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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Man allegedly beats Russian ex-girlfriend in Phuket
A man allegedly beat his Russian ex-girlfriend in Phuket, a local news outlet reported yesterday. The victim, 32 year old Julia Bolshakova, reported to Chalong Police on January 13, immediately after she left Chalong Hospital following the attack. A medical report confirmed multiple contusions from Bolshakova’s ex punching her in her face and head. Bolshakova appealed to the police for…
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Cops catch alleged Singaporean scammer at Phuket airport
Cops caught an alleged Singaporean scammer at Phuket International Airport yesterday, who was accused of involvement in Thailand’s ‘Forex-3D scam’ that grabbed headlines in the kingdom last year. Immigration police busted the suspect, 32 year old Daryl Cai Yonghui, as he was about to fly to Singapore, according to the head of the Department of Special Investigation (DSI)’s financial business…
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Phuket launches lantern festival ahead of Chinese New Year
Phuket’s main city district launched the ‘Phuket Lantern Festival 2023’ last night ahead of Chinese New Year, which falls on January 22. The lantern festival will run from January 15 to February 5. During this time, all government offices in Phuket will be decorated with lanterns. Phuket’s city municipality has decorated tourist attractions and the area around Chartered Bank Intersection. …
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Kind Thai man returns pricey lost gold bracelet to British tourist in Patong
A kind Thai man returned a pricey lost gold necklace to a British tourist in Patong last week, media reported yesterday. The Thai man, 46-year-old Jakkarin Kongmueang, told Patong Police he found the bracelet at a bar in Soi Bangla on January 11. The Phuket Express reported that the bracelet was worth 150,000 baht. Jakkarin went to the station to file a report…
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No, you can’t get a driver’s license via LINE
Despite what you may have read on the Internet, you absolutely cannot get a legal driver’s license by messaging someone via the LINE app and having them take the test for you. The Department of Land Transport Phuket Office issued a warning about a scam involving illegal and online driving licenses. The scam has been circulating on social media, including…
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US arrested man for stock fraud in Phuket
A man wanted by the United States for his involvement in stock manipulation and fraud has been arrested in Phuket. Peter Coker Jr, a citizen of the Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis, was apprehended on Wednesday in a hotel room located near Surin Beach. The arrest was made by a team consisting of the Crime Suppression Division (CSD) and…
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Patong-Chalong road construction nears completion
The construction of a new road connecting Chalong to Patong in Phuket is expected to open to the public soon, according to the Phuket Provincial Administration Organisation (PPAO). The announcement came after the PPAO President and Deputy President conducted in-person inspections along the construction site yesterday and the day before. The PPAO Deputy President has closely monitored progress, frequenting the…
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Phuket prisoners to dredge drains in new project to fight flooding
Phuket prisoners will dredge drains and sewers in a new project to fight the island province’s horrendous flooding problems. Officials held a meeting about the upcoming endeavor at Phuket’s Provincial Hall on Wednesday. Officials said the project aims to prevent a repeat last year’s damage from havoc wreaking floods. Inmates from Phuket Provincial Prison will contribute to society by clearing…
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Hong Kong woman faces charges of reckless driving after crashing into Phuket vendor
A Hong Kong woman faces charges of reckless driving after she crashed into a Phuket som tam vendor in Koh Kaew yesterday. The incident happened on the northbound lane of Thep Kassattri Road. CCTV footage showed that the sedan crashed into the motorbike sidecar vendor, along with two motorbikes. Phuket City Police arrived on the scene to find the damaged…
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Floating Yona Beach Club told to cease and wait
A floating beach club barge in Phuket has now been ordered to cease all operations until it gets the full approval it has been seeking to anchor and operate in Patong Bay. Yona Beach Club has been operating with an expired registration and without approval while it waits. The 500-gross-ton vessel housing the beach club, called the Sawasdee, has luxury…
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Chinese tourists expected to flock back to Phuket and Chiang Mai
Chinese tourists are expected to flock back to Phuket and Chiang Mai after China eased travel restrictions on its citizens on January 8. Now, the two tourism hotspots expect a significant jump in travel on direct flights from China from January 18, according to local airport authorities. There will be one daily direct flight from China to Chiang Mai, and three…
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Cops bust thieving couple who sold items to second hand shops in Phuket
Cops busted a thieving couple in Phuket on Monday, a husband and wife team who stole items and sold them to second hand shops. Police say the husband has been identified as Banjerd, and the wife as Toon Mathurasorn, The Phuket News reported. A Russian man, Oliver Thurman, alerted Wichit Police on January 6 that a towing rig and a…
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Daily direct flights between Phuket and Shanghai to takeoff next week
Daily flights between Phuket in southern Thailand and Shanghai in China will takeoff next Wednesday, January 18, operated by Shanghai’s Juneyao Airlines. The inaugural flight will be the first direct service between Phuket and mainland China in almost three years. China reopened its borders yesterday, and given that China was once Thailand’s top tourism market, Thailand braced itself for an…
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British man claims he was tortured by Thai police
A British man claims he was tortured by Thai police for seven days straight in Phuket, southern Thailand when his holiday abroad went gravely wrong. British authorities have launched an investigation into the alleged abuse, reports FirstPost. He allegedly sustained broken ribs, bruised limbs, septic infections, swollen wrists, and lost four teeth in the ordeal. The victim, 51 year old Carl…
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Romanian diver missing at sea in Phuket, Thailand
The search continues today for a Romanian man who went missing while diving in the waters of Phuket in southern Thailand yesterday. At 12.40pm, officers at Chalong Police Station were informed that a Romanian diver went missing off the coast of Promthep Cape. At 9am, 46 year old Sebastian Emil Somesan, 47 year old Alexandru Florin Miron – both of Romanian…
