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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Sponsored 12Go introduces Japan Rail Passes to enhance travel accessibility for international travellers
For those who have travelled throughout Thailand, 12Go is a well-known provider of various trips, though the platform itself has a much wider reach. Ranging from buses to planes, 12Go is undoubtedly a leading booking platform for travel throughout the...
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Speedboat sinks in high-speed collision across the bay from Phuket
PHUKET: All 37 tourists made it to shore yesterday after two speedboats collided at sea about 1km from Krabi.Krabi City Police were informed of the incident at 3:30pm and immediately contacted the Krabi Marine Office to scramble a rescue team.Six were injured when the Chainartnumchork 8, owned by Barracudas Tour, and the The Pimmasa 5, owned by Centara Grand Beach…
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Police solicit help to catch ATM-scammer gangs operating on Phuket
PHUKET: Phuket Police asked for help on Friday to bring scam artists to justice, noting that there are at least three gangs on the island targeting ATM customers. The conference followed the arrest of two French nationals for attempting to bribe police officers after being caught in an alleged ATM scam (story here). “People should be aware of possible scams…
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Phuket pounce on Pattaya
PHUKET: Yesterday was the first fixture of the Yamaha League One season and fans saw a spirited bout between Phuket FC and Pattaya United FC, who were relegated from the Thai Premier League this year, resulting in a 1-0 final score that secured victory for the Ronins. As the sun went to sleep, the crowd woke up, with about 4,000…
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Ukrainian expat falls to death from Phuket condo balcony
PHUKET: A 27-year-old Ukrainian man died early yesterday morning after attempting to climb from a fifth-floor balcony of a Phuket Town condo to his home on the fourth floor.Phuket City Police were notified of the incident by the building’s security guard at 1:10am and rushed to the scene with Kusoldharm Rescue workers. “We found the body of Oler Volkov on…
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German woman takes fatal fall down stairs in Phuket
PHUKET: A 72-year-old German woman died yesterday after falling down a flight of steep stairs at a rented house near Nai Thon Beach. Tah Chat Chai Police were notified of the incident at 7:30pm and rushed to the scene with rescue workers. At the house on Sakoo-Nai Thon Road, police found the body of Margret Hiller lying at the bottom…
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Finn struck by car while crossing Phuket Road
PHUKET: A 25-year-old Finnish man was struck and injured by a car as he was crossing the road in Kamala early this morning. Robin Straka had crossed the Kalim-Kamala Road to use the ATM at a Tesco Lotus. On his return, he suddenly stopped walking, and seemed to be thinking about something, witnesses told police. “That was when he was…
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Phuket drug crackdown apprehends 62
PHUKET: Phuket police officers apprehended 62 people on drug charges yesterday as part of an anti-drug sweep in Phuket Town and Rassada ordered by Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut. In total,180 officers took part in the late afternoon maneuver, which involved searching two houses and administering urine tests at four checkpoints. Five teenagers – two girls and three boys – aged…
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Phuket cops’ early morning raid nets 11 thieves, drug users
PHUKET: Police netted nearly a dozen snatch-theft and drug suspects during an early morning raid in Phuket Town yesterday. CCTV images of suspects stealing bags from two foreigners on Thalang Road in Phuket Town on Tuesday allowed officers to identify the suspects’ den on Srisena Road. The police raid on the house led to five teenagers being charged for ‘theft…
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Patong Tunnel compensation for evicted Phuket villagers jumps to B2.56bn
PHUKET: The funds for compensating Phuket landowners who would be displaced by the construction of the Patong Tunnel have more than doubled, jumping from 1 billion baht to 2.56bn baht. The Chief Inspector-General of the Ministry of Transport, Somchai Chanrod, made the announcement in Phuket earlier this week. It was not clarified whether the government had expanded the number of…
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![[Video Report] Alleged French ATM scammers caught bribing Phuket police | Thaiger](data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0naHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmcnIHZpZXdCb3g9JzAgMCAyMjMgMjIwJz48L3N2Zz4=)
[Video Report] Alleged French ATM scammers caught bribing Phuket police
