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.
-
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...
-
Phuket Roads: Another biker critically injured in hit-and-run
PHUKET: Phuket Police are seeking the driver of a white sedan involved in a hit-and-run accident that left a motorbike driver critically injured on Thepkrasattri Rd in Thalang last night. The accident happened at about 9:30pm on Thepkrasattri Rd southbound, opposite the new PTT service station in Srisoonthorn Village 1. Thalang Police and Kusoldharm Foundation workers rushed to the scene…
-
Gov calls for gun security after man shot dead in Kalim
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha has called for police to boost gun security after a man was gunned down while riding home along the Kalim beach road last night. Jakkrit Nutad, 45, from Nakhon Sri Thammarat, was riding home when two men following him pulled alongside and opened fire at about 9pm, said Patong Police Superintendent Col Arayapan Pukbuakao. “Both…
-
Pheu Thai’s Prompong inspects B4bn ‘stolen’ Phuket land
PHUKET: Pheu Thai Party spokesman and party list MP Prompong Nopparit arrived in Phuket yesterday to inspect 65 rai of land near Patong that is under investigation for having been illegally issued land titles.The land, located behind Freedom Beach on the southern headland south of Patong, was brought to the attention of the National Counter Corruption Commission after it was…
-
Chinese New Year to bring B900mn boost to Phuket
PHUKET: The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Phuket office expects Phuket to rake in up to 900 million baht during the upcoming Chinese New Year festivities. The annual event, this year welcoming in the Year of the Dragon, is to be celebrated in Phuket from January 23-25. “The TAT expects 60,000 tourists, to arrive in Phuket to celebrate Chinese New…
-
Phuket Sports: Chelsea favorite for FA Cup
PHUKET: Chelsea have been made favorites by bookmakers to secure their seventh FA Cup title following their victory over Portsmouth. The scoreline flattered the Blues who struggled in a dour first half to breakdown determined defensive play by the visitors. Just after the break however, Juan Mata received a low cross from Florent Malouda and swept the ball past Stephen…
-
Phuket police ordered to “hunt down’ “Ae Inside’ killers
PHUKET: Regional Provincial Police commanders have ordered Phuket police to “hunt down” the men who gunned down reporter Wisut “Ae Inside” Tangwitthayaporn in broad daylight yesterday. The deputy commander of Police Region 8 arrived in Phuket to personally handle the investigation into the assassination of reporter Mr Wisut yesterday morning. Police Region 8 Deputy Commander Maj Gen Pisan Chuldilok held…
-
Phuket’s “Pla-wan’ recovering returns home, receives second Royal bouquet
PHUKET: Sri panwa resort General Manager Vorasit “Pla-wan” Issara is recovering at Sripanwa Villa, Phuket, after being released from hospital on Wednesday. His release was followed by another gift of flowers, this time from HRH Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn. The Royal bouquet was presented to Pla-wan and the Issara family yesterday afternoon by Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha. Mr Vorasit, who…
-
Great day to be a kid in Phuket
PHUKET: National Children’s Day will be celebrated across Thailand tomorrow and there are many fun activities planned all over Phuket for children to enjoy and learn from. Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has dedicated the slogan “Unity, Knowledge, Wisdom, Preserving Thai Identity, and Learning Technology” as the theme for this year’s Children’s Day. Here in Phuket, many organizations will get into…
-
FC Phuket names Suphat “James’ as player-coach for season closer
PHUKET: FC PHUKET have named defender Suphat “James” Aonthong as player-coach for their last Division 1 league match on Saturday, an away fixture against Chainat FC. Traveling by road, the team left Phuket yesterday at 4pm and arrived in Chainat at 6am today and are scheduled for a 5pm training session at Khao Plong Stadium. Without a dedicated coach to…
-
UPDATE: Phuket Police suspect land issues in murder of local journalist
