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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Domestic terminal opens another section for the high season
Phuket International Airport will open the domestic terminal on the north side of the old terminal to welcome travellers during Phuket’s tourism high season starting November 28. The south section, which is currently used as the domestic terminal, will be closed down for renovation. The opening will offer more convenience to the passengers, both departures and arrivals, with a wider…
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Thalang Police uncover 400+ kilos of drugs
Last night (November 23), Thalang police arrested 7 alleged drug dealers with 20,000 amphetamine pills alongside 220 kilograms of kratom leaves, 2 guns and bullets. The 7 suspects were arrested in the Paklok area. Police received a report about drugs being sold in the area and found juveniles, including Kacha Kuekkong and Anuchit Khamsee, who were outside their room but…
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Friday Morning Briefing – everything you need to know in 3 minutes
KL is the big winner in a survey for expat living. Story below… “We only want men who are willing” PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has come to the defence of his Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon over his provocative remarks concerning the suspicious death of a military pre-cadet. General Prawit responded to a media question over the matter, that it was…
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Phang Nga mother in court as suspected accomplice in Erawan Shrine bombing
Wanna Suansan, accused of facilitating the 2015 Erawan Shrine bombing, appeared in Bangkok Military Court on Thursday morning to apply for her first 12-day detention period. She is one of 17 suspects in the bomb attack that killed 20 people and wounded 163 others. Wanna, 29, was taken into police custody at Suvarnabhumi International Airport on Wednesday evening as she…
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Thailand hosts ASEAN Environment Conference in Phuket
The Reducing Marine Debris in ASEAN Region 2017 hosted by Thailand is being held at JW Marriott Phuket Resort & Spa today (November 22). The meeting gathers the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR), Kasetsart University and International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) with about 200 participants from many sectors in order to find solutions to reduce marine…
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Driver wraps pick-up around Thalang pole, killing one
A pick-up truck has lost control and smashed into a lamp post after driving at high speed during early morning rain resulting in one death and another in Thalang Hospital in critical condition. Just after midnight today (November 22), at the intersection of Thepkasattri Road (in front Wat Phra Nang Sang), a white pick-up truck driven by 31 year old…
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Boat explosion at Chalong Pier
An explosion on a speed boat called ‘Choksomboon’ at Chalong Pier has injured two boat staff while the bottom of the boat has also been damaged. At about 4 pm yesterday (November 21), Chalong police got a report about an explosion and blaze near Chalong Pier. At the scene police found a 2 outboard engine speedboat docked at the port…
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THAIGER TODAY Wednesday, November 22
Big rains in Hua Hin | Horrible crash in Thalang overnight | Football game-fixing exposed | Huge methamphetamine pill haul in Samut Prakhan | 5 of the 20 escapees caught in Songkhla.
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Kathu Police Chief to move in as Acting-Chief of Patong Police
Today (November 21), Phuket Provincial Police Commander, Pol. Maj. Gen. Teerapol Thipcharoen, signed the approval for the Kathu Police Station Superintendent to be acting Patong Police Station Superintendent. This follows the transfer of several officers over the ongoing bribe scandal including former Patong Superintendent, Pol. Col. Tassanai Oladirek. Pol. Col. M.L. Pattanachak Chakrabhan will move from Kathu Police Station to…
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Blaze in Krabi’s famous nightclub
A famous nightclub in Krabi, the “Number One”, caught fire early this morning (November 21) at about 5.30 am. Luckily, the club was closed at the time and nobody was at the scene. The fire started in the DJ booth before expanding to the walls and the air-conditioned vents. It took firefighters about 20 minutes to extinguish the blaze. The…
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THAIGER TODAY Tuesday, November 21
Stabbings in Thalang and Phuket Town | US 7th Fleet Admiral and Thai PM attend Sail Past in Pattaya | 20 escape from Songkhla detention | ‘Spotlight Phuket’ dumps the dirt on Patong corruption | MRT Blue Line in BKK ditches passenger seats.
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Phang Nga sets example for managing plastic waste
Ao Phang Nga National Park will be cited at a regional meeting this week as an example of Pracha Rath (public-private partnerships in development) being put to use in managing seaborne plastic waste. The success that officials and residents have enjoyed in curbing waste in the waters of the Phang Nga park will be outlined at the ASEAN and China…
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Pattani man kills his girlfriend, stabs her brother, then jumps off Khao Rang viewpoint
29 year old Peeya Payae is under arrest at Vachira Hospital today, after allegedly killing his girlfriend by stabbing her in the head and then stabbing her brother before jumping off Khao Rang Viewpoint in an attempted suicide. Police found 30 year old Anusara Musoh with severe wounds on the back of her head inside the room where she lived…
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Two stabbings in Thalang
Police have arrested two suspects in Thalang; one is a Myanmar worker who allegedly stabbed his employer to death and another one is a husband who allegedly stabbed his wife. At a media conference today (November 20), police revealed information about the two murder cases. In the first case, police have arrested a Myanmar worker, May, who works at a…
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THAIGER TODAY Monday, November 20
50th anniversary for ASEAN Navies in Pattaya | Police – get a haircut! | Laguna Phuket Triathlon | Two entertainment venues closed for five years | Boat Lagoon Weekend returns next month.
