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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Swiss Tourist Drowns At Kata Beach
KATA: A Swiss tourist drowned on Sunday after he failed to heed warnings and went swimming in heavy seas, Chalong district police reported. The victim, identified by authorities as 67-year-old Jean Jacques Arsene, entered the water at Kata Yai Beach around 4 o’clock Sunday afternoon despite pleas from his spouse to stay out of the rough surf. Sangduan Danchong told…
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Club Patrons Subjected to Drug Tests
PHUKET TOWN: Fifty-one patrons of the At Ease Night Club on Soi Surin tested positive for drugs following a check by authorities early Sunday morning. Bangkok narcotics control officers joined Phuket Tourist Police in sealing the popular nightclub at 1:20 a.m. and ordering patrons to undergo drug testing in what authorities say was the first-ever raid of its kind in…
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Flash Flood Watch Issued
PHUKET: Officials at the Southwestern Regional Meteorological Center issued a flash flood advisory this morning for the provinces of Phang Nga, Krabi and Ranong. The bureau said thundershowers and isolated heavy rains were expected today in the three provinces. Yesterday, a total of 75.9 millimeters of rain was recorded at Phuket International Airport along with wind gusts of up to…
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Illegal Workers Filling Local Jailhouse
CHERNG TALAY: With resources at Phuket Provincial Prison taxed to the limit, immigration officials have been forced to use local jails to hold illegal foreign workers and their children pending their transfer to border camps. Among the jails being used for this purpose is the one at the Cherng Talay Sub-district Police Station where as many as 30 illegal Burmese…
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Search Intensifies For Missing Tourist
KOH PHANGAN: Local and regional authorities have stepped up their search for a Japanese tourist who has been missing for more than a week from this resort island near Koh Samui. Phangan Deputy Police Chief Pol Lt-Col Prayoon Krutmusik told the Gazette this morning that helicopters and specially-trained scent dogs from Provincial Police Region 8 Headquarters in Surat Thani were…
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Hoteliers To Add 345 Rooms
KARON BEACH: Innkeepers on this popular stretch of beach are busily preparing new guest rooms as the high tourist season approaches. Karon’s newest hotel will debut next month with the planned grand opening of the Phuket Sukpracha Resort. Located on Patak Road near the Karon Circle, the 200 million baht project includes 196 guest rooms, a shopping arcade, a Thai…
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Deadly Intersection Gets Attention
PHUKET TOWN: Drivers plying the Airport Bypass Road are being given a bumpy ride for safety’s sake as they approach the junction with Phra Phuket Road (also known as the Samkong-Kathu Road) on the city’s northwest side. A series of 15 one-and-one-half-centimeter-high speed bumps were installed last week along the northbound and southbound approaches to the intersection in response to…
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Helmet Compliance Gets “Thumbs Up’
PHUKET TOWN: Bikers dusted off their helmets before venturing out yesterday as local police stepped up enforcement of Thailand’s three-year-old motorbike safety helmet regulation. Drivers and passengers donned headgear as police conducted roadside checkpoints along the island’s major thoroughfares. In Phuket Town, helmet checks were conducted on Montri Road near The Metropole hotel as well as arteries leading out of…
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Shouting Subsides At Local Prison
PHUKET TOWN: Visitors to Phuket Provincial Prison are saving their voices, thanks to a newly-installed two-way communication system at the facility. Visitors can now pick up a handset and converse directly with an inmate for 15 minutes inside the visiting room. The new 20,000-baht system has replaced the jail’s antiquated set-up wherein the parties – separated by steel curtains and…
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Bikers Shelling Out Cash For Headgear
PHUKET TOWN: Sales were brisk over the weekend at T.S. Trading on Phuket Road in advance of Tuesday’s expected crackdown on motorbike helmet scofflaws. Store owner Taveesak Saelim says business has been in high gear since local authorities earlier this month began their province-wide announcements that strict enforcement of the law, which covers both drivers and passengers, will commence tomorrow,…
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Transit Fee Waived At Don Muang
BANGKOK: Tourist authorities were hailing a recent decision by the Airports Authority of Thailand to exempt international passengers in transit at Bangkok International Airport from a 500 baht airport service charge should they depart the terminal and return to it within 12 hours. The waiver will go into effect on October 1. Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Governor Seree Wangpaichitr…
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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