Phuket News
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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 fans cheer Nene Royal before next America’s Got Talent round
Fans packed Naka Market in Phuket to support teenage musician Nene Royal during a live performance before she returns to the United States for the next round of America’s Got Talent (AGT). Rattikarn “Praew” Amloy, better known by her stage name Nene Royal, attracted growing attention in Thailand and overseas after receiving four yeses from the AGT judges. Her audition…
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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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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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Phuket hotel faces demolition after encroaching on national park
A hotel in Phuket has been ordered to demolish its buildings after the Supreme Court issued a final judgment cancelling its land documents over the encroachment of more than 13 rai of Sirinat National Park. The Phuket Provincial Public Relations Office announced today, July 10, that the government is continuing to implement the “Phuket Model”, an initiative to reclaim protected…
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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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2 Russians held with over 5.4m baht from mule accounts
Police arrested two Russian nationals during raids at three locations in Phuket on Tuesday, July 8, seizing more than 5.4 million baht as part of an investigation into mule accounts linked to call centre scams. The operation followed information from the Anti-Cyber Scam Centre, which alerted officers from Provincial Police Region 8 and Phuket Provincial Police to suspicious activity involving…
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5 Thai police officers guilty in extortion of 6m baht from British fugitive
Thailand’s National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) resolved that there are sufficient grounds to pursue criminal and disciplinary action against six people, including five police officers, over the extortion of 6 million baht from a British drug kingpin, Ritesh Patel. Patel, who was wanted in the UK over alleged drug trafficking offences, fled to Dubai before travelling to Thailand in June 2022.…
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Phuket police poses as hotel maid to arrest French fugitive
A female immigration officer disguised herself as a maid to help arrest a Frenchman wanted under an Interpol Red Notice at a hotel in Phuket on July 3. The operation began after the Belgian Embassy in Thailand requested assistance from Thailand’s Immigration Bureau in locating 29 year old French national Chir, who is wanted by authorities in Luxembourg. According to immigration…
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Russian arrested over 17kg cannabis haul at Phuket airport
Customs officers arrested a Russian man at Phuket International Airport yesterday, July 8, after allegedly finding more than 17 kilogrammes of cannabis flowers and cannabis resin in his luggage as he prepared to leave Thailand. A customs officer at Phuket International Airport inspected two blue wheeled suitcases belonging to 30 year old Russian national Sergey Sharabari after suspicious items were…
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Foreign family assaults Phuket man after jet ski compensation row
A foreign man reportedly refused to pay compensation after a jet ski crash and physically assaulted a jet ski operator in Phuket yesterday, July 8. The jet ski operator on Patong Beach, Nattawut Date-iam, reported the incident to Patong Police Station, claiming he sustained serious injuries during the alleged assault. He also submitted video footage, photographs and other evidence identifying…
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Phuket restaurant owner accuses foreigner of planting hair in soup for free meal
A restaurant owner in Phuket alleged that a foreign customer deliberately placed a strand of hair in his tom yum soup before complaining about food hygiene in an attempt to avoid paying for his meal. The owner of the restaurant in Rawai subdistrict shared her account with the Phuket Times Facebook page and urged other business operators to remain cautious…
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Belgian woman detained at Phuket Airport after cannabis found in luggage
A Belgian woman was arrested at Phuket International Airport after officials found more than 31 kilogrammes of cannabis in her luggage during a departure inspection yesterday, July 7. Officers at the airport’s international departure terminal inspected two suitcases belonging to 21 year old Belgian national Salma El Khnati after identifying them as suspicious. One suitcase was white and green, while…
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Phuket car fire destroys Ford sedan, foreign driver escapes
A fire damaged a foreigner’s car in Phuket yesterday, July 4, after flames spread from the engine compartment of a black Ford sedan at a U-turn on Phra Phuket Kaew Road in Kathu. The driver escaped safely. Kathu Police Station was notified of the incident at about 5.50pm by the station’s radio centre. The report said a car had caught…
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Phuket immigration revokes visa of foreigner who assaults tuk tuk driver
Police arrested a foreign man, reportedly a British national, for evading a tuk tuk fare and physically assaulting the driver in Phuket yesterday, July 2. The incident took place at around 5am in Soi Na Nai and gained widespread attention after video footage of the confrontation circulated on Thai social media. The footage showed a tuk tuk driver arguing with a…
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Foreigner attacks Phuket tuk tuk driver after fare dispute
