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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Samui local reunites tourist with bag full of cash
SAMUI: A Good Samaritan yesterday returned a Swiss tourist’s lost bag, after it had gone missing on Tuesday. The bag, belonging to Markus Joost, contained 16,000 baht in cash, credit cards, an iPhone and a passport. The 32-year-old Samui resident, Sarawut Somsawat, works as a gardener at the Anantara resort. He reportedly found the bag in front of a picture…
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German found dead in Kamala hotel room
PHUKET: Police are investigating the death of a German man whose body was found Monday afternoon in a Kamala hotel room, where police also found almost a dozen empty packets of the sedative Quetiapine. Kamala Police responded to a call from staff at Kamala Beach Resort – A Sunprime Resort about 2pm to find the body of German national Mr…
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Illegal Indian meat seized in Phuket
PHUKET: Over a tonne of illegally imported meat from India was seized in Rassada yesterday. A joint task force comprising about 30 officers from the Animal Quarantine Station 8 (AQS) and Army 41 was led by the Head of Animal Quarantine Station, Pornchai Inkhamdee, to raid two locations in the area. The 1,342 kilograms of what officials believe to be…
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Luck runs out for Phuket’s lottery vendors
PHUKET: Over a dozen people suspected of selling overpriced lottery tickets were arrested all over Phuket yesterday. Col Akkanit Danpitaksat of the Phuket Provincial Police led the investigation team, which arrested 17 vendors alleged to be selling lottery tickets for a higher price than they are worth. “We patrolled 21 venues that locals had complained about, “said Col Akkanit. “They…
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Third suspect in Tuk Tuk president’s murder case arrested
PHUKET: A third suspect involved in the shooting of the President of the Patong Tuk Tuk Drivers’ Club was apprehended by police on Friday. A total of six suspects are believed to have been involved in the shooting death of Sakol Srisompoch (story here), of which 3 have been arrested. On October 31, two suspects, a father and son, were…
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International passengers must pay new B15 surcharge per flight
THAILAND: Air passengers travelling in and out of Thailand now have to pay a “surcharge” of 15 baht per person per flight. Following ongoing investigations and criticism by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) of deficiencies in Thailand’s flight safety standards, the funds raised from the charge will be be used primarily to address those ills. However, the move has…
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Unidentified rotting body found floating off Rassada Pier
PHUKET: The rotting body of an unidentified man was found floating at the Rassada Pier yesterday morning. Lt Surachat Thongyai of Phuket City Police received reports from near the Fish Marketing Organization at about 7:10am. “The body was faceless and could not be identified as only the skull remained. There was a tattoo on the left side of his neck.…
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Police officer’s son shot dead, suspect on the run
PHUKET: The hunt is on for a man who shot dead the son of a Patong Police officer near the British International School (BISP) in Koh Kaew last night. Maj Nattaya Suwanpong of Phuket City Police received reports of the incident at 7:30pm. “The victim, Thanapol Choosawat, 21, had already been taken to Mission Hospital and pronounced dead by the…
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Gas station altercation suspect charged and fined
PHUKET: The driver who assaulted a gas station employee in Tah Chat Chai on Thursday was charged for the altercation yesterday afternoon. Pariwat Polsamak, 29, appeared on CCTV footage that went viral on Facebook. The video showed him kicking Usaman Satapor, 31, to the ground at a Shell gas station and driving off (story here). Both men were called in…
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Man crushed to death at Phuket graveyard
PHUKET: A Thai man was crushed to death at a Phuket graveyard this morning. Lt Kwansirinath Thairat of Wichit Police arrived at the scene with a doctor from Phuket International Hospital and Kusoldharm Foundation rescue workers, after passersby saw him lying there and notified authorities about 8am. He is believed to have been dead for at least 30 minutes when…
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Phuket entrepreneurs join hands to boost investment
