Koh Samui News
Koh Samui news, tourism, business, and nightlife—stay updated with breaking stories, local events, and expat insights from Koh Samui, Koh Phangan, and Koh Tao. Get the latest from The Thaiger, your trusted island news source.
-
Sponsored Limited-time deal: Save 20% on Cigna's expat health plans forever
Starting a new life abroad is exciting—new culture, new lifestyle, and new chances to grow. But living far from home also means taking steps to protect your health in unfamiliar surroundings. Without the right coverage, even small health issues can...
-
New Year weather around Thailand
It might be the middle of the annual high season but the ‘high season’ weather isn’t co-operating. Although generally fine weather has been the trend in the past few days there are a few unseasonal fronts coming to different parts of the country, according to the Thai Meteorological Department. In the central/southern provinces, including around Hua Hun and Gulf islands…
-
Troops on stand-by to assist flooded southern provinces
PHOTO: Thunder Road Reporters, Samui Deputy PM and defence minister Prawit Wongsuwan has ordered the three armed forces to head south with troops and equipment to help the areas hard hit by flooding. The Meteorological Department is warning southerners to brace for more to come. Gulf coast provinces from Chumpon to Songkhla have been battered with heavy rains for the past…
-
Southern provinces battered by heavy rains and floods
PHOTO: Flooded Samui roads – Facebook/Thunder Road Reporters “The city Mayor says the municipality had arranged for medical staff to be on stand-by to help patients at evacuation centres already set up to deal with potential flood crisis in Nakhon Si Thammarat.” Heavy rain has been battering the southern regions of the Gulf coast for the past few days and…
-
Koh Samui balancing on tourism razor’s edge
PHOTO: www.thekalasamui.com “…shrinking Chinese demand due to the economic slowdown and depreciation for the yuan versus the baht” The time has come to open the discussion about the troubling drop in one of Thailand’s leading resort destinations, Koh Samui. Looking into the island’s performance numbers, according to data from international hospitality benchmarking group STR, at the end of August room…
-
Thai couple arrested with ice in Samui
FILE PHOTO A Thai couple have been arrested on suspicion of selling crystal methamphetamine (ice) on Koh Samui. 25 year old Tantikorn Prommet and 23 year old Patsuda Jaisawang were arrested by police at their rented room on the island at 5.30pm yesterday (Monday). Two packs of crystal methamphetamine, weighing 100 grams in total, were found in the room. The…
-
Man arrested, 3kg of ‘ice’ seized on Samui
FILE PHOTO A man has been arrested on Koh Samui after police seized more than 3 kg of crystal methamphetamine. In a joint operation between Army troops and district officials, 36 year old Thai national, Ekkachai Prakobwancharone, was arrested at his rented room early yesterday (Tuesday). Authorities seized 52 grams of the drug, popularly known as “ice”, from the room…
-
Minister says Samui waste problem a priority
Following international coverage of waste buildup on Koh Samui, the government has promised prioritisation of garbage management nationwide, and has scheduled a meeting on the issue next week. Minister of the Interior Gen Anupong Paojinda has responded to foreign news outlets reporting over 300,000 tons of waste has accumulated on the resort island of Koh Samui by saying the government is…
-
Ode to the Honda Click
No helmets, but a lot of effort, some cameos by local dogs and a drone, brings together a heart-felt ode to the ubiquitous Hand Click, the favourite scooter rental for Thai tourists for a decade. This unlikely, hastily organised boyband duo deserves 10 out of 10 for effort but a lower score for their singing and fashion sense. Filmed on…
-
Koh Tao alleged rape case wrapped up
According to Thai PBS, Thai police have wrapped up an investigation into allegations by a 19 year old female British backpacker that she was drugged, raped and robbed on Koh Tao. Police claim that, following their investigations, there is simply a lack of credible evidence. Speaking at a media gathering this morning, national police chief, Pol Gen Chakthip Chaijinda, declared…
-
French trio admit to trying to scam their insurance company
PHOTOS: New TV Police on Koh Samui report that three French tourists claimed that they were robbed at knife point by five Thai men on three motorcycles after they become lost. New TV reports that they claimed that everything was stolen from them and the thieves disappeared without a trace. But they’ve since been shown to have been lying for…
-
Koh Tao rape investigation team returns from UK tomorrow
