Phuket

  • TravelTop 10 hard truths of living as an expat in Thailand

    Top 10 hard truths of living as an expat in Thailand

  • Thailand NewsPhuket makes plans to attract more Thai tourists, same day Level 4 alert anounced

    Phuket makes plans to attract more Thai tourists, same day Level 4 alert anounced

    Even after the Test & Go program was rebooted on February 1, along with the additional and unpopular Day 5 PCR test, there hasn’t been a large increase in the number of international tourists visiting Thailand. Indeed the new applications and actual arrivals have fallen well below expectations by Thailand’s tourism tzars. Now, Phuket officials have launched new plans to…

  • Thailand NewsBREAKING: Thailand Test & Go changes

    BREAKING: Thailand Test & Go changes

    Day 5 PCR test for the Test and Go Program has been scrapped and the mandatory Covid insurance has also been reduced. Tim Newton goes live with the breaking news and answers your questions regarding the Thailand Pass.

  • Phuket NewsPhuket police officially ban electric scooters from public roads, in wake of ‘scooter-gate’ crackdown on tourist rentals

    Phuket police officially ban electric scooters from public roads, in wake of ‘scooter-gate’ crackdown on tourist rentals

    In the wake of last week’s “scooter-gate” crackdown in Patong, electric scooters have now been officially banned from all public roads in Phuket. Local police stations received an official notice from Major General Sermphan yesterday clarifying how the stand-up form of scooter transportation, popular among tourists on the island, fits in with existing traffic laws. He stated that anyone caught…

  • TravelCity Guide: Top 5 beaches to visit in Phuket

    City Guide: Top 5 beaches to visit in Phuket

    One of the best things about visiting Thailand is, indeed, its beaches, which are some of the most beautiful in the world. Phuket, in Thailand’s south, is clearly one of the most popular areas to be a beach bum. Located off the Andaman Sea, its islands surrounding it provide day trips galore. But, a few of those beaches seem to…

  • Thailand video newsThailand News Today | Thailand battles with easing restrictions

    Thailand News Today | Thailand battles with easing restrictions

    As infections continue to rise sharply across the country, the government has raised the Covid alert to Level 4 nationwide. The move comes as the number of severe cases and deaths also continues to rise, with most of the deaths reported in the elderly, the unvaccinated, and those with underlying health conditions. However, the CCSA has stated that lockdowns will…

  • Phuket NewsOverpriced mangosteens in Phuket go viral on Tiktok – how much per kilo!?

    Overpriced mangosteens in Phuket go viral on Tiktok – how much per kilo!?

    A Thai TikToker has shared a video of a street vendor in Phuket selling mangosteens at the rather steep price of 500 baht per kilogram, considered too expensive for Thai people (or anyone for that matter). The Tiktoker said she didn’t mean to offend the seller by claiming that the price was ridiculously high, but merely sought out other people’s…

  • SponsoredTop 5 pool villas in Phuket recommended by CBRE

    Top 5 pool villas in Phuket recommended by CBRE

    Sponsored Article Whether you’re looking at Phuket for a permanent home, a vacation villa, or an investment opportunity, we have a range of properties that tick all the boxes necessary for enjoying a luxury lifestyle on the island. In addition to being visually stunning, these pool villas are situated within compounds with solid security, as well as being close to…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket wants to be first province to declare Covid-19 endemic

    Phuket wants to be first province to declare Covid-19 endemic

    Phuket officials want to declare Covid-19 endemic, even as the infection rate is rising on the southern island. According to a Bangkok Post report, deputy governor Pichet Panapong says achieving endemic status would allow officials to focus on economic recovery. Local officials would also like to get rid of the daily reporting of new infections, instead only reporting Covid cases…

  • Phuket NewsPatong tourists charged after driving unregistered electric scooters

    Patong tourists charged after driving unregistered electric scooters

    Four tourists in Patong were charged with using unregistered and untaxed vehicles after they drove electric scooters near a beach resort. Several people had complained that the tourists were driving the scooters recklessly, threatening the safety of pedestrians and drivers alike. One of the tourists was stopped near a police booth on Pee Road last Wednesday evening, and the other…

  • Thailand NewsFirefighters rescue woman from burning coffee shop in Phuket

    Firefighters rescue woman from burning coffee shop in Phuket

    Firefighters rescued a terrified woman from a burning coffee shop in Phuket yesterday afternoon. The woman couldn’t move because she was frozen in shock. Even though about 70% of the building was damaged, no one was injured. The firefighters took almost an hour to stop the fire, and police and firefighters both are now investigating what started it. The coffee…

