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.
-
Sponsored Is tap water in Thailand safe to consume?
Wondering if you can drink the tap water in Thailand? From brushing your teeth to filling up a bottle, it’s helpful to understand a few basics. Tap water safety in Thailand varies by location, and while some people use it...
-
Phuket officials request hotels, vendors to curb flow of wastewater
PHUKET: Cherng Talay officials have asked hotels and vendors to stop the discharge of wastewater onto Surin Beach. The request was issued after locals voiced concern on Sunday over stinking, trash-bearing wastewater flowing from a large sewage pipe near the beach. “We have had this problem for at least a year now, but now it has worsened terribly,” complains a…
-
Man killed in bike crash at Bang Wad dam
PHUKET: A 37-year-old man was killed in a bike crash at Bang Wad dam near Phuket Provincial Waterworks Authority last night. Kathu Police officers and rescue workers arrived at the scene about 10:30pm to find the body of the victim, named Teerayut KittiKhun, lying on the road with his bike thrown to the side. “Rescue workers administered CPR [cardiopulmonary resuscitation],…
-
Opinion: Need to practice responsible journalism
PHUKET: As a regional tourism and transport hub, Phuket has an important role to play in easing the hardship of the hundreds of thousands of people who have been affected by the worst flooding in the Thai south in decades. Our island is fortunate to have been spared the kind of severe flooding that has stricken much of the region…
-
Routine bus inspection yields four drug, alcohol-related arrests
PHUKET: A routine inspection of a passenger bus resulted in four seemingly unrelated arrests at Tah Chat Chai checkpoint yesterday. A passenger, back-up driver and bus attendant were apprehended for possession of drugs, whereas the bus driver was arrested for drunk driving and driving with an expired licence. “The bus was headed from Nong Khai to Phuket. We stopped it…
-
British couple say they were ‘raped and robbed’ in Phuket
PHUKET: A British couple have alleged that they were robbed and raped while visiting Phuket during the Christmas and New Year’s holidays. The couple, who were named by Belfast Live as Gerald Drumgoole and Michael Burnett, said they were attacked and robbed of 400 pounds and their iPhones after their drinks were spiked at a Phuket bar on New Year’s…
-
Phuket prepares to celebrate Children’s Day 2017
PHUKET: Prepare for the hustle and bustle of a day full of entertainment and fun activities as Phuket celebrates Children’s Day tomorrow. The first Children’s Day in Thailand was held in 1956, and since then government leaders have annually branded the event with a slogan. Celebrated on the second Saturday of every year, the slogan created by Prime Minister Gen…
-
Drunk foreigner hits parked car and runs off into the woods
PHUKET: A drunk foreigner ditched his car and ran off into the woods after he smashed into a parked vehicle in Kathu yesterday. Lance Corporal Prawattinun Fuengfoo of Kathu Police received reports from locals at Bang Thong Village, who claimed that they tried to chase down the intoxicated driver of a white Toyota Vios but could not catch him. “The…
-
Construction company ‘warned’ for discharging wastewater
PHUKET: A building contractor, KMIT Construction, was let off with a warning for discharging murky brown rainwater onto Tri Trang Beach today. Patong Municipality officials went on site to investigate the source of the brown water flowing directly onto the beach, following complaints regarding the issue by concerned local residents who may have thought it was bio-contaminated. The locals told…
-
Audits, vendor registration among proposed beach management rules
PHUKET: Following the Royal Thai Navy’s ruling declaring raised beds of sand at Patong Beach ‘illegal’, local officials emphasized beach management rules and mulled new measures at Phuket City Hall yesterday afternoon. The meeting was chaired by Phuket Vice Governor Sanit Sriwihok and other officials in attendance included Kathu District Chief Sayan Chanachaiwong, Patong Mayor Chalermluck Kebsub, police and army…
-
Bang Ku Underpass to open temporarily during Royal visits
PHUKET: One northbound lane of the Bang Ku Underpass will be open from January 14-20 to ease the flow of traffic during two upcoming Royal visits next week. “We have received a request from traffic police to temporarily open the lane, as Her Royal Highness Princess Ubolratana will visit the island on January 16 and Her Royal Highness Princess Maha…
-
Phuket’s serial top-up machine thieves caught red-handed
PHUKET: Two cellphone top-up machine thieves were charged in Thalang yesterday after they confessed to committing the act at least six times in order to obtain money to buy the locally illicit drug krathom. A 22-year-old suspect named by police as Attaphol Panyasak, accompanied by a minor, were seen stealing the machines on CCTV. “We had received reports over the…
-
Escaped prisoner prompts jail security upgrade request
PHANG NGA: Phang Nga Police officials are planning to request the Royal Thai Police to improve the standard of nationwide prison locks after a prisoner used a three-inch metal wire to escape from Takuapa Police Station on Tuesday. The runaway prisoner, named Panom Sirikul, 36, was recaptured yesterday, following which police made him demonstrate the lock-picking technique that reportedly took…
-
Chinese national dead in Phuket after motorbike crash
PHUKET: One man died while another was injured following a motorbike crash in Karon early this morning. Two Chinese nationals, named Yang Dong, 36, and Hengquan Zhang, 22, were found lying on the ground in pools of blood at the Karon beachfront near the ‘Beyond Resort’ hotel at about 2am. “By the time the ambulance arrived, Mr Dong had already…
-
Cardiac arrest victim prompts emergency landing at Phuket International Airport
PHUKET: A Malaysian man was pronounced dead, after an emergency landing of his Malaysia-bound flight at Phuket International Airport last night. The Turkish Airlines flight was on its way to Kuala Lumpur from Turkey, but the 60-year-old passenger’s troubled breathing prompted aircraft staff to seek medical attention for him in Phuket. “He was rushed straight to Thalang Hospital, where he…
