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.
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Weekend storms damage 35 houses
PHUKET: Around 35 houses were damaged during storms over the weekend, which caused damage around the island estimated at more than 3 million baht.The Phuket Office for Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (ODPM) reported that heavy rain and strong winds during Saturday night and in the early hours of Sunday toppled trees and electricity pylons, damaging buildings and cars and causing…
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Rugby 10s tourney moves to Phuket City
PHUKET CITY: The 8th Molly Malone’s Phuket International Rugby 10s tournament, originally to have been played at Karon Municipal Stadium this Saturday and Sunday, will now be held at Sanam Chai, opposite Phuket Provincial Hall on Narisorn Rd.Tournament organizer Patrick Cotter, of the Phuket Vagabonds FC, told the Gazette that at about 3 pm today that he finally written received…
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3 arrested on smuggling charges
RASSADA: Two Thais and a Taiwanese citizen have been arrested for their involvement in smuggling cigarettes and batteries into Phuket.The contraband, seized along with the trio in a raid by officials from the Phuket Area Excise Office (PAEO), is estimated to be worth 5 million baht, the richest smuggling seizure in five years in the province.Led by Surat Sangnej of…
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Metal workers and mechanics to be moved
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Industry Office (PPIO) has announced that mechanics’ garages and metal workers’ shops in Phuket City are to be relocated to an area outside of the city center as part of a zoning scheme aimed at combating pollution. Businesses that refuse to comply will risk losing their licenses to trade.At a press conference at The Metropole hotel,…
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Phuket-Spanish team wins tsunami memorial contest
BANGKOK: A design by Naga Concepts of Phuket in collaboration with Disc-O of Spain, and entitled “Mountains of Remembrance”, will be used in building the tsunami memorial at Haad Lek in Lamru National Park in Phang Nga, caretaker Deputy Prime Minister Suwat Liptapanlop announced today.The Spanish team of architects – Ana Somoza, Juana Canet, Disc-o Architecture, Eva Sebastian Pena, Angel…
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Migrant laborer rules “to be relaxed’
PHUKET: The complicated and much-maligned system for employing migrant laborers from Myanmar, Laos or Cambodia is to be overhauled, Boonchock Maneechot, Chief of the Phuket Provincial Employment Services Office (PESO), has announced.Previously, employers wanting to hire workers had to pay a “guarantee” of either 10,000 or 50,000 baht per worker, depending upon the immigration status of the worker.However, at a…
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Lovers slain during beach tryst
NAI YANG: A couple have died after being brutally attacked yesterday while they were enjoying a secret rendezvous on Nai Yang Beach in the early hours.Pol Lt Col Sakchai Limchareon, Deputy Superintendent at Tah Chat Chai Police Station, told the Gazette today, “The man was Chian Petcharat, 59, and the woman was Sriprai Chai-intha, 40. Both of them were married…
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World’s oldest liner books a call
PHUKET: The MV Doulos, the world’s oldest ocean-going passenger ship – it was built just two years after the Titanic sunk – is returning to Phuket for the first time in 10 years. The Malta-registered liner is now operated by Gute Bücher für Alle (GBA), a private non-profit organization based in Germany that has worked since 1977 to promote good…
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Mövenpick signs up to run Crowne Plaza
KARON: Swiss-based Mövenpick Hotels and Resorts (MH&R) has signed a management agreement with Kingdom Hotel Investments (KHI) to run the Crowne Plaza Karon Beach resort, which KHI bought recently for 3.7 billion baht.On June 28, the resort, which has 186 villas and 166 guest rooms, as well as 30 apartments for lease, will become the Mövenpick Resort & Spa Karon…
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Soi Dog Foundation and Livestock Office bury the hatchet
PHUKET: There was a time, not so long ago, when the Soi Dog Foundation (SDF) and the Phuket Provincial Livestock Office (PPLO) fought like cats and dogs. Now, however, they have buried the hatchet.Members of the board, headed by its new President, Dr Prasit Koeysiripong, met with PPLO chief Dr Sunart Wongvorachart recently for what they described afterward as “extremely…
