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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Pullman Phuket Panwa Beach Resort puts sustainability at its heart
The term sustainability is often thrown around as a buzzword in the hospitality industry, but at Pullman Phuket Panwa Beach Resort, it’s genuinely part of their mission. Located in Makham Bay, just south of Phuket Town, the beautiful resort puts...
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Save the pooches: 15-kilogram python captured in Phuket
PHUKET: A frightened Phuket resident fearing for the lives of his neighbors’ pets called rescue workers to capture a 15-kilogram python that was attempting to escape into a drain early this morning. Wuttikai Dartdean called rescue workers from the Kusoldharm Foundation and the local municipality to the scene – in a residential area west of the Heroines Monument in Thalang,…
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Poll: Should jet-skis stay on Phuket’s beaches?
PHUKET: Jet-skis are back on the beaches and back in the headlines. The latest news that jet-ski operators are allowed to continue renting their machines to tourists despite a notorious week of safety slip-ups – including the death of a Russian tourist – inspired a huge reaction from Phuket Gazette readers (story here). To better gauge public opinion on whether…
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Billion-baht Belgian pot dealer arrested in Phuket
PHUKET: Immigration officers arrested Belgian national Patrick Lagrou, 55, who was wanted on an Interpol notice as a fugitive drug dealer, as he was attempting to leave Phuket on Saturday night. Mr Lagrou is renowned as the biggest marijuana grower in Belgium’s history, amassing a fortune of 25 million euros – more than a billion baht – in assets before…
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Sinkholes strike again in Phuket after weekend storms
PHUKET: Officers shut down a road in central Phuket today after heavy rains and flash flooding this weekend caused a large, dangerous sinkhole to form on one side of the road. Part of Rural Road 4008 off Thepkrasattri Road, near Bang Jo Prison in Srisoonthorn, gave way after strong water flow inundated the drain pipe below and washed away the…
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Laguna Phuket bestowed award from HRH Sirindhorn for Red Cross blood donations
PHUKET: Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, as the executive vice-president of the Thai Red Cross Society, has awarded a Certificate of Honor to Laguna Phuket in recognition of its long-term contribution and commitment to the Red Cross blood-donation program. Since 2003, Laguna Phuket has donated 1,376,550cc of blood from 3,059 associates who have participated in the resort’s quarterly…
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Phuket beach club dodges demolition, pending appeal
PHUKET: The local contingent of the Royal Thai Army yesterday called for the demolition of a Phuket beach restaurant to be halted while the owner’s appeal is heard in court. The Beach Club restaurant and the Baan Bussaba Massage & Beauty venue at Nai Yang Beach were both targeted for demolition under the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO)…
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Formula One heads to Brazil
PHUKET: Austin was a great race for Mercedes. Hamilton, passed Rosberg while he was taking a nap, and Ricciardo had a great race for Red Bull. So its on to Interlagos, located in São Paulo between two lakes, in the slums of Cidade Dutra. The track was inaugurated in May 1940. The first real F1 Brazilian GP was held at…
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Phuket hotel staffers test positive for drugs in crime sweep
PHUKET: Patong Police raided the resort town for drugs this week as part of a Loy Krathong festival crime sweep, busting three for possession of ya ice (crystal methamphetamine) and conducting random drug tests on hotel staffers. Officers conducted random drug tests on 144 employees of Avista Hideaway Resort and Spa near Tri Trang Beach, at the request of the…
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Phuket warned of heavy rain, flash floods for the weekend
PHUKET: The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) Phuket office has issued a weather warning ahead of expected heavy rains and possible flash floods this weekend. “We received an official weather report from the Thai Meteorological Department [TMD] today, which forecasts increasingly heavy rainfall by this weekend,” said Santhawat Riwleung, chief of the DDPM Phuket office. “Please be prepared…
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Phuket worker seriously injured by electric shock, fall from building