Thai police expect to finalise their investigations next week into the alleged rape of a British tourist on Koh Tao a few months ago. The immigration police chief Maj-Gen Surachate Hakparn has been leading the investigation. Representatives of the Royal Thai Police team travelled to the UK last month to interview the 19 year old British woman who claimed to…
-
4,000 pills and a 25 year old nabbed at Samui Post
A man has been arrested on Koh Samui after collecting a parcel containing 4,000 methamphetamine pills and 500 grams of crystal methamphetamine from a private post office. Acting on tips-off, troops, police and provincial officials staked out at the post office in Tambon Mae Nam and nabbed 25 year old Nattapong Nakwetcharin after he arrived to pick up the parcel.…
-
Police swarm into Koh Phangan for tonight’s Full Moon Party
Authorities are out in force at tonight’s Full Moon Party on Hat Rin, the beach-home of the monthly Full Moon party on Koh Phangan. The Office of the Narcotics Control Board has arrived in the Surat Thani province to crack down on drugs in the popular archipelago of islands off the Surat Thani province coast. They say Koh Phangan is…
-
Koh Tao finds a way to get rid of its trash
PHOTO: Thai PBS – Koh Tao rubbish Koh Toa has some good news today, for a change, after it’s been revealed that the Surat Thani dostrict of Poonpin has agreed to accept the island’s pile of 45,000 tonnes of rubbish for disposal. About 30 tonnes of trash is added to the garbage disposal plant of the island. The island has…
-
Thai police head to the UK to interview the alleged Koh Tao rape victim
The British Embassy in Thailand has given approval to a request by Thai police to visit the UK and question a woman who claims she was drugged, raped and robbed on Koh Tao in June. This was revealed by deputy tourist police chief Surachate Hakparn. “The police team investigating the rape claim will be heading to the UK soon,” he…
-
Koh Tao businessman’s death was suicide – Surat Thani police
PHOTO: The Alvaro Diving shop on Koh Tao owned by Pattarapol Ekpathomsak Investigating police are ruling a Koh Tao businessman’s death as a suicide. The man yesterday threatened to kill himself on a Facebook Live post then, when he’d ended the post, went ahead with his threat. The man’s name is Pattarapol Ekpathomsak. He owned a diving school, shop, bar and…
-
Warning for boats going to sea in Phuket
The Phuket Marine Office has made an official announcement for boats to be “careful when going to sea until September 18, due to Typhoon Mangkhut. The announcement was issued yesterday (September 12) stating that “the Typhoon Mangkhut in the Pacific Ocean is likely to move through The Philippines and Taiwan during the period from September 14-15.” “It will then move…
-
Alleged Koh Tao rape victim accuses Thai police of suppressing truth
The more Thai authorities and police try and sweep the matter under the carpet, the more the media interest from around the world. In her first media interview, a 19 year old British teenager has stuck to her claim that she was drugged, robbed and raped during her vacation on Koh Tao in June and accused authorities of trying to…
-
Thailand’s winners in the Conde Nast Traveller awards
PHOTO: Conde Nast Thailand has been voted the world’s Best Country for People by readers of Conde Nast Traveller magazine in the 2018 Readers’ Travel Awards. Thailand was voted into third spot in the ‘Best Country’ category behind European winners Italy and Greece. But Thailand scored Number One in the ‘Best Country For People‘ category. But the Conde Nast love continues…
-
Suspects cite ignorance of the Computer Crime Act for sharing Koh Tao rape claims
“I want to ask for mercy for him as he acted out of ignorance.” If police and officials were hoping the ‘nothing happening here’ strategy would force the media to stop reporting about Koh Tao, the opposite is happening. Now, The Nation reports that the families of some of the 12 suspects detained for sharing content from the US-based CSI LA…
-
10 arrested over sharing content about alleged Koh Tao rape case
10 people are now reported to be in custody for sharing posts from a Facebook page claiming that a British 19 year old was drugged and raped on Koh Tao. The 10 now in police custody have residence in Udon Thani, Bangkok, Nakhon Ratchasima, Pathum Thani, Nonthaburi, Pattalung and Chiang Mai. The arrests followed the Court issuing an arrest warrant at…
-
Agama Yoga on Koh Phangan raided by Thai police
The Thai Military & Police have raided Agama Yoga in Koh Phangan. Charges have been filed against the Swami Vivekananda Saraswati. According to our source, Agama has been a ‘ghost town’ for weeks. Back in July The Thaiger reported that the founder of the Koh Phangan based yoga and tantra school Agama, Swami Vivekananda Saraswati, was accused by multiple women of sexual…
-
Thai police chase the messengers – arrest warrant issued for CSI LA admin.
