Phuket News
Phuket news, politics, business, tourism, and nightlife—stay updated with breaking stories, events, and expat updates from Thailand’s top island destination. Get the latest from The Thaiger, your trusted Phuket news source.
-
Another Korean couple’s honeymoon ends in tragedy
PHUKET: A newly-married Korean couple’s honeymoon came to a tragic end when the man drowned while snorkeling at Koh Hei this morning. The 33-year-old tourist, named as Jeong Yong Soo, had arrived in Phuket with his wife on Saturday after their wedding. The tourist police received reports of the incident from Vachira Phuket Hospital representatives at about 10am. “The tour…
-
True breeze brings King’s Cup Regatta to a close on high note
PHUKET: The final day of racing off Kata Beach for the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta on Saturday saw all classes of boats competing in only one race each, making the most of good winds in the afternoon after light conditions earlier in the day. A royal award ceremony presided over by HE Air Chief Marshal Chalit Pukbhasuk, personal representative of…
-
Police crash victim succumbs to head injury
PHUKET: A Phuket City Police officer involved in a collision in Thalang on December 1 succumbed to his injuries on Saturday, after fighting for his life for nine days at the Intensive Care Unit at Vachira Phuket Hospital. The 23-year-old officer, Lance Corporal Thanakorn Jimjuan, suffered a severe head injury after crashing into a metal barrier surrounding the Heroines’ Monument…
-
Man found dead at home, roommate missing
PHUKET: A construction worker was found dead in his room in Patong yesterday afternoon. Police are looking for his roommate, who disappeared after he was seen drinking with him Thursday night. “We received a report at about 12:30pm of a dead man in a room on Pisitkoranee Road,” said Lt Sirinat Cherdchutrakulthong of the Patong Police. “When we arrived, we…
-
Relief kits distributed to flood-hit southern provinces
PHUKET: The provincial Public Health Office yesterday morning sent relief packages of food and medical supplies to flood-hit southern provinces including Nakhon Si Thammarat, Surat Thani, Trang, Phatthalung and Songkhla. Residents in Nakhon Si Thammarat’s Pak Phanang district have urged state agencies to help drain floodwater from the Pak Phanang River Basin before their farms, including rubber, oil palm and…
-
Compromise reached with new site for Patong vendors
PHUKET: The long-standing dispute between Patong Municipality and Loma Park vendors regarding expiration of rental contracts and alleged violation of beach management rules was concluded after both parties reached an agreement yesterday afternoon. A meeting between the two parties held on November 1 was chaired by Phuket Governor Chokchai Dejamorthan and lasted several hours. It ended in a deadlock, however,…
-
Police pony patrol trial trotted out at Surin Beach
PHUKET: Police officers saddled up on ponies at Surin Beach this morning on the first day of a trial to have mounted police patrol the sands during the high season. The horses have been employed at the beach to make it easier for police officers to get across the sand, after they found it difficult trudging along the beach on…
-
Phuket social club asks for donations for flood victims in Nakhon Sri Thammarat
PHUKET: A social club in Phuket representing people from Nakhon Sri thammarat has called for donations to help flood victims in their hometown, over 100 schools have been closed and more than 261,000 residents affected (story here). Phuket Provincial Public Relations Chief Busaya Jaipiam also reiterated the donation request yesterday morning. Club members have asked for uncooked rice, dried foods,…
-
Australian tourist hurt in parasail fall at Patong Beach
PHUKET: An Australian tourist was hospitalized after she plunged five meters into the sea while parasailing in Patong yesterday afternoon. Sally-Ann Popovic, 26, reportedly fell out of the harness and plunged into the water below shortly after launching in front of the Banthai Resort on Patong Beach. Police questioned the boat driver, Wissanu Srabua, and his assistant, Weerachart Hon, who…
-
Lackluster winds delay day 3 regatta races
