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 hotel singer dies in visa run crash
PHUKET: Police have confirmed that the Philippines woman who died in the visa run van accident in Trang province early Monday morning worked in Phuket as a singer in a hotel restaurant.The woman, who police have yet to name, was sitting in the back row of seats in the van at the time of the accident.“There was heavy rain that…
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Phuket hotel staffer arrested on murder charges
PHUKET: A hotel employee at Banthai Beach Resort & Spa in Patong was arrested on Wednesday for allegedly taking part in a gang attack that led to a death in Phitsanulok five years ago.Danai Thonglaima, 35, is alleged to have joined in a roadside attack in May 2008, after which he fled to Phuket and lived a secret life.Officers from…
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Villagers battle for access to Phuket public land
PHUKET: Vice Governor Somkiet Sangkaosuttirak visited Pa Khlok yesterday afternoon to investigate claims made by residents that a path on public land had been blocked off, denying them access to a pier where they keep their fishing boats. About 50 residents had travelled to Phuket Provincial Hall the day before to lodge a complaint with Governor Maitri Inthusut (story here).…
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Phuket visa run crash leaves one dead
PHUKET: A Philippine national has died and an unknown number of Phuket expats were injured in a visa run van crash in Trang early Monday morning.A representative at Phen Phet Visa Run confirmed to the Phuket Gazette today that the accident occurred in Trang province, about 300km south of Phuket, at about 2am on Monday.The van was carrying tourists and…
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Phuket marks Chulalongkorn Day
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut this morning led an assembly of officials in a ceremony to honor Chulalongkorn Day, known in Thai as Wan Piya Maharat.The ceremony held at the “Chulalongkorn the Great” monument at Phuket Provincial Hall began at 9am. Officers adorned the statue with flowers and speeches were made honoring the great achievements of HM King Chulalongkorn.Known by…
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Phuket handyman caught robbing safe in Russian woman’s room
PHUKET: Police Monday night arrested a hotel staffer in Karon who used a master key and a stolen room safe key to rob a Russian tourist of the equivalent of nearly 20,000 baht in banknotes.The thief also deleted CCTV records at the Karon Phunaka Resort and Spa in the hope of covering his tracks.Tatiana Gorshkova discovered 10,000 baht cash, US$100…
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Phuket Governor calls off SuperCheap fire site search, announces no deaths
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut today buried rumors that people had died in the SuperCheap inferno last Wednesday night as he laid to rest the on-site investigation. No proof of any fatalities were recorded or announced (story here). “I received the report form the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Phuket office [DDPM-Phuket] concerning the SuperCheap fire. I am pleased…
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Phuket Governor orders probe into alleged land grab
PHUKET: Governor Maitri Inthusut today ordered a task force to investigate claims by local residents in Pa Khlok, on Phuket’s central east coast, that public land had been encroached on.The villagers, numbering about 50 and led by Baan Bangla village headman Samarn Bumroongna, arrived at Provincial Hall at 10am in protest.Chief among their complaints was that someone who claimed to…
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Drug web unravels as police make arrests from Phuket Town to Thalang
PHUKET: In a cascading string of confessions, police arrested five drug dealers on Saturday, collecting along the way over a kilogram of ya ice (crystal methamphetamine) and almost 4,000 ya bah (methamphetamine) pills. The first arrests that started the domino effect were at Suan Luang Park (Rama IX Park) (map here) when police noticed a man and a woman acting…
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Phuket Town drinkers take down armed robber
PHUKET: Two men sitting in front of their house drinking in the early hours this morning made a citizen’s arrest, taking down a man who had just robbed a Phuket Town convenience store at knifepoint. Phuket City Police were notified of the arrest at 3:40am. “By the time we arrived, Ronnarit Klinchuen, 21, and his friend Ponlawat Kaensub, 22, had…
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Failed motorbike ram attempt wins policeman B10k reward for bravery
PHUKET: A patrol policeman who broke his collar bone while ramming bag-snatchers with his motorbike in an attempt to stop their getaway was rewarded with 10,000 baht yesterday morning for his bravery. Phuket Provincial Police Commander Ong-art Phiwruangnont issued the bonus on hearing how Sgt Songwut Noosuk of the Phuket City Police attempted to apprehend the perpetrators on Saturday afternoon.…
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Mortician joins the dead over business conflict, say Krabi police
PHUKET: Police suspect that the motive for the shooting murder of a mortician in Krabi, across Phang Nga Bay from Phuket, was a business conflict.Ajin Chormai, 55, found the body of her husband Niyom Chormai, 60, in a palm oil plantation on Sunday morning. He had eight gunshot wounds to his chest.Mr Niyom left the house at 8:30am to round…
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118mn baht mega-transportation study underway
PHUKET: A feasibility study costing 118 million baht is underway for an ambitious transportation project to link Phuket with neighboring provinces. The project aims to connect the island to the national north-south rail line and provide public transport between Phuket International Airport and Chalong Circle. Though the current study was expected to start by the end of 2012, the contract…
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Balloon vendor dead on arrival at Phuket bus terminal
PHUKET: A festival balloon vendor was found dead on arrival at Phuket Bus Terminal 2 in the early morning hours today.Prasan Piyawong, 66, was discovered dead on the top deck of a tour bus by a friend who was travelling with him.Police and rescue works sped to the scene after being notified of the incident at about 4:30am today.“Mr Prasan’s…
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Krabi ready to take the plunge
PHUKET: Is throwing yourself off an 8-storey-high cliff a good idea? Sure it is! Especially to the brave contenders of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series. If you wish to see these daredevils, the season finale will take place in Krabi, a few hours drive from Phuket, on Saturday, October 26. Ten of the world’s best cliff divers launch…
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Rayong all but secure promotion at Phuket’s expense
