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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Deadly disease returns to Phuket
PHUKET: Burmese, Laotian, and Cambodian laborers have brought a deadly disease back to Thailand, the Phuket Provincial Health Office said yesterday at its monthly meeting. In March, two people in Phuket were infected with the contagious disease, which is called Meningo Cocemia. The first, an unidentified Burmese worker, transmitted the contagious disease to a Thai child living in the same…
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THAI plan to ground “unsexy’ stewardesses slammed
BANGKOK (AFP): A top labor union representative today slammed plans by Thai Airways International (THAI) to ground older stewardesses not sexy enough to meet its hostess profile. THAI is planning to replace older stewardesses with younger, sexier models, labour union president Jaemsri Sukchotesri said, by moving over-45s to ground staff positions. “THAI is not selling sex. We are simply selling…
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20 die in traffic accidents
PHUKET: Twenty people died in traffic accidents between May 20 and June 20, according to statistics from the Wachira, Thalang and Patong government hospitals. Ampaipan Pawawattananusorn of the Phuket Provincial Health Office reports that 18 of the victims died while on motorcycles, while one was in a car and one was riding a bicycle. In the same period, 84 people…
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Thai journalists taught to fire weapons
KHON KAEN (AFP): More than 100 Thai journalists have started a government-funded weapons training course in a northeastern province where several reporters have been killed, police said today. There are 111 members of the press, including 13 women, on the course. It is teaching them how to fire several types of guns, said police Lt Col Montri Jaranpong of the…
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German arrested for lonely hearts scam
BANGKOK (AFP): A German man who ran an Internet scam, posing as a Thai woman in search of a Western husband, has been arrested for fraud, police said today. Rudiger Reischert, 50, conned at least 500,000 baht out of men who responded to an advertisement he placed on a matchmaking website in the name of “Thaee Maiyuran”. The money the…
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Turtles found trapped in fishing net
NAIYANG: One sea turtle was found dead this morning on Naiyang Beach, along with two others badly injured and barely alive after having become tangled in a nylon fishing net. Suthon Klapsong, a security guard from the Phuket branch of Aeronautical Radio of Thailand Ltd, found two of the turtles early this morning when he spotted a large black object…
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Ordeal at sea after fishing boat sinks
PHANG-NGA BAY: An 83-year-old was among seven men rescued today after their fishing boat sank early Monday morning off Koh Taloo in Phang Nga Bay and they spent as much as 30 hours clinging to debris. Commodore Preecharn Jamjaroen of the Royal Thai Navy’s Third Fleet said that the seven took the boat out on Monday morning to go fishing…
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Rotting body “was executed’
THALANG: The bloated and rotting body of a murdered man was found Saturday in a rubber plantation next to the entrance to the Bang Pae waterfall in Thalang. Pol Maj Jaroon Plaiduang of Thalang Police Station said that police had not been able to identify the victim because the corpse had been rotting for about seven days. However, they suspect…
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Two Drown at Kata Noi
KATA NOI: Two Japanese tourists drowned at Kata Noi Beach on Friday. Pol Maj Pissanu Poonwong of the Phuket Town Police identified the victims as Yoshinori Gotoda, 51, and Sajime Miya, 54. The two men were guests of the Kata Thani Hotel and had arrived in Phuket on Wednesday as part of a tour group. Although there were red flags…
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Young People’s Party wins by-election
PHUKET TOWN: Watcharapong Anantrakul of the Young People’s Party won by a narrow margin in yesterday’s Phuket Town Municipal Council by-election. K. Watcharapong beat four other candidates in the by-election, which was held to replace Suwit Sa-Ngiamkul, who resigned from the council to run in parliamentary elections to be held around the end of the year. Just over 25% of…
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Ministry aims to get the sex out of massage
BANGKOK (AFP): To restore the image of traditional Thai massage, all public hospitals will be required to offer classically trained masseurs to patients, Health Minister Korn Dabbaransi announced today. “In order to rehabilitate Thai traditional massage, so that it is not misused for commercial sex, all hospitals under the ministry will have to hire masseurs,” Korn said in a statement.…
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Man drowns while fishing in park
PHUKET TOWN: An elderly man was found drowned in the lake at Suan Luang Park on Thursday. Pol Maj Pitsanoo Poolwong of Phuket Town Police Station told the Gazette that he received a report from people living in the area that there was a body floating in the lake. When the corpse was taken out of the water, it was…
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Two die in separate suicides
PHUKET: A 32-year-old katoey (transsexual), Patcha Jitbantad from Bangkok, jumped to his death from the top floor of the Sky Condo in Patong on July 15. A suicide note found in his apartment stated that he was depressed because he was suffering from AIDS. Pol Lt Col Saguan Maungtam of the Kathu Police Station said that at 5:10 am the…
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Father drowns at Kata Beach
PHUKET: A Thai man drowned on Tuesday (July 18) while swimming with his nine-year-old daughter in front of Club Med at Kata Beach. Pol Lt Teerawat Leamsuwan of Chalong Police Station said that Mana Sakulpakdee, a 54-year-old educational supervisor at the Office of Educational, Religious and Cultural Development, drowned while playing in the sea with his daughter Naruecha. Mana and…
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Suspect grabs officer’s gun, fires shot
PHUKET TOWN: A 20-year-old Phang Nga native was arrested on Monday after a fierce struggle with police, during which he grabbed an officer’s gun and fired a shot. Pol Capt Wisan Magnadsare of the Phuket Town Police Station told the Gazette that he and Pol LCpl Supachai Pongsuwan were patrolling on their motorbike at around 3:30 am when their suspicions…
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Bangkok-based ya bah dealer arrested
