Phuket News
Phuket news, politics, business, tourism, and nightlife—stay updated with breaking stories, events, and expat updates from Thailand’s top island destination. Get the latest from The Thaiger, your trusted Phuket news source.
-
Sponsored 9 most common health issues covered by insurance for expats in Thailand
Thailand is a popular destination for expats due to its affordable lifestyle and excellent healthcare system. However, settling in a new country often brings health concerns. To ensure you’re covered for the most common medical needs, understanding what expat health...
-
Phuket mayor guarantees drought-proof supply for dry season
The Phuket Town mayor confirmed that the Phuket City Municipality has a sufficient water supply to sustain residents throughout the remainder of the dry season. However, he is encouraging residents to be mindful of their water consumption. Currently, the municipality’s water reserves are 80% full, according to Mayor Saroj Angkanapilas. This supply is anticipated to be ample for producing tap…
-
Patong businesses deny service refusal to Thai nationals
The vibrant tourist hotspot of Patong in Phuket has come under scrutiny amid allegations circulating on social media platforms. Claims suggest that certain local businesses have been denying service to Thai nationals. In response to these allegations, Weerawit Kreuasombat, the President of the Patong Entertainment Business Association (PEBA), has stepped forward to speak on behalf of the businesses in question.…
-
Singaporean motorist lashes out at Thai police officer over fine
A Singaporean man attacked a Thai police officer after he was fined for riding a motorcycle without a license and a helmet in Phuket. The incident occurred when traffic officers from the Cherng Talay Police Station stopped the Singaporean man, 37 year old Lim Jia Jie, at the Cherng Talay Intersection checkpoint on March 13. Lim was riding a motorcycle…
-
Phuket ramps up tourist security measures ahead of visa-free travel
The national commander of the Tourist Police, Police Lieutenant General Saksira Phueakam, and Police Major General Manat Sriwongsa, Deputy Commander of the Immigration Bureau, arrived in Phuket yesterday in a bid to enhance the safety and convenience for tourists visiting the popular holiday destination. The visit saw them accompanied by Police Major General Phopphon Chakkaphak, Commander of Tourist Police Division…
-
Brief burglary: Panty thief evades Phuket police pursuit
An underwear thief who managed to steal over 20 items of women’s underwear in one swoop is being pursued by the Patong Police in Phuket. The audacious theft, which was captured on CCTV, has been circulating widely across local social media channels since yesterday. The victim of the theft, a 42 year old woman who requested to be referred to…
-
British man nabbed with illegal Diazepam in Phuket
A British man was apprehended by authorities in Karon after being caught red-handed with Diazepam yesterday. According to reports from the Karon Police, a routine checkpoint near Nong Harn Lake led to the discovery. Suspicions were raised when a taxi, carrying a foreign passenger identified only as Thomas, a 27 year old British man, attracted attention. While the authorities did…
-
Phuket’s annual Heroines Festival honours historical defenders
Phuket Governor Sophon Suwannarat officiated a ceremony yesterday at Wat Mueang Komaraphat, in Tambon Thepkrasattri, Thalang, in honour of Phuket’s revered Heroines, Thao Thep Kasattri and Thao Sri Soonthorn, who were instrumental in defending the island against Burmese intruders in 1785. Initiated at 5.30pm, the ceremony was marked by a procession that kicked off from the Ban Khian shrine and…
-
Tides of tranquility disrupted: Yaba drug bust rocks Phi Phi, Krabi
The peaceful waters of Phi Phi Island and Haad Nopparat Thara Beach in Krabi, renowned tourist spots in Thailand, were disrupted by an unforeseen drug bust. The authorities apprehended two tour speedboat captains upon uncovering methamphetamine tablets, locally referred to as Yaba, concealed aboard their vessels. The first arrest transpired off the coast of Phi Phi Island Pier, according to…
-
Foreign man sexually assaults pregnant horse in Phuket
CCTV cameras at a horse farm in the Thalang district of Phuket province featured a foreign man sexually assaulting a pregnant horse, causing the animal to suffer a miscarriage. The horse owner revealed that the foreigner was an 18 year old American from Fairfax County, Virginia named Steven Lee Snyder, adding that the perverted teenager had committed this disturbing act multiple…
-
