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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How one hospital visit in Thailand could cost more than your whole trip
Thailand is a favourite spot for travellers who want to enjoy more while spending less. From cheap street food to low-cost hotels and fun attractions, it’s easy to stretch your budget here. But there’s one thing many people don’t think...
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French duo’s extortion plan fails to baguette away with it in Phuket
Two foreign men, believed to be French nationals, reportedly attempted to extort 2,000 baht from a Thai tourist in the Patong area of Phuket on Monday. The Thai victim shared his shocking experience on Monday, October 28, with Phuket Times to warn other tourists and to urge action from the local police. The victim revealed that the incident took place…
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Phuket’s fundraising campaign hits full beam for cancer care centre
Phuket is pulling out all the stops in a monumental bid to raise a whopping 290 million baht. The cause? Building a cutting-edge cancer care centre at Vachira Phuket Hospital. This essential government-run institution is on a mission to boost cancer treatment services for Phuket’s residents and those from neighbouring provinces. Phuket’s top brass, Governor Sophon Suwannarat, announced a traditional…
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Phuket tourism revenue poised to exceed 2019 levels
Tourism revenue in Phuket is on track to surpass the 2019 figures, with visitor numbers approaching pre-Covid-19 pandemic levels, as revealed by Thanet Tantipiriyakit, President of the Phuket Tourist Association. “Phuket has now transformed into a destination for quality tourists, as total spending of tourists has risen above the amount recorded in 2019 despite the overall number of visitors falling…
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Nine injured in van and truck collision in Phuket
A dramatic head-on collision rocked Ao Po Pier Road in Pa Khlok, Phuket as a van and a small truck collided with a bang, leaving nine people nursing injuries. The crash unfolded around 5.30pm, yesterday, October 29, near Moo 9, prompting an immediate and swift reaction from local police and emergency crews. On the scene, rescue teams found two Thai…
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Mystery unbedded: Thai police dig into Canadian man’s death
Thai police are digging deep into the puzzling death of a 46 year old Canadian man discovered by a group of his friends after five days of silence. The alarm was raised in a quiet corner of Moo 8, Srisoontorn, alerting Thalang police officers to the scene at around 12.35pm, yesterday, October 28. The man’s body was found peacefully in…
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Sisters survive 10-metre fall after motorcycle crash in Phuket
Two sisters narrowly escaped death when their motorcycle, with faulty brakes, lost control and crashed into a roadside barrier, causing them to fall into a 10-metre-deep ravine. The incident occurred on a steep road in Patong, Phuket. At approximately 5.40pm yesterday, October 28, Police Lieutenant Pongpipat Kumchumpoo of the Patong Police Station received a report of a motorcycle accident on…
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Bangkok cops reel in cunning Phuket light rail project con artist
The Metropolitan Police Investigation Bureau cops in Bangkok reeled in a cunning fraudster who duped victims into a sham Phuket light rail project investment scheme. The lady in question, only identified as 44 year old Ms Wongduean, was apprehended on Nawamin 70 Road in the bustling Bueng Kum district on Sunday, October 27. Ms Wongduean is accused of swindling over…
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Viral video captures Phuket beach fight between Thai and foreigners
A viral video showed at least one Thai national and two foreigners fighting on Patong Beach in Phuket last night. The cause of the conflict leading to the altercation remains unknown. The news Facebook page shared pictures and a video of the clash between a Thai national and two foreign men today, October 28. The nationality of the foreigners was…
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Phuket beachgoers warned of Portuguese man o’ war sting operation (video)
Phuket holidaymakers at Mai Khao Beach have been warned a trip to the sandy shores could have a sting in its tail. Beachgoers in Phuket have been given a red alert about the arrival of the notorious Portuguese man o’ war – aka bluebottles. The Phuket Lifeguard Service confirmed a sighting of these perilous sea creatures yesterday, October 27, prompting a…
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Phuket expects Kazakhstani tourist surge from new direct flights
