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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Appeal for help in dugong preservation drive
PHUKET TOWN: The Phuket Provincial Forestry Office has issued an appeal for people to help in a national survey of dugong. The aim is to preserve these slow-moving, vegetarian, marine mammals. Dugongs are one of the 15 species of animals protected by Thai law, but their numbers have diminished significantly over the past few years, partly because of destruction of…
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Fruit seller charged with rape of child
PHUKET TOWN: A 53-year-old man has been arrested by Phuket Town police and charged with the repeated rape of a 13-year-old girl. The man was arrested after a Patong Beach food seller reported that her daughter had been raped a number of times by the man, a fruit merchant in the Patong area. The daughter told police that she had…
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Taiwan businessman robbed of a million baht
PHUKET TOWN: Police are investigating the theft on Saturday or Sunday of more than a million baht from a visiting Taiwanese businessman. The businessman, Ho Min Sun, 56, came to Phuket with his son and two friends to buy tuna for export to restaurants in Taiwan. All four stayed in the Daeng Plaza Hotel on Phang-Nga Rd. When he checked…
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Police “know who Supercheap killers are’
PHUKET TOWN: Police believe they now know the identities of the two men involved in the recent Supercheap murder-robbery, but are compiling more forensic and witness evidence before they can move to arrest them. Pol Col Chalit Thintanee, superintendent of Phuket Town Police Station told the Gazette that he and his men are currently awaiting the results of forensic tests…
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Factory explosion kills 22, injures dozens more
CHIANG MAI, (AFP): At least 22 people were killed and dozens injured this morning when an explosion destroyed a Taiwanese-owned fruit factory in San Pa Tong, northern Chiang Mai province, police said. All of the victims were Thai. The blast ripped through a longan processing plant while 30 people were working in it. Bodies and charred equipment lay in the…
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Skal Golf event raises 125,000 baht for charity
CHERNG TALAY: The Skal Club held a highly successful golf tournament on Wednesday at the Banyan Tree Golf Club, raising 125,000 baht for charity. Forty-six golfers took part. A total of 65,000 baht was raised on the golf course, plus 4,000 baht from the dinner at the Whispering Cock pub following the tournament, 42,000 baht in an auction, and 18,000…
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Local team in shock defeat of national side
PHUKET TOWN: A scratch soccer team made up of players from Phuket and Chumphon beat Thailand’s national under-17 team 1-0 on Thursday, with a last-minute goal at the Saphan Hin stadium. The loss was a blow for the national squad, who are the Asian champions in their age group, and who preparing for the Under-17 Football World Championships in Napier,…
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Court told how Tong murder suspects were arrested
PHUKET TOWN: A senior policeman gave evidence in court today about the circumstances surrounding the arrests of four of the five people charged in connection with the 1997 murder of American businessman Danis Wayne Tong. On trial for the murder are Thais Manit Panme, Pratin Praktong, Prajuab Sukkong and Pairat Raksawong, and Belgian Hugo Vandervelde. Prosecution witness Pol Maj Sian…
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Film to be screened free to dodge censorship
BANGKOK (AFP): Organizers of the Bangkok Film Festival refused today to cut scenes from a controversial Dutch film and said they would hold free screenings in order to avoid violating a censorship law passed in the 1930s. Festival director Brian Bennett said he had been told by police that the film “Jesus was a Palestinian” would have to be cancelled…
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Microsoft battles to fix “very dangerous” bug
SEATTLE: Microsoft Corp is rushing to create a patch for flaws in its Internet Explorer web browser, versions 4 and 5, and in Outlook 98. These flaws allow anyone who has a website, or who can send email in HTML format, to upload instructions to the victim’s computer. Phuket-based computer expert Michael Jenselius said: “Anybody can do it through a…
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Police step up action against fuel smugglers
PHUKET TOWN: The Marine Police have stepped up checks on Thai-flag vessels in an effort to curb any rise in gasoline or diesel smuggling, following the latest increase in fuel prices. A further 30 satang per liter was added to fuel prices yesterday, the result of a combination of rising international oil prices and the falling value of the baht…
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Thailand to lead SEA force in East Timor
BANGKOK (AFP): Thailand today agreed to a request from UN Secretary General Kofi Annan that it lead the Southeast Asian contingent in the international force for East Timor, officials said. Thailand will take the post of deputy commander of the operation under Australia’s overall command, government spokesman Akapol Sorasuchart said. “Kofi Annan wanted to see Thai cooperation and involvement as…
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Patong takes different approach to dog killings
PATONG: Following the recent announcement by Phuket Municipality that it has launched a month-long drive to kill stray dogs, the Mayor of Patong, Pian Keesin, has told the Gazette that his town, too, is targeting strays, though its approach is somewhat different. “You see, Patong has a lot of tourists,” he explained. “If the officers want to kill stray dogs,…
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Prurience leads to arrest, charges”¦ and hospital
PATONG: A laborer who molested a Czech tourist early on Saturday morning ended up in hospital with a broken leg and the prospect of a prison sentence. Pol Col Kokiat Wongvorachart, Superintendent of Kathu police station, told the Gazette that the tourist, 20-year-old Jana Mikulasona, was staying in the Kalim Apartments with her American boyfriend. The two went out on…
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Slaughter of stray dogs begins
PHUKET TOWN: Dog owners in Phuket Town have been warned to keep their animals at home until the end of September as a drive to shoot stray dogs gets underway. Municipal employees, hunting in teams of four, will use darts fired from powerful air guns to kill any stray dogs found on the streets of Phuket Town. The carcases will…
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New source of funding for smaller firms
