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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Clampdown coming on zero-dollar tourism
PHUKET: The China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) has promised to clamp down on ‘zero-dollar tourism’ following an inspection tour of several touristic venues in Phuket on Tuesday. CNTA chief Wang Chiao Fong and an entourage of Chinese officials were accompanied by Ministry of Tourism and Sports Phuket Office Director Sirawee Waloh as they visited jewelry stores and tourist spots. The…
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Phuket-bound plane veers off runway
PHUKET: A flight from Bangkok skidded off the runway while landing at Phuket International Airport yesterday evening. Thai Airways flight TG 221 departed from Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport at 6:15pm, bound to arrive in Phuket at 7:35pm. An official statement issued by Thai Airways says that “poor weather” conditions and visibility were reported at the time of the flight’s arrival…
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Families to cash in on anti-noise spending
PHUKET: Representatives of more than 400 families in Baan Mak Prok gathered at Nurool Ebadeyah Mosque to meet with airport officials on Tuesday, to discuss how the budget for noise reduction will be used. Last week, Transport Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith announced that Thailand’s Cabinet had approved a 3 billion baht budget to spend on anti-noise pollution measures for the new…
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Same-same but different at new terminal
PHUKET: Long lines, delays, non-existent essential equipment, a lack of personnel and confused travellers have all marred the opening days of the Phuket International Airport’s new terminal. Phuket airport officials admitted the new terminal’s immigration systems are not working, even after test flights from China and the terminal’s official September 16 opening by Thailand’s Prime Minister (story here). Somsak Pakdeerak,…
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Rendered images of Rajabhakti Park released
PHUKET: Rendered images of the plans for Surin Beach, officially reopened as ‘Rajabhakti Park’ in June (story here), were released to the public this week. Phuket Vice Governor Chokdee Amornwat said modestly that officials are looking to make it the “most beautiful beach in the world”. The estimated project budget is more than 800 million baht. “Surin Beach is already…
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Outrage over dolphin death prompts ultimatum
KRABI: Locals in Krabi Province were outraged over the weekend after a social media post went viral yesterday. The post shows a dead baby dolphin caught in an illegal coastal fishing net system. A user on the social networking application ‘Line’ shared the photographs, taken in the Khao Khram sub-district’s Tah Paree Bay. After examining the calf, a Marine official…
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Aussie crash victim succumbs to head injuries
PHUKET: An Australian man died from severe head injuries on Saturday, about two hours after he crashed his motorcycle into a roadside barrier in Kamala. The victim, who was initially unidentified (story here), was later named as Roger Frederick Younger, 37. “Mr Younger was critically injured when he crashed his bike near the Muslim graveyard in Kamala on Saturday,” said…
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Double motorcyclist deaths shrouded in mystery
PHUKET: Two motorcyclists died in two separate mysterious accidents on Thepkrasattri Road in the early hours of Sunday – one a woman in her mid twenties, the other a man, also in his mid twenties. Police responded to the first accident in Koh Kaew on the northbound lanes of the road at about 2.30am. “We received a report that there…
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Debt-burdened Krabi vendor found dead
KRABI: A local Krabi resident walked into a blood bath on Saturday morning when he entered his room to find the body of his wife, who had asked to be left alone the night before. Sudrak Khumsuk, 33, found 28-year-old Supranee Wangthanom with a gunshot wound to the head and a four-page note on the bed next to her. The…
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Krabi tourism gets airlift from Asian influx
KRABI used to flip-flop between having a regimented high-season – catering to winter snowbird visitors from Scandinavia and Europe – and a low-season during which many hotels even scrapped breakfast buffets. However, the latest research by C9 Hotelworks reveals skyrocketing airlift is edging the market towards being a year-round destination. The C9 Hotelworks ‘Krabi Hotel Market Update 2016’ report reveals…
