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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One dead, one severely injured in Phuket truck crash
PHUKET: One man was killed and another seriously injured when a watermelon delivery truck crashed into the steel pillars surrounding the Heroines’ Monument early this morning. Police and rescue workers rushed to the scene about 5:45am. “The truck was stuck to the pillars, while pieces of broken fruit were strewn everywhere. Rescue workers had to separate the vehicle from the…
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Business: Thailand’s airports to get overhauls
PHUKET: As authorities anticipate 34 million foreign-tourist arrivals and 150 million domestic air travellers in 2017, major airports including Phuket International, Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang International, U-tapao Rayong-Pattaya International, Krabi International and Chiang Rai Mae Fah Luang International are undergoing renovations or expansion. Meanwhile, there have been calls for some small airports upcountry, such as in Roi-et, Nakhon Ratchasima and Hua…
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Officials hunt perpetrators defacing coral
PHUKET: Officials are hunting for six people suspected of stepping on coral, stealing live coral and feeding fish in Koh Racha between Monday and Tuesday. This move by officials comes after locals at Koh Racha tried to stop an Asian tourist from taking a bagful of coral from the island earlier this week and asked authorities to take immediate action…
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Foreigners caught stealing motorbike on CCTV
PHUKET: Police are hunting for two foreigners who allegedly stole a motorbike in Patong last night. A Facebook user named ‘Tangchuemailaew Ngong Ah Di’ posted a CCTV video, at about 10:40am today, that showed the two unidentified foreign men watching a Thai man drive up and park his bike on the side of the road. The man opened the trunk…
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Severe weather warning issued for Phuket, southern provinces
PHUKET: The Phuket Marine Office (PMO) today issued a warning for all boats to proceed with caution and for small boats to not leave shore tomorrow or Saturday, due to large waves and predictions of heavy rain. The Thai Meteorological Department (TMD) issued a weather warning, titled ‘Heavy to Very Heavy Rain in Lower South and Strong Wind Waves in…
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“Seven days of danger’ ends with two deaths
PHUKET: The ‘Seven days of danger’ campaign in Phuket came to a close yesterday with a total of two deaths and 81 injuries. The campaign ran from December 29, 2016 to January 4, 2017. Both fatalities occurred on Sunday, day 4 of the campaign (story here). The following day, Phuket Vice Governor Teera Anantaseriwidhya visited four checkpoints on the island…
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Phuket police investigate series of holiday break-ins
PHUKET: Police are investigating a car break-in at Saphan Hin Park on Tuesday night, reported to be one of at least 15 such cases that occurred throughout Phuket during the holiday period. Phuket City Police officers received a report that someone had broken into a white Honda City by smashing the driver’s side window. “The car owner, named Supawaan Whamaak,…
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Koh Racha ‘conservationists’ call for end to coral theft
PHUKET: Locals in Koh Racha are raising concerns about coral theft after an Asian tourist was caught taking a bag full of coral on a boat bound for Phuket earlier this week. “I was shocked and unhappy to see her carrying our precious coral in a plastic bag, so I tried to talk to her and asked her to return…
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Phuket cabaret employee caught stealing on video
PHUKET: A cabaret show employee was caught on video while expertly stealing a pair of sunglasses from a woman’s bag on Sunday night. The 32-second clip, which shows a uniformed employee of the Aphrodite Cabaret Show in Kathu pretending to pose with a tourist while digging his hand into her bag to extract the glasses, went viral on social media…
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Gang of seven rob undercover officers, charged with theft
PHUKET: A gang of seven was arrested for attacking and robbing two undercover police officers in Phuket Town on Sunday morning. The Phuket City Police officers went straight to their station to report the crime and worked together with Col Kamol Osiri in order to locate the suspects via CCTV footage. “The teens had robbed the officers of two guns,…
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Samui expats rescue tourists from drowning
SAMUI: Two Russian tourists luckily escaped drowning on New Year’s Day when a group of expats dove in to rescue them from ferocious waves at Chaweng Noi Beach in Koh Samui. Officials had placed red warning flags advising the public not to swim that day due to the rough seas, but the man and woman, both believed to be in…
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Offenders’ heads shaved in lieu of criminal charges
PHUKET: Two Isaan men had their hair shaved off as punishment for fishing in a pond at a temple in Chalong on Sunday morning. Kunnakorn Srikoon, 29, and Wanit Panthina, 30, were caught with fishing equipment and a turtle inside Wat Ladthiwanaram (Wat Tai) where people release fish and turtles to make merit. Supawathakan Kunlauk of Chalong Municipality and Chalong…
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Officials hunt for owner of illegal fishing boats
PHUKET: The Royal Thai Navy and the Illegal Fishing Suppression unit are trying to locate the owners of seven fishing vessels that faked nationality documents to enter Phuket in November last year. The vessels, with 10 crew members on board, were denied entry when officials checked the ownership documents stating Bolivian ownership that turned out to be forged (story here).…
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Two deaths on day 4 of “Seven Days of Danger’
PHUKET: After a three-day run with no road related fatalities, day 4 of the ‘Seven Days of Danger’ campaign saw two deaths in accidents on Phuket’s roads. The first incident occurred at 2:10am yesterday, when 24-year-old Patcharin Taosanit crashed her motorbike into a power pole in Rawai. The second incident occurred about 5pm when 26-year-old Chalermluck Ongwimonkarn crashed into a…
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Krabi prisoners released on Royal pardon
PHUKET: Prisoners walked out of Krabi Prison yesterday morning as the Royal pardon instated to commemorate the beginning of the reign of His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun came into motion. Friends, families and relatives waited outside the prison walls to be reunited with the 157 released inmates. (A similar scene was witnessed in Phuket last week, when 147 inmates…
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No deaths on Day 2 of “Seven Days of Danger’
PHUKET: The 2nd day of the ‘Seven Days of Danger’ in Phuket ended with zero deaths and 9 injuries, according to official statistics provided by the Phuket office of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM). The current road safety campaign, which is held nationwide during peak holiday seasons (only), runs from December 29, 2016 to January 4, 2017.…
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Paralympian visits Phuket during 10,000km journey
PHUKET: A Thai paralympic athlete stopped by Phuket on Wednesday as part of his mission to travel more than 10,000 kilometers over 74 provinces in his wheelchair in honor of the late Monarch, His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej. Phuyin Khumnaan, 41, scored a silver medal at the Asian Boat Race in China this year, along with his girlfriend ‘AJ’. He…
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Krabi officials, transport companies team up for holiday road safety
KRABI: A task force to check transport buses and their drivers has set up camp at the Krabi Bus Terminal during the long New Year weekend. The group, formed by the Krabi Department of Land Transport (DLT), has teamed up with 17 bus service companies to ensure that brakes on all buses and vans are operational. The drivers will also…
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Patong Beach road to close for New Year’s Eve
PHUKET: The Patong Traffic Police have sent out an official notice announcing the closure of the beach road (Taweewong Road) tomorrow night. The thoroughfare will be shut down from 11:30pm-1am as a security measure, as well as to manage traffic as thousands of people march to the beach for the countdown to the new year.
