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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Royal Family provides aid to Phuket animal shelters
PHUKET: A representative of the Royal Family, as well as a delegation of officials including Phuket Governor Norraphat Plodthong, yesterday visited two animal care foundations in Phuket to donate food and resources. R/Adm Thawatchai Srikaew flew in on an air force plane and arrived at Phuket International Airport at 10am. He formally donated 20 bags of dog food to the…
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Drug dealer busted at Tah Chat Chai checkpoint
PHUKET: A drug dealer was arrested with more than 4,000 pills of ya bah (methamphetamine) worth more than 400,000 baht at Tah Chat Chai checkpoint Sunday evening. Chaiwat Urairot, 28, was arrested while trying to enter Phuket from Songkhla at about 6pm. “We aim to thoroughly check every vehicle entering Phuket. During one of our routine checks, we found Mr…
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Canadian boxer found dead in rental home
PHUKET: Police are trying to identify the cause of death of a Canadian boxer whose body was discovered in his rental home in Patong yesterday morning. “The incident occurred at 50 Pi Road, where the victim, 27-year-old Matthew Darling Richardson, was staying. We found his body lying face down in the bathroom. He was dressed in black shorts and had…
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Tragedy averted after Phuket woman threatens to end her life
PHUKET: A Phuket woman is reportedly safe after widespread alarm was raised over a video clip she shared on Facebook last week announcing her intention to end her life. The woman, whose name her family has asked to withhold, said she was hurt by her boyfriend and no longer wished to continue living. “I love you, and when the time…
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Man attacked by wild monkeys at Khao Toh Sae
PHUKET: A 52-year-old man was attacked by a troop of monkeys in Phuket at Khao Toh Sae (also known as ‘Monkey Hill’) this morning. The victim, a Thai man named by rescue workers only as ‘Lee’, had bought peanuts to feed the monkeys. While walking up the hill, the monkeys tried to snatch the peanuts from his hand. Mr Lee…
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Cape Panwa Hotel Phuket Raceweek 2017 underway
PHUKET: A busy day on the water yesterday saw some excellent competition, close calls and racing incidents which resulted in a busy evening later for the Protest Committee onshore. The sailors were happy to be back out on the water as a forecast-defying 8-10 knot breeze got the fleet underway on Day 2 of the Cape Panwa Hotel Phuket Raceweek…
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Two Phuket nightlife venues raided, charged with operating illegally
PHUKET: Officers from the Crime Suppression Division yesterday raided two nightlife venues in Phuket Town for providing services to underage customers and operating without a proper permit. “We found two illegal venues during the raid. The first one was ‘Room Bar and Restaurant’. The owner, Rattachat Phothong, was charged with operating a nightlife venue without permission,” said Phuket Provincial Police…
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Phuket gold thief identified, still on the run
PHUKET: Police have issued an arrest warrant for a suspect who stole a gold necklace from a jewelry shop in Thalang yesterday morning. “The ‘Jip Leng Hong’ gold shop, located beside Kasikorn Bank’s Tarua branch, got robbed of a gold necklace made of one baht of gold,” said Capt Warawut Sensop of Thalang Police. Police used CCTV footage to identify…
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Drunk man rescued from ditch at Phuket Bus Terminal
PHUKET: An elderly drunk was injured when he fell into a ditch behind some bushes at Phuket Bus Terminal 2 yesterday evening. The ditch is about 3.5 meters deep and half a meter from the perimeter wall. The man, named by rescue workers only as ‘Samran’, 60, reportedly went behind the bushes to urinate when he fell in. He shouted…
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Turkish Airlines announces direct flights to Phuket
PHUKET: The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has announced the launch of new Turkish Airlines flights to Phuket this week. There are now four direct flights per week from Istanbul. “This new Istanbul-Phuket service is part of the collaboration between the TAT and Turkish Airlines to meet the growing demand for travel to Thailand from holiday-makers from Turkey, Europe and…
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Deceased tourists’ family awarded B6mn in compensation
