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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Health insurance in Thailand is essential for expats and locals, providing financial protection and access to quality care. Costs depend on age, health, and coverage level, with basic plans being cheaper but limited and comprehensive plans offering more benefits at...
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Complaints over gauze left in body, wrong injections at Phuket Hospital
FILE PHOTO Two people have complained about a Phuket government hospital in Thalang. Gauze was left in a woman’s vagina after the patient had given birth, whilst another had drug allergies following a nurse giving an incorrect injection. Reports have been filed to Thalang Police Ms A says, “I gave birth at a hospital in Thalang on June 18. I…
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“It’s ok, it’s just a drill” – Phuket Airport
PHOTOS: Newshawk Phuket The Phuket International Airport is conducting an Emergency Plan Exercise: PEMEX, an annual, real-life practice drill today (August 30), from 10pm to 1.30am tomorrow. The Phuket PR Office says that the simulations involve a ‘Sabotage and Suicide Bomber in Domestic Passenger Terminal’ scenario. Some sections of the area for the practice drill will be closed. The Phuket…
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Oh no! No more Ofo.
PHOTOS: Newshawk Phuket The Ofo Thai Company has issued an announcement to the Phuket City Development (PKCD) company that they’ve cancelled the Ofo bike project on the island. The announcement says that “the Ofo bike head office in China has canceled the Ofo bicycle project in Thailand. The cancellation is effective from August 28, 2018.” “The Ofo Thai Company will…
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Prince of Songkla University students send strong safe-sex message
In what has now become a regular event at the Prince of Songkla University campus in Kathu, Phuket, over 200 Thai and international students attended a Safe Sex Campaign. All students worked together to prepare thousands of safe sex packs with the aim of reducing HIV in Phuket and beyond. A total of over 30,000 packs were prepared during this…
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Local fishermen call for action to fix garbage dumping in Rassada
Local fishermen in Rassada are calling for action to be taken against garbage dumping in Tha Chin canal which flows into the sea. Today (August 29) local fishermen at Tha Chin Canal community in Rassada, led by Suchart Ponkit, filed a report to the Damrongtham Centre (ombudsman’s office) at the Phuket Provincial Hall. Col Teeerasak Thammasatit of the Phuket Provincial…
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Chinese arrivals down, but not by much
Thailand’s July travel figures are showing the first signs of a decline in Chinese arrivals – this from the Ministry of Tourism and Sports’ latest data. But the news isn’t catastrophic. The July figures indicated a marginal decline as opposed to some reports of a mass exodus of Chinese tourists following the Phoenix boat disaster in Phuket on July 6.…
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Phuket girl wins a bronze medal in Karate at the Asian Games 2018
Monticha ‘Nam Phueng’ Tararattanakun, a Phuket-born girl, has won a bronze medal for Karate in the Asian Games 2018 being held in Jakarta. Nam Phueng also won a bronze medal for Karate in Kuala Lumpur’s 29th SEA Games 2017 and the Asia Championship at Kazakhstan. Nam Phueng says, “I have been interested in Karate since I was seven years old. I told…
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Soi Dog’s ‘Snap for Stray’ underway
Last Saturday Soi Dog Foundation in Mai Khao arranged an event to launch its first ever photo contest ‘Snap for Stray’ which aims to show the beauty of all soi dogs through the lens of the photographers. The event featured a talk with famous dog blogger, Antony ‘Guy’ Kawin Thoong, who is the owner and admin of the page ‘Captain…
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Everything old is new again – the plastic ban in Krabi marine park
With thousands of tourists heading out to islands around Phuket and Phang Nga Bay every day, all with their lunches and snacks packed up in plastic bags and polystyrene, you can imagine how much waste is produced. So Thais online have been full of praise for tourists using traditional “pinto thao” food containers instead of plastic bags to take their…
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‘Intoxicated’ man apprehended at Samkong intersection
PHOTO: Nem Tamada Maisai Khai Facebook Police have arrested a Thai man who may be mentally disabled, after parading around wearing just his underwear, and carrying an 80 centimetres knife in Samkong. A picture of the man, wearing only underwear with a helmet on his head and carrying a knife, has been posted on social media today (August 28). The man…