PHUKET: Police suspect reporting on illegal issuance of titles for prime Phuket land as a possible motive for the assassination of Wisut “Ae Inside” Tangwitthayaporn in broad daylight during rush hour on a major Phuket thoroughfare today. The news was announced at a meeting of some of Phuket’s top police officers this morning. “We held the meeting to discuss how…
-
Phuket students honored for win at World Robot Olympiad
PHUKET: Three students from Phuket Municipal School in Phuket Town have been honored with a meeting with Yongyuth Wichaidit, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior, for their award-winning performance at the World Robot Olympiad (WRO) 2011 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The Phuket Auto Robot team – comprising Pakin “Paper” Boonlom, Tipok “Nueng” Kinkobsin, and Boonyarit “Tel”…
-
Czech beauties arrive in Phuket
PHUKET: The final 14 candidates for the Miss Czech Republic Beauty Pageant 2012 landed in Phuket yesterday ahead of a weekend of public activities and photo shoots. On clearing Customs, the 14 “beauties” were given flowers and welcomed to Phuket by Wannaprapa Suksomboon, deputy director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) office in Phuket, and Phuket International Airport Director…
-
Phuket newsman killed in gun attack
PHUKET: A Phuket newsman was shot dead by a man riding pillion on a motorbike this morning. Wisut “Ae Inside” Tangwitthayaporn, 40, was driving with his wife to Provincial Hall in Phuket Town when the ambush was sprung. He had just pulled out of the entrance of Srisuchart Grandview onto Thepkrasattri Road and was intending to make a U-turn on…
-
Phuket Police armed standoff ends on a high
PHUKET: A two-hour standoff between Phuket police and an armed man ended without bloodshed last night after officers finally persuaded him to stand down. Police arrived at a home along a soi opposite Chalong Temple at about 6pm after Sawai Thongyod called them, saying her 26-year-old son was armed, acting dangerously and she feared for her safety. Her son, Sukan…
-
Blood donation in Phuket Town tomorrow
PHUKET: The Phuket Vocational College at Saphan Hin will hold a blood donation drive in honor of HM The King from 9am to 3pm tomorrow. The donation will be held at Building 5 at the school, which is easily reached by public transport due to its location at the southern terminus of Pink Bus Route 3. The drive is part…
-
Phuket safe and sound after tsunami scare
PHUKET: The National Disaster Warning Center (NDWC), at 3am this morning, canceled the tsunami alert (not ‘warning’) that had been put in place as a result of an undersea earthquake off the west coast of Sumatra at 12:37am. Director Somsak Khaosuwan told the Phuket Gazette this morning, “The warning was canceled at about 3am as the predicted time for a…
-
One dead, four injured in latest Phuket horror crash
PHUKET: A fatal motorbike accident in Phuket last night was compounded when a car that slowed to survey the carnage was hit from behind and launched into a crowd of onlookers. A pregnant woman was killed and four others were injured, one critically. Thalang Police were notified at 6:45pm of an accident involving two motorbikes on Srisoonthorn Road (Route 4027),…
-
Phuket petrol prices take a jump
PHUKET: The Phuket Gazette has confirmed with PTT gas stations in Phuket that the price rises on petrol and gasohol will be in effect on the island from 5am tomorrow. The prices of all benzine petrol and most forms of gasohol will increase by 40 satang (0.4 baht) per liter. The E85 form of “Gasohol 95” will increase by 20…
-
Phuket hospital denies “deadly greed’ killed mum, 74
PHUKET: The director of the Phuket Provincial Administrative Organization (OrBorJor) Hospital today denied accusations that his hospital was “unethical” in its practices, which a man yesterday formally alleged contributed to his mother’s death. Hospital Director Dr Chack Somana today refuted allegations leveled yesterday by Narongphon Suwanmosee, who claimed that the hospital refused to allow his mother, Pa Khongjean, to be…
-
Phuket Prison ‘kingpin’ suspected in huge meth bust
PHUKET: Police have arrested three members of a major methamphetamine trafficking ring operating throughout Phuket that is allegedly masterminded by a ‘kingpin’ resident behind the walls of Phuket Provincial Prison, officials said today. Seized as evidence in the case was the biggest drug haul in Phuket in recent memory: 20,200 ya bah (methamphetamine) pills and 718 grams of ya ice…
-
Phuket Live Wire: Recovering after New Year
