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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Drive-by road rage shooting suspect arrested
PHUKET: Sakoo Police yesterday arrested a Thai man who critically injured another man in a road rage-fueled drive-by shooting on Thursday. The 23-year-old suspect, Pawarut Thepabutra, told police that he left his house about 5am on the morning of the incident with his girlfriend to join a Vegetarian Festival parade at Bang Neow Shrine in Phuket Town but then went…
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New team pledges allegiance to Phuket Governor
PHUKET: Phuket’s three new vice governors officially assumed their duties yesterday morning. The Interior Ministry announced the appointments of Sanit Sriwihok, Theera Anantasereewittaya and Siwaporn Chuasawat last week (story here). The V/Govs officially reported to Phuket Governor Dr Chokchai Dejamornthan, who arrived on September 30 to take up his post here on October 1, at Provincial Hall. The new team…
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16 arrested in gambling ring bust
PHUKET: Police apprehended 16 suspected gamblers and confiscated more than 130,000 baht in cash and gambling paraphernalia during a raid of an illegal gambling ring in Wichit yesterday. City Defense Deputy Jiradet Burarak and other officials led the raid on a house in Soi Thepanusorn at about 6pm after locals complaining about the level of noise emanating from the residence.…
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Van driver murdered in Kathu
PHUKET: Police are hunting for a Thai man suspected of shooting dead a van driver in Kathu on Saturday. Chamnong Kaewprot, 41, was admitted to Phuket International Hospital by his wife, with shotgun wounds to his back. He was later transferred to Mission Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Capt Sawanya Eiattrong of Kathu Police arrived at the scene of…
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Frenchman found dead in Patong hotel room
PHUKET: The naked body of a Frenchman was found in a hotel room in Patong on Saturday. The body of Sylvain Bernard Renia, 27, was discovered by housekeeping staff at The Nest Resort on Nanai Road. “His body was found in the toilet. He was naked and his face and body were resting against the wall,” said Capt Sininat Cherdchutrakulthong…
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Diving instructor charged with reckless driving
PHUKET: Police filed charges against a diving instructor after his reckless driving was caught on camera yesterday. A viral video on Facebook titled ‘Please help. Am I in the wrong?’ shows the driver of a Honda Accord attempting to turn right from the left-hand turning lane at the intersection of Chao Fa West and Thep Anusorn Road in Wichit, near…
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Samui suffering from serious drought
KOH SAMUI: Desperate drought-hit residents on Koh Samui are turning to spirits for help after receiving little assistance from local authorities. “There has been no help from the local government,” said Samui villager Sawat Limsuwan, 61, yesterday having prayed for the heavens to open at a makeshift shrine on his parched land early last month. Mr Sawat told the Phuket…
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Festival raids seize over 70k pills
PHUKET: Provincial police announced yesterday that they have seized nearly 72,000 methamphetamine pills, estimated to have a street value of 4 million baht, over the course of the past week. Phuket Provincial Police Commander Teeraphol Thipjaroen told the Phuket Gazette that the annual Vegetarian Festival brings with it a chance for dealers and suppliers to transfer drugs and cash in…
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B3mn damages in Yamu speedboat blaze
PHUKET: Investigators confirmed today that an electrical short circuit was the cause of a speedboat blaze off Yamu Pier in Pa Khlok on September 24. Three crew members were injured in the fire, with one of them sustaining serious injuries including a broken leg and burns on 40-50 per cent of his body (story here). He is still under doctors’…
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Fliers still facing long queues at Phuket Airport
PHUKET: Three weeks after the official opening of the new international terminal at Phuket Airport, frustrated travellers are still putting up with long lines at the immigration counters due to a lack of essential equipment. Only 13 of the 34 immigration counters at the international departure area had computers on the September 16 opening day of the new terminal; causing…
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Crane crash damages two vehicles at Krabi Hospital car park
KRABI: Two vehicles were damaged when a crane crashed into a covered garage in front of a residential building at Krabi Hospital this morning. The crane driver, Sompong Chinnawong, 60, claimed that he could not stop the crane, despite repeated attempts to brake. “I was trying to start the engine, but it would not start. Then, for some reason, it…
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Tourist bus crash causes pile-up on Patong hill
PHUKET: Yet another tour bus has crashed on Patong Hill. In the accident on Wednesday afternoon, the driver lost control and ploughed into three other vehicles, resulting in a Thai man being seriously injured and 11 others sustaining injuries. Witnesses told Patong Police that the bus crossed over into oncoming traffic while in a downhill turn, crashing into a pick-up…
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Man in ICU after drive-by road rage shooting
PHUKET: A 23-year-old Thai man is in intensive care after being shot in a drive-by road rage attack this morning. Thalang police told the Phuket Gazette they received an emergency call at about 6am, after Chayan Srinual was rushed to Thalang Hospital. “Mr Chayan was shot once in the left side of his back,” said Thalang police Captain Chatree Chuwichian.…
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Airport staff welcome festival arrivals
PHUKET: Phuket International Airport celebrated the Vegetarian Festival by giving souvenirs to the passengers from several flights yesterday afternoon. The souvenirs were distributed in honor of China’s ‘Golden Week’, also known as China’s National Day. Phuket International Airport Director Monrudee Gettuphan, together with Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Phuket Office staff, were waiting at the domestic arrival terminal at 3pm…
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Longtail passengers rescue fellow tourist
KRABI: A Chinese tourist was lucky that a Royal Thai Navy rescue team was on hand after she nearly drowned in the Andaman Sea on Saturday. Xiaochang Lai, 23, along with five other tourists, was touring the bay on a longtail boat and had stopped to snorkel around the coral reef at Koh Gai. Ms Lai became separated from her…
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New vice governors named