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Floating beach club party barge requests to anchor in Phuket
A floating beach club barge in Phuket is seeking approval to anchor in Patong Bay. The 500-gross-ton vessel, called the Sawasdee, has luxury party amenities like a bar and swimming pool and can accommodate 500 guests with a crew of 35. The Phuket office of the Marine Department reported that the boat is currently anchored in Patong Bay, where it…
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Flights between Shanghai and Phuket, Guangzhou and Chiang Mai resume
Flights between Shanghai and Phuket, and Guangzhou and Chiang Mai, will resume this month says Shanghai-based Spring Airlines. The budget airline also revealed that flights from Shanghai to Hong Kong, and Taipei, will also be relaunched in January while the resumption of flights between the metropolis and Singapore is being considered. Another Shangai-based airline, Juneyao Air, announced late last month…
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‘Buffalo’ Suttipong’s trash-talk tarnishes Phuket’s reputation
The trash-talk of Interior Ministry Permanent Secretary Suttipong Juljarern tarnishes Phuket’s reputation, according to the president of the Phuket Lawyers Association. As the highest-ranking civil servant at the Interior Ministry, Suttipong can’t seem to keep his foot out of his mouth or his name out of the headlines. The latest of the senior servant’s woes comes as people in Phuket…
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Tourists pump 6 billion baht into Phuket’s economy during new year
Tourists pumped over 6 billion baht into the economy of Phuket in southern Thailand over the four-day new year holiday, according to the Director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Nantasiri Ronasiri. Today, TAT director Nantasiri revealed that between December 30 to January 2, accommodation in Phuket was booked up at 77% of capacity. During these four days and…
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Uncovering the Hidden Gems of Thailand’s Islands
Thailand is a beautiful place to visit. It has been home to all sorts of tourist attractions, amazing landscapes, beaches, and nightlife you’ll remember. There are many islands and they hide all sorts of things making Thailand a place that you need to visit. Thai people enjoy lots of different things in their free time and just like anyone else…
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Stolen mobile phone returned after crazy journey
A lucky tourist got his mobile phone back after leaving it in a taxi in Phuket where the driver threw it away in anger. The incident took place on New Year’s Eve, with police receiving a complaint and filing a report in the wee hours of January 1. A man from Kuwait reported leaving his phone in a minivan taxi…
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Phuket chosen as pilot province to promote organic tourism
The popular holiday resort of Phuket has been chosen as a pilot province to promote organic tourism. The Thai Organic Consumer Association (TOCA) revealed it wants to boost organic tourism in the province in an effort to connect hotels and consumers with farmers digitally and introduce incentive reward programmes. TOCA President Arrut Navaraj believes that information transparency would benefit everyone…
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Experience luxury living in Laguna Phuket
Laguna Phuket is a stunning area located on the west coast of Phuket, Thailand. It is an ideal destination for property buyers looking for a luxurious, tropical lifestyle. The area is renowned for its stunning beaches and lush, tropical rainforest. With a range of amenities and activities, Laguna Phuket provides an idyllic setting for those looking to purchase a property,…
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Russian driver kills motorcycle rider in Phuket
A Russian man crashed his rented black SUV into a motorcycle and killed a Thai motorcycle rider on road in Phuket on Wednesday. Officers from Chalong Police Station and the Phuket Ruam Jai Rescue Team were notified about the incident at the Chalong Intersection on Patak Road in the Chalong sub-district of Phuket at about 9.20pm, Wednesday, December 28. The…
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German man’s yacht vanishes from Phuket, Thailand
A search is underway to locate ‘Marco Polo,’ a German man’s yacht, which mysteriously vanished from a pier in Phuket, southern Thailand, yesterday morning. At 11am, 58 year old Marco Käfer of German nationality found that his eponymous boat was missing from Phuket’s charming Nai Harn Beach in Rawai district. Concerned Käfer was informed by a witness that three people…
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Rawai residents shocked by baby crocodile
Residents in the Phuket district of Rawai got a bit of a shock yesterday when they encountered a baby crocodile. The little croc was hanging out at a local lotus pond in the neighbourhood. Many of the neighbours called city officials to report the unnerving visitor. The Rawai Municipality began receiving reports yesterday about a baby crocodile on the loose…
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Ceremony launches “Seven Days of Danger” for Phuket roads
The yearly road safety campaign for the holiday week called “Seven Days of Danger” was officially launched in Phuket yesterday. The week is from December 29 to January 4, when each year the rush of holiday travellers on the roads leads to an increase in accidents and road deaths. A ceremony hosted at Phuket Provincial Hall yesterday, led by Phuket…
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Fireworks and sky lanterns still illegal in Phuket
Officials in Phuket have issued another reminder to the public that releasing fireworks and sky lanterns in public areas is illegal. The warning put out yesterday is a reminder of a rule passed earlier this year on May 6 that called for a crackdown on all illegal fireworks. Phuket Vice Governor Anupap Rodkwan Yodrambam made that original proclamation on behalf of…
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Road accidents involving motor bikes on the rise in Phuket
As we head into what has become known in Thailand as the “Seven Days of Danger” – the holiday period from December 24 to January 4 that always sees an increase in road deaths – a new report initiative is shedding light on an increase in motorbike accidents in Phuket. The Phuket Provincial Administrative Organisation has begun releasing a report…
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Dern Rim Lay Festival on Kata Beach today
Phuket is celebrating the holiday with the launch of a number of Christmas and New Year’s events, starting with the Dern Rim Lay @ Kata Festival. The festival began yesterday and continues now in Karon on Kata Beach. Street stalls line the beach and around 150 vendors are offering food and shopping to the thousands of locals, residents, expats, and…
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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