Phuket News
Phuket news, politics, business, tourism, and nightlife—stay updated with breaking stories, events, and expat updates from Thailand’s top island destination. Get the latest from The Thaiger, your trusted Phuket news source.
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Flash floods swamp Phuket’s main highway
PHUKET: Flash floods swamped a 200-meter-stretch of southbound lanes on Thepkrasattri Road in Phuket this afternoon. “The flooding started at about 3pm after heavy rain in the area,” a Kusoldharm Foundation rescue worker told the Phuket Gazette. “Police had to make the northbound lanes available for motorists heading in both directions in order to keep traffic flowing.” The affected area…
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Hardwood only: sex toy found lodged in sacred cave
PHUKET: Krabi officials removed a large, pink faded sex toy from a sacred cave this morning, after it was found mixed with traditional carved wooden phalluses. The offending item, discovered in Phra Nang Cave, started local tongues wagging when a photo of it residing in the cave appeared on a foreign website. “We believe it was left there by a…
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American attacked, found lying on Phuket beach
PHUKET: Police are working on solving the mystery surrounding an American who was attacked and left bleeding on a Phuket beach on Saturday morning. Joggers on Karon Beach found Jonathan Mark Lemley, 28, unconscious on the sand with head injuries. “Mr Lemley was dressed in sportswear,” Phuket Provincial Police Commander Patchara Boonyasit told the Phuket Gazette. “He was taken to…
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Sumatra earthquake no cause for Phuket alarm, say experts
PHUKET: An earthquake off northern Sumatra this morning measuring 5.3 in magnitude poses no threat of a tsunami in Phuket, Group Captain Somsak Khaosuwan, director of the National Disaster Warning Center, has confirmed. “There is no need for people in Phuket to panic. The earthquake in Indonesia at 7:02am will not result in a tsunami here,” he told the Phuket…
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Ancient relics discovered in Krabi thought to be over 3,000 years old
PHUKET: More than 200 ancient artifacts were discovered by chance, scattered on the floor of a cave in Krabi province, across Phang Nga Bay from Phuket, on Saturday. Found by a local man in Kuan Wei Dang Cave in Khlong Thom district, south of Krabi Town, the pieces included ancient ceramics, axeheads and stone tools, thought to be more than…
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Makeup artist found dead in bed
PHUKET: A man was found dead at his rented apartment with dried blood around his mouth on Friday morning, but police said there were no signs of a struggle. “Thinnakorn Hormsai, 35, from Sakon Nakhon, was found dead lying in bed at his apartment on Narison Road in Phuket Town with blood stains around his mouth,” said Lt Col Kritsana…
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No signs of Ebola in dead Briton in Phuket
PHUKET: Laboratory tests on the body of British national Martin Clark, 68, who was found dead in his Phuket condo last Thursday after returning from Nigeria, showed no signs of the deadly Ebola disease. Dr Thiravat Hemachudha, director of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Research and Training on Viral Zoonoses, said yesterday that separate tissue tests by German and Chinese…
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Phuket precautions taken, but Brit visited “Ebola-free’ Nigeria
PHUKET: As a precaution, Phuket Provincial Public Health Office (PPHO) officials are watching 25 people who were involved in inspecting and moving the body of a British national that medical experts are testing for the Ebola virus (story here). “They all have to pay special attention to their health and have to report to the PPHO once a week, at…
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Phuket Gazette web power scales new heights
PHUKET: Phuket’s most popular English-language Facebook page and the Gazette Online, the island’s top-ranked website (source: Google Analytics), have both landed record amounts of viewers this week with the story: Australian tourist mauled by Phuket tiger. The story, published on Wednesday, October 22, had more than 100,000 hits on the Gazette Online and reached more than 1.2 million readers on…
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Phuket medical experts work to rule out Ebola in death of Brit
PHUKET: A Disease Prevention team from the Phuket Provincial Public Health Office (PPHO) is working to rule out Ebola as the cause of death for a British expat recently returned from Nigeria. Martin John Roberts Clark, 68, returned to Phuket on October 7. He was found dead in his condo on Thursday afternoon. “Our team was there yesterday to collect…
