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 This Christmas, give the gift of health: essential options for expats in Thailand
The holiday season is here, bringing warmth, joy, and a chance to reflect on the year gone by. As an expat in Thailand, this Christmas is a great time to invest in something that truly matters: health. Whether for you...
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Deceased captain from Wednesday’s Phuket boat crash had been the captain in another fatal boat crash
… meanwhile an 18 year old boat boy remains missing. Whilst the search continued for a missing boat crew, 18 year old Kittipong ‘Boy’ Samunboot, following a speedboat crash on Wednesday late afternoon off Phuket’s east coast, it’s been revealed that the captain of the boat, Surat Mat-osod, was involved in an earlier fatal crash at sea in 2014 off…
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18 year old crew remains missing after boat collision off Phuket yesterday, one dead
PHOTO: Phuket People’s Voice The Royal Thai Navy continued searching off Phuket’s east coast today for 18 year old Kittipong ‘Boy’ Samunboot, a crew who fell overboard in yesterday’s collision between a tour boat and a large luxury yacht off Koh Khai Nok. The incident happened around 4pm. A search for the missing young man continued last night and was…
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Boat crash near Koh Kai off Phuket – four injured
PHOTOS: Newshawk Phuket On Wednesday, December 18, there was a boat incident near Koh Kai, in Phang Nga. The collision is believed to have happened around 4pm. A speedboat on tour collided into a luxury yacht, which resulted in at least four injuries. One of the passengers on the yacht suffered a broken leg. When marine rescue arrived at the…
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Phuket resort owners Castlewood Group goes into liquidation
UPDATE: “The liquidation is for Singapore assets only, NOT Thai assets, the (Phuket) hotel is not being liquidated and operating as normal,” according to the Dream Phuket Hotel & Spa General Manager Chris Adams. PHOTO: Couple Travel The World The future of a Phuket resort in the booming Layan Beach/Cherngtalay area, funded by a Singapore-based property developer, is under a cloud following…
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What it’s like to live in a resort in Thailand?
From clear crystal waters to dense lush jungles and rolling hills, iconic locations are magnets that attract travellers seeking relaxation and adventure to Thailand. But as more hotels and resorts start offering rooms or private villas, people may wonder what the perks and privileges of a perpetual holiday lifestyle may be. Bedroom views While city life demands us to constantly…
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Ten days later, no sign of missing Phuket pair, or their kayak
PHOTO: Phuket People’s Voice Nearly ten days have passed since Polish tourist Mateusz Juszkiewicz and his Thai friend Werakan Siriprakon went missing off the southern coast of Phuket. The hopes of finding them alive are fading fast as vast swathes of the Andaman and coastal areas have been searched by up to 100 Navy, officers, Tourist Police, Rawai police and…
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Students clamber up destroyed stairway to get to school in Phuket
Students this morning had to climb an almost collapsed stairway to get to school. A truck (photo) careered off Thepkasattri Road in Koh Kaew, Phuket on Saturday night, running into the stairway and destroying half of the concrete stairway to the school’s overpass. Undaunted, students tried to climb up the wrecked stairway this morning on their regular trip to school.…
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“Phuket’s economy is shrinking” – University report
PHOTO: Rocket Bird Travel Company “Phuket’s economy is shrinking.” A report released by the local Prince of Songkla University reveals some disturbing trends for the once-booming tropical paradise. Chayanon Phucharoen, the university’s associate dean of research and graduate study says that Phuket’s economy is undergoing a transformation. He blames the strong Thai baht and says digital disruption is funnelling tourist services…
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Chonburi police arrest nine Chinese nationals for alleged amulet scam
Police have arrested nine Chinese nationals in an investigation into alleged amulet fraud in Chonburi, eastern Thailand. The Nation reports that the accused were running a shop at a Chonburi temple, where they sold fake amulets and Buddha images for prices that ranged from 1,000 baht to over 10,000 baht. They are accused of working with tour agents to target…
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Phuket’s economy is entering a period of recession – PSU report
