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.

  • Air India Express plane stuck on runway after hard landing in Phuket | Thaiger

    Air India Express plane stuck on runway after hard landing in Phuket

    An Air India Express flight carrying 133 passengers made a hard landing at Phuket International Airport today, March 11, leaving the aircraft disabled on the runway and disrupting airport operations. No injuries were reported. Tourist police were notified at about 11.20am after an aircraft encountered a landing problem at the airport. The plane was identified as Air India Express flight IX938…

  • Foreign couple criticised for kissing in Phuket temple | Thaiger

    Foreign couple criticised for kissing in Phuket temple

    A foreign couple drew criticism online after sharing a photo of themselves kissing at Chalong Temple in Phuket, where complaints also focused on the woman’s revealing dress. Phuket Times posted the image yesterday, March 10, asking whether the behaviour was appropriate. Its caption said, “Appropriate or not? A foreign couple, with a woman in a revealing dress, shared a picture…

  • Phuket restaurant owner defends refusal to serve Israeli man | Thaiger

    Phuket restaurant owner defends refusal to serve Israeli man

    A Phuket restaurant owner defended his decision to refuse service to an Israeli man, saying the foreigner provoked a confrontation by demanding he remove a Palestinian flag displayed inside the restaurant. The owner posted videos of the incident on Facebook on Monday, March 9. The footage showed him telling the man to leave, following him out of the premises and…

  • Phuket restaurant owner sparks debate for refusing serve to Israeli man | Thaiger

    Phuket restaurant owner sparks debate for refusing serve to Israeli man

    A Phuket restaurant owner drew mixed reactions online after posting videos showing him chasing an Israeli man from his restaurant and shouting “free Palestine” as the man walked away. The restaurant owner shared two videos on his Facebook account yesterday, March 9. In his caption, he said he asked the man to leave after seeing Hebrew on the man’s phone…

  • 2 Russian women caught on CCTV taking pet cat from Phuket man | Thaiger

    2 Russian women caught on CCTV taking pet cat from Phuket man

    A Thai man in Phuket accused two Russian women of stealing his pet cat from his home, while the women denied the accusation, saying they only carried it back to feed it before returning it. The cat’s owner, Veerapong Santanoon, posted a video on his Facebook account yesterday, March 8, showing him confronting one of the women and demanding the…

  • Phuket tackles work permit delays for 130,000 foreign workers | Thaiger

    Phuket tackles work permit delays for 130,000 foreign workers

    Phuket‘s provincial officials are moving to address significant delays in renewing and issuing work permits for more than 130,000 foreign workers, following mounting complaints from employers about the backlog’s impact on businesses across the island. The issue was raised during a monthly meeting of labour agencies at the Phuket Provincial Labour Office on March 4, prompting Phuket Vice Governor Teeraphong…

  • Israeli man allegedly assaults old foreigner over Middle East conflict argument | Thaiger

    Israeli man allegedly assaults old foreigner over Middle East conflict argument

    An Israeli man allegedly assaulted an old foreigner on Bangla Road in Phuket after an argument over the escalating conflict in the Middle Eastern countries. He also displayed aggressive behaviour toward a Thai police officer who intervened in the incident. The Phuket Times Facebook page reported the incident today, March 6. The page suggested it happened last night, March 5, but…

  • Russian tourist left severely injured after Patong hotel fall | Thaiger

    Russian tourist left severely injured after Patong hotel fall

    Patong police were called at 6.05pm on March 4 after receiving a report that a Russian tourist had fallen from the fourth floor of a hotel in Kathu district, Phuket. The incident reportedly happened after the tourist had an argument with her husband. Police Lieutenant Colonel Chanan Memkchai, an investigation officer at Patong Police Station, received the report and travelled…

  • Foreigner filmed leaving Phuket steakhouse without paying | Thaiger

    Foreigner filmed leaving Phuket steakhouse without paying

    A Phuket dine and dash was reported after a foreign man left a steakhouse in Choeng Talay through a back door without paying yesterday, March 3. The Phuket Times Facebook page posted about the incident today, March 4, saying it happened at about 9pm last night at a steak restaurant in the Choeng Talay area. The page did not name…

  • Phuket drivers rush to fill tanks as fears of a fuel price rise spread | Thaiger

    Phuket drivers rush to fill tanks as fears of a fuel price rise spread

    Phuket motorists rushed to refuel yesterday evening, March 3, with long queues forming at a Bangchak petrol station in Kathu as concerns grew that fuel costs could rise amid uncertainty in the Middle East. Vans and taxis running main routes such as Kathu to Patong were among those filling up, along with riders and other residents. The queue reportedly stretched beyond…

  • Bangladeshi woman arrested in Phuket Airport with cocaine and fake documents | Thaiger

    Bangladeshi woman arrested in Phuket Airport with cocaine and fake documents

    Police arrested a Bangladeshi woman at Phuket International Airport on Friday, February 27, after she was found with cocaine and counterfeit documents. Officers from Phuket Airport Immigration detained the 26 year old Bangladeshi woman, whose name was not released, at the international departures terminal on Friday as she was preparing to board a flight back to Bangladesh. According to a…

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.