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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Patong Mayor unmoved by beach vendors’ pleas
PHUKET: Patong Mayor Chalermluck Kebsup on November 1 dug in her heels against alleged public land encroachment by Patong Beach food vendors. A three-hour meeting at Phuket Provincial Hall between Patong Municipality officials, Phuket Provincial officers and beach vendors ended without any definite conclusion, which Mayor Chalermluck attributed to the fact that beach vendors ‘never made good on their promises’.…
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Australian tourist injured in elephant attack
PHUKET: An Australian tourist was hospitalized after he was attacked by an elephant chained to a tree inside a forest in Mai Khao. “Chan Yong Shun, 62, had gone for a walk in the area on Monday, when he came across the four-year-old elephant named Namwan and moved closer to take a picture,” said Tah Chat Chai Police Superintendent Prawit…
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Flash floods cause massive traffic jam in Phuket
PHUKET: Flash flooding has caused a major traffic jam on Thepkrasattri Road southbound, with hundreds of vehicles trying to make their way through the catastrophe this afternoon. Police and Kusoldharm Foundation rescue workers are redirecting small vehicles and motorcycles to use the alternative road in front of Phuket Muang Thalang School. The flood occurred north of Thalang Town after hours…
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Busted again: Ex-convict arrested for drug possession
PHUKET: A 21-year-old ex-convict was arrested with 48,700 pills of ya bah (amphetamine), while her two accomplices are on the run from police. Papawadee Yuanset was arrested near a mangrove forest in Pa Khlok about 5pm yesterday. She had previously been sentenced for possession of ya ice (crystal methamphetamine) with intent to sell and was released from prison about a…
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Dropped candle blamed for Phuket blaze
PHUKET: A candle falling onto a bed is believed to have been the cause of a fire which gutted a row of five houses in Thalang last night. No one was injured in the blaze, which broke out at 10pm in the Baan Mak Prok community and quickly spread to nearby houses, Tah Chat Chai Police Capt Thanom Thongpan told…
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Body of fallen Phuket soldier returns home
PHUKET: The body of a soldier, shot dead while on duty in Pattani last night, was brought back to his home in Phuket’s Pa Khlok sub-district today. Private Thanapon Kaewpetch, 23, had completed his term as a soldier, but had been carrying on his duty voluntarily. Phuket officials and army personnel, led by Gen Akom Pongprom of the 41st Military…
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Air and sea operations underway to find missing Russian man
PHUKET: Officials are searching for a Russian man who went missing on Sunday while swimming at Koh Payan, Similan Islands. Aleksei Stashkov reportedly disappeared while swimming on a trip with his cousin, Mikhail Kolmogorov, 60. Mr Kolmogorov filed a missing persons report on Tuesday after he came across navy personnel from the Royal Thai Navy Third Area Command, while searching…
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Free trip to Grand Palace for Phuketians in mourning
PHUKET: Phuketians wishing to pay their respects to His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej can now avail themselves of a free trip to the Grand Palace in Bangkok. “The Ministry of Interior has made arrangements for people to visit the Grand Palace from 9am-4pm every day,” said Phuket Governor Chokchai Dejamornthan. “Therefore, we plan to take people from Phuket to Bangkok…
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Indebted Phuket man found hanged
PHUKET: A motorbike taxi driver was found hanged in a room in Patong last night, along with a letter nearby. “We found the body of Boonchai Tongsirikul, 65, hanging from a nylon rope in a room on Pisitkoranee Road,” said Capt Sininat Cherdchutrakulthong of the Patong Police. “There were no signs of a struggle or any violence inflicted on his…
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B5mn worth of damages in Phuket plant fire
PHUKET: A power controller at the Patong water treatment plant caught fire early Tuesday morning, causing an estimated 5 million baht worth of damages. “Firefighters took 20 minutes to put out the blaze. Nearby locals reported a loud explosion, followed by smoke and flames from the plant,” said Patong Police chief Lt Col Weerapong Rakhito, who inspected the site soon…
