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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Two monks arrested, face deportation for illegal entry
PHUKET: Phuket Immigration Police arrested two monks at the Buddhamongkolnimitr Temple (Wat Klang) yesterday. Officers questioned monks at Wat Klang after receiving reports of two Cambodian monks begging for food and money from locals. “We arrived at Wat Klang at 5:30am and waited for the pair to leave for their daily alms collections, which they did at about 6:30am,” said…
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Bypass construction gridlock to be solved
Engineers working at the Bangkoo underpass project said that the traffic gridlock at the bypass intersection with Thepkrasattri Road will be solved today. “The traffic was worse these past several days because we closed one of the lanes at the construction junction,” said Somkiet Yimpong, the Bangkoo project engineer from the Department of Highways. “The construction company originally asked for…
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Gas station boss shoots man in head for leaving water on
PHUKET: Police are hunting for a gas station manager who allegedly shot dead a Krabi volunteer police officer yesterday after an argument over who left on the water to an artificial waterfall. Lt Anuwat Raksakyot of the Ao Nang Police said he received a report yesterday morning that a man was shot at the gas station on Petch Kasem Road…
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Chinese bike rider killed in collision with Kamala wall
PHUKET: A Chinese motorcyclist was killed last night when he lost control of his bike on Kamala Hill and collided with the concrete wall of an abandoned house. His female pillion passenger suffered severe head injuries in the crash. The motorcycle was snapped in two by the force of the collision, which left a gaping hole in the side wall…
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Poisonous snake stops Phuket motorist in his tracks
PHUKET: Snake catchers were called out yesterday to bag a venomous two-meter-long snake that had become stuck inside the engine of a car in Phuket Town. “We were called to the scene about 1:30pm, where we found a boiga dendrophila, commonly called the mangrove snake or gold-ringed cat snake, inside the engine of a Toyota on Luang Phor Road,” said…
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Officials eye plans to zone migrant workers
PHUKET: Officials are mulling over regulations that would restrict migrant workers in the province to specific zones. Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada on Friday announced that authorities are chalking out plans to manage unskilled migrant laborers ‘more effectively’. “Each local authority should designate specific areas for foreign workers to live in,” Governor Chamroen said. “Those areas should be separated from the…
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Phuket bodybuilders bring home medals from international competition
PHUKET: Phuket’s top female bodybuilder Wilaiporn Wannaklang arrived back home on Thursday, after spending over a month on the road, and in the air, flexing for judges in the US and winning a silver medal in an international bodybuilding contest Ms Wilaiporn was one of three Thais – two of them Phuket-based bodybuilders – who clinched international titles in the…
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Gov presents money to Phi Phi boat crash victim’s family
PHUKET: The Phuket governor yesterday met with the family of one of the deceased victims of a Phi Phi boat collision to present them with money on behalf of the boat insurance company. Two tourists were killed and about 20 injured when two speed boats loaded with tourists collided near Phi Phi on June 8 (story here). Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada…
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Phuket Highways Office director bows out
PHUKET: After five years of public service in Phuket, the director of the Phuket Highways Office is bowing out and moving on to Trang. Samak Luedwonghad announced the move on Tuesday, citing official governmental policy that requires public servants to change provincial positions every four years. “I have been in Phuket for five years, and it’s time to move on,”…
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Python greets Krabi highschooler in desk drawer
KRABI: A 17-year-old student received a nasty surprise when she opened her classroom desk to find a one meter-long snake on Monday. The incident went viral on social media, with netizens sharing a picture of the snake inside the student’s drawer. Many urged schools across the province to increase their security and questioned how such a large snake could have…
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Tourism Authority tries to boost female tourism
PHUKET: The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is launching a special campaign in August, to attract local and international female travellers to enjoy the kingdom’s many attractions, with a wide range of activities, special offers, discounts and privileges. “We’ve designated August 2016 as a ‘month for women travellers’, in honor of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit’s 84th birthday,” says TAT Governor…
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PTT launches campaign to encourage Thais to sort their trash
PHUKET: Gas stations in Phuket could soon be displaying colorful trash bins as part of a nationwide campaign by PTT to urge consumers to sort their waste and dispose of it in the appropriate bins. Dubbed ‘Yak Lak Yim’, the trash-sorting drive is aimed at improving better waste-disposal habits in exchange for funding to assist local communities. Sarun Rungkasiri, Chief…
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Krabi locals pray to fossil for lottery win
KRABI: Locals prayed over an age-old fossil earlier this week, hoping to receive blessings in the shape of a winning lottery ticket. The fossil was among others discovered when Wutthichai Rodkoom was dredging his land with a backhoe in Khlong Thapsai, Khlong Thom District, in April. Each stone weighed a few hundred kilograms. “I didn’t realize the stones were fossils…
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Water meter thefts on the rise
PHUKET: The Provincial Waterworks Authority (PWA) is warning islanders of a growing rash of thefts of water meters across the province. The thieves are most likely stealing the meters to sell them, or to exchange them with other meters and defraud the water authority, confirmed PWA Manager Pisak Chonlayut. “We’ve been receiving an increasing number of reports of meters disappearing…
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Palm nut producers feel squeeze, petition governor
KRABI: Palm nut producers in Krabi took a petition to the local Office of Commercial Affairs (OCA) on Wednesday, asking for government assistance in buoying the price of their product. OCA representative Barirak Chusit received requests from palm farmers, who took 10 trucks, carrying 500 tonnes of palm nuts, into the government-run Krabi Palm Oil Extraction facility. Palm farmers in…
