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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New threat claims from Central Festival Phuket taxi drivers, new denials
PHUKET: Five taxi drivers at Central Festival Phuket claim that they were threatened and suspended from working there by the leaders of the taxi organization that operates at the popular shopping mall. The witnesses said they were verbally threatened and forbidden from working in the Central taxi queue, reported Karn Doonyalit of the Department of Special Investigations (DSI) on September…
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Phuket lifeguards save drunk Singaporean from drowning
PHUKET: A Singaporean tourist who spent hours relaxing and drinking on the beach at Cherng Talay yesterday afternoon was rescued by Phuket lifeguards after he attempted to go for a swim.Lai Yeohchai, 23, was pulled from the water conscious, but drunk, at about 3:55pm, one of the lifeguards at Surin Beach told the Phuket Gazette.“He sat on the beach and…
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Phuket protest rails against bridge name, rubber rights
PHUKET: About 200 villagers rallied at Phuket Provincial Hall on Tuesday to push for a bridge name change that is already on its way and for the right to plant and farm rubber trees on land that is deemed to be within a protected forest. Protest leader Utai Suksirisampan of the Phuket and Phang Nga Co-operative Network handed the villagers’…
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Tourist Police roadshow swings by Phuket
PHUKET: The Thai Tourist Police Road Show arrived at Patong’s Soi Bangla on Saturday, as Tourist Police showed off facilities to help tourists gather information and enhance their safety. A trailer on site was stocked with brochures and digital facilities to provide tourists with information. Police were encouraging tourists to use the popular “Tourist Buddy” application, which allows users to…
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Motorbike dumped in pond mystifies park-goers
PHUKET: Police and local residents are scratching their heads over a motorcycle found dumped in a pond at Rama IX Park (King’s Park) in Phuket Town (map here) yesterday morning. The abandoned bike – apparently in good condition – was first noticed by park users doing their morning exercises. “The bike, with a Ratchaburi license plate, Kor Mor Ror 407,…
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Monk with Phuket mistress exposed by viral videos
PHUKET: The Buddhist monk exposed by two sensational videos last night – in which he was pictured naked with his Phuket mistress, who already has a husband – has left the monkhood. Phra Kru Boonyapinant, the former abbot of Wat Pamok in Kapong, Phang Nga, hung up his robes early this morning. “Ajarn Reet gave no reason for his behavior,”…
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Phuket’s legal tuk-tuk drivers warn against officials’ inaction in Patong
PHUKET: A group of legal tuk-tuk drivers have presented the Phuket Governor’s office with another formal complaint – the third so far in their campaign to stamp out the illegal tuk-tuk trade in Patong. As on the two previous occasions (stories here and here), the tuk-tuk drivers were led by Sakol Srisompoch. Their urgent concern is that illegal tuk-tuk drivers…
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Russian body found off Patong Beach
PHUKET: Beach guards recovered the body of a Russian man at Patong Beach late this morning.The body of Tsymbalyuk Alexey, 45, was brought back to shore at about 11am. Police suspect that he died about three hours earlier.“He was only wearing black trunks when he was found, he might have gone swimming alone, as nobody witnessed him drowning,” said Teerasak…
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Phuket Police on standby to counter rubber protests
PHUKET: Phuket Police are on standby for deployment to Nakhon Sri Thammarat to reinforce officers there working to contain protests by palm oil and rubber farmers. Many protesters were injured when tensions flared at the protests at Nakhon Sri Thammarat’s Cha-uat District yesterday. One protester was shot in the leg as a mob set a police detention truck on fire…
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Phuket Tourist Court to open next Tuesday
PHUKET: Phuket’s Tourist Court is set to open on September 24 with a budget of 1.5 million baht. Phuket’s tourist court is the second such court to open in Thailand; the first opened in Pattaya on September 5. Five more courts will open across the country by year’s end, said Sitthisak Wanachakij, spokesman for the Court of Justice. The opening…
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Phuket dengue numbers critical, says public health chief