-
Koh Racha receives new buoys, artificial coral
PHUKET: Fifteen new buoys and sets of artificial coral were installed at Koh Racha yesterday, following the allocation and approval of a 300,000 baht budget for environmental preservation by the Marine and Coastal Resources Conservation Department (DMCR). In recent weeks, Koh Racha has seen a spate of environmental issues, including coral damage (story here), fish feeding and coral theft by…
-
Phuket donates by the truck-load
PHUKET: Both private and government sectors have stepped up to generously donate daily items of use for flood victims in the south of Thailand. Most of the southern provinces have been adversely affected by floods following incessant rains last week, after which Phuket Governor Chokchai Dejamornthan launched a donation drive (story here). On Monday, Phuket Provincial Police loaded two ten-wheelers…
-
Fisherman dies after boat capsizes in rough seas
PHUKET: The corpse of a local fisherman was found near the Koh Sirey Bridge yesterday evening. Locals gathered around the pier as the body of Wirot Thongrueng, 56, was brought to shore. “His capsized boat was found near a mangrove forest in the area, while his body was found near the bridge. His lungs were filled with water, so we…
-
Two Italians charged for disrespecting Thai flag
KRABI: Two Italian tourists were arrested on Sunday after CCTV footage showing them disrespecting the Thai flag and damaging public property in Krabi emerged on social media the day before. The video shows the men – named Ian Gerstgrasser and Tobias Gamper – pulling down the flags and dragging them on the ground. The footage has been shared thousands of…
-
Thalang locals ask for help following spree of burglaries
PHUKET: Thalang locals are urging police to investigate a spate of robberies that reportedly took place on several occasions last month in their area. The inhabitants of Moon Baan Phanason Park Ville 3 in Srisoonthorn yesterday appealed to officials to attend to the matter, claiming that cash from over ten houses had already been stolen and asked why the burglars…
-
Phuket serial thief finally apprehended
PHUKET: A serial thief who broke into nearly two dozen vehicles during the New Year’s holidays was apprehended on Saturday. Phuket Provincial Police Commander Teeraphol Thipjaroen, along with his team, spoke at a press conference at Phuket Provincial Police Station yesterday regarding the arrest of the suspect, Ging Phonsae. “In two months, Mr Ging broke into cars in Phuket Town,…
-
Four rescued after boat sinks in stormy weather
PHUKET: Four people were safely rescued after their boat sank due to strong waves at Koh Racha Noi yesterday morning. The Thailand Maritime Enforcement Coordinating Center Area 3 (Thai-MECC 3) received reports of the incident about 10:30am yesterday. “A fishing boat named Thepsiri, whose owner was named as Sirisak Seethep, left the shore last week with four crew members on…
-
Phuket university student killed by driver who fell asleep
PHUKET: A university student was killed after a taxi, the driver of which reportedly fell asleep at the wheel, crashed into her motorbike in Thalang this morning. “The incident occurred at about 7:30am on the road between Thalang and Baan Don. The victim, Jiraporn Plotpai, 21, was lying on the side of the road, her face and body covered in…
-
Unidentified Thai man found hanging in Pa Klok
PHUKET: An unidentified Thai man was found hanging in a house in Pa Klok this morning. Lt Sunan Petnhu of the Thalang Police received the report about 9.20am. “When we arrived we saw the body of the 25 to 30-year-old man hanging by rope on the first floor of the two-storey house. He was about 165cm to 170cm tall, wearing…
-
British woman found hanged after argument
PHUKET: A 27-year-old British woman was found hanged in an apartment early this morning in Chalong. It was reported that she had had an argument with her boyfriend a few hours prior. The Phuket Gazette is withholding her name until police confirm that the British Embassy and her relatives have been notified. “We received the report about 6:45am from her…
-
Phuket Bus flips and crashes in Krabi
PHUKET: A bus headed from Phuket to Trang flipped on its side and crashed into a power pole in Krabi last night, injuring the driver and 22 passengers on board. The crash took place on Petch Kasem Road in the Baan Klang sub-district. Capt Suwit Kaewpreecha of Ao Luek Police received the report about 8:30pm. “It happened on a straight…
-
Phuket police hunt for exotic marine creature smugglers
PHUKET: Phuket officials intercepted a delivery of exotic marine creatures on a Bangkok-bound bus at Tah Chat Chai checkpoint about 7pm yesterday. Several rare and endangered marine creatures were found hidden in the luggage compartment when officials stopped the bus for a random check. “We were conducting checks in accordance with the orders of Phuket Provincial Police Commander Teeraphol Thipjaroen.…
-
Swiss man “lost and found’ after two days
PHUKET: An elderly Swiss man who had wandered off from his Karon rental house two days ago was found in Thalang this morning. Rescue workers arrived at the scene after they received a call from locals regarding the man about 10am. “The man was found by locals sitting at a grocery store in Baan Lipon. When they couldn’t communicate with…
-
Jail breaking teen finally arrested
PHUKET: A 19-year-old robbery suspect who escaped a police station while being interrogated for his crime was finally arrested yesterday in the northern province of Maha Sarakham. The suspect, named as Chaiwalan Pennuanong, was first arrested on December 13 of last year, after he and his accomplice stole a girl’s bag – the girl subsequently chased them down and crashed…
-
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…
-
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…
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.
Don't forget to check out some other things to do in Thailand - get help starting a business or finding a job in Thailand, buy Thailand property, rent a yacht or book a medical procedure worldwide.