Phuket News
Phuket news, politics, business, tourism, and nightlife—stay updated with breaking stories, events, and expat updates from Thailand’s top island destination. Get the latest from The Thaiger, your trusted Phuket news source.
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Krabi officials, transport companies team up for holiday road safety
KRABI: A task force to check transport buses and their drivers has set up camp at the Krabi Bus Terminal during the long New Year weekend. The group, formed by the Krabi Department of Land Transport (DLT), has teamed up with 17 bus service companies to ensure that brakes on all buses and vans are operational. The drivers will also…
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Patong Beach road to close for New Year’s Eve
PHUKET: The Patong Traffic Police have sent out an official notice announcing the closure of the beach road (Taweewong Road) tomorrow night. The thoroughfare will be shut down from 11:30pm-1am as a security measure, as well as to manage traffic as thousands of people march to the beach for the countdown to the new year.
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Tourist found dead by Phuket hotel pool
PHUKET: A Chinese tourist died while swimming early this morning after a late night out in Kamala. Captain Prasert Thongprom of Kamala Police received the report about 3am and officers found 28-year-old Jian Dong’s body lying by the pool of the hotel where he was staying. Mr Dong was part of a Phuket tour group, and had gone out with…
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Similan coral defaced with Korean name
PHUKET: Dive company operators are urging officials to boost regulations after a piece of coral with a Korean name etched into it was discovered in the waters of Mu Koh Similan National Park last week. The photo was taken last Saturday by a diver from the Sign Scuba company at Turtle Rock, where there are plenty of corals, both dead…
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New Zealand man falls to his death in Phuket
PHUKET: A Patong Municipality trash collector discovered the body of a tourist at the foot of a Phuket hotel early this morning. The 55-year-old man from New Zealand is believed to have jumped off the balcony of his rented room at the Royal Paradise Hotel & Spa, which is located about 5 minutes from Patong Beach. He had checked in…
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Phuket teen killed in stolen motorbike chase
PHUKET: A 14-year-old boy was killed and another badly injured when the stolen motorbike they were riding collided with a car in Saphan Hin last night. Phuket City Police officers and paramedics arrived on the scene, at the Bang Yai Canal intersection, about 9:40pm. The motorbike had been stolen from a house behind Rajabhat University on Monday. The bike’s owner,…
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Traffic held up for three hours after truck spills plywood load
PHUKET: Tah Chat Chai Police suspect the driver of an articulated truck that spilled its load of plywood sheets all over the road last night, bringing traffic to a standstill, lost control of his vehicle when he took a sharp bend at high speed in wet conditions. The Phuket-bound 18-wheeler spilled its entire load on the notoriously dangerous curve, a…
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Tsunami remembrance ceremony held on 12th anniversary of disaster
PHUKET: About 200 locals, tourists and provincial dignitaries gathered at Patong Beach yesterday evening to hold a candle-lit remembrance ceremony in front of Loma Park on the 12th anniversary of the deadly tsunami that struck the island on the morning of December 26, 2004. Official figures state that the tsunami killed 5,398 people and that more than 3,700 disappeared in…
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Island View: Unchecked road rage in Phuket
PHUKET: As far as road safety in Phuket goes, authorities always highlight ‘speeding’ and ‘helmetless riding’ as the major causes of the appalling number of ‘accidents’ and deaths on the road. However, a relatively overlooked area – in my opinion – is road rage. One recent incident involved a 21-year-old Thai man who threw a large rock at a passing…
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Samkong ‘fields of gold’ attract locals, tourists
PHUKET: A field of sunhemps in full bloom near the Tesco Lotus Samkong junction has become a popular attraction for locals and tourists, who have been stopping off to pose for pictures. Piyaporn Udomsap, the owner of the 23-rai plot, has allowed free access to the public, saying he grows the flowers to maintain the quality and aesthetic beauty of…
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Tsunami memorial ceremonies held in Phuket
PHUKET: The 12-year anniversary for the victims of the devastating 2004 Tsunami was held this morning at several memorials on the island. The Tsunami pulverized the Andaman coast with waves up to 100 feet high. More than 5,000 people died and 3,700 remain unaccounted for to-date. At about 9am OrBorTor Mai Khao arranged Buddhist, Islamic and Christian rites’ services at…
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Phuket drug dealer arrested with B400k of ya bah pills
PHUKET: A drug dealer was arrested with about 2,000 ya bah (methamphetamine) pills at Phuket Bus Terminal 2 on Thepkrasattri Rd on Saturday evening. Sarawuth Koraneesak, 23, had bought the pills in Bangkok for delivery to a customer in Phuket. He was waiting for the customer to come and collect them when he was arrested. The pills were estimated to…
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Royal Thai Navy declares sand-beds “illegal’
PHUKET: The Royal Thai Navy has overturned the Patong Mayor’s ruling regarding beach mats laid out on raised beds of sand at Patong Beach, and declared that they are, in fact, “illegal”. Rear Adm Pisai Sukawin, deputy commander of the RTN Third Area Command, handed down the verdict at a meeting yesterday afternoon, saying that regardless of the beds being…
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More snakes at Patong Police Station
PHUKET: Four snakes, including a king cobra, a cobra and a radiated rat snake, have invaded Patong Police Station three times this week, causing the officers there to panic and send for rescue workers. “The snakes might have come into the building during the floods, but although the floods are gone, the animals remained hiding inside,” said Patong Police Superintendent…
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Phuket officials demolish illegal man-made plantations
PHUKET: Thalang District locals are furious after a joint task force of government officers demolished a man-made plantation in Suan Pa Bang Kanun this week as it was reportedly encroaching on 120 rai of public forest land in Phuket. The first round of demolitions in the area took place on July 14 this year, during which five houses, a palm-tree…