PHUKET: Continuing my series where I try to answer the computer questions I hear most frequently here in Phuket, this week I’ll tackle a question I hear over and over again around Christmas and New Year: “How do I recover photos or video I’ve deleted?” People tend to take a lot of pictures around the end of the year, and…
-
Seventh arrest made over Phuket “Pla-wan’ stabbing
PHUKET: Phuket Police have arrested another suspect in connection with the assault of Sri panwa resort general manager Vorasit ‘Pla-wan’ Issara and an arrest warrant has been issued for an eighth suspect in the case. Phuket Provincial Police Commander Chonasit Wattanavrangku yesterday updated the media about progress in the investigation, which must be concluded and forwarded to the court within…
-
Man blames Phuket hospital for mother’s death
PHUKET: A complaint was filed today against the Phuket Provincial Administrative Organization (OrBorJor) Hospital for “unethical practices” leading to the death of his mother. Narongphon Suwanmosee, 44, claims that hospital administrators allegedly refused to allow his mother to be transferred to Vachira Phuket Hospital for treatment for the sake of an outstanding 100,000 baht medical bill. Mr Narongphon filed the…
-
Former Phuket-based home vendors wanted by Aussie authorities
PHUKET: Australian authorities are investigating the ongoing practices of a Gold Coast man who allegedly fled to Phuket in 2010 and set up an office so he could continue to sell “kit homes” in Australia. The news comes after Nick Nichols, business editor at the news website GoldCoast.com.au, posted a story today highlighting the recent launch of US-based business Nair…
-
Phuket Gazette Sports: Review of the year
A look back over the year’s sporting events and memorable moments that helped highlight Phuket as a center of excellence in the Kingdom and Asia.January: Fresh start and fresh faces Promotion to Division 1 of Thailand’s national football league also brought a coaching set up for FC Phuket led by Surachai Jirasirichote. Surachai’s dream of taking the Southern Sea Kirin…
-
DTAC to refund Phuket customers for service glitch
PHUKET: Mobile phone service provider DTAC has announced that it would waive a 48-hour service fee for 1.8 million customers in Phuket and six other southern provinces, after the second service interruption in less than three weeks. Dtac Chief Corporate Affairs Officer Dr Darmp Sukontasap announced the waiver after a three-hour service interruption on the evening of January 5 that…
-
Services to Phuket Sports
PHUKET: Thanyapura Sports and Leisure Club (TSLC) has been awarded the Phuket Gazette’s inaugural Services to Sport title. The purpose of such an award is to identify and recognize individuals, teams or organizations whose contributions to raise the profile of sport on Phuket has been outstanding throughout the year. A panel of Gazette Editors deliberated over a selection of exceptional…
-
Pregnant woman killed by Phuket cement truck
PHUKET: A woman seven months pregnant was run over and killed by a speeding cement truck in Patong yesterday. Hours later a man died in a high-speed motorbike collision on the Old Airport Road on Phuket’s west coast. A report in Siangtai Daily named the woman in the Patong accident as 31-year-old Indonesian national Erna Dahlan. Police arrived at the…
-
Phuket Red Cross raffle winning numbers announced
PHUKET: A huge crowd was on hand at Saphan Hin park in Phuket Town last night for the draw of winning prize numbers in the annual Phuket Red Cross Fair charity raffle. Leading the top local and national officials who took part in the random draw was Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha. The lucky holder of ticket number 38352, who has…
-
Phuket Football: Saved by Muang Thong Utd!
PHUKET: Despite losing at home 4-1 to Bangkok FC last night, FC Phuket and their supporters left Surakul Stadium in jubilation knowing that the the team’s future is now secure: Thai Premier League (TPL) powerhouse side Muang Thong United has promised to support the team in the 2012-2013 campaign. The good news, delivered before the start of play, was made…
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.
Don't forget to check out some other things to do in Thailand - get help starting a business or finding a job in Thailand, buy Thailand property, rent a yacht or book a medical procedure worldwide.