Phuket News
Discover the latest news and updates from Thailand’s most famous and beautiful island, The Thaiger’s hometown, having previously operated as the Phuket Gazette.
Our team brings you breaking news, in-depth analysis, and exclusive stories from Phuket, covering everything from local politics and business to lifestyle and tourism. Learn about the island’s stunning beaches, vibrant nightlife, and thriving expat community, as well as keeping updated on events, and attractions.
The Thaiger is your ultimate guide to staying connected with Phuket’s ever-evolving landscape. To keep up with the most reliable news source on the island, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on social media.
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Sponsored Infinito helps hotels in Thailand with revenue management
Maximising revenue and profit–isn’t that the ultimate goal for every business in the hospitality industry? If you run a hotel, you might have heard that revenue management is an effective way to boost your top-line revenue. It involves using data...
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Phuket Immigration wind up ‘Operation X-ray Outlaw Foreigner’ crackdown
Phuket Immigration officers say they’re committed to the national crackdown called Operation X-ray Out Law Foreigner, especially on overstayers. As a show of force yesterday, more than 252 officers from the Phuket Immigration Office, the Royal Thai Army, the Royal Thai Navy, the Phuket Provincial Police, Highway Police, Tourist Police and Marine Police assembled at the Phuket City Police Station.…
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Mai Khao’s ‘West Sands’ CEO being quizzed by police following last week’s death on Thepkasattri Road
PHOTO: Facebook.com – Paul John Mercer The British CEO of a luxury hotel along Mai Khao Beach in Phuket, is going to be quizzed by police in Phuket after running over and killing a roadside scavenger in his luxury Mercedes last week. Original report about the Wednesday morning incident HERE. The British expat is being investigated by Thai police after his Mercedes-Benz…
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Man kills himself outside his home in Thalang
A Thai man has shot himself at a house in Thalang today. When Police and rescue workers arrived at the Suppamas housing estate in Paklok about noon, they discovered the body of 66 year old Somnueak Chanapan, a former staff member of the Khao Phra Thaew Non Hunting Area, on a chair in front of the house. Bullet wounds were found on…
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Tour operators boycott visits to Similan and Surin islands to protest new restrictions
The tour operators have had enough of the winding back of tour boat operations and are now resorting to boycotting and ‘disrupting’ the tours in order to get their protests heard. About 50 tour operators in Phuket and Phang nga say they’re suspending boat trips to Similan-Surin islands in the Andaman sea (off the coast of Phang-Nga) today and tomorrow…
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Similans re-open with tight new restrictions
by Pratch Rujivanarom The number of visitors to the Similan Islands will be capped at 3,850 people per day as part of new tourism management reforms to preserve the pristine natural beauty of the islands and promote sustainable eco-tourism. When Mu Koh Similan National Park reopens today, tourists will discover some changes on the islands; they will find more tranquil beaches…
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Man’s body found at Bang Pae Waterfalls
PHOTOS: Newshawk Phuket Newshawk Phuket reported at 3.22pm today that emergency responders had been called to the Bang Pae Waterfall in Paklok to search for a 25 year old man from Pattani. He had gone swimming in the ponds at the base of the waterfalls, as many do, but vanished prompting the man’s friends to alert officials. At 5.07pm this afternoon…
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Day 4 – Phuket Vegetarian Festival processions ramp up the ‘crazy’
PHOTO: At least he’s taking sun shade wherever he goes – Kritsada Mueanhawong It just gets crazier as the days go by. With the shackles off this year (last year the festivities were subdued due to the impending grand Funeral for HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej), the Vegetarian Festival is back up to full speed. The impression we get is that the…
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Two escape serious injury when a truck overturned in Kamala
PHOTOS: Kamala Police Two people have escaped serious injury after the truck they were travelling in over-turned in Kamala this afternoon. Kamala Police were notified of the accident around 2 pm. Police arrived to find the six wheeler truck over-turned on the side of the road. The truck driver was named by police as 37 year old Somchai Chueaput from Nakhon…
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Phuket Vegetarian processions continue – Day Three
