Phuket News
-
Sponsored Live smarter, live greener with Electrolux, redefining sustainable living
Electrolux is leading the way in creating smarter, more eco-friendly homes. Their appliances, partly made with recycled materials, are designed to help reduce environmental impact while offering advanced technology to make daily tasks easier. With Electrolux, you get modern, stylish...
-
Drug suspects in Phuket: 1 pill, 1 gun, 1 boat shop of trouble
It was an early wake-up call with handcuffs for three drug suspects in Phuket after a series of dawn raids uncovered meth pills, crystal ice, and a stash of illegal firearms, including a boat mechanic armed to the teeth. The dramatic swoops kicked off at 3am yesterday, July 8, in Srisoonthorn and Koh Kaew, led by narcotics chief Chaiporn Yangchin…
-
Disaster at sea: RTN drills for shipwreck chaos off Phuket
Phuket is gearing up to tackle maritime catastrophes head-on, staging an elaborate simulation of a passenger ship disaster that could save lives when real tragedy strikes. The Thai Maritime Enforcement Command Centre Region 3 (Thai-MECC 3), based at the Royal Thai Navy (RTN)’s Third Naval Area Command at Cape Panwa, spearheaded the operation yesterday, July 8, in Phuket Town as…
-
Booze bonanza: Phuket bars cleared to serve on holidays
Thirsty tourists and locals can breathe a sigh of relief, Phuket’s bars and entertainment venues have been officially cleared to serve alcohol this Asarnha Bucha Day and on other major Buddhist holidays, the island’s top cop has confirmed. Confusion erupted earlier this week when a bar in Koh Kaew, which doesn’t sit squarely in a designated tourist area, was warned…
-
Phuket woman escapes car crash at roadside stall with minor injury
A Thai woman narrowly escaped serious injury after a car crashed into her roadside beverage stall in Phuket on Sunday, July 6. The driver later accepted full responsibility for the incident. The vendor, Naruemon Thorthip, shared CCTV footage of the crash on Facebook the same day. According to the timestamp in the video, the incident occurred at around 2pm near…
-
Burmese family in Phuket apologises after viral motorcycle photo
A Burmese family in Phuket issued a public apology after a photo of all seven members travelling on a single motorcycle went viral and sparked controversy on Thai social media. The image, showing a family of seven riding a motorcycle through the Sam Kong Tunnel in Phuket, was widely circulated on social media yesterday, July 7. In the photo, the…
-
Tsunami fears rattle Phuket as officials urge calm
Thailand urged the public to “stay aware, not scared” after a spate of offshore earthquakes sent social media into meltdown and raised awkward questions about tsunami preparedness in Phuket and along Thailand’s Andaman coast. The call for calm came during a high-level emergency briefing chaired by Deputy Interior Minister Thirat Rattanawanich yesterday, Monday, July 7, as Phuket officials joined a…
-
Last farewell: Thai-Swedish couple arrested in Phuket for selling cocaine
A Swedish man and his Thai girlfriend bid farewell to each other after they were arrested at a condominium in Phuket yesterday, July 6, for selling cocaine. Officers from Patong Police Station reported the arrest of the two suspects, a 41 year old Swedish man and his 31 year old Thai girlfriend, yesterday. The names of the suspects have not…
-
Family of 7 on motorcycle sparks safety outrage in Phuket
A couple in Phuket sparked online criticism after a photo showing them dangerously transporting five children on a motorcycle circulated on Thai social media. Phuket Hotnews, and Newshawk Phuket, shared images of the family of seven riding on a single motorcycle yesterday, July 6, accompanied by a caption reading, “How many people can you count?” According to the pages, the…
-
Kuwait too late: Pensioner dies in Phuket beach tragedy
A 74 year old Kuwaiti man who ignored warnings not to swim in rough seas drowned at a Phuket beach, the latest in a string of tourist deaths in treacherous Thai waters. A holidaying Kuwaiti pensioner died after being pulled unconscious from the sea at Bang Tao Beach in Phuket early on Saturday morning, July 5. Police arrived at the…
-
Naked Russian plunges from Phuket flat in midnight meltdown
A naked Russian man is fighting for his life after a bizarre late-night plunge from a third-floor dormitory in Phuket Town. Maksim was found unconscious and stark naked outside the company dorm on Luang Pho Road after jumping from a balcony in a wild, unexplained episode that left witnesses stunned. Emergency crews from the Kusoldharm Foundation and an ambulance team…
