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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The Great American Smokeout, held this year on November 17, is a nationwide event that encourages smokers to take their first steps towards a smoke-free life. If you’re an expat in Thailand, this day could be a timely reminder to...
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Green fuel gets green light
AO MAKHAM: Viset Choopiban, President of the Petroleum Authority of Thailand (PTT), this morning announced that the PTT will continue to offer fuel free of excise tax and VAT to the operators of Thai fishing boats. The project, called “Green Fuel for Fishermen in the Andaman Sea” because the tax-free diesel is dyed green, was launched as an experiment six…
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Sea Gypsy village raid nets 500 fish
RAWAI: Phuket Marine Police on Sunday seized more than 500 fish of protected species in a raid at the Sea Gypsy village off Wiset Rd. Two men seen in possession of the fish managed to escape. Pol Lt Col Prathuang Srilamontri told the Gazette that officers, acting on a tip-off, arrived at the village at 9 pm and surprised two…
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New tourism targets for the South
PHUKET TOWN: A sweeping plan for tourism in the Phuket region will give each destination a clear identity and a target market. The project, covering all southern provinces, seeks to suggest appropriate government budgets, and focus on the image of each spot. The plan will be overseen by MP Anchalee Vanich-Thepabutr, as President of the Southern Thailand Tourism Improvement Planning…
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Marijuana arrests at full moon party
KAMALA: Police raided a full moon party at the Rhythm & Beach Cantina in Kamala and arrested three foreigners for allegedly smoking marijuana on the beach nearby. “There were 40-50 at the party, but only three foreigners who were smoking ganja on the beach,” said Pol Lt Col Narong Laksanawimol, of Kathu Police Station. Pilaiwan Maotaknoi, the manager of Rhythm…
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Tourism road show wins buyers
PHUKET: A “Southern Paradise” tourism road show to Singapore and Malaysia was so successful that the Phuket Tourism Association (PTA) has decided to do another, to the Middle East. Panu Masirat, Vice-President of Marketing for the PTA, told the Gazette that the attractions of spas and Thai massage proved very appealing to people in both countries. There were 25 booths…
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Tourist drowns on raft tour
PHANG NGA: A Malaysian tourist drowned on a raft excursion to Song Praek waterfall in Phang Nga on Tuesday. Police said that the man, named as Wee Siaw Kong, 29, could not swim and died despite wearing a buoyancy aid and despite the efforts of guides and fellow tourists. Mr Wee, with three other tourists and two staff of tour…
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Phuket-inspired music CD launched
PHUKET TOWN: Phuket-born album producer Jumpol “Goh Khai” (Older Brother Khai) Thongtan this week launched a limited-release album called “Pleng Phuket”, labeled in English as “Pleasant Tunes of Phuket”. The one-hour launch took place at the classic Sino-Portuguese home of Pracha Tantawanich, a well-known senior citizen of Phuket, whose house is a popular tourist sight in Phuket Town. K. Jumpol…
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Samui killer ‘may be box jellyfish’
PHUKET: A scientist and a yachtsman today suggested that the seaborne killer responsible for the deaths of two tourists in waters around Koh Pha-ngan may have been a box jellyfish, reputed to be the world’s most venomous marine creature. Two tourists were killed in separate incidents earlier this month at Koh Pha-ngan, near Koh Samui, with one victim’s legs bearing…
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Killer jellyfish “unknown in Phuket’
SURAT THANI: A biologist said today that a killer jellyfish blamed for the deaths of two tourists in separate attacks near Koh Samui had never been seen in Phuket’s waters. Supot Chantrapornsyl, Marine Biologist at Phuket’s Marine Biological Center, told the Gazette that the “Portuguese Man of War” which was found in local waters could sting painfully and inflame the…
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New contacts for Customs issues
BANGKOK: The Customs Department has restructured its services to give exporters and importers contact numbers for clear information on specific issues. Callers in need of information are advised to call the following numbers: – Unusual delays in customs procedure or customs clearance, 02-6717895-6; – Valuation appeals, 02-6717383 or 02-6677170; – Tariff appeals, 02-2402311 or 02-2494199; – Consultation on trade and…
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Parents urged to ‘love their children more’
PHUKET: A government psychologist has urged parents to give their children more love and care in order to prevent them shacking up with girlfriends or boyfriends. Psychologist Pariyat Saengthat’s comments came in the wake of a survey by the local Provincial Public Welfare Office (PPWO) of 16- to 25-year-olds, conducted last month. K. Pariyat, who works with the PPWO, told…
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Four nabbed far from home
CHALONG: Three people from a northern hilltribe were arrested on Tuesday for being outside their legal residential area, and one more was charged with foreign currency exchange offenses. Ai-lhu Praiboonserm, a 23-year-old hillsman with Thai citizenship, was arrested in the Phuket Country Home estate where he was allegedly working as a tour guide without a licence. Police say he was…
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Housing auction disappointing
PHUKET: The Phuket office of the Government Housing Bank (GHB) sold just 12 of 75 repossessed properties at its most recent auction, a GHB official told the Gazette today. The auction, on July 27, at which bidding for most properties started at 80% of their estimated value, raised 12.4 million baht. The bank had expected to sell all 75 properties,…
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Thief raids police station
PHUKET: Phuket Town police were left scratching their heads over the weekend after a brazen thief apparently made off with cash from under their noses. A donation box belonging to a foundation for underprivileged families was found smashed and empty in the grass behind the Phuket Town Police Station on Saturday morning. Police believe it was one of several charity…
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Patong develops a taste for pawn
PATONG: After a slow start, the Patong Municipality pawnshop on Ratpatanusorn Rd is picking up business. Pawnshop Manager Chalerm Koompani told the Gazette yesterday, “At the beginning only a few people came to the pawnshop because most people still didn’t know that Patong had one. “Now the store averages 40-45 customers a day. Most are Thai, even though the store…
