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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Two gunned down on bypass road
PHUKET TOWN: Two men were killed last night after a gunman opened fire on their pickup truck while they were waiting at traffic lights at the junction of Wichit Songkhram Rd and the bypass road, across from the Thainaan restaurant. A witness, who said the shooting happened about 7 pm, told the Gazette that he was riding his motorbike from…
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PTA chief calls for more open skies
PHUKET TOWN: Phuket Tourist Association President Pattanapong Aikwanich believes Thai Airways should only fly international routes and leave domestic flights to smaller, more competitive airlines. He aired this belief today in welcoming the return of Phuket Air to two local high-season routes, adding that if aviation were divided in this way, Phuket would more quickly become a hub for southern…
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Karma raid suspects out on bail
PHUKET: The three people arrested in Sunday morning’s raid on the Karma Lounge Music Café in Karon have been released on bail. One of those charged, Reinhard Haiber, spoke with the Gazette, and confirmed that both he and his girlfriend, Tassanee “Lek” Pompasa, were released yesterday after posting bail of 200,000 baht each. Haiber said that the American arrested in…
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Expo center to be built at Saphan Hin
PHUKET: Phuket’s International Convention and Exhibition Center (ICEC) will be built on land reclaimed from the sea off Saphan Hin, a site favored by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) but opposed by many island residents. The controversial decision is understood to have been made yesterday when Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak met with the TAT Governor Juthamas Siriwan, Phuket…
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Rawai houses flooded, crops destroyed
RAWAI: Incessant rain has left homeowners parts of Rawai scrambling to sandbag their houses while farmers scurry to save what crops they can. Prakaikhum Jeepukhum, 43, who has a 1.5-rai vegetable farm near Mimmi’s restaurant, on Saiyuan Rd, said that she had lost nearly her entire crop and that her husband and local villagers scrambled to sandbag their property line.…
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Alleged murder masterminds get bail
PHUKET TOWN: Murder suspects Wipa Jantong and her husband Sompong Jantong, charged with conspiracy to commit murder in the May 5 slaying of Prasert and Thavorn Trairat, were released from the Phuket Provincial Court Prison on Friday after posting bail of 1.5 million baht each. The couple were arrested on October 1 in front of the offices of the Phuket…
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Offshore oil plan causes alarm
KARON : A plan to unload large quantities of crude oil in the open sea north of Phuket and store it in Phang Nga has brought expressions of concern from Pamuke Achariyachai, Chairman of the Phuket Chamber of Commerce, at a meeting with senior government ministers over the weekend. But his objections may be too late. “We are afraid of…
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Patong faces anti-drugs “X-ray’
KATHU: Patong will come under “X-ray” scrutiny in the government’s current campaign to eliminate drugs, Phuket Governor CEO Udomsak Usawarangura said yesterday. Speaking at an anti-drugs concert at the Kathu District Office, the Governor said, “Phuket is moving to get rid of the 5% left [of people involved in drugs]. The marked area is Patong, where we must strictly ‘re-X-ray’.…
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All go for green in Phuket Town
PHUKET TOWN: A range of projects announced yesterday by Phuket Town Mayor Phummisak Hongsyok will add more green to the center of town. The projects include a nine-rai park, a huge canopy to cover Lan Nawamin Square, and three high-tech traffic lights to be fitted at major junctions on Mae Luan Rd. The park, already under construction on the site…
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Dulwich mulls opening school on Samui
KOH SAMUI: Dulwich International College (DIC) may open its doors on Koh Samui following a recent decision by the college’s governing body to go ahead with a feasibility study. “The study will, we hope, provide the evidence to support such a venture. The initial response from all parties has been overwhelmingly [favorable],” said DIC Headmaster, David Cook. If the study…
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Four arrested for double homicide
THALANG: Four people have been arrested in connection with the May 5 shooting murders of Prasert and Thavorn Trairat, 67-year-old parents of Thepkrasattri Mayor Prasong Trairat, at their shophouse home in Thalang. One more suspect, identified as the shooter, remains at-large. According to police sources, the hit on the elderly couple was carried out by a team of three hired…
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Third bus route under consideration
PHUKET TOWN: The town’s bus service may be expanded to include a third route, it was announced yesterday. The announcement followed the signing of a one-year extension of the contract between Andaman Trans (Thailand) and the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) to manage the OrBorJor‘s bus company. OrBorJor Deputy President Samroeng Chaisorn told the Gazette, “The bus service is going…
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Warning over forged Immigration stamps
PHUKET: The Superintendent of the Phuket Provincial Immigration Office, Pol Col Sayan Krasaesan, has warned foreigners not to use the services of companies or individuals offering immigration services. His warning comes after 12 foreigners were arrested at Sadao Immigration office and others in Bangkok for having forged entry stamps in their passports. The foreigners, including British, New Zealand and French…
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Phuket flooded in wet season washout
PHUKET: Torrential rain throughout the morning left houses on the island knee-deep in floodwater, blocked major roads, caused landslides and turned much of Phuket Town into a giant traffic jam. Metha Mekarat, Chief of the Phuket Office of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (ODPM), told the Gazette that he had received reports that 18 bungalows on low-lying land in Soi Tanod,…
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New Gov aims for transparent administration
PHUKET TOWN: Transparency in government and sorting out Phuket Town’s traffic congestion were the issues that the island’s new Governor CEO, Udomsak Usawarangkura, chose to highlight on his first day in office yesterday. Phuket needs to involve locals and visitors in an open style of government, and to ensure the safety of the four million overseas tourists who visit each…
