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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Sponsored Infinito helps hotels in Thailand with revenue management
Maximising revenue and profit–isn’t that the ultimate goal for every business in the hospitality industry? If you run a hotel, you might have heard that revenue management is an effective way to boost your top-line revenue. It involves using data...
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Phuket expats, tourists called upon to report corrupt officials
PHUKET: The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) Phuket office announced today that resident expats and tourists in Phuket should report cases of corruption to its officers. “We are encouraging all foreigners on the island to come forward with any allegations of corruption involving local government officials,” said Tawichat Nillakan of the NACC Phuket office. Complaints can be lodged at the NACC…
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Man in maniacal fit jumps from third-floor balcony of Phuket hospital
PHUKET: Officers at Vachira Phuket Hospital in Phuket Town were forced to restrain a patient in a maniacal fit after he jumped from a third-floor balcony to a balcony on the second floor, and threatened to jump again. The man, who hospital officers declined to name, was preparing to jump from the second floor to the pavement below when officers…
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Phuket freedivers go for distance in the Dynamic with Fins event
PHUKET: Freedivers slipped on a variety of fins from mermaid tails – monofins – to traditional freediving fins to put up some long horizontal dives at the We Freedive Suunto Series at Phuket Country Home late last month. The Dynamic with Fins (DYN) event, which allows divers to use fins, but not their arms, on October 26 saw a non-ranked…
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Waterspout in Patong Bay sets social media sites abuzz
PHUKET: A waterspout that emerged in Patong Bay this afternoon set social media sites abuzz in Phuket with a flurry of comments, stunning photos and videos of the phenomenon. Some people even expressed fear that the waterspout may turn into a fierce storm that could hit land and wreak havoc. “There are no storm warnings this afternoon. People don’t need…
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Testing times for Phuket’s ACYC yacht racers
PHUKET: Sailors last week were once again tested by contrary winds and complicated tidal flows during Ao Chalong Yacht Club’s (ACYC) Sunday race series. One of the slowest downwind spinnaker starts got the fleet of six boats off on an in-harbor course of three windward leewards. Rounding marks for Race 7 Series 2 included a yellow buoy off the Rawai…
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Police identify Phuket rush-hour killer, move to make arrest
PHUKET: Police have identified the killer who gunned down a man in rush-hour traffic yesterday, firing several bullets into his victim before casually mounting his motorbike and riding away. “We have established the identity of the suspect and will seek a warrant for his arrest today,” Phuket Provincial Police Commander Patchara Boonyasit told the Phuket Gazette this morning. The suspect…
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Phuket police prevent Patong drug dealer shootout
PHUKET: Provincial Police Commander Patchara Boonyasit has praised the Patong Police for taking quick action in arresting an armed Phuket motorbike taxi driver preparing to take down a rival kratom drug dealer with a homemade handgun. At a press conference yesterday, Maj Gen Patchara presented the two kratom dealers, their illegal firearms and more than 10 kilograms of the narcotic…
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Aussie bar owner in Phuket dies after Malaysia visa run
PHUKET: A 63-year-old Australian bar owner has died after returning to Phuket from a visa run to Malaysia. He was to turn 64 today. Philip William Gillham, owner of the Octopus bar in Soi Sea Dragon, off Patong’s famed Soi Bangla, was found dead at his home early yesterday morning. “We received a report that Mr Gillham had died of…
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Man shot dead in front of his son in Phuket street
PHUKET: A man was shot dead in cold blood this morning in full view of his son, during busy morning traffic. Police said Chaliaw Piyapanikul, 47, who was with his 11-year-old son, had dismounted from his motorbike at the Wor Kor Intersection, near Phuket Rajabhat University, when the killer struck. Mr Chaliaw’s son told police that his father got off…
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Halloween will glow at Thanyapura’s family fun run
