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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Crackdown on illegal workers results in 375 arrests
PHUKET TOWN: A series of blockades and a sweep of construction sites in Phuket on December 19, 20, and 21 resulted in the arrest and deportation of 375 illegal Burmese immigrants. According to Phuket Governor Charnchai Soontharamat, the number of arrests and deporations could reach 600 by the end of the year. The arrests are part of a nationwide crackdown…
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Two boys arrested in murder of Australian tourist
PHUKET: Two boys suspected of murdering Cheree Joy Cobcroft, 24, an Australian tourist, on December 17 in Krabi were arrested on Christmas day at Rajabhat Phuket Institute. Pairoj Yoamyat, 19, and a boy of 15 were apprehended at 2 pm by police from Phuket Town and a special investigation team from Krabi. According to police, the two confessed to murdering…
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Arrests made in robbery and murder of Supercheap employee
PHUKET: Police in Saraburi Province arrested three of the four-man gang suspected of robbing and murdering Jennarong Utoksaenee, 65, a manager of Supercheap, a large “warehouse” style store in Phuket Town. Khun Jennarong was shot dead in his car at 3:00 pm on September 6 while on his way to deposit 1.7 million baht in receipts from Supercheap. According to…
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StarAid funds used to support several projects
PHUKET TOWN: Funds raised from the StarAid event held at the Sheraton Grande Laguna Phuket last June were used to organize a Christmas celebration for 30 HIV infected children at Vachira Hospital last Sunday. On the same day, 30,000 baht was donated to the slum village of Langho Prachum for the development of an HIV educational fund for the children…
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Occupancies soft at Phuket hotels
PHUKET: As can be seen in the data above, compiled from hotels the Gazette was able to contact today, the occupancy situation in Phuket is not robust. Room cancellations are rising, continuing a trend that started early in November. All the hotels represented in our chart report that the usual occupancy rate for this time of year is 80% or…
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Weather has little impact on local business
PHUKET: Amorn Chantanavivate, Director of the South Western Regional Meteorological Center, reports that the cold and windy weather Phuket has experienced over the past few days will continue until January. He warns all boats to be careful and urges small craft to remain in port until the weather improves. Local marine operators expect the weather to have little impact on…
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Search underway for Algerian hotel thief
CHALONG: Phuket police are searching for an Algerian suspected of stealing money and other valuables from the rooms of tourists in small hotels and guest houses in Cherng Talay and Karon Beach. According to Pol Col Sathi Malakanont, superintendent of the Chalong Police Station, the man checks into an establishment, breaks into rooms, and then departs without checking out. The…
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84 Burmese arrested in Chalong
CHALONG: Police yesterday arrested 84 Burmese who were working illegally in the Chalong area. According to Pol Capt Thanate Poungmanee of Chalong Police Station, 54 of the 84 arrested were male. After the sweep, the Burmese were transferred to the Immigration Office in Phuket Town where their arrests were recorded. They were then immediately sent to the Thai-Burma border in…
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Woman arrested for illegal possession of fish
RAWAI: A woman has been arrested for possessing tropical fish of a protected species. Pol Lt Teerawat Liumsuwan from Chalong Station told the Gazette that police and officers from the Phuket Provincial Fisheries Office raided a house at 5/3 Wiset Rd in Rawai last Friday evening. In the house they found about 40 fish of different protected species, 55 fish…
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No Westerners to be freed under amnesty
PHUKET TOWN: Contrary to earlier expectations, no Westerners are to be released from Phuket Provincial Prison under the terms of the amnesty declared to mark the 72nd birthday of HM The King. A total of 159 people will be released tomorrow at 9 am. Of these, 16 are foreigners, 14 of them Burmese. The remaining two are Korean Jin Yong…
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Diarrhea outbreak comes to an end
THALANG: The recent outbreak of severe diarrhea in the Thalang area is over, Dr Boonriang Chuchaisangrat, Chief of the Phuket Provincial Health Office, has confirmed. All those affected have now gone home from hospital, and no new cases have been reported. The first case of severe diarrhea was reported on October 27 and was diagnosed as a strain known as…
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Police hunt for novice monk in tourist murder
BANGKOK, Dec 21 (AFP) – Thai police said Tuesday they were hunting for a 14-year-old novice monk allegedly involved in the brutal murder and suspected rape of an Australian tourist in the southern beach resort of Krabi. Police Major Khejorn Siriwan said warrants had been issued for the novice and a 19-year-old man over the murder of Cheree Cobcroft, 24,…
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Man drowns at Patong Beach
PATONG: A man drowned while swimming 60 meters from shore in front of Loma Park at Patong Beach on Saturday afternoon. According to Pol Capt Boonlert Oonkrang of Kathu Police Station, the man waved his hand, yelling for help. He was eventually taken ashore by a tourist on a jet-ski, but died in the ambulance on the way to Patong…
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Chuan easily defeats no-confidence motion
BANGKOK (AFP): Thailand’s government survived a no-confidence vote in parliament today after a bitter five-day debate in which it faced allegations of corruption and economic mismanagement. The majority of the six-party coalition led by the Democrat Party of Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai held rock-steady in the vote in the lower House of Representatives. A total of 229 members supported the…
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French-Swiss pair win Black Cat pétanque
CHERNG TALAY: Frenchman Frederic Vignial and partner Eric Uldry of Switzerland shot 13-9 against Frenchman Franck de Lestapis and Australian Craig Ryan to win the Fifth Black Cat Pétanque Tournament at the Black Cat restaurant yesterday. The consolation round was won by a margin of 13 to 6 by yet another Frenchman, Marcel Lerat, and his Thai partner Somnuk Chunrat.…
