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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SURF REMINDER: Meet the Phuket Surfers awing spectators at Patong
PHUKET: Surfers vying for the crown of the Quiksilver Thailand 2011 Surf Competition are donning their rash vests and waxing their boards for today’s heats. But wait, why are you not there? Yes, you, our loyal readers? Why are you reading this story? Are you aware you’re missing one of the year’s best sporting events? This is a reminder to…
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Day two of Quiksilver Thailand 2011 Surf Competition in Phuket
PHUKET: Day two (Thursday) of the Quiksilver Thailand Surf Competition greeted competitors and spectators with clear skies and 1 to 1.5 meter waves on Patong Beach in Phuket. The Open Longboard Division contestants opened proceedings just after 8am and ran until the semifinalists had been decided. Shortly after the longboard event, the Men’s Open Shortboard Division continued through to the…
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Phuket truck driver killed in roadside crash
PHUKET: The driver of a tractor-trailer was killed last night when his fully-loaded rig crashed into the back of another large truck parked along the side of Thepkrasattri Road in Phuket. The driver’s girlfriend, who was asleep in the back of the cab, survived the crash but is being treated for serious injuries at Vachira Phuket Hospital. Thalang Police identified…
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Elephant rampage: Tragedy strikes Phuket honeymooners
PHUKET: A Ukrainian couple’s honeymoon turned to tragedy when a bull elephant went berserk on a Phuket trekking tour, attacking the female elephant she and her husband were riding. Tetiana Meia, 26, suffered clean breaks to her left femur, right tibia (shin bone) and right fibula, along with scrapes and bruises all over her body when “Captain”, a bull elephant…
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Quiksilver surfing competition opens in Phuket
PHUKET: Quiksilver Thailand 2011 Surf Competition hit Patong Beach today with an early morning wake up call and the first day of action. Almost 100 competitors from nine different countries have signed up to compete in the four-day Asian Surfing Championship sanctioned 3-star Quiksilver Thailand 2011 Surf Competition. America, Australia, Burma, France, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and of…
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Phuket Town gets the musical squirts
PHUKET: The light and music fountain under construction at Saphan Hin in Phuket Town will stage its premiere performance next Wednesday. Paiboon Upatising, president of the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) announced the news at a meeting with Kathu Municipality on Tuesday. “We are now testing the fountain’s light and sound system to make sure it will be ready for…
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Thanyapura nets international tennis event
PHUKET: Tennis on Phuket has received a spectacular boon with Thanyapura Sports and Leisure Club (TSLC) announcing that their facility will host one round of the Chang International Tennis Federation (ITF) Thailand Pro Circuit 2011 tournament. The competition will run from October 29 to November 12 and is the very first tennis event of this caliber to be held in…
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Police seize 400kg of marijuana in single haul
PHUKET : Phuket police yesterday seized 400 kilograms of marijuana worth an estimated 20 million baht in a raid in Rawai. Phuket Provincial Police presented suspected drug dealer Sompong “Pet” Tham-u-tok, 23, at a press conference this morning presided by Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha, Phuket Provincial Police Commander Pekad Tantipong and Chalong Police Superintendent Krittapad Dej-intorrasorn. Also presented were 400…
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Phuket’s Pariwat scores a home first
PHUKET: Golfing prodigy Pariwat Pinsawat returned from Hong Kong recently, victorious at the international junior team tournament, The Lion City Cup, to claim yet another first. He was subsequently named the inaugural Brand Ambassador for his home course, Phuket Country Club. The announcement, made on September 10 at a presentation dinner that quickly evolved into an appreciation event, drew attendance…
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Phuket Poll: Enforcement of 80-meter ban ‘a failure’
PHUKET: Local authorities in Phuket have done a woeful job enforcing the ban on construction at sites above 80 meters, an overwhelming majority of Phuket Gazette readers think. In the last online poll, readers were asked: In an effort to reduce landslides, flooding and deforestation, the government in 1996 imposed a ban on the construction of all permanent structures above…
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Phuket Poll: What’s your favorite Thai dish?