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Phuket-Port Blair “sister city’ status under threat
PHUKET CITY: Phuket Governor Udomsak Uswarangkura will move to revoke the “sister city” status of the Andaman & Nicobar Islands if trade proposals to be discussed next month fail to bear fruit.Governor Udomsak told the Gazette that the “sister-city” relationship, ratified by the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two parties on June 29 last year, should…
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Fiberglass “Phuket Dog’ home for good
PATONG: A sculpture of an over-sized dog by a famous Japanese artist has returned, this time permanently, to Patong Beach. The sculpture, known as Phuket Dog, is 3½ meters tall and was originally created for an art exhibition held on the beach last year in commemoration of the tsunami. The artist who made the fiberglass dog, Yoshitomo Nara, explained the…
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Road widening causing traffic delays
WICHIT: Motorists using Chao Fa West Rd are feeling the pinch as work on the Phuket Provincial Highways Office (PPHO) project to resurface and widen the main artery to four lanes progresses.Project contractor SCG Construction Company Ltd is currently working on two stretches of the road. The first starts just south of the Darasamut/Central Festival Intersection and ends approximately 1.5 kilometers south…
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THAI to increase flight prices
THAILAND: Thai Airways International (THAI) has announced that it will increase its ticket prices on both domestic and long-haul international flights yet again, citing increased fuel costs.But prices on flights to some destinations within Southeast Asia will be cut.The new prices will come into effect from June 1.The price adjustments will be calculated based on the distance flown. This means that while…
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Judges vote for new general election
BANGKOK (Nation, Gazette): A general election will be held, Judge Ura Wangormklang announced today after the Constitutional Court today declared the controversial April 2 election to be invalid.Judge Ura said that of the 14 judges involved in the ruling, eight to six voted to annul the April 2 snap election on the grounds that it was unconstitutional, and nine judges…
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Veteran CBC broadcaster dies snorkeling
PHUKET: Veteran Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) broadcaster Lorne Saxberg died on Saturday while snorkeling with friends off Koh Khai, Phang Nga. The 48-year-old Ontarian had been holidaying in Phuket. An officer from Phuket City Police Station told the Gazette, “We received a report at about 4 pm on Saturday that a man had died while swimming in Phang Nga Province.…
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Rainy season blows in
PHUKET: The annual southwest monsoon has arrived, dumping millions of tons of water on Phuket yesterday and flooding part of Karon.Chumnong Chitpukdee, Director of the Southern Meteorological Center (West Coast) Phuket told the Gazette today that more heavy rain can be expected in the coming few days, especially in the afternoons and evening – along with more flooding.He said that…
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Company accountant shot while jogging
PHUKET CITY: Police are scratching their heads after company accountant Somporn Pattanakij, 61, was shot dead by a gunman while jogging with his wife near Suan Luang Park early yesterday morning.The gunman shot K. Somporn once in the face with an 11mm pistol before jumping on a motorcycle and being driven away by an accomplice.K. Somporn died while being taken…
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Belgian found hanged
CHALONG: A 66-year-old Belgian man was found dead in his home on Tuesday, apparently having committed suicide. Police reported that the man, whom they named as Jose Wiame, had hanged himself. Two empty beer bottles and a note accusing his wife of cheating him and deserting him were found next to the body. The suicide note, addressed to his wife,…
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New “Mayor’ for Laguna
CHERNG TALAY: Michael Ayling will take over from James Batt next month as Managing Director of Laguna Resorts & Hotels PCL (LRH), the Gazette has learned.Mr Ayling, who was born in Kent, England, is an Associate Chartered Accountant of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, and holds a BA (Hons) in accounting and finance from Manchester Metropolitan…
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World music festival for Patong Beach