The Phuket vegetarian street processions continue to amaze, thrill and scare spectators. Thais, expats and foreign tourists are enjoyed watching and participating in some of the processions on day three. The festival will run until October 17 this year. Read more about the launch of this year’s vegetarian festival HERE. Today was the third day of street processions around Phuket Town.…
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Man shoots himself in Rassada, Phuket
The younger brother of a famous Phuket business man has shot and killed himself in Rassada. Phuket City Police were called to the scene at Soi Srisuchart View on Chalerm Phrakiet Rama 9 (Bypass) Road at 4.30pm yesterday. Police and medical staff arrived to find a parked Toyota pickup truck. In the back of the pickup truck they found the…
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Million baht of counterfeit and prohibited goods destroyed
Fake goods, real machine to destroy it all. About 3,000 counterfeit items, valued at more than one million baht, including prohibited imported goods, have been torched at the incinerator in Phuket Town today. The destruction of the fake goods was held this afternoon and led by Phuket Customs Office Chief Kanjana Suwachino. Khun Kanjana says, “This is the final step in cases involving…
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Power outage to hit parts of Karon
The Phuket Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) says they’re going to have scheduled blackouts in Karon on October 16. Residents of Karon are being advised that there is a scheduled power outages on the day from 7am to 5pm as the PEA continues its work on high power voltage systems in the area. Areas to be effected are area in front…
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UWC Thailand presents free screening of “SCREENAGERS”
In keeping with UWC Thailand’s (UWCT) commitment to helping students, parents and the wider community develop a ‘Good Heart, Balanced Mind, Healthy Body’, the school is hosting a complimentary showing of the internationally acclaimed film ‘Screenagers’ for families across Phuket on Friday, November 2 at 8:30am. In ‘Screenagers’, as with her award-winning documentaries on mental health, Physician and filmmaker Dr.…
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Thonglor Pet Hospital enters Phuket market
by Kwanchai Rungfabaisarn Thonglor Pet Hospital has announced that it has bought a majority stake in a Phuket facility, marking the company’s expansion into the South. The company said it had formed a joint venture for the investment deal with Chalong Phuket Pet Hospital, which has operated in Chalong Beach on the resort island for more than 16 years. Thonglor…
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Body found floating at Phuket Beach
PHOTO: Kusoldarm Foundation An unidentified body has been found floating at Nai Thon Beach, on the northern coastline of Phuket. Sakoo Police were notified of the discovery from Nai Thon Beach lifeguards around 4pm yesterday (Wednesday). Police along with the Phuket Tourist Police and rescue workers arrived to find the body of a foreign man who was only wearing swimwear.…
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Phuket boys return tourist’s cash and belongings
PHOTOS: Newshawk Phuket Yesterday two Phuket boys did the right thing and returned a small bag to Police after they found it at Khao Kard – an Ao Yon viewpoint in Wichit. Wichit Patrol Police were delivered the bag by 14 year olds Peerayut Chaitin and Arneen Yukunthorn. They are both studying at Phuket Wittayalai School. Police say the boys…
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Phuket vegetarian festival processions kick off
The famous, or infamous, Phuket vegetarian street processions have started. Thais, expats and foreign tourists enjoyed watching some of the processions during this morning’s rain. The festival is held until October 17 this year. This year’s Phuket Vegetarian Festival was announced in the Royal Thai Government Gazette as a ‘Phuket event of cultural heritage’. Read more about the launch of…
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Pedestrian killed in Thalang after being struck by Mercedes Benz
A pedestrian has been killed in a road accident early today in Thalang. Thalang Police were notified of the incident early this morning on Thepkrasattri Road in Thalang. Emergency responders arrived to find body parts scattered on the road. The person’s head was separated from the body. A trolley carrying garbage was found scattered nearby. Thalang Police reported that a…
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Man, who drove off Patong Hill after allegedly killing wife, arrested
A man, who allegedly bashed his wife with a kitchen mortar at their home in Kathu, killing her on Monday, has been arrested. The man, who then sustained serious injuries after driving his car off the side of Patong Hill after colliding with a motorbike, was formally arrested yesterday. Kathu Police were notified on Monday that a woman had been…
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Overnight stays cancelled for Similan Islands
