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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Video Report: Free life-jacket exchange to float Phuket water safety
PHUKET: More than 1,000 old life jackets were exchanged for new ones, certified by the Marine Office, at the launch of a life-jacket exchange program chaired by the Minister of Transport, Air Chief Marshal Prajin Juntong, yesterday. The goal of the event was aimed to improve safety for boat passengers during the Christmas and New Year holidays and beyond, explained…
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Phuket motorbike chop-shop Facebook gang arrested
PHUKET: Phuket Police arrested several members of a motorbike chop-shop gang last night that rebuilt bikes with stolen parts and sold them on Facebook. “We had a tip-off that a rowdy group of young people were staying at a rental house in Rassada and that there were always lots of motorbikes and bike parts laying around,” Phuket City Police Deputy…
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Privy Councilor Surayud eyes Phuket sea gypsies needs
PHUKET: Gen Surayud Chulanont, Privy Councilor to HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej and former prime minister, has suggested that local authorities take further steps to improve the quality of life of the Phuket sea gypsies living in the north of the island. Gen Surayud chaired a meeting in Thalang last Thursday to hear the current state of the living conditions of…
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Phuket dolphinarium tangled in red tape (video)
PHUKET: The hotly contested Phuket dolphinarium has yet to meet the necessary standards prescribed by the Department of Fisheries, the Phuket Gazette has confirmed. “There are several things that Phuket Aqua Project Co Ltd needs to change at the Nemo Dolphinarium in order to meet our standards,” said Kiattikhun Charoensawan, chief of the Phuket Fisheries Office. Fisheries officials from Bangkok…
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Phuket court issues arrest warrants for soldiers in abduction case
PHUKET: The Chalong Police are continuing their investigation into the alleged abduction of a Ukrainian businessman and his wife by soldiers in Phuket late last week. Igor Iermakov, 37, was allegedly abducted from Mitraphap Beach in Rawai on Thursday by a group of 10 people that included five soldiers. His wife, Maryna, later reported to the Chalong Police that she…
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Phuket man blasts penis with make-shift pesticide torch
PHUKET: One member of a make-shift pest-control team suffered damage to his penis after a flaming bottle of pesticide backfired on him and his partner as they attempted to kill a colony of wasps today. Prapanpong Sinmalee, 29, and his 22-year-old co-worker Phollawat Suwong were moving spools of power-cables from a truck into a field along Thepkrasattri Road near Baan…
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Germans rescued from wrecked Phuket tour boat
PHUKET: A group of tourists were rescued from a tour boat after it grounded on the rocks off Laem Ka Cape, on the east coast of Phuket’s Rawai area, yesterday. The 12 people on board Electric Blue, including nine German tourists and one Thai tourist, were rescued after locals spotted the crashed boat and dispatched three longtails and a rescue…
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Laguna Phuket’s revamped course ready for New Year tee-off
PHUKET: The revamped Laguna Phuket championship golf course, which officially re-opens on January 1 after a full makeover, now has a “real sense of place and belonging” according to its designer, Paul Jansen. The former lead architect for Faldo Design, who created Laguna Phuket’s award-winning sister course in Vietnam, says the layout retains much of its former character and appeal,…
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Tsunami Memorial: Phuket tourism shows world how to bounce back
PHUKET: Tourism industry insiders who have monitored trends in the Phuket tourism industry over the past decade describe the recovery after the worst natural disaster to ever hit the region as “remarkable”. Few potential visitors these days are dissuaded from coming to the island out of fear of another inundation. The successful introduction of a tsunami early detection and warning…
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Thai glory at Suzuki Cup final
PHUKET: Thailand’s triumph at the 2014 Asean Football Championship on Saturday night is the latest and most compelling evidence underlining the fact that former national striker Kiatisak Senamuang is the man the country has long searched for to bring back the glory days to Thai football. Few could have predicted when Thailand last won the region’s showpiece tournament in 2002…
