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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Seven arrested for village headman and family’s massacre
KRABI: Police have apprehended a group of seven men for the massacre of eight members of a family in Krabi last week. Eight people – three of them children – were murdered en masse in the house of Worayuth Sunglung, a village headman in Ao Luek district. The victims were shot in the head execution-style, police said (story here). National…
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Chinese tourists missing after ignoring red flag at Phuket beach
PHUKET: Police are searching for two Chinese tourists who have been missing since yesterday afternoon when they disregarded red flag warnings and entered the water at Freedom Beach. Patong Police officers and rescue workers rushed to the scene after receiving reports of the situation. “The waves were very strong, which is why there were red flags in the area. Rescue…
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Phuket taxi driver charged with sexual harassment and indecent exposure
PHUKET: A Phuket motorbike taxi driver was charged with sexual harassment and indecent exposure after he was recorded ‘pleasuring himself’ in public yesterday afternoon. A teacher from a well known Phuket school posted a video of the incident on Facebook to express her anger and to warn others to be aware of the suspect, who was later revealed to be…
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Police hunt for suspects in murder of Krabi headman and family
KRABI: Police are still searching for suspects involved in the murder of a village headman and his family on Tuesday. Worayuth Sunglung, a village headman in Krabi’s Ao Luk district, and seven of his family members were gunned down at their home while three others survived with serious injuries (story here). The only family member unscathed was Mr Worayuth’s three-month-old…
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Shooting suspect surrenders, denies “attempted murder’ charges
PHUKET: The second suspect in the shooting of a police assistant surrendered himself to police yesterday. Suthiwut Thawan, 21, is a native of Phang Nga. Following the shooting, he returned to his family home in Phang Nga, but surrendered himself after police appraised his family of the situation. Mr Suthiwut and another suspect named Sathaporn Kuoaywanich were involved in a…
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Amanpuri luxury villa fire causes 3 million baht in damages
PHUKET: A luxury villa at the prestigious Amanpuri in Phuket caught fire last night, causing about 3 million baht’s worth of damages. “This is a standalone villa connected to the resort. It has five rooms, three of which (covering an area of 210sqm) caught fire. Firefighters took an hour and a half to control the flames and prevent them from…
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Two arrested for spree of robberies in Phuket
PHUKET: Two suspects were arrested on Tuesday night for a spree of robberies in Phuket. A Burmese fisherman filed a report against the two for robbing and stabbing him at Sea Angel Pier in Rassada Monday night. The first suspect, Panuwat Kaewpoh, 24, was apprehended on Narisorn Road in Phuket Town. “We have seen many similar cases involving Burmese workers…
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Joint venture to develop senior living village in Phuket
PHUKET: A joint venture company, Kamala Senior Living Co Ltd, has been set up to develop an upscale ‘Lifestyle Senior Living Village’ worth 3.5 billion baht in Phuket. The company is a partnership between property firm Nye Estate Co Ltd, Chewathai Public Co Ltd, LPN Development Plc and CH Karnchang Plc. The project would be equipped with a full range…
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Police assistant shot at checkpoint, hospitalized in critical condition
PHUKET: A Phuket City Police assistant was shot early this morning while attempting to stop a motorbike at a checkpoint. “We had set up a checkpoint on Anuphatkarn Road. Two men on a motorbike were coming toward the checkpoint, but turned around to flee as soon as they saw the officers there,” said Lt Col Sakol Krainara of Phuket City…
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Human remains discovered in Phuket forest believed to be those of a Burmese woman’s
PHUKET: Police are trying to identify the cause of death of a woman whose skeleton was discovered in a Kathu forest yesterday afternoon. At about 4:45pm, police received a report from locals that they had found human remains in a forest beside the King Kong water park. Kathu Police Superintendent ML Pattanachak Jakkapan led a team to the scene to…
