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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Expo Center to be at Mai Khao
MAI KHAO: It has now been confirmed that the site for Phuket’s international convention and exhibition center will be a spread of 2,800 rai of state-owned land near the Sirinart National Park on Mai Kao beach, in the north of the island. Local officials confirmed that an inspector from the Interior Ministry was in Phuket today to survey the land.…
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German tourist drowns at Nai Harn
NAI HARN: Olaf Gerlach, a 30-year-old German tourist, drowned off Nai Harn beach on Wednesday afternoon. Pol Maj Jetsada Sangsuri told the Gazette that a Thai local resident saw Mr Gerlach swimming alone around 4 pm. He was pushed underwater by a large wave and then a current carried him out to sea. The Thai man took a speedboat out…
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Ex-mayor’s detention extended
PHUKET TOWN: The former mayor of Patong, Dr Anan Ananthanawat, has been remanded in custody for a further 12 days, this time in the Phuket Provincial Prison, while police continue investigations into charges against him. Yesterday, armed with a search warrant, officers took Dr Anan to his house on Mae Luan Rd, Phuket Town. What they found astonished them, said…
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Thaksin cleared of financial wrongdoing
BANGKOK (AFP): By the tightest of margins, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was this afternoon found not guilty in a historic assets concealment case that threatened to bar him from political office. In a surprise decision, the Constitutional Court’s 15-member panel voted eight to seven to clear Thaksin of the charges. “Thaksin will continue to be prime minister, by a vote…
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TOT launches B0.50-a-minute service
PHUKET: The Telephone Organization of Thailand (TOT) has raised the bar in its battle against fixed-line and mobile phone rivals by chopping prices for those using its Y-tel 1234 service. It is now offering long-distance calls within Thailand for as little as 50 satang a minute during August and September. The 50-satang charge applies on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays,…
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Gambling still the No. 1 vice
PHUKET: Gambling remains Phuket’s favorite illegal pastime with 276 people being arrested in 82 raids between July 1 and July 25, according to the latest statistics released by police. Narcotics held the No. 2 spot with a total of 79 arrests for the period, of which 61 involved ya bah (methamphetamine). The statistics show that 781 tablets of the drug…
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Passenger figures up on last year
PHUKET: Passenger throughput at Phuket International Airport was up in June by 7.56%, compared with the same month last year, according to figures just released by airport officials. The statistics show that 224,178 passengers arrived at or departed from the airport, compared with 208,426 last June. The number of international passengers rose by 9.19% to 98,623, while the number of…
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National players dominate volleyball contest
SAPHAN HIN: One hundred and thirty-two volleyballers blocked, dug and spiked their way through the First Annual Phuket Town Municipality Beach Volleyball Competition, which was held at Saphan Hin over the weekend. The tournament was dominated by the three Cheua Saphan Ruam teams, each of which included players from Nakhon Sri Thammarat who are in the Thai national squad. In…
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Chain of raids nets 1,800 ya bah pills
PHUKET TOWN: The arrest on Friday afternoon of a woman found in possession of four tablets of ya bah led to Phuket Town police arresting three more people within hours and netting more than 1,800 tablets of the drug. The chain of seizures started with the arrest of Omaporn Sornnon, 26, from Khon Kaen, at 2 pm on Friday, after…
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Thais dominate Malaysia in friendly sports
PHUKET: About 200 Malaysian immigration officers were in Phuket on Tuesday to compete in the now traditional friendly clash, the Annual Thai-Malaysian Immigration Department Games, at the Saphan Hin sport center. The games consisted of badminton, table tennis, sepak takraw, bowling, soccer and golf. The home side dominated the badminton, winning the men’s and women’s singles, the men’s doubles and…
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New Chamber Chairman slams smear attempt
PHUKET: Pamuke Achariyachai, the new chairman of the Phuket Chamber of Commerce, today called a press conference to slam a report in the national newspaper, Matichon. The report, in this morning’s issue of the newspaper, quoted an unnamed member of the Chamber as saying, “It’s such a shame. The Chairman of the Chamber should be a person of good image,…
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TAT launches Phuket web site
PHUKET: The local branch of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) today announced the launch of its own web site, https://www.phukettourism.org. The web site contains tourism-related information such as details of hotels, festivals, events, businesses and tourism services in Phuket, Phang Nga and Krabi. Patpong Abhijatapong, Deputy Governor for Marketing of TAT, told a press conference at the Royal Phuket…
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State land to be freed for development
PHUKET TOWN: The Treasury Department will at the end of August call for tenders to develop two plots of government-owned land in Phuket Town. Prasit Seubchana, Phuket Provincial Treasurer, explained that the private development of such land is one of the policies of the Thaksin government, which sees it as a way to encourage investment and generate revenue for the…
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Gov to stay in Phuket for now
BANGKOK: Despite strong lobbying for Phuket Provincial Governor Pongpayome Vasaputi to be appointed Director of the Southern Border Administrative Center (SBAC), the Cabinet has handed the controversial job to the front-runner, Banyat Jansena. Muslim community leaders and teachers in the South of Thailand had lobbied for Gov Pongpayome to get the job because of his track record of dealing with…
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Pamuke the winner in Chamber chaos
PHUKET: Pamuke Achariyachai, President of the Kata Group of Hotels, was elected Chairman of the Phuket Chamber of Commerce today, following three months of confusion that climaxed in the resignation yesterday of his predecessor, Charn Wongsatayanont, Managing Director of Phuket Jet Tour. K. Charn resigned as the result of a protest from a member that the former chairman’s membership and…
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Judge denies bail for ex-mayor
PHUKET TOWN: Accompanied by a heavy police escort, the former mayor of Patong, Dr Anan Ananthanawat, yesterday made his first appearance in the Phuket Provincial Court on charges relating to the slaying of an ex-policeman in Phuket Town in December 1998. Pol Col Paween Pongsirin, superintendent of Phuket Town Police Station, told the Gazette that the police requested that the…
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Fugitive ex-mayor surrenders to police
PHUKET TOWN: The former mayor of Patong, Dr Anan Ananthanawat, surrendered to police on Saturday, nearly two years after a warrant was issued for his arrest on charges of involvement in the murder of an ex-policeman. Pol Col Paween Pongsirin, superintendent of Phuket Town Police Station, told the Gazette that he received a phone call from Dr Anan’s lawyer on…
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Vicious murder at fishing port
KOH SIREH: The body of a viciously murdered man was found washed ashore behind Asia Stannum Co Ltd at Laem Tokkae, near the fishing port, on Thursday. Pol Maj Jiradaej Kawinkij of Phuket Town Police Station said that he arrived at the scene to find the 25- to 30-year-old man lying face down. The victim was dressed in a black-and-white…
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Hospital cancels call for blood
PHUKET TOWN: Wachira Phuket Hospital has called off its appeal for donations of type O negative blood because it now has ample supplies for current needs. The hospital told the Gazette that it wishes to thank all donors for their prompt help.