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Low turnout for 2nd Tranlee asset auction
PHUKET: A second round of auctioning off assets seized from the defunct Tranlee Travel Co at the Phuket Municipality office yesterday attracted little interest from potential buyers. Back in September, more than 150 assets confiscated from the travel company by the Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO) fetched 102,742,000 baht over three days of auctions, after the company was found to be…
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Five years for molester of American tourist
KRABI: The Thai man who sexually assaulted 23-year-old American tourist Hannah Michel Gavios on September 1, resulting in her falling down a 45-meter cliff at Railay Bay in Krabi, has been sentenced to five years in jail. Ms Gavios was temporarily paralyzed after falling down the crevice at night while attempting to flee the advances of Krabi native Apai Ruangwong,…
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Laguna Phuket Triathlon named ‘Best Amateur Sports Event’ of the year
PHUKET: Laguna Phuket Triathlon has been awarded this year’s ‘Best Amateur Sports Event’ at the 2016 Sports Industry Awards & Conference (SPIA Asia). The Laguna Phuket Triathlon organizers picked up the bronze award at SPIA conference in Bangkok on October 4. Winners in the same category were the Bangkok Marathon, awarded Gold, and the Top of the Gulf Regatta (Silver).…
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Electrocuted man found dead in home
PHUKET: A man was found dead with an electric wire wrapped around his wrist early this morning in Thalang. Police believe he died from a self-inflicted shock. “We received reports at 2:40am that Channarong Sinka, 30, was found in his one-storey house on a street off Thepkrasattri Road,” Thalang Police Lt Sunan Petnhu told the Phuket Gazette. “We found him…
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Abandoned suitcase creates panic
PHUKET: An unknown foreigner caused a stir among Koh Kaew residents yesterday morning, when he dropped off a suitcase outside a SuperCheap store and promptly left. Wattana Thinkoh, the village headman (Phu Yai Baan), was alerted to the incident about 10am. “I reported the case to my superior, Muang District Chief Supoj Chanakij. Phuket City Police officers were also called…
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Fire guts house in Phuket Town
PHUKET: Fire gutted a house in Phuket Town this morning. Two fire trucks arrived to tackle the blaze after a neighbor spotted smoke billowing from the single-storey house on Kra Road in Talad Yai about 10am. Firefighters were able to contain the flames before they spread to nearby houses, taking just over 20 minutes to bring the fire under control.…
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Tuk tuk murder suspects arrested, four on the run
PHUKET: Police on Friday arrested and charged a man and his son who are suspected of hiring a gunman to kill the president of the Patong Tuk Tuk Drivers’ Club last Tuesday (story here). The suspects, 38-year-old Wattana Nawakaew and his son 17-year-old son ‘Tong’, have both been charged with gang-related crimes, including gang murder, possession of illegal firearms and…
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Russians injured in backhoe smash on dark road
PHUKET: Three Russian were injured when the car they were in smashed into a backhoe parked on the Manik-Cherng Talay Road in Srisoonrthon early this morning. “The foreigners, named Vitaliy Savenko, 49, Natalia Eremikhina, 23 and Pavel Martynov, 23, were heading toward the Heroines’ Monument about 5:30am. They came across a road construction site where the backhoe was parked, and…
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Traffic choked up as landslide fells utility poles, trees
PHUKET: A landslide, following torrential rains last night (story here), caused several power poles and trees to fall in Patong this afternoon. Traffic was choked up on the 50 Pi Road, connecting Chalong and Petchakoot Road to Kata Karon. Patong Municipality sent workers to pick up the fallen trees while staff from the Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) office in Patong…
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Incessant rains cripple Phuket overnight
PHUKET: Emergency staff have been ordered to remain alert after continuous rain battered the island last night, lasting well into the morning and flooding large areas in Patong and Phuket Town, among others. “I have ordered local administrative officials to stand by for any emergencies and also be on the lookout for residents who might need help,” Governor Chokchai Dejamorthan…
