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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Experts predict Phuket’s housing market is headed for positive territory
PHUKET: After a long lull in the province’s real estate market, experts believe at least 5 billion baht will be invested into the market between the last fiscal quarter of this year and the first quarter of next year. The Phuket Real Estate Association (PREA) president, Thanusak Pungdet, made the announcement yesterday, after reportedly meeting with developers and reviewing market…
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Woman killed in Phuket Town shooting
PHUKET: Police are searching for suspects who allegedly shot a woman in the head yesterday morning in Phuket Town. Phuket City Police responded to a reported attack on a souvenir shop on Phang Nga Road a little after 4am. The Phuket Gazette has confirmed that the woman is a hilltribe, non-Thai citizen from Chiang Mai, named Wenlang Sae-Lee. The 22…
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Heavy rains damage roads, flood farm land and houses in Krabi Town
KRABI: Heavy rains have deteriorated roads, farms and homes in Krabi. Overnight storms on Wednesday caused flooding in the areas downhill from Phanom Bencha mountain, just north of Krabi Town. Officials warned residents that flooding may increase if the province receives additional rainfall over the weekend. Talengsak Puwayannapong from the Krabi Office of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation…
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1,000 free WiFi hotspots planned for Phuket
PHUKET: One thousand free WiFi hotspots are to be made available in Phuket in time for the tourist high season at the end of this year. “The hotspots will be made available in Phuket Town and Patong by December, at the latest, as part of Phuket’s development as a ‘smart city’, said the provincial head of the Software Industry Promotion…
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Delayed again: Samkong Underpass completion pushed to August
PHUKET: The expected completion date of the Samkong Underpass has been postponed yet again, from July 31 to mid August, the Highways Department confirmed today. “At this stage, the project is about 83 percent complete,” said Patiwetwottisak Sookhii, the new director of the Phuket Highways Office. “However, due to the rainy weather, we have asked for more time to finish…
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Police capture mobile phone thief, alleged rapist
PHUKET: A suspected mobile phone thief was arrested last night after police tracked him down when he used the stolen phone. Wiwat Wiroondok, 20, was arrested at his rented accommodation in Kamala at about 10pm. He had a Samsung phone, a watch and several other items believed to have been stolen. “A woman named ‘Kan’ reported to police that about…
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Emergency response crews drill for CMEX 16
PHUKET: Rappelling from helicopters and swiftly moving across the deck of a tour boat captured by terrorists, Royal Thai Navy specialists were able to neutralize the gunmen and free their hostages. After all the hostages were accounted for, terrorists and soldiers alike lit up cigarettes and chatted casually. The hostage crisis was just one situation practiced by government responders and…
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Royal Phuket Marina goes on the market
PHUKET: Royal Phuket Marina (RPM), one of Phuket’s largest marina and lifestyle developments, is up for sale, the company announced this morning. Following serious interest from an international buyer, RPM Chairman Gulu Lalvani has decided to officially put the development on the market, the company announced. As exclusive adviser to the proposed sale, JLL Hotels & Hospitality Group will handle…
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Phuket’s Muslims prepare to celebrate Eid
PHUKET: Phuket’s Islamic astronomers will be looking for the moon tonight, as the holy month of Ramadan comes to a close. If the moon is spotted tonight, it will herald the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. The Eid al-Fitr, or ‘festival of the breaking of the fast’ will be celebrated tomorrow, as Muslims across the world and…
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Proposed light rail delayed yet again
PHUKET: Phuket’s multi-billion-baht light rail project is being given another month to revise its plans yet again. Planners are revising arrangements that would ensure the safety of motorists using roads running alongside the proposed track routes and the airport’s connecting train station. The Ministry of Transport has requested that the Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning (OTPP) modify…
