Phuket News
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Australian man caught stealing phone and football jerseys from Phuket mall
Police arrested an Australian man for allegedly stealing football jerseys and a mobile phone at a shopping mall in Phuket yesterday, November 2. Officers from the Special Service Division responded to an immediate theft case while on patrol at the Central Phuket shopping mall. The owner of a mobile phone shop in the mall discovered a missing product and reviewed…
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Phuket transforms into open-air gallery for art biennale
Phuket is finalising preparations to host Thailand’s largest international art festival, which will feature global artists and run for several months. Officials confirmed that the Thailand Biennale Phuket 2025 is now over 90% ready, with the grand opening set for November 29 at Saphan Hin Park. The announcement came following a high-level planning meeting held at Phuket Provincial Hall on…
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Phuket masseuses push for fair rules amid beach crackdown
Phuket officials met to discuss beach vendor rules after over 100 masseuses petitioned to keep working on public beaches amid a local crackdown. The row erupted after local officials began enforcing a crackdown on massage beds, tents, and umbrellas set up by vendors on Kata and Karon beaches, citing violations of public land laws. At a meeting held at the…
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Phuket gambling kingpin arrested in 60 million baht cybercrime raid
Police in Phuket arrested three suspects during a raid on a luxury home linked to an illegal online gambling site with over 60 million baht in transactions. Region 8 Police, led by senior commanders, swooped on a two-storey property on Chao Fa East Road in Wichit yesterday, October 30, uncovering a major cybercrime operation with cash flows topping 60 million…
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Phuket city faces water cut tomorrow, November 1 for pipe repairs
Water supply in parts of Phuket will be temporarily shut off as city officials carry out essential pipe works to improve infrastructure and service reliability. Phuket City Municipality has announced that water supply will be suspended tomorrow, November 1, from 10am to 3pm, while engineers carry out essential pipe connection works at the Khao Rang Intersection. The shutdown is expected…
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American tourist found dead at Phuket Muay Thai camp
An overweight American tourist was found dead in his Phuket hotel room after travelling to join a Muay Thai fitness camp aimed at improving his health. The 33 year old Lithuanian-born American tourist, who reportedly weighed nearly 200 kilogrammes, had checked into the hotel on Soi Ta-iad in Chalong about a week earlier to begin boxing and fitness training aimed…
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Thai minister scraps Patong tunnel plan in shock U-turn
Thailand’s transport ministry has overhauled a long-delayed tunnel project in Phuket, slashing its size, scrapping tolls, and shifting control. Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister and Transport Minister, Phipat Ratchakitprakarn, revealed a dramatic overhaul of the long-awaited project, cutting the tunnel’s width from 17 metres to just 10 and removing the Expressway Authority of Thailand (EXAT) from the equation altogether. The Department…
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Patong villa thief caught after CCTV exposes cash heist
A Vietnamese man has been arrested in connection with a brazen cash theft from a private pool villa in Patong, after police traced him through CCTV footage and a distinctive motorbike. Patong Police, led by Police Colonel Chalermchai Hirasawat and his investigation team, swooped in on a hotel on Phra Metta Road at around 4pm yesterday, October 29, where the…
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Phuket man caught trying to rip wires from abandoned building
A man was caught attempting to steal electrical wires from an abandoned building in Phuket, prompting police to arrest him at the scene during the act. Officers from Wichit Police Station arrested a 39 year old man, identified only as Chindanai, after he was found dismantling electrical fittings and attempting to remove wires from a derelict structure on Chao Fa…
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Phuket’s veggie fest ends with sacred send-off to the gods
Phuket marked the final day of its annual vegetarian festival with a sacred Buddha procession through the city, drawing crowds despite rainy conditions. The final day of the Phuket Vegetarian Festival 2025 concluded with a sacred ceremony steeped in tradition, as worshippers gathered for the revered Iu Keng ritual, a spiritual procession believed to carry away misfortune and bestow blessings…
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Patong scrambles for help after hillside collapse chaos
