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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Sponsored How to reduce out-of-pocket medical expenses in Thailand?
Managing medical expenses in Thailand is important as healthcare costs continue to rise. The country’s healthcare system includes both public and private options, but even with the Universal Coverage Scheme (UCS) for citizens, many still face high out-of-pocket medical expenses....
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Thai weather man issues rain warnings for south and east
The Thai Meteorological Department has issued a warning to residents of eastern and southern provinces to brace themselves for heavy rains until Sunday. In its warning, issued at 5am today, the department said the rains would be unleashed by influences of the southwest monsoon across the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand, which is intensifying, and by a low-pressure…
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Chinese swimmer drowns at Nai Harn Beach, Phuket
VIDEO: Cetin Demirci An un-named Chinese man has drowned today whilst swimming at Nai Harn Beach. He was dragged back onto the beach after being rescued by an on-duty guard with a surfboard around 4.30pm this afternoon. The beach had red and yellow flags along the shore where the man was swimming meaning that there were lifeguards on duty. The…
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Flood warnings for six southern provinces, and provinces east of Bangkok
Forecasts for Phuket and Bangkok below… People living in six southern provinces, and some provinces east of Bangkok, are being warned to brace for possible flooding and flash floods due to heavy rain forecast until Sunday. The warning is due to the strengthening of the southwestern monsoon, which is looming over the Andaman Sea, the Gulf and the southern region,…
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UPDATE: Electricity off in parts of Kamala, Phuket TOMORROW (Thursday)
After checking with the PEA we’ve discovered that the outage around Kamala will be tomorrow (Thursday), not Friday as originally published. Electricity will be out around large chunks of Kamala tomorrow (Thursday, August 9). The power outage will be from 9am-5pm, according to the Phuket Electrical Authority. Refer to the map below for details. Areas affected include from the Khao Loob…
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Phoenix still up for grabs in Phuket – AMLO still seeking a buyer
The Thai Anti Money Laundering Office is still trying to auction off the Phoenix, the 30 metre tour boat that sank in July 2018, causing the drowning of 47 Chinese tourists off Phuket’s south east coast. A meeting was held by AMLO officials at the Phuket Provincial Hall this morning to discuss the auction of the boat. Starting bid is 900,000…
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Superyacht ablaze at the Ao Po Grand Marina in Phuket
PHOTO: Newshawk Phuket A yacht, the ‘Lady D’ caught fire this morning at the Ao Po Grand Marina in the north of Phuket. Marina staff were notified of the fire at 8.25am this morning and called the local fire department. Marina staff called the Marine Police for assistance as well. One fire truck arrived to fight the fire which has…
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Power off in Kamala, Phuket this Friday. Check if you’re affected.
Electricity will be out around large chunks of Kamala this Friday (August 9). The power outage will be from 9am-5pm, according to the Phuket Electrical Authority. Most of the town’s main businesses, restaurants and bars will be without power, unless they’re at the northern end of the town. Phuket Fantasea will not be affected. Areas affected include from the Khao Loob…
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3 boat crew found alive after boat sinks near Koh Naka Noi, one still missing
PHOTOS: Manager Online Following the sinking of a crab fishing boat yesterday (August 5), south east of Koh Naka Noi, four persons were filed as missing. Later today (August 6), the Royal Thai Navy officials report that they had have found three survivors. The three survivors include a 27 year old Thai man, Boonrit Khaojui, a 23 year old Burmese…
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Potential for retirement properties in Thailand
by Bill Barnett of c9hotelworks.com While a number of property offerings in Phuket, Hua Hin, Pattaya, Chiang Mai and more recently in Bangkok have promoted themselves as retirement-centric offerings, the jury is still out on the broad success of the sector. Despite retirement communities and assisted living being mainstays in Western countries like the US, UK and Australia, these are…
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South Korean fugitive arrested in Chon Buri, and two other immigration cases
by Jessada Chantharak A 29 year old South Korean man, wanted for alleged involvement in an online gambling operation in his home country, has been arrested in Chon Buri. Police allege he had been “laying low” in Thailand for two years. The man was wanted under a Seoul Central District Court arrest warrant issued on May 2, 2017, and by…
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Injured sea turtle rescued by tour boat operator in Phuket – VIDEO
PHOTO: Nikorn Marine An injured sea turtle has been rescued by a tour boat operator in Phuket today. The boat crew of Nikorn Marine found a sea turtle while sailing the ‘Nichakorn 2’ near Coral Island, off Chalong. The turtle was found injured, trapped in a fishing net, with its rear left flipper missing, though the wound seemed old and…
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Laguna Phuket launch entry-level condos
Laguna Phuket has launched a new entry-level condominium project named SkyPark. Pre-launch pricing ranges from 2.9 to 4.3 million baht for fully furnished units. The SkyPark development has three condominium blocks of approximately 140 units each, so 420 units in all. Unit types start at studios (28 square metres), one-bedroom (30-39 square metres) and two-bedroom (40-60 square metres). Features include rooftop…
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Stormy weather approaching the Andaman provinces
The Thai Meteorological Department has announced that a regional tropical depression will affect provinces in the Andaman region including Phuket, Phang Nga, Krabi, Trang, Ranong and Satun until August 6. The local ‘Met’ office says that people living in the affected areas should beware of dangers from heavy rain. There will be increasingly large waves in the Andaman sea, expected…
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.