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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Police arrest man for rape of 10-year-old in Phuket
PHUKET: Police arrested an alleged pedophile for the rape of a 10-year-old girl in Phuket on November 11.The 24-year-old man, who lived across the street from the girl and her parents, faces charges of separating the child from her parents, molesting a person under the age of 15 and rape.Police took the man from Nakhon Sri Thammarat into custody under…
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Laguna Phuket Tri-Fest – Let the games begin! [VIDEO]
PHUKET: It’s here and it’s going to be big! Laguna Phuket Triathlon schedule. Click here for more details. Challenge Laguna Phuket Press Conference in Bangkok. The much-anticipated Laguna Phuket Tri-Fest 2013 will kick off with the legendary Laguna Phuket Triathlon (LPT) on Sunday (November 24) which is celebrating its 20th anniversary and will finish with the Challenge Laguna Phuket a…
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![Runaway Phuket Thai Post truck slams into cars on Patong Hill [Video] | Thaiger](data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0naHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmcnIHZpZXdCb3g9JzAgMCAyOTUgMjIwJz48L3N2Zz4=)
Runaway Phuket Thai Post truck slams into cars on Patong Hill [Video]
PHUKET: A Thai Post lorry that failed to make the steep climb up Patong Hill yesterday afternoon, faltered then careened backward down the hill, slamming into cars and pickups as it went. “The truck slid down the hill at about 2:15pm. It ended up stopping at almost the same spot as the student bus that rolled backward down the hill…
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Python snared near Phuket Town park
PHUKET: A Phuket City street sweeper raised the alarm in Phuket Town earlier this week when he spotted a five-meter python hiding in a storm drain near Saphan Hin Park. “Many people were exercising in the area. I was afraid it posed a danger to them,” the street sweeper told the Phuket Gazette. Saphan Hin Park (map here) is renowned…
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Illegal loggers arrested in Phuket, one suspect armed
PHUKET: The battle against illegal loggers in Phuket continued this week as Thung Thong Police arrested six suspects for the illegal possession of more than 50 kilograms of eaglewood with a street value of more than 300,000 baht. One of the men was found with an illegal .45 handgun, fully loaded, under his pillow. Armed with a search warrant, police…
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British tourist drowns after Phuket weather warning issued
PHUKET: A British tourist drowned at Karon Beach yesterday afternoon, hours after a heavy weather warning was issued for Phuket and other areas along the Andaman coast. Police named the victim as Edward Joseph Brookes, 63, from England. Mr Brookes disappeared in the surf in front of Karon Municipality Stadium (map here) at 2:40pm after enjoying lunch with his wife,…
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Phuket King’s Cup Regatta hosts underline support
PHUKET: Kata Group Resorts Thailand is to be the host sponsor of the 27th Phuket King’s Cup Regatta, making this the 15th year that the World Luxury Hotel Awards 2013 Nominee has supported the renowned international yachting spectacle. The regatta will be held from November 29 to December 6, 2013. Kata Beach Resort and Spa, one of six properties owned…
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Singaporean tourist missing after fall from iconic Phuket cape
PHUKET: A search-and-rescue operation was launched late this afternoon after a Singaporean tourist slipped from the rocks at Phuket’s iconic Promthep Cape and plunged into the waves below. Officers at the Phuket Tourist Rescue Center were notified of the incident at 5:40pm. “Two Singaporean men slipped on the wet rocks and fell from the famous cape in Rawai this afternoon,”…
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Alleged contract killer’s accomplices arrested in Phuket, extradited from Thailand
PHUKET: Five men arrested in Phuket in the same operation that snared the alleged contract killer and US drug dealer Joseph “Rambo” Hunter were extradited to the United States today. Escorted by armed police commandos, Britons Philip David Shackels and Scott Alan Stammer; Slovakian Alexander Lnu; Filipino Allan Kelly Perata; and Taiwanese Ye Tiong Tan Lim were taken from Bangkok’s…
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Prominent Belgian expat among Phuket Immigration arrests
PHUKET: Prominent Belgian expat Georges Sirre, who has lived in Phuket for nine years, was among three foreigners named by Phuket Immigration today to face deportation for previous offenses. Officers arrested Mr Sirre, 56, at his home in Rawai late yesterday afternoon after receiving a request from the Belgian Embassy in Bangkok, Phuket Immigration Superintendent Sunchai Chokkajaykij told a press…
