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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Entertainment venues still in limbo
PHUKET CITY: Wisut Romin, Deputy Secretary of the Phuket Provincial Administration Office (PPAO) told the Gazette yesterday that he is still waiting for the Ministry of Interior to set the fees for entertainment licenses, despite 50% of renewals having already been granted. More than 170 licensees in Phuket are now waiting to see just how much they will have to…
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Let them eat seaweed
PHUKET: Patong Municipality isn’t sitting idly by as unprecedented amounts of Ulva Reticulata seaweed continue to wash up along its shore. The Municipality is pursuing a two-pronged strategy of collecting the bright green algae and researching ways to put it to good use, including, possibly, promoting it as food. The seaweed is the result of hot-season water temperatures and the…
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Gov suggests Koh Maphrao for ICEC site
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Udomsak Usawarangura has suggested Koh Maphrao as an alternative location for the proposed Phuket International Convention and Exhibition Center (ICEC) as a way to break a stalemate between the government in Bangkok and local people over where the mega-project should be sited. Speaking with the Gazette at his office, Gov Udomsak said that the island, located about…
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Confusion over tourist visas on arrival
BANGKOK: Pol Col Chalermpong Vadhanasukha, the Deputy Superintendent of Immigration Division 3, has verified that foreigners may receive more than three consecutive tourist visas on arrival. Col Chalermpong clarified the issue after it was raised by a Gazette reader who was concerned that such a regulation was about to be enforced. The reader told the Gazette that he had learned…
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Language training offered to tour guides
PHUKET CITY: Phuket Governor Udomsak Usawarangkura has authorized the disbursement of 1.5 million baht from provincial coffers to give 100 hours of foreign-language instruction to tour guides in Phuket. Foreign nationals are barred from being tour guides because it is a “reserved occupation” for Thais only, but guides adept in Russian, Swedish, Korean, Chinese and German are in short supply.…
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Resort staffer lost swimming off Patong
PATONG: A man disappeared beneath large waves while swimming in front of the Amari Coral Beach Resort yesterday afternoon. Rescue efforts have failed to find him, and he is believed to have drowned. Worawut Pholboon, 27, from Srisaket, was swimming with three co-workers from the Patong Resort when he was pushed underwater by a large wave. Wimonrat Trangsurat, who was…
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Anchalee outlines OrBorJor policy
PHUKET CITY: The new Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) President Anchalee Vanich-Thepabutr said today that education, tourism development and quality-of-life issues need to be urgently addressed in order to bring about sustainable development in Phuket. In her first full day in her new job, she singled out education as the most pressing issue, saying that the national government’s decision to…
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Love-and-loan tryst ends in murder
PHUKET CITY: Furniture contractor Sophol Marapong, 32, was found stabbed to death in Suan Luang Park on Friday night after a clandestine meeting over love and money went sour. He had been stabbed 22 times. Pol Maj Watcharin Jiratikarnwiwat, an Inspector at Phuket City Police Station, told the Gazette that police arrived at the scene about 10:30 pm, after receiving…
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Anchalee finally confirmed as OrBorJor President
PHUKET: Eight weeks after the elections for seats in the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) took place, and 14 days after all the other members’ seats had been confirmed, the Phuket Election Committee (PEC) this morning finally confirmed that Anchalee Vanich-Thepabutr is the new OrBorJor President. PEC Director Kittipong Thiengkunagrit today told the Gazette, “We received the formal declaration this…
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Star Cruises denies terrorism caused suspension
PHUKET: Star Cruises today denied that its suspension of all cruises from Singapore to Phuket was the result of fears of terrorist attacks, following the violence in southern Thailand on April 28. Ariya Noongan, Executive Sales Officer at Star Cruises in Bangkok, today told the Gazette that the Star Cruises head office in Singapore decided “last month” to suspend the…
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TAT moves to calm tourist fears
PHUKET: The Phuket Gazette today obtained the following advice to the travel industry from the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), following the violence in the deep south of Thailand that saw 107 people killed in violent clashes on April 28. The Tourism situation in South Thailand 1. The disturbances are over and the situation is under control by the Thai…
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Still no action on Rawai Beach vendors
RAWAI: The saga of the moving of the beachfront stalls at Rawai seems no closer to an end following an announcement yesterday by Rawai Tambon Administration Organization (OrBorTor) President Arun Sorot that the amount of land required for the project is still being calculated. Rawai OrBorTor says it plans to move 14 of the vendors’ stalls – those belonging to…
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Mystery over lady in waiting
PHUKET: Nearly two weeks after the Central Election Committee (CEC) in Bangkok unofficially announced Anchalee Vanich-Thepabutr as the winner of the March 14 Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) Presidential election, she has yet to receive official confirmation. The delay leaves K. Anchalee as the only person on the 24-member Democrat-dominated body who has not yet received formal confirmation from the…
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Hotline for reporting transport rip-offs
PHUKET CITY: Customers who believe they have been overcharged or otherwise maltreated by tuk-tuk, taxi, minibus and airport limousine drivers will soon be able to make complaints direct to the Phuket Provincial Transportation Office (PPTO) through a new telephone hotline number, 1584, manned 24 hours a day. Due to go into service at the end of May, the 1584 hotline…
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Bus station shopkeepers resist eviction
PHUKET CITY: Teerayuth Prasertphol, Chief of the Phuket Provincial Transportation Office (PPTO), today filed for police to arrest shopowners at the Phuket Bus Terminal who have refused to vacate government land. The shopkeepers had until Friday to move, to make way for extra parking for songtaew at the bus terminal. The official notice of eviction was posted on April 21.…
