Koh Samui News
Stay up to date on the latest happenings in Koh Samui, Koh Phangan, and Koh Tao with The Thaiger. Our team delivers up-to-date news, insightful analysis, and exclusive stories from this popular part of the Surat Thani Province, Thailand. Keep your finger on the pulse of Samui’s ever-evolving tourism, economic, and cultural scene, as well as its thriving beach entertainment and nightlife. Stay informed about local events, transportation updates, and expat experiences in this vibrant collection of Islands.
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Sponsored Promoting sustainable tourism at Blue Tree Phuket: Initiatives and impact
Blue Tree Phuket has been offering experiences that are both fun and environmentally conscious for many years. The comprehensive entertainment hub and waterpark has implemented numerous programs to enhance the sustainability of its practices, with its most recent endeavour being...
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Koh Samui welcomes inaugural flight from Chengdu, China
On Sunday, Koh Samui Airport in Surat Thani province, southern Thailand, welcomed a flight from Chengdu in China for the first time in over three years. Chengdu Airlines flight EU2807 landed in Koh Samui at 5.40pm with 130 Chinese tourists on board. Samui Airport held a special welcome ceremony for the inaugural flight by using fire engines to spray water…
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German man drowns at Koh Samui beach
There’s been another tragic drowning at one of Thailand’s holiday paradises, this time the island of Koh Samui. A 58 year old German man drowned at Koh Samui‘s Chaweng Beach on Monday. Bo Phut Police said the tourist had gone into the water with his girlfriend. When his girlfriend got out of the water, she could not find her boyfriend…
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Former cop from UAE allegedly set cars on fire in Koh Samui
A former cop from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) allegedly set cars on fire in Koh Samui. The suspect, 40 year old Muajib Ali Salim Saleh Alkarbi, allegedly set fire to a BMW, and a Toyota sedan parked near vacant land in Koh Samui’s Taling Ngam sub-district at around 1.35am on Thursday, March 2. Koh Samui Police said CCTV footage…
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Samui Open Beach Volleyball Tournament in March
The 5th annual Samui Open Beach Volleyball Tournament is set to take place on the island of Koh Samui between March 10 and March 12. The event will be held at the Royal Muang Samui Villas on Choeng Mon Beach in the northeast corner of the island. The tournament was created in 2016 to cater to the increasing global interest…
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Remembering the dead – Koh Tao dive master mystery
Twenty-three years before diving instructor Neil Giblin from Birmingham died on Koh Tao last month, a fellow Brummie diver lost his life there. Giblin is the fifth Koh Tao dive master to die on the island where Ian Jacobs, from Sutton Coldfield, died on January 18, 2000. Jacobs was found at the bottom of a well on the island. Giblin…
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Seahorse Ferry relaunches Pattaya to Samui route
After a four-month hiatus, the Seahorse Ferry Company is finally ready to set sail again, resuming its weekly service between Sattahip and Koh Samui from Thursday, February 16. After a temporary pause for essential repairs and maintenance shortly after launching, the ferry is now back in business and ready to welcome passengers on board once again. If you’re planning a…
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Convicted South African drug trafficker writes letter from inside Thai prison
A 23 year old South African woman serving a long prison sentence for drug trafficking wrote an eloquent letter offering a glimpse into how it feels to be locked away in Thailand. Ashley Oosthuizen was found guilty of international drug trafficking after she signed for a package containing MDMA at the restaurant she worked at in Koh Samui, ‘Hot in…
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‘Buy insurance’ urges English tourist who crashed moped through window in Thailand
A young Englishwoman urges tourists to take out travel insurance after crashing a moped through a glass window in Koh Pha Ngan in southern Thailand. Emma Lewis, a 24 year old student from Basingstoke in Hampshire, was en route to go snorkelling on the island paradise when she lost control and crashed into a house window. The glass shattered around her…
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Biggest crowd yet for Full Moon Party
Full Moon Party has completely returned to pre-Covid numbers, as tourists from around the world flocked to Haad Rin, Koh Pha Ngan for the massive knees-up. News reports estimated the crowd size to be anywhere between 20,000 to 50,000, and accommodations including hotels and hostels were almost fully booked at 99% capacity. The pier and boats were overwhelmed with large…
