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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Apirak defends poor progress in catching killers
PHUKET CITY: Phuket Provincial Police Commander Apirak Hongthong has assured the public that investigators are working hard to bring to justice to those responsible for a slew of unsolved murders that have shocked the island in recent months.Speaking after a press conference on August 20, Gen Apirak said provincial police investigators and specialists from Bangkok were working hard on three…
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Phuket protesters join Bangkok Siege, demand PM’s resignation
PHUKET: As the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) makes its final drive to oust Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej, media in Bangkok have reported that NBT broadcast stations were being raided around the nation.However, NBT reporter Chaiwut Poungsuwan today told the Gazette that the NBT station in Phuket, located at the top of Rang Hill in Phuket City, is safe and sound.“NBT…
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Speed, guns and ganja confiscated in crackdown
PHUKET CITY: Following his order of a crackdown on crime, Phuket’s top cop has announced that several drug- and gun-related arrests were made recently in different parts of the island.Phuket Provincial Police Commander Apirak Hongthong said that recent swoops in various locations had included the seizure of 390 ya bah (methamphetamine) pills that had been stashed in a hole in the…
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3G in Phuket by mid-2009: DTAC
PHUKET: Mobile phone service provider DTAC has announced its plans to make third-generation “3G” technology available in Phuket by mid-2009 after being granted a license to provide nationwide 3G service by the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC).DTAC representative Amarit Thongchai told the Gazette that DTAC will now have a 12-month head start on providing full 3G coverage, which will be made available…
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Phuket plays its part in War on Terror
AO MAKHAM: An unremarkable, privately-owned ship carrying thousands of tons of military hardware and humanitarian aid sailed quietly into Phuket waters last week, slipping away virtually unnoticed a few days later as the cargo vessel went on to play a supporting role in regional SEACAT (South East Asian Co-operation Against Terrorism) exercises.The privately owned Danish-built ship Cpl. Louis J. Hauge Jr…
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Navy to beef up regional security
CAPE PANWA: Royal Thai Navy Commander-in-Chief Adm Sathiraphan Keyanon yesterday paid a visit to the Third Naval Area Command, where he announced the Third Fleet will on October 1 begin joint patrol missions in the Malacca Strait with strategic partners Singapore and Malaysia. The patrols, which will have air and land-based radar support, are intended to boost security in regional…
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Software anti-piracy agency doubles reward
BANGKOK (The Nation): The Business Software Alliance (BSA) is preparing to double its rewards for people who report illegal software use at the corporate level, from 250,000 baht to 500,000 baht. From today to September 30, 2008, concerned software users who call the BSA hotline to provide information that leads to successful action against business organizations using pirated or unlicensed software will be…
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South Africans confident of ‘Monkey Island’ Plan
PHUKET: Two South African conservationists who hope to open a Monkey Island primate sanctuary off Phuket paid a visit to Phuket Governor Niran Kalayanamit, but their goal to open the center as a new tourist attraction by the end of next year still has a lot of red tape to clear before becoming a reality.Zambian-born Tony Blignaut, CEO of Primates…
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Tsunami warning system improvements stalled
PHUKET: Plans for Thailand to launch two more “tsunameters” off the Andaman coastline to improve its tsunami warning system capability have become bogged down by red tape and technical problems, leaving only one direct detection unit in place as the fourth anniversary of the 2004 disaster nears. Dr Smith Dharmasaroja, who chairs the committee that directs the Nonthaburi-based National Disaster…
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Suan Luang fish killers caught
PHUKET CITY: Scores of municipal workers have been working since Saturday morning to remove thousands of rotting fish from the main pond at Suan Luang Park, after a group of fishermen were caught using poison to kill and capture them on Friday night.An officer from Phuket City Municipality, who asked not to be named, told the Gazette that the municipal…
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Man killed in Samkong shooting
PHUKET CITY: Police are investigating the murder of a man killed by two shotgun blasts near his shack in Samkong early yesterday morning.Pol Maj Pitakpol Sompong of the Phuket City Police told the Gazette that the wife of 40-year-old Rungroj Saekui reported finding her husband dead outside their unnumbered shack off Soi Samkong 1 at about 2 am yesterday.The wife, whose…
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British tourist recovering after fall at Phuket resort
PHUKET: British tourist Dominic Chadwick who suffered neck injuries after a nasty fall at his hotel in Phuket is recovering nicely and is in good spirits.According to his Malaysian traveling companion, Dominic fell about eight feet when he was walking up a ramp towards an entrance to the Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort & Spa after a night out. As he fell,…
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B20m CCTV system for Rawai
RAWAI: As part of a bid to crack down on crime in the area, Rawai Municipality has been granted 20 million baht in central government funding for the installation of 32 closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras. Rawai Mayor Aroon Solos made the announcement at an August 15 ceremony held to announce a range of crime-fighting initiatives in Rawai. Camera installation…
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Tourism steady despite economic woes
PHUKET CITY: Despite global economic problems, tourism in Phuket continues to grow, with 4.79 million tourists having passed through Phuket International Airport since the beginning of the fiscal 2008, up 600,000 from the same period a year earlier. Anoma Thongyai, deputy director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) South Region 4 Office in Phuket, revealed the figures at the…
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Laguna Phuket Triathlon 2008 breaks records before it begins
BANG TAO: With more than three months still to go until the Laguna Phuket Triathlon 2008 on December 7, the “Race of Legends” has already sold out.Some 750 athletes and about 50 teams of participants rushed to secure their places through online bookings for the 15th annual Laguna Phuket Triathlon after dates for the international competition were announced.The event comprises…