PHUKET: Two dozen private entrepreneurs have come together to form a new company aimed at boosting investment and promoting seamless business operations in Phuket. Named Phuket City Development Co Ltd (PKCD), the new conglomerate aims to develop the province into a functional and successful ‘Smart City’ under three ‘core values’: innovation; green infrastructure; and green mobility for sustainable development. PKCD…
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Opinion: The environmental cost of development
PHUKET: Reports that the newly-formed Phuket City Development Company plans long-term investment in the province as a future ‘smart city’ and regional hub for so-called ‘MICE’ tourism is potential good news for the island. The Phuket Gazette hopes that in addition to the group’s business goals, sustainability and environmental conservation will be included while planning its objectives. The list of…
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Angry driver assaults Phuket gas station employee
PHUKET: Police have summoned a gas station employee and a car owner for questioning after a video clip of the driver assaulting the employee surfaced on social media yesterday. The CCTV clip (click here) shows a black Honda with licence plate number 5577 driving up to a Shell gas station in Tah Chat Chai about 6pm yesterday. After talking to…
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South Korean Ambassador and Phuket Gov talk safety, technology
PHUKET: The South Korean ambassador to Thailand and the Phuket governor discussed the technological alliance between their two countries on Wednesday morning at Provincial Hall. Governor Chockchai Dejamornthan and Ambassador Noh Kwang-li exchanged ideas for the betterment of Phuket, including the Smart City Project. “Phuket is a role model for the nation’s Smart City project,” said Gov Chokchai. “We are…
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Samkong Underpass to be closed for sign installation
PHUKET: The Phuket Highways Office has announced that the Samkong Underpass will be closed again from 9pm tonight until 4am tomorrow for a sign installation. “Wiwat Construction Co Ltd, the company contracted to build the underpass, revealed that the six-meter-long sign board adorned with its name will be installed on an I-beam at the tunnel,” said Phuket Highways Office Director…
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Security tightened for Loy Krathong
PHUKET: Region 8 Police are working to boost security measures during this year’s Loy Krathong Festival on Monday and are requesting the public to follow rules and regulations for the sake of their own safety. “We have received an official report stating that everything will return to normal after the 30-day mourning period is over. Therefore, the festival will be…
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Man arrested for destroying Phuket ATM
PHUKET: A man was arrested last night after he lashed out at an ATM in Patong earlier that day. “We received a report from Krungthai Bank that their ATM in front of Arunsom Hotel was destroyed. CCTV footage showed a man repeatedly striking it at 2:52am, before making his escape,” said Lt Col Somsak Thongkliang of Patong Police. Investigations revealed…
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Belarusian ‘possessed by evil spirits’ after trip to Samui
PHUKET: A hallucinating Belorussian man ran amok in Thalang on Tuesday night, shouting that he could see dead people as he stripped himself naked and ran into a rubber plantation near the Shell gas station on Thepkrasattri Road, where he and a friend had pulled up on a motorcycle. He was later found and subdued by locals, who, believing the…
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Aspiring Phuket singer gets fussy in Bangla
PHUKET: A Facebook video showing a flared up Thai singer shouting and arguing with locals in Bangla went viral Sunday night. The video shows alleged Waii Kamikaze and her boyfriend drunk and fighting with locals on Bangla Road. Facebook page ‘Red Skill V.SE’ uploaded and shared the video, with the caption: “They say she is a famous singer who just…
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Patong hotel staff walk into bloodbath
PHUKET: A 63-year-old French tourist was found dead with his throat cut in a Patong hotel room last night. Patong Police Captain Sirinart Cherdchutrakulthong received the report at about 9:30pm after a ‘Delicious Residence’ hotel staff member found the man’s body in a pool of blood in the bathroom. The deceased had checked into the hotel last Friday and was…
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French Consul to hold first aid workshop