PHUKET: Little wind off Kata Bay yesterday delayed racing on day three of the Phuket King’s Cup with boats not setting sail until the afternoon. The course was shortened and fewer races were run in each class to make up for the late start. Winners of the IRC2 races were the Australian team on Judy, led by April Jorgensen. In…
-
Indonesian earthquake tremors felt in Phuket
PHUKET: Phuket, Krabi and Phang Nga felt tremors of an earthquake that shook parts of Indonesia about 5am today. The earthquake measured 6.5 on the Richter scale, occurring 377km away in the Indian Ocean near Aceh, North Sumatra. Several deaths were reported and dozens of people were hospitalized with injuries. Many locals and expats in Phuket took to social media…
-
Stern winds make for tough sailing on day 2 of King’s Cup Regatta
PHUKET: Stern winds, choppy seas and a spirit of competition on day two of the Phuket King’s Cup made for a fast and very tough day’s sailing Tuesday. Kevin Whitcraft’s THA72 team scored a double win, beating rival Ray Roberts and team by two clear minutes in the first race of the day (IRC0). In the IRC1 class, Mandrake III…
-
Navy officers rescue Polish tourists in distress
PHUKET: A pair of Polish tourists were rescued from the waves by off-duty navy officers at Koh Pu yesterday. Officials of the Royal Thai Navy Third Area Command were making their way back after finishing their duty at the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta when they the saw tourists in the water waving for help. The pair had been swimming in…
-
Head-on collision kills two more tourists in Phuket
PHUKET: A head-on collision at Chao Fa West Road early this morning has left two more tourists dead. Police arrived to find a 38-year-old Korean woman, named as Hyemi Lee, standing by her car in shock at the scene in front of Dibuk Hospital. Her car had collided with the tourists’ motorcycle, which was jammed under its front right wheel.…
-
30th King’s Cup Regatta sets sail under “Heritage of Passion’
PHUKET: Fair winds were afoot on Sunday for the launch of the 30th annual Phuket King’s Cup Regatta, which this year is under the theme ‘Heritage of Passion’, in memory of the late HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej and in honor of Thailand’s new monarch HM King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun. Held at the Kata Beach Resort December 3-10 under the auspices…
-
High-surf, storm warnings issued for Phuket
PHUKET: A high-surf warning has been issued for Phuket beaches, particularly the West Coast ones, by the Surin-Bangtao Surf Lifesaving Club this morning. Starting Wednesday, an unusually powerful and extra-seasonal storm is predicted to affect Phuket and to continue over the next seven to ten days, the “Club” announced today. The beaches named in the advisory are Nai Harn, Kata…
-
Homeless man blamed for Phuket Town fire
PHUKET: A mentally unstable homeless man is suspected to have started a fire that burnt down a house in Phuket Town about 5am today. The two-storey house located on Thepkrasattri Road, about 500 meters from Satree Phuket School, was enveloped by flames and smoke when firefighters and officials from the Phuket City Municipality Disaster Prevention (PMDP) Department arrived at the…
-
Alleged extortionist flown back from US to face charges
PHUKET: An American man, who returned to the United States in 2013 after allegedly extorting a fellow countryman in Phuket, was flown back to Thailand, escorted by Royal Thai Police officers, this morning. “The suspect, named Shawn Abraham, was handed over to Royal Thai Police to face legal charges in Thailand as per an arrest warrant issued against him on…
-
Police officer unstable after crashing into Heroines’ Monument barrier
PHUKET: A police officer was seriously injured late last night when he crashed his car into one of the steel pillars around the Heroines’ Monument in Thalang. Thalang Police received a report of the crash just before midnight and arrived at the scene to find the driver, Pol Lance Corporal Thanakorn Jimjuan of Phuket City Police, lying on the sidewalk.…
-
Unlicensed hotels given two months to register
PHUKET: Unlicensed hotels in Phuket have been given a two-month deadline to become legally registered or face consequences. Phuket Governor Chokchai Dejamornthan said on Thursday, after a meeting with provincial officials, that more than 1,300 establishments currently operating in the province as hotel-like accommodation had until January 31 next year to properly register as hotel accommodation; otherwise, legal action would…
