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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UPDATE: Beach butt ban
After finding a large amount of cigarettes on Patong Beach following the results of several volunteer beach cleans, the Director General of Marine and Coastal Department announced that from November onward, the department will enforce the law – Section 17 of Marine and Coastal Management Promotion Act – to prohibit smoking on the beach. “After collecting trash from Patong Beach,…
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Koh Phi Phi – Thailand’s most profitable national park
Phi Phi Islands is the most profitable national park in the nation for 2 years in a row. Had Nopparat Thara – Phi Phi Island National Park has officially reached the highest income among the national parks across the country this year with 669 million Baht. The statistic were revealed by the Department of Nature, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP)…
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Banning the butt – cigarette ban on Phuket’s beaches
What is the most numerous item found at the many beach cleans organised by groups around the island? Plastic bottle? Straws? Flip-flops? plastic bags? No. It’s cigarette butts. People smoking on the beach and leaving their butts in the sand are a major contributor to the island’s beach rubbish problem. And it’s not just Phuket. Beaches around the kingdom have…
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New set of tsunami detectors being installed in the Indian Ocean
The National Disaster Warning Center (NDWC) has sent a transport boat to pick up the existing Tsunami detectors and to deliver a new set to the middle of the Indian Ocean. The new set of tsunami detector systems have been installed on at the latitude 9 degrees North and longitude 89 degrees East position. The installation is taking place from…
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Blood Donations in Honour of King Bhumibol Adulyadej
More than 200 Phuketians joined a blood donation drive in honour of the Late King Bhumibol Adulyadej, or King Rama IX. The blood donation booth was set up at the Metropol Hotel in Phuket Town from 9am – 3pm yesterday with an exhibition of the past King working on blood donation projects. The exhibition also provided knowledge about donating and…
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Jail terms for three officials in Phuket land encroachment case
The Criminal Court on Monday handed down prison sentences to all three surviving offenders in the Phuket land-corruption case, while the Land Department was ordered to revoke the land deed at issue in the case. The court sentenced the first defendant, Narong Ounseam, the land surveyor, to five years in jail; the second defendant, Sommit Suebsin, the kamnan of Tambon…
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Orca Whale spotted in the seas off Phuket
The Orca aka “Killer Whale” has been spotted in the sea on the west coast of Phuket. The VDO and picture were captured by the Facebook user named “Phairot Kong.” For this impressive discovery, Dr. Thon Thamrongnawasawat, a marine activist, the Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Fishery at Kasetsart University and an official advisor to the Department of Marine…
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Newborn baby boy abandoned in Patong
A newborn baby has been found dumped at a laundry shop in Patong yesterday (October 8). Patong police found a healthy 3.5 kilograms baby boy who still had a fresh umbilical cord attached. The baby was sent to a paediatric specialist at Patong Hospital. The doctor said that he was born approximately 12 hours ago and the medical team is…
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3,200 runners turn up for the annual Mai Khao Marine Turtle Fun Run
There was a huge turnout for the 13th Mai Khao Marine Turtle Fun Run and Mini Marathon 2017, with 3,200 people taking part in the annual event. The opening ceremony was presided by Phuket’s Governor Noraphat Plodthong alongside Vice Governor Snith Sriwihok, Vice Governor Thawornwat Kongkaew, Uthit Limsakul, Deputy Director of The Tourism Authority of Thailand and Oriol Montal, GM…
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Taking the bang out of this year’s Vegetarian Festival
This year’s Vegetarian Festival will still be taking place between October 20 – 28. But organisers have been asked to ‘tone it down’ (how do you tone down the Vegetarian Festival?!) and restrict parades until the last day only in respect of the funeral for the Late King Bhumibol Adulyadej in Bangkok. Whilst the festival is meant to be about…
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Fake immigration officer trying to extort foreigners around Phuket
Phuket Immigration are warning of a fake officer who is trying to extort money from foreigners around the island. After gathering information, Phuket Immigration say that a person has been impersonating an officer from the local Immigration Office and been asking for money from foreigners saying they have problems with their visas. Phuket Immigration Police are now investigating the situation to…
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Another week to verify exactly what the ‘object’ is at Nai Yang
The suspected torpedo remains in the sea of Naiyang Beach. It will take a week to verify its type but the object is safe, according to a specialist in the area of wartime ordinance. Yesterday afternoon (October 6), a team from the Royal Thai Navy Area 3, Phang Nga base, visited the spot again when it was low tide. The…
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6 share-bikes found dumped in Bangyai canal
6 Ofo bicycles from the share-bike project launched in Phuket Town in September, have been found dumped in a canal. Some of them have also been stolen by the renters in the first few days as well. The sharing bike project had been launched on September 20 and announced free rides for a month from October 1. Apart from the…
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150 temporary lifeguards being trained
The Phuket OrBorJor (Phuket Provincial Organisation) is setting up a training course for 150 new lifeguards in readiness to step in if no one bids in the new auction. A meeting at the OrBorJor office today (October 6) chaired by Vice Governor Thawornwat Kongkaew, along with many local authorities, discussed about more possible solutions for Phuket lifeguard duties. There have…
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THAIGER TODAY Friday, October 6
Election delayed until 2019 | Laypang won’t be released to the wild | Kasikorn Bank has revised it’s predictions for Thai economy | Big drug haul in Phuket Town | Janitor gets special surprise from students.
