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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Top 5 luxury villas in Phuket and Koh Samui for your next holiday
Ask people to name the most beautiful places in Thailand, and you'll often hear Phuket and Koh Samui being mentioned. Who would disagree? One is renowned for its bustling nightlife, vibrant culture, and lively beach scene, while the other is...
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Phuket’s tourist (only) court officially opens
PHUKET: Phuket’s highly anticipated tourist court, the Tourist Protection Section of Phuket Provincial Court, will only serve those visiting the country on a tourist visa, says Phuket Court Chief Judge Parinya Chaowalittawin. The opening ceremony yesterday, chaired by President of the Supreme Court Pairoj Wayuparb, was held at Phuket Provincial Court. The opening makes the court the second tourist court…
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Phuket transport council agrees to 36% jump in taxi fares
PHUKET: The ruling committee for Phuket’s public transportation authorities today agreed to price hikes of up to 36 per cent for metered taxi fares in Phuket. Phuket Vice Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada, who chaired the meeting of the provincial transportation committee, explained that the proposed increases in taxi fares were the same as those proposed at a meeting on August 29…
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Five-month-old fetus found floating in Phuket Town canal
PHUKET: The body of a fetus thought to be about five months old was found floating in Phuket Town’s Bang Yai canal yesterday.“When we arrived, we found a lot of onlookers trying to get a glimpse of the male fetus in the canal,” said Rattaket Munmuang of the Phuket City Police.Police questioned people in the neighborhood, but nobody was able…
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Millennia-old cave art, earthenware discovered in Krabi
PHUKET: Ancient drawings and earthenware estimated to be between 2,000 and 3,000 years old have been discovered in Krabi’s Ao Luek district. Local villagers came across the archaeological site while looking for guano to fertilize their crops. On discovery, the villagers notified the Krabi Environmental and Cultural Preservation Committee of their thrilling find. Members of the committee visited the location,…
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Stiff penalties for Phuket slow loris touts in wake of Rihanna Instagram
PHUKET: The changing faces of touts in Phuket exploiting the slow loris – a vulnerable and protected species – is a sign that the penalty for the crime is stiff enough, said Patong Police Deputy Superintendent Pratuang Polmana. Police action and determination to re-apply pressure to the issue of animal touts in Phuket follows global celebrity Rihanna posting photos on…
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Phuket expat Gerald Mason in urgent need of help
PHUKET: Expats contribute to Phuket’s well-being in various ways. Some engage in high-profile endeavors, such as setting up environmental campaigns or animal welfare groups. Others benefit the community simply by being all-round good guys, known and loved by a wide circle of friends. Gerry Mason is such a man, a man for all social seasons. An enthusiastic member of the…
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Phuket Viral: Rihanna sex show tweets put ball in police court
PHUKET: Officials were lambasted today after Rihanna tweets about Phuket sex shows went viral. From Twitter account @rihanna, Rihanna expressed her surprise over a Patong showgirl’s abilities. The tweets have been re-tweeted more than 1,000 times, reported The Nation. The Rihanna tweets stated: “Either I was phuck wasted lastnight, or I saw a Thai woman pull a live bird,2 turtles,razors,shoot…
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Phuket 7-Eleven teenage shooter claims self-defense
PHUKET: Two teenagers charged yesterday with shooting dead an 18-year-old man outside of a 7-Eleven in Rawai claimed that the gun was fired out of self-defense. Korrawit Sriboonma, a waiter at the popular Sala Loi seafood restaurant on the Rawai beachfront, was gunned down with a homemade gun on the corner of Soi Laem Ka Yai at about 4am on…
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Video Report: Phuket rescue worker shoots man over love triangle
PHUKET: A 24-year-old man was shot in Patong over a love-triangle dispute yesterday afternoon. The victim, Worrawut Thaweeapideeserm, was rushed to Patong Hospital with a bullet wound to his shoulder.“After initial treatment, he was transferred to Vachira Phuket Hospital to have the bullet removed,” said Pattapee Srichay of the Patong Police.Police named the shooter as Wanchit Sornsaree, also known as…
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Helmetless sidecar driver dies after big bike wipeout
