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.
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12Go introduces Japan Rail Passes to enhance travel accessibility for international travellers
For those who have travelled throughout Thailand, 12Go is a well-known provider of various trips, though the platform itself has a much wider reach. Ranging from buses to planes, 12Go is undoubtedly a leading booking platform for travel throughout the...
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670,000 fewer Chinese tourists – Thailand counts its losses after the Phoenix boat disaster
Some of the fallout from the Phuket boat disaster is now starting to hit home, with more to come as cancellations bite into tourist arrivals, principally Chinese tourists. Thailand’s Ministry of Tourism and Sports has officially revised down its forecast for July to December by nearly 670,000, to 5.1 million Chinese tourists. The South China Morning Post reports that Thailand…
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PWA announces Chalong water shut off tomorrow
The Phuket Water Authority (PWA) has announced that water supply in some areas of Chalong will be shut off from 9am tomorrow (August 6) until the work is finished. The PWA says that water supply in some areas of Chalong will be shutoff while work is being carried out on main pipes at the entrance of Soi Tanuthep on Chao Fa…
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Latest ‘Operation X-Ray Outlaw Foreigner’ nets UK and Nigerian overstayers, both over 1,000 days
File Photo The crackdown on serial overstayers continues across the country, including a British national arrested in Phuket. 53 year old Chris Michel was bundled up on Friday morning after it was revealed that he had overstayed his visa by 1077 days, nearly 3 years. 62 foreign nationals were detained in the latest ‘Operation X-Ray Outlaw Foreigner’, targeting 75 locations…
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Phuket boat show rumbles – a new show announced
There used to be one Phuket boat show, then there was two, then there was the two coming together as one… and now there is a new event. Royal Phuket Marina are putting together their own show with Andy Dowden, of PIMEX fame, the principle organiser of the new Phuket Yacht Show. The new show is being planned for January…
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Thavorn Hotels & Resorts receives Thailand MICE Venue Standard Award
Thavorn Hotels & Resorts is proud to announce its certification of Thailand MICE Venue Standard (TMVS) by Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB). The certification assesses venues in three key areas – physical, technological, and service requirements. Certified venues appear on an Approved List and are publicised worldwide as venues that meet international standards. MICE – Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and…
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‘Big Joke’ stops to help Phuket hit and run victim
PHOTOS: Deputy Commander of the Tourist Police Bureau Maj Gen Surachete Hakparn Deputy Commander of the Tourist Police Bureau based in Bangkok, Maj Gen Surachete Hakparn, ordered his team to stop they convey of official vehicles to help a student who had been hit in Phuket Town this afternoon (Aug 3). Maj Gen Surachete reported that he saw the accident while he and…
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Russia set to establish Consulate-General in Phuket
The Russian Federation is poised to open a Consulate-General in Phuket in response to the growing Russian expat community and consistent stream in Russian tourists coming to the island. Russian PM Dmitriy Medvedev signed the order last Saturday ratifying the new diplomatic mission on the island. There are no details in the letter about when the Consulate-General will open its doors…
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Couples posting obscene photos in Old Phuket Town to meet with police
Pictures of a couple in allegedly obscene photos taken in Old Phuket Town are to meet with police after their photos went viral in social media yesterday (Aug 2). A Thai facebook page which is translated as ‘Want to be famous; here we go’ yesterday shared photos of a Facebook user with message read ‘here we come, school cosplay. what…
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Man arrested after picking up drugs at Phuket Bus Terminal
The Phuket City Police have arrested a man who was picking up drugs delivered to the old bus terminal in Phuket Town yesterday (Aug 1). A team of the Phuket City Police led by Capt Teerasak Narasri arrested 25 year old Kanokpon ‘Pop’ Sripiboon from Songkhla at the bus terminal (Bus Terminal 1) on Phang Nga Road in Phuket Town. Police seized 4.36 grams of crystal methamphetamine.…
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VIDEO: Four escape serious injury in dramatic Phuket three vehicle collision
