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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Five teens held for gangland execution
PHUKET: Five teenagers are being held by police and two more are still being hunted over the savage gangland execution of a 15-year-old youth on Koh Sireh. Khajornkiat Tongdeesuk was tied up, gagged and beaten before being taken to Naamsai beach early on Saturday where his killer fired a shotgun into his head. Police allege that another 15-year-old known as…
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Crackdown prompts driving license surge
PHUKET TOWN: A crackdown by Phuket police has sparked a rush by car drivers and motorcyclists to apply for licenses, with the number of applicants jumping from an average of 65 a day to around 120. Another factor in the increase has been a change in national policy that allows people registered as living in other provinces to take a…
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Pian dismisses allegation as “a game’
PATONG: Pian Keesin, leader of the recently-formed Rak Patong Party, has dismissed an attempt to have him barred from forthcoming municipal elections in Patong as “a political game”. As reported yesterday by the Gazette Online, the leader of the Patong Progress Party, Songserm Kepsap, has furnished officials of the Phuket Election Commission (PEC) with documents he claims show that K.…
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TRT throws its weight into local elections
PHUKET TOWN: The involvement for the first time of the powerful Thai Rak Thai (TRT) party should add a new dimension to Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) elections in Phuket, scheduled for March 14. This development has put two former vice-presidents and colleagues, Samroeng Chaisorn and Wisut Santikun, on opposing teams as rival candidates for OrBorJor President. K. Samroeng will campaign…
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Patong protests early closings
PATONG: More than 400 workers in Patong’s entertainment industry gathered on Saturday at Loma Park to vent their anger over government proposals to restrict the opening hours of entertainment venues to the period from 6 pm to midnight. The change, if approved, is likely to go into effect March 1. Patong Entertainment Business Association (PEBA) president Somphet Moosopon urged the…
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Pian facing corruption allegation
PHUKET: Patong mayoral candidate Songserm Kepsap and three members of the Patong Progress Team today filed a complaint with the Phuket Election Committee (PEC) against the leader of their opponents, Pian Keesin of the Rak Patong Team, claiming that K. Pian is ineligible to stand in the February 8 Patong mayoral election. K. Songserm said, “We lodged the complaint in…
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Out with foreign touts
PATONG: Phuket Immigration officers rounded up 24 foreigners over the weekend and charged them with illegal entry into Thailand and working without permits. They are now being held in a Phuket Immigration Police cell awaiting deportation. The operation was aimed at enforcing Article 38 of the Immigration Act of 1979, which has long been ignored by many guesthouse owners. Under…
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Phuket Air “won’t join fares war’
PHUKET TOWN: Phuket Air will not be joining the cheap-tickets war sparked by the launch of Air Asia, its Chief Executive Officer said today. Group Capt Patana Tareekes was speaking at Phuket International Airport, where the inaugural flight of Phuket Air’s new five-times-weekly service, linking Haad Yai with Ranong via Phuket, landed at 10:30 this morning. “We are not going…
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Low-price airfare “open to all’
PHUKET TOWN: Confusion at some airline sub-agencies may have led to some customers missing out on a low-cost airfares promotion by Thai Airways International, an airline spokesman admitted today. “Perhaps some sub-agencies were not properly informed,” Viset Sontichai, Upper-Southern Thailand District Sales Manager for THAI, told the Gazette. “It’s possible that some agencies lost the correct information. THAI has about…
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Gov backs earlier bar closing
PHUKET TOWN: Phuket Governor Udomsak Usawarangkura today came down squarely behind Bangkok’s push to introduce early closing for all entertainment venues. He added that he did not believe the island’s tourist trade would be affected because it was Phuket’s natural beauty that visitors came to see, an argument repeatedly put forward by his predecessor, Pongpayome Vasaputi. The governor’s comments put…
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Patong plans early-closing protest
PATONG: About 150 people from Patong’s entertainment industry met today to discuss measures to oppose government proposals to close the country’s nightlife at midnight. Hundreds more are expected to take part in a full-scale protest at 3 pm on Saturday. Talk of preemptive closures of bars in Patong from 1 am on January 19 was denied by local police as…
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Island to get ‘up to standard’ abattoir
PHUKET TOWN: In an effort to improve food safety standards in Phuket, the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) and Provincial Livestock Office have agreed to get together to build a 60-million baht slaughterhouse in Kathu using a government-subsidized 5% loan from the Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) Bank. PPLO Chief Sunart Wongchawalit told the Gazette today that the facility, to…
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English boost for Phuket Town school
PHUKET TOWN: The Phuket Thai Hua School has reached a 3-million-baht agreement with the Singapore-based Stamford education group to expand the teaching of English at the school. Sombat Atiset, the President of the Kusolsongkroh Foundation, the charitable organization that runs the school, said that the new English course will be launched at the beginning of this year’s first semester, in…
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Reminder on foreigners’ wages
PHUKET: Pol Capt Krissarat Nuesen, Deputy Inspector of the Phuket Provincial Immigration Office (PPIO), has reminded foreigners that, starting on July 10 this year, new minimum wage requirements will come into effect for foreigners seeking one-year permits to stay in Thailand on the basis of holding work permits. He said the new rates, which will nearly double the minimum wage…
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Seven glue sniffers arrested
PHUKET TOWN: Seven glue sniffers came unstuck early yesterday morning when police officers on patrol caught them enjoying their preferred form of substance abuse, inhaling the vapor of rubber-based glue. Pol Col Apirak Hongthong, Deputy Commander of Phuket Provincial Police, and a sortie of officers were on their nightly midnight-to-6 am patrol when they came across five youngsters sniffing glue…
