Phuket News
Phuket news, politics, business, tourism, and nightlife—stay updated with breaking stories, events, and expat updates from Thailand’s top island destination. Get the latest from The Thaiger, your trusted Phuket news source.
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Government takes back more land, angers locals
PHUKET: Locals are furious after government officers demolished plantations and houses in Thalang on Thursday. “This is incredibly unfair,” said Sorasid Saksuay, a representative of the 200-member community, talking to the press yesterday. “We’ve been living here since before 1998.” A Suan Pa Bang Kanun census in 1998 registered community members and property claims. The area, spread out over some…
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Fake monks charged for begging in Patong
PHUKET: Two monks with fake ordination certificates and a bank book were arrested by Patong Police yesterday. According to reports from locals, Tanai Jai-uea, 52 and Bundit Sairat, 42, have been regular food beggars at the Sai Nam Yen intersection on Rat Uthit 200 Pee Road in Patong for two years. “They were not doing alms rounds like other monks…
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Deadly man-of-war spotted off Phuket beaches
PHUKET: Deadly Portuguese Man-of-War have been spotted floating off several of Phuket’s popular beaches this week. Phuket Lifeguard Club President Prathaiyut Chuayuan told the Phuket Gazette today that the venomous siphonophore are a common occurrence off Phuket shores during the monsoon season and warned swimmers to be extra vigilant to ensure they do not risk getting stung by them. The…
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Condo conundrum
PHUKET: Your ownership of a condominium or your ability to rent it out has nothing to do with whether or not you have a work permit, Phuket Employment Office Chief Pitool Dumsakorn has told the Phuket Gazette. Legal ambiguities over real estate regulations distressed foreign owners last week, when Phuket Vice Governor Chokdee Amornwat announced a crackdown on condominium complexes…
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19-year-old arrested for more than 20 robberies
PHUKET: Police arrested a teenager yesterday who confessed to committing more than 20 robberies in Phuket since February. Channarong Petchmanee, 19, was charged with illegal possession of a firearm in public, gang theft and evading arrest using a vehicle, as per the arrest warrant issued on April 1. Among other incidents, Mr Channarong confessed to using a firearm to steal…
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Marina developers to fight encroachment charges
KRABI: The developers of the Port Takola Yacht Marina in Krabi have been charged with land encroachment after Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) officers raided the site on June 29. The DMCR officials said that during the raid more than 100 officers inspected the marina property to determine whether or not it was encroaching on government land. After…
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Tourists thanked by Ao Nang officials for beach cleaning
KRABI: Public officials in Krabi began picking up trash that had washed ashore along a two kilometer stretch of Ao Nang beach yesterday. The officers were joined by private companies, as well as tourists, who pitched in to clear the beach after the heavy rains and strong surf washed trash up along the Ao Nang shoreline. Krabi officials said they…
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Dolphin dies despite locals’ efforts
PHUKET: A lost and weakened dolphin found at Rawai beach last night has died, despite rescuers attempts save the mammal. Rawai Mayor Aroon Solos told the Phuket Gazette that he received a report around 5pm from locals that they had found a dolphin in trouble off Rawai beach. “We immediately called the Phuket Marine Biological Center’s (PMBC) Endangered Species Unit,”…
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Junkies and vandals flock to Samui park
KOH SAMUI: Photos circulating on line of dirty and unsafe toilets at Pru Chaweng Park in Koh Samui have sparked enough public outrage that officials are considering moving the facilities. Images of used needles, condoms and faeces went viral on July 5, after a user posted them on Facebook. The ten-toilet public restroom is located in a public park and…
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Rescue operation underway to save injured dolphin
KRABI: The Royal Thai Navy was working to save the life of an injured dolphin found stranded on a beach on Lanta Noi Island in Krabi yesterday. Locals found the fatigued cetacean with a damaged left fin on Lang Sod Beach and called the Navy for help. Lieutenant commander Peerapat Pattanasopon of the Third Naval Area Command rescue unit said…
