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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The Great American Smokeout, held this year on November 17, is a nationwide event that encourages smokers to take their first steps towards a smoke-free life. If you’re an expat in Thailand, this day could be a timely reminder to...
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Tourist drowns off Patong beach
PATONG: The body of a Malaysian tourist, Cheu Chee Hou, 27, was found yesterday on Patong Beach, after he disappeared while in Phuket on his honeymoon. Pol Capt Ampolwat Sangruang of the Kathu Police Station said he received a report from villagers that they had found Mr Hou’s body lying on the beach opposite the Holiday Inn Hotel on Thaweewong…
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Governor clamps down on “bar beers”
PHUKET: In an effort to control beer bars, known locally as “bar beers”, Phuket Governor Pongpayome Vasaputi has ordered officers of Tambon Administration Organizations (OrBorTor) to reject building modification requests from such bars. At the regular provincial meeting between the Governor and chief officers of OrBorTor in Phuket Town this morning, Governor Pongpayome complained that bar beers were unsightly and…
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Drugs arrests almost double
PHUKET: Police figures released today show that 80 people were arrested for involvement with narcotics between June 1 and June 25, nearly double the number of arrests for drug offences during the same period in May. In 70 separate busts, police netted just under 6,000 ya bah pills. Of these, 4,050 were seized on Sunday in the province’s unofficial largest…
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More submarine plans for Phuket
PHUKET: Another submarine will enter Phuket’s water soon, if a company from the mid-Pacific island of Saipan gets its wish. Jack McClure, general manager of Pacific Subsea Saipan Inc, today met with local officials, including the Governor of Phuket, Pongpayome Vasaputi, to brief them about his company’s plans. Pacific Subsea Saipan already runs submarine tours in Saipan, and wants to…
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Biker gang backs Thaksin
BANGKOK (AFP): One hundred Thai motorcyclists riding chrome-covered “choppers” rumbled up to Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s office today to add their support to a wave of public sympathy for the embattled premier. The leather-garbed bikers handed over bouquets for Thaksin – who is facing graft charges in the Constitutional Court that could see him barred from office for five years…
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Notorious pirate caught
RANONG (AFP): Police said today they had arrested notorious pirate Viroj Buasuwan, better known as “Roj 100 Corpses” for his brutal treatment of ships’ crews. Viroj, 50, was arrested on Saturday in Ranong on charges related to an attack on the Burmese trawler “Thorae” in January, the Crime Suppression Unit said. Roj and his 20-strong gang forced the crew of…
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“Biggest’ yah bah dealers arrested
PHUKET TOWN: Police from Surat Thani arrested two men selling ya bah (methamphetamine) in the car park in front of Super Cheap on Thepkrasattri Rd, around 4 pm yesterday. A team of five officers from the Karnjanadit District Police Station in Surat Thani, led by Pol Capt Noppadol Kerdkulrat, nabbed Srirung Nankam, 43, and Sittichai Suthapiwat, 33, in an undercover…
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TAT issues swimming warning
PHUKET: The local branch of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) today warned that people should not swim at beaches where red flags or warning signs indicate that it is unsafe to do so. The warning was issued, the TAT said, in light of statistics that show that drowning is the leading cause of death among tourists during the southwestern…
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Chalong Pier opening ceremony postponed
CHALONG: Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra cannot make it to the official planned opening of Chalong Pier on July 1, the pier’s owners, the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor), announced today. As a result, the opening ceremony has been postponed until the PM is more likely to be available.
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Paween leads 85 police in holy pledge
CHALONG: In his last official duty as superintendent of Kathu Police Station, Pol Col Paween Pongsirin this morning led 85 police officers under his command in an oath to be honest and to fight crime. Col Paween and almost all of his officers stood before the image of Luang Por Chaem at Chalong temple and vowed, “I will not get…
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Officials check out mini-sub for tourists
KOH HEY: The topic of mini-submarines resurfaced today in Phuket, but this time on a less sinister level, as government officials were given a look at the new Subrider developed for tourism around this popular day-trip island. The officials, including representatives of the local Tourist Business and Guide Registration Office, checked out how the sub works and the effect it…
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Marine resources body gets teeth
PHUKET TOWN: A committee that brings together 10 arms of the government to help preserve the marine resources of the Andaman Coast may finally get teeth, thanks to a decent budget. The Region 3 Coordinating Committee to Preserve the Nation’s Marine Resources (CCPNMR) was set up in 1997, but under-funding has meant that it has been able to achieve little.…
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Another two days of rain, says weatherman
PHUKET: The current bad weather in Phuket is likely to continue for another two days, Amorn Chantanavivate, director of the Southwestern Regional Meteorological Center, said today. Widespread thundershowers are affecting about 80% of southwestern Thailand, bringing isolated heavy showers. The rains and winds of around 35 kmh are being caused by a strong southwesterly monsoon over the Andaman Sea and…
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Phuket sees boom in new businesses
PHUKET TOWN: Phuket is still the Number One place in southern Thailand in which to open a business, according to Veerachai Tantiwathanavallop, Director of the Phuket Commercial Registration Office. A total of 392 business were registered between January 1 and May 31, an average of 78 new businesses a month. “That is about 10% to 15% higher than last year,”…
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More entertainment zones mapped out
PHUKET: Muang and Thalang Districts have mapped out the areas in which they propose to have entertainment zones. These areas must be specified in order to meet the requirements of proposed new legislation governing the entertainment industry. In a paper released yesterday, Vice-Governor Amnuay Sanguannam explained that the Muang District plan includes 13 separate entertainment zones – one in Tambon…
