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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Park wins LPGA Championship in playoff
PHUKET: Park Inbee of South Korea won the LPGA Championship in a sudden death playoff against Catriona Matthew of Britain on Sunday, giving her victories in the first two women’s major championships of the year. Park won on the third hole of the playoff at Locust Hill Country Club outside Rochester, New York, with a birdie on the par-four 18th…
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Federer downs Ferrer to capture sixth Cincinnati title
PHUKET: Roger Federer’s hopes of adding to his record grand slam haul got a boost as he beat Spain’s David Ferrer 6-3 1-6 6-2 to win the Western and Southern Open title in Cincinnati on Sunday in the last key U.S. Open tune-up event. It marked the sixth Cincinnati title for the Swiss second seed and, coming off last week’s…
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Heavy rain brings Phuket morning traffic at Tesco junction to a crawl
PHUKET: Heavy rain caused flooding and slowed traffic to a crawl at Tesco-Lotus intersection early this morning. The intersection was deluged with knee-deep flood water causing long tailbacks along the by pass road. The underpass construction site at the intersection, where excavation is already well underway, was also flooded. However, Chalermpol Wongkiattikun, head of construction at the Tesco junction site,…
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Phuket woman attempts suicide, ingests insecticides to escape financial woes
PHUKET: A Phuket woman plagued by financial woes was rushed to hospital last night after she tried to commit suicide by ingesting a lethal insecticide. Thalang Police were called to the scene by the woman’s boyfriend, Chamnan Kornsuwan, at about 10pm, but 43 year-old Samrong Rongsab had already been rushed to Thalang Hospital by the time officers arrived. Sen Sgt…
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Patong Police Station hit by Phuket flooding, again
PHUKET: Patong Police are scrambling to move everything from the first floor to the second floor as their station is swamped for a second time in two days by Phuket flash floods. “The water is about up to our knees in the station,” said Lt Col Suttichai Tianpho of the Patong Police. “The computers and case files are still on…
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Iconic Match of the Day celebrates 50th anniversary
PHUKET: Hours after the dust settled on the first skirmishes of a new Premier League season yesterday, fans across Britain flicked on the TV, grabbed a cup of tea and settled down to digest the day’s action from a comfy sofa. It is a time-honored ritual enjoyed by generations, young and old, since the BBC’s Match of the Day first…
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NASCAR tells drivers to stay in cars in wake of fatal weekend crash
A new NASCAR rule announced on Friday forbids drivers from getting out of their cars during caution periods in races, following an on-track fatality last weekend when three-time champion Tony Stewart struck and killed a driver gesturing at him. The most widely followed motorsports organisation in the United States said it would require drivers involved in accidents to must remain…
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Phuket student injured after tree falls into morning traffic
PHUKET: A large tree crashed into Phuket Town traffic this morning, leaving a student with minor injuries. Phuket City Police officers arrived at the scene, Komarabhat Road intersection near Phuket Wittayalai School, at about 11:15am and found a crushed white pick-up truck under the tree. “I was waiting for traffic to move when I felt something slam my truck. I…
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Phuket Hard Rock Cafe GM arrested for gruesome ‘cold case’ murder in Australia
PHUKET: Hard Rock Cafe Phuket General Manager Gerard Caleo, 42, was arrested in Australia for his alleged role in the gruesome murder of Rita Caleo, reported the South Sydney Morning Herald today (story here). Mr Caleo was arrested by Homicide Squad detectives after landing in Sydney on a flight from Kuala Lumpur at about 6am. He has been charged with…
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Drug-crazed Phuket man kills friend, wounds girlfriend with meat cleaver
PHUKET: One man died, while a woman lay seriously injured in hospital last night following an attack by a drug-crazed man thought to be high on ya ice (crystal methamphetamine). Phuket City Police were called to a dormitory on Santisuk Soi Mai Luan Road at 6:30pm, where they found the 25-year-old suspect, Niwat Sampoosri, locked in the room attempting to…