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Citing indelible memories and people, the Phuket Gazette bows out in a nostalgic farewell
PHUKET: Times change and old media continue to bow to the new. With great regret, the Phuket Gazette is retiring from the field and will cease operations with effect from the end of this month – midnight, July 31. Other than our office, owned by a shareholder (not the Gazette itself), our primary asset has long been the Gazette Online.…
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Eight murdered, three wounded in execution-style home massacre in Krabi
KRABI: A village headman and 10 members of his family were shot in the head in an execution style massacre at their home in Krabi. Carried out by several assailants yesterday, the massacre left eight dead and three others with serious injuries. Captain Suwit Kaewpreecha, deputy inspector of the Ao Luek Police Station in Krabi, was alerted to the massacre…
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Video: Ten-year-old tourist and father killed in another Phuket bus crash on Patong Hill
PHUKET: Two Chinese tourists were killed and 22 others injured after a tour bus flipped to its side while coming down Patong Hill, hitting several motorbikes and houses near the Suwankiriwong Temple last night. The bus driver, Kritaporn Nuandua, 36, blamed ‘brake failure’ for the incident. “The accident occurred at about 11pm. A 10 year-old boy died at the scene…
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More than 4,000 cyclists join Phuket biking event
PHUKET: A 20-kilometer bike ride organized as part of the ‘Nation Bike Thailand 2017’ event was held in Phuket yesterday and attracted more than 4,000 cyclists to the island. “The event was held under the theme of ‘Pan Yon Muang, Chim Ahan, Laokhan Reung Muang Too at Phuket’, or ‘Cycling for city sight seeing, tasting food and telling stories of…
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German murder suspect slits own throat after girlfriend’s body discovered
PHUKET: The body of a missing woman was found in a forest in Kathu yesterday afternoon, shortly before her boyfriend, a suspect in the case, slit his throat when approached by police officers for questioning. The victim, Picha Nampadung, 35, was reported missing by her niece, Rujirada Ornkorat, on July 1 (story here). “Ms Picha’s relatives told us that she…
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35-year-old Phuket woman reported missing
PHUKET: Police are searching for a Phuket woman who has reportedly been missing for seven days. Relatives of 35-year-old Picha Nampadung filed a missing persons report with Chalong Police. Facebook user R’forey Rujirada (whose real name is Rujirada Ornkorat) shared a post on social media saying she was the missing woman’s niece. Ms Rujirada provided a picture of her aunt…
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Five houses burned down in two Phuket fires
PHUKET: More than 700,000 baht’s worth of damages were caused as five houses burned down in two separate incidents in Phuket. The first fire broke out at Baan Klang in Chalong yesterday. Chalong Police received reports of the fire and contacted the municipality for help. Firefighters spent 30 minutes battling the flames, but the whole house was burned to the…
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Angry mob protests against arrest of mentally disabled man
PHUKET: Baan Thasak locals on Wednesday gathered in front of Thalang District Office to demand justice for a mentally disabled man who was allegedly attacked by police officers during a drug arrest earlier that day. About 50 locals gathered at the scene and demanded that the arresting officers be held responsible for what they did. On Wednesday evening, civil defense…
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Phuket business operators protest migrant labor exodus
PHUKET: More than 20 business operators and contractors gathered at Phuket Provincial Hall to protest against a newly announced migrant worker labor law yesterday morning. “A new executive decree on foreign workers’ management was launched on June 26, according to which operators who employ illegal foreign laborers may be fined up to 800,000 baht. This has caused thousands of laborers…
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Phuket Gov chairs opening ceremony of tourism fair
PHUKET: The opening ceremony of the ‘Andaman Hotelier and Tourism Fair 2017’, the biggest hotel fair in the south, was held at Homeworks yesterday afternoon. “The tourism industry is vital for Phuket’s economy. This event aims to enhance our standard of service and make us more competitive with other countries,” said Phuket Governor Norraphat Plodthong, who chaired the ceremony. The…
