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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All-night party raided
CHERNG TALAY: An all-night party at a Japanese businessman’s holiday home came to an abrupt end when police raided the mansion at 8 am yesterday and tested the 30 revelers for drugs and netted three gamblers. The Deputy Commander of Phuket Provincial Police, Pol Col Apirak Hongtong, led the raid after police received complaints at about 4 am from local…
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Still no sign of DIDIT founder
PHUKET: The family of Briton Eric Wells have asked that anyone who has seen him since the evening of Friday, July 4, get in touch with them immediately. Mr Wells and his wife Linda are co-founders of Dogs In Distress In Thailand (DIDIT), which looks after stray dogs in temples around the island. Mr Wells went to feed dogs at…
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Free air tickets to boost tourism
BANGKOK: Thai Airways International (THAI) has announced a campaign to celebrate its 43rd anniversary by giving away 20,000 tickets as prizes in a lottery among passengers who fly on the airline between now and September 30. The “Luck Is In The Air” campaign will, it is hoped, attract tourists to make repeat visits to Thailand. A total of 16,000 free…
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Govt seizes land from 39 in Phuket
BANGKOK (The Nation): The Agriculture Land Reform Department yesterday revoked the land-right documents held by 39 people who were found to be unqualified to occupy SorPorKor land earmarked for farmers in Phuket. Agriculture Minister Sora-at Klinprathum said the revocation took immediate effect and that no prior warning letters were necessary to inform the holders. “We are also verifying other holders…
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Nearly one death a day on Phuket roads
PHUKET TOWN: Motorcycle mayhem between April 20 and May 20 brought 26 deaths on Phuket roads despite more concerted attempts to cut the toll. All those who died in that period were motorcycle riders or pillion passengers, according to statistics from the Wachira, Thalang and Patong government hospitals. The carnage followed a much-praised police crackdown in Phuket over Songkran that…
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Tourism “boom’ tipped soon
PHUKET TOWN: The outlook for tourism in Phuket is much brighter now, Santhichai Auengjongprasit, Deputy-Governor for Marketing of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), said today. Numbers were still down on last year’s low season, he conceded, but were improving. The effects of the Sars scare were no longer being felt and discounts and travel promotions were already working, he…
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Govt turns up the heat in SorPorKor probe
BANGKOK (Gazette, Nation): Fifty-seven officers from the Crime Suppression Division and more than 40 from the Forestry Police, the Land Department and the Agriculture Land Reform Department arrived in Phuket yesterday, complete with helicopter, to help speed up the government probe into abuses of SorPorKor land occupation. In the meantime, in Bangkok, the much-feared Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO) has announced…
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Town to get traffic cameras
PHUKET TOWN: In the latest effort to bring some order to Phuket’s traffic chaos, Deputy Prime Minister Chaturon Chaisang, who is responsible for traffic in the Southern provinces, has announced that a 4.15-million-baht video surveillance system will be installed at three Phuket Town intersections. The intersections are the one next to Satree Phuket School, the one next to Wachira Phuket…
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100 lifeguards to be trained
PHUKET TOWN: The Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) will train 100 volunteers to work as lifeguards at the island’s beaches and swimming pools. The OrBorJor has set aside 454,000 baht to cover the five-day courses during August and September, organized by Phuket Marine Police, Wachira Phuket Hospital and the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT). The OrBorJor has also improved the…
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Rainmakers back in Phuket
PHUKET TOWN: The Royal rainmaking team and its aircraft are back in Phuket to try to alleviate the island’s water crisis. Whenever conditions are right, the team’s three aircraft are now seeding the clouds above the island in an emergency measure that is expected to cost 450,000 baht. Surachart Kuntavichayanont, Chief of the Phuket Agriculture and Cooperatives Office, which requested…
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Wichit wins good governance award
PHUKET TOWN: Wichit Tambon Administration Organization (OrBorTor) has won a best-governance award and additional funding of 1.7 million baht in competition against seven other Phuket OrBorTor. OrBorTor Pa Klok received additional funds of 1.4 million baht for coming second and OrBorTor Sri Suntorn received 1.2 million baht for third place, Sorawich Chaiyasawat, Chief of the Phuket Provincial Local Administration Office,…
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Politicians call for swift end to probe
PHUKET: The Thai Rak Thai party’s candidate for MP in the next parliamentary elections, Dr Prasit Koeysiripong, has added his voice to those calling for a swift conclusion to the land investigation currently underway in Phuket. Dr Prasit, who is currently the President of the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor), told the Gazette today that although he did not have…
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Land Department calls for arrests
BANGKOK, The Nation: The Land Department in Bangkok yesterday requested the Crime Suppression Police (CSP) to arrest Thawatchai Anukul, Thawatchai Anukul, formerly registrar of the Phuket Provincial Land Office (PPLO) and of a district land office in Phang Nga, along with other officers who allegedly collaborated with him in issuing false documents and abusing their position as government officers. Documents…
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48 SorPorKor papers to be rescinded
BANGKOK, The Nation: Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Newin Chidchob, said yesterday that he is preparing papers recommending the eviction of occupiers from 48 plots of SorPorKor land in Phuket, totaling some 300 rai. The papers will be presented next week to the Land Commission headed by Deputy Prime Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh. K. Newin told The Nation that the commission investigating…
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Concessions made to marine tourism
PHUKET TOWN: From July 1, foreign yachtsmen will be able to certify their foreign captains’ licenses for use in Thailand, in Phuket. Currently, foreign skippers need to travel to Bangkok or Kantang in Trang Province to certify their licenses before being allowed to sail their boats in Thai waters. Marine Department Director General Wanchai Sarathulthat said the license certification would…
