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.
-
Sponsored Is tap water in Thailand safe to consume?
Wondering if you can drink the tap water in Thailand? From brushing your teeth to filling up a bottle, it’s helpful to understand a few basics. Tap water safety in Thailand varies by location, and while some people use it...
-
Krabi raid nets a kilo of crystal meth
PHUKET: A Region 8 Police task force smashed a six-man drug trafficking ring in Krabi over the weekend, seizing more than 40,000 methamphetamine pills (ya ba) and more than a kilogram of crystal methamphetamine (ya ice), as well as cash and assets with a combined value of more than 4 million baht. Police were able to close in on the…
-
PLTO bans bus bellowing pollution in Phuket
PHUKET: Officials banned a pollution-belching Phuket bus from service after it failed its emissions test yesterday. The Phuket Land Transport Office (PLTO) was alerted to the bus’s condition through a complaint made by a concerned citizen who sent in a photo of the vehicle’s plate number. “The black carbon emissions expelled from diesel exhaust cannot exceed 45 per cent. However,…
-
Phuket ‘smart city’ set to receive Korean expertise, B430mn-budget
PHUKET: Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak yesterday announced a budget of 430 million baht to further the ‘smart city’ project in Phuket. The announcement was made at a conference yesterday where the Deputy PM invited entrepreneurs from the South Korean city of Busan to invest in Thailand. Deputy PM Somkid chaired a signing ceremony between Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada and…
-
![Move to regulate diving industry [video] | Thaiger](data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0naHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmcnIHZpZXdCb3g9JzAgMCAzMjggMjIwJz48L3N2Zz4=)
Move to regulate diving industry [video]
PHUKET: Independent diving excursions have been banned in Phuket and Phang Nga following a government move to tighten regulations and increase accountability in the previously self-regulated industry. The move comes in the wake of a number of dive-related deaths and serious accidents in the region. “Though the diving industry does have its own regulations, we need to take greater responsibility…
-
Phuket etiquette course in wake of Chinese tourist prawn gorging [video]
PHUKET: Following Chinese tourists’ chaotic stampede and subsequent gluttonous gorging of piles of prawns at a buffet in Thailand, Phuket will be holding an etiquette course for guides working with Chinese tour companies. The internet was ablaze with vehement criticism of Chinese tourists this weekend after Chinese media company Shanghaiist published a 33 second video clip showing tourists in a…
-
A Decade Ago: Beach chairs and a B40mn blaze
PHUKET: Fears that beach vendors’ unrelenting attempts to retake the beaches will eventually wear down Phuket officials’ willingness to enforce the 10 per cent zone and virgin beach regulations are well founded. Ten years ago, in the March 18-24 edition of the Phuket Gazette, we documented rental operators reneging on a deal – struck after the tsunami – between their…
-
Fisherman killed in knife fight near Phuket port
PHUKET: A 19-year-old Myanmar national was killed in a knife fight on a fishing boat pulling into a Phuket port yesterday afternoon. The altercation between two Myanmar crew members on the fishing vessel Kiang Chai 11 resulted in the death of Yae Tui. The surviving crew member, Van Chana, 34, was sent to Vachira Phuket Hospital to be treated for…
-
Phuket alcohol zones still fuzzy
PHUKET: The Phuket Excise Office (PEO) chief has asked the Cabinet for another six months to measure out potential alcohol zones in an effort to suppress underage drinking in the province. The cabinet initially gave the PEO until January to chart all shops selling alcohol within 300-meters of ‘educational institutions’. However the rules remained foggy as officials tried to clarify…
-
Moscow-bound flight grounded at Phuket airport after passenger voices fears
PHUKET: A flight from Phuket to Moscow was evacuated yesterday after a passenger said he felt threatened. The captain of Russia’s Nordwind Airlines called the airport office to request an emergency inspection after Alexander Nozof, 25, said he felt threatened for reasons that were unspecified. Monrudee Gettuphan, director of Phuket International Airport, denied rumors that the plane had been hijacked.…
-
Checkpoint police nab 21 taxi drivers, most for poor dress sense