A landslide struck a hillside road in Patong following heavy rain, prompting officials to seek urgent help from provincial and national agencies. The incident occurred on the upper slope of 50 Pi Road, where heavy rain last week triggered a collapse of foundations and retaining walls. Concrete debris and soil fell onto the roadside below, forcing a temporary road closure.…
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Burmese worker dies after fall from moving garbage truck in Kathu
A Myanmar worker died after falling from a moving garbage truck in Kathu district, Phuket, while transporting waste, prompting a police investigation into the fatal accident. The incident occurred around 2.20pm yesterday, October 28, near the Kathu Social Security Office on Phra Phuket Kaew Road. Police and emergency responders arrived to find a six-wheeled private garbage truck parked at the…
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Phuket mourns Queen Mother with island-wide tributes
Phuket fell into quiet mourning as locals and tourists joined together to honour Her Majesty Queen Sirikit, the Queen Mother, with solemn tributes and ceremonial blessings across the island. The public is invited to take part in water blessing ceremonies and sign official books of condolences in memory of Her Majesty, whose lifelong devotion to the Thai people is being…
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Phuket ramps up anti-drug drive with united front
Phuket is doubling down on its war against drugs, bringing together police, health officials and government leaders in a full-force push to wipe out narcotics. A high-level meeting held at Phuket Provincial Hall saw top provincial figures join forces under the government’s national Quick Big Win anti-drug policy, which demands urgent, integrated action to tackle drug issues within four months.…
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Russian man warned after blocking public mooring in Phuket
A Russian man accused of taking over a public mooring in Phuket defended himself, saying his boat was too old to risk any damage if other vessels docked nearby. Last week, a local boat driver filed a complaint with the Facebook news page โหดจัง จังหวัดภูเก็ต, alleging that a foreign man, later identified as a Russian national, took over a public mooring…
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Frenchman and Thai transwoman arrested in Phuket for selling crystal meth
Patong police arrested a Frenchman and a Thai transwoman at a hotel in Patong, Phuket, on Saturday, October 25, after discovering approximately 43 grammes of crystal meth in their possession. Officers from Patong Police Station conducted a raid on a hotel room on Sirirat Road, Patong subdistrict, Kathu district, Phuket. The suspects were identified as a 46 year old Frenchman…
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Rain can’t stop Phuket Vegetarian Festival’s wildest parade
Thousands gathered in Phuket Town to witness sacred processions, where spirit mediums braved rain and rituals during the Vegetarian Festival. Thousands of devotees, spirit mediums, and curious onlookers lined the streets of Phuket Town today, October 25, to witness the powerful Iw Keng processions from the Tha Ruea and Jeng Ong shrines, two of the most revered events in the…
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Phuket raids target foreigners in illegal business crackdown
Phuket Immigration officers launched a coordinated crackdown on five businesses in Patong, targeting alleged illegal foreign operations as part of a nationwide campaign to tighten control over foreign nationals working or investing unlawfully in Thailand. The raids, carried out on Thursday, October 23, followed a directive from Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, instructing officials to step up efforts to monitor foreign…
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4 foreigners arrested in Phuket for operating restricted businesses
Phuket Immigration officers arrested four foreigners for illegally operating businesses in Patong, including a motorcycle rental shop, a travel agency, a barber shop, and restaurants. Immigration officials launched raids on five businesses along Phra Baramee Road and Rat-U-Thit 200 Pi Road in Patong sub-district, Kathu district, following complaints from residents. During the inspection, officers found an Israeli man, whose name…
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Divers missing off Koh Racha found clinging to seaside rocks
Two tourists went missing during a dive near Koh Racha Noi and were rescued hours later after a coordinated search by Thai naval and rescue teams. The alarm was raised around 3pm yesterday, October 23, when staff at The Racha Hotel on nearby Koh Racha Yai reported that two tourists, a Thai national and a German, had failed to return…
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Racing teens arrested as police sweep Phuket festival hotspot
