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 A World Kindness Day: Spread kindness, prevent illness - Get your 10% discount
With World Kindness Day just two days away on November 13, it’s the perfect time to reflect on how empathy and care can make a real impact, not just in our relationships but in our health, too. This day is...
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Phuket remembers anniversary of Indian Ocean Tsunami
Today marks the anniversary of one of the deadliest natural disasters ever to befall mankind. The Indian Ocean Tsunami, also known as The Boxing Day Tsunami, struck Phuket and the surrounding areas at 10am on December 26, 2004. In the province and neighbouring provinces, religious ceremonies were held today to mark the 18th anniversary of the deadly tsunami. Religious ceremonies…
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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…
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International tourism 2022: 11.5 million foreign arrivals
The Tourism Authority of Thailand says that, now that they’ve blown past their 2022 target of 10 million international travellers, they are now predicting 11.5 million by the end of the year. This is 15% above their projections which seemed overly hopeful earlier in the year. From the beginning of the year through December 20, 10.9 million foreign tourists have…
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Patong lifeguards rescue Australian tourist who suddenly fell unconscious
Patong Beach lifeguards rescued an Australian tourist after she suddenly lost consciousness and her pulse yesterday. The lifeguards provided the elderly woman with CPR as they waited for an ambulance from Patong Hospital to arrive. The lifeguards used a cardiac pump to help revive the woman. The woman’s pulse was back after the CPR, although she was still unconscious. The…
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Group attacks Russian man near Phuket shopping mall
A group attacked a Russian man in front of a Phuket shopping mall, according to a police report. The attackers beat the man up in front of the Central Phuket shopping mall at the Darasamut Intersection. The victim filed a report to Wichit police on November 26, and the assault was reported in Novosti Phuketa yesterday. The report said the…
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Phuket gets ready for New Year road safety campaign ‘Seven Days of Danger’
Phuket is getting ready for the annual road safety campaign known as ‘Seven Days of Danger.’ The campaign will be held around the New Year from December 29 to January 4. Phuket Vice Governor Anupap Rodkwan chaired a meeting about the campaign at Phuket Provincial Hall yesterday. Officials will use various strategies to improve road safety during the campaign. These…
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Anutin promises no 4am curfew; Tourism Ministry suggests Bangla Road trial
The chances of a 4am national nightlife curfew are looking dim. Minister of Public Health Anutin Charnvirakul says his ministry strongly opposes the measure. Meanwhile, proponent Minister of Tourism and Sports Pipat Ratchakitprakarn has reduced his campaign from a nationwide extension to just making Bangla Road in Phuket a pilot area for the 4am curfew. The Ministry of Tourism had…
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Phuket pickup truck accident injures three people in front of school
A Phuket truck accident injured three people in front of a school on Thursday. A pickup truck overturned and crashed into another pickup truck in front of Thai Rath Wittaya School on Wichit Songkram Road in Kathu district. CCTV footage of the incident found that the driver of a black pickup truck lost control at a curve before overturning and…
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Phuket Immigration crackdown nets 138 total violations
After spending the first half of the month vigilantly and vocally cracking down on immigration violations, Phuket Immigration announced the results of its efforts. They focused mainly on people overstaying the stamp on their passports and not being registered correctly at the place where they lived. Immigration was working under the slogan of getting “Phuket to be Crime Free” running…
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Get ready for ‘Sexy Run on the Beach’ in Patong this weekend
Get ready for a steamy event coming up in Patong this weekend. All genders and ages are invited to participate in the ‘Sexy Run on the Beach.’ The event will be held on Sunday, December 18 from 4pm to 6pm at Sea Pearl Intersection. Participants will run along the beach for about 3 kilometres. They are invited to wear anything…
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Phuket was Thailand’s top tourist spot this year
The world-renowned island province of Phuket was Thailand’s top tourism spot in the first 10 months of 2022. From January to October, Phuket drew 2.32 million international tourists to its shores, followed by Chon Buri with 975,026 tourists, Surat Thani with 606,812 tourists, Songkhla with 581,808 tourists, and Chiang Mai with 496,111 tourists. Deputy government spokesperson Tipanan Sirichana said today…
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Russians still biggest tourist group in Phuket, peak expected during holidays
Russians remain Phuket’s biggest tourist group, and the island resort’s tourism is expected to peak during the holidays, according to the president of the Southern Thai Hotels Association, Sueksit Suwannadissakun, who believes the peak of tourism High Season will be between December 24 to January 5. About 57% of hotels in the island province reopened in October, jumping to 70%…
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Vendors propose doubling space for chairs and umbrellas on Patong Beach
Authorities are figuring out a solution to find a balance between unrestricted beach space and the availability of sun loungers and beach umbrellas on Patong Beach. Vendors who rent these lounge chairs for customers to bask on the beach have asked for the space designated to them to be increased. They say there’s too much demand from tourists and not…
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Thieves ransack a Patong rental house
Thieves ransacked a rental house in Patong, stealing almost everything including doors and window panes. The house owner, 44 year Phatsamon Chompanat, reported the incident to Patong Police on Monday. Phatsamon said she had left her house locked when she left Phuket two years ago. She said she occasionally came back to visit the house to clean it. When she went…
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The Ultimate Showdown of Youth Football Talent | BISP Soccer 7’s
