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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Gunman kills motorbike taxi driver
TUNG TONG: Somyot Saekoey, 36, a motorbike taxi driver based in Patong, was shot dead late on Tuesday after visiting a friend. Pol Capt Kittipong Klaykaew of Tungtong Police Station said that K. Somyot went to visit his friend, Jamroen Soonthon, near the entrance to the Bang Wat Dam near Kathu, at around 10.30 pm. They chatted about their work…
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Pattaya firm takes over Phuket radio station
PHUKET: The end of a four-year contract has seen Pattaya-based Sunshine Radio win the rights to run the local government radio station, 101.5 FM Phuket. Sunshine Radio won the contract direct from the Phuket branch of the Mass Communications Organization of Thailand (MCOT) in Bangkok. The amount of the winning bid was not announced. “Previously, the contracts were won on…
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Governor urges swift action on murder
PA KLOCK: Phuket Provincial Governor Pongpayome Vasaputi this morning visited the site where environmental activist Jurin Rachapol was shot dead yesterday. He urged the Thalang police to find the gunman quickly and to conduct their investigation as fairly and thoroughly as possible. Gov Pongpayome was accompanied on his visit by Pol Maj Gen Kongpol Suwannaraks, Commander of the Phuket Provincial…
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Environmental activist shot dead
PA KLOK: Environmental activist Jurin Rachapol, 50, was shot dead this morning while out collecting cashew nut leaves for salad. Pol Capt Anan Jengjit of Thalang Police Station said that K. Jurin went into the forest around 9 am with his wife. He was shot three times; two bullets hit his left shoulder while the third hit his head, killing…
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Guard drowns after fall into sea
AO MAKHAM: A security guard at the Phuket Deep Sea Port drowned on Saturday after falling about seven meters into the sea. Pol Maj Adul Niraphai of Phuket Town Police Station named the dead man as Amnuan Kamnuan, 35, from Trang. He said, “Staff at the port told me that the guard fell into the sea at 10 am. His…
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Nationalists: Soros not welcome in Thailand
BANGKOK (AFP): Thailand will not be putting out the welcome mat for international financier George Soros when he fronts up here next week, say angry nationalists who accuse him of sabotaging the Thai economy. “Our foreign ministry should bar entry to a man who has hurt 60 million Thais, and turned Thailand into one of the United States of America,”…
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Police raid law-breaking pubs
PHUKET TOWN: Police launched a series of raids in the early hours of yesterday morning, targeting establishments known for ignoring opening and licensing laws. The raids resulted in seven establishments being caught flouting the law. Kung Ja Restaurant and Nam Fon Karaoke were charged with staying open after the 3 am closing time. Establishments charged with operating without a license…
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Six tourists arrested for drugs at “rave’
KANCHANABURI (AFP): Six foreign tourists have been arrested on drugs charges after a raid on a “Black Moon” party at a campsite in this western province, police said today. More than 100 backpackers were netted in the crackdown on an all-night “rave” at a local holiday spot. Police swooped on the site early on Thursday, seizing ecstasy pills and marijuana.…
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115 illegals held in raids on wat fair
CHALONG: The annual fair at Wat Chalong has proved a bonanza for officers targeting illegal immigrants. In the first two days – Tuesday and yesterday – 115 Burmese were arrested, and there are four more days to go. “There are many construction camps in the area, and the fair is famous among the Burmese,” explained Pol Col Abhirak Hongtong, superintendent…
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Thief steals 500,000 baht while victims sleep
PHUKET TOWN: A well-known Ranong fishing raft owner and his wife lost close to 500,000 baht in the early hours of Tuesday morning when a thief stole into the Phuket Town hotel room where they slept. Pol Lt Khaneung Pitakkullatorn of Phuket Town Police Station said that the victims, 39-year-old Apirak Sornsom and his wife, were staying at the Phuket…
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62 election results thrown out
BANGKOK (AFP): Thailand’s Election Commission today threw out poll results in 62 constituencies where the winning candidates were accused of cheating in the January 6 national elections. Thaksin Shinawatra’s Thai Rak Thai party earned more than half the disqualifications, with five of its candidates being found guilty of corruption and 27 others being handed warnings over graft allegations. The Democrats,…
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Bar owner rounds up turtle hatchlings
BANG TAO: Local bar owner Tony Somrak discovered 95 Olive Ridley hatchling turtles on the beach in front of the Banyan Tree Resort late last night. “This is the first time that I’ve seen turtles hatch,” Tony told the Gazette, “and it was only because we had a small family picnic on the beach last night. When I went back…
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Second urgent call for blood
PHUKET TOWN: The Wachira Phuket Hospital this afternoon issued a second urgent appeal for blood, this time type A negative blood. Earlier today it appealed for B negative donors. The appeals were issued because the hospital’s blood bank has no stock of either blood type, and needs both, one type for a pregnant woman who underwent an operation after her…
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Urgent call for B negative blood
PHUKET TOWN: Wachira Phuket Hospital has issued an urgent appeal for Type B negative blood for a young Thai woman who is bleeding internally. Surin Khomkaew, 17, who was six months pregnant, arrived at the hospital this morning complaining of severe stomach pains. Tests revealed that her unborn child had died. Following an operation to remove the fetus, K. Surin…
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Crackdown on traffic violators planned
PATONG: The Superintendent of Kathu Police Station has warned that from February 1 his officers will begin a crackdown on people who break traffic laws, particularly in Patong. Pol Col Paween Pongsirin told the Gazette that Patong’s traffic problems have worsened since police began taking a softer line on law-breakers last October. The softer line was introduced in response to…
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Bag-snatchers back in action