-
Phuket King’s Cup marks 30th anniversary
PHUKET: This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta Under Royal Patronage since its inception in 1986. What has become one of Thailand’s most prestigious sailing events was launched after a number of the country’s yachting fraternity met to discuss what they could do as a special tribute for His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s forthcoming Fifth…
-
Seasonal mushroom picking turns profits
KRABI: Krabi locals are cashing in on a wild cash crop of mushrooms which only appear for about three months a year between October and early December. The fungus found in palm plantations in Krabi at this time of year is locally known as the ‘June’ mushroom and fetches between 250 and 300 baht per kilogram. Residents of Klongtom Sub…
-
Canadian tourist robbed of $4,000 by Bangla ‘companion’
PHUKET: A hapless Canadian tourist yesterday filed a complaint against a Thai woman, claiming that she made off with about 130,000 baht in cash from his hotel room. Alexander Ryan, 31, told police that he had met the woman on Bangla Road in Patong on Tuesday night, and then invited her back to his room at the Holiday Inn hotel…
-
Facebook coral dealers arrested in Krabi
KRABI: Two women involved in the illegal sale of coral on Facebook were apprehended in Ao Luek yesterday evening. The arresting officers found more than 20 kilograms of coral in their possession. They had been dealing in coralline algae, sea pens and various other coral used in jewelry. A joint “task force” of 30 personnel [yes, thirty] comprising Krabi Marine…
-
Motorcyclist’s death finally prompts action to fix airport road
PHUKET: Following the death of a 22-year-old motorcyclist who broke his neck Thursday night ramming into a concrete blockade on the road alongside the Phuket Airport runway, authorities have requested a 72 million baht budget to fix and widen the road. The road was blocked off with four heavy-duty blocks four months ago after heavy rains caused a landslide (story…
-
Songkhla to Phuket drug line busted
PHUKET: A joint task force charged a drug peddler on Monday after they seized 10,000 ya bah (methamphetamine) pills valued at 2 million baht at the Tah Chat Chai checkpoint on Saturday. The operation was led by Border Patrol Police Captain Aumpon Samorthai and Tah Chat Chai Police Lieutenant Pisithkorn Maswichien. “We received information early Saturday morning that a drug…
-
Missing Russian turns up, can’t remember a thing
PHUKET: A Russian tourist who went missing after diving into the sea while drunk at Kamala Beach late Monday night resurfaced yesterday afternoon with no recollection of the incident. Officials and rescue workers spent several hours searching for Mikhail Korneev after he was reported missing by a friend early yesterday morning (story here). The search – which also involved local…
-
Foreign fishing boats seized for faking nationality
PHUKET: The Royal Thai Navy yesterday afternoon seized seven tuna fishing boats at Tha Sri Thai pier in Rassada for faking nationality documents to enter Thailand. The investigations are being conducted by a joint task force of the Navy, Immigration, the Marine Office, the Employment Office, the Marine Police and other officers, and led by Vice Admiral Suraphol Kuptaphan, commander…
-
Phuket tour guides, bus drivers demand action for lost jobs
PHUKET: A group of local tour guides and a group of local tour bus operators simultaneously submitted letters at Phuket Provincial Hall today demanding that action be taken against illegal tour guides and operations “stealing” their jobs. About 50 members of the Andaman Tour Guide Association (Phuket-Phang Nga-Krabi) led by Mr Krit Thepbamrung gathered at Provincial Hall at 9.30am to…
-
Top officials discuss major Phuket woes
PHUKET: Five of Phuket’s most influential lawmen met at Phuket Provincial Hall this morning in order to discuss what they named as the top five issues plaguing the island. The officials included Phuket Governor Chokchai Dejamornthan; Vice Admiral Surapol Kuptaphan, commander of the Royal Thai Navy Third Area Command; Maj Gen Akom Pongprom, commander of the 41st Military Circle; Phuket…
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.