The BISP Soccer 7’s is back and it is bigger and better than ever! After a two-year hiatus, the international school football tournament is returning to Phuket, Thailand. This international school soccer tournament, which has been running for many years, is one of the oldest and longest-standing events in the region. It brings together teams from all across Asia and…
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Swedish man falls from Patong hotel
A Swedish man fell from a Patong hotel on Monday. The man, 64 year old Bo Peter Svensson, fell from the second floor of a hotel on Sawatdirak Road near the Sai Namyen Intersection. Rescuers found Bo with several injuries and rushed him to a nearby hospital. The hotel owner, 52 year old Supaphon, told police that Bo had checked…
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Financially embarrassed elderly Thai man found hanged one day after birthday
Just one day after his 69th birthday, an elderly Thai man allegedly took his own life after reportedly being in a bad financial situation. The man, Nopparat, was discovered by his neighbour hanging on the second-floor balcony outside a rented room above shops in Thalang, Phuket. Police say he was found with package tape around his neck tied to an…
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Patong deckchair touts must double capacity to survive
Patong’s deckchair touts – the legal ones – want local authorities to double the number of chairs and umbrellas, claiming that the existing quantity is insufficient to meet demand on Phuket’s Patong Beach. Only 10% of Patong Beach has been allocated to about 60 small-time operators, as part of a new attempt to limit their operations along the entire beach.…
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Boat catches fire while anchored at Phuket marina
Earlier this morning, a tour boat moored at a pier in Phuket caught fire causing damages but no injuries or deaths. The incident took place at about 7.30am in the Muang district. Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew reported that no one was on board the ship at the time of the fire, so there were no injuries or fatalities, but the…
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Fine Dining with a Phuket View | Amari Phuket
https://youtu.be/qAP2-loBVpE Join Natty Warisa and Jay for a 5 Star Fine DIning Foodie Journey, as they take you to some of their favorite dining spots in Phuket, Thailand. In this episode, they will be highlighting the must have Phuketian foods at Rim Talay Restaurant, Amari Phuket’s beach side restaurant where you can watch the island slowly awaken with color over…
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An Azur Air flight circles Phuket for hours, then aborts
An Azur Air flight intended for Russia never made and no one is saying why. The flight took off toward Novosibirsk after a five-hour delay but never made it past the Andaman Sea. It circled for hours and ended up back in Phuket leaving about 200 passengers stranded. Azur Air flight ZF3750 was supposed to depart at 3.50pm yesterday toward…
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Canadian hitman in Phuket killing moves closer to extradition
The Canadian hitman accused of killing a Vancouver gangster in Phuket is one step closer to extradition after a ruling from an Alberta judge. Matthew Dupre was committed to extradition Friday, to be surrendered to Thailand to be tried for his involvement in the death of Jimi Singh Sandhu. Dupre was a member of the Canadian Armed Forces in Afghanistan…
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The Ultimate Thrill & Chill, Day & Night Place in Phuket | Blue Tree Phuket
Join Natty Warisa and Jay in the ultimate thrill and chill, day and night venue in Phuket, the Blue Tree Phuket. Originally known for its fun filled activities, which include cliff jumping, ziplining, wakeboarding, paddle boarding and is home to Thailand’s longest slider, the iconic Super Fly,Blue Tree Phuket has now evolved to becoming one of the best entertainment hubs…
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Officials say no to floating lanterns and fireworks on Patong Beach
Officials aren’t liking floating lanterns and fireworks on Patong Beach. On Wednesday night, officials were alerted that vendors were welling these items on the beach, according to Kathu District Chief Siwat Rawangkul. A team led by Siwat then inspected the beach to crack down on people selling and using the items. The team then found stashes of lanterns and fireworks…
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Christmas present to Phuket motorists: Patong Hill road to reopen
Good news for motorists in Phuket, Patong Hill road is expected to fully reopen to all traffic on Christmas Day. The road between Kathu and Patong was closed after it was hit by a landslide during a deluge of heavy rain in October. The road is only partially open at the moment but the Mayor of Kathu, Chai-anan Sutthikul, reported…
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Four orcas spotted playing near the Similan Islands
Killer whales, otherwise known as orcas, were spotted off the coast of the Similan Islands in Phang Nga province. A private chartered fishing trip ran into the group of four seemingly friendly orcas as the boat sailed the waters of the Andaman Sea nearby the islands. The 35 year old local host of the trip said that he had taken…
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Disruptive Phuket-bound passenger thrown off flight in Karachi
A disruptive Phuket-bound passenger on a Turkish Airlines flight from Istanbul was thrown off the aircraft yesterday and arrested after the flight diverted to Pakistan’s Jinnah International Airport in Karachi. After the passenger was taken into custody by local law enforcement, the flight continued to Phuket. Turkish Airlines flight TK-172 on an Airbus A330 diverted to Karachi three hours into the…
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Phuket flight cancellation due to earlier cancelled flight, runway maintenance
After pandemonium at Phuket International Airport on Thursday night with a flight cancellation stranding 300 passengers overnight, airport and tourism authorities say they’re more prepared and it won’t happen again. It all started when budget airline Thai VietJet cancelled a flight from Phuket to Bangkok minutes before take-off last night because staff couldn’t find a seat for one passenger. But…
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Bullets-in-bag Israeli given 18 months in Thailand
The bullets-in-bag Israeli police officer was handed an 18-month jail sentence on Friday for arriving in Thailand with a deadly cargo of live ammunition. Gal Shmuel Farjun was arrested in October at Phuket Airport with two loaded magazines in his suitcase. The 29 year old claimed to have left the bullets in his bag “by accident.” The Israeli Foreign Ministry…
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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