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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American found dead in Phuket hotel room
PHUKET: An American man was found dead at a hotel room in Patong yesterday afternoon. “We received a report of the incident at about 3:30pm. The deceased was 58 years old and staying at the Orange Hotel,” said Maj Pattapee Srichai of Patong Police. “We found him lying face up on his bed with no wounds or marks on his…
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Phuket-bound speedboat crashes into longtail at Maya Bay
PHUKET: Three people escaped serious injuries after a speedboat crashed into a longtail off Phi Phi yesterday afternoon. Capt Paramin Maikul of Phi Phi Police received reports of the collision at about 2pm. “The incident occurred near Maya Bay. The longtail had two Japanese tourists and a captain, named Somsak Sangpaen, 30, on board. The captain sustained minor injuries, while…
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Deadly crash kills one near Central Festival Phuket
PHUKET: A Rawai local was killed early this morning when his truck crashed into an electricity pole in front of Central Festival Phuket. Lt Patcharee Wongboon of Wichit Police received reports of the incident at about 4:30am. “We arrived with rescue workers to find the heavily-damaged brown Toyota Vigo pick-up truck flipped over to its left side and smashed into…
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Holiday nightmare: Aussie tourist killed in Phuket jet-ski collision
PHUKET: A 20-year-old Australian woman was killed in a jet-ski collision with her husband at Kata Beach yesterday evening. The victim, named Emily Collie, suffered severe injuries to her head, neck and shoulders. “Other beachgoers came to her aid and lifeguards administered CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) while waiting for police and rescue workers to arrive,” said Lt Col Patiwat Yordsuan of…
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Hotel Report: Russians back, zero-baht backlash, crackdown on illegal hotels
PHUKET: Russian arrivals are back to pre-crisis level while the zero-baht tourism ban curbed Q4 growth, the newly released C9 Hotelworks ‘Phuket Hotel Market Update’ for February says. With total airport arrivals surpassing 7.5 million passengers, Phuket experienced a sharp year-on-year rise of 18 per cent, compared to 13 per cent the previous year. This is largely attributed to the…
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Two killed by electrocution in Phuket
PHUKET: Two 27-year-old men were killed in two separate incidents of electrocution in Patong yesterday afternoon. The first victim was an elevator engineer named Detch Gamlhong, who was called in to fix an elevator at a hotel on Prachanukror Road. “We received a report of the incident from staff at Patong Hospital at about 1pm. The victim was rushed to…
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Abandoned luggage causes bomb scare in Phuket Town
PHUKET: The Explosive Ordnance Unit (EoU) responded to a bomb scare at Yi Teng Intersection in Phuket Town at about 8:30 last night. Phuket City Police officers received reports of an abandoned suitcase that had been left near a garbage bin. Traffic came to a standstill as police arrived at the scene and blocked all incoming traffic to the area…
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Two teenagers stabbed by youth gang in Phuket
PHUKET: Two teenage boys were stabbed by a gang of teenagers who allegedly tried to rob them at Bang Niew Dam Reservoir in Thalang yesterday evening. Police and rescue teams arrived at the scene to find the two boys injured and bleeding. Worrayuth Kahapana, 18, had stab wounds to his left arm and lower rib. The second victim,16, had multiple…
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Phuket lifeguard quits to protest vendor takeover
PHUKET: A Laem Singh lifeguard quit his job last month after a group of angry umbrella vendors reportedly asked him to remove his government-issued lifeguard tent, claiming the space as theirs. The vendors said they were ‘locals’ and were authorized to use the space to set up umbrellas and mats for rent. Almost exactly a year ago, former Phuket Vice…
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Foreigner stabbed to death in Phuket last night
PHUKET: Confusion prevailed at Phuket’s Rassada port when a Burmese man ran amok with a deep knife wound in his back last night. The 28-year-old man, named only as ‘Mutesui’, was part of a fishing boat crew and was seen running from a boat docked at the pier at about 11:45pm. “A witness told us that he was walking past…
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Another foreign tourist killed on Phuket’s roads
