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 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....
-
Former Thai boxer arrested for robbery
Chalong Police have arrested 27 year old Watchara Suwan, a former Thai boxing fighter, after robbing a Russian woman. The 27 year old Russian, Maria Koldaeva, reported to the police that she was riding on his motorcycle from Nai Harn Lake and when they arrived near the football field near Promthep Cape, he stopped the vehicle and grabbed her gold…
-
Krabi trader shames farang family gang
Thai Rath is reporting that a Thai female trader has taken to posting a rant on Facebook and offering a 5,000 baht reward for the return of an iPhone X after CCTV footage showed it being lifted by someone she claims to be Russian. Em posted on her personal Facebook page of Netdao Wiwatratsamee that the thieves arrived as a…
-
Day Five – Phuket reports no road deaths for Sunday
Two days left for the official reports for the Songkran ‘Seven Days of Danger’ and Phuket’s road toll remains at just one – a Chinese tourist who crashed on a rented bike last Saturday on the Kamala – Patong road when he hit a pickup truck heading in the opposite direction. For the 24 hours of Sunday, April 15, there…
-
Governor follows up on bike accident that killed a Chinese tourist in Phuket
A Chinese man, Li Jing, was killed in a road accident after a crash between his rented motorcycle and a car on Saturday, April 14 on the Kamala – Patong road. Phuket’s Governor has asked all the relevant departments involved to help accommodate his relatives and help them coordinate with the Chinese Consul in Phuket as well as help with…
-
Topless western dancer in Patong located by police
Following the video of a western man dancing with only white boxers in Patong during Songkran day and let a ladyboy touching his crotch, police finally located him last night (April 15) and gave him warning for what appeared in the video. The video went viral and drew a lot of criticism. At 9pm last night, Patong Police found the…
-
Cherngtalay’s Chutimon Coffee & Art donates to PHBGTU charity
Chutimon Coffee & Art, Cherngtalay-Laguna has donated 200,000 baht to Phuket’s largest children’s charity Phuket Has Been Good To Us. Give Khun Mam a big thank you next time you’re visiting in Cherngtalay. PHOTO: Right to left Chutimon (Mam) presenting to Tina Hall, Michael Chugg & Sue Ultmann from the charity.
-
Phuket reports its first fatality for the Songkran break
After three clear days, during the seven day reporting period over the Songkran break, Phuket has had its first fatality, a motorbike accident just after 2pm yesterday (Saturday). The fatality involved a 29 year old Chinese tourist Li Jing. He was riding a rented motorbike along the coast road from Kamala to Patong when his bike crashed into a pickup.…
-
Chinese tourist died after parasailing
A 47 year old Chinese, Gu Weidong, has died after taking a parasailing ride at Naka Yai Island from a heart attack. Yesterday (Saturday), the man took a parasailing ride for 3 minutes then stayed on the boat for another 10 minutes when he fell unconscious. He was taken to Thalang Hospital but died on the way. Following an autopsy…
-
More blacktip reef sharks spotted at Hong Island
The Chief of Koh Hong National Park of Than Bok Khorani National Park, Jampen Pompakdi, has revealed that more than 10 blacktip reef sharks have been spotted hunting for small shellfish by a number of tourists at Koh Hong. The sharks were about 2 metre long and the biggest is believed to weight about 100 kilograms. They were gray and…
-
Phuket was fatality-free after first three days of Songkran reporting period
Day Three official numbers are in and Phuket remains, as of Friday night, fatality free. The “Seven Dangerous Days” reporting period runs from last Wednesday through to this Tuesday night. But there were 15 accidents reported in Phuket and 16 people injured as a result of traffic incidents – 8 accidents in Muang District with 9 people injured, 4 accidents…
-
Fake notes and drugs found on passenger at Phuket Airport
Police have arrested a man carrying 53 counterfeit 1000 baht banknotes and drugs at Phuket Airport. Police say the 36 year old Nanawa Na Songkhla from Chiang Mai was acting suspiciously whilst going through a security checkpoint. When security staffed checked his carry-on luggage they found 800 methamphetamine pills, nearly 5 grams of crystal methamphetamine, marijuana and the fake 1000 baht…
-
Day Two – Phuket reports no fatalities
Day Two (April 12) of the “Seven Dangerous Days” in Phuket ended without any fatalities keeping the island without any fatalities for the Songkran reporting period. The Department of Disaster Prevention & Mitigation is making daily announcements declaring the statistics for the last 24 hours. But there were five accidents on the island’s roads including three in the Muang District…
-
Songkran checkpoints launched in Phuket
The Road and Marine Accident Protection and Reduction Centre for the 2018 Songkran Festival was launched by Phuket’s Governor Norapat Plodthong. The centre brings together 33 government departments, non-profit organisations and volunteers such as local administration organizations, marine police, tourist police, individual enterprises, foundations and volunteers. “Even though the number of accidents has reduced during New Year season over the…
-
Drug gang arrested in Krabi
This afternoon (April 12), Ao Luek Police met the media and presented them with the results of a local drug crackdown worth 500,000 Baht. The two drug dealers, 31 year old Pongthep ‘Pong’ Kongkaew and 29 year old Wasan ‘Tum’ Hemtanon, had been arrested with 3,110 amphetamine pills and 6.9 grams of methamphetamine. Ao Luek Police Station Superintendent, Pol Col…
-
Thalang water meter robber arrested with Kratom
A 28 year old man from Satun, Alongkorn Iew-lek, has been arrested in Thalang with 2 bottles of Kratom water, equipment to make the Kratom drinks along with 14 blue-colour water meters and 2 gray-colour water meters. On March 23, there were many reports about water meter robbery in the same area of Thalang. Police checked the CCTV camera footages…
