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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Krabi officials remove dozens of illegal fishing nets
KRABI: The Krabi Provincial Fisheries Office yesterday removed 58 illegal fishing nets (‘poh’) from the waters of Krabi. The nets were also in violation of spawning season restrictions. Sakda Sukkasem led a team of officers to hunt for illegal fishing activities after several locals filed complaints with the office. “It is illegal to use this type of fishing net to…
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Phuket police yet to uncover reason for toilet fight involving foreigner
PHUKET: The motive behind an attack on a toilet attendant in Patong by a group of foreigners remains unclear as the victim has refused to a file a complaint. On May 3, a Facebook user offered a reward of 5,000 baht to anyone who could help him find the foreigner who allegedly refused to pay a 10 baht fee to…
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Barge wrecked after crashing into underwater rock
PHUKET: A barge crashed into a submerged rock and sank near Ao Yun on Tuesday. Phuket Marine Office Chief Surat Sirisaiyas revealed details of the accident. “The boat was 23 meters long and was travelling from Similan islands to Krabi. The crash swamped the engine and the vessel sank about a mile away from the coast of Ao Yun,” said…
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Free jazz concert ready for Phuket in honor of His Majesty
PHUKET: Everyone is invited to attend a free concert being held in honor of, and featuring the compositions of, His Majesty King Rama IX this Saturday evening (May 20). ‘Jazz for King 2 – Jazz by the Andaman Sea’ is organized by the Andaman Natural Resources Conservation Foundation (ANRCF) in association with the Tourism Authority of Thailand, and will be…
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One hospitalized, another injured in early morning Phuket crash
PHUKET: Two people were severely injured after their motorbike crashed into a pick-up truck on Patong Hill yesterday. A police car travelling behind the riders captured a video of the collision with a dash cam, which showed the motorbike speeding down the hill, crossing over into the oncoming traffic lane and colliding with the truck, which was travelling uphill toward…
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Facebook misses deadline to block sites deemed insulting to monarchy
PHUKET: Facebook (FB) has not blocked more than 100 sites deemed to have insulted the monarchy or to have threatened “national security”, as requested by Thailand’s telecom regulator. FB cites the need for official court orders from authorities to block such sites. FB users in Thailand can still access the sites despite the failed deadline to remove them. The National…
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Three minors among gang of nine arrested for cable thefts in Phuket
PHUKET: A nine-member gang was arrested with 500kg of stolen copper cables and cutting tools at a construction site in Phuket this morning. The suspects included three minors, while the rest ranged in age from 28 to 46. The leader of the gang was named by police as Suriya Talad, 28, chief of the construction site in Pa Khlok where…
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Kusoldharm Foundation awards scholarships to Phuket students
PHUKET: In the spirit of giving back to the less fortunate, the Kusoldharm Phuket Foundation held a ceremony to award scholarships to deserving students in Phuket. The ceremony, titled ‘Tay-Kra-Jat’, was held at the Kusoldharm Center on Saturday and presided over by Phuket Governor Norraphat Plodthong. Food and necessities were distributed to more than 1,500 needy families and scholarships were…
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New Zealander forgets electric kettle, suffers major fire damage to home
PHUKET: Fire-fighters rushed to put out a fire at a Kiwi expat’s house in Thalang yesterday, after he left an electric appliance switched on and forgot about it. The New Zealander’s carelessness had reportedly caused the fire. However, his associate nearby saw the blaze and alerted the authorities. “By about 5pm, two fire trucks had arrived at the home in…
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Phuket Gazette to stop print edition of newspaper locally, reorienting hard-copy production for wider market in The Nation
PHUKET: It’s like Grandma’s little drinking problem. Everyone knows, but people don’t much talk about it. And so it goes with the publishers of hard-copy newspapers these days – worldwide. We know where print is headed, so the only real choices are whether to get out now or, say two years from now. We’ve opted for the former, meaning that…
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Middleman rips off 150 million baht’s worth of land from owner
PHUKET: A ‘disgruntled’ land owner claiming to have been cheated out of 150 million baht in the sale of land at Freedom Beach is now calling on authorities to resolve the matter. Peetharat Hootchai, 38, with her lawyer Pradit Chuaythani, held a press conference at the Phuket Merlin Hotel yesterday, explaining to the media that she was never paid in…
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Major Phuket bust yields B2mn worth of drugs
PHUKET: A Phuket drug dealer was arrested in Chalong with nearly 2 million baht worth of ya ice (crystal methamphetamine) and ya bah (methamphetamine) by Border Patrol Police (BPP) this week. The suspect was found in possession of 8,658 ya bah pills and 15.02g of ya ice. “The arrest was made after we got a report from one of our…
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Company land under investigation after hundreds of trees destroyed
KRABI: A walled, 100-rai tract of land on Koh Lanta Noi is under investigation after the title holders ordered that hundreds of trees be cut down. More than 30 officials from the Wetland Development Office (WDO) inspected the site yesterday. WDO chief Laywisit Baripan said that machines were used to fill up the land after the trees were destroyed. “A…
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One injured in single-vehicle Phuket crash
PHUKET: A 51-year-old man was injured after he crashed his pick-up truck into an electric pole on the side of the road in Mai Khao yesterday. Kusoldharm Foundation rescue workers arrived on the scene and administered first aid before transporting the victim to Thalang Hospital. “The driver’s side of the truck was tight against the pole, so rescue workers had…
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Serial thief apprehended in Phuket
PHUKET: A serial thief was arrested in Phuket early this morning, after at least ten incidents of coin theft from washing machine slots were reported by laundry shop owners in the span of a week (story here). “The suspect, Supachok Sudin, 36, is originally from Phang Nga. Over the last week or so, he has been driving around with a…
