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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Australian jet-ski victim’s partner awaits trial in Phuket
PHUKET: The partner of a 20-year-old Australian woman who was killed in a jet-ski collision with him at Kata Beach on Sunday, is expected to be charged with reckless driving causing death and is awaiting trial in Phuket. Thomas Keating, 22, and his partner Emily Jayne Collie, 20, came to Phuket for a holiday and had rented jet-skis to ride…
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Thai woman found hanged in Phuket apartment
PHUKET: A Thai woman was found hanged in a Patong apartment yesterday with a note that explained her health and money issues. “The apartment is located on Pisitkoraneee Road. We found the body of Chantraporn Martphanna, 47, hanging by electric wires tied to the closet bar,” said Capt Yingyong Chuoykij of Patong Police. “The body was taken to Patong Hospital…
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Mayor reveals tentative solution for brown water in Patong Bay
PHUKET: Officials have found an experimental or ‘beta’ solution for the repeated appearance of brown water in Patong Bay, which is caused by a plankton bloom. Patong Mayor Chalermluck Kebsup yesterday revealed that the proposed solution is to grow eichhornia crassipes, better known as water hyacinths, to counter the plankton. Tourists and Patong beach operators complained about the presence of…
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Phuket’s Bypass Road ripped up for repairs
PHUKET: A 9 million baht budget has been set aside for repair work on the northbound Bypass Road leading up to Thepkrasattri Road. Locals are having trouble maneuvering on the road, as it has now become slippery and dusty. They asked officers why a section of the road that was in good enough condition is being fixed. Phuket Highways officer…
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Another teenager killed, and a second seriously injured in Phuket road crash
PHUKET: A 15-year-old biker was killed and his passenger, also 15, was seriously injured when a van driver cut them off, causing a three-vehicle collision yesterday evening in Chalong. Both boys were still in school uniform with their schoolbags across their shoulders. “Rescue workers provided CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) to the driver, Wasin Thongsom, but his injuries were too severe and…
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Frenchman, Russians arrested in Phuket brawl
PHUKET: Two Russian tourists and a French expat were arrested after they were seen armed and fighting in Patong this afternoon. The incident happened near a bike rental shop run by the Frenchman, named by police as Gerard Pecherstorfer, 63, and his wife Suvan Paiwansao, on Sirirat Road. Ms Suvan told police that the argument was about a bike rental…
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Another suspect in million-baht drug deal arrested
PHUKET: A suspected drug dealer, part of a million-baht drug operation cracked in December, was arrested yesterday afternoon. Police in December had initially apprehended four suspects, including a minor (story here), with more than 4,000 pills of ya bah (methamphetamine) and 200 grams of ya ice (crystal methamphetamine) in their possession. The drugs were shipped into Phuket from Bangkok using…
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American found dead in Phuket hotel room
PHUKET: An American man was found dead at a hotel room in Patong yesterday afternoon. “We received a report of the incident at about 3:30pm. The deceased was 58 years old and staying at the Orange Hotel,” said Maj Pattapee Srichai of Patong Police. “We found him lying face up on his bed with no wounds or marks on his…
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Deadly crash kills one near Central Festival Phuket
PHUKET: A Rawai local was killed early this morning when his truck crashed into an electricity pole in front of Central Festival Phuket. Lt Patcharee Wongboon of Wichit Police received reports of the incident at about 4:30am. “We arrived with rescue workers to find the heavily-damaged brown Toyota Vigo pick-up truck flipped over to its left side and smashed into…
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Holiday nightmare: Aussie tourist killed in Phuket jet-ski collision
PHUKET: A 20-year-old Australian woman was killed in a jet-ski collision with her husband at Kata Beach yesterday evening. The victim, named Emily Collie, suffered severe injuries to her head, neck and shoulders. “Other beachgoers came to her aid and lifeguards administered CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) while waiting for police and rescue workers to arrive,” said Lt Col Patiwat Yordsuan of…