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Death truck driver’s confession halves 12-year jail sentence
RANONG: The driver of the truck in which 54 illegal Burmese immigrants suffocated while they were being transported from Ranong to Phuket on April 9 has been sentenced to a six-year jail term by Ranong Criminal Court. Phuket Police Commander Maj Gen Apirak Hongthong told the Gazette that the driver’s jail sentence was reduced from 12 to six years because…
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Heartsick firefigher found hanged
PHUKET CITY: Police on August 14 discovered the decomposing corpse of a municipal firefighter who apparently hanged himself several days earlier. Phuket City Police Duty Officer Pol Lt Tada Sodarak identified the deceased as Apirat Sararat, a 30-year-old native of Pattani. Police were informed of Khun Apirat’s death by a 191 call placed by fellow residents of the firefighter’s dormitory…
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Phuket to host “Cleanest Toilet” awards
PHUKET CITY: The Department of Public Health has chosen Royal Phuket City Hotel as the venue to present “The Cleanest Toilet in the South Awards”. Privvies are being polished around the south as 13 regional branches of the Public Health Ministry prepare to enter their public conveniences into the contest. The award event on August 20 will start with a…
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Heirlooms for sale: 89,000,001 baht
PHUKET CITY: Pattani-native Rozita Hazan, who owns a busy restaurant in front of Phuket Rajabhat University, is hoping to sell a pair of family heirlooms, passed down through five generations, for a little more than 89 million baht. K. Rozita aims to find a new home for her ring and bracelet, but rather than adhering to a regular auction she…
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More flights added to weekend Bangkok-Phuket service
PHUKET: Bangkok Airways has added more flights to its weekend Bangkok-Phuket service starting Friday August 15.The airline already operates a twice daily Bangkok-Phuket service; departing from Bangkok at 11.45am and 5.30pm and departing from Phuket at 1.50pm and 7.40pm.Flights PG 273 and PG 274 ( Airbus 320 with 162 seats ) have been added to the service and will fly…
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Weapons cache discovered on Frenchman’s yacht
PHUKET: A man piloting a luxury yacht has been arrested by Phuket Marine Police officers after several guns and ammunition were found stashed aboard the boat he was operating.Investigating Marine Police officer Deputy Superintendent Lt Col Prasert Srikunrat told a press conference that the arrest came at 8 pm on Monday, after Thalang district volunteer police noticed people getting off…
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Bikini shop bust nets B10m in counterfeit stash
PHUKET CITY: A bikini is normally donned to cover up a woman’s private parts, but a bikini-vending operation in downtown Phuket was found concealing something much larger, and with a different kind of value: a stash of more than 90,000 counterfeit T-shirts.Officers from the Police Region 8 Investigation Center raided a secret warehouse in the center of Phuket City Saturday…
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Supalai Resort to install swim dock
PHUKET CITY: The provincial committee on waterways has approved a request by Best Western Premier Supalai Resort & Spa in Pa Khlok to construct a 200-meter floating dock to give resort guests access to the sea. The committee, chaired by Phuket Vice-Governor Worapoj Ratthasima, met at Phuket Provincial Hall on August 7 to discuss the license application. Its members include…
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Rawai mayor bullish on property picture
RAWAI: Rawai Mayor Aroon Solos estimates that investment in property projects in Rawai could reach as much as 2 billion baht this year.Mayor Aroon recently met with four prospective investors at Rawai Municipality Office to “clarify construction laws with regards to building new properties in Rawai”.The meeting is part of an initiative to boost tourism in places like Laem Phromthep,…
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Patrols help curb illegal trawling
PHUKET CITY: The number of fishing boats illegally trawling within Phuket’s three-kilometer exclusion zone has been greatly reduced thanks to stepped up patrols by authorities and good co-operation from local fishermen, the local Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) office has announced. Paitoon Panchaiyapoom, chief of the DMCR Region 4 Office in Phuket, said there have been just three…
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Hundreds of turtles released in Mothers’ Day ceremony
CAPE PANWA: More than 300 baby green sea turtles were released into the sea at the Third Naval Area Command, Cape Panwa today (August 12) as a way of celebrating the birthday of HM Queen Sirikit, which is also Mothers’ Day in Thailand. Students from schools in the Panwa area helped naval officers, municipality officers and staff from local resorts…
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Kathu bars get green light for Mothers’ Day
PATONG: Despite widespread belief among bar owners that they will not be allowed to operate tomorrow night because of Mothers’ Day, the head of Kathu Police has confirmed that nightlife entertainment venues in the Kathu Police District will be allowed to operate as normal.“I haven’t received any orders to enforce a ban on alcohol sales tomorrow, so all bars can open…
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Funeral held for soldiers
RAWAI: Friends of Australian Jason Gerrard Flynn and James Plunkett Howe from the UK, whose bodies were discovered at a guesthouse in Rawai on July 28, attended a Buddhist funeral ceremony for both men on Sunday at Wat Sawang Arom temple in Rawai.The ex-servicemen were in their early 30s. They died unexpectedly overnight after celebrating during their last few days…
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OrBorJor targets bus service, hotel tax issue
PHUKET CITY: New projects launched by the new Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) include persuading more hotel owners to pay the controversial 1% hotel room tax and improving the OrBorJor bus service in and around Phuket City. OrBorJor President Paiboon Upatising told the Gazette the initiatives fall under the OrBorJor policy to improve public services and promote tourism in the…
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Truck crash on Patong Hill
PATONG: This 6-wheel Hino flatbed truck, which lost control on Phrabarami Rd in Patong at about 4 pm Wednesday afternoon, finally came to rest when it hit an electric power pylon.Under questioning at Kathu Police Station, the uninjured driver said his brakes failed.Kathu Police Superintendent Col Grissak Songmoonnark was first at the scene, directing traffic by himself while a tow…
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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