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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Thalang Police Station rioter arrested for unrelated crime
PHUKET: A teen wanted for his role in the Phuket police station riot last month was arrested for an unrelated crime two weeks ago. The 16-year-old, who police declined to identify, was arrested for possession of kratom in Thalang, explained Thalang Police Superintendent Chanuchan Cholsuwat. “When we ran his name in the system, an arrest warrant for his alleged involvement…
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Phuket to host southern region Bike for Mom photo exhibition
PHUKET: Phuket has been chosen as the southern region’s venue for the Bike for Mom photo exhibition, which will be held November 21-24 at Limelight Avenue. “The exhibition will display the best photos from the Bike for Mom nationwide photo contest and about 1,000 other memorable images for the people of Phuket and the southern region to enjoy,” said Limelight…
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A Decade Ago: Chasing the white dragon
PHUKET: Headlines about methamphetamine, kratom, marijuana and even a little cocaine find their way into the Phuket Gazette fairly regularly. But, heroin… that’s a beast that rarely surfaces on this paradise island. There was of course 22-year-old John Cawley, who was busted for running ‘birdie powder’ from Phuket to Koh Samui in 2013, but smack in general is either very…
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Kratom package seized at Phuket Town Post Office
PHUKET: Phuket Marine police seized a 5-kilogram package of kratom leaves at the Phuket Town Post Office this afternoon. “After receiving a tip-off about the delivery from our source, we arrived at the post office at 9am,” Phuket Marine Police Chief Panya Chaichana told Phuket Gazette. “However, when no one showed up by 3pm to claim the package, we seized…
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First Aid Center opens on Koh Racha
PHUKET: A First Aid Center was officially opened on Koh Racha yesterday in an effort to provide medical facilities to sick or injured tourists. “The reason we started one on Koh Racha was that the island is quite far from the nearest hospital,” said Santi Pawai, director of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports Phuket Office. “We plan on eventually…
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Mobile units to tackle Phuket speed demons
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Government has asked that the Royal Highway Police step in to help bring the deadly chaos on Phuket’s roads to a potentially manageable level. “There are three types of factors that lead to the number of accidents on our roads: the driver, the vehicle and road conditions,” said Vice Governor Chokdee Amornwat last week. “We are…
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Oil smuggler busted in Phuket waters
PHUKET: An oil smuggler was busted in Phuket yesterday after officials discovered 500 liters of illegal oil in a hold on a fishing vessel. “Acting on a tip-off, we tracked down Kor Sinsomboon 2 at about 11:30am. The captain was unable to produce his captain’s licence. However, the sea was too rough to search the vessel, so we escorted Manoon…
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Three Phuket “virgin beaches’ revealed
PHUKET: Vice Governor Chokdee Amornwat announced the designation of the island’s first three “virgin beaches” last week, after revealing the plan to have such beaches to the public on October 31 (story here). Freedom Beach, Nui Beach and Lay Pang Beach were all named by Vice Governor Chokdee as beaches that will soon return to their natural state. “There are…
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Phuket moment of silence for Paris attack victims
PHUKET: The French Consulate in Phuket has invited the public to come together in a moment of silence at 6 tonight for the victims of the terrorist attacks in Paris (story here). “It is requested from the French Embassy in Bangkok to call on all French nationals who live in the area to join in the moment of silence,” French…
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Violence breaks out at Krabi Airport
KRABI: Violence broke out at Krabi International Airport yesterday between locals and squatters protesting their removal from a palm oil plantation earlier that day (story here). Dozens of locals were upset at the protesters, who had moved from the plantation to the airport after being forced off the land by Krabi police and related officials, stating that it gave Krabi…
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Patong restaurant fire quickly extinguished
PHUKET: Municipality workers were able to quickly extinguish a restaurant fire on Taweewong Road in Patong this morning. A firetruck and three water trucks put out the flames in about 5 minutes, Patong Municipality Fire Department Officer Sampawat Wannasangkam told the Phuket Gazette. The fire started in the kitchen of Chabadang at about 10am. The structure incurred only minor damages.…
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Umbrella zones pop up on Kata, Karon and Surin beaches
PHUKET: The 10 per cent beach management zone policy first established in Patong (see here) was expanded to Kata, Karon and Surin this week. “Each local government has already measured and decided where the zones will be,” Vice Governor Chokdee said, as he led a team that was establishing temporary landmarks for the zones. Two umbrella zones were set up…
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Navy steps in to untangle fishing conflicts
PHUKET: The water around Phuket started to heat up when two groups with dramatically different commercial fishing practices clashed this week. To bring order to the situation, the Thailand Maritime Enforcement Coordinating Center Area 3 was forced to step in and establish a tentative plan to resolve the conflict between Satun and Phuket fishermen. “The first complaint I received was…
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Phuket King’s Cup Regatta to set sail
PHUKET: One of the standout international sporting events in the Asia region, the 29th annual Phuket King’s Cup Regatta Under Royal Patronage, prepares to set sail once again, swelling Phuket visitor numbers and making a large contribution to overall tourism performance. The Phuket King’s Cup Regatta 2015 will be held at Kata Beach Resort and Spa from December 5 to…
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Police slap Facebook ranter with Computer Crimes Act
KRABI: Police hit a Krabi woman with the Computer Crimes Act after she posted a Facebook video of herself verbally attacking the quality of police officers. Sukanya Laiban, 23, recorded the video clip after Sen Sgt Maj Pratum Srichana of the Krabi City Police forced her to move her car from a no parking zone. “In the video, she claims…
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Squatters flee plantation fearing forceful removal by government
