Phuket News
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Sponsored Why 8 Atelier Residence is poised for growth: Phuket’s investment hotspot in the making
Phuket’s residential real estate market is no longer defined only by beachfront villas and short-stay resort condominiums. The island is now seeing sustained interest from international investors targeting long-term yields, capital stability, and access to full-scale lifestyle infrastructure. Looking at...
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Phuket police arrest 43 in anti-drug raids across 26 sites
Phuket law enforcement agencies have apprehended 43 people following a series of coordinated raids across 26 sites on the island over the past week. These actions are part of the ongoing NO Drugs NO Dealers campaign aimed at eradicating drug-related activities in the province. Between July 22 and July 25, police arrested 24 people for serious drug offences and 19…
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Phuket invests 50 million baht in underpass lighting upgrades
The Phuket Highways Office has announced plans to enhance visibility in the Darasamut Underpass with the installation of new lighting. The underpass has been identified by police as the most accident-prone on the island, with three to four accidents occurring monthly. Police Lieutenant Colonel Wutthiwat Liangboonjinda, Deputy Superintendent of Traffic at Wichit Police Station, located approximately 1 kilometre from the…
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Artists flock to Phuket for Asia’s biggest sketch fest
Phuket is gearing up to welcome an international crowd of artists, art lovers and cultural travellers for the Asialink Sketch Walk Phuket 2025, a major arts event aimed at boosting creative tourism and rebranding the island as a year-round cultural hotspot. Scheduled for August 14–17, the event was officially announced at a press conference held at Limelight Avenue Phuket, led…
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Weed stench driving tourists away, claims Phuket MP
A Phuket MP has lit up controversy by claiming that the smell of cannabis on local beaches is driving away big-spending tourists and damaging the island’s reputation. Yesterday, July 25, Chalermpong Saengdee, an MP for Phuket from the People’s Party, issued a fiery statement slamming the lack of cannabis regulation and the government’s “careless” visa-free policy, warning that Thailand’s top…
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Phuket unshaken by border conflict fears
As artillery fire shakes the Thai–Cambodian border, Phuket officials have stepped forward to squash growing fears that the island’s world-famous tourism is at risk. In a rare bilingual statement issued yesterday, July 24, Phuket Governor Sophon Suwannarat reassured tourists and locals that the island remains “safe, calm, and completely unaffected” by the ongoing military conflict hundreds of miles away. “Phuket…
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Phuket Fortuner thieves busted with GPS jammer
Two women who posed as tourists to steal a Phuket-registered Toyota Fortuner were arrested in Prachuap Khiri Khan after attempting to drive the stolen vehicle across Thailand undetected. The suspects, identified as Supaporn and Khemnan, were intercepted at the Nong Phai Intersection red light on Highway No. 37, in Thap Tai subdistrict, Hua Hin district, following a tip-off from the…
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Vodka vroom: Drunk Russian wrecks Thai woman’s car in Phuket
A Thai woman is seeking accountability from a Russian man who crashed his car into her two parked vehicles while driving under the influence in Phuket on Tuesday, July 22. The victim, Atiya Sharon, took to social media to request assistance from netizens in locating the Russian suspect. She posted details of the drink-driving incident along with CCTV footage showing…
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AC unit blamed for fire scare at Karon hotel spa
A fire broke out last night at the Karon Phunaka Resort & Spa in Phuket, sending staff into emergency mode just before guests were due to arrive. The blaze, which erupted in the spa lounge’s reception area, is believed to have been sparked by a faulty air conditioning unit. Police were alerted to the incident around 6.30pm yesterday, July 23,…
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2 year old Thai girl loses life in motorcycle accident in Phuket
A two year old Thai girl tragically lost her life in a motorcycle accident on a mountain road in the Thalang district of Phuket. Three other victims sustained injuries in the incident. The accident was reported to Thalang Police Station at approximately 12pm yesterday, July 23. It occurred on a steep section of Khao Lad Mountain in Thalang. The four…
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Phuket police crackdown: 18 teens arrested, 14 bikes seized in raid
