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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Arrest warrants issued for Vegetarian Festival killers
PHUKET: Phuket Provincial Court issued arrest warrants for five members of the Wan Wai gang following the killing of a 15-year-old bystander during a shootout at the closing ceremony of the Vegetarian Festival early yesterday morning. Thanakij Sawirum, 15, was shot dead behind the Lucky Complex, the abandoned building at the entrance to Saphan Hin, just after midnight (story here).…
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Rains water down Phuket air pollution
PHUKET: Morning showers helped to lower air pollution levels in Phuket, despite the 24-hour average spiking to 109 micrograms [PM10] per cubic meter by 12 noon today. “The 24-hour average by 3pm was down to 102. However, the hourly level was at just 34,” explained Pornsri Suthanarak, director of the Regional Environmental Office. “The average remains high due to increased…
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Brit expat found dead in Rawai
PHUKET: British expat David Cummins, 54, was found dead in his Rawai home late last night. Mr Cummins’ body was found by 45-year-old Duangduan Ngamprim, who had been living with him in Soi Saiyuan for about a year, said Lt Wuttiwat Liang-Boonjinda of Chalong Police. “I came home at about 11:30pm and found David sitting on the floor with his…
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Krabi fisherman nets mutant horseshoe crab
KRABI: A Krabi fisherman discovered a mutant horseshoe crab with six tails last week. “I was surprised to find the strange horseshoe crab among the fish and shrimp in my net,” said 63-year-old Matya Thamsuan. “Normally, they only have one long tail, but this one had six small curving tails that look like tiny elephant tusks – each about 2…
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Officers investigate land encroachment at prime Phuket locations
PHUKET: An investigation by Natural Resources and Environmental Crime Suppression Division (NED) officers into four plots of land will dig to the root of the issue and reveal any officials neglecting their duties or acting illegally, says NED Region 5 Deputy Commander Montri Pancharoen. A one rai plot of land currently occupied by a barbershop on Soi Bangla and a…
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Foreigner urinates at Veg Fest offering table
PHUKET: Police nabbed a foreigner found urinating behind a Phuket Vegetarian Festival offerings table in the middle of the explosive festivities near Surin Circle last night. The shirtless, inebriated man was found on his knees delivering a most unwanted offering of his own behind a table of fruits, joss sticks and drinks that were being offered up to the spirit…
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Six busted in Vegetarian Fest anti-drug campaign
PHUKET: Six people were arrested on Tuesday as part of an island-wide anti-drug and crime campaign during the Vegetarian Festival. Three Thais and three Russians were apprehended in Patong after officers received separate tip-offs from police sources. Russians Evan Klepinskovski, 29; Nikola Klesko, 30; and Maxim Fedorenko, 27, were each arrested for possession of more than four grams of marijuana,…
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Popular British International School access road temporarily opened
PHUKET: Access to Soi Koh Kaew 33 from Thepkrasatri Road, a popular road alongside the Isuzu showroom and the Phuket Gazette office that leads to the British International School, has been ‘temporarily’ re-opened. The road was closed in late July after nearly half of its width had fallen into a parallel drainage ditch. Since then, the Koh Kaew Tambon Administration…
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Navy hunt for refugee returns empty handed
PHUKET: A Royal Thai Navy humanitarian mission into the Andaman in search of refugees returned to Phuket yesterday without having made contact. Led by the head of the Royal Thai Navy’s public relations department, Captain Benjamaporn Wongnakornsawang, the HTMS Angthong set out on the half-day search with food, water, medical supplies and translators to assist any refugees passing through Thai…
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Dolphins not connected to Taiji, says Phuket GM
PHUKET: The Nemo Dolphinarium dolphins, which recently arrived at the controversial facility on Phuket, were not poached from the wild and have no connection to the annual dolphin slaughter at Japan’s Taiji Cove, Dolphins Bay Phuket General Manager Supreecha Suthamanondh told the Phuket Gazette yesterday. “Our five dolphins are among 19 dolphins that were born and raised in an aquarium…
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Busted: fleeing thief crashes bike
PHUKET: Patong Police arrested a snatch thief after he crashed his motorbike in the party town Monday night. Boonlert Sitsuwan, 26, was seen by police leaving the area where a woman was shouting for help. “The victim yelled for help after Mr Boonlert snatched her necklace. Police on patrol saw Mr Boonlert fleeing, radioed in the crime and followed him,”…
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Phuket Marine Office to play hard ball with foreign yachts
PHUKET: The Phuket Marine Office has vowed to toughen its stance on foreign yachts needing to install Automatic Identification System (AIS) devices and report to the Phuket Yacht Control Center when arriving and departing the region. In September last year, Phuket Marine Office Chief Phuripat Theerakulpisut told the boating community that all foreign yachts in Phuket had to be fitted…
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A Decade Ago: Mom Tri dreams of developing new International Baccalaureate school
PHUKET: Mom Luang Tridhosyuth Devakul, probably better known on the island simply as ‘Mom Tri’, scored page one a decade ago with his dream of developing a new International Baccalaureate (IB) school for the island. With a master’s degree in architecture from Harvard – the real Harvard – Mom Tri was an early visionary leader, recognizing Phuket’s potential and was…
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Religious leaders to advise in Phuket beach management
PHUKET: The island’s religious leaders will be joining one of four committees tasked with ensuring the successful implementation, upkeep and management of Phuket’s 10 per cent beach zone policy. The four-pronged approach will include a consultant board, a management board, local government representatives and a public relations team. “Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada has ordered me to set up the beach management…
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Phuket Riot: Drug tests come back negative
PHUKET: Post-mortem urine tests on the suspected drug dealers whose deaths caused the Thalang police station riot have come back negative. “As has already been mentioned, doctors have confirmed that the deaths of the two men were caused by the collision during the police chase. There were no signs of additional violence,” said Phuket Vice Governor Chokdee Amornwat, who was…