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Fantasea still showing a loss – CEO
KAMALA: Pin Kewpaisal, President and CEO of Phuket Fantasea, admitted last night that the cultural theme park is still losing money but said that he remains optimistic about the future, and that he believes Fantasea is on the right track. Khun Pin didn’t reveal actual loses, but said Fantasea has to pay about 50 million baht a month just to…
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MP shot after censure debate session
BANGKOK (AFP): An MP from Thailand’s governing Democrat party was ambushed and shot after leaving the censure debate in Parliament, party officials said today. Parnawat Liangpongpan, an MP from Buriram province in Isarn, was attacked by a gunman outside his apartment in Bangkok as he got out of his car in the early hours of this morning. “He was shot…
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Blue Canyon wins international award
PHUKET: The Blue Canyon Country Club was named Asian & Pacific Golf Resort of the Year 2000 in the recent Hertz International Golf Travel Awards ceremony, held in Portugal. It was also nominated in two other categories: Asian & Pacific Golf Course of the Year 2000, and Worldwide Golf Resort of the Year 2000. In last year’s Hertz awards, it…
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Type A Negative blood urgently needed
PHUKET TOWN: Bangkok Phuket Hospital has issued an urgent appeal for Type A Negative blood for an Austrian tourist who is bleeding internally. Alfred Edlinsel, 41, was rushed to the hospital yesterday with a ‘terrible’ stomach pain that subsequently deteriorated into gastric and intestinal bleeding. Mr Edlinsel’s medical record shows that he has had a stomach condition for years. The…
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Seminar to promote Phuket to foreign investors
PHUKET: The Phuket Chamber of Commerce will conduct a seminar to encourage foreign investment in Phuket at a Board of Investment Fair that will be held in Bangkok from February 3-17. Charn Wongsatayanont, President of the Phuket Chamber of Commerce, says, “The seminar will provide Phuket with an opportunity to point out the island’s strengths and potential as a place…
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CAT slashes Internet and video conference fees
PHUKET: The Phuket Telecommunications Center (PTC), a division of the Communication Authority of Thailand (CAT), has announced a 50% reduction in the fees charged for two of the services it provides. Internet connection fees have been cut from one baht a minute to 50 satang (the three baht fee for the first minute will remain unchanged). With a CATNET card,…
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Two dead, one injured in Patong shooting
PATONG: Two men were shot dead yesterday evening in a bar in the Royal Paradise complex on Rat-U-Tit Rd. A 16-year-old boy was severely injured by a stray bullet as he walked along the street outside. Pol Col Kokiat Wongworachart, Superintendent of Kathu Police Station, told the Gazette that Somkiat Nakwong, 25, and Somnuek Fahwan went to the bar together…
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Phuket’s power system said to be “Y2K-ready”
PHUKET TOWN: The island’s Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) is now ready for whatever the Millennium may throw at it, says PEA vice president Kumnueng Tadsri Khun Kumnueng says the entire computer system has been upgraded to comply with standards set by the General Accounting Office. All elements of it have been tested and are Y2K-ready. But just in case the…
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Five Westerners may be released from local prison
PHUKET: As many as five Westerners are expected to be on the list of people to be released from Phuket Provincial Prison in the next couple of days, in accordance with the nationwide amnesty declared to mark HM the King’s 72nd birthday. Exact numbers have yet to be ascertained, but Preeda Nijsiri, commander of Phuket Provincial Prison, said that the…
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Swiss dies in fall from mast of yacht
PHUKET TOWN: Schmucki Gilgian, 58, from Switzerland died when he fell from the mast of his yacht while repairing it at the Boat Lagoon on Tuesday. Pol Capt Anukul Nookate told the Gazette that Mr. Schmucki died shortly after being admitted to the intensive care unit of Bangkok Phuket Hospital with severe chest and head injuries. A funeral is scheduled…
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Karaoka victorious in King’s Cup Regatta
KATA: The King’s Cup Regatta ended today with Ray Ordoveza’s Karaoka winning the Racing Class division. Second place honors went to Pla Loma, while Australia Challenge finished third. The Regatta, which had been without controversy, didn’t end that way. At the start of yesterday’s Performance Cruising division race, Monsoon Blue was sunk when struck in the stern by Stormvogel. In…
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Nine arrested for gasoline smuggling
PHUKET: Marine Police on Wednesday seized two vessels and 116,000 liters of smuggled gasoline. Nine crew members of the two vessels were arrested. Pol Col Misakawan Buara, Superintendent of Phuket Marine Police said that his men had seized the Chockkrating 222, a modified fishing boat, with 110,000 liters of fuel on board, along with the Suapisarn 10 which had on…
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Rises in Immigration fees put on hold
PHUKET: The Phuket Immigration Office, like all other Immigration offices in Thailand, has rescinded steep rises in visa and other fees which were introduced recently. The rises, which quadrupled the existing fees, were contained in a new immigration law brought into force on November 12. However, a subsequent notice from Immigration headquarters in Bangkok on November 29 ordered the new…
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1999 sees higher than normal suicide rate
PHUKET: The number of suicides in Phuket this year has been higher than in most previous years, Dr Boonriang Chuchaisangrat, Chief of the Phuket Health Office, told the Gazette today. In previous years, between 12 and 20 suicides a year have been recorded, he said, but this year so far there have been “more than 20”. Of these, the highest…
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“Too sexy’ policewomen get a dressing-down
BANGKOK (AFP): Policewomen in Thailand were today ordered to cover up, after a top police chief complained that too many officers were wearing miniskirts and body-hugging uniforms. “A number of policewomen wore too tight uniforms with short skirts, colorful makeup and have dyed hair,” said a government statement. Pol Lt Gen Somchai Milindangkura said a special team had been established…
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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