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Underground lottery kingpins busted
PHUKET TOWN: On his first day on the job, newly-installed Phuket Provincial Police Commander Maj Gen Veerayuth Sittimalic held a press conference to announce the arrest of two women who were allegedly running an underground lottery operation. The statement was made jointly with Pol Col Paween Pongsirin, Superintendent of the Phuket Town Police. The first suspect was identified as Bunruen…
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Britons arrested for dealing drugs
KATHU: Two British men and four Thais have been arrested and charged with dealing ya bah (methamphetamines) after a series of “kiss-and-tell” raids on Monday. The charges carry the death penalty – an unlikely but theoretically possible punishment. Information obtained in the first raid led to a second raid, then a third raid. The Britons – named by police as…
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New Gov arrives in Phuket
PHUKET TOWN: Just one day before officially taking up his new post as Phuket Governor CEO, Udomsak Usawarangkura told reporters today that tourism development would remain a top priority under his leadership. “I will continue to emphasize tourism development for Phuket, as this is the island’s most important industry,” K. Udomsak said following a dinner with local officials at the…
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Road death toll still falling
PHUKET: A dramatic transformation in Phuket’s road toll statistics appears to be taking place with just three deaths reported on the island in the period between September 1 and September 25. Since Phuket recorded an alarming total of 26 motorcycle-crash deaths between April 20 and May 20, the monthly tally has fallen to 15 deaths, then nine deaths and now…
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Nuclear reactor gets govt go-ahead
BANGKOK (The Nation): The controversial nuclear research reactor project in Nakhon Nayok has been given the construction go-ahead. This is despite the environmental impact assessment (EIA) not yet having been completed, and the safety analysis report having been rejected by a key committee. The National Commission on Atomic Energy for Peace yesterday approved the research project, to be built in…
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Meeting called to stem beachfront friction
PATONG: In a move to defuse growing tension between Phuket-native vendors in Patong and vendors who have migrated south to the resort town in hopes of making their fortunes, Patong Municipality on Friday held an all-day conference advocating more ethical business practices and a united front in serving tourists. “It’s not easy getting people from everywhere in Thailand to work…
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Andaman NGOs slam plans for Phuket links
PORT BLAIR, ANDAMAN ISLANDS: Two environmental lobby groups on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands have slammed plans for trade and tourism links between the islands and Phuket. Such links, they allege, would turn the islands from an idyllic tropical backwater into a sex tourism hotspot. “The Andamans do not have any professional sex workers, [but] we may soon need thousands…
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Thaksin rewards Gov’s wife
PHUKET TOWN: Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has dipped into his own pocket and handed 100,000 baht to Mantana Vasaputi, wife of Phuket’s Governor CEO. She was one of nine provincial governors’ wives to receive awards for providing “a warm home” for their hard-working spouses. K. Mantana, 49, told the Gazette modestly that the award was a result of her husband’s…
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Four held for motorbike thefts
PHUKET TOWN: A police crackdown on gangs of teenage motorcycle thieves led to the arrest of four boys in two separate swoops early yesterday morning. In the first arrest, at about 12:25 am, Phuket Town Police nabbed 18-year-old Katha Kijnakom on Phang Nga Rd Soi 2 and charged him with stealing three motorcycles and trading in stolen motorcycle parts. Police…
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Burmese found drowned
PHUKET TOWN: The body of a man thought to be a Burmese fisherman was found on the shore near Sangaroon Pier, off Si Sena Rd, yesterday afternoon. Police theorize he drowned after falling from the pier, possibly while drunk. Pol Capt Sarit Buthnongsan, of Phuket Town Police Station, said that officers estimate that the man had been dead about 10…
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Park officials demolish illegal homes
THALANG: Some 200 heavily-armed police and officers of Sirinath National Park today tore down 14 buildings constructed illegally in the Pason Layan area of the park, including one abandoned holiday home. Satien Chuaynu, Chief of National Parks, Region 19, who is based in Nakhon Sri Thammarat and has responsibility for Nakhon Sri Thammarat, Krabi, Phang Nga and Phuket, told the…
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Work permit rules to change again
PHUKET: A heads-up for foreigners married to Thais: you may soon be in demand by companies, when new draft Labor Ministry regulations covering work permits for aliens come into force in October. Although the new regulations have not yet been published, Wirada Yuvaves, Chief of the Criteria System for Alien Work Permit Approval Consideration at the Ministry of Labor and…
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Mega property auction set for December
PHUKET TOWN: During a weekend visit to the island, Justice Minister Pongthep Thepkanjana announced that the Legal Execution Department’s (LED’s) first-ever nationwide property auction using teleconferencing will be held on December 14. The auction will feature properties from Phuket, Bangkok and Chiang Mai each valued at more than 20 million baht. The teleconference auction is one of several new measures…
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Governor begins farewell rounds
PHUKET TOWN: Outgoing Governor CEO Pongpayome Vasaputi began the traditional round of farewell functions last night at a farewell party with the media, at which he promoted competitions for singing children and “Good Phuket People.” While the governor was coy about the positive results of three years in the post that he relinquishes on October 1, he was keen to…
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Dead pets thought to be work of poisoner
KAMALA: Residents of a village in Kamala suspect a poisoner has killed six pet dogs belonging to expatriates in the village over the past eight weeks. A Weimaraner German hunting dog valued at 100,000 baht almost became the poisoner’s seventh known victim earlier this month. According to the dog’s owner, Englishman Andrew Scatter, he was fortunate to save the life…
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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