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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Chinese tourist drowns on Phi Phi snorkelling tour
PHUKET: A Chinese tourist died while on a snorkelling day-trip to Phi Phi Island yesterday. Xu Weixiang, 43, was snorkelling at Loh Mudee Bay with about 30 other tourists from Phuket, said Lt Col Danai Niyomdecha of the Krabi City Police. “The tour guide said Mr Xu was snorkeling with others, but at about 4pm he was found floating face…
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Fists fly over Russian birds on Phuket beach
PHUKET: An out-of-work lifeguard faces a 4,000-baht fine and up to three years in prison for an attack on two Russian women tourists on Karon Beach on Monday. Jaruay Wongkleang, 31, surrendered himself at Karon Police Station on Tuesday night after Marina Panko and Iana Savchenko, both 24, filed a report of the assault in broad daylight on Monday. “One…
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Phuket’s short-time prisoners to walk first in mass pardon
PHUKET: Convicts serving only short sentences at Phuket Prison have been given priority in being granted freedom in a mass pardon to be honored tomorrow. Prison Director Pichit Wanajit has applied to the Phuket Provincial Court for release warrants for 233 prisoners, including 25 women. The prisoners are to be released in accordance with a royal pardon issued by HM…
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Phuket Police lay down the law for Songkran
PHUKET: No sexy outfits, sexy dancing, alcohol in water-play zones and no rolling water-fight trucks are allowed in Phuket during the Thai New Year Songkran festival on April 13-14, the island’s top cop has announced. Also banned is the mixing of powder, ice or foam with water used to ‘bless’ fellow Songkran celebrants, said Phuket City Police Superintendent Col Kraithong…
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Breaking News: Phuket bans beach sand
PHUKET: In the latest and likely final move to clear undesirables from Phuket’s beaches, the island’s local authorities today began a massive operation to remove the sand from key tourist hotspots along the west coast. The beach cleanup campaign that began last year under military protection is expected to be complete by the end of this year, said Kaikun Kluaeyao,…
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Southern Andaman Sea closed to fishing during spawning season
PHUKET: Large fishing vessels will be banned from working in the southern Andaman Sea from April 1 to June 30, it has been announced. A total of 4,696 square kilometers from Phuket to Trang will be closed during the spawning season. “According to our research, most marine life in the Andaman is breeding between April and June. This is a…
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Orient Thai refutes allegations of panicked staff during emergency landing
PHUKET: Orient Thai in a statement issued to the Phuket Gazette today denied reports of panicked staff and minor injuries to passengers after flight OX682 from Phuket to Chengdu, China, was forced to make an emergency landing. “All the crew and passengers were safe. Nobody was injured. The cabin crew took good care of the passengers and were not panicked,…
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Phuket Cycling Fest hailed for “eco-tourism peddle power’
PHUKET: The Phuket Cycling Fest returned for its second year last weekend with more than 680 cyclists joining a 46km fun-ride tour of the south of the island on Sunday. Phuket Governor Nisit Jansomwong chaired the opening ceremony at Saphan Hin on Saturday evening, joined by Uthit Limsakul, deputy director of the Tourism of Thailand (TAT) Phuket office. Governor Nisit…
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Phuket swimmers dominate Thanyapura Invitational
PHUKET: Phuket swimmers dominated the Thanyapura Invitational Swim Meet presented by Rocket Science Sports over the weekend. Local young swimmers competed against athletes and school teams from Bangkok and Samui, as well as Shanghai, Vietnam, Kazakhstan, Singapore and elsewhere abroad. Kornkarnjana ‘Golf’ Sapianchai of the Thanyapura Phuket International Academy (PIA) Swim Team finished top of the podium in the Girls…
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Thai airlines take hit as Phuket flight to China plunges from sky
PHUKET: An Orient Thai airlines flight en route from Phuket to Chengdu, China, reportedly suffered an engine failure and plunged from the sky, before levelling out and safely making an emergency landing at Kunming Airport on Saturday. UK daily newspaper The Daily Mail reported that an engine failure sent the aircraft into a dramatic plunge, prompting oxygen masks to be…
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Reward offered for alleged Phuket tour company fraudster
