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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Sponsored Infinito helps hotels in Thailand with revenue management
Maximising revenue and profit–isn’t that the ultimate goal for every business in the hospitality industry? If you run a hotel, you might have heard that revenue management is an effective way to boost your top-line revenue. It involves using data...
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Officials plan to step up Phuket’s education standards
Phuket officials are planning to step up the island province’s education standards. Phuket Governor Narong led a meeting on the issue yesterday. Officials discussed using Big Data to develop Phuket’s entire education system. The aim would be to ensure that all students have an equal education, with no students left disadvantaged. Narong said that this would make Phuket an “international…
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Mass tree-planting planned for Phuket beach after illegal structures removed
After police removed removed illegal structures from a beach in Phuket‘s Thalang district, they now plan to recover the beach’s nature. Phuket Vice Governor Amnuay announced at a meeting on Monday that a mass tree-planting would start at Layan Beach on Tuesday, November 15. The tree-planting event will begin at 9am, and will include a beach cleanup, he said. Amnuay…
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First LOT Polish Airlines flight arrives in Phuket
Phuket International airport welcomed its first LOT Polish Airlines flight yesterday. The flight carried 252 passengers from Warsaw to Phuket. Officials and staff greeted the passengers and handed them HKT We Care souvenirs upon arrival, The Phuket Express reported. This news comes after an inaugural flight from Uzbekistan arrived in Phuket on Sharq Airlines just last week. The flight carried…
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New Zealand expat arrested in Phuket over weapons, including explosives
A New Zealand expat has been arrested in Phuket for possessing several weapons, including 11 explosives. The man, 63 year old Gareth Alan Davies, was also found to have 19 guns and ammunition in his house in the Kathu district. Region 8 Police Commander Surapong Thanomjit said that Davies had claimed that the weapons were just collectables. But Commander Surapong…
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Police remove illegal food and drink venues at Phuket beach
Police have on Wednesday removed illegal food and drink venues from a beach in Phuket‘s Thalang district. The police found three venues on Layan Beach that were providing food and drinks, as well as beach chairs, sunbeds, and umbrellas. Two people who said they were owners of two of the outlets were arrested for seeling alcohol without permission, and violating…
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Phuket vehicle crash kills Russians and Thai
A motorbike and car crash in Phuket killed a Russian man, Russian woman, and a Thai woman in the early hours of this morning. The three lives were tragically taken after a big bike, a motorbike, and a taxi car all collided in the town of Rawai. Rescuers arrived to find the damaged vehicles scattered over the road. Nearby, they…
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Singaporean dies in Kamala motorcycle crash
A Singaporean man died when he lost control of his motorbike on the coast road south of Kamala and crashed head-on into an oncoming truck yesterday. This follows this week’s death of an Australian resident, the death of a police officer in Bangkok, and the death of a passenger in a car driver by a Danish man last night in…
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Inaugural flight from Uzbekistan arrives in Phuket
An inaugural flight from Uzbekistan arrived in Phuket this morning. Sharq Airlines flight HH2203 arrived at Phuket International Airport from Uzbekistan’s capital city of Tashkent. The flight carried 238 passengers, who received HKT We Care waterproof bags from the airport, The Phuket Express reported. This news comes after Thai tourism officials announced last month that they were seeking more tourists…
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Police raid 4 Phuket venues for underage drinking
Raids in Phuket last night saw police targeting businesses accused of selling alcohol to minors. Police say they received numerous complaints that some venues in the area were selling alcohol to children. The legal age for drinking in Thailand is 20 years old. Last night officials from many local and provincial police forces and government departments descended on a number…
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Snarky Phuket man claims stealing ex-girlfriend’s car was just a joke
A snarky Phuket man claims that he only stole his ex-girlfriend’s car as a joke. The 54 year old Somsak, stole the car on October 30 from his former girlfriend’s house in a housing estate in the Wichit sub-district of the main city district. Sopawan said she parked the sedan near her house before finding out in the morning that…
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Phuket murder suspect arrested in Athens
The Greek national, wanted for the murder of a Thai beautician in Phuket, has been reportedly arrested in Athens. Dimitrios ‘Dim’ Chairopoulos was arrested last Thursday, according to the Greek City Times. An arrest report states the 46 year old is “said to be the one who in February 2019, murdered his 43-year-old wife of Niramon ‘Bae’ Aewkaew in Phuket.…
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Police nab final suspect in 2009 murder of Canadian man in Phuket.