PHUKET: A helmetless driver of a motorbike with sidecar died after a high-speed collision with a big bike travelling at high speed in Thalang on Saturday evening. Tah Chat Chai Police arrived at the u-turn south of Kor En curve, notoriously nicknamed by locals as “Death Curve”, on Thepkrasattri Road (map here) just after 5:30pm. In the middle of the…
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Leading candidate as Phuket’s new top cop “open to all’
PHUKET: The man being tipped to become the next top cop in Phuket, Maj Gen Ong-art Phiewruangnont, is a “country person” open to listening to everyone. “Anyone who has a problem is welcome to come and talk to me. I will help you all,” he told the Phuket Gazette. However, Gen Ong-art would neither confirm nor deny that he has…
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Chinese tourists and guide injured in speedboat collision
PHUKET: Four Chinese tourists and their Thai guide were injured yesterday afternoon when two speedboats collided in Phang Nga Bay off Khai Nok island. Witnesses from both boats told police that as the speedboat Nontasak, carrying 31 Chinese tourists, approached the beach at Koh Khai Nok, it was struck by another boat, Sasiyanon.The five people injured in the accident were…
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Phuket FC in scoreless stalemate with Trat’s White Elephants
PHUKET: Some 1,653 fans who turned out for the Islanders’ Yamaha League One (YL1) match against Trat FC match on Saturday evening in Phuket Town, were given little to cheer about, the match ending in a 0-0 stalemate. Indeed, the crowd, representing Phuket FC’s poorest turn-out all season, found more entertainment in the pre-game cheerleader show, as well as the…
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Phuket man disabled by disease found hanged
PHUKET: A man who had been afflicted for 30 years by an autoimmune disease that left him unable to walk without a walker was found hanged in his room this morning.Police responded to a call from a local coffee shop in Baan Sapam behind which Anan Areerat, 60, lived with his family, and found him hanging from metal security bars…
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Phuket Police raids at Surin Beach “just routine’, says local police chief
PHUKET: The series of walk-in police raids that startled patrons at a string of bars at Surin Beach last night were nothing more than routine checks, claims the Cherng Talay police chief.The raids were carried out by “standard patrols” with no special targets in mind, Cherng Talay Superintendent Col Chanuchan Cholsuwat told the Phuket Gazette today.“We do this once a…
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Phuket abuzz with Rihanna’s dirty loris talkin’
PHUKET: Social media networks are abuzz today after R’n’B celebrity Rihanna posted photos on Instagram showing herself posing on Phuket’s Soi Bangla in Patong last night. The photos show the stylish superstar feeding elephants, being welcomed to her Phuket resort and posing in front of stageshow ladyboys, called katoey in Thai, dressed in elaborate costumes (see here). One photo, posted…
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School bus flips in Krabi, injuring 13
PHUKET: A school bus carrying students home from a field trip flipped in Krabi yesterday, injuring 12 students and the driver, but causing no deaths. The busload of 49 students, all 13-year-old children, and their teachers had visited the popular Emerald Pool in Krabi and were heading home in a convoy of eight buses when the accident occurred. The group…
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British, Irish expats in Phuket arrested by Immigration
PHUKET: Three Phuket expats from Ireland and England will be deported from Thailand after being caught in Cherng Talay for overstaying. Officers moved in and arrested Alex Good, 27, from Ireland, at a restaurant near Cherng Talay Police Station at 3:30pm yesterday, said Lt Col Chidchanok Sakornyen of Phuket Immigration.“We had been following him for a while as we had…
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Phuket mass cleanup underway, aims to include everyone
PHUKET: Phuket joined a global campaign to make the world a better place by launching a four-day cleanup yesterday aimed at making everyone “an environment ranger”. Past cleanup campaigns focused on hotels, said Chodchoy Sophonpanich, president of Phuket Magic Eyes, an anti-litter organization. The current cleanup campaign aims to involve everyone. Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut, on hand at Bang Tao…
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Phuket’s secret souvenir: The perfect pair
Breasts are big in Phuket. Big business, that is. In recent years, both Bangkok Hospital Phuket and Phuket International Hospital have seen dramatic increases in cosmetic breast surgeries, fueled by rising numbers of medical tourists. The Phuket Gazette’s Orawin Narabal reports on one of the island’s hottest tourist draws: The boob job.PHUKET: Together, Phuket International Hospital and Bangkok Hospital Phuket…