-
Ice, ice baby-faced! Teen dealer nicked in Phuket drug bust
Phuket’s drug crisis took another grim turn as cops busted a baby-faced teen dealer and two accomplices in a major meth raid, with over 3,400 pills, a crystal stash and illegal ammo seized in a Thalang sting. Police swooped on a house in Moo 1, Thepkrasattri, on Saturday (July 5), arresting three suspects during a coordinated drugs operation led by…
-
2 Iranian men arrested for stealing trainers from Phuket shoe shop
Police on Friday arrested two Iranian men for stealing a pair of trainers in the Patong neighbourhood of Phuket. Officers from Patong Police Station reviewed CCTV footage from a second-hand shoe shop on Phang Mueang Sai Kor Road, in the Patong sub-district of Kathu District, Phuket, after being alerted to the theft on Thursday, July 3. Two foreign men were…
-
Burmese duo busted after luxury handbag theft in Patong
It was a brazen late-night grab that stunned beachgoers—but police didn’t take long to track down the culprits. Patong Police have arrested two Burmese suspects accused of snatching a luxury handbag from a tourist in the early hours along Patong Beach. The arrest took place yesterday, July 4, when officers swooped on a property at 122/4 Soi Prom Phriang, in…
-
Andaman manhunt: Bomb suspects vanish, truck seized
Thailand’s tourist heartlands are still reeling after last month’s coordinated bomb attacks in Krabi, Phang Nga and Phuket and the manhunt to catch the suspects is far from over. Police have now arrested five of the 20 suspects believed to be behind the shocking explosions that sent locals and holidaymakers scrambling for cover in the Andaman coastal provinces. Fifteen suspects…
-
Phuket’s billion-baht bet: New cruise port promises tourism boom
To prove that it’s more than just one of Thailand’s most popular holiday hotspots, Phuket is poised to become Southeast Asia’s cruise capital. The island has unveiled its gleaming new cruise terminal at Ao Makham Port, a project officials believe will supercharge tourism and catapult Phuket onto the itineraries of the world’s biggest cruise lines. The facility, which opened its…
-
Busted: Phuket grocery shop doubled as Yaba drug den
A quiet neighbourhood grocery shop in Phuket has been exposed as a brazen front for drug dealing, after stunned officials swooped in on a sting operation that netted hundreds of methamphetamine (meth) pills. The arrest unfolded on Wednesday evening, July 2, at around 6.30pm, in Baan Phru Samphan, Thepkrasattri subdistrict. Phuket Provincial Defence Officer Akkara Suwatthikul led the raid, backed…
-
Phuket kicks off health expo to boost wellness tourism
Phuket is on a mission to become the world’s top wellness tourism hub, and the island is off to a strong start with the launch of the Phuket Health Expo 2025. Kicking off yesterday, July 2, the five-day event, held at Central Festival Phuket, aims to position the island as the ultimate destination for health, wellness, and lifestyle tourism. The…
-
Karon love triangle turns deadly: 2 men stabbed in brawl
A fatal knife fight between two Myanmar nationals has left both men dead after a violent confrontation over a suspected love affair in Karon. The brutal clash, which took place near the entrance of a hotel staff dormitory, shocked the local community. Police were called to the scene at approximately 10.45pm yesterday, July 2, where they found the two men,…
-
7 Phuket cannabis shops shut down in crackdown blitz
A major cannabis crackdown has rocked Phuket’s Cherng Talay area after officials swooped in and shut down seven shops caught flouting regulations in broad daylight. The Thalang District Office wasted no time ordering the immediate suspension of licences following a coordinated raid that exposed a litany of offences, ranging from illegal sales to on-site smoking. The operation unfolded yesterday, July…
-
Phuket double whammy leaves locals with no water and no power
Locals in a swanky corner of Phuket are set for a scorching Friday as power and water supplies are cut off simultaneously, thanks to scheduled maintenance works by the island’s utilities overlords. The Provincial Waterworks Authority (PWA) Phuket warned that the entire Kamala area and parts of Cherng Talay will go dry from 9am to 4.30pm tomorrow, July 4, all…
-
Thalang thief caught red-handed with stolen bike hidden in room