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Tourist found dead by Phuket hotel pool
PHUKET: A Chinese tourist died while swimming early this morning after a late night out in Kamala. Captain Prasert Thongprom of Kamala Police received the report about 3am and officers found 28-year-old Jian Dong’s body lying by the pool of the hotel where he was staying. Mr Dong was part of a Phuket tour group, and had gone out with…
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Phuket drug dealers busted with B1mn of meth
PHUKET: Four suspects, including a minor, were arrested in Rassada yesterday with more than 4,000 pills of ya bah (methamphetamine) and 200 grams of ya ice (crystal methamphetamine) worth about one million baht. “Our sources informed us that a drug shipment would be delivered from Bangkok to Phuket via a logistics company named Somchai Speed Transport Partnership. We went to…
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New Zealand man falls to his death in Phuket
PHUKET: A Patong Municipality trash collector discovered the body of a tourist at the foot of a Phuket hotel early this morning. The 55-year-old man from New Zealand is believed to have jumped off the balcony of his rented room at the Royal Paradise Hotel & Spa, which is located about 5 minutes from Patong Beach. He had checked in…
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Phuket teen killed in stolen motorbike chase
PHUKET: A 14-year-old boy was killed and another badly injured when the stolen motorbike they were riding collided with a car in Saphan Hin last night. Phuket City Police officers and paramedics arrived on the scene, at the Bang Yai Canal intersection, about 9:40pm. The motorbike had been stolen from a house behind Rajabhat University on Monday. The bike’s owner,…
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Traffic held up for three hours after truck spills plywood load
PHUKET: Tah Chat Chai Police suspect the driver of an articulated truck that spilled its load of plywood sheets all over the road last night, bringing traffic to a standstill, lost control of his vehicle when he took a sharp bend at high speed in wet conditions. The Phuket-bound 18-wheeler spilled its entire load on the notoriously dangerous curve, a…
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Microsoft aims to use IT to battle human trafficking
PHUKET: Microsoft Thailand last week organized a project to educate youth about computers and Information Technology to equip them with the knowledge and tools to fight human trafficking. The project was chaired by Phuket Vice Governor Teera Anantaseriwidhya, at Prince of Songkla University’s Phuket Campus. The campaign is being held at seven campuses throughout the country, including, in addition to…
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Island View: Unchecked road rage in Phuket
PHUKET: As far as road safety in Phuket goes, authorities always highlight ‘speeding’ and ‘helmetless riding’ as the major causes of the appalling number of ‘accidents’ and deaths on the road. However, a relatively overlooked area – in my opinion – is road rage. One recent incident involved a 21-year-old Thai man who threw a large rock at a passing…
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Samkong ‘fields of gold’ attract locals, tourists
PHUKET: A field of sunhemps in full bloom near the Tesco Lotus Samkong junction has become a popular attraction for locals and tourists, who have been stopping off to pose for pictures. Piyaporn Udomsap, the owner of the 23-rai plot, has allowed free access to the public, saying he grows the flowers to maintain the quality and aesthetic beauty of…
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Tsunami memorial ceremonies held in Phuket
PHUKET: The 12-year anniversary for the victims of the devastating 2004 Tsunami was held this morning at several memorials on the island. The Tsunami pulverized the Andaman coast with waves up to 100 feet high. More than 5,000 people died and 3,700 remain unaccounted for to-date. At about 9am OrBorTor Mai Khao arranged Buddhist, Islamic and Christian rites’ services at…
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Phuket prisoners released on Royal pardon
PHUKET: The first batch of prisoners was released from Phuket Prison yesterday morning, following the announcement of a Royal pardon earlier this month to commemorate the start of the reign of King Rama X. Phuket Prison Commander Somkit Kammang presided over the event as a crowd of relatives stood outside the prison walls, waiting to welcome 147 inmates who qualified…
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Royal Thai Navy declares sand-beds “illegal’
PHUKET: The Royal Thai Navy has overturned the Patong Mayor’s ruling regarding beach mats laid out on raised beds of sand at Patong Beach, and declared that they are, in fact, “illegal”. Rear Adm Pisai Sukawin, deputy commander of the RTN Third Area Command, handed down the verdict at a meeting yesterday afternoon, saying that regardless of the beds being…
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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