PHUKET: A 10,000-baht reward has been put on the head of a man who left hundreds of tourists stranded on their holiday, and is now wanted for allegedly defrauding a Phuket tour company of about 1.5 million baht. Peerapat ‘Deer’ Singhon, 25, was working as a freelance sales representative for Phuket Diamond Tours as he sold extraordinarily cheap holiday packages…
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Canadian tourists rescued after speedboat capsizes
PHUKET: Two Canadian tourists were safely rescued after their speedboat capsized off Krabi yesterday afternoon. The boat overturned near Koh Dang and Hang Nak Cape, to the west of the tourist-popular beach resort town of Ao Nang. The two tourists and their Thai driver were safely rescued by a nearby fishing boat. “We were fishing around Koh Dang, and a…
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Elephants banned from Nikki Beach Club Phuket following firestorm
PHUKET: Nikki Beach Club Phuket has vowed to stop granting requests for elephants at its parties, following public outcry about photographs surfacing of a baby elephant being ridden by patrons at the club. The pictures of the baby elephant being paraded around the club sparked a firestorm of negative reactions on various social media sites, such as Facebook and Twitter.…
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Boy, 9, drowns in Nai Harn Lake
PHUKET: A 9-year-old boy was pronounced dead this morning, after being recovered from the bottom of Nai Harn Lake yesterday afternoon. After 20 minutes of searching, off-duty lifeguards pulled Sarun Srisongkram from the water at about 5pm last night. He was not breathing, and was immediately given cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) by lifeguards who happened to be training on the beach…
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Phuket man killed in motorbike crash with parked 18-wheeler
PHUKET: A man died after crashing his motorbike into an 18-wheeled truck parked near Siam Niramit on the bypass road yesterday afternoon. At the scene, police found the body of Warodom Withayanithidilok, 25, with a broken neck and injuries to his face, said Maj Rachan Punwai of the Phuket City Police. The visor of Mr Warodom’s helmet was completely shattered…
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Phuket fighters score gold at national youth games
PHUKET: Youngsters from Phuket won gold in seven competitions at the 31st National Youth Games, held in Chanthaburi last week. Thammawat Wongcharoenyot, president of Phuket Sports Association of Thailand Phuket office, was proud of the squad’s performance, especially in the martial arts events. “Phuket won 39 medals this year: 7 gold, 10 silver and 22 bronze. Now Phuket is ranked…
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Half-buried body of British national found on Phuket beach
PHUKET: Locals discovered the half-buried body of a British national on Nai Yang Beach this morning. The fully clothed body of Simon Lian Hua Soh, 67, was still partially covered in sand when rescue workers and police arrived at the scene. “We believe that he died about 10 hours before he was discovered. There was no sign of a struggle,”…
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Expert fears Phuket touts feeding meth to slow lorises [video]
PHUKET: Police are looking into a wildlife expert’s concerns that slow lorises being touted in Phuket and other popular tourist destinations in Thailand are being drugged with methamphetamine or another stimulant. “My officers will be keeping an eye out for slow loris touts. After we make an arrest, we will be questioning them about whether or not they are drugging…
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Domestic tourist safe after longtail boat capsizes in Krabi
PHUKET: Five domestic tourists were safely rescued after their longtail boat capsized in Krabi yesterday afternoon. At about 3:40pm the longtail boat, Jaosapandaman, flipped over while taking the tourists from Koh Hong to Ao Nang. “Near the area of Saphanlek, close to Klong Muang Beach, the waves were too big. A wave broke the motor free from the boat, and…
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Drunk Australian perp caught pocketing prawns in Phuket
PHUKET: A drunk Australian tourist was arrested for stealing two tiger prawns from a seafood restaurant in Patong yesterday. “The man walked through our restaurant and took two prawns. Our staff asked him to put them back, but he refused, and then disappeared onto Soi Bangla,” 36-year-old Tropica restaurant manager, Aruni Mahasena, told the Patong Police. After receiving the report,…
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F1: Sepang Storms