Samui Provincial Court has now approved an arrest warrant for not only the administrator of the CSI LA Facebook page but also 12 of the page’s followers who dared to share some of the reports about the alleged rape of a 19 year old British tourist on Koh Tao. CSI LA now has over 810,000 followers on its Facebook blog…
-
Tourist police threaten to ban the alleged Koh Tao rape victim
PHOTO: Sairee Beach, Koh Tao – saireehutresort.net Maj-Gen Surachate Hakparn says that the London teenager who claims she was drugged, robbed and raped on Koh Tao will be blacklisted for life if she is lying. He went on saying that “Thailand wants quality tourists – not bad ones. There is not a scrap of evidence to suggest she is…
-
Tourist police report says evidence doesn’t support assault allegation on Koh Tao
The Deputy Commander of the Tourist Police has submitted findings from an investigation into the alleged sexual assault of a British tourist on Koh Tao to the Consulate of the United Kingdom in Thailand. Deputy Commander of the Tourist Police, Pol Maj Gen Surachete Hakparn says that the area said to be the scene of the crime would have been…
-
Police say they will seek arrest warrants for publishers of Koh Tao story
FILE PHOTO: Sairee Beach, Koh Tao Khaosod English are reporting that Police are seeking a warrant to arrest the editor of a news site that published accounts of an alleged sexual assault on the tourist island of Koh Tao. According to the report, the editor of the Samui Times, Su Buchanan, will be charged under cybercrime laws for defaming the…
-
Come back and file rape complaint by Sept 25 – Thai police
The 19 year old British woman, Isabel, who claims to have been drugged, robbed and raped while vacationing on Koh Tao should come and file a complaint with Thai police before the statute of limitations in the case expires on Sept 25. This is the suggestion from Region 8 Provincial Police commissioner Pol Lt Gen Sorasak Yenprem . Thai PBS…
-
Koh Phangan pharmacy worker apologises for bottling female tourist
Thai Rath is reporting that the pharmacy worker who smashed a bottle over the head of a female Portuguese tourist on Koh Phangan has apologised for his actions. But he stopped short of apologising to the victim. He blames the tourist and her friend for starting the incident and says that anyone who had heard the full story and seen…
-
Samui Times responds to Police accusations of ‘fake news’
The media has become its own story today after Surat Thani, Koh Tao and Koh Phangan police and officials have accused Samui Times of spreading ‘fake news’, apparently the latest go-to explanation for any news that you disagree with. Samui Times responds to allegations of spreading ‘Fake News’ and having a ‘Vendetta’ against Koh Tao Sanook has reported that the…
-
Accusations fly between foreigner and Thai over bottle attack on Koh Phangan
PHOTOS & VIDEO: Facebook/Natthicha Yachana Accusations are being fired thick and fast on social media after various clips have been aired online of the aftermath of an altercation in front of a pharmacy on Koh Phangan. Thai Rath reports that a female foreign tourist was hit over the head with a bottle in a scuffle between here and the owner of…
Don't forget to check out some other things to do in Thailand - get help starting a business or finding a job in Thailand, buy Thailand property, rent a yacht or book a medical procedure worldwide.