From the Island

Rough week. Flash floods and mudslides hit the west coast on Monday, then Phuket City issued a red flood alert on Wednesday morning after Bang Yai Canal started rising. Patong took the worst of it: landslides buried parts of Na Nai 3 Road, residents were evacuated, and preliminary damage is at ฿100 million. Roads in Karon and Chalong were closed. Full details and emergency contacts in the flood story below.

Property enforcement has moved past audits to forced sales. ALRO land near Paradise Beach is under 30-day review. If you hold property through a Thai company, get legal advice now. We've covered this in depth: The nominee crackdown  ·  How foreigners actually hold property

The Blue Tree immigration branch has closed indefinitely. All services moved to Phuket Town. See the Life Hack section for how to file online.

And it's Halloween weekend. Events at the bottom. There's a lot to get into. Let's go.

Quick Island Pulse

🌡️ Weather

Heavy rain continuing. Red flood alert for Phuket City issued October 29. 23–32°C. Seas 1–2m, above 2m in storms. Stay off hillside roads during downpours. Landslide risk is real this week.

🚗 Traffic

Runoff debris and lane restrictions remain on Patong Hill and Kamala Highway. Khok Tanot Road in Karon was closed due to flooding. The road near Wat Tai in Chalong was underwater Wednesday morning. Waterlogging possible during high tide. Check conditions before driving.

💰 Baht

Mid-market, Oct 30: GBP ~43.50  ·  AUD ~23.82  ·  EUR ~37.80  ·  USD ~33.79 THB. Retail rates will differ.

🛂 Immigration

Blue Tree is closed. Cherng Talay, Bang Tao, Kamala, and Thalang residents must now use the Phuket Town office. Online portal recommended for 90-day reporting. See the Life Hack section below.

✈️ Aviation

Since October 16, luggage searches apply to domestic flights as well as international departures. Allow extra time at HKT security.

The Week in Stories

🔴 Flooding and mudslides: red alert issued for Phuket City

Monday October 26: heavy overnight rain triggered flash floods and mudslides across Patong and Kamala, closing parts of Patong Hill and the coastal highway. A toddler drowned in a canal in Chalong.

Wednesday October 29: it got worse. Phuket City Municipality issued a red flood alert for Bang Yai Canal at 7:40am. Khok Tanot Road in Karon was closed. The road outside Wat Tai in Chalong was underwater, too deep for cars or motorcycles by 7:45am. In Patong, landslides sent soil and rocks onto Na Nai 3 Road; residents around Na Nai 5 and Na Nai 8 were evacuated to temporary shelters. More than 100 households and businesses affected. Preliminary damage: ฿100 million. Patong Mayor Lalita Maneesri deployed shuttle vehicles for the worst-hit roads.

TMD Warnings No. 8 and No. 10 remain active. Thundershowers forecast across 70% of the southern west coast. Seas could exceed 2m during storms. Small boats advised to stay ashore. Environmental teams are working to stop erosion at Promthep Cape. Jellyfish remain active on the west coast; vinegar stations are at lifeguarded beaches.

Full report, Phuket News  ·  DDPM national warning  ·  Red alert details

Forced property sales: enforcement moves past audits

The crackdown on foreign-held property through Thai nominees has moved from audits to forced sales. Nationally, 13,088 parties are under investigation, covering 2,360 plots valued at ฿14.01 billion. Provincial governors must finish priority cases by December 31. ALRO land near Paradise Beach is under 30-day review.

If you hold property through a Thai company, this is not abstract anymore. Get independent legal advice now.

We've been covering this in depth:  The nominee crackdown  ·  How foreigners hold property  ·  The Bang Tao land seizure  ·  Phuket guesthouse reform

Blue Tree immigration branch closed indefinitely

The Cherng Talay branch closed without notice, citing staff shortages and re-centralisation. Extensions, address notifications, and 90-day reports for northern districts (Cherng Talay, Bang Tao, Kamala, Thalang) must now go to Phuket Town. The online portal handles 90-day reports and TM30 filings. See the Life Hack section below.

