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 authorities close Covid-19 field hospital
In a grand ceremony yesterday, Phuket authorities closed up a field hospital set up for people who tested positive for Covid-19. The field hospital was at Phuket Rajabhat University in the island province’s main city district. The deputy director of the Phuket Provincial Public Health Office, Padungkiat Utokasenee, led the closing ceremony. Between August 2021 and March 2022, the field…
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UPDATE: Woman falls from Phuket condo, 3 foreign suspects arrested
UPDATE: Police arrest 3 foreigners in relation to death of woman who fell from Phuket condoĀ The woman who fell from the 8th floor of a condominium in Phuket and died yesterday morning has been identified as 37 year old Evgeniia Smirnova of Russian nationality. Police have arrested 3 foreigners who were staying in the same apartment with Evgeniia, inlcuding…
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Foreign woman falls from Phuket condominium in potential murder case
A foreign woman fell from the 8th floor of a condominium building in Patong, Phuket, and died in the early hours of this morning. Police are not ruling out murder because the woman was found clutching a clump of hair in her right hand. Her identity and nationality have not yet been confirmed. At 4:20am today, Patong Police Station received…
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Patong woman drowns after pickup skids off treacherous road into lake
A 50-year-old Patong woman drowned after her pickup truck careered off a treacherous road and plunged into a lake in the Kathu district. Witnesses alerted police of the accident, opposite the GSM Duty Free Shop on Phra Phuket Kaew Road, at 6am on Sunday. The bystanders said the woman, driving a blue Ford Ranger pickup with Phuket plates, failed to…
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Soi Dog Foundation and DNP rescues monkey chained up for 2 years in Phuket
Sandy the macaque, a former working monkey, has been given a fresh start in life after a heartbreaking two years of being chained up to a cage in Rawai subdistrict, Phuket. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, Sandy worked in an elephant camp. The camp closed down over two years ago, and Sandy was chained up ever since, until today. Two expats,…
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Phuket thief steals 1,000 baht from elderly woman
A thief in Phuket who stole 1,000 baht from an elderly woman last week was caught yesterday. The victim’s granddaughter said the thief stole the money from a jar on a table at the elderly woman’s home in Phuket’s main city district. Police tracked down the thief, who they so far have only named as “Ms. Davika”, 9 days after…
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Phuket thief allegedly stole more than 30 times, said he needed gaming money
A Phuket thief allegedly stole more than 30 times in 2 months, and said he needed the money to play online video games and for his living, according to Phuket City Police Chief Colonel Sarawut Chooprasit. Sarawut toldĀ The Phuket ExpressĀ that police had arrested the thief on Wednesday after he broke into a ‘restaurant’ and stole cash. Sarawut said that later,…
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Deep Week in Phuket – The world’s largest open freediving festival
Phuket recently hosted āDeep Weekā, a huge freedive training event, which sold out in just 5 days. This was certainly Asiaās, and probably the worldās, biggest ever participation of freediving held in open water. The recent reopening of Thailand certainly enabled this first-of-a-kind freediving event to take place from May 14 – 21. Freediving, free-diving, free diving, breath-hold diving, or…
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Thai officials say out-of-order tsunami buoys will be fixed soon
Thailandās Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department has admitted that 2 tsunami detection buoys are out of order, but insists they will be repaired soon. The department was forced to issue a statement following widely-shared news on social media that the buoys were out of order. According to the reports, both buoys had stopped submitting information to the National Data Buoy…
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Things looking up in Phuket following return of international tourism
Provincial officials on the southern island of Phuket say the return of tourists has raised income levels and created more jobs. According to a Bangkok Post report, the return of international tourists has started to revive the islandās economy and reduced unemployment across Phuket. Data shared by Phuket governor, Narong Wunciew, reveals that since the launch of the Phuket sandbox…
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UPDATE: German tourist who went missing in Phuket is headed home
THE LATEST Barbara Lange, the 76 year old woman who went missing from her Phuket hotel earlier this month, is now headed back home to Germany. Yesterday, a team from the Phuket Tourist Assistance Center helped Barbara and her family at the Phuket International Airport. This news comes after Barbara was released from the hospital earlier this week. Barbara and…
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Official in one Phuket district plans to step up English teaching
Even though Thailand’s English language proficiency rankedĀ 100 out of 112 countries last year, an official in one Phuket district isn’t giving up on teaching the language. The chief of Phuket’s Kathu district, Siwat Wangkun, says he has looked beyond the walls of the district’s schools for teaching English, since some school staff lack proficient English teaching skills. The groups Siwat…
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Phuket police search for kidnapper and young girl he abducted months ago
Police are still on the hunt for a man who kidnapped a young girl on Rawai Beach in the main city district of Phuket in February. The girl’s mother reported the kidnapping on February 9, saying that a 33 year old man named only as āCampā abducted her 13-year-old daughter while the girl was selling flowers on Rawai Beach in…
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Phuket officials announce plans for 2 big tourism events next month
Phuket’s Deputy Governor Pichet has announced yesterday that the island province will host 2 major tourism events in June, which will each host hundreds of guests. One event is the Thailand Tourism Congress 2022, which will be held at Beyond Resort Kata from June 6-8. The other event is Thailand Travel Mart Plus 2022, which will be held at Angsana…
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Phuket opens new prison facility with more space as demand increases
The Department of Correction has officially opened a new prison in Phuket in response to the increasing number of inmates. The new prison has much more space compared to the former, notoriously small, prison facility in Phuket Town. The inmates have now been moved from the old prison to their new, hopefully temporary, home. The prison has nearly 3,000 inmates…
