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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Sponsored Infinito helps hotels in Thailand with revenue management
Maximising revenue and profit–isn’t that the ultimate goal for every business in the hospitality industry? If you run a hotel, you might have heard that revenue management is an effective way to boost your top-line revenue. It involves using data...
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Phuket tour bus crashes, 10 injured
PHUKET: Six tourists remain in hospital after their Phuket tour bus crashed on a sharp turn in adverse weather conditions in Phang Nga yesterday. Rescue workers were forced to use the “jaws of life” tool to cut free one of the 11 injured people travelling in the An Xin Tour Phuket bus, explained Lt Col Sanea Ukot of the Phang…
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Phuket leaders protest proposed election changes
PHUKET: About 100 local leaders protested outside Phuket Provincial Hall this morning against proposed changes to Thailand’s electoral system. “We are here because of changes proposed by the Constitution Drafting Committee on November 25,” said Kittisak Sotraksa, protest leader and president of Phuket’s association of kamnan (subdistrict chiefs) and phu yai baan (village chiefs). “One of the proposals is to…
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Phuket sinkhole accident victim, Molly, 7, dies
PHUKET: Molly Anne Bailey, the 7-year-old girl who was critically injured when the pick-up truck she was travelling in plunged into a sinkhole in central Phuket last week, has died. “Her parents decided to let Molly go by taking her off her life-support on Saturday night after doctors said she had no chance of recovering,” Lt Col Yongyuth Kongmala of…
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Phuket official denies B5k fine for beachside parking ‘on sidewalk’
PHUKET: A Karon official has warned island-residents to obey the law or face the consequences, after a Phuket Gazette reader wrote in today about an alleged 5,000-baht fine for parking on a sidewalk. “On Friday, I parked my motorbike near the big statue of a snake [naga] at Karon Beach, like I’ve done for the past 11 years, but this…
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NFL Week 15: Cardinals grind out win over Chiefs
PHUKET: The Arizona Cardinals won their second straight game on Thursday night football by grinding out a 12-7 home win over a lackluster Kansas City Chiefs (7-6), but the win saw their quarterback Drew Stanton leave the game with a worrisome right knee injury. The injury came as a big setback for the Cardinals, now 11-3, who had the best…
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Phuket police rescue Cambodian kids from human-traffickers in Patong
PHUKET: A 10-year-old Cambodian boy and his 6-year-old sister are under close watch by welfare officers after being rescued from human traffickers by Patong Police on Thursday. “The children are now safe in one of our shelters. We will talk to them more on Monday about what is going on, and that may lead us to more suspects,” said Sirumporn…
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Girl remains in ICU after truck crashes into Phuket sinkhole
PHUKET: A 7-year-old girl remains in Vachira Phuket Hospital’s Intensive Care Unit (ICU) after the pick-up truck she was riding in crashed into a massive sinkhole in a road in northern Phuket on Thursday. The sinkhole first started to form last month when heavy rains washed away part of Rural Road 4008 off Thepkrasattri Road, near Bang Jo Prison in…
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Phuket jet-skis get green light
PHUKET: Governor Nisit Jansomwong has revealed a raft of new rules for jet-ski operators to abide by when renting their jet-skis out to tourists at Phuket beaches. “Jet-ski operators who do not follow the rules will be punished,” Governor Nisit assured the media at a press conference held at Phuket Provincial Hall yesterday. “The new rules will first be enforced…
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Phuket police search for B7mn vanishing cream fraud suspect
PHUKET: A total of 17 people yesterday filed a complaint to Phuket City Police against a woman who had allegedly disappeared with 7 million baht that was intended to pay for vanishing cream. Chonticha Jampa-ngern, 32, told police that she had invested an undisclosed sum with her friend Netwimon, 31, so that Ms Netwimon could start selling the beauty cream.…
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Eastin Yama property makes inroads into Phuket tourism market
PHUKET: Perched on the top of a hill, a prime piece of real-estate in the heart of Kata, Eastin Yama Hotel Phuket’s idyllic location already gives it an advantage over rival resorts in the area. Part of the Absolute chain of hotels, the four-star Eastin Yama opened for business in October, but its savvy approach and innovative, sophisticated style has…