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Body of Indonesian man recovered off Karon Beach
PHOTO: Royal Thai Navy A body has been found at Karon beach after nearly two days of searching. The man’s body was found floating just off the shoreline, near the beach area in front of the Karon roundabout. The Indonesian man was missing since Sunday afternoon when he and a 23 year old Ukranian female friend, Inna Lutsyk, got into difficulty in…
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More arrests in Phoenix boat tragedy
More nominees, involved in the company that ‘owned’ the Phoenix, have been arrested and charged. Financial record shows that the money was being transferred to a Chinese owner. A press conference was held yesterday (August 27) at the Phuket Provincial Police Station led by Deputy Commissioner-General of the Royal Thai Police Gen Rungroj Saengkram, Deputy Chief of the Tourist Police…
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Phuket’s first purpose-built school mindfulness centre opens at UWC Thailand
UWC Thailand (UWCT) welcomed its community back last week with a brand-new addition to its campus: a purpose-built, student-centric Mindfulness Centre. As the island’s leader in mindfulness-based education, the addition – intentionally situated at the school’s main entrance – has been well-received by students, staff and parents alike. “Mindfulness is integral to a UWCT education, and has been an ongoing…
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One dead after ammonia leak at Phang Nga ice-factory
PHOTOS: Natthawut Plukmaidee / Newshawk Phuket The owner of an ice factory in Phang Nga has died after an ammonia gas leak was discovered in the factory in Kokkloi yesterday (August 26). Rescue workers were notified of the incident at 4pm Sunday afternoon. The owner of the factory fell unconscious after breathing ammonia gas in his efforts to control the situation.…
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One rescued, one missing after rescue at Karon Beach
PHOTOS: Karon Police An Indonesian man is missing whilst a female Ukranian friend has been pulled out from surf at Karon Beach yesterday (August 26) Karon Police were notified at 7.30pm that a tourist was missing while another tourist had been rescued from surf near the Karon roundabout. Emergency responders and police arrived at the scene to find that lifeguards…
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Big-bike rider killed on Phuket road
A big-bike biker has died following a collision into the the back of a parked mini truck in Koh Kaew this morning (August 25). The Phuket City Police were notified of the accident at 4.05am near the PTT gas station in Koh Kaew on Thepkrasattri Road, southbound. Police and emergency responders arrived at the scene to find a parked mini…
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Floods and landslides in Phang Nga damage homes
The Nation is reporting that flash floods damaged nearly 30 homes in Phang Nga while a landslide hit a house in the Kapong district. The governor Sitthichai Sakda led a team to inspect the damage today (Friday). Sitthichai, along with Kapong district chief Surat Laichan and Phang Nga disaster prevention and mitigation chief Sayan Kijmano, inspected the damage at Ban…
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Phuket man confesses to Sattahip double murder
Phuket bar owner Panya “Sia Auan Bangla” Yingdang, extradited from Cambodia on Tuesda, has since confessed to masterminding last month’s murder of a former teen beauty queen and her partner in Chon Buri’s Sattahip district. 39 year old Panya, the final suspect to be captured in the case, also admitted to reporters while he was being escorted away to perform…
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Phang Nga’s white dog is waiting for its owner
Kind-hearted folks in Muang Phang Nga have been cautiously feeding a rain-soaked lost dog for a week, believing it may have fallen off its owner’s pickup truck and was waiting for him to return. The white dog appeared to be weakening on its adopted turf in the centre island of a road near the Wang Mor Kaeng intersection. Facebook user…
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Tourists back on Mudong Canal after frantic clean-up
Water quality of the Mudong Canal in Wichit is starting to be return to normal while tourists are back on nature boat sailing tours along the canal. Local residents near Mudong Canal in Wichit, Phuket have been calling for officials to clean up the filthy canal after wastewater was found flowing along the canal and out to the sea. Dead…
