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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Four tourists die in bus accident
BANGKOK (AFP): Four Malaysian tourists were killed and another 30 seriously injured in Thailand early today when their bus careened off the Asian Highway and overturned. The group was on its way to the southern city of Hat Yai, as part of a tour of Thailand that took them as far north as Chiang Rai. The accident occurred in Nakhon…
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Thaksin found guilty of false declarations
BANGKOK (AFP): Thailand’s anti-graft watchdog ruled today that leading prime ministerial candidate Thaksin Shinawatra was guilty of filing a false declaration of his assets, an offence that could result in him being banned from politics for five years. The nine-member board of the National Counter Corruption Commission (NCCC) voted 8-1 that Thaksin “intentionally filed a false statement of assets”, said…
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Murder victim might be Pakistani
PHUKET TOWN: The body of a man believed to have been a Pakistani fisherman was found in an industrial garbage bin near the fishing port on Saturday. Pol Maj Songwut Khunjan of Phuket Town Police Station told the Gazette that the man, as yet unidentified, died from almost 40 wounds to the face, neck, chest, stomach and back. He added…
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Crashed cement truck blocks road
KATHU: A cement truck overturned on a sharp curve on Patong hill at noon today, forcing traffic police to close the road for two hours. The driver, Jarouy Promhoun, lost control of the truck after stalling the engine on the way up the hill, Pol Cap Kittipong Claikaew told the Gazette. The truck, owned by Chalong Concrete Co, overturned just…
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Astrologers say recovery not on cards for 2001
BANGKOK (AFP): Thailand’s influential astrologers say their crystal balls and tarot cards confirm what financial analysts have learned from spreadsheets and graphs — the economy is in for a tough time in 2001. Hopes that Thailand could shake off the legacy of the 1997 economic crisis in the New Year will be dashed, as the forces of nature forecast the…
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Man arrested for suitcase murder of Briton
BANGKOK (AFP): Thai police said this afternoon that they had arrested a 19-year-old Iranian man on suspicion of involvement in the murder of a British man whose dismembered body was found in a suitcase in a Bangkok suburb. The body of 52-year-old John Morris Neville, part-owner of a hotel in the Thai capital, was discovered on December 9, packed into…
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Major drug dealer busted
PHUKET: In one of the biggest ever drug busts in Phuket, Marine Police last night arrested a Krabi-based drug dealer and seized 6,350 pills of ya bah (methamphetamine). Pol Col Misakawan Buara, Superintendent of Phuket Marine Police, named the alleged dealer as Adisak Kreayot, 33. He said that officers posing as buyers contacted Adisak and arranged to make a “buy”…
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Post Office ready to face the world
PHUKET TOWN: Thanks to a piece of technical wizardry introduced by the Phuket Post Office and local company C&P Sticker, letter writers now have the chance to use their own personal stamp on the envelope. It’s being done to mark International Children’s Day. Anant Muangmee, an officer at the Phuket Post Office, explained that those wishing to send letters with…
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Airport boss moved to Chiangmai
PHUKET: Suthara Huangsuwan, the boss of the Phuket International Airport, was abruptly moved to a new post in Chiang Mai yesterday. An airport official denied that his transfer was the result of his inability to solve the problem of “black” taxis at the Phuket airport, which came to a head on December 16 when a licensed taxi driver was beaten…
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Disappointing start to Tourist Police raids
PATONG: The Phuket Tourist Police, under their new inspector, Pol Lt Col Supawat Sookjaroen, have launched a series of raids that will continue until January 15, and which will be aimed at reducing crimes against tourists. Lt Col Supawat was a “little disappointed” by the results of the initial raids on Tuesday, he told the Gazette. “We expected to catch…
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Thai tourism headed for a bumper 2000
BANGKOK (AFP): Tourist arrivals into Thailand are heading for a bumper year in 2000 after more than 6.9 million visitors were recorded in the first nine months, up 11.3 percent from last year, officials said today. “International visitor arrivals to Thailand totaled 6,942,220 in January-September 2000,” said the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) in a statement. At that rate, Thailand…
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Paedophile placed on FBI’s most-wanted list
BANGKOK (AFP): The FBI’s decision to put accused paedophile Eric Rosser on its most-wanted list was welcomed today by Thai child rights activists who said it served as a powerful warning to sex criminals. Rosser, a former piano player at Bangkok’s prestigious Oriental Hotel and a tutor to the city’s elite, is believed to be the first paedophile listed among…
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Airport taxi driver beaten to death
PHUKET: Airport limousine operators threatened to blockade Phuket International Airport yesterday after a “black” taxi driver allegedly beat a legitimate limousine operator to death on Saturday in front of the airport. A fight broke out between Kanisorn “Lert” Downchoowan, 35, the black taxi driver, and Chart Ketwongworachat, 58, the legitimate limousine operator, at around noon after the two argued over…
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Mother rescues daughter from beggar gang
PATONG: A mother from Isan has been reunited with her daughter after three terrifying years during which the girl was kidnapped by a gang and set to work begging on the streets of Patong. Three years ago, Huad Sooksaeng, 34, from Buri Rum, decided to come to work in Phuket. She left her four-year-old daughter, Kesorn, in the care of…
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Mob blocks road to get rid of eight police
THALANG: A mob of 500 blocked the road to the airport in front of Thalang Police Station for 2½ hours on Saturday afternoon, demanding the transfer of a police captain and seven other officers whom they accused of planting drugs on people and stealing money. The protestors, from Baan Kain in Tambon Thepkrasattri, marched after Pol Capt Sanich Kongnu raided…