PHUKET: The chief of Phuket’s Public Health Office has admitted that the “333” anti-dengue campaign launched in April (story here) has failed and called for support to re-apply the program with more manpower after dengue cases in Phuket reached their highest number in 26 years. “Everyone needs to be concerned about this,” Dr Bancha Kakhong told a meeting held yesterday…
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Patong apartment security guard arrested on statutory rape warrant
PHUKET: Police yesterday arrested a security guard at a Patong apartment complex on an outstanding warrant for statutory rape in Samut Prakan, near Bangkok, eight years ago. Patong Police Superintendent Chiraphat Pochanaphan told the Phuket Gazette today that the man, 36, originally from Phetchabun, was wanted on an arrest warrant issued by Samut Prakan Provincial Court on July 4, 2005.…
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Phuket officials bag six kratom, dope peddlers in 24 hours
PHUKET: A Rassada village headman busted five men for possession of kratom and marijuana on Saturday – and yesterday, in concert with the Phuket Internal Security Office (PISO), arrested a man bringing kratom leaves to Phuket by bus. PISO deputy chief Thammarong Chuayaksorn and Baan Bang Chi Lao village chief Sangkom Sinthupradit, acting on a tip-off that kratom would be…
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Uninvited little cobra evicted from Chalong residence
PHUKET: When a resident of Ban Maneekram, Chalong, realized he had unwittingly hosted a visiting 40-cm cobra for the weekend, he knew what to do. “When I noticed the juvenile cobra, I immediately remembered your article headlined, ‘Snakes in the house: who you gonna call?’ (story here) and remembered you suggested calling the number of the Kusoldharn Foundation. So this…
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Phuket gold thieves out of gas, out of luck
PHUKET: Thieves attempting to cut open a safe in a locked strong room at a gold store in Patong on Saturday night most likely ran out of gas for their blowtorch, forcing them to leave empty-handed, say police. Nuchapha Jetsadaruk, the 49-year-old sister of shop owner Sasithorn Jetsadaruk, arrived to open the Yaowarat Gold Shop 9 on Sainamyen Road (map…
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Depressed man carrying a knife coaxed off highway and into hospital
PHUKET: A severely depressed man found despondently wandering along Thepkrasattri Road carrying a knife was taken into the care of Thalang Hospital on Saturday. “When we arrived, we saw the man in front of Muang Thalang School, walking on the median of Thepkrasattri Road and then into an adjacent rubber plantation. He was holding a knife in his right hand…
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Two Phuket cop-kickers caught
PHUKET: Police have arrested two of the four suspects they believe are responsible for assaulting police officers trying to make an arrest of a suspect wanted for attempted murder and other charges (story here). “I was trying to arrest Wirat ‘Kam’ Prabpet, 36, wanted for attempted murder, possession of illegal firearms and mugging,” said Cherng Talay Deputy Superintendent Sommai On-khum,…
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Phuket Magic Eyes relaunch sets sights on ‘Clean Up the World’
PHUKET: A series of cleanup events are to sweep the island this September as Phuket gears up to celebrate “Clean Up the World” as part of the relaunch of the Phuket Magic Eyes Organization. The Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (PPAO) is joining hands with the Phuket Magic Eyes Organization and the Society Environmental Economy Knowledge (SEEK) group to take part…
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Greek claims Thai girlfriend swindled him out of Phuket property, two million baht
PHUKET: A distraught Greek was found lying in the middle of the road in front of a property that he claimed his girlfriend had cheated him out of, along with about two million baht. When Konstantinos Vardas’s mid-road protest caused a traffic jam in the vicinity of Tha Reua Temple, Thalang Police and Kusoldham rescue workers were called to the…
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Thief snatches 5,000 baht from 7-Eleven cash till
PHUKET: Police are searching for a snatch thief who stole 5,000 baht from a cash till at a 7-Eleven in Wichit late last night. “The store’s staffers looked very frightened when we arrived, ” said Wichit Police Superintendent Chaowalit Petchsripia. “The thief was a dark-skinned man who looked about 20-to-30 years old. He was between 1.60 and 1.65 meters tall,…