PHUKET: Well, my forecast for the Australian GP was on the money: Mercedes, Mercedes, Sebastian Vettel. In Melbourne, the Mercedes were 30 seconds ahead of the best of the rest. The real problem is that I believe that their engines had been tuned-down, and that there was another 60 seconds in reserve. Now that is dominance – and it’s not…
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Phuket’s Eva Beach responds to probe into legality of beachfront resort
PHUKET: The management of The Eva Group has issued a statement in response to an inspection carried out earlier this year by a chief judge and a team of experts into an upscale property project under construction in Rawai. Tawatchai Sontiwanit, chief judge of the recently formed environmental division of the regional Administrative Court responsible for Phuket, led the inspection…
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Video Report: Phuket United unveil 2015 Futsal League lineup
PHUKET: The island’s sole team in the national Futsal League, Phuket United FC, unveiled their squad for 2015 Futsal League lineup, which gets underway on Saturday. The team, unveiled by Phuket Vice Governor Somkiet Sangkaosuttirak last weekend, includes two Brazilians: 26-year-old defender Francisco Da Silva Soares, and Jackson Santos, 29, who plays pivot. Headed by coach Chalermpong Saengdee, just 27…
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German tourist recovering after propeller slashes head
PHUKET: A German tourist who was struck in the head by the propeller of a longtail boat off Karon Beach on Wednesday (story here) is recovering well, a tourism official has confirmed to the Phuket Gazette. Santi Pawai, director of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports (MOTS) Phuket office, visited the injured tourist, 54-year-old Rudi Dann, at Bangkok Hospital Phuket…
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No Phuket tsunami warning after 4.9 earthquake off Sumatra
PHUKET: The National Disaster Warning Center has not issued a tsunami warning or alert after an earthquake measuring 4.9 in magnitude struck west of Sumatra this morning. “We are aware of the earthquake, and a tsunami warning has not been issued,” confirmed Trakul Thotham, director of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) Region 8 office, based in Phuket.…
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Phuket expat murder charge: Police to hand Pendlebury case to prosecutor in late April
PHUKET: Patong Police expect to hand over their case against Mark Pendlebury, a long-time expat accused of murdering a Thai nightclub bouncer on March 11 (story here), by the end of April. “I think I will be able to compile all evidence and complete the investigation by late April. Then, we will handle to case to public prosecutor,” Lt Col…
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Phuket police ordered to follow up on taxi mafia, billion-baht-beach scheme cases
PHUKET: A group of high-ranking police officers and island officials met with Phuket Public Prosecutor Pisitpol Phumsawat yesterday to follow up on the progress in the island’s high-profile taxi mafia and billion-baht-beach scheme cases. “I have been ordered by the Royal Thai Police and the National Council for Peace and Order to follow up on these cases, as they have…
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No lifeguards on Phuket beaches tomorrow
PHUKET: There will be no lifeguards on Phuket’s beaches starting tomorrow, as the annual government contract comes to an end. No party has come forward to bid on the 22-million-baht concession to sign the new contract – not even the Phuket Lifeguard Club (PLC), who have guarded the beaches for years. The Phuket Provincial Administrative Organization (PPAO) offered a concession…
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German tourist struck in the head by Phuket longtail propeller
PHUKET: A German tourist who was struck in the head by the propeller of a longtail boat off Karon Beach yesterday morning is now receiving treatment at Bangkok Hospital Phuket. Kata-Karon chief lifeguard Uten Singsom told the Phuket Gazette today that his staff rescued the tourist, who was swimming about 60 meters from shore. The man’s name and condition has…
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Two dead as ghost-driving pick-up slams head-on into six-wheeler
PHUKET: A ghost-driving pick-up truck driver travelling in the wrong direction on the one-way road leaving the island slammed into a six-wheeled cargo truck early this morning, killing himself and his passenger and injuring two others. Police were called to the scene at about 4am, where they found a white six-wheeled SuperCheap truck and a demolished pick-up truck on the…
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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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