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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Jammin’ to reopen Friday
PHUKET CITY: The popular Jammin’ nightclub will reopen Friday, following a month of rebuilding after the club caught fire early on April 1, causing an estimated 2 million baht in damage. The fire is believed to have been started by an electrical fault in the DJ pit. (See earlier story here.) Co-owner Mel Perdue told the Gazette today, “It’s all…
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Second by-election for District 2 voters
PHUKET: Voters in Phuket’s District 2 face a second parliamentary by-election next Saturday (April 29) after Thai Rak Thai candidate Wisut Santikul, running unopposed, again failed to meet the requirement of getting the votes of 20% of the electorate.K. Wisut received 8,920 votes, equivalent to 8.56% of the electorate.The one opponent who did step up, Prayoon Poonchan of the Pattana…
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Controversial plan for dolphins to “treat’ disabled people
CAPE PANWA: The Phuket Marine Biological Office (PMBC) is considering building a 200-million-baht “Dolphin Center” near its aquarium as a way of treating people with disabilities and promoting tourism. The project, which has already been approved in principal by Phuket Governor Udomsak Uswarangkura, would be run jointly with Danish marine biologist and dolphin expert Judith Kongsted. PMBC Director Wannakiat Thapthimsang…
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“Mick the Pom” jumps bail
PHUKET: When British murder suspect Michael John Taylor failed to make a scheduled court appearance yesterday, Phuket Provincial Court issued a warrant for his arrest and seized the land title document he posted as bail.Taylor, aka “Mick the Pom”, is on trial for the August 17, 2005, stabbing murder of his 28-year-old live-in girlfriend Jantra Weangta. He was released on…
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Sriyada is Phuket’s first TRT MP
PHUKET: Dr Sriyada Palimapan yesterday became Phuket’s first Thai Rak Thai (TRT) member of parliament, despite amassing only 7,893 votes – equivalent to just 8.18% of the electorate in Phuket District 1.Her opponent, Thongchai Kaewthong of the Siam Party, received 2,456 votes.In District 2, TRT candidate Wisut Santikul failed to win a seat in Parliament because he ran unopposed and…
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PAD urges Phuket to vote “no vote’
SAPHAN HIN: People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) leaders Sondhi Limthongkul, Chamlong Srimuang, Sarocha Porn-udomsuk and Suriyasai Katasila last night joined local PAD members to exhort Phuket voters to “vote for no one” in the parliamentary by-election tomorrow. The protest, the second large PAD rally in the province, got underway at dusk and finished about 2 am, attracting about 10,000 people…
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Anchalee raps Gov over hospital deal
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) is ready to buy the abandoned Phya Thai Hospital but the deal is stalled because Governor Udomsak Uswarangkura has not yet approved a request for 215 million baht in bank loans to seal the deal, says OrBorJor President Anchalee Vanich-Thepabutr.Speaking at a press conference at the OrBorJor offices, K. Anchalee said, “[The Governor]…
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Princess to open tsunami aid HQ
PHUKET: HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn will pay a Royal Visit to Phuket next week to preside over the official opening ceremony of her Special Task Unit (STU) building in Tambon Wichit on Tuesday morning.The STU is dedicated to supporting the long-term recovery of tsunami victims in all six Andaman coast provinces. Funded jointly by Her Royal Highness’s Fund and…
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“Live with it,’ TAT tells complaining Kamala hotels
KAMALA: The losses hotels have suffered from tourists canceling bookings after seeing the rebuilding work on Kamala Beach are just a sacrifice they have to make, Wanchai Ruang-udom, the landscaping coordinator hired to complete the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Kamala beautification project, told the Gazette yesterday.“This is a sacrifice they have to make. This project was approved by Kamala…
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Thanyarat wins Senatorial race
PHUKET: Thanyarat “Gee” Achariyachai is Phuket’s first woman Senator, after winning yesterday’s Senatorial election by a convincing margin.K. Thanyarat, a former Juvenile Court Judge and wife of former Phuket Chamber of Commerce President Pamuke Achariyachai, polled 34,142 votes.In second place was Prawat Suwannadithakul with 28,539, followed by Dr Prasit Koeysiripong with 14,198 votes.Vote counts for the other candidates in the…
