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.
-
Sponsored
Mark One Tailor: The best bespoke tailor in Khao Lak
When it comes to high-quality bespoke tailoring in Khao Lak, Mark One Tailor stands out as one of the most trusted names. With decades of experience, this tailor shop has built a solid reputation for exceptional craftsmanship, premium fabrics, and...
-
Baggage handler nabbed at Phuket Airport over thefts
Attachai Kaewduang, a 25 years old Baggage Handler working at Phuket Airport, was caught and arrested for stealing a mobile phone and other valuables. Police found that he had repeatedly stole belongings from passengers. Following a complains left on the AOT (Airports of Thailand) Facebook page by an Indian passenger who travelled to Dubai from Phuket International Airport on April…
-
Chinese tourists get in trouble in strong Nai Thon surf
Lifeguards saved two Chinese swimmers at Nai Thon beach yesterday after they’d decided swimming in a red flag zone was a good idea. As the shore along Nai Thon has sudden drops off, the red flags were placed along the beach yesterday with quite heavy surf and strong onshore winds. Somporn Wareekul, Head of Nai Thon beach lifeguards, says there…
-
Three metre python caught snacking on chickens
A 3 metre python weighing around 20 kilos has been caught in the act swallowing two small chickens near a salvage yard of Mr. Poonsap Sae Ngang at 8am. A Kusoldharm rescue team tried to catch it using a rope lasso but the snake headed for a nearby tree. After a few attempts the team finally got the snake with nobody…
-
New domestic terminal arrival & departure changes from tomorrow.
Heading to the airport? To the domestic terminal? Changes for traffic flow kicks in from tomorrow (Saturday). Check our story here so that you don’t get caught out. Some changes for traffic flow at Phuket International Airport
-
Fire in Patong Mexican restaurant
A Mexican restaurant, Coyote, caught fire late this morning. The restaurant owner, Matthew Warton, said the cause of the fire is believed to be an electric shortcircuit from the air-conditioning system. Fortunately, no injuries or casualties reported. The second storey of the 4-storey Mexican restaurant, located on Thaweewong Road in Patong could be seen on fire from the street. Fire…
-
“It was a Barracuda”. Phuket Provincial Fisheries investigate the mystery bite of Japanese man.
Phuket’s Governor, with the help of a local specialist, says that the mystery fish attacking 36 year old Japanese man, Keira Kosigoe, while surfing 15 metres offshore in Kamala, wasn’t a shark but a barracuda. Following the incident yesterday (August 16), Governor Norapat Plodthong says that after asking the specialist from Phuket Provincial Fisheries Office to investigate the wound, the…
-
Police arrest two men with a kilo of meth-amphetamine
Border Patrol Police are searching for a third man, named only as “Gong”, implicated by one of the two suspects, after the arrest of 23 year old Teerasak “Dome” Somwang and 33 year old Non Rittichai, a Nakohn Si Thammarat resident, with one kilogram of crystal meth valued at 2 million Baht. The arrests follow an investigation by an undercover…
-
Japanese man gets bitten by ‘something’ at Kamala
A 25-30 year old Japanese man was calling for help yesterday (Wednesday) after getting attacked by a mystery marine creature at Kamala Beach which left him with some severe, deep wounds. Kamala police and locals in the area have surmised that the wounds seem to have resulted from sharp teeth, perhaps even a shark. The man suffered a deep wound…
-
Rocks ain’t clams! Phuket man complains after finding stones in his seafood.