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Phuket trial over fatal Tiger Disco fire postponed
PHUKET: The trial of the operators of the Tiger Disco nightclub for the deaths of four people, including two tourists, in the blaze last year in Patong has been postponed until the end of November. Tiger Group CEO Piya Isaramalai and management representatives of Sara Entertainment Co Ltd were scheduled to appear in court on September 2 to face charges…
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Phuket tourism court on hold
PHUKET: The opening of a new tourist court in Phuket has been delayed while a sortie of judges, Tourist Police and officers from the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) complete a 14-million-baht, two-week fact-finding trip to France. The fact-finding tour, which started September 7 and is scheduled to end September 19, is aimed at giving the experts a first-hand view…
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Single lingering regret for Phuket’s top cop as he prepares to retire
PHUKET: Phuket Provincial Police Commander Choti Chavalviwat is troubled by only a single lingering issue of unfinished business as he prepares for retirement at the end of this month – the much-needed high-resolution CCTVs he sought to bring to the island. Speaking to the Phuket Gazette, Maj Gen Choti lamented being unable to see the cameras fitted across the island.…
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Phuket Prison marks 113th anniversary with deity statue
PHUKET: A modest ceremony took place at Phuket Provincial Prison today to honor the installation of the Hindu God Chitragupta, who is deemed special by the Department of Corrections in Thailand. “Chitragupta is the Hindu god tasked with keeping fastidious records of all the actions of every human being. This is why he is held in high esteem by the…
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Baby buffalo saved from watery death
PHUKET: Quick action by a local Thalang villager prevented a baby buffalo from drowning in an abandoned well today. Khamsue Chanpet, 37, called Kusoldharm Rescue workers to the well behind Wat Baan Don in Thalang, after witnessing the grazing buffalo fall into the well. “I saw the buffalo walking and eating grass with the other buffaloes, and then he fell.…
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Thief says he needed money for sick son
PHUKET: A man caught stealing an air-conditioning compressor from a bus in Phuket Town yesterday morning told police that he needed money to pay for medical treatment for his son.Chaiwut Kongkhaoriab, 28, was caught in the act by mechanics at the garage where the bus was parked.Pramoun Jitpakdee, one of the mechanics, said he was fixing the bus when he…
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9 million baht Chalong Circle study underway
PHUKET: A 9-million baht pre-construction study on how to ease traffic congestion at Chalong Circle is underway, with companies considering seven options including several flyovers in addition to underpasses. The yearlong study will analyze traffic flow around Chalong Circle and potential effects of an underpass or flyover on the surrounding environment, said Director of the Phuket Highways Office Samak Luedwonghad.…
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Alleged extortionist re-elected to run Phuket taxi group
PHUKET: “Brother Pom” was re-elected to head the Central Festival Phuket taxi group yesterday, despite facing charges of extortion and using violence to force member-drivers to make payments. The election was part of a move to restructure the taxi rank at Central Festival, the latest step in a campaign to eradicate taxi mafia from Phuket which has the full support…
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Thailand Tourist Police Road Show to roll into Phuket
PHUKET: A caravan of four mobile homes and a trailer full of facilities free for tourists to use will be set up from 7:30pm to 9:00pm in Phuket this Saturday as part of a promotional campaign to make tourists feel safe about travelling in Thailand.The caravan, called the “Thailand Tourist Police Roadshow 2013”, was launched in Bangkok on Tuesday under…
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Phuket flower-seller caught in drain
PHUKET: Heavy rains caused another accident yesterday when a Phuket flower vendor slipped on wet pavement and got his foot stuck in a drain.Unable to dislodge himself, Preecha Petpradab, 36, relied on rescue workers to free him.Mr Preecha was organizing the flowers in front of his shop on Pattana Thongtin Road in Wichit when he tumbled into the drain.Kusoldharm Rescue…
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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