KRABI: About 200 squatters fled a Krabi oil palm plantation in fear that excessive force would be used to remove them today. A letter signed by Krabi Governor Pinij Boonlert explained that previous negotiations that failed to move the protesters off the land had led to violent attacks by the squatters. He did not address claims of excessive force being…
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Phuket teen dies in crash with parked truck
PHUKET: One teenager died and another was seriously injured when their motorbike crashed into a parked pick-up truck in Thalang early this morning. Natchanon Boonjan, 17, died at the scene while his 17-year-old passenger, Preechaporn Sae Eung, was rushed to Thalang Hospital with severe head injuries. “We received the report at about 3:30am,” confirmed Lt Col Sanit Nukong of the…
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Thailand returns rescued orangutans to Indonesia
BANGKOK: A group of smuggled orangutans were returned from Thailand to Indonesia yesterday following years of diplomatic wrangling over who will care for them after the majority were discovered abandoned on a roadside. Previous Thai governments sought compensation from Indonesia for the cost of housing and treating the 14 apes, but the junta government in Bangkok recently waived those demands…
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Navy denies taking Phuket beach bribes
PHUKET: The Navy denied yesterday that officers had taken bribes to secure jobs for Phuket beach vendors. “We received a complaint that someone was using our name to extort money from the island’s beach vendors,” said Sayan Prasongsamrej, commander of the Royal Thai Navy Third Area Command. “We will track down whoever is falsely presenting themselves as a member of…
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Phuket airport taxi driver fired for selling tour packages
PHUKET: The airport taxi driver who was under investigation after a social media post from a passenger went viral last week has been fired, confirmed Phuket Land and Transport (PLTO) Chief Policy Adviser Jaturong Kaewkasi. Montira Sakorn’s Facebook post alleged that the taxi she hired from the airport to Patong failed to bring her and her boyfriend to their destination.…
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East Meets West Garage Sale pulls into port at Boat Arcade
PHUKET: Treasure hunters should start clearing their calendars for this Saturday as the 2nd East Meets West Garage Sale lands at the new Boat Arcade edutainment and family center in the Phuket Boat Lagoon. The 70-plus stalls featured at the venue will be providing treasure troves of high-quality second hand items, plus a selection of top fashion brands. The last…
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Hundreds to gather for charity bike ride for slain officer
PHUKET: Hundreds of Phuket’s bikers will join together for a charity bike ride to raise funds for the family of the Tah Chat Chai police officer who was killed by a drunk driver on Monday (story here). Captain Suthat Songmuang was preparing for his role as part of the security team for the visit of HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn…
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PEA announces more long term blackouts
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) has announced yet another disheartening wave of blackouts to carry out maintenance work on high-voltage power lines from November 17-27, confirmed PEA staff member Veera Rairub. “We are sorry for any inconvenience. However, this is our ‘monthly checkup and maintenance period’ and these power outages are necessary in order to continue to provide…
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Highway police bust four people at checkpoint with 13 bags of kratom
KRABI: Phang Nga Highway Police arrested four people, including one minor, at a Krabi checkpoint yesterday for the possession of 130 kilograms of kratom. Kitti Kongderm, 33; Chalee Kongderm, 30; Nuchanat Chorfai, 27 and a 17-year-old minor referred to by police only as ‘Daeng’, were driving two separate cars, carrying a total of 13 bags of fresh kratom leaves. “During…
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Anni Flynn set to take on world of flowboarding
PHUKET: Phuket’s own surf superstar, Annissa Flynn, is about to take on the world. Already a well-respected pro on Asia’s surf scene, for the past two year’s Anni has been working her way up the rankings for the new water-bound sport, flowboarding, where the surf runs uphill. The flowboarding phenomenon is spreading across Asia, with artificial surf machines popping up…
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Phuket receives big budget for CCTV cameras
PHUKET: The Department of Tourism has approved a 117-million-baht budget for Phuket to set up 120 new CCTV cameras throughout the island. Under the campaign ‘Phuket, a peaceful city’, the installation of the cameras aims to boost island security, as well as to assure the safety of locals and tourists, confirmed Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada. The budget has been utilized…
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Nai Harn museum re-designed to save pine grove
PHUKET: The Nai Harn Movie Museum will be re-designed to ensure that none of the pine trees along the beach front will be cut down. The change in plans to the 40-million-baht facility comes after locals tied pieces of saffron fabric around the trees, threatening to have hundreds protest. “We planned to cut down the trees because the roots can…
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Cop-slaying drunk driver hit with civil case
PHUKET: A civil case was brought against the drunk minivan driver who killed an on-duty police officer on Monday. Sen Sgt Maj Suthat Songmuang, father of two, was promoted to Captain postmortem before he was buried yesterday. Region 8 Police gave 100,000 baht to his family. However, a civil lawsuit for further compensation was filed against the driver, 25-year-old Pichitpol…
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Officials table banning destructive diving practice
PHUKET: Authorities are looking to ban destructive dive practices that have been developed on Phi Phi Island to cater to mass tourism. Officials are specifically looking to ban a practice they are calling ‘Try Diving’. “In this case, ‘Try Diving’ is where people with no dive experience at all are brought to a shallow reef to walk around and see…
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Wastewater flow on Karon Beach not hotels’ fault, says official
PHUKET: The foul black water that flowed across Karon Beach on Thursday was not connected to any hotel in the area improperly discharging untreated wastewater, confirmed officials. However, it was untreated wastewater. “The problem, which was caused by officers fixing some pipes, was blown out of proportion by people sharing photos and spreading rumors on social media sites,” Wanchai Saetan,…
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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