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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Police to run plates of Phuket slow loris tout
PHUKET: Phuket police vowed to check the licence plate number of a motorcycle ridden by a slow loris tout who was caught on camera pushing the protected animal on tourists at Surin Beach last month. “We appreciate you forwarding the evidence to us, especially as these images show the man’s face and his motorcycle’s licence plate number,” Cherng Talay Police…
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Body of foreigner found on Phuket beach
PHUKET: Police are attempting to identify the body of a foreign man found on Surin Beach this morning. “We received a report at about 7am that someone working out on the beach had come across the body. The dead man was face down in the sand with his arms crossed and pressed against his chest, when we got there” said…
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Confirmed: Minors to dodge overstay blacklisting
PHUKET: Children will not be blacklisted for overstaying their visas, officials confirmed today. Thailand’s implementation of a regulation to blacklist overstayers will not affect those under the age of 18, explained Immigration Commissioner Nathathorn Prousoontorn. The news follows much uncertainty in Phuket after the regulations were announced earlier this month. “The new penalties came into effect on March 20. They…
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Breaking News: At least five missing in Krabi construction accident
KRABI: At least five women are missing after the building they were working on collapsed this afternoon. The foreman at the Institute of Physical Education – Krabi Campus construction site was unable to confirm the cause of the incident. Rescue workers are on site searching for anyone trapped in the wreckage. — Kritsada Mueanhawong
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Surin Beach wastewater to be wiped up with illegal buildings
PHUKET: The black sludge of untreated wastewater pooling on Surin Beach will remain until the illegal buildings on the sands have been destroyed, confirmed Cherng Talay Tambon Administration Organization (OrBorTor) President Ma-ann Samran yesterday. “The wastewater is from beachfront shops in the area. Some of the shops have acted responsibly and treated wastewater before releasing it, while others have not,”…
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Private company blocking beach access road ordered to meet with officials
PHUKET: Officials have called on Laem Nga Development Co Ltd to meet with representatives from the Marine Office and local authorities after receiving complaints that they were blocking an access road to Laem Nga Beach in Rassada. The complaint, submitted to the Damrongdhama Center (ombudsman’s office), saw members of the Royal Thai Navy Third Area Command and Damrongdhama Center inspect…
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Police hope peacock tattoo leads to identification of body
PHUKET: Police are attempting to identify a dead man who was found hanging from a tree along the bypass road near the Bang Khu intersection this morning. The man, thought to be 25 to 35 years old, was found by a Koh Kaew local. Officers found no identification on the body. However, the man does have a prominent tattoo of…
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Phuket Regional Blood Center calls for O+ donors to replenish stocks
PHUKET: The Phuket Regional Blood Center (PRBC) is calling for blood donations from donors with blood type O-positive to help replenish stocks for use at local hospitals. Supplies of O-positive blood are down to just 20 units (pints) at the center, said PRBC Chief Pornthip Rattajak. The blood bank aims to maintain a daily minimum stock of 200 units of…
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Marine police arrest boat captain with shotgun
PHUKET: Phuket Marine Police arrested a man piloting a boat with a hunting gun and ammunition on board just off Koh Yao yesterday. Officers discovered the firearm – a 12 gauge single-barrel shotgun – and eight shotgun cartridges during a random inspection of the boat. “Warayuth Mayer, 39, claimed that he was hired by Rung Nok Satun-Trang Ltd to protect…
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Phuket police hunt slow loris tout on Kata Noi Beach
PHUKET: Karon Police are patrolling the sands of Kata Noi Beach in hopes of netting a slow loris tout who was spotted there yesterday. Police were alerted to the tout’s activities after being given photographic evidence that was originally sent to the Phuket Gazette by a concerned reader. “We will search the beach today. If he thinks he can earn…
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Second suspect arrested for fatal stabbing of French tourist
PHUKET: Police today arrested a second man in connection with the slaying of a French tourist in Patong yesterday. (story here). “We tracked down Somkid Lhemood, 30, after checking CCTV in the area, which showed that another man was involved in the fight,” said Lt Col Sutthichai Thianpho of the Patong Police. The first suspect, 33-year-old Somporn Kakkaew, was arrested…
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Phuket expat’s Row2Rio begins push to equator
PHUKET: The two men and two women undertaking the Row2Rio challenge have launched into the third section of the trip – the longest leg of the journey with the most unknown factors that could end up making or breaking this unprecedented adventure. “It’s a 950 nautical mile push to the equator. This stage will dictate whether we can get this…
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Governor orders tsunami evacuation brochures
PHUKET: Tsunami evacuation brochures will be drawn up and printed following a request by Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada. The Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) Phuket Office has been put in charge of the project, which will see the pamphlets handed out to locals and tourists via local authorities, tour operators, and hotel and business operators. “This project was thought up…
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Witnesses to superyacht crew death stay silent
PHUKET: Mystery still surrounds the death of a Bulgarian crew member who died after both his legs sustained massive injuries on board the superyacht Ocean Victory. Witnesses to the incident have remained silent and not responded to requests to be questioned by Kuraburi Police. “I have sent out letters to all relevant people who were on the yacht on the…
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Drunk drivers to lose vehicles for entire Songkran ‘Seven Days of Danger’
PHUKET: In line with national policy, Phuket’s top policeman vowed to impound drunk drivers’ vehicles during the Songkran ‘Seven Days of Danger’ road-safety campaign. Police will not return the vehicle until the end of the campaign. “Impounding a vehicle and seizing a driver’s licence in a drunk driving case is nothing new – it’s just common sense,” said Phuket Provincial…
