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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Phuket park chief resigns over encroachment pressure
PHUKET: Park Chief Cheewapap Cheewatham has surrendered his fight to save Sirinath National Park from land encroachment and resigned from his position amid allegations of a 30-million-baht bribe to sign over protected land. After almost two years of service, Mr Cheewapap could no longer handle the pressure of the job and the powerful businessmen he pursued on land encroachment charges,…
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Police face corruption probe for letting Aussie gunmen free
PHUKET: The Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) will investigate the Patong Police officers who failed to provide enough evidence to charge two Australians with attempted murder after the pair opened fire on a busy street in Patong last year. The Australians, tattoo parlor owners John Cohen, 32, and Adam Shea, 26, injured two German tourists while trying to gun down…
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Russian escapes serious injury in drunken motorbike crash
PHUKET: A Russian woman escaped serious injury yesterday morning when she crashed a motorbike into a power pole while not wearing a helmet and under the influence of alcohol. Rescue workers were called to the scene, on Thepkrasattri Road, at about 9am. “Rescue workers administered first aid at the scene before transporting the woman to Wachira Phuket Hospital,” said Lt…
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Fight night at Ta-ied Stadium
PHUKET: Tonight, Ta-ied Stadium will host seven Muay Thai fights, including two semifinal fights and a Super Fight. The stadium is located on Soi Ta-ied in Chalong with the fights starting at 9pm. The fighters include Tukkatatong from Tiger Muay Thai, Nakornsri from Rawai Muay Thai, Mongkornpet from Dragon Muay Thai and Sangmoreragot from Phuket TopTeam. The Super Fight card…
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Phuket police recover 100,000 baht of sea fan jewelry
PHUKET: A man smuggling sea fan jewelry into Phuket was arrested at Phuket’s main bus station yesterday afternoon. Acting on a tip-off, police apprehended Sarayut Maneerat, 39, at about 1pm, when he got off a bus from Krabi. Officers found 111 pieces of jewelry made from sea fans, a protected marine animal, in his backpack. The items included 102 bracelets,…
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Visa crackdown risks stranding Phuket expats in Myanmar
PHUKET: Officials at Ranong Immigration today confirmed to the Phuket Gazette that they are turning away any foreigners attempting to enter Thailand after using three consecutive “walk-in” visas. The news follows reports of immigration officers allegedly stopping Phuket expats on visa runs to Ranong from exiting the country. Ranong, nearly 400km north of Phuket, has for decades been a prime…
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Wanted Phuket woman arrested for stealing 52 cars
PHUKET: A woman wanted for car theft since 2012, with outstanding arrest warrants in every district of Phuket, was arrested yesterday in Cherng Talay after being recognized by police. “Sukanya Chanthanarak, 40, had five arrest warrants in Cherng Talay alone. Her face was familiar to area police,” said Lt Col Sommai Onkham of the Cherng Talay Police. Ms Sukanya rented…
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Women’s tennis star succumbs to liver cancer
PHUKET: Former British women’s number one Elena Baltacha has died at the age of 30 from liver cancer, the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA)announced on Sunday. “The news of the death of Elena Baltacha, one of the shining lights of British women’s tennis of recent generations, is devastating to everyone who has ever had the privilege to know her, play against…
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Krabi Kayaking competition underway
PHUKET: The Krabi-Enlive Sea Kayak Thailand Championship and the 3rd Sea Kayak Asian Cup are under way. The two events were organized to enable canoeing and water enthusiasts to showcase their skills, to raise awareness of ecotourism, and to help cultivate a culture of sustainable tourism in Krabi, said TAT Governor Thawatchai Arunyik. “These fun events are being held to…
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Governor orders probe into alleged Phuket beach land swindle
PHUKET: The Phuket Governor has ordered a direct investigation into how a man claiming to be a real estate agent allegedly conned villagers near Layan Beach into signing a document that empowered him to mortgage their land for 20 million baht. The incident came to light on Thursday when the villagers, led by Cherng Talay Tambon Administration Organization (OrBorTor) President…
