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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Samkong landslide killed one worker, injures another
Yesterday’s (Wednesday) landslide occurred at the construction site of a clinic near Vachira Hospital where there is a 3-4 metre retaining wall. A team of police, rescue teams and a Vachira Hospital medical team tried to save a Myanmar worker, 22 year old Nay Sol Lin, by digging the soil around him and providing saline water. It took about 20…
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7 Krabi King cobras reported in one day – 5 captured and released
The Ao Luek Rescue Team in Krabi received a report last night (February 20) at 8.30 pm from 23 year old Nutchanart Bangyabyeo, saying that she found a 4 metre king cobra under the dish washing sink. The team put a snake catcher under the sink and the cobra showed up after 5 minutes. The team tried to capture it…
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THAIGER TODAY Wednesday, February 21
Four die in a Krabi road smash | More of the Bangkok driveway-blocking drama | A BIG find on a Gulf beach | Suthep announces new political party | New engine-size tax for motorbikes | Government caves into power plant protesters.
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TAT seeks help to stop damage by Chinese tourists
Frequent cases of Chinese tourists damaging coral reefs and other fragile sea natural resources have prompted the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) to seek help from its Chinese counterpart. Phanu Woramitr, director of the TAT office for Hat Yai, Songkhla and Satoon said on Tuesday that TAT has sent a letter to the Chinese tourism agency asking it to warn…
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Worker dies, another injured, in Samkong worksite landslide
https://www.facebook.com/phuketgazette/videos/1620819127995909/ Emergency responders are working to extract a worker from a construction site in Samkong near Vachira Hospital this morning following a landslide. One worker died in the work-site landslide.
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Thailand Yacht Show 2018 – starts tomorrow (Thursday)
Some of the world’s most prestigious marine brands are assembling at the Ao Po Grand Marina for the third edition of the Thailand Yacht Show. It starts tomorrow (Thursday) and runs until Sunday. Buyers, charterers and locals are invited to climb aboard and experience the watercraft – superyachts, catamarans, sailboats, sports-fishers, dinghies, tenders, water sport boats and day cruisers, in…
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Rare animal – a moonrat – found in Krabi
A small creature that looks like a mouse, with a nose and mouth shaped like a pig, has been found in Krabi. It is believed to be a moonrat. Krabi Defense Volunteer Officer, 53 year old Pornchai Sudrak, who found the animal, explains that he was jogging near his house in the evening and heard his dog barking so he…
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Four killed on a dangerous corner in Krabi
A pickup truck reportedly lost control on a curve, crossed the traffic island in the middle of the road and crashed into another pickup truck on the opposite lane, killing four people in Krabi province. The accident occurred last night on Phetchakasem Road, Nuaklong – Klongthom route. At the scene, Nuaklong police found a gray pickup truck with Phang Nga…
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THAIGER TODAY Tuesday, February 20
Woman NOT happy with pick-up parked over her driveway | Car chase for two Nigerians on Cambodian border | Vandals leaving their mark in Krabi | How NOT to reverse a container truck | 23 tourists stung by jellyfish | 62 year long-term resident in Pattaya giving back to his community. Coming to you from the Floating Donut in Laguna…
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301 ‘lucky number plates’ up for bidding
The Phuket Land Transport Office announced the auction of 301 plates with ‘lucky numbers’. The profit from the auction will be donated to the road accident victims fund. The Chief of Phuket Land Transport Office, Banyat Kanta, said that the 13th auction will kick off on March 3 – 4 at the conference room of Phuket’s Rajabhat University. “This will help…
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Tourists leave their mark on Railay Beach
Tourists seeking to leave their mark on Thailand have vandalised a cave tunnel leading onto Krabi’s popular Railay Beach, carving their names and other graffiti in the rock walls and stalactites. Hard objects were used to scrawl names and messages along the 200 metre passage, said Somboon Ngafa, chairman of the Railay Bay Tourism Association Club. The beach and bay…
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Firefly’s direct Penang flights go daily from March 25
Firefly are upping the direct flights from Penang to Phuket from four a week to daily starting March 25. The regional airline is owned by Malaysian Airlines and flies ATR 72s with 70 seats. Flying out of Penang, Firefly flies internationally to Banda Aceh on Sumatra, Indonesia and Phuket. Locally it serves Langkawi and Kota Baru. For now the new…
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Truck crash-reverses into ditch in Karon
Traffic is closed between Patong and Karon as police and emergency responders try and clear a nearly-overturned container truck at the bottom of the hill between the Novotel Karon and Centara Beach resort. Police are expecting it to take at least a couple of hours to clear for traffic. https://www.facebook.com/phuketgazette/videos/1618908354853653/
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PIA air-conditioning breaks down, again
…and this woman’s not happy about it. Hundreds of Facebook users have given their support to a woman’s complaint about a breakdown of air-conditioners at the Phuket International Airport, which she says causes heat to be trapped and body odour to spread inside the passenger building. “Is this a model of a green airport?” Facebook user Paithoon Tou Monpanthong asked…
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Phuket’s Rajabhat launches a fun run
Phuket Rajabhat University Alumni has kicked off a fun run to ‘encourage a healthy lifestyle’. More than 2,000 runners registered for the event. Early yesterday (February 18), Phuket’s Vice Governor, Sanit Srivihok chaired the opening ceremony of the new fun run together with executives and seniors of the university as well as students and locals living around the university. “This…
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THAIGER TODAY Monday, February 19
