The following is our weekly feature in which we highlight the top local stories in our area of Phuket from the past week. The number of stories differs from week to week.

These are chosen and curated by our editorial team and are designed for our readers to get a quick “catch-up” of important stories they may have missed. We publish many stories daily and it is easy to lose track of important events or changes in our area. We do national recaps in a separate article, this is only the top local stories in the Phuket province.

They are in no particular order of importance but roughly in order of publishing. These are from Monday, November 20th, 2023, to Sunday, November 26th, 2023.

1. A suspect has been charged with attempted murder after a shooting near Bang La Road, Patong, which injured three people.

Nine men ran toward the suspect on Bangla Road for unknown reasons. The suspect then ran away from Bangla Road into Soi Laos nearby before using a gun that he was carrying to shoot at them. All nine men were also charged with mind and bodily harm.

2. An entertainment venue staffer on the Bangla Road was arrested after he was found selling medicine as an illegal drug to tourists.

The suspect was found with five small plastic bags with Tramadol powder. The Phuket Express noted that Tramadol is medicine that is used for severe pain relief. The Tramadol power looks a bit like heroin and cocaine, said the suspect, and he was able to fool customers.

3. The DSI raided two luxury villas in Rawai after a suspect was found allegedly being involved in a major illegal online gambling website.

The suspect was arrested at the Suvarnabhumi International Airport. He is being accused of providing illegal online gambling services and money laundering.

4. An American tourist in Phuket has been pronounced dead after snorkeling at an island in Phang Nga.

The man arrived in Phuket on November 18^th, 2023 from Hong Kong.

5. The last suspect who was allegedly involved in the shooting of a Dusit Technical College student in Bangkok has surrendered to police in Thalang.

On November 20th, 2023, Dusit police officers received a shooting report on Ranong Soi 2, Dusit, Bangkok. There was one casualty reported as one of the students at Dusit Technical College.

The three main alleged suspects were identified. One of the alleged suspects voluntarily surrendered and was publicly identified as Mr. Akkaraphon Sirimekanon, a 22-year-old former college student in a college institution in Thonburi.

This case has driven major discussion around guns in Thailand.

That’s it for this week, take care and be safe!