PHUKET: Police have arrested a total of 21 taxi drives at a checkpoint in Patong in the past two days, 19 of whom were fined for being inappropriately dressed. Patong traffic policeman Ekkarat Plaiduang and Tourist Police Chief Urumporn Koondejsumrit led the checkpoint in front of the Patong Police Station in order to crack down on fixed-price taxi services and…
-
Fans requested at high-ranking Krabi official’s funeral
KRABI: The family of a high-ranking officer in Krabi has requested that fans be brought to the late lieutenant colonel’s funeral in lieu of wreaths. The funeral of Lt Col Kliang Maneechote, 50, of the Krabi Provincial Police was held at a temple in Krabi Town after he passed away on March 13 after suffering a stroke. Col Kliang’s wife,…
-
Visa overstayers get a watery warning from Immigration
PHUKET: Water bottles with labels displaying the newly implemented overstay rules will be handed out to attendees at a public meeting with Immigration Commissioner Natthorn Phrosunthorn next week. The meeting, to be held at Boat Lagoon on March 25, is aimed at clarifying the new rules as part of the Immigration Bureau’s national campaign on reinforcing rules on foreigners who…
-
Demolition day announced for buildings on Phuket beaches
PHUKET: Local authorities have today announced a final deadline for businesses encroaching on public land at Surin, Lay Pang and Layan beaches, informing business owners that they have to demolish all illegal buildings by next month. “We have decided, once and for all, to demolish the premises of private businesses encroaching on public land at all three ot these Phuket…
-
Phuket van man disappears owing B10mn to his drivers
PHUKET: A contingent of minivan drivers gathered at Thalang Police Station yesterday morning to demand help tracking down their employer, who has disappeared owing more than 10 million baht (approx US$ 285,000) to about 115 Phuket-based drivers. “We are here because we did not get paid by our employer, Puripatara Weerawatara, the owner of World Express Co Ltd,” said Thammarat…
-
Vessel accused of dumping waste off Krabi
KRABI: A large vessel commissioned by the Krabi government to dredge near the Krabi Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) pier received some bad publicity this week after a Facebook user accused it of dumping waste into the Andaman. The photos posted by the Facebook user, showing black ‘wastewater’ surrounding the vessel, quickly went viral. However, the Krabi Marine Office was quick…
-
Dutchman dies in three-vehicle smash
PHUKET: A 45-year-old Dutch man died in a three-vehicle crash in Phuket last night, which also left an unidentified Thai woman severely injured. Witnesses told police that a collision between the Dutchman and a Thai woman riding a motorcycle near Chalong Circle caused the man’s bike to cross over the road into oncoming traffic and collide with a bus. Witnesses’…
-
Man killed in Phuket defending shoes
PHUKET: A man was killed after allegedly attempting to defend his shoes from a thief in Phuket this morning. “Neighbors told us that Niwat Linooi, 24, caught someone trying to take his shoes from in front of his home and allegedly punched the thief,” said Lt Col Suchart Meelampong of the Phuket City Police. The man then supposedly called out…
-
Fortuner driver cleared of hit-and-run charges
PHUKET: Police cleared a suspected hit-and-run driver of any involvement in the accident that killed one and injured two in Wichit on Monday morning (story here). Witnesses told officers that a Toyota Fortuner of an unknown color was heading toward Phuket Town when it struck Narakorn Onthong, 30, and Pa Yasamut, 54, before crossing lanes and fatally injuring 17-year-old Sittichai…
-
DSI being unfair in land probe, says Phuket company owner
PHUKET: The owner of Six Mountains Co Ltd yesterday called on the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) to look into his adversary land ownership documents in Koh Nakha Moo 5 in Thalang district. Chanwit Kijlertsiriwattana claimed that his company was being singled out by the DSI in its investigation over the Hiranpruk family’s allegations that his firm had used illegitimate…
-
Jungceylon security guard returns tourist’s lost cash
PHUKET: A forgetful tourist in Patong was lucky to have a big wad of cash returned to him on Monday after leaving an envelope containing 350,000 baht at the Jungceylon shopping center. The abandoned cash was found by Madae Mateha, a security guard working at the mall. “Ms Madae found the envelope in a shopping cart near the elevator on…
-
Kratom dealers busted in Krabi raid