PHUKET: In the latest online readers poll, the Phuket Gazette lightens up the subject matter to ask readers which of six popular Thai dishes they would choose to dine on exclusively if stuck on an island for two weeks. To vote in the poll click here or on the icon at the top right of this page. We understand that…
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Quiksilver surf competition underway in Phuket
PHUKET: The Quiksilver Surf Phuket Thailand Competition 2011 started today, with famous surfers from around the region taking part in the first round of the men’s long board event. There were 24 men taking part in the first round, which got underway off Loma Park in Patong at 2pm. Tomorrow will see both men and women take to the gnarly,…
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Paiboon calls for “dam healthy Phuket’
PHUKET: Phuket Provincial Administration Organization President Paiboon Upatising has called for plans to redevelop Bang Wad Dam and Bang Neaw Dam – Phuket’s two main water reservoirs – to include jogging tracks and bike lanes as key recreational features at the sites. Mr Paiboon called for the healthy additions yesterday at a public hearing at Kathu Municipality offices to announce…
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Health checks reveal Phuket police getting heavy
PHUKET: Police officers stationed in Phuket are increasingly becoming overweight and suffering high cholesterol, the Phuket Gazette was told today. The news came on the first day of the annual police health checkup at Chalong Police Station, where 160 officers will undergo health checks today and tomorrow. “The preliminary results of the checks conducted so far show that many of…
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Use of force “necessary’ in Phuket beach eviction: Police
PHUKET: Local police have defended their use of force in removing vendors from a Phuket beach on Sunday, saying that the officers present did only what was needed to arrest the ringleader. Tensions flared when police and municipal officers staged a dawn raid to tear down three restaurants deemed to be encroaching on government land at Karon Beach. The three…
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Street shooting leaves Phuket mother of two in disbelief
PHUKET: A young mother is contemplating her future after her partner and the father of her two children was gunned down outside their rented room in Phuket on Sunday night. “I was watching television with our two children at about 10pm when I heard two loud blasts. I rushed outside and saw my husband lying on the cement, covered with…
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More wet weather for Phuket: TMD
PHUKET: The Thai Meteorological Department (TMD) has issued a “heavy rain” warning for Phuket and almost all of Thailand. The warning, simply entitled “Heavy Rain over Thailand”, was issued at 5am today by the TMD’s Weather Forecast Bureau in Bangkok. The source of all the precipitation over the central plains region is a monsoon trough slowly moving across central Thailand,…
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Phuket-bound yacht crew rescued from southern Thailand storm
PHUKET: Two foreigners sailing to Phuket from Langkawi in Malaysia are safe after being rescued from turbulent seas by the Royal Thai Navy off the coast of Satun early this morning. Vice Admiral Choomnoom Ardwong of the Royal Thai Navy Third Area Command at Cape Panwa, Phuket, was notified of a distress call from the sailing yacht Aqua at 1:45am.…
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MoF voices support for Phuket convention center
PHUKET: Ministry of Finance General Inspector Prasit Suebchana met Phuket Vice Governor Somkiet Sangkhaosutthirak today to reaffirm that his ministry will fight for Phuket’s convention center to go ahead. The international convention and exhibition center (ICEC) project stalled early this month when the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE) announced that the project’s plan had failed its initial environmental…
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Boy, 15, stabbed at Phuket’s Chalong Pier
PHUKET: A 15-year-old boy was stabbed in the back last night while sitting with friends on Chalong Pier, a main departure point for tourists and divers heading out to the islands and reefs off Phuket. One of the security guards at the scene told the Phuket Gazette that the incident happened at about midnight. “Taweechai [Jansamud] probably had a fight…
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Phuket rubber tapper injured by falling tree
PHUKET: A Phuket rubber tapper was left unconscious and unable to move yesterday when a para rubber tree he was cutting down fell on him. The rubber-tapper, 29-year-old Seree Thongampol, went out to fell mature rubber trees in a plantation in Paklok Village 8 yesterday afternoon.Working alone, he used a chainsaw to cut the tree at its base. To his…
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FC Phuket trump Songkhla in deep south battle
PHUKET: FC PHUKET got their second road win of the season last night, with a well-deserved 1-0 win against Songkhla FC in a hard-fought match at Tinsulanond Stadium in Songkhla Town. The lively match was played under clear skies, following light showers earlier in the day. Some 23,000 fans turned out making it the largest crowd Phuket has played in…
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Beach Volleyball: Phuket Thailand Open ready to decide World Number One
PHUKET: Seventeen of the world’s top 20-ranked teams have confirmed their participation in the PTT Phuket Thailand Open, the final round of the FIVB Beach Volleyball Swatch World Tour, which will take place on Phuket’s Karon Beach from November 1 to 6. The Phuket tournament is the world’s largest women’s beach volleyball event and will see the teams competing this…
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Phuket Tourism: Miracle Years for ‘Amazing Phuket’?