A man has been arrested in Thalang after being caught hiding a stolen motorbike inside his room just hours after it was reported missing. The theft unfolded yesterday, July 1, when police swooped in on 38 year old Supachai Kaewplod at his residence in the Keha U-Athorn housing estate in Srisoonthorn. The arrest was led by Police Colonel Nikorn Chuthong,…
-
Lights out in Bang Tao: Friday blackout warning for Phuket locals
Hundreds of homes, hotels, and businesses in Phuket’s Bang Tao area are set to be plunged into darkness this Friday, July 4, as part of a planned power cut to upgrade the local grid. The Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) Thalang Branch says the blackout, scheduled from 9am to 4.30pm, is needed to safely carry out high-voltage upgrades and install new…
-
Bomb scare patrol: Phuket orders crackdown on abandoned motors
Local government officials in Phuket have been ordered to hunt down abandoned cars and motorbikes, over fears they could be used to hide bombs. The sweeping directive came during a high-level security briefing yesterday, July 1, chaired by Phuket Governor Sophon Suwannarat at the Provincial Hall. “All agencies must take this seriously,” the governor warned. “We need to ensure the…
-
Phuket boosts security with 98 million baht ‘Phuket Eye’ expansion
Phuket is about to get a major security upgrade as local officials unveil plans to expand the “Phuket Eye” initiative, a groundbreaking security model aimed at making the island safer. With crime suppression, tourist safety, and traffic management as top priorities, the initiative promises to bring peace of mind to both residents and visitors. Police Major General Sinlert Sukhum, a…
-
Phuket bomb scare sparks mosque security clampdown
A disturbing wave of bomb scares has rattled Phuket, triggering a security crackdown at mosques as leaders vow to defend the island’s reputation as a top travel destination. Komol Damluk, President of the Phuket Islamic Council, called for unwavering vigilance and full cooperation with police after a string of coordinated bomb threats shook the province last week. Speaking to The Phuket…
-
Taxiing line: illegal ride-hailing apps cause chaos on Phuket roads
Taxi and public transport groups in Phuket have had enough, demanding officials finally take action against the illegal taxis flooding the island’s transport system. And with ride-hailing apps turning a blind eye to the chaos, both passengers and law-abiding drivers are being left to bear the brunt of the growing mess. In a formal complaint lodged with the Phuket Damrongtham…
-
Phuket police probe death of man found with knife in chest
Police in Phuket are currently investigating the death of a 39 year old man from Sisaket province, whose body was discovered with a knife in his chest in a rented room in Patong. The body was found at approximately 10.45am on June 28, when Patong Police were alerted to an incident in a room on Soi Jintana. Police Lieutenant Colonel…
-
Japanese tourist drowns at Phuket’s Karon Beach
A Japanese tourist drowned at Karon Beach, Phuket, shortly after arriving with his wife. Hikaru Oami, a 34 year old, was declared dead at Patong Hospital after being pulled from the water on June 28. Police received notification of the incident around 12.30pm on June 28. Police Lieutenant Colonel Charas Lempan from Karon Police Station was informed by Patong Hospital…
-
Monk arrested after fatal shooting at Phuket temple
A senior monk at a Phuket temple shot a fellow monk, resulting in the latter’s death near a toilet, before hiding in his room. The incident occurred today, June 29, at 7.10am at Khao Rang Temple in Mueang district, Phuket province. Police Lieutenant Jaruwit Joubkwamsuk, an investigator with the Mueang Phuket Police Station, received a report of the shooting and,…
-
Patong Beach bomb scare: Hidden explosives uncovered in sand
Holidaymakers were left rattled as police scoured Phuket’s beaches to unearth a series of hidden explosive devices planted by suspects intent on chaos. Police confirmed yesterday evening, June 27, that the last two devices connected to the suspects’ shocking confession have been safely recovered and neutralised. The first discovery was made at Patong Beach around 3.45pm, just 50 metres from…
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.
Don't forget to check out some other things to do in Thailand - get help starting a business or finding a job in Thailand, buy Thailand property, rent a yacht or book a medical procedure worldwide.