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Phuket Governor inspects Patong ahead of tuk-tuk clearout
PHUKET: Ahead of the December 31 deadline to clear parking spaces along the Patong beach road for tourists, Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusust yesterday inspected the sites where tuk-tuks will no longer be permitted to park after December 31. “The project [story here] can reduce traffic jams in Patong and make the beachfront look more beautiful,” Governor Maitri said. During his…
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Black Eyed Peas rapper highlights Filipino plight with Phuket show
PHUKET: Over 400 people gathered to watch Grammy-award-winning international pop star and rapper from Black Eyed Peas apl.de.ap drop beats at Xana Beach Club to raise funds for the victims of Super Typhoon Haiyan, which devastated the central Philippines over a week ago. “I thought we [Filipinos] were tough, until this happened. Like I’ve never seen this magnitude of people…
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Phuket holidaymaker issued American child sex assault warrant
PHUKET: The American arrested in Phuket for the alleged sexual assault of a 13-year-old girl in Harris County, Texas, was due to fly home on Wednesday. “I came here for a vacation,” 41-year-old Forrest Wayne told the Phuket Gazette today from his holding cell at Phuket Immigration (map here). Mr Wayne entered Thailand on November 1, three days prior to…
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Health concerns boil over French passenger at Phuket airport
PHUKET: A French tourist leaching yellow pus from the back of his neck prompted fears that he might infect other passengers at Phuket International Airport on Friday.Airport authorities removed Michel Dominique Godfroy, 56, from the international departure lounge a little after 11:30pm.“We were called to the airport at 11:45pm,” a Kusoldharm Foundation rescue worker told the Phuket Gazette.The rescue workers…
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German tourist dies in Phuket surf
PHUKET: A German man died at Patong Beach yesterday afternoon after being overwhelmed by the strong surf and two-meter-high waves.Klaus Dieter Hermann, 76, was pulled from the surf at 1:40pm, Capt Nattaya Supanpong of the Patong Police confirmed to the Phuket Gazette.“Lifeguards noticed Mr Hermann was swimming alone when he encountered difficulties in the big waves,” Capt Nattaya explained. “When…
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Phuket Police arrest American fitness instructor for child sex assault
PHUKET: Police arrested an American man wanted for the alleged sexual assault of a 13-year-old girl in Houston, Texas, earlier this year. Fitness instructor Forrest Wayne, 41, was taken into custody in Patong one day after the Phuket authorities received a notice from the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). “On Saturday night, we received a notification from the FBI…
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Lanterns not cleared for Loy Krathong lift-off in Phuket
PHUKET: Airports of Thailand (AoT) Phuket warned those celebrating Loy Krathong today that releasing lanterns in the Air Safety Zone surrounding the international airport could result in charges carrying a sentence of up 20 years imprisonment or death. The hefty penalty is cited in Thailand Air Navigation Act, BE Section 6(3). “People like to release lanterns during Loy Krathong, especially…
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Special Report: The ongoing battle for a place to call home
Special Report: A poor community of less than 500 people who mostly make a living from picking through the trash at Saphan Hin have made a plea to the Phuket Governor for help in expediting their claim to live in a protected mangrove forest on the outskirts of Phuket Town. Will the villagers finally get a place to call home?…
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Loy Krathong festivities muted in Phuket
PHUKET: There will be muted celebrations for one of Thailand’s largest holidays, Loy Krathong, the “Festival of Light”, tomorrow in respect of the recent passing of His Holiness the Supreme Patriarch Somdet Phra Nyanasamvara Somdet Phra Sangharaja.Traditionally, thousands of people across the nation release krathong, lotus-shaped floats traditionally made of banana leaves, with a small offerings of food, flowers, joss…
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Black Eyed Peas’ rapper throws down beats for Philippines charity event this Sunday
PHUKET: Grammy award-winning rapper and member of the Black Eyed Peas, apl.de.ap, will be performing at the Xana Beach Club tomorrow to raise much-needed cash to support victims of Super Typhoon Haiyan, which devastated the central Philippines last week. Celebrities from around the world have expressed their support for those suffering in the Philippines by raising money through charity events.…
