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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Pian Regains Mayor’s Chair
PATONG: Rak (Love) Patong Party leader Pian Keesin was installed as mayor this morning following a vote earlier this week by the city council. Khun Pian, who finished second in the municipal election on October 4, received six of eleven council votes on Monday, with council member and former mayor Dr Anan Anantanawat abstaining. Council members also elected Uthai Karnchana…
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Drug Rehab Program Launched
PHUKET TOWN: The Phuket Governor’s office has announced the start-up of a new confidential drug treatment program to provide counselling and treatment for substance abusers. The Phuket Drug Prevention and Suppression Center was launched by the governor’s office in conjunction with provincial health officials as part of a nationwide initiative by the prime minister’s office to deal with drug addicts…
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U.K. Tourists Lead The Way
BANGKOK: International tourist arrivals to Thailand surpassed the five million mark during the first eight months of the year, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) announced. From January 1 through August 31, a total of 5,043,449 tourists were recorded by the TAT – a 5.6 percent increase over the same period last year. European markets, led by the United Kingdom,…
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New Tuna Vessel Launched
PHUKET: In the latest bid to maintain Thailand’s position as the world’s leading exporter of canned tuna, officials launched the country’s newest deep sea tuna fishing vessel in a ceremony last Friday at Ao Makham. Pongphon Adireksarn, Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives, along with representatives of the Thai Deep Sea Tuna Fishing Cooperative, was on hand to christen the 61-meter-long…
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Speedboat Crew Rescues Tourist
KOH HAE: Quick response by the crew of a local speedboat tour company helped save the life of Huang Chun Ming, a Taiwanese tourist who nearly drowned while swimming at this popular offshore island last Friday. A spokesman for Phuket International Hospital, where Ming was being treated, told the Gazette earlier today that the 27-year-old man suffered a cramp while…
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Hundreds Head To Helmet Sale
PHUKET TOWN: Over 700 helmets were sold during a one-week sale sponsored by the Phuket Provincial Internal Trade Office. Commercial Administrative Officer Borirak Chusit told the Gazette this morning that the effort was a “tremendous success,” with local motorbike riders purchasing more than 100 helmets every day of the sale, which ended yesterday. The project, held in cooperation with the…
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Pirates Caught In Border Province
RANONG: Authorities arrested nine suspects and seized a cache of weapons believed to have been used in pirate attacks on fishing trawlers plying the waters off Ranong province. On Monday, patrol officers from the Royal Thai Navy Third Fleet uncovered weapons and ammunition buried in the sand of a small island off the Ranong coast. The cache included three M-16…
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Venue To Give Kick To Soi Bangla
PATONG: Visitors to Soi Bangla will soon be getting a triple dose of entertainment with the opening this month of the strip’s newest multi-purpose venue. Phuket Simon Entertainment Company announced it would be offering Thai boxing events along with late night go-go shows in a 1,500 square meter area of the Phuket Simon Shopping Arcade. The 20 million baht project…
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Police Make Big Dent In Fake Watches
PATONG: Authorities confiscated nearly 10,000 counterfeit items with a street value in excess of 15 million baht from two shophouses on Monday afternoon in what one private investigator said was the largest-ever seizure of fake watches in Thailand. Armed with a search warrant, Pol Lt Col Arthit Panphitpat, Deputy Commander of Phuket Provincial Pollice and Kathu district police officers raided…
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Domestic Arrivals Fuel Increase
MAI KHAO: Passenger arrivals at Phuket International Airport through the first three quarters of 1998 were up ten percent compared to the same period last year, an airport spokesman announced today. From January 1, 1998 through September 30, 1998, a total of 1,112,377 passenger arrivals were recorded at the airport – a year-on-year increase of 100,728 passengers. A recent surge…
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New U.S. Aid Programs Implemented
BANGKOK: American Ambassador William Itoh and Thai Foreign Minister Surin Pitsuwan jointly announced on Monday the implementation of two new U.S. programs to help meet social needs in Thailand during the current economic crisis. The American Embassy announced US$1.5 million in assistance to provide vaccinations against rabies, Japanese encephalitis and polio. The funds will enable health officials to administer 40,000…
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Chalermlak Tops Patong Balloting
PATONG: Businesswoman Chalermlak Kepsap of the Patong Progressive Party was the top vote-getter in last Sunday’s municipal election. The Patong Municipal Office announced that the 35-year-old Chalermlak, who campaigned for cleaner streets and building height limitations, received 2,850 votes. Pian Keesin of the Rak (Love) Patong Party received 2,474 votes. Dr Anan Anantanawat, who served as Patong Mayor until the…
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FantaSea Aims for Mid-December Opening
KAMALA: Developers of Phuket FantaSea are shooting for a mid-December grand opening of the 3.3 billion baht entertainment complex, Director of Marketing Surin Bamrungphol told the Gazette earlier today. He said 85 percent of the construction work has been completed at the 350-rai site. With the buildings and infrastructure in place, work is continuing on interior improvements and the installation…
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Australian Navy Ships To Arrive
PHUKET: The Australian Embassy has announced that three warships from the Royal Australian Navy will arrive for goodwill visits as part of their Southeast Asian deployment. HMAS Adelaide, HMAS Brisbane and HMAS Hobart are scheduled to arrive at Phuket’s Ao Makham Port on October 8 for a five-day visit. HMAS Adelaide, a William Hazard Perry class frigate, has a complement…
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Island Swept By Snoopy Mania
PHUKET: Hong Kong tourists were packing more than T-shirts and cashew nuts into their suitcases last month as they snatched up hundreds of Snoopy dolls from the island’s two McDonald’s restaurants. Faced with long queues and limited selections back home, collectors of the Happy Meal prize items helped clean out the stock at the burger emporium’s Phuket Town and Patong…
