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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Warning over dengue fever
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Health Office (PPHO) has advised people to take precautions to protect themselves against dengue fever. The warning came after statistics showed a rise in the number of dengue cases in January and February, compared with the same period last year. Dr Wanchai Sattayawutthipong, Chief of the PPHO, told the Gazette, “This year, there seems to be…
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Phuket to be lab for English experiment
PHUKET: On a visit to Phuket’s schools yesterday, Education Minister Suwit Khunkitti announced that Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra wants to see Thais, particularly those in Phuket, speaking English as well as Singaporeans do. Phuket will be the first province to receive support in the government’s policy to improve English skills across the country, K. Suwit said. “We want to develop…
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Call for entries for tourism awards
PHUKET: The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is inviting applications for the 4th Thailand Tourism Awards, to be presented in every region of the country on World Tourism Day on September 27. The program was set up in 1996 by the TAT with the aim of improving administrative and service quality in the industry, and to support sustainable tourism. Trophies…
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Prison stuffed with drug offenders
PHUKET TOWN: Statistics released by the Phuket Provincial Prison this week show that more than half of the prison population consists of narcotics offenders or those awaiting trial on drug-related charges. Among the 1,180 prisoners, 506 men and 109 women are in for narcotics offenses. Pol Col Paween Pongsirin, Superintendent of the Phuket Town Police Station, told the Gazette today,…
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207 arrested in labor crackdown
PHUKET TOWN: More than 200 Burmese have been arrested this week by the Phuket Immigration Police as part of national crackdown on illegal workers launched on February 10. Pol Maj Gen Ukrit Phatchimsawas, Deputy Commissioner of the Immigration Bureau of the Royal Thai Police (RTP), visited officers at the Phuket Immigration Office today to check on local progress in the…
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Gambling again leads arrest stats
PHUKET: Gambling once again topped the arrest statistics this month, with 176 people caught in 82 raids. However, police statistics show that the arrests for illegal gambling between February 1 and 24 were down from the same period in January, when 193 people were arrested in 113 raids. The police also arrested 139 people for drug-related offences, down slightly from…
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Probe promised on illegal fishing
KRABI: A senior official of the Koh Lanta National Park has promised swift action over photographic evidence of fishing at the protected Hin Daeng reef 10 days ago. Hin Daeng was recently also the target of dynamite fishing, with considerable destruction of its famed coral and marine life. The photographs, copies of which were passed to the Gazette, were originally…
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“Behave yourselves today,’ citizens told
BANGKOK (AFP): Police enforcing Thaliand’s “social order” campaign aimed at curbing drugs and sleaze, today urged citizens to be on their best behavior to mark Makha Bucha Day. Pol Maj Gen Pongsapat Pongcharoen told reporters that officers nationwide would strictly monitor entertainment venues for any activity that violated the spirit of the Buddhist festival. “We ask all entertainment venue owners…
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Woman arrested over protected fish
RAWAI: Phuket Marine Police today arrested a woman for being in possession of protected fish with the intent to ship them to Bangkok for sale. Acting on a tip-off, officers arrested Ammarin Sailuenam, 27, in a raid at about 3:30 pm. They found about 500 fish belonging to protected species in tanks in the back of the house in Moo…
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Green light for walking street project
PHUKET TOWN: Thalang Rd will become a regular “walking street” between 1 pm and 11 pm on Sundays, starting from April 7. The first seven Sundays will have a “Seven Wonders” theme to attract Thais and foreigners with special activities in one of Phuket Town’s oldest and best-known streets. Phuket Town Mayor Phummisak Hongsyok met today with municipal officers and…
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Bars urged to close on Tuesday
PHUKET: Interior Minister Purachai Piemsomboon has ordered all Governors to urge bars and nightclubs to close on Tuesday, and to request businesses in their provinces to refrain from selling alcohol between noon and midnight on that day. Tuesday is Makha Bucha Day, commemorating the Patimoke Sermon by the Buddha and the first occasion on which a Buddhist monk attained Nirvana.…
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Woman fined for seeking donations
PATONG: A 57-year-old Ukranian woman has been fined 100 baht for soliciting donations from tourists without permission. Police said the woman, whom they named as Nipa Vira Panchuk, had been seeking donations for a religious organization, and told them she did not realize permission was required. Pol Lt Serm Kwannimit, of Kathu Police Station, told the Gazette that other foreigners…
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AAT warns of Phuket flight delays
PHUKET: The Airports Authority of Thailand (AAT) advised today that, because of increased security, outbound international passengers should make sure they allow three hours to clear processing at Phuket Airport. In some cases, flights have been delayed because tourists – or their agents and guides – have failed to allow enough time for clearing security, customs and immigration. The AAT…
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PM goes walkabout in Patong
PATONG: Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra went walking in Patong this afternoon to view its problems first-hand, and later said that the environment, garbage disposal, land encroachment and public transportation were the main issues facing Phuket. He met and talked with tourists and Thais on the beach. At one point, Patong’s ex-mayor, Pian Keesin, approached the PM and gave him a…
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ASEAN pledges joint action on terrorism
PHUKET (AFP): Southeast Asian ministers today pledged a “new era” of cooperation against the global terrorist threat, with plans to link efforts to combat militancy and promote the region as a safe place for tourists and investors. At an informal retreat at the Amanpuri resort, the 10 Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) foreign ministers moved to counter a growing…