39 year old Kittiphon Chuensrinuan, from Phuket, headed to the Phuket Office of Consumer Protection Board (OCPB) yesterday to complain about overpriced clams sold in a seafood shop in front of the Rawai Sea Gypsy village. The display of clams also contained stones. He took photos and brought some of the stones as evidence. “First of all, the price at…
-
Krabi snatch and run thief arrested in Phuket
Phuket police have managed to arrest 35 year old Panuwit Pakamas, a Krabi resident, after he snatched a bag with 10,000 Baht in cash and other valuables from a Chinese tourist and fled the scene. Pol. Lt. Col. Naruebadin Banglisen explained that 40 year old Ms. Yi Weihong reported to the police on August 12 that a Thai man on…
-
Some changes for traffic flow at Phuket International Airport
Phuket International Airport is about to readjust the traffic flow in front of the domestic terminal as well as the pick-up point for arrivals. The readjustment aims to separate the arrivals and the departures of the domestic terminal and will start from August 19. The arrivals pick-up point will be moved to the elevated platform that has been recently renovated…
-
Luxury property on the hillside of Ao Sane to be partially demolished
The 12-meter high beach villa project on the cliff at Ao Sane has been proven to be illegal according to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment. The owners have been instructed to demolish the upper structure to meet the legal height of 6 meters. Meanwhile, Phuket’s Governor has set up a committee to investigate the Rawai Municipality who issued…
-
Patong and Rawai worst hit from floods
DATELINE: 1pm, August 15. The torrential rain in Phuket is affecting several at-risk areas including Patong and the Sea Gypsy Village in Rawai. Several hours of heavy rains have resulted in some parts of Patong to be underwater, especially on Rat-U-Thit 200 Pee Road where smaller vehicles and motorbikes could barely move through. More than a meter-high floods were a…
-
Governor warning Phuket residents about more floods and storms
PHOTO: Suntorn Yangyuen Following the heavy rain that continues from last night, Phuket’s Governor, Norapat Plodthong, is expressing his concerns about more flash flooding and storms in many areas across the island. “According to the TMD (Thai Meteorological Department) Office of the Southern West Coast, from today until August 19th, there is a moderate Southwest monsoon that is affecting the…
-
Governor leads the way. Cleaning Tha Chin Canal in honour of HM Queen’s Birthday
In honor of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit’s 85th birthday, a large group of locals and officials, led by Phuket’s Governor Noraphat Plodthong, boarded 62 boats to collect rubbish on the 10 kilometre stretch of Tha Chin Canal in Ratsada (to the north and east of Phuket Town). Governor Plodthong says cleaning the canal has been a priority for the island.…
-
Suspects arrested over Rawai murder
After having arrested a Burmese worker, 24 year old Han Noui Lane and his alleged accomplice 32 year old Ang Htoui O in Kathu, Chalong Police have taken the men to the crime scene, a staff room at the back of restaurant in Rawai, for a reenactment. Han Noui Lane has been charged for murdering his ex-girlfriend, 24 year old…
-
Starfish collectors on Koh Racha Yai off Phuket
Facebook user, Khanchit Klingklip, has posted photos of tourists handling a variety sea creature, including starfish off Racha Yai Island. The post read… “again, destroying the property. Who caught it? Who is taking responsibility?” Suchart Ratanruangsri, Director of Marine Resources Conservation, says they’ve already had staff investigating the matters raised in the post. They didn’t locate the tour boat but…
-
Crushed under an elevator at Patong Hotel
32 year old Suthep Lookyee, working as a hotel bellboy, has died when squashed under the hotel elevator trying to retrieve his keys. The accident happened in a hotel in Patong (name provided but not published) on the basement floor in the elevator service area. Investigators say Suthep dropped the keys into the elevator shaft so he went…
-
Direct flights from Phuket to India from GoAir.