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Overnight rains trigger floods in Phang Nga
Last night it rained and rained in parts of Phuket and Phang Nga. This morning there were floods affecting many of the main arteries in both provinces. Several roads and villages in Phang Nga were hit with hillside runoff and landslides following heavy rain overnight. Officials say the Bang Sai-Pakweep road in Ban Dok Daeng village in Tambon Bang Sai…
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Location on hills in Patong, Karon and Kata to lose pressure Friday
The Phuket Water Authority (PWA) has announced that the water supply in some areas of Patong, Kata and Karon will be shut off from 9am to 5pm Friday (August 24). Water will be shut off as the Patong Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) will have to temporarily shut the electric off in some areas. Areas to be affected are locations on hills in Patong,…
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Four religions join in prayer ceremony for Phoenix boat victims
A prayer ceremony has been held at Saphan Hin for the 47 victims of the Phoenix boat disaster. The ceremony represented the four different religions of people who drowned on the evening of July 5. The ceremony was led by the the Minister of Tourism and Sports Weerasak Kowsurat and the Phuket Governor Norraphat Plodthong. Buddhist, Christian, Hindu and Sikh…
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Phuket garage owner arrested with drugs and firearms
Sakoo Police have arrested a garage owner and seized drugs, firearms and bullets. Police have arrested 34 year old Pohnchai ‘Jane’ Petcharat, from Phuket, who is a garage owner in Sakoo. Officer have seized a handgun, two handmade handguns, a BB gun, a rifle and 67 bullets. Police also seized 319 methamphetamine pills. Phonchai was taken to Sakoo Police Station where…
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Flooding in Phuket, Phetchaburi and Mae Hong Son
PHOTO: Samkong underpass, Phuket – Newshawk Bad weather has hit Phang Nga and Phuket this morning whilst the flooding waters from the Kaeng Krachan dam in Phetchaburi are now reaching the main business district. In Phuket the major arteries are being clogged by flooding waters creating havoc for this morning’s peak hour. The Marine Office has issued a warning for…
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Warning for boats going to sea until tomorrow
The Phuket Marine Office has made an official announcement for boats to be “careful when going to sea until tomorrow (August 23), due to poor weather”. The announcement was issued yesterday (August 21) stating that “The Meteorological Department of Thailand (TMD) has forecast that from August 21-23 the monsoon will cause waves up to three metres in the open sea.”…
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From tropical paradise to busy urban island – Phuket
By Bill Barnett Phuket’s tourists, expats and property buyers are finding new reasons to head to the Pearl of the Andaman. They’re now spending more time and money seeking out alternative activities in areas other than the famed west-coast beaches. A report says that the island is transforming into a more well-rounded destination as visitors and new residents takes advantage…
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Phuket Vegetarian Festival dates announced
FILE PHOTOS Phuket Vice Governor Prakob Wongmaneerung has announced the dates for this year’s Vegetarian Festival. The nine day festival will take place from October 9-17. The event attracts thousands of visitors to Phuket to witness the festivities, which include fire-walking, bladed-ladder climbing, daily parades, body piercings and, of course, hundreds of stalls fully stocked with vegetarian foods Vice Governor…
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Old Phuket Town Sunday market launches no-smoking campaign
The Phuket City Municipality is launching a no-smoking campaign for the weekly Lard Yai Sunday market on Thalang Road each Sunday night. The Phuket City Mayor Somjai Suwansuppana says, “We are concerned about the danger of cigarette smoking, especially secondhand smoke that can be inhaled by other people, including children. Tourists and local residents in Old Phuket Town will be…
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Old Phuket Town goes underground
FILE PHOTO The Phuket City Mayor is warning of inconvenience to traffic in Old Phuket Town while work is underway installing underground cabling. The Phuket City Mayor Somjai Suwansuppana says, “We are working on the underground cable system in Old Phuket Town areas – Phang Nga Road and Rassada Road. The work is 62 percent complete. The new underground electrical…
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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