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Big Boy is back
PHANG NGA: A popular whale shark nicknamed “Big Boy” has been spotted off Koh Surin, and around Richelieu Rock, Hin Daeng and Hin Muang, Pakdee Khruthanang of the Phuket Eco-Tourism Association told the Gazette today.“Big Boy has been spotted off Koh Surin nearly daily since the beginning of last month,” she said.“He is about eight meters long and weighs more…
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Tough itinerary for UN poll-watchers
PATONG: A group of eight UN-affiliated election experts from around the world arrived this morning to observe tomorrow’s Senate election in Phuket.Their program is a full one. This afternoon, the group observed the distribution of ballot sheets and other election materials as well as preparation of polling booths and vote-counting areas in Phuket’s three districts. Tonight they are due to…
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Phang Nga tsunami victims “have all been helped’
KHAO LAK: All Phang Nga residents who were in need of financial aid after the tsunami have received it, either through government assistance or in the form of private-sector donations, a senior provincial official has told the Gazette.“We can say that 100% of the people who lost homes and fishing boats have had them replaced,” Vice-Governor Opas Svetamani told the…
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Four candidates qualify for April 23 poll
PHUKET CITY: The Phuket Election Commission (PEC) has announced that four people have been declared eligible to run in the April 23 parliamentary by-elections in Phuket, two in each voting district.The Head of the Phuket Election Commission (PEC), Dr Prapa Kayee, told the Gazette today that the candidates for District 1 will be Dr Sriyada Palimapan of the Thai Rak…
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“Lost’ boat finally heading home
ANDAMAN & NICOBAR ISLANDS: Four months ago, Kilo, a 46-foot catamaran drifted off its anchorage in Phuket and ended up in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands.Today, after three months of wrangling with officials, the yacht’s owners, Chris Sieber and his wife Surapa Srijutanat, finally set sail from Port Blair in the Andamans, bringing Kilo back to Phuket.The yacht went missing…
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Gazette offices closed for Songkran
PHUKET: The offices of the Phuket Gazette will be closed over the Songkran holidays, from Thursday April 13 to Sunday April 16 inclusive.As a result, there will be no hard-copy issue of the Phuket Gazette on April 22. The next issue will hit the newsstands on April 29.For those addicted to news, stories will still be posted in the Gazette…
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Property expo hits the mark
PHUKET CITY: Properties with a total value of more than 300 million baht were reserved at the Property Investment Exhibition 2006 (PIE), which drew to a close at Central Festival Phuket yesterday, said the organizer.Thanet Traiwut, Managing Director of exhibition organizer Delice Thai, said, “The exhibition was a success. About 80% of visitors were looking for a house and 20%…
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Drugs haul at Kalim Beach bar
KALIM: Undercover police armed with a warrant arrested suspected drug dealer Boonyarit Charnpraneet, 46, in the evening of April 7 following a tip-off from a member of the public. The arrest took place at the bar – the name of which police declined to disclose to the Gazette – owned by Boonyarit at Kalim Beach. The police also managed to…
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Songkran toll so far: 3 dead, 43 injured
PHUKET (Gazette, Nation): As of this morning, the death toll in Phuket for the government’s Songkran holiday road carnage accounting period stood at three dead and 43 injured. Officials with the Phuket Office for Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (ODPM) Road Safety Center, who are keeping the statistics over the 10-day period from April 7 to 16, said there were 43…
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Rougher seas ahead for Phuket’s dive industry
PHUKET CITY: A newly formed committee met at Phuket Provincial Hall on April 5 to discuss recent developments in the dive industry, particularly accusations leveled at the industry that some dive operators have been evading tax and employing staff without work permits.Phuket’s Chief Administrative Officer (Palad) Nivit Aroonrat, claimed after the meeting that Phuket’s dive industry is “concealing” facts and…