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Phuket hospitals reject migrant insurance
PHUKET: Financial difficulties in the healthcare system is leading to pregnant migrant workers in Phuket Province being denied access to Universal Coverage (UC) health insurance scheme when they deliver babies. Usually migrant workers in Thailand are allowed to buy health insurance in order to get access to affordable services while living in the Kingdom, paying 2,100 baht annually for UC…
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Hotel Report: Russians back, zero-baht backlash, crackdown on illegal hotels
PHUKET: Russian arrivals are back to pre-crisis level while the zero-baht tourism ban curbed Q4 growth, the newly released C9 Hotelworks ‘Phuket Hotel Market Update’ for February says. With total airport arrivals surpassing 7.5 million passengers, Phuket experienced a sharp year-on-year rise of 18 per cent, compared to 13 per cent the previous year. This is largely attributed to the…
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Abandoned luggage causes bomb scare in Phuket Town
PHUKET: The Explosive Ordnance Unit (EoU) responded to a bomb scare at Yi Teng Intersection in Phuket Town at about 8:30 last night. Phuket City Police officers received reports of an abandoned suitcase that had been left near a garbage bin. Traffic came to a standstill as police arrived at the scene and blocked all incoming traffic to the area…
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Two teenagers stabbed by youth gang in Phuket
PHUKET: Two teenage boys were stabbed by a gang of teenagers who allegedly tried to rob them at Bang Niew Dam Reservoir in Thalang yesterday evening. Police and rescue teams arrived at the scene to find the two boys injured and bleeding. Worrayuth Kahapana, 18, had stab wounds to his left arm and lower rib. The second victim,16, had multiple…
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Phuket Gov says nightlife issue to be taken up with PM
PHUKET: A proposal to extend the operating times for nightlife entertainment venues in Phuket will be prepared and presented to Prime Minister Gen Prayuth Chan-o-cha, Phuket Governor Chokchai Dejamornthan has confirmed. The Governor has not revealed an exact date, but asked for strict cooperation from restaurant and bar owners in the ‘meantime’. More than 20 night entertainment venue owners met…
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Phuket lifeguard quits to protest vendor takeover
PHUKET: A Laem Singh lifeguard quit his job last month after a group of angry umbrella vendors reportedly asked him to remove his government-issued lifeguard tent, claiming the space as theirs. The vendors said they were ‘locals’ and were authorized to use the space to set up umbrellas and mats for rent. Almost exactly a year ago, former Phuket Vice…
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Another foreign tourist killed on Phuket’s roads
PHUKET: Another foreign tourist in Phuket, this time a young Turkish man, died in a motorbike crash in Kathu District at about 10pm last night. The incident occurred near the Red Mountain Golf Course. Police and rescue workers arrived at the scene to find Hussain Cengiz Coskun, 24, lying on the road next to an electric pole with severe head…
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British man found suffocated in Phuket
PHUKET: A British man from Liverpool was found dead with a plastic bag taped around his neck at a house in Rawai yesterday afternoon. His partner, Rasamee Khaigarb, contacted Capt Somkiet Sarasit of Chalong Police to report the incident at about 4pm. The policeman arrived at the scene with rescue teams. “We found the 55-year-old man lying face up with…
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Video: Lovelorn student asks to be shot at Phuket police station
PHUKET: A student from Phuket Wittayalai School ran into Phuket City Police Station wielding a two-inch knife yesterday evening and urging officers to “shoot me”. “Reports from officers and other witnesses at the station, as well as evidence from CCTV footage, shows that the boy approached the counter and pointed the knife at himself,” said Col Komon Osiri of Phuket…
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‘Most beautiful’ girl in Krabi crowned
KRABI: Pamela Pasinetti won the Miss Grand Krabi 2017 beauty pageant last weekend, and is on her way to compete in Miss Grand Thailand 2017. The Miss Grand competition involves the selection of the ‘most beautiful’ girl in a particular province. Once the girl is chosen, she gets a chance to compete in the larger Miss Grand Thailand competition –…
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100,000 baht found on Phuket temple beggar
