Phuket News
Phuket news, politics, business, tourism, and nightlife—stay updated with breaking stories, events, and expat updates from Thailand’s top island destination. Get the latest from The Thaiger, your trusted Phuket news source.
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10 biggest challenges retirees face in Thailand (and how to overcome them)
Retiring in Thailand comes with many benefits, like warm weather, affordable living, and a rich culture. However, it also brings challenges. Retirees must deal with visa rules, healthcare costs, language barriers, and cultural differences. Rising medical expenses, required insurance, and...
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Gold the best remedy for England’s suffering Trott
PHUKET: England’s double Olympic champion Laura Trott, who has been suffering with a kidney infection, claimed gold in a dramatic women’s 25km points race at the Commonwealth Games on Sunday. “I can’t believe it. I felt so bad at times and I’m so glad. I’m not even 100 per cent, I’ve not eaten properly for the last two days and…
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Phuket investors urged to verify land plots near national park
PHUKET: The chief of Phuket’s Sirinath National Park, Kitiphat Taraphiban, is urging prospective investors and private landowners to verify whether or not plots they have bought – or are thinking of buying – are deemed to be within the park. The checks can be made at the park’s land verification center, which was established at the order of Nipon Chotibal,…
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Chalong Police officers to be charged for Phuket dive company shakedown
PHUKET: Three officers from the Chalong Police are expected to be charged with extortion and abusing their positions of power by the end of August, the Phuket Gazette has been told. Lt Col Wannop Somjintanakul, the Public-sector Anti Corruption Commission (PACC) officer leading the investigation into the alleged extortion of more than 20 dive instructors at Chalong Pier in March,…
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European challengers commit to America’s Cup
PHUKET: Four European teams promised on Friday to compete for the next America’s Cup, ensuring the event would be viable after official challenger Team Australia pulled out because of rising costs. The European rivals from Italy, Sweden, Britain and France said they would cooperate with Oracle Team USA, the holders, to ensure the 35th America’s Cup in 2017 was a…
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Phuket beach vendors given 15 days to clear Tri Trang and Paradise Beach
PHUKET: Businesses encroaching on the sands at Phuket’s Tri Trang Beach and Paradise Beach on Thursday were given 15 days to tear down their illegal structures – or pay Navy officers to do it for them. “We will check in every day. If it is not done by the deadline [August 7], I will have my officers take the structures…
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No answers for outraged Phuket beach vendors
PHUKET: Dozens of Phuket beach vendors went toe-to-toe with Patong’s mayor yesterday demanding that she protect them and their livelihoods. “I thought the beach vendors would have ideas on how we can support them, but they mostly just complained about me not taking care of them and not protecting them,” said newly-elected Patong Mayor Chalermluck Kebsab. “I understand that they…
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Hamilton fastest in hot Hungarian practice
PHUKET: Lewis Hamilton started his Hungarian Grand Prix weekend as he meant to continue, with the fastest lap in Friday’s first free practice and championship-leading Mercedes team mate Nico Rosberg behind him. The winner of the last two Hungarian Grands Prix lapped the Hungaroring circuit outside Budapest with a best time of one minute 25.814 seconds. Rosberg was second fastest,…
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Olive ridley sea turtle found dead on Phuket beach
PHUKET: Local residents collecting shells on Mai Khao Beach discovered the remains of a female olive ridley turtle washed ashore yesterday. “We believe the turtle died a few days before the local villager found its remains,” said Jittipong Pimarnprom of the Mai Khao Tambon Administration Organization (OrBorTor). Kusoldharm Foundation rescue workers took the remains of the turtle, about 53cm long…
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Big snake rattles Phuket henhouse, and its owner
PHUKET: A local resident received a fright yesterday when she went to investigate what was causing a commotion in her chicken coop near her house in Srisoonthorn, Thalang, in central Phuket, yesterday afternoon. “I heard my ducks and my chickens panicking, so I went to the henhouse to see what was scaring them,” said Wanna Bilabdullar. That’s when she saw…
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Phuket beach vendor fined for burying coolers in sand