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Crackdown on condo owners confirmed
PHUKET: Condominium owners in Phuket caught renting out their units on a daily basis face fines and jail time if they do not register their properties as hotels. Phuket Vice Governor Chokdee Amornwat reaffirmed today a renewed crackdown on owners of condominium complexes and individual unit owners who are operating illegally as hotels, after the provincial land office issued a…
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Raging bull elephant tears apart owner
KRABI: An enraged bull elephant crushed his 64-year-old mahout to death while working at a rubber plantation in Krabi yesterday afternoon. The 26-year-old elephant, named Plai Khai, was in musth and had been chained to a tree for two days before the attack. He turned on his mahout, Sawai Lantee, when he went to check on the chains. “The elephant…
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Asleep at the wheel: driver rams into shophouses in Krabi
KRABI: Residents in Krabi Town had a lucky escape when the driver of a pick-up truck fell asleep at the wheel and slammed into a row of shophouses last night. The driver, Surin Sukkawit, 54, a Krabi native, caused extensive damage to the row of shops along Krabi-Kaothong Road when he lost control of his vehicle after nodding off around…
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Thailand to raise water transport safety standards in Andaman Sea
PHUKET: Transportation and Marine Department officials have agreed to adopt additional water transportation safety measures in Phuket. Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada, Deputy Transport Minister Ormsin Chivapruck, Marine Department Director-General Sorasak Saensombat and representatives from six tour agencies based in provinces along the Andaman Sea ratified the agreement last Monday. The agreement aims to establish a water transportation safety center and…
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Body of Korean found at sea 5 days after disappearance
PHUKET: The body of a man believed to be that of a Korean tourist who went missing after entering the sea to save his girlfriend at Patong beach last Wednesday was found by fishermen off the northwest coast of Phuket yesterday. Korean nationals Siwoo Park, 25, and his partner Garam Hong, 28, disappeared in the surf off Patong Beach around…
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‘Fish are scarce’ report Krabi fishermen
PHUKET: Fishermen from Krabi returned to shore yesterday disappointed with the meager quantities caught on the first day of fishing following a three-month hiatus. Yesterday was the first day that large fishing vessels were allowed to return to fish in the Andaman Sea after 4,696 square kilometers between Phuket and Trang were closed off so as not to deplete fish…
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Krabi police snare drug dealers with 52,000 pills worth B10mn
KRABI: A sting operation in Krabi yielded more than 10-million-baht worth of hard drugs and led to the arrest of two suspected drug dealers on Wednesday. The two suspects were named as Amnat-ittirit Lueanloy, 34 and Yuthana Sangkachoti, 39. Both are from Nakhon Sri Thammarat. The operation was led by Region 8 Police Headquarters Commander Lt Gen Tesa Siriwato and…
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Police clear Chalong traffic for baby who wouldn’t wait
PHUKET: A heavily pregnant teenage mother almost gave birth while stuck in traffic at Chalong Circle this morning. Ms Bee, the 18-year-old mother-to-be, called a relative to take her to the hospital when she felt labor pains. “By the time we reached Chalong Circle, the baby’s head was already out,” said Royah Kiewsot, the relative who accompanied her to the…
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Russian tourist dies in red flag zone at Nai Harn
PHUKET: A Russian tourist died at Nai Harn Beach yesterday evening after he ignored the red warning flags and went swimming. “We found the body of Leonid Petrov, 28, lying face up on the sand. He was shirtless, with no signs of struggle on his body,” said Capt Wuthiwat Leangboonjinda of the Chalong Police. “We questioned his friend, Vladimir Avdeev,…
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Construction worker killed in scaffold fall
PHUKET: A Thai laborer fell to his death at a construction site in Phuket Town this morning. Kraisorn Kongngam, 49, died after falling from scaffolding while working on a three-storey building in Talad Yai about 9am. According to witnesses, Mr Kraisorn lost his balance and fell while climbing up the scaffolding carrying tools to a platform about two meters off…