PHUKET: Popular entertainer Todd Thongdee and Phuket Governor Udomsak Uswarangkura met this morning to discuss a festival of world music to be held in Patong from December 26 to 30.The aim of the event, which will be called Music World, is to bring together musicians from 14 tsunami-affected countries, including Kenya, Tanzania, Malaysia, Indonesia and Somalia, to perform live on…
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Officials launch crackdown on smuggled fuel
PATONG: Marine Police and Customs officers are conducting random inspections of ships in the Andaman region while police officers and Department of Energy officials are inspecting gas stations on the island in a crackdown on fuel being smuggled into Thailand.Arthon Keesiri, Director of the Investigation and Suppression Office, Excise Department, Ministry of Finance, announced at a seminar on Saturday, “The…
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Disinterest sinks “swimming with dolphins’ plan
PHUKET CITY: The Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) and Danish marine biologist Judith Kongsted have announced that plans for a dolphin center at Cape Panwa have fallen through due to the lack of participants in a proposed fund-raising committee. Ms Kongsted had invited PMBC Director Wannakiat Thapthimsang and other potential committee members to attend a meeting at the Pearl Hotel…
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Beware of police impostors – Police Chief
PHUKET CITY: Phuket Provincial Police Commander Pol Maj Gen Decha Budnampeth yesterday warned people to be on the lookout for gangsters impersonating police officers.“Many rubber plantation owners have complained that thieves are disguising themselves as police, and even carrying pistols, in order to demand money from their Burmese laborers,” Gen Decha said.“Most cases reported have been from labor camps in…
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CAT cuts overseas call rates
THAILAND: CAT Telecom yesterday cut international call rates to 10 countries to 5 baht a minute, whether calls are made from a fixed-line phone or a mobile phone.CAT Deputy Managing Director Maroot Buranasettakul said that rates for all 009-prefix calls to Brunei, Canada, China (including Hong Kong and Macao), Guam, Kuwait, Laos, Malaysia, Russia, Singapore and the US (including Alaska…
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Publisher assassinated
PHUKET CITY: Opas Noothong, 59, owner of the recently-launched newspaper Fahkumnod (“Natural Order”) and of the Jao Khun Karaoke on Luang Por Rd, was gunned down by two teenagers while walking back to his office about 11:30 pm on Saturday.Pol Capt Rassada Kluengwong, of Phuket City Police Station, told the Gazette, “Witnesses said that K. Opas was walking from Chatuchak…
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Saudi giant buys Crowne Plaza
KARON: The Crowne Plaza Karon Beach Phuket resort has been bought by Dubai-listed hotel and resort investment company Kingdom Hotel Investments (KHI), which is headed by Saudi Arabia’s Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud.KHI paid US$98.5 million (3.7 billion baht) for the property, including US$30.5 million (1.1 billion baht) in debt.The Prince was listed by Forbes magazine earlier…
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THAI, Bangkok Airways sign cooperation deal
BANGKOK: Rivals Thai Airways International (THAI) and Bangkok Airways signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Thursday aimed at helping THAI coordinate its flights with services to Koh Samui and give it better access to destinations in China.THAI Acting President Somchainuk Engtrakul said that the signing of the MOU signifies development of network coordination between the two carriers.“This has an…
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By-election canceled
PHUKET: The by-election for Phuket Voting District 2, which includes all areas outside of Phuket City and its surrounds, has been canceled following a ruling by the Central Administration Court (CAC) that the by-election had been called at too short notice.The CAC at 4 pm today announced that all 14 by-elections that were to be held in nine provinces had…
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On yer bikes – Gov tells officials
PHUKET CITY: Phuket Governor Udomsak Uswarangkura this morning urged government officers to ride bicycles instead of using motor vehicles in order to save fuel, in light of the recent price hikes at Phuket gas pumps.At the monthly meeting of provincial chief officers, Gov Udomsak said, “We have to save fuel and save money. Please think of ways to do this.…
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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