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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Bilateral talks boost health tourism
MAI KHAO: Thailand and Malaysia have agreed in bilateral talks to cooperate in boosting health-based tourism and developing traditional medicines. The deal came today in the first of three days of talks between Thai Public Health Minister Sudarat Keyuraphan and her Malaysian counterpart, Dato Chua Jui Meng, at the JW Marriott Phuket Resort and Spa. Other topics that will be…
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Phuket to get B20 million facelift
PHUKET: Phuket will have a 20-million-baht facelift before the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) conference in September. Seven central government organizations will provide the bulk of the funding for the makeover but the island’s 13 OrBorTors will also contribute 200,000 baht apiece. Vice-Governor Winai Buapradit, who heads the project, said work had been underway since last month. The budget covers…
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Second land probe launched
PHUKET: A senior police officer from Bangkok arrived in Phuket today to head up a second investigation into land registration abuses. Pol Maj Gen Pansiri Prapawat, Deputy Commissioner for General Investigation, has been ordered by Deputy Prime Minister General Chavalit Yongchaiyudh to look into cases of encroachment onto government land in Phuket. Gen Pansiri said today, “I’ve come to Phuket…
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Mega-dog-pound plan criticized
PHUKET: A plan to house all of Phuket’s estimated 11,500 stray dogs in a huge central pound until they die has been criticized by the leader of a group that is attempting to control the animal population with sterilization. Phuket Governor CEO Pongpayome Vasaputi says the proposal, costing 2 million baht, would solve the problem of “soi” dogs and would,…
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Land paper probe begins
PHUKET: Thirty officers from the Agriculture Land Reform Deoartment (ALRD) in Bangkok started checking SorPorKor 4-01 land occupation papers this morning, and are expected to take about a week to compile a summary of their findings. Adisak Srisappakij, Permanent Secretary of the ALRD, told the Gazette after meeting with Governor CEO Pongpayome Vasaputi that the 30 officers would check all…
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Influential people “definitely in Phuket’ – Gov
PHUKET: Governor CEO Pongpayome Vasaputi has slammed newspaper reports that Phuket has no “influential people” of the kind currently being targeted by the government of PM Thaksin Shinawatra. Several newspapers had reported that Phuket was among some 30 provinces that had stated they had no influential people. “I read these reports,” Gov Pongpayome said, “and I didn’t understand why they…
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Security fears as police nab aliens
THALANG: Phuket police have nabbed 37 men as they tried to enter the country on fake visas in a breach that has ramifications for national security and posts a question mark over the effectiveness of the Immigration Department. The men, in two large groups, had already passed through airport immigration counters by presenting Bangladeshi passports when police, acting on information…
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Phuket “facing foreign labor shortage’
PHUKET TOWN: Although the number of unemployed people has risen dramatically as a result of the tourism downturn, local Thai Rak Thai party leader Dr Yada Palimapan believes Phuket’s industries now need an extra 5,000 more laborers from other countries to kick-start the local economy. Dr Yada told a media conference at the Royal Phuket City Hotel on Sunday that…
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Tour submarine arrives in Phuket
AO MAKHAM: Phuket’s first tourist submarine arrived at the Phuket Deep Sea Port last night after a one-month journey on a cargo ship from Florida. The DS-48 submarine, bought by Phuket Submarine Co Ltd, is the first tourist submarine in Thailand. It will be ready to carry passengers on underwater tours around Koh Dok Mai around the end of this…
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Traffic campaign aims to “end the pain’
PHUKET TOWN: Some 900 people attended a Traffic Accident Prevention Fair in Saphan Hin yesterday, marking the start of a province-wide effort to improve road safety through education and law enforcement. Vice-Governor Winai Buapradit, who is leading the campaign, said at the opening ceremony at the Phuket Provincial Transportation Office, “Phuket has the highest rate of death from traffic accidents…
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Land officials to be transferred
PHUKET: The Director-General of the Land Department, Banyat Jantasena, has ordered two senior Land Office officials in Phuket to be transferred to other provinces. Phuket Governor CEO Pongpayome Vasaputi told the Gazette today that the orders have already been signed for the transfers of the Chief of the Phuket Provincial Land Office (PPLO), Boonsong Namnapol, and the Chief of the…
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Cook’s killing baffles police
CHERNG TALAY: Days have passed but police admit they are still baffled by the murder of a young cook from a stylish new upmarket restaurant in Cherng Talay. A fellow worker from the new Red Room restaurant found the body of 23-year-old Amporn Changthong lying beside Sri Soonthorn Rd, some 200 meters from the venue, about 3:30 am last Friday.…
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Goods worth B3m stolen in yacht break-ins
AO CHALONG: Electronic and other equipment valued at more than 3 million baht was stolen in a series of robberies from yachts moored in Ao Chalong on Friday, May 30. Australian Brian Ritchie told the Gazette that about noon he discovered that his yacht, Beyond Rotto, had been broken into and that equipment worth about 1 million baht was missing.…
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Boat driver caught for robbing HK tourists
PHUKET: Six Hong Kong tourists had over 32,000 baht stolen as they were snorkelling near Phi Phi Island yesterday, but police managed to arrest the thief yesterday morning and recover the money. The thief, 22-year-old Wachira Thongsarng, is an employee of PP Adventure, which runs speedboat day-trips out of the Boat Lagoon. Wachira was taken into custody by Phuket Tourist…
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Singapore Sars alert ends
PHUKET: Tourists from Singapore are now able to enter Phuket and Thailand generally without a Sars health check. The World Health Organization has removed the island nation from its list of Sars-alert countries. Weerasit Raden, Chief of Port Health, Phuket International Airport, told the Gazette that travelers arriving from Hong Kong, Taiwan and China still require a medical check at…
