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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Anti-smoking “cops’ to get tough
PHUKET: To mark the first anniversary of the ban on smoking in public venues, officials from the Phuket Provincial Health Office (PPHO) will scour the island from November 8 to purge Phuket of persistent puffers. Acting Chief PPHO Somboon Aiyarak today said that from midnight on November 7, PPHO officers will enforce the ban more stringently than they have during…
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Governor rejects casino idea
PHUKET TOWN: Phuket does not need a legal casino, Governor Udomsak Usawarangkura said today. He told a meeting of officers at Phuket Provincial Hall that it would not deliver benefits to the island but would only create more problems. “Even if we have a legal casino in Phuket, it doesn’t mean that illegal casinos will disappear,” he said. Crime, especially…
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Police return after Bush security detail
PHUKET TOWN: Phuket-based police officials who made up the core of the security detail for US President George Bush during the recent Apec summit in Bangkok are now back on the island. Phuket Provincial Police Deputy Commander Pol Col Decha Butnampetch, who was appointed chief of the “front line command center” to secure the US President, told the Gazette that…
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B1.5m in pirate CDs seized
PATONG: Patrons of Patong’s formerly bustling trade in copy CDs and other pirated goods might have been forgiven for thinking it would be back to business as usual once the Apec delegates left the country, but a raid on a Patong shop last Friday night indicates otherwise. The raid, led by newly-installed Phuket Governor Udomsak Usawarangura and Phuket Provincial Police…
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New party to contest mayoral poll
PHUKET TOWN: About 500 people turned out for the launch of a new political party this week – the Sangsan Party (Creative Party – CP). The new party will field candidates in Phuket Town municipal elections and seek to topple the Khon Num (Young Turks) Party from the mayoral seat. The new party was officially launched at Phuket Polytechnic College…
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THAI launches Sydney-Phuket service
PHUKET TOWN: Thai Airways International (THAI) will launch thrice-weekly direct flights to Phuket from Sydney via Melbourne on October 27, it was announced yesterday. Viset Sontichai, Upper-Southern Thailand District Sales Manager for THAI, told a press conference that the service, TG-980, will use Boeing 737or 747 aircraft, and will land in Phuket on Mondays, Thursdays and Sundays at 5:55 am.…
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Rawai villages pronounced drug-free
RAWAI: In the countdown to declare Phuket a drug-free province by November 30, seven villages in Rawai and Nai Harn have been pronounced free of illegal drugs. At a ceremony at Muang Phuket School on October 24, Vice-Governor Pongpow Ketthong asked more than 400 locals to pledge in front of a picture of HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej not to become…
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German boy dies on jet-ski
PATONG: A 13-year-old German boy died yesterday after the jet-ski he was riding crashed into a moored long-tail boat in the sea off Patong. The boy, named by police as Jonathan Nerlich, was riding a jet-ski that police officers said had been hired for him by his father. The father was on the beach at the time. The boy died…
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Rescuers lose fight to save dolphin
PANWA CAPE: A rare Risso dolphin, at first thought to be a melon-headed whale, has died at Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) after rescuers fought to save the life of the beached creature. Kongkiat Kittiwattawong, a biologist at the center, told the Gazette that the 2.6-meter adult female died about 5 am on Thursday. She was in a pool meant…
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Tourist dies in motorbike smash
KATHU: A British tourist riding a rented motorcycle died in hospital after his head struck the side-mirror of a truck traveling in the opposite direction. Officers named the man as Craig Curry, 32. At the wheel of the truck was Wiwat Padungpol, 26, who has been charged with careless driving. Mr Curry, who had been vacationing in Phuket Town, was…
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Strategic cluster’ plan for three provinces
PHUKET TOWN : Phuket, Phang Nga and Krabi represent a strategic “cluster” for economic development and water-related tourism, a conference heard today. Phuket Vice-Governor Winai Buapradit told representatives from business, government and academic groups, and other interested parties that more planning was needed to make the most of the “cluster.” About 150 people gathered at the Royal Phuket City Hotel…
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Landslide stops Patong Hill traffic
KATHU: A landslide early this afternoon close to the crest of Patong Hill brought traffic to a standstill as rain continued to blanket Phuket. Vice-Governor Pongpow Ketthong told the Gazette that earth and large branches tumbled onto Prabaramee Rd, on the Patong side of the hill near the Pun Tao Kong Chinese shrine, causing huge traffic jams in both directions.…
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Tourist arrivals up 30pc despite rains
PHUKET: While heavy rains and flooding have stopped many Thai tourists from visiting Phuket and the Andaman region, the number of foreigners arriving on the island is up by 30% compared with the same time last year. Napasorn Kakai, the Deputy Director of the local Tourism Authority of Thailand office, today told the Gazette, “We expected to have more Thai…
