Phuket News
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Caught red-handed: Copper crook’s Phuket crime spree ends
A 25 year old man has been apprehended in connection with a series of copper wire thefts that have disrupted Phuket Town over the past two months. The repeated incidents have caused significant inconvenience and frustration among the public. Officers from the Phuket City Police apprehended Pipatson “Nok” Thongwicha at a rental room on Surin Road in Phuket Town around 4pm…
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2 year old Thai girl loses life in motorcycle accident in Phuket
A two year old Thai girl tragically lost her life in a motorcycle accident on a mountain road in the Thalang district of Phuket. Three other victims sustained injuries in the incident. The accident was reported to Thalang Police Station at approximately 12pm yesterday, July 23. It occurred on a steep section of Khao Lad Mountain in Thalang. The four…
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Phuket police crackdown: 18 teens arrested, 14 bikes seized in raid
In the early hours of this morning, police in Phuket apprehended 18 underage people and confiscated 14 modified motorbikes during a crackdown on street racing and activities causing public disturbances in the Laem Dinso area of Wichit. The operation was carried out under the leadership of Wichit Police Station, directed by Police Colonel Somsak Thongkliang, beginning at 1.30am, today, July…
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Phuket heartbreak as young Aussie tourist found dead in hotel
A 21 year old Australian man has been found dead in a Phuket hotel room, just five days after an accused rapist from Down Under was also discovered lifeless on the same Thai island. Police in Thalang, northern Phuket, are investigating the sudden death of a young Aussie traveller who was found dead in his hotel room yesterday, July 23,…
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Fire erupts at abandoned Ratsada house after 20 years of silence
A long-forgotten home in Ratsada lit up the night sky as flames erupted from the derelict property—despite it being untouched for nearly 20 years. The blaze broke out around 11.20pm yesterday, July 22, at a single-storey house located on Thepprathan Road in Village 1, Ratsada. Though the fire was extinguished before firefighters could reach the scene, the aftermath was anything…
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2 foreign men arrested for riding stolen rental motorcycles from Krabi to Phuket
Police successfully recovered two rental motorcycles from a shop owner in Krabi after two foreign men failed to return the vehicles on time and were suspected of riding them to Phuket. The official Facebook page of Choeng Thale Police Station posted images of the two foreign men and urged the public to assist officers by reporting any sightings. Police stated…
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Patong’s wave rave! Sirens to sound as tsunami drill hits beach strip
Tourists in bikinis and beach bums sipping cocktails in Patong got a surprise dose of civic duty this week, as town hall chiefs hit the streets to warn about a tsunami drill set to rock the resort next Tuesday. Mayor Lalita Maneesri led the charge on Monday, July 21, flanked by councillors, civil defence bosses and hi-vis-clad disaster response teams.…
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Phuket camp inferno sparks fear as migrant scandal probe heats up
A fire tore through a migrant workers’ camp in Phuket yesterday morning, just hours before a bombshell corruption complaint involving foreign labourers rocked officials in Bangkok. Flames ripped through the Wasi M&E Co compound in Moo 4, Srisoonthorn, at 8.19am yesterday, July 22, damaging around 10 rooms and destroying the personal belongings of the camp’s Myanmar residents. Thankfully, no one…
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RTN backs down in Phuket land clash as zoning deal takes shape
A bitter turf war between villagers and the Royal Thai Navy (RTN) in Phuket’s protected forest reserve is finally moving towards resolution — and the RTN is backing off. At a high-stakes meeting at Phuket Provincial Hall, chaired by Vice Governor Adul Chuthong, provincial officials and senior RTN chiefs agreed to push forward with a zoning plan aimed at ending…
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Homes wrecked, power poles downed in Thalang storm chaos
Fierce winds and torrential rain turned northern Phuket into a storm zone, leaving a trail of destruction across Thalang district. The Thalang District Office confirmed extensive damage throughout the area, with multiple subdistricts hit hard as the tropical squall ripped through homes, felled trees, and toppled power poles. In Pa Khlok, nine houses near Soi Na Yao in Village 8…