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Rawai beach stalls to be moved
RAWAI: About 40 stall vendors selling food along the Rawai seafront have been ordered to vacate by the end of June in preparation for developments at the resort beach. Sixteen of the vendors will move to a new site as part of a 600,000-baht building project that will house them about 500 meters from the old location, near the Rawai…
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Poor turnout for SorPorKor meeting
PHUKET TOWN: Only 67 people of the 515 people in Phuket holding SorPorKor 4-01 land occupation papers registered at a meeting with Phuket Governor CEO Pongpayome Vasaputi yesterday. With the central government about to send dozens of investigators to Phuket to check all SorPorKor papers, Gov Pongpayome had asked SorPorKor holders to a one-hour meeting at the Phuket Provincial Meeting…
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Man drowns at Nai Harn
NAI HARN: Beach vendors yesterday discovered the body of a 19-year-old man who was swept off the rocks by a large wave at Nai Harn Beach on Sunday. Suriya Lannoi, a gas station attendant in Rawai, was standing on rocks with five friends at about 4 pm when they were all knocked into the sea by a large wave, Pol…
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Missing man’s body found at beach
CHERNG TALAY: Staff from the Laguna Beach Resort found the body of a missing Hong Kong tourist on Bang Tao Beach at 7 pm yesterday. Law Chun Lung, 30, and three friends ignored red flags and warnings about the rough surf and the likelihood of an undertow to go swimming at the beach on Sunday. His body is now at…
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New crackdown on traffic offenses
PHUKET: Police began a crackdown on traffic offenders from yesterday, as part of a fresh offensive aimed at reducing road deaths and injuries. Announcing the crackdown, which he said will continue indefinitely, Metha Mekarath of the Provincial Defense Office said that government employees caught breaking the rules of the road will face special punishment and could even lose their jobs.…
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Spa industry to get serious
PHUKET: About 150 owners of Phuket businesses running spas or offering spa services will meet to set standards and to introduce self-regulation, Pakin Raktae-ngam, President of the new Phuket Spa Business Association, announced this morning. “This is the first time a serious attempt will be made to clarify the concepts and the standards of Phuket’s spas,” K. Pakin said, adding…
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Garbage power boost on the cards
PHUKET TOWN: The Phuket Town Municipality and the Department of Alternative Energy are investigating ways to boost the amount of electricity produced by the Saphan Hin garbage incinerator. Energy Minister Dr Prommin Lertsuridej has asked for a report within two months on the possibilities. Dr Prommin and his team toured the incinerator when the Cabinet visited Phuket this week. The…
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Security tightened at Land Office
PHUKET TOWN: Security has been beefed up at the Phuket Provincial Land Office amid fears that those involved in the recent murder of a Land Office official may try to burn the building down or otherwise destroy land documents linking them to the killing. The security alert comes on the direct orders of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. He instructed the…
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Road accidents claim 18 lives
PHUKET: Eighteen people died in traffic accidents between March 20 and April 20, according to the latest statistics from the Wachira, Thalang and Patong government hospitals. All the victims were on motorcycles, Ampaipan Pawawattananusorn of the Phuket Provincial Health Office reported. In the same period, 821 were hurt in crashes involving motorbikes, while 35 people were injured in car accidents.…
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Rise in seizures of illegal guns
PHUKET: Nineteen people were arrested in Phuket for illegal possession of firearms from May 1 to May 25, according to statistics from the Provincial Police, released soon after Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra launched a nationwide crackdown on organized crime on May 20. However, the figures for May revealed a similar number of drug-related raids and arrests as in the same…
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OrBorJor chief to run for Parliament
PHUKET TOWN: Dr Prasit Koeysiripong, President of the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor), is expected to stand at the next parliamentary election as a Thai Rak Thai (TRT) government candidate in Phuket, a province traditionally regarded as a stronghold for the opposition Democrat Party. While his declaration at this stage is still not official, it was confirmed by Dr Yada…
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Police raid fakes warehouses
PATONG: Police raided two buildings in Rajpatanusorn Rd last night and seized imitation goods with a street value of about 5 million baht. One of the buildings was fitted with a closed-circuit security camera to check on visitors. Police from the Economic Crime Investigations Division in Bangkok, accompanied by representatives from Rolex, Gucci and Chanel, seized about 1,000 items, including…
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Policeman indicted over Phuket slaying
PHUKET: A Songkhla police officer has been charged with conspiracy to murder Phuket businessman Visanuwat Ngamjun, Pol Lt Col Paween Pongsirin, Superintendent of Phuket Police Station, said today. K. Visanuwat was shot dead with three bullets to the head by a motorcycle-riding assassin while he was driving out of the car park at the Big C supercenter on February 28.…
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Jobs go as hotel downturn bites
KARON: About 14,000 workers have been laid off from Phuket hotels in the wake of the tourism industry downturn, Yaowalak Yangyean, Chief of Phuket Social Security Office, told the Gazette today. Other workers have been told to take more days off each month. With tourist arrivals in Thailand reported to be 76% down this May on the same month last…
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Cabinet says “no’ to tourism cash boost
KARON: The central Government has refused to provide any direct financial assistance to Phuket tourism businesses suffering from the effects of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (Sars). Speaking after the Cabinet meeting at the Phuket Arcadia Beach Resort today, government spokesman Maj Sitha Thiwaree said, “Instead of giving money to help Phuket tourism the Government will set up a tour package…
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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