a regional hub for transport, medical tourism, IT, duty-free shopping and yachting. The Saturday meeting at Royal Phuket City Hotel was…
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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