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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Did you know that treating a broken leg can cost around 200,000 THB for uninsured patients, and a three-day hospital stay for conditions like dengue fever averages 40,000 to 80,000 THB in Thailand? While healthcare in Thailand is more affordable...
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Warning for boats going to sea off Phuket
The Phuket Marine Office has made another official announcement today for boats that will remain in force until May 10. The announcement was issued yesterday stating that “The weather forecast of strong westerly winds is expected to bring heavy rains to southern Thailand and the Andaman coast from today until at least May 10.“ “The warning is in effect for…
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Pork-seller arrested with gun, ammunition and drugs in Kathu
A pork seller has been arrested with a gun and crystal methamphetamine in Kathu. Kathu Police arrested 43 year old pork seller Peerapan Saechua yesterday. Police seized crystal methamphetamine, a handgun and 68 bullets. The arrest follows a tip-off from the owner of the rented house in Kathu claiming that Peerapan used a gun to threaten him while also alleging…
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Three drug suspects arrested in Phuket
Three drugs suspects have been arrested in Phuket in separate cases. They’ve been caught with methamphetamine pills, crystal methamphetamine and marijuana. Police arrested a 38 year old man Kanut ‘Joe’ Meelarb at Soi Thepanusorn in Wichit. Police seized 30.06 grams of crystal methamphetamine and 1,475 methamphetamine pills. He was taken to Wichit Police Station where he faces charges of illegal…
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Weather warning issued for Phuket
PHOTO: Phuket Lifeguard Service An urgent weather warning for heavy rains, strong winds and wave warning has been issued by the Phuket Governor. Issued at 11am today, the warning forecasts “a strong westerly wind is expected to bring heavy rains to southern Thailand and the Andaman coast from today until at least May 10.” The warning is in effect for Ranong,…
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One dead, one injured after stabbing in Chalong
Police are hunting for a Burmese suspect who was involved in the stabbing of a fellow Burmese couple in Chalong. One person is dead and another injured. Chalong Police were notified of the incident in Soi Klumyang at Chalong on Sunday. The Burmese couple who were stabbed were taken to Vachira Phuket Hospital. Police arrived at the hospital where they…
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Fire destroys steamed-bun shop in Wichit
Fire has gutted a steamed bun shop in Wichit this afternoon. Wichit Police were notified of the fire at the steamed bun shop near the Dawroong Intersection in Wichit at 12.35pm. Fire fighters arrived at the building to find fire and smoke had already engulfed part of the third floor. The shop was not open at the time. Fire fighters…
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Phuket lifeguard service warning of strong currents along Phuket beaches
PHOTOS: Phuket Lifeguard Service / Newshawk Phuket Phuket lifeguards are warning all swimmer at Phuket’s beaches of strong waves and rip currents. The head of Patong Lifeguard Service Somprasong Sangchart has warned of strong currents, even at Patong beach. Red flags have been set up along the beach. Meanwhile red flags have also been set up on other beaches as…
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One boy drowns, two two others plucked out of the surf in Phang Nga
A boy has drowned while two others have been rescued from the seas off Phang Nga. At 4.20am this morning the dead body of a 12 year old was found under the Natai Bridge, about one kilometre from where he went missing. Kokkloi Police were notified that the three children had been washed out to sea by a wave near…
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Sea turtle rescued on Kamala beach
PHOTOS: Niruj A sea turtle has been rescued after being washed up on the shores of Kamala beach. Tourists who were walking along the beach discovered the beached turtle. They informed beach vendors. Kusoldharm rescue workers were then contacted and headed to the scene. The turtle was still alive but was weak and becoming dry as it has been sitting…
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Chinese continue to soak up Thailand’s condo glut
There are man reasons why Thailand is a favourite location for property buyers from Hong Kong and mainland China – the street food and great weather are just a part of the allure. Chinese nationals spent a record 40 billion baht (US$1.25 billion) on Thai properties in 2018, according to the Bank of Thailand. So who is buying Thailand’s condominiums?…
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Upper Southern provinces being warned about dengue spread
“The number of patients is expected to rise as rain has begun falling in some southern provinces.” Residents of provinces in Thailand’s upper South are being warned that dengue could spread now that the annual monsoon rains have arrived. Doctor Sirilak Thaicharoen, director of Nakhon Si Thammarat’s 11th Disease Control Office, said 1,165 people in seven upper Southern provinces had…
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British man who locked himself in Phuket condo to be deported
PHOTO: Police waiting for officials to enter the man’s room from the outside of the ninth floor The man who locked himself in a Phuket Town condo for over three months is going to be deported and banned from re-entry for up to five years. David Maclean was evicted, by force, from the Supalai Condo yesterday afternoon at 3pm. Officers…
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Truck brings down six power poles in Chalong, one injured
A motorbike driver has been injured while 13 Burmese workers on the back of a pickup truck have escaped injury after ta truck brought down six power poles in a Chalong soi. The incident was in Soi Tanuthep in Chalong at 11.20am today. Police and rescue workers arrived to find the pickup in the middle of the road. Fallen cables…
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Fire destroys apartment in Rassada
Fire has gutted an apartment in Rassada this morning. Staff at the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation heard about the fire at the apartment in Soi Sakornket in Rassada at 7.45 this morning. Three fire engines arrived at the apartment on the ground floor of the building. Fire and smoke had totally engulfed the room. It took firefighters about…
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British man, who locked himself in a Phuket condo, removed – VIDEO
An Australian-born British man who had shut himself in for nearly four months at the Sulalai Park condo in Phuket Town has been safely removed after a risky mission by police. Police forced their way into the room around 3pm. 51 years old David Alexander Denoon Maclean, had been living in the room on the ninth floor of a condominium…
