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 5 ways retirees in Thailand lose money (and how to stop it)
Retiring in Thailand can be affordable and enjoyable, but many retirees lose money due to common mistakes. High living costs, scams, and unexpected expenses can quickly drain savings. There are five ways that retirees in Thailand can lose money and...
-
Fire breaks out at Phuket landfill
PHUKET: Two rai of the overflowing 120-rai Sapan Hin landfill were destroyed in a fire yesterday evening. Five firetrucks immediately responded to the fire and were able to contain and douse the flames within two hours, said Phuket City Municipality Environmental Division chief Prachum Suriya. “We are unsure of the cause of the fire, it might have been caused by…
-
Phuket lifeguard contract in dire straits – again
PHUKET: The island’s beaches again may be without lifeguards starting next week, as the government contract for the Phuket Lifeguard Club (PLC) to provide its essential life-saving services expires on March 26. The Phuket Provincial Administrative Organization (PPAO) has offered the annual 22-million-baht concession for private operators to provide lifeguard services through the coming year to public bidding twice –…
-
Phuket police warn of lid robberies by Mercedes-Benz hopefuls
PHUKET: Police have issued a security warning to convenience store staffers after dozens of Ichitan drink lids – which are part of a promotion to win a free Mercedes-Benz – were stolen from a SuperCheap in Rawai. The warning follows a Facebook post by an employee named Joy Hudrudchai that complained about lids of Ichitan and Yen Yen drinks being…
-
Police hunt mysterious Brit burglar Charlie Machin
PHUKET: Police are trying to track down a foreign thief, believed to be a British expat, who is wanted for robbing a Swedish man’s home of about 200,000 baht in valuables in Kata. Known so far only by his alias “Charlie Machin”, the suspect is known to frequent bars in Bang Tao and Rawai. “At this stage, all we know…
-
Phuket sailors warned of falling space-launch debris
PHUKET: The Royal Thai Navy issued a warning today for ships to steer clear of an Indian Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) debris-fall zone in the Andaman Sea between March 9 and April 8. The area marked in the warning, about 400km northwest of Phuket, is within the following coordinates: 9°15’00″N 94°45’00″E10°05’00″N 95°05’00″E9°45’00″N 96°00’00″E8°55’00″N 95°40’00″E “All ships, please be careful…
-
Phuket taxi slams into power pole
PHUKET: A taxi driver who crashed into a power pole after dropping his passengers off at Phuket International Airport earlier today has been charged with reckless driving. Pongsatorn Suwanurak, 27, told police that he fell asleep at the wheel while he was returning to Phuket Town at about 10:15am. Rescue workers arrived at the scene, on Thepkrasattri Road in Thalang,…
-
Phuket masseuse suicide sparks manhunt for brutal boyfriend
PHUKET: Police are looking for a man wanted for beating his masseuse girlfriend who was found dead by apparent suicide in Phuket Town yesterday morning. Friends discovered the body of Taweepat Boontawee, 33, at her apartment at a four-story complex on Phun Pol Road Soi 7. She was found hanged by a bathrobe sash tied to a light fitting. “The…
-
Experienced diver’s death at Similans baffles park officials
PHUKET: Officials have yet to learn what was the catalyst for the death of an experienced diver who fell unconscious during a mass-diving volunteer project at the Similan Islands on Saturday. Suthat Suktuk, a 45-year-old businessman from Songkhla province, went into shock while diving beyond recreational depths to 47 meters at a site south of Koh Miang, also called Koh…
-
Spanish sailor recovering in Phuket after attempted suicide
PHUKET: A Spanish national working on an Indonesian fishing boat is recovering in Phuket International Hospital after slashing his arms yesterday morning. Phuket Marine Police were notified of a medical emergency on the fishing boat Taishan, moored near Koh Tapao Noi, at about 2am. “The original report we received said that the man had cut off his own arms,” Phuket…
-
Krabi coal plant Environmental Impact Assessment rejected