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Navy thanks Governor with flowers
PHUKET: The Commander in Chief of the Royal Thai Navy Third Fleet, Vice Admiral Sathirapan Keyanon, today presented Phuket Governor Pongpayome Vasaputi with flowers to thank him for his role in resolving the Cape Panwa blockade last week. The Governor played a central role in resolving the blockade by local villagers after a Navy non-commissioned officer shot a local Muslim…
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New Tourist Police chief arrives
PHUKET: Pol Lt Col Supamit Sukjaroen has arrived on the island to head up the tourist police in Phuket, Krabi, Phatthalung, Trang and Nakhon Sri Thammarat. He replaces Pol Lt Col Chak Onnim, who has been reassigned to a post as deputy superintendent of Phra Kanong Police Station in Bangkok. Lt Col Supamit was previously Inspector of investigations with the…
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Villagers lift Cape Panwa blockade
AO MAKHAM: Following a mass meeting between villagers and high-level government officials last night, and agreement by the officials to two additional demands made by the villagers, the blockade of Cape Panwa ended peacefully this morning. A barricade across the road leading to the cape was erected on Wednesday as part of a mass protest at the shooting to death…
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Villagers issue ultimatum over boy’s death
AO MAKHAM: Dozens of protesters today continued to block the road to Cape Panwa with makeshift barricades, following the killing of a local 16-year-old boy. Some of their leaders threatened that if the police case against the boy’s killers is not sewn up by the end of tomorrow they will rally tens of thousands of Muslims from all over the…
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Tom yam gung ‘may block cancer’
BANGKOK (AFP): Tom yam gung, the Thai spicy prawn soup, contains ingredients that may help prevent digestive cancer, researchers announced today. Substances found in galangal, lemon grass and kaffir limes, three main ingredients in the soup, are effective in inhibiting tumors in the digestive tract, said the researchers, who work for Kyoto and Bangkok universities. “A combination of the main…
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OrBorTor takes over Chalong tap water
CHALONG: As of today, the Chalong Tambon Administration Organization (OrBorTor) will be responsible for supplying tap water to residents of Moo 6, Chalong, which includes Wat Chalong and Baan Na Kok. The OrBorTor will also collect money direct from users. Up until now, the water supply has been managed by the Provincial Administration Organization.
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‘Local’ soccer team beats celebrities
PHUKET TOWN: A team comprising local footballers and members of the Thai national soccer squad stamped their authority on Saturday’s match to celebrate the reopening of Surakul Stadium, with a 7-5 victory over a celebrity side. Thai international Sutree Suksomkit, playing for the “Locals”, was the first to find the net after just nine minutes. A few minutes later, Sutree’s…
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Banks continue threatened by bad loans
BANGKOK (AFP): Thailand’s embattled banking sector will slowly begin to recover in 2001, but a morass of non-performing loans will continue to dog the industry, Merrill Lynch said in a report released today. The outlook for the banking sector next year is cautiously positive, but recovery could be pushed off course by the mountain of bad loans, or if the…
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Brit dies in car crash on way to airport
PHUKET TOWN: British national Allan Winston Allford, 50, died instantly from head injuries sustained in a car accident on Friday afternoon while on the way to the airport. Arriving at the scene on Chao Fa Nork Rd, opposite Soi Sa Nguan Sak, police found Mr Allford’s jeep upside-down in a drain. Mr Allford’s body was still trapped behind the wheel.…
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Phuket-Krabi flights mark launch of Air Andaman
PHUKET: The new Phuket-based airline, Air Andaman, will take to the air on Monday with a twice-daily service between Phuket and Krabi. The frequency will increase to three flights a day from Friday. Montri Rattanapiphop, Regional Sales Manager at Air Andaman’s Bangkok office, told the Gazette, “We will fly from Phuket to Krabi at 0930 and 1720. The return flights…
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King’s Cup: wind disappoints again
KATA: White caps on the waves and a spectacular start by the Premier Cruisers gave everybody hope that Wednesday’s Andaman Sea Race would see hard, fast competition. The race, sponsored this year by Volvo, has a reputation for being long and hard – a grueling 40 nautical miles around the southern tip of Phuket, between Koh Racha Noi and Koh…
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PM hopeful “forgot’ to declare assets
BANGKOK (AFP): Prime ministerial hopeful Thaksin Shinawatra admitted to Thailand’s anti-graft body today that he had failed to declare assets of nearly 15 million dollars, but insisted he had simply forgot. “I have filed an incomplete asset declaration, but I did not intend to, because I had no reason to conceal my assets,” Thaksin told reporters after a crucial appearance…
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Interpol to be contacted over murder suspect
KAMALA: Police have applied to the Governor of Phuket for an arrest warrant for Walter Ober Lener, 39, who is wanted in connection with the November 13 murder of his 21-year-old Thai girlfriend, Waraporn Tawaetwong. “The Chief of Kathu District has sent a request to the Governor which, once signed, will authorize us to notify Interpol that Lener is a…
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King’s Cup sees better conditions on Day 2
KATA: After a first day’s racing that ended with no results in most classes thanks to lack of wind, yesterday’s King’s Cup racing saw better conditions. An enthusiastic start to the Boathouse-QBE race saw a collision on the start line between Mats Johansson’s Diah Tantri and Rodney Cran’s Slice of Heaven in the Performance Cruising class, which cost the former…
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S & P maintains ratings, outlook for Thailand
NEW YORK (AFP): U.S. ratings agency Standard and Poor’s yesterday announced that it has maintained all its credit ratings on Thailand and that its outlook on the country remains stable. The agency predicted no change in Thailand’s general economic policy and reform efforts following national elections on January 6. But it also warned that ratings could weaken if the pace…
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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