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Hundred-strong task force begins Phuket park probe
PHUKET: A task force of 100 officers arrived in Phuket this morning to begin examining hundreds of land documents for more than 2,000 rai of land in Sirinath National Park for suspected encroachment. The national-level task force was created to look into the suspect Phuket plots by Nipon Chotiban, director-general of the Department of National Parks Wildlife and Plant Conservation…
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Phuket hit-and-run kills one
PHUKET: Police are trying to track down a pick-up truck driver involved in a hit-and-run accident that left one man dead and another injured in northern Phuket last night. Police and Kusoldharm Foundation rescue workers rushed to the scene, near Phuket International Airport, at about 8:30pm and found 31-year-old Soonthorn Payabal dead on the ground next to a motorbike. “Sarawut…
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Phuket police hunt for suspects in drive-by motorbike shooting
PHUKET: Police are searching for two male suspects involved in a drive-by motorbike shooting that left one Phuket construction worker dead late Wednesday night. Vuthisak Pungsombut, 19, was driving a motorbike with his coworker Pongsak Sukjam, 44, riding pillion, back to the workers’ camp where they live after watching a football match at a nearby shop in Srisoonthorn, Lt Col…
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Laguna Phuket launches initiative to help struggling beach vendors
PHUKET: Laguna Phuket has announced the launch of a beach vendor support center to assist those who lost their jobs as a result of the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) beach cleanup campaign earlier this year. The “Local Vendors Support Center” will comprise shops from which vendors and other service providers, including masseuse and tour-desk operators, can continue…
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Uber gains legal traction in Phuket
PHUKET: The Department of Land Transportation (DLT) came to terms with Uber this week, making it clear that the taxi-booking firm was legal, but that any promotion of illegal taxi drivers in Phuket or elsewhere in Thailand was banned. “We are not banning the use of the Uber application, but we are banning the use of black-plate vehicles, because they…
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Phuket’s Le Meridien plays down “private beach’ accusations by villagers
PHUKET: Le Meridien Phuket Beach Resort today denied accusations by local villagers that it is claiming the beach at Karon Noi Bay for itself, and explained that the sun-loungers and umbrellas on the beach in front of the resort are provided free for hotel guests. Local villagers led by Aroonsri Klanma, village chief of Karon Moo 1, filed a complaint…
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Bus ban ignored: Phuket tour bus plunges down Patong Hill
PHUKET: A Phuket tour bus carrying Chinese tourists plunged down Patong Hill yesterday afternoon, obliterating a police box before crashing into a temple wall. The driver Pirom Joppromraj, 49, told police that the brakes failed as he descended the steep slope into Patong at about 5:15pm – during big vehicle restricted hours. A Patong Hill bus ban was put in…
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Video Report: Phuket’s HomeWorks re-opens amid promises of safe shelves
PHUKET: HomeWorks, the busy home-improvement store on Phuket’s bypass road, re-opened to shoppers today amid promises that the shelves had been inspected and were safe to use. A shelf collapse at the store on Sunday resulted in a family of three, including an 11-year-old girl, being rushed to hospital with injuries after they were pummeled by falling paint buckets (story…
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Phuket Cricket: Laguna notch up win in season opener
PHUKET: Laguna opened their account in the new Phuket Cricket Group (PCG) senior league by outfoxing Thalang in the opening match of the season, played at the Alan Cooke Ground (ACG) last Sunday. As is tradition, the first match of the season was between last season’s finalists. Laguna, who had a disappointing T20 season, were looking to make amends after…
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Phuket dope peddler nabbed in Patong sewing shop sting
PHUKET: Police arrested a 54-year-old man in Phuket yesterday for possession of 1.5 kilograms of kratom*, which he sold through his sewing shop on Nanai Road. Undercover officers entered the no-name shop in Patong at about 5:30pm and asked Prasert Chookong if he had any kratom for sale. Mr Prasert obliged, and was promptly arrested. “We bought 20 fresh kratom…
