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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90 Burmese arrested at Wat Chalong Fair
CHALONG: Police arrested 90 Burmese at the Wat Chalong Fair on charges of illegal immigration or violating the 8 pm curfew imposed on Burmese, Cambodian and Laotian laborers. Immigration police, together with police from Chalong, swept into the Wat to make the arrests at around midnight on Wednesday. Pol Col Apirak Hongtong, Superintendent of Phuket Immigration Office, said that police…
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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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Prevention for unwanted Valentine’s gifts
PHUKET TOWN: On a day when love is the traditional gift, the Phuket Provincial Health Office (PPHO) has been trying to ensure that no one gets an unwanted byproduct of love. The office chose Valentine’s Day to hand out free condoms to gas stations as part of a campaign to curb the spread of sexually-transmitted diseases (STDs). Phuket Vice Governor…
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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…
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Love is a 19,000-baht bunch of blossoms
PHUKET: Valentine’s Day will be marked by smiling lovers and red roses if today’s informal survey of 10 florists by the Gazette proves accurate. But the biggest smile will probably be seen on the face of a woman who receives a bunch of rare black roses from Holland, this year’s most valuable blossoms at 19,000 baht a bunch. Metha Supasri,…
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Tourist drowns in hotel pool
PATONG: Tourists dived to the rescue of a Taiwanese guest who had sunk to the bottom of a hotel swimming pool on Sunday, but were unable to save his life. Wang Jeng Chuan, 31, arrived at the Merlin Beach Hotel on Thaweewong Rd, Patong, on Sunday morning. He was swimming in the hotel pool around 4 pm that day when,…
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US command ship visits Phuket
PHUKET: The US Navy’s 7th Fleet command ship, the USS Blue Ridge, arrived here today. While in port, 7th Fleet Commander, V/Adm James Metzger, and his staff will have a series of meetings with Thai military and civilian leaders to discuss regional issues of concern, including the fight against terrorism. They will also discuss holding combined exercises with the Royal…
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OrBorJor denies collapse of bus plan
PHUKET TOWN: The Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) today dismissed rumors that plans to launch a local bus service had been scrapped, insisting that bus services will start next month. Wisut Santikun, Deputy President of the OrBorJor and Chairman of the Public Transportation Board, told the Gazette, “The OrBorJor is 100% sure that Phuket will have a bus service this…
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Valentine’s Day is no D-Day
PHUKET: Hundreds of couples are lining up to marry in Phuket on Valentine’s Day and the message for couples who want to divorce on February 14 is: Please don’t. “I don’t want any couple divorcing on that day because it’s a day of love and happiness,” Sirinee Leelanont, Chief Registrar at the Thalang District Office, told the Gazette. Last year…
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Bust nets B8.5m in smuggled goods
AO MAKHAM: A squad of 25 Marine Police officers seized boat spares, radios and electronic equipment worth 8.5 million baht in a raid on a Taiwanese fishing vessel on Saturday. Pol Col Peera Boonliang, Superintendent of the Phuket Marine Police, told the Gazette yesterday, “We received a tip-off that the goods would arrive on a Taiwanese fishing boat and be…
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Policeman in murder-suicide
PATONG: A policeman stationed at Tungtong Police Station shot his girlfriend dead early yesterday morning, then killed himself with a single bullet to the head. Neighbors of the couple, Pol L/Cpl Chamlong Homkate, 29, and 26-year-old Vanich Meejun, called police just before 2 am to report hearing two gunshots from the couple’s room on Phra Barami Rd. The couple had…
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Prostitution arrests sharply up
PHUKET: Arrests for prostitution rose sharply last month, police statistics for January 1 to 25 show. A total of 53 people were held on prostitution-related charges, about seven times the figure in the same period of December. The number of people arrested on drugs charges also rose, from 120 in December to 144 last month. Ya bah (methamphetamine) was involved…
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Deputy PM launches recycling initiative
PHUKET TOWN: Deputy Prime Minister Pitak Intrawitayanunt launched a government initiative yesterday to sort and recycle trash in Phuket. Participants in a seminar at the Metropole Hotel discussed various ways to effectively dispose of trash to lighten the workload of the overburdened municipal incinerator at Saphan Hin. Khunying Chodchoy Sophonpanit, Chairperson of the Thai Environment & Community Development Association (TECDA),…
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ASEAN ministers to meet in Phuket
BANGKOK: Foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will meet in Phuket on February 20 and 21 for a two-day “retreat”, officials said today. Thai Foreign Ministry spokesman Rattakit Manathat said the meeting would have no set agenda, but was likely to follow up on issues explored at the ASEAN summit in Brunei last year. Measures to…
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Man held over large shark fin haul
