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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Falling tree damages tuk-tuk, injures driver in Phuket
PHUKET: A tuk-tuk driver escaped with minor injuries after a palm tree fell directly on top of his vehicle at a crowded shopping district in Karon yesterday. Prawi Sangkaew, 49, was driving past Karon Plaza when a strong gust of wind caused the 40-year-old palm tree to fall. The tree narrowly missed the driver’s section of the vehicle. There were…
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Swedish tourist survives stabbing, balcony fall
PHUKET: A Swedish tourist luckily escaped death after he jumped off the balcony of his hotel room in Karon yesterday morning. The victim, Lennart Sundstorm, 52, was staying at the Kata Green Beach Hotel. Police believe he had pressing financial issues which led him to perform the desperate act. Maj Patiwat Yodkhwan of Karon Police, Tourist Police officers and rescue…
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Patong parking complaints spark military blitz
PHUKET: Officers from the Region 4 Army Headquarters in Phuket visited Patong Beach last week to address complaints about the bike rental management system, particularly the decades-old problem of theft of space from the public. Vendors and locals in the area said that the beach looked disorganized as dozens of rental bikes were parked chaotically and illegally along the road.…
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Sentenced to jail, woman fights against ‘false’ evidence
PHUKET: A therapist accused of stealing a necklace in Trang and sentenced to jail is set to appeal. The theft occurred back in 2011, when the victim reported to Trang police officers that she was drugged by a waitress named Ploi, and her necklace with a Buddha pendant, worth 700,000 baht, was stolen. The accused, Pavitra Kongampon, 32, also known…
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Another drug dealer arrested, charged in Phuket
PHUKET: Another drug dealer was charged with several crimes in Phuket this morning, after he was busted arrested with a homemade gun, ammunition and ya ice (crystal Methamphetamine) on Wednesday afternoon in Wichit. Maj Thanasak Sawangsri with his team took the lead on the case after receiving a tip-off at about 3:30pm two days ago. “We spotted Keerati Laocome, 27,…
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Video: Yet another crash occurs at Heroines Monument
PHUKET: A crash occurred early this morning when a salaeng (motorbike with a sidecar) crashed into a taxi, which then slammed into a barrier at the Heroines’ Monument roundabout. Capt Kraisorn Boonprasob of Thalang Police received the report at about 5:30am. “The taxi, driven by Prapoj Boontang, was heading to Patong from Phuket Airport,” Capt Kraisorn told the Phuket Gazette.…
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Australian jet-ski victim’s partner awaits trial in Phuket
PHUKET: The partner of a 20-year-old Australian woman who was killed in a jet-ski collision with him at Kata Beach on Sunday, is expected to be charged with reckless driving causing death and is awaiting trial in Phuket. Thomas Keating, 22, and his partner Emily Jayne Collie, 20, came to Phuket for a holiday and had rented jet-skis to ride…
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Thai woman found hanged in Phuket apartment
PHUKET: A Thai woman was found hanged in a Patong apartment yesterday with a note that explained her health and money issues. “The apartment is located on Pisitkoraneee Road. We found the body of Chantraporn Martphanna, 47, hanging by electric wires tied to the closet bar,” said Capt Yingyong Chuoykij of Patong Police. “The body was taken to Patong Hospital…
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Phuket’s Bypass Road ripped up for repairs
PHUKET: A 9 million baht budget has been set aside for repair work on the northbound Bypass Road leading up to Thepkrasattri Road. Locals are having trouble maneuvering on the road, as it has now become slippery and dusty. They asked officers why a section of the road that was in good enough condition is being fixed. Phuket Highways officer…
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Man presumed “dead’ found to be drunk
PHUKET: A drunk man gave everyone a scare yesterday when he appeared to be dead to passersby in Chalong. Capt Prasert Srita of Chalong Police received a call at about 4:55pm to check on the ‘dead’ body of a Myanmar man, lying by an electric pole on Soi Sai Nam Yen. “We went there to check and found that he…
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Another teenager killed, and a second seriously injured in Phuket road crash
