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 Immigration reports over 100,000 Indian tourists since May
Even though Malaysia has now beaten India for its number of tourists to Thailand overall, Indians are still the biggest tourist group in Phuket. From May 1 to August 30, the island province saw 104,350 Indian tourists arrive on its shores, according to Phuket Immigration. This was out of a total of 436,326 foreign tourists that arrived in Phuket in…
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Korean Air to resume flights to Chiang Mai and Phuket
Korean Air will resume direct flights from Seoul to both Chiang Mai and Phuket this October. Both routes were suspended in March 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The airline’s Phuket flights are scheduled to depart from Seoul Incheon Airport four days per week on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays at 5.55pm and land in Phuket at 10pm. Phuket to…
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Seminar on business and human rights held in Phuket
Thai officials held a seminar in Phuket on Monday about the importance of human rights in business. The National Human Rights Commissioner of Thailand, Pitikan Sithidejheld, lead the seminar at the Royal Phuket City Hotel in the main city district. The event was titled “Seminar to Promote Business and Human Rights for Business Operations in Phuket Area.” Phuket’s Vice Governor…
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Annual vegetarian festival coming up in Phuket
For all the Thai cultural enthusiasts out there, brace yourself for Phuket’s annual vegetarian festival! On Monday, Phuket Vice Governor Amnuay Pitsuwan told local media after a meeting that this year’s Phuket Vegetarian Festival will be held from September 26 to October 4. The Phuket Vegetarian Festival is known for its Ma Song. These spiritual devotees will self-mutilate, and slice their…
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“Unruly” Aussie woman kicked off flight from Thailand to Sydney
Cheers erupted from passengers when an “unruly” Australian woman was kicked off a Jetstar flight from Phuket to Sydney before take off on Sunday. The woman apparently lost it “because she wanted to sit by the window,” said one passenger. Jetstar confirmed that the woman was removed for being “disruptive and using abusive and inappropriate language.” “An unruly passenger was…
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Resort & local government to cooperate cleaning Phuket beach
Littering is a problem at many Phuket beaches, but several sectors are working together to fix this. There’s a new initiative between a resort, and the local government, to collect garbage on Kamala Beach. The initiative titled the ‘Proud Kamala Project’ is a joint project between the Kamala Sub-district Administrative Organisation, and the Intercontinental Phuket Resort. The two parties signed…
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Foreign woman in Phuket went for night swim, locals thought she had drowned
A foreign woman in Phuket gave locals a bit of a fright last night when she went out for a swim at Kamala Beach with her dog. Fifteen minutes later, the locals saw the dog alone on the beach without the woman. Fearing the worst, they called rescue workers to help search for her. But after the rescuers arrived, the…
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Phuket landlord denies sexual assaulting his female tenant
A Phuket landlord is denying accusations that he sexually assaulted one of his female tenants in a dormitory. The woman, 26 year old Kwanruethai, told police that her landlord, 50 year old Sasin, got into her room at night with a spare key, and started touching her hips and private parts while she was sleeping. Kwanruethai said she woke up…
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Phuket man rescued after falling overboard due to strong waves
A Phuket man was rescued earlier this week after a close call when he fell off his boat due to strong waves. The boat crew member, 43 year old Eakkarat Limsomboon, said he fell into the sea near Kaew Noi Island after the boat swayed and an ice box hit him. Luckily, the Royal Thai Navy sent out a search…
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Jealous boyfriend who shot girlfriend on the loose in Phang Nga
Yet another jealous boyfriend has shot his girlfriend in Thailand, this time in the southern province of Phang Nga. The man, 20 year old Chakrabongse, shot both his girlfriend and her friend as they were leaving the restrooms of a PTT petrol station. Police said the two women had just gone to a restaurant, and they had stopped to use…
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Phuket car suddenly catches fire
A car suddenly caught fire yesterday in the town of Chalong in Phuket. Firefighters rushed to the scene near the junction of Soi Ta-ied and Chao Fa East Road, to find the front of the Mazda sedan ablaze. Luckily, they were able to get the fire under control in only four minutes, and no injuries were reported. Still, the flames…
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100 masseuses in Phuket complain of 150 baht massage shop
Local massage shops in Phuket are complaining that another massage shop allegedly owned by a foreigner is offering unfair and possibly illegal half-price services. A coalition of about 100 masseuses banded together to file an official complaint, gathering at Phuket Provincial City Hall to ask for action from authorities on the matter. Karon Traditional Thai Massage Community Enterprise Group led…
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Alleged kidnapper arrested, girl reunited with parents after months
A man who allegedly kidnapped a young girl in Phuket in February was arrested in South Thailand on Tuesday. The victim, a 13 year old girl, has been reunited with her parents. The suspect, 33 year old Somsak, allegedly kidnapped the girl on Rawai Beach in the main city district of Phuket, where she had been selling flowers. The girl’s…
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Elephant rips mahout’s body in half in southern Thailand
An elephant ripped its mahout in half with its tusks yesterday morning at a rubber plantation in southern Thailand’s Phang Nga province. Police think the elephant was annoyed at its owner for making it haul rubberwood in the hot weather. At 11.30am, officers from Takua Thung Police Station were informed that a mahout had been killed by a 20 year…
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Police officer who shot noodle vender sentenced to 25 years
A Phuket police officer who shot a noodle vendor on the streets of Patong when drunk last year has been sentenced to 25 years behind bars for the crime captured on video by security cameras. The 25 year old victim is permanently disabled from the incident. Pornthep Channarong was off-duty and was out drinking the night before shooting Aroon Thongplab…
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Singaporean car driver dead, 7 injured in Phuket crash with bus