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One dead, one critical after karaoke fight
THALANG: One man was stabbed to death and another remains in critical condition following an argument over whose turn it was to use the microphone at the Kon Suay (Beautiful People) karaoke bar and restaurant in Cherng Talay around 1 am yesterday. Police arrested the alleged killer, 24-year-old Veerasak Nantasin, from Surat Thani, some three hours later at his home…
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Phuket Air slashes Andaman fares
PHUKET: Phuket Air has drastically reduced its economy class fares on flights between Phuket and Bangkok, and Krabi and Bangkok. The promotion offers one-way fares at 1,500 baht and round-trip fares at 3,000 baht. Previously, the best prices were 4,350 baht for the Krabi service, round-trip, and 3,950 baht for Phuket. Busara Dusadeeisariyawong, Southern Branch Manager of Phuket Air, told…
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Land probe targets Nai Harn resort
NAI HARN: The developers of a resort being built in Nai Harn, near Le Royal Meridien Phuket Yacht Club, will likely be ordered to dismantle it by June 10. The order is expected to be issued after government officers found that no permission had been given for the resort’s construction. Vice-Governor Pongpow Ketthong told the Gazette yesterday that he visited…
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Soi Moodies sign goes up in flames
PATONG: The illuminated sign overhanging the entrance to Soi Moodies entertainment plaza, on Rat-U-Thit 200 Pi Rd, burst into flames on Saturday night. The sign caught fire at about 10 pm. Phuket Vice-Governor Pongpow Ketthong, who was dining directly underneath, was one of the first to notice the flames and called the fire department. Restaurant Manager Banai Ngamsri told the…
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OrBorJor officers elected
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Administration Organization OrBorJor has elected Hutt Katanchaleekul as Chairman. At the inaugural session of the newly-elected body on April 29, Chaivichit Dattvatkanee was elected deputy chairman and Wacharapong Kuawong second deputy chairman. All three are Democrat Party members. The 24-member body, dominated by its 19 Democrats, was elected in polling on March 14. The election results…
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Phuket police on heightened alert
PHUKET CITY: Governor Udomsak Usawarangkura has ordered a heightening of security for all government buildings and tourist areas in Phuket following Wednesday’s killings in Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat, and warnings by a Muslim separatist group that foreigners should stay away from the South and neighboring provinces. Phuket’s Provincial Police Commander, Maj Gen Veerayuth Sittimalic, said “We have seen the trouble…
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Top comedy trio to play Phuket
PHUKET: Three first-rate British comedians – Tim Clark, Pierre Hollins and John Fothergill – will perform at the Watermark restaurant, at the Boat Lagoon, on May 26. Heading the trio will be host Tim Clarke, of whom The Guardian newspaper said, “Comperes are the unsung heroes of stand up comedy. The current master of this underrated art is Tim Clarke.”…
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Thaksin okays B38m for stadium upgrade
PHUKET CITY: The race is on to repair Surakul Stadium in time for a key inspection in June by officials from Fifa, international soccer’s ruling body, who will decide whether Phuket’s most important sporting event yet can go ahead. Governor Udomsak Usawarangkura told the Gazette yesterday that Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has approved the budget of 38 million required to…
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Narathiwat “still safe for visa runs’
NARATHIWAT: Visa-run businesses are still operating normally to Narathiwat despite the outburst of violence in the South yesterday, which resulted in more than 100 deaths. Those who organize the visa-run services say that foreigners are safe. Kanitha Saelao, Manager of the Patong branch of Royal Silk Travel, which organizes visa trips to Kota Bahru via Narathiwat, told the Gazette that…
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Pongtorn murder probe faltering
PHUKET: A year after the assassination of Pongtorn Hiranyaburana – the Deputy Chief of the Phuket Land Office ordered to investigate suspect land titles – the trail leading to his killers has apparently gone cold. Pol Col Ronapong Saikaew, Superintendent of Investigation of Police Region 8, based in Surat Thani, told the Gazette today, “We still need more time to…
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Dog rescued from “rapist’
KAMALA: Animal lovers have rescued a small dog from a European man, who raped the animal repeatedly over a period of about six months. The dog was rescued by a Thai woman after she was told that people had heard it screaming many times. The rescuer, K. Gaew (who asked that her full name be withheld for fear of reprisal),…
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B255 million airport upgrade begins
PHUKET: Work has begun on a 255-million-baht expansion of Phuket International Airport. A 120-million-baht expansion of the passenger terminal – to be completed early next year – will be augmented by the creation of two additional berths for aircraft, taking the total number of berths to 27 and costing another 98 million baht. A further 37 million baht has been…
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Airport departure tax to rise 40pc
PHUKET: Departure taxes for international flights from Phuket will be hiked by 40% next year, soaring from the current 500 baht to 700 baht. Domestic passengers, who currently pay 50 baht a flight, will also face a hefty rate increase. The amount has yet to be set but according to Lt Cdr Boonchart Prompoon, Director of the Airports Authority of…
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BoI mulls tax break for IT investors
PHUKET CITY: An eight-year tax break for IT investors is among incentives being considered by the Board of Investment (BoI) to kick-start Phuket’s much-desired role as a software development center. The tax break proposal was revealed by the President of the Software Industry Promotion Agency (SIPA), Manoo Ordeedolchest, when he came to Phuket to exchange views with participants at a…
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Outboard boat ruling taxes Customs
PHUKET: After 10 days of cross-checking and confusion, Customs officials in Bangkok have now confirmed that there is no import tax on motorboats with outboard engines. Two boat owners wanting to import such boats contacted the Gazette after being informed that the 30% import tax still applied to these boats, although tax on leisure boats was dropped on February 18.…
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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