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
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Phuket sea gypsies arrested for cyanide fishing
RAWAI, PHUKET: Ten Rawai sea gypsies were arrested by Marine Police late Sunday night and charged with collecting protected species for the illicit trade in tropical fish. The arrests were carried out by Phuket Marine Police and officials from the Phuket Marine and Coastal Resources Conservation Center (PMCRCC). Under the direction of PMCRCC Director Paitoon Panchaipum, the officers intercepted two…
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Lots of tourists in Phuket, but they aren’t spending much
PHUKET TOWN: Arrival figures during this high season remain high, but tourists visiting Phuket seem to be spending less, industry insiders say. Bhuritt Maswongsa, vice-president of the Phuket Tourist Association (PTA), said that ‘per head’ expenditure seems to be much lower than in the 2007-2008 high season, the last time Phuket enjoyed a normal high season – the 2008-2009 high…
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TAT to focus on tourist spending, not numbers
PHUKET TOWN: Juthaporn Rerngronasa, The Tourism Authority of Thailand’s returning deputy governor for international marketing, has unveiled several strategies to approach a range of potential markets this year. Mrs Juthaporn was reappointed to head the international marketing department following an internal management reshuffle supervised by new TAT new governor Suraphon Svetserni. “This year, the authority will not aim at luring…
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Phuket Police nab murder suspects
PHUKET TOWN: Phuket City Police have arrested two minors for the stabbing murder of two men during an alcohol-fueled knife fight outside a Phuket Town nightclub on Saturday night. Phuket Provincial Police Superintendent Pekad Tantipong presented the young suspects at a press conference at Phuket City Police Station this morning. They are accused of stabbing to death two members of…
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Phuket Blues Rock Festival is back
PHUKET TOWN: Presented by Thai Airways International, the Phuket International Blues Rock Festival is back with its biggest bang since its inception in 2005. Once again hosted by the Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort and Spa, the show takes place on February 26 and 27 in Karon, where gates open and beer begins to flow at 5 pm. Music starts at…
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Crackdown on alcohol sales violations in Phuket
PHUKET: Phuket health authorities are launching a fresh crackdown on violators of Thai alcohol sales regulations. The 2008 Alcohol Control Act states that alcohol products cannot be sold at places of worship, health centers and hospitals, government offices, educational institutions, gas stations and public parks. For our previous report, click here. Director of the Phuket Public Health Office (PPHO) Dr…
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Murder most foul: infanticide in Phuket
CHALONG, PHUKET: Chalong Police are searching for a Burmese nanny they think was responsible for the murder by suffocation of a four-month-old Thai child left in her care. Police were notified of the death at 8:30am yesterday by the boy’s mother, 32-year-old Palida Phromraksa, a native of Ao Luk District in Krabi. When police led by Chalong Police Deputy Superintendent…
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Valium bust strands Kiwi teen in Phuket
PHUKET TOWN: A teenager from New Zealander is stranded in Phuket after being arrested for possession of diazepam pills without a prescription. The 17-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was set to fly back to his current home in Australia on December 11. But four days before he was due to leave, he was caught by Kathu Police…
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Phuket pine tree killers still at-large
PHUKET TOWN: A police investigation into the mysterious felling of eight pine trees near the West Sands resort project in Mai Khao has yet to produce any suspects. Members of a panel set up to investigate the matter met at Phuket Provincial Hall on Wednesday to discuss developments in the case. The felling of the ‘ton son‘ pine trees caused…
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Patong Hospital calls: dead on arrival
PATONG, PHUKET: Other than by email or personal visit, Patong Hospital has been completely out of reach for months. As the result of a telephone exchange fault, the numbers 076-342-633/4, printed in telephone directories and appearing on the first page of the hospital’s website, have been out of service for five months. Calling the numbers does produce a ring tone,…
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Seven Suzukis for Phuket City Police
PHUKET TOWN: The Phuket Chamber of Commerce and two private sector companies on Wednesday took part in a ceremony to hand over seven donated motorbikes to the Phuket City Police. Phuket City Police Superintendent Wanchai Ekpornpit accepted the Suzuki motorbikes at 10am in front of the police station. Phuket Chamber of Commerce President Sirichai Silapa-archa said the chamber had joined…
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Phuket Governor visits Aussie accident victims
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop rushed to Bangkok Hospital Phuket yesterday afternoon to comfort the 26-year-old widow of the young Australian killed in a jeep crash on Big Buddha Hill today. Gov Wichai told Aimee Malonzo, who married her husband Michael just a week ago, how sorry he was for her loss. The governor offered Mrs Malonzo and the other…
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Glimmer of hope for Phuket sea turtles
MAI KHAO, PHUKET: In a rare positive development for the critically endangered leatherback sea turtle, an enormous female has laid a clutch of eggs at Mai Khao Beach. Vigilant staff of the Mai Khao Sea Turtle Conservation Group carefully prodded the sands with a sharp iron bar to discover the eggs on Tuesday night following reports by villagers that a…
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Aussie killed in Phuket Land Rover plunge
PHUKET: A driver lost control of a jeep full of tourists heading down Big Buddha Hill, killing a 26-year-old Australian man who was on his honeymoon in Phuket. The deceased’s name is known, but is being withheld pending notification of next of kin. Several other tourists were injured in the accident, which happened at about 11am this morning. The condition…
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45 murders in Phuket in 2009
PHUKET: Crime statistics compiled by the Phuket Provincial Police reveal 45 murders and 310 cases of manslaughter on the resort island in 2009. Based on the official population of just over 320,000, the figures put the total number of instances of murder and manslaughter at an alarming rate of more than one victim per 1,000 residents over the year. However,…