KRABI: Krabi Police apprehended five kratom dealers along with 10 customers during a raid in Muang district Monday afternoon. “We conducted a raid after receiving complaints from neighbors who suspected that they were selling drugs to teenagers in the area. We believe they have been doing this for a long time,” said Muang District Chief Administrative Officer (Palad) Sophon Suvannakarat.…
-
Police seize knock-off goods worth B500,000 in Patong
PHUKET: Officers from the Economic Crime Suppression Division (ECD) seized pirated goods worth 500,000 baht at a market stall in Patong on Monday night. Acting on a tip-off, ECD and Patong police officers discovered fake brand-name products being sold at a stall in Baan Thai Market, said ECD Maj Apichat Amornpradit. “The stall was selling counterfeit glasses, shirts, bags and…
-
Phuket property management firm shrugs off “military threats’
PHUKET: Unhappy foreign tenants will be filing an official letter of complaint with the Department of Special Investigations (DSI) and the Army as they battle a property management company on the island. The move follows the tenants allegedly bringing representatives of the DSI and Army onto the property to ‘resolve’ the dispute with the company. “If we were to receive…
-
Last toothfish poaching vessel of ‘Bandit 6’ sunk
PHUKET: Authorities in Indonesia have sunk the last of the ‘Bandit 6’ toothfish-poaching vessels, the Viking. Sea Shepherd representatives were on the ground to film the sinking of Viking, which marked the end of over a decade of toothfish poaching in the Southern Ocean at the hands of the Bandit 6, and the conclusion of Sea Shepherd’s Operation Icefish 2015-16.…
-
Open your heart and home to a soi puppy, kitten or cat
PHUKET: Start sorting out your documents and make some more room in that big heart, because the Soi Dog Foundation is holding an adoptions event at its shelter in Mai Khao between 9am-noon on March 19. The event will focus on puppies, kittens and cats. “Right now the shelter is bursting at the seams with puppies and cats. There are…
-
Sea gypsy assault case headed to Phuket prosecutor
PHUKET: Police say they will hand over the sea gypsy assault case to the Phuket public prosecutor this week. More than 30 Rawai sea gypsies were injured in a violent confrontation with private investors from Baron World Trade Co Ltd in January (story here). Six suspects allegedly involved in the attack have surrendered and been released on bail (story here).…
-
Phuket police hunt hit-and-run truck driver
PHUKET: Police are hunting a truck driver who ran over two men on a motorcycle, killing one and critically injuring the other, near the underpass at the Central Festival Phuket intersection this morning. “At the scene, there were two victims lying in the road and a badly damaged motorbike nearby,” said Lt Patcharee Wongboon of the Wichit Police. “Witnesses said…
-
Phuket welcomes new acting marine chief
PHUKET: The new acting chief of the Phuket Marine Office has been named as Surachai Burapanontachai. Mr Surachai was transferred from the Samut Songkhram Marine Office where he served as its chief, to fill the position left open by former Phuket Marine Chief Phuripat Theerakulpisut, who was transferred to Nonthaburi on February 26 (story here). “I am glad to be…
-
A Decade Ago: Phuripat and lost at sea
PHUKET: Unless bald or in the military, most people have changed their haircuts over the span of a decade. But not ‘Phuket’s Jet-ski Champion’, former local Marine Office Chief Phuripat Theerakulpisut. However, he did change his name. In the March 11-17, 2006 issue of the Phuket Gazette, Mr Phuripat was still using the name Surin Theerapkulpisut as he questioned whether…
-
Registration open for Phuket Criterium 2016
PHUKET: Saddle up for the 2016 Phuket Criterium; a day of pedal-powered street racing to be held at Saphan Hin on April 23. Last year’s inaugural event was a huge success, attracting more than 300 cyclists (story here). This year, the organizers have expanded the race categories to welcome participants of all ages and abilities with categories for fixed-gear bikes,…
![Move to regulate diving industry [video] | Thaiger](https://thethaiger.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/1_201632120393789_KVmrAUqqnAPKOZiyZhXiITzjdoSDWAHgWuYWOOMB_jpeg.jpeg)
![Phuket etiquette course in wake of Chinese tourist prawn gorging [video] | Thaiger](https://thethaiger.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/1_201632115610933_gnpleYgwzcooVzsOFmsDgBCWxgvrJJwpwmbaKIXJ_jpeg.jpeg)
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.
Don't forget to check out some other things to do in Thailand - get help starting a business or finding a job in Thailand, buy Thailand property, rent a yacht or book a medical procedure worldwide.