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.
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Solving Samui’s rubbish problem
Opinion by Su Buchanan, Samui Times Fully funded green energy project could solve Samui’s garbage problem but will the Surat Thani Governor allow it? The escalating garbage problem in Koh Samui is no secret. Since the incinerator broke down over 8 years ago the piles of untreated garbage now tops 300,000 tons. The damage to the environment is undeniable yet…
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Alleged US pedo arrested in Samui
Breaking news from The Nation Samui police Saturday arrested an alleged American paedophile while he was buying a ticket for a ferry boat to travel to Bangkok, said Surat Thani Immigration Police Chief Pol Col Wanchana Borwornboon. Wanchana said 28 year old Jackson Mathew Hall was apprehended under US arrest warrants and a letter from the US embassy. He was…
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Samui rubbish problem ‘critical’
Story from Thai PBS English… The warning came from Samui mayor Ramnate Jaikwang earlier this week as the garbage problem is getting worse. Mayor Ramnate said at present the island’s 30-rai landfill already holds mountains of garbage of over 200,000 tons, while 150-200 tons keep coming in every day for disposal. The local administration is calling for a bid to…
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Gang of fake gold peddlers arrested in Phuket, Samui
PHUKET: Four men and three women were arrested this weekend for allegedly selling 4 million baht worth of fake gold in several Phuket gold shops over the period of a month. Two suspects are still on the run. Five of the suspects were nabbed at Tah Chat Chai checkpoint, one in Patong, and one in Koh Samui. The suspects are…
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Samui tour guide found dead after ‘feeling the heat’
SAMUI: A Pathum Thani native was found dead in a rented room on Samui Island yesterday, from what police believe to have been heatstroke. The room is in a restaurant building on Chaweng Beach. Capt Boonnam Srinarat of Bo Phut Police confirmed the death, at about 5:40pm, of Thongchai Sudjaeng, 44, a tour guide who catered to Chinese tourists. “Mr…
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Samui Airport officials discuss noise pollution solution
SAMUI: Bangkok Airways higher-ups and government officials discussed yesterday the environmental impact of Samui Airport’s ever-increasing air traffic. A vice president of the airline, Narongchai Tanadchangsaeng, and his team met at the Samui Palm Beach Resort, during which Rangsan Tongyad, deputy chief administrator of Samui municipality, explained that he will work together with airport staff to figure out a solution.…
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Samui Taxi driver wins 30 million baht lottery
SAMUI: A taxi driver yesterday won 30 million baht in lottery winnings in Koh Samui. Sittichai Samthong, 40, was surrounded by friends and family to celebrate his good fortune. “I was confused at first because I did not expect to win. I have now notified Samui Police,” Mr Sittichai told the Phuket Gazette. “I will continue to drive my taxi…
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Patients treated in hallways at overcrowded Samui Hospital
SAMUI: Locals in Samui have lodged complaints about overcrowding at Samui Hospital leading to makeshift arrangements to accommodate patients in the hospital’s hallways. Patients and their families say that the hallway is hot, uncomfortable and mosquito ridden. “Currently, we only have 133 beds, but about 160 patients to cater to,” said Samui Hospital Director Dr Theerasak Virtanon. “Additionally, we have…
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Samui expats rescue tourists from drowning
SAMUI: Two Russian tourists luckily escaped drowning on New Year’s Day when a group of expats dove in to rescue them from ferocious waves at Chaweng Noi Beach in Koh Samui. Officials had placed red warning flags advising the public not to swim that day due to the rough seas, but the man and woman, both believed to be in…
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Samui local reunites tourist with bag full of cash
SAMUI: A Good Samaritan yesterday returned a Swiss tourist’s lost bag, after it had gone missing on Tuesday. The bag, belonging to Markus Joost, contained 16,000 baht in cash, credit cards, an iPhone and a passport. The 32-year-old Samui resident, Sarawut Somsawat, works as a gardener at the Anantara resort. He reportedly found the bag in front of a picture…
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Belarusian ‘possessed by evil spirits’ after trip to Samui
PHUKET: A hallucinating Belorussian man ran amok in Thalang on Tuesday night, shouting that he could see dead people as he stripped himself naked and ran into a rubber plantation near the Shell gas station on Thepkrasattri Road, where he and a friend had pulled up on a motorcycle. He was later found and subdued by locals, who, believing the…
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100kg of Krathom seized in Koh Samui
KOH SAMUI: A man was arrested with 100 kilograms of Krathom in Koh Samui on Sunday. “At about 9am we were manning the checkpoint at the Seatran Ferry pier as usual,” said Samui police chief Paitoon Krajajang, “when we found a modified pick-up truck that had an oversized spare tyre and was riding low to the ground. It was suspicious,…
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Mother of man killed in Samui cries for justice two years on
KOH SAMUI: The mother of a German man who was killed two years ago in a bloody altercation in Koh Samui has written a letter pleading with Thai authorities to try those responsible for her son’s death, while bemoaning a lack of progress made on the case. Volker Schwartges was 46 years old when he was brutally stabbed, allegedly by…
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Samui money share dispute ends in murder-suicide
SAMUI: The manager of a popular bar near Chaweng Beach on Koh Samui reportedly shot dead his friend last night before turning the gun on himself after a shootout with police and a five-hour standoff. Bor Phut Police officers arrived at Bar Solo around 1:30am to find the body of Chulit Somakert lying on the floor. His alleged killer, Samroeng…
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Suspected Slovakian embezzler captured on Koh Samui
KOH SAMUI: A Slovakian man suspected of siphoning of 283,000 euros (about 10.9 million baht) while working as a hospital director in Zlate Moravce City was arrested in Koh Samui earlier this week. Police arrested Michal Grujbar, 38, in front of a Koh Samui hotel and initially charged him with overstaying his visa. “Police investigators later learned that the Slovakian…