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Phuket’s “abductor soldiers’ arrested by mistake, says military
PHUKET: The military’s highest-ranking officer in Phuket under martial law has called the arrest of five soldiers for the alleged abduction of two Ukrainians on Friday a “mistake”. The soldiers, named by the Chalong Police on Friday (click here), were acting as “mediators”, Maj Gen Theenachat Jinda-ngern, Commander of the 41st Military Circle, told a press conference at Phuket Provincial…
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Phuket to celebrate Christmas with ancient Thai boxing contest
PHUKET: An international contest among disciples of muay khat chueak – the ancient form of Thai boxing where fighters tie rope around their fists – will be held on Christmas Day, Phuket Governor Nisit Jansomwong announced this week. Fighters from France, Cambodia, Morocco and other countries around the world will be stepping into the ring to battle it out during…
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Army soldiers taken into custody for abducting foreigner in Phuket
PHUKET: Police took ten people into custody for the abduction of a Ukraine businessman and his wife in Phuket yesterday. Five of the men taken into custody are soldiers based in Thailand’s restive Deep South provinces, said Chalong Police Deputy Superintendent Chukiat Imjaitam. Igor Iermakova, 37, was allegedly abducted by the group from Mitraphap Beach in Rawai on Thursday morning.…
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Legendary Thai rocker Carabao in Phuket for New Year countdown concert
PHUKET: Legendary Thai folk-rock artist Yuenyong Opakul, better known by his stage name Ad Carabao, is set to headline three-days of entertainment in Phuket Town to count down to the New Year. The “Colorful Countdown Phuket 2015” will usher in the New Year with light shows and live concerts at Sanam Chai Park, across the road from Phuket Provincial Hall,…
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Cricket: Island CC wrestles victory from jaws of defeat in Phuket
PHUKET: Fiery old rivalries were reignited on Sunday when Patong CC faced Island CC in the second fixture of the 2014/2015 Senior League season at the Alan Cooke Ground. In a match that saw the T20 finalists face Patong’s players hoping to exact retribution after their defeat in September, it was the Islanders who claimed victory by a solitary run…
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Phuket police investigate apparent murder-suicide
PHUKET: Police have yet to rule out foul play in what appears to be a murder-suicide by a Trang official at a Patong hotel yesterday. Officers were called to Baan Ton Sai Garden Resort Hotel at 4pm, said Lt Col Pratuang Polmana of the Patong Police. The body of Yuwadee Sriket, 29, was naked on the bed, covered by a…
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Russian escapes death in 300m plunge from Phuket coastal road
PHUKET: A Russian man is recovering in hospital after his car ran off a coastal road near Phuket’s Promthep Cape and plunged into the water some 300 meters below late last night. “It happened at about 11:30pm,” said Lt Wuttiwat Liang-boonjinda of the Chalong Police. “By the time we arrived, all we could see was the back of the car…
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Phuket takes to water for New Year “Seven days of Danger’ campaign
PHUKET: Safety measures to reduce and prevent accidents on Phuket’s roads, as well as the surrounding sea, will be rolled out on December 30. The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) will be heading the annual Seven Days of Danger safety campaign for the New Year holidays. The campaign will run from December 30 through January 5. On the…
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Phuket underpass to partially close
PHUKET: The southbound lane of the underpass adjacent to Central Festival Phuket will be closed Friday and Saturday nights, from 9pm to 6am, the Phuket Gazette confirmed today. “We have to close the southbound lane so that we can work on the roof,” said project manager Narong Horee. “Motorists heading north can use the underpass as normal.” Wichit Police Deputy…
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Phi Phi resort partner, dive boat captain arrested
PHUKET: Police arrested a dive boat captain who is also a co-owner of a bungalow resort on Phi Phi Island for possession of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia yesterday. Acting on a tip-off, officers arrived at the house of 45-year-old Preecha Riabrieng, in Rassada, at about 6:30pm. “We received information from a source about a suspected drug dealer operating on Phi…
