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.
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Gambling raid nets three women on ya bah
PHUKET TOWN: Police in the early hours of yesterday morning arrested three women for possession and sale of ya bah (methamphetamine) in a house on Vanich Rd, near Si Sena Rd in Tambon Rassada. The women were named by police as Thanomsri Mongkut, 35; Pranee Pengjan, 30; and Sunat Jithong, 35. Pol Maj Vichakom Kamchampa, an inspector at Phuket Town…
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Tourism discount program set to launch
PHUKET: Phuket Province and the Phuket Tourism Association (PTA) are launching a “Phuket Super Save Super Value” promotion on July 1 to stimulate tourism over the low season. Phuket Governor CEO Pongpayome Vasaputi yesterday held a meeting with Kitti Phatanachinda, Vice President of the PTA, along with representatives from several hotels, to discuss strategies to bring in more low-season business.…
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Phuket seeks TAT cash for 10 projects
PHUKET: Phuket has named 10 projects it wants the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) to fund in order to boost the number of visitors to the island. The 10 projects are: – Underground power lines in Phuket Town, Patong, Kata and Karon; – A pier at Ao Poh; – A second bus station; – Improvements to the four-lane route through…
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Man killed in drive-by shooting
PATONG: A young man was shot dead early yesterday morning in Loma Park by a motorcycle passenger in what police believe was a case of mistaken identity. Pol Lt Col Manop Kositanant, Deputy Superintendent of Kathu Police Station, named the victim as Vichit Srisangchai, 21, a worker in a Patong restaurant. He died from a single shot in the stomach…
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Tin maiden runner-up in national fair
PHUKET: Krongthong Thepsiriamnuay, from Moo 5, Tambon Wichit, has won second place in the metal products category of the “One Village, One Product” fair, which was held in Nonthaburi province on May 25-31. K. Krongthong told the Gazette today that she won the prize for a decorative tin plate she made. It featured a raised motif of Phuket island bordered…
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Man confesses to raping girl, 14
PHUKET TOWN: Witchapol “Joe” Jongsujarittham, 26, yesterday confessed to charges of raping a 14-year-old girl twice and of being in possession of an unregistered firearm, Phuket Town police said today. Pol Maj Bhanjong Amarit told the Gazette that officers arrested Witchapol outside his Phuket Town home at 9 am. Armed with a search warrant, they then checked his home and…
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Ya bah crackdown nets seven in two days
CHALONG: Officers from Chalong Police Station on Thursday and Friday made seven separate arrests on charges related to ya bah (methamphetamine). More than 500 pills of the drug were seized. The arrests came after Pol Col Sati Malakanond, superintendent at Chalong Police Station, ordered officers to make a special effort to crack down on drugs in the area. Of the…
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Ban on carrying guns from next month
PHUKET: Next month will see the introduction of a ban on the carrying of firearms in public anywhere in Phuket. The ban, Phuket Governor CEO Pongpayome Vasaputi said, applies even to off-duty government officers. Gov Pongpayome, supporting the anti-gun drive announced by the national police chief in March, advised people who have licensed firearms to leave them at home or…
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Patong “ready to fight flood menace’
PHUKET: Action is being taken to prevent a repetition of last year’s heavy flooding in Patong, a meeting of about 50 officers of the Municipality and other authorities heard yesterday. Public klongs had been cleared of silt, and permission is being sought from owners to clear waterways and conduits on private land too. Governor CEO Pongpayome Vasaputi, who chaired the…
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German President to visit Phuket
PHUKET: Johannes Rau, President of the Federal Republic of Germany, will spend one night relaxing in Phuket on June 23 en route to Korea and Japan, where he will be attending the closing ceremony of the World Cup. Mr Rau is scheduled to arrive in Phuket direct from Berlin with his wife and an entourage of 70 people. They will…
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Gov raps Public Welfare Chief
PHUKET: Governor CEO Pongpayome Vasaputi today obliquely criticized the Chief of the Provincial Public Welfare Office, Taweesak Saleesang, for remarks he made to the press about the local TAT Director, Anupharp Thirarath. K. Taweesak made the remarks after K. Anupharp, at a provincial meeting on Tuesday, voiced concerns that a major Swedish tour operator might pull out of Phuket if…
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“Supertour’ tipped to splurge B75m
PHUKET TOWN: The biggest single group of tourists ever to visit Phuket will arrive next month for what, it is hoped, will be a massive spending spree that sets the precedent for more large groups to follow. One estimate puts the spending potential of the group in Phuket at more than 25 million baht a day over three days, boosting…
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Smart new police reporting center
PHUKET TOWN: The Commissioner of Provincial Police Region 8, Pol Lt Gen Paisarn Tangjaitrong, today opened a smart new public service center on the ground floor of the Phuket Town Police Station. The first of its kind in the country, the new 1.45-million-baht center – paid for entirely by private donations – has more in common with a modern banking…
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Phuket finally gets power boost
PHUKET: New high-capacity power cables installed by the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) to upgrade the island’s power supply are now hooked up to the Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) grid and are supplying power, Banlue Teeramethawit, EGAT’s Assistant Governor of Transmission Construction, announced yesterday. The cables, costing 500 million baht, stretch 77 kilometers from the nearest main substation in…
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TAT boss worries over child abuse
PHUKET: A major Scandinavian tour operator may stop sending tourists to Phuket if the authorities cannot stop child prostitution and other forms of abuse on the island, the local TAT boss warned yesterday. In a meeting at the Phuket Provincial Meeting Hall, Anupharp Thirarath, director of the TAT Phuket office, said that he had met a Swedish researcher looking into…
