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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Weapons of war seized at fishing port
PHUKET TOWN: Police yesterday seized a haul of weapons and ammunition at Por Pichai raft on Sri Sena Rd. The man arrested in possession of them told police that the weaponry was bound for “terrorists in Indonesia”. About 20 officers, including Governor CEO Pongpayome Vasaputi and Phuket Town and Marine Police officers, nabbed 36-year-old Prachumpon Raampung, from Trang, while he…
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Governor shuts three nightspots
PHUKET TOWN: Governor CEO Pongpayome Vasaputi has ordered three entertainment venues to close for 30 days because under-age patrons were found on the premises. Random checks by police on other venues are to continue between midnight and 2 am as part of the “better social order” policy of the province. The three venues are the Jammin Music Club on Poonphol…
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Property auction nets B239m
PHUKET: An auction at the weekend of 51 properties repossessed by banks brought in more than 239 million baht, and the Phuket Legal Execution Department (PLED) says there’s much more to come. Properties coming up in two more auctions could take the total over one billion baht, the PLED estimates. Saeksan Suksang, chief of the PLED, said the first day…
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Woman robbed in motorbike ambush
WICHIT: Three men on two motorbikes early yesterday morning forced a woman riding her motorbike along Sakdidet Rd to pull over and then robbed her of her mobile phone and 2,000 baht. Pol Lt Parichat Chaturonpan, from Phuket Town Police Station, told the Gazette that Jiemjit Baewtungnoi, 31, reported the robbery at 7 am yesterday. He said that K. Jiemjit…
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Tour Royale drivers in airport protest
NAI YANG: The 65 drivers of Tour Royale Enterprise Co are staging a protest just outside the entrance to the Phuket International Airport (PIA) after the airport authorities refused to extend the company’s airport service concession, which expired yesterday. The protest began yesterday and has continued through today. Drivers have parked a long line of vehicles near the entrance to…
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Fireworks festival postponed
PHUKET TOWN: The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has rescheduled its fireworks festival, which was originally slated to be held at Saphan Hin on July 26. Naphasorn Kakai, Assistant Director of TAT Region 4, today announced that the 45-minute spectacular, using more than 4,000 skyrockets costing about 2 million baht, will now be held on August 12. She explained that…
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Illegal aliens top arrest stats again
PHUKET: The number of illegal immigrants arrested between June 1 and 25 was more than double the number for the same period in May, according to the latest statistics from police. Last month, police arrested 198 illegal aliens, compared with 75 during the same period in May. However, May saw a huge drop in the number of aliens arrested, falling…
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Workplace anti-drug program announced
PHUKET: The Office of Labor Protection and Welfare of Phuket (LPWP) is urging businesses to join the “White Service Business” scheme, which aims to protect workers from illegal drugs. To join the scheme, a business must follow eight rules: 1. Have a clear policy about illegal drugs in the workplace. 2. Display anti-drug messages on signs. 3. Set up a…
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OrBorJor steps in to help Patong
PATONG: Following the recent release of a visitor survey that uncovered a number of complaints about the island’s most popular beach resort, the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) agreed on Monday to help Patong Municipality solve some of its problems. The survey, involving some 1,000 hotel guests, was conducted by six Patong hotels – the Club Andaman Beach Resort, the…
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Dolphin rescued by Patong villagers
PATONG: A 1.83-meter striped dolphin, or Stenella coeruleoalba, washed up on Patong Beach yesterday evening and was rescued by villagers. It is now being cared for at the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC). The 60-kilogram male dolphin was found at around 6 pm, stranded at the rocky north end of Patong Beach, by villagers who spent more than four hours…
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Rotted corpse found behind Wat Chalong
CHALONG: The badly decomposed body of an unidentified man, who police believe may have died about six months ago from a drug overdose, was found behind Wat Chalong yesterday morning. Pol Col Sati Malakanont, Superintendent of Chalong Police Station, today told the Gazette that he and other officers went to investigate the gruesome discovery after a local resident called the…
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Gov arrests two, nets 600 ya bah pills
PHUKET TOWN: A squad of 12 officers handpicked by Governor CEO Pongpayome Vasaputi this afternoon arrested a couple, Lateng Artharn, 46, and Sa’ard Somwang, 35, on charges of possession and trafficking in ya bah (methamphetamine). The officers, all members of Phuket’s Provincial Defense Office (PDO), arrested the couple at 12:30 pm in a sting operation at the 999 hotel on…
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Tuk-tuk drivers agree to fares
PHUKET: A two hour-meeting today between officials and representatives of the island’s tuk-tuk drivers finally achieved agreement on a scale of official fares for journeys between towns. In principle, fares for trips of less than 15 km will be lower than the tuk-tuk drivers wanted but for trips longer than that they will get more than they originally negotiated for.…
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Four accuse police of shake-down
PHUKET TOWN: A group of four men from Patong today alleged that police officers in the town had falsely accused them of betting on soccer and coerced them into providing “evidence” for their own conviction. Suwat “Dong” Kitsa-nga, 33, a roadside vendor, and three of his employees made the accusations to leaders of the Phuket Reporters Association (PRA) at the…
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Another stabbing in “Burmese Cemetery’
PHUKET TOWN: The body of a man believed to have been a Burmese fisherman was found floating in the water near Sri Sena Rd on Monday afternoon. The victim had been stabbed about 30 times. Pol Lt Col Tawate Pleumsuk, an inspector at Phuket Town Police Station, told the Gazette that the man was found by villagers floating face down…