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Chinese charge forward with Phuket consulate
PHUKET: Chinese officials confirmed that a consulate in Phuket will be operational by next year in order to cater for the dramatic increase in Chinese nationals visiting the island.“The plan to establish a Chinese consulate in Phuket has been approved. However, we still need to find a place for it, as well as personnel,” the Chinese Consulate General in Songkhla,…
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Phuket Filipinos rally for typhoon relief
PHUKET: The Filipino community in Phuket will stage a fundraising event this Sunday to collect donations and raise much-needed cash to support victims of Super Typhoon Haiyan, which devastated the central Philippines last week. The event will be held at the Basketball Gymnasium at Saphan Hin (map here), where hundreds of Filipinos working and living in Phuket congregate each week…
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Patong hotel ordered to remove water-runoff pipe from beach
PHUKET: A leading Phuket resort has been ordered to remove a pipe that released runoff rainwater directly onto the sand at Patong Beach. The news came yesterday when officers from the Regional Environmental Office (REO) and Patong Municipality inspected the Impiana Resort, on the Patong beachfront road (map here). “We asked people in the area, and were told that the…
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Norwegian tourist drowns at Karon Beach
PHUKET: A Norwegian tourist drowned after being caught in heavy surf at Karon Beach, on Phuket’s west coast, yesterday. Kata-Karon chief lifeguard Uten Singsom reported his staff seeing the man, named by police as Chris Roger Hangsao, 55, having difficulty coping with the large waves. “There were big waves, up to about two meters high,” Mr Uten told the Phuket…
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Phuket joins Philippines typhoon relief effort
PHUKET: The Phuket chapter of the Red Cross Society has joined the relief effort to provide assistance to victims of Super Typhoon Haiyan, which devastated the central Philippines last Friday. “Right now we can only accept donations of money, which we will send to our head office in Bangkok,” Phuket Red Cross staffer Sarawut Rukkhaw told the Phuket Gazette. “We…
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Phuket residential areas hit by water shutoffs
PHUKET: Water supply was suspended in parts of Phuket today for the Phuket Provincial Waterworks Authority (PWA) to carry out maintenance work.“We stopped the water supply along the Tha Rua-Muang Mai Road in Pa Khlok. Residences in that area were affected,” PWA officer Sasivimol Sangprakong said.The water was shut off to fix a burst main in front of the Thalang…
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Man slain by single gunshot in Rawai
PHUKET: Police are investigating the death of a 28-year-old man who was slain by a single gunshot to the head near Rawai Beach early this morning.Chalong Police Deputy Superintendent Jumroon Plaidoung was notified of the murder at about 3:30am.“When we arrived at the scene, an unregistered rental house about 150 meters from the beach, we found the body of Khin…
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Phuket illegal taxis given New Year deadline
PHUKET: Fed up with the delay in illegal taxi drivers complying with the law, Phuket officials have established a December 31 deadline for taxi drivers to become legal. Phuket officials have long been flexible in trying to accommodate local taxi drivers’ concerns, Vice Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada told a provincial transportation committee meeting on Tuesday. “In the past, we kept extending…
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Phuket Sport: Singapore wins international cricket sixes competition
PHUKET: The Phuket Cricket Group (PCG) hosted the inaugural Sunseeker Thailand International Cricket Sixes event at the Alan Cooke Ground (ACG) over November 8-10. The competition saw Phuket’s local cricketer’s line up against international teams from Australia and Singapore in an action-packed, fun-filled three days.The first two days comprised of round robin matches which were followed by a great night…
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Patong Police chief told to clear parking spaces for tourists – or be transferred
PHUKET: The chief of police in Phuket’s premier tourism town of Patong has been ordered to clear beach road parking spaces for tourists by December 31 – or face being transferred.The news came after a video conference between Phuket Provincial Police Deputy Commander Arun Kaewwatee and Police Region 8 Commander Panya Mamen yesterday.“Lt Gen Panya ordered the superintendents of the…
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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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