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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Army commander outlines new agenda for Phuket
PHUKET: The new Army Region 4 commander has announced his agenda for Phuket, ticking off a list of at least a dozen problems he feels need urgent resolution. During his visit last week, Lt Gen Piyawat Nakwanit said that he was “generally satisfied with the state of tourism in Phuket”, but that getting rid of ‘powerful people’ and officers who…
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Phuket Police search for missing 11-year-old boy
PHUKET: Police are searching for an 11-year-old boy who was reported missing by his family on Tuesday night. Panaphat Chumrak (‘Nong Nu’) disappeared from his home in Soi Pasak 4, Don Chom Tao Road in Cherng Talay at about 8:30pm. “Nong Nu is about 132cm tall, weighs 30kg and has short hair. He was last seen wearing a red and…
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Phuket Police try to identify injured elderly foreigner
PHUKET: An injured, elderly foreigner ran amok shouting for help from passersby in Phuket Town last night. The man had head and back injuries, but officials were unable to identify him as he was incoherent. He had blonde hair and was wearing a white T-shirt and black shorts. Kusoldharm Foundation rescue workers received reports of him by concerned locals at…
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Phuket lovers’ quarrel ends in near-drowning
PHUKET: A ‘tomboy’ narrowly escaped drowning early this morning after she walked into the sea at Saphan Hin following an argument with her girlfriend. Lt Col Pongpichan Chayanonpiriya of Phuket City Police received reports of the incident at about 6:30am. “We found a young woman at the scene, crying and calling out for ‘Jip’. After searching the area for 30…
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Four injured as speeding car ploughs through motorists in Phuket
PHUKET: Four people were seriously injured after a car skidded off the road and slammed into two motorbikes, a pick-up truck and an electric pole early this morning in Chalong. Lt Sakarin Sangjaroen of Chalong Police and other officers arrived at the crash site on East Chao Fah road in the Kok Tanot area at about 2:20am. “We found a…
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Drug suspects escape police custody in Phuket
PHUKET: Police are hunting for two suspects who escaped custody and fled from a police vehicle at a traffic light on the way to the station early on Tuesday morning. “Suriya Lakpech and Wasurat Malikabutr, both 21, had initially been arrested in front of the Vijit Resort in Rawai after officers asked to inspect their belongings because they looked ‘suspicious’.…
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Illegal Chinese tour guide arrested in Phuket
PHUKET: A Chinese tour guide who abandoned a bus full of tourists at the side of the road in Phang Nga on Tuesday (story here) was arrested in Phuket yesterday. Ms Ammy, whose real name police later learned to be Huang Ling, was arrested for illegally working as a tour guide without permission. “After the incident in Phang Nga, we…
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Illegal Chinese tour guide wanted for abandoning Phuket tour group
PHUKET: Police are hunting for an illegal Chinese tour guide who abandoned 24 Chinese tourists at the side of the road in Phang Nga yesterday evening after arguing with them about money. The tourist police received a report of the incident from the Chinese Consul in Phuket at about 7pm. The tourists had called the consulate for help after they…
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Russian tourist injured after falling off Phuket’s Promthep Cape
PHUKET: A Russian tourist was injured after he fell from the Laem Promthep promontory into the sea at Rawai yesterday evening. “The accident occurred at about 5:45pm. We found Kashirin Aleksei, 41, trying to swim toward a rock in order to avoid being washed away by the current, which was quite strong at the time,” said Lt Sakarin Sangjaroen of…
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American school teacher injured in Phuket collision
PHUKET: A newly-appointed American school teacher at Kajonkiet International School (KIS) Phuket was injured in a motorbike crash with a car in Kathu this morning. “The accident occurred at about 8:30am near the U-turn on Phra Phuket Kaew road. We found a damaged white Honda City and Yamaha Nuovo on the road,” said Capt Watthathorn Bumrungthin of Kathu Police. “The…
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Phuket gov launches clean-up campaign