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Laguna “confident’ on tin mine titles
THALANG: James Batt, Joint Managing Director of Laguna Resorts & Hotels, has hailed as “good news” the announcements by various officials that the land titles for the 13 plots on which the hotel complex is built are legitimate. Both the Provincial Land Office and the provincial version of the Committee to Solve Problems of Encroachment on State Land (KorBorRor) have…
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Food, water face strict testing
PHUKET TOWN: Island residents can look forward to improved hygiene in food and water production by the end of this year, according to a report issued by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under its “Good Manufacturing Practice” (GMP) standards. More than 100 major establishments were tested between January 7 and 9, but only half passed the GMP standards. Speaking…
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Arson possible cause of Cherng Talay blaze
CHERNG TALAY: Tum Salathai, a seafood restaurant on the entry road to Laguna Phuket, burned to the ground in the early hours of Wednesday. Police are investigating arson as one of two possible causes of the blaze. Restaurant manager Weerachai Srabua told the Gazette today that the blaze started at about 4 am. “People outside noticed the fire. They ran…
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Kota Bahru visa run “still safe’
PHUKET: Despite continuing violence in the south of Thailand, the visa officer at the Thai Consulate in Kota Bahru, Malaysia, insists that the security situation along the border is still calm and that many foreigners continue to arrive each day to renew visas. Kota Bahru is the Thai consulate closest to Phuket, and one of a few in the region…
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Cheap fares for Phuket-Bangkok flights
PHUKET: Thai Airways International (THAI) is offering a limited number of seats on its Phuket-Bangkok route at the low price of 3,400 baht return or 1,700 baht one-way. The seats are being allocated on a first-come-first-served basis, and are most likely to be awarded to people paying for and collecting their tickets at least 48 hours in advance of a…
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Japanese tourist drowns
KARON: A 30-year-old Japanese tourist drowned at Karon beach yesterday about 6pm. The man, named by police as Kenji Maehama, went for a swim with a group of friends in front of the Phuket Arcadia Beach Resort, where the group was staying. Two got into difficulties, apparently because of a strong undertow. Beach guards were able to retrieve both, but…
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Laos travel warnings issued
WASHINGTON: The US Department of State has warned US citizens against travel in parts of Laos, including Vientiane province, routes along the Thai-Laos border, and on roads throughout the country, following a number of deadly attacks in recent months. The State Department said in its warning, issued yesterday (January 6), that the attacks, although not apparently directed at Americans or…
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Roads claim three lives over holidays
PHUKET: Three people were killed on Phuket roads from December 29-January 4, the same as over last year’s holiday period, despite a marked increase in the number of police checkpoints and arrests for drunk driving. There was, however, a dramatic decrease in the number of injuries recorded. Phuket Governor Udomsak Usawarangkura this morning told the Gazette that all three victims…
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Rivals set for Patong poll
PATONG: On the first day of applications for the Patong municipal elections, Mayoral candidate Pian Keesin of the newly-formed Rak Patong Team registered his candidacy with 18 other members seeking town council seats under the Rak Patong banner. Running against him will be Songserm Kebsup, older brother of Phuket Democrat party MP Chalermlak Kebsup, who registered his application along with…
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Narathiwat “still safe’ say tour agencies
PHUKET: Visa runs through Narathiwat are still safe despite a wave of attacks on police, soldiers and schools across provinces close to the border with Malaysia, travel agents from Phuket and Narathiwat said yesterday. Attacks on Sunday morning in Narathiwat province left four soldiers dead, 20 schools torched and a small arsenal of weapons seized. Two police officers in neighboring…
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Plea to motorists to pay tax
PHUKET TOWN: Phuket vehicle owners have until February 25 to pay outstanding tax – and avoid hefty fines and other penalties, including cancellation of registration documents, the Phuket Provincial Transportation Office (PPTO) announced today. Prasit Amarapal, Chief of the PPTO, warned errant motorists that failure to respond to the February 25 deadline would result in drivers having to pay the…
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Hundreds flock to register as poor
PHUKET TOWN: Up to 800 people declared themselves “poor” on the first day of registration at the island’s three district offices in Phuket Town, Kathu and Thalang. The project – part of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s War on Poverty – is being piloted in eight provinces around the country. So far some 400,000 families, thought to be about 10% of…
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Reward for missing diver doubled
KAMALA: The reward being offered for information leading to the safe return of 25-year-old dive instructor Phikun “Nori” Srisaksungnoen, who has been missing since November 29, has been doubled to 100,000 baht. Mystified by K. Nori’s disappearance, close friend and workmate Marcus Etter increased the reward he first offered soon after she went missing. The last time he saw K.…
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More illegal immigrants arrested
PHUKET: Illegal immigrants topped this month’s crime statistics with 176 arrests between December 1-25. Figures released by Phuket Provincial Police show arrests for gambling coming in second with 169 people taken into custody from 48 raids. Another 43 people were charged with involvement in underground lotteries. Police apprehended 32 people for prostitution and made 48 arrests for possession or use…
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Maritime safety highlighted
PHUKET TOWN: Although not citing any specific threat, Phuket Marine Police are implementing plans to work more closely with other agencies to gather and share intelligence. Deputy Commander of [the national] Marine Police, Pol Col Ularn Anekboon, said, “Phuket, like Koh Samui and Pattaya, has many marine tourist centers and we have to maintain security at all of them. “All…
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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