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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Volunteer escapes car bomb attack in Pattani, vehicle damaged
A female territorial defence volunteer today narrowly escaped a car bombing in Pattani province. The explosion severely damaged her vehicle, which caught fire. Emergency services responded promptly to assist at the scene. At 10am, today, March 17, the incident occurred in Mueang district’s Moo 2, Ban Cho Kapo, Karubi subdistrict. The volunteer, Suriyanee, was en route to work from her residence…
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Thai woman loses hand after shirt caught in motorcycle wheel
A Thai woman lost her left hand at the weekend after her shirt was caught by the wheel of a motorcycle while travelling on a road in the southern province of Songkhla. CCTV footage of the motorcycle accident circulated on Thai social media platforms after it occurred on Saturday, March 15. The video showed the victim, 55 year old Sudarat…
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Rubber plantation worker shot dead in Nakhon Si Thammarat
A 52 year old rubber plantation worker was fatally shot while riding his motorcycle to work in Nakhon Si Thammarat province yesterday, March 14. Police are actively investigating the case to determine the motive and apprehend the gunman. Police Lieutenant Hassan Wongmathong, Deputy Inspector at Chulabhorn Police Station, received a report of the shooting incident near a rubber plantation entrance…
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Narathiwat Court sentences 7 men for assault on 12 year old girl
The Narathiwat Court sentenced seven men involved in the sexual assault of a 12 year old girl in Grade 6, with sentences ranging from two years to 87 years in prison. Kosolwat Inthuchanyong, Director General of the Office of Rights Protection and Legal Aid for the Public (SCP), yesterday, March 13, revealed progress in the case of 16 men, both…
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Fire at Surat Thani car dealership causes 2 million baht damage
A raging fire tore through a used car dealership near Vibhavadi Camp Hospital in Mueang district, Surat Thani, in the early hours of today, leaving behind a trail of destruction worth over 2 million baht. The dramatic blaze, which erupted at around 3.40am, today, March 14, sent emergency services scrambling to the scene as towering flames engulfed vehicles and the…
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Tragic crash: Trang train-pickup collision kills 4
A tragic train and pickup truck collision in Kantang district, Trang province, resulted in the deaths of four passengers in the back of the truck. The train driver had sounded the horn but could not stop the train in time, leading to the crash at 2.40pm yesterday, March 13. The incident involved a rapid train number 168 travelling from Kantang…
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Cold feet, hot lawsuit: Jilted Thai bride-to-be sues runaway groom
A Thai bride-to-be sued her future husband for jilting her at the altar in the southern province of Nakhon Si Thammarat and causing her damages over 500,000 baht. The accused groom-to-be denied the allegations and claimed that his girlfriend’s family threatened to kill him. The 34 year old Thai woman, Nack, filed a complaint against her 33 year old boyfriend,…
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Bomb explosion narrowly misses vehicle in Narathiwat
A deadly roadside bomb detonated in Narathiwat, narrowly missing a vehicle carrying territorial defence volunteers, in what police suspect was an insurgent attack. The explosion yesterday, March 11, on the Sungai Kolok-Sungai Padi road caused significant damage but miraculously left no casualties. The blast occurred at 1.59pm at a U-turn in Ban Bango Humo, Mueang subdistrict, Sungai Padi district. Police…
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Lottery hiss-teria in Songkhla as king cobra slithers into family car
A routine afternoon turned into a heart-stopping moment for a Songkhla family when a 3-metre-long king cobra slithered into a parked car’s engine, sending locals into a frenzy. While officials rushed to capture the venomous intruder, superstitious residents had their eyes on something else—the car’s registration number for the upcoming lottery draw. The dramatic encounter took place in Ban Khlong…
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Pipe bomb attack at Pattani checkpoint during Ramadan (video)
A motorcycle-riding assailant threw a pipe bomb at a checkpoint near the Koh Pho market in Pattani province. Fortunately, no injuries were reported. Police suspect the incident is part of a series of disruptions during Ramadan, following a similar occurrence earlier this month. At 7.10pm yesterday, March 10, police at Koh Pho Police Station received a report of an attack…
