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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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…
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UPDATE: New details emerge on missing German tourist in Phuket
THE LATEST Phuket police are still on the lookout for the German tourist who reportedly went missing from a hotel in Thalang district on Monday (May 9). The 76 year old woman was originally only identified as Ms. Barbara, however the Thalang district police chief has now told The Phuket Express that her full name is Barbara Elisabeth Monika Glag…
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Phuket’s THB4.5 Billion Andamanda Project Set to Open
Thailand’s newest integrated resort, the Andamanda Phuket will soft open next week on 21st May 2022. Styled as a leisure and entertainment offering, a water park debut will be the first phase of a larger development by Thailand’s Proud Group with a total investment of THB4.5 billion (USD134 million). Andamanda will bring a world-class attraction to the resort island featuring…
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UPDATE: Excavation banned on hill in Phuket, further investigation
THE LATEST After Thai media reported construction tools and trucks digging soil on a hill in Kamala, a town in Phuket, officials have banned any further excavation on the site. Kathu District Chief Siwat Rawangkul confirmed the ban when he and other officials revisited the site on Tuesday. He said that no government office has issued a building permit for…
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On May 14 and 29, children can get Pfizer vaccines at Phuket airport
Phuket International Airport will have walk-in Pfizer vaccinations for children 5-11 years old on May 14 and 29. Parents can bring their children to get vaccinated at Terminal X (south of the international terminal) from 9am to noon on both dates. The Phuket Provincial Health Office’s Facebook post about the vaccinations includes a graphic that only mentions “shots 1, 2”…
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Phuket targets 1 million foreign tourists for last quarter of 2022
The president of the Phuket Tourist Association says the island hopes to attract a million foreign tourists in the last quarter of the year. Bhummikitti Raktaengam says things are looking up since the cancellation of Test & Go, and he’s hopeful the southern island could receive a total of 3.5 million visitors this year. Since May 1, the number of…
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Dog kills its owner’s sister in Phuket
A woman was found dead with bite marks on her neck at her home in Phuket in southern Thailand this morning. She was taking care of her brother’s two Thai ridgeback dogs while he was away on a business trip to Bangkok. One of the dogs had traces of blood on its mouth and fur. Police found 38 year old…
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Two Thai boys attempt to walk from Isaan to Phuket to visit their relatives
Or “Top and Tai’s Excellent Adventure”. Two teenage boys attempted to walk from the Isaan province of Udon Thani to Phuket in southern Thailand, a distance of some 1,450 kilometres, because they wanted to visit their relatives. The pair didn’t get very far. When they were spotted walking along the road in Udon Thani, they were sent back home for…
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Hospital director says Phuket boy lost his sight due to sinusitis, not Pfizer vaccine
The director of Vachira Hospital Phuket says a 12-year-old boy has been blinded by sinusitis complications, not by the Pfizer vaccine he received. Dr Weerasak Lorthongkham was responding to claims by Nonthaphat Sae-ong’s family members that the Covid vaccine he received on November 25 had caused him to go blind. According to a Bangkok Post report, the boy’s grandparents claim…
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What you can get for 1 million USD in Phuket
Wondering what you could buy in Phuket with a budget of 1 million USD? A million dollars goes a lot further in Phuket than in most western countries like the United States. With house prices rising significantly in many areas around the world, properties in beautiful but less expensive places like Phuket are certainly looking very enticing. Phuket has been…
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Phuket prepares reforestation activity for National Tree Day
National Tree Day is coming up next Friday, May 13, and Phuket is getting ready to celebrate! Phuket authorities plan to host a public event where people can come and plant trees. The event will start at Wat Kosit Viharn Temple, off Thepkrasattri Road in Rassada, and move to Toh Sae National Forest reserve, which is behind the temple off…
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Major Thai police leader to discuss closing times in Pattaya, Phuket and elsewhere
Thailand’s most famous policeman, ‘Big Joke’, aka. Surachate Hakparn, has plans to discuss legal closing times for ‘restaurants’ in Pattaya, Phuket and other renowned tourist hotspots where the closing time issue continues to be a hot topic. Bars and clubs in Thailand, under official laws, are still only allowed to reopen as ‘restaurants’, and only until midnight at the moment.…
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Phuket Covid-19 clinic to close down this month
One Covid-19 clinic in Phuket is preparing to shut down on May 16, even though it only opened eight months ago in September last year. The Phuket Provincial Public Health Office announced the upcoming closure of Aunjai Clinic yesterday in a briefing, and on Facebook. The clinic was established to provide locals who tested positive for Covid-19Â with advice, medicines,…
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How living the dream became a nightmare for Phuket property buyers
Dreams die hard, even in a pandemic. But for thousands of Phuket property buyers who invested in the promise of a tropical dream with endless sunsets, the stone-cold reality of failure is just starting to hit home. Amidst a backdrop of rusting steel, decaying concrete, and empty construction sites lays the dark side of the island’s real estate trade. To…
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Phuket and Andaman coast warned of storms and rough seas for next few days
A weather alert from last night by the Phuket Info Centre is warning of possible flash floods and “wild water flows” in Phuket, and other provinces on the Andaman coast. The stormy weather and high waves are predicted to last from today until Monday (May 7-9). Sailors in the Andaman Sea are being warned not to sail in areas with…
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What makes Phuket one of the best destinations in the world to retire
Have you been dreaming of spending your retirement years in a tropical paradise? Would you like to escape the hustle and bustle of busy city life? If the answer is yes, then Phuket can be a fantastic destination for you. There are so many excellent reasons to retire in Phuket. With its gorgeous beaches, lively nightlife, and fascinating culture, Phuket…
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Location location location: “So why Cherngtalay, Phuket’s northwest coast?”
