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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5 hidden healthcare costs in Thailand and how to avoid them
Thailand's healthcare system is affordable and supported by the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) scheme, offering essential services to most citizens. However, hidden healthcare costs can surprise patients and lead to unexpected expenses. These include specialist fees, insurance gaps, emergency services,...
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Seven arrested over illegal pre-wedding photo shoots in Phuket
Seven foreigners have been charged over illegally working as pre-wedding photographers and assistants in Phuket yesterday. The Phuket Immigration Office Chief Col Kathatorn Kumthieg ordered officers to inspect Kathu Temple and Kata Noi Beach, popular locations for foreigner pre-wedding photo shoots. The Phuket Immigration Office reports that all staff in the pre-wedding photo shooting team were foreigners who only held tourist visas. They…
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Family of British Phuket property developer say “he was murdered”
PHOTO: Lawyer Vincent McOwen holding up a photo of Steven James Granville – Khaosod English A lawyer representing the family of Steven James Granville has filed a complaint with the Technology Crime Suppression Division (TCSD) in Bangkok over police reports about injuries sustained in a 2013 ‘cycling incident’. The TCSD is now overseen by Immigration Chief Pol Lt Gen Surachate Hakparn.…
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UPDATE: Phuket’s injured Leopard Cat dies
The leopard cat, which was found severely injured in front of a Mai Khao Graveyard on December 31, has unfortunately passed away. Read more about the locals finding the cat HERE, Read more about the injuries and care for the leopard cat HERE The can was transported to Soi Dog Foundation on January 1 for treatment and was under constant care from the…
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Company reports 80K beer cans disappeared after truck accident in Phuket
A logistic company representative has filed a report to police after more than 80,000 beer cans, valued at more than two million baht, mysteriously vanished after a beer truck overturned in Rassada this morning. The truck overturned and beer cans were scattered all over the road outside a 7-11. Read more about the incident HERE. Locals nearby helped clear up…
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Jam-packed Thailand Yacht Show & RendezVous opens at Royal Phuket Marina
The fourth Thailand Yacht Show & RendezVous opened its doors today for yachting enthusiasts and lifestyle-seekers from around the region. Boasting a line-up of leading international yacht brands and brokers, charter agencies, luxury property developers, bespoke travel organisers and leading names in the hospitality and food and beverage industries, the Thailand Yacht Show & RendezVous is open to the public…
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Lots of green seaweed washed up on Patong Beach
Patong Municipality public works staff have been clean up piles of green seaweed on Patong Beach today. This morning there was a line of green seaweed along 500 metres along the popular beach. Arnon Poomduang, a jet-ski operator says, “This is a normal and happens every year around this time. This year it is more than in the past years.…
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Pod of more than 10 dolphins spotted off Phuket – VIDEO
VIDEO: ยศ กระจก – อลูมิเนียม A pod of more than ten dolphins was spotted off Phuket yesterday. Khun Nigorn Garari, who recorded the videos says, “My friends and I were heading from Tab Lamu Pier in Phang Nga at about 1pm yesterday. When we were near Laem Pakarang, which is at the north of Phuket, we saw lots of dolphins.…
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French tourist in hospital after parasailing incident at Naka Island in Phuket
A French tourist has been hospitalised after having a bad landing on the tow boat and ending up in the water while parasailing at Koh Naka Yai off the Paklok coast yesterday. Thalang Police were notified of the incident off Koh Naka Yai at 5.25 pm. Thalang Police report that the 57 year old French woman, Claudine Robinet, broke her…
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Chinese tourist drowns at Koh Racha
A 31 year old Chinese man has drowned at Koh Racha yesterday. The Phuket Tourist Police were notified of the incident at 3.30pm yesterday (Tuesday). The man was later identified by tourist police as Zhu Kai from Tianjin, China. Mr Zhu was travelling alone. He bought a one day trip to Racha Yai Island. A tour guide told police that after…
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Phuket tram project seeks private sector investment