Four men have been injured after three vehicles were involved in a collision on Thepkrasattri Road in Rassada his morning (Aug 2). Kusoldarm rescue workers were notified of the incident at 6.28am today on Thepkrasattri Road, northbound lane, near the SuperCheap main store in Rassada. The four people injured include the driver of the white pick-up, 28 year old Kittithorn…
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Police search Patong bar owner’s rentals and home – Sattahip murder investigation
Police searched Patong Bar owner Panya ‘Sia Auan’ Yingdang’s accommodation for evidence that may link him to the Sattahip double murder over the weekend. Chonburi Police, investigating the double execution-style murders in the car park of Buddha Mountain in Sattahip, say their initial investigations revealed a number of key suspects. Read more about the issuing of a warrant for the…
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The Thai internal security command steps in to take over marine safety in Phuket
PHOTOS: Government Public Relations Department, Phuket Branch. The Thai military’s Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC), is now taking over the overhaul of boat safety for Phuket in the wake of the July 6 tragedy when 47 Chinese tourists died after their tour boat sank off Phuket. The Phuket branch of the Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC), the political attaché of the…
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Deadly link: Puppy factories and rabies
(12 minute read) A media release from soidog.org The panic over rabies that erupted at the beginning of this year seems to have died down. Fourteen people have died; dozens of dogs were poisoned and thousands more died after being incarcerated in government pounds as officials across the country stumbled to stamp out the spread of the disease. Yet absolutely nothing…
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Happy Birthday Thaiger – One year old today
Acute self indulgence today as we announce our first major milestone for thethaiger.com. We’re one year old. It was on August 1, 2017 that the fledgling Thaiger company took over the reins of the 23 year old Phuket Gazette and started posting under the new management. Only two weeks before we had received the keys to the toy box and…
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Entertainment venues in Patong, connected to the Sattahip murder, found illegal
Police last night (July 31) raided an entertainment business on Bangla Road which allegedly belongs to one of the Chonburi double murder suspects. The business was found to be illegal. Chonburi police, investigating the brazen double execution-style murder in the car park at Buddha Mountain in Sattahip, say initial investigations were able to uncover a number of possible motives and…
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Arrest warrant issued for Patong bar owner linked to the double murder in Sattahip
Two houses in Patong, linked to a suspect in the double murder at Sattahip, Chonburi, remain under surveillance but there hasn’t been any activity according to police. Chonburi police, investigating the double execution-style murders in the car park of Buddha Mountain in Sattahip, say their initial investigations revealed a number of possible motives in the gruesome hit. Read more about…
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22 year old man killed in Thalang road incident
A man has died after losing control of the pickup truck he was driving and collided with a tree just after midnight today (July 31). Thalang Police were notified of the incident on Thepkrasattri Road’s southbound lane near the Esso petrol station Suan Nam Sai in Thalang at about 00.30am today. Police and emergency responders arrived at the scene to…
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Man surrenders after killing co-worker in Thalang
A man has surrendered himself to police after stabbing and slashing his friend to death. The Thalang Police were notified of the incident that happened in front of a local shop in Baan Don, Thalang at 8pm on Friday. Thalang Police and rescue workers arrived at the scene to find a body of a man who was later identified as…
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First croc caught at sea – Yanui’s crocodile catchers
One of the Surat Thani-based crocodile catcher team says that ‘Yanui’ is the first crocodile that he has caught in the sea – a lot more difficult than catching ‘Laypang’, last August’s crocodile captured in a lagoon off Layan Beach. Head of the crocodile catcher team, Nikhom Suksawat, says, “It took 12 days to catch the crocodile because the weather…
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Search for missing boy at Nai Yang Beach resumes