On a winding mountain road, a car of Singaporean tourists crashed into a small tour bus, killing the driver of the car and injuring seven people. The crash happened in the Muang district of Phuket last night when the driver of the car lost control coming downhill and ploughed into the bus. The car, a Toyota Yaris registered in Phuket,…
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Phuket officials say no human trafficking cases found in island province
Thailand is notorious for its human trafficking problems, but a Phuket government sub-committee says it has found no human trafficking cases on the island province. The sub-committee works with the Phuket Provincial Trafficking Prevention and Suppression Action Center. At a meeting at City Hall yesterday, Phuket’s vice governor said the sub-committee’s efforts are focusing on five key areas of human…
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Phuket expects recent India road show to bring in even more tourists, and revenue
Phuket officials are excited to see the payoff of a recent roadshow in India. The Tourism Authority of Thailand, along with the Phuket Tourism Association, went to a roadshow tourism marketing event in India from August 1-6. The event celebrated the 75th anniversary of Thai and Indian relations. Now, the PPAO’s vice president expects another 150,000 Indian tourists to arrive…
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Jungceylon undergoes renovation to become a one-stop shopping paradise
Press Release “Jungceylon Shopping Center is renovating the shopping mall’s basement by allocating space and introducing new exciting shops to meet the lifestyles of Thai and foreign customers,” stated Mr Prawit Janyasittikul, Chief Executive Officer of Jungceylon Shopping Center Patong Phuket. The ‘Jungle Building’ inside Jungceylon has a total basement area is over 7,000 sqm. The food bazaar located in…
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TikTok post accuses Phuket restaurant of unfair, unlisted prices
Gourmet meal or a price-gouging steal? An angry restaurant owner is firing back at a TikTok post claiming he was overcharging after a customer racked up a bill of over 10,000 baht. The restaurant in question is Khon Boran on Ranong Road in Phuket Town, while the TikTok poster, a Thai tourist, says he paid too much for his meal,…
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Venue of fatal Phuket shooting given 30-day closure notice
A month-long closure has been ordered for the Phuket nightclub venue that was the site of a fatal shooting earlier this week. The punishment was handed down yesterday by Phuket Vice Governor Anuparp Rodkwan Yodrabam and went into effect immediately. The nightclub and karaoke bar named SOD was open after legal operating hours though it was said to be closed…
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Fire burns wooden house to the ground in Phuket
A blaze burned a wooden house to the ground yesterday evening in Phuket, in the island province’s main city district. The house was located near a mangrove forest, and the cost of damages is being estimated at 50,000 baht. Photos from the Thai outlet Anarchark News show the spot where the house used to stand now covered in ashes, and…
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Phuket foundation gives hundreds of children scholarships
A foundation in Phuket is helping give the island province’s children a bright future. The Kusoldharm Phuket Foundation usually focuses on rescue work and helping victims of accidents and disasters. But the foundation also has an annual education scholarship program. The foundation presented scholarships to 313 children at its annual scholarship ceremony on Tuesday. At the ceremony, the foundation’s president…
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Officials look to tackle Phuket’s coastal erosion following floods
Phuket officials held a meeting yesterday to discuss coastal erosion impacting the island province, as storm weather is causing huge floods. Phuket’s Vice Governor Amnuay Pinsuwan said that Governor Narong has ordered him to look into measures to tackle the problem. One area officials are particularly concerned about is Sai Kaew Beach. Last month’s king tide in Phuket, along with…
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Infant’s body found in Phuket drainage pipe
An infant’s body was discovered in a water drainage pipe in Phuket this morning. The baby girl was a newborn, only 1-3 days old, and found in Thalang district. A waterworks authority who had been working nearby alerted Cherng Talay Police about the infant’s body. The police are now investigating the case. There have been a few similar, disturbing incidents…
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German tourist tests positive for monkeypox in Phuket, Thailand
A German man has tested positive for monkeypox in Phuket, becoming Thailand’s third recorded case of the virus since the global outbreak began. The 25 year old German tourist travelled to Thailand on July 18 for a holiday in Phuket. Shortly after arriving in the kingdom, he began presenting with monkeypox symptoms. At first, the man developed a fever and…
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Phuket officials visit flood-stricken municipality to help locals
As Phuket continues to suffer heavy floods, officials have visited homes in one municipality to help residents manage the situation. Phuket Governor Narong visited homes in the Srisoothorn Municipality in Thalang district yesterday, along with the municipality’s mayor. Officers from the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation also helped. The group checked to make sure that locals were safe, and…
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Guard who shot sword-wielding customer charged with murder
After intervening in a scuffle between a man and a woman outside a Phuket Town bar, the man grabbed a sword and a security guard shot him once in the chest, killing him. Now the guard is being charged with murder in the incident. The altercation took place in the early hours of Monday morning when a man was fighting…
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Vietnamese mother and daughter drown at Phuket beach
At Naithon Beach in the Thalang district of Phuket, a Vietnamese woman and her daughter drowned while swimming yesterday. The waters off the coast were rough with high waves caused by strong winds, and red flags were set up to warn tourists of the dangers of swimming in those conditions. The two women drowned early yesterday morning with police being…
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Covid-19 outbreak in Phuket elderly home
There’s been a Covid-19 outbreak in a Phuket elderly home, with a total of 45 people testing positive for the virus so far. Forty-two elderly residents and three guests have been infected, according to the Phuket Provincial Public Health Office Chief Dr Kusak Kukiattikoon. Dr Kusak said the office was informed of the outbreak on July 27. The Phuket Elder…
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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