South Thailand News
Southern Thailand news, Phuket news, Koh Samui news, and Krabi updates—stay informed on business, tourism, and local events from Trang, Songkhla, Yala, and beyond. Get the latest from The Thaiger, your trusted Southern Thailand news source.
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Thai man accuses RTA general of drug abuse, sexual sadism, and physical abuse
A Thai man accused a lieutenant general of the Royal Thai Army (RTA) of using drugs, engaging in sexual sadism, and physically abusing him during their sexual encounter in the southern province of Songkhla. The accuser, a Thai man named Nut, spoke to the media today about his relationship with the aforementioned RTA soldier named Wor. Nut disclosed that he…
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Bomb attack in southern Thailand injures 8 police officers
Eight police officers from Sai Buri Police Station in Pattani province, southern Thailand, were injured in a bomb attack while on patrol last night. Two police vehicles were damaged. Before the incident, 11 officers went out on patrol in two pick-up trucks in the Sai Buri district. Assailants detonated a hidden bomb as the officers drove along the Ban Pa…
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Wildlife officials capture photos of rare bird in South Thailand
Thailand has captured another rare and exciting animal on camera less than a week after a similar incident was reported. Wildlife officials in South Thailand’s Nakhon Si Thammarat province have captured photos of a rare bird, the great argus. The officials at Kathun Wildlife Sanctuary captured the images with camera traps, according to the Department of Parks, Wildlife, and Plant…
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100 police deployed to reservoir in the hunt for killer cop in South Thailand
There’s been a new development in the case around the cop in South Thailand who killed several of his family members, including his wife and son. The killer cop, 46 year old Pol. Snr. Sgt. Maj. Atthaporn Wichian, killed six people in Surat Thani province last week, including his wife, son, and father-in-law. Police have been on the prowl for…
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Police find remains in South Thailand believed to be missing official
Police and paramilitary rangers found human remains in South Thailand yesterday morning, which are believed to be those of a missing local official. The authorities found the bones on a cliff in Moo 6 village of Sri Sakhorn district in Pattani province. Along with the bones, they found the ID card of the chief of the Tambon Don Administrative Organisation,…
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18 year old man dies after two hooligans threw stones at him in southern Thailand
An 18 year old man died in hospital yesterday after two hooligans threw stones at him while he was riding a motorcycle on a road in the southern province of Satun. The teenage victim, Kullatat “Folk” Tohem, was rushed to hospital on Sunday, April 2 with a serious head injury after two hooligans threw stones at him. The young man…
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Thailand’s Surat Thani province expects over 90,000 tourists during Songkran
Get ready for a blast of Songkran tourism coming up in Thailand! Thailand’s Surat Thani province is expecting to welcome more than 90,000 tourists during the upcoming Songkran festival period. According to the Surat Thani Governor, Vichawut Jintoe, over 67,000 foreign tourists and 23,000 Thai tourists are expected to visit the southern province from April 13 to 16. Surat Thani…
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UNESCO recognises performance style from South Thailand
UNESCO has recognised a unique performance style from South Thailand. The organisation’s Facebook page posted a cover photo of a Nora performer, with the caption, “We are #LivingHeritage.” Nora has deep cultural and social significance for southern Thais. It is known for its unique style of singing and dancing. Nora performers are known for their signature long, curled metal fingernail…
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Pervy man caught on CCTV sniffing woman’s underwear and licking her shoes
A Thai woman in the southern province of Songkhla filed a complaint with the police after a CCTV camera captured footage of a perverted man climbing over a wall into her house, sniffing her underwear and licking her shoes before leaving. The 28 year old victim, Raenu, posted videos of the incident on a Facebook group named HATYAIZ to warn residents…
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South Thailand island to be developed as world-class tourism spot