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Police take vow to battle drugs
PHUKET TOWN: Police and village representatives vowed today to fight drugs. About 60 officers from Phuket Town, led by Superintendent Pol Col Paween Pongsirin, joined 184 villagers to make the anti-drug pledge in front of the police station. Col Paween also revealed that in the first five months of this year, 24 people had been arrested for marijuana offenses, 85…
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Patong Mayor survives murder attempt
PHUKET TOWN: Patong Mayor Surasak Maneesri last night survived an attempt on his life when a gunman fired three shots through the driver’s side window of his Mercedes Benz as he waited at a red light outside the Tesco-Lotus Supercenter. K. Surasak suffered only light cuts to his arm from flying glass. Speaking at Thung Thong Police Station last night,…
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Villagers save homes from fire
PHUKET TOWN: Villagers on the edge of Phuket Town last night successfully fought a fire that threatened their homes. At the height of the blaze, believed to have started when a garbage fire got out of hand, 10-meter-high flames towered above scrubland near Baan Kuku in Tambon Rassada, threatening a small hamlet of half a dozen homes. While firemen worked…
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US envoy to reward recovery efforts
PHUKET: The United States Ambassador to Thailand, Darryl Johnson, is to recognize the work of organizations involved in sea rescues when he visits Phuket next month. On July 19 he will present certificates to the Royal Thai Navy, the Marine Police, and the Marine Police Underwater Search and Rescue Unit. The Navy and Marine Police were involved recently in recovering…
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Tuk-tuk drivers reject revised fares
PHUKET TOWN: Representatives of the island’s tuk-tuk drivers today rejected the Phuket Transportation Office’s (PTO) revised scale of proposed fares, even though they would be the highest in the country. At today’s meeting, held at the PTO’s offices in Phuket Town, Transportation Chief Prasit Amarapal initially proposed a rate of 30 baht for the first two kilometers plus four baht…
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Frenchman drowns at Kata
KATA: A 74-year-old French tourist who was staying at Club Med drowned near the resort yesterday morning. The body of the man, named by police as Rene Massoud Hogege, washed up on the beach about 9 am. Others on the beach thought Mr Hogege had gone for a walk, and when his body was found, called Chalong police and Phuket…
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Police to take vow to fight drugs
PHUKET TOWN: To mark International Day Against Drug Abuse next Wednesday (June 26), officers from Phuket Town Police Station will assemble in front of the station to take a mass vow to fight drug-related crime. The ceremony, which will be led by Pol Maj Gen Kongpol Suwannaraks, Commander of the Phuket Provincial Police, will begin at 10 am. Pol Lt…
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Phuket governor’s performance under fire
BANGKOK: Two of Thailand’s five governors with CEO-style powers turned in worse performances in their first six months on the job than governors in five control provinces where traditional administration is still in place. ‘The Nation’ reported today that The governors of Phuket and Narathiwat scored lower on their six-month evaluations than the traditional, non-CEO governors of Phang Nga and…
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Phuket Town trash levy to rise 200%
PHUKET TOWN: In September, if Phuket Town Municipality gets its way, households in Phuket Town will be required to pay 200% more for their trash to be collected. Businesses face a 50% rise. Aryoot Tamsiriroj, Vice-Mayor of the town, yesterday told the Gazette that the municipality has proposed a rise in its trash collection fee from 10 baht per house…
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Tourism discount program set to launch
PHUKET: Phuket Province and the Phuket Tourism Association (PTA) are launching a “Phuket Super Save Super Value” promotion on July 1 to stimulate tourism over the low season. Phuket Governor CEO Pongpayome Vasaputi yesterday held a meeting with Kitti Phatanachinda, Vice President of the PTA, along with representatives from several hotels, to discuss strategies to bring in more low-season business.…
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Phuket seeks TAT cash for 10 projects
PHUKET: Phuket has named 10 projects it wants the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) to fund in order to boost the number of visitors to the island. The 10 projects are: – Underground power lines in Phuket Town, Patong, Kata and Karon; – A pier at Ao Poh; – A second bus station; – Improvements to the four-lane route through…
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Man killed in drive-by shooting
PATONG: A young man was shot dead early yesterday morning in Loma Park by a motorcycle passenger in what police believe was a case of mistaken identity. Pol Lt Col Manop Kositanant, Deputy Superintendent of Kathu Police Station, named the victim as Vichit Srisangchai, 21, a worker in a Patong restaurant. He died from a single shot in the stomach…
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Twin cities seek tourists
PHUKET: How twin cities could get closer was the topic when representatives from Yentai in China met Phuket Governor CEO Pongpayome Vasaputi on Friday. Luan Bingliang, Yentai’s Vice-Mayor, led the delegation to try to improve awareness and opportunities for exchanging tourists. Gov Pongpayome said afterward, “I suggested to them that if they want Thai people to visit Yentai, they should…
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Man confesses to raping girl, 14
PHUKET TOWN: Witchapol “Joe” Jongsujarittham, 26, yesterday confessed to charges of raping a 14-year-old girl twice and of being in possession of an unregistered firearm, Phuket Town police said today. Pol Maj Bhanjong Amarit told the Gazette that officers arrested Witchapol outside his Phuket Town home at 9 am. Armed with a search warrant, they then checked his home and…
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Ya bah crackdown nets seven in two days
CHALONG: Officers from Chalong Police Station on Thursday and Friday made seven separate arrests on charges related to ya bah (methamphetamine). More than 500 pills of the drug were seized. The arrests came after Pol Col Sati Malakanond, superintendent at Chalong Police Station, ordered officers to make a special effort to crack down on drugs in the area. Of 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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