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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Young writers set to jet to Dublin
BANGKOK (Nation): The winners of the 4th Annual Junior IMPAC Dublin Literary Awards for Thailand were announced yesterday.The writing competition theme, “If We Could Change the World” proved challenging enough to attract entries from almost 1,000 students throughout country.The competition was open to Thai students between 14 and 18 from Thailand’s four main regions – North, Northeast, South and Bangkok/Central.…
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Danish tourist believed murdered: police
PATONG: Kathu Police are now treating as a murder case the death of Danish tourist Henrik Rasmussen, 47, whose body was discovered in a canal behind the Royal Paradise Hotel on February 7.Citing information from doctors at Patong Hospital who examined the body, Kathu Police Investigations Inspector Pol Capt Pratuang Pholmana told the Gazette he now believes Mr Rasmussen died…
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Seaplanes ordered to land further from Patong shore
PHUKET: Phuket Vice-Governor Smith Palawatvichai this morning confirmed that Destination Air has been ordered to land its seaplanes further from the shore at Patong Bay. “After flying with Destination Air, I can now understand the noise problem, even though the planes require only about one-and-a-half minutes to take off. “The planes should not disturb the tourists on Patong Beach much, but they still…
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Frenchman charged with shoplifting
PATONG: A 68-year-old Frenchman has been charged with stealing leather goods valued at more than 30,000 baht from the Findig store on the Patong beach road.Capt Naruwat Phutharaviro of Kathu Police Station told the Gazette that he received a call from Findig shop manager Nathaya Prasomthong, 34, at 4:20 pm yesterday.K. Nathaya reported that a well-dressed foreign tourist had been…
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Gambling and drugs crimes down in January
PHUKET: The number of gambling and drugs arrests in Phuket fell in January compared with the previous month, according to monthly crime statistics released by Phuket Provincial Police.In January, there were 177 arrests for gambling and 101 arrests for drug-related offenses, 55 of which involved ya bah (methamphetamine) with a total of 1,065.5 pills seized.Twenty-six people were arrested for using…
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Missing Dane found dead
PATONG: The body of Danish tourist Henrik Rasmussen, 47, was discovered late yesterday afternoon in a section of Klong Pakbang behind the Royal Paradise Hotel, police have confirmed.Mr Rasmussen, who suffered from Down syndrome, left the Royal Paradise Hotel about 4:30 am on January 28 and had not been seen since, his cousin Helen Soerenson had earlier told the Gazette.Kathu…
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Concerns grow for missing Dane
PATONG: Danish tourist Henrik Rasmussen, 47, remains missing despite a reward of 10,000 baht for information that helps find the holidaymaker. Mr Rasmussen, who suffers from Down syndrome, disappeared from the Royal Paradise Hotel on January 28. “He left the hotel around 4:30 am to look for his lost mobile phone. We haven’t heard from him since,” said Mr Rasmussen’s cousin…
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Local tourism leaders voice support for Weerasak
PHUKET: Leading figures in Phuket’s tourism industry have expressed satisfaction with the naming of Chart Thai Party member Weerasak Kowsurat as the new Tourism and Sports Minister in the Cabinet led by Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej.K. Weerasak, 43, is Deputy Secretary of the Chart Thai Party. He has a master’s degree in law from Harvard University. Originally from Ubon Ratchathani…
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Major break-ins reported
PHUKET: Police on Thursday reported two major robberies, including a daylight break-in at the residence of a high-ranking civil servant.The first robbery took place in Pa Khlok late last Tuesday night or early last Wednesday morning.Pol Maj Seksan Komsakorn of the Thalang Police told the Gazette that the break-in was reported by Winai Rattanawittayaporn, owner of the Bang Pae Wassadu…
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HK billionaire to build mega-resort in Phang Nga
PHANG NGA: The Year of the Rat is certain to change the fortunes of a sleepy area of Phang Nga province, as a Hong Kong company owned by billionaire Richard Li has announced plans for a mega-resort project along the beach in Thai Muang district.Land acquired by Li’s company Pacific Century Premium Developments Limited (PCPD) in late 2007 totals 1,081.25…