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More blackouts in August
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Electricity Authority (PPEA) has announced more scheduled blackouts for August, in order to continue work on high-voltage power lines. All blackouts will be from 9 am to 4 pm. They are as follows: August 21, Phuket Town: west side of Thepkrasattri Rd from the PPEA substation north of Phuket Town to Moo Baan Permsin Tani, and…
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Dolphin ‘may be victim of epidemic&’
AO MAKHAM: Efforts by villagers, tourists and biologists to save a sick dolphin have been in vain, and a scientist has warned that more of the sick animals may be expected to wash up on Phuket’s shores, the victims of some kind of epidemic. The aging two-meter female striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba), which was rescued from the beach at Karon…
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Water saving campaign intensifies
PHUKET TOWN: Phuket Town Municipality and the Provincial Irrigation Office are dredging two tin mines near the town for use as reservoirs, in order to boost water stocks in case of another dry-season shortage. They will also lay pipes to draw water from another two tin mines in Kathu to top up the Bang Wad Reservoir. The reservoir can hold…
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Washed-up dolphin wins reprieve
KARON: A two-meter dolphin was rescued from Karon beach today, given medication and food, and returned to the sea within hours. Villagers tried to help the stranded striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba) after a passing tuk-tuk driver saw it washed up on the north end of the beach about 7 am. When Louise O’Brien from New Zealand jogged past about 9…
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Teenage snatch-and-ride robbers held
PHUKET: Police have arrested six teenagers, including a 14-year-old German-Thai girl, for bag-snatching and stealing motorcycles. They also arrested a 20-year-old man. The arrests follow a two-week police investigation, leading to the arrests last Friday of the 20-year-old, Somchai “Mike”Saewong, and his 16-year-old girlfriend who was three months pregnant (the couple already have two children). On Sunday, two teenage boys…
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Nature lays on the fireworks, too
PHUKET: In Saphan Hin the TAT will be firing off fireworks tonight and, if the clouds clear, Phuket residents will also have an excellent opportunity to watch a natural fireworks display, in the form of a meteor shower in the early hours of tomorrow morning. The meteor shower, an annual event known as the Perseids, is expected to be visible…
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Seafood a fresh Phuket drawcard
PHUKET: A new festival, the Phuket International Seafood Festival, is to be held between November 1 and December 6 this year to tempt tourists’ tastebuds. The climax of the festival will be a street stall dine-out in Patong from December 3-6 that is expected to attract the participation of hotels and restaurants from all over the island. Ice carving, bartender…
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Gov denies reassignment rumor
PHUKET: Phuket Governor CEO Pongpayome Vasaputi today scotched rumors that he will move from Phuket in October, saying that he wants to stay another year. Widespread rumors – which the Governor admitted had reached his ears – have predicted that he would leave in October’s annual rotation of government personnel. Some rumors even speculated as to the name of his…
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Chavalit backs devolution of power
PHUKET: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, Gen Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, today reaffirmed the government’s commitment to devolution of political power from Bangkok to the provinces. In a speech at the Royal Phuket City Hotel to 600 representatives of Provincial Administration Organizations (OrBorJors) from all over Thailand, Gen Chavalit stressed that local administrations are a way of distributing power. Despite…
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Two fishermen missing, feared drowned
CHALONG: Two crewmen are missing, feared drowned, after their fishing boat sank off Racha Noi, a small island south of Phuket. Six other men from the “Por Paweena 9” were rescued by another fishing vessel. Survivors told of the boat being smashed by rough monsoon seas in darkness about 3 am last Friday (August 2). It sank soon afterwards. Lt…
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Chavalit steps in as Thaksin cancels trip
PHUKET: Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has canceled a trip to Phuket tomorrow for a scheduled speech to open the national convention for members of Provincial Administration Organizations (OrBorJor). Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, Gen Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, will stand in for the PM, launching the two-day convention at the Royal Phuket City Hotel at 9:30 am with a speech…
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Charity opens center to help kids
PATONG: A round-the-clock center run by international charity World Vision is now operating in Patong to help children escape the sex industry, homelessness and poverty. The one-story centre, built with 800,000 baht in donations, was officially opened yesterday on Haad Patong Rd, opposite the Club Andaman Beach Resort and behind the football field. It will be run by Patong Municipality.…
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OrBorTors to become fire fighters
PATONG: In an attempt to improve brush fire control and save money at the same time, Thailand’s Tambon Administration Organizations (OrBorTor) are to be trained to deal with blazes in their areas. The new policy was announced in Phuket today by Sawat Dulyapach, Deputy Director-General of the Royal Forest Department, at the department’s annual seminar. The gathering attracted 148 unit…
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Tourism road show targets neighbors
PHUKET: One of the first activities organized by the newly-elected Phuket Tourist Association (PTA) committee will be a road show to Singapore and Malaysia, aimed at attracting low-season tourists. Pattanapong Aikwanich, the new president of the PTA, told a press conference this afternoon that the “Thailand Southern Paradise Road Show 2002” will run from August 13-17. Panu Massirat, Vice-President of…
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Thaksin to fly in for 1-hour speech
PHUKET TOWN: Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra will fly from Bangkok on Thursday to make a one-hour speech at a national convention for members of Provincial Administration Organizations (OrBorJor). The PM is scheduled to open the two-day convention at the Royal Phuket City Hotel, starting at 9:30 am, with a speech on provincial government reform. About 800 OrBorJor members are expected…
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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