A foreign man refused to pay a 300 baht tuk tuk fare in Phuket and attacked the Thai driver earlier today, July 2, leaving the victim requiring ten stitches for a wound to the mouth. The incident reportedly took place at around 5am and was captured on video by a witness. The footage was later shared on the Phuket Times…
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Two Uzbek nationals arrested with cannabis haul at Phuket Airport
Two Uzbek nationals were arrested at Phuket International Airport after customs officials allegedly found more than 26 kilogrammes of cannabis products concealed inside their luggage before they were due to depart Thailand yesterday, July 1. Customs officers at Phuket International Airport, working with relevant agencies, uncovered dried cannabis flower, cannabis resin and processed cannabis products concealed inside multiple suitcases during…
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Phuket taxi driver praised for offering free ride to tourists
A Phuket taxi driver has won praise online after offering three foreign tourists a free ride to Wat Chalong on June 29 when they told him they had no money to pay the fare. The heartwarming moment was shared on Facebook by user Pichaiphorn Chanproong, who posted a video showing the encounter near the Pearl Circle roundabout in Patong. In…
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Drunk British driver raises road safety concerns in Phuket
A British man was charged with drunk driving after crashing into a traffic barrier at an intersection in Chalong, Phuket, in front of the traffic police officers stationed there. This particular drunk driving case in Phuket was captured on video and widely shared on social media this week. Footage showed a white Toyota Fortuner travelling at speed before hitting multiple…
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Icelandic man held in Phuket after snatching taxi driver’s bag
An Icelandic tourist was arrested in Phuket after allegedly snatching a female taxi driver’s bag during a ride in Patong, with police bringing him in for questioning the same evening. The victim, 39 year old Phitchapa, filed a complaint with Patong Police Station at 7pm that evening. The taxi driver told investigators she had picked up a male European passenger…
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Kazakh woman blocks roads, crashes, flees after emotional episode in Phuket
A heartbroken Kazakh woman, who blocked traffic on a road in Phuket on Saturday, June 20, fled police and later crashed into a motorcycle and a van. The foreigner and the motorcyclist were injured in the incident. Videos showing an SUV blocking traffic and driving in circles at an intersection on Thep Kasattri Road in Mai Khao subdistrict, Thalang district,…
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Foreign driver flees after stopping SUV in Phuket intersection
Police are searching for a foreign woman, accusing her of dangerous driving after she circled roads repeatedly and stopped her vehicle in the middle of Phuket intersections. The incident gained attention after a Thai motorist shared video footage on Facebook yesterday, June 21, in the group Khap Rot Baep Nee Tong Prachan Phuket (ขับรถแบบนี้ต้องประจาน ภูเก็ต), which translates as Drivers like…
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Thai woman found alive in Phuket sea after suicide attempt
A Thai woman was rescued after she reportedly jumped into the sea from Sarasin Bridge in Phuket in a suicide attempt and remained in the water for several hours before being found alive. Officers from Thachatchai Police Station were called to Sarasin Bridge yesterday, June 18, after a black Honda was found abandoned at the scene. Witnesses told police that…
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Undefeated Stirling boxer dies after Phuket tuk-tuk accident
A 22 year old Scottish boxer has died in Thailand after sustaining a severe head injury in an accident in Phuket in the early hours of June 14. Colin Cairney, an undefeated professional welterweight from Stirling, had been on holiday when the incident occurred. The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office confirmed his death, with a spokesperson stating: “We are…
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Phuket boxing coach says ‘Thais love peace, but never cowards’ after clash with foreigner
A foreign man, believed to be a British national, suffered a sword attack and returned to his home country after a road rage altercation with a Phuket boxing trainer. The viral footage showed a shirtless foreign man holding an iron bar, while a Thai man is seen carrying a sword. The video captured a confrontation between the pair before a…
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Phuket tuk tuk fall leaves British boxer in critical condition
Police are searching for a tuk tuk driver after a British professional boxer was found critically injured on Phuket road, with CCTV footage reportedly showing him falling from a vehicle before the driver sped away. Colin Kearney, a well-known British boxer, was discovered injured on Phra Baramee Road on June 14. Officers from Patong Police Station and rescue workers responded…
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South African woman caught with heroin at Phuket airport
Customs officers, Sakhu police, and narcotics suppression police arrested a South African woman at Phuket International Airport on June 11 after allegedly finding 16 kilogrammes of heroin hidden inside her suitcase. The accused, identified as 32 year old Buhle, was arrested at about 6pm at the oversized baggage drop-off point on the third floor of the international passenger terminal in…
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Phuket lifeguards intervene after foreign woman ignores warning flag
Thai lifeguards successfully rescued a foreign woman who removed a red warning flag and entered rough seas on Patong Beach in Phuket yesterday, June 10. The witness, Sarid Pongpawn, shared a video of the rescue on Facebook, praising lifeguards for preventing a potentially dangerous situation. In the caption, the man stated… “A heart-stopping moment. A real story with no script.…
