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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Threatened oil spill off Phuket’s east coast
A boat named ‘Cheburi’, a fishing boat from outside Thai waters, has washed ashore in front of Tapao Yai Island, just off Cape Panwa, after being prosecuted by the Fisheries Office for breaking Thailand’s Fisheries Act for not reporting on time. Officers surrounded the scene with floating protection barriers to avoid the oil leaking out. The old and ‘out of…
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WEDNESDAY MORNING HEADLINES – All your news in 3 minutes
A lot of stories making up our news feeds today, from all over Thailand. Let’s ignore the threat of a 100% chance of rain from the forecast and focus on the sunshine in between. Here are today’s main news stories… Minimum wage rise, but… Debate over a rise in the minimum wage is heating up, with a key battleground opening…
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THAIGER TODAY Tuesday, January 9
Over 7,000 drones registered so far | Taxi industry getting new ‘Taxi OK’ App | Suspects arrested over bus torching in South last month | No plans as yet for HM King’s coronation | Restaurants holding out along Layan Beach | Brit arrested in Pattaya over women falling from balcony | Latest in the Bang Tao beach ‘private beach’ affair.
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TUESDAY MORNING HEADLINES – All your local news in 3 minutes
Hang on.. “100% rain predicted Wednesday and Thursday”. Isn’t this meant to be the dry-season, the high-season, the blue-sky season? Despite the dramatic forecasts we still seem to be getting plenty of sunshine. Here’s today’s main new stories… Bus torching leads to arrests More arrests are anticipated over the torching of a Bangkok-bound bus in southern Yala province last month thanks…
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Part of the beach in front of Dusit Thani Laguna is privately owned – Land Office
Phuket Land Office, Thalang District Branch, revealed today (January 8), that the land between the sea and Dusit Thani Laguna is Crown Land (Nor Sor Lor). However, the area where the tourist was asked to move away on Sunday is still covered in the resort’s private property, according to the title. The Land Officer, Yongyuth Kanjananurak, commented on the live…
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THAIGER TODAY Monday, January 8
Private Beach in Bang Tao. Huh?! | Update on Phuket Immigration website | Yingluck awaiting asylum status in the UK | Toon’s charity money WILL be used to purchase hospital equipment | South Korean, with a US passport, got naked at airport | Ao Nang Beach effluent outcry | 42 arrested in Songkhla in rubber plantation gambling raid.
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MONDAY MORNING HEADLINES – All your local news in 3 minutes
PHOTO: Over 40 Gamblers rounded-up after a gambling den was raided in Songkhla. Many escaped. The weather says rain, our eyes say sunshine. Still, it’s going to be 30 degrees. Many schools are back from today and the traffic seems to be getting back to its usual crawl. Here’s today’s main news stories… Dusit Thani ask German tourist to move…
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‘Private beach’ in front of Dusit Thani Laguna Phuket
The video of Facebook user Aziz Yotharak, who uploaded a post of a tourist being asked to move from the ‘private’ beach in front of Dusit Thani Laguna Phuket, has gone viral whilst the resort denies that they ordered the staff to chase the tourist and his children off the beach. The video shows the tourist with two children sitting…
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URGENT BLOOD DONATION REQUIRED – Blood Group A
Blood group A is urgently required at Vachira Hospital. People who are able to donate blood, you are requested to go to the Blood Bank, located on the 4th floor of the out-patient building at Vachira Hospital. For more information, call 07 636 1234. The department opens from 8.30am – 8pm on weekdays and from 8.30am – 3pm during weekends.
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SUNDAY HEADLINES – All your local news in 3 minutes
Some rain overnight around the island and more of the sun/cloud/light winds predicted over the next week. Just like last year, the ‘usual’ high-season weather isn’t arriving in 2018. Here are today’s main news stories… Four crew drown after shipping incident in the Gulf Four crew from a Thai fishing boat have drowned after it was hit and sunk by…
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Phuket Headlines – November 1, 2018
PM says election delays ‘inevitable’ Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha says he may have to delay the calling of elections because the Sub-Committee for Drawing Things was still trying to choose the best font for the ballot papers. He also noted that the media’s continuous barrage of questions about an election date gave him no time to call an election. Asked…
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Century old Phuket house to become VIP accommodation and museum
Phuket Governor, Norapat Plodthong, hosted a meeting planning to renovate the hundred year old Charter Bank House, which belongs to the Treasury Department, to become accommodation for VIPs who are visiting Phuket. The first draft plans are expected to be finished by January 15. The Governor has already filed a letter to the Ministry of Interior to use the location.…
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SATURDAY MORNING NEWS BRIEFING – All your local news in 3 minutes
Welcome to your weekend. Was quite a bit of rain around the island last night and more is forecast today. But, as usual, still plenty of sunshine. Let’s see what stories are making headlines today… Woman found floating off Koh Phi Phi identified Police on Koh Phi Phi say that the body of a woman found floating off Lo Dalum…
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Phuket’s low season growth produces record tourism numbers in 2017
By Bill Barnett of c9Hotelworks.com For 2017 the island’s gateway airport posted 11.3% year-on-year growth to reach an estimated 8.4 million incoming passengers. This was mainly driven by a 20% surge in Mainland Chinese travelers to the island and a rising number visitors during low season of 11.2% compared to the same period in 2016. Passenger arrivals remain the key…
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Japanese tourist killed by boat propellor in Koh Similan
Just days after the Phuket Governor reported a clean sheet for marine boat accidents during the Seven Dangerous Days reporting period, a Japanese tourist has died during a trip to Koh Similan. 37 year old Yoshida Saori from Japan was scuba diving alone near Koh Tachai yesterday (January 4). She jumped from the boat when a big wave pushed her…
