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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Sponsored Infinito helps hotels in Thailand with revenue management
Maximising revenue and profit–isn’t that the ultimate goal for every business in the hospitality industry? If you run a hotel, you might have heard that revenue management is an effective way to boost your top-line revenue. It involves using data...
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Phuket Sports: PYSC get the cream of Cats
PHUKET: Young sailors from the Phuket Youth Sailing Club (PYSC) were recently afforded the chance to experience the thrill of being aboard a new 32-foot Marstrom Cat (M-32) on the waters of Phuket. The M-32 is a vessel built purely for speed with the same state-of-the-art technology as used in the aircraft industry and Formula 1 car racing. Owner of…
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World number four pair set to give back to Phuket schools
PHUKET: Schools beach volleyball received a top endorsement recently with the world’s number four pairing of Jennifer Kessy and April Ross from the USA offering to help promote the sport on Phuket. Bob Selznick continues to do sterling work for youth volleyball on the island and his friendship with the 2011 FIVB Phuket Beach Volleyball finalists [Kessy and Ross] has…
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Phuket Sports: FPL round two
PHUKET: Phuket’s Fair Play League (FPL) moved venues to take advantage of the excellent facility at Youth Football Home in Thalang for the second round of the competition. With two immaculately kept grass pitches at the ground, participating boys and girls enjoyed an afternoon of great football. In the U11 Division, spectators were treated to three hard-fought games with every…
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Phuket Sports: Krabi down the Lomas
PHUKET: KrabiI RFC recently hosted the Phuket Lomas in Ao Luk for their first U17 fifteen-a-side game of 2012. These games act as a warm up to the National Youth Games which will be held in Phuket in May and June. As usual the Lomas were playing above their weight with most of the team aged 14 and 15 years.…
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Phuket’s AFL strikes nine
PHUKET: With FC Phuket having recently ended their tumultuous season, the popular Adult Futsal League (AFL) presented by Thanachart Bank has picked up the baton to continue into season nine of the island’s football interests. Played at Thanyapura Sports and Leisure Club (TSLC) in Thalang, organizers this season have moved the competition from the smaller, dedicated futsal pitch to the…
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Bangkok squad to tackle illegal taxis
PHUKET: A team of Ministry of Interior (MoI) officials from Bangkok will arrive in Phuket in the coming weeks to tackle the island’s long-standing problems with “black plate” taxis and their drivers, Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha has announced. The move follows a number of serious complaints received by the ministry regarding “black plate” taxis, the local name for regular vehicles…
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Pheu Thai to consider Phuket special administrative zone
PHUKET: A peaceful protest for later closing times on Patong’s renowned Soi Bangla on Saturday may have finally encouraged the government to consider making Patong a special administrative zone. Government Spokesman Prompong Nopparit, in Phuket on Saturday, pledged to take up the issue with Pheu Thai ministers at a meeting in Bangkok today. The outcome of that meeting has yet…
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Phuket school kids busted on meth
PHUKET: Six students in their first year of secondary school have been caught skipping school to get high on ya bah (methamphetamine) in an abandoned disco in the heart of Phuket Town. First year secondary school students (Matthayom 1) are typically 13 years old. The six students, all enrolled at an unspecified school under the administration of Phuket City Municipality,…
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‘Case closed’ on mystery death of Brazilian in Phuket
PHUKET: The body of a Brazilian tourist found dead in a Phuket guest house last month has been returned to his family in New Zealand. Relatives do not think the death was suspicious, Patong Police say. Patong Hospital officers confirmed to the Phuket Gazette that according to hospital records the body of Daniel Rocha Jordan Brasileiro, 30, was claimed by…
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Parents the cure for corruption curse: Phuket poll
PHUKET: Parents and guardians play the key role in the effort to instill a much-needed “anti-corruption” mentality in our youth, a majority of Phuket Gazette readers feel. In the online poll launched two weeks ago, the Gazette asked readers: “In the effort to instill an ‘anti-corruption’ mentality in our youth, which group do you feel plays the most influential role?”…
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FC Phuket fans to share in team’s survival
PHUKET: FC Phuket could manage to survive at least one more season, but not with the help of any one wealthy benefactor. Executives have agreed to allow a group of fans to help raise funds by selling shares of the team to other fans for 1,000 baht each. The latest development unfolded yesterday at Mai Morn Seafood restaurant in Phuket…
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Phuket Sports: Island cricketers on a high
PHUKET: A battle for mid-table seniority held court at Phuket’s ACG when the Island Cricket Club faced the Thanyapura Tigers in the ninth Island Furniture League match. Sitting in fourth place, Tigers were a solitary point ahead of ICC fifth spot on the table and both teams were very aware that a win was crucial if their league title hopes…
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Readers’ Poll: Phuket fairs and festivals
PHUKET: As recent weeks have confirmed, there is no shortage of annual public festivals and fairs here in Phuket. But which of these is the most sanook of all? In the new Phuket Gazette online poll, we ask which of the six following events bring the most enjoyment. The candidates are: Phuket Red Cross FairOld Phuket Town FestivalChalong FairPhuket Local…
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Alleged mastermind of “Ae Inside’ murder still at large
PHUKET: Atsadakorn “Pod” Seedokbuab, 48, the man who police believe ordered the assassination of Phuket newsman Wisut “Ae Inside” Tangwitthayaporn earlier this month, remains at large. Phuket City Police Superintendent Col Chote Chidchai confirmed that police were still hunting Atsadakorn and two other suspects for their roles in the murder of Mr Wisut, who was shot dead in broad daylight…
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Phuket Police appeal to public over unidentified body
PHUKET: Chalong Police today appealed to the public for any information that may help identify the body of a man found near Phuket’s iconic Phromthep Cape earlier this month. Chalong Police Duty Officer Boonlert Onklang this afternoon told the Phuket Gazette that the public appeal for help follows the autopsy report received by the police on Friday. The body was…
