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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Giant crab nips at Krabi villagers’ emotions
PHUKET: A huge mud crab caught by accident in a canal has stirred a veritable pot of emotions among local villagers in the mangrove-rich Klong Prasong area south of Krabi Town. Sompong Klongrouw, a 33-year-old local fisherman, landed the giant crab last week and brought it home so he could show his neighbors. By Friday, some locals were in a…
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Body of woman with hands bound washes onto Phuket beach
PHUKET: Police are trying to identify a woman whose naked body was found washed onto a Phuket beach with her hands bound behind her back this morning. Local resident Lumyong Kunpai made the gruesome discovery on Surin Beach and quickly called the police. “We believe that the woman was killed about a week ago and that her body was dumped…
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Phuket men wanted over street shooting
PHUKET: Police are scouring Phuket for two attackers who gunned down a man in Cherng Talay last night. Officers were called to a home in Pasak Soi 8, where rescue workers were tending to Rattikorn Weeraphruk, 25, from Roi Et, who was bleeding on the kitchen floor after being shot twice. Mr Rattikorn told police that he was riding his…
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Man denies rape of Phuket Russian tourist
PHUKET: A man* has confessed to tying up a Russian tourist before having sex with her, but has denied charges of rape and assault. Police arrested Somdet Srisai, 33, at his apartment on Patak Road on Saturday, hours after the 29-year-old woman lodged a complaint with the Karon Police. “The man was arrested and charged with sexual assault and rape.…
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Australian tourist stabbed in Patong street fight with Thai teens
PHUKET: Police are looking to press charges against an Australian tourist and a Thai teenager after both used broken bottles as weapons in an early-morning fight on the Patong beach road yesterday. Capt Thawatchai Srimai of the Patong Police arrived at the scene at 2am with other officers to find Dwayne House, 23, on the ground in agony. He had…
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Drinking buddies save Phuket man from drowning
PHUKET: A man who went swimming off the east coast of Phuket late last night is in hospital after being saved from drowning by two friends he was drinking on the beach with. Rescue workers from the Kusoldharm Foundation were called to Tala Beach in Pa Khlok at about 11:15pm. “We arrived to see two teenagers trying to help their…
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Bulgarians busted for ATM skimming in Phuket
PHUKET: Three Bulgarian men were arrested in Phuket early this morning for skimming ATM cards and making withdrawals from hacked accounts totalling more than 170,000 baht. Tsvetozar Georgiev Slavchev, 44, was arrested while withdrawing money from an ATM in front of a Super Cheap convenience store at Karon Beach at 1am. “We have CCTV recordings of Mr Slavchev making seven…
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Hotels silent on helping out-of-work Patong beach staffers
PHUKET: Patong hotels have failed to reply to government appeals to provide assistance to the beach business staffers who were made redundant through the Phuket clean-up campaign, say officials. “We have sent letters to many big hotels asking for their co-operation by providing space on their properties where unemployed vendors may work, but we have yet to receive any reply,”…
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Demolition efforts rock 21 buildings on Phuket’s west coast
PHUKET: Armed Navy officers blocked traffic on the Nai Yang beachfront road today as demolition started on two restaurants along the pristine Phuket west coast beach. The removal of the buildings was led by Cdr Pornprom Sakultem of the Royal Thai Navy, which has its eyes on seven buildings in the area. However, five are still going through the legal…
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Festival looters raid two Phuket restaurants on same day
PHUKET: Unidentified looters capitalized on the holiday closure of two Phuket restaurants yesterday, breaking in to steal electronics. Capt Wattana Bumrungthin of the Thung Thong Police received a call at about 3pm to investigate a robbery at the Fiesta Cafe in Kathu. “We closed the restaurant after all of the staff left to join the Vegetarian Festival in Phuket Town,”…
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Phuket’s Irish Times opens doors for captive dolphin debate [video]