PHUKET: One man is in critical condition at Vachira Phuket Hospital after he and a co-worker suffered severe electric shock and fell two stories from a building they working on in Patong this morning. Both men, whose identities have yet yet to be confirmed but are believed to be Myanmar nationals, were rushed to Patong Hospital after the accident. “We…
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Phuket underpass will not open in time for Beach Games
PHUKET: The Phuket Highways Office director has admitted that the underpass at the Darasamuth Intersection will not be complete in time to welcome the expected massive influx of tourists for the Asian Beach Games next week. He did, however, vow that the underpass, located beside the Central Festival Phuket shopping mall on the bypass road, would be complete by the…
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Danish fugitive expat arrested in Phuket for B45mn tax-evasion case
PHUKET: A Danish expat has been arrested in Phuket on an international arrest warrant for tax evasion involving more than 8 million Danish kroner (about 45mn baht). Phuket Immigration Police received an order from the Thailand Immigration Bureau headquarters in Bangkok on October 28 to track down and arrest Peter Jensen, 48, as he was wanted by Interpol on an…
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Phuket butcher robs 7-Eleven at knifepoint
PHUKET: A local butcher robbed a 7-Eleven of 1,000 baht at knifepoint early yesterday morning, then used the stolen cash to pay for a prostitute, a deputy commander of the Phuket Provincial Police revealed today. Wichit Police received a report from the Tung Charoen 7-Eleven branch at about 4:20am. “There were three staff working at the time of the robbery,…
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Stay safe for Loy Krathong, say Phuket police
PHUKET: Region 8 Police have issued a warning that they will be out in force to maintain law and order, amid safety concerns for tonight’s Loy Krathong celebrations in Phuket. “Please make sure you lock up your house properly and do not take many valuable items with you in case criminals are looking to take advantage of festival-goers,” said Region…
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Video Report: Chang ITF Pro Circuit women’s tournament
PHUKET: The International Tennis Federation (ITF) brought some serious tennis to Phuket recently, as young hopefuls gathered at Thanyapura looking to drive up their rankings, in the hopes of one day qualifying to compete against the big boys and girls at Wimbledon and elsewhere on the pro circuit. The second Chang ITF Pro Circuit women’s tournament ended at Thanyapura on…
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SAT expects Thais to take first at Asian Beach Games
PHUKET: The Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT) has revealed that it expects Thai athletes to claim 44 of 51 gold medals at the 4th Asian Beach Games, which begin in Phuket on Novmeber 14. The Sports Reporters-Photographers Association of Thailand recently held a “Meet the Press” conference to review Thai athletes’ preparation and assess their chances at bringing home gold…
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Phuket dominates international Petanque Challenge
PHUKET emerged as the clear winners of the Phuket-Dubai-France Petanque Challenge held at Saphan Hin last weekend, winning 52 of its games. Six pairs from each team played 12 opponents – six from each side – for a total of 108 matches throughout the two-day tournament. France came second, winning 32 games, and Dubai came third, with 24 victories. The…
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Youth dinghy sailors head for King’s Cup showdown
PHUKET: A fleet of 25 Optimist and seven Laser dinghies set sail off Cape Panwa last weekend as the Phuket Dinghy Series 2014 got underway, ahead of the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta to be held in December. Racing began in front of the Sailing Club of the Royal Thai Navy Third Area Command Base at 11am, with breezes of eight…
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Phuket looks to “Beach Police’ to serve and protect tourists
PHUKET: The island’s top-ranking police officer is forming a new division of “Beach Police” officers to patrol Phuket’s popular shores. “We are now working on setting up Beach Police squads for every beach in Phuket,” Provincial Police Commander Patchara Boonyasit told the Phuket Gazette. “The officers will have their own uniforms – shorts with short-sleeved shirts – so beach-goers can…
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Pre-emptive strike: Phuket Police net drugs, guns ahead of Loy Krathong
PHUKET: A recent crackdown on drugs and guns in Phuket has resulted in mounting concern over muggings during the Loy Krathong Festival this week. “There will be a great number of tourists and locals participating in the festivities, and we know that criminals look to take advantage of people during events like this,” Arayaphan Pukbuakao, a deputy commander of Phuket…
