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 Limited-time deal: Save 20% on Cigna's expat health plans forever
Starting a new life abroad is exciting—new culture, new lifestyle, and new chances to grow. But living far from home also means taking steps to protect your health in unfamiliar surroundings. Without the right coverage, even small health issues can...
-
MONDAY MORNING BRIEFING – All your news in 3 minutes
All your main news stories to get you ready for your Monday… Family demands answers The family of the dead teen cadet Phakhapong Tanyakan is demanding that the military bring to justice the people who committed whatever crimes that led to their son’s death after an autopsy indicated that he probably didn’t die from cardiac arrest. Phakhapong’s parents and his…
-
Marcus Rolli & Imogen Simmonds win the Foremost IRONMAN 70.3 Thailand 2017
A bumper edition of the second Foremost IRONMAN 70.3 Thailand saw almost 1,500 triathletes turnout for the iconic half ironman distance race and the newly introduced Sunrise Sprint today (26th November) on Phuket island, a mecca for triathlon in Asia with a history of triathlon events dating back almost 30 years. With 31 Pros from around the world on the…
-
SUNDAY MORNING BRIEFING – All your local news in 3 minutes
26 Chinese tourists have a lucky escape Police are speaking with the bus driver and witnesses as emergency service volunteers clean up the mess from last night’s bus fire in Koh Keaw. 26 Chinese tourists had a lucky escape after their tour bus burst into flames as they were headed southbound along Thepkasatri Road around 6pm last night, just opposite…
-
26 Chinese tourists escape bus fire without injury
26 Chinese tourists have had a lucky escape after their tour bus burst into flames as they were headed southbound along Thepkasatri Road around 6pm tonight, just opposite the Isuzu Showroom. The group was returning from a trip to the islands off Phuket and headed for their hotel. The tour group only arrived in Phuket last night. The driver…
-
SATURDAY MORNING BRIEFING – All your local news in 3 minutes
Welcome to Saturday. The forecast promises a 100% chance of rain but we’re sure there will be plenty of sunny breaks. Here’s this morning’s briefing.. Deputy PM apologises Two senior military officers have been transferred out of the Thai Armed Forces Academies Preparatory School in the wake of a scandal surrounding the death of an 18 year old cadet on…
-
Patong entertainment businesses say longer hours is the solution to corruption issue
The Patong Entertainment Business Association has weighed into the Patong Bribery scandal insisting that the the issue will never be solved unless the laws are changed – specifically the laws that will allow them to stay open longer. The President of Patong Entertainment Business Association, Weerawit Kruasombat, says that the law should be changed and the entertainment venues should be…
-
THAIGER TODAY – Friday, November 24
Phetchaburi inundated | PM defends his Deputy’s comments about dead cadet | Seven youth arrested over drugs bust in Paklok | Airport getting ready for high-season influx | Navy FC Chairman threatens the players in the alleged match-fixing scandal.
-
THAIGER TODAY – Thursday, November 23
National taxi crackdown… again | Four confess to football match-fixing | Phang Nga woman arrested over Erawan Shrine bombing | US says Rohingya crisis IS ‘ethnic cleansing’ | Bruno Mars coming to BKK.
-
Thalang Police uncover 400+ kilos of drugs
Last night (November 23), Thalang police arrested 7 alleged drug dealers with 20,000 amphetamine pills alongside 220 kilograms of kratom leaves, 2 guns and bullets. The 7 suspects were arrested in the Paklok area. Police received a report about drugs being sold in the area and found juveniles, including Kacha Kuekkong and Anuchit Khamsee, who were outside their room but…
-
Friday Morning Briefing – everything you need to know in 3 minutes
KL is the big winner in a survey for expat living. Story below… “We only want men who are willing” PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has come to the defence of his Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon over his provocative remarks concerning the suspicious death of a military pre-cadet. General Prawit responded to a media question over the matter, that it was…
-
Phang Nga mother in court as suspected accomplice in Erawan Shrine bombing
Wanna Suansan, accused of facilitating the 2015 Erawan Shrine bombing, appeared in Bangkok Military Court on Thursday morning to apply for her first 12-day detention period. She is one of 17 suspects in the bomb attack that killed 20 people and wounded 163 others. Wanna, 29, was taken into police custody at Suvarnabhumi International Airport on Wednesday evening as she…
-
Thursday Morning Briefing – everything you need to know in 3 minutes
The Thai woman implicated in the deadly Erawan Shrine bomb attack is now in Thai police custody. Phang Nga resident, Wanna Suansan was arrested when she walked off a plane at Suvarnabhumi Airport yesterday. She was taken to the National Police Office headquarters where she was interrogated. Wanna is among suspects wanted over the fatal explosion that rocked the Erawan…
-
Driver wraps pick-up around Thalang pole, killing one
A pick-up truck has lost control and smashed into a lamp post after driving at high speed during early morning rain resulting in one death and another in Thalang Hospital in critical condition. Just after midnight today (November 22), at the intersection of Thepkasattri Road (in front Wat Phra Nang Sang), a white pick-up truck driven by 31 year old…
-
Boat explosion at Chalong Pier
An explosion on a speed boat called ‘Choksomboon’ at Chalong Pier has injured two boat staff while the bottom of the boat has also been damaged. At about 4 pm yesterday (November 21), Chalong police got a report about an explosion and blaze near Chalong Pier. At the scene police found a 2 outboard engine speedboat docked at the port…
-
THAIGER TODAY Wednesday, November 22
Big rains in Hua Hin | Horrible crash in Thalang overnight | Football game-fixing exposed | Huge methamphetamine pill haul in Samut Prakhan | 5 of the 20 escapees caught in Songkhla.