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Tourist tragedies rock Phuket and Krabi amid wild weather
Thailand’s popular southern beach provinces turned deadly over the weekend as wild weather claimed the lives of two Chinese tourists in separate incidents in Phuket and Krabi. A relaxing beach holiday ended in horror on Sunday, July 20, when 53 year old Wang Yang was killed after a massive tree branch collapsed on her during a violent thunderstorm at Koh…
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Phuket woman runs from Grab rider after fake cash promise
A Grab motorcycle rider in Phuket shared a bizarre experience with the online community, claiming that his female passenger unexpectedly ran away from him to avoid paying the fare. The app-based motorcycle taxi rider recounted the incident to the Phuket Times yesterday, July 21, along with a video of the passenger running away. The page published the post with a…
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Phuket drug dealer caught with his pills down
A suspected drug dealer was arrested in his boxers during a pre-dawn police raid in Phuket, with officers uncovering a massive stash of more than 3,500 meth pills tucked away in his house. The bust happened in the early hours of yesterday morning, July 21, in Thepkrasattri, Thalang district, as part of a targeted crackdown under the island’s tough new anti-drugs…
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Two men injured as motorbike crashes into Thailand canal
Two young men in Thailand were injured after their motorbike veered off an unlit, narrow road and fell into a canal in Wichit late on the Saturday night, July 19. Emergency services from the Kusoldharm Phuket Foundation responded to the incident in Soi Thida at approximately 11.45pm. Upon arrival, they found the two men in a canal about 4 metres…
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Five rescued from drifting boat off Phuket amid severe weather
Five people were successfully rescued after a longtail fishing boat experienced engine failure and drifted off the coast of Phuket in challenging sea conditions yesterday, July 20. At the time of the incident, none of the passengers were equipped with life jackets. The rescue operation commenced following a distress call received at 4pm by the Thai Maritime Enforcement Command Centre…
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No place for predators: Phuket cracks down on child sex tourism
From five-star hotels to beachside bars, tourism bosses in Phuket are being told to open their eyes and shut the door on child sex tourism and human trafficking in a bold new campaign to protect the island’s most vulnerable. Local government officials in Phuket have launched a hard-hitting initiative aimed at stamping out child sexual exploitation in Thailand’s most visited…
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Chinese woman killed by falling tree on Phuket beach (video)
A Chinese woman lost her life after being struck by a falling tree during a heavy thunderstorm in Phuket yesterday, July 20. Her husband sustained minor injuries in the incident. Officers from Chalong Police Station responded to the fatal tree fall at approximately 5.30pm on Koh Hey Beach in Chalong sub-district, Mueang district, Phuket. Locals who witnessed the incident already…
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Naked Russian man jumps to his death at Phuket villa
A naked Russian man reportedly climbed onto the roof of a villa on Nai Thon Beach in Phuket before jumping off and dying on Saturday, July 19. Rescue workers from the Kusoldharm Phuket Foundation and officers from Chalong Police Station responded to the incident at a villa on Nai Thon Beach in Phuket’s Rawai subdistrict after being alerted by the…
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Holiday from hell: Aussie murder suspect dies on sleazy Thai escape
He dodged justice for more than two decades but the Aussie man long suspected of murdering a young Sydney woman has finally met his end on a murky getaway in Thailand. Kevin Steven Correll, accused serial rapist and prime suspect in the brutal 2001 killing of car saleswoman Rachelle Childs, was found dead at 10.30am, Thursday, July 18, while on…
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Thailand mulls first suspension bridge to link Phuket and Phang Nga
Thailand is considering constructing its first suspension bridge to connect Phuket with Phang Nga province, as part of a significant upgrade to the region’s Highway No. 402. This development, led by the Department of Highways, aims to improve connectivity and boost local tourism. The new bridge, proposed during a seminar held at the Royal Phuket City Hotel, would be the…
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Phuket’s new ‘OneMap’ takes the stress out of island travel