PHUKET TOWN: A tip-off led the Marine Police to arrest a Taiwanese fisherman in possession of 115 shark fins today, the second arrest of its kind in just over three weeks. The man, named by police as Chern Whan Yee, 58, left his boat, “Worita”, this morning carrying two large white bags. When the officers asked Chern to open the…
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Fires cause 650,000 baht damage
PHUKET TOWN: A fire at 9.30 pm on Tuesday night destroyed two houses, and a second fire badly damaged a gift shop half a kilometer away, in Phuket Rd, yesterday afternoon. Damage to the houses in Soi Ton Pho was estimated at 400,000 baht, while stock worth 250,000 baht in the gift shop, Baan See Khao, was ruined in the…
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Tourist drowns off Surin Beach
SURIN BEACH: Italian tourist Marisa Tolomelli, 69, drowned while swimming off Surin Beach yesterday afternoon. Mrs Tolomelli and her husband at first went swimming together. The husband then returned to the beach to sunbathe. She disappeared shortly afterwards. Pol Capt Anake Mongkol of the Cherng Talay Police Station told the Gazette that witnesses said Mrs Tolomelli had been missing for…
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Boat owners warned over tax
PHUKET: The Phuket Excise Department has warned the owners of all imported pleasure craft, including speedboats and jet-skis, to settle their outstanding taxes before April 1 or face huge fines and possible imprisonment. An Excise Department statement said the grace period would give boat owners time to pay taxes owed. The total import taxes payable on foreign-made pleasure craft were…
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Mobile phone ban for motorists
BANGKOK (AFP): The government today tabled a proposal to outlaw the use of mobile phones by motorists, saying they distract drivers and cause accidents, a senior minister said. Defense Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh told reporters that the cabinet’s Scrutinizing Committee had agreed to draft legislation that would prohibit motorists from talking on mobile phones, even with the use of hands-free equipment.…
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Gov rebuffs Shark lawyer
PHUKET: Provincial Governor CEO Pongpayome Vasaputi has flatly rejected a message from a Canadian lawyer representing Kevin Radke, managing director of the company that owns the Shark Club, urging him to reverse his order closing the club permanently. In the email message, which was copied to the Gazette, lawyer Kieran Bridge wrote, in part, “Your order to close the Shark…
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Teen gang “robbed to buy drugs and toys’
PHUKET TOWN: Police believe they have brought a series of snatch-and-ride crimes to an end with the arrest at the weekend of four young suspects who, officers say, used their ill-gotten gains to buy toys and drugs. Women riding motorbikes alone after dark were the gang’s usual targets. Police allege that the three boys and a girl would grab handbags,…
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Dozens of sea turtles hatch
MAI KHAO: A nest of leatherback turtles hatched at the weekend on Mai Khao beach, the fourth hatching since January 17. The mother turtle arrived on the beach to lay the eggs in December. Thanu Naep-nien, spokesperson for the environmentalist group Wildlife Fund Thailand, said, “There were 105 eggs in the nest. Around 80 have hatched. They started hatching Saturday…
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Jammin latest victim of crackdown
PHUKET TOWN: Jammin Music Club on Bangkok Rd became the latest victim of the crackdown on the entertainment industry when it was raided by police early this morning and ordered closed for 30 days because one customer was found to be underage. Officers led by Phuket Town Police Station Superintendent Paween Pongsirin went to the club at around 12:30 am,…
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611 in jail over drugs
PHUKET: More than half of the people incarcerated in Phuket’s overcrowded provincial prison have either been convicted of narcotics offenses or are awaiting trial on drug-related charges. According to the latest statistics released by the prison, 611 of the 1,204 inmates are locked up on narcotics-related convictions or charges. Of these, 506 are men and 105 are women. In addition,…
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Phuket Town to host biker festival
PHUKET TOWN: After failing to persuade Patong to host their event, the organizers of the Phuket Bike Rally have now received the go-ahead from the authorities in Phuket Town to stage three days of contests, games and parties at Saphan Hin, from February 22 to 24. Tanate Trivut, managing director of Delice Thai Co, the management company for the event,…
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Shark staff petition in vain
PHUKET TOWN: 131 staff members of Patong’s Shark Club, ordered closed yesterday by Phuket Governor CEO Pongpayome Vasaputi, assembled at the Provincial Hall this afternoon to demand that he reopen the club. They were unable to meet with the governor, who was in Bangkok today, and instead presented their petition to Vice Governor Manit Wattanasen. Three representatives – Pathamapan Rattanapan,…
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Governor shuts the Shark
PHUKET: The biggest disco in Phuket, Patong’s Shark Club & Discotheque, was today ordered closed permanently on instructions from the Minister of Interior, Purachai Piemsomboon. The closure order, announced by Governor CEO Pongpayome Vasaputi, came after it was discovered that the operating license for the disco – which can hold more than 1,500 revelers at a time – contained irregularities…
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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