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Italian man found hanged in Patong
PHUKET: The body of an Italian man was found hanged from a rooftop steel bar at the Happy Apartment building in Baan Nanai Patong yesterday. Roberto Becchetti, 46, was last seen in the building carrying a coil of nylon rope about two hours before his body was discovered in a narrow gap between the apartment building and the building next…
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Phuket Employment office to hold seminar on dive professionals’ work permits
PHUKET: The Phuket Employment Office (PPEO) will be holding an eight-hour seminar on May 22 at the Royal Phuket City Hotel in Phuket Town to clarify regulations and work permits for dive professionals. The seminar comes as a Public-sector Anti Corruption Commission (PACC) team continues its investigation into allegations that Chalong Police used legal loopholes in work permits to extort…
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Let there be light: Phuket mangrove forest villagers may get PEA electricity, clean water
PHUKET: Officials have been tasked with determining if the law can be bent in order to provide an illegally established mangrove forest community with much-needed electricity. The move follows a March 20 protest during which 200 villagers from the Klong Mudong community rallied outside the Chalong Municipality and asked Mayor Samran Jindapol to provide their homes with a steady supply…
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Five in ATM skimming network arrested in Phuket
PHUKET: Five foreigners believed to be part of a skimming network stretching across Thailand were arrested in possession of multiple credit cards under different names and 700,000 baht in cash yesterday. Three were caught in the process of skimming an ATM in Karon. The other two were apprehended as they were allegedly attempting to evade officers. The men were named…
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Police rescue driver from mob after two killed at Phuket’s ‘hundred bodies curve’
PHUKET: Police yesterday quickly whisked away the driver of a six-wheeled truck that killed two people and injured four others at Phuket’s notorious “100 bodies curve” on Chao Fa West Road, to spare him from the wrath of an angry mob. Uthai Pilaput told police that he was heading northbound at about midday when he lost control on the wet…
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Black market coral trade takes hit as police seize more than 600 live samples in Phuket
PHUKET: Chalong Police are hunting coral poachers who abandoned a long-tail boat containing more than 600 illegally cut pieces of coral that were destined for the black market. Officers rushed to the scene yesterday morning after being tipped off by locals who had watched the suspects carry the coral ashore. Locals told officers that the suspects were waiting to meet…
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Video Report: Phuket farmers gearing up for National Goat Fair
PHUKET: Local farmers are gearing up for the 11th annual National Goat Fair, which will be held in Cherng Talay from May 23-25. The fair will provide an opportunity for farmers to exchange knowledge, learn from experts and showcase their products. “The main goal of the event is to urge goat farmers to continue developing better breeding techniques to maximize…
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Former Phuket art teacher, turned alcoholic, found dead at public park
PHUKET: A former art teacher at Phuket Rajabhat University was found dead near the new indoor sports stadium in Saphan Hin yesterday. The body of Prasit Songkramma, 57, was found at about 2pm by Ngaojai Kusuya, a 50-year-old cleaner at the stadium. “At this stage we believed he died from heatstroke and, from what we have learned, he was an…
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Phuket drug dealer identified by hair loss, arrested
PHUKET: Police arrested a drug dealer in Rawai on Monday with more than 1,500 pills of ya bah (methamphetamine) and 57 grams of ya ice (crystal methamphetamine). A tip-off from undercover police that a balding man about 170cm tall was selling drugs in Rawai led officers to a house on Wiset Road at about 7pm. “The man who answered the…
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Former Phuket police volunteer jailed for dealing meth
PHUKET: Long-term expat and former Tourist Police Volunteer Garry Halpin was sentenced to nine years and eight months in prison for overstaying his visa and dealing a Category 1 Drug to teenagers in southern Phuket. Because Mr Halpin confessed to the charges during his trial, his sentence was halved. The original fine of 500,000 baht is now 250,000 baht, and…
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Superyacht hits bottom off Phuket
