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.
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Chinese man and his Thai wife arrested for illegal possession of guns
A Chinese man and his Thai wife were arrested for illegally possessing several guns in their Phuket luxury home. Police searched the house of the Chinese man and his Thai wife in the Kathu district on Friday after the man had reportedly shown off his weapons on social media. The police found 18 firearms, most of which were BB guns. However,…
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Murderer surrenders after stabbing wrong man in Phuket
A murderer surrendered to police after stabbing a man to death in front of a grocery store in Phuket on Saturday. The killer claimed that he stabbed the wrong person, thinking that the man he murdered was his enemy. The alleged murderer, 35 year old Pannawit, stabbed 49 year old Charoen Panngen on Saturday morning in front of a shopping…
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Foreign diving instructor rescued off Phuket
A foreign diving instructor has been rescued near an island off Phuket’s town of Chalong after he suffered from decompression sickness. The 53 year old man told emergency responders that he had just recovered and started diving again after having a heart operation. The rescuers took the driving instructor back to Chalong and headed to a nearby hospital, The Phuket Express…
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Police arrest Israeli man carrying bullets at Phuket Airport, southern Thailand
An Israeli tourist was arrested upon arrival at Phuket Airport, southern Thailand, yesterday after security found 55 bullets in his luggage. The 29 year old tourist of Israeli nationality, Gan Chamoun Farjun, arrived in Phuket on a domestic flight at 12.30pm. When Farjun’s grey Samsonite suitcase went through the scanner at airport security, officials noticed what looked like bullet-like objects in…
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Officials arrest 18 in Phuket gambling bust
Officials arrested 18 people in a gambling bust in Phuket’s Thalang district on Monday. The eight men and ten women were caught at a gambling den in a house in the Thep Kasattri sub-district. The officials received complaints about an illegal gambling network in the area and acting on the information officers brought the suspects to Thalang Police Station. The suspects…
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Missing Russian’s body found at sea near Patong Beach
All hope is now lost for the safe return of the Russian woman who disappeared after a swim on a Phuket beach last week. The dead body of the missing woman, Elena Rusradchenko, washed ashore near Patong Beach earlier this morning. She disappeared from Sakoo in Thalang. Police and volunteers had been sweeping the island and the surrounding seas for the…
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Police seize 263 guns in 15 days in southern Thailand
The Royal Thai Police confiscated 263 guns and 1,702 rounds of ammunition in eight provinces of southern Thailand over a 15-day period this month. Prime Minister of Thailand Prayut Chan-o-cha ordered a crackdown on illegal firearms following the massacre at a daycare centre in Nong Bua Lamphu province earlier this month. Between October 10-24, police confiscated 263 firearms in Provincial Police…
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Temporary field hospital opens after road collapse in Patong
After a road collapsed on Phuket’s Patong hill last week, health officials have worked to set up a temporary field hospital. The Kathu Field Hospital opened yesterday at the Kathu Public Park, as a result of a partnership between the Phuket Provincial Public Health and Patong Hospital. The temporary field hospital is open from Monday to Friday from 8.30am to…
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Kathu illegal excavation investigated as possible factor in landslide
Phuket continues to be rocked by the fallout from storms, flooding and landslides. One landslide has been cleared enough in Patong Hill to allow pedestrians to cross. Another has led to the agreement to demolish an abandoned hotel near a bypass in Ratsada town. And authorities are now investigating if an illegal excavation led to a landslide that threatened the…
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Abandoned Phuket hotel to be demolished after landslide
Phuket continues to be rocked by the fallout from storms, flooding and landslides. One landslide has been cleared enough in Patong Hill to allow pedestrians to cross. Another has led to the agreement to demolish an abandoned hotel near a bypass in Ratsada town. And authorities are now investigating if an illegal excavation led to a landslide that threatened the…
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Patong Hill opened to foot traffic only after landslides
Phuket continues to be rocked by the fallout from storms, flooding and landslides. One landslide has been cleared enough in Patong Hill to allow pedestrians to cross. Another has led to an agreement to demolish an abandoned hotel near a bypass in Ratsada town. And authorities are now investigating if an illegal excavation led to a landslide that threatened the…
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Missing Russian tourist seen exiting the sea, search continues
New information in the continuing search for the Russian woman who disappeared in Phuket suggests she may not have drowned at sea, as previously thought. Elena Rusradchenko, the 53 year old Russian woman, was reportedly spotted coming out of the waters at Nai Thon Beach around noon on Thursday. Lifeguards had called for all swimmers to get out of the…
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Missing Russian woman may be lost at sea
While the 53 year old woman reported missing from her hotel in Phuket yesterday still has not been found, more information about the case has been revealed. New details suggest that the Russian woman with a memory condition may be lost at sea. Authorities updated that the woman reported missing yesterday was last seen around 10am yesterday. She left her…
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Russian woman missing from Phuket hotel
The search is on for a 53 year old Russian tourist who disappeared from her hotel in Phuket. The Russian woman was staying in a hotel in the Thalang district on the island. Police received notification yesterday that she had gone missing and had not been seen since the evening before. The Russian woman has been known to have some…
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Burmese man drowns in Phuket drain
Kusoldharm Foundation rescue workers have retrieved the body of an unnamed Burmese man who fell into a canal and drowned in Chalong. The 47 year old man from Myanmar fell into the canal while watching the flooding, Phuket Info Center reported. The body was found near the floodgate, far from where he fell. According to local media, several people saw the…
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Official says Patong road will need seven days of temporary repair work once rain stops
UPDATE A Phuket official said yesterday that it would take seven days of temporary repair work before the road to Patong Hill is ready to use again. The official said the repair work can start once the rain stops. This news comes after the road suffered two landslides on Wednesday and Thursday. Phuket Highway Director Yutthana Pitak told The Phuket…
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Officials to seek approval for late closing times in Phuket
Are later closing times finally coming to Phuket? Thailand’s Ministry of Tourism and Sports plans to test a 4am closing time on several tourist hotspots, including Phuket’s Bang La Walking Street in Patong, Nation Thailand reported. The ministry will soon seek approval from the Thai Cabinet for the pilot project there, Tourism and Sports Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn announced yesterday. Other…
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Major road in Phang Nga flooded
A major road in Phang Nga was heavily flooded on Wednesday, with the flooded area almost 1 kilometre long. The flood on Petchkasem Road stretched from the fresh market in Takua Pa district to Khao Lak Medical Centre, with small cars unable to pass, Naewna reported. Phang Nga’s governor visited the flooded area, and said he had ordered Takua Pa’s…
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Phuket police say residents should avoid Patong
Phuket’s floods are continuing to ravage the island province. Phuket police are urging residents to stay at home unless they have an emergency. The police also say that Phuket dwellers should avoid going to Patong, The Phuket Express reported. The road leading to Patong Hill suffered from a landslide last night, and another one this morning. Police had to redirect…
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Urgent: Phuket Flood Relief, calling for donations!
