Phuket News
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Interior Ministry investigates Thai citizenship of Israeli national in Phuket
The Ministry of Interior is investigating the Thai citizenship of an Israeli national in Phuket and a business reportedly linked to him after questions over the legality of his citizenship. Phuket Times reported yesterday, August 9, that the Israeli national had obtained Thai citizenship and a Thai identification card and was operating businesses in Phuket that reportedly generated more than…
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Phuket woman arrested over unapproved weight loss pen sales
Police arrested a woman in Phuket on August 7 for allegedly selling unapproved weight loss pens online without a licence. The arrest followed complaints from residents about products being sold from a rented room in Mueang district. Investigators from Phuket City Police Station joined officials from the Phuket Provincial Public Health Office in searching the rented room in Soi King…
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2 Thai, 2 foreigners arrested for illegally operating international schools in Phuket
Police arrested two foreigners and two Thai nationals for illegally operating international schools in Phuket through nominee arrangements. The arrests followed a wider crackdown by Phuket Provincial Police and Chalong Police Station on foreign-owned businesses suspected of violating Thai law in the Chalong and Rawai areas. During the investigation, officers identified three international schools that police allege were operating in…
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Irish man found dead in water in Phuket, police investigate
A 28 year old Irish man was found dead in a body of water in Phuket yesterday, August 6, with police investigating the circumstances surrounding his death. Cherng Talay Police Station received a report at approximately 11am that the body of a foreign man had been found in the water in Cherng Talay subdistrict, Thalang district. Police attended the scene…
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Swedish woman wanted by Interpol arrested in Phuket
A Swedish woman wanted on allegations of fraud against the public under an Interpol Red Notice was arrested in Phuket yesterday, August 4, after immigration police tracked her to the island. Police said the woman, identified only as Felicia, and more than 14 accomplices allegedly posed as employees of finance companies and banks in early 2022, making more than 163…
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British tourist found dead in Phuket hotel room on check-out day
A British tourist was found dead in a hotel room in Patong, Phuket, after staff entered his room on the check-out day following several days of a ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign hanging on the door. The 41 year old Briton, Zakir Mahood, had been staying alone at the hotel since July 24 and was due to check out yesterday, August…
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Phuket woman charged after beheading mother-in-law
A woman was arrested after allegedly beheading her mother-in-law with a kitchen knife following an argument at their home in Phuket yesterday, August 1. Police were called to the property in Chalong, Mueang district, at around 9.25am after neighbours reported the killing. The victim, 74 year old Chantra, was found dead inside the house. The accused, identified as 36 year…
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Foreign tourist criticised for posing on abandoned building in Phuket
Residents raised safety concerns after a foreign tourist was filmed sitting on the edge of an abandoned building in Phuket while friends took photographs. The incident at the abandoned building in the Wichit district of Phuket was recorded by residents and shared on social media, where the footage attracted widespread attention before being republished by several Thai news outlets. In the…
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Phuket officials probe condo over alleged unlicensed daily rentals
Phuket officials have launched legal action against the operator of a condominium in Wichit subdistrict after an inspection found the property was allegedly offering rooms for daily rental without a hotel licence. The inspection took place yesterday, July 29, after residents lodged complaints about the property. Officials said they found rooms being rented to guests daily, which may constitute operating…
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Thai ice cream vendor arrested for assaulting Ukrainian tourist in Phuket
A Thai ice cream vendor was arrested after assaulting a Ukrainian tourist on a road near Kata Beach in Phuket on July 29, with police saying the suspect later tested positive for drugs. The assault was first reported by the Newshawk Phuket Facebook page at about 11.20am. The incident took place on a roadside in Karon subdistrict, Mueang district. Video shared…