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Urgent call for O-negative blood
PHUKET TOWN: Wachira Phuket Hospital has made an urgent appeal for donations of type O negative blood for 66-year-old Nard Hamekeaw. Potential donors are asked to report to the reception desk at the hospital or call 076-217293-8.
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Tourist dies 12 days after rescue
SURIN BEACH: American tourist Joseph Tito, 27, died today in the Bangkok Phuket hospital. He had been on life support since being pulled from the sea at Surin Beach on July 6. Pol Capt Anake Mongkol of Cherng Talay Police Station told the Gazette that Mr Tito’s death was the second one resulting from people getting into difficulties in the…
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Thaksin plans to put clocks forward
CHIANG MAI (AFP): Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said today he is considering moving Thailand’s clocks ahead one hour to bring them in line with neighboring nations and to boost the country’s competitiveness. “Hong Kong, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur are situated on the same latitude as Thailand but we are seven hours ahead of GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) while these countries…
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Contest to boost awareness of King’s Cup
PHUKET: In a drive to involve the Thai community more deeply in the annual King’s Cup Regatta, the event’s organizers today launched an essay and painting competition for Thai students, with cash prizes totaling 100,000 baht. The competition, which is open to students from primary school up to university (but not to students attending international schools), was launched at a…
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Ministry rejects entertainment zones
PHUKET: The Ministry of Interior has rejected Phuket’s plans for some 25 entertainment zones (EZs) scattered across the island, it was announced today. As a result, the province is to put forward a much shorter list of EZs, as follows: Patong: An area stretching 50 meters to the north and 50 meters to the south of the intersection between Thaweewong…
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French resident dies after brawl
PHUKET TOWN: A 47-year-old French resident of Phuket, Michel Clavel, died on Wednesday evening of injuries sustained in a drunken brawl in Patong in the early hours of July 2. The investigating officer, Pol Capt Boonlert Onklang of Kathu Police Station, told the Gazette that Mr Clavel, who was living in Phuket on a government pension, was drinking with about…
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Haze from Indonesia clears
BANGKOK (AFP): “Haze” from forest fires on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, which hung over Thailand’s five southernmost provinces for the past week, has now cleared, public health officials said today. “The situation is almost back to normal. I think it’s over now,” said Ongart Chanacharnmongkol, director of the Environmental Health Centre in Songkhla province. K. Ongart said some 25,000…
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Mayor slams Greenpeace criticism
PHUKET: Phuket Town Mayor Phummisak Hongyok yesterday angrily dismissed a report by environmentalist group Greenpeace that alleges the waste incinerator in Saphan Hin emits higher than normal levels of the toxic substance, dioxin. Speaking at a press conference at the Phuket Merlin Hotel, Mayor Phummisak said, “If they wanted to talk about this, they should have sent their people to…
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67 killed in bike crashes in 20 weeks
PHUKET: The island’s motorcycle accident death rate continues high, according to the latest statistics issued by the Phuket Provincial Health Office. The figures show, on average, that there was one death every other day in the first 20 weeks of the year, and that 35 people a day were injured. Between January 1 and May 20, 67 people died on…
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Reward offered for stolen yacht
PHUKET: A reward of US$4,000 (180,000 baht) has been offered for information leading to the recovery of the yacht “Dreamtime”, reported missing from its mooring in Ao Chalong on Thursday. The five-million-baht yacht belongs to a British man who returned from working offshore to find it gone. Dreamtime is the third yacht in 10 years to disappear in similar circumstances,…
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Grisly remains found in Patong
PATONG: The mutilated body of an unidentified man was found on Thursday in woods next to the Patong-Karon road, not far from Simon Cabaret. Pol Capt Ampholwathana Saengruang of Patong Police Station told the Gazette that the victim was around 170 cm tall and was thought to be 28-30 years old. The head of the corpse, he said, had been…
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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