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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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 and Andaman hotel occupancy at 66.5% in 2011: THA
PHUKET: Hotels in Phuket and other Andaman coast provinces enjoyed the highest occupancy rates in Thailand in 2011, the Thai Hotels Association has announced. Speaking at a forum organized by the Federation of Thai Tourism Associations on Monday, Thai Hotels Association (THA) President Prakit Chinamourphong said there was a chance that Thai hotels could raise room rates by 5-8 per…
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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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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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Phuket expat reunited with “best friend’ Micky
PHUKET: Long-term Phuket expat Frank Lamine has been reunited with his lost dog “Micky”, but his fears of dog-nappers operating at Nai Harn Beach remain. Mr Lamine lost Mickey on January 22. After checking with police, he learned that Rawai Municipality has CCTV cameras posted at the beach. “The CCTV footage recorded Micky at the beach at 4:30pm. Then at…
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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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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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Phuket hotel CEO says “No more payouts’
PHUKET: The Andaman Beach Suites Hotel in Patong on Phuket’s west coast, has confirmed that it will no longer pay any guest who claim their room was robbed without sufficient evidence, after a recent surge in cases, and a tightening of hotel security. The hotel has paid victims in six of the past eight instances, all since July. In each…
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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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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 “anti plastic bag’ campaign kicks into gear
PHUKET: The provincial government campaign to rid the island of plastic bags will start in earnest on February 27, when retailers across Phuket will start handing out free cloth bags to shoppers over the course of one week. The news was announced on Friday by Phuket Vice Governor Somkiet Sangkaosuttirak at the signing of the second Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)…
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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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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 VIOLENCE: Three ways to knock it back
PHUKET: Security issues and their effect on Phuket’s all-important tourism industry have come into sharp focus in recent weeks following two high-profile incidents of violence. Governor Tri Augkaradacha is correct in his reaction to the impacts of the assassination earlier this month of investigative reporter Wisut “Ae Inside” Tangwitthayaporn and the inexplicable violence perpetrated against socialite Vorasit “Pla-wan” Issara at…
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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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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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Phuket laborer claims “elephant god’ saves him from shooting
PHUKET: A man shot three times in the abdomen yesterday said a sacred talisman prevented the projectiles from breaking his skin, but police think it was because they were fired by a slingshot — not a gun. Chalong Police Officer duty officer Atthawat Suwanarat received a report of the shooting at 5:30pm. Prepared for the worst, he rushed to the…
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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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“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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Alarm raised over dog-snatching in Phuket
PHUKET: A Phuket expat who lost his dog at Nai Harn Beach last Sunday has raised concerns over dog-snatching at the popular tourist area. Frank Lamine wrote to the Phuket Gazette earlier today reporting that he had heard of one local dog owner paying 3,000 baht to get his dog back. Mr Lamine lost his 10-year-old white Maltese terrier “Micky”…
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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 crowds flock to Chalong Temple Fair
PHUKET: Despite traffic chaos, Phuket residents have been flocking to the annual Chalong Temple Fair that runs through to Sunday. The vibrant fair each year attracts thousands of visitors who come to sample the wide range of food, browse the market stalls and enjoy the variety of activities on offer. Besides the many famous singers and celebrities taking turns on…
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Two rushed to hospital after separate accidents in Phuket
PHUKET: A Phuket Airport employee returning home from work was seriously injured when her motorbike was hit by a passenger van full of tourists returning from a trip to Phang Nga yesterday afternoon. Thalang Police were notified of the accident at 3:35pm. Arriving at the scene, the turnoff to the airport on Thepkrasattri Road, police found 48-year-old Lamphong Losing lying…
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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