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 Top 10 international schools in Thailand 2024
Thanks to its large global population, Thailand is home to a significant number of international schools. These schools offer a range of world-class curricula, such as the International Baccalaureate (IB), British, American, and Singapore curriculum, which attracts both expatriate families...
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Venue of fatal Phuket shooting given 30-day closure notice
A month-long closure has been ordered for the Phuket nightclub venue that was the site of a fatal shooting earlier this week. The punishment was handed down yesterday by Phuket Vice Governor Anuparp Rodkwan Yodrabam and went into effect immediately. The nightclub and karaoke bar named SOD was open after legal operating hours though it was said to be closed…
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Fire burns wooden house to the ground in Phuket
A blaze burned a wooden house to the ground yesterday evening in Phuket, in the island province’s main city district. The house was located near a mangrove forest, and the cost of damages is being estimated at 50,000 baht. Photos from the Thai outlet Anarchark News show the spot where the house used to stand now covered in ashes, and…
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Phuket foundation gives hundreds of children scholarships
A foundation in Phuket is helping give the island province’s children a bright future. The Kusoldharm Phuket Foundation usually focuses on rescue work and helping victims of accidents and disasters. But the foundation also has an annual education scholarship program. The foundation presented scholarships to 313 children at its annual scholarship ceremony on Tuesday. At the ceremony, the foundation’s president…
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Officials look to tackle Phuket’s coastal erosion following floods
Phuket officials held a meeting yesterday to discuss coastal erosion impacting the island province, as storm weather is causing huge floods. Phuket’s Vice Governor Amnuay Pinsuwan said that Governor Narong has ordered him to look into measures to tackle the problem. One area officials are particularly concerned about is Sai Kaew Beach. Last month’s king tide in Phuket, along with…
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Infant’s body found in Phuket drainage pipe
An infant’s body was discovered in a water drainage pipe in Phuket this morning. The baby girl was a newborn, only 1-3 days old, and found in Thalang district. A waterworks authority who had been working nearby alerted Cherng Talay Police about the infant’s body. The police are now investigating the case. There have been a few similar, disturbing incidents…
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German tourist tests positive for monkeypox in Phuket, Thailand
A German man has tested positive for monkeypox in Phuket, becoming Thailand’s third recorded case of the virus since the global outbreak began. The 25 year old German tourist travelled to Thailand on July 18 for a holiday in Phuket. Shortly after arriving in the kingdom, he began presenting with monkeypox symptoms. At first, the man developed a fever and…
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Phuket officials visit flood-stricken municipality to help locals
As Phuket continues to suffer heavy floods, officials have visited homes in one municipality to help residents manage the situation. Phuket Governor Narong visited homes in the Srisoothorn Municipality in Thalang district yesterday, along with the municipality’s mayor. Officers from the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation also helped. The group checked to make sure that locals were safe, and…
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Guard who shot sword-wielding customer charged with murder
After intervening in a scuffle between a man and a woman outside a Phuket Town bar, the man grabbed a sword and a security guard shot him once in the chest, killing him. Now the guard is being charged with murder in the incident. The altercation took place in the early hours of Monday morning when a man was fighting…
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Vietnamese mother and daughter drown at Phuket beach
At Naithon Beach in the Thalang district of Phuket, a Vietnamese woman and her daughter drowned while swimming yesterday. The waters off the coast were rough with high waves caused by strong winds, and red flags were set up to warn tourists of the dangers of swimming in those conditions. The two women drowned early yesterday morning with police being…
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Covid-19 outbreak in Phuket elderly home
There’s been a Covid-19 outbreak in a Phuket elderly home, with a total of 45 people testing positive for the virus so far. Forty-two elderly residents and three guests have been infected, according to the Phuket Provincial Public Health Office Chief Dr Kusak Kukiattikoon. Dr Kusak said the office was informed of the outbreak on July 27. The Phuket Elder…
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Russian airline Aeroflot resuming flights from Moscow to Phuket
After halting flights due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Aeroflot is now planning on relaunching service from Russia to Phuket. The Russian airline will start its daily flight service from Moscow to Phuket on October 30, to shepherd Russians to the tropics to escape the cold of winter. Earlier this year, Aeroflot was joined with other Russian airlines in…
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Flooding chaos in Phuket
Yes, Thailand’s monsoon season is still here, and Phuket has been hit by the latest round of flooding chaos. After heavy rain poured down on the island province, cars were slowly driving through high floods in the main city district yesterday. Many people have come to Phuket for the long holiday weekend, which has added to the traffic problems. Traffic…
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Foreigner’s body found off Phuket beach
A foreigner’s body was found in waters off Yanui Beach in Phuket’s main city district this morning. Even though police found an American passport with the body, they stressed that they have not yet officially identified the man. The passport is for a 73 year old man. Police also found Thai and Korean cash with the body, as well as…
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No more monkey business! Phuket monkeys lose tourists from monkeypox scare
Phuket’s monkeys are missing out on their usual feedings from tourists at Koh Siray island’s monkey viewpoint. At the viewpoint, tourists usually buy fruit from vendors to feed to the roughly 200 monkeys there. But following Phuket’s recent monkeypox scare, after a Nigerian man was found to have the virus, fewer tourists are coming to feed their furry friends. Local…
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Armed robber makes off with 160,000 baht from Phuket Tesco
Bank robberies are generally violent affairs, with lots of drama, some shots fired, and an injury or death. But this wasn’t the case when a stick-up occurred yesterday afternoon at a Tesco Lotus department store in Phuket. The cheeky armed robber wandered into the store in the Rawai area of Muang district shortly before 1pm and casually made off with…