In the early hours of this morning, police in Phuket apprehended 18 underage people and confiscated 14 modified motorbikes during a crackdown on street racing and activities causing public disturbances in the Laem Dinso area of Wichit. The operation was carried out under the leadership of Wichit Police Station, directed by Police Colonel Somsak Thongkliang, beginning at 1.30am, today, July…
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Phuket heartbreak as young Aussie tourist found dead in hotel
A 21 year old Australian man has been found dead in a Phuket hotel room, just five days after an accused rapist from Down Under was also discovered lifeless on the same Thai island. Police in Thalang, northern Phuket, are investigating the sudden death of a young Aussie traveller who was found dead in his hotel room yesterday, July 23,…
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Phuket-bound Air India Express flight aborts after 16 minutes
Air India makes the headlines again as Air India Express is involved in the latest aviation mishap, where a tropical holiday turned into a mid-air nightmare after a Phuket-bound Air India Express flight was forced to return to Hyderabad just 16 minutes after take-off—leaving frustrated passengers fuming. Flight IX110, operated by a Boeing 737 Max 8, was scheduled to land…
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2 foreign men arrested for riding stolen rental motorcycles from Krabi to Phuket
Police successfully recovered two rental motorcycles from a shop owner in Krabi after two foreign men failed to return the vehicles on time and were suspected of riding them to Phuket. The official Facebook page of Choeng Thale Police Station posted images of the two foreign men and urged the public to assist officers by reporting any sightings. Police stated…
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Patong’s wave rave! Sirens to sound as tsunami drill hits beach strip
Tourists in bikinis and beach bums sipping cocktails in Patong got a surprise dose of civic duty this week, as town hall chiefs hit the streets to warn about a tsunami drill set to rock the resort next Tuesday. Mayor Lalita Maneesri led the charge on Monday, July 21, flanked by councillors, civil defence bosses and hi-vis-clad disaster response teams.…
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Phuket camp inferno sparks fear as migrant scandal probe heats up
A fire tore through a migrant workers’ camp in Phuket yesterday morning, just hours before a bombshell corruption complaint involving foreign labourers rocked officials in Bangkok. Flames ripped through the Wasi M&E Co compound in Moo 4, Srisoonthorn, at 8.19am yesterday, July 22, damaging around 10 rooms and destroying the personal belongings of the camp’s Myanmar residents. Thankfully, no one…
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Phuket woman hunts for foreign motorcyclist in hit-and-run
A Thai woman took to social media in a bid to track down a foreign motorcyclist involved in a hit-and-run on a beach road in Phuket. The Thai motorcyclist appealed to netizens for help identifying the foreign man who collided with her motorcycle at 7.53am yesterday, July 21. She posted brief details of the incident, along with video footage, to…
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Homes wrecked, power poles downed in Thalang storm chaos
Fierce winds and torrential rain turned northern Phuket into a storm zone, leaving a trail of destruction across Thalang district. The Thalang District Office confirmed extensive damage throughout the area, with multiple subdistricts hit hard as the tropical squall ripped through homes, felled trees, and toppled power poles. In Pa Khlok, nine houses near Soi Na Yao in Village 8…
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Tourist tragedies rock Phuket and Krabi amid wild weather
Thailand’s popular southern beach provinces turned deadly over the weekend as wild weather claimed the lives of two Chinese tourists in separate incidents in Phuket and Krabi. A relaxing beach holiday ended in horror on Sunday, July 20, when 53 year old Wang Yang was killed after a massive tree branch collapsed on her during a violent thunderstorm at Koh…
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Phuket woman runs from Grab rider after fake cash promise
A Grab motorcycle rider in Phuket shared a bizarre experience with the online community, claiming that his female passenger unexpectedly ran away from him to avoid paying the fare. The app-based motorcycle taxi rider recounted the incident to the Phuket Times yesterday, July 21, along with a video of the passenger running away. The page published the post with a…
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Gale warning! Phuket reels as freak storm rocks island (video)
Phuket was left battered and on edge after a violent tropical storm tore across the island, killing one and injuring another, with officials warning the danger isn’t over yet. Governor Sophon Suwannarat urged residents, tourists and boat operators to stay on high alert after the Sunday downpour unleashed chaos across all three districts, Mueang, Thalang and Kathu, smashing into 17…