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Bike Riders In Relapse
PHUKET TOWN: Just hours after Governor Chaedej Insawang announced that he had directed police to relax enforcement of the mandatory helmet law for passengers of motorbike taxis, (and only for passengers of motorbike taxis), local residents took to the streets in large numbers last night without headgear. A Gazette reporter posted under the clock tower at the intersection of Phuket…
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Governor Relaxes Enforcement Of Helmet Law
PHUKET TOWN: The Governor of Phuket directed police to relax enforcement of the helmet regulation for motorbike taxi passengers following a vocal protest in the heart of Phuket Town yesterday afternoon. An estimated 800 protesters gathered at the Suriyadet Circle fountain at noon to listen as spokesmen called for an end to the enforcement of the regulation requiring both drivers…
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Banyan Tree Tops Reader Poll
PHUKET: Conde Nast Traveller magazine has named the Banyan Tree Phuket as the world’s best spa resort following tabulation of more than 26,000 votes cast in its 1998 Readers Travel Awards poll, Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts has announced. Readers cited the resort’s service, quality spa treatments and facilities, accommodations and unique ambience in casting their votes. “This award is…
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International Field Set For Soccer Cup
KOH KAEW: Organizers of the Phuket International Football Cup have confirmed eight participants in the two-day tournament set for October 31 and November 1 at Dulwich International College. Competitors include two teams from Vietnam – Olympic Saigon and the Saigon Saints – along with the Miguel Lions from Taipei and The Swiss Club from Singapore. They will be joined by…
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Murder Trial On Thursday’s Docket
PHUKET TOWN: Testimony in the trial of two suspects charged in connection with the murder of Patong resident Roger Jennings is scheduled to resume at the Phuket Provincial Courthouse on Thursday, October 1, at 9 a.m. Nongnut Tungkaburi, Jennings’ common law wife, and Kraisorn Kamnoun are standing trial for their suspected roles in what prosecutors contend was a murder-for-hire scheme.
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Voice of America Reaches Phuket
PHUKET TOWN: 207 Studio, which operates local radio station 89 FM, has announced the signing of an agreement with the United States Information Agency to rebroadcast programs supplied by The Voice of America (VOA). The station will feature the English language programming nightly between 7:30 p.m. and 2 a.m., beginning this Thursday. Veteran radio show host Don Sullivan has been…
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Bar Girl Lured Into Nightmare
PATONG: A 25-year-old bar girl filed a police complaint against a German tourist after he allegedly injured her by repeatedly biting her vagina, Kathu district police reported. Suwanee Okaew, 25, told authorities she went to a Patong Beach hotel room with a male bar patron shortly before midnight on Wednesday, September 23. While the two were engaged in sex, the…
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Angel Airlines Takes Flight
PHUKET: Thailand’s newest carrier, Angel Airlines, has announced its schedule of domestic and international flights originating from Phuket, Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Hat Yai, Udon Thani and Singapore. Earlier this year, the airline was named the country’s second national carrier, joining Thai Airways International. From Phuket, there are three destinations, each of which is non-stop. These are Bangkok, on Tuesday, Thursday,…
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Witness: Debts Led To Tong Murder
PHUKET TOWN: The investigator who headed the probe into the slaying of Danis Wayne Tong testified yesterday in Phuket Provincial Court that the five suspects on trial participated in a murder-for-hire scheme following a fallout between the victim and well-known local businessman Hugo Vandervelde. Pol Maj Preecha Kla-thanong, Chief of the Special Investigations Unit for Phuket Province, told the court…
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Visa Overstay Charge To Double
PHUKET TOWN: Those who fail to keep tabs on the expiration date of their visa will pay more next month for their oversights. Immigration officials told the Gazette today that the penalty for overstaying will rise from 100 baht to 200 baht a day, effective October 1.
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Swiss Tourist Drowns At Kata Beach
KATA: A Swiss tourist drowned on Sunday after he failed to heed warnings and went swimming in heavy seas, Chalong district police reported. The victim, identified by authorities as 67-year-old Jean Jacques Arsene, entered the water at Kata Yai Beach around 4 o’clock Sunday afternoon despite pleas from his spouse to stay out of the rough surf. Sangduan Danchong told…
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Club Patrons Subjected to Drug Tests
PHUKET TOWN: Fifty-one patrons of the At Ease Night Club on Soi Surin tested positive for drugs following a check by authorities early Sunday morning. Bangkok narcotics control officers joined Phuket Tourist Police in sealing the popular nightclub at 1:20 a.m. and ordering patrons to undergo drug testing in what authorities say was the first-ever raid of its kind in…
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Flash Flood Watch Issued
PHUKET: Officials at the Southwestern Regional Meteorological Center issued a flash flood advisory this morning for the provinces of Phang Nga, Krabi and Ranong. The bureau said thundershowers and isolated heavy rains were expected today in the three provinces. Yesterday, a total of 75.9 millimeters of rain was recorded at Phuket International Airport along with wind gusts of up to…
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Local Showroom Is One For The Records
PHUKET: The island will have yet another claim to fame as what is being billed as “the world’s biggest jewelry store” opens its doors on October 10. The new emporium is on the Bypass Road north of Phuket Town. At 2,000 square meters, Gems Gallery Phuket will be the third and largest showroom operated by Bangkok-based Gems Gallery International Manufacturing…
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Search Intensifies For Missing Tourist
KOH PHANGAN: Local and regional authorities have stepped up their search for a Japanese tourist who has been missing for more than a week from this resort island near Koh Samui. Phangan Deputy Police Chief Pol Lt-Col Prayoon Krutmusik told the Gazette this morning that helicopters and specially-trained scent dogs from Provincial Police Region 8 Headquarters in Surat Thani were…
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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