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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Landslide forces airport road closure
PHUKET: Motorists are being warned to stay off the small road that runs parallel to the runway at Phuket International Airport following a landslide. The slide occurred near the air traffic control tower and Aeronautical Radio of Thailand office there. “Continuous rain over the past few days loosened the earth on the 141-meter-tall hill (Khao Bo Sai) next to the…
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Former land official in Phuket DSI case found hanged in cell
PHUKET: A former land department official under investigation in Phuket land-title cases allegedly committed suicide while in official custody yesterday. Tawatchai Anukul, who was under investigation for illegal registration of land deeds for about 1,000 plots in Phuket and Phang Nga, allegedly took his own life. Custody officials said the suspect was found to have hung himself just hours before…
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Public outcry stops demolition of Vachira Hospital buildings
PHUKET: Vachira Hospital administrators have reached an agreement with concerned community members and employees over the proposed demolition of historic 100-year-old buildings and their surrounding mahogany trees. The plans to demolish the existing structures in order to make way for a new 298-bed hospital wing were halted after a public outcry from doctors and community members reached a fever pitch…
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Police blame Russian for theft of B3mn in ATM hacks
PHUKET: Police have asked for an international arrest warrant for a Russian national believed to be involved in the theft of more than 12 million baht from ATMs across Thailand, including Phuket. Chief investigator Panya Mamen said Rustam Shambasov, 29, was caught on surveillance video footage after stealing more than 3 million baht from over a dozen ATMs last month.…
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Pick-up slams into pole, splits in half
PHUKET: Police have charged a woman with reckless driving and damage to public property after she lost control of the truck she was trying to drive and slammed into a power pole yesterday. The driver, Pavalee Khamleang, 27, and her Indonesian passenger were injured in the accident. Ms Pavalee sustained injuries to her neck and back. The passenger, Tranggielia Lokon…
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Man in debt found hanged at temple
PHUKET: A 53-year-old Thai man was found hanged by his neck from a concrete pillar in a Phuket Town temple yesterday. Lt Surachart Tongyai of Phuket City Police received word that a body, later identified as Charan Nakhanat, had been found at about 4:30pm and accompanied Kusoldharm Rescue workers to the scene. “We found the body of Mr Charan at…
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Police: Europeans behind nationwide ATM scam
PHUKET: Royal Thai Police believe a group of thieves that have so far stolen more than 12 million baht from ATMs around the country to be Europeans based in Phuket. Police believe that an ATM located in Wichit was used to perpetrate the nationwide fraud. Royal Thai Police’s General Panya Maman briefed reporters on the extent of the losses while…
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Foreign suspects celebrated for rape, theft, debt default and smuggling
PHUKET: Seven foreign suspects were rounded up on charges of rape, tax fraud, smuggling and defaulting on debts last week in Phuket, Pattaya, Songkhla and Bangkok. The seven were then celebrated in a parade in front of the media at the Immigration Bureau in Bangkok yesterday. Three of the suspects were Chinese nationals: Wang Jianlan, 31; Zhang Jingjing, 30; and…
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Burmese busted selling hot phones
PHUKET: Police arrested a Burmese national at Central Festival shopping mall yesterday afternoon when he attempted to sell phones he had stolen from a shop in Karon to undercover police officers. Police cornered Moe Win Ko, 21, at the mall after tracking him down using CCTV footage that had captured him stealing 13 mobile devices from the Olay Phone store…
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Public outcry sends Vachira wing back to the drawing board
PHUKET: Public outcry over plans to demolish an eight-story, 100 year-old building, along with a grove of old mahogany trees, has lead management at Phuket Vachira Hospital to reconsider the development of a new hospital wing. The issue came to public attention on August 25, when a Facebook user posted a statement in Thai. “Vachira Hospital will demolish this 100-year-old…
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Meth dealer pulls grenade on Krabi police
KRABI: An alleged Krabi “drug dealer” was shot dead last night after a police task force cornered him and he attempted to throw a grenade at the officers, the police say. The suspect, who was the target of last night’s joint task force raid in Krabi Town, is named as Chanchaiyuth Krainara, 29. Police are reporting that Mr Chanchaiyuth was…
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Labor minister applauds provincial efforts
PHUKET: Minister of Labor Sirichai Distaku urged Phuket’s officials to increase efforts to combat human trafficking, low wage rates and to increase the number of Thais working in skilled labor positions during his visit to the island on Thursday. Gen Sirichai’s visit comes after a period of escalating tensions between the provincial government and local employers of migrant laborers (story…
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Phuket International Hospital launches new services, expat card
PHUKET: Phuket International Hospital announced the launch of three new departments, as well as its ‘Expat Privilege Card’, last week. Wassana Tipayapongtada, chairwoman of the Provincial Red Cross Phuket Chapter, presided over the grand opening event, that was held under the theme ‘We’re Family’. BDMS Southern Group management and staff, Thai and foreign dignitaries, local authorities and local business representatives…
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Thai Olympic medalists parade for the people
BANGKOK: Thai Olympic medalists are taking part in a parade today in Bangkok. The parade started at 3pm from Hua Mark Indoor Stadium and will go past Rama 9, Din Daeng and the Victory Monument before coming to an end at the Government House. Sukanya Srisurat and Sopita Tanasan won gold medals in the weightlifting competitions, Tawin Hanprab and Pimsiri…
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Phuket biz: Save our Gov
PHUKET: Eight of the island’s local business organizations have appealed to the central government to reconsider moving the Phuket governor a month from now. The statement, issued in Thai language, was released on August 22 after the announcement to transfer Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada to Nakhon Sri Thammarat on October 1 (story here). The organizations issuing the plea to keep…
