Phuket News
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Chinese man held in Phuket over nearly five-year visa overstay
A Chinese man was arrested in Phuket over a visa overstay of 1,793 days, nearly five years, after immigration officers tracked him to a secluded rental room in Karon on Wednesday, October 14. Police also seized passports belonging to other people, mobile phones and knives during the operation. The suspect, identified only as 55 year old Wang, was arrested at…
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Portuguese woman caught overstaying nearly 5 years in Phuket
A Portuguese woman was arrested at a restaurant in Phuket yesterday, October 13, after immigration officers found that she had overstayed her permission to remain in Thailand by 1,807 days. Immigration officers went to the restaurant in Ko Kaeo subdistrict, Mueang Phuket district, at about 1.30pm as part of checks on foreign nationals suspected of immigration offences. They found the…
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Phuket tourist couple accused of shoplifting in Patong
Two foreign tourists have been accused of shoplifting at a convenience store in Patong, Phuket, after a Thai woman reportedly noticed them hiding merchandise inside a bag and alerted staff. The pair, described as a couple, have also been linked through social media allegations to a separate theft at a clothing shop in Rawai, where trousers worth 1,595 baht were…
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Man arrested after Phuket officials deem festival games gambling
A man was arrested at the Phuket Vegetarian Festival after officials ruled that shooting and balloon-dart games, where players paid for chances to win prizes, amounted to gambling. Officials inspected the event area in Mueang Phuket district at around 10.20pm yesterday, October 10, following complaints about suspected gambling being run among festival activities. They found both shooting and balloon-dart games…
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Phuket rider says hotel staff eat food delivered to foreign guest at reception
A food delivery rider in Phuket filed a police complaint, alleging that hotel staff took and ate fried chicken he had delivered for a foreign guest. The rider, who has not been identified, shared his account with the Phuket Times Facebook page on October 7. He also did not disclose the name of the hotel involved. According to the rider,…
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Foreigner in Phuket offers 30,000 baht reward for his missing orange cat
A foreign man in Phuket is offering a 30,000-baht reward for information leading to the return of his missing orange cat, Mars, which disappeared from a hotel near Bang Wad Reservoir in Kathu district. The unnamed owner contacted the Phuket Times Facebook page and asked the administrator to share a missing-pet notice for Mars. According to the owner, the cat…
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Filipino rider killed in Phuket after stopping to let pedestrians cross
A Filipino man died after a lorry crashed into his motorcycle while he was stopped at a zebra crossing on Thep Krasattri Road in Phuket on October 7. Thalang Police Station officers were called to the scene outside a Shell petrol station on Thep Krasattri Road at about 5pm. Police found a damaged black and red Honda Click 125 motorcycle…
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Phuket launches Licence Lab to help small stays get licensed
Phuket has launched the “Phuket Licence Lab” to help small and medium-sized accommodation businesses overcome building and regulatory problems that have prevented many from obtaining the licences needed to operate legally. Five organisations from the professional, academic and tourism sectors signed a memorandum of understanding for the project on October 5 at Phuket City Development Company, or PKCD, in Mueang…
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Vietnamese man in 150m baht property scheme arrested in Phuket
A Vietnamese man wanted under an INTERPOL Red Notice over an alleged property sales scheme worth more than 100 million baht has been detained in Phuket. Thai immigration officers detained 50 year old Tang Ngoc Nho today, October 6, following a joint operation involving Phuket Immigration, Tourist Police, Special Branch Police and INTERPOL. Vietnamese authorities allege Tang was entrusted to…
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British man alleges serious assault by 2 Polish men in Phuket
A British man alleged that he was seriously assaulted and forced to transfer cryptocurrency during an incident involving two Polish men and a close friend at a condominium in Phuket. The incident reportedly happened at about 11pm on September 29 at a condominium in the Chalong area. The British man shared his account with the Phuket Times Facebook page, which…
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Siam Piwat expands beyond Bangkok with ICONPHUKET
Siam Piwat announced a 10 billion baht (US$300 million) investment in ICONPHUKET, a new retail, attraction and entertainment destination in Thalang district, Phuket, marking the company’s first major development outside Bangkok in its 67-year history. The company officially unveiled the project on October 5. ICONPHUKET is planned as a hybrid retail-attraction and entertainment destination featuring 12 world-class attractions, with the…
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Marine police arrest Russian guiding tourists without permit off Phuket
A 32 year old Russian man was arrested in Phuket yesterday, October 4, after police reportedly found him working as a tour guide on a boat without a work permit, following a complaint from a tourist who said the man threatened him after being filmed. The Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) received a report from the tourist alleging that the Russian…
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Phuket rider held over 3.69m baht thefts from foreigners’ homes
A delivery rider and amateur footballer has been arrested over the theft of more than 3.69 million baht in cash and property from two foreign residents’ homes in Phuket. The 23 year old suspect, identified by the pseudonym A, was arrested at a checkpoint in Mai Khao subdistrict, Thalang district, while driving back into Phuket on October 2. Police said…
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Two US Navy ships arrive in Phuket with 5,109 personnel
Two US Navy ships carrying a combined 5,109 personnel have arrived in Phuket for a six-day visit from today, October 4, through October 9, with security and transport arrangements in place around Phuket Deep Sea Port. The vessels are USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77), a large aircraft carrier carrying about 4,820 personnel, and USS Delbert D. Black (DDG-119), a destroyer…
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3 foreigners held over public nuisance after party and fire on Phuket road
Three foreign nationals were arrested on October 1 after allegedly setting a fire on a public road and holding a party in the Bang Thao area of Thalang district, Phuket. The incident was filmed and shared on social media, prompting criticism over the potential danger to motorists, pedestrians and nearby properties. The Phuket Times Facebook page shared a video on…