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Mercedes-Benz, tuk-tuk crushed in Phuket landslide
PHUKET: A Mercedes-Benz, a tuk-tuk and four other vehicles were crushed in a Phuket landslide after a deluge of rain saturated a Patong construction site early this morning. “There were six vehicles parked at the site, as it is close to the owners’ homes. When the land below a retaining wall gave way, part of the wall collapsed,” said Wisit…
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Ghost-rider killed in Phuket road accident
PHUKET: A man driving a motorbike on the wrong side of the road was killed after he was struck by a van near Makro in Kathu early this morning. Chanwit Pitiwat, 31, who was not wearing a helmet, was killed instantly at about 4:30 after a Hotelbeds minivan struck him, Capt Narong Muengduang of the Wichit Police told the Phuket…
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Patong Police Station goes for a swim during Phuket flash flood
PHUKET: The carpark and first floor of Patong Police Station were underwater early this morning as a heavy rainstorm blasted through Phuket. “The flash flooding started at about 5am and lasted a couple of hours,” Lt Col Suttichai Tianpho of the Patong Police told the Phuket Gazette. “Some of our computers were damaged during the flood, as we were not…
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Phuket says goodbye to more illegal beach structures
PHUKET: A massive military sweep of some of Phuket’s most popular beaches yesterday saw almost two dozen illegal structures forcefully removed and charges pressed against the business owners. An impressive crew of about 500 military personnel and local officials arrived at the beach towns to enforce a 30-day beach clear-out deadline that expired yesterday; a mammoth mission that started in…
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Thailand’s National football team to prepare in Phuket for Asian Games
PHUKET: Thailand’s National football team will arrive in Phuket tomorrow for a two-week training camp and at least two warm-up matches, against Myanmar and Qatar, in preparation for the Asian Games in South Korea next month. Thailand’s team recently suffered an early setback when Thai Premier League leaders Buriram United refused to release their two defenders for the Asian Games.…
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Steeplechase winner disqualified for shirtless celebration
PHUKET: Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad was stripped of the 3,000-meter steeplechase gold medal after performing a shirtless celebration down the final straight at the European Athletics championships on Thursday. The Frenchman, well clear of the rest of the field, pulled off his vest as he came around the final bend, put it in his mouth as he waved to the crowd. He…
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Russian tourist’s death ruled suicide by Phuket police
PHUKET: Police have concluded that a Russian tourist found dead in his Phuket hotel room died of self-inflicted wounds, after eliminating the possible involvement of a ladyboy seen in his company. Fedor Vasilev, 33, from the Sakha Republic, was found dead yesterday morning with seven stab wounds to his chest and a deep laceration running the length of his forearm…
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Get into gear at Phuket Cycling Fest 2014
PHUKET: If you’re looking for a way to enjoy the beauty of Thailand up-close and personal, then make a note in your planner to join Phuket Cycling Fest 2014, which will be held on September 6 and 7. Surrounded by some of the best natural scenery in southern Thailand, the fest aims to promote Phuket as an ideal destination for…
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ATM skimming scam cashes in for 1.4 million across bay from Phuket
PHUKET: More than 1.4 million baht was skimmed from the accounts of 43 ATM card holders across the bay from Phuket in Krabi since August 7, Krabi City Police revealed today. “After questioning victims, it appears that the skimming has mostly targeted Bank of Ayudhaya customers,” Col Wittaya Meksai of the Krabi City Police told the Phuket Gazette this morning.…
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Military bulldozes Phuket beach structure, owners to face charges
PHUKET: Military personnel armed with tear-down orders and official charges are swarming Phuket’s west coast beaches today as a 30-day deadline to remove illegal seaside structures comes to an end. “We are following orders from the National Council for Peace and Order [NCPO]. Multiple business owners have ignored the order to remove their establishments, so we are doing it for…