PHUKET: A 15-year-old biker was killed and his passenger, also 15, was seriously injured when a van driver cut them off, causing a three-vehicle collision yesterday evening in Chalong. Both boys were still in school uniform with their schoolbags across their shoulders. “Rescue workers provided CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) to the driver, Wasin Thongsom, but his injuries were too severe and…
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Frenchman, Russians arrested in Phuket brawl
PHUKET: Two Russian tourists and a French expat were arrested after they were seen armed and fighting in Patong this afternoon. The incident happened near a bike rental shop run by the Frenchman, named by police as Gerard Pecherstorfer, 63, and his wife Suvan Paiwansao, on Sirirat Road. Ms Suvan told police that the argument was about a bike rental…
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American found dead in Phuket hotel room
PHUKET: An American man was found dead at a hotel room in Patong yesterday afternoon. “We received a report of the incident at about 3:30pm. The deceased was 58 years old and staying at the Orange Hotel,” said Maj Pattapee Srichai of Patong Police. “We found him lying face up on his bed with no wounds or marks on his…
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Phuket-bound speedboat crashes into longtail at Maya Bay
PHUKET: Three people escaped serious injuries after a speedboat crashed into a longtail off Phi Phi yesterday afternoon. Capt Paramin Maikul of Phi Phi Police received reports of the collision at about 2pm. “The incident occurred near Maya Bay. The longtail had two Japanese tourists and a captain, named Somsak Sangpaen, 30, on board. The captain sustained minor injuries, while…
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Deadly crash kills one near Central Festival Phuket
PHUKET: A Rawai local was killed early this morning when his truck crashed into an electricity pole in front of Central Festival Phuket. Lt Patcharee Wongboon of Wichit Police received reports of the incident at about 4:30am. “We arrived with rescue workers to find the heavily-damaged brown Toyota Vigo pick-up truck flipped over to its left side and smashed into…
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Holiday nightmare: Aussie tourist killed in Phuket jet-ski collision
PHUKET: A 20-year-old Australian woman was killed in a jet-ski collision with her husband at Kata Beach yesterday evening. The victim, named Emily Collie, suffered severe injuries to her head, neck and shoulders. “Other beachgoers came to her aid and lifeguards administered CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) while waiting for police and rescue workers to arrive,” said Lt Col Patiwat Yordsuan of…
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Hotel Report: Russians back, zero-baht backlash, crackdown on illegal hotels
PHUKET: Russian arrivals are back to pre-crisis level while the zero-baht tourism ban curbed Q4 growth, the newly released C9 Hotelworks ‘Phuket Hotel Market Update’ for February says. With total airport arrivals surpassing 7.5 million passengers, Phuket experienced a sharp year-on-year rise of 18 per cent, compared to 13 per cent the previous year. This is largely attributed to the…
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Two killed by electrocution in Phuket
PHUKET: Two 27-year-old men were killed in two separate incidents of electrocution in Patong yesterday afternoon. The first victim was an elevator engineer named Detch Gamlhong, who was called in to fix an elevator at a hotel on Prachanukror Road. “We received a report of the incident from staff at Patong Hospital at about 1pm. The victim was rushed to…
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Abandoned luggage causes bomb scare in Phuket Town
PHUKET: The Explosive Ordnance Unit (EoU) responded to a bomb scare at Yi Teng Intersection in Phuket Town at about 8:30 last night. Phuket City Police officers received reports of an abandoned suitcase that had been left near a garbage bin. Traffic came to a standstill as police arrived at the scene and blocked all incoming traffic to the area…
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Two teenagers stabbed by youth gang in Phuket
PHUKET: Two teenage boys were stabbed by a gang of teenagers who allegedly tried to rob them at Bang Niew Dam Reservoir in Thalang yesterday evening. Police and rescue teams arrived at the scene to find the two boys injured and bleeding. Worrayuth Kahapana, 18, had stab wounds to his left arm and lower rib. The second victim,16, had multiple…
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Phuket lifeguard quits to protest vendor takeover