PHUKET: THE Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report on the Klong Rua coal seaport and coal-fired power plant project in Krabi was rejected last week amid pressure from the Protect Krabi Network. The panel of experts reviewing the report said that it was misleading and incomplete. However, members of the Protect Krabi Network were not pleased with the result, as their…
-
Millions of Krabi crabs to host eco-tourists
PHUKET: Krabi officials are moving to create a new eco-tourism destination out of a Krabi tidal plane that millions of tiny orange-clawed crabs call home. Locals were amazed to see a horde of crabs suddenly appear and migrate across the sands of Ao Tang Len at low tide, prompting them to notify Ao Luek district officials last week. “The stretch…
-
Bay Regatta a sailing success – results
PHUKET: The 18th Bay Regatta set sail on the morning of March 5, after an opening night party and buffet the evening before at the Chandara Resort & Spa at Ao Po. The 29 racing yachts, carrying over 200 competitors, flew the flags of 11 nations. Affectionately known as the ‘Fun Regatta’ to all participants, countries represented included Thailand, the…
-
Tourist fined for washing feet in public sink
PHUKET: A Chinese woman was fined for washing her feet in a public sink on Phi Phi Don yesterday, following a recent change in policy on the tourist-popular island. Within half an hour of officers posting a “no foot washing” warning sign at the public restroom, the tourist, who police declined to name, started washing her feet in the sink.…
-
Chilean consulate opens in Phuket
PHUKET: Chile opened up a consular office in Phuket yesterday to serve Chilean citizens in southern Thailand. Chilean Ambassador to Thailand Javier Andrés Becker-Marshall announced the opening of the Honorary Consulate of the Republic of Chile at the Phuket Merlin Hotel – where the new office is located. The consular office will be headed up by Chilean Honorary Consul Nantana…
-
Phuket beach vendors crash land inspection
PHUKET: A group of about 30 beach vendors interjected themselves into an inspection of Kamala Beach yesterday to submit a complaint letter to the Deputy Permanent Secretary of Justice, who was visiting Phuket for a property development investigation. Deputy Permanent Secretary of Justice Dussadee Arayawuth came to the island to inspect four of 20 land plots believed to have been…
-
F1 season predictions: Mercedes, Mercedes, Mercedes
PHUKET: The headline is the prediction for the car that will win at Melbourne, the team that will win the Constructor’s Championship and the team that will provide the World Champion this season. It’s the beginning of the new Formula 1 season. Melbourne is the first race. And there has been enough hype to fill an Agatha Christie bibliography: The…
-
Tourist Police intercept kratom shipment to Phuket
PHUKET: A shipment of 45 kilograms of kratom leaves from Nonthaburi to Phuket was intercepted by Phuket Tourist Police today. “We had been tipped off by a source that a truck with the Bangkok licence plate 61-6211 would be delivering the leaves today,” Tourist Police Division 5 Superintendent Chusawat Janrojanakit said. When police spotted the truck, they pulled it over…
-
Raid busts Phuket karaoke owners for alien employees
PHUKET: Anti-human trafficking raids of Phuket’s nightlife venues last night netted two employers for hiring illegal migrant workers from Myanmar. Saengthian Luepanya, 24, owner of the Happy Sea Man karaoke, was arrested for employing Myanmar nationals Lwin Thuza Myint, 26, and Thi Dar, 42, Phuket City Police Deputy Superintendent Khunnadet Nanongkhai told the Phuket Gazette. Later that night, police discovered…
-
Illegal wedding photographer arrested on Bang Tao Beach
PHUKET: A wedding photographer was arrested for working illegally on Bang Tao Beach on Wednesday. Chinese national Ma Chuan, 26, was arrested while taking a series of wedding photos, explained Lt Col Tienchai Chompoo of the Phuket Immigration Office. “Illegal Chinese photographers are not a new thing in Phuket. We regularly receive reports of Chinese tourists entering Phuket to take…
-
Warriors tame Tigers: Phuket hosts first Aussie Rules match
PHUKET: Australian football arrived in Phuket last Saturday, as the Thailand Tigers took on the Malaysian Warriors at the Alan Cooke Ground. The game was well attended by Phuket residents and families, as well as other supporters, many of whom were new to the game. The day also involved an Auskick clinic for junior players, which was a hit among…