PHUKET: The family of two Chinese tourists who were killed in an accident on Patong Hill was awarded a total of 6 million baht in compensation yesterday. Lyu Fei, 36, and his 10-year-old son were both killed on July 10 when the tour bus they were travelling on flipped over in the curve at the bottom of Patong Hill (story…
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Chinese tourist rescued from drowning by Patong lifeguard
PHUKET: A Patong lifeguard rescued yet another Chinese tourist who nearly drowned after being washed away by strong waves in a red-flagged zone at Patong Beach yesterday afternoon. The ‘Phuket Lifeguard Service’ posted an update of the incident on their Facebook page at about 1:30pm. It briefly read: ‘Another rescue at Patong Beach today. The lady is safe and on…
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German man confesses to Thai girlfriend’s murder in Phuket
PHUKET: A German man has confessed to the murder of his Thai girlfriend, ten days after police found her body wrapped in a blanket and dumped in a forest in Kathu. The victim, Picha Nampadung, 35, was first reported missing by her niece, Rujirada Ornkorat, on July 1 (story here). Her body was eventually found on July 9 (story here),…
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Phuket locals complain after “magic amulet’ fails to deliver
PHUKET: A group of 20 locals yesterday filed a complaint at Chalong Police Station, claiming they were cheated into buying religious amulets worth more than 100 million baht. “They filed a complaint against Sumalee Lertwilai, claiming that they were cheated into investing in ‘magic’ amulets via Facebook,” said Col Vitoon Kongsutjai of Phuket Provincial Police. According to a representative of…
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Phuket Lobster Festival to be held next month
PHUKET: The ‘Phuket Lobster Festival’ is to be held from August 1-31 and is expected to generate revenue of 200 million baht for local businesses. Phuket Governor Norraphat Plodthong and Wirachai Pranveerapaibool, Managing Director of Pracharath Rak Samakkee (Social Enterprise) Co Ltd, Phuket, yesterday held a press conference at the Dibuka Cafe & Restaurant in Phuket Town. “I would like…
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Phuket under pressure as tourism growth exposes flaws in hotel sector
PHUKET: According to a new report released today by hospitality consulting group C9 Hotelworks, millions of travellers who visit Phuket each year could be staying in unlicensed – and effectively illegal – hotels. The report also states that less than a quarter of the hotels in Phuket (429 out of 1,724) are currently licensed. This issue was brought into sharp…
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Rohingya man arrested for theft in Phuket
PHUKET: A Rohingya man was arrested in Kamala last night for allegedly stealing equipment from several construction sites in Phuket. Sadit Khunrit, 29, was nabbed in a rental house in Kalim Soi 9 at about 10:30 pm. He was found in possession of a total of 156 pieces of equipment, including drills, crush machines, circular saws, stone grinders, feed pumps,…
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Phuket Gov announces checkpoint as “temporary solution’ for accidents
PHUKET: The Phuker Governor has announced plans to build a checkpoint to inspect the condition of cars and drivers on Patong Hill in order to avoid accidents in that area. Governor Norraphat Plodthong held a meeting at Phuket Provincial Hall with Patong Police officers and Patong Mayor Chalermluk Kebsup yesterday afternoon. “The sloping road of Patong Hill has been a…
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Major drug ring members arrested with 5 million baht worth of drugs
PHUKET: Two key members of a major drug dealing network were arrested in Phuket with about 7.5 kilograms of ya ice (crystal methamphetamine) and other drugs worth a total of more than 5 million baht. The suspects confessed to ordering more than 50kg of drugs each time from a dealer in the North in order to sell them in and…
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American tourist, tuk-tuk driver charged for fighting
PHUKET: An American tourist and a tuk-tuk driver were fined 2,000 baht each after they quarreled and landed blows on each other outside a hotel in Patong yesterday. A video of the incident, recorded by a passerby, was shared on social media. The video showed the tourist and driver arguing and fighting in front of Poppa Hotel at Patong Beach.…
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Chinese tourists missing after ignoring red flag at Phuket beach
