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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American Found Dead in Patong
PATONG BEACH: A 29-year-old American resident of Phuket was found dead in a Patong guest house on Sunday, according to Kathu police. Mr Korey Alan Lee, who worked for a Phuket dive company and had lived on the island for about three years, was found dead by his brother after the two had been involved in a long drinking session,…
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Poacher Pays For Monkey Business
THALANG: Phuket police have charged a 62-year-old man in connection with the poaching and killing of protected wildlife on Toh Sae Mountain. Ging Phollom, from Tambon Sri Soonthorn, Amphur Thalang, was arrested following a tip-off by members of the Toh Sae Mountain Walkers’ Club. He was found in possession of a monkey corpse, a live monitor lizard and a live…
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Police Bag Two In Chalong
CHALONG: Pol Col Decha Budnampeth, Chief of Police at Chalong, told a press conference this morning that a woman was robbed of her handbag while crossing the bridge on the road into Wat Chalong early on Saturday. The victim, Areerat Nusri, 34, reported the incident to police at Chalong station at 7:30 Saturday morning. She said the bag had been…
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Visa Criteria, Procedures Clarified
PHUKET TOWN: The superintendent of the Phuket Immigration Office, Pol Col Phirojana Praesakul, confirmed to the Gazette this morning that the financial requirements for the non-immigrant ‘O-A’ visa are as follows: 1) at least 800,000 baht in liquid funds in a Thai or overseas bank (the definition of “liquid” was not immediately available, so it was not clear whether fixed…
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Record Number Of New Businesses In Phuket
PHUKET TOWN: Veerachai Tantiwathanavallop, Director of the Phuket Commercial Registration Office, told the Gazette yesterday that 1998 was a record year for new business registrations in the province. A total of 520 filings were received during the year, versus 477 for 1997. The 1998 total included 332 ‘company limited’ and 188 partnership registrations. Although business start-ups far exceeded closures, the…
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Speed Limit Signs Sorely Needed
PHUKET TOWN: Widespread confusion and ignorance of the law with respect to speed limits in Phuket province was underscored in the Gazette Poll which closed at noon today. Only 22% of the 911 participants in the internet poll knew (or guessed correctly) that speed limits apply to all roads on the island (and throughout Thailand). In response to the question,…
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Water War Waged Against City Hall
The Phuket Provincial Waterworks Authority has moved to take over Phuket Municipality’s Water Supply Division, claiming the division has failed to meet World Health Organisation quality standards. But the Mayor of Phuket, 1st Lt Phummisak Hongsyok, has vowed to fight the take-over, saying it would lead to a big hike in water supply prices for consumers. In a recent letter…
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Biggest Heroin Haul In Ten Years
PHUKET TOWN: In what police told the Gazette was the biggest drug case to arise in Phuket in the past ten years, authorities have seized heroin with a street value they estimate at roughly one million baht. At 3:30 yesterday afternoon, the Patong-based Kathu police received a report from the Phuket Town office of the national Narcotics Control Board (NCB)…
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Rajabhat Offers Facilities To Public
PHUKET: Rajabhat Institute Phuket is making available accommodation and conference room facilities at its Sri Rajabhat Building. Guest rooms with twin beds are available at 350 baht per night. Rooms with breakfast are 450 baht, and rooms inclusive of three meals – breakfast, lunch and dinner – are priced at 750 baht. A total of 20 guest rooms are on…
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Traffic Injuries Near 10,000-mark
PHUKET: Traffic-related injuries approached the 10,000-mark for 1998, the Phuket Health Department reported last week. In its report to the Phuket Governor, the agency said 885 patients were admitted to government hospitals from October 20, 1998 through November 19, 1998, including 826 with motorbike-related injuries. A total of 25 people died in traffic accidents during the period, including 19 motorbike…
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Divergent Views On Priorities For The New Year
PHUKET: Greater emphasis on education was considered the most important priority for Thailand in the new year, according to the Gazette Poll which closed at noon today. Containment of corruption ranked a close second. From the four available answers to the question, “What’s your Number One wish for Thailand in 1999?”, 34.3 percent of the internet poll’s 735 participants opted…
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Crowd Greets Arrival Of Elephants
PHUKET: Five elephants shipped back to the Kingdom from Indonesia received a warm welcome late last night as they, along with their 12 mahouts, arrived at the Deep Sea Port aboard the Sinthu Phuket. The pachyderms made headlines recently when the cash-strapped Indonesian government said they no longer could afford to continue a joint elephant training program. In October 1997,…
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Ya Ba-laced Beer Seized In Pub Raid
PHUKET TOWN: Authorities seized draft beer from a popular pub early Saturday morning after a preliminary test indicated it had been laced with amphetamines. Tourist Police and Phuket Narcotics Control officers raided the Kok Ma Pub on Tilok U-Thit 1 Road at around 2 a.m. following a tip from concerned parents alleging that the venue was admitting underage patrons and…
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Honk In The New Year At Benz Sale
PHUKET TOWN: Can’t seem to find the perfect New Year’s present? Try the car park in front of the Thavorn Grand Plaza Hotel where the second “Amazing Secondhand Benz Sale” is underway through December 30. The event, co-sponsored by Thonburi Leasing, Wiriya Leasing and Benz Bor Jor Nor Phuket, features attractively priced, used Mercedes passenger cars. The first such sale…
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Beach Scene Brings Out The Crowd
PHUKET: Padded lounges were occupied well before noon, masseuses had their hands full, and vendors were having a field day keeping up with demand for cold drinks as the island’s peak tourist season got underway this week. Sun worshipers turned out in droves on west coast beaches, soaking in the rays and being pampered. “It’s wonderful,” commented first time visitor…