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Drugs crackdown on Naka Island
Nearly a hundred Phuket police arrested 6 alleged drug dealers on Naka Island after receiving reports from locals that they were selling drugs to tourists and threatening people by posting pictures of weapons on social media. A barrage of 95 Phuket police, bringing together Thalang Police, Muang Phuket Police, Kathu Police, Thachatchai Police and Cherngtalay Police arrested 3 drug dealers.…
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Honda ablaze in Phuket town
Early today (January 5) at 5.30 am, police received a report about a car on fire in Soi Kor Pai in Phuket Town. The car was parked on the side road. Fire fighters brought 2 fire trucks and took about 20 minutes to extinguish the fire. No one was injured. The car was a blue Honda Civic with the plate…
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FRIDAY MORNING NEWS BRIEFING – All your local news in 3 minutes
Final day of the week and a lead into your standard, normal, hopefully quiet, weekend. Weather seems to be staying cloudy but the threatened rain has mostly held off this week. It may not be bright blue sunny skies but it’s still a great place to live! What’s happening around Thailand and Phuket today? Seven Dangerous Days – final reports…
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Himalayan vulture rescued by Phuket villagers
By Anotai Ngarndee Villagers in Phuket handed over a Himalayan griffon vulture on Thursday to a wildlife nursery station in Phang Nga, which they found in weak condition in the province. Theetat Dam-udom, chief of the nursery station, said the vulture was an adult weighing about eight kilograms with a wingspan of about three metres. The vulture was found in…
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Russian woman attacked on Koh Phi Phi
FILE PHOTO Police Region 8 Commander, Pol Lt Gen Sorasak Yenprem, has ordered an urgent investigation and search to find the man who allegedly attacked a Russian woman on Koh Phi Phi on the New Year’s night. The 28 year old Russian woman (name supplied but not being made public) was celebrating the New Year’s Eve with her mother on…
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Phuket’s ‘seven days of danger’ results announced
This morning (December 4), Phuket Governor chaired a meeting at Provincial hall to announce the official statistics for Phuket from the ‘Seven Days of Danger reporting period. There were 7 accidents on the 7th day, January 3, with 7 injuries. For the whole period of 7 days, there was a total of 46 accidents with 46 injuries and 2 casualties.…
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UPDATE: 4 motorcycle thugs surrendered
The four members of a motorcycle gang who attacked 40 year old Romy Navio, who tried to stop them from hurting three other young men, have surrendered. Yesterday (December 3) at 2pm, the four, including 18 year old Nattawut ‘Fad’ Plighin, 18 year old Sarun ‘Yak’ Muenkla, 18 year old Panuruj ‘Tiw’ Sudpangyang and 18 year old Kajorn ‘Ben’ Raya,…
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THAIGER TODAY Thursday, January 4
‘Somtam Index’ shows Krabi most expensive | Deluge of new year drink-driving prosecutions causing paperwork nightmare | Tourist pest from Jungceylon was at it again the afternoon before | Thai auto industry doing well | Official stats after six days of ‘seven day’ reporting period | BKK cracking down on noisy vehicles.
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THURSDAY MORNING NEWS BRIEFING – All your news in 3 minutes
Settling into the routine for 2018. Traffic was busy this morning, a sure sign we’re returning to work and doing our best to avoid the high-season tourist traffic. Here’s today’s main new stories… Thai auto industry getting behind electric cars The Thai automobile industry say they finished 2017 with sales rebounding reporting that a large number of new models helped…
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Phuket ‘gangster’ arrest warrants to be issued
A group of motorcycle ‘gangsters’ who attacked local innocent residents in Yoo Sabai Village during the New Year night will be issued with arrest warrants soon. After a post by Facebook user Techa Tubthong, releasing a 3 minute footage of a group of motorcyclists attacking their opponents and harming the villagers who tried to stop the fight, one of the…
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Drunk female tourist refuses to pay bill at Jungceylon
A video has posted on a popular Phuket Facebook page that showed an altercation between a female tourist and several people outside a Fuji Japanese restaurant in Jungceylon. The video shows a woman, apparently from Europe (some say Norwegian), arguing with security as a crowd of shoppers gather. Amid claims that the tourist is drunk the poster of the footage…
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THAIGER TODAY Wednesday, January 3
Changes to universal healthcare system | Super Full Moon Party in Koh Phangan | Latest death toll from Seven Dangerous Days | DSI uncovered 9 billion baht of unpaid taxes on imported cars | Governor visits Rassada Pier | Idiot arrested over random gunfire on NYE.
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WEDNESDAY NEWS BRIEFING – All your local news in 3 minutes
Sort of back to normal today, whatever that means. The news never stops and there’s plenty of it around today. Let’s see what news stories are in our inbox this morning… PM urges big effort on final day of reporting period PM General Prayut Chan-o-cha is urging officers to strictly enforce traffic laws and provide security for people on the…
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DAY FIVE REPORT: Phuket road accidents and casualties
FILE PHOTO Total accidents on fifth day of the ‘Seven days of danger’ campaign have been announced for Phuket. The total number of accidents for the first five days of the New Year season is 31, with 31 injuries and 2 casualties. Today (January 2), at the Provincial Hall, Phuket’s Governor Plodthong chaired a meeting on road accident reduction and…
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TUESDAY MORNING NEWS BRIEFING – All your news in 3 minutes
Another public holiday today. The Government announced last year that they’d add an extra day to the new year holidays this year in an effort to relieve the rush of traffic as people head home and back for the new year break. Police will be out in force today checking on drunk drivers at checkpoints around the island. Government offices…
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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