PHUKET: The French Honorary Consul of Phuket is holding the first in a series of basic first aid workshops at Bangkok Hospital Phuket on November 17. Organized in collaboration with Bonjour Phuket, the workshop starts at 7pm and will be conducted in French, comprising about 15 minutes of theory by a qualified medic from Noumea Hospital, followed by practical demonstration…
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Phuket yacht dealer sells first Ferretti 850 in Asia
PHUKET: Phuket-based yacht dealership Lee Marine today announced the first sale in Asia of the new Ferretti 850 luxury cruising yacht. The recent sale of the new vessel from Italian designers Ferretti Yachts is sure to raise the bar once again for pleasure yachts in this class, said Lee Marine founder and managing director Joshua Lee. “The Ferretti 850’s dynamic…
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RTN still searching for missing Russian in Similan
PHUKET: The Royal Thai Navy is still searching for a Russian man who went missing in the Similan Islands last week. Aleksei Stashkov reportedly disappeared last Sunday while swimming at Koh Payan, Similan Islands, on a trip with his cousin, Mikhail Kolmogorov, 60 (story here). Mr Kolmogorov filed a missing persons report last Tuesday after he came across navy personnel…
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Mother gives birth in car 300 meters from home
PHUKET: A Lao Woman gave birth to a 2kg baby boy in the back seat of a car in Koh Kaew last night. Keothong Somthaly, 27, was being driven to hospital by her husband after she went into labor a month earlier than expected, but ended up delivering her child in the car with help from paramedics after her husband…
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Tourist associations tackle overcharging of Chinese visitors
PHUKET: Two Chinese associations in Phuket came together at Tah Chat Chai checkpoint Sunday to distribute brochures detailing ‘fair pricing’ information in order to protect Chinese tourists from being ripped off by tour operators. Ronnarit Cheunsangarun of the Thai Chinese Tourism Association, Phuket Office; Nonpuree Patarakumakornsakul of the Phuket Chinese Guide Association; and other representatives from both associations handed out…
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Royal wreath ceremony held to honor fallen Phuket soldier
PHUKET: A Royal wreath placing ceremony was held at Wat Sopon Wanaram (Pa Khlok Temple) on Saturday to honor fallen soldier Thanapon Kaewpetch, a native of Phuket, who was shot dead while on duty in the Deep South last week. Private Thanapon joined the military on November 1 last year. He was killed while guarding the Thai military installation in…
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Burmese dealers busted with large stash of drugs
PHUKET: Police yesterday arrested two Myanmar nationals for drug dealing after raiding a rented apartment room in Rassada, where they found 5,000 methamphetamine pills (ya bah) and 400 grams of crystal meth (ya ice). Aye Ayemaung, 32, was arrested in possession of 3,533 ya bah pills and 366.14 grams of ya ice, along with drug paraphernalia,” confirmed Phuket City Police…
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Phuket Gazette bags ‘Best Newspaper in South Thailand’ award
PHUKET: The Phuket Gazette is honored to have been named ‘Best Newspaper in South Thailand’ at the prestigious Thailand Professionals Business & Lifestyle Awards in Bangkok on Saturday night. In presenting the award, the organizers noted that readership was the key criterion in arriving at their decision to favor the Gazette. “With national distribution throughout Thailand, the newspaper is the…
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Phuket to hold commemorative event for HM’s 30-day passing
PHUKET: Phuket is set to hold a commemorative event for His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s 30-days passing this weekend. Phuket Governor Chokchai Dejamornthan has invited everyone across the island to come and pay their respects to His Majesty the King at Laem Prom Thep (Promthep Cape), Rawai, this Saturday at 3pm. The public is also invited to join in the…
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Phuket man dies during final act of kindness
PHUKET: A good Samaritan who volunteered to help remove trees that had fallen and trapped cars in Pa Khlok yesterday passed out while he was doing it and was later pronounced dead at Thalang Hospital. Social media user Suchat Leucha posted a message on Facebook which read: “Deeply sorry about the passing of a kind old man, who along with…
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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