An island in South Thailand is set to be developed as a world-class tourism spot. Koh Adang, located in the southern border province of Satun, is set to become a world-class tourism destination like Langkawi in Malaysia, according to the Southern Border Provinces Administrative Center (SBPAC). Satun province is renowned for its picturesque natural scenery, with jungles, mountains, and beaches.…
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Russian man arrested in Koh Pha Ngan for overstaying visa 993 days
An unidentified Russian man has reportedly been arrested on the island of Koh Pha Ngan for overstaying his visa by 993 days or over 2.5 years. According to TPN National, the 34 year old man was arrested and taken to the Koh Pha Ngan Police Station to face charges of overstaying and will be deported. The arrest followed the Surat…
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Tourism Ministry sets its sights on developing Songkhla
Songkhla has caught the attention of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, which has set a 100 billion baht tourism revenue goal over the next decade. The ministry dubbed the Songkhla Lake Basin a Designated Areas for Sustainable Tourism Administration (DASTA) project. As always, the Tourism Ministry came up with a catchy, exciting name: “Amazing Songkhla Lagoon: Moving forward as…
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Man murders cousin after being bullied about his disability
A disabled man murdered his able-bodied cousin after he repeatedly bullied him about his disability. The accused stated that he did not intend to kill his cousin but only wanted him to experience the same pain and suffering that he had been enduring due to his disability. The 62 year old victim, Somjit Wimonmueng, was shot dead in the early hours…
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Swedish and Brazilian overstayers busted in South Thailand this week
A Swedish man and a Brazilian man were busted in South Thailand’s Surat Thani province for overstaying their visas in Thailand this week. Surat Thani Immigration officers arrested the Swedish man in Koh Samui, on Chaweng Beach Road in front of Central Samui, in the Pho Phut sub-district. The man, 34 year old Christopher Tony Setfors, overstayed his visa by…
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Investigation reveals Narathiwat police protected weapon and drug suspects
An investigation into the southern Narathiwat provincial police department has revealed its police chief and subordinates protected weapon and drug suspects. According to the Bangkok Post, the commander of police, Waesamae Salae, and his subordinates are accused of taking bribes in exchange for helping drug and weapon suspects. The national police chief, Surachate Hakparn announced the news yesterday. Surachate says…
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Missing woman found buried in southern Thailand forest
Nakhon Si Thammarat Provincial Police Office discovered the dead body of a woman who went missing last month buried in the forest behind Khao Lom Monastery in southern Thailand. Police believe her murder was motivated by a conflict within a drug gang. Officers from the Nakhon Si Thammarat Provincial Police Office discovered the corpse of an unidentified woman buried in…
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Bomb discovered under resident’s car in southern Thailand
A potentially deadly attack was narrowly averted in southern Thailand on Saturday night after a young woman discovered a bomb attached to her aunt’s car while searching for a missing pet. The improvised explosive device was later safely disposed of by experts, but authorities are still investigating the motive behind the plot. Enaz Haji Taye, the owner of the Bangkok-registered…
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Burmese man stabs 4 Thais after being rejected by woman in Koh Pha Ngan
A Burmese man in Koh Pha Ngan was arrested yesterday evening after he used scissors to stab a Thai woman who rejected him and three of her friends. The Burmese man, 31 year old Aung Htwe Naing, stabbed 29 year old Sukanya in a laundry shop in Koh Pha Ngan, where they worked at 2.30pm on Saturday, March 11. Aung…
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Thai officials arrest overstaying French woman in Koh Pha Ngan
Thai officials arrested an overstaying French woman in Koh Pha Ngan this week. Sura Thani Immigration officers said in a Facebook post that they arrested the woman on Monday in front of the Bounty Resort on 85/1 Moo 8. The woman, 36 year old Myriam Naima Bakhoury, overstayed her visa by six days, the officers said. She was taken to…
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Pervert robs and sexually assaults owner of kratom shop
Police officers in the Tung Song district in the southern province of Nakhon Si Thammarat are on the hunt for a pervert who robbed a local kratom shop and sexually assaulted its female owner by groping her private part before fleeing the scene. The CCTV footage of the incident circulating on Thai social media shows a man wearing a jacket…