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Another baby trashed, this time in a Patong trash can
PHUKET: Kusoldharm Foundation rescue workers removed a baby from a trash can in Patong in the early hours of the morning on Saturday. Power to the city was reportedly off, and the person who found the newborn told the rescue personnel that he didn’t see the child at first. “We were alerted to the presence of the baby by a…
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Unidentified man in critical condition after bike crash
PHUKET: An unidentified white male was seriously injured when he crashed his bike into a roadside barrier near the Muslim graveyard in Kamala about 12:40pm today. The injured driver was rushed to Patong Hospital where he remains in critical condition from head injuries, said Capt Prasert Thongprom of Kamala Police. Witnesses at the scene said the victim was heading from…
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Thousands gather to welcome PM to Phuket
PHUKET: Prime Minister Gen Prayuth Chan-o-cha was greeted by thousands of fans during his one-day trip to Phuket on Friday, during which he committed that his government would support mega projects on the island. PM Prayuth chaired the opening ceremony of the new terminal at Phuket International Airport (story here) and then headed to Patong to inaugurate ‘Startup Thailand’ and…
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PM launches Startup Thailand in Phuket
PHUKET: Prime Minister Gen Prayuth Chan-o-cha officially launched ‘Startup Thailand’ and ‘Digital Thailand’ 2016 at the Duangjitt Resort & Spa in Patong yesterday. The regional launch of this nationwide initiative is aimed at helping budding local businesses to get off the ground and into the international arena of digital commerce. The Startup Thailand 2016 campaign was launched by the prime…
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Community homestay fair to be held in Phuket Town
PHUKET: The ‘IMT-GT (Indonesia Malaysia Thailand – Growth Triangle) Homestay Fair 2016’ will be held from September 20-22, Tourism and Sports permanent secretary Pongpanu Svetarundra announced on Thursday. A community homestay is a means for travellers to visit countries, live within a community and participate in the local lifestyle. The aim of the event is to develop local community and…
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Sea gypsies march to submit letter to PM
PHUKET: Hundreds of sea gypsies and community activists today marched to Phuket’s Rajabhat University in an attempt to petition the prime minister during his visit to the campus today. The gypsies had gathered at Rassada Municipality Office earlier in the morning and then marched to the university, where Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha was meeting with Phuket industry leaders, but they…
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Phuket sports organizations make it to SPIA Asia finals
PHUKET: A handful of Phuket events and sports businesses have made the final shortlists of the 2016 Asian Sports Industry Awards (SPIA Asia) and will be competing against the best in Thailand and Asia for a prestigious SPIA award this year. A total of 72 Thai entries made the final shortlist for SPIA Asia 2016 in a variety of categories,…
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PM opens international terminal
PHUKET: Prime Minister Gen Prayuth Chan-o-cha arrived at Phuket International Airport this morning. The visit by the head of Thailand’s military government is billed to last only for today, as he headlines the opening ceremonies of the airport’s international terminal, inaugurates ‘Startup Thailand’ and meets with trade representatives at Phuket Rajabhat University. This morning, in an elaborate ceremony attended by…
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Burmese laborer in fatal fall at Patong building site
PHUKET: A Burmese man reportedly fell to his death this morning while working on the 4th floor level of a building under construction in Patong. The man was found dead by co-workers around 10:30am. “Mr Tee, 56, was found lying face down in a pool of blood below the spot where he had been working at the construction site on…
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Task force raids Coconut Island development in new encroachment case
PHUKET: Officers from a joint task force raided a Coconut Island (Koh Maprao) development yesterday, after locals warned authorities that the developer had already begun construction without proper land ownership documents. Police refused to name the property development company or the female suspect listed on the development’s tax documents, stating that they were in the preliminary stages of investigations. “After…