PHUKET: Phuket Police arrested two French nationals for bribing an officer of the law yesterday, while a third man is still on the run. Karin Radoun, 28, was also charged with ATM fraud and being in the country illegally. He and Karim Akrour, 36, denied all the charges when presented to the press this morning. Police are still hunting for…
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Frenchwoman in fatal crash identified as Phuket yacht staff trainer
PHUKET: The foreigner killed in a car accident on Thepkrasattri Road before dawn yesterday has been identified as French national Julie Humbert, 31. Her identity was confirmed by an employee of Thalang Hospital, where her body was taken after the crash (story here). “A co-worker contacted the hospital this morning after she heard the story. She identified Ms Humbert’s body…
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Local Phuket fishing competition out to catch it all
PHUKET: The annual “Yamu Night Fishing Game” kicks off tomorrow morning.The annual competition, aimed at promoting local fishing traditions in the area, is put on by Paklok Subdistrict Municipality (OrBorTor).“Only those fishing from longtail boats with local fishing equipment are allowed to participate. However, both Thais and foreigners are welcome to get involved,” said Paklok Public Relation staffer Samart Sensai.“If…
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Airport-bound foreigners safe after illegal taxi catches fire
PHUKET: A black-plate taxi carrying two foreigners to Phuket International Airport burst into flames on Thepkrasattri road at about 2pm today.It took villagers about 15 minutes and seven fire extinguishers to put out the fire, explained a Kusoldharm Foundation rescue worker. No one was injured.“By the time we got there, the fire was already under control. At the scene were…
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Krabi resort owner vows legal action over demolition
PHUKET: The owner of the Poda Island Resort is threatening to sue the Department of National Parks (DNP) for dismantling his facilities. Chuan Pukaoluan, who has operated the resort for about 20 years, says that he had bought the plots of land the resort was built on legitimately. However, the courts determined that the structures were encroaching on a national…
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Phuket EC not enrolling MP candidates by mail, yet
PHUKET: Despite an announcement by the Election Commission (EC) on Wednesday that they would accept additional candidate registrations for the April MP election by mail, Phuket election officials have received no official instructions to enroll new candidates. Anti-government protesters in Phuket blocked MP candidates from registering last December. Only one person, Jirayos Songyos of the Pheu Thai party, was able…
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AirAsia flight makes emergency landing in Phuket after Mecca pilgrim suffers heart failure
PHUKET: An AirAsia plane made an emergency landing at Phuket International Airport after a Malaysian man returning from a pilgrimage to Mecca suffered heart failure while in Thai airspace. The crew of flight D7 171 from Jeddah to Kuala Lumpur attempted to resuscitate Ridzwan Bin Jamaludin, 64, while still in the air, explained Thalang Police Deputy Superintendent Amnuay Kriwuttianant. “The…
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Widow of slain Phuket protester returns from Bangkok before fresh wave of violence
PHUKET: It has been a month since Phuket taxi driver Prakong Choochan died at the age of 46 from injuries sustained from an explosive device thrown at protesters in Bangkok. His widow, Tippayao Choochan, vowed to continue supporting the “Bangkok Shutdown” protests after his death, and was in the capital last week to join the rally (story here). However, she…
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Unidentified foreign woman killed in Phuket crash
PHUKET: An unidentified foreign woman died in a car accident on Thepkrasattri Road early this morning.Police were called to the scene, on the southbound side of the road opposite the entrance to Bang Kanun Forest, at 5am.“We found a car flipped over in the middle of the road and the body of a foreign woman inside. We searched the car,…
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The Terminal: asylum seekers’ limbo at Phuket Airport to end soon
PHUKET: The six stateless asylum seekers who have been housed under guard at Phuket International Airport for over a month may soon be leaving the island.Malaysia has agreed to accept the four Syrians in the group, and the two Lebanese men will be sent to Bangkok, said Prapansak Prasansuk, Chief of Immigration at the airport.How the men, said to be…
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Italian busted for drug dealing in Phuket
PHUKET: An Italian man was busted for selling ya ice (crystal methamphetamine) to undercover cops in a sting operation in Patong Monday evening.Fabio Milan Bocca, 35, was arrested at a rental house on Pisitkoranee Road in possession of 8.52 grams of ya ice, 6.79g of marijuana and a single ya bah (methamphetamine) pill. “Our superintendent asked us to stomp out…