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Phuket speedboat crash victim to undergo spinal cord surgery
PHUKET: A Tunisian national will undergo surgery in Phuket for severe injuries sustained to his spinal cord during the horrific speedboat crash that killed two Korean tourists last weekend (story here). Ali Bouzgarrou, 67, who had been in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) Hospital, was moved to Bangkok Hospital Phuket yesterday for the surgery.…
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Phuket tiger’s protective nature blamed for attack
PHUKET: Tiger Kingdom staff blamed the protective nature of a tiger for the attack on an Australian tourist in Phuket on Wednesday. “We believe the tiger was trying to protect our staffer, so it bit Mr Goudie. Notice that it attacked him instead of the staffer, who was standing closer to the tiger’s head,” Tanawin Boonpang, Phuket’s Tiger Kingdom supervisor,…
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Frenchman, 70, fights off armed robbers in Phuket
PHUKET: A 70-year-old French national fought off a pair of teens attempting to rob his female companion at knife-point in Phuket last night. David Estermann and his friend, Aurelie Allain-Lebreton, were driving along Soi Suksan 2, a poorly lit road in Rawai, when they were forced to a stop by the two teens. “They stopped their bike in front of…
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Phuket honors HM King Chulalongkorn
PHUKET: The life and achievements of HM King Chulalongkorn were commemorated in a ceremony at Phuket Provincial Hall yesterday. Govenor Nisit Jansomwong led an assembly of officials in adorning the “Chulalongkorn the Great” monument with flowers. After the ceremony and speeches, Governor Nisit presented five 10,000-baht prizes to students who won an “Abolition of Slavery in Thailand” drawing competition, which…
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Myanmar nationals robbed of 30k cash in Phuket
PHUKET: Police are hunting a pair of armed robbers who stole 30,000 baht from two Myanmar nationals in Phuket on Wednesday afternoon. Ye Su Or, 21, and Priew, 17, were walking into a SuperCheap when two men drove up on a motorbike and demanded the money at knife-point. “The couple had a lot of cash so that they could buy…
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Phuket officials conduct safety inspection after fatal speedboat crash
PHUKET: Marine Department officials inspected boats at the Royal Phuket Marina yesterday in an effort to boost tourists’ confidence in the safety of speedboat tours following a horrific crash that killed two Korean tourists on Sunday (story here). Jiraporn Jantarasiri, deputy director of the Marine Department, led officials to the marina for an unannounced safety spot check. “All boats were…
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Future of Phuket’s jet-ski operators to be decided next week: officials
PHUKET: Jet-ski operators will meet with the Phuket Marine Office on Monday to discuss their fates, following a decision last week that has allowed them to temporarily park their craft on Kamala Beach (story here). “We have assigned the Phuket Marine Office to take responsibility of the issue concerning jet-ski management, as the operators must seek permission from the office…
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Dubai Petanque returns to Phuket to make amends for last year
PHUKET: Dubai Petanque returns to Thailand to take on teams from Phuket and France in a two-day round-robin tournament starting on November 1. Phuket Petanque Club last November shook Dubai Petanque with a 48-20 win, and there is no doubt that Dubai will be looking for revenge. The three-way contest will be a modification of last year’s Grand Slam Tournament,…
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Video Report: Speedboat-crash victims’ bodies to be taken home
PHUKET: The bodies of two South Korean nationals recovered from the wreckage of a speedboat that sank in Phang Nga Bay on Sunday will be flown back to Korea early tomorrow morning. Search and rescue divers recovered the bodies of Ko Min Woo, 31, and An Sun Yong, 28, on Tuesday (stories here and here). Phuket Governor Nisit Jansomwong was…
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Phuket’s top brass declare beaches ready for high season
PHUKET: The island’s beaches are ready for the incoming high season, top-ranking Phuket-based officials announced yesterday. “We are confident that we have nice, beautiful beaches to which we can welcome tourists from all over the world,” said Sayan Prasongsamrej, commander of the Royal Thai Navy Third Area Command. However, Vice Admiral Sayan noted that the beach battle has not yet…
