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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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…
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Road accident figures improving
PHUKET: A total of 855 people were killed or injured in traffic accidents between September 20 and October 20, according to statistics from the Wachira, Thalang and Patong government hospitals. Of the 12 fatalities during the period, nine involved motorcycles while the remaining three involved cars. The death rate was lower than the average per month for the year to…
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Second singer kills herself
PHUKET TOWN: Kannika Chuaynuphap, 23, a singer from Phattalung, killed herself on Saturday by hanging herself with a sarong from the bars across a window of the room she rented on Wichitsongkram Rd. She was the second singer to commit suicide in Phuket in the space of 48 hours. A friend who found the body told police that she had…
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Another murder in fishing port
PHUKET TOWN: A man believed to have been a Burmese fisherman was found murdered near the fishing port yesterday morning. This was the second such murder in the space of 24 hours, and the 13th in or around the fishing port this year. Pol Maj Adul Nirapai of Phuket Town Police Station told the Gazette that the man, as yet…
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Mass reburial of unclaimed bodies planned
PHUKET: The Kusonlatham Foundation has announced that it will exhume and rebury some 2,000 unclaimed bodies between February 7 and March 27 next year. This will be the fourth time that unclaimed bodies in Phuket have been reburied. The first time was in 1976 and the most recent was in July 1989. About half of the corpses involved in the…
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Phuket tops list for AIDS in pregnant women
PHUKET: The island has Thailand’s highest rate of HIV infection in pregnant women, the Chief of the Phuket Provincial Health Office, Dr Boonrieng Chuchaisangrat, has revealed. He said that of every 100 woman going to the province’s hospitals for pre-natal care or to give birth, four test positive for the deadly disease. Dr Boonrieng stressed that all government departments should…
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Donations sought for flood victims
PHUKET TOWN: The Thavorn Grand Plaza Hotel has joined with TV’s Channel 7 to collect donations for the victims of Southern Thailand’s recent floods, which left thousands homeless. Juejan Panvickarn, PR manager of the hotel, told the Gazette that no money will be accepted. “People hit by the disastrous flooding need immediate help in the form of canned food, clothes…
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Police crack down on pubs
PHUKET TOWN: In the run-up to national elections, Phuket Town police have been cracking down on errant entertainment venues. In a series of raids in the town between Monday and Thursday last week, establishments known for ignoring opening and licensing laws were targeted, resulting in 18 pubs and restaurants being charged with a variety of offenses. Boopachon Pub, Sip Tam…
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Three Germans arrested on paedophile, theft charges
BANGKOK (AFP): Three German fugitives, wanted on a range of serious charges including child rape, theft and murder, have been arrested at the seaside resort of Pattaya, police said this afternoon. Thai immigration police said the three men were detained separately over the weekend. Jahn Robert, 37, faces two paedophile charges after attacks on children in Munich. Heinz-Peter Ohlenschlager, 52,…
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Prison cancels Open Days
PHUKET: Phuket Provincial Prison has canceled its Open Days, scheduled to take place between December 2 and 8, following the breakout and hostage drama at Samut Sakhon prison last week. Pairoj Pankaew, chief of the prison, told the Gazette today that he had received instructions from the director of the Region 8 Prison Service, in Nakhon Sri Thammarat, that Open…
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Senior policeman dies after car smash
PHUKET: Pol Lt Col Kamtorn Preecha, Deputy Superintendent of the Tai Muang Police Station in Phnag Nga province, died in a car accident in Phuket early Saturday morning, while on his way home from a party given by the Phuket police. Lt Col Kamtorn’s Honda CRV smashed into a coconut tree near the Ta Chat Chai police checkpoint on Thepkrasattri…
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Cyberport meeting identifies challenges
PHUKET TOWN: Experts who gathered on Thursday in Phuket all agreed that the island has the potential to be a “cyberport” — a center for information technology — but that it still has challenges that need to be met. “We still need to address three important factors,” said Prof Dr Pairash Thajchayapong, president of the National Science and Technology Development…
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Governor backs IBAP
PHUKET TOWN: At a meeting also attended by the Senator for Phuket, Paiboon Upatising, Provincial Governor Pongpayome Vasaputi today gave his support to the International Business Association of Phuket (IBAP). The Governor said that he could see IBAP’s potential as a forum in which Thais and foreigners could work together to come up with new ideas to benefit society. Also…
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Tough ‘B’ visa rules introduced in Penang
PENANG: In the beginning there was light. Then there was darkness. First, in September, the Thai Consulate in Penang introduced 12-month, multiple-entry non-immigrant B visas. Then, with effect from this month, the consulate began demanding a pile of paperwork, some of it consisting of copies of highly confidential company documents. According to an announcement issued by the consulate to any…
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Local investment at centre of IBAP meeting
PHUKET TOWN: At a public meeting tomorrow, (November 24), Phuket Senator Paiboon Upatising and Provincial Governor Pongpayome Vasaputi will join local business leaders to hear the views of a distinguished economist and a cyber-expert about the future of investment in Phuket. Addressing a meeting of the International Business Association of Phuket (IBAP) will be Chulalongkorn University lecturer Thitinan Pongsudhirak and…
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Eight Burmese in jail-break hostage drama
SAMUT SAKHON (AFP): Eight armed Burmese prisoners holding the jail governor and six of his staff hostage have broken through the gates of the prison here and driven outside the compound in a pick-up truck, police said this afternoon. Provincial police chief Major General Surasri Sunthornsarathoon said negotiators were now trying to win the release of the hostages, two of…
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Loch Palm murder victim “not Thai’
TUNG TONG: The police, continuing their investigation into the murder of an unidentified woman found near the Loch Palm Golf Club on October 6, have decided that she was probably not Thai. “I think the victim could not have been Thai because the clothes, bra and bikini that she wore were cheap. I’m certain she bought [her clothes] from the…
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Death of jet-ski operator solved
PATONG: The mystery of the jet-ski operator found dead on the rocks below Nakalay viewpoint on November 10 has been solved. In a confession to police, Kwanchai “Dum” Chookum admitted that he had caused the death of Boonsung Wassana, 26, but said that he had done so accidentally. Pol Capt Ardinan Benjasamai from Kathu police station said that Dum had…
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Police issue warning over gambling gang
KATA: Police have issued a warning to the public to be on the lookout for a gang of Thai con artists who use a combination of flattery, threats, insults and drugged drinks to separate people from their money. The warning came after Narumon “Mai” Busaphanag, 34, from Bangkok, reported to police that the gang had subjected her to a five-hour…
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International hunt for murder suspect
KAMALA: Police are trying to track down a German national, 39-year-old Walter Ober Lener, who is wanted in connection with the murder of his 21-year-old Thai girlfriend, Waraporn Tawaetwong, on Monday. The hunt began after K. Waraporn’s body was found yesterday afternoon in the house she shared with Lener. Her neck had been broken and she had been sexually mutilated.…
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French deputy mayor killed in bike smash
PATONG: A deputy mayor of the French ski resort of Chamonix died in a motorcycle accident in front of Phuket Simon Cabaret early yesterday morning. Pol Maj Pisit Cheanpeth of Kathu Police Station told the Gazette that at around 2.30 am, the man, whom he named as Jean-François Girod, aged about 38-40, crashed his rented motorbike into a culvert at…
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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