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Phuket mobile phone operators vent over ‘overzealous’ consumer-protection policing
PHUKET: Mobile phone operators from Phuket’s major shopping malls protested this morning at Phuket Provincial Hall over what they see as an over-zealous interpretation of consumer protection laws. About 30 mobile shop operators from Big C, Central Festival and Jungceylon came to file a complaint to Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut, incensed that Consumer Protection Police Division officers arrested two vendors…
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Phuket bus overturns in Surat Thani – one dead, 29 injured
PHUKET: One person is dead and 29 others injured after a bus from Phuket heading for the Northeastern province of Nong Khai overturned in Surat Thani province yesterday afternoon.“We took 12 passengers to Baan Takhun Hospital and 17 to Phanom Hospital,” said Sophol Rakthao of the Phanom Police.“The driver, Anuchit Thongnuapaed, 32, was pinned behind the wheel. Rescue workers managed…
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Phuket Immigration cracks down on yachting, marine industry
PHUKET: Phuket Immigration chief Sunchai Chokkajaykij today confirmed that his office has launched a crackdown on foreigners working illegally in Phuket’s yachting and marine industry.The news follows the arrests of a German man and a Swiss man who were caught building their own boats on their own properties in Chalong late yesterday afternoon.“We have been targeting foreigners working illegally for…
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Myanmar national ignores warning flags, drowns at Karon Beach
PHUKET: A Myanmar teenager swimming in an area marked with red flags drowned at Karon Beach yesterday.Mr Pannyo, 17, had gone to the beach with two friends around 3pm, said Uten Singsom, head lifeguard at Kata-Karon beaches.“They were at the beach around low tide. Mr Pannyo’s friends stayed close to shore, but he swam out about 30 meters,” Mr Uten…
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Nigerian tourist attacked and robbed of his rented motorbike
PHUKET: A Nigerian tourist was attacked and robbed at about 6pm yesterday by two men of Caucasian appearance. Police found Collins Ugwoeluchukwu, 26, with a bruised face near Phuket Fantasea in Kamala.Mr Ugwoeluchukwu was taken to the police station for further questioning and provided with first aid.He told police that while he was riding his motorbike, a pick-up truck cut…
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Phuket Governor proposes more tuk-tuks for the island
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut proposed an increase to the number of tuk-tuks legally operating in Phuket after he took a walking tour of Patong today. The number of tuk-tuks allowed to operate on Phuket was capped at 1,200 about 10 years ago. However, there are many illegal tuk-tuks operating on the island, which has caused Sakol Srisompoch to lead…
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No limit on divers at Phi Phi Island ahead of high season
PHUKET: A call by experts to restrict the number of tourists diving at sites off Phi Phi Island to reduce the stress to coral reefs went unheeded, as marine national parks along the Andaman coast ready to open for high season on October 15. However, a top official at the Phi Phi national park has assured that efforts are ongoing…
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Phuket wait for Australian Honorary Consul may take months
PHUKET: Phuket may be without an Australian Honorary Consul for months after the current consul, Larry Cunningham, retires from the post on September 30.“Applications have been received and the selection is currently in process,” Mr Cunningham told the Phuket Gazette this morning.“I don’t know how many people have applied. It’s being done through the embassy, not me,” he said.“It might…
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Phuket Police praised for quick work in Brazilian snatch case
PHUKET: Phuket Police have been praised for their quick work in arresting two youths after a Brazilian tourist had her camera snatched in Kata early Monday morning. Officers led by Karon Police Deputy Superintendent Sophon Borirak arrested Karon resident Kanin Kongchana, 22, and a 15-year-old Myanmar national at a rented room in Patong at 7pm Tuesday. The pair were found…
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Man decapitated in Phuket hit-and-run
PHUKET: A man was decapitated in a hit-and-run accident on Thepkrasattri Road last night.Responding to the accident report at about 9:30pm, police found a crowd gathered around the body of Tin Ohn Thong, 44.The man’s body was lying near the median strip on the northbound side of the road in Srisoonthorn, near the Karn Keha housing estate.A damaged bicycle was…
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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