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Thai monk commits suicide after being blackmailed with explicit video
A Thai monk committed suicide at a temple in the southern province of Chum Phon on Friday, after a call centre scam blackmailed him with an explicit video and swindled him out of 30,000 baht. Officers from Lamae Police Station were called to Nong Bua Boat Temple in the Lamae district of Chumphon to investigate the death of the 50…
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Surat Thani to welcome new cruise terminal by 2032
Plans are underway to construct a large cruise terminal in Surat Thani, set for completion by 2032 in a move to boost the tourism economy and accommodate increasing international cruise traffic in the southern province. Government spokesperson Jirayu Houngsub announced this during a visit to Surat Thani yesterday, March 9, to assess the port development progress, following the Cabinet’s approval…
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Nighttime explosion in Pattani claims three lives, investigation underway (video)
A nighttime explosion in the Sai Buri district, Pattani province, resulted in the immediate deaths of three officials. The incident occurred yesterday, March 8 at approximately 11.20pm, prompting police to await daylight for further investigation due to concerns about additional explosive devices. Residents are urged to report any suspicious person or objects to the police promptly. At around 11.20pm, the…
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Man arrested in Nakhon Si Thammarat for machete threats
A notorious machete-wielding troublemaker was arrested while sleeping at his home in Nakhon Si Thammarat province after repeatedly threatening locals and rescue workers while under the influence of drugs. The arrest took place yesterday, March 6, when Police Colonel Sonthaya Panpaen of the Nopphitam Police Station, alongside officers from the Human Trafficking Suppression Division, tracked down 34 year old Sarawut…
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Thailand’s Lawa Yai island wins top beach award
Lawa Yai, an unspoiled tropical retreat in Ao Phang Nga National Park, has just landed a major international honour, securing ISO 13009:2015 certification for top-tier beach management and sustainable tourism. This recognition puts the island on the map as a world-class destination that blends environmental preservation with visitor-friendly services. Phob Toonsang, chief of the national park’s first conservation unit, hailed…
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AIS wired to untangle Thailand’s messy power poles
AIS is stepping up its game in supporting the government and public safety by tackling one of Thailand’s most notorious urban eyesores: tangled, overloaded power poles. In a major collaboration with the Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA), AIS dispatched a specialist team of engineers to Ban Chang district in Rayong province to dismantle and organise telecommunications cables and equipment attached to…
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Prominent betel garden owner found dead in Phatthalung plantation
A well-known betel garden owner was found dead on his plantation after failing to return home, leaving his devastated family grappling with the shocking loss. The tragic discovery was made yesterday, March 4 at 8pm, when Mueang Phatthalung Police received a report of a body found in a betel plantation in Rom Mueang subdistrict, Phatthalung province. Police Lieutenant Prasert Duang-iad,…
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Koh Pha Ngan police accused of ignoring foreign cannabis thieves
A Thai cannabis shop owner accused police officers on Koh Pha Ngan island, in the southern province of Surat Thani, of inaction after they allegedly ignored a cannabis theft committed by two foreigners on February 26. Jariya Kamonrat, the owner of the cannabis shop, Monkey’s Dispensary, posted in a Facebook group for business operators on Koh Pha Ngan to seek…
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Nigerian dealer arrested on Koh Pha Ngan with 240,000 baht of cocaine
Police arrested a Nigerian drug dealer on Koh Pha Ngan, an island in the southern province of Surat Thani, at the weekend, and seized 240,000 baht worth of cocaine. Pha Ngan Tourist Police officers received a tip-off that a Nigerian man on the island was offering drugs to other foreign tourists in the area. He personally delivered the drugs to…
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Myanmar nationals arrested for illegal business on Koh Phangan