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UPDATE: Health officials test 19 for monkeypox after contact with fugitive
UPDATE: All 19 people who had close contact with Thailand’s first ever recorded monkeypox case have all tested negative for the monkeypox virus. All 19 people will isolate for a total of 21 days and will then be tested again to confirm they have not contracted the virus. The 27 year old Nigerian national travelled to Thailand eight months ago…
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Phuket gold necklace thief arrested, Pattaya thefts still unsolved
After an apparent rise in gold necklace snatching crime, police in Phuket have managed to nab one man accused of grabbing a necklace from a woman on her motorbike a few days ago. The necklace that was grabbed as the woman rode her motorbike was gold with a pendant attached and is valued at about 35,000. The Deputy Inspector-General of…
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UPDATE: Thailand’s first monkeypox case goes missing
UPDATE: The 27 year old man who tested positive for the monkeypox virus in Phuket has been missing since Wednesday, July 20 at 9.05pm, according to Phuket police. Despite Thai media widely reporting that the man escaped from the private hospital in Phuket where he initially presented with symptoms, he was actually staying at Patong Princess hotel when he went…
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BREAKING: Thailand’s first monkeypox case allegedly escapes Phuket hospital
Edit: Inaccuracies in this story have been corrected in a recent update. Thailand recorded its first case of monkeypox yesterday. During the night, the 27 year old Nigerian man allegedly escaped from a private hospital in Phuket and drove away in a white car. Officials are currently tracking him down but his whereabouts are unknown. At present, no further details…
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Indian tourists are picking up Phuket’s Old Town economy
Phuket’s recovering tourism economy is picking up again thanks to Indian tourists. Indians have been the biggest tourist group in Phuket, and Thailand overall this year. Since May 1, over 72,000 Indian tourists have visited Phuket, according to the president of Phuket Old Town Tourism Community, Somyot Pathan. Phuket’s ‘Old Town’ in the main city district is a particular hotspot…
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Alleged gold necklace thief on the loose in Phuket
It turns out Pattaya isn’t the only spot in Thailand where thieves snatch pricey gold necklaces. One woman in Phuket says a thief on a motorbike grabbed her gold necklace worth about 35,000 baht last night. The victim, 25 year old Kawissara, said she was also driving her motorbike when the thief drove by and snatched her necklace off her…
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Heavy rains cause disruption around Thailand, Bangkok commuters deluged
Yes, it is the wet season. And, just in case you doubted it, Mother Nature has thrown down the rain in buckets to make sure you don’t forget, including Bangkok overnight. The Thai Meteorological Department has issued warnings of “isolated heavy to very heavy rain in most parts of the country” up to July 24. Some parts of the country,…
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Phuket residents welcome the new ‘Khao Daeng Glass Bridge’ to be built in Rawai
A community meeting in Rawai on Tuesday agreed to get behind the latest tourist attraction, the Khao Daeng Glass Bridge, a new viewpoint and tourism focus for the quieter south of the island. President of Phuket Provincial Administration Organisation, Rewat Areerob, presented details about the new attraction and said it was good to have the Rawai community backing the project.…
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Electric vehicles are now available to rent in Phuket, Thailand
Phuket has entered a new era of sustainability by welcoming the island’s first ever rentable 100% electric vehicle (EV). Tourists can rent the Nissan Leaf from SIXT Thailand and cruise around Phuket without producing any harmful emissions at all. SIXT Thailand partnered with InterContinental Phuket Resort on the project, who have installed a series of EV charging stations compatible with…
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Striped dolphin dies in Patong after washing ashore injured
A striped dolphin has died after beaching itself in Patong despite local rescuers’ best efforts. The dolphin was found after having washed up on shore with a serious injury and was reported first to the Patong Police just before 5:30pm yesterday. Kathu district lifeguards were the first to spot the striped dolphin as it came ashore and when they saw…
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Phuket woman rushed to hospital after jumping from bridge
A Phuket woman has been rushed to a hospital after jumping from a bridge into a canal in the island province’s main city district this morning. Rescue workers pulled the 31 year old woman out of the shallow water, and took her to a nearby hospital. Details about her injuries have not yet been reported, though. The woman had jumped…
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Public grieves loss of doctor who drowned trying to save tourist in Phuket
Many are grieving the loss of a doctor who drowned while trying to save a tourist from drowning in Phuket. The doctor, 55 year old Surasit Pongaohapan, had rushed to rescue a British tourist from drowning on his honeymoon at Phuket’s Kata Beach. Witnesses say Surasit had been sitting on the beach before he rushed into the water to help.…
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After drownings, Phuket governor calls to step up safety
In the aftermath of a drowning incident this week, Phuket’s Governor Narong is pushing to increase safety measures. Narong visited Patong Beach for an inspection yesterday (Friday), saying he wished to support the lifeguards working there. Red flags have been posted at the beach, and lifeguards are stationed to closely monitor tourists’ safety, according to the National News Bureau of…
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Honeymooning British man drowns in Phuket, Thailand
A British man on his honeymoon refused to acknowledge a red-flagged no swim zone on the island of Phuket in southern Thailand and it cost him his life. Ali Mohammed Mian drowned only two days into his honeymoon after being swept out to sea when he tried to take a dip in choppy waters at Kata Noi Beach. The 34…
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Nearly 1,000 hotels in Phuket are currently considered “illegal”
NB: The photo of this property bears no resemblance to the content of the following story. Phuket is home to 994 small hotels which are facing closure as a result of their unauthorised use on public property. The building control laws were discovered to have been broken by about 53% of the investigated properties. Environmental laws were found to be…
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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