Press Release A coordinated effort from the Phuket Hotels Association with Living Waters Foundation starting today, 18th October, across the whole of Phuket to help all the people who have been affected by the flooding in Phuket. As of today over 100 meals have been donated from the Tourism Safety and Security Conference which is an event organised by the…
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‘Pay for a pool villa in Phuket instead of paying the energy bills’ this winter, advises Thai official
Instead of wasting money on high energy bills this winter, Westerners should turn off the heating and spend their money in Thailand instead, advises the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT). With wholesale gas and electricity prices rocketing in Europe TAT’s invitation makes sense. In the UK, the average household is about £2,500 a year, up from £1,400 in October 2021.…
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Strong winds interrupt island tourism in Phang Nga
Strong winds are interrupting travel to the Similan and Surin islands off Thailand’s southern Phang Nga province. The Similan Islands National Park chief announced on Saturday that the winds were making boat trips dangerous. Day trips to the islands have been halted from October 16-18, forcing several operators to cancel trips this weekend, Amarin TV reported. This news came on…
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Phuket light rail project derailed once again
The light rail project planned for the Thalang district of Phuket has been derailed once again. Thai Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchop revealed the project will be delayed because it needs to be revised by a specialist. The Thai Cabinet approved the project in the Thalang district of Phuket in 2016 and charged the Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand (MRTA)…
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Many areas of Phuket flooded, roads blocked
Phuket has been rocked with nonstop overnight rain, leaving many areas of the island flooded. Roads are underwater – including the popular party district Bangla Road in Patong. Phuket Town is flooded, and muddy landslides have closed roads in Kamala. People in affected areas are being assisted by rescue services while police have been dispatched to direct traffic on major…
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The Best Places to Retire in Thailand in 2022
Retire in Thailand- Thailand is undoubtedly a charming country. And for many people, spending retirement years in this country is the ultimate dream. There are so many good reasons to retire in Thailand. The people are friendly and welcoming, the weather is fantastic, and high-quality medical care is widely available. Plus, who wouldn’t want to live in the perfect property…
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Off-duty officer reportedly carried gun and “acted eratically” in Phuket
An off-duty police officer was reportedly spotted walking around carrying a gun and “acting erratically” in a Phuket housing estate, according to residents. The residents told police they saw the Phang Nga Police officer, 27 year old Corporal Korn, at the estate in Thalang district on Monday morning. Thalang Police Chief Colonel Pisit Chuenpet said police were first alerted about…
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Drug-addled cabbie faces jail for driving under the influence
A drug-addled cabbie faces time in jail for dangerous driving while allegedly under the influence of narcotics in the Kathu district of Phuket. A motorcycle rider brought to light the drug-taking cab driver’s antics after becoming a victim of his erratic behaviour on the road. The taxi driver scolded the motorcycle rider after the latter complained. He said… “Don’t butt…
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TAT going green to smash a Guinness World Record
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is calling on all diving enthusiasts to help smash an official Guinness World Record. The TAT wants tourists and residents to get involved in their Go Green Active drive, a conservation diving event at Phuket’s famous Patong Beach between November 18 and November 20. The TAT wants to set a new Guinness World Records…
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Phuket International Airport predicts 30,000 passengers daily
High season is starting this month in Phuket, and the airport is predicting up to 30,000 travellers per day. The increase in air traffic to the popular tourist destination coincides with the airport’s 34th anniversary. And to celebrate, passengers and flights – both domestic and international – are ramping up. International carriers such as Aeroflot from Russia, Pegasus Airlines from…
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AI upgrade planned for pier in Phuket
A new renovation is being planned for a pier in Phuket, complete with an AI system. The Deputy Chief of the Phuket Provincial Administration (OrBorJor) said they aim to improve service and safety for tourists. The chief, Thiwat Sridokbua, said… “One of the plans is to include an AI System and add more CCTV cameras with security control rooms. Long…
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.
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