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Plans laid for B1.3bn airport in Phang Nga
PHANG NGA: The Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) will request a budget of 1.3 billion baht from the new Cabinet to fund construction of a domestic airport in Phang Nga province.Plans have already been drawn up for the construction of an airport that would cover 1,400 rai on Koh Kho Khao, a 45,000-rai island in Takuapa district.The 1.3-million-baht would cover both the…
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New Phuket Airport director aims for expansion
PHUKET: Phuket International Airport (PIA) appointed 54-year-old Wing Commander Wicha Nurnlop as the airport’s new director on February 1, replacing former-Director Squadron Leader Pornchai Eua-aree, who has been transferred to the Airports of Thailand (AOT) headquarters in Bangkok. K. Wicha returns to PIA after spending the past four months as Director of Haad Yai International Airport. Before transferring to Haad…
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City Hall officer found hanged
PHUKET CITY: The body of Boonsri Sai-ngarm, 59, an officer at Phuket City Hall, was found hanged from a stair rail at her house on Saturday afternoon.A neighbor discovered the body and alerted police to the house on Mae Luan Rd, said Pol Lt Col Sompong Boonrat, deputy superintendent of Phuket City Police Station.“We found no wounds or signs of a…
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Danish tourist missing in Patong
PATONG: A reward of 10,000 baht is being offered for information that helps to find Danish tourist Henrik Rasmusen, 47, who was last seen about 10:30 pm on January 27 at the Royal Paradise Hotel, where he was staying.Mr Rasmusen, who has Down’s Syndrome, is tall, slim, has gray hair and a light gray beard and mustache.Anyone with information that may help locate…
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Burasari confirms “Keith Floyd is fine’
PHUKET: Following reports that 64-year-old British celebrity chef Keith Floyd collapsed with breathing difficulties during a trip to the UK, Burasari Resident Manager Conor O’Leary has confirmed that there is no cause for alarm.Mr Floyd recently returned to the UK after spending four and a half weeks supervising his brasserie at the Burasari Resort in Patong during the peak of…
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New animal shelter nears completion
PHUKET: The Soi Dog Foundation (SDF) has announced that a new dog shelter, animal hospital and education center will open next month in Mai Khao. Situated on 10 rai, the new facilities will not replace the government-run dog pound in Thalang, where the SDF has been operating for the past 15 months. In November, the SDF received a letter from…
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Officers befuddled by seaplanes in Patong
PHUKET CITY: Destination Air seaplanes landing and taking off near the Amari Coral Beach Resort have left government officers in a spin about what to do with complaints about noise, safety and even fuel left floating in the planes’ wakes.At a meeting at Phuket Provincial Hall yesterday, Kathu District Chief Khantee Silapa said, “For nearly three months I have received complaints from…
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Gov calls for “right’ Tourism Minister
PHUKET CITY: Phuket Governor Niran Kalayanamit yesterday called on the new central government to appoint a Minister of Tourism and Sports who will push through the “mega-projects” Gov Niran believes will aid Phuket’s development.At the Phuket Provincial Security Committee meeting at Katina Hotel, Gov Niran said that after seven years as Phuket Vice-Governor and one year as Governor, Phuket still…
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Bomb scare in Rawai
RAWAI: Chalong Police closed the road along the Rawai beachfront at midday yesterday for about 30 minutes while bomb squad officers attended to a suspicious package left on the footpath opposite the Mama Klong restaurant.After local villagers reported the package to police, officers taped off a “safe zone” before moving in to disarm the suspected bomb.The incident caused much commotion and concern…
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Man charged for robbing Adrian Zecha’s villa
PHUKET CITY: Police yesterday announced that they had arrested a man for allegedly robbing Adrian Zecha’s villa at the exclusive Amanpuri, which the mogul developed himself as the first Aman boutique resort.At a press conference at Phuket City Police Station, Phuket Provincial Police Commander Maj Gen Decha Budnampeth presented Weerapol Laolang, 22, a resident of Soi Phaneang in Phuket City.Gen Decha said that…
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Glass adding to trash crisis – experts