PHUKET: A vendor has been fined 2,000 baht for burying her coolers in the sand in an attempt to carry on selling ice-cold drinks to tourists on Patong Beach. Officers discovered three large ice boxes buried in the sand across the road from Burger King while patrolling the beachfront road on Monday. “We asked people in the area who the…
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PLTO chief demands harsh penalties for illegal Phuket taxis
PHUKET: The highest penalty will be sought for all illegal taxi drivers caught operating on the island after August 1 vowed Phuket Land Transportation Office (PLTO) Chief Terayout Prasertphol today. “Police have just been fining and then releasing drivers. However, from August 1 onward, if police apprehend any illegal taxi driver, they must send the case directly to court and…
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Germany Ambassador to Thailand bids farewell to Phuket consul
PHUKET: German Ambassador to Thailand Rolf Schulze bid farewell to Phuket legacy Dirk Naumann on July 18 as Mr Naumann concluded 12 dedicated years on the island as German Honorary Consul. Amb Schulze commended Mr Naumann for his years of service, especially his work after the tsunami. “Without your creativity, engagement, help and human feeling it would not have been…
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Phuket taxi call center on hold, ranks wait for green light
PHUKET: The launch of the Patong taxi call center has been deferred indefinitely as officials scramble to prepare staff, taxi drivers and necessary equipment. The service was slated to kick off this month (story here), following the tear-down of illegal taxi stands throughout Patong and the rest of the island (story here). “We have mapped out the proposed locations of…
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Sale of B60mn prime Phuket land plot spooked by suspect land title
PHUKET: A family of farmers trying to sell nine rai of land with an estimated value of 60 million baht have come under scrutiny for trying to upgrade a SorKor 1 deed for the site to full Chanote status. Phuket Vice Governor Somkiet Sangkaosuttirak led officers to inspect the site yesterday after receiving an anonymous complaint asking for the Governor’s…
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Tourists on ‘walk-in’ visa entries to get 30-day extensions
PHUKET: The chief of the Phuket Immigration Office, Col Sunchai Chokkajaykij, has confirmed that his office has received an official order to begin issuing extensions of up to 30 days to foreigners who enter the country on visa-exemption status. The order, signed by Immigration Bureau Acting Commissioner Sakda Chuenpakdee, is to come into effect from August 29, said Col Sunchai.…
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Newcastle lead the Premier League jet-setters
PHUKET: By the time Newcastle United kick off their Premier League campaign at home to champions Manchester City in little less than a month’s time the squad would have clocked up an astonishing 24,687 pre-season air miles. Globe-trotting West Ham United will not be far behind while five other clubs would have covered distances in excess of 12,000 miles as…
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Phuket SEA Coworking Space hosts iSeahorse workshop tonight
PHUKET: The SEA Coworking Space in Phuket Town will be saddling up to host a free iSeahorse workshop this evening at 6:30. The event is a training workshop for scuba divers, snorkellers and beach goers who have an interest in learning how to survey and identify seahorses in coastal locations, explains Lindsay Aylesworth, lead researcher in Thailand for Project Seahorse…
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ITF Pro Circuit winners rejoice
PHUKET: WITH the Chang SAT International Tennis Federation (ITF) Pro Circuit doubles event at Phuket’s Thanyapura half way through, the first winners are celebrating their results. Ya-Fan Wang of China played from the qualifying round to win the Women’s Singles event. In the final round Wang survived five match points to come back to defeat Yi-Fan Xu 3-6, 6-2, 7-5.…
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Phuket lifeguards issue no-jeans warning after near-drowning
PHUKET: Lifeguards at Phuket’s Nai Harn Beach have called for swimmers to not wear jeans in the surf after a tourist wearing them nearly drowned there late yesterday afternoon. Lifeguards pulled Kammapol Suyapiew, 40, unconscious from the heavy surf after he went swimming with friends in an area marked by red flags. “We tried to warn them when we saw…
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Thalang open their account with a win over Laguna
With both teams chasing their first points of the Outrigger Twenty20 season, last year’s premiers Laguna were pitted against Thalang, recent winners of the 35 over league. The coin fell Thalang’s way and Captain Craig Murphy elected to bat. Manish Sadarangani did what Laguna couldn’t do in the recent grand final when he picked up Andrew McMillan’s wicket in the…
