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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The Great American Smokeout, held this year on November 17, is a nationwide event that encourages smokers to take their first steps towards a smoke-free life. If you’re an expat in Thailand, this day could be a timely reminder to...
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Phuket speeders: 70% caught on camera fail to pay fine
PHUKET: Not a single Phuket driver of the 70 per cent who failed to pay their speeding tickets has had their licence revoked, confirmed Phuket Land Transport Office (PLTO) chief policy adviser Jaturong Kaewkasi. The news follows Phuket Provincial Police Commander Teeraphol Thipjaroen explaining that if a driver fails to pay the ticket the case is handed over to the…
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Home & Life orphanage sees fun-raising projects bearing fruit
PHUKET: The Home and Life Foundation * is seeing the fruits of last November’s ‘fun-raising’ event ripen. The full 900,000 baht raised at Centara Grande Karon, who hosted the event, has been spent on improving the Phang Nga Home and Life Foundation, which was established in 2006 to care for children who had lost their parents in the tsunami. “We…
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Underpass construction company faces multi-million baht fines
PHUKET: The construction company building the more than 800-million-baht Samkong underpass has until December 21 to finish the project before hefty fines are implemented, Bureau of Bridge Construction Director Narin Srisompun said yesterday. “Wiwat Construction Co Ltd is only 54 per cent finished with the project. At this rate, construction won’t finish until June. However, the contract – which has…
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Woman fakes robbery to pay back funeral debt
KRABI: A Krabi woman has been charged with filing a fake police report in order to pay off debt accrued by her father’s funeral. Amporn Patchimkleang, 47, told officers that she and her husband were at the Krabi district office to file paperwork. She claimed that while she was in the restroom, someone hit her over the head, bound her…
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Gov threatens total beach ban if rules not followed
PHUKET: Though details of the Phuket beach rules remain up in the air, Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada has vowed that if locals are caught trying to bend the rules once they are established, he will ban all beach vendors, chairs and umbrellas from the sands. “We understand that beach businesses make a lot of money, millions of baht in fact.…
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Phuket beach-usage issue halts lifeguard tower construction
PHUKET: Local complaints and land-usage issues brought the construction of a much-needed lifeguard tower on Kata Noi Beach to a halt last month. Construction on the tower, backed by the Phuket Marine Office, began in September. However, officials are now removing the unfinished structure. “We received a lot of complaints from locals about the new location of the tower, so…
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Decapitated dugong found on Koh Yao Yai
PHUKET: A dugong that washed up on Koh Yao Yai Beach Tuesday morning is believed to have been decapitated for its teeth, experts confirmed. “Dugong teeth are revered by some as good luck charms and are often used to make necklaces,” said Kongkiat Kittiwattanawong, head of the Phuket Marine Biological Center’s (PMBC’s) Endangered Species Unit. PMBC experts estimated that the…
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Six foreigners injured in high-speed Phuket taxi crash
PHUKET: Six foreigners were injured in a high-speed, three-car smash on Thepkrasattri Road yesterday afternoon. A taxi involved in the accident ran into one vehicle, which then crashed into a utility pole, before sailing across the median and colliding head-on into a taxi carrying a group of Indian tourists, explained Lt Suporn Muangkai of the Thalang Police. The tourists, Anui…
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Russian fugitive arrested for role in multi-million-baht ESP fraud case
PHUKET: Immigration scooped up a Russian fugitive in Phuket who was wanted by Interpol in a more than 62-million-baht clairvoyance fraud case. Eldar Gasanguseynov, 29, was charged in Russia for ‘extremely large-scale misappropriation by fraud committed by the [sic] organized criminal group’. Working within an organized criminal group, Mr Gasanguseynov allegedly misappropriated money from people wishing to obtain parapsychological and…
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Phuket cameras bust 10 speedsters a day
PHUKET: The four speed cameras that came online at the end of 2013 are booking about 10 drivers a day, confirmed Phuket Provincial Police Commander Teeraphol Thipjaroen on Monday. Motorists caught speeding in Phuket face a fine of up to 1,000 baht, but have nearly one month to come to the police station and pay. “If they fail to do…
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Police stations given quotas for drunk driver arrests
PHUKET: Police officers were given the green light to pull over and arrest anyone suspected of drunk driving in Phuket, after it was revealed that they would now need to make more than 150 drunk driving arrests a month. The penalty for driving under the influence is up to two years in prison, a 10,000 baht fine or both, confirmed…
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Phuket gains 200 new police officers
PHUKET: A flock of new police officers has arrived on the island adding 200 more bodies to Phuket’s force. The new recruits, who recently graduated from the Provincial Police Training Center Region 8 in Surat Thani, were welcomed to the force on November 1, confirmed Phuket Provincial Police Deputy Commander Peerayuth Karajedee. “With more officers we will be able to…
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Mayor fears fishing net killed dolphin
PHUKET: Officials believe that a dolphin found dead near Koh Bon, just off Rawai Beach, was killed by a fishing net today. “From a quick inspection, I could see marks on its head and upper body that looked like they were made by a fishing net,” said Rawai Mayor Aroon Solos. The dolphin was taken to the Phuket Marine Biological…
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Hundreds line up for Bike for Dad registration
PHUKET: More than 800 Phuket residents made their way down to Phuket Provincial Community Hall yesterday to register for the inaugural ‘Bike for Dad’ event. The event garnered so much interest that the website hosting the online registration crashed due to the overwhelming number of entries. For the Phuket event, participants will bike for 29 kilometers from Provincial Hall to…
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Officials hot to expedite Phuket light rail
PHUKET: Officials are rushing to get Phuket’s light rail project moving along the tracks, Sirigate Apirat, the project secretary for the Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning (OTPP), confirmed to the Phuket Gazette this morning. “It has already taken too long to get the plan together, so I’ve been ordered to finalize it by the end of this…