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Phuket Beach Club owners face charges for blocking demolition
PHUKET: The owners of The Beach Club restaurant in Nai Yang are facing charges for obstructing officers after they tried to prevent the demolition of their building yesterday – deemed illegally built on public land last month. Owners Aroon Prewphanchoo and Sanya Trirongthong parked a 10-wheeled trailer and several cars in front of their restaurant before officials from the Sakoo…
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Social networks buzz with Phuket police brutality allegations
PHUKET: Social networks are buzzing with allegations of police brutality at a checkpoint in Phuket Town on Saturday night after video footage surfaced of rescue workers treating an injured man. The stir comes from the video footage in which Chaiyarong Trongtor, 25, asks rescue workers, “Why did you hit me with a baton?” “When I arrived, after my team, Mr…
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Phuket learns: database swimming with leopard sharks [video]
PHUKET: The database for Spot the Leopard Shark Thailand has grown to more than 500 photographs after the conservation project was launched in August last year (story here), it was announced at a meeting hosted by Siam Diving Enterprises in Phuket last week. “We had the presentation to inform the dive community about the project, as well as about the…
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Girl remains in Phuket hospital after ‘hail’ of paint cans
PHUKET: An 11-year-old girl trapped under a rack of shelves at the HomeWorks home-improvement store yesterday afternoon will remain in hospital tonight under observation as a precaution only, the Phuket Gazette was told this afternoon. Eight racks of shelves reaching up to about three-meters tall collapsed at the store, inside Central Festival Phuket East, bringing down a hail of full…
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Phuket coach conquers 10km keepie-uppie journey in honor of The King
PHUKET: A local football coach played keepie-uppie, the act of juggling a football without allowing the ball to hit the ground, for 10 kilometers along Phuket’s coast in honor of HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s 87th birthday on Friday. Praphan Khongmuean, coach at Republic Phuket and keepie-uppie marathoner, started juggling the ball at Kata Beach Resort and Spa at 7am and…
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Phuket Police: No foul play suspected in death of English-Thai toddler
PHUKET: Police do not suspect foul play in the death of a Phuket toddler who was found dead in a pool outside of his family’s house in Rawai on Friday. Marcus Pandragon Pearce, 16 months old, was discovered floating in the pool by his mother, Malida Pearce. “Mrs Pearce told us that her English husband, Jass Pearce, had gone out…
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Speed warning issued after Phuket cop crashes car
PHUKET: A rainy-weather driving-speed warning was issued today after a Phuket police officer flipped his car on the way to Phuket International Airport early yesterday morning. Lt Nikom Keawnu of the Cherng Talay Police and his female passenger both walked away unharmed from the accident on the new airport road. “The accident occurred when it was raining. We were on…
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Phuket motorcyclist killed in head-on collision
PHUKET: A motorcyclist was killed in a head-on collision with a pick-up truck that was trying to overtake a car in Phuket last night. Police and Ruam Jai Foundation rescue workers arrived on the scene, Thep Anusorn Road in Wichit, at about 9:30pm. In the middle of the road, they found the body of 27-year-old Jakkrapong Sungjang. “Witnesses told police…
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Hong Kong teams dominate top classes at Phuket King’s Cup Regatta
PHUKET; The final day’s racing of the 28th King’s Cup Regatta was set up beautifully to host some epic, close-quarters King’s Cup clashes. Winds were good, crews were psyched, and the final day didn’t disappoint. Saturday saw all classes come to a close with a total of 123 keelboat races taking place during the week, in addition to 27 dinghy…
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NFL Week 14: Cowboys crush Bears, 41-28
PHUKET: Quarterback Tony Romo and his Dallas Cowboys blew out a hapless Chicago Bears team 41-28 at Soldier Field in Chicago on Thursday Night Football, the first game of Week 14 of the NFL season. The win raised the Cowboys’ record to 9-4, guaranteeing them their first winning season in five years following a string of three mediocre 8-8 seasons.…
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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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