PHUKET: Bag-snatchers on motorbikes are back in action in Phuket after a seven-month lull, with two cases reported yesterday, one in Phuket Town and the other in Thalang. In June last year there was a spate of bag-snatching cases, with robbers on motorbikes riding up alongside their targets and snatching handbags from the baskets of their victims’ bikes. With the…
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Common cold drug banned
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Health Office (PHO), under instructions from the Ministry of Public Health, has announced a ban on the use of Phenylpropanolamine (PPA) in medicines. Research undertaken at Yale University has indicated that PPA may assist the development of a hemorrhagic stroke. PPA is found in many medicines taken for relieving symptoms of the common cold and is…
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Airport bomb hoax
MAIKHAO: At 5:15 pm yesterday, an anonymous phone call was made to staff at Phuket International Airport by a man claiming that a bomb had been planted and was set to go off in 30 minutes. The call was made from a public phone by a man believed to be a Thai. After immediately notifying the police, staff informed the…
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Airport traffic rises again
PHUKET: Passengers arriving or departing the island via Phuket International Airport continue to rise, according to the latest figures released by airport officials. The passenger throughput in November rose to 311,292 – a rise of 4.59% – compared to 299,139 in November, 1999. The statistics show that 311,292 passengers went through the airport in November, compared with 299,139 in the…
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German embezzler snared
NAI HARN: Phuket Immigration Police have arrested a German engineer suspected of embezzling 170 million baht from the City of Munich. The police arrested Richard Muhr, 47, at a Nai Harn-beach bungalow on Friday, January 5 after the German Embassy in Bangkok reported that Muhr and a colleague had embezzled money from the city. Pol Col Apirak Hongthong, superintendent of…
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Democrats still dominate Phuket
PHUKET: Phuket Democrat Suwit Sa-Ngiamkul won the Phuket Voting District 1 seat with an overwhelming majority in the in the national election on Saturday. Phuket’s Voting District 1 covers Phuket Town, apart from Tambon Rassada and Tambon Koh Kaew. K. Suwit, whose soaring popularity springs from his role in the Phuket Town Municipality, beat five other candidates at the polls…
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Facts about Thailand
BANGKOK (AFP): Thailand, which is holding general elections today, is a constitutional monarchy nominally headed by revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej. The following are key facts about Thailand: GEOSITUATION: A Southeast Asian country surrounded by the Gulf of Thailand, the Andaman Sea and Indian Ocean. Thailand borders Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Malaysia. POPULATION: 62.5 million. ETHNIC GROUPS: Thai/Lao 94 percent, Chinese…
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Loan shark took nude photos of staff
PHUKET TOWN: Police found a naked woman with hands and feet bound in chains in the house of a loan shark on Soi Taling Chan yesterday after receiving a tip-off about an illegal gun. Pol Lt Akanit Danpitaksart, of Phuket Town Police station, obtained a search warrant after hearing that an illegal pistol had been seen in the house in…
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Woman dragged one kilometer by truck
PHUKET TOWN: A delivery van dragged a woman and her motorbike along Thepkrasattri Rd for about a kilometer early on Wednesday morning after a collision. Wipa Kongpisutthikul, 25 of Phuket Town, told police that while she was waiting to turn right near the intersection of Thepkrasattri Rd and Komaraphat Rd, the van driven by Sanit Maichum, 27, hit her and…
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Health warnings should not concern tourists
PHUKET: Following health warnings issued by the Phuket Provincial Health Department (PHD) on January 2, Dr Jessada Chaikhunnarath, Specialist in Preventive Medicine, confirmed that tourists are not at serious risk of diarrhea or malarial infections. “There were no recorded cases of serious diarrhea or dysentery among tourists in the year 2000. The PHD health survey includes reports from every hospital…
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Stepson killed in family quarrel
KARON: A man accidentally shot his stepson yesterday at 5:30 pm during an argument about ownership of a motorcycle. Kasean Maneethat, 63, who manages the Tommy Big Bike rental shop in Karon, told the Gazette that his stepson, 37-year-old Danupol Wongthai, bought a 100,000-baht motorcycle in Bangkok with money from his mother. Kasean said, “Yesterday, when I asked him why…
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Big turnout at Saphan Hin for Democrats
PHUKET TOWN: Thousands of Democrat Party supporters gathered in Saphan Hin last night to listen to the Prime Minister before the national elections on Saturday, January 6. Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai and other Democrat Party ministers, Abhisit Vejjajiva, Surin Pitsuwan, Trairong Suwankiri, and Suthep Thaugsuban, took the stage in support of Phuket’s Democrat candidates for MP: Suwit Sa-Ngiamkul, for District…
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Huge increase in injuries over the holidays
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Health Office (PHO) has reported that 397 people were injured in auto and motorcycle accidents, and three were killed in motorcycle accidents over the four-day holiday period. The number of injuries rose 52% from the same period last year, when 261 were injured, but the death toll is down from the nine reported last year. Of…
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Government issues health warning
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Health Department (PHD) has issued a public health warning for diarrhea and malaria for the months of January and February. The warning comes after the release of statistics for the year 2000. These statistics show that the number of reported cases of diarrhea and malaria during these months in past years has reached near-epidemic proportions. The…
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Corruption threatens elections
BANGKOK (AFP): Ambitious reforms launched to root out endemic corruption in Thai politics aim to ensure that the January 6 elections will be the cleanest in the kingdom’s history, observers say. But there are fears that with “cash democracy” and patronage politics still deeply entrenched in the country, Thailand is setting itself up for a chaotic aftermath to the ballot…
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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