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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Hope for British backpacker missing on Phi Phi
PHUKET: The family of a British backpacker reported missing five days ago from Phi Phi Don remain worried about his safety and whereabouts following a brief Facebook message he sent during a social media campaign launched to find him. Jordan Lewis Jacobs, 21, has been on the road since September 2014, having postponed his return to the United Kingdom by…
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DSI hunt three suspects in B2.4bn land encroachment case
PHUKET: The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) is hunting down three men for their alleged involvement in land encroachment cases involving more than 2.4 billion baht of Sirinath National Park land. “We are searching for Ghao Naknam and Ti Nahnam, who illegally acquired a SorKor1 in Thalang for 2bn baht worth of national park land,” Lt Col Prawut Wongseenin, director…
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Phuket gang stabs man to death
PHUKET: Police are hunting for members of a gang who jumped two men, stabbing one to death, outside of the Suwan Phu-Pha Hotel in Kathu last night. “We have already arrested three of the gang members responsible for the attack. However, the alleged killer is reportedly on the run,” said Maj Chawalit Petchsripia of Thung Thong police station. According to…
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Phuket driver yet to be charged for British woman’s death
PHUKET: Police have yet to charge the truck driver who killed a British woman and injured her friend on Phuket’s infamous Patong Hill on Saturday. Nattaphon Glompan, 26, allegedly slammed into the two women on their motorbike as they exited a small soi onto the main road (story here). Rebecca Leanne Shaw, 32, who was wearing a helmet at the…
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Alleged ‘flying’ land document lands on Naka Noi Island
PHUKET: The Department of Special Investigations (DSI) yesterday investigated a complaint alleging that a ‘Flying’ SorKor 1 land document had managed to glide from Naka Yai Island to Naka Noi Island, just off Phuket’s east coast. Thai actor Puri Hiranpruk, whose family owns 60 rai of Naka Noi, along with a concession that secures the first 200 meters of a…
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Ironman announces 70.3 Phuket triathlon
PHUKET: Ironman announced today that Philippines-based Sunrise Events and Thailand-based SportMaster will team up to deliver Ironman 70.3 in Phuket on November 27, 2016. The Ironman 70.3 Thailand will offer a US$15,000 professional prize purse and 30 age-group qualifying slots for the 2017 Ironman 70.3 World Championship taking place in Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA. “This race is further evidence of the…
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Island’s “Bike for Dad’ a success
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada proudly led 5,635 participants during Phuket’s 29-kilometer ‘Bike For Dad’ event in honor of HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej on December 11. Cyclists started the circuit at Phuket Provincial Hall at about 3.30pm and rode the course through Phuket (story here), stopping by Chalong Temple to plant 88 Cassia trees in honor of HM The King’s…
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Swiss arrested at Phuket airport for carrying ammo
PHUKET: A Swiss man carrying live ammunition was arrested at Phuket International Airport yesterday. Officials discovered two rounds of ammunition and a firearm magazine in the bag of Andre Steinemann, 39, when he attempted to pass it through airport security. “Security officials first asked if he had a licence to possess the bullets. When he wasn’t able to produce the…
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Meth-head breaks into Kazakhstani’s safe, steals millions in valuables
PHUKET: Police arrested a man who broke into a foreigner’s safe and stole more than 2mn baht’s worth of valuables, including US$12,000 cash and numerous pieces of jewellery, in Phuket on November 26. Maitree Suebviset, 22, was arrested on Thursday and confessed to stealing about 2.4mn baht invaluables and cash, as well as passports and credit cards, from the family…
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Body with land title found in pond
PHUKET: A Phuket man carrying a bag with a land title deed and personal items was found dead in a coastal pond on Koh Maphrao today. Chalermpon Cheuanaka, 56, lived with his wife on the edge of a mangrove forest on the small island just off of Phuket. “Inside his bag, we found shoes, a shirt, a helmet, a Chanote…