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Six apply to run in April 23 by-election
PHUKET: Six people have applied to run in the April 23 parliamentary by-elections in Phuket, four of them in District 1, which covers Phuket City and the immediate area, and two in District 2, covering the rest of the island. The Phuket Election Commission (PEC) will take just a few days to determine which of the candidates will qualify to…
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THAI cuts fares, boosts flights for Songkran
BANGKOK: Thai Airways International (THAI) is introducing discounted domestic air tickets to and from Bangkok during the Songkran period, starting today and ending next Monday. The discounted destinations are Chiang Mai, Phuket, Haad Yai, Krabi, Surat Thani, Ubon Ratchathani, Khon Kaen, Chiang Rai, Krabi, Phitsanulok and Udon Thani. Vasing Kittikul, THAI’s Executive Vice President said that passengers buying the discounted…
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Sriyada signs up for election replay
PHUKET CITY: Dr Sriyada Palimapan this morning registered her candidacy for Phuket District 1 in the April 23 parliamentary by-election, after failing in the April 2 general election to garner the minimum 20% of all eligible voters required for an unopposed candidate to secure a seat.Dr Sriyada, the Thai Rak Thai (TRT) party leader in Phuket, ran unopposed in the…
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Easing of 80-meter rule back on the agenda
PHUKET: The Provincial Natural Resources and Environment Office (PNREO) has proposed changes to the current law limiting the height of construction in Phuket to no higher than 80 meters above sea level.A five-year ban on building above 80 meters was enforced in 1997 as a way of preventing landslides. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE) extended the ban…
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Songkran aim: no more than 4 road deaths
PHUKET: As in previous years, the province will set up police checkpoints around the island during the Songkran Holiday period in a bid to keep road deaths and injuries to a minimum. At a conference at Phuket Provincial Hall on Monday, members of the media were each handed a 24-page stack of documents prepared by the Phuket Office for Disaster…
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Democrats see Thaksin ‘resignation’ as a ploy
PHUKET: The island’s Democrats have announced that they will boycott new elections called for April 23 because they are not satisfied with Caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s pledge not to accept the post of Prime Minister in the next Parliament.In a dramatic speech broadcast live last night by all TV channels, the PM announced that he would not be Prime…
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New poll called for April 23
PHUKET: Voters are to go to the polls once more on April 23 after Phuket’s two Thai Rak Thai Party (TRT) candidates, running unopposed, failed to get elected to Parliament on April 2.Dr Sriyada Palimapan, running for office in District 1, which covers Phuket City and the surrounding area, garnered a total of 11,910 votes, far outweighed by the 41,903…
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All bets are off as gambling tops arrests stats again
PHUKET: Gambling, with 162 arrests made between March 1 and 25, has again topped the monthly arrests statistics, the Phuket Provincial Police announced today. Of these, 25 people were arrested for being involved in the sale of illegal lottery tickets.There were three cases of murder – including that of Preecha “Ko Noi” Kraitas (see also page 1). Three arrests made,…
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Fishermen refer marina row to human rights body
PA KHLOK: The Fishermen’s Association in Moo 6, Pa Khlok, which staged a protest at Provincial Hall and lodged a formal complaint over the construction of the Ao Por Marina on March 16, has applied for advice from the Human Rights Commission as to what rights it has in defending its members’ livelihoods.Rattanaporn Jaengjaidee, an adviser to the association, told…
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Rain staves off water shortage – again
PHUKET: The heavy downpours late last month boosted Phuket’s water reserves in Bang Wad Reservoir to 2.7 million cubic meters – enough to last until mid-June, Watchara Arepornsiri, Project Director at Phuket Irrigation Office, has told the Gazette.“The amount of water in Bang Wad Reservoir has risen to 2.7 million cubic meters, and we should have no problems because we…
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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