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Police search for Phuket ladyboy after Russian tourist slashed, stabbed to death
PHUKET: Patong Police have not ruled out suicide or murder after the bloody body of a Russian tourist was found stabbed and slashed in his hotel bedroom on Nanai Road this morning. The tourist*, a 33-year-old from the Sakha Republic, arrived in Phuket on July 19 with a tour group and was scheduled to return to Russia this morning. Hotel…
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Flights to whisk more than 300 stranded Phuket tourists back to Hong Kong
PHUKET: Two flights today will whisk away the 300 passengers destined for Hong Kong who were stranded at Phuket International Airport for days due to the Thai Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) decision to revoke the landing rights of City Airways. The DCA revoked the rights on August 9 after a report found that maintenance was not being properly carried…
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Phuket turtles take on Hungry Ghosts as festival gets underway
PHUKET: Phuket Town launched into the annual Por Tor Festival today with a parade through the city streets followed by merit-making ceremonies and other activities in the heart of the island. Phuket is honoring its Chinese cultural roots by celebrating the festival, more widely known as the Hungry Ghost festival, during which a variety of cultural displays and activities will…
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Top-ranked Lee battling injury ahead of world champs
PHUKET: World badminton number one Lee Chong Wei has revealed that injury concerns are leaving him low on confidence ahead of the World Championships in Denmark at the end of the month. Malaysian Lee was unable to defend his Commonwealth Games title in Scotland last month due to a hamstring injury and although he is back in training, he admitted…
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HM The Queen’s Birthday, Mother’s Day celebrations kick off in Phuket
PHUKET: Mother’s Day kicked off in Phuket this morning with an early morning celebration in honor of HM Queen Sirikit’s 82nd birthday at Sirikit Park on Thalang Road, Phuket Town. Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut led the island’s top officials in offering alms to 83 monks. The governor, vice governors, Phuket’s top cop Commander Krajang Suwannarat and a host of other…
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Bangkok lawyer drowns on holiday in Phuket
PHUKET: A Bangkok lawyer on holiday in Phuket died yesterday after being struck by a large wave and dragged out to sea at Nai Thon Beach. Teechalat Kapaeng, 46, originally from Chon Buri, and Natthachanok Inamnuaysri, 42, from Bangkok, waded into the sea at about 6:30pm to rinse sand off their bodies after lying on the beach. “We didn’t realize…
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British siblings “overwhelmed’ by Phuket reunion
PHUKET: Ben and Emily Willgrass have broken their silence to express gratitude to all Thai people for their kindness and generosity after an emotionally overwhelming reunion with their Phuket tsunami saviors last month. Nearly 10 years later and thanks to a successful call for help via Facebook (story here), the Willgrass siblings were able to track down Yupin Sengmuang and…
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No Phuket booze ban on Mother’s Day
PHUKET: There will be no ban on the sale of alcohol in Phuket as island residents join the nation in celebrating HM Queen Sirikit’s birthday and Mother’s Day tomorrow (story here). “Alcohol sales will not be banned,” Phuket Provincial Police Commander Peerayuth Karajedee confirmed to the Phuket Gazette. “However, taking this opportunity to honor your mother by taking her out…
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Happy Birthday Your Majesty
PHUKET: Today, August 12, Thais throughout the country and the world celebrate the birthday of their beloved Queen and Mother of the Nation – Her Majesty Queen Sirikit Kitiyakara, who turns 82 this year. The day is also celebrated in the Kingdom as National Mother’s Day. Born in Bangkok in 1932, Queen Sirikit is the eldest daughter and the third…
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Radwanska eases past Venus Williams to win Rogers Cup
PHUKET: Agnieszka Radwanska tamed Venus Williams 6-4 6-2 to win the Rogers Cup in Montreal on Sunday, the third seeded Pole setting herself up as a player to watch at the U.S. Open. The first win of the season for Radwanska, it provided a timely jolt of confidence going into Flushing Meadows and the year’s final grand slam with 11…
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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