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Cremation ceremony for “original Phuket expat’ Eric Snyder on Saturday
PHUKET: Well-known long-term Phuket expat Eric Snyder, 70, who recently succumbed to skin cancer, is lying in state at Wat Chalong this week. The cremation ceremony for Mr Snyder will be at noon on Saturday. Friends are invited to come pay their respects to one of the island’s “original expats”. Mr Snyder arrived in Phuket in 1975 and remained in…
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Phuket Art Dinner: Dine on all-star chefs’ culinary interpretations of modern art
PHUKET: Ever wondered what Leonardo Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, Hokusai’s The Great Wave off Kanagawa or any piece of modern art might taste like – or at least a gastronomic interpretation? Take your chances this Saturday at 7pm by joining the Think Design Art Dinner at Nikki Beach Club, where six of Thailand’s top chefs will be collaborating to create…
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Phuket vampires prepare: Blood center to hold Halloween-themed blood drive
PHUKET: The Phuket Red Cross has invited all healthy island residents to help replenish much-needed blood stocks by making donations at its Halloween-themed blood drive. The event, called “Nee Pee Ma Hai Luad” or “Run away from ghosts. Let’s donate blood”, will take place at the Phuket Regional Blood Center (PRBC) on October 31 from 8:30am to 4:30pm. “Our blood…
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Australian tourist mauled by Phuket tiger
PHUKET: An Australian tourist was mauled by a tiger at Phuket’s Tiger Kingdom yesterday afternoon, Kathu District Chief Sayan Chanachaiwong confirmed to the Phuket Gazette today. The tiger attacked Paul Goudie, 49, after he climbed into the cage with the animal at about 1pm to have his photograph taken. Mr Goudie was taken to Phuket International Hospital for treatment. He…
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Police arrest woman for contracting Phuket killing
PHUKET: Police arrested a woman last night for hiring a hitman to kill a Phuket resident earlier this year. Anyanee Jongmun, 29, was arrested outside of her house in Srisoonthorn after the assassin, Chatchai Torkeaw, gave up her name to police. Mr Chatchai, was arrested on Saturday (story here) for the stabbing murder of 42-year-old Nongluk Thavorn, who was found…
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Russian drowns while snorkelling off Phi Phi island, east of Phuket
PHUKET: A Russian tourist drowned while snorkelling off the tourist island of Phi Phi, east of Phuket, yesterday. “Evgenii Kuznetcov, 54, was taken to Phi Phi Hospital, but sadly he was pronounced dead on arrival,” Krabi City Police Deputy Superintendent Noppadol Mukda told the Phuket Gazette. Mr Kuznetcov and his wife had joined a Phuket speedboat tour to visit Koh…
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Phuket divers discover body of second Korean tourist killed in speedboat crash
PHUKET: Search and rescue divers today are recovering a second body from the wreckage of the speedboat that sank in Phang Nga Bay, east of Phuket, after crashing into a fishing trawler Sunday afternoon. The body was identified by Phuket Marine Police as Korean national Ko Min Woo, 31. About an hour earlier, divers found and began to recover the…
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Breaking News: Divers recover body of Korean tourist from sunken speedboat
PHUKET: Search and rescue divers pulled the body of one of the two missing Korean tourists from the wreckage of the speedboat that now lies at the bottom of Phang Nga Bay, east of Phuket, confirmed Lt Col Chatchai Sakdee of the Phuket Marine Police. Marine Police named the Korean woman as An Sun Yong, 28. One Korean tourist is…
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Triple homicide: suspect flees into jungle north of Phuket
PHUKET: Police in Phang Nga, north of Phuket, are hunting a man who killed his estranged wife and her parents after he was allegedly denied entry into their house. The bodies of Piyawan Jankerdkaew, 28; Prakob Jankerdkaew, 54; and Vas Jankerdkaew, 59, were found with gunshot wounds to the head yesterday afternoon in Kura Buri, Phang Nga. “We were called…
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Angry mob prevents suspected hired assassin from reenacting Phuket stabbing
PHUKET: An angry mob of villagers yesterday prevented police from carrying out a full reenactment of the stabbing murder of a woman by a suspected hired assassin in Phuket earlier this year. “Chatchai Torkeaw, 25, was apprehended on Saturday after he successfully evaded arrest for almost six months,” Thalang Police Superintendent Sirisak Wasasiri told the Phuket Gazette. He was arrested…
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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