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Marine and Coastal Resources check for protected shark meat in Karon
Officers from the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources, Area 9 Phuket Office visited a Karon restaurant after a picture of them selling shark meat had gone viral on social media. The team visited the avenue on November 19 but couldn’t find sharks being sold as in the pictures. The shop owner, Narongchai Thanataweesakul, told the investigating team that the…
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Ten Phuket police shipped off to inactive posts in BKK
The police inspector-general has issued two orders to transfer 10 Phuket police officers to inactive posts in Bangkok, causing dissatisfaction and affecting the morale of other officers. Four of the transferred officers were moved from the Patong police station amid allegations that their recent crackdown on a restaurant in the popular tourist town had affected the business of certain police…
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Ice-cream man shot dead in Patong apartment
At 5.30am (November18), 39 year old Punya Yingdung surrendered to Patong police for killing a man. The crime scene was the 4th floor of the Pumpui Bar staff’s apartment in Soi Suk Charoen, Phrametta Road, Patong. Police found 47 year old Ampan Suksawad covered in blood. He was shot once, the 9mm bullet hitting him near his collarbone. Punya, the…
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16 million Baht budget for second lifeguard auction
The OrBorJor Phuket has announced it will launch another auction to supply Phuket lifeguard services offering a budget of 16 million Baht. The date shall be confirmed within this month. Meanwhile, Satien Kaewpraprab, deputy secretary of the OrBorJor Phuket revealed that the organisation has been hiring individual lifeguards to station at 7 beaches which started on November 1, including Nai…
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Dr Thon urges authorities to scrap the Surin Beach retention wall
Dr Thon Thamrongnawasawat, assistant dean of the Faculty of Fisheries at Kasetsart University and a renowned marine specialist, has commented on the retention wall project of Cherngtalay OrBorTor that is planned to be built on Surin Beach saying that such a wall will be harmful for the local eco-system and beach environment. “The retention wall project on Surin Beach, which…
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THAIGER TODAY Friday, November 17
Featuring a local Kathu school and their marching band. Political arties can start getting ready for registration | Whale sharks found of Koh Kong | Baht reaches nearly 33 Baht/US dollar | Toon going solo to catch up with his running schedule | DSI gives marching orders to Layan beach-encroachers.
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Whale shark family spotted near Koh Hong, Krabi
Weerasak Srisajang, Chief of Than Bok Khorani National Park, has revealed that three whale sharks have been spotted yesterday afternoon (November 15) by national park officers during their survey after getting some reports of sharks swimming near the area recently. The three whale sharks were swimming together near Koh Hong, which is the largest number of whale sharks found at…
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THAIGER TODAY Thursday, November 16
Meet Francesc Rovira, Michelin Star Chef | 3 dead and 48 injured in a bus crash | Toon OK after health scare | Building at Ao Sane will stay | four to be arrested for using drone during Royal Funeral.
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DSI visits Laypang Beach to recover encroached land from illegal businesses
An earlier attempt to remove Tony Restaurant from Laypang Beach in April 2016. The Director General of DSI, Pol Col Paisit Wongmuang, and the Deputy Director General, Pol Lt Col Prawut Wongsinil, along with their team and local authorities, visited Laypang Beach today (November 16) to give notice to the business operators who still occupy the land. The direction is…
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Surin Beach locals not happy with MaAnn’s retention wall
The team of Phuket Provincial Office of Public Works and Town & Country Planning, Thalang District Chief and other officials led by the Chief of Cherngtalay OrBorTor gathered at Surin Beach today (November 15) to meet with a group of about 50 local villagers, who disagree with the plan to build a retention wall along Surin Beach that will cost…
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Bad day on Phuket’s roads
There was a fatal accident just after 8am this morning on the By Pass Road, southbound, just near the Keehin hardware store. The black pick-up truck was carrying eight Burmese migrant workers. The injured were taken to Vachira Hospital. There was heavy traffic across the Patong Hill early in the morning, also later in the afternoon and traffic along Viset…
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THAIGER TODAY Wednesday, November 15
Another drowning off Karon Beach | Illegal migrant numbers in Phuket rising | Condos are not a ‘bubble’, sales high | Governor pushes forward on dog pound | ASEAN skirts around Suu Kyi | One dead and another seven taken to hospital following crash on By Pass road this morning.
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60 year old Brit drowns at Karon
A 60 year old British tourist, Collin William Dean, drowned in Karon yesterday (November 14) after swimming in a red flagged zone. He went to the beach with his wife and drowned after getting dragged under by a strong waves. His wife called for help around and the people nearby jumped into the water to help him. He was brought…
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Close to 2,000 illegal foreigners in Phuket not deported
Phuket Police Commander, Pol Maj Gen Teerapon Thipcharoln has revealed that about 1,730 cases of illegal foreigners in Phuket ‘discovered’ by local police from many police stations across Phuket were not handed to Phuket Immigration Office and the cases are being investigated. The total criminal cases where foreigners were arrested from October 2016 – October 2017 is 2,415 people with…
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THAIGER TODAY Tuesday, November 14
HRH Princess Sirindhorn opens conference in Phuket | Thailand’s annual road toll increases | Checks on Patong Beach smoking ban | APEC doesn’t sanction Myanmar over Rohingya | Removal of ‘red flags’ on Thai airlines | HM The King sends a gift to ‘Toon’.
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.