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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Phuket police recapture escaped drug dealers
PHUKET: Police yesterday recaptured two suspects who fled custody after being arrested for possession of drugs on May 2. Suriya Lakpech and Wasurat Malikabutr, both 21, had been found with 7kg of ya ice (cystal methamphetamine) and 10 ya bah pills (methamphetamine) in their possession. On the way to the police station, they had “managed to unlock their hand cuffs”…
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Phuket tourists injured, driver’s arm severed in another high-speed crash
PHUKET: A taxi driver’s arm was severed in a high-speed crash early this morning after he lost control of his vehicle in a curve, crashed into an electric pole and fell into a five-meter-deep ditch at roadside. “We received reports of an accident near Phuket International Airport at about 7am. At the scene, we found a heavily damaged black Toyota…
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Citizens call for action to fix dangerous road
PHUKET: Officials responded to complaints about a “dangerous and uneven” road after social media users posted pictures of Sakdidej Road in Wichit, urging authorities to take immediate action to fix it. The pictures were shared on a Facebook page titled Siang Prachachon Khon Phuket (‘The Voice of Phuket Citizens’). Frequent users of the road told the Phuket Gazette that it…
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21-year-old biker killed in Phuket pick-up collision
PHUKET: A 21-year-old biker was killed after he crashed into a pick-up truck in Wichit yesterday afternoon. Maj Narong Muangduang of Wichit Police provided details of the accident that took place in Moo 3, Kwang Road. “We found the body of Chalermchat Podok, 21, covered in blood and lying on the road. We also found a severely damaged big bike…
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Phuket police commander dispels bomb threat rumors
PHUKET: Officials have warned the public to be careful about sharing unconfirmed reports on social media after a bomb threat warning created panic among Phuket vendors last week. The original source of the message is unknown, but it was widely circulated on line. It read: “Stop going to walking street market, Chilva market or any other weekly markets in Phuket.…
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Illegal cock-fighting, gambling ring busted, 15 arrested
PHUKET: Fifteen people were arrested while 15 others are on the run after Thalang Police raided a cock-fighting ring in Moo Baan Para yesterday afternoon. Lt Col Prasarn Toworn of Thalang Police led a team of officers to inspect the area after receiving complaints from locals about illegal cock-fighting and gambling there. “The suspects included both Thais and Burmese. They…
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Fake passport suspects recaptured after escaping police custody
PHUKET: Officers from Phuket Provincial Police, Saku Police and Patong Police joined forces to capture two Indian men who escaped police custody after being arrested for using fake passports. Phuket Provincial Police Commander Teerapol Thipjaroen held a press conference at Phuket Provincial Police Station to provide details of the case yesterday afternoon. “The two suspects are Raj Kumar, 36, and…
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Three arrested for extortion, impersonating police officers in Phuket
PHUKET: Three men were arrested for impersonating police officers and trying to extort money from two teenagers in Phuket yesterday. The arrests were made by a joint task force of Region 8 and Cherng Talay Police officers at a PTT gas station in Cherng Talay. The suspects, Thongchai Katthong, 30; Ittipol Kranara, 32; and Pathompong Rattanasuvan, 51; had Civil Defense…
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Students injured in festival fireworks malfunction
KRABI: At least 24 people, including several teenagers, were injured when a fireworks display at an event organized by the Krabi Provincial Administration Organization malfunctioned. The event was titled ‘Legend of Krabi: City of 12 Zodiacs’ and held at Krabi Town yesterday. The opening ceremony for the festival was chaired by Krabi Vice Governor Somkuan KanNguen, with officials from the…
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7-Eleven robber caught at rented room in Phuket
PHUKET: A robber was arrested at his rented room in Thalang yesterday evening, 14 hours after he held up two cashiers at a 7-Eleven near the Heroines’ Monument and stole all the cash from the store’s register. Capt Kraisorn Boonprasob of Thalang Police provided details of the incident which occurred early yesterday morning. “Baragis Yamdibu, 24, and Ronpirun Chujai, 32,…
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Ten arrested, B20mn of merchandise confiscated in Phuket raid
PHUKET: Ten vendors were arrested and 20 million baht worth of counterfeit merchandise was confiscated in Patong Thursday night. Maj Suriyan Petchchuay of Patong Police provided details of the raid to Phuket Gazette reporters. “Following complaints by the Department of Intellectual Property in Bangkok, officials from the Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC) and Patong Police inspected shops on Thaweewong Road.…
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Body of 21-year-old found in Phuket apartment
PHUKET: Police are investigating the cause of death of a ladyboy whose body was found in her room in Rassada this morning. “We received a report from an apartment complex near Rajabhat University at about 9:20am that a pungent smell was emanating from a room on the second floor,” said Lt Col Chao Phomna of the Phuket City Police. “We…
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Another jump: Man safely rescued in Phuket Town
PHUKET: A man was safely rescued after he climbed up an electric pole with intent to jump in Phuket Town last night. “The incident occurred in Poonpon. We found a man walking on electric wires outside the fourth floor of a building. A big crowd of people had gathered underneath and were watching him in shock when he stopped on…
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HRH Princess Sirindhorn inaugurates museum in Phuket Town
PHUKET: Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn presided over the grand opening ceremony of the Peranakannitat Museum in Phuket Town on Wednesday afternoon. Phuket Governor Norraphat Plodthong and Phuket City Mayor Somjai Suwansupana, along with other officials and hundreds of Phuket citizens, were present to welcome the Princess. The museum building, erected a hundred years ago in traditional Phuket…
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Video: CCTV captures foreigner stealing tourist’s bag in Phuket
PHUKET: Police are hunting for a suspect, believed to be a foreigner, who stole a bag from a diner at a restaurant in Phuket yesterday. A Facebook user named Tanaphat Nuansakul posted a CCTV video of the incident on his page. The theft occurred at Tukabkhao Restaurant in Phuket Town. The clip showed a foreigner wearing a pale yellow shirt.…
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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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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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Foreigner seen beating young child after dispute over 10-baht fee
PHUKET: A Facebook user has offered a reward of 5,000 baht to anyone who can help him find a foreigner who fought with a toilet attendant and refused to pay a 10 baht fee to use a toilet on Bangla road. Videos and photographs of six foreigners – three men and three women – were recorded on CCTV cameras installed…
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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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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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Phuket police hunt for ATM skimmer
PHUKET: Police are hunting for an ATM skimmer after at least 15 people last week filed complaints again about unauthorized withdrawals from their Siam Commercial Bank (SCB) accounts. The complaints were lodged at Thung Thong Police Station about ATM withdrawals made in Songkhla from Phuket-based accounts. Lt Col Ampolwat Saengrueng of Thung Thong Police revealed the details of the ongoing…
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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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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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Phuket hospital denies refusing treatment to injured British traveller
PHUKET: The management of Phuket International Hospital (PIH) has denied reports that they refused treatment to a British national injured in a motorbike accident after the victim’s mother claimed they denied assistance until payment had been guaranteed by the insurance provider. The hospital held a press conference yesterday to clarify that even though the insurance company did not guarantee payment,…
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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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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…
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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