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Cruise ship port for Samui
SAMUI: Government officials are getting excited about making Koh Samui a hub for cruise ship tourism to Thailand. Officials met with private-sector cruise ship experts while touring a ship docked off of Samui’s gulf coast yesterday. The tour comes after last week’s announcement by the government in Bangkok that it has approved a plan to build a cruise port on…
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Junkies and vandals flock to Samui park
KOH SAMUI: Photos circulating on line of dirty and unsafe toilets at Pru Chaweng Park in Koh Samui have sparked enough public outrage that officials are considering moving the facilities. Images of used needles, condoms and faeces went viral on July 5, after a user posted them on Facebook. The ten-toilet public restroom is located in a public park and…
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Samui drug addict dies while in custody
SAMUI: Officials are investigating the death of a man who was being held in custody at the Bo Phut Police Station in Koh Samui yesterday. “Kosin Tongjutha, 44, originally from Nothanburi Province, was found dead in his jail cell with no signs of a struggle,” said Lt Col Denduang Tongsisuk of the Bo Phut Police. “A urine test has confirmed…
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Briton’s body found four days after Samui speed boat sank in storm
PHUKET: The search for a British national, who disappeared after a speedboat sinking near Koh Samui on Thursday afternoon, is over, after officials reportedly recovered the man’s body yesterday. Samui District chief Paiboon Omak accompanied divers, who found the body of 46-year-old Jason Robert Parnell. “Due to heavy winds and quick, murky currents, foreign specialists joined us to help recover…
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Property Watch: Less is more for Koh Samui
PHUKET: We live in a world where percentages seem to matter and growth dominates our horizon. I still recall growing up and marking off on a wall in our house how tall I was. I could not wait to be older, and the irony today is how I wish that I could instead roll back the clock. In Phuket’s crowded…
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Phuket and Koh Samui promoted in Australia
PHUKET: Samui and Phuket tourist associations teamed up for the first time ever to promote Thai tourism in Melbourne, Australia earlier this month. Phuket Vice Governor Suthee Thongyam and Phuket Provincial Administrative Organization members also joined in the Phuket & Samui Roadshow Table Top Sale and its mission to promote Thailand’s tourism. The group was hosted by Jirachai Pankrasin, Thailand’s…
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Two new suspects sought over bomb blast in Koh Samui
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Two new suspects sought over bomb blast in Koh Samui The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Police will soon obtain arrest warrants for another two suspects believed to have played a part in the bomb attack in Koh Samui after announcing the names of six wanted…
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Warrants obtained for five men over Samui car-bomb
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Warrants obtained for five men wanted over Samui car-bomb The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Police yesterday obtained arrest warrants for five suspects accused of carrying out the Central Festival car-bomb attack on Koh Samui earlier this month. The five men have been identified as Asmin…
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Seven suspects eyed for Samui car bomb attack
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Seven suspects eyed for Samui car bomb attack The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Arrest warrants will be issued for up to seven Koh Samui car bomb suspects once sufficient evidence has been collected, national police chief Gen Somyot Poompanmuang said yesterday. Meanwhile, high-ranking Internal Security…
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Teacher among two more suspects arrested over Samui car bomb
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Teacher among two more suspects arrested over Samui car bomb The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A teacher is among the two new suspects arrested for allegedly playing a role in the Central Festival Samui bomb blast. An informed source revealed yesterday that the 33-year-old teacher,…
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Phuket Police boost security following Koh Samui bombing
PHUKET: A Phuket top cop has confirmed that he will boost security measures on the island following a car bomb exploding on the resort island of Koh Samui last night. “In short, we will strengthen our security measures and keep a closer eye on tourist locations, as well as areas where the public generally gathers,” Phuket Provincial Police Deputy Commander…
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Five injured in Central Festival Samui bomb blast
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Four Thais, one foreigner injured in Samui car bomb blast The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A bomb hidden in a car parked at the Central Festival Samui exploded late last night, injuring five people, including a foreigner. The five injured were identified as Sudarat Deepenkaew,…
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Phuket thieves arrested on Koh Samui
PHUKET: Two men wanted for robbery in Phuket and believed to be holding fake Turkish passports were arrested in Koh Samui yesterday. Murad Mohammad Yahya, 37, and Wesam Kamal Murad, 27, are accused of stealing a Rolex watch, cash and other valuables worth more than one million baht, as well as illegally entering Thailand and presenting fake identification. Both men…
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Samui bar owner, guard confess to slaying Turkish tourist
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Samui bar owner, guard confess to slaying Turkish tourist The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A security guard and the manager of a bar on Koh Samui confessed on Friday to conspiring to shoot dead a Turkish tourist, police said yesterday. Kabin Srisa-ard, 27, the guard,…
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Tourist in ICU after Samui safari pick-up truck flips
PHUKET: A Russian tourist remains in intensive care after a safari pick-up truck flipped onto its side on Koh Samui Saturday afternoon. Koh Samui police chief Paitoon Krajajang has vowed to track down the driver, Vanich Sridon, 29, who fled the scene. “He is wanted for reckless driving, causing injury,” he said. “We have dispatched officers to track him down.”…
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