Phuket’s tangled public transport network just got a digital makeover. In a bold step toward smart mobility, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is pushing Phuket OneMap — a sleek new web platform that shows live public bus routes, estimated arrival times and stop info in one place. No app downloads needed. Just load it on any phone browser and…
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Big Buddha deadlock: Locals demand justice, abbot stalls
Phuket’s iconic Big Buddha Viewpoint remains closed nearly a year after a deadly landslide claimed 13 lives, as tensions mount between locals, temple authorities, and government officials over who should take responsibility — and whether the site should reopen at all. The sole legal owner of the land, the Royal Forest Department’s Phuket branch (RFD Phuket), has issued a list…
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Aussie tourist found dead in Patong hotel bathroom
A 69 year old Aussie tourist was found dead in his Phuket hotel bathroom yesterday morning, just days after arriving for a six-week tropical getaway. Hotel staff at the property off Rat-U-Thit 200 Pi Road in Patong made the grim discovery around 10.30am yesterday, Thursday, July 18, after a concerned Thai woman reported she hadn’t heard from the man in…
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Copper conned! Aussie cop fleeced in Thai cryptocurrency scam
A retired Aussie police officer hoping to enjoy a quiet life in Thailand has instead been left nearly penniless, after being duped out of more than 40 million baht in a slick cryptocurrency scam run by a German expat in Phuket. Michael “Tom” Reinecke, thought he was investing in a high-return digital currency venture but now says he’s the latest…
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Frenchman in Phuket claims he buried dog alive by mistake
A Frenchman in Phuket defended himself against accusations of animal cruelty, claiming he believed one of his three Siberian Huskies had already died, prompting him to bury it in his yard. A foreign woman yesterday, July 17, took to an online community to raise concerns about the welfare of her neighbour’s Siberian Husky. She reported hearing a distressing howl and later witnessed…
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Phuket tourism revenue set to rise 10% amid European off-season surge
Phuket is experiencing a notable shift in tourism patterns as European visitors increasingly opt for off-season travel, with tourism revenue anticipated to grow by over 40 billion baht, or approximately 10%, this year, according to the Phuket Tourist Association. The association’s president, Thanet Tantipiriyakit, highlighted a growing interest among tourists from the UK, Germany, and France in visiting Phuket during…
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Phuket governor wins top honour for anti-drug crusade
Phuket’s top official just bagged a royal seal of approval—and a national spotlight—for leading the fight against drugs. Governor Sophon Suwannarat has been crowned with the coveted Outstanding Governor award for his role in championing the To be Number One campaign, a youth-focused anti-drug initiative that’s making waves across Thailand. The award was handed out during the star-studded To be Number…
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Bang out of order! Teen tearaways caught with grenades in Phuket
Two teen tearaways have been nabbed by police, who discovered them with four homemade grenades, allegedly intended for a revenge attack on rivals in the Wichit area of Phuket. The dramatic arrest unfolded during a routine patrol led by Police Lieutenant Sunthon Phetsangk, Deputy Chief of Investigation at Wichit Police, last night, July 16. While conducting crime suppression duties on…
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Creamer crime! American nabbed with heroin ‘brew-tally’ hidden
In a dramatic sting at Phuket International Airport, an American man was arrested while attempting to smuggle over 6 kilogrammes of heroin out of Thailand. The jaw-dropping plot, uncovered by a coordinated operation involving the Tourist Police, Customs, and narcotics officers, has raised alarms throughout the region. The alleged suspect, Tyler Trong Luong, was intercepted yesterday, July 16 as he…
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Howl of shame: Foreigner accused of burying Siberian Husky alive in Phuket
Foreign residents in the Rawai sub-district of Phuket rescued a Siberian Husky yesterday, July 16, after it was allegedly buried alive by its foreign owner. The dog and its parents are now under the care of a non-profit organisation. A foreign woman contacted the administrator of the Facebook page ขยะมรสุม MONSOONGARBAGE THAILAND to report the incident. She explained that she…
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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