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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Air Asia resumes flights from Phuket to Jakarta
AirAsia Indonesia says they will resume direct flights between Phuket and Jakarta on the second of July this year. Flights will be available three times a week. For AirAsia, the move marks a return of the route which had been flown for a number of years in the past. “Currently the traveling trend continues to increase especially in the youth market, hence…
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Officials investigate complaints of elephants on Phuket beach
Officials have investigated social media complaints about elephants in the water and the taking of photos with tourists on Tri Trang beach. Officials haven’t arrested anyone at this stage. The issue about elephants playing in the shallows with tourist went viral in local social media as netizens made comments ranging from the “elephants are damaging the coral” and the “elephants…
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Suspect charged with murder after stabbing in Patong restaurant
A suspect has been charged after he stabbed and killed a staff member at a Patong restaurant in Bangla Road last night. Patong Police were notified of the incident at 9.50pm last night on Bangla Road in Patong. Police and rescue workers arrived at the scene to find the man, later identified as 42 year old Anuchet Chanwijit from Trang,…
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The blackwater is back at Bang Tao Canal – VIDEO
Locals are pushing the local government to check wastewater treatment plants after dirty black water come back to Bang Tao Canal again this morning. The President of the Cherng Talay OrBorJor is Ma’Ann Samran. (If you’d like to send Ma’Ann a message you can click on his Facebook page HERE.) “90% of business operators and locals are releasing wastewater into…
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Surin Islands in Phang Nga closed until November
The Mu Koh Surin National Park in Phang Nga, 100 kilometres north of the Similans, has been closed down for the wet season and will be open again in November. The Mu Koh Surin National Park Chief Puttapot Kuprasit says, “The Thai Meteorological Department (TMD) is forecasting that today there will be 60-70% chance of rain and high waves up…
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Wyndham to manage new condo at Layan Beach Phuket
by Bill Barnett A new Wyndham managed condominium hotel is rising in the Layan Beach area of Phuket. Named the Laya Resort Phuket, the first phase of the project is 300 units of studio and one-bedroom configuration. The new development will be situated about 400 metres from Layan Beach. Pricing starts from 150,000 baht a square metre and a 15…
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90% untreated water flowing into Bang Tao canal
90% of business operators and locals are releasing wastewater into the filthy Bang Tao canal. Cherng Talay Tambol Administrative Organisation President Maann Samran says, “There are some hotels, restaurants and locals still releasing wastewater into Bang Tao Canal where it is flowing into the sea.” “Only 10% of them have connected their wastewater pipe into the wastewater treatment plants.” “Today…
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Booking in advance, standardised tours, limited numbers – Maya Bay’s tourism future
“Both Thon and DNP executives emphasised that mass tourism would not be allowed again at Maya Bay.” by Pratch Rujivcanarom Maya Bay’s visitors will have to book in advance for limited day tours once the popular tourist magnet reopens to the public. After an official inspection of the rehabilitation efforts at Maya Bay on Koh Phi Phi Ley, local marine…
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Deja vu: Dirty, smelly, blackwater flows into the Andaman Sea, again
PHOTOS: Newshawk Phuket Phuket’s Governor has given an urgent order to solve the problem of wastewater flowing into Bang Tao Beach yesterday after the issue went viral in social media. If you suddenly having a sense of deja vu and are SURE you’ve read this before, that’s because the issue has been brought up hundreds of time in the past…
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Biometrics ID System being tested at Phuket Airport
A new Biometrics System is currently being installed and tested at the Phuket International Airport before going live this July. The biometrics system, a machine for personal facial identification and finger prints is being installed and tested at the Phuket international Airport today. The system is being installed at 16 airports around Thailand and is about 70% completed. Deputy police…
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Maya Bay’s closure could be further extended – Dr Thon
Maya Bay, closed to the public since last June to allow its beach and coral to recover, will remain shut to visitors for at least another two years as its ecology needs more time to heal. “The director-general of the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, Tanya Netithammakul will have the final say on whether to reopen the…
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Ultimate parties at The Bay and Beach Club, Patong
Newly built and super stylish, The Bay and Beach Club is the hottest addition to the island’s most favorite resort neighborhood of Patong. Elegant and luxurious with a modern design and spacious rooms, the resort sets the benchmark for beachfront accommodation in Phuket. With a convenient location right on the sands of Patong Beach, a holiday spent at The Bay…
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Maya Bay closed for at least another two years
Maya Bay on Koh Phi Phi Ley, closed last June to allow coral restoration and beach recovery, will now remain closed to visitors for at least another two years. Dr Thon Thamrongnawasawat, assistant dean of the Faculty of Fisheries at Kasetsart University and a renowned marine specialist says, “The meeting yesterday concluded that Maya Bay is to be closed for…
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Man found hanged at rental property in Wichit
A man has been found hanged at a rental property in Wichit. His mother believed that he was stressed after being arrested with drugs, and was unemployed. Wichit Police were notified of the incident inside Soi Pracha Saeree in Wichit yesterday. Police and rescue workers arrived to find the body of a man hanged inside his room. He was identified…
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Large tree crashes onto car in Chalong
A big tree has fallen in Chalong where it has tried to squash a parked Honda Jazz parked in front of a house in Chalong this morning. Staff from the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Chalong Office were notified of the big tree collapsing and hitting a car in Soi Kritsada in Chalong in the midst of high winds and rain…
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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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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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Naked body found floating in Phuket Town public park
The body of a naked dead man has been found floating in the lagoon at Suan Luang park in Phuket Town this morning. The Phuket City Police were notified of the grisly find at 8.30am at Suan Luang Public Park. Police and rescue workers arrived to find the naked body of a man laying face down in the water. The…
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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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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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Six gamblers arrested in Thalang
The Thalang Police have arrested six gamblers his weekend. Police have arrested six gamblers at the side of a road near a rubber plantation in Srisoonthorn over the weekend. Some of them have escaped when the police approached. Police say they are unsure at this stage why the gamblers were playing on the side of the road in sight of…
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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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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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Police summons issued for Phuket’s seastead couple
Wichit Police have issued a summons for the ‘seastead’ couple after Phuket Immigration pressed another charged against the couple. Phuket Immigration have now pressed charges saying that the pair departed the kingdom without clearing through the immigration channels. The charge follows the couple heading out more than 12 nautical miles offshore from Phuket to set up and live in the…
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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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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…
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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