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Phuket begins registering illegal migrant workers
PHUKET: The first wave of illegal migrant workers made their way to Phuket Provincial Community Hall today to apply for legal working status at the one-stop registration center. The center opened at 8:30am and will operate every day until August 21, as instructed by the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), to streamline the process of registering illegal migrant…
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Breaking News: Police bust Phuket drug dealer found with B3.5mn worth of ya ice
PHUKET: Police nabbed a big-time Phuket drug dealer yesterday afternoon with 3.5* million baht worth of ya ice (crystal methamphetamine) stashed away in his house in Rawai. “Suphap Somphak, 30, was wanted for his involvement in an island drug network. Investigators were able to gather enough information about him to secure a search warrant for his house in Soi Sarika…
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No life-time ban for overstays
PHUKET: Thailand’s Immigration Bureau has dropped its proposal for a lifetime ban on foreigners re-entering the country if they are caught overstaying their permits-to-stay by 10 years or more. The Immigration Division 1 in Bangkok announced the news by posting a special notice on its website this morning (click here). Under the new proposed rules, there is no re-entry ban…
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Pinot plays down Bardet rivalry ahead of Pyrenees
THIBAUT Pinot has played down an all-French rivalry with fellow youngster Romain Bardet by saying his compatriot is not his biggest threat for a rare home podium finish on the Tour de France. Pinot, who is fourth just behind third-placed Bardet, believes Spain’s second-placed Alejandro Valverde, American Tejay van Garderen in fifth and France’s Jean-Christophe Peraud have greater time-trial prowess…
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Land Dept explains legal loophole to owning park land
PHUKET: A legal loophole dating back more than 50 years may be just what those accused of encroaching on Phuket’s Sirinath National Park need to legally claim privately owned plots within the park’s boundaries. The surprise was delivered to Governor Maitri Inthusut this afternoon by a Deputy Director-General of the Land Department, Thammasak Chana, accompanied by Phuket Land Office chief…
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Angry Rawai residents demand water
PHUKET: A group of angry residents from the Saiyuan Med Village housing estate in Rawai descended on the Phuket Water Authority (PWA) office at Bang Wad Reservoir today to demand action to fix their water supply. Water supply had been intermittent since the start of the year, and for the past two months 55 homes in the estate have had…
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Phuket teen confesses to fatal stabbing
PHUKET: A Phuket teen turned in to police by his parents has confessed to the fatal stabbing of another young man in the heat of a fistfight early yesterday morning. “The parents of Suppachai Mattanung, 19, called me this morning and told me they were bringing their son to the station, as he had confessed to them that he had…
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Soi Paradise staff tested for drugs in police sweep
PHUKET: An 88-strong brigade of Phuket police, military officers and local officials took to the streets of Patong’s gay quarter last night to conduct random drugs tests on Soi Paradise bar staffers. “We arrived at Soi Paradise at about 9pm and were finished by about 10pm,” Patong Police Deputy Superintendent Khunnadet Nanongkhai told the Phuket Gazette this morning. “During the…
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Phuket visa runs surge as expats scurry for legitimate stays
PHUKET: The ongoing crackdown on foreigners staying in Thailand by doing visa runs to re-enter the country on visa-exemption status has sparked a surge in the number of foreigners in Phuket travelling to Penang to obtain visas issued by the Royal Thai Consulate there. Preeyapan Adithepwarangkul, owner of KBV Visa Run, told the Phuket Gazette that demand for the Penang…
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Drug dealer serves time in Pattalung, arrested in Phuket for dealing again
PHUKET: A drug dealer who had recently been released from a six-year stint in prison was arrested in Phuket yesterday in possession of 105,000 baht of ya ice (crystal methamphetamine). Jakkarin Songpet, 33, was stopped by Thalang Police at the Baan Bang Jo checkpoint on Thepkrasattri Road at about 5:30pm. “We pulled him over because he was driving a motorbike…
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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