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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Patong Bay’s brown water is safe, says Phuket expert
PHUKET: Despite its brown color and stench, Patong Bay is clean and safe, Suppakorn Meekaew, Patong Municipality’s Sanitation Department Chief, told the Phuket Gazette on Tuesday. “People swimming and enjoying the beach should not panic about the color of the water. They can swim as usual – it will not affect their health,” Mr Suppakorn said. “The brown color doesn’t…
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Four Saturday night Phuket booze bans in sight as elections loom
PHUKET: Phuket will see four Saturday night alcohol bans in coming months, as polls open for senator and MP selection in March and April. The four dates selected for voting, March 23 and 30 for the senator election and April 20 and 27 for the MP election, fall on Sundays. In accordance with the law, alcohol bans will begin at…
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All invited to save the ocean with Laguna Phuket’s 20th annual Sea Turtle Release
PHUKET: There comes a point in life when it’s time to let go… of some turtles. To help you do that, Laguna Phuket is hosting the 20th Sea Turtle Release event at XANA Beach Club next Friday from 4:30 to 6:30pm. There will be 80 juvenile green sea turtles available for release (first come, first served). To release a sea…
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Norwegian man in ICU saved by Phuket blood donors
PHUKET: The life of a critically ill Norwegian man was saved when O-negative blood donors stepped up last week to provide the three units of blood he desperately needed. “He received the blood he required and is stable now,” Corporate Social Responsibility Project Manager for Bangkok Hospital Phuket Pareeya Jullaphong told the Phuket Gazette on Tuesday. Five days earlier, the…
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Nothing as sweet as incentives for Phuket pineapples
PHUKET Governor Maitri Inthusut has underlined his commitment to developing the island’s pineapple industry, having confirmed a budget of 1.1 million baht to train local farmers and expand the available growing area in Thalang. On January 31, Governor Maitri led officers on an inspection tour to harvest and sample pineapples from the plantation of Wichai Saetun at Baan Bang Roang…
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Dozens of fish saved from entangled net at top Phuket dive destination
PHUKET: Divers saved dozens of reef fish trapped in an enormous fishing net draped over one of Phuket’s most popular dive sites: marine conservation area, Shark Point. “We had just spent five or six minutes watching a leopard shark swimming around us, and then, as we came around the corner, we saw a blanket of net covering a large amount…
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Phuket crepe vendor’s livelihood up in flames
PHUKET: A longtime vendor of Thai mini-crepes saw his sidecar shop burned to a crisp after a gas leak yesterday afternoon.It took firefighters 20 minutes to put out the fire, near Muang Municipal School in Phuket Town.“I’ve been selling mini-crepes (kanum tokyo) to Muang Phuket School students every evening for a long time,” said the 44-year-old owner of the stand,…
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Davis Cup Phuket tennis drawings held
PHUKET: The drawing for the first round of match pairs in the Davis Cup BNP Paribas Group II, Zone Asia/Oceania (Thailand vs Hong Kong) was held this morning at Phuket’s Thanyapura. Tennis superstars train at Tanyapura. Video: PGTV Starting tomorrow, players from Thailand and Hong Kong will cross rackets on Thanyapura’s world-class tennis courts in three days of intense competition.…
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Phuket booze ban keeps Cupid’s arrows flying straight
PHUKET: A nationwide ban on the sale and purchase of alcohol will be in effect this Valentine’s Day in celebration of Makha Bucha Day, one of the four annual religious holidays in Thailand. “By law, alcohol sales and purchases are banned throughout the country in order to respect the holy day,” Deputy Commander of Phuket Provincial Police Peerayuth Karajedee told…
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Phuket Civil Defense Volunteers feted at 60th Anniversary
PHUKET: A celebration marking the 60th anniversary of the foundation of the Civil Defense Volunteers was hosted by Governor Maitri Inthusut on Monday. Civil defence volunteers help law-enforcement officers fulfill a wide range of duties, such as manning checkpoints, monitoring election stations, administering urine drug tests and providing security for government buildings. At the ceremony, which took place at the…