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Staff believe Shark will reopen
PATONG: Loyal Shark Club staff still camping outside the darkened disco in protest over its closure expect the club will eventually reopen, one of their leaders told the Gazette today. The staff also hope that expelled Canadian manager-shareholder Kevin Radke will return to run the business. The club’s Chief Engineer, Sayan Ongvimonkarn, told the Gazette that he believed the closure…
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Knife-death bouncer surrenders
CHALONG: A bouncer wanted for stabbing a man to death in a brawl in Kata Center on January 20 has turned himself in, police said today. Tanakrit “Bud Easy” Taweesaman allegedly knifed Chaiwut Yodkaew after an altercation near where Tanakrit worked at the Easy Rider pub on Tina Rd. (See also https://thethaiger.com/news/index.asp?Id=1872 .) Police Col Sati Malakanond, Superintendent of Chalong…
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PM to make lightning tour of Phuket
PHUKET: Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra arrives in Phuket tomorrow afternoon for a lightning tour that will take in Phuket Town, Patong and the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ retreat at Amanpuri. The PM’s schedule is as follows: * 1:30 pm – Arrival at Phuket International Airport and then by car to Pa Khlok; * 1:50 pm – Visit “One Tambon, One Product”…
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Bus service “to start April 1′
PHUKET TOWN: The island’s first public buses will arrive on March 20, and full regular services will begin on April 1, the Phuket Provincial Administrative Organization (OrBorJor) announced today. The announcement was made at the formal signing of an agreement between the OrBorJor and Bangkok-based Thonburi Automotive Assembly, which will build and rent 12 buses to the OrBorJor. Wisut Santikun,…
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Country singer’s crew in bad smash
PHUKET: Four members of the road crew supporting country music star Got Jakraphan were seriously hurt in the early hours of yesterday morning when their 10-wheel truck overturned on the bend next to Pop Cottage in Kata after the brakes failed. While visiting the injured men at Wachira Phuket Hospital, Got told the Gazette, “I’m currently on tour around the…
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Prison drugs check turns up only porn
PHUKET TOWN: A spot check for narcotics at Phuket Provincial Prison by Governor Pongpayome Vasaputi and other senior officials yesterday drew a blank. All that was found was four pornographic magazines. The inspection team, which included Pol Lt Gen Veerasin Kwanseng, Deputy Superintendent of Phuket Town Police Station, was organized by Prison Director Tanu Maikaew. Warders at the prison were…
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Burning garbage stinks up Patong
PATONG: The stench of burning garbage has brought increasing complaints from tourists in Patong – and so far very little appears to have been done to fix the problem. Wolfgang Meusburger, General Manager of the Holiday Inn Resort, told the Gazette today that his guests had been complaining since December about the trash being burned near the Patong Wastewater Treatment…
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Airport throughput still falling
PHUKET: Year-on-year figures for January show a fall of almost 10% in the number of passengers passing through Phuket International Airport. December’s figures were also lower, down by 3.32% compared with December 2000. Travel in and out of Phuket and to most destinations around the world has continued to decline since the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States.…
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Italian fugitive caught in Patong
PATONG: Alleged Italian drug trafficker, Massimo Goggi, 47, was arrested by Phuket Immigration Police on Valentine’s Day while walking along Patong Beach. Goggi is wanted in Italy for drug trafficking, and an international warrant was issued for his arrest eight years ago. But it was only 10 days ago that Italian police tracked him down to Phuket and asked local…
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American drowns at Nai Harn
NAIHARN: American resident John Scott, 55, drowned while swimming at Nai Harn Beach early yesterday afternoon. Pol Capt Teerapol Liamsuwan of Chalong Police Station told the Gazette, “I received a report at 1:30 pm that a foreigner had drowned while swimming at Nai Harn beach. “We reported the death to the US Embassy in Bangkok.” Friend Don Battles told the…
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Secret tape sparks corruption probe
PHUKET: Governor CEO Pongpayome Vasaputi has ordered the Chief of Kathu District to investigate allegations of corruption in the Patong Municipality and has pledged to establish a committee of inquiry if the allegations appear to have foundation. The allegations were made by former mayor Pian Keesin, now in opposition in the Council. On Wednesday, at an extraordinary meeting in the…
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‘Tired’ Jensen to sell Valhalla
PATONG: The owner of V-Plaza on Soi Sunset, better known by its former name, Valhalla, quashed rumors today that he is again in trouble with the authorities. “There’s no problem. No problem at all,” Jan Jensen told the Gazette. Mr Jensen did, however, confirm another rumor that V-Plaza is up for sale, saying that he was “tired of the business”.…
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Guides protest over tour prices
PHUKET: A group of about 70 Japanese-speaking tour guides protested today to Governor CEO Pongpayome Vasaputi about a tour operator who, they claim, is offering tour prices to Japanese that are lower than officially agreed rates. The guides say that the lower prices are quoted in maps in Japanese, distributed in the restricted area at the airport by tour company…
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Wrong-way couple win Valentine’s divorce
PHUKET: One registrar refused to divorce a couple who wanted to split on Valentine’s Day, but another registrar decided that she had to do her duty, so a second couple actually achieved their wish. The Registrar at Muang District Office, Nittaya Chaya-apichart, told the Gazette, “Today is a day of love, so I refused to divorce one couple.” But the…
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Almost a last meal for prisoner
PATONG: A 50-year-old Finn who was arrested on Wednesday evening for gambling, and then left to sleep off the night’s alcohol consumption in the Patong Police Station lockup, probably thought life could not get much worse. But it did. After the man, named by police as Peter James, was put in the cell, his girlfriend brought him some water, some…
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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