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Speedboat engulfed in flames sinks off Koh Samui, Thailand
A speedboat engulfed in flames sank off Thailand’s island of Koh Samui last night. According to the Thailand Maritime Enforcement Command Centre (Thai-MECC), the boat caught fire near the Bang Rak boat pier in tambon Bo Phut of Koh Samui district, at around midnight. The emergency response team arrived at the scene and found the two-engine speedboat, named the Silver…
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Body of Burmese man swept out to sea found in Koh Samui
UPDATE The body of the Burmese man who was swept out to sea in Koh Samui on Monday has been found, according to a Thai media outlet. The outlet, One News 31, said today in an Instagram post that the man’s body was found at a beach in front of a hotel. The post reads… “The body of the Myanmar…
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German tourist missing after jump from Pha Ngan ferry
Rescue workers continue to search for a German man who shocked onlookers last night by jumping from a large ferry as it departed Koh Pha Ngan. The man is currently lost at sea as worried friends and community members hope for a happy ending. Last night, the deputy director of Surat Thani province Region 2 Police, was informed by the…
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German cruiseliner brings 3,000 tourists to Koh Samui
German cruise liner Mein Schiff 5 reportedly dropped 3,000 tourists on the island of Koh Samui for a bit of shopping and sightseeing. Koh Samui’s Mayor Chayapon Intarasupa says the large group arrived at Nathon Pier on Saturday in small boats as the ship approached the island. The luxury liner dropped the guests off for a one-day trip on the…
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Koh Samui booms as over 200,000 tourists visit the popular island in January
The picturesque island of Koh Samui in Surat Thani province, Thailand, has seen a remarkable turnaround to its economy in the first month of 2023 with over 200,000 tourists visiting in January alone. After a year of uncertainty due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the arrival of over 200,000 tourists has been a welcome sight for the island’s local economy. The…
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Koh Samui welcomes first Taiwanese tour group in 3 years
Thailand’s tropical holiday island of Koh Samui welcomed its first Taiwanese tour group in nearly three years on Tuesday. The group of 142 tourists enjoyed Koh Samui’s nature tourism, as well as its temples and shrines. The group also plan to travel to Koh Ang Thong, Koh Tao, and Koh Nang Yuan for four days. The group had a three-night…
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Koh Samui parking dispute leads to violent brawl and gunshots
Koh Samui parking dispute leads to violent brawl, photo by Naewna. A Koh Samui parking dispute lead to a violent brawl and gunshots on Friday, Thai media reported. This was after two brothers reportedly refused to move their pickup truck so that a man could leave an auto accessories shop. The two brothers, Phisit and Panuwat, parked their truck in…
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Foreign mafia who attacked 2 Thai women in Koh Samui found in Phuket
National Police Deputy Commissioner Surachate Hakparn, aka Big Joke, ordered police in Koh Samui to speed up the search for the foreign mafia gang that attacked two Thai women at a bar on New Year’s Eve. Officers from Bor Phut Police Station in Koh Samui reported that they know the identities of two of the group members and stated that…
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International school teacher accused of molesting kindergarten pupil in Koh Samui
A teacher at an international school in Koh Samui in Surat Thani province, southern Thailand, has been accused of molesting a kindergarten pupil. Deputy Commissioner of the Royal Thai Police Pol. Maj. Gen. Surchate “Big Joke” Hakparn travelled to the island yesterday to attend a meeting about the progress of the case so far. The parents of a kindergarten student…
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Officials beautifying Koh Samui’s Fisherman’s Village, hoping to catch more tourists
Officials are giving Koh Samui’s Fisherman’s Village a makeover to help businesses catch more tourists. Yesterday, officials started sprucing up Beach Road in Bo Phut with landscape improvements, and general cleaning. The goal of the makeover is to reel in up to 5 million baht of cash for local street vendors. Tourism operators hope to bring out the old charm…
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2 Thai women attacked by foreign mafia in Koh Samui