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Local vendors oppose Supercheap rumored to open in Rassada
PHUKET: Local vendors took to the streets of Rassada on Tuesday to voice their opinions, following rumors that Supercheap plans to open a store in the area. About 40 vendors gathered in Soi King Kaew Utit at about 5:30pm. “Panumas Nukuea, one of the vendors, has stated that locals can’t compete with the prices that Supercheap offers its customers and…
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Krathom peddling, foreigner-targeting bus gang apprehended
PHANG NGA: Police detained three men yesterday accused of robbing a Belgian tourist aboard a Phuket-bound bus. Peter De Balabander boarded the bus in Surat Thani and said he had asked bus staff to load his bags, but after arriving at Khao Sok National Park in Surat Thani and hailing a taxi to his rented bungalow, he realized that he…
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Wanted Aussie fugitive arrested in Patong
PHUKET: Police arrested an Australian fugitive in Patong at 11pm Tuesday night. Patong and Tourist Police, joined by officers of the Australian Federal Police (AFP), arrested 58-year-old Robert Gordon Pollybank Gee at Bar Funk on Bangla Road. Mr Gee is allegedly wanted in Australia for the possession and sale of drugs, possession of restricted chemical substances and falsifying documents for…
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American man found dead in Patong apartment
PHUKET: Investigations are underway into the death of an American man, whose body was found in a rented apartment in Patong Tuesday night. The body of 63-year-old Horace Nelson Higdon Jr was found after a housekeeping staff member noticed a foul smell coming from inside the third-floor apartment at the Fasai Apartment & Home on Pisitkoranee Road. “The owner of…
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Phuket to host November Ironman 70.3
PHUKET: Phuket is to host the next Ironman 70.3 triathlon on November 27 with a US$15,000 professional prize purse, Ironman Asia announced yesterday. The ‘Foremost Ironman 70.3 Thailand’ comprises a 1.9km rectangular swim that will start and end at Xana Beach Club Laguna Phuket, a 90km bike ride through the Laguna Phuket property and on to the Sarasin Bridge, and…
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Transport co fined after biker killed in smash with unregistered bus
PHUKET: The Phuket Land Transport Office fined a transportation company 50,000 baht this morning after their unregistered bus killed a motorbiker attempting to make a u-turn yesterday. The accident occurred about 4pm on the southbound lanes of Thepkrasattri Road, in front of the Hongyok Bumrung School in Baan Suan Maphrao, northern Phuket (story here). “We called in Ratcharot Travel to…
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Rider ripped to pieces in 4am horror crash
PHUKET: A motorbike rider was torn to pieces in a fatal ‘ghost riding’ collision on Thepkrasattri Road at about 4am today. Piroon Aka, 44, was driving home to Mai Khao when he was in a collision with motorcyclist Puriwat Sukbanjong, 32. Mr Puriwat was dismembered in the smash and ended up in a grotesque heap on a grass verge –…
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PM’s Phuket speech venue changed
PHUKET: The venue for the Startup Thailand 2016 seminar in Phuket, where the Prime Minister is scheduled to make a speech during his visit to the province on Friday, has been moved to the Duangjitt Resort and Spa in Patong. After presiding over the official opening ceremony of the new international terminal at Phuket Airport from 8:30 to 9:30am, Prime…
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Motorbike rider killed by tourist bus
PHUKET: A man on a motorbike was killed as he attempted to make a u-turn on Thepkrasattri Road this afternoon. The accident took place at about 4pm on the southbound lanes of the busy thoroughfare, in front of the Hongyok Bumrung School in Baan Suan Maphrao, northern Phuket. “Witnesses said that the man, currently known only as Mr Dol since…
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South Korea supports Phuket’s smart city endeavor
PHUKET: A Delegation from the South Korean city of Busan visited Phuket late last month to reiterate their support for Phuket’s ‘smart city’ endeavors. Busan’s special economic advisor, Gi-Ryong Jung, and an entourage of Korean agency representatives were at the 2nd Asia-Pacific Regional Forum on smart sustainable cities and e-government, held at Le Meridian Phuket. Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada welcomed…
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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