-
Wednesday Morning Briefing – everything you need to know in 3 minutes
How many methamphetamine tablets!? PHOTO: The Nation The Kathu Police Station Superintendent is heading to Patong to be the acting Patong Police Station Superintendent. This follows the transfer of several officers over the ongoing bribe scandal including former Patong Superintendent, Pol. Col. Tassanai Oladirek. Pol. Col. M.L. Pattanachak Chakrabhan will move from Kathu Police Station to be acting Patong Police…
-
Blaze in Krabi’s famous nightclub
A famous nightclub in Krabi, the “Number One”, caught fire early this morning (November 21) at about 5.30 am. Luckily, the club was closed at the time and nobody was at the scene. The fire started in the DJ booth before expanding to the walls and the air-conditioned vents. It took firefighters about 20 minutes to extinguish the blaze. The…
-
THAIGER TODAY Tuesday, November 21
Stabbings in Thalang and Phuket Town | US 7th Fleet Admiral and Thai PM attend Sail Past in Pattaya | 20 escape from Songkhla detention | ‘Spotlight Phuket’ dumps the dirt on Patong corruption | MRT Blue Line in BKK ditches passenger seats.
-
Phang Nga sets example for managing plastic waste
Ao Phang Nga National Park will be cited at a regional meeting this week as an example of Pracha Rath (public-private partnerships in development) being put to use in managing seaborne plastic waste. The success that officials and residents have enjoyed in curbing waste in the waters of the Phang Nga park will be outlined at the ASEAN and China…
-
Widespread graft exposed in Phuket police case
In the wake of the corruption investigation focusing on Phuket police, academics and stakeholders told a seminar held by the watchdog Police Watch that business operators on the island face police extortion worth millions of baht per month. The seminar was held at the Thai Journalists Association in Bangkok on Sunday. Thammarat Suwanphosri, founder and administrator of the “Spotlight Phuket”…
-
Two stabbings in Thalang
Police have arrested two suspects in Thalang; one is a Myanmar worker who allegedly stabbed his employer to death and another one is a husband who allegedly stabbed his wife. At a media conference today (November 20), police revealed information about the two murder cases. In the first case, police have arrested a Myanmar worker, May, who works at a…
-
THAIGER TODAY Monday, November 20
50th anniversary for ASEAN Navies in Pattaya | Police – get a haircut! | Laguna Phuket Triathlon | Two entertainment venues closed for five years | Boat Lagoon Weekend returns next month.
-
Marine and Coastal Resources check for protected shark meat in Karon
Officers from the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources, Area 9 Phuket Office visited a Karon restaurant after a picture of them selling shark meat had gone viral on social media. The team visited the avenue on November 19 but couldn’t find sharks being sold as in the pictures. The shop owner, Narongchai Thanataweesakul, told the investigating team that the…
-
Familiar faces take honours in the Phuket Triathlon
PHOTO: Facebook/Laguna Phuket Triathlon Firm favourites Michael Raelert of Germany and Amelia Watkinson of New Zealand successfully retained their titles in contrasting fashions in the Laguna Phuket Triathlon yesterday. 37 year old Raelert came from behind in the swim to stay neck and neck with arch-rival Anthony Costes of France in the concluding run before speeding up at the end…
-
Ice-cream man shot dead in Patong apartment
At 5.30am (November18), 39 year old Punya Yingdung surrendered to Patong police for killing a man. The crime scene was the 4th floor of the Pumpui Bar staff’s apartment in Soi Suk Charoen, Phrametta Road, Patong. Police found 47 year old Ampan Suksawad covered in blood. He was shot once, the 9mm bullet hitting him near his collarbone. Punya, the…
-
16 million Baht budget for second lifeguard auction
The OrBorJor Phuket has announced it will launch another auction to supply Phuket lifeguard services offering a budget of 16 million Baht. The date shall be confirmed within this month. Meanwhile, Satien Kaewpraprab, deputy secretary of the OrBorJor Phuket revealed that the organisation has been hiring individual lifeguards to station at 7 beaches which started on November 1, including Nai…
-
Dr Thon urges authorities to scrap the Surin Beach retention wall
Dr Thon Thamrongnawasawat, assistant dean of the Faculty of Fisheries at Kasetsart University and a renowned marine specialist, has commented on the retention wall project of Cherngtalay OrBorTor that is planned to be built on Surin Beach saying that such a wall will be harmful for the local eco-system and beach environment. “The retention wall project on Surin Beach, which…
-
Fisheries to send ‘Laypang’ the crocodile to Phuket Zoo
An agreement has been reached by the Fisheries Department that the crocodile found in an old tin mine near Laypang Beach will be sent to the Phuket Zoo next month. The Director General of Fisheries Department, Dr. Adisorn Promthep, said today (November 17) that, following the DNA test by Mahidol University, they found that Laypang is a ‘mixed’ breed between…
-
Whale shark family spotted near Koh Hong, Krabi
Weerasak Srisajang, Chief of Than Bok Khorani National Park, has revealed that three whale sharks have been spotted yesterday afternoon (November 15) by national park officers during their survey after getting some reports of sharks swimming near the area recently. The three whale sharks were swimming together near Koh Hong, which is the largest number of whale sharks found at…
-
THAIGER TODAY Thursday, November 16
Meet Francesc Rovira, Michelin Star Chef | 3 dead and 48 injured in a bus crash | Toon OK after health scare | Building at Ao Sane will stay | four to be arrested for using drone during Royal Funeral.
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.