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Phuket protesters head to Bangkok despite deadly violence
PHUKET: An anti-government co-ordinator in Phuket believes hundreds of Phuket residents will join a mass rally in Bangkok tomorrow, despite the violent clashes between protesters and police that have left at least one officer dead (story here). Suthep Thaugsuban, Secretary General of the People’s Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) last night called for supporters to join the protest tomorrow as a…
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Phuket water shutoff leaves residents and tourists high and dry
PHUKET: After two months with no running water, life for residents on Phang Muang Sai Kor Road in Phuket returned to normal this morning. “We had no running water for almost two months, since December 25,” said a resident of the Patong road who declined to be named.“We have had to buy water from a water truck every week, which…
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Swedish tourist falls to death from slippery Phuket bar
PHUKET: A Swedish tourist fell to his death early this morning while dancing on top of a bar counter in Patong.“Witnesses in the bar said that the man had been drinking before he decided to climb onto the countertop and dance,” said a Kusoldharm Patong rescue foundation worker.“The bar was wet and slippery. He slipped and hit his head hard…
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Phuket Vice Governor champions Australian’s metered taxi complaint
PHUKET: Phuket Vice Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada stepped forward to champion a complaint about an airport taxi driver who refused to use his meter to take an Australian expat home to Kamala. The 51-year-old man arrived at Phuket International Airport last Sunday and was met by a metered taxi tout, who explained that it costs 650 baht to go to Kamala.…
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Phuket residents close accounts in protest of massive loan for rice-pledging scheme
PHUKET: Phuket residents flocked to several branches of the Government Savings Bank (GSB) today to withdraw money and close accounts after the bank lent 20 billion baht to the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC) on Sunday.“Monday is always a busy day, since it is the first of the week. However, we admit that 10 per cent of our…
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Phuket Tourist Police help Chinese bag-snatch victims arrange for new passports
PHUKET: A Chinese couple who lost their passports to a bag snatcher yesterday are en route to their embassy in Bangkok today, with a little help from the Phuket Tourist Police.After the couple were robbed while walking to a market along the Baan Don-Kok Tanod Road, Thalang Police got in touch with the Tourist Police.“We contacted the Chinese Embassy for…
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Missing Phuket woman with Alzheimer’s killed in hit-and-run
PHUKET: A woman with Alzheimer’s disease who had wandered away from home was killed in a hit-and-run motorbike accident in Thalang last night.Pranit Parteep Na Talang, 75, first went missing from her home in Ban Don at about 2pm yesterday afternoon.“My mother had Alzheimer’s, but she could walk well for her age and often went missing because of her illness,”…
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Phuket woman with Alzheimer’s killed in hit-and-run
PHUKET: A woman with Alzheimer’s Disease who had wandered away from home was killed in a hit-and-run motorbike accident in Thalang last night. Pranit Parteep Na Talang, 75, first went missing from her home in Ban Don at about 2pm that afternoon. “My mother had Alzheimer’s, but she could walk well for her age and often went missing because of…
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New ports to be developed for popular island gateways north of Phuket
PHUKET: The Marine Department on Friday announced plans to develop two major seaports at Phang Nga jump-off points to the popular Similan and Surin islands. “Our aim is to promote sustainable tourism for Phang Nga’s Andaman islands. We also want to promote it as another diving location,” said Marine Office 5 Director Wichai Khamkong. The news follows two public hearings…
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Phuket Police arrest scissor-wielding French thief
PHUKET: Police arrested a Frenchman for threatening a Phuket convenience store clerk with a pair of scissors in an attempt to get a refund on Saturday.Riad Lahkim, 37, bought a mobile phone at a 7-eleven on Thursday. Dissatisfied, he took it back to the store two days later – at 4:30am.“He bought the phone for 1,200 baht and asked for…
![[Video Report] Alleged French ATM scammers caught bribing Phuket police | Thaiger](https://thethaiger.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/phuketnews_201422118217359_klEPqHsQiSYtOJcSMCkxiSsjSGQWuqWBatCGUsaD_jpeg.jpg)
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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