Phuket’s fizz-tastic fest: Sweet Baba Wedding festival promises bubbly fun
Champagne corks to pop as Phuket is all set to host the 11th Sweet Baba Phuket Wedding festival from May 11 to May 13, celebrating the rich Peranakan culture. Phuket Vice Governor Norasak Suksomboon announced the dates of the yearly festival during a press conference at Blue Elephant Phuket restaurant in Phuket Town. Joining Norasak at the event were Dr…
-
Phuket governor inspects Laem Nga beach reclaiming plans for public use
Sophon Suwannarat, the Governor of Phuket, undertook an inspection of Laem Nga Beach, situated at Koh Siray’s northern end yesterday. The primary objective was to evaluate plans for reclaiming the beach for public use. Last Thursday, local villagers assembled at the site to oppose the beach access’s closure by a private landowner. The protest sparked immediate action from officials who…
-
Transcending trouble: Thai transwomen tussle with tourists in Phuket
A video has gone viral in Thailand of two Thai transwomen physically assaulting some foreign men in the Patong neighbourhood of Phuket. Police admitted that the transwomen may be sex workers, and the attack may have been sparked over a service fee dispute. The video fracas was shared by the Instagram account @phuketinsta last week with a caption in Russian…
-
Phuket authorities given 3-day deadline to investigate beach access blockage
The Phuket authorities face a three-day deadline to probe the ownership of a land plot belonging to a private company in Phuket that obstructs public access to Laem Nga Beach. This directive was given by Vice Governor Sattha Thongkham on Friday following a demonstration by approximately 500 individuals at the blocked beachfront property the previous day. The protesters demanded that…
-
Phuket governor calls for probe into Laem Nga beach blockade
Phuket Vice Governor Sattha Thongkham demanded a probe into the barricading of privately owned land at Lemg Nga, located at the northern edge of Koh Siray, which has obstructed public access to Laem Nga Beach. This directive came on the heels of a protest by local villagers on-site on March 7. The locals voiced their demand for the restoration of…
-
Swiss scandal sparks crackdown on unruly farangs in Thailand
The scandal involving a Swiss man assaulting a Thai doctor in Phuket prompted authorities to initiate a massive crackdown on illegal foreigners and farangs behaving badly in Thailand. In total, nearly 30 foreigners were arrested during the past weeks. Following the physical assault on a Thai doctor outside the luxury villa of a Swiss man, locals in Phuket demanded that…
-
Australian fugitive nabbed in Phuket for visa overstay
Phuket Provincial Police apprehended a 26 year old Australian fugitive who had been lurking in a hotel near the Sri Kor Intersection in Kathu, Phuket. The Australian man, whose identity remains undisclosed by authorities, committed a double crime of visa overstay and bill evasion, spiralling from a tangled web of incidents dating back to January 31. The tale began with…
-
Swiss man’s visa revoked after physical assault on Thai doctor
The Immigration Bureau revoked the visa of the Swiss man involved in the physical assault on a female Thai doctor near Yamu Cape in Phuket last week. The Thai doctor, 26 year old Tarndao Chandam, filed a complaint against Urs Fehr after the Swiss man attacked her on Saturday, February 24 when she and her friend sat on the steps…
-
Restaurant encroachment threatens Hua Hin’s sandy shores
Yamu Beach in Phuket may have just played second fiddle to an encroachment crisis engulfing the pristine sands of Hua Hin. Evidence surfaced on the Prachuap News Facebook page, showcasing a long line of eateries and guesthouses that have sunk their claws deep into Hua Hin’s main beach. Witnesses describe a scene akin to invasion, with some structures extending a…
-
Phuket anti-corruption commission probes Cape Yamu Villas land legitimacy
A thorough investigation has been initiated by the Phuket branch of the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC Phuket) into the legitimacy of land documents for the luxury Cape Yamu Villas. This probe was motivated by concerns about potential encroachment onto public land at Yamu Beach in Pa Klok and the possible involvement of corrupt officials. NACC Phuket’s Director, Suwat Saowaran, alongside…
-
Russian roulette: Cops put brakes on illegal workers at Phuket car shop
Officers from the Provincial Police Region 8 yesterday continued the recent crackdown on illegal foreigners by charging two Russian men for working at a car rental shop in the Cherng Talay sub-district in the Talang district of Phuket province. The Russian business owner also faced a charge for hiring foreigners without work permits. The investigation is on the back of locals…