(The term ‘tram’ and ‘light rail’ are variously used to describe the new public transport project for Phuket.) The Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand (MRTA) is now inviting the private sector and local administrative bodies to get behind and invest in a mass-transit project in Phuket. The project is valued around 35 billion baht. The next rounds of talks…
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More sea turtle eggs found on Phang Nga Beach
PHOTO: DMCR In another really positive sign for the future of the leatherback sea turtle population in the region, 112 sea turtle eggs were found at Kuek Kak Beach in Khao Lak, Phang Nga this morning. 64 of the eggs have now been carefully moved to a safe area at the same beach whilst 48 eggs had already broken. 64…
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Police chasing people taking pot shots at road signs in Rawai
Rawai’s Mayor is considering further legal action after many road signs around Rawai have been damaged by gunfire. Rawai Mayor Aroon Solos headed to an area near Naiharn lake in Rawai, about 500 metres from Promthep Cape, after being informed that road signs had been damaged by gunshots. “About 10 road signs have been damaged by bullets. Photos have been…
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Dog stuck in mud, rescued after storm in Phang Nga
A dog in Phang Nga has been pulled out from mud near a canal yesterday following rain on the weekend. It has been named ‘Pabuk’. Paweena Thongsap, a nurse, has reported to rescue workers that she found a weak dog in mud near a canal in Phang Nga city. Officers from the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Phang Nga…
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Leather back turtle egg nest on Phang Nga beach safe after Pabuk
PHOTOS: DMCR The leather back sea turtle eggs found on a Phang Nga Beach in Tai Mueang a few weeks ago have been checked and they are safe after last Friday and Saturday’s bad weather. About 80-100 eggs were found after a leather back sea turtle laid eggs on the beach in Tai Mueang, Phang Nga last month. Read more about…
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Blacktip reef sharks found at Phuket seafood restaurant
PHOTO: Sunshine Sketcher There are now two reliable places you can see Blacktip Reef Sharks – off the shores of Maya Bay and hanging in front of a restaurant in Karon. Two blacktip reef sharks been discovered hanging in front of a seafood restaurant at Karon Beach. A facebook user name ‘Sunshine Sketcher’ today posted a photo with the message read…
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Tourists surge back to Chalong Pier and out to the islands
Chalong Pier has been back to normal today following the lifting of the ban on boats leaving port last night. The busy tourist pier this morning saw many travellers heading off to the islands again. Yesterday the Phuket Marine Office announced that after midnight (January 6) all boats were allowed to head back to sea after a ban on travel…
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City by the Bay – Laguna Phuket’s urbanisation
by Bill Barnett from c9hotelworks.com If you were going to play a soundtrack to this story, perhaps it could be started off best with the 80’s hit “We Built This City”. If you toured the Laguna Phuket area in the year the song charted in 1985, the area was an eerie lunar landscape of a former tin mining domain. Today the…
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Overloaded pickup truck rolls off road into Rawai jungle
An overloaded pickup truck has rolled down into off-road jungle in Rawai today. The pickup driver sustained only minor injuries. The Chalong Police were notified of the incident on Patak Road in Soi Suksan 1, Rawai at 10.50am today. Patrol police and emergency responders arrived to find a damaged pickup truck head-long into a tree 10 metres from the roadside.…
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Pabuk: Floods and blackouts along southern Gulf coast as storm moves away
• Floods and blackouts have left nearly 30,000 people in evacuation shelters across southern Thailand • Relieved tourists stranded on islands further north were spared the worst and are now working on continuing their journeys • Pabuk packed winds of up to 75 kph (45 mph) and brought heavy rains and storm surges as it lashed the much of the southern…
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Pabuk: ‘War room’ set up to help tourists
The Sports and Tourism Ministry has set up a war room to assist the many tourists whose plans were thrown into confusion in the wake of tropical storm Pabuk. The Government and authorities took extra precautions, closing airports and marine tourism, in preparedness to minimise potential danger to tourists as Pabuk approached. Santi Pawai, deputy permanent-secretary of the Tourism and…