PHUKET: A crippled Thai beggar with a hidden ‘money-belt’ was arrested last night after police received complaints from visitors at the Chalong Temple Fair. Lt Col Parinya Tanthasuwan of Chalong Police received reports of the 67-year-old man harassing locals and foreigners at about 7pm, and called in Supparuek Pinyo from the Phuket Province Social Development and Society office. “We first…
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Phuket school assembly disrupted by parked car
PHUKET: A picture of a car parked in the middle of a school assembly in Phuket is making the rounds on the internet this morning. The Facebook post was originally shared by Pairat Kamliang, deputy director of Baan Samkong Municipality School, asking the public to help locate the owner of the car, which is a Toyota Camry Hybrid. Mr Pairat…
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His Majesty’s pictures lead sea gypsies to victory
PHUKET: About a hundred emotional Rawai sea gypsies gathered outside a Phuket court that ruled in their favor this morning, resolving years of disputes about land ownership and encroachment. Coconut trees in the pictures of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s 1959 visit to the area rank among key pieces of evidence that acquit four long-time residents of land encroachment charges.…
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Critically injured Aussie hospitalized in Phuket [video]
PHUKET: An Australian tourist, who was reportedly involved in a head-on collision with a truck in Koh Lanta on January 15, has been hospitalized in Phuket with a mounting medical bill that is not covered by her insurance. Dawn Weldon-Schupp, a 53-year-old nurse from New South Wales, was travelling on a motorbike with her 14-year-old son, Josh, when the accident…
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Panicked Phuket elephant rampages into forest
PHUKET: Police and livestock officers shot a runaway elephant with five tranquilizer darts after he panicked and ran loose at a camp in the Nakkerd Hills yesterday morning. Staff from the elephant trekking camp located in Soi Yodsanee, Chalong, called in officers from the Phuket Livestock Office and Chalong Police for help at about 10:30am, after the elephant, named ‘Plai…
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Phuket pockets billion-baht infrastructure budget
PHUKET: A billion-baht budget for infrastructure development for 2017-2018 has been approved for Phuket, Governor Chokchai Dejamornthan announced last week. The budget is slated to improve traffic congestion and overall infrastructure development in Phuket, including building, extending and maintaining roads; installing CCTV cameras; burying overhead cables; beach development; and building and maintaining underpasses. Additionally, Governor Chokchai has re-ignited interest in…
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Another unidentified foreigner found dead, at Phuket Beach
PHUKET: Another unknown tourist has been found dead in Phuket, this time having plunged from some rocks into the sea. The victim is male and believed to be aged 50-56, but as in several similar recent cases his identity and nationality are unknown. “Witness said the man was walking on the rocks before he suddenly fell down and was dragged…
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Electrical malfunction believed to be cause of Patong nightclub fire
PHUKET: The cause of a fire at ‘Seduction’ discotheque on Soi Bangla, Phuket’s infamous party street, is believed to be an electrical malfunction in a ceiling fan. The fire started at about 7:45pm on Saturday. Six firetrucks arrived at the scene, with firefighters working for at least two hours to calm the flames that took over and extensively damaged the…
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Video: Rare, endangered mammal safely rehabilitated in Phuket
PHUKET: A night guard working in Rawai discovered a rare and endangered mammal early yesterday morning, and quickly sprang into action to protect the creature from harm. Guard Sanya Ritto noticed a creature in the undergrowth during one of his security rounds at the Rawai Villas development. Recognizing it as a Sunda pangolin, he approached it. However, following its natural…
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Thai official released after paintings theft in Japan
JAPAN: A senior-level Thai Intellectual Property Department official, who has admitted to stealing three paintings worth 15,000 yen (4,684 baht) from a Japanese hotel, was released from custody in Japan yesterday, a Thai Foreign ministry spokesman says. The release came after representatives of the Royal Thai Consulate General in Osaka negotiated the payment of compensation to the Kyoto hotel that…
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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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