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33 arrest warrants issued for Phuket rioters
PHUKET: A total of 33 arrest warrants have been issued for alleged instigators of the Thalang Police Station riot, which saw more than 20 police officers injured and more than 6 million baht in damages done. A further 14 arrest warrants are expected to be issued today, confirmed Region 8 Police Commander Tesa Siriwato. Early on in the investigation Provincial…
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Phuket prepares for “Bike for Dad’ [video]
PHUKET: Qualified cyclists will soon be chosen to participate in the first-ever ‘Bike for Dad’ event in honor of HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s 88th birthday. A total of 100 Phuket cyclists will have the chance to ride to Bangkok, along with cyclists representing other provinces in the Kingdom to pay tribute to HM The King. It is not yet known…
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B6k baht not enough to keep Phuket rubber tapper alive
PHUKET: Police are hunting a group of men who killed a Myanmar rubber tapper who was only able to give them 6,000 baht cash – not enough for them to spare his life. When officers arrived at the scene last night, they found the body of 34-year-old Kyaw Soe. Also at the scene was Mr Kyaw’s wife, named by police…
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Gov calls for peace as second riot rumors swirl
PHUKET: The Phuket governor this weekend squared off against rumors that another riot will strike the island due to suspicions over the fairness of the investigation into the deaths of two suspected drug dealers earlier this month. “As the Phuket Governor who has taken responsibility for the riot, I plead with you, the people of Phuket, especially those who are…
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Governor denies rumors of transfer over Phuket riot
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada yesterday denied that he would be transferred from the province due to the Thalang riot. “Due to the recent rumor that I will be transferred from the island, which is confusing people, I would like to assure you that I have yet tor receive such an order,” Governor Chamroen wrote on his Facebook fan page.…
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Five dolphins arrive in Phuket for new tourist attraction
PHUKET: Five dolphins and two seals for the highly-contested Nemo Dophinarium have already arrived in Phuket, confirmed Pitsanu Na-Anan, chief of the Phuket Fisheries Office. “The company has 60 days from issuance of the import permits to inform us that the animals are settled into the new facility and are ready for a final check,” Mr Pitsanu told the Phuket…
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US complaint leads to raid on Patong pirate shops
PHUKET: A United States Embassy complaint led to officers seizing more than 4 million baht worth of fake, copyrighted goods in Patong yesterday. Officers from the Economic Crime Suppression Division (ECD) Division 4 stormed 12 shops in the Patong area, rounding up pirated brand name bags, glasses, clothes and shoes. However, shop owners managed to evade arrest. “We received a…
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Battling mob mentality
PHUKET: Though blockades, protests and other forms of mob rule appear to be an effective way for local Phuket villagers to kick-start official action, justice eventually catches up with the instigators, says Teenachat Jindangen, Commanding General of the 41st Military Circle. The commander’s comments come fast on the heels of an unprecedented riot and attack on the Thalang Police Station…
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Police mum on rioters’ arrest warrants
PHUKET: Police officials are still playing mum on the distribution of arrest warrants for those who instigated last weekend’s riots at Thalang Police Station. Deputy National Police Chief Chalermkiat Srivorakarn paid a visit to the island yesterday to commend officers for their patience and hard work over the last week, and to offer support to those who were injured. “I…
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Video Report: Haze doesn’t hamper Aussie’s fight against child abuse
PHUKET: As part of his battle against child abuse, Damien Rider successfully circumnavigated Phuket on his standup paddle board (SUP), despite the dense Indonesian haze leaving him lost at sea earlier this month. Mr Rider, a victim of child abuse, first caught the media’s attention with Paddle Against Child Abuse (PACA) when he completed an 800 kilometer prone paddle through…
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Grieving family to sue Phuket riot instigators
PHUKET: Family members of the patient whose death may have been prevented if rioters had not blocked the ambulance he was in from reaching a hospital last weekend, are prepared to sue those responsible for initiating the mob (story here). Chian Srichoo, 73, was being transferred from Krabi Hospital to the better equipped Bangkok Hospital Phuket for coronary stenosis [blockage…
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Island View: Tradition of bouncers beating punters
PHUKET: The tradition of bouncers beating punters more than likely goes back to the first brewers and distillers. The first confirmed creation of fermented beverages dates back to 6,650 BC. However, it is widely believed that humans were brewing beverages as early as the Neolithic period (10,000 BC), which very likely indicates a long history of those protecting their fermented…
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Free trolly tour offered for Veg Fest
PHUKET: Phuket municipality has launched a new trolly service for those wanting to see Old Phuket Town during the Vegetarian Festival. The free service will provide tours on a set route through Thalang, Krabi, Satun, Dibuk, Rassada, Phang Nga, Phuket and Montri Road. The service, which will be offered until October 21, will begin at the 72nd Anniversary Queen Sirikit…
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Paragliding temporarily banned in Rawai
PHUKET: Paragliding at Phuket’s iconic Promthep Cape has been temporarily banned, confirmed Rawai Mayor Aroon Solos. The ban follows earlier complaints of paragliders blocking public land and telling visitors to get out of their way during takeoffs (story here). “We held a meeting last week about the issue,” Mr Aroon told the Phuket Gazette. “Paragliding is temporarily banned until further…
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Chinese tourist drowns on snorkelling trip
PHUKET: Tour guides and doctors were unable to revive a Chinese tourist who was found in an unresponsive state while snorkelling at Koh Racha Yai yesterday. Zhang Jie, 29, was snorkelling at Patok Bay with about 20 other tourists when he was found motionless in the water, confirmed Lt Wuttiwat Liangboonjinda of the Chalong Police. “He was found face down…
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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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