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Scarce hauls concern local fishermen, conservation officials
PHUKET: As fishermen across Phuket and Krabi returned to shore after the July 1 reopening of the season, their meager catches furrowed foreheads and drew exasperated sighs. Fish stocks are dwindling, and many of western Thailand’s captains and deck hands are worried as a fog of uncertainty obscures the future of their industry – and livelihoods. “Every year it keeps…
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Teenaged tourist critically injured by speedboat propeller
PHUKET: A speedboat crew member was charged for reckless driving and causing injury after a Chinese tourist was severely injured when he got caught in the boat’s propeller on Wednesday. Li Yuheng, 18, was aboard the Poseidon 959 along with 33 other tourists. The boat was headed from Phuket to Phi Phi and was moored at Pileh Bay for tourists…
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Woman killed in Phuket Town shooting
PHUKET: Police are searching for suspects who allegedly shot a woman in the head yesterday morning in Phuket Town. Phuket City Police responded to a reported attack on a souvenir shop on Phang Nga Road a little after 4am. The Phuket Gazette has confirmed that the woman is a hilltribe, non-Thai citizen from Chiang Mai, named Wenlang Sae-Lee. The 22…
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Heavy rains damage roads, flood farm land and houses in Krabi Town
KRABI: Heavy rains have deteriorated roads, farms and homes in Krabi. Overnight storms on Wednesday caused flooding in the areas downhill from Phanom Bencha mountain, just north of Krabi Town. Officials warned residents that flooding may increase if the province receives additional rainfall over the weekend. Talengsak Puwayannapong from the Krabi Office of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation…
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1,000 free WiFi hotspots planned for Phuket
PHUKET: One thousand free WiFi hotspots are to be made available in Phuket in time for the tourist high season at the end of this year. “The hotspots will be made available in Phuket Town and Patong by December, at the latest, as part of Phuket’s development as a ‘smart city’, said the provincial head of the Software Industry Promotion…
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Motorcycle rider killed in collision with U-turning pick-up
PHUKET: A motorcycle rider was killed instantly last night when the bike she was riding slammed into a pick-up truck that was making a U-turn in front of the Supercheap store near the Heroines’ Monument on the road to Pa Khlok. The accident occurred just after midnight, killing Myanmar national Jee Ngui, 26, and seriously injuring a man who could…
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Police capture mobile phone thief, alleged rapist
PHUKET: A suspected mobile phone thief was arrested last night after police tracked him down when he used the stolen phone. Wiwat Wiroondok, 20, was arrested at his rented accommodation in Kamala at about 10pm. He had a Samsung phone, a watch and several other items believed to have been stolen. “A woman named ‘Kan’ reported to police that about…
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Emergency response crews drill for CMEX 16
PHUKET: Rappelling from helicopters and swiftly moving across the deck of a tour boat captured by terrorists, Royal Thai Navy specialists were able to neutralize the gunmen and free their hostages. After all the hostages were accounted for, terrorists and soldiers alike lit up cigarettes and chatted casually. The hostage crisis was just one situation practiced by government responders and…
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Royal Phuket Marina goes on the market
PHUKET: Royal Phuket Marina (RPM), one of Phuket’s largest marina and lifestyle developments, is up for sale, the company announced this morning. Following serious interest from an international buyer, RPM Chairman Gulu Lalvani has decided to officially put the development on the market, the company announced. As exclusive adviser to the proposed sale, JLL Hotels & Hospitality Group will handle…
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Tranlee Travel assets seized in Phuket, Phang Nga raids
PHUKET: Investigators have seized buses, boats, land and millions of baht as they delve deep into the operations of Phuket-based tour operator Tranlee Travel Co Ltd. Three teams of police simultaneously seized 33 boats and 57 buses in Phuket yesterday. They also raided Racha Spa Co Ltd, located in Phuket Villa 5 housing estate in Chalong. Police believe documents found…
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Proposed light rail delayed yet again