PHUKET CITY: With the volume of trash generated in Phuket increasing almost 20% annually, Phuket is facing a waste disposal crises that needs immediate attention, experts told a seminar at the Phuket Provincial Office on January 28. Monthip Srirattana Tabuganon, Deputy Director-General of Natural Resources and Environment Ministry’s Department of Environmental Quality Promotion led the meeting, much of which focused…
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Desalination plant working at “near capacity’
KARON: After months of rectifying problems related to unstable power supply, Thailand’s second-largest desalination plant is finally working near full capacity, the Gazette has learned.The reverse-osmosis (RO) plant, located at the hairpin turn on the road from Karon to Patong, was completed mid-2006 at a cost of 528 million baht by REQ Water Service Ltd.By mid-2007, the plant was unable…
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Banphaeo Hospital inks deal with OrBorJor
PHUKET CITY: Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) and Banphaeo Hospital in Samut Sakhon signed a deal on January 26 at Phuket Merlin Hotel that will see the long-abandoned buildings of Phya Thai Hospital renovated and jointly run as a public organization under provincial administration.Public Health Minister Mongkol Na Songkhla and Phuket Vice-Governor Worapoj Ratthasima witnessed the signing that will see…
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Two more candidates enter senatorial race
PHUKET CITY: Two local lawyers have registered to run in the March 2 senatorial election, bringing the final number of candidates in Phuket to three.The second candidate is Adirak Engchuan. The 46-year-old Phuket native, who holds a law degree from Ramkhamhaeng University in Bangkok, registered his candidacy Thursday morning.The final candidate to register was Cherdchai Wongseree, 47, who arrived at…
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Three die in Kalim horror smash
KATHU: Two Italian tourists and a Thai teenager were killed in a head-on collision in Kalim on Thursday night, a local Thai-language newspaper has reported. The two Italians were named as Luiz Fransescopilato, 37, and his female companion Anna Montone, 30.The Thai victim was identified as 15-year-old Patong resident Theerawat Samarnmitr.Ms Montone was riding pillion on a blue Honda Click…
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Gambling trumps crime statistics
PHUKET: Yet again, gambling has topped the monthly crime statistics released by Phuket Provincial Police, with 284 arrests in December.During the period, drug-related cases accounted for 131 arrests, of which 55 involved ya bah (methamphetamine). A total of precisely 13,041.5 pills were seized.Thirty people were arrested for using cannabis, with a total of just 39.4 grams confiscated. There were 23…
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New limo service sparks strike at airport
MAI KHAO: While Phuket Mai Khao Company launched its airport limousine and minibus service at Phuket International Airport yesterday morning, some 100 drivers and other staff of the Phuket Limousine and Business Services Cooperative (PBC), which already operates limos and minibuses at the airport, staged a five-hour strike in protest of the new concession.However, few passengers were inconvenienced as there…
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Dr Smith’s injuries not life threatening
RANONG: The injuries sustained by Dr Smith Dharmasaroja, Director of the National Disaster Warning Center, during a car accident in Ranong late Wednesday afternoon are not life threatening, the Gazette has learned.A reliable source told the Gazette this morning that Dr Smith can speak, talk, watch television and read newspapers as normal, but he is being kept under close watch…
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“Gee’ ready for senate race
PHUKET CITY: Former senator-elect Thanyarat “Gee” Achariyachai is the only candidate thus far registered to run in the senatorial election to take place in Phuket on March 2. K. Thanyarat arrived at Phuket Community Hall with her husband and supporters on the morning of January 21, the first day of the five-day registration period. She was given candidate number “1”…
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NDWC to install more tsunami-warning buoys
PHUKET CITY: The National Disaster Warning Center (NDWC) has finally received 165 million baht from the central government to install two more tsunami-warning buoys in the Andaman Sea. They are to be installed by the middle of this year, NDWC Director Dr Smith Dharmasaroja told a conference in Phuket City on January 21.The conference, at the Royal Phuket City Hotel…
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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