Popular tourist spots in Phuket include Patong, the old town, and Phromthep Cape, which are all on everyone’s bucket list. Undoubtedly, visiting one of these popular destinations is fun and exciting, but the crowds can be overpowering at times. For a refreshing change of scenery, visit Cherngtalay, one of Phuket’s hottest neighbourhoods filled with charm and character! Phuket is already…
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Rental demand soars, as Phuket real estate returns to fundamentals
Urban flight has driven Phuket’s once investment-focused property market in an entirely new direction. This seismic shift has resulted in a dramatic return to real estate basics. Focusing on the pandemic era of the past two years, a constant flow of new incoming residents from both abroad and Bangkok has seen the scales tip, as rental demand has vastly exceeded…
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German tourist rescued after getting stuck between rocks in Phuket
A German tourist has become stuck between a rock and a hard place in Phuket. The island’s tourist police rescued a German tourist stuck between huge rocks in the forest facing Nai Thon Beach on Phuket’s west coast. He walked from the airport and was later trapped at the spot. He was lucky his phone signal was still available for…
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After child suffers animal bite, Phuket beach cleared for patrols
After an 8 year old Thai-Ukrainian boy was injured in a suspected shark attack on Tuesday, Phuket’s Kamala Beach was cleared of swimmers for lifeguards, police and officials to patrol. The chief of Kathu district told The Phuket News that there were still beachgoers, and the patrol was meant to warn tourists to be careful of ‘aquatic animals’. But photos showed that…
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Phuket Taxi driver assaults 15 year old Australian passenger
An Australian father has filed an official complaint to Phuket police saying a local taxi driver assaulted his 15 year old daughter at a parking area in a shopping centre in the middle of the island. The driver was released after an investigation and confessing to police that he just wanted to admire the passenger’s short pants. Phuket taxis are…
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8 year old Thai-Ukrainian child bitten by ‘shark’ in Phuket
An 8 year old half Thai, half Ukrainian child was reported as being bitten by an unknown sea animal at Kamala Beach on Phuket’s west coast. The officer from the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources believes the animal could have been a shark. On April 1, Thai media reported that the child travelled with 6 other family members. He…
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Another Phuket festival showcases the island’s traditional clothing
Another Phuket seafood festival, but this time, there’s a unique new feature! From Friday until Saturday night, officials in Kathu district Phuket organised the ‘Suk Jai Naithu’ festival. The festival included a parade of people dressed in colourful, elaborate costumes. These costumes are the traditional clothing of Phuket. ‘Suk Jai Nathu’ means ‘Happy Naithu’. Phuket Vice Governor Amnuay Pitsuwan and…
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First flight arrives in Phuket under revised “Thailand Pass”
Phuket’s first arrival flight under the Thailand Pass updated ‘eased’ restrictions has arrived! A flight from Qatar carrying with 324 passengers landed at Phuket International Airport this morning, and an airport director said 4,482 travellers in total are expected to arrive today. The director said that throughout May, an average of 27 flights per day were expected to arrive at…
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Official promises to give Phuket’s sea gypsies housing
As part of a larger effort to provide housing for the Andaman region’s indigenous people, an official is promising to provide sea gypsies with housing in Phuket and other Andaman areas. The official, Deputy PM and Minister of Commerce Jurin Laksanawisit, made the announcement yesterday while visiting a sea gypsy village. Jurin has been in the news recently, as leader…
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Phuket police and park officers rescue American lost in jungle
Phuket Tourist Police and national park officers have rescued an American tourist who got lost in a jungle in Thalang district yesterday in central Phuket. The tourist, an unnamed 68 year old man, had become lost in the afternoon, but the team luckily found him in the early evening. He reportedly had some scratches on his leg, and was dehydrated,…
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Squabble over 50 billion baht beachfront land in Phuket
Beachfront land in Phuket valued at 50 billion baht remains occupied, despite the Supreme Court’s orders for 9 claimants to vacate their plots. The Thai government, locals and companies have squabbled over the 178 rai of land – which covers 3 kilometres of Layan Beach – for 30 years. Officials from the Department of Special Investigation, or DSI, inspected the…
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No more testing for fully vaccinated visitors coming on to Phuket
The governor of Phuket, Narong Woonciew, says all Covid-19 screening measures will be dropped for fully vaccinated visitors coming to the southern island. His announcement refers to DOMESTIC travellers. The announcement came on the back of the infection rate dropping to 98 cases a day. In addition, Narong says 70% of the island’s residents have now had a booster dose…
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Phuket officials announce electric scooters to be used for security operations
Even though Phuket officials banned electric scooters from all public roads in February, they have now approved their use for security operations around Phuket Provincial Hall Complex. Yesterday, officials announced at Provincial Hall they have approved the use of electric scooters as a test phase to determine how safe they are. Representatives from Beam Mobility Team Co Ltd handed two…
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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