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Thailand’s biggest new attraction āAndamandaā opens in Phuket
Moisture and adventure meets Thai culture and mythology at Andamanda, Thailandās biggest water park, covering 58 rai of land in Kathu, in Phuket, southern Thailand. On Saturday, Thailandās former deputy prime minister Suwat Liptapanlop attended the water parkās grand opening. The new theme park is located on the main road to Patong, about 800 metres west of the Samkong intersection,…
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Phuket to scoop 20 million baht booty a day after Patong gets green light to party
Cha-ching! The familiar sound of the cash register is about to ring once again after pubs, bars, and entertainment venues at Patong beach got the green light to reopen. Patong Entertainment Association expects to earn between 10 to 20 million baht per night after the beach resort on the west coast of Phuket Island got the go-ahead to reopen its…
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Phuket authorities launch campaign against dengue fever in schools
Now that Thailand’s new school year has started last week, Phuket’s authorities are on their guard for dengue fever. On Thursday, the Public Health and Environment Division of Phuket City Municipality brought fogging machines to schools, kindergardens, and vocational colleges, to fight mosquitos. Phuket hasn’t had dengue outbreaks in recent years, however, a Songkhla doctor warned this week that the…
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Phuket Food Festival 2022 will feature hemp recipies
As Phuket hosts Thailand’s biggest light festival, Aqua Lumina, another event on the island province is on the way next week. Phuket’s Food Festival 2022 will start on May 28 (Saturday) and run until June 5. It will be held at Saphan Hin Centre Stage area, on the east side of Phuket Town, from 4pm – 11pm every night. This…
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Thailand’s biggest light festival kicks off on Phuket shores
Thailand’s biggest light festival arrived on the shores of Phuket’s Nai Harn Beach yesterday. Officials from the Tourism Authority of Thailand welcomed partiers to the Aqua Lumina Illumination Festival with, as you’d expect, lots of colourful lights. The Phuket edition of the festival is set to last until May 31. Aqua Luminaās theme in Phuket is āLand of the Guardians…
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Love drugs found in hotel of Aussie man who plunged to his death
Thai police yesterday concluded there was no foul play involved in the death of Billy James Simmons who died Tuesday after he fell from his hotel room balcony. Local police in Phuket established after an investigation that the death of the 22 year old Australian was an accident. The Aussie backpacker was found dead on Tuesday evening around 10pm by…
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Thai officials vow to solve household debt problem at Phuket event
Thai officials held a ‘Household Debt Reconciliation Fair’ in Phuket yesterday. At the event, Thailand’s Minister of Justice Somsak Thepsutin said the government has designated 2022 as the “Year of Solving Household Debt”. He said that 2,810 people had registered for the event. Somsak said that several government departments have organised events to “facilitate the mediation process of household debts…
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Thailand’s biggest light festival is headed to Phuket
After it began last week in Krabi, Thailand’s biggest light festival, known as the Aqua Lumina Illumination Festival, is headed towards Phuket. The festival will dazzle the shores of Nai Harn Beach from this coming Friday until May 31. The festival in Phuket will display lit up sculptures and multimedia shows, as well as projection mapping with 3D images with…
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22 year old Australian found dead at hotel in Phuket
An Australian traveller plunged to his death after falling from an 11th storey hotel room at The Royal Paradise Resort Hotel and Spa, in Patong district of Phuket. The body of the lifeless man, identified as Billy James Simmons, was found on the footpath below his room, lying face up. The 22 year old’s body was discovered by the hotelās…
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Government says relaxed travel restrictions have led to tourism surge on Phuket, Samui
The Thai government is patting itself on the back for the decision to ease entry restrictions, which officials say has boosted tourism in places like Phuket and Koh Samui. “All this is due to the government’s move to ease travel restrictions during the country’s high season between March and May.” So says government spokesman, Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana, pointing out that up…
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UPDATE: German woman found in Phuket
UPDATE: The missing German woman, who had been missing for 7 days, has now been found. 75 year oldĀ tourist Barbara Elisabeth Monika Glag Lange was found safe in the the Sirinat National Park along the northern west coast of Phuket. Last week it was reported that the lady had headed off for a morning walk from her hotel in Mai…
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Elderly German woman still missing in Phuket as search enters seventh day
Search parties in Phuket are still no closer to finding an elderly German woman who has now been missing for 7 days. Barbara Elisabeth Monika Glag Lange is thought to have Alzheimerās, according to a Nation Thailand report. She disappeared from her hotel in Mai Khao, north of Phuket International Airport, last Monday. District officials, village chiefs, as well as…
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Phuket tourism hopes for cash flow from the long weekend
The Tourism Authority of Thailand, Phuket office, is hoping for cash to flow over this 4 day weekend (Friday was a public service holiday for Ploughing Day and tomorrow is the substitute holiday for today’s Visaka Bucha Day). TAT Phuket’s director, Nanthasiri Ronnasiri, said yesterday that the average hotel room occupancy rate is 44.5%, and it’s expected to jump to…
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Big storm plunders homes in Patong
A storm of fierce rain and wind caused several large trees to fall down and plunder 3 houses in Patong on Phuket’s west coast yesterday. No injuries were reported, and staff from the local Disaster Prevention and Mitigation office arrived to cut and remove the trees from the area. But photos by The Phuket Express revealed that the houses were…
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Thailand’s public health officials proposing ‘Endemic Sandboxes’ to legally reopen nightlife
Thailand is getting closer and closer to the endemic phase of its Covid response. Achingly slow but now with at least a proposal to be tabled at the next CCSA meeting. The Ministry of Public Health will propose ‘Endemic Sandboxes’ as a plan to allow entertainment venues to legally reopen in 3 tourist islands including Phuket, Koh Chang, and Koh…
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 ā 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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