Household solar scheme: up to ฿50,000 per home

The cabinet approved a rooftop solar support scheme: up to ฿50,000 per household for solar installations, plus low-interest loans and tax exemptions on imported components. Total programme budget is ฿50 million, a support fund, not the ฿50-billion figure some outlets reported. Application details haven't been confirmed yet.

For residents paying ฿3,000–5,000 per month on electricity (common with aircon running year-round), the subsidy covers a meaningful chunk of a basic rooftop setup.

Also This Week

🌊 Marine  ·  Jellyfish activity continues along Kamala and Patong. Vinegar stations are at lifeguarded beaches. Check conditions before swimming.

🚓 Public Safety  ·  A Myanmar national died after being hit by a pickup in Chalong on October 28. Police are investigating. Report

🛂 Visa exemption cut to 30 days  ·  In effect since September 15. Sixty countries (UK, US, Australia, most of the EU) are now limited to 30 days visa-exempt, down from 60. Land border entries capped at twice per calendar year (Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, and Singapore are exempted from the cap). If you're hosting visitors who planned a 60-day stay, or anyone still thinking about border runs: the maths has changed. Report  ·  TAT details

🏛 Community  ·  The Marriott Road to Give run is on November 15 at Bang Wad Dam. Registration closes November 8. Details

🏌️ Community  ·  The FTI Andaman Charity Golf Tournament is on November 7 at Aquella Golf Club (฿3,500 entry). Details

The In-Between

Johnny Carter  ·  weekly column

Going Back Does Not Mean Going Backwards

Returning to a city you left, a job you walked away from, a pattern you thought you'd outgrown. It can feel like failure. Johnny's argument: the landscape is the same, but you're not. That's not regression. That's the proof.

Continue reading →

Catch up on Johnny's column:

When Doing More Stops Helping  ·  When the Plan Stops Matching Reality  ·  What You Get to Take With You

Out & About

Tu Kab Khao, Phuket Old Town

A Sino-Portuguese shophouse on Phangnga Road that has been on the Michelin radar for good reason. Tu Kab Khao serves traditional Phuket-style cooking in a room that looks the part: tiled floors, shuttered windows, heritage fittings. It's the kind of place that works equally well for a weeknight dinner or somewhere to take visitors who want to eat something genuinely local.

Order the moo hong — slow-braised pork belly that's become something of a house signature. The gaeng som is worth ordering if you like southern Thai sour curry. The Thai green curry with vegetables has been drawing strong reviews, and the stir-fried shrimp with chilli and salt is simple, well-executed, and lets the prawns do the work.

Pricing is ฿200–1,000 per person depending on what you order. Rated 4.2 across 4,600 reviews. One practical note: the kitchen closes at 8:30pm, so if you're going for dinner, book a table for no later than 7pm.

📍 Tu Kab Khao on Google Maps  ·  8 Phangnga Rd, Talat Yai, Phuket Town

Property & Development Corner

Market moves this week

Total new project launches have reached ฿34.1 billion island-wide. Prime west coast villa values are up 12–18% year on year. Land values in Bang Tao, Layan, Surin, and Kamala are up 23–29% since 2023.

Botanica Grand Avenue (Cherng Talay): pool villas, top-end units reaching $7.1M. Sansiri has committed ฿24 billion to 20 Phuket projects over three years. Botanica Hythe (Bang Tao): freehold condos from $302,000 within the 49% foreign quota.

Schools & Family Corner

This week on campus

BISP Open House was held on October 29 at Koh Kaew. If you missed it, contact BISP directly to arrange a visit.

HeadStart Halloween: events on October 31 at Chaofah City and Cherngtalay campuses. School families only.

Looking at schooling options? Our guide covers the full landscape: International schools in Phuket

Resident Deals

What's On This Week

More events on our events calendar. Running something? Submit it here. It's free and takes two minutes.

From the Archive

If you're hosting visitors this high season, or just arrived yourself, these are worth bookmarking:

·  Getting connected: internet, SIM and fibre

·  The hop-on hop-off bus running 11 stops across the island

·  Phuket Old Town: what's changed and what's worth your time

·  Tours and day trips for people who live here

List your business, share an event, or just say hello. Phuket Community is free, independent, and written by people who live here.

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See you next Friday. Stay curious, stay kind.

– Phuket Community