PHUKET TOWN: Amnuay Sanguannam, one of Phuket’s three vice-governors, today opened the newest branch of the Industrial Finance Corporation of Thailand (IFCT), at 18/15-16 Mae Luan Rd, Phuket Town. It will serve companies in both Phuket and Phang-Nga. Anothai Techamontrikul, the Bangkok-based president of the IFCT, said the Phuket branch was expected to approve 200 million baht in loans to…
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Thai woman in Kamala suicide
PATONG: Police were called to the Kamala home of a retired Western businessman yesterday after receiving a report that his girlfriend had committed suicide. Pol Lt Col Suchert Supmee told the Gazette that they found the body of 26-year-old Wannapa Pasom, from Nakhon Phanom, hanging by the neck from a belt attached to window security bars in the bathroom. The…
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Magic date sees boom in babies, car sales
PHUKET TOWN: The Thai for the number nine sounds like the Thai for “to advance” or “make progress”. So today – 9/9/99 – was a special day in Thailand, and very much so in Phuket. At hospitals babies were induced, or even delivered by Caesarian section, so that they would enter the world on this auspicious date. The director of…
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Police seize missiles destined for drug army
CHIANG MAI (AFP): Thai police today seized two surface-to-air missiles and a launcher allegedly destined for the largest Burma-based drug-trafficking organization, the United Wa State Army (UWSA), officers said this morning. Two Thai men arrested in Chiang Mai province allegedly told police they had bought the Russian-made SAM-7 missiles from Cambodian soldiers in the eastern Thai border town of Aranyaprathet.…
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Tourist Police boss appeals for help
PHUKET TOWN: The new Inspector of Phuket’s Tourist Police today appealed to the private sector for help in repairing the department’s two vans, eight cars and eight motorcycles. Pol Lt Col Chak Onnim – who moved to Phuket on August 23 from Chokchai Police Station in Bangkok, where he was in charge of investigations – explained that the hilly landscape…
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Supercheap employee killed in robbery
PHUKET TOWN: Jennarong Utoksaenee, 65, a Phuket-born employee of Supercheap, the warehouse store on Thepkrassatri Rd, Phuket Town, was shot dead in his car at 3 pm today by robbers who fled with around 1.6 million baht. Police said two men on a motorcycle came alongside the car outside the electricity substation near Supercheap. The passenger on the bike fired…
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Thai MP commits suicide in family feud
BANGKOK, Sept 6 (AFP) – A Thai member of parliament shot and killed himself this morning after a family argument over assets worth millions of dollars, police said. Hangthong Thamawattana, of the opposition Prachakorn Thai Party, apparently shot himself with a pistol after a row with his brother, Deputy Police Chief Pornsak Durongkaviboon told reporters. “Initial reports say he committed…
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Chinese leader cools off in Paradise
PHUKET: Chinese President Jiang Zemin took a sight-seeing break in torrential rains here today at the end of a state visit to Bangkok in which he repeatedly pushed Beijing’s claim to sovereignty over Taiwan, and warned harshly against “meddling” by the West. Jiang, who is due to depart for Australia at sunrise tomorrow, visited a shell museum accompanied by Thailand’s…
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Phuket needs more geriatrics, says export chief
PHUKET TOWN: Phuket could be developed to rival Switzerland as a destination for well-heeled people seeking rejuvenation therapy or cures for chronic conditions, or simply wanting relief from the stress of life at home. Addressing an audience composed mostly of people from private hospitals, resorts, traditional massage centers and restaurants, Rachane Potjana, vice-director of the Department of Export Promotion, said…
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Tax Office reaps huge gains from business profits
PHUKET: If tax paid by businesses is any indication of an island’s prosperity, then Phuket has made a positively astounding recovery from the depths of the Asian crisis. According to the latest figures from the Phuket Provincial Revenue Office, revenue from Juristic Income Tax, levied on the net income of most companies and partnerships, is up by a massive 52.7%…
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Survey of tourists highlights problems
PHUKET: The Provincial Government is to look at ways of improving certain aspects of tourism on the island, following a survey of foreign tourists’ attitudes before and after visiting Thailand. The survey, conducted in Phuket by Sasirat Tanapanpanis of the local branch of the Office of Educational, Religious and Cultural Development, spotlighted the following five main problems, in descending order…
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Bangkok plans mammoth roundup of elephants
BANGKOK (AFP): More than 80 elephants roaming the streets of Bangkok are to be rounded up and tagged with microchips to try to keep them out of town, city authorities said today. The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) said it was planning the huge operation with the help of the army, with the aim of banishing the tuskers to the countryside…
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Gamblers top list of arrests
PHUKET: Gamblers topped arrests in Phuket between August 1 and 26, Phuket Provincial Police have announced. A total of 176 people were arrested on charges related to gambling during the period. Following a long way behind, were 121 illegal workers and 84 people nabbed on narcotics charges. This figure excluded ya bah busts, which netted 30 miscreants and 578½ pills.…
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Phuket to have new governor
PHUKET: The Governor of Phuket for the past two years, Chadej Insawang, will move on October 1 to a new post as Governor of Kanchanaburi Province, on the Thai-Burmese border, as part of a nationwide reshuffling of 56 governors and senior staff of the Ministry of Interior. He will be replaced by Charnchai Soontorramat, currently one of two vice-governors of…
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Lawyer not well, Alice trial hearing postponed
PHUKET TOWN: Judge Amornpoj Kulwijit today postponed testimony in the trial of two people charged in connection with the stabbing death of 56-year-old British publican Roger Jennings at his home in Patong Hill Estate on December 15, 1997. The judge postponed the hearing after being told that Eakapong Aroonrat, lawyer for one of the accused, Jennings’ common-law wife Nongnut Tungkaburi,…
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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