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Man, 27, found hanged in Phuket
PHUKET: Thalang Police believe financial woes led a Phuket man to take his life by hanging last night. Shocked relatives of 27-year-old Awut Sakunchit awoke this morning to find his body suspended by the neck from a nylon cord tied attached to a ceiling support beam in his wife’s home in Thepkrasattri subdistrict. When Thalang Police and Phuket Kusoldharm Foundation…
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Phuket tour van in three-way accident on Patong Hill
PHUKET: A van carrying foreign tourists was involved in a three-vehicle accident on Patong Hill road this morning, causing a long traffic tailback into Phuket’s most popular west coast resort town. The accident happened on the hairpin turn descending into Patong where numerous other mishaps have occurred, including the crash of a tour bus full of Russian tourists in October…
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Crowds mass at the Old Phuket Town Festival 2012
PHUKET: The 13th Old Phuket Town Festival was a big hit over the weekend, attracting droves of local residents and tourists to Queen Sirikit Park and all along Thalang Road. The three-day festival, which ends tonight, opened on Saturday night with addresses by local dignitaries including Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) President Paiboon Upatising, Phuket City Mayor Somjai Suwansupana and…
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Phuket Sports: Patriots missile the Ravens to contest Superbowl
PHUKET: Fans of the New England Patriots in Phuket got some great news when local media reports out of Boston revealed that the team’s superstar tight end Rob Gronkowsi will play in the Super Bowl XLVI against the red hot New York Giants. Gronkowski went down with what appeared to be a very serious ankle in the AFC championship game,…
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Phuket Police hunting armed gunman after ‘lightning robbery’
PHUKET: Phuket City Police are scouring the streets of Phuket for a man who robbed a Kasikorn Bank branch at gunpoint, making off with 694,000 baht in less than a minute: Police were alerted to the robbery, at the Tesco Lotus Chaofa shopping complex in Wichit, at 6:15pm this evening. “There were a only a few customers waiting in the…
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Phuket tour bus on fire at Patong Hill
PHUKET: The Phuket Gazette this morning received reports of yet another bus catching fire – this time on the busy road over Patong Hill, joining the popular tourist town of Patong with Phuket Town. No injuries were reported. Motorists are urged to exercise extreme caution – and patience – while traveling over the steep hill. The Gazette will report more…
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Patong tunnel project to start ‘within 6 months’: Pian Keesian
PHUKET: Patong Mayor Pian Keesin expects to get Cabinet approval for the multi-billion baht Patong Tunnel project “within six months”. The project is now under review by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, said Mayor Pian. “According to our survey, 86.3 per cent of the high-ranking government officers who have seen the project details agree it should commence… so…
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Phuket’s Bebe and Boo Boo on leave from active duty
PHUKET: Two dogs that underwent training to sniff out drugs on Phuket are currently “on leave” from active duty as their owner tries to find new handlers for them. Muang District Chief Supachai Pochanakul, the owner of a beagle named Bebe and a pitbull named Boo Boo, told the Phuket Gazette this afternoon that the two dogs are “healthy and…
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“We’re not elephant killers’, say Phuket pair
PHUKET: Jaruwan Wathanapumchoo and her brother Prasit yesterday publicly refuted all allegations that they were in any way involved in the trafficking of elephant meat to Phuket to serve as “exotic food” in selected restaurants. The public joint-statement, made at a press conference at Phuket Provincial Hall yesterday, follows allegations of elephant meat trading made against them by two national…
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Couples sought for Phuket “mega wedding’
PHUKET: Couples wanting to tie the knot in Phuket on Valentine’s Day might consider taking part in a mass wedding ceremony to be staged at Laem Phromthep in Rawai next month. The organizers are seeking 108 Thai and foreign couples to take part in the event, which is intended to promote Phuket as a wedding and honeymoon vacation destination. The…
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Glimmer of hope for FC Phuket
PHUKET: A new management team has expressed interest in taking over the rights to manage FC Phuket football side. FC Phuket executives opened the table for any potential backers to take over the team by January 31, the “roll call” deadline for 2012 Thai Premier League (TPL) Division 1 clubs. An official announcement was made yesterday at a press conference…
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“Guns at the ready’ over Phuket jet-ski dispute
PHUKET: Officials in Phuket are stepping in to stave off a potentially lethal situation brewing over three unregistered jet-skis being rented out to tourists at Bang Tao Beach, on Phuket’s west coast. Adding to the fury of the other jet-ski operators at the popular tourist beach, all of whom are members of the “Phuket Jet-ski Club”, is the claim that…
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Phuket Police recover human body off Coral Island
PHUKET: Chalong Police are trying to identify the badly decomposed body of a man discovered offshore at a popular Phuket dive site this afternoon. The police were informed of the discovery at about 4:30pm, duty officer Atthawat Suwanarat told the Phuket Gazette. The crew of a fishing boat discovered the body floating face down about 20 meters offshore from Koh…
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Help pours in for homeless fire victims in Phuket
PHUKET: The Rotary Club of Patong Beach will assist a mother and 16-year-old daughter left homeless after a house fire on Tuesday. Offers of assistance have been pouring in to the Phuket Gazette since the news was posted online. One reader even offered to rent his house out to them for six months for a token price of one baht.…
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Phuket TAT launches 9 Temples Tour
PHUKET: The Phuket “9 Temples Tour” began today as a way to round out the Chinese New Year festivities and to usher in the Phuket Old Town Festival, which gets underway on Sunday. The tour departs the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Phuket office on Thalang Road in Phuket Town each day at 9:30am and 10:30am, taking visitors to nine…
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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