PHUKET: The Interior Ministry yesterday announced Phuket’s three new vice governors, who will be taking their posts on October 10. The vice governors were named as Sanit Sriwihok, previously the Surat Thani Provincial Chief Administrative Officer (Palad); Theera Anantasereewittaya, previously the Department of Local Administration inspector in Bangkok; and the second female vice governor for Phuket, Siwaporn Chuasawat, previously the…
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Vegetable Frenzy brings economic boon
PHUKET: Phuket’s controversial Vegetarian Festival is expected to generate 3.4 billion baht in revenue for the local economy, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) claimed today. According to the TAT, during the closing days of the festival, hotel occupancy along the parade routes was up to 90 per cent. Additionally, officials said occupancy of beach hotels also increased during the…
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Russian swimmer dashed against rocks at Karon Beach
PHUKET: A Russian man broke his arm today when he was dashed against rocks by strong waves off Karon Beach, after ignoring red flags warning beach goers not to swim in the dangerous surf. Viktor Sizouenko, 32, was rescued by lifeguards and given first aid by medics at the beach before being taken to Patong Hospital. Eye witnesses said Mr…
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Cops nab racing teen riders
PHUKET: Traffic Police last night nabbed two teen motorbike riders who were allegedly racing with about 30 other riders along a stretch of road in Saphan Hin. Police received complaints at about 5:30pm that a group of more than 30 teenagers were racing motorbikes near the Vegetarian Festival celebrations. Responding officers were only able to catch the two teens. The…
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Phuket Vegetarian Festival in full swing
PHUKET: This year’s Vegetarian Festival in Phuket is fully underway, with processions of devotees marching to Chinese shrines across the island for the second day of rituals this week. Yesterday, devotees and festival participants gathered at Choor Su Gong Naka shrine for the first street procession of the festival. Crowds gathered at the Bang Ku shrine today for a second…
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Krabi vet asks for donations to feed baby elephant
KRABI: A vet in Krabi is appealing the public to help fund milk supplies for a newborn male elephant who was rejected by his mother and needs up to 20 liters of infant formula a day. The baby elephant was born on September 7 to a 20-year-old elephant named ‘Pang Rampai’. However, the mother is refusing to feed the young…
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Driver finds 3-meter-long king cobra in car
KRABI: Snake catchers in Krabi pulled a large king cobra from a car yesterday. The deadly three-meter-long snake had hidden behind the headlight of the car after falling onto the vehicle from a tree. Suchayanmak Sukapan, 42, had parked her car under a tree in front a house in Din Udom sub-district, Lamthap District, when she happened upon the snake.…
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Blind community offered boosted standards and legal venue registrations
PHUKET: The Thailand Association of the Blind (TAB) organized an informational discussion at the Bhukitta Hotel & Spa on Wednesday to boost the standard of blind massage parlors and tweak their registration process. The event was led by Phuket Vice Governor Chokdee Amornwat, alongside deputy director of the TAB Surat Puengsiriwathana, and Petrat Techatracha, head of The Blinds Vocational Promotion…
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Local artists protest coal plant
KRABI: Twenty artists gathered at Krabi Provincial Hall to stage a peaceful protest on Thursday morning against a coal power plant slated to be built in the Nua Khlong District. Vasan Sitthiket, an artist and activist who is part of the group, painted landscapes depicting how locals in the area would be affected by the plant. “We went to the…
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New Phuket governor arrives
PHUKET: Newly appointed Phuket Governor Dr Chokchai Dejamornthan and his wife Raweewan Dejamornthan, who is the new president of the Phuket Red Cross, received a warm welcome on their arrival in Phuket this morning. About a hundred people from both government and the private sector showed up to welcome the couple at Phuket airport at 10:30am. In keeping with tradition,…
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Samkong Underpass to be closed for maintenance, completion pushed to October end
PHUKET: The Samkong Underpass is to be closed from 10pm today until 4am tomorrow for electrical maintenance and installation. Motorists are only allowed to use the road above the underpass during this time slot. “We have also installed signs at the junction to notify motorists,” said Chalermpol Wongkiattikun, the project engineer from the Department of Highways. “The underpass is expected…
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Burmese dies from anal injuries
KOH SAMUI: A Myanmar man died Wednesday afternoon in Koh Samui, nine days after he was admitted to hospital with a torn anus, anal inflammation and a blood infection from a torn intestine. Capt Issaret Saneangwan of Samui Police received reports regarding the deceased from Samui Hospital. “Thirty-year-old Mueang Santoo had passed away about an hour before we arrived at…
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Phuket Airport Road: Landslide plan to be revealed next month
PHUKET: A plan to prevent landslides along the road running parallel to the runway at Phuket International Airport is expected to be completed by next month. The need for a plan came about when continuous rains on August 31 loosened the earth on the 141-meter-tall hill (Khao Bo Sai), and caused a landslide that spilled onto the road (story here).…
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Patong Swimmer stung by Portuguese Man of War
PHUKET: Lifeguards at Patong Beach helped a swimmer on Monday who had been stung on one of her legs by a Portuguese Man-of-War. In a Facebook post on Tuesday, the lifeguards said they had helped remove the siphonophore from the victim after she was stung. The swimmer, who wished to remain anonymous, said the sting was small but painful. The…
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Floating officials visit flooded village
KRABI: Villagers in Ao Luek district have been using boats to get to and from their houses after torrential flooding has left their neighborhood under water for the past month. Following complaints filed with the Ao Luek Administration Organization (OrBorTor), Ao Luek District chief Chaiwut Buathong examined the site on Tuesday. Approximately 300 meters of roadway have been flooded in…
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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