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Foreign man accused of attacking Phuket tuk tuk driver over fare
A foreign man allegedly assaulted a tuk tuk driver with a beer bottle after refusing to pay his fare at a hotel in Kathu district, Phuket. Phuket Times and MGR Online reported the alleged assault today, October 1. However, neither report specified the exact date or time of the incident. According to the driver’s account, he picked up the foreign…
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Phuket shop owner alleges 2 foreign women fake missing change before assault
A shop owner in Phuket accused two foreign women of assaulting a female employee following a dispute over alleged missing change yesterday, September 29. The shop owner, whose name has not been disclosed, shared a warning on social media, alleging that the two women attempted to obtain extra money by claiming they had received insufficient change for their purchase. According to Phuket…
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Two US Navy ships to dock in Phuket with 5,000 personnel
Two US Navy ships carrying more than 5,000 personnel are scheduled to dock at Phuket Deep Sea Port from October 5 to 10, with Thai officials and US representatives coordinating preparations for the visit. Lou Pham and Robert Robinson, US Embassy force protection representatives in Thailand, met officials at Patong Police Station on September 29 to discuss arrangements for the…
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Phuket direct flights expand as visitor numbers dip
Phuket welcomed 9.2 million visitors in the first eight months of 2026, down 1.76% from the same period last year, as the island prepares for four additional direct international flight routes ahead of the high season. Tourism Authority of Thailand figures presented at a Phuket provincial administration meeting yesterday, September 28, showed that 9,200,166 people visited the island between January…
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Frenchman reportedly shoots himself at Phuket shooting range
A French national was critically injured in a shooting range incident in Kathu district, Phuket, yesterday, September 28, with police investigating the circumstances. Officers from Kathu Police Station were alerted to the incident at around 2.30pm and rushed to the scene, where they found the injured man, identified as 28 year old William Gill. Rescue workers provided first aid before…
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Teenager at the wheel dies as car hits power pole in Phuket
Chalong Police say a 15 year old teenager was driving a Toyota Vios that struck a high-voltage pole just after midnight on September 27. Two other passengers, aged 17, were hurt. Five teenagers were in the car as it ran along Chao Fa West Rd towards Rawai Beach. The youngest of them was driving. Chalong Police said the white sedan…
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Phuket voted top wellness destination by Canadians in 2026
Phuket has been voted the top wellness destination by Canadian travellers at the 2026 Travellers’ Top Picks Awards, organised by Air Canada Vacations, following a public vote that attracted more than 1.3 million votes. Deputy Government Spokesperson Ploythalay Laksamisaengchan announced the result today, September 25, saying Phuket received the most votes in the Wellness category. The award was presented at…
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Phuket cop accidentally shoots mother dead while handling gun
A police officer accidentally shot his mother in the head while handling his service pistol at their home in Phuket last night, September 24. She later died in hospital. Police received a report of the shooting at around 9.20pm at a house in Koh Kaew, Mueang Phuket district. Mueang Phuket Police Station coordinated an emergency response. Rescue workers and medical…
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US Secret Service praises Phuket police for fighting currency fraud
The US Secret Service has recognised Phuket police for their investigations into counterfeit US dollars, including two cases involving suspicious banknotes at currency exchange shops. An American delegation presented officers with certificates of appreciation during a visit to Phuket Provincial Police Headquarters on September 22. Senior Special Agent and Assistant Attaché Samuel Cloud led the delegation in a meeting with…
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Phuket woman arrested for pawning rental cars online
A woman has been arrested in Phuket for allegedly pawning off rental cars; police said she obtained around 300,000 baht from two vehicles rented in Phuket and Bangkok before both companies managed to recover their cars. Officers from the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) arrested the suspect at a condominium car park in Kathu district on September 22. The woman, identified…
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Trailer wheel comes loose and hits woman waiting at Phuket traffic lights
A trailer wheel came loose and struck a motorcycle stopped at a red light in Koh Kaeo, Mueang Phuket, Phuket, seriously injuring the female rider yesterday, September 22. Mueang Phuket Police Station officers were called to the scene at the Koh Kaeo Intersection at 2pm to investigate the Phuket trailer accident and assist the injured woman, whose identity was not…
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Guest asks for towel animals, Phuket hotel gives a whole zoo
A returning guest at Patong Bay Residence in Phuket left housekeeping a small request for towel animals, only to come back to a bed transformed into a much bigger surprise than expected. Patong Bay Residence in Patong subdistrict, Kathu district, Phuket, shared images of the display after one of its regular guests returned for another stay. The guest visits the…
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Phuket could see more direct flights from Israel
Flights between Israel and Phuket could increase to five or six a week if a third Israeli airline begins operating on the route, according to a local media report today, September 23. Phuket Times reported today that two Israeli airlines, El Al Israel Airlines and Arkia Israeli Airlines, currently operate direct flights between Tel Aviv and Phuket. According to Phuket…
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Group of foreign women allegedly attack Thai woman outside Bangla Road bar
A Thai woman alleged that a group of foreign women attacked her outside a bar on Bangla Road in Phuket after accusing her of trying to take their clients on Saturday, September 20. The woman, who works for a tour company, shared details of the alleged assault with the Phuket Times Facebook page on Monday, September 22. She said she…
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Assault complainant says Phuket officer called her attention-seeking
A Thai woman escaped after a man allegedly punched and attempted to sexually assault her while she was jogging near Bang Wad Reservoir in Kathu district, Phuket. The case circulated online on Friday, September 18, after Phuket Times interviewed the Thai man who came to the woman’s aid. The man, identified as Adisak, said he had finished exercising and was stretching…