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High Seas Firefight Kills Two Navy Officers
RANONG: Two officers of the Royal Thai Navy’s Third Fleet were killed last Saturday during a midday firefight between their surveillance vessel and an unidentified fishing boat in Thai territorial waters off the coast of Ranong province. Petty Officer First Class Chalermsak Jeenprakom and Petty Officer Third Class Amorn Panlert died of bullet wounds when the navy patrol boat Tor…
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FantaSea Opens To Crowd of 1,300
KAMALA: The first day of business at Phuket FantaSea attracted over 1,300 patrons, reported Surin Bamrungphol, Vice President of Marketing and Public Relations. An estimated seven out of ten paid admissions at yesterday’s soft opening were Thais, many of whom were local residents who wanted to check out Phuket’s newest and biggest leisure attraction, according to a poll conducted by…
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Sex Does Matter In Selling Phuket
PHUKET: To the surprise and disappointment of many local residents, the Phuket Gazette’s Internet poll for the week ended December 18 suggests that large numbers of people familiar with the island believe the local sex industry does help to attract tourists. Of the 789 participants in the poll, 54.8 percent were of the belief that the availability of ‘paid sex’…
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Tourist Police To Step Up Patrols
PHUKET TOWN: Tourist Police will be out in force in the popular beach areas as throngs of vacationers descend on the island for their annual holiday. Phuket Tourist Police Inspector Pol Maj Arnont Kamolrat said his officers would step up patrols along Patong and other beaches frequented by foreign visitors. In addition to providing assistance to tourists, officers will be…
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Sun Shines On Island
MAI KHAO: Yes, Virginia, there is a sun. Following a soggy November, the first half of this month saw more blue skies than clouds as a mere 15 millimeters of rain was recorded from December 1 through December 15 at the Southwestern Meteorological Center’s monitoring station near Phuket International Airport. The heaviest 24-hour rainfall total during the period was recorded…
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Excise Revenues Post Sharp Decline
PHUKET TOWN: Despite revenues generated through taxes on luxury yachts and golf fees, the Phuket Provincial Excise Department recorded a steep drop in collections during the most recent fiscal year compared to fiscal 1997. Department Chief Borvorn Chayakul reported that his office collected 190.3 million baht from October 1, 1997 through September 30, 1998, a decline of nearly 49 million…
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Phuket, Amanpuri Honored By Readers’ Poll
NEW YORK: Phuket received an 11th place ranking of top islands in Condé Nast Traveler’s Readers’ Choice Awards, while Amanpuri, the well-known luxury hotel on Pansea Beach, was honored in two of the publication’s award categories. The results of the poll, tabulated from the responses of more than 37,000 Condé Nast Traveler readers, were published in last month’s issue. Phuket…
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THAI Establishes Emergency Phone Center
BANGKOK: Thai Airways International (THAI) has established a 24-hour Emergency Information Center at the VIP Lounge of Bangkok International Airport to provide assistance to relatives of passengers aboard flight TG 261 which crashed Friday evening near Surat Thani Airport. The telephone numbers of the center are (66-2) 535-3003; 535-6996-7 and 535-6981-6.
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Regatta Winners Honored
KATA: “This was the greatest regatta ever,” proclaimed Admiral Thira Haoch, Commander in Chief of the Royal Thai Navy and Honorary Chairman of the 12th Phuket King’s Cup Regatta, to an audience of competitors and guests assembled Saturday night for the Royal Awards Ceremony. The admiral was among a host of dignitaries in attendance at the function held in the…
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Soriano Captures Class For Third Time
KATA: The crew of Irvmiren, led by skipper Andreas Soriano III of the Philippines, made it three in a row on Wednesday finishing first among Ocean Cruising Class competitors in the Iridium Andaman Sea Cup Race, the third event of the 12th Phuket King’s Cup Regatta. Skipper Andrew Hogbin of the United Kingdom led the crew aboard Chant De Mai…
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THAI Adds More Holiday Flights
BANGKOK: Thai Airways International (THAI) announced today that it has added extra flights on several domestic routes during the year-end holiday period to accommodate an anticipated spike in already heavy passenger demand. Among the additions are ten extra flights on the Bangkok-Phuket route from December 31, 1998 through January 3, 1999. Extra flights were also added on the carrier’s Bangkok-Chiang…
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Three Repeat Wins In King’s Cup
KATA: The second event of the 12th Phuket King’s Cup Regatta, the Krabi Provincial Race from Kata to Phi Phi, saw three skippers capture top honors in their respective classes for the second consecutive day. Andreas Soriano III and the crew of Irvmiren sailed to victory in the Ocean Cruising Class for the second time in as many days on…
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Protest Leads To New Taxi License Scheme
PHUKET TOWN: An agreement was reached yesterday to lift restrictions on motorbike taxi licenses granted by Patong municipality following a peaceful rally staged by unregistered operators at Provincial Hall. Over 350 taxi drivers rode in a motorcade from Patong to Phuket Town shortly before noon in a show of unity to have the current licensing scheme opened to non-Patong residents.…
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Airport Arrivals Flying High
MAI KHAO: The number of passengers arriving at Phuket International Airport during the first eleven months of 1998 has surpassed the total recorded for all of last year, an airport spokesman announced today. From January 1, 1998 through November 30, 1998, a total of 1,380,325 passenger arrivals were recorded, versus 1,377,744 for full-year 1997. In November, 92,500 passengers disembarked from…
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Pawn Shop Sets Loan Record
PHUKET TOWN: The Phuket Municipal Pawn Shop will post its best year ever as more than a quarter of a billion baht in loans were recorded in the first eleven months of 1998, surpassing last year’s record 235 million baht loan total. Manager Phuwadon Chinnupathum reported that from January 1, 1998 through November 30, 1998, a total of 257.4 million…
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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