A Myanmar national operating a motorcycle rental business on Koh Phangan, earning 20,000 baht daily, was apprehended for engaging in a profession restricted to Thai citizens. His employee, also from Myanmar, faced arrest. Tourist police, immigration officers, and local officials conducted a raid at a motorcycle repair shop in Ban Hat Rin Village 6, Ban Tai subdistrict. They arrested the…
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18-wheel truck crash in Phatthalung injures 4, damages van
An 18-wheel truck collided with a passenger van, causing the van to crash into a streetlight pole in Phatthalung province. The accident today, February 28, resulted in severe damage to the vehicle and injuries to four people, though fortunately, there were no fatalities. Police Lieutenant Apipat Maisuk from Khuan Khanun Police Station was informed of the accident, which took place…
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Deadly cobra snagged in Trang, residents eye lottery jackpot
In the sleepy surroundings of Lamor subdistrict, in southern Thailand, a daring snake rescue played out in front of house number 95/2, where a 2-metre-long cobra took unwelcome refuge, throwing the local community into a hiss-terical frenzy. A team led by 20 year old “Benz” Suphat Iadchata from Benz Asorapith Trang, yesterday, February 27, responded to a homeowner’s SOS call:…
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Top cop gunned down after mosque prayers in Pattani
A senior police officer was shot dead as he returned from prayers at a mosque in Pattani province yesterday, February 27, marking another deadly attack in Thailand’s troubled southern region. The officer, 58 year old Police Lieutenant Muhammad Azan Jamae, Deputy Inspector of the 6th Investigation Division, Natural Resources and Environmental Crime Suppression Division, was ambushed outside his home in Ban…
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Thaksin vows to end Thai unrest, sparking strategy concerns
Former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s commitment to ending the unrest in southern Thailand by next year has sparked concerns and led to inquiries regarding the government’s actual strategies to address the situation, according to a political scholar from Thammasat University. As an informal adviser to the ASEAN chair, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, Thaksin made a significant visit to the…
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Ex Thai boxer injured in gang attack over parking dispute (video)
An ex Thai boxer yesterday sustained a broken nasal bone in an alleged gang attack, reportedly including a security guard and motorcycle taxi riders, at a bus terminal in the southern province of Krabi. The 41 year old ex-boxer, Narong, better known as Saddam Kietyongyuth, shared the details of the gang attack with Channel 7 to seek justice for himself. The…
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Thai van driver fined after schoolboy falls through back door
A Thai schoolboy survived after falling from a school van onto the road when the rear door accidentally opened while the vehicle was in motion in the southern province of Nakhon Si Thammarat. A Thai man, Supachai Saetuang, who was driving behind the school van and witnessed the incident, shared dashcam footage on Facebook to warn other school van drivers and…
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Fatal nap: Passenger found dead on Rayong-Nakhon Phanom bus
A routine bus journey turned tragic when a passenger was found dead in his seat, having been mistaken for being asleep by fellow travellers. The chilling discovery was made when the bus driver attempted to wake him at his stop, only to find his body cold and unresponsive. The incident occurred on a tour bus travelling from Rayong to Nakhon…
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Lao woman arrested in Hat Yai prostitution sting
In a dramatic undercover operation, Hat Yai Police busted a Lao woman running a covert prostitution ring through the LINE app, exposing a hidden world of illicit activity in the heart of Hat Yai, Songkhla province. The sting operation, led by Police Colonel Nattapong Koet-iem, Superintendent of the 6th Police Station, uncovered the scheme operating out of a resort on…
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Student falls out of moving van in Nakhon Si Thammarat
A terrifying moment was caught on camera when a school child fell out of a moving van in the middle of a busy intersection in Nakhon Si Thammarat province. The shocking incident occurred today, February 25, as the back door of the school van suddenly swung open, sending the boy tumbling onto the road. Miraculously, the car behind managed to…
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