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Gov asked to intervene in vendor, municipality conflict
PHUKET: A group of 30 vendors yesterday filed a complaint with the governor’s office against the Patong Municipality after being given a cancellation notice of their rental contract. The vendors, who currently occupy the Loma Building on the Patong beachfront, asked the governor to intervene in the municipality’s plans to build a conference hall in the area where they operate…
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Speedboat shooters on the loose
PHUKET: Police are on a double manhunt for suspects that shot a fellow boat crew member in Koh Sirey last night. The 34-year-old victim, named Suchat Hetthong, escaped after getting shot in the right foot about 7:15pm near Koh Sirey Bridge. “Mr Suchat told us that five men, including the captain of another boat, showed up at his house and…
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Thai man ignores red flags, nearly drowns
PHUKET: A Thai tourist nearly drowned on Wednesday after he ignored red flag warnings and went swimming at Kata Beach. About 4pm, 27-year-old Athithan Kanjanawattanakun reportedly disappeared into the water. Lifeguards and Royal Thai Navy search and rescue personnel managed to recover him while he was still conscious. Mr Athithan received first aid at the scene and was then sent…
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Top cop, officers charge down Bangla
PHUKET: A posse of police officers paraded down the island’s party soi Wednesday night in an effort to boost tourist confidence. The 150-strong group was led down Bangla Road by Phuket Provincial Police Commander Teerapol Thipjaroen to scan the area for any suspicious activities. “The high season is coming,” said Gen Teerapol. “Christmas and New Year celebrations may attract criminals…
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Phuket firefighters battle power pole blazes
PHUKET: Two power poles on the island caught fire in two separate incidents last night and early this morning, leaving locals in the dark for several hours in some areas. “We received reports of an electricity pole on fire in Srisoonthorn, Thalang, on Thepkrasattri Road southbound, at about 8:30pm last night,” Amnart Sujjit, a firefighter for Srisoonthorn Municipality, told the…
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Phuket bikers show love for His Majesty
PHUKET: At least 200 big bikers joined Phuket City Municipality officials in a mourning ceremony for His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej at Saphan Hin on Tuesday night. The bikers, from Phuket and nearby provinces, created a formation to spell out the words ‘King’ and ‘Rama IX’ with their bikes. The ceremony was presided over by Phuket City Deputy Mayor Kawee…
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Brit arrested for tuk-tuk robbery in Phuket
PHUKET: A British tourist was arrested and charged with theft yesterday after stealing a tuk-tuk driver’s wallet and other possessions from inside the taxi’s cab while it was parked in Karon last week. After reporting the theft to Karon police on Saturday, the tuk-tuk driver, Tawatchai Namwong, posted a warning about the pilfering farang on social media. The post read:…
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Flood, landslide warnings issued throughout Krabi
KRABI: Flood and landslide warnings have been issued for Krabi residents after downpours affected at least 50 people over the weekend. On Monday, Klonghin OrBorTor President Sila Saiyid inspected an area where about 20 houses have been flooded at Baan Tung Kor, in addition to 400-500 rai of palm and rubber plantations. “Heavy rains caused excess water to collect in…
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Chinese holidaymaker drowns at Patong Beach
PHUKET: A 31-year-old Chinese man on holiday in Phuket with his wife drowned at Patong Beach yesterday afternoon. The deceased, Gang Liu, 31, was pulled from the surf at 4:30pm and rushed to Patong Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 4:45pm. Patong Police chief Lt Col Weerapong Rakhito said yesterday that after questioning Mr Liu’s wife, it was clear…
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Girl, 11, ripped from father’s arms in deadly surf
PHUKET: An 11-year old Korean girl was ripped from the arms of her father and swept out to sea by strong waves during a day trip to Koh Racha on Monday. Tour boat staff later found her unconscious body floating in the water some distance from the beach at Ao Patok on Racha Island, where she had been swimming with…
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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