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Police raid nets “unusual’ quantity of cough syrup
PHUKET: Police are investigating a shipment of more than 35,000 bottles of cough syrup, suspicious that at least some of the order was destined to be used in an illegal cocktail made with kratom leaves. At about 2pm on Tuesday, Phuket City Police and officers from the Phuket Custom House suppression unit seized 35,700 bottles of cough syrup to be…
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Illuzion offers sneak peek in Phuket tonight
PHUKET: Illuzion, an interactive show and discotheque, will offer a sneak preview tonight of the dazzling grand-opening show on Soi Bangla tomorrow. In the center of Jungceylon, near the water fountain, a Rihanna tribute band will kick off the pre-opening show at 6pm. Following Rihanna on stage will be a Lady Gaga tribute, with what organizers are calling a “Paparazzi…
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Phuket’s We Freedive Suunto Series finish with breath-holding trinity Sunday
PHUKET: The We Freedive Suunto Series 2014 comes to a close this Sunday with competitors taking deep breaths before launching into a trinity of events: Static Apnea, Dynamic No Fins (DNF) and Dynamic with Fins (DYN). It will be a tight race for overall winner of the series with American Walter Johnson leading Melanie Long from the UK with just…
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Australian Embassy to hold consular outreach in Phuket
PHUKET: The Consular Section of the Australian Embassy in Bangkok will visit Phuket on January 21 in order to offer consular, passport and notarial services to Australians in Phuket. The outreach visit will be held from 9am to 3pm at the offices of Hawryluk Legal Advisors on the bypass road (map here). During this visit, the consular staff will provide…
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Phuket’s Pryder Cup falls to the Rest of the World (video)
PHUKET: Late surges from the Rest of the World top order saw them come through and take the final singles 3-1 and eventually triumph comprehensively 9-5 to win Phuket’s premier lawn bowls trophy, the Pryder Cup, last Saturday. Named in honor of golf’s premier team competition, the biennial Ryder Cup, the annual Phuket Pryder Cup is the premier annual team…
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Italy-Brazil duo win ITF beach tennis tourney in Phuket
PHUKET: Alessandro Calbucci of Italy and his partner Vinicius Font of Brazil have been crowned champions of the inaugural Phuket Beach Tennis Tournament. Calbucci and Font outplayed runners-up Nikita Burmakin and Sergey Kuptsov of Russia to win the ITF-sanctioned event, which was held over three days at the Outrigger Laguna Phuket Beach Resort at Bang Tao, culminating with the final…
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Monster Phuket python caught, decade record set
PHUKET: Rescue workers wrangled a six-meter-long python out from under a Phuket home owner’s house early this morning. “It took us about two hours to remove the snake. It was absolutely huge. Weighing about 80kg, it was by far the biggest snake we’ve caught in the past 10 years,” said Sayan Thammapan, Ruamjai Rescue Foundation team leader. “When we received…
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Thais score Suzuki Cup first-leg win over Malaysia
PHUKET: Thailand struck two late goals, including a penalty, to snatch a 2-0 first-leg home win over Malaysia in the Suzuki Cup final last night which was just reward for their relentless pressure in an action-packed game. They broke the deadlock with 18 minutes remaining when Charyl Chappuis converted a spot kick before Kroekrit Taweekarn sealed the victory with a…
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Phuket teens taken down for slash-threat motorbike theft
PHUKET: Police have arrested two teenagers who stole a motorbike out from under a 14-year-old after threatening to slash him with a box cutter in Phuket Town on Saturday night. “Kanokpol Vijitr, 18, and a 17-year-old minor cut off the younger boy in the middle of the road and threatened him with a cutter,” Provincial Police Commander Patchara Boonyasit explained…
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Frenchman uses Phuket Facebook group to sell chop-shop rebuild
PHUKET: Police arrested a Frenchman in Patong today for the theft of a motorcycle that he stripped to re-build his own bike, which he then sold through a Phuket Facebook group. Mathieu Alfano, 28, was arrested at his rental room on Phra Barami Road in Patong for the theft of a PCX150 Honda from Nanai Road on December 3. “We…
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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