PHUKET: Despite drawing first blood in a difficult away fixture on Saturday evening, Phuket FC went on to lose 3-2 to Thailand’s Yamaha League One (YL1) powerhouse, PTT Rayong. The match, both side’s 32nd of 34 scheduled fixtures in the YL1 2013 season, was played in front of 3,669 spectators at PTT Stadium on the lower part of Thailand’s Eastern…
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Krabi carp monster set to break world record
PHUKET: A British angler on holiday in Thailand is set to break a world record after landing a 60.9kg (134.4lb) Siamese carp in Krabi, across Phang Nga Bay from Phuket, earlier this month.Keith Williams, of Carshalton in Surrey, England, landed the monster carp on October 10 while on holiday with friends at the Gillhams Fishing Resort to celebrate his 56th…
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Fire engulfs shop units at Karon Plaza
PHUKET: Police are investigating the cause of a fire on the Karon beach road that engulfed seven shop units at the Karon Plaza shopping bazaar early on Saturday.Three firetrucks from Karon Municipality were called in just before 6am to contain the blaze, which took 30 minutes to extinguish.“The plaza sells fashion items, such as clothes and shoes, and many other…
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Safety net for Phuket SuperCheap staff after blaze
PHUKET: Employees of the razed SuperCheap store may continue working or resign and receive unemployment compensation, it was announced in Phuket on Thursday. The 3,436 employees, 700 of whom are foreign workers, will be sent to other branches to work, said SuperCheap Owner Boonsom Anantajaroonwong. “We continue to pay about a total of a million baht a day to staff…
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18-year-old Phuket cashier still missing after SuperCheap inferno
PHUKET: An 18-year-old Phuket cashier and one other woman are still missing after the SuperCheap megastore burned to the ground on Wednesday night (story here). Eleven formal missing person complaints have been filed since the blaze. “So far, 10 of the ‘missing people’ have been found. The only person who remains on our list is Thanaporn Sammanit, 46. The complaint…
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Air pollution top environmental concern post SuperCheap blaze
PHUKET: Possible air and water pollution from the inferno that devastated the main SuperCheap in Phuket on Wednesday are now the top concern of the Regional Environmental Office 15.“The microscopic particles in smoke can get into your eyes and respiratory system, where they can cause health problems such as burning eyes, runny nose and illnesses such as bronchitis,” Khanchit Soontrakorn,…
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Police probe Phuket fisherman’s death
PHUKET: Police are investigating the cause of death of a Myanmar national whose body was found floating in the water off Rassada yesterday afternoon.Bystanders told police that the man, who police did not name, had been drinking on a boat with friends on Thursday night when he walked to the back to relieve himself, said Somchai Nhuboon of Phuket City…
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Phuket Sports: Get ready Karon – FIVB is coming
PHUKET: This year’s Phuket Thailand Open powered by PTT, the penultimate event of the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour, sees Brazil, Germany, Thailand and the USA with three teams apiece in the main draw. Italy has two teams and the remaining direct acceptances are made up of one team apiece from Argentina, China, Czech Republic, Finland, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland,…
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Special Report: The search for closure: Family makes heartfelt plea for finding lost crew of MV Hope
Special Report PHUKET: The family of Captain Rajib Chandra Karmaker, master of the Bangladeshi cargo ship MV Hope, has launched a public appeal for any information that may lead to the recovery of the missing captain’s body and those of his lost shipmates. The Hope, laden with ball clay, was struck broadside by large waves and listed heavily in stormy…
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SuperCheap Phuket rises from the ashes
PHUKET: At 5am today, SuperCheap re-opened on a lot nearby the burned ruble of its main building and began selling fresh fruit, vegetables, meat and seafood. The re-opening comes just 32 hours after the devastating fire engulfed the complex Wednesday night (story here). Tents and tarps are now set up to create a temporary marketplace in a field next to…
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Top Phuket official issued urgent order to relinquish post
PHUKET: Kathu District Chief Veera Kerdsirimongkol has been ordered out of Phuket, effective October 28. Mr Veera told the Phuket Gazette that he received the “urgent order” to leave the province within 10 days at 3pm today. “I actually heard the news last night, but the official order came this afternoon,” he said. “I have not been given a precise…
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Former Phang Nga official assassinated at relative’s funeral
PHUKET: A former Phang Nga official was assassinated by a single bullet to the head while dining at his cousin’s funeral in Ao Luek, Krabi, early yesterday morning.Sittipon Thongkum, 49, was shot dead while sitting down to eat with relatives at the funeral of Somchok Khammee’s brother. Mr Somchok is village headman of Moo 2, Khao Yai, in Krabi.“People said…
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Investigators find no bodies in charred ruins of SuperCheap, yet
PHUKET: Investigators searching the scorched remains of SuperCheap discovered no bodies yesterday but called for boots and rakes as they recommenced their search this morning.“I have already requested the equipment from the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor),” Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut told the press today.Amid concerns that the debris and smoke may pose an environmental hazard, officials from the Natural…
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Search begins for victims of Phuket SuperCheap inferno
PHUKET: Officers from Region 8 Police Forensics arrived at the aftermath of the Phuket SuperCheap inferno just before 4pm today. Within minutes, the team of investigators began their search for victims near the main entrance at the front of the store, and looked for possible causes of the fire. SuperCheap management and the police have yet to issue any public…
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Phuket backhoe driver killed in bedrock collapse
PHUKET: A backhoe driver working at a quarry in Kathu died today when a large chunk of bedrock fell onto the cab of his digger, crushing him and the cab.Officers have yet to determine why the huge slab of granite collapsed onto the backhoe operated by Sudrak Nawakoaksorn, 31, from Nakhon Sri Thammarat.Mr Sudrak turned up for work at the…
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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