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British man injured after stabbing in Wichit, Phuket
Police are investigating after a British man was stabbed by a teenage suspect in front of a restaurant in Wichit last night. Wichit Police were notified of the incident in the parking area of a restaurant on Chao Fah West Road at 7pm last night. Police report that they arrived and staff told them that the injured man had already been…
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German man found dead at house in Rawai
A 73 year old German man has been found dead inside a house in Rawai. The Chalong Police were notified of the situation at a house in Rawai at 1pm yesterday. Police and rescue workers arrived at the house to find the body of a foreign man who was later identified as a 73 year old German man (The Thaiger…
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Fishing crew release Manta rays after getting snared in their nets
A fishing boat has released two giant Manta rays, tangled in its nets, back to the Andaman Sea off Phang Nga’s Kura Buri. The crew have won wide praise for releasing the snared rays. Thana Ketsa-ard, owner of the Thanakorn 99 fishing boat, posted a video on Facebook at 12.30am on Tuesday night showing his workers rescuing the two Manta…
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Phuket’s recent rains allow PWA to restore mains pressure around the island
The Chief of Phuket’s Provincial Waterworks Authority says that water pressure to most areas across the island has been restored (but The Thaiger is still getting reports from residents in Kamala and parts of Kathu about low flow or still no water mains pressure). Phuket Town recorded nearly 80mm of rainfall on Saturday night when heavy rains, the first for…
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Aussie lifeguards and Navy conduct local lifesaver program
PHOTO: The HMAS Canberra and HMAS Newcastle sit off Patong Bay as Navy officers conduct the beach activities yesterday. Surf Life Saving Australia and the Australian Navy have joined with Phuket’s lifeguards for some marine safety training at Patong Beach. About 100 young people and teenagers from around the island joined in the training as part of the project ‘Australia…
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Drunk man arrested after collecting parking fees in Phuket Town
PHOTOS: The Phuket City Police Police have arrested an intoxicated man who was collecting parking fees around a department store in Phuket Town. The Phuket City Police arrested the man, Adisak Rueathong, who had been collecting parking fees around Robinson Ocean Department Store in Talad Yai, Phuket Town. The arrest follows police receiving complaints last week that there was a…
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Thailand’s Michelin Guide adds Chiang Mai
Michelin say they’re extending The Michelin Guide in Thailand to cover the northern city of Chiang Mai with the new edition The Michelin Guide Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket & Phang Nga 2020. The extended foodie guide will be released at the end of 2019. This third edition of The Michelin Guide in Thailand will continue to showcase the country’s three unique and…
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How the bike-share start-ups fell over
They were awful to ride and were the result of an even more toxic start-up culture in China. A few years ago the bike-sharing craze hit the tourist island of Phuket. It arrived amongst much flourish and ceremony. A year later the bike-sharing company bailed out. It was the same in many targeted tourist zones around the world. At the…
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Coral off Phuket suffering from bleaching
by Thai PBS Corals have started to bleach off the coast of Phuket. The problem is due to the warming of the sea, according to reports from the Phuket-based operations centre of the 2nd National Marine Park. Marine scientists at the centre conducted a survey of coral reefs off Nai Yang beach in the Sirinat national park last Thursday and…
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IndiGo pulls non-stop flights between Phuket and Bengaluru
‘Commercial non-viability’ is the official reason given for the pulling of the twice-weekly non-stop flights between Bengaluru, India and Phuket by IndiGo Airline. The airline’s six weekly non-stop flights between Delhi and Phuket will continue. “Phuket is a key market for IndiGo and we see great potential in the growth of tourism between India and Phuket. We will explore various…
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Australian navy ship HMAS Canberra visits Phuket for maritime exercises
The Australian Navy ship and navy officers have arrived at Patong beach to join the annual maritime enforcement exercises for ‘Indo-Pacific Endeavour 2019’ today. The Australian Navy’s HMAS Canberra, which is carrying helicopters, and HMAS Newcastle arrived in Patong on Saturday to join the ‘Indo-Pacific Endeavour 2019’ . Air Commodore Rick Owen says, “We visited here to continue the good…
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Man arrested with Cat 1 drugs and guns in Phuket
Officers have arrested a drug suspect in Cherng Talay, Phuket. The man was found with 20,666 methamphetamine pills, 339 grams of crystal methamphetamine (a third of a kilogram) and two guns. Phuket Administrative Officers and the Cherng Talay Police arrested 38 year old Komsan Prateep ‘Hug’ Na Thalang at an apartment in Cherng Talay. Police seized the methamphetamine pills and…
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Tourists injured as minivan flips over in Krabi
Indian tourists have sustained minor injuries after the minivan they were traveling in over-turned in Krabi on the way back to Ao Nang from Phuket. Ao Nang Police were notified of the incident on Nong Talay – Khao Thong Road in Mueang Krabi District yesterday at 10.30am. Police and emergency responders arrived to find the passenger van flipped over, on…
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Buyback Option at VIP KATA Condominium by Phuket9
Phuket9 Company announces a buy-back option for VIP KATA Condominium Project with a rental return of 56% over 8 years. The first two buildings of VIP KATA Condominium were launched in July 2018. After one month in August 2018, Phuket9 commenced construction of the second phase – 2 more buildings including 209 apartments, 2 common swimming pools, rooftop gardens, restaurants and a kids club.…
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Omura’s whale sighted of Koh Similan in Phang Nga
PHOTOS: Wow Andaman Omura’s whale has been sighted off the Koh Similans in Phang Nga this week. Tour guides from the Wow Andaman Tour were on a speedboat with tourists at the Koh Similans. They say they sighted an Omura’s whale near the boat. Marine biologist Dr Thon Thamrongnawasawat says, “There are many endanger marine species which areoften sighted in…
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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