Phuket anticipates a surge in Kazakhstani tourists with the inauguration of direct flights from the Central Asian country’s remote capital, Astana. Air Astana is operating the service, and the maiden direct flight, KC163, departed from Kazakhstan and arrived in the southern island province yesterday, October 27. Suladda Sarutilavan, director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s Europe region, stated that the…
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Sears & Co. serves up a taste of victory as Thailand’s top Casual Dining spot
Sears & Co. Bar and Grill, the stylish sea-facing culinary venue at Four Points by Sheraton Phuket Patong Beach Resort, has been named the No.1 Casual Dining restaurant in Thailand in the Tripadvisor 2024 Travellers’ Choice Best of the Best Awards! Perfectly positioned just steps from Patong Beach, with views of the Andaman Sea, Sears & Co., is a chic…
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Phuket’s new tourism tax won’t affect foreign residents or workers
Phuket’s Ministry of Tourism and Sports (MoTS) has confirmed that the upcoming tourism tax, expected to be implemented early next year, will not impact foreigners who reside or work in Thailand. A MoTS Phuket official clarified that the proposed tax has not yet been presented to the Cabinet for approval. “We should wait for any further information because now the…
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Illegal catch! Phuket cops net 12 foreigners in immigration swoop
Phuket Immigration Police swooped on 12 foreigners for violating the Immigration Act and working illegally, following a series of inspections conducted over two weeks. Immigration Police intensified their crackdown on illegal activities involving foreigners from October 9 to October 18, according to a report by the Phuket branch of the Public Relations Department (PR Phuket). Police carried out inspections at…
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Phuket faces a splash of chaos as waterworks fixes leak
Phuket Waterworks Authority (PWA) announced urgent repairs on a leaking water pipe at the notorious three-way intersection in front of Wat Patong, scheduled for tomorrow. The work, which will run from 1am to 6pm, tomorrow, Saturday, October 26, will force the closure of one westbound lane on Phra Baramee Road. Traffic chaos is expected to spill over into the surrounding…
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Stamp out the fraud: Uzbek man licked at Phuket Airport
Immigration officers at Phuket International Airport apprehended a 35 year old Uzbek man on allegations of using forged stamps. The arrest occurred at the international arrivals hall around 9pm yesterday, October 23. A team from the Phuket Immigration Bureau, acting on the orders of Police Major General Chengron Rimphidi, Commander of Immigration Bureau 2, carried out the operation, according to an…
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High stakes: Phuket shop owner rolls up on thieves for a taste of revenge
One of the cannabis shop owners in Phuket, who fell victim to two foreign thieves, yesterday tracked down the suspects and physically assaulted them at their accommodation. Several cannabis shop owners in Phuket reached out to other vendors to warn them after losing products to the two foreign thieves, whose identities remain undisclosed. CCTV footage from some of the ganja…
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iCon fraud scam hits 71 in Phuket, losses reach 19.5 million baht
Seventy-one people in Phuket have fallen victim to the iCon fraud scam, with losses amounting to 19.5 million baht (US$580,530), confirmed Phuket Provincial Police Commander Sinlert Sukhum. The number of victims has surged from 48, as announced by Sinlert on October 18. Individuals affected by the scam are still urged to report their cases to the Royal Thai Police complaints…
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Thai man arrested for stealing from Russian couple in Phuket
Police arrested a Thai man for stealing from a Russian couple while the victims were enjoying Kata Beach in Phuket. The Russian couple, whose identities remain undisclosed, filed a theft complaint at Karon Police Station at around 8am on October 18. They reported that they visited Kata Beach and left their belongings unattended while enjoying the beach. The victims saw a…
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Weed out the thieves: Phuket cannabis shops on high alert after 100k baht heist
Cannabis shop owners in Phuket issued a warning regarding two foreign thieves who stole over 100,000 baht worth of cannabis from several shops across the province. The victims urged the Phuket Times to warn other cannabis shops in the province to be cautious of two young foreigners posing as customers and taking the opportunity to steal products. The page included…
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Andaman Riviera set to ‘pave’ the way with final report in February
The ambitious Andaman Riviera project, a 50 billion baht (US$1.5 billion) initiative to construct over 600 kilometres of new roads along Thailand’s Andaman coast, is set to see its final report completed in February. The Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning (OPT) confirmed the development yesterday, October 21. Chaiwat Sangkhaphak, OTP Division Director for Transport and Traffic System…