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Norraphat Plodthong yesterday launched a campaign titled ‘Clean Phuket with our Hands and Hearts’, as promised during his first ‘Governor meets Media’ gathering at Phuket Provincial Hall last month (story here). The week-long campaign, that is to last until Sunday, will be held each month, the governor stated. “As Phuket is an international tourism destination, it is…
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Family man dead as pick-up ploughs into sedan
KRABI: One man was killed while three others were severely injured after a speeding pick-up truck and a Toyota sedan collided, sending both vehicles into a roadside waterway in Krabi yesterday afternoon. The car was carrying three people – driver Suphachai Limtrakil, 69, his wife Anchalee Sriwittayabancha, 42, and their 14-year-old daughter. Mr Suphachai was killed. The truck was driven…
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Plastic bottle blamed for Phuket Town car flip
PHUKET: In a crash that is being blamed on a plastic bottle, a car in Phuket Town flipped over onto its roof yesterday afternoon after the driver lost control at a traffic stop. “We arrived at the scene, on Komaraphat Roat near the Phuket City Municipality pawnshop, to see a silver Honda City sedan lying upside down on the side…
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Building catches fire in Patong, 100,000 baht in damages
PHUKET: A four-storey building caught fire last night on Rat-U-thit 200 Pi road in Patong, resulting in about 100,000 baht’s worth of damages. Police officers held back traffic and tourists as firefighters battled the flames for about 30 minutes. Lt Col Jongserm Preecha of Patong Police confirmed that only the first floor of the building had been damaged. “There were…
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Samui tour guide found dead after ‘feeling the heat’
SAMUI: A Pathum Thani native was found dead in a rented room on Samui Island yesterday, from what police believe to have been heatstroke. The room is in a restaurant building on Chaweng Beach. Capt Boonnam Srinarat of Bo Phut Police confirmed the death, at about 5:40pm, of Thongchai Sudjaeng, 44, a tour guide who catered to Chinese tourists. “Mr…
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Motorbike trio arrested for stealing from Chinese tourist, marijuana
PHUKET: Three men were arrested yesterday in Phuket town with assorted currencies amounting to at least 200,000 baht as well as electronics they stole from a Chinese tourist’s hotel room in Patong. The men were also in possession of marijuana. Lt Col Pongpichan Chayanonpiriya of the Patong Police confirmed to Phuket Gazette reporters that Thanakorn Akarabut, 24; Harich Dada, 18;…
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Ton of trash collected in beach clean-up off Phuket
PHUKET: About a ton of trash was collected in a beach clean-up organized by Nonthasak Marine Co Ltd at Hei Island (Coral Island) this morning. More than a 100 people, including students from Prince of Songkla University (Phuket Campus); volunteer divers; local vendors and operators; and employees of Nonthasak Marine, participated in the initiative. The campaign involved both beach trash…
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Chinese, Korean tourists rescued in near-drowning incidents
PHUKET: Two tourists were safely rescued in separate near-drowning incidents on the Similan islands yesterday. The first involved a 47-year-old Chinese woman, Zheng Guiping, who called out for help while swimming at Koh Ha at about 10am. Ms Zheng, who had booked a tour with ‘Sea Star’, was stranded in the water for about five minutes. She spluttered and choked…
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Phuket to strengthen marine tourism relations with Indonesia
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Norraphat Plodthong welcomed the Indonesian Tourism Minister to discuss strengthening of marine tourism relations between the two countries. The governor met Arief Yahya from The Indonesian Ministry of Tourism at the Phuket Boat Lagoon on Thursday. “Indonesia has just revealed their plans to run a special campaign between Nov 8 and Dec 5 that will assist tourists…
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Phuket officials plan walking street, gated entrance at Surin
PHUKET: A year after the demolition of the last remaining buildings along Surin Beach, and nine months after plans were announced to convert the beach into ‘Rajabhakti Park’, officials are still waiting for approval for the more than 800-million-baht project to be built in its place. The plans, which have been revised several times, were submitted by the Cherng Talay…
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Young Thai killed in collision with Korean expat