A search for a missing boy resumed this morning with jet-skis and speedboats combing the shoreline and areas around Nai Yang Beach. Six boys headed into the water, but only up to their knees not far from the shore, yesterday afternoon. But the conditions were very rough with Nai Yang beach known for its rips dangerous surf at this time…
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UPDATE: Norwegian recuses two boys from surf while 11 year old remains missing
A Norwegian man has rescue two boys from strong surf at Nai Yang Beach. Three other boys managed to get back to the shore whilst other boy is still missing. Sakoo Police were notified of the incident around midday that five Thai boys had survived being washed into strong surf, and either being saved or getting back to shore themselves,…
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One missing in Nai Yang beach accident – Photos and video
PHOTOS: Tanakit Meebunkit/Facebook – Emergency Incident Phuket VIDEO: Wallop Jf Boonjun One child remains missing after a fun day to Nai Yang beach in the north end of the island’s west coast beaches, went wrong. The missing boy has been named as 11 year old Suphat Jampathong from the Wat Mongkolwararam School. The kids were playing in the shallows when a…
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Man killed in Patong road accident
A man has died in Patong after he appears to have lost control of his motorbike on Saturday (July 28). Patong Police were notified about the accident at 10.44am on Pang-Muang Sai Kor Road in Patong. Police and emergency responders arrived at the scene to find the body of a man who was later identified as 23 year old Adipong…
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‘Yanui’ the crocodile is probably from a crocodile farm
Experts believe that ‘Yanui’, the crocodile caught yesterday off Layan Beach, is not from the wild. The crocodile tried to return to land several times during its 12 days swimming in the sea along the west coast of Phuket, prompting croc experts to think it has been raised in captivity. Expert says that Yanui is a female crocodile which was…
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Gotcha! Phuket’s crocodile caught at Layan Beach
Phuket’s elusive crocodile has finally been caught at Layan Beach. The ‘Yanui’ crocodile (named by local Phuket reporters after the original beach it was sighted) has been caught at Layan Beach early today after more than ten days of search operations, sightings, drone photos and lots of people pointing out to sea. The crocodile was eventually caught by the Surat…
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Kathu Street Festival, preserving culture and tradition
The tenth annual Kathu Culture Street Festival is on until Sunday night (July 29) and is being held on Wichit Songkhram Road, showcasing the cultural heritage of one of Phuket’s oldest and most vibrant communities. Vice Governor Snith says, “this is the second time that I am taking part in the Kathu Culture Street Festival. The festival is important to…
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Phuket honours HM The King on his 66th birthday
A host of special ceremonies are being held across Phuket today to honor and celebrate HM King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun’s 66th Birthday. The first ceremony, which got underway at 6.30am, was presided over by Phuket Governor Norraphat Plodthong offering alms to 67 monks as part of a blessing ceremony to honor HM The King at Queen Sirikit Park in Phuket Town. Also…
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Kathu Culture Street Festival until Sunday night
The tenth annual Kathu Culture Street Festival is on until Sunday night (July 29) and is being held on Wichit Songkhram Road, showcasing the cultural heritage of one of Phuket’s oldest and most vibrant communities. Vice Governor Snith says, “this is the second time that I am taking part in the Kathu Culture Street Festival. The festival is important to…
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Body of missing Indian man washed up on Karon Beach
The Phuket Tourist Police have confirmed the discovery of the body of an Indian man who has been missing in the seas off Karon Beach since Wednesday (July 25). The man’s body was found at Karon Beach yesterday (July 27). Karon Police were notified at 5pm last Wednesday that a tourist was missing. Another Indian man had already been taken…
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Register your crocodile by August 10 – Phuket Governor
OK, all you closet-crocodile owners, it’s time to register your crocodile. And make it snappy! Owners of crocodiles in Phuket must register them with the Phuket Provincial Fisheries Office before August 10, 2018, or they will face legal action. Phuket’s Governor says “The province has issued an announcement notifying crocodile owners who have yet to register to the Phuket Provincial…
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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