South Thailand News
Stay updated with the latest Southern Thailand news at The Thaiger, your ultimate source for regional information. Keep informed on local events, business developments, and lifestyle stories in popular locations beyond Phuket, Koh Samui, and Krabi. We’ve got reports of the latest goings on in Trang, Songkhla, Yala, and more.
Whether you’re a resident or a visitor, The Thaiger’s Southern Thailand news page is your essential guide to exploring this stunning tropical region. Dive into the vibrant community and rich culture with our expertly curated content, designed to keep you connected and well-informed.
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Sponsored Why is Bangkok's air quality so bad?
Imagine waking up early in Bangkok and you see all the beautiful morning fog from your balcony, but as you sip your coffee you realise it's just Bangkok's air pollution that's making the sun rise aesthetic. Ranked as the 36th...
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Pattani volunteer shot dead after local football match
A government volunteer in Pattani was shot dead in an ambush by a group of gunmen while returning home on his motorcycle after a football match at 5.45pm yesterday. The District Chief of Sai Buri was informed by the village head of Moo 6, Kadunong subdistrict, Sai Buri district, Pattani, about the tragic event. Athar Hama, a member of the…
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Cabinet’s coastal crusade: 3 notifications to protect Andaman Sea
The Cabinet approved three ministerial notifications aimed at protecting the environment in Phang Nga, Krabi, and Ranong, three coastal provinces along the Andaman Sea. Deputy Prime Minister and Natural Resources and Environment Minister, Police General Phatcharavat Wongsuwan, announced yesterday, May 29, that two notifications from his ministry had received approval during a meeting held yesterday. The approved notifications focus on…
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Record meth seizures in Southeast Asia’s Golden Triangle
In a recent report released yesterday, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) disclosed that East and Southeast Asia are currently grappling with an unprecedented influx of methamphetamine and other synthetic drugs. This surge is largely sourced from the Golden Triangle, an area where the borders of Thailand, Myanmar, and Laos converge. Historically recognised for opium cultivation and…
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Derailed heist: Thieves steal railway crossings equipment in Songkhla
Thieves have stolen signal poles, barrier arms, and other equipment from 17 railway crossings in Songkhla, putting passengers, pedestrians, and motorists at risk. The thefts occurred in the Khuan Niang, Hat Yai, and Sadao districts, focusing primarily on the Hat Yai-Padang Besar route in the Sadao district. Equipment was stolen from nine out of the 10 crossings in this area.…
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Vice mayor gunned down in ambush on Pattani highway
In a brazen attack on the Phet Kasem Road, the vice mayor of a Tambon Administrative Organisation (TAO) in Khok Pho district, Pattani province, was brutally murdered by suspected insurgents on Friday evening. Witnesses reported that 57 year old Nan Kongsomboon was ambushed by two men on a motorcycle as he was returning home after tending to his cattle. The…
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Commerce Ministry investigates oil palm price drop
The Commerce Ministry directed the Internal Trade Department to investigate the recent drop in oil palm prices by visiting provinces known for palm plantations. This initiative follows complaints from growers about reduced purchase prices. Commerce Minister Phumtham Wechayachai instructed Wattanasak Sur-iam, director-general of the Internal Trade Department, to assess the situation in Phang-Nga, Krabi, and Surat Thani provinces. The goal…
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Satun’s Khao Khom cave recognised as new prehistoric site
The Fine Arts Department of Thailand has officially recognised Khao Khom cave in Satun province as a new prehistoric archaeological site, revealing that the cave’s discoveries could date back as far as 6,000 years. Fine Arts Department Director-General Phanombut Chantarachot confirmed that a recent study was conducted on human skeletons and pottery remains found in the cave. This preliminary research…
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Civil war in Myanmar sees increase in drug trafficking into Thailand
In a worrying development, the trafficking of methamphetamine, commonly known as Yaba, from Myanmar into Thailand has witnessed a significant increase in recent weeks. According to Thai military sources, this surge is attributed to the pressing financial requirements of anti-junta ethnic forces in Myanmar. A coordinated effort by Thai military, police, and anti-narcotics officials yesterday resulted in the seizure of…
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Pakistani and Thai wife arrested for murder of Indian in Songkhla