Police on Saturday nabbed the final suspect in the 2009 murder of a Canadian man in Patong. The man, 34 year old Francis Alex Degioanni, was shot dead at his house on February 19, 2009. Degioanni had owned the Panorama Condominium in the Kathu district. An initial investigation revealed that Degioanni was reportedly in conflict with a Singaporean businessman in…
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Plastic cup found in stomach of dead Bruda whale in Phuket, Thailand
A dead Bruda whale was found floating in Laem Sai Bay to the south of Koh Racha, Phuket province, southern Thailand, on Saturday. Thailand’s Department of Marine and Coastal Resources conducted an autopsy on the 13 metre whale, which raised more questions than answers. On Saturday, the department sent out boats to inspect the carcass of a female Bruda whale.…
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Royal Caribbean Cruises to dock weekly in Phuket, Thailand
Earlier this month, Royal Caribbean’s Spectrum of the Seas cruise ship docked in Phuket, southern Thailand, for the first time in several years. At an event in Phuket yesterday, Royal Caribbean revealed that the Spectrum would be visiting Phuket once a week in the coming months. Phuket is a ‘core destination’ on Royal Caribbean’s four- to seven-night Southeast Asia cruises,…
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After devastating floods, Phuket students step up to help with haircuts and repairs
Following Phuket’s devastating floods, some students are stepping up to help victims. The student group from Phuket Polytechnic College launched an initiative called “Fix It Community Renovation Center- Volunteer Spirit.” The initiative involves helping repair motorbikes for free, as well as electronic appliances such as microwaves. The students are also offering people free haircuts. Phuket Governor Narong and other officials…
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Chinese man and his Thai wife arrested for illegal possession of guns
A Chinese man and his Thai wife were arrested for illegally possessing several guns in their Phuket luxury home. Police searched the house of the Chinese man and his Thai wife in the Kathu district on Friday after the man had reportedly shown off his weapons on social media. The police found 18 firearms, most of which were BB guns. However,…
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Foreign diving instructor rescued off Phuket
A foreign diving instructor has been rescued near an island off Phuket’s town of Chalong after he suffered from decompression sickness. The 53 year old man told emergency responders that he had just recovered and started diving again after having a heart operation. The rescuers took the driving instructor back to Chalong and headed to a nearby hospital, The Phuket Express…
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Police arrest Israeli man carrying bullets at Phuket Airport, southern Thailand
An Israeli tourist was arrested upon arrival at Phuket Airport, southern Thailand, yesterday after security found 55 bullets in his luggage. The 29 year old tourist of Israeli nationality, Gan Chamoun Farjun, arrived in Phuket on a domestic flight at 12.30pm. When Farjun’s grey Samsonite suitcase went through the scanner at airport security, officials noticed what looked like bullet-like objects in…
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Motorbikes can now drive on Patong Hill road
After the road on Patong Hill collapsed due to landslides last week, officials are now letting motorbikes drive on the road again. Phuket Governor Narong said the decision was made to relieve the burden on people who need to travel across the hill every day, especially young students. Narong declared the road open to motorbikes last night. However, cars are…
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Officials arrest 18 in Phuket gambling bust
Officials arrested 18 people in a gambling bust in Phuket’s Thalang district on Monday. The eight men and ten women were caught at a gambling den in a house in the Thep Kasattri sub-district. The officials received complaints about an illegal gambling network in the area and acting on the information officers brought the suspects to Thalang Police Station. The suspects…
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Police seize 263 guns in 15 days in southern Thailand
The Royal Thai Police confiscated 263 guns and 1,702 rounds of ammunition in eight provinces of southern Thailand over a 15-day period this month. Prime Minister of Thailand Prayut Chan-o-cha ordered a crackdown on illegal firearms following the massacre at a daycare centre in Nong Bua Lamphu province earlier this month. Between October 10-24, police confiscated 263 firearms in Provincial Police…
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Temporary field hospital opens after road collapse in Patong
After a road collapsed on Phuket’s Patong hill last week, health officials have worked to set up a temporary field hospital. The Kathu Field Hospital opened yesterday at the Kathu Public Park, as a result of a partnership between the Phuket Provincial Public Health and Patong Hospital. The temporary field hospital is open from Monday to Friday from 8.30am to…
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Cruise ships return to Phuket post-pandemic
After a long drawn-out pandemic absence, Phuket was thrilled at the sight of the first cruise ship returning to the Thai port. The massive Royal Caribbean ship, christened the Spectrum of the Seas, anchored at around 7am yesterday for a quick one-day stopover on the island. The cruise ship dropped anchor just off Patong Beach for the day before heading…
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Kathu illegal excavation investigated as possible factor in landslide
Phuket continues to be rocked by the fallout from storms, flooding and landslides. One landslide has been cleared enough in Patong Hill to allow pedestrians to cross. Another has led to the agreement to demolish an abandoned hotel near a bypass in Ratsada town. And authorities are now investigating if an illegal excavation led to a landslide that threatened the…
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Patong Hill opened to foot traffic only after landslides
Phuket continues to be rocked by the fallout from storms, flooding and landslides. One landslide has been cleared enough in Patong Hill to allow pedestrians to cross. Another has led to an agreement to demolish an abandoned hotel near a bypass in Ratsada town. And authorities are now investigating if an illegal excavation led to a landslide that threatened the…
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Missing Russian tourist seen exiting the sea, search continues
New information in the continuing search for the Russian woman who disappeared in Phuket suggests she may not have drowned at sea, as previously thought. Elena Rusradchenko, the 53 year old Russian woman, was reportedly spotted coming out of the waters at Nai Thon Beach around noon on Thursday. Lifeguards had called for all swimmers to get out of the…
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Phuket floods – pedestrians, field hospital, royal donations
Phuket is expediting provisional repairs to the road over Patong Hill, technically Phrabarami Road (Route 4029). The route was closed to traffic after last Wednesday’s landslide. The plan includes allowing pedestrians to use the road as soon as it is safe. There will be staff on hand to help and people must walk on the shoulder only. Parking areas and…
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Missing Russian woman may be lost at sea
While the 53 year old woman reported missing from her hotel in Phuket yesterday still has not been found, more information about the case has been revealed. New details suggest that the Russian woman with a memory condition may be lost at sea. Authorities updated that the woman reported missing yesterday was last seen around 10am yesterday. She left her…
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Burmese man drowns in Phuket drain
Kusoldharm Foundation rescue workers have retrieved the body of an unnamed Burmese man who fell into a canal and drowned in Chalong. The 47 year old man from Myanmar fell into the canal while watching the flooding, Phuket Info Center reported. The body was found near the floodgate, far from where he fell. According to local media, several people saw the…
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Official says Patong road will need seven days of temporary repair work once rain stops
UPDATE A Phuket official said yesterday that it would take seven days of temporary repair work before the road to Patong Hill is ready to use again. The official said the repair work can start once the rain stops. This news comes after the road suffered two landslides on Wednesday and Thursday. Phuket Highway Director Yutthana Pitak told The Phuket…
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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