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‘Friend’ admits to fatal stabbing of teenager
PHUKET: The self-confessed killer of the 18 year-old who was stabbed 18 times in Koh Kaew surrendered to Phuket City Police on Tuesday. Manasanan Bunga was stabbed to death just outside his house on Soi Han Farang late Sunday night (story here). Police named the suspect, who is not yet 18, only as ‘Min’. “After checking CCTV footage and interviewing…
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Phuket to benefit from Phang Nga airport
PHUKET: A new airport in the works at Phang Nga will help ease air traffic issues in Phuket, Phang Nga Governor Pakkapong Tawiphat told the Phuket Gazette last week. “The airport is set to be located in Taimuang District. The project is backed by a private company that has asked to remain nameless for the time being,” the governor says.…
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Final demolitions hit Lay Pang and Layan
PHUKET: The last of the buildings found to be built on public beachfront land in Phuket were demolished at Lay Pang and Layan beaches on Tuesday. Ma-Ann Samran, former president of the Cherng Talay Administration Organization (OrBorTor), along with government officials, gathered on the beaches to witness the destruction. “We had earlier demolished 100 buildings across Lay Pang and Layan…
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Men flee and fire at Phuket police checkpoint
PHUKET: Two men were arrested in downtown Phuket last night after allegedly firing at police as they sped away from a checkpoint. The Chiang Mai men were on a motorbike on Phoonpon Road at 7:30pm when police ordered them to stop. While fleeing the checkpoint, one of the men, identified as Wuttichai Rattanaputiwong, 31, allegedly fired a shot from a…
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Family narrowly escapes being crushed in landslide
KRABI: A family of three narrowly escaped being crushed to death in a landslide in Krabi that completely destroyed their house on Friday. The 56-year-old owner, Rorya Marya, was staying at her house in Baan Thapradoo, Khlong Thom District with her nephew and mentally unstable son when she heard rumbling sounds and went outside to check. “I saw a landslide…
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Swedish tourist beaten up by Patong tuk tuk driver and friends
PHUKET: A tuk tuk driver and four accomplices were arrested yesterday for ganging up on a Swedish tourist and beating him unconscious in Patong in the early hours of Monday morning. Police responding to reports of the beating found Frederik Gustav Wilhelm Erikson Holm, 32, lying unconscious at the end of Soi Bangla at 3.45am. He was sent to Bangkok…
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Phuket drug ring found weapons online
PHUKET: Four Thai men have been arrested after drug raids in Chalong uncovered crystal meth, guns, bullets and marijuana, police confirmed. At a press conference yesterday, Phuket Provincial Police Commander Teerapol Thipjaroen and staff announced that the arrests had been made by following online leads. “Mr Teerapong Rithirak, 23, was caught on June 23 in Chalong, while trying to sell…
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Phuket karaoke firebombed by angry customer
PHUKET: Police are hunting for a man who allegedly firebombed a Phuket Town karaoke bar yesterday after his phone was seized in lieu of payment for beer and a sing song. Suvann Chaichana, the owner of ‘Fancy Karaoke’ in Phuket Town, reported that her shop had been firebombed just before 2am, says Maj Somchai Nooboon of the Phuket City Police.…
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Chinese passenger injured in tour bus crash on Patong Hill
PHUKET: One man was injured when a bus loaded with Chinese tourists broke through a roadside barrier and veered off the road on Patong Hill yesterday evening. “We received reports from locals that a bus had crashed in front of the Sea Pearl Hotel,” confirmed Patong Police Lt Jongserm Preecha. “The driver, Tairong Chutai, 30, was returning 25 Chinese tourists…
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109-year-old grandma oldest person in Krabi
PHUKET: Plaipraya District Chief Paisarn Srithep visited the oldest living person in Krabi on June 21 and was delighted, and surprised, to find her in good health. Pliaw Petchpuang, 109, was born in 1907. “We were surprised to find that Ms Pliaw is in great health, able to walk unassisted, and indeed busy,” said Mr Paisarn. Ms Pliaw stays 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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