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Officials confirm raw, stinking wastewater in Samkong canal
PHUKET: Officials have confirmed that the foul-smelling water seen flowing into the Bang Yai Canal in Samkong on Friday, was in fact wastewater. Phuket City Deputy Mayor Thavorn Jirapattanasophon was alerted to the situation after a video posted by Facebook user Kanawut Boonsong, showing black water flowing into the canal, went viral. “I had already assigned the responsibility of examining…
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Phuket FC management walks after division drop
PHUKET: The president of the Phuket Football Club (Phuket FC) stepped down yesterday, following the team’s downgrade to Division 2. Departing with Pramookpisitt Achariyachai will be two other key members of the management team: Tunyaratt Achariyachai, a former Phuket senator, and Team Manager Pariyawis Achariyachai. “Our family has put more than 200 million baht into Phuket FC. Nonetheless, my management…
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Thalang homeowner cries foul
PHUKET: Local ‘quacks’ have forced officials from the Damrongdhama Center (ombudsman’s office) to appease a disgruntled Thalang homeowner on Friday, after she filed a handful of complaints to local authorities that remained unanswered. In the complaint, Christy Kay Sweet, 50, claimed that several chickens and ducks have been wandering around her garden, waking her up during the early hours. “Ms…
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Immigration to tap into Interpol database to fight crime
PHUKET: Immigration police in Thailand are attempting to link their system with Interpol’s database of stolen and revoked passports as part of the crackdown on transnational criminals that saw a Russian wanted for human smuggling in his homeland arrested in Phuket (story here). “Interpol’s database contains about 47 million cancelled and stolen passports,” said Maj Gen Apichat Suriboonya, commander of…
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Interpol busts Russian in Phuket for human smuggling
PHUKET: A Russian wanted for human smuggling was arrested in Phuket on Friday at the request of Interpol. Wanted by Russian authorities, Alexander Bukharov, 42, was arrested in Rawai, while a second Russian fugitive, Roman Ledenev, 33, was scooped up by police on Phi Phi the same day. Mr Ledenev is wanted in Russia for drug smuggling. “Russia’s Interpol unit…
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Serious class warfare on final day of King’s Cup
PHUKET: On the final day of the 29th Phuket King’s Cup Regatta 2015 there was some serious class warfare played out in Kata Bay. Keelboats and multihulls hit the water for one last run, as teams fought for the honor to claim Phuket King’s Cup victory in the name of HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej. In IRC0, Windsikher II skippered by…
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British national dies in Patong Hill crash
PHUKET: A British national died and another was injured after pick-up truck hit their motorbike on the notoriously dangerous Patong Hill this morning. According to rescuer workers at the scene, the motorbike carrying the two women exited a small soi onto the main road when the pick-up truck slammed into them. The two women were taken to Patong Hospital. One…
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Four arrested in Chalong land raid
PHUKET: Officials apprehended four men last night after a complaint was filed with Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada claiming that a Chalong land plot was being developed illegally. The raid, led by a team of Provincial, Navy and Chalong Police officers, yielded the arrests of Watcharin Laongthong, 30; Kanit Sookjai, 27; Somprach Choothong, 46; and Panya Taiying, 42, as well as…
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Funeral rites for former RCoPB president begin today
PHUKET: Funeral services for Brad Kenny, former president and assistant district governor of the Rotary Club of Patong Beach (RCoPB), will be held today through Monday, confirmed RCoPB President Walter Wyler to the Phuket Gazette. Ceremonies will take place at Wat Kosit Wihan, located near Mission Hospital, at 7pm each day, with a cremation ceremony to follow on Monday at…
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Army officer under investigation for threatening Navy lieutenant
PHUKET: An Army colonel is under investigation after he was allegedly recorded threatening a Navy officer for breaking up an underground casino in Chalong on Sunday (story here). Lt Somphop Kamkana of the Royal Thai Navy Third Area Command was one of the Navy officers that aided in the raid that saw more than 40 suspects apprehended. “At the police…
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PRBC seeks blood donations for holiday season