A Thai woman sought help from the Thai media after she and her mother were attacked by some foreigners who claimed to be part of a mafia gang at a bar in Koh Samui on New Year’s Eve. The woman turned to the media because the police ignored her case. The local Facebook page Samui Fresh News posted a video…
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4-metre waves off Pha Ngan capsize tugboat, crew rescued
At 4am on Saturday, tens of thousands of tourists and partiers were dancing the night away at a Full Moon Party on Haad Rin Beach, Koh Pha Ngan. Just 37 kilometres away off the coast of the popular holiday island catastrophe struck as huge waves capsized a tugboat, tossing all the crew members overboard into the swelling seas. The crew of…
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Koh Pha Ngan packed with back to back parties
Business in Koh Pha Ngan has been booming with the biggest New Year’s Eve Countdown party in three years followed by the first Full Moon Party of 2023. Tens of thousands of visitors flocked to the island to take part in the (nearly) all-night beach party last night. The event was a success, though not quite as big and rowdy…
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Island redemption: Stray human saves himself through stray dogs
A stray Northern Irish entrepreneur is now looking after stray dogs in Koh Samui, but only after nearly drinking himself to death. Niall Harbison founded successful Irish social media companies Simply Zesty and Lovin Dublin before selling them for seven-figure sums, according to Belfast Live. Niall moved to Brussels at an early age where his father was a diplomat and…
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Bridge connecting Koh Samui to mainland Thailand to open in 2029
Travelling to Koh Samui from mainland Thailand will be cheaper and more convenient in the future once a bridge connecting the island to Khanom in Nakhon Si Thammarat province reaches completion. The bridge is expected to open for service in 2029. Consulting companies are currently bidding on the huge project which is estimated to cost 25 billion baht. The winner will…
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Authorities bust yet another overstayer on Koh Samui
Surat Thani immigration officers busted yet another overstayer on Thailand’s island paradise of Koh Samui, The Phuket Express reported yesterday. The British man, 74 year old Dennis Robert Desmond, had overstayed his visa by 38 days. Officers arrested Desmond in front of a hotel in Koh Samui’s Bo Phut sub-district, on Choeng Mon-Chaweng Road. The officers brought Desmond to Bo…
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Over 2,000 tourists leave Koh Samui by plane amidst huge waves
Over 2,000 tourists left Koh Samui by plane yesterday amidst the ongoing huge waves wreaking havoc on Thailand’s waters. Waves were up to 4 metres high in the Gulf of Thailand near Koh Samui, Koh Pha Ngan, and Koh Tao. Boats were banned from leaving ports on Koh Samui yesterday, and a total of 2,400 tourists left the island by…
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Surat Thani authorities optimistic about tourism as another cruise ship arrives in Koh Samui
Officials in Thailand’s southern province of Surat Thani are remaining optimistic about the recovering tourism sector as another cruise ship arrives around Koh Samui island. As the industry continues to recover after the Covid-19 pandemic, the government is urging businesses to uphold the country’s positive reputation. According to the Pattaya Mail, 31 cruise ships are scheduled to arrive in Koh…
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Heavy rains close Gulf ferries, Surin Islands for 2 days
Heavy rains, high winds and thunderstorms have ferries cancelled and areas closing down for the next few days in the south of Thailand. In the Gulf of Thailand, all ferry services between the mainland and Koh Samui, Koh Phangan, and Koh Tao have been suspended for two days. On the Andaman Sea, the national park on the Surin Islands has…
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Norwegian overstayer arrested on Koh Samui
Thailand’s crackdown on overstayers is continuing, and the latest offender busted is a Norwegian man on Koh Samui. Surat Thani immigration officers arrested the man, 43 year old Jan Banan Thalmann, at a house in Samui district’s Mae Nam sub-district on Saturday. Police said Thalmann had overstayed his visa by 15 days. His reasons for overstaying were not clear, The…
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Koh Samui Christmas events lineup
Whether you are looking for a family-friendly outing for the holidays, or want to mingle with friends, Koh Samui is a great place to spend the festive season. From beach bars and clubs to upscale dinners, the island is bustling with holiday events that cater to any age. Check out the current list of holiday events on Koh Samui below!…
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