PHUKET: Another foreign tourist in Phuket, this time a young Turkish man, died in a motorbike crash in Kathu District at about 10pm last night. The incident occurred near the Red Mountain Golf Course. Police and rescue workers arrived at the scene to find Hussain Cengiz Coskun, 24, lying on the road next to an electric pole with severe head…
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British man found suffocated in Phuket
PHUKET: A British man from Liverpool was found dead with a plastic bag taped around his neck at a house in Rawai yesterday afternoon. His partner, Rasamee Khaigarb, contacted Capt Somkiet Sarasit of Chalong Police to report the incident at about 4pm. The policeman arrived at the scene with rescue teams. “We found the 55-year-old man lying face up with…
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‘Most beautiful’ girl in Krabi crowned
KRABI: Pamela Pasinetti won the Miss Grand Krabi 2017 beauty pageant last weekend, and is on her way to compete in Miss Grand Thailand 2017. The Miss Grand competition involves the selection of the ‘most beautiful’ girl in a particular province. Once the girl is chosen, she gets a chance to compete in the larger Miss Grand Thailand competition –…
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Phuket swimmers treated with plant paste for jellyfish stings
PHUKET: A quick-thinking Surin lifeguard used his basic knowledge of beach vegetation to treat a young boy and two adults stung by jellyfish this morning. Sayan Bureerak, head of Surin Beach Lifeguards, received reports of the incident at about 11am. “The tourists – two adults and one 10-year-old boy – were in a lot pain when I arrived. Since I…
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100,000 baht found on Phuket temple beggar
PHUKET: A crippled Thai beggar with a hidden ‘money-belt’ was arrested last night after police received complaints from visitors at the Chalong Temple Fair. Lt Col Parinya Tanthasuwan of Chalong Police received reports of the 67-year-old man harassing locals and foreigners at about 7pm, and called in Supparuek Pinyo from the Phuket Province Social Development and Society office. “We first…
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Phuket school assembly disrupted by parked car
PHUKET: A picture of a car parked in the middle of a school assembly in Phuket is making the rounds on the internet this morning. The Facebook post was originally shared by Pairat Kamliang, deputy director of Baan Samkong Municipality School, asking the public to help locate the owner of the car, which is a Toyota Camry Hybrid. Mr Pairat…
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Critically injured Aussie hospitalized in Phuket [video]
PHUKET: An Australian tourist, who was reportedly involved in a head-on collision with a truck in Koh Lanta on January 15, has been hospitalized in Phuket with a mounting medical bill that is not covered by her insurance. Dawn Weldon-Schupp, a 53-year-old nurse from New South Wales, was travelling on a motorbike with her 14-year-old son, Josh, when the accident…
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Phuket’s snakes have no place to go
PHUKET: The Kusoldharm Rescue Foundation Phuket has reported that at least 16 reticulated pythons were captured from people’s homes in Kathu and Phuket City this month. “We classified the reptiles by weight; five of them weighed under 5kg and were released into the Khao Phra Thaew Nature and Wildlife Education Center Non-hunting restricted area,” Phongchart Churhom, head of the Khao…
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Panicked Phuket elephant rampages into forest
PHUKET: Police and livestock officers shot a runaway elephant with five tranquilizer darts after he panicked and ran loose at a camp in the Nakkerd Hills yesterday morning. Staff from the elephant trekking camp located in Soi Yodsanee, Chalong, called in officers from the Phuket Livestock Office and Chalong Police for help at about 10:30am, after the elephant, named ‘Plai…
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Phuket pockets billion-baht infrastructure budget
PHUKET: A billion-baht budget for infrastructure development for 2017-2018 has been approved for Phuket, Governor Chokchai Dejamornthan announced last week. The budget is slated to improve traffic congestion and overall infrastructure development in Phuket, including building, extending and maintaining roads; installing CCTV cameras; burying overhead cables; beach development; and building and maintaining underpasses. Additionally, Governor Chokchai has re-ignited interest in…
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Electrical malfunction believed to be cause of Patong nightclub fire