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Owners urged to give land for expo center
PHUKET TOWN: The Governor of Phuket has asked local landowners to donate 100 rai of land for the construction of an international convention and exhibition center (CEC). The call by Governor Pongpayome Vasaputi came at a meeting held this afternoon in the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization chamber. Also present at the meeting were representatives of the Tourism Authority of Thailand…
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Bangkok considering yacht owners’ problems
PHUKET: The Thai government is considering cutting the taxes on imported yachts and doubling the time that foreign yachts may stay in Thai waters before owners have to pay such taxes. Manit Wittayatin, Director-General of the Thai Customs Department told a meeting of provincial officials in Phuket today, “The regulations for yachts entering Thai waters create difficulties for many foreigners.…
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Officials sink Thaksin’s duty-free dream
PHUKET: Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has accepted that his recently-stated plan to turn Phuket into a duty-free island is an impossible dream, Manit Wittayatin, Director-General of the country’s Customs Department, told a meeting of high-ranking provincial officials today. K. Manit explained that at the most recent meeting held in Bangkok to discuss this matter, the Prime Minister initially stressed that…
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Beach lifeguard coverage boosted
PHUKET: Lifeguard coverage of Phuket’s beaches during the low season – when the island’s west coast becomes dangerous for swimming – will be more comprehensive this year. The Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) announced yesterday that the watch on the beaches will begin on Friday, two weeks earlier than last year, and that there will be three extra lookout stations,…
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Tourist Police get mountain bikes
PHUKET: The island’s Tourist Police are now equipped with four mountain bikes, which they will use to patrol Patong beach. The bikes were donated to the Tourist Police last night by the Rotary Club of Patong, at the club’s regular weekly meeting. “As we enter the low season, many people are without jobs, so we have to step up our…
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Bomb explodes at Karon hotel
KARON: A small bomb smashed windows and cracked a wall of the Baan Karon Hotel on Patak Rd in the early hours of yesterday (Sunday) morning. No one was injured. Pol Capt Chockchai Sutthimeke of Chalong Police Station told the Gazette that the bomb had been planted against an outside wall of the hotel, next to the office of the…
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Tourist stabbed with broken bottle
KARON: A 24-year-old tourist from Denmark, Michael Jacob, was stabbed with a broken bottle at the Southland Inn on Patak Rd around 3 am yesterday (Sunday). Pol Capt Chana Suttimart of Chalong Police Station told the Gazette, “Mr Jacob was negotiating with two women. They had an argument, which developed into a fight. One of the women stabbed Mr Jacob…
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Three drown off Karon Beach
KARON: Three construction workers from Isarn drowned in front of the Nong Harn inlet yesterday afternoon. Pol Capt Teerawat Liamsuwan, of Chalong Police Station, told the Gazette, “Two 21-year-old men, Teung Suthamma and Duangden Sawangwong, and a 17-year-old girl, Jaruwan Pakya, were swimming with three friends when a large wave crashed down on them, pushing them underwater.” Of the three…
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Power grid ‘will improve radically’
PHUKET: By December next year, Phuket will have a much more sophisticated and reliable electricity supply, according to experts from the Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) and the European Union (EU), which is providing some of the funds for upgrading the system. The upgrade includes the construction of two new substations in addition to the existing two and the laying of…
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Local phone numbers to get longer
BANGKOK: The Telephone Organization of Thailand (TOT) has announced that the telephone numbering system for the entire country will be changed. With the new system, which comes into effect on July 5, people making local calls will have to include the province’s area code in the telephone number. A person calling within Bangkok to, say 575 7310, will need to…
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Alleged Muslim rebels behead kidnap victims
BANGKOK (AFP): Thai police said this afternoon that they had found the severed heads of two Thais kidnapped by alleged Muslim separatists near the Malaysian border. Deputy police chief Sant Sarutanond said members of the Muslim separatist New PULO were responsible for the beheadings in the southern province of Yala, near the border. “They did this for money,” Sant said.…
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THAI emergency landing under investigation
HANOI (AFP): Thai Airways is investigating a fuel leak on a Boeing 777 which forced it to make an emergency landing in central Vietnam, airline officials said today. The aircraft landed in Vietnam’s third city of Danang early yesterday after the pilot reported plummeting fuel levels on a flight from Taipei to Bangkok, the officials said. Aviation fuel leaked all…
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Gambling continues to top arrest stats
PHUKET: Yet again, gambling topped the arrest statistics in May, with 258 people held for gambling offenses between May 1 and 25. The Provincial Police statistics showed arrests of illegal immigrants coming in second place, with 95 people arrested, followed by narcotics offenses, with 43 people arrested for offenses related to “ya bah” (methamphetamine). A total of 1,528 ya bah…
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Gazette goes on sale today in Bangkok
BANGKOK: As part of a recently concluded cooperation agreement between The Nation Multimedia Group and The Phuket Gazette Company, the Phuket Gazette is now on sale at ten major outlets of Asia Books in Bangkok. The agreement with The Nation complements the Gazette’s long-standing distribution arrangements with Flower King at Bangkok’s domestic and international air terminals. “We are very happy…
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Nepal’s crown prince kills parents, relatives
KATHMANDU (AFP): Nepal’s crown prince shot dead his parents – the king and queen – and several other relatives during a family dinner at the royal palace here before turning the gun on himself, officials said this afternoon. King Birendra, Queen Aishwarya and nine other people were killed when Crown Prince Dipendra opened fire with a semi-automatic weapon during the…
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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