  • Phuket NewsTourist questioned by police, Phuket taxi drivers said he was driving a “service vehicle”

    Tourist questioned by police, Phuket taxi drivers said he was driving a “service vehicle”

    A Russian tourist was taken to a police station in Phuket for questioning after local taxi drivers reported that the man was driving throughout the island province, claiming he was picking up passengers. The tourist was just driving his family members, but the car he rented ended up being registered as a service vehicle. Both the owner of the vehicle…

  • Thailand video newsThailand News Today | Thai Govt takes steps to make Covid endemic

    Thailand News Today | Thai Govt takes steps to make Covid endemic

    Despite calls to delay removing Covid-19 treatment from the Universal Coverage for Emergency Patients scheme, Thailand’s health minister is pushing ahead as part of the government’s policy to downgrade the virus to endemic. Anutin Chanvirakul was responding to calls from a number of quarters, including his deputy, Sathit, who asked him to postpone the removal until April due to the…

  • Thailand NewsThailand’s tiger and elephant attractions call for support after two years of losses

    Thailand’s tiger and elephant attractions call for support after two years of losses

    After a two-year hit on tourism, elephant and tiger attractions in Thailand have run low on money and are asking the government for financial assistance. Zoo operators met with the Tourism Commission yesterday at Tiger Kingdom in Chiang Mai, citing their struggles during the Covid-19 pandemic. The daily income for Tiger Kingdom in Chiang Mai, as well as the location…

  • Thailand NewsRecent crimes in Phuket are damaging its reputation

    Recent crimes in Phuket are damaging its reputation

    Just when Phuket thought it was about to revive its crippled tourism economy, the recent murders, thefts, and taxi ripoffs on the Island province are scarring its public image. The most high profile recent event is the murder by two hitmen of deported Canadian gangster Jimi Sandhu at a villa in Rawai, on the southern coast of the island. The…

  • Things To DoTop 10 English-language movies made in Thailand (or mostly in Thailand)

    Top 10 English-language movies made in Thailand (or mostly in Thailand)

    Thailand is active in attracting foreign movie makers, and has been for decades. Many well known movies have been either partially or totally filmed in Thailand. From ‘The Killing Fields’ to ‘Around the World in 80 Days’ and the latest in the ‘Fast & Furious’ franchise (around Krabi). Some of Thailand’s scenery is unique and the film crews are well…

  • Northern Thailand NewsNok Air announces domestic flights from Korat to Chiang Mai, Phuket, and Hat Yai

    Nok Air announces domestic flights from Korat to Chiang Mai, Phuket, and Hat Yai

    The low-cost carrier Nok Air has been given the “okay” to run round-trip domestic flights from the Isaan province Nakhon Ratchasima, also known as Korat, to the popular tourist destinations Chiang Mai, Phuket, and Hat Yai. The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand is allowing the airline to offer seven flights per week to each destination starting in the second quarter…

  • Phuket NewsAirport CCTV shows 2 suspects of Phuket murder case leaving Thailand

    Airport CCTV shows 2 suspects of Phuket murder case leaving Thailand

    Police say they’ve obtained surveillance camera footage showing the two suspects in the Jimi Sandhu murder case in Phuket preparing to leave the country at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport. Sandhu, who was born in India, was a notorious gangster in Canada and was deported for “serious criminality.” He entered Thailand last month by private jet and was found dead with more…

  • Thailand NewsPolice in Phuket find guns suspected to have been used to murder Jimi Sandhu

    Police in Phuket find guns suspected to have been used to murder Jimi Sandhu

    Police have found two guns at a beach in Phuket which they believed were used in the recent murder of 32 year old Jimi “Slice” Sandhu, a notorious gangster from Canada. Sandhu, who was born in India, was deported from Canada for “serious criminality” in 2016. He entered Thailand by private jet on January 27 carrying a fake Canadian passport…

  • Thailand NewsPhuket conservationists butt heads with locals on coral reef

    Phuket conservationists butt heads with locals on coral reef

    Conservationists are fighting to stop a bay being dredged in Ao Kung in Pa Khlok, on Phuket’s east coast, as they say it will damage nearby coral reefs. A former village headman says the bay needs to be dredged because fishing boats have a hard time getting to the port at low tide. At a meeting with representatives of local…

