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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Briton drowns at Patong Beach
PATONG: A British man who had been living in Phuket for 10 years drowned at Patong Beach today. Police named him as Anthony Lord, 71, of Soi Sainamyen, Patong. Mr Lord appeared to get into difficulties about 10.15 am and although other swimmers raced to his aid, they were unable to save him. Pol Maj Sanguan Muangtham, Inspector of Kathu…
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German tourist dies of head injuries
KAMALA: A 40-year-old German tourist was found dead on a stairway with severe head injuries early this morning. Police believe his death was accidental but have not ruled out foul play. Police named the man as Peter Otto, of Kamala Buri Guesthouse. Other guests heard what sounded like Mr Otto’s door opening about 4 am, and then heard someone falling…
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Metered cabs to start April 1
PHUKET: Metered yellow and blue taxis will be cruising Phuket’s streets from April 1, says the proprietor of the private company starting the service. Tawatchai Meeniam, Managing Director of Phuket Metered Taxi Service Co, told the Gazette today that he hopes to start with five taxis, all of them new Mitsubishi Lancers. Fares for the 24-hour service will be 30…
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Drought puts spotlight on mine pits
BANGKOK (The Nation): The Town and Country Planning Department is looking into the possibility of using mine pits as supplementary sources of fresh water for Phuket, where current water resources are being depleted, the department head said yesterday. Phuket has more than 100 mine pits capable of supplying about 49.5 million cubic metres of water for consumption each year, said…
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Weapons of war found in Patong
PATONG: A sack of hand grenades, guns and ammunition found near a hotel in Patong has sparked a police hunt for whoever dumped the dangerous weapons. Police received a telephone call at about 6pm on Thursday, alerting them to the discarded sack of munitions found near the Patong Palace Hotel on the Patong-Karon Road. Inside the bag were two grenades,…
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Broken heart drives Norwegian to suicide
PATONG: Police believe a 31-year-old Norwegian tourist hanged himself at the weekend because his Thai girlfriend had found another man. Officers from Kathu Police Station were called to a house in Phra Barami Rd about 3.30 am on Saturday where they found the man’s body in a rented room. His girlfriend had earlier discovered the tourist, who was hanging from…
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Phuket Town water to be shut off
PHUKET TOWN: Central Phuket Town will be without tap water from 10 am tomorrow until about 7 am on Wednesday to allow a rainwater pipe to be hooked up to the main water supply. The hook up will be carried out at the intersection of Yaowarat Rd and Soi Rungrawee, near Wachira Phuket Hospital, where Phuket Town’s Public Works Department…
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Snatch-and-go robbers grab gold
PHUKET TOWN: Two men on a red Honda Dream snatched a gold chain from a woman’s neck on Thursday as she rode a motorcycle with her husband. The couple, Jian Boontiem, 68 and his wife Kiat Saetan, 68, told police they had been shopping at the market on Ranong Rd and were returning along Soi Phuton about 9 am when…
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Goods valued at B2m netted in Rawai raid
RAWAI: Marine police today raided the 2nd Hand shop on Wiset Rd and seized boat parts they estimate to be worth more than two million baht. Officers raided the store after being tipped-off by an informant, who stands to receive a reward of 30% of the value of the goods determined by Customs. Officers asked shop owner Kaewta Brickley to…
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Transport office silence prompts legal threats
PHUKET: A private company hoping to set up the island’s first metered taxi service announced today that it plans to sue the Phuket Provincial Public Transportation Office (PPTO) for failing to reply to its request to register a vehicle. Tawatchai Meeniam, managing director of Phuket Metered Taxi Service Co, said, “We contacted the office 15 days ago about registering our…
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PM expected to launch “Seven Wonders’
PHUKET TOWN: The “Seven Wonders of Phuket” project, which aims to attract tourists to Phuket Town, gained momentum today with the news that Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra might open the first Sunday of festivities on April 7. The announcement, made by Phuket Town Mayor Phummisak Hongsyok at a press conference, comes before three private companies – Kantana, JSL and All…
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Watchdogs rap Thaksin for media fiasco
PHUKET (AFP & Gazette reporters): In an address to the Phuket Reporters Club last night, Governor CEO Pongpayome Vasaputi declared his support for freedom of expression in the press. Reporters are not obligated to write only good things about government, he said, noting that criticisms were both “normal” and expected. The governor received a thundering round of applause, apparently in…
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U.S. senator dismayed by Thai government
WASHINGTON (AFP): U.S. Senator Jesse Helms on Monday slammed the Thai government’s move to expel two reporters, warning that their deportation could cause Washington to rethink its aid to Thailand. “The Thai government’s decision to expel an American journalist and one from Great Britain is the most recent move toward authoritarianism in Thailand,” said Helms, the ranking Republican on the…
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Motorcycle deaths halved
PHUKET: Nine people died in traffic accidents between December 20 and January 20, according to the latest statistics from the Wachira, Thalang and Patong government hospitals. The figures show a sharp decline in road deaths over previous years. In 1999-2000 and again in 2000-2001, 18 were killed in accidents during the same December-January period. In all three years, all of…
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Phuket to get German consulate
PHUKET: The German government is to open a representative office in Phuket Town on April 1, to deal with passport and visa applications and to assist German nationals with legal and health issues. Dirk Naumann will act as representative of the German Embassy for Southern Thailand while awaiting his formal appointment as honorary consul, at which time the office will…
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Police order story off worldwide web
BANGKOK (AFP): Thai police have today ordered The Economist magazine to take its controversial Thailand survey off its website, where it was made available for free after being barred from (hard-copy) distribution here. The Economist’s circulation director for Asia, Peter Bakker, said the company decided to put the 14-page survey on the website to serve readers and subscribers in Thailand…
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Yellow boxes to help police
PHUKET TOWN: Ten yellow boxes will be placed in public areas around Phuket Town to allow people to provide written feedback to the police, including tip-offs, suggestions and criticism. The idea for the yellow boxes came from a focus group of 10 people from various walks of life, which was set up by police to evaluate police actions. In a…
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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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Pollsters intimidated by government
BANGKOK (AFP): A Thai polling organisation accused the government of intimidation this morning, saying police and military swooped on its offices and seized documents after its most recent survey showed flagging support for Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. “Special Branch police came here yesterday and warned us that we should inform them in advance both before conducting new surveys and releasing…
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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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Govt steps back from fight with FEER
BANGKOK (AFP): The government today demanded that the Hong Kong-based current affairs magazine, the Far Eastern Economic Review (FEER), apologize for an article published in January, or face the expulsion of its two Bangkok-based journalists. FEER’s Rodney Tasker and Shawn Crispin have lodged an appeal against deportation orders served at the weekend, after they were named on Friday in an…
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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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Three accused of B1.9m fraud
PHUKET TOWN: The manager of the high-end Prangtong Village housing estate on Kwang Rd, along with two others, has been arrested for misappropriating 1.9 million baht from the estate’s developer. Police named them as Nopparat Tongton, 53, the Manager of Prangtong Village, his wife, Jaruwan Tongton, 56, and his clerk, Arunrat Sa-ngeam, 33. Nopparat is the nephew of Tanakij Tongton,…
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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…
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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