PHUKET: Phuket’s multi-billion-baht light rail project is being given another month to revise its plans yet again. Planners are revising arrangements that would ensure the safety of motorists using roads running alongside the proposed track routes and the airport’s connecting train station. The Ministry of Transport has requested that the Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning (OTPP) modify…
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Crackdown on condo owners confirmed
PHUKET: Condominium owners in Phuket caught renting out their units on a daily basis face fines and jail time if they do not register their properties as hotels. Phuket Vice Governor Chokdee Amornwat reaffirmed today a renewed crackdown on owners of condominium complexes and individual unit owners who are operating illegally as hotels, after the provincial land office issued a…
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Raging bull elephant tears apart owner
KRABI: An enraged bull elephant crushed his 64-year-old mahout to death while working at a rubber plantation in Krabi yesterday afternoon. The 26-year-old elephant, named Plai Khai, was in musth and had been chained to a tree for two days before the attack. He turned on his mahout, Sawai Lantee, when he went to check on the chains. “The elephant…
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Bangkok Broadcasting charging for beach access
PHUKET: Bangkok Broadcasting & Television Co Ltd (BBTV), the company that broadcasts Thai national television Channel 7, and now claims to own access to Laem Singh Beach, started charging beachgoers 100 baht in entrance fees on Friday. BBTV installed a sign at the entrance to the beach, stating that the company owns the land, and that the entrance fee is…
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Thailand to raise water transport safety standards in Andaman Sea
PHUKET: Transportation and Marine Department officials have agreed to adopt additional water transportation safety measures in Phuket. Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada, Deputy Transport Minister Ormsin Chivapruck, Marine Department Director-General Sorasak Saensombat and representatives from six tour agencies based in provinces along the Andaman Sea ratified the agreement last Monday. The agreement aims to establish a water transportation safety center and…
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Body of Korean found at sea 5 days after disappearance
PHUKET: The body of a man believed to be that of a Korean tourist who went missing after entering the sea to save his girlfriend at Patong beach last Wednesday was found by fishermen off the northwest coast of Phuket yesterday. Korean nationals Siwoo Park, 25, and his partner Garam Hong, 28, disappeared in the surf off Patong Beach around…
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‘Fish are scarce’ report Krabi fishermen
PHUKET: Fishermen from Krabi returned to shore yesterday disappointed with the meager quantities caught on the first day of fishing following a three-month hiatus. Yesterday was the first day that large fishing vessels were allowed to return to fish in the Andaman Sea after 4,696 square kilometers between Phuket and Trang were closed off so as not to deplete fish…
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Return of the Rajabhat roboteers [video]
PHUKET: Two teams of students from Phuket have made it through to the national level of the World Robot Olympiad 2016. The Refresh Team and the Reboot Team, both from Kathu Wittya School, are among the tech-savvy youngsters who competed in the first leg of the international contest held as Phuket Rajabhat University (PKRU) June 23-24. The competition was organized…
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Police clear Chalong traffic for baby who wouldn’t wait
PHUKET: A heavily pregnant teenage mother almost gave birth while stuck in traffic at Chalong Circle this morning. Ms Bee, the 18-year-old mother-to-be, called a relative to take her to the hospital when she felt labor pains. “By the time we reached Chalong Circle, the baby’s head was already out,” said Royah Kiewsot, the relative who accompanied her to the…
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Russian tourist dies in red flag zone at Nai Harn
PHUKET: A Russian tourist died at Nai Harn Beach yesterday evening after he ignored the red warning flags and went swimming. “We found the body of Leonid Petrov, 28, lying face up on the sand. He was shirtless, with no signs of struggle on his body,” said Capt Wuthiwat Leangboonjinda of the Chalong Police. “We questioned his friend, Vladimir Avdeev,…
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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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