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Phuket Governor calls for AIS devices on speedboats, fishing vessels
PHUKET: Governor Nisit Jansomwong called on the Phuket Marine Office yesterday to require all vessels, including speedboats and fishing trawlers, to be equipped with an Automatic Identification System (AIS) receiver. The use of an AIS receiver is standard safety policy in many places around the world, as they inform skippers of small craft of the location, direction and speed of…
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Mosque gate crashers: Phuket Police chase down armed drug runners
PHUKET: Police arrested four armed men after the suspects crashed into the front gates of a mosque in central Phuket while attempting to dodge a police checkpoint this morning. Police began their pursuit of the Isuzu pickup truck, bearing Trang license plates, after witnessing it turning around in order to avoid a checkpoint in Thalang at about 9am. “While we…
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Marine Office demands Phuket tourists wear life jackets at sea
PHUKET: Marine officials are demanding all Phuket boat passengers wear life jackets as efforts are ramped up to improve tourists’ safety ahead of the incoming high season. “Tour boats in Phuket take thousands of tourists out to sea every day. We have to do everything in our power to ensure that their passengers are safe,” said Phuket Marine Office Chief…
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Time running out for Phuket Immigration to explain extortion allegations
PHUKET: Phuket Immigration has two days left to clarify why a foreigner filed a formal complaint alleging extortion by officers at the Patong branch. The complaint claimed that immigration officers were charging foreigners fees for services that are supposed to be free. Phuket Governor Nisit Jansomwong promptly gave the Patong Immigration chief 15 days to explain the details of the…
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Breaking News: Phuket teacher arrested for rape of 12-year-old student
PHUKET: Police arrested a 29-year-old teacher at Baan Kalim School today for the rape of one of his 12-year-old students. The teacher, Jirasit Samakkarn, has denied the charges. The family of the girl, given the pseudonym “A” by police, filed the complaint on August 6. “After that, we kept a close watch on him until we had enough evidence to…
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Gun-toting Phuket Town gang, druggies busted
PHUKET: Police swept up a Phuket Town gang yesterday after arresting three men and three minors in possession of illegal firearms and ya ice (crystal methamphetamine). “Col Sermphan Sirikong and his team seized a Norinco 9mm Glock, another 9mm handgun, three 9mm magazines, hundreds of rounds of ammunition and 200 grams of ya ice,” Lt Col Somsak Thongkliang told the…
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Tourist speedboat struck by lightning, rescued north of Phuket
PHUKET: A speedboat, struck by lightning while returning from a day trip to the Similan Islands last night, has been recovered safely with all 32 tourists and five crew on board alive and well. Officials lost contact with the boat Je T’Aime, operated by the Love Andaman tour company, at about 8:30pm. “They were returning from Koh Tachai to Baan…
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Phuket storm topples trees, causes major power outage
PHUKET: Heavy rain brought down several trees that fell onto power lines on Kathu-Nakok Road last night, causing a four-hour power outage in the area. Officers were notified at 7pm that dangerous, high-voltage power cables were strewn across the road, which is often used as a shortcut from Thepkrasattri Road in Koh Kaew to Patong. “We had to cut off…
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Video Report: Phuket rush-hour shooter surrenders to police, claims self-defence
PHUKET: The killer who gunned down a man in rush-hour traffic last Thursday has surrendered himself to Phuket police, claiming he shot the victim in self-defence. Suwat Sae-jong, 62, was taken to the scene at the Wor Kor Intersection near Phuket Rajabhat University yesterday to re-enact the fatal shooting, under the protection of about 50 police officers. Mr Suwat acted…
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Flash-floods strike amid weather warning for Phuket
PHUKET: A flash flood and landslide warning has been issued for Phuket after heavy rain caused minor flooding and traffic tailbacks at many locations on the island this morning. Flash flooding forced traffic to a standstill in Chalong in front of the TOT office on Chao Fa West Road, where floodwater was about 50 centimeters deep. Roads in Patong also…
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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