India budget carrier GoAir is launching its overseas operations with flights from Mumbai to Male in the Maldives as well as Phuket. The airline, owned by the Wadia Group, has been waiting for the delivery of its new generation Airbus 320 Neo planes before starting the overseas legs. GoAir says it will start flights to Phuket in October. It’s the…
-
‘Safety’ mayhem on Phuket’s waters
Editorial by Duncan Worthington Let’s be clear from the off that we’re talking about speedboats, specifically day tour operators who pack in the tourists on an overpowered wooden speedboat and then zip off (at speed) to stop A, B, C and D, with a lunch thrown in along the way. In Phuket’s high season, these overpacked “cattle tours” can be…
-
Dead baby found in rubbish bin near Rajabhat University
A local pedestrian had a grizzly find today when she discovered a deceased baby in a garbage bin near Rajabhat University. The Kusoldharm Rescue Team and police were called to the location at a soi in front of Dusitburi Village. Police report the the baby was approximately 7 months old, female, pale skin, black hair and found in…
-
Two in serious condition following bus crash on Patong Hill
The 65 year old driver of the Chinese tour bus that crashed last night, Prajuab Sirikul, is likely to be charged with careless driving. At the moment he’s one of two people listed in a serious condition at Vachira Hospital. The other person was driving a motorbike when the bus collided with traffic around 8pm last night. He’s 31 year…
-
Sugar Crusher claims worker’s hand
31 year old Burmese worker Kyam Thu Aung has had a horrific accident this afternoon (Friday) losing his hand in a home sugar cane crusher. Kusoldham rescue volunteers arrived to find the man with parts of his left hand still inside the crusher. The hand had been destroyed in the crusher and almost completely separated from his forearm. The team…
-
Don’t walk and talk. Woman gets stuck in drain.
A 26 year old woman has stepped on a drain and fallen in whilst walking in Vichit checking her mobile phone and not watching where she was going. The accident happened at the front of Muang Thai Leasing Office in Chao-fah East Road. Phuket Ruamchai and Kusoldharm Foundation rescue workers arrived at the scene to find the woman sitting on…
-
Boats collide off James Bond island (Koh Ta Poo). 16 injured.
Two boats have collided off James Bond Island. A tour boat carrying 20 passengers, including tour guides and crew, were heading back from Koh Ta Poo, better known as James Bond Island, to Koh Panyi for lunch yesterday (Monday, July 31). On the way the ‘Wararat’ crashed into what’s been described as a long tail boat carrying 12 Chinese tourists.…
-
Don’t feed the fish. Illegal South Korean guide nabbed.
An illegal Korean tour guide was arrested at Koh Racha Yai yesterday for allowing Korean tourists to feed fish. Kanchit Klingclip, a business operator and conservationist on Racha Island, posted a video clip on line showing the tour guide taking tourists to dive and feed fish, which is a violation of the law under the Department of Marine and Coastal…
-
B300,000 of pirated goods confiscated in OTOP raid
PHUKET: A Patong vendor was apprehended, while two others escaped after police raided the ‘One Tambon, One Product’ (OTOP) market in Patong yesterday. Officers seized 458 pirated items valued at about 300,000 baht. “Due to the provincial policy of continuously fighting pirated goods, especially in Patong, we decided to inspect shops at the OTOP market, one of the high traffic…
-
Russian stabbed in Phuket home
PHUKET: Police are searching for a ladyboy (transsexual) who is suspected of stabbing her Russian boyfriend in Phuket early yesterday morning. Gennadii Khlopotov, 31, works for a company based in Koh Kaew and lives in Rassada. So far, police know that he previously used to live with his Russian girlfriend in an apartment in Rassada, but then ended relations with…
-
Another Chinese tourist drowns in Phuket
PHUKET: A Chinese tourist died after she was overcome by strong waves that threw her off a rock and drew her into the sea at Kamala Beach this morning. Pan Ying, 32, reportedly fell in at about 11:30am. Rescue workers and lifeguards quickly took action to bring her back to shore. However, they were unable to resuscitate her and she…
-
Stranger Danger: Police vow to catch creepy peeper
PHUKET: Foreigners in Chalong and Kata have asked police for help, claiming that a mysterious man has entered their homes on several occasions. Facebook user ‘Sanna Hakala’ yesterday posted pictures and a video of a man on her page with both Thai and English captions as follows: “[People in] Chalong, Phuket area – beware of this creeper! This man has…
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.
Don't forget to check out some other things to do in Thailand - get help starting a business or finding a job in Thailand, buy Thailand property, rent a yacht or book a medical procedure worldwide.