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Teachers and parents protesting at a Krabi school
A protest gathering of 300 students, parents and teachers of Baan Klong Jone School in Krabi took place yesterday (October 5) with the aim to expel the school director, Pairot Khaosang, who allegedly has been failing his administration during the past 4 years. The protest was led by the president of the school board, Alongkorn Yaprang, calling for the replacement…
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Drugs, guns and bullets – 2 men arrested
Today (October 5), Phuket police announced the arrest of 2 men with 10,760 amphetamine pills, 1 kilogram of meth amphetamine and guns and bullets valued at 1.4 million Baht. The arrest follows a 7-kilogram amphetamine crackdown that happened 2 months ago. The police tracked down the other drug dealers involved in the network by investigating the people arrested. Police discovered…
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Laypang won’t be released back to the wild
The DNA results for Laypang, Phuket’s celebrity crocodile, has been revealed it is a mix between saltwater and freshwater crocodile which was possibly born through a human breeder, not naturally. Phuket’s Governor says that the Fisheries Department will be responsible for the next step in the Laypang saga. The authorities are now checking for possible locations where the crocodile comes…
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THAIGER TODAY Thursday, October 5
It’s a bomb, an old bomb | Joint statement from White House mentions new Thai elections | Civil aviation ‘report card’ verdict soon | Swarms of pink fire jellyfish at Koh Gai | Tesco Lotus closing 1,900 stores on October 26.
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More than 10,000 fire jellyfish found near Gai Island, Krabi
During a survey by officers of Hat Noppharat Thara-Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park today (October 4), the team found a massive group of pink fire jellyfish floating on the water surface. “We found a lot of fire jellyfish near Gai Island and we have warned all tour boats to be careful of them and avoid diving in the area…
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THAIGER TODAY Wednesday, October 4
Suspicious ‘torpedo’ shaped object at Nai Yang Beach | Roadworks on Kaw Sim Bee Road | Final two days to pay respects at Grand Palace | Retiring teachers being offered short-term contracts | Rohingya suspicious of Myanmar Government offers | PM Prayut and US President Trump talk trade and elections.
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Hundreds of monkeys in Krabi waiting for food on the street
About a hundred macaques living in a mangrove near Baan Talane Pier in Krabi are flocking to nearby streets to get food from pedestrians packing the drive-way with a groups of monkeys and frequently blocking the road altogether. “I travel to Koh Yao Noi, Phang Nga through this pier regularly and I can see the number of monkeys growing all…
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How long does it take to repair a road?
Specifically, how long does it take to repair Kaw Sim Bee Road (the road up Rang Hill from Phuket Town, on the south side)? Two weeks ago we reported the cracks in the road, some up to 50 metres long. Road authorities have closed the road for ‘landslide protection’ which we’re going to read as reinforcing the cliff at the…
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Phuket struggles to find new lifeguards
There are still no lifeguards applying for the job, according to the OrBorJor. Following a meeting at the provincial hall today (October 3) OrBorJor Phuket representative, Satien Kaewpraprab, says that no one has applied for the lifeguard positions after an announcement of hiring for individual contracts. He explained that the main reasons are that some of them do not have…
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Phuket gets ready for the Late King’s local cremation ceremonies
During the meeting at Provincial Hall today (October 3), Phuket authorities have updated the progress for the Late King’s cremation ceremony in Phuket. The Phuket Provincial Offices of Public Works and Town & Country Planning officer, Tawee Homhuan, said that the royal funeral pyrotechnic model on the main stage of Sapan Hin Park is about 90% completed and 99% is…
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THAIGER TODAY Tuesday, October 3
‘Trade talk’ between Prayut and Donald at White House | Police have issued a Blue Notice to Interpol over Yingluck’s disappearance | Thailand looking to revise it’s GDP predictions | Khon Kaen bus driver caught using his phone whilst driving.
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More rain on the way – north, north-east and south
Phuket is facing more thunderstorms and rain until at least the weekend. Phuket Governor, Norapat Plodtong, said yesterday (October 2) that according to the Thai Meteorological Department, Phuket is one of those provinces facing downpours from October 2-5 saying locals should follow up the weather forecast closely. People in Phuket, especially those who live on the lowland areas, should be…
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THAIGER TODAY Monday, October 2
Coming from Bang Wad in Kathu today… A 23 year old Chinese tourist, Shi Yieing, drowned over the weekend | US President and the Thai PM meet today in Washington for talks | More pink fire jellyfish found off Koh Hong | Sunday’s Run 2Gether in Phuket Town a high success.
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Koh Racha gets a clean-up, on the beaches and underwater
Volunteer divers tackled the rubbish around Koh Racha over the weekend. They collected 2,291 pieces of trash with a total weight of 506 kilograms. Here’s a list of the rubbish they collected… 2,007 pieces of trash from beach activities 811 plastic bottles 150 glass bottles 51 drinking cans 265 bottle lids/corks 60 forks/spoons 5 toys 290 plastic glass 171 clothes…
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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