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Country’s young swimming champs compete in Phuket meet
PHUKET: Young swimmers from across the country met to compete in a friendly inter-school contest at Thanyapura on June 11. The swim meet was the fourth session of the Thanyapura Open Swim League at the Olympic-sized swimming pool. Six teams of students aged 5-20 years old competed in various categories from St Gabriel’s College from Bangkok, the ISS Samui Sharks,…
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Sea gypsies sue Baron World Trade
PHUKET: More than 200 of Rawai’s sea gypsies are named as plaintiffs in a civil lawsuit against Baron World Trade Co Ltd, for allegedly blocking access to their sacred ceremonial grounds. The lawsuit, which was filed June 13, calls for 500,000 baht in reparations to the community, and is the latest development in the ongoing land feud between the sea…
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Phuket Gov joins Rawai Muslims for Iftar
PHUKET: Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada, accompanied by other government officials visited a mosque in the Rawai village of Saiyuan on the evening of June 14. “We’re here to encourage and support local Muslims during Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, which commemorates the first revelation of the Koran to the Prophet Muhammad, according to Islamic belief,” said Gov Chamroen.…
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Ancient city find in Cambodia rewrites history
CAMBODIA: Multiple, previously undocumented medieval cities not far from the ancient temple city of Angkor Wat have been discovered, The Guardian reported on June 11. The report said that these groundbreaking discoveries may completely change key assumptions about Southeast Asia’s history. Australian archaeologist Dr Damian Evans reportedly used airborne laser scanning technology to reveal the cities, which he dated at…
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Patong police raid knock-off shops
PHUKET: Seven shop owners were arrested in Patong yesterday morning and have been charged with selling pirated goods estimated at 2 million baht in value, police confirmed today. A joint team, led by the Economic Crime Suppression Division 4 (ECD) superintendent Kittisap Thongseewong, raided businesses along Patong’s beach road and OTOP market. “We seized a total 2,072 pirated goods, including…
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Murderer on the run after stabbing girlfriend’s lover
PHUKET: One man is dead after being discovered by his lover’s boyfriend on the second floor of the Irawadee condo in Kathu. Wachaya Thepsing, 29, fled to Trang province and alerted police there of the murder of her former lover. Kantang Police then contacted police in Kathu, informing them of Ms Wachaya’s report, said Lt Sawanya Eiattrong of Kathu Police.…
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Ladyboy romp ends with empty wallet
PHUKET: A Thai ladyboy was arrested early yesterday morning, after stealing money from a Singaporean tourist in Patong. Ng Wei Kiat, 31, met Tanakorn Jaiban, 25, on Bangla Road about 3am. “Mr Ng was reportedly interested in Ms Tanakorn, and they both went to have some fun in a hotel room on Phra Metta Road,” said Lt Col Weerapong Rakito…
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Gov urges sustainable building in Phuket
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada praised Siam Cement Group’s (SCG) newest building in greater Bangkok, which incorporates the latest design concepts. The governor urged Phuket’s developers to follow suit, during the Phuket & Southern Thailand FM & Green Building Seminar held late last month. SCG, the largest cement supplier in Southeast Asia, moved into its new headquarters on its 100th…
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New insurance app aims to make claims hassle free
PHUKET: Claim Di is a new mobile application for facilitating communication and claims between drivers and their insurance companies, so they can complete their own transactions without waiting for a surveyor. The insurance facilitator application was launched in Phuket last week. It is a fully functional outsourced application for insurance services, including immediate claims at the scene without waiting, emergency…
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Hungry python captured near Patong school
PHUKET: A three-meter-long python was captured near a school in Patong this morning. The snake was found with its head stuck in netting covering a chicken coop at 9:30am in Soi Phra Barami 6, next to Kalim school. The snake must have been trying to get at the chickens but it was too big to fit through the holes in…
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Safety regulations reviewed after fatal Phi Phi boat collision
PHUKET: Officials from the Phuket Marine Office (PMO) told the Phuket Gazette that the investigation into a fatal speedboat collision in Phang Nga Bay on June 8 (story here), may result in additional regulations for speedboat operators. Tanthai Wongsayree, an officer with the PMO, said that staff are in the process of reviewing the causes of the boat collision, which…
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Storms damage famous fossils in Krabi
KRABI: Geologists are seeking a solution to preserve one of Thailand’s largest fossil sites, after it was damaged by monsoon waves. Naturally-formed slabs of fossilized shells, believed to be about 75 million years old, at Fossil Shell Beach – locally known as ‘Susan Hoi’ – have broken off recently. The beachfront site in Noppharat Thara – Mu Ko Phi Phi…
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Illegal lumber cache confiscated in protected forest
PHANG NGA: Investigators seized more than one tonne of contraband lumber found in national forest in Takuapa on Saturday. The team, led by Takuapa District Chief Manit Pianthong, seized a total of 43 pieces of lumber that had been cut from protected trees in the Khao Lak Khao Ton forest preserve. “The illegal lumber was found in Bang Muang sub-district.…
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Samkong traffic to be redirected for underpass work
PHUKET: Both northbound and southbound lanes of the new Samkong Underpass are to be opened to traffic this Sunday, Phuket City Traffic Police has confirmed. “Motorists heading south for Central Festival should turn right at the Samkong Intersection, crossing over the underpass there, as they will not be able to turn right at the Darasamuth Intersection after entering the underpass,”…
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Phuket going ‘smart’ with B430mn initiative
PHUKET: The province is forging ahead to develop ‘smart city’ status with a 430 million baht initiative launched earlier this year. Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak gave the green light on March 21 to launch the pilot project. “The Thai government had been developing a smart-city concept, focusing on information-technology systems, which would become the foundation for the economy, society…
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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