PHUKET: Themed running events have been making a splash in the world of charity fund-raising sport events. Glow in the dark, colored powder, rock and roll, pink ribbons, rainbows and midnight runs are among the many recurring themes. Never one to be behind the curve, Thanyapura will be taking the themed-run concept a step further this Saturday by combining multiple…
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Asian Beach Games welcome new sports
PHUKET: Several new sports will be added to the 4th Asian Beach Games being held in Phuket this month, making them the biggest Games ever in terms of the number of sporting events. The additional sports will include: Muay Thai, extreme sports, jet-ski sports, beach wrestling and Kurash, a form of Turkish wrestling. The Asian Beach Games is a multi-sports…
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Slew of tourist injuries prompt Phuket cape safety boost
PHUKET: Following a slew of accidents causing injury, and sometimes death, to tourists at Phuket’s idyllic Promthep Cape, officials have decided to install fences in the area to enhance safety. After refusing to post fences on the grounds that it would alter the natural beauty of the landscape (story here), Rawai Mayor Aroon Solos has confirmed that sling wire fences…
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Bus driver dodges charges for Patong hill killing
PHUKET: The bus driver who ran over a teen that fell from his motorbike on Patong Hill last week will face no charges, police confirmed to the Phuket Gazette today. CCTV footage showed Natthapol Ritthipan, 17, falling from his bike on the wet road descending into Patong last Thursday (story here). “The bus coming up the hill from Patong, couldn’t…
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Multi-billion-baht pyramid scheme magnate arrested in Phuket
PHUKET: A Chinese man who donated 34 million baht to a Phuket temple in July has been arrested along with two other Chinese nationals for their roles in a pyramid scheme that reportedly duped people out of a total of 9 billion baht in China and Malaysia. In making the arrests, police seized cash and assets valued at more than…
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Swingers tee up record golf cart drive from Pattaya to Phuket
PHUKET: Golfers Graham Haslam and Mark Cameron are preparing to set a world record by driving an electric golf cart from Pattaya to Phuket to raise funds for local children’s education charity Phuket Has Been Good To Us. The “standard” electric golf cart selected for the record-breaking undertaking, to begin in March next year, will include some modifications, namely solar…
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Sneaky Russians caught lifting vodka in Phuket
PHUKET: Three Russians are sitting in Phuket Provincial Prison after a second attempt at stealing booze from a Patong convenience store this month. Evgeny Balashov, 31; Nikolay Chuvilyaev, 30; and Vadim Afanasev, 31, were caught on CCTV stealing five bottles of liquor on October 1. However, it wasn’t until they returned on October 23 and attempted to steal a bottle…
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Phang Nga triple homicide suspect arrested
PHUKET: A man turned himself in yesterday for the murder of his in-laws and estranged wife in Phang Nga, north of Phuket, on October 20. Pornchai Pitak, 28, who fled into the jungle after the shooting, claims that a foot in his face was the catalyst for the slayings (story here). “I went to their house to see my one-month-old…
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Police scour Phuket migrant worker camps for armed 7-Eleven robber
PHUKET: Police are searching migrant worker camps in the Wichit area for the man who robbed a 7-Eleven store at knifepoint early Sunday morning. Staffer Thanit Krittiyapiphat, 20, was stocking shelves at the 7-Eleven on Soi Bangyai, at about 3:30am, when a thin man standing about 165-170cm tall, entered the store. “He was wearing a checked shirt, football shorts and…
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Beach attack on American was self-defence, says Phuket teen
PHUKET: A Phuket teenager has claimed that he hit an American on the head with a piece of wood on Karon Beach on Saturday in self-defence. CCTV cameras captured images of Kitti Keeratiwattananusat, 18, in the area at the estimated time of the attack, making him a prime suspect. Police asked Kata-Karon Subdistrict Chief (Kamnan) Winai Chidchiew to talk to…
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Baby crocodile caught in Phuket backyard
PHUKET: A Phuket resident was given a fright when he discovered a meter-long baby crocodile riling his dog in his garden last night. Kusoldharm Foundation rescue workers were called to Soi Hatchananiwetate, behind the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) Hospital, at 7:30pm to deal with the troublesome reptile. “A resident there told us his dog wouldn’t stop barking. When he…