PHUKET: Police are searching for two Chinese tourists who have been missing since yesterday afternoon when they disregarded red flag warnings and entered the water at Freedom Beach. Patong Police officers and rescue workers rushed to the scene after receiving reports of the situation. “The waves were very strong, which is why there were red flags in the area. Rescue…
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Phuket taxi driver charged with sexual harassment and indecent exposure
PHUKET: A Phuket motorbike taxi driver was charged with sexual harassment and indecent exposure after he was recorded ‘pleasuring himself’ in public yesterday afternoon. A teacher from a well known Phuket school posted a video of the incident on Facebook to express her anger and to warn others to be aware of the suspect, who was later revealed to be…
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Police hunt for suspects in murder of Krabi headman and family
KRABI: Police are still searching for suspects involved in the murder of a village headman and his family on Tuesday. Worayuth Sunglung, a village headman in Krabi’s Ao Luk district, and seven of his family members were gunned down at their home while three others survived with serious injuries (story here). The only family member unscathed was Mr Worayuth’s three-month-old…
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Phuket governor announces temporary ban on parasailing following deadly accident
PHUKET: The Phuket governor has requested parasailing operators to cooperate with a temporary ban on the activity after an Australian national was killed in another parasailing accident on Tuesday. Roger John Hussey, 71, fell to his death while parasailing at Kata Beach (story here). Governor Norraphat Plodthong announced his decision after an official meeting held to discuss the matter at…
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Amanpuri luxury villa fire causes 3 million baht in damages
PHUKET: A luxury villa at the prestigious Amanpuri in Phuket caught fire last night, causing about 3 million baht’s worth of damages. “This is a standalone villa connected to the resort. It has five rooms, three of which (covering an area of 210sqm) caught fire. Firefighters took an hour and a half to control the flames and prevent them from…
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Two arrested for spree of robberies in Phuket
PHUKET: Two suspects were arrested on Tuesday night for a spree of robberies in Phuket. A Burmese fisherman filed a report against the two for robbing and stabbing him at Sea Angel Pier in Rassada Monday night. The first suspect, Panuwat Kaewpoh, 24, was apprehended on Narisorn Road in Phuket Town. “We have seen many similar cases involving Burmese workers…
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Joint venture to develop senior living village in Phuket
PHUKET: A joint venture company, Kamala Senior Living Co Ltd, has been set up to develop an upscale ‘Lifestyle Senior Living Village’ worth 3.5 billion baht in Phuket. The company is a partnership between property firm Nye Estate Co Ltd, Chewathai Public Co Ltd, LPN Development Plc and CH Karnchang Plc. The project would be equipped with a full range…
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Australian plunges to death in parasailing mishap
PHUKET: A 71-year-old Australian man fell to his death while parasailing at Kata Beach yesterday afternoon. “Roger John Hussey was pronounced dead at Patong Hospital after he fell from a height of 40 meters, which caused severe injuries,” said Lt Suwisit Srirak of Karon Pplice. Mr Hussey was married to a Thai woman named by police as Boosabong Tongsanga who…
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Human remains discovered in Phuket forest believed to be those of a Burmese woman’s
PHUKET: Police are trying to identify the cause of death of a woman whose skeleton was discovered in a Kathu forest yesterday afternoon. At about 4:45pm, police received a report from locals that they had found human remains in a forest beside the King Kong water park. Kathu Police Superintendent ML Pattanachak Jakkapan led a team to the scene to…
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Citing indelible memories and people, the Phuket Gazette bows out in a nostalgic farewell
PHUKET: Times change and old media continue to bow to the new. With great regret, the Phuket Gazette is retiring from the field and will cease operations with effect from the end of this month – midnight, July 31. Other than our office, owned by a shareholder (not the Gazette itself), our primary asset has long been the Gazette Online.…
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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