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Wrap-up: Thailand Yacht Show
PHUKET: The second edition of the Thailand Yacht Show saw visitors enjoying sea trials, parties on superyachts, fashion shows, supercars and the latest water-borne toys. With 60 exhibitors, and 55 vessels – including 18 superyachts – on display, the second edition of the TYS closed its doors on Sunday night. Held in partnership with the Thai government, it proved to…
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Teenage driver killed in high-speed collision with 18-wheeler
PHUKET: A teenage driver was killed in a collision with an 18-wheel truck in north Phuket this morning. The accident occurred about 11:30am at the Sala Deng-Muddokkhao junction (that turns into Nai Yang Beach). “We received a report that a Diahatsu Mira had crashed into an 18-wheeler truck on northbound Thepkrasattri Road. The front side of the car was seriously…
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Phuket Police beef up security over holiday period
PHUKET: More than 280 Phuket police officers and volunteers gathered outside Phuket Provincial Police Station yesterday in a show of readiness to boost the safety of tourists and residents on the island over the Christmas and New Year holidays. “Security measures will be heightened from December 22 to January 15, to instill confidence in both locals and tourists who visit…
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Dead coral seized at meditation sanctuary
PHANG NGA: About 37 kilograms of dead coral was seized at a meditation center in Koh Yao Noi yesterday. The raid at the Mooktawan Meditation Sanctuary was conducted by officials from the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) Region 6, after Phang Nga Governor Pakkapong Tawiphat alerted them to its presence. “The coral was being used to decorate the…
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Police search for Phuket bike burner
PHUKET: Police are hunting a for man who ran away after setting fire to a motorbike near Surakul Stadium in Wichit this morning. “The suspect, named Kwan, lives near the area. According to witnesses, he drove the bike out of his house about 10:30am, set it on fire and then ran off,” said Maj Narong Muangkhuang of Wichit Police. Rescue…
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Poultry pilferer turns out to be six-meter python
KRABI: Snake catchers yesterday bagged a six-meter-long python outside a house in Krabi, where more than 45 chickens have gone missing this month. Home owner Suwat Maijan, 55, who has a chicken coop in his yard, called in the snake catchers when he spotted the 20-kilogram reptile slithering away from the coop, leaving a trail of dead chickens behind. “I…
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Raised sand beds ‘not illegal’: Patong Mayor
PHUKET: Patong Mayor Chalermluck Kebsup confirmed today that beach mats laid out on raised beds of sand at Patong Beach are within the 10 per cent zone and are in line with the government’s beach management rules, after pictures of the set-up went viral on social media. The pictures, which were shared and commented on by thousands of people, were…
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15 Nepalese tourists injured in Surat Thani bus crash
SURAT THANI: Fifteen Nepalese tourists were injured when their chartered bus lost control in heavy rain and crashed into a tree in Surat Thani’s Tha Chana district early yesterday morning. Five of the tourists are in critical condition. Police officers and rescue workers from Tha Chana rushed to the accident scene on the southbound lane of Asia Highway 41 in…
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American found with slashed neck in Phuket rental room
PHUKET: An American man was found dead, with deep slashes to his neck, at a rental room in Rawai about 7pm last night. Police suspect he may have taken his own life but have not ruled out other possibilities. “Inside the bathroom, we found the body of the 62-year-old victim (whose name is being withheld) lying face up, with a…
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New Phang Nga airport plans make headway
A TRANSPORTATION mega-project north of Phuket under development by Bangkok Airways has been tentatively named the Phang Nga-Andaman International Airport. In what is being envisaged as either a public-private-sector partnership or a solely private investment, tourism-industry sources have confirmed that Bangkok Airways is in talks with Phang Nga province for a large-scale land lease for the facility, with the environmental…
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Phuket gambling den raid results in 12 arrests
PHUKET: A dozen people were arrested in a raid on a gambling den located at a house in Wichit yesterday afternoon Most of the gamblers were tour guides, it was reported. The raid by a joint task force comprising 41st Military Circle and Wichit Police officers was carried out after a month of surveillance following complaints by neighbors of illegal…
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Monks, clerics bless Samkong Underpass for tunnel’s official opening
PHUKET: Officials, monks, clerics and guests gathered at Samkong Underpass for the official grand opening ceremony of the traffic tunnel in central Phuket this morning. Phuket Vice Governor Teera Anantaseriwidhya and Highways Department Chief Construction Engineer Parinya Sangsuwan were among those present at the event, for which the underpass was closed off from 10pm last night until noon today (story…
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One dead, another injured in gruesome Phuket collision
PHUKET: One tourist died and another was severely injured in a horrifying collision with a taxi, while riding their motorbike southbound on Thepkrasattri Road, in front of Baan Jee Teng this afternoon. Part of the deceased’s foot was sliced off and was still attached to the bike, while he also suffered serious injuries to his neck and head. The other…
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Pick-up truck burnt to a crisp in Phuket
PHUKET: Two minor explosions rocked Thalang this morning when a pick-up truck caught fire in the southbound lane of Thepkrasattri Road. The vehicle was burnt to a crisp with an estimated 600,000 baht in losses incurred. The driver of the vehicle escaped unharmed mere moments before the flames erupted. “The blue Toyota Vigo belonged to 34-year-old Wichai Buasri, who was…
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Phuket man drowns while diving for clams
PHUKET: A Phuket man drowned while diving for clams in a swamp in Kathu yesterday morning. The incident occurred near a cement factory on Wichitsongkram Road. Police arrived at the scene to find the body of the victim, named only as Wirot, lying on the ground. His friend, Narong, was waiting at the scene. “Mr Narong told us that he…
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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