Environmentalists and marine biologists have scored another win for the local eco-system with the closure of the Similan Islands to overnight stays. Concern over degradation of coral reefs and the marine ecology of the Similan Islands, caused by polluted water discharged into the sea, is prompting the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plants Conservation to prohibit overnight accommodation on…
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Suspect drove off Patong Hill after killing wife
A man, who bashed his wife’s head against the wall, killing her, sustained serious injuries after driving a car, colliding with a motorbike and careering over the side of Patong hill yesterday around midday. The man has been identified as 42 year old Bancha Jaijan from Nan in northern Thailand. Kathu Police were notified that a woman had been killed at…
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Two injured in midday Patong Hill collision
Two people have been injured in a Patong Hill accident today. Kathu Police were notified of the accident just before noon. Police and rescue workers arrived to discover a Toyota Vios sedan 80 metres down then side of Patong Hill in a rubber plantation. The driver was stuck inside the car. Rescue workers had to free him before transferring the…
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Thailand Yacht Show & Rendezvous now joined by the Phuket Yacht Show
ONE united yacht show will now present next January in Phuket. Event organisers have united to show support for the yachting industry and Thai Government’s drive to make Thailand the yachting hub of Asia. Phuket’s one and only boat show is to be called “Thailand Yacht Show & Rendezvous.” In a joint statement issued today by Andy Treadwell, CEO of…
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Two suspects surrender to police
Two suspects, involved in the weekend’s Thalang murder, have surrendered to Chalong police after arrest warrants were issued. Read more about the crime that shocked the Thalang community HERE. The two suspects have been named as 20 year old Sutat Saarddee from Nakhon Si Thammarat while the driver’s name is 21 year old Jeerapong Jongchitklang from Nakhon Ratchasima. The arrest…
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Unidentified body found in Phuket condo
Police are trying to identify a man who was found dead in a condominium in Wichit. Wichit Police were notified that the body of man was found in a room at a condominium in Ao Makham. Police arrived at the room on the first floor to find the body of a caucasian man, aged around 30-40 year old and wearing…
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Police hunting for suspects involved in Thalang murder
Phuket police are now hunting for two suspects they believe were involved in shooting a man to death in Thalang on Saturday. Thalang Police were notified that a man was seriously injured after being shot near Tesco Lotus Baan Don Branch on Baan Don – Cherng Talay Road in Thalang. Police arrived to find blood on the floor at the…
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Hands off Maya Bay
In one corner, marine scientists and biologists who are urging the government to keep Maya Bay closed as it struggles to rehabilitate following years of tourism abuse. In the other, local tour operators who say that the region’s main money-spinner has been taken away from them affecting their pockets and the many people they employ. Meanwhile Maya Bay is slowly…
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Vegetarian Festival price gouging arrives ahead of tomorrow’s festival
Vegetable prices have climbed up by a few baht per kilo ahead of the Chinese Vegetarian Festival, which will officially kick off tomorrow, principally in Phuket and Bangkok. Vendors at a fresh market in Bangkok believed vegetable prices would soar even higher during the festival, which runs up to October 17.The price of a kilo of celery, which cost around…
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Ranong Ranger killed in suspected grenade blast
A Ranong ranger has been killed by a grenade blast at his official residence in the Muang district last night. Ranong is a five hour drive, north of Phuket, and borders Myanmar. 35 year old Sgt Supatthanachai Makprasit from the Narathiwat-based 48th Ranger Regiment, died from his injuries after being taken to Ranong Hospital. He had been involved in maintaining…
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Japan tops Thailand as Chinese tourists’ top choice for Golden Week
Watch out Thailand. Japan is stealing our tourists. Japan has now overtaken Thailand as Chinese vacationers’ top choice for the 2018 Chinese Golden Week holiday. This according to Ctrip.com, one of the biggest travel websites in China. This is the first time Thailand has lost its top destination status to Japan during the holiday season which expect at least 7…
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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