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 opening for Christmas, New Year
PHUKET: The Royal Thai Police announced today that, as in previous years, entertainment venues may stay open from Christmas Eve until 6 am on Christmas Day, and from New Year’s Eve until 6 am on New Year’s Day. Pol Col Paween Pongsirin, Superintendent of Phuket Town Police Station, told the Gazette, “All entertainment venues will be allowed to trade through…
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Gov backs away from Phi Phi row
PHUKET: Governor CEO Pongpayome Vasaputi today backed away from his controversial suggestion that the national government should buy out existing businesses on the Phi Phi islands and run the islands as a state enterprise. Addressing a press conference, the Governor said, laughing, “I don’t want to talk about this. I just wanted to shed some light on the subject. “I…
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Seminar identifies greatest threats to Phuket
PHUKET TOWN: The greatest threat to Phuket’s continued success as a top tourist destination is not a lack of planning, but the fact that few plans are put into action and, when they are, there is a lack of supervision or enforcement. That was the clear message from the majority of speakers in yesterday’s seminar on “The Prospects for Land…
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Motorcycle injury stats keep breaking records
PHUKET: The number of people injured in traffic accidents involving motorcycles continues to reach new heights, according to the latest statistics released by the Wachira, Thalang and Patong government hospitals. Between September 20 and October 20, 958 people were injured in motorcycle accidents, boosting the year’s total to 9,481 – a 12% rise on the 8,434 injured in the same…
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Australia road show “a big success’
PHUKET TOWN: The Phuket Road Show in Australia earlier this month was a great success, Panu Massirat, a member of the Phuket Tourism Association and organizer of the road show, said today. “As soon as I got back to Phuket, I got more than 10 phone calls from tour agencies in Australia asking me about tourism in Phuket, and the…
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Teenagers reenact Ao Nang killing
KRABI: The three teenagers accused of the murder of German tourist Petra Sack on Ao Nang Beach two weeks ago took part yesterday in a reenactment of the crime. But despite one of them retracing his flight from the scene, during which, he told police, he had lost the knife used to stab Ms Sack, police were unable to find…
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A false sense of security
PHUKET TOWN: This year has not been a good one for 47-year-old security guard Pirat Rungpian, from Nakhon Pathom. After six years of robbing businesses he was supposed to be protecting, his career in crime finally came to a halt after a wheel fell off. Literally. Pirat was arrested in Nakhon Sawan on Friday on a charge of attempted robbery…
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Islander stings “black money’ con man
BANGKOK: Utter the phrases “West African” and “black money” in the same breath, and, surely, most people will sniff one of the oldest con-tricks in the book. Yet it seems that there are still some people out there whose greed makes them blind to their own gullibility. Granted, in the latest case to come to light, the con men carefully…
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Police seek better photos of mob leaders
THALANG: Police have been unable to issue warrants for the arrests of people suspected of being involved in a mob three weeks ago at the Yacht Haven marina because the pictures they have are not clear enough for positive identification. The mob beat up Kent Michalick, a member of the crew of the superyacht Yanneke Too and trashed the pick-up…
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Regatta ends on windless note
KATA: The 15th Phuket King’s Cup Regatta ended with a whimper rather than a bang when the final day’s racing was canceled for lack of wind – the second such windless day in the six-day event. As a result, the seven class awards were made on the basis of races completed by the end of Friday, as follows: Racing: 1.…
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Patong upgrade to town status delayed
PATONG: Patong Mayor Surasak Maneesri has blamed the previous local administration for a lack of progress in getting the town’s status upgraded from tessabaan tambon (village) to tessaban muang (town). In February last year, local government officials estimated that the application process would take eight months to a year to complete. But, said Mayor Surasak, “The Ministry of Interior has…
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Slow going in Krabi murder probe
KRABI: Police have released one suspect held during investigations into the November 29 murder of German tourist Petra Sack, after it was found that the man, Santi “Neng” Sagnakul, was in Phang Nga at the time of the murder. Another man, Somchai “Ann” Samartjit, 22, is still being questioned, though police say they are now more inclined to believe that…
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Casino boss gambles on nudists
BANGKOK (AFP): Senator Vikrom Isiri, the entrepreneur who built the Andaman Club casino and hotel on Myanmar’s Son island, close to Ranong, now plans to build a nudist colony on the nearby island of St Luke’s. The Nation newspaper reported that the resort will cater to Europeans who “like to take their clothes off in public”. “Everybody [guests] will have…
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Panellists announced for Phuket Seminar
The hosts of the 14 December seminar on “The Prospects for Land Resource Management and Tourism in Phuket” have announced speakers from both the public and private sectors. Travelling from Bangkok for the occasion will be: – Rajatin Syamananda, Director-General, Town & Country Planning Dept – Thasanee Chantadisal, Director of the Urban & Environmental Planning Division, Office of Environmental Policy…
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American resident, 50, dies in bike smash
PATONG: Kamala-based financial adviser Richard “Nick” Dixon, 50, died of multiple injuries after he lost control of his motorcycle on Tuesday and smashed into an oncoming pick-up truck.on a sharp curve in Kalim. Pol Lt Serm Kwannimit of Kathu Police Station told the Gazette that when he arrived at the scene at around 5.45 pm, Mr Dixon, an American citizen,…
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Traffic drive nets 1,000 offenders in 5 days