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Phuket money exchange robber identified as Russian, not Thai
Police identified a Russian national as the suspect in the money exchange robbery in Phuket after initially believing the suspect may have been a Thai national posing as a foreigner. The theft took place at a currency exchange shop inside a shopping mall in Wichit, Phuket, on July 19. The incident occurred shortly before the mall closed, with employees discovering…
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Four foreign tourists arrested with cannabis at Phuket Airport
Four foreign tourists were arrested today, July 28, at Phuket International Airport after customs officers allegedly found more than 33.6 kilogrammes of cannabis concealed inside their luggage before they were due to leave Thailand. The four suspects were identified as 19 year old Sean Cassidy Buzzi, a Swiss national, 18 year old Shaina Myriam Khadija El Gharib, a French national,…
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Police bust Chinese nominee scheme in Bangkok
Police have busted a Chinese-run network that used Thai nominees to illegally control 33 luxury villas in Bangkok worth over 1.275 billion baht (US$35 million). The Central Investigation Bureau’s Economic Crime Suppression Division raided five luxury housing estates in the Phatthanakan and Krungthep Kreetha areas after receiving tip-offs that Chinese nationals were secretly owning and renting out the properties to…
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Court throws out Phuket cake shop’s 5 million baht lawsuit over 1 star review
A Phuket court has dismissed a defamation lawsuit brought by a well-known cake shop against a customer who gave it a 1 star review, ending a case that turned a simple complaint about taste and price into a 5 million baht legal battle. Lawyer Arm Suwannaraksa, who represented the customer, announced the win on his Facebook page yesterday, July 23.…
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Business operators charged for running hotels in Phuket without permission
Phuket authorities arrested business operators for running accommodations without licences during a raid on five hotels, while investigators continue examining whether some of the properties were using nominees. The Phuket illegal hotels operation was carried out yesterday, July 23, by officials from the Phuket Provincial Administration as part of the government’s wider campaign to strengthen law enforcement and maintain public…
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New Phuket tourism chief urges government to promote Phuket’s strengths
The new president of the Phuket Tourist Association, elected on July 22, has urged the government to stop generating negative publicity about Phuket, saying authorities should enforce the law without publicising every crackdown. Sarayut Mallam said officials should continue cracking down on offences such as nominee businesses, illegal tour guides, illegal taxis and beach encroachment, but argued there was no…
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Australian tourist drowns in Phuket villa swimming pool
An Australian tourist died after drowning in a swimming pool at a luxury villa in Phuket yesterday, July 21. The tourist was holidaying with 13 relatives when she was found submerged in the villa’s pool. Police were notified at around 8pm after Thalang Hospital reported the death of the woman, later identified as 45 year old Haiyan Hong. The investigation…
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Phuket money exchange theft suspect disguises himself as foreigner
A thief, who may have been posing as a foreigner, remains at large after stealing more than 600,000 baht from a currency exchange shop inside a shopping mall in Phuket on Sunday, July 19. The owner of the exchange business in Phuket reported the theft to Wichit Police Station after an employee discovered the incident at about 9.30am on July…
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Social media divided after chabad centre leader supports Patong hospital
The religious leader and co-director of the Chabad-Lubavitch Centre in Phuket donated 1.1 million baht to Patong Hospital, generating mixed reactions on Thai social media. Patong Hospital announced the donation on its official Facebook page on July 16, thanking Rabbi Sholom Dovber Glitzenstein, co-director of the Chabad-Lubavitch Centre in Phuket, and the organisation for contributing 1.1 million baht to the…
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Foreign man wanted for assault on Thai woman on Bangla Road, Phuket
A foreign man is wanted for assaulting a Thai woman on Bangla Road in Phuket after accusing the victim of stealing his Thai girlfriend’s bag. The incident, which reportedly occurred on July 18, came to public attention after the victim’s friend shared the footage of the incident with the Facebook page เรื่à¸à¸‡à¸ˆà¸£à¸´à¸‡ ติดจà¸, asking the online community to help identify…
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Thai government tightens regulations to restrict cannabis for medical uses