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Kata Group readies for King’s Cup
PHUKET: The Phuket King’s Cup Regatta is preparing to set sail again, swelling Phuket visitor numbers and making a contribution to Thailand’s overall tourism performance. Sponsored by Kata Group Resorts Thailand, the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta 2015 will be held at Kata Beach Resort and Spa from December 5 to December 12 and will host international racing classes with about…
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Governor clamps down on airport taxis
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada has ordered all relevant officials to keep a stricter eye on airport taxi services after a customer complaint went viral on Saturday. Montira Sakorn’s Facebook post alleged that the taxi she hired from the airport to Patong failed to bring her and her boyfriend to their destination. Instead, it left them waiting at the taxi…
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Patong restaurant owner found dead
PHUKET: A Belgian expat was found dead at his rental room in Patong yesterday after he was allegedly unable to pay rent for his businesses. Ronald Desruelles, 60, was found hanging by a rope in his bathroom at Prince Edouard Seaview Apartments and Resort by his girlfriend Paweeni Sooksan, 30. Ms Paweeni told police that Mr Desruelles owned three restaurants…
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Meth smugglers caught at checkpoint
PHUKET: Three meth smugglers were arrested at the Tah Chat Chai checkpoint after police caught them with 900 grams of ya ice (crystal methamphetamine) yesterday morning. Police were searching vehicles with out-of-province licence plates when they stopped the black Honda driven by Chaipichit Kaewkan, 28. Though the initial search of the vehicle did not reveal any drugs, police were suspicious…
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Law catches up with alleged foreign skimmers in Phuket
PHUKET: Three alleged ATM skimmers were arrested in Chalong on Saturday night after police tracked them down using the GPS signal from a stolen iPad. Brazilians Lucidio Firmino Da Silva Junior, 24, and Juan Pablo Da Costa Varao, 21, along with 26-year-old French national Phellipe Andre Dias, were apprehended in their rental room in Chalong. The arrests followed Koh Tao…
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Luck of the Irish: zooming tourist survives crash with speed limit sign
PHUKET: An Irishman narrowly escaped serious injury when his car veered off the road and into a speed limit sign yesterday morning. Derek John Essen, 67, lost control of the vehicle as he descended the hill between Patong and Kamala, confirmed Lt Col Somnuek Damkham of the Kamala Police. “An eye witness saw Mr Essen driving extremely fast down the…
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Special Report: The gangs of Phuket
PHUKET: The justice system’s soft handling of criminal youth is at the core of the island’s growing drug-powered gang violence, which led to a 15-year-old bystander being gunned down during the final hours of the Phuket Vegetarian Festival, explained Phuket City Police Deputy Superintendent Khunnadet Nanongkhai. Five suspects have already been charged for the murder of Thanakij Sawirum, 15, and…
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Surin beach clubs to be demolished in January
PHUKET: After much controversy and delay, Surin beach clubs are finally expected to be torn down in January*, confirmed Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada to the Phuket Gazette yesterday. “I’m back in Phuket to implement both former and new plans. The beach clubs on Surin Beach are one of them,” said Governor Chamroen. The governor took a strong but cautious stance…
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Phuket Vice Governor’s virgin beach dream
PHUKET: Although the fate of Phuket’s beach management system remains undecided (story here), Vice Governor Chokdee Amornwat has revealed that he wants the plan to include ‘virgin beaches’. “There will be some beaches that will not have a 10 per cent zone, which means there will be nothing there – no umbrellas, no businesses, nothing. All 100 per cent natural,”…
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Phuket City serial thief caught
PHUKET: A serial thief was arrested in Srisoonthorn last night after police were able to track down the motorbike he used during the crime spree. Jessadakorn Sukkrajang, 18, was apprehended at his home at about 9pm, confirmed Lt Col Somsak Thongkliang of the Phuket City Police. Within just one month, Phuket City officers received five different reports of broken car…
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UNODC anti-human trafficking program launched in Phuket
PHUKET: An international e-learning program designed to train law enforcement units to tackle human trafficking was launched in Phuket yesterday. About 40 Phuket officers will be the first in all of Asia to undergo the training developed by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). “The program is designed to provide background information, offer techniques on how to…
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Mentally unstable man attacks Phuket ATM
PHUKET: Police arrested an allegedly mentally ill man who attacked an ATM machine in Phuket Town with a metal bar yesterday morning. The man, who police declined to name due to his condition, fled the scene without attempting to take any money from the Krungsri Bank ATM. “A police car on patrol in the area quickly responded to the incident,”…
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Snake sparks electrical fire in Phuket
PHUKET: A Phuket mayor blamed a small snake for a fire near the Shooting Range in Chalong today. “Locals saw the snake slide into the transformer next to the shack right before it exploded and started the fire,” said Rawai Mayor Aroon Solos. “Luckily, no one was injured.” The owner of the shop, which sold decorative household items, was not…
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Truck driver slams into parked 18-wheeler and dies
PHUKET: The driver of a pickup truck died early this morning after slamming full throttle into the back of a parked 18-wheeled truck on Thepkrasattri Road. Annurak Chompoo, the 40-year-old driver of the 18-wheeler, told police that he had parked on the side of the road with his hazard lights turned on as he prepared to make a delivery to…
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Gaur killer surrenders to police
KRABI: The killer of a beloved gaur, a protected species of bovine, surrendered to police in Krabi yesterday morning. Preeda Paklaw, 41, presented himself, along with his shotgun, to the Plai Phraya Police. “Mr Preeda said that while he was hunting, he saw something in the dark that looked like a serow. He then shot twice,” said Maj Somporn Deeduang…
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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