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Emergency crews battle airport fires during drill
PHUKET: Phuket International Airport emergency crews battled fires near the main runway yesterday. Firefighters and rescue workers were deployed on the tarmac as part of regular drills aimed at improving response times and emergency response efficiency. This is the fourth such drill at the airport this year. Airport Director Monrudee Gettuphan said the emergency crews were timely and effective in…
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Wichit marijuana dealer apprehended, bought stash through Facebook
PHUKET: Provincial police arrested a 28-year-old man yesterday after a raid of his home turned up 1.3 kilograms of marijuana. Nopparut Tongserikun was arrested after police found the category 5 drugs, along with drug paraphernalia at his house on Wirat Hong Yok Road in Wichit sub-district. Police received a tip from an informant that Mr Nopparut was allegedly selling marijuana…
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Police recover bomb remnants from scene of Krabi fire
KRABI: Police in Ao Nang recovered two devices yesterday that they suspect were part of the incendiary bombs used to set fire to a souvenir shop in the tourist destination on August 12. Forensic Police Region 8 Colonel Surapol Jaisan said Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) personnel assisted in examining the wreckage of the Ao Nang shop for evidence linking the…
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Police arrest six in another big krathom drug bust
PHANG NGA: Police arrested six members of an alleged krathom drug distribution network on Monday. The gang is charged with possession of 326 kilograms of the category 5 drug, which police estimate has a street value of 300,000 baht. A joint task force comprised of Thalang administrative officers, Khok Kloi police and civil defense volunteers reportedly detained two suspects after…
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Krabi man shot dead in palm plantation
KRABI: Police are looking for an unknown assailant who shot dead a man in a Krabi palm plantation yesterday. Krabi City Police received reports of the shooting in Thapprik sub-district at about 3:30pm. “At the scene, we found the body of 39-year-old Jaran Petchseewong lying face up in a pool of blood, with a bullet wound to the chest and…
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Bombings in Pattani kill one, injure several and damage hotel
PATTANI: Three bombs rocked the southern province of Pattani last night, killing one and injuring dozens. The first bomb exploded in a parking space behind a bar in Muang District around 11pm but did not result in any loss of life. The second bomb, hidden inside a vehicle, blew up a short time later in front of the Southern View…
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Bus driver flees after Chinese tourists injured in crash
PHUKET: More than 30 Chinese tourists were injured when their tour bus crashed into a temple at the bottom of Patong Hill last night. Police are hunting for the bus driver, who reportedly fled after ploughing into the wall of Wat Suwan Kiriwong, around 8:30pm. “There was a lot of broken glass all around. A car and a van were…
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Four bodies wash ashore in Krabi
KRABI: Four bodies that have washed ashore in Krabi over the past two days could be those of crew members who went missing when their fishing boat sank more than a week ago. Officials are awaiting DNA test results, but believe the bodies belong to the missing crew of the Bumroong Thai Nawa fishing vessel, which sank on August 15…
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20-year-old shot by boss after drinking kratom at work
KRABI: Police are hunting for the owner of a car body shop in Krabi, on the run after shooting dead an employee found drinking kratom juice at work on Saturday afternoon. Krabi City Police Major Supat Hemjinda said the shooting occurred at S&P Speed Shop, just 100 meters from a police box, on Phet Kasem Road in Krabi Town. “The…
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French tourist drowns at Nai Thon
PHUKET: A French woman drowned after swimming in a red-flag zone on Nai Thon Beach on Saturday afternoon. Anne Sophie Marie Torrijos-Faisant, 23, reportedly drowned as her friends looked on. They were unable to help as she was dragged out to sea by a rip current. “We were told that Ms Torrijos-Faisant was swimming with her friends when she was…
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Phuket Vegetarian Festival dates announced
PHUKET: Phuket Vice Governor Prajiad Aksornthammakul announced the dates of this year’s Vegetarian Festival, as well as a special prayer ceremony to honor HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej, earlier this week. The nine-day festival is slated to take place from October 1-9. The event attracts thousands of visitors to Phuket to witness the festivities, which include fire-walking, bladed-ladder climbing, hundreds of…
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Island-wide security center for foreign nationals promised
PHUKET: The Royal Thai Police announced yesterday morning that new safety measures will be taken by Provincial Police to boost tourist “confidence” in light of the August 12 bombings. At a meeting of local officials and consular representatives, the police responded positively to the requests of 15 consuls to assign officers to a contact and information center in case of…
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20kg Krabi python slithers in for a latte
KRABI: A three and a half meter long python slithered into a coffee shop in Krabi in search of sustenance yesterday morning. Panrin Kongprom, a staff member at the shop, said that the 20-kilogram python had stopped traffic near the Tesco Lotus Express to make its way across Maharat Road in Krabi Town and into Kunya Coffee Shop. Krabi Pitak…
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Four-year-old finds father hanging from tree
PHUKET: A four-year-old girl found her dead father hanging by his neck from a tree near the Tah Rua Temple this morning. The 43-year-old man, named Wirot Jadsang, used to work as a hotel cook. He reportedly died about two hours before his daughter found his body, on her way to school. Lt Col Sanich Nookon of Thalang Police arrived…
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Another car mysteriously bursts into flames
PHUKET: The driver of a Honda Accord had to make an emergency stop when his car burst into flames last night. The car’s owner, Nantapol Saelim, 34, was driving from his house in Koh Kaew and heading into town about 10pm, when he smelled burning and promptly pulled in to the Merlin Hotel car park on Yaowarat Road, police told…
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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