PHUKET: Police on Friday arrested a Bangkok-based ya bah dealer and his local associate, and seized 2,100 pills of the drug. Pol Maj Manat Iamchareonchaikul, an inspector with the Phuket Narcotics Police, told the Gazette that 36-year-old Narumol Bormuang, arrested July 7 on charges of possessing and trafficking in ya bah (methamphetamine), gave them information about the two men, Winai…
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Council sets up P.O. box, invites letters
PHUKET TOWN: The Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) has set up a new P.O. box to receive comments and questions from local residents. Dr Prasit Koysiripong, president of the OrBorJor, told the Gazette that the purpose of the new P.O. box is to make it easy for people to ask questions or make suggestions on how to improve Phuket. “Every…
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Dutchman arrested at scene of road accident
KATHU: Johannes W. Wisser, a 53-year old Dutchman currently on trial for assault, found himself in more hot water when he was arrested early yesterday morning for several traffic violations, including reckless driving that caused injury to another motorist. Wisser, who police say has resided in Phuket for eight years, was also charged with drunken driving and attempting to flee…
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Island-wide blackout set for July 25
PHUKET: The entire island will be without power for nine hours on July 25, the Phuket Provincial Electricity Authority (PPEA) has announced. The blackout, from 7 am to 4 pm, is necessary because of work being done by the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT), which is replacing the main power line into Phuket. The new line will be able…
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Dry spell about to end
PHUKET: The dry sunny days of the past couple of weeks are about to come to a soggy end, Phuket’s weathermen have warned. Amorn Chantanavivate, director of the Southwestern Regional Meteorological Center, told the Gazette today that a southwest monsoon is forecast to hit the Andaman Sea and the entire southwest coast of Thailand tomorrow, lasting about five days. He…
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Fed-up elephant kills teaser
PATTAYA (AFP): An elephant hired to give tourists rides gored and killed his mahout’s brother, who had teased the animal for years, police said today. “They were not getting along very well and the elephant was very unhappy whenever the victim went near him,” said Pol Maj Thanakrit Larpinpisant of the Pattaya police. It was the second fatal attack by…
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“Don’t smuggle guns to Indonesia,’ ministry warns
BANGKOK (AFP): Thailand’s Foreign Ministry today warned the nation’s fishing fleet of the possible grave consequences of smuggling guns to Indonesia’s Maluku islands, where a sectarian conflict is raging. It said that the Thai embassy in Jakarta had informed the ministry that Indonesia’s Admiral Achmad Sutjipto had vowed to sink any ship found in the area with weapons destined for…
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Don’t shoot at eclipse, mayor warns
PHUKET: With a lunar eclipse taking place next Sunday night, the Phuket Town Municipality has issued a warning to gun owners: Don’t mark the occasion by firing weapons at the Moon. Traditional Thai and Chinese belief is that a lunar or solar eclipse is caused by a malevolent giant attempting to eat the moon. It is therefore the responsibility of…
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TT&T launches new services
PHUKET: Thai Telephone & Telecommunication (TT&T) has launched a new gadget that it says will make the use of phones “more effective” – a caller ID box. The box, attached to a telephone, shows on a small screen the telephone number of the person calling in. It will also record the numbers of people trying to reach you while you…
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Four teams sign up for Rugby Sevens
PHUKET TOWN: Rugby teams from England, Malaysia, Taiwan and Thailand have already registered to play in the 2nd Phuket International Rugby Sevens Tournament, and another five countries – Singapore, China, Hong Kong, South Korea and Sri Lanka – are expected to join them. Three more teams – Wales, France and Germany – have yet to respond to invitations, Thai Rugby…
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Two busted for selling ya bah
PHUKET TOWN: Narcotics agents yesterday arrested two people on drug-trafficking charges and seized 450 pills of “ya bah” (methamphetamine). Pol Lt Worapoj Wattanasuwan, deputy inspector of the Phuket Narcotics Police, told the Gazette that the police were tipped off by an informant that ya bah was being sold from a rented house in Soi Patcharee 4 in Baan Kuku, Tambon…
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170 arrested in narcotics crackdown
PHUKET: A total of 170 drug dealers and users were arrested in Phuket during June, after orders were issued by the Commissioner of Provincial Police Region 8, Pol Gen Somsak Saibua, to crack down on narcotics abuse before the commencement of the new academic term. Six people were arrested after being caught selling narcotics, 22 for possession with intent to…
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Province campaigns against dining on dog meat
BANGKOK (AFP): A province in northeastern Thailand is asking local folks to treat dogs more like man’s best friend — and less like their breakfast. “Sakhon Nakhon province is now launching a campaign…to reduce consumption of dog meat,” announced the local provincial government earlier today. Officials are organizing trade fairs to urge people to switch to other sources of protein,…
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Local Burmese with HIV/AIDS bring huge costs
PHUKET TOWN: Recent reports about the ignorance of people in Burma when it comes to HIV and AIDS is reflected in local figures, says the Phuket Provincial Health Office. Dr Boonriang Chuchaisangrat, chief of the Health Office, said that the number of Burmese in Phuket suffering from AIDS is rising, mostly because the Burmese have little knowledge about the deadly…
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Dead katoey puzzles police
PATONG: Police are scratching their heads after beach guards pulled the body of a katoey (transsexual) from the sea near Patong Beach yesterday morning. Pol Col Kokiat Wongvorachart, Superintendent of Kathu Police Station, told the Gazette that the corpse was clad only in a black brassiere, white women’s panties and short white pants. The body has been identified as that…
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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