PHUKET: As the holiday season draws closer, the Phuket Regional Blood Center (PRBC) is asking residents to donate blood to ensure an adequate supply is available for hospitals to deal with emergencies. “We believe that blood supply will be not be able to meet demand, especially due to an anticipated increase in injuries from accidents during the holidays,” said Pornthip…
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Phuket jet-ski operator pulls firearm during beach argument
PHUKET: Phuket police are hunting a jet-ski operator who pulled out a firearm yesterday right in the middle of Patong Beach. “We arrived at the beach after receiving a report of an argument between two jet-ski operators. However, Banyong Thonghorm, 46, had already fled the scene,” said Lt Col Sutthichai Thianpho of the Patong Police. “Witnesses led us back to…
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A Decade Ago: Immigration launches hospital visa visits
PHUKET: The recent push in Phuket for a national-level policy to force foreign travellers entering Thailand to have some sort of health insurance is just the latest drive in ensuring better hospital experiences for those who do succumb to misfortune on this island of wonder – a place that has seen more than its fair share of dreams come true,…
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Pillar of Phuket community Brad Kenny dies
PHUKET: Brad Kenny, a pillar of the Phuket community, died from undisclosed causes at Mission Hospital today. Mr Kenny, 59, was the past president and current assistant district governor of the Rotary Club of Patong Beach (RCoPB), member of the Grumpy Old Men Society (GOMS), member of the Navy League of the United States and involved with numerous other charity…
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Phuket farmers denounce GMO bill
PHUKET: More than 30 members of the Phuket Farmer Association submitted a letter at Phuket Provincial Hall asking that Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha suspend the Biological Safety Bill until it is properly amended. The bill is set to allow genetically modified organisms (GMOs) to damage the nation’s ecology, with farmers being the ones to suffer the most, Somchai Ratanasuesakul,…
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Phuket tuk-tuk driver returns Brit’s cash-stuffed wallet
PHUKET: The driver of one of the infamous Patong tuk-tuks returned a wallet containing more than 10,000 baht cash to a British tourist in Phuket’s primary party town on Wednesday. Nimit Weladee, 44, discovered the cashed stuffed wallet in the middle of Thaweewong Road. “I picked up the wallet and checked it. There was more than 10,000 baht cash and…
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Top cop orders investigation into officer’s alleged reckless driving
PHUKET: The island’s top cop has ordered an investigation into the reckless driving of an alleged uniformed police officer, who was caught on video driving erratically near the Samkong Underpass construction site on Tuesday. The video clip, which was posted via Facebook user ‘Kor Phom-chu-night-ni’, shows a vehicle continuously honking its horn while dangerously passing other cars at the notoriously…
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Partner of killed German seeks justice in Phuket
PHUKET: A woman severely injured in a Phuket traffic accident is demanding justice for her dead German partner, following police failing to conduct a blood alcohol test on a man who allegedly had admitted to drinking prior to the fatal accident on December 3. “I was conscious, but unable to move immediately after the accident. The driver didn’t stop; he…
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Favorable winds on day three of King’s Cup
PHUKET: Favorable winds supercharged the trophy hunt on day three of the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta. IRC0 headed out for race 6 on an extensive 34 nautical mile course, a total run of around three hours for some in the class. Duncan Hine’s Alive team made the most of Champagne sailing conditions, managing a 2:39.27 elapsed time, with Frank Pong’s…
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Phuket officials take hardline on dangerous taxi drivers
PHUKET: The Phuket Land Transport Office (PLTO) vowed yesterday to take tougher lines against taxi, minivan and tuk-tuk drivers breaking the law. “These drivers usually have more lives in their hands than other motorists in Phuket and they have a responsibility to ensure that their passengers safely reach their destinations. However, they have caused many accidents recently. Such issues can…
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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