Police arrested a Pakistani man and his Thai wife for the murder of an Indian man in the southern province of Songkhla. The motive is suspected to be a business conflict. The dead body of a foreign man was found on the roadside in Songkhla on May 15 with two stab wounds and a gunshot wound. Police later identified the…
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Policewoman arrested for role in kidnapping of Indonesian man
Police arrested a policewoman on May 19 for her alleged involvement in the kidnapping and ransom of an Indonesian man in the southern province of Phatthalung on May 11. The 29 year old Indonesian victim, Syawana, was rescued from a house in Phatthalung province on May 15 by officers from the Mueang Phatthalung Police Station after he was kidnapped and…
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Southern Thailand: Locals unite to halt Land Bridge project
People’s networks from Ranong and Chumphon provinces rallied yesterday in front of the Lang Suan district office, vehemently opposing the controversial multi-billion baht Land Bridge project planned for their region. Protesters issued a powerful statement demanding the immediate cancellation of the project, arguing it would deplete vital resources better preserved for future generations. “Our children and grandchildren deserve a sustainable…
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Ancient human remains and tools found in Satun’s Khao Khom Cave
Human remains and ancient tools, estimated to date back over 10,000 years, have been unearthed inside Khao Khom Cave in Satun’s Khuan Kalong district. This discovery emerged from a project spearheaded by Kamponsak Sassadee, a renowned cave explorer, who aimed to delve into one of the province’s longest and most ecologically diverse caves. Kamponsak’s team initially discovered signs of ancient…
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Durian scam: Street vendor gets seven years for scale trickery
A woman in Chumphon province has been caught red-handed and faces severe consequences after duping customers with a rigged scale at her roadside durian stall. The scandal unravelled when a suspicious customer, who purchased two durians weighing 16 kilogrammes for 1,640 baht, discovered a significant discrepancy upon shipping the fruits to their mother. The actual weight turned out to be…
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Dead body with stab and gunshot wounds identified as Indian man
Police successfully identified the nationality of a foreign man found dead in the southern province of Phang Nga as an Indian clothes seller. The identity of the murderer remains unknown. A Thai resident found the dead body of a foreign man on the side of Ban Na Road yesterday, May 15 and reported the discovery to Khok Kloi Police Station.…
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Suspected drug agent flees sting operation, leaving kids in Sadao
A 30 year old suspected drug agent narrowly escaped a sting operation by security forces, leaving behind her two young daughters amid chaos. The incident unfolded today, May 15, when a combined military and administrative task force initiated a series of raids targeting drug trafficking in the Sadao district of Songkhla Province. The suspect, known as Kanjana or Khom, managed…
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Resident finds lifeless body of foreign man in southern Thailand
A resident today stumbled upon the lifeless body of an unidentified foreign man on a roadside in the Takua Thung district in the southern province of Phang Nga. Sub-District Chief Yutthanakorn Juanjenkit filed a complaint with officers at Khok Kloi Police Station after a local in the area discovered the dead body. The body was found on the side of…
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Umphang-Sangkhla Buri route to boost tourism and border security
Tak Province recently inaugurated a new route connecting Umphang and Sangkhla Buri, serving as a scenic corridor for tourism and bolstering security along the Thai-Myanmar border. The opening of this pathway is a strategic move to enhance travel and stimulate economic growth between Tak and Kanchanaburi provinces through the beauty of nature. District Chief Manoch Pohtinium of Umphang, in collaboration…
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Thai chief insists viral sexual yoga video was not shot in Thailand (video)
A district chief on Koh Pha Ngan island in the southern province of Surat Thani insisted that a viral video of sexual yoga on Thai social media took place in Bali, Indonesia, not in Thailand. The video, shared widely on social media yesterday, May 13, showed three foreign couples engaging in unusual explicit acts, initially claimed to have taken place…
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Maya Bay ranks 5th in world’s best beaches for 2024 (video)
Maya Bay, located on the idyllic Phi Phi Islands in Krabi province, has been named the 5th-best beach in the world for 2024 by Beach Atlas, a website based in the United Kingdom. This prestigious recognition places Maya Bay at the top of the list not only in Thailand but also as the number one beach across the ASEAN region.…
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Hat Yai man ranks fourth in police exams after seven-year struggle