  • Thailand NewsCriminals pretend to be police, scam Swiss man in Phuket

    Criminals pretend to be police, scam Swiss man in Phuket

    Scammers went after a Swiss national living in Phuket when they pretended to be police, and told him he had to pay a fine for receiving funds through illegal activities. The “police” contacted the man, Alain, saying a FedEx package couldn’t be delivered. Since Alain was expecting a FedEx package, he listened. The story then changed to say Bangkok police…

  • Crime NewsPhuket police have CCTV footage of fatal gangster shooting

    Phuket police have CCTV footage of fatal gangster shooting

    Police investigating the murder of an Indian gangster shot dead in Phuket on Friday night say they have security camera footage of the incident. According to a Bangkok Post report, officers are reviewing CCTV footage of the moment 32-year-old Jimi Sandhu was gunned down outside his villa in Rawai, in the south of the island. His body was found in…

  • Phuket NewsNational police chief arrives on Phuket as officers investigate Jimi Sandhu murder

    National police chief arrives on Phuket as officers investigate Jimi Sandhu murder

    National police chief Suwat Jangyodsuk has arrived on the southern island of Phuket as investigating officers step up the hunt for those behind the murder of an Indian national on Friday night. The man, named by various sources as Jimi Singh Sandhu, was shot dead outside his Rawai villa in the south of the island. According to a Bangkok Post…

  • Thailand video newsThailand News Today | Officials to discuss more easing of Covid restrictions

    Thailand News Today | Officials to discuss more easing of Covid restrictions

    Thailand’s health officials plan to propose the easing of some Covid-19 restrictions in a bid to move away from imposing lockdowns when outbreaks are reported. Opas Karnkawinpong from the Department of Disease Control says other countries are relaxing some curbs and Thailand is ready to follow suit. However, he did not specify what restrictions might be eased. It’s understood the…

  • Phuket NewsFire breaks out by Phuket viewpoint, 16 Thai and foreign visitors rescued

    Fire breaks out by Phuket viewpoint, 16 Thai and foreign visitors rescued

    Around 16 locals and Thais were evacuated from a forest in Phuket after a fire broke out and spread quickly by the Laem Krating viewpoint by the Krating Cape. The flames blocked the exit and authorities had to send a boat to pick the tourists and others up at the bottom of the hill in Phuket’s Rawai district. Phuket authorities…

  • Phuket NewsCash, safes, passports seized from Phuket villa in “gangster” murder investigation

    Cash, safes, passports seized from Phuket villa in “gangster” murder investigation

    Following the murder of an alleged gangster in Phuket, police have seized a number of items from the Indian man’s rented villa. According to a Bangkok Post report, investigating officers have removed 2 safes, 2 passports, and 700,000 baht in cash from the villa in Rawai, in the south of the island. The 32-year-old victim, named locally as Mandeep Singh,…

  • Phuket NewsPhang Nga village hit by 2004 tsunami opens museum

    Phang Nga village hit by 2004 tsunami opens museum

    One Phang Nga village community that was hit hard by the 2004 tsunami, Baan Nam Khem, has officially opened a museum about the tsunami, known as the Asian Tsunami (which was commemorated again recently). Thailand’s Minister of Culture, who attended the opening, says the museum will educate people about the history of how the tsunami devastated the Baan Nam Khem…

  • Thailand NewsMan flies out of speeding car in Phuket, 3 injured

    Man flies out of speeding car in Phuket, 3 injured

    Three people in a speeding car in Phuket were injured early this morning, and one man even flew out of the car when it crashed into a guardrail. The man’s head hit a potted plant on the pavement, and the car kept spinning until it hit a power pole. The man who flew out of the car, a passenger, was…

  • Crime NewsUPDATE: Gunmen shoot dead a deported Canadian ‘gangster’ in Rawai, Phuket

    UPDATE: Gunmen shoot dead a deported Canadian ‘gangster’ in Rawai, Phuket

    A former British Columbia “gangster”, who was deported from Canada 6 years ago for “serious criminality”, has been shot to death in Rawai, Phuket. 32 year old Jimi “Slice” Sandhu, was gunned down while getting out of his car around 10pm last night. Sandhu, who the Vancouver Sun report was affiliated with the ‘United Nations’ gang, was the alleged owner…

  • Thailand NewsDeported Canadian gangster shot and killed in Phuket

    Deported Canadian gangster shot and killed in Phuket

    UPDATED STORY HERE Two gunmen jumped out from bushes and shot and killed a Canadian man at The Beachfront Hotel Phuket in Rawai, a seaside resort town in the far south of Phuket, last night. Chalong police arrived on the scene at 6.30am this morning and found the victim lying face-down in a pool of blood next to a red…