PHUKET: Sailors navigating around the south of Phuket are urged to exercise caution after reports surfaced of a 55-meter superyacht hitting an uncharted submerged object in the waters between Rawai Beach and Koh Bon. “[Members of] the local marine community are reminding boaters of the danger, following a number of incidents which have caused near sinkings,” reported Phuket yachtsman Bob…
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Meth-head monks defrocked after Phuket raid
PHUKET: Five monks from Northern Thailand were defrocked in Phuket and volunteered to go to a drug-rehabilitation camp after testing positive for ya bah (methamphetamine) during a Thalang Police raid yesterday. Police were notified of the behavior of the group of monks by residents in Moo 5 of Thepkrasattri Sub-district. “Residents suspected that the men were fake monks because they…
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Chalong cooks up Phuket favorites at annual food fair
PHUKET: The annual “Chalong Food and Entertainment Festival” kicked off last night opposite Wat Ladthiwanaram (Wat Tai) on Chao Fa East Road. The fair’s opening night boasted a cooking show, dance competition and concerts. “I would like to personally invite everyone to attend the fair,” said Chalong Mayor Samran Jindaphol. After a show from the Elderly Club and a grand…
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French Embassy pushes Phuket Police to find Frenchman’s killer
PHUKET: Officers from the French Embassy are pushing for justice for Frenchman Fabrice Boigel, who was murdered in his sleep on April 18. Embassy officials met with Phuket’s top police officers yesterday to urge them to apprehend the prime suspect. Myanmar national Shwe Oo was arrested last Saturday and confessed to stealing from the murdered Frenchman (story here), but blamed…
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Threatened residents rise against temple donation scammers in Phuket
PHUKET: Thalang Police have warned Phuket residents against scammers asking for donations for temple development projects. The statement follows an incident in which Srisoonthorn residents who asked to see donation collection permits were threatened by the collectors. “Collectors often come to the Srisoonthorn market in the mornings to ask for money, claiming donations will go toward a temple development in…
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Phuket marina canal dredging stirs ire
PHUKET: The 12-million-baht project to deepen the Koh Kaew Canal and the existing approach channel from Phang Nga Bay has come under fire by villagers who claim that the method of dredging is endangering mangroves, marine life and residents’ livelihoods. The project, aimed primarily at facilitating large-boat access to two private marinas – Boat Lagoon and Royal Phuket Marina –…
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Research team collecting Phuket corals mistaken as poachers
PHUKET: A group of six researchers studying the possibility of corals containing the key to curing cancer were mistaken as coral poachers by recreational divers at the popular Phuket dive spot Koh Dok Mai on Monday. “The divers were using tools to remove hard and soft corals and fans from the wall on the east side of Koh Dok Mai,”…
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Phuket residents warned about sewage dumping
PHUKET: Governor Maitri Inthusut has warned residents and restaurant owners in the Soi Paniang area, north of Phuket Town, that they will be prosecuted if they are caught releasing untreated waste water into the Bang Yai Canal. “If Rassada residents are so concerned about environmental standards, they shouldn’t release untreated waste water into a public waterway,” he told a community…
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Phuket woman impaled by her mattress
PHUKET: Rescue workers from the Kusoldharm Foundation responded to an unusual plea for help yesterday afternoon: a woman had been impaled by her mattress. The rescue team arrived at an unnamed apartment building opposite the Bangkok Bank branch on Thepkrasattri Road, south of Satree Phuket School in Phuket Town, at about 5:30pm. “When we arrived, we heard a woman howling…
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Phuket ice truck flips, causes massive tailback
PHUKET: An ice truck flipped at the busy Bangkhu Intersection, at the north end of the bypass road, during rush hour this morning, causing massive tailbacks on Phuket’s critical Thepkrasattri Road. The Gazette has not received any reports of injuries in the accident. Traffic remains blocked across both lanes southbound as far back as the Baan Keha public housing estate…
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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