PHUKET: The cause of a fire at ‘Seduction’ discotheque on Soi Bangla, Phuket’s infamous party street, is believed to be an electrical malfunction in a ceiling fan. The fire started at about 7:45pm on Saturday. Six firetrucks arrived at the scene, with firefighters working for at least two hours to calm the flames that took over and extensively damaged the…
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Owner reunited with lost Chinese envelopes
PHUKET: A stack of red envelopes filled with cash left behind at a Phuket Town restaurant were returned to their original owner within a few hours with the help of a Facebook post last night. The red envelopes, known as ‘hóngbao‘, are generally distributed to employees, or to children during the Chinese New Year celebrations. “At about 4pm yesterday, I…
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Video: Rare, endangered mammal safely rehabilitated in Phuket
PHUKET: A night guard working in Rawai discovered a rare and endangered mammal early yesterday morning, and quickly sprang into action to protect the creature from harm. Guard Sanya Ritto noticed a creature in the undergrowth during one of his security rounds at the Rawai Villas development. Recognizing it as a Sunda pangolin, he approached it. However, following its natural…
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Thai official released after paintings theft in Japan
JAPAN: A senior-level Thai Intellectual Property Department official, who has admitted to stealing three paintings worth 15,000 yen (4,684 baht) from a Japanese hotel, was released from custody in Japan yesterday, a Thai Foreign ministry spokesman says. The release came after representatives of the Royal Thai Consulate General in Osaka negotiated the payment of compensation to the Kyoto hotel that…
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Penalty, jail term announced for Koh Racha rule breakers
KOH RACHA: The Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) has issued a ‘last warning’ to all tourists visiting Racha Island. Signs explaining what constitutes illegal behavior have been set up Ao Patok, Ao Siam and Ao Tue, in Thai, English, Russian and Chinese. The rules prohibit boats from dropping anchor when parked at Racha Yai Island, and visitors fromstanding…
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Police stumped as Russian found dead under ‘mysterious circumstances’
PHUKET: Police are working to unravel the mystery of a Russian man’s death at a Bang Tao house yesterday evening. Lt Col Sakon Krainara of Cherng Talay Police received a call from the victim’s wife, Elena Yasen, at about 5:45pm. Rescue workers and police arrived at the house to find her unconscious. “We had to revive her when we arrived.…
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Inaugural ‘Phuket RendezVous’ slated for next year
PHUKET: Royal Phuket Marina (RPM) is set to host the inaugural ‘Phuket RendezVous’ from January 4-7, 2018. Partnering with one of Asia’s most experienced luxury lifestyle event organizers, Asia RendezVous, the Phuket RendezVous showcase event will replace the Phuket International Boat Show (PIMEX) and build on its 14-year legacy. Hosted by RPM, the four-day-event will showcase a diverse range of…
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Snatch and run suspect arrested in Phuket
PHUKET: A Phang Nga man was arrested on Tuesday for multiple thefts in the Wichit and Kathu areas earlier this month. Col Nikorn Somsuk of Wichit Police presented the suspect Parkpoom Thinglim, 35, at a press conference yesterday. “We received several reports of snatchings by a man on a motorbike, three times in Wichit and once in Kathu. At about…
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“Professional’ pickpockets beaten by Phuket locals
PHUKET: Two pickpockets were caught and beaten to a pulp by locals at Wat Chalong Fair last night. Col Anantachai Piyapanun of Chalong Police received a report from locals present at the scene at about 9:30pm. “The two victims named Nunthicha Sermjabog and Jenjira Somboon were walking amid crowds at the fair when the two men, named Duangden Punna and…
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Marine experts: action needed to counter Phuket beach erosion
PHUKET: Officers from the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) and experts from academia have suggested two ways to counter the issue of erosion on Phuket beaches. However, they have yet to state when will they take action, and say they are waiting for ‘help’ from local, provincial and national authorities. On Tuesday, a team from the…
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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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