KATHU: Police here have been showing that they are serious about their crackdown on traffic violations. Between December 1 and yesterday, they fined nearly 1,000 people for a variety of offenses. In many cases, people were cited for more than one violation. A total of 914 people were charged with riding a motorcycle without a helmet and were fined 100…
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Nightclub owners reminded to close tonight
PHUKET TOWN: The chief of police in Muang District, Pol Col Paween Pongsirin, yesterday chaired a meeting attended by 75 owners of entertainment venues, at which he reminded them that no one may sell alcohol today, HM The King’s Birthday, and that the only evening venues that may open are restaurants. Col Paween, the Superintendent of the Phuket Town Police…
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Foreign musicians to be hunted down
BANGKOK (AFP): Thailand pledged Monday to crack down on overseas singers and musicians as part of a wider plan to cut the number of illegal migrant workers here by up to 30 percent, a senior official said. While there were some 200 mostly Filipino singers, musicians and artists working legally in hotels and bars in Thailand, many more had entered…
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Chalerm questioned over missing guns
BANGKOK (AFP): Police questioned Thai politician Chalerm Yoobamrung and his wife Lamnao for two hours today in connection with the murder of a police officer for which their son, Duongchalerm, is the chief suspect, officials said. Chalerm and Lamnao, were questioned separately over the disappearance of two handguns from their home, one of which is believed to have been used…
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Prison bulging with narcotics offenders
PHUKET: More than half of the people currently incarcerated in Phuket’s overcrowded provincial prison have either been convicted of narcotics offenses or are awaiting trial on such charges. According to the latest statistics released by the prison, 636 people – more than half the total – are currently incarcerated on narcotics-related convictions or charges. Of these, 505 are men and…
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Burmese fisherman found murdered
PHUKET TOWN: A man believed to have been a Burmese fisherman was found murdered on Thursday in deep grass near Sri Sena fishing port. Pol Maj. Pissanu Poolwong of Phuket Town Police Station told the Gazette that the man, as yet unidentified, had died from 14 stab wounds to the forehead, neck, chest, stomach and right side. He added that…
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Ya bah seized in raids doubles
PHUKET: The number of ya bah (methamphetamine) pills seized by police between November 1 and 25 is more than double the amount netted during the same period in October, according to the latest statistics released by police. During November, police seized 7,435 ya bah pills, compared with the 3,327 tablets of the drug netted in the previous month. The jump…
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Big C opening causes traffic chaos
PHUKET TOWN: The snarl of traffic on the bypass road yesterday, on the evening of the opening of Big C Supercenter, marked the start of a fierce battle for the hearts and wallets of Phuket shoppers between Big C and the its retail giant rival, Tesco Lotus Supercenter. Both have brought the heavy artillery in for the battle. Big C…
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Four gibbons released in the forest
THALANG: Four gibbons from the Gibbon Rehabilitation Project (GRP) were released into the forest this morning. The gibbons – Fish, Bamboo and Mai, all four years old, and six-year old Tara, the only female – were set free about three and a half kilometers away from the Bang Pae waterfall. Upon release, Tara was the first gibbon to venture out…
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“UFOs’ seen over Phuket Town
PHUKET TOWN: Mobile phone systems were jammed last night as people phoned friends all over town to tell them about mysterious white lights zooming around the sky to the north of Phuket Town between 8 and 9 pm. Niyompong Torwong, Public Relations Officer of the Bangkok Phuket Hospital, told the Gazette that he saw a star moving very fast around…
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Two boys, 13, arrested for motorbike theft
PHUKET: Police who raided an old tin mine off Chaofa Nok Rd, following a tip-off, found two 13-year-old boys in the act of dropping a motorbike engine block into the mine. Pol Maj Thanet Puangmanee and his men raided the old mine beside Wat Naka on Monday and found the two boys, one from Chalong and the other from Karon,…
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Kathu Police to crack down on traffic laws
PATONG: Kathu police today warned that, from next Wednesday, they will crack down on road traffic violations in a campaign aimed at reducing the number of deaths and injuries on the district’s roads. Signs in Thai and English have been going up all over the district, and particularly in Patong, warning motorists to follow the Highway Code or face the…
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Police home in on mob members
THALANG: Police have compiled, from criminal records, a list of some 50 people they suspect may have been involved in the mob that beat up a New Zealand yachtsman on November 18, then trashed the pick-up truck he had been driving. The mob, from Baan Kor-Ane, attacked Kent Michalick, from the superyacht “Yanneke Too”, and smashed up the truck, after…
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Help us eradicate sex tours – TAT boss
PHUKET: Anupharp Thirarath, the Director of the local office of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), has appealed for information about any person or company involved in promoting sex for sale in Phuket. The appeal comes after TAT officers discovered websites offering child sex as part of package tours. One website offered three days and two nights’ stay, including sex…
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Yacht skipper blasts mob violence
THALANG: The skipper of a 30-meter superyacht has blasted villagers in the north of Phuket for “lawlessness” after a member of his crew was beaten up by a mob on Sunday evening, and was then forced to apologize to them for driving through their village too fast. After brushing aside security staff at the Yacht Haven marina, the mob of…
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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