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Frenchman, 23, stabbed to death in Phuket
PHUKET: A 23-year-old Frenchman was stabbed to death in Phuket early this morning. His Moroccan friend, also 23, was injured in the violent altercation in front of the Orchid Resortel on Soi Sansabai in Patong. The Frenchman’s name is being withheld by the Phuket Gazette pending confirmation that next of kin have been informed. “Said Missoury told us that they…
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Phuket Airport boosts security after Brussels blasts
PHUKET: A bomb disposal squad is on standby and extra military personnel are on guard at checkpoints in and around Phuket International Airport. “We have raised the security status to ‘level three plus’ and have implemented extra safety measures throughout the airport and surrounding area,” said Phuket Airport Director Monrudee Gettuphan. Checkpoints at the airport’s entrance went up at 8pm…
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Bus banned for smoking is alreay back in business
PHUKET: A Phuket bus that was banned from the roads for belching out black smoke and failing an exhaust emission test on Monday was back in business the next day. “The amount of black smoke in the bus’s emissions has been reduced from 99.8 per cent to 12 per cent,” confirmed Jaturong Kaewkasi, chief policy adviser at the Phuket Land…
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Tourists safe after Phuket bus catches fire
PHUKET: More than a dozen tourists are safe after the bus they were taking to Patong caught fire yesterday afternoon. The bus, owned by Jetour Thailand Limited Company, was delivering 14 Chinese tourists from Nonthasak Pier in Rassada to their hotel when the driver noticed smoke emanating from the dashboard. “I couldn’t stop the bus immediately because there was no…
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Flat tyre, carelessness blamed for filthy Phuket pier
PHUKET: Officials are blaming a garbage truck with a flat tyre and boat operators’ carelessness for the piles of rubbish and spilled oil spotted on Chalong Pier yesterday. Photos sent to the Phuket Gazette by a reader – showing dozens of garbage bags, bottles and puddles of oil along the pier – were forwarded to the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization…
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PLTO bans bus bellowing pollution in Phuket
PHUKET: Officials banned a pollution-belching Phuket bus from service after it failed its emissions test yesterday. The Phuket Land Transport Office (PLTO) was alerted to the bus’s condition through a complaint made by a concerned citizen who sent in a photo of the vehicle’s plate number. “The black carbon emissions expelled from diesel exhaust cannot exceed 45 per cent. However,…
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Phuket ‘smart city’ set to receive Korean expertise, B430mn-budget
PHUKET: Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak yesterday announced a budget of 430 million baht to further the ‘smart city’ project in Phuket. The announcement was made at a conference yesterday where the Deputy PM invited entrepreneurs from the South Korean city of Busan to invest in Thailand. Deputy PM Somkid chaired a signing ceremony between Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada and…
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Move to regulate diving industry [video]
PHUKET: Independent diving excursions have been banned in Phuket and Phang Nga following a government move to tighten regulations and increase accountability in the previously self-regulated industry. The move comes in the wake of a number of dive-related deaths and serious accidents in the region. “Though the diving industry does have its own regulations, we need to take greater responsibility…
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Calling all HOGs for record Harley convoy in Phuket
PHUKET: Hundreds of Harley-Davidson bikers from across the country are roaring in to Phuket on April 10 to set the record for the longest Harley-Davidson convoy in Thailand. Phuket’s HOGs (Harley Owner’s Group members) are calling on all Thailand chapters to join the attempt to set the record for the longest Harley parade with about 500 bikes and riders. The…
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A Decade Ago: Beach chairs and a B40mn blaze
PHUKET: Fears that beach vendors’ unrelenting attempts to retake the beaches will eventually wear down Phuket officials’ willingness to enforce the 10 per cent zone and virgin beach regulations are well founded. Ten years ago, in the March 18-24 edition of the Phuket Gazette, we documented rental operators reneging on a deal – struck after the tsunami – between their…
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Fisherman killed in knife fight near Phuket port
PHUKET: A 19-year-old Myanmar national was killed in a knife fight on a fishing boat pulling into a Phuket port yesterday afternoon. The altercation between two Myanmar crew members on the fishing vessel Kiang Chai 11 resulted in the death of Yae Tui. The surviving crew member, Van Chana, 34, was sent to Vachira Phuket Hospital to be treated for…
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Phuket alcohol zones still fuzzy
PHUKET: The Phuket Excise Office (PEO) chief has asked the Cabinet for another six months to measure out potential alcohol zones in an effort to suppress underage drinking in the province. The cabinet initially gave the PEO until January to chart all shops selling alcohol within 300-meters of ‘educational institutions’. However the rules remained foggy as officials tried to clarify…
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Manhunt launched for Mai Khao murderer
PHUKET: Police have launched a manhunt after the lacerated body of a 25-year-old man was found lying in a pool of blood in front of a shack at a rubber plantation in Mai Khao yesterday morning. The body of Myanmar worker, known only as Mr Sor, was discovered in the plantation near Phuket International Airport at about 10:50am on Sunday…
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Checkpoint police nab 21 taxi drivers, most for poor dress sense
PHUKET: Police have arrested a total of 21 taxi drives at a checkpoint in Patong in the past two days, 19 of whom were fined for being inappropriately dressed. Patong traffic policeman Ekkarat Plaiduang and Tourist Police Chief Urumporn Koondejsumrit led the checkpoint in front of the Patong Police Station in order to crack down on fixed-price taxi services and…
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Fans requested at high-ranking Krabi official’s funeral
KRABI: The family of a high-ranking officer in Krabi has requested that fans be brought to the late lieutenant colonel’s funeral in lieu of wreaths. The funeral of Lt Col Kliang Maneechote, 50, of the Krabi Provincial Police was held at a temple in Krabi Town after he passed away on March 13 after suffering a stroke. Col Kliang’s wife,…
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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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