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Two men injured as motorbike crashes into Thailand canal
Two young men in Thailand were injured after their motorbike veered off an unlit, narrow road and fell into a canal in Wichit late on the Saturday night, July 19. Emergency services from the Kusoldharm Phuket Foundation responded to the incident in Soi Thida at approximately 11.45pm. Upon arrival, they found the two men in a canal about 4 metres…
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Five rescued from drifting boat off Phuket amid severe weather
Five people were successfully rescued after a longtail fishing boat experienced engine failure and drifted off the coast of Phuket in challenging sea conditions yesterday, July 20. At the time of the incident, none of the passengers were equipped with life jackets. The rescue operation commenced following a distress call received at 4pm by the Thai Maritime Enforcement Command Centre…
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No place for predators: Phuket cracks down on child sex tourism
From five-star hotels to beachside bars, tourism bosses in Phuket are being told to open their eyes and shut the door on child sex tourism and human trafficking in a bold new campaign to protect the island’s most vulnerable. Local government officials in Phuket have launched a hard-hitting initiative aimed at stamping out child sexual exploitation in Thailand’s most visited…
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Arab tourist tries to impress woman but crashes motorcycle into Phuket pharmacy
An Arab tourist crashed a rented motorcycle into a pharmacy in Phuket on Friday, July 18, after allegedly riding at high speed and performing a wheelie to impress a woman. Channel 7 reported that the incident occurred at a pharmacy on Patong Beach Road in the Kathu district of Phuket. Witnesses told the media that they saw the pharmacist running…
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Naked Russian man jumps to his death at Phuket villa
A naked Russian man reportedly climbed onto the roof of a villa on Nai Thon Beach in Phuket before jumping off and dying on Saturday, July 19. Rescue workers from the Kusoldharm Phuket Foundation and officers from Chalong Police Station responded to the incident at a villa on Nai Thon Beach in Phuket’s Rawai subdistrict after being alerted by the…
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Holiday from hell: Aussie murder suspect dies on sleazy Thai escape
He dodged justice for more than two decades but the Aussie man long suspected of murdering a young Sydney woman has finally met his end on a murky getaway in Thailand. Kevin Steven Correll, accused serial rapist and prime suspect in the brutal 2001 killing of car saleswoman Rachelle Childs, was found dead at 10.30am, Thursday, July 18, while on…
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Thailand mulls first suspension bridge to link Phuket and Phang Nga
Thailand is considering constructing its first suspension bridge to connect Phuket with Phang Nga province, as part of a significant upgrade to the region’s Highway No. 402. This development, led by the Department of Highways, aims to improve connectivity and boost local tourism. The new bridge, proposed during a seminar held at the Royal Phuket City Hotel, would be the…
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Illegal homestay found on aquatic cage off Phuket’s coast
Officials from the Phuket Marine Office and Thai Maritime Enforcement Command Centre Region 3 (Thai-MECC 3) have identified an illegally constructed homestay off Phuket’s east coast. According to Captain Pichet Songtan, spokesperson for Thai MECC 3, the structure was discovered on a cage used for raising aquatic animals near Koh Kala, Mai Khao. Koh Kala is a small island located…
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Big Buddha deadlock: Locals demand justice, abbot stalls
Phuket’s iconic Big Buddha Viewpoint remains closed nearly a year after a deadly landslide claimed 13 lives, as tensions mount between locals, temple authorities, and government officials over who should take responsibility — and whether the site should reopen at all. The sole legal owner of the land, the Royal Forest Department’s Phuket branch (RFD Phuket), has issued a list…
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Aussie tourist found dead in Patong hotel bathroom
A 69 year old Aussie tourist was found dead in his Phuket hotel bathroom yesterday morning, just days after arriving for a six-week tropical getaway. Hotel staff at the property off Rat-U-Thit 200 Pi Road in Patong made the grim discovery around 10.30am yesterday, Thursday, July 18, after a concerned Thai woman reported she hadn’t heard from the man in…
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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