A young man’s relentless pursuit of his dream to become a police officer has paid off after seven years of steadfast determination, culminating in his high-ranking success in the police entrance examination. A department store employee’s unwavering dedication to achieving his dream has finally borne fruit after a gruelling seven-year journey. The young man, who hails from Hat Yai in…
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Thai soldier and 12 friends accused of assaulting teenage boy
A Thai woman accused a soldier and 12 of his friends in the southern province of Nakhon Si Thammarat of severely assaulting her 15 year old son, causing severe injuries to the teenage boy. The victim, identified as A, told Channel 3 that the soldier, Raphephat, repeatedly accused him of stealing a shirt despite his denials. Raphephat allegedly continued to…
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Community leaders killed in Pattani shooting at local football field
A brazen shooting at a football field in the Pattani Province has resulted in the tragic loss of two community leaders. At around 6.30pm yesterday, gunmen opened fire, killing a subdistrict administrative organisation clerk and a village headman. Two bystanders, including a government official and a meatball vendor, were also injured in the incident. The attack occurred at a football…
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Police deputy inspector found dead with gunshot wound in Krabi
In a tragic turn of events, a 55 year old police deputy inspector was found dead with a gunshot wound inside his car outside a police flat in Krabi province. The case, initially suspected to be driven by personal stress, has shocked the local community. At 4.30pm, a distressing scene unfolded at a police residential complex in Khao Phanom, Krabi.…
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Narathiwat checkpoint bombing injures four amid security concerns
A motorcycle rigged with explosives was detonated yesterday at 9.35pm, at a safety zone checkpoint in Tha Phraya Sai, Narathiwat province, injuring four individuals including two volunteer defence corps members and two civilian women caught in the bombing radius. Deputy Investigator Itthiphol Malikul of Mueng Narathiwat Police Station received the report of the explosion, which occurred in front of the…
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Tourist boat capsizes in Trang Sea, one dead and several injured
A tragic incident unfolded yesterday at 4.30pm when a longtail tourist boat capsized near the Pak Meng Bridge in the Trang Sea, leaving 14 individuals adrift, including a 68 year old woman who sadly drowned. The accident took place approximately 2 kilometres from the pier at Pom Jatukham area, Mai Fat Subdistrict, Sikao District, Trang Province. The boat, carrying 11…
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Pattani shootout ends with two suspects dead, one officer injured
A deadly confrontation unfolded in Thung Yang Daeng district, Pattani, southern Thailand, where a four-hour gunfight resulted in the deaths of two suspects and left one officer injured. This violent exchange occurred yesterday, May 1, at a rented house under surveillance for harbouring individuals wanted by the law. The incident concluded with the discovery of two deceased, identified as Masobree…
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Influenza outbreak in Thailand prison infects over 3,000 inmates
A devastating influenza outbreak at Nakhon Si Thammarat prison in Thailand has infected almost 3,500 inmates, leading to two fatalities, as reported by public health officials. The prison in Phra Phom district was inspected by a team led by Dr Kittisak Aksornwong, the Deputy Permanent Secretary for Public Health, who confirmed the outbreak. From April 19 to April 28, 3,442…
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Yala deputy governor accused of adultery with adopted son (video)
The deputy governor of Yala province in southern Thailand allegedly committed adultery with his adopted son who reportedly physically assaulted his adopted mother, the governor’s legal wife. Local Facebook page Esor News reported on April 28 that a deputy governor in southern Thailand had been transferred from his post due to allegations of adultery, as he was still living with…
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Homeless man arrested for brutal assault on Cha-am Beach
Police arrested a homeless man for a brutal assault on a sub-district chief while the victim was resting on Cha-am Beach in the southern province of Phetchaburi. The victim remains in critical condition at a hospital. A 23 year old Thai woman, Wissuta Wannathippakorn, sought justice for her father, 58 year old Sommart Wannathippakorn, by sharing the story with news…
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Songkhla power plant hit by armed assault and explosions
Armed individuals dressed in camouflage stormed a power plant in Songkhla province early morning today, setting off three explosions and burning tyres in a coordinated incident that caused significant disruption. The event unfolded around 12.10am, today, April 26, when surveillance footage captured clear images of four individuals armed with what appeared to be military-grade weapons. The most severe incident occurred…
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