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64 year old Thai man in Phuket arrested for abducting young girl
Police yesterday arrested a 64 year old Thai man in Phuket for abducting a 12 year old girl, missing from her home in Phang Nga province for 16 days. The family of the 12 year old Poonyanut “Sompoy” Kayankhai turned to social media platforms to search for her after she disappeared from her home in Phang Nga on October 5. The…
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Family feud turns fatal: Phuket man killed with pick axe handle
A man in Phuket was fatally attacked with a pick axe handle by a relative, leaving him dead at the scene. The attacker claimed the assault was in self-defence and awaited police to turn himself in. At 2pm yesterday, October 20, Weerayut Tanyasirisunwornkul, an investigator from Phuket City Police Station, received a report of a man being assaulted and killed…
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On pause: Chulalongkorn Day shuts down Phuket for royal homage
Expect a full-scale government shutdown across Phuket on Wednesday as the island joins the nation in the annual celebration of Chulalongkorn Day. Chulalongkorn Day is a national public holiday dedicated to the memory of King Chulalongkorn, also known as Rama V. This beloved monarch of the Chakri dynasty celebrated for his reformist zeal, passed away in 1910, but his legacy…
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Phuket beach scare: Grenade-like object turns out to be lighter
Tension gripped a Phuket beach when locals reported spotting a grenade-like object in the backseat of a taxi, only to discover it was a lighter resembling an explosive device. Patong Police Station received a call at 1.30pm yesterday, October 18, from a concerned citizen about a suspicious object inside a taxi near Kalim Beach on Phra Barami Road, Patong subdistrict,…
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Rubbed the wrong way: New hire turns thief at Phuket massage shop
An owner of a massage shop in the Patong area of Phuket offered a job to an unemployed woman, who later turned thief and stole money and valuables from the shop on her second day of work. The owner took to social media to issue a warning to other shops and expose the thieving behaviour of her former employee. She…
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Thai fugitive’s train escape ends with Kathu condo arrest
A daring train escape in Nakhon Si Thammarat ended in the capture of a fugitive in Phuket. On the run after fleeing police custody, the fugitive, identified as Ekkachai, was finally nabbed at a swanky condo on Tuesday, October 15, bringing a thrilling two-week manhunt to a close. Ekkachai, originally detained on five arrest warrants for property crimes in Hat…
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Patong: Passenger falls from motorcycle taxi after seizure
A passenger on a motorcycle taxi in Patong was thrown from the vehicle after suffering an epileptic seizure this morning. The incident, which occurred at approximately 10am behind the Kasikornbank branch on Prachanukroh Road, sent shockwaves through the bustling streets. According to local police, officers Police Lieutenant Sanit Aiyasuwan and Pol. Lt. Kamthon Kowaitchaet rushed to the scene after receiving…
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Phuket hit-and-run: Foreigner leaves injured Thai man with 3,100 baht
A Thai woman is seeking justice for her husband after a foreign woman hit him with her car on a road in the Thalang district of Phuket on Tuesday, October 15, and fled the scene, leaving him with injuries and 3,100 baht in cash. The victim’s wife shared details of the accident with the news Facebook page, Phuket Times, today,…
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Phuket landslide victims to receive 9,000 baht compensation soon
Phuket Governor Sophon Suwannarat assured that compensation from the central government to victims and survivors of the landslide in Kata will be delivered soon. The amount, 9,000 baht per person, will be paid directly into claimants’ bank accounts, Governor Sophon told reporters. He was speaking at the site of the landslide following a merit-making ceremony to support those who suffered…
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Drone and steady: Phuket police ready for flood and storm aid
Phuket Provincial Police announced their readiness to assist residents during floods and storms, employing modern equipment such as drones to aid those in need. Phuket Provincial Police Commander Sinlert Sukhum emphasised the importance of these preparations in an official report released yesterday, October 16. Sinlert detailed that local police stations across Phuket have implemented various measures to ensure public safety…
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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