Police in Phuket detained dozens of youths and seized modified motorbikes during late-night patrols aimed at ensuring safety during the Phuket Vegetarian Festival. The crackdown saw 45 young people detained and 13 illegally modified motorbikes seized during a late-night sweep at Saphan Hin. The operation began yesterday evening, October 22, and continued into the early hours of today, October 23.…
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Thai teen couple caught in motorbike romp near Phuket tourist site
A teenage couple caused public outrage after being filmed engaging in intimate behaviour on a parked motorbike along a popular tourist road in Phuket. The incident, which took place yesterday evening, October 22, quickly drew widespread criticism after a bystander recorded the duo engaging in what appeared to be an intimate moment on a parked motorcycle. The footage, later shared…
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Phuket Vegetarian Festival vendors told to clean up and price up
Officials in Phuket inspected food vendors to ensure fair pricing and food safety during the Vegetarian Festival. The Phuket Provincial Commerce Office and local health officials have launched a series of inspections on vendors taking part in the annual festival, urging them to display clear prices and maintain proper hygiene standards. Officers visited stalls at Kathu Shrine on October 21,…
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Patong Hill landslide shuts road as Phuket hit by flash floods
Phuket was battered by torrential rain yesterday, triggering flash floods, flight chaos and a landslide that has shut a major road for days. The island was lashed by uninterrupted downpours from the early hours of yesterday morning, October 22, causing widespread flooding across Cherng Talay, Kathu, and Mueang districts. The rain finally eased around 7am but not before wreaking havoc…
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Phuket Vegetarian Festival processions light up the streets
Devotees from local shrines took part in vibrant street processions across Phuket as part of a major annual festival aimed at promoting spiritual cleansing. Phuket erupted in colour, firecrackers and ritual yesterday, October 21, as the island launched the second day of its annual Vegetarian Festival with sacred street processions, despite rain. Devotees from 39 Chinese shrines are participating in…
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Poolside tragedy: Worker electrocuted at Phuket hotel
A construction worker was fatally electrocuted while using a jackhammer near a hotel pool in Karon, Phuket, prompting an ongoing police investigation. The 46 year old victim, identified as Kwanchai Phonsari from Udon Thani province, was working on concrete removal around the pool area when the fatal incident occurred at approximately 10.45am on Sunday, October 19. Witnesses told police they…
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Foreign man caught on CCTV stealing liquor from Phuket restaurant
A CCTV camera captured a foreign man stealing a bottle of liquor from a restaurant in the Patong area of Phuket on Sunday, October 19. Footage of the theft was shared by the Phuket Times Facebook page today, October 21. In the video, the foreign suspect is seen wearing black shorts and a red shirt covered with a black jacket.…
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Hackers hijack Phuket ride-hailing apps in taxi scam chaos
Phuket officials vowed to crack down after hackers scammed ride-hailing drivers by hijacking app accounts and demanding ransom for registration unlocks. Phuket Governor Saransak Srikruanetra has vowed a sweeping crackdown after dozens of ride-hailing drivers reported falling victim to a sophisticated hacking scam. The revelation came during a crisis meeting at Phuket Provincial Hall, where Governor Saransak and local MP…
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Myanmar crewman dies in boat accident off Phuket coast
A 36 year old Myanmar national has died after suffering a fatal head injury while working aboard a fishing vessel caught in rough seas off Koh Racha Yai. The tragic accident occurred yesterday morning, October 20, while the crewman, identified as Tin Maung Htwe, was on duty as a mechanic aboard the Kiang Chai 3 fishing boat. He reportedly slipped…
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Phuket’s 2.3 billion baht underpass shelved over flood, chaos fears
A major underpass project in Phuket has been scrapped after residents raised concerns about traffic disruption and flooding during construction. The Department of Highways has scrapped its 2.38-billion baht bidding process for the Heroines Monument underpass project in Thalang, following growing concerns about its impact on traffic and the potential for worsening flooding. The decision comes after strong local opposition,…
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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