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Thai youth crowned world sailing team racing champions
PHUKET: The Thai team claimed gold in the team racing event at the Optimist World Championship 2014 Argentina on Sunday, returning to shore to cheers from around the world. After a two-year absence from the prestigious international event, the five member team defeated Asian Games gold medalist Singapore in the team racing finals which saw 38 nations competing for the…
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Police force “not enough’ to prevent Phuket crime wave
PHUKET: The increased number of unemployed people roaming Phuket’s streets since the mass cleanup of the island’s beaches has led to a plague of burglaries targeting villas in Cherng Talay, the local police superintendent has confessed to the Phuket Gazette. “We are not sure if every robbery is being reported to us, but we often receive complaints,” Cherng Talay Police…
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Phuket urged not to panic over terrorist watch in Southern Thailand
PHUKET: A security official has urged the public not to panic after it was announced that Phuket police were on high alert due to an international terrorist who might be trying to enter Southern Thailand. “I received an alert last night from officials who are hunting Indian national Jagtar Singh Hawara, and forwarded it to officers at my base,” Deputy…
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Flash floods swamp Phuket’s main highway
PHUKET: Flash floods swamped a 200-meter-stretch of southbound lanes on Thepkrasattri Road in Phuket this afternoon. “The flooding started at about 3pm after heavy rain in the area,” a Kusoldharm Foundation rescue worker told the Phuket Gazette. “Police had to make the northbound lanes available for motorists heading in both directions in order to keep traffic flowing.” The affected area…
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American attacked, found lying on Phuket beach
PHUKET: Police are working on solving the mystery surrounding an American who was attacked and left bleeding on a Phuket beach on Saturday morning. Joggers on Karon Beach found Jonathan Mark Lemley, 28, unconscious on the sand with head injuries. “Mr Lemley was dressed in sportswear,” Phuket Provincial Police Commander Patchara Boonyasit told the Phuket Gazette. “He was taken to…
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Sumatra earthquake no cause for Phuket alarm, say experts
PHUKET: An earthquake off northern Sumatra this morning measuring 5.3 in magnitude poses no threat of a tsunami in Phuket, Group Captain Somsak Khaosuwan, director of the National Disaster Warning Center, has confirmed. “There is no need for people in Phuket to panic. The earthquake in Indonesia at 7:02am will not result in a tsunami here,” he told the Phuket…
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Frenchmen, Nigerian snared in Phuket B1mn cocaine, marijuana busts
PHUKET: Police netted three foreign and three Thai drug suspects, and seized more than 1 million baht of cocaine and marijuana in two separate busts in Phuket over the weekend. Officers made the first arrests on Saturday when they were called to a residence in Sabai Village in Kathu after neighbors reported sounds of a fight. “At 1:40am, police arrived…
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Ancient relics discovered in Krabi thought to be over 3,000 years old
PHUKET: More than 200 ancient artifacts were discovered by chance, scattered on the floor of a cave in Krabi province, across Phang Nga Bay from Phuket, on Saturday. Found by a local man in Kuan Wei Dang Cave in Khlong Thom district, south of Krabi Town, the pieces included ancient ceramics, axeheads and stone tools, thought to be more than…
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No signs of Ebola in dead Briton in Phuket
PHUKET: Laboratory tests on the body of British national Martin Clark, 68, who was found dead in his Phuket condo last Thursday after returning from Nigeria, showed no signs of the deadly Ebola disease. Dr Thiravat Hemachudha, director of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Research and Training on Viral Zoonoses, said yesterday that separate tissue tests by German and Chinese…
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Phuket precautions taken, but Brit visited “Ebola-free’ Nigeria
PHUKET: As a precaution, Phuket Provincial Public Health Office (PPHO) officials are watching 25 people who were involved in inspecting and moving the body of a British national that medical experts are testing for the Ebola virus (story here). “They all have to pay special attention to their health and have to report to the PPHO once a week, at…
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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