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Another yacht seized for forged papers
PHUKET: The Phuket Marine Police today seized another yacht on charges that it was registered with the Harbor Master’s office using forged documents that purported to show the boat was made in Thailand. The yacht is the Samakki, a 40-feet fiberglass motor catamaran equipped with twin 200hp engines. The boat, which police say belongs to Thrinuch Kingkaew, who now lives…
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Drinker caught with live grenade
PHUKET TOWN: Sa-eak Chu-on, 24, from Trang, was arrested on Saturday night for being in possession of a live hand grenade while drinking in a restaurant on Si Sena Rd. Pol Sub Lt Wiwat Chamnarnkit, of Phuket Town Police Station, today told the Gazette that he was on routine patrol when he entered Nimit 2 restaurant and pub in search…
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“Sting’ traps Burmese ya bah dealer
PHUKET: Police have arrested a Burmese in possession of 110 ya bah (methamphetamine) pills and are now pursuing the man’s supplier. Acting on a tip-off, officers spent more than a month on the case before trapping the man in a “sting” as he tried to sell the drugs to undercover police. The man, named by police as Samsor, 32, worked…
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Soccer gambling den raided
PHUKET TOWN: Phuket Town Police raided the Smile Snooker Pub at 27 Hongsyok U-Thit Rd on Thursday and made one arrest. Pol Capt Akanit Danpitaksan said that after receiving a tip-off, officers visited the pub and found 37-year-old Somyos “Yai” Kweangsopa poring over a list of customer names on his desk, along with a list of the odds for the…
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Illegal immigrant arrest tally falls
PHUKET: The number of arrests of illegal immigrants fell sharply in the period from May 1 to May 25 compared with the same period in the previous month, police statistics show. The total plummeted from 237 arrests to 75. Gambling arrests also dropped, from 229 arrests in 73 raids to 198 from 106 raids. Six of the May gambling raids…
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Tuk-tuk fares “to be imposed next month’
PHUKET: Negotiations on fixed fares are underway with the island’s tuk-tuk drivers, and an agreement will be hammered out at a meeting planned for June 21, says the provincial government. Teerayout Prasertphol, chief analyst at the Phuket Provincial Transport Office, told the Gazette today that survey forms have been sent to tuk-tuk drivers, provincial and municipal government officials, TAT officials,…
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OrBorTor President resigns over road scandal
CHERNG TALAY: The President and two other members of the Cherng Talay Tambon Administration Organization (OrBorTor) resigned their positions today amid allegations of corruption in a 4-million-baht road project in Moo 2. OrBorTor President Siri Yokthong and his deputies, Suchart Yooyen and Sin Kapana, announced their resignations after a five-hour meeting in the OrBorTor office, chaired by the Chief of…
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Snack seller hangs herself
PHUKET TOWN: The body of a young woman was found yesterday morning hanging from a concrete beam in the upper-floor bathroom of her shophouse on Soi Nerttip. Police say the death was a suicide. The victim was Supaporn Auttalee, 23, who sold Thai snacks on Sakdidet Rd, near her home. Pol Capt Rassada Klengvong, of Phuket Town Police Station, said…
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Lehman to up Thai holdings by $250m
BANGKOK (The Nation): US investment bank Lehman Brothers said it was committed to boosting its investment in Thailand by an additional US$250 million (Bt10.6 billion). The announcement followed a meeting on Tuesday between Lehman Brothers Inc chairman and CEO Richard S. Fuld, Jr, and Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. It was the third meeting between the two in the last 18…
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Island’s elephants get wired
PHUKET TOWN: Want to know the name of the elephant that left a steaming pile in your driveway? Chances are it can now be traced because 176 elephants on Phuket have had microchips implanted. Wiraparp Termkietpaisan, a vet from the Phuket Provincial Livestock Office (PPLO), said today that keeping tabs on the elephants from 23 camps will also enable authorities…
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Commercial Office issues pyramid schemes warning
PHUKET TOWN: The Phuket Provincial Commercial Office (PPCO) has issued a warning to the public about the spreading business practice of direct selling, also known as multi-level marketing (MLM). Direct sales operations are expanding further into all regions of Thailand. The products range from electrical appliances to herbal remedies. Most of these direct sale companies operate legally, are registered in…
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Man murdered while guarding beans
CHERNG TALAY: Somphong Keawpitak, 32, a boat tour guide working at Banyan Tree Phuket, was shot dead yesterday in a small hut in a Cherng Talay hillside while guarding bunches of freshly picked “sator” – the spicy beans that are a specialty of the South. Pol Maj Winai Kongkeaw, Inspector of Cherng Talay Police Station, told the Gazette that a…
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Thalang Rd “walking street’ to continue
PHUKET TOWN: At the closing ceremony of the Seven Wonders of Phuket festival on Sunday evening, Deputy Prime Minister Pitak Intrawitayanun announced that Thalang Rd will continue to be a “walking street” every Sunday. He explained that Phuket Town Municipality will continue to stage events there for a further 17 weeks, under the slogan “Amazing Phuket”, and sponsored by the…
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Deputy PM denies land fiddle
PHUKET: Deputy Prime Minister Pitak Intrawitayanunt took reporters to the northwest end of the island on Saturday for a tour of a piece of land he bought in 1990, which was at the center of accusations made in the recent parliamentary no-confidence debate. K. Pitak repeated his assertions, made during the debate, that he had obtained the land near Baan…
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Two girls drown in pool
THALANG: Two girls, one 10 years old, the other 12, died while swimming in a pool near their home in the Thalang area yesterday. Police named the two girls as Kittima Butlada, 10, and Praemai Poltawee, 12. Cousins, they both lived in a house in Moo 8, Baan Prusompan in Tambon Thepkrasattri, where they went to school. Pol Maj Adul…
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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