PHOTO: kapumail Phuket’s Prince of Songkla University Faculty of Hospitality and Tourism has completed a lengthy report about the health of the island’s tourism, saying that tourism and Phuket’s economy are in poor condition. Part of the report says that, despite a 4% rise in visitor numbers in 2019, revenue from tourism is falling. “The economy of Phuket is entering…
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Phuket road closures and areas to avoid Sunday morning
Sunday, December 15, Phuket locals and officials will gather to celebrate the arrival of the holy Buddha’s relic alongside other highly respected monks’ religious relics. There will be parades and road closures in and around the Phuket Town area.The Phuket Municipality will close down the road from the the Phuket Post Office intersection all the way to Thalang Road –…
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Phuket Light Rail project hits a few speed bumps
The Phuket Light Rail (Phuket Tram) project has hit a few hurdles and has been shelved, apparently temporarily, whilst some further studies are conducted into the ambitious public transport project. The proposed tram route was proposed to start at Phuket Airport and finish at the Chalong Intersection, with a total of 21 stations along the way. As president of the…
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Search still on for missing Phuket kayakers
The search for a Polish tourist and his Thai female off Phuket continues after five days by police, volunteers and the navy. Rescuers are still focusing around the coastlines after scouring the Andaman Sea up to 20 nautical miles offshore earlier in the week. They admit they now have grave fears for the safety of the pair. 27 year old…
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Russian tourist bitten by a monkey on To Sae Hill, Phuket town
PHOTOS: Phuket Hotnews On December 10, a report emerged that a tourist had been bitten by a monkey on the popular To Sae Hill viewpoint in Phuket Town. The video shared on social media shows that the man was bleeding a lot from his arm before another man helped attend to the wound to stop the blood. A volunteer who…
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Phuket’s high season delayed until after Christmas
PHOTO: The Hotel Specialist “Diversifying Phuket’s market to rely less on Chinese tourists is key to improving tourism in the province.” It will be a quiet Christmas in Phuket as the island’s high season will come late for hotels this year, with most reservations are for after the Christmas celebration. Tourism in Phuket usually increases in November, but this year’s November…
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UPDATE: Polish and Thai kayak pair still missing off Phuket
PHOTOS: Newshawk Phuket As we enter day four of the search for 26 year old Mateusz Juszkiewicz from Poland and his female Thai friend, 23 year old Werakan Sirirakon, there is no update other than the pair are still missing. Last evening Rawai’s mayor, Arun Solos revealed that the missing pair were wearing life vests when they set off for…
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UPDATE: No sightings after a full second day of searching for missing kayak couple off Phuket
PHOTOS: Phuket People’s Voice Air and sea searches continue today as up to one hundred people are now involved in the search for a Polish tourist and his Thai girlfriend who went missing after they, and their kayak, went missing off Phuket on Saturday evening. Read that story HERE. 26 year old Mateusz Juszkiewicz from Poland and a female Thai…
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Drunk driver collides with motorcycle in Phuket, killing the rider
PHOTO: Phuket Hotnews On December 8, Thalang police received a report about an incident on Srisoonthorn Road, opposite the Baan Manik PTT petrol station, in Thalang district, Phuket. At the scene, police found that a grey pick-up truck had collided with a blue Honda Wave motorcycle, causing one death. The motorcycle was lying on its side in the middle of…
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UPDATE: Missing Polish tourist and Thai friend in canoe off Phuket
PHOTO: Phuket People’s Voice As of this morning around 10am, the 26 year old Mateusz Juszkiewicz from Poland and a female Thai friend, 23 year old Werakan Sirirakon from Nakon Sawan, were still missing off the coast of Phuket. The pair headed to sea with other couples in rented kayaks from Ya Nui Beach, south of Phuket, to visit a…
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Polish tourist and Thai female remain missing after kayak trip off Phuket
PHOTOS: Phuket People’s Voice A helicopter has now joined the growing fleet of vessels who have been searching for a Polish tourist and a Thai woman. The pair disappeared after hiring kayaks with friends at Ya Nui Beach in Phuket yesterday afternoon. Search efforts resumed early this morning after a fruitless search last night. 26 year old Mateusz Juszkiewicz from…