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Third dive boat’s final plunge sparks fire-safety awareness efforts
PHUKET: The revelation of the sinking of a third dive boat in the Andaman Sea within the last month has sparked concerns over fire safety issues on all Phuket tour boats. On February 2, the Phuket-based Bunmee I sank in Koh Lanta National Park after an electrical short circuit caused a fire to erupt in the engine room. Less than…
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Runaway driver leaves visa runners stranded, swipes more than B37,000
A ROUTINE visa run to Penang late last month hit a speed bump at the Malaysian border when visa runners returned to the van from the immigration checkpoint to find their driver had absconded.It had been business as usual for the passengers until they reached the border checkpoint in Sadao on January 20. “This time was the same as always.…
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Electrical short started fire on Phuket’s MV Blue Star, says chief
PHUKET: The fire that caused the liveaboard dive boat MV Blue Star to sink in Myanmar waters was started by an electrical short circuit in the engine room, confirmed Ranong Marine Office Deputy Chief Pramuan Thessana this morning. “The dive boat left from Thap Lamu Pier in Khao Lak on January 29,” Mr Pramuan said. “It took the tourists on…
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Phuket Marine Office offers B10,000 reward for pictures of oil-dumpers
PHUKET: The Phuket Marine Office is offering a 10,000 baht reward for photographs of people dumping oil into the sea.It is illegal to release oil into the sea, said Phuket Marine Office chief Phuriphat Teerakulpisut.“But we can only arrest suspects if we have enough proof or catch them in action. In the past, we have been too late, and the…
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One Phuket student killed, two injured in motorbike accident
PHUKET: One Phuket teenager died and two were seriously injured after the motorbike they were driving slammed into a pick-up truck early this morning.The three friends had left school together to pick up supplies for a scout camping trip.Police and Kusoldharm Rescue Workers were called to the scene, in front of Baan Suan Neremit housing estate near the Heroine’s Monument…
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Phuket rubber tapper fatally felled by tree branch
PHUKET: A Phuket rubber farmer was struck and killed by a falling tree branch while tapping his trees early yesterday morning in Thalang.Jaroon Tankongkoy, 67, left for the rubber plantation at 3am, said his wife, Pranom Tankongkoy.“I was waiting to have lunch with him, but he didn’t come back. At 3pm, I went out to look for him,” Mrs Pranom…
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All safe after Phuket dive boat sinks off Myanmar
PHUKET: Everyone has been safely rescued from a Phuket dive boat that sank in Myanmar waters, said the Managing Director of Chalong Sea Sports, Pekka Torri. However, the cause of the fire that erupted aboard the MV Blue Star and led to its sinking has yet to be confirmed. Mr Pekka declined to reveal any details about the incident, other…
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Argument leads to fatal fight outside Phuket karaoke bar
PHUKET: A violent argument in a Phuket karaoke bar on Saturday ended in the death of a fisherman.The unidentified man was drinking with friends at Nong Man Karaoke bar on Sri Sena Road when they began arguing with four fisherman at a nearby table, witnesses told police.“They started fighting outside the karaoke bar,” said Capt Udom Petcharat of the Phuket…
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Phuket Passport Office re-opens despite protesters
PHUKET:The Phuket Passport Office opened its doors today despite the fact that Provincial Hall remains closed due to anti-government protests. The office closed last month after the Passport Division in Bangkok terminated its server connection with provincial passport offices as a precaution during protests in the capital (story here). Many of the people who queued for service today were turned…
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Mueang Thalang win inaugural Phuket Youth Cup
PHUKET: The inaugural Phuket Youth Cup concluded last Sunday with two exciting matches at Surakul Stadium.In the grand finale, it was Mueang Thalang School prevailing 3-1 over the OrBorJor Talad Neua team to win the grand trophy and 20,000-baht prize money. The runners up would have to be content with their slightly smaller trophy and 10,000 baht purse. Two of…
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Phuket United ready for futsal season opener