-
Big crime crackdown before Songkran
Police Region 8 held a press conference yesterday (April 11) revealing a number of drugs and gun crackdowns during the lead up to this year’s Songkran. The targeted crimes including illegal ownership of guns, drugs, gambling, prostitution and the following up on the outstanding arrest warrant list. The Police region 8 revealed that among the police in provinces in region…
-
Phuket’s Tom Howard RIP
One of the great characters of the Phuket boating community, Tom Howard, sadly passed away on Monday, April 9 just after midday, following a short illness. Tom’s partner Pang (Suppawan Buth-sen) and his brother John were at his bedside in Had Yai hospital when he slipped away peacefully. Tom had been a full time resident in Phuket since 2002, following his…
-
Black water flowing freely onto Kamala beach
PHOTOS: The Phuket Sun “This is taken from the bridge by the Tsunami monument. It’s the main klong that flows through town. It starts out from the Kamala waterfall as crystal clear and by the time it makes it through town to the sea, it looks like this…black from sewage. “ The editor of online blog The Phuket Sun has…
-
Wastewater flowing into the sea at Krabi
A waste water drain pipe has been found at Klong Muang Beach in Krabi. The local OrBorTor has already ordered its immediate removal. Following a complaint about alleged waste waters being released into the sea at Klong Muang Beach, the Chief of Environmental Hygiene Unit of Krabi Provincial Public Health, Boonrit Karunmethee, and President of Nong Talay Administration Organization (OrBorTor),…
-
Speedboats ablaze at Khao Lak pier
Two speedboats caught fire at the Tub Lamu Pier in Tai Muang District, Khao Lak, Phang Nga, injuring 4 people. Lamkaen Sub-District’s Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Unit received a report about the fire early today (April 11). The fire trucks were sent from the unit to the pier to extinguish the fire on the 2 boats along with the Khao…
-
Phuket’s Governor urges care over Songkran
Phuket’s Governor, Norapat Plodthong, is urging special attention to road safety during the peak period of Songkran from today, April 11 – April 17 during his regular morning meeting. He is ordering the departments involved to install lights at road curves and known risky spots. Also, he is emphasising to officials working at checkpoints to enforce the law strictly and…
-
Husband stabbed with pair of scissors in Kathu
A 42 year old man, Somporn Iadchang, was stabbed by his wife during a fight last night. He was stabbed on his neck and shoulder. The incident occurred in Kathu late last evening (April 9). Police found the husband lying on the floor after being stabbed several times in a house located in Soi Nakrob. He was sent to Vachira…
-
MontAzure helps fund the Muslim Foundation’s Tonkla-Kamala Camp
The developers of Phuket’s MontAzure in Kamala, is helping fund the Kamala Muslim Foundation’s Tonkla-Kamala Camp 2018 as part of the company’s ongoing support for the local community in Kamala. The annual educational camp takes place from April 5-20 and is designed to help local children learn important skills that will be useful to them in their personal and professional…
-
Mobile phone shop robbery in Rassada
70 Mobile phones and 7,000 Baht in cash were robbed from a mobile phone shop named No.1 in Rassada. The robber also took away the CCTV camera in the shop and covered the one outside the shop. However, the robber dropped a knitted hat at the scene. This morning (April 10), Muang Phuket Police received a report about the robbery.…
-
Dog owners shot by neighbour over loud dog barking in Wichit
A family of three has been shot late last night (April 9) resulting in injuries after their neighbour got angry over their dog barking loudly. At about 11.30 pm last night, Wichit Police received a report about the shooting at Tinnawut Village, off Chao Fah West Road. Police and rescue teams found a lot of blood at the scene from…
-
Patong hotel operators counter-sue military and former employee
The Patong Paragon Hotel operator, Wisit Iew-Wirotrit, together with his lawyer, Ananchai Chaiyadet and his lawyer team, visited Patong’s Police Station to issue litigation against the army officers and his former employee, both for criminal and civil charges, asking for 100 million Baht compensation. The charges include unlawful detention and perjury. The lawyer said prior to the police report that……
-
Krabi’s Emerald Pond defaced by tourist graffiti
The famous Emerald Pond in Krabi has been defaced with hand writings and scratches by visitors while the Chief of Khao Pra Bangkram Non-Hunting Area is preparing to prosecute anyone who is caught writing or scratching their names in the stones there. An approximately 1 metre long area of the Emerald Pond is covered in hastily-scratched handwriting, names and pictures.…
-
Thai soap opera inspires traditional dress for ID cards
The Thai soap opera ‘Buppae Sanniwas’ (Love Destiny) is the hot ticket at the moment inspiring Thais to get back to their historical roots and ‘Thainess’, even for official documents. Some Thai ladies have even gone so far as to dress in traditional outfits to take pictures for their ID cards in Phuket. At Phuket Municipality Office a local woman,…
-
Vale Chef Ronnie
Filipino celebrity chef Ronnie Macuja, who opened ultra chic VSet Restaurant and Bar at Chalong Pier showcasing his modern Mediterranean/Asian cuisine, as well as Higher Restaurant at Seduction nightclub in Patong, and more recently at Café Del Mar, died suddenly in the early hours of Friday morning. Ronnie’s chef career started at the Manila Hilton. They offered him a two…
-
The Great Expedition – finding the Ancient Road To Kamala
The Great Expedition continues to find the famed Ancient Route To Kamala from the sleepy Kathu valley. In our second attempt to get over the hill from tracks off Soi Namtok (leading to the Kathu Waterfall) our intrepid adventurers failed again to find the Great Hidden Track. Last time we headed up the road where tourists are taken for the…
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.