The Thai government launched a crackdown on illegal cannabis stores in Phuket, finding 533 stores failing to renew their permits while 12 others had their permission suspended. Deputy Government Spokesperson Ploythalay Lucksameesaengchan announced yesterday, July 19, that authorities are increasing inspections of businesses involved in the production and sale of cannabis flowers as part of efforts to prevent misuse and…
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Phuket chef assaults intern, forces her to eat undercooked rice
A university student filed a police complaint after she was physically assaulted by a chef during an internship at a hotel in Phuket. The complainant, a 20 year old student identified only as Bee, reported the assault to Patong Police Station. She also shared CCTV footage with several news outlets, and the video has since circulated on Thai social media.…
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Phuket student shines at Coding Olympiad Grand Final in Italy
A nine year old student from Phuket has won two first-place awards at the International STEM Olympiad & Coding Olympiad – Grand Final 2026 in Rome, Italy, earning praise from his school, the Thai public and Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul. Pavin “Pace” Pattanavekin, a Grade 3 student at True Coding School Phuket, was recognised for his achievement in a Facebook…
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Australian man flees after assaulting another foreigner in Phuket
An Australian man allegedly assaulted another foreigner following a motorcycle collision and compensation dispute in Phuket yesterday, July 14. The incident was reported by the Phuket Times Facebook page, which published photographs of the aftermath and the injured man. The report said the altercation took place in the Rawai area, although the exact time of the incident was not disclosed. According…
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Phuket orders safety crackdown on venues across the island after Bangkok fire
Phuket is tightening safety inspections at businesses across the island, following the deadly fire at a Bangkok restaurant and entertainment venue that killed dozens of people. Phuket Governor Chotnarin Kerdsom said on 13 July that, although the fire on Soi Lat Phrao 1 in Bangkok on the night of 12 July did not happen in Phuket, every agency must treat…
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Two Phuket cannabis shops caught operating despite suspension
Officials arrested operators of two cannabis shops in Phuket yesterday, July 11, after they were allegedly caught continuing to sell cannabis despite having their licences suspended. Officials from the Department of Provincial Administration, Phuket Provincial Administration, the Phuket Provincial Public Health Office, Thalang district authorities and other relevant agencies carried out the operation. The inspections targeted cannabis shops in Thalang…
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Phuket lifeguards save two British tourists from drowning
Two British tourists are recovering after lifeguards rescued them from the sea at Nai Thon Beach yesterday, July 11, in Phuket’s Thalang district, where they were found unconscious following a drowning incident. Police were notified of the incident by lifeguards at Nai Thon Beach after the two men were pulled from the water. Lifeguards brought the pair ashore before alerting…
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Two illegal Phuket hotels found, 360 firms face nominee probe
Two hotels in Phuket’s Patong area have been found operating without licences, while officials have ordered further investigations into 360 companies suspected of using foreign nominee shareholders. Deputy Interior Minister Polapee Suwannachawi led officials from the Interior Ministry, Department of Provincial Administration, Land Department, Phuket Provincial Office and other agencies on an inspection of hotels and businesses in Patong, Kathu…
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Thai, Filipina women arrested with cannabis at Phuket airport
A Thai woman and a Filipina were arrested at Phuket International Airport yesterday, July 9, after customs officers allegedly found 32.1 kilogrammes of cannabis flower concealed in their luggage as they attempted to leave Thailand. The two arrests took place separately in the international departures terminal in Mai Khao subdistrict, Thalang district, Phuket. At around 11am, customs officers inspected a…
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Nene Royal goes from Phuket night market to America’s Got Talent
A 16 year old girl from Phuket earned four yeses from the judges on America’s Got Talent (AGT), taking another step towards her dream of becoming a world-class artist. Rattikarn “Praew” Amloy, better known by her stage name Nene Royal, has built a reputation as a street performer in Phuket. She regularly performs with her band, Ozone, at Naka Night…