PHUKET: Get ready for one of the most exciting indoor team sports in the country – the Futsal Thailand Premier League (FTPL) kicks off this weekend, with the island’s pro five-a-side squad, Phuket United to host CAT FC in their season opener on Sunday night. To be played at Saphan Hin’s two-year-new 4,000-seat Indoor Gymnasium, the match will kick off…
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Phuket FC give local expats a lickin’ – soccer superstars get ready
PHUKET: Following their epic 1-1 draw with Thai Premier League powerhouse Chonburi FC last weekend, (click here for video highlights), the island’s pro soccer outfit Phuket FC had a much easier pre-season friendly work-out this past weekend, squashing local expat team Pluto Ice Cream in a 5-1 drubbing at Surakul Stadium. With only several scattered pockets of supporters turning out,…
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Russian tourist, 42, drops dead while chatting with friends
PHUKET: Police have yet to determine why a Russian tourist died suddenly in a Phuket hotel room early yesterday morning.Timur Ivanov and his two traveling companions were eating fruit and drinking a hot beverage together at a hotel at Bang Tao Beach when he suddenly passed out. The friends called hotel staff for help, and rescue workers were summoned to…
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Phuket Sailing: The Bay Regatta 2014 starts this week
PHUKET: With this year’s Bay Regatta set to kick-off this Wednesday and run through to Saturday, the entry list is growing daily with over 32 yachts currently entered, many joining the event for the first time. The Racing Class will be headed by the largest monohull yacht on the course – first time entrant, X-Yacht X-55 Pine Pacific – helmed…
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Owners of abandoned Phuket resort refuse to give way
PHUKET: Owners of an abandoned resort in the foothills of Patong have refused to take down part of their structure to re-open access to the land behind it. The land in question, valued at 40 million baht per rai because of its panoramic view of Patong, cannot be developed without access, said landowner Utaiwan Van-Zandt, who has been fighting to…
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Tourist Police evade Phuket shakedown claims
PHUKET: The chief of the Phuket Tourist Police has branded allegations that three of his officers extorted 20,000 baht from an Italian man in Patong as a “big misunderstanding”. The news follows protesters staging a blockade of the Patong beach road last weekend after word of the shakedown spread through the resort town. “The case will not be pursued because…
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Phuket boat crews protest after access denied to Chalong Pier
PHUKET: A group of local boat handlers this morning staged a protest at Chalong Pier to call for unrestricted access to boats moored along the pier. The gathering at the popular terminal for Phuket tour boats (map here) came as officials enforced existing regulations banning motorcycles and motorcycles with sidecars from being driven along the pier. “These people know they…
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Donations delayed as Phuket blood stocks hit five-year low
PHUKET: Several blood donors were turned away from Bangkok Hospital Phuket yesterday, even though a Norwegian man in the intensive care unit there was in dire need of the blood. “We would like to thank them, but please be informed that Bangkok Hospital does not collect blood donations – not even for emergencies,” Corporate Social Responsibility Project Manager Pareeya Jullaphong…
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Governor eyes Phuket goat market potential [VIDEO]
PHUKET: Goat meat and milk produced in Phuket could provide local farmers with up to a million baht in annual revenue, the governor has estimated. On Tuesday, Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut and Vice Governor Sommai Prijasilpa led officers on a tour of Akarah goat farm in Baan Pru Cham Pa in Thalang and discussed the future of the goat industry…
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Special Report: If there’s something strange and it don’t look good”¦ who ya gonna call?
Special Report Early last Saturday morning, a female tourist spent 45 minutes trying to contact the police. Repeated calls to the Tourist Police hotline 1155 went unanswered until a man picked up and told her he could not speak English and advised her to call the Thalang Police, who put her on hold. The Phuket Gazette’s Chutharat Plerin investigates emergency…
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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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