PHUKET: The latest obstacle in Phuket’s never-ending effort to build a world-class International Conference and Exhibition Center came with the rejection of the project’s Initial Environmental Examination (IEE) by the Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning (ONR). Given all the work and money spent on planning and drawing up the design for the Center, to be built…
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Worldwide Photo Walk: Phuket event to focus on Vegetarian Festival
PHUKET: Shutterbugs should move quickly to sign up for the Phuket event of the Fourth Annual Worldwide Photo Walk on October 2, when local and visiting photographers will capture images of the colorful spectacle that is the annual Phuket Vegetarian Festival. Part of what is described as “the largest global social event for photographers”, the Photo Walk in Phuket will…
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Battle for Phuket’s Surin Beach goes on
PHUKET: The saga over the stalled clearing of a restaurant encroaching on Surin Beach continues, with the restaurant owners refusing to remove structures and local authorities planning to file yet another report. Pla Restaurant was spared from a raid on Wednesday morning when a multi-agency task force of no less than 30 officers acting under an order from the Governor…
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Clarification sought over car tax rebate plan: Phuket Excise Office
PHUKET: First-time car buyers should wait until rules regarding the much-publicized tax rebate are clarified before signing off on purchases, Phuket’s Excise Office has advised. Thanongsak Booncluab, Acting Director of the Phuket Excise Office, told the Phuket Gazette yesterday that a senior specialist will be arriving on Phuket on Monday to explain the populist program. “Ministry of Finance Inspector General…
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Luang Pu Supha marks 115th birthday
PHUKET: Phuket’s best-known monk Luang Pu Supha marked the grand old age of 115 years yesterday and received an honorary doctorate in Buddhist theology from Chulalongkorn University. Representatives from the Buddhist clergy were joined by Phuket Governor Tri Augkadachara in presiding over the merit-making ceremony at the temple in Chalong that bears Luang Pu Supha’s name. Also in attendance were…
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Phuket’s Windsor big in Japan
PHUKET: British International School (BIS) Phuket swimming sensation Raymond Windsor is making waves for his local swimming club in Japan. In July, during the BIS summer vacation period while at home in Japan, Raymond dived into Japan Prefectural (State) competitive swimming for the first time. At the Japan Junior pre-Olympic cup meet for Tochigi Prefecture (Honshu Island) on July 17,…
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AFL Phuket dishes out another night of thrills
PHUKET: Round three of Phuket’s Adult Futsal League (AFL) season eight presented by Thanachart Bank Premier Division kicked off with much anticipation for an action packed night on Thursday at Thanyapura Sports and Leisure Club. Reigning champions Portrait FC played Honda in the first match of the evening’s schedule. Portrait’s top scorer Pongsatorn got his team off to the perfect…
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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