PHUKET: Local marine conservationists and animal right activists will be hosting an event at the Irish Times pub at Jungceylon shopping mall in Patong on October 16 to discuss the implications of capturing dolphins in the wild and keeping them in captivity. Dolphin trainer turned animal rights activist Ric O’Barry, well-known for his role in the Academy-award winning documentary The…
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Laguna Phuket beach fence ruled legal
PHUKET: The beachfront land at Bang Tao that was fenced off, before local government officers ordered the fence to be torn down, earlier this week has been ruled to be private property, the Thalang Land Office confirmed to the Phuket Gazette today. Officers from the Thalang Land Office re-surveyed the area in question and confirmed that the fence had been…
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Thailand eyes more sepak takraw gold at Asian Games
PHUKET: His teammates call him the “left-footed killer”, an unlikely nickname for a veteran athlete who plays in the same cheap plimsolls worn by common people throughout his native Thailand. But with his prolific point-scoring record and deadly finishing, Pornchai Kaokaew carries Thailand’s hopes of delivering them yet another Asian Games gold medal in sepak takraw, an acrobatic hybrid of…
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Phuket’s billion-baht illegal beach rental scheme exposed
PHUKET: Police have turned their eye away from Phuket’s taxi mafia to the island’s billion-baht illegal beach rental scheme – starting with the role played by Kata-Karon Mayor Tawee Thongcham. Summons were issued today for 15 people, including Mayor Tawee, who stand accused of illegally issuing permits for local beach vendors to use the public beach land, said Region 8…
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First 16 drivers sentenced in Phuket taxi mafia purge
PHUKET: A judge has handed down sentences to 16 drivers operating in Cherng Talay for their involvement in the Phuket taxi mafia, the Phuket Gazette was told today. The drivers each received a suspended one-year sentence and a 6,000-baht fine. “These drivers from Cherng Talay, who pleaded guilty, will be on a two-year probation to prevent them from intimidating or…
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Blood loss forces Phuket Vegetarian Festival spirit medium to hospital
PHUKET: An entranced Phuket Vegetarian Festival spirit medium, also known as a ma song, was rushed to hospital due to excessive blood loss today. Kusoldharm Foundation rescue workers were called to Saphan Hin, the final destination of the first festival street procession (story here), to deliver first aid to the ailing ma song. When they arrived, the ma song, who…
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Phuket beach wedding ban raises mixed feelings
PHUKET: Weddings have been banned from being performed on at least four of Phuket’s west coast beaches, confirmed one official, but many beach town mayors are hesitant to prohibit seaside nuptials. “No wedding ceremonies are allowed on Surin, Bang Tao, Laypang and Layan beaches,” Ma-ann Samran, president of the Cherng Talay Tambon Administration Organization (OrBorTor) confirmed to the Phuket Gazette.…
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Tourism ministry calls for Phuket tour guide spies
PHUKET: The Ministry of Tourism and Sports is calling for foreigners to go undercover as “tour guide spies” and report any suspected illegal activities by tour operators in Phuket. Santi Pawai, director of the Tourism Ministry’s Phuket office, is looking to launch the project by October 6. “Volunteer teams of Thais and foreigners will join tours in Phuket and report…
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Buoyant West Ham seek to extend Man United gloom
PHUKET: In-form West Ham United are just about the last team Manchester United would want to face on Saturday as Louis van Gaal’s side seek an immediate response to their Premier League collapse at Leicester City. West Ham, who have lost on their last six league visits to Old Trafford, thumped Liverpool 3-1 on Saturday the day before United twice…
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Orient Thai Airlines mechanics in high-speed Phuket crash
PHUKET: An Orient Thai Airlines mechanic will be charged with reckless driving after he and his colleague crashed into a Phuket used car lot at high speed early this morning. The two mechanics were driving an Orient Thai company pick-up from Phuket International Airport to Phuket Town at about 2am when the vehicle careened off the road. “Witnesses said that…