Airport has 200,000 passengers in one day | Bikie gang member locked out of Australia after visit to Pattaya | German and Thai held over under-age prostitution | Popular farang YouTuber dies | Phuket’s Ao Po Grand Marina gets dragged into Premchai investigation | Four soldiers injured in explosion in Narathiwat | 7/11 looking to introduce ‘Seven Bank’ banking in…
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Ao Po Grand Marina gets dragged into Premchai investigations
PHOTO: aopograndmarina.com Italian-Thai Development president Premchai Karnasuta is subject to another encroachment investigation as a firm in which he is major shareholder is accused of encroaching on mangrove forests and the public sea in Phuket. Jatuporn Buruphat, director general of the Marine and Coastal Resources Department, said on Friday that he had instructed officials to conduct a probe against Ao…
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Machete attack in Chalong
A jealous husband has slashed his wife and step son with a machete, resulting in severe injuries for both. Chalong Police have revealed that on Friday night they received a report that there had been an attack on two people – 47 year old Yaowapa Kowai and her son, 22 year old Songpon Thongsai. Yaowapa was slashed on her head,…
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Fire in Ban Thai’s spa in Patong
About noon today (February 17), Patong police receieved a report about a fire in Spanakarn, a 4-story spa business, located inside the Ban Thai Hotel. The fire started in a room named Rachawadee on the third floor of the building. A staff member, Naetdao Kongsoongnern, who was a witness to the fire, told the police that she was at the…
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Anupas announces farewell to Honda cars in Phuket
Anupas Vividhkarn announced it will end its four-branch Honda car sale representative offices and showrooms across Phuket and Pang Nga today (February 17) after 32 years in business. The Managing Director, Montri Hongyok, chaired the press conference today (February 17) at Novotel Phuket Phokeetra Hotel along with the Deputy Managing Director, Montawee Hongyok. “All shops will stop operations from March…
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Tourist visa extension mobile service for Krabi
Krabi Immigration has launched a mobile van service for visa extensions targeting foreign tourists staying in Ao Nang. Krabi Privincial Immigration Office Superintendent, Pol Col Suparuek Pankosol, along with immigration officers, launched the mobile van and services at Ao Nang Beach yesterday (February 16). The new service will allow tourists to report their extension (other than 90 day reporting) without…
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An Xin tour bus crashes in Phang Nga killing the driver, injuring 19
A Chinese tour bus of An Xin Tour Company has crashed into an electric pole on Phetchakasem Road in Phang Nga today (February 16) killing the driver while injuring Chinese passengers. The tourists booked with CNR Travel were heading to the Ban Tha Noon Pier. At the scene of the accident on the Phang Nga – Takuatung route in Krasom…
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More drug dealers arrested at Phuket Gateway
Five busts in two weeks. Three more people have now been arrested at Thachatchai checkpoint at the Phuket Gateway with 16.6 grams of methamphetamine and 542 amphetamine pills at just after midnight (February 16). The two men and one woman include 34 year old Anuchit Buathong from Phuket, 31 year old Mana Changnam from Krabi and 29 year old Nattaya…
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THAIGER TODAY Friday, February 16
Gong Xi Fah Cai! | Bangkok’s pollution moves further north | New 50 kph speed zones in the capital | Alleged Kalasin rapist/shooter on the loose | Premchai’s gone missing | Authorities NOT going to close Maya Bay | Cambodian parliament introduces new laws restricting free speech | 74 year old Brit found on deserted island off Chumpon.
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1,000 baht for 841 Km. 400 baht for 6 Km. Let’s do the maths.
PHOTO: File photo Posting from ‘Bewildered’ in a Facebook post this morning… (Edited) “I arrived in Phuket 7am this morning after taking the overnight bus from Bangkok. It’s been a loooong time since I’ve done that, and I was impressed. I travelled on the VIP bus for just under 1,000 baht. Big seats, lots of leg room and decent drivers.…
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Fire in Phuket town destroys four houses
Another fire following a string of fires over the past week in Phuket. The fire started in a sofa shop near Komarapat Intersection in Phuket Town and has destroyed four houses causing damage valued at approximately 1 million Baht. Before noon today (February 15), Muang Phuket Police received a report about a fire on the side of Thepkasattri Road, near…
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Phi Phi’s Maya Bay to be closed this June. Or maybe not…
According to AFP, Maya Bay is going to be closed in June this year. “The once-pristine Thai bay which became a tourist magnet after the 2000 movie “The Beach” will be closed to boats for several months to prevent further damage to its coral, an official said Wednesday. Hordes of tourists flock daily to Maya Bay on Koh Phi Phi…
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Brush fire destroys old worker’s camp in Kathu
An old worker’s camp on fire just behind the Shell petrol station in Phra Phuket Kaew Road, adjacent to the Anupas car service centre. No one was in the dwelling at the time. The fire spread quickly to adjoining bush land but two fire crews attended quickly and brouht the blaze under control within 20 minutes. Police believe there was…
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Six buildings demolished for encroaching national park land on Phi Phi
A hundred officers from Hat Noppharat Thara–Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park, police, military and Office of Forestry demolished houses and shops located next to the national park booth. The team expect the full demolition to take 3 days. “It started in 2014 when the officers discovered the land encroachment. The man who claims to own the land, Aran Rothakan,…
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Valentine’s marriage registration at Phuket District Office
The Phuket District Office welcomed couples that came to register their marriage during the ‘day of love’. The Vice Governor Sanit Srivihok chaired the opening ceremony and was the witness for the registration of this year’s marrying couples. The first couple of this year was the Wichit sub-district chief, Chusak Ayupong, and his wife. “We expect at least 100 couples…
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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