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Old woman severely injured after drunk official crashes car into her house
A Pattalung Provincial Council official has been accused of being drunk and disorderly while driving after he crashed his car into a house in the Si Banphot district of Pattalung in the southern province of Thailand, seriously injuring an 83 year old woman. The victim’s family are understandably furious as the suspect is still at large. The Pattalung Provincial Council…
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Koh Lipe tourism industry loses 10 million baht after local fisherfolk protest
Local fisherfolk in the southern province of Satun have blocked the Pak Bara Pier to stop people from using it in protest after being banned from fishing for a month due to overlapping rules from two government departments. The result of the closure has affected the tourism industry, especially on Lipe Island, which lost revenue of over 10 million baht. The…
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New Zealand tourist gets lost in forest in Koh Pha Ngan, Thailand
A New Zealand tourist got lost in a forest on Thailand’s Koh Pha Ngan island in the southern Surat Thani province on Sunday. Friends of the man, 56 year old Shaw Mace Bushel, alerted police that he had gone missing from his resort at 4am. Bushel’s friends had searched for him but failed to find him. A team of officers…
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Thailand extends emergency decree in Deep South
Thailand is extending the emergency decree in the Deep South for another three months. The decree applies to the border provinces of Yala, Pattani, and Narathiwat and will run from March 20 to June 19. According to the Bangkok Post, the newest extension of the decree marks the 71st time it has been issued. The Deputy Prime Minister, Prawit Wongsuwon…
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Restoration of Maya Bay balances tourism, sustainability
The restoration of Maya Bay, Thailand, balances tourism with sustainability. Phi Phi Islands’ tropical paradise, made famous by Leonardo DiCaprio’s movie The Beach, has drastically reduced visitor numbers, and sea life is flourishing. The beach was closed in 2018 and before the pandemic hit, and in many respects, the past two years without pressure from great numbers of visitors have…
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New species of orchid found in S.Thailand
A team of botanists from Prince of Songkla University have described a new species of orchid, Aphyllorchis periactinantha, at the Paribatra waterfall in Ton Nga Chang wildlife sanctuary in the southern province of Songkhla. A team of scientists led by Sahut Chantanaorrapint, a professor from Prince of Songkla University biology department first identified the new species. Sahut said the Paribatra…
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4 bodies with gunshot wounds found in southern Thailand
Residents in the southern province of Narathiwas found the lifeless bodies of three people with gunshot wounds in a sedan truck submerged in the Juerae Lake yesterday. This morning, another dead body was found near the scene. The authorities have reason to believe that the two incidents are interconnected. Buketa Police Station received distressing reports from residents who had discovered…
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Man runs race in South Thailand wearing Forrest Gump costume
Run Forrest run! One participant in a 160 kilometre race in South Thailand made a splash with his unique attire. The man donned a Forrest Gump costume, complete with a plaid shirt, khaki pants, and a red cap, to the Amazean Jungle Thailand by UTMB 2023. The photo of the runner taken at the starting line in Betong district of…
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SWAT officers shoot dead suspected insurgent in southern Thailand
Special Weapons and Tactics (S.W.A.T) officers killed a suspected insurgent in a shootout in Yala province, southern Thailand, early this morning. The deceased was suspected to have had a role in the ambush that killed a police officer on Friday, as well as the bombing of a PTT gas station in Than To district. At 4.30am today, a S.W.A.T team…
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Tourism in South Thailand province jumped by over 600% last year, officials say
South Thailand’s picturesque beaches and islands continue to reel in tourists. The number of tourists that visited South Thailand’s Surat Thani province last year jumped by over 600% from 2021, according to officials. The province includes the holiday paradise islands of Koh Samui and Koh Tao. Surat Thani Governor Witchawut Jintoe, citing the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, said the…
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