-
Foreign man kicks up a storm over discriminatory bike rental policy in Phuket
A foreign man brought to light a discriminatory practice at a foreign-owned motorcycle rental shop in Phuket. The shop refused to serve his Thai wife and other Thai customers, justifying their decision by alleging that Thais frequently engage in motorcycle theft, complain excessively, and are unable to meet the necessary deposit requirements. The foreign man, using the account BlacksmithSolid2194, took…
-
Update: Villa owner’s violent act leads to demolition in beach assault scandal
Following the assault scandal of Swiss national Urs Fehr, aka David, Phuket Peninsula Estate Co., owner of beachfront villa No. 23, took a startling step today, sending a backhoe to erase the encroaching structures, including the contentious stairway. Before their obliteration, these steps had witnessed a fateful encounter on February 24. Swiss national David allegedly kicked 26 year old Dr…
-
Foreign man caught on CCTV stealing Thai flag in Phuket (video)
A CCTV camera caught a foreign man stealing a Thai flag from outside an office in Phuket. Thai netizens urged the police to take the case seriously as the Thai flag is highly respected by locals. The Jootee Tin Dredging Company shared CCTV footage of the theft to the Facebook page, Phuket Hotnews, today, March 5. The video shows a…
-
Belarusian tourist lost in Phuket jungle found unharmed
A Belarusian tourist, who had got lost while on a jungle trek in the Layan area of Phuket, was found safe and sound. Phuket Tourist Police confirmed the news this morning, stating that the man emerged from the ordeal unharmed. The individual, whose name was not disclosed in the police report, arrived in Thailand on February 18. He initially spent…
-
Phuket road tragedy: Two vendors killed by speeding car
A road tragedy in Phuket claimed the lives of two street vendors when a car, driven at high speed by an airline employee, collided with their motorcycle. The incident happened early in the morning on a local road in Thalang district. At approximately 6.16am today police and emergency responders were dispatched to the scene of a fatal collision on the road…
-
Chinese tourist’s beach drive ends in Phuket sand trap (video)
A Chinese national on holiday ignored a warning sign advising against driving on the beach and subsequently ended up getting his car stuck in the sand at Kamala Beach in Phuket province. A local posted a video on his Facebook account, à¸à¸²à¸¡à¸´à¸•à¸£ à¸à¸²à¸¡à¸ à¸à¸´à¸ªà¸¥à¸²à¸¡, at about 8am yesterday, March 3, showing a green Jeep partially submerged in the water at…
-
Foreign woman critisised for walking around Phuket in bikini (video)
Facebook page Phuket Hotnews shared a video of a foreign woman walking around Phuket Old Town in a bikini, sparking criticism from Thai netizens. The Facebook page posted a video of the foreign woman in a black bikini last night, March 3. The caption said… “Phuket is super hot! A foreign tourist wore a bikini and walked around Phuket Old…
-
Swiss man targeted by Phuket locals demanding beach access restoration
A Swiss man living in Phuket has been the target of a protest by over 500 locals and activists who gathered on Yamu beach in Thalang district. The protest took place on Sunday, following an incident in which the Swiss man allegedly assaulted a doctor. The masses demanded that the man be expelled from Phuket and that public access to…
-
Update: Locals demand justice in Swiss expat alleged assault case
Residents of Phuket are set to converge on Yamu Beach in Thalang district today, enraged by an incident involving a Swiss expat accused of kicking a local woman for simply sitting on steps near his beachfront villa. The Swiss expat, 45 year old Urs Fehr, also known by the name David, purportedly delivered a kick to Dr Thandao Chandam, a…
-
Beach blunder: Swiss man and wife regret assaulting Thai doctor in Phuket (video)
An underfire Swiss man and his Thai wife apologised to a Thai doctor for physically assaulting and insulting her after she innocently sat on the steps to their beachside villa. The foreign man claims the incident was an accident, stating that he mistakenly identified the victim and her friend as a previous Chinese trespasser. The Thai doctor, 26 year old…
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.
Don't forget to check out some other things to do in Thailand - get help starting a business or finding a job in Thailand, buy Thailand property, rent a yacht or book a medical procedure worldwide.