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Officials sing Phummisak’s praises
PHUKET TOWN: All the officers of Phuket Town Municipality – about 1,000 of them – turned out to say farewell to Phuket Town Mayor Phummisak Hongsyok at an outdoor buffet at the Phuket Incinerator on Wednesday night. Groups of officers sang K. Phummisak’s praises – literally – in tributes to the man who leaves office on December 24, when he…
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Putin takes a break in Phuket
PHUKET: The President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, is making a private visit to Phuket in advance of the start of the regional summit of leaders of Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation economies in Bangkok on Sunday. Phuket Governor Udomsak Usawarangkura confirmed that President Putin arrived at Phuket International Airport at 2:40 pm today. The Governor added that he was…
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Speed up land probe, Gov urges
PHUKET TOWN: Governor Udomsak Usawarangkura today urged officials looking into alleged land title abuses on the island to speed up their investigations and to work together in a more analytical way. After talking in detail to some 25 officers at the Provincial Hall, the Governor told media that the land issue needed to be resolved because delays could damage the…
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Purachai launches “Happy Families’ project
PHUKET TOWN: Visiting Deputy Prime Minister Purachai Piemsomboon today announced that Phuket will be one of two pilot provinces in the Government’s new “Happy Family Skills Training Project”. The project is intended to provide useful skills to couples who wish to raise happy and healthy families. The other province chosen was Prachin Buri. K. Purachai, formerly Thailand’s second most powerful…
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Phuket seafood passes contaminants test
PHUKET TOWN: Phuket seafood has a clean record so far in a crackdown on the use of preservatives and other chemical additives, Pramual Rakjai, chief of Phuket Provincial Fishing Port, said today. He told the Governor’s regular media conference that fishing boats, dealers and vendors would come under scrutiny as the checks continue in the national campaign. The project, which…
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B9m boost for beach guard service
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) will spend more than 15 million baht next year on beach guards and equipment to boost water safety at Phuket beaches. OrBorJor Vice-President Soratham Jinda, head of the organization’s water safety project, said today that the boost in funding, up from 6 million baht this year, was approved in light of the beach…
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Amsterdam murders trigger Phuket raid
CHALONG: A Bangkok-based Dutch police officer joined four Drug Suppression Unit officers in a weekend raid on the Phuket home of a Dutchman who was murdered in Amsterdam and was suspected of involvement in the international illegal drugs trade. Saturday’s 6 am raid on the home of Jules Leo Jie at Land and Houses Park led to the discovery of…
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Carnival set to open high season
PHUKET TOWN: About 5.2 million baht is to be spent on this year’s Patong Carnival from November 1 to 3 to mark the opening of the tourist high season. Live music will be performed nightly over the Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Other highlights will include a beach-cleaning campaign, fireworks, a mini-marathon, the Miss Andaman Patong Contest and beach volleyball and…
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Farang heavies in Muay Thai tangle tonight
SAPHAN HIN: Two Europeans heavyweights will tangle in the main event of tonight’s Thai boxing fights at Saphan Hin Stadium, starting at 8 pm. The match, the first international Muay Thai event held on the island, is expected to be a cracker, pitting two 24-year-old boxers from rival gyms in Kata. Fighting out of the Phuket Muay Thai Gym will…
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Healthy profit tipped for airport
PHUKET TOWN: Phuket International Airport is expected to increase its profit by 1.4% this year despite the Sars crisis, a gathering to mark the airport’s 15th anniversary heard on Wednesday. Lt Cdr Boonchart Prompoon, Director of the Airports Authority of Thailand, Phuket, said that revenue for the first eight months of this year was 784 million baht, well on track…
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Foreign husbands still tied in knots
BANGKOK (The Nation): The Constitution Court yesterday issued a ruling that won’t make it any easier for foreign men married to Thai wives to become Thai citizens. The ruling effectively means that men born overseas will still be subject to complicated citizenship procedures. Foreign women married to Thai men are currently allowed to seek Thai nationality without having to go…
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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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Three held after Karma Lounge drug raid
KARON: The Karma Lounge Music Café in Karon is likely to be closed after police raiding the place allegedly found the illegal drugs Ecstasy, cocaine, ketamine and marijuana there, as well as a lesbian sex show underway, Governor CEO Udomsak Usawarangkura said. Police carried out the raid at 2:30 am on Sunday and said they seized a gram of cocaine,…
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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…
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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