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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10 biggest challenges retirees face in Thailand (and how to overcome them)
Retiring in Thailand comes with many benefits, like warm weather, affordable living, and a rich culture. However, it also brings challenges. Retirees must deal with visa rules, healthcare costs, language barriers, and cultural differences. Rising medical expenses, required insurance, and...
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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’.
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Authorities check the smoking ban along Patong Beach
The Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) Director General, Chatuporn Burutpat, along with his team, visited Patong Beach to follow up on the cigarette prohibition now in force on the famous tourist beach. 26 smoking spots were set up along the 3 kilometre stretch of beach by Patong Municipality last week. The Director General and Patong Mayor, Chalermluck Kebsup,…
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HRH Princess Sirindhorn opens astrophysics conference in Phuket
HRH Princess Sirindhorn Chaired the 11th International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics (IOAA) 2017 hosted at the Duangjitt Resort in Patong. The opening ceremony was arranged for yesterday morning (November 13). A number of Phuket authorities including Phuket’s Governor, the Patong Mayor, Rawai Mayor and the Dean of Prince of Songkla University welcomed HRH Princess at the ceremony. The IOAA…
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THAIGER TODAY Monday, November 13
Some retailers ‘not playing fair’ | HRH Princess Sirindhorn in Phuket | APEC kicks off in Vietnam | 200 year old Siamese cannons found | Another fatal bus crash in Bangkok | Rubber planters call off BKK protest.
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Two killed in eight hours on Phuket’s roads
Accident on Patong Hill killing one this morning At about 2 am this morning (November 13), Kathu police got a report of a pick-up truck that had an accident hitting an electric pole killing the 35 year old driver, Wittaya Chanadet, while the passenger suffered from injuries and was taken to Hospital. The passenger was not named. Police revealed that…
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Government crackdown uncovers 100,000 illegal immigrants
The 95 arrested in Phuket last week for overstaying their visas could be just the tip of a 100,000 person iceberg, according to the country’s Deputy PM Prawit Wongsuwan. 62 Indians, 11 Pakistanis, 6 Egyptians and 16 foreigners from other nationalities were rounded up last Friday by immigration police whilst 15 Phuket-based police are being being asked to ‘please explain’ why…
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Vachira wants to be paid before Stacey can leave hospital
PHOTO: 9news.com.au “Last night she told 9NEWS that animals walked freely through the hospital wards and said the family was worried about the risk of infection so soon after Ms Liddle’s surgery”. An Australian woman who could lose her leg after a horrible scooter accident in Thailand (Chalong, Phuket) fears being held hostage over her hospital bill (at Vachira Hospital).…
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Phuket Immigration Police arrest 95 illegal foreigners, mostly overstayers
Today (November 10), Phuket Immigration Police announced the results of a crackdown with 95 foreigners arrested, mostly on the basis of overstay. The mix of nationalities comprises 62 Indians, 11 Pakistanis, 6 Egyptians and 16 foreigners from other nationalities. 70 of them were overstaying (the longest one is 2,000 days or nearly five and a half years) while 24 others…
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15 Phuket police officers under investigation over bribes allegations
Deputy Police Commissioner General Pol Gen Srivara Ransibrahmanakul An investigation has been launched against 15 police officers in Phuket accused of taking bribes from illegal immigrants. Deputy Police Commissioner General Pol Gen Srivara Ransibrahmanakul said he had been assigned by the national police chief to head the probe into allegations that local police, tourist police and immigration police in Phuket…
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THAIGER TODAY Friday, November 10
Suspicious object found at Phuket Airport | Phuket Gateway V2.0 launches soon | Police investigate Ayutthaya fatal crash | Huge hauls of drugs and illegal animal products overnight | Ponzi scheme seminar held in Phuket Town. And our bike helmet challenge!
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Suspicious item found near the Phuket International Airport
A suspicious item, that looked like a M67 grenade, was found at a taxi queue next to the Phuket International Airport last night (November 9). The object was in a perfect shape with the bolt wrapped in blue tape. The team covered the item using old tyres and cordoned off the scene from the public. Phuket International Airport’s EOD team…
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The Laverty’s Little Lie – how NOT to scam your insurance company
PHOTO: express.co.uk When we first saw this story, not provided by one of our reporters but from a UK provincial rag, we were suspicious. We contacted the local police. Nothing. We asked other reporters around the island. Nothing. We re-published the article with the caveat that we were trying to verify the facts with local police. We weren’t the only…
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Phuket Gateway 2.0 to be ready next month
Phuket Gateway will be ready to kick off on December 12 this year and is expected to be the welcoming landmark of Phuket at the top of the island providing useful information to travelers. This morning (November 9) Phuket’s Governor, Norapat Plodthong, chaired a meeting to follow up on the project – the Phuket Gateway at Thachatchai – which was…
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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