-
Tuk-tuk drivers sentenced for massive Patong blockade
PHUKET: Thirteen tuk-tuk drivers who were charged for their involvement in a massive blockade of Patong in March last year were fined and sentenced to one year’s probation yesterday morning. The 13 drivers were part of a group of 68 drivers who were arrested and charged for blockading major roads in the party town in protest of the arrests of…
-
Whale spotted off Krabi coast
PHUKET: A whale spotted near Koh Haa, off the coast of Krabi, on Monday has both excited and alarmed divers and local officials. Both groups have cited an improving marine environment as a possible reason for the sighting, but have also warned against any actions that could hamper the Andaman Sea’s recovery in the region. The marine mammal, thought to…
-
Teachers visiting Phuket turn in purse full of cash
PHUKET: Police are searching for the owner of a black purse containing 40,000-baht-worth of mixed currency, which was found by a group of teachers inside the women’s restroom at a PTT gas station in Thalang yesterday. “The teachers told Phuket Tourist Police that they found the purse near a sink in the women’s restroom. They opened it and found both…
-
Water-meter thief nabbed in Cherng Talay
PHUKET: Police arrested a man on Tuesday after finding him in possession of 18 water meters stolen from residential homes in the Cherng Talay area. Youngyut Matchawet, 25, was arrested at his house in Cherng Talay, after police tracked him down through CCTV footage. “We began receiving complaints from local residents on Saturday about their water meters disappearing,” said Lt…
-
Phuket police volunteers return to Bangla beat
PHUKET: Police volunteers are back on the beat in Phuket’s primary party town, following a six-day strike starting on March 5 (story here). Region 8 Police volunteers met yesterday with Patong Police Superintendent Chaiwat Auikam and his two deputy superintendents to table a number of growing concerns that led to the strike. “The meeting went very well today. We will…
-
Laguna secures cricket victory over the Village
PHUKET: As Songkran approaches, the temperature rises in the Phuket Cricket Group’s (PCG) senior league. On March 8, Laguna beat the Village at the Alan Cooke Ground (ACG). Laguna, who were coming off the back of a good win against Thalang in their previous match, were looking to consolidate their position in the race for the minor premiership. Meanwhile, the…
-
Officials act on rank Koh Racha canal
PHUKET: Following years of complaints by residents about the stagnant, polluted water that has built up in Koh Racha Yai’s Patok Canal, authorities began dredging work last Saturday. The dredging of the one-kilometer-long canal will take about 10 days to complete, explained Capt Borworn Promkaewngam of the Royal Thai Navy’s Third Area Command in Phuket and head of the Koh…
-
Charter-flight buses to resume parking near Phuket airport terminal
PHUKET: Buses will resume parking near the main Phuket International Airport terminal within two months, an Airports of Thailand (AoT) official confirmed to the Phuket Gazette yesterday. The announcement follows a change in policy earlier this month that forced incoming charter-flight passengers to hike to their buses, which now have to be parked far away from the terminal due to…
-
Australian expat kills Phuket nightclub bouncer
PHUKET: An Australian expat confessed to killing a nightclub bouncer near the entrance of Phuket’s primary party street – Soi Bangla – early this morning, Patong Police told the Phuket Gazette. Long-term Phuket expat Mark Hamilton Pendlebury, 59, fatally stabbed 25-year-old Sanya Khueawaengmon after an argument on the street, explained Lt Col Sutthichai Thianpho of the Patong Police. “Nightclub staffers…
-
Phuket Police volunteers strike in Patong
PHUKET: Volunteer police officers working the beat in Phuket’s main party town have gone on strike until the Patong Police are able to address a series of issues. “We will have a meeting tomorrow at 10am to explain our frustrations, and also to discuss how the volunteers can continue working with police in assisting foreigners and tourists in need,” Wal…
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.