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Pabuk: Now sits over Andaman Sea, moving west
The south of Thailand awakes this morning to a wet and windy aftermath of tropical storm Pabuk. The storm centre has crossed the Peninsula and now sits west of Phang Nga province as it weakens and continues to move westerly away from the coast. Gale-force winds, storm surges and flash flooding are still predicted as the remnants of the weakening…
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Phuket Airport announces delayed or canceled flights – Pabuk
Sixteen flights from three airways heading to Phuket have been delayed or canceled due to storm ‘Pabuk’ today. Pilot Officer Thanee Chuangchoo, General Manager of Phuket International Airport, says, “There has been a total of 16 flights from Bangkok Airways, Juneyao Airlines and Hainan Airlines which have been either canceled or delayed.” The Bangkok Airways flights into Phuket were all scheduled…
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Pabuk: 2,000 tourists on Koh Phi Phi moved to Krabi mainland
PHOTOS: Krabi PR Office About 2,000 tourists on Phi Phi Island moved up on land. Some are Phuket tourists who are currently unable to return to the island due to the ban on boats leaving port. The Ao Nang Tourist Police say that lots of tourists from Phi Phi Island have been arriving at a pier in Krabi City as…
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120 foreign tourists being brought back from Koh Racha – Pabuk
PHOTOS: The Phuket PR Office A boat, organised by officials, is bringing back 120 foreign tourists who have been visiting Koh Racha. The Phuket Governor Governor Phakkaphong Tavipatana says, “Officials have been notified that 120 foreign tourists were stuck on Koh Racha. A boat from the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) Phuket Office was sent this morning to pick…
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Pabuk: Ships ‘must’ remain at shore – Phuket Governor
Phuket’s Governor Phakkaphong Tavipatana has issued an official warning that ships ‘must’ remain on shore in every district connecting to the Andaman Sea in Phuket. Governor Phakkaphong says, “The warning notifications are for controlling, taking care, precaution, reducing risk and preventing an avoidable disaster off the coast of Phuket.” “For maintaining national security, peace, life and property, Phuket applies the…
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Pabuk: Friday awakes with the storm surging up the Gulf coastline
30,000 people are estimated to have been evacuated from coastal districts in Nakhon Si Thammarat whilst some tourists are taking precautions of leaving the Gulf holiday islands, airports close, boats remain at mooring and schools are shut. Thailand’s southern Gulf coast prepares for winds up to 95kph, heavy downpours and floods. From Nakhon Si Thammarat up to Chumpon provinces, emergency…
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Krabi boats banned from leaving ports due to storm ‘Pabuk’
PHOTOS: Krabi PR Office Krabi ferries and tour boats are being banned from leaving port while some national parks are being closed for tourist safety with the approaching tropical storm ‘Pabuk’. The Krabi PR Office is reporting that the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) Krabi Office has issued an order that bans fishing boats, passenger boats and speed boats…
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Pabuk: Koh Phi Phi travellers stranded
Koh Phi Phi officials have cancelled all ferry services to and from the island as of today as a precaution in light of the tropical storm Pabuk approaching the Malay Peninsula. Tourists who are now on Phi Phi will have to stay there until the boats are allowed to leave port again, probably Sunday. Krabi Tourist Police say that all…
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Pabuk: Phuket Airport, ready for the approaching storm
FILE PHOTO Travellers passing through Phuket International Airport in the next few days are being urged to check their flights. Phuket is bracing for some poor weather and heavy unseasonal rains brought on by tropical storm Pabuk. The storm is likely to make landfall in the Gulf island of Koh Samui before heading to Chumpon where it is likely to…
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No restriction on tourist numbers visiting Similan Island for three months
The Phuket Administrative Court has issued a temporary order for the Similan Islands. The order overturns a recent restriction on tourist numbers on the island for three months. Yesterday the Phuket Administrative Court ruled to temporarily stop the restriction of tourist numbers visiting the Similan Island from January 1 to March 31. The President of Similan Surin Tour Operators, Nipon…
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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