PHUKET: A Laem Singh lifeguard quit his job last month after a group of angry umbrella vendors reportedly asked him to remove his government-issued lifeguard tent, claiming the space as theirs. The vendors said they were ‘locals’ and were authorized to use the space to set up umbrellas and mats for rent. Almost exactly a year ago, former Phuket Vice…
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Foreigner stabbed to death in Phuket last night
PHUKET: Confusion prevailed at Phuket’s Rassada port when a Burmese man ran amok with a deep knife wound in his back last night. The 28-year-old man, named only as ‘Mutesui’, was part of a fishing boat crew and was seen running from a boat docked at the pier at about 11:45pm. “A witness told us that he was walking past…
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Another foreign tourist killed on Phuket’s roads
PHUKET: Another foreign tourist in Phuket, this time a young Turkish man, died in a motorbike crash in Kathu District at about 10pm last night. The incident occurred near the Red Mountain Golf Course. Police and rescue workers arrived at the scene to find Hussain Cengiz Coskun, 24, lying on the road next to an electric pole with severe head…
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British man found suffocated in Phuket
PHUKET: A British man from Liverpool was found dead with a plastic bag taped around his neck at a house in Rawai yesterday afternoon. His partner, Rasamee Khaigarb, contacted Capt Somkiet Sarasit of Chalong Police to report the incident at about 4pm. The policeman arrived at the scene with rescue teams. “We found the 55-year-old man lying face up with…
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‘Most beautiful’ girl in Krabi crowned
KRABI: Pamela Pasinetti won the Miss Grand Krabi 2017 beauty pageant last weekend, and is on her way to compete in Miss Grand Thailand 2017. The Miss Grand competition involves the selection of the ‘most beautiful’ girl in a particular province. Once the girl is chosen, she gets a chance to compete in the larger Miss Grand Thailand competition –…
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Phuket swimmers treated with plant paste for jellyfish stings
PHUKET: A quick-thinking Surin lifeguard used his basic knowledge of beach vegetation to treat a young boy and two adults stung by jellyfish this morning. Sayan Bureerak, head of Surin Beach Lifeguards, received reports of the incident at about 11am. “The tourists – two adults and one 10-year-old boy – were in a lot pain when I arrived. Since I…
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100,000 baht found on Phuket temple beggar
PHUKET: A crippled Thai beggar with a hidden ‘money-belt’ was arrested last night after police received complaints from visitors at the Chalong Temple Fair. Lt Col Parinya Tanthasuwan of Chalong Police received reports of the 67-year-old man harassing locals and foreigners at about 7pm, and called in Supparuek Pinyo from the Phuket Province Social Development and Society office. “We first…
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Phuket school assembly disrupted by parked car
PHUKET: A picture of a car parked in the middle of a school assembly in Phuket is making the rounds on the internet this morning. The Facebook post was originally shared by Pairat Kamliang, deputy director of Baan Samkong Municipality School, asking the public to help locate the owner of the car, which is a Toyota Camry Hybrid. Mr Pairat…
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![Critically injured Aussie hospitalized in Phuket [video] | Thaiger](https://thethaiger.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/1_201713112529921_fdFKaMwvGLXuGAqbgiajqocFzzUDxricVomvAirG_jpeg.jpeg)
Critically injured Aussie hospitalized in Phuket [video]
PHUKET: An Australian tourist, who was reportedly involved in a head-on collision with a truck in Koh Lanta on January 15, has been hospitalized in Phuket with a mounting medical bill that is not covered by her insurance. Dawn Weldon-Schupp, a 53-year-old nurse from New South Wales, was travelling on a motorbike with her 14-year-old son, Josh, when the accident…
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Phuket’s snakes have no place to go
PHUKET: The Kusoldharm Rescue Foundation Phuket has reported that at least 16 reticulated pythons were captured from people’s homes in Kathu and Phuket City this month. “We classified the reptiles by weight; five of them weighed under 5kg and were released into the Khao Phra Thaew Nature and Wildlife Education Center Non-hunting restricted area,” Phongchart Churhom, head of the Khao…
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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