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Top officials to discuss Phuket’s future
PHUKET: Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak and three other ministers will be among a high-powered meeting of top government officials in Phuket on July 4 and 5 to discuss development of the island, it was announced yesterday. The 35-strong delegation will include Public Health Minister Sudarat Keyuraphan, Information and Communications Technology Minister Dr Surapong Suebwonglee, Tourism and Sports Minister Sontaya…
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Lawyer evicted from SorPorKor land
PHUKET TOWN: The Phuket Provincial Court today ordered the eviction of a local lawyer from two plots of land in Chalong totaling 29 rai, ruling that he did not meet the qualifications to occupy agricultural land under the SorPorKor land reform program. The ruling comes just days after Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra complained that past legal cases against “important people”…
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Green bus service to be upgraded
PHUKET TOWN: In a revamp of its Phuket Town bus service, the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) is planning to buy 16 minibuses to replace its current fleet of 12 leased Mercedes Benz buses. The move is intended to increase the frequency of service in a bid to boost passenger numbers. The OrBorJor also plans to farm out the running…
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Land abuse report to be filed on Friday
BANGKOK, The Nation: A full report on the results of the investigation into abuses of SorPorKor 4-01 land usage papers will be handed on Friday to the Land Department in Bangkok, and then to the Crime Suppression Police (CSP). Announcing this today, Pol Lt Gen Chidchai Wannasathit, Chairman of the SorPorKor Investigation Committee, said that abuses that will be covered…
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Beijing taken off Sars list
PHUKET: Following the World Health Organization’s declaration that Beijing has been removed from its list of Sars-affected places, Thailand has dropped its requirement for people arriving from China’s capital to submit to medical checks or other restrictions while in Thailand. Weerasit Raden, Chief of the Port Health Office at Phuket International Airport today said, “After it was announced that Beijing…
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Hong Kong dropped from Sars list
PHUKET: People arriving from Hong Kong are no longer subject to medical checks or other restrictions aimed at reducing the risk of Sars taking hold in Thailand, Weerasit Raden, Chief of the Port Health Office at Phuket International Airport announced today. “With Hong Kong being removed from the Sars alert list by the World Health Organization (WHO) yesterday, it has…
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Mayor raps “irresponsible’ officials
PHUKET TOWN: The Mayor of Phuket Town, Phummisak Hongsyok, speaking to reporters today, slammed government officials for talking about the rights and wrongs of tin mine concessions without first understanding the facts. Pol Maj Gen Pansiri Prapawat, Deputy Commissioner for General Investigation, said on June 20 that 17 tin mines had been checked. “We have found only one that was…
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Stolen yacht booty dumped on Koh Lone
KOH LONE: Some of the equipment stolen from yachts moored in Ao Chalong late last month has been found dumped on a beach on Koh Lone. Pol Capt Sakol Bunditsak, of Chalong Police Station, today said that fishermen reported to police that they had found some boat equipment in a black plastic bag on a Koh Lone beach. He added…
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Samsara developers speak out
PHUKET: For the first time since the Samsara luxury property development was put in the public spotlight by the Phuket land probe, representatives of the owners and developers of the project have spoken out about what they see as the unfair treatment they have received from the government. Colin McKay, Managing Director of development company Asia Island Homes (AIH), told…
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New Vice-Governor arrives Monday
PHUKET: A new Vice-Governor has been named to replace Manit Wattanasen, who was transferred this week to Pattani (see also https://thethaiger.com/news/index.asp?Id=2811 .) He is Pongpow Ketthong, originally from Phrae province. Most recently he was Chief Inspector in the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation at the Ministry of Interior in Bangkok, but before that his government service took him to…
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Land probe to cover all Thailand – Thaksin
BANGKOK: Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra today announced that the land investigation currently underway in Phuket will be widened to cover the entire country. Speaking to The Nation newspaper, he said, “Many SorPorKor titles were given to ‘important people’ – this was not the intent of the SorPorKor scheme. Legal cases brought against these people were weak, which is why the…
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Land probe targets influential people
PHUKET: Army surveyors have joined the land investigation headed by Pol Maj Gen Pansiri Prapawat, Deputy Commissioner for General Investigation. A team of surveyors arrived from Bangkok yesterday and began work this morning. Gen Pansiri, who is leading the task force examining land encroachment, and SorPorKor and tin mine concession abuses said this morning, “We have identified 22 pieces of…
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B2m bounty offered for CD pirates
PHUKET: The government has offered a 2-million-baht reward for information leading to the seizure of mass CD-copying machines in Phuket, Oratai Thanajaro, Secretary to the Deputy Minister of Commerce, announced yesterday. Speaking at Kathu Police Station, K. Oratai said, “The Department of Intellectual Property and officers from Bangkok Metropolitan Police have been told that there is a big illegal CD-copying…
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Anchalee slams “political games’
PHUKET: Phuket Democrat MP Anchalee Vanich-Thepabutr today emphatically denied that she has any SorPorKor 4-01 land and branded the current land abuse investigation as being motivated purely by politics. At a press conference at her office, K. Anchalee singled out Newin Chidchob, Deputy Agriculture Minister, as being directly responsible for creating problems by misleading the press and the public by…
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Police appeal for patience in Pongtorn probe
SURAT THANI: A senior officer from Police Region 8 has denied press reports that an arrest has been made for the assassination of Phuket Land Office Deputy Chief Pongtorn Hiranyaburana seven weeks ago, and has appealed for the public to be patient. Pol Col Ronapong Saikaew, Superintendent of Investigation of Surat Thani Provincial Police Region 8, who is heading up…
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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