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ICC claim Outrigger T20 title after epic final
PHUKET: The final of the Outrigger T20 took place on a gloriously sunny day at the Alan Cooke Ground between the Bondi Bar Bashers and the ICC. BBB’s had only lost one game all season, however, that was against ICC and they were very keen to avenge the loss and claim the title at the same time. ICC had been…
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Three Laguna resorts step up to help jobless Phuket beach vendors
PHUKET: Three major hotels at Laguna Phuket have agreed to allow vendors who lost their jobs in the Cherng Talay beach cleanup to work on sections of their beachfront properties. “After the cleanup [in Cherng Talay] we got our beautiful beaches back, but we have been left with many jobless vendors who want to make a living,” said Ma-ann Samran,…
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Burning candle sets Phuket air-conditioning shop on fire
PHUKET: A burning candle set an air-conditioning sales and repair shop ablaze this morning in Rassada, north of Phuket Town, causing about 300,000 baht in damages. Neighbors alerted shop owner Panya Chunchom, 34, of the fire after they saw smoke coming from the building’s third-floor window. “We lit some candles as an act of worship and put them in front…
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Facebook tip-off leads to Laguna Phuket beach fence teardown
PHUKET: Laguna Phuket today was ordered to pull down a fence at Bang Tao Beach until it could be established whether or not the operators of the resort complex own the land. Ma-ann Samran, president of the Cherng Talay Tambon Administration Organization (OrBorTor), issued the order after inspecting the site while accompanied by armed soldiers. “Photos of the fence were…
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Phuket Vegetarian Festival to begin tonight
PHUKET: As the sun sets on Phuket tonight, all Chinese shrines taking part in the annual Vegetarian Festival will raise their go-teng poles so that the Jade Emperor, among the Nine Emperor Gods, can descend from the heavens, heralding the beginning of this year’s event. Devotees began pasting gold-leaf papers to the poles last night ahead of the festival’s precursor…
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Patong beach vendor hangs himself amid “no work’ depression
PHUKET: A man who rented umbrellas and beach chairs at Patong is believed to have committed suicide due to depression brought on by the Phuket beach cleanup campaign that left him with no income. Jirasak Sae-Koo, 45, was found hanging by a rope tied to a ceiling beam at the home of his friend Narate Rattanathatchaikul at about 4pm yesterday.…
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Gala Leon becomes Spain’s first female Davis Cup captain
PHUKET: The Spanish Tennis Federation have named former WTA player Gala Leon as the country’s new Davis Cup captain following Carlos Moya’s decision to step down last week. Moya quit after five-times winners Spain were relegated from the World Group following defeat against Brazil in a playoff. The RFET federation said in a statement on Monday that 40-year-old Leon, who…
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Phuket Town to suffer more water shutoffs
PHUKET: The mains water supply will be shut off throughout most of Phuket Town for two nights, starting tonight, so that Phuket City Municipality workers can install larger pipes to serve the growing town. Water supply will be shut off at 8pm and restored at 5am on Wednesday. The second shutoff will see water supply cut from 8pm Wednesday through…
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Patong bar employee drowns in dangerous Phuket surf
PHUKET: A teenage bar employee drowned at Patong Beach early this morning after ignoring red “no swim” flags and swimming in the dangerous Phuket surf in his jeans. Suksan Jaiyen, 19, and three friends were having drinks on the beach after closing the bar around 2am, explained Lt Thawatchai Srimai of the Patong Police. “We assume that Mr Suksan was…
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Foul play not suspected in death of former Phuket police officer
PHUKET: Police have ruled out foul play in the death of a former Phuket policeman-turned-money lender who was found dead in his bed Saturday night. “We found Sub Lt Anan Thongkham, 65, dead at his home on Soi King Kaew 5 in Rassada at about 10:30pm,” said Maj Sakchai Chunyong of the Phuket City Police. “There were no signs of…
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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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