PHUKET: A young Thai man was killed last night after smashing into a Korean expat’s pick-up truck in Phuket Town. Maj Nattaya Suwanpong of Phuket City Police received reports of the incident at about 11pm. It had occurred at the Thepkrasattri-Nakhon road junction near Phuket Wittayalai School. “The motorcyclist, Siraphan Sampaorat, 20, was lying in a pool of blood on…
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Three arrested in Phuket for serial theft, possession of drugs
PHUKET: Three men, including an ex-employee of Triple T Broadband Public Company Limited (3BB), were arrested yesterday afternoon for stealing more than 60 batteries from the company’s signal booster boxes in Thalang. Tibet Manubut, 23; Worawut Chusrinun, 20; and Narit Buakhong, 27; were arrested at their rental room in Thalang at about 3pm. They were also found in possession of…
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Meter-long lizard causes scare at Phuket beach
PHUKET: Lifeguards caught a ‘massive’ lizard that scared several locals and tourists at Nai Harn Beach yesterday. Pictures of the lizard taking a stroll on the beach and a triumphant lifeguard appeared on a Facebook page named ‘Phuket Lifeguard Service’ with the caption “Nai Harn has a guest today. We had to take it off the beach.” The lizard was…
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Park officials urge public to stop hornbill trading
PHANG NGA: Ao Phang Nga National Park officials this morning issued a statement urging the public to stop hornbill trading after a post by a Koh Yao Noi preservation group went viral on social media. Last week, an unidentified suspect stole three preserved hornbill birds – an adult female and two chicks. The mother was found dead at the scene…
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Krabi cop and ladyboy embroiled in road rage
KRABI: A police officer and a ladyboy buried the hatchet yesterday after video clips of the two went viral on social media. In the clips, the pair are seen arguing over a minor road accident in Krabi Town, across the bay from Phuket. On Tuesday, Facebook user Napat Sara Malaisanan uploaded two videos with the caption: “You want my friend…
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Thai police defend response to Facebook clip of baby’s murder
PHUKET: Royal Thai Police yesterday defended their response to a horrific video clip of a father murdering his baby daughter (story here), that remained on Facebook Live for about 24 hours before it was removed. Col Krissana Pattanacharoen, deputy national police spokesman, said the Technology Crime Suppression Division alerted the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society soon after learning about…
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Foreign tourists wrongfully arrested for fraud in Phuket
PHUKET: Two Chinese tourists were arrested and subsequently released yesterday after officers in Phuket received a warning from officials in Bangkok about their alleged involvement in credit card fraud. “Mr Jun Jie Ju and Ms Jia Xin Chen were arrested at a Cherng Talay hotel at about 3pm,” said Lt Col Tianchai Chompoo of Phuket Immigration Police. The colonel said…
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Krabi locals complain as new factory dumps waste into canal
KRABI: More than 60 Krabi Town locals yesterday urged Krabi Dhamrongtham Center representatives to look into the activities of a factory releasing waste into a nearby canal. At about 11:30am, the locals presented clear pictures of the palm oil factory draining wastewater directly into the water body, which has reportedly caused it to stink over the past year. “The factory…
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10-year-old Russian tourist injured in Phuket parasailing accident
PHUKET: A 10-year-old Russian tourist was injured after he fell from a height of 2.5 meters while parasailing at Karon Beach this afternoon. Rescue workers and police received reports of the incident from lifeguards at Karon Beach at about noon. The victim, Timur Gadylshin, received first aid on the spot and was then taken to Patong Hospital where he was…
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Phang Nga to create underwater tourist attraction
PHUKET: More than 20 decommissioned army trucks were lowered into the water with the aim of enhancing marine life in Phang Nga yesterday. The project was launched in honor of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit. “We have placed artificial coral, army vehicles (for coral to grow on) and a statue of a sea turtle in order to revive tourism and marine…
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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