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Lost in translation – Karon seafood restaurant staff chase American customer
SCREENSHOT: เหยี่ยวข่าว ภูเก็ต Newshawk Phuket A post on the Facebook page ‘Newshawk Phuket’ has a 30 second video captioned ‘in Karon, what happened?This happened on December 2 at 4PM, on the road, in front of Karon Beach, Phuket’. The video shows a group of people running after a western man and attacking him. Today , Karon Police Superintendent, Pol Col…
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Strong interest of foreign investors in Phuket’s resorts – JLL report
PHOTO: Dhawa Phuket “In the Asia Pacific, Phuket is one of the three hotel investment markets in the region that have been highlighted.” Buoyed by the rise of experience-driven travel and an affinity toward locally-inspired hotel offerings, resort assets remain a top target among investors. According to JLL Hotels & Hospitality’s Global Resort Report, resort sales accounted for 20% of…
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The 33rd Phuket King’s Cup Regatta runs to December 7
The Phuket King’s Cup Regatta, kicks off its 33rd year this week and will run to December 7, 2019. With 10 classes of Keelboats and Multihulls, and six International Dinghy Classes, and the new IOMC (International One Metre Class) class, the regatta aims to grow sustainable sailing communities and help develop the skills of a new wave of sailors and…
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1 killed, 9 injured in Phuket road incidents
A woman has died and nine others injured in three separate incidents in Phuket. In the first accident, in Muang district, eyewitnesses say a Toyota Vios swerved before overturning and ending up on its roof. A 42 year old woman, Netchanok Det-arn was thrown from the car and seriously injured. The driver, who hasn’t yet been identified, was slightly injured…
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Individuals and Phuket government pass on insurance for building collapse victims
PHOTOS: Phuket Hot News On November 29, at the Phuket Provincial Hall, Phuket Governor, Pakkapong Tawipat, was the host of a ceremony to formally pass on the reimbursement from insurance companies to the families of victims after the under-construction petrol station collapsed on workers, killing 7 and injuring 2, on November 21. The Insurance Administration Organisation investigated the insurance of…
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Taiwan’s Eva Air adds direct flights to Phuket from next April
by Bill Barnett of c9hotelworks.com As the tourist demographic matures and evolves, so does the airline mix landing in Phuket. Now Phuket’s direct international airlift is set to increase again with non-stop flights from Taipei, Taiwan on Eva Air. The island’s airline traffic is already almost booked out for the next few months with Phuket International Airport officials asking airlines…
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Thailand Charter Week a great success for Thai yachting industry
Organisers of the Thailand Charter Week hope to make next year’s event even bigger after this month’s successful inaugural edition at Phuket Yacht Haven. Yachts hosted familiarisation cruises around Phang Nga Bay and surrounding areas. The second edition is being held from November 14-18, 2020. Many of the world’s most renowned brokerage houses, Asia’s leading charter companies and Thailand-based yacht service…
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Phuket tollway and tunnel project, linking Kathu and Patong, awaiting approval
PHOTOS: Phuket People’s Voice Phuket’s first ever tolled highway, to be built linking Kathu to Patong route, is awaiting approval from the government’s committee on public-private partnership. This will be the first ever tolled highway in Thailand that also allows motorcycles. The infamous, and much-discussed, Patong Tunnel, and accompanying link roads, has been a slow-burn story over the past two…
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Another leatherback sea turtle lays eggs in Phang Nga
Today (November 27), Dr. Thon Thamrongnawasawat posted on his Facebook about a positive update on the leatherback sea turtle eggs at Thai Mueang Beach in Phang Nga, as it seems a new mother turtle just laid eggs on the beach and the spot is quite close along the coast to the previous one. Dr. Thon said that the first mother…
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Warnings of heavy rain and flash floods for southern Thailand
The Thailand Meteorological Department is warning about possible heavy rain and strong winds for the south of the country as a result of the strong northeast monsoon currently over the Gulf of Thailand. The northeast monsoon started in the south of Thailand this year from mid to late October, reducing the length of the annual wet season. Many parts of…
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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