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Injured dolphin stranded at Patong Beach
PHUKET: An injured spinner dolphin was stranded on the shore at Patong Beach yesterday. The dolphin was 1.2 meters long and weighed about 20kg. Tourists found him yesterday evening. He looked weak and was struggling to get back into the sea. Rescue workers from the Kusoldharm Foundation used specialized equipment to lift the dolphin and transfer him to the Phuket…
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Angry mob burns effigy to protest falling palm oil prices
KRABI: An angry mob of more than 100 people gathered outside Krabi Provincial Hall this morning and burned an effigy of the Deputy Director General of the Department of Internal Trade to protest against the falling prices of palm oil. Members of the protest, who had gathered from Krabi and nearby provinces, including Trang, Phanag Nga, Chumphon, Ranong, Surat Thani…
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One killed in collision with garbage truck
PHUKET: A 41-year-old biker was killed in a crash with a Phuket Municipality garbage truck early yesterday morning. “The victim, Chote Promphan, was driving toward Saphan Hin. The accident occurred at the Phuket Vocational College intersection,” said Lt Col Sakchai Chunyong of Phuket City Police. The severely injured driver was taken to Vachira Phuket Hospital by Kusoldharm Foundation rescue workers,…
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Slow loris released back into the wild
PHUKET: Officers from the Office of Natural Resources and Environment (NRE) Phuket helped release a slow loris back into the wild on Monday. “A villager in the Baan Kuku area found the loris in the middle of the road, so he kindly brought it to us,” said NRE Director Kasem Sookwaree. The loris was delivered to Pongchat Chuehorm, head of…
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Uzbek tourist arrested with fake US dollars in Phuket
PHUKET: A tourist from Uzbekistan was arrested for trying to exchange fake US dollars at a money exchange in Rawai yesterday. “Karnika Patkong, 59, the owner of M&P money exchange on Patak Rd, informed us that a tourist asked for Thai baht and Malaysian ringitt in return for US$1,700. He suspected the US dollars were forged, so he called us…
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Three-meter python found in Phuket apartment building
PHUKET: Rescue workers in Phuket helped capture a large snake at an apartment building in Kathu yesterday. The Kusoldharm Foundation received reports from residents of the Ratchaporn Apartment about a python found inside a drain there. The rescue team arrived at the scene with specialized equipment to capture the reptile. They removed the grill covering the drain and then used…
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Iraqi national arrested for allegedly stealing 60,000 baht from tourist
PHUKET: An Iraqi national was yesterday arrested for allegedly stealing 60,000 baht from a tourist at a Phuket hotel last week. The suspect, Ouday Kadim Rashek, 27, was arrested at a housing estate in Vichit. “The victim, a tourist from Qatar, told us that he came to Phuket with a friend on June 26 and was initially scheduled to go…
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New labor laws see hundreds of migrant workers fired, sent home
PHUKET: At least 400 Burmese migrant workers in Phuket were sent back home yesterday morning after their employers terminated them as a consequence of draconian new labor laws. Phuket Governor Norrphat Plodthong and other relevant officers oversaw the exodus. The workers gathered at the Tha Rua shrine near the Heroines Monument in Si Sunthon. They were then transported to Ranong…
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Phang Nga airport plans shrouded in controversy
PHANG NGA: The proposal for a full-scale commercial airport in Phang Nga, first revealed by the Phuket Gazette a year ago, has a long way to travel before it can hand a prospectus to more potential investors. Enthusiasm from its lead drivers, however, Bangkok Airways and the Phang Nga provincial governor, continues unabated. Governor Pakkapong Tawiphat told the Phuket Gazette…
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Slow loris recovering from electrocution in Phuket
PHUKET: A slow loris was rescued and placed under the care of veterinarians after being electrocuted in Thalang Friday evening. “It seems the creature got lost while trying to find food and was electrocuted after climbing onto electric wires near the Ban Pa Krong Cheep School. He is fatigued and has suffered some burns,” said Kusoldharm Foundation rescue worker Virat…
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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