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Danes arrested on work permit violations
PHUKET TOWN: The Thai Hotels Association has sought help for a Patong-based tour company whose Danish employees were arrested for working illegally late last month. Tan Chee Kiong, vice president of the Thai Hotels Association (Southern Chapter), on Tuesday morning went to Phuket Vice Governor Tri Augkaradacha to plead the company’s case. The company, the local affiliate of a large…
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Egat plans third substation for Phuket
PHUKET: The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (Egat) is preparing to invest 300 million baht to build a high-voltage substation in Koh Kaew. Dr Anuchart Palakawongse Na Ayudhaya, director of Egat’s Natural and Environment Evaluation Department, met with Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop on Tuesday to discuss the project. Egat already has Cabinet approval for the project, which is currently under…
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Bars demolished in Kata, Phuket
KARON, PHUKET: Patrons of five small bars in Kata will have to find new watering holes, after police and other security forces yesterday forced the owners to vacate their premises and had them torn down by heavy machinery. Representing landholding firm Yee MR Company Ltd, Attorney Chayapat Boonnak appeared at Chalong Police station at 8:30 yesterday morning with a court-issued…
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Young mom killed in Phuket hit-and-run
PHUKET: A young mother riding a motorbike was killed instantly in a head-on collision with a car in Srisoonthorn early yesterday morning. Maj Sekson Komsakorn of the Cherng Talay Police identified the deceased as 26-year-old Dok-aor Ponsri, a native of Ubon Ratchathani. After receiving a report of the accident just before 2am, Kusoldharm Foundation workers rushed to the scene to…
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Phuket to catch first glimpse of eclipse in Thailand
PHUKET: A partial solar eclipse on Friday will be visible in Phuket before any other province in Thailand, scientists say. Asst Prof Dr Sakshin Bunthawin, head of the Biotechnology of Electromechanics Research Unit at Prince of Songkla University Phuket Campus, said the eclipse will begin at 1:51pm and reach its peak at 3.28pm, at which time 57% of the sun’s…
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Abandoned baby family flee Phuket
RASSADA, PHUKET: A Burmese couple, recently reunited with their baby daughter after allegedly abandoning her twice, have fled their workers’ camp and are believed to be heading back to Burma. Residents of the camp said the couple and their baby had vanished by Sunday morning. For our previous report, click here. The camp, comprised of corrugated tin shacks, houses workers…
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Phuket mourns Mel Purdue
PHUKET: Friends and family are mourning the loss of Briton Mel Purdue, who died at Phuket International Hospital late Sunday night at the age of 55. Mr Purdue died from organ failure after a year-long battle with Hepatitis C. He is survived by his wife of over 20 years, Elizabeth Purdue, his girlfriend Rowena ‘Vicky’ Nonez and his brother Michael,…
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Winner of Phuket Red Cross raffle announced
PHUKET: The Phuket chapter of the Thai Red Cross Society has announced the winners of the top two prizes in its annual charity raffle, the drawing for which took place on Saturday night at the Red Cross Fair at Saphan Hin. The winner of the first prize, a 2.7-million-baht detached home in the Phanason Parkville 3 housing estate in Srisoonthorn,…
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Phuket mini-marathon on February 7
WICHIT, PHUKET: Wichit Municipality will host its fourth annual ‘mini-marathon’ on February 7, with races over two distances. Wichit Mayor Kreetha Saetan said the event is meant to teach young people how to spend their time productively, support healthy drug-free lifestyles and – of course – support tourism. Races will start in front to the Wichit Municipality offices on Chao…
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Phuket plastic bag MOU: Tesco, 7-11 continue hold-out
PHUKET: Tesco-Lotus and 7-Eleven remain among the few major Phuket retailers yet to sign an agreement to begin charging customers a nominal fee for plastic bags, it was announced during a meeting at Phuket Provincial Hall on Friday. The meeting, chaired by Phuket Vice Gov Teerayut Eimtrakul and three of the project leaders, was attended by representatives of island retailers…
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B17m for Andaman Sea Rescue
PHUKET: The Andaman Sea Rescue Service (ASRS) has received a budget of more than 17 million baht to spend on new lifesaving equipment, though officials don’t expect to receive the new gear until the third quarter of this year. The ASRS carries out sea rescues off the coasts of five of Thailand’s six Andaman provinces: Phuket, Krabi, Phang Nga, Ranong…
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Panther on the loose in Chumphon
CHUMPHON: A huge black panther has been attacking livestock in a village next to a national park in Muang District. Local resident Sanguan Damsanit told reporters on January 6 that he saw the animal on New Year’s Day in a field in Tambon Tha Yang. Mr Sanguan, 55, said that when he went to round up his eight head of…
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Phuket kids have their way on Children’s Day
PHUKET: It was a busy day for kids in Phuket today, which is National Children’s Day in Thailand. There were numerous prizes and giveaways all over the island: Jungcyelon, Rajabhat Phuket University, Bangkok Hospital Phuket, Phuket Provincial Hall and the new provincial bus terminal in Rassada, to name just a few. It was mostly fun and games, but there were…
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Phuket Red Cross raffle results
PHUKET CITY: The main stage area at Saphan Hin was packed with excited punters last night when local VIPs drew the winning numbers in the annual Red Cross Fair charity raffle. The top prize for the first time ever in Thailand was a detached house on 56 square wah of land in the Phanason Parkville 3 housing estate off Thepkrasattri…
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Phuket Luxury property sales top Bt1.1bn
PHUKET: Phuket’s luxury property market saw transactions worth 1.1 billion baht for the period of July through November last year, according to market research by leading Thai consulting firm C9 Hotelworks.A growing resale sector accounted for 50 percent of the sales.According to Bill Barnett, Managing Director of C9, “There was an absence of new high-end product in 2009, which propelled the secondary…
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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