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TAT, Phuket Tourist Police come to American tourist’s aid
PHUKET: A lost American tourist, who could neither recall the name nor the address of the hostel he was staying at, was safely returned there by tourist police this morning. Boyce Reid Brown, 48, was wandering around Phuket Town on foot when he happened to find the office of the Tourism of Thailand (TAT) and stepped inside to ask for…
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Three migrant workers arrested in Phuket piracy raids
PHUKET: Police arrested three migrant workers and seized more than 300,00 baht worth of pirated goods from shops in Patong yesterday. Maj Korapon Liangboonchinda of Patong Police provided details of the arrests of two Vietnamese women and a Burmese man, all three of whom were arrested and charged for forging a registered trademark, as well as for entering, living and…
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Chinese tourists avoid charges after being caught with coral
PHUKET: Two Chinese tourists were let off with a warning after they were found taking coral out of the sea yesterday evening at Chalong Pier. “While passengers were coming ashore from a boat on the way back from Coral Island, I noticed that two Chinese tourists were carrying pieces of cloth wrapped around something that looked like coral. So, I…
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Alleged Phuket rapist arrested, denies charges
PHUKET: A woman who jumped off a Phuket Town building on Friday after having an argument with her girlfriend told police that she was raped. The 21-year-old, named by police as ‘Rat’, wrote a letter prior to the incident, in which she incriminated a man named ‘Ton’ in the alleged rape. “Upon questioning, Ms Rat gave us details of the…
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Phuket murder suspect blames constant bullying
PHUKET: A fishing boat crew member was arrested for stabbing a co-worker to death last night, claiming that “constant bullying” led him to do so. “The incident occurred at about 10pm at Rassada Pier on a fishing boat named Chok Veerachai. We found the body of Pornchai Wongkan, 42, lying inside the boat, covered with blood,” said Lt Col Rachan…
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Serial coin thief wanted for swiping thousands from Phuket laundries
PHUKET: Police are searching for a serial thief suspected of stealing thousands of baht from washing machine coin slots in a series of at least 10 incidents over the past week. The thefts took place in Phuket Town, with a number of users posting warnings and details on social media. Facebook user Chon Pokaiyapat shared details of some of the…
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Ministry denies blocking Google services following connectivity issues
PHUKET: The Ministry of Digital Economy and Society denied that the government ordered the blocking of Google and YouTube after a technical issue with Thai internet provider 3BB meant that customers were unable to access Google services on Saturday, the Thai National News Bureau reported today. The issue seemed to affect anyone trying to access the sites from a Thai…
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One arrested, four escape police custody at national park
PHUKET: One suspect was arrested while four others escaped after police charged them with harming marine life and using fishing equipment in a national park area. The incident unfolded at Mu Koh Lanta National Park. “Last week, we received reports from divers that there was a yacht anchored at Koh Ha and that the people on board were suspected of…
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Pregnant British woman killed in Phuket crash
PHUKET: A pregnant British woman was killed in a hit and run collision with an 18-wheeled truck on Thepkrasattri Road in Thalang at noon today. “She was riding on a motorbike with her partner when they changed lanes to avoid a vehicle parked and blocking their path in the motorbike lane of the road. As they did this, the truck…
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Russian couple fined for sex in a Phuket tuk-tuk
PHUKET: Police have fined a Russian couple 500 baht each after a video clip of them appearing to have sex in the back of a tuk-tuk in Karon went viral. The 28-second clip was posted on Friday and shows a man and a woman moving suggestively in the tuk-tuk with the woman’s shirt lifted to expose her torso. Karon Police…
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One dead in Phuket after fatal overtake attempt
PHUKET: A man was killed last night after he crashed head-on into a minivan in Sakoo. Lt Thanakarn Uchanarasamee of Sakoo Police and rescue workers received the report at about 8pm. “Van driver Vitavat Jongsathichacorn, of PPKK Tour Service, told us that he was taking two Australian tourists to the airport while the motorcyclist, Panakorn Boonrong, was coming from the…
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Thai tourist apologizes for starfish selfie, tour guide fined
TRANG: A Thai tourist apologized yesterday on social media for taking selfies with a starfish at a national park in Trang province, while her tour guide was ordered to pay a fine. Earlier on Thursday, the tourist’s selfies with a starfish went viral. She was widely condemned, as there is a ban on removing marine animals from from the sea.…
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Drug mule arrested in Phuket with 800,000 baht’s worth of pills
PHUKET: Police arrested a Phuket-bound man for transporting ya ba (methamphetamine) worth 800,000 baht at a Tah Chat Chai checkpoint yesterday afternoon. Lt Col Tawach Tansakul of Tah Chat Chai police and his team apprehended Anan Navarat, 39, at about 3pm. “Mr Anan was traveling by bus from Nakhon Sri Thammarat and looked suspicious to us during a routine check,”…
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Elderly couple returns lost British passport, bank book and cash
PHUKET: An elderly couple this morning returned a wallet containing a British passport, bank book and cash totalling more than 150,000 baht at Pakbang Beach in Rawai. Prayong Sukkaew, 79, and his wife were collecting bottles at about 6am to sell for money when they spotted the wallet, picked it up and handed it over to Rawai Police officers. “We…
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His Majesty’s tunes to be played at jazz concert in his honor
PHUKET: Jazz lovers are in for a treat when the free concert ‘Jazz for King 2 – Andaman Jazz by the Sea’ kicks off in Phuket on May 20, featuring the music of His Majesty the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX). The event will be held at Loma Park in Patong from 7-10pm, hosted by the Andaman Natural Resources…
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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