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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Hat Yai nightclub raided, owner arrested
A nightclub in Songkhla’s Hat Yai district was raided at 2am this morning after police were tipped off about the venue staying open beyond the authorised hours. Nation Thailand says people at the nightclub were “partying without protection” and not abiding by coronavirus prevention measures. Nearby residents also say they were disturbed by the noise during the early hours. The…
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Murder-suicide at Songkhla Zoo linked to missing rare animal investigation
Investigators say the apparent murder-suicide at the Songkhla Zoo is related to the case of the missing rare deer and claims of illegal wildlife trade. Back in October, the zoo’s senior veterinarian shot and killed a top official from the Zoological Park Organisation of Thailand before killing himself at his living quarters at the Southern Thailand zoo. The organisation’s director-general,…
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Pattani villager shot and killed while walking home
A 26 year old villager was shot and killed while walking along a street to his home in Pattani’s Sai Buri district, an area plagued with violence related to the religious separatist insurgency in Thailand’s “deep south.” Police say the man’s body was found lying on the road, but did not give any additional details about the case. The Thai…
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Southern insurgency State of Emergency order extended another 3 months
With ongoing violence related to the religious separatist insurgency in the South, the State of Emergency in the Southern provinces Narathiwat, Yala and Pattani has been extended by the Cabinet for another 3 months, from December 20 to March 19. While the ethnic and religious conflict dates back to 1948, the 3 provinces bordering Malaysia have been plagued with violence…
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Thai man could get $4.2 million USD for whale vomit known as “floating gold”
NOTE: Readers with a sensitive stomach are advised not to eat while reading this article. Floating gold… sounds mystical. Actually, it’s just hardened whale vomit known as the more elegant name “ambergris.” It’s a rare find that can cost thousands of US dollars. Recently, a man in the southern province Nakhon Si Thammarat found what might be the world’s largest…
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Narathiwat villager shot and killed, suspected insurgent camp found nearby
After a villager was shot and killed while he was hunting wild pigs, a military and police task force searched the area in the Southern province Narathiwat’s Si Sakhon district and found a deserted camp on Bilo mountain that they suspect was used by insurgents. 55 year old Sophon Thasuk went up to the mountain to go hunting with a…
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Thai man strikes it rich after finding whale vomit
A Thai man in Nakhon Si Thammarat is striking it rich after finding whale vomit on the local beach. Narit Suwansang thought his discovery was just a large rock, but had an inkling that it could be something more. US$4.2 million more, that is! The whale vomit, also known as ambergris, usually looks like a rock, with yellow-beige colouring. After…
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4 men arrested for alleged involvement in police officer killing in Pattani
After a large-scale manhunt, police and military investigators arrested 4 men for their alleged involvement in the murder of a police officer in the southern province Pattani, an area with ongoing insurgent violence. The police officer was riding his motorcycle when he was shot by a pillion rider on another bike. The rider, dressed in women’s clothes and wearing a…
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PM in visit to flood-hit south, as death toll rises to 24 – VIDEO
Record flooding in parts of southern Thailand has now claimed 24 lives, with the province of Nakhon Si Thammarat being hardest-hit, with 19 deaths and around 180,00 homes flooded. PM Prayut Chan-o-cha visited the province yesterday to express his condolences and pledge financial aid for those affected. Video: Thai Rath The Bangkok Post reports that the death of a woman…
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Southern Thailand flood death toll: 24
At least 24 people have died due to flash floods in Southern Thailand following several days of heavy rain. 19 of the victims were in Nakhon Si Thammarat which was hit the hardest. Today, the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation reported 3 deaths from flooding in the southern region. A woman drowned in Surat Thani’s Phrasaeng district and 2…
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Severe flooding in southern Thailand kills 7
Heavy flooding in the south of the country has killed 7 people, while many others have been injured. The worst of the flooding, which has affected 9 provinces, is in Nakhon Si Thammarat, which has had over 6 days of persistent rain. In total, the floods have affected over 261,000 households and tens of thousands of people, including a 14-month-old…
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Heavy rain wreaks havoc in flood-ravaged Nakhon Si Thammarat
The governor of Nakhon Si Thammarat has put the disaster mitigation office on high alert, following 6 days of heavy rain in the southern province. Large swathes of land are underwater after extensive flooding that has affected tens of thousands of people in the region. The Bangkok Post reports that governor Kraisorn Wisitwong says floods have been recorded in 351…
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Roadside bomb explodes as rangers drive to a wedding in Southern Thailand
In the southern province of Narathawit, an area troubled by insurgency-related violence right on the Thai-Malaysia border, a bomb exploded as rangers were driving to a wedding. None of the soldiers were injured, but the bomb caused major damage to the pickup truck. Here’s is a longer explanation of the 2 decade-long southern insurgency. The bomb was an improvised explosive…
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Human skeleton found in a cassava field in Muang district
A human skeleton was found early this morning by a villager in a cassava field in the Muang district of Phitsanulok province in Central Thailand. Police investigators travelled to the field near Rong Wai Fad village in Tambon Don Thong after being informed of the discovery to determine if foul play was involved. 49 year old Lampoey Leepla said she…
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TripAdvisor slaps warning on Thailand’s ‘Sea View Resort & Spa’ review page
Be careful if you want to trash a Thai hotel in the land of fragile egos who use the handy tools of eager lawyers and draconian libel laws. Now TripAdvisor, the review website everyone loves to hate, is warning potential travellers to a particular Thai hotel that they could face severe consequences for sharing negative opinions about their experience. One visitor,…
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Man shot and killed, bomb explosion in deep south
A man was fatally shot and later, as rangers were patrolling, a bomb exploded – both incidents were in the Southern province of Narathiwat, an area plagued with violence from the more than two-decade-long insurgency. Around 6am this morning, 48 year old Sorpree Arma was shot dead in the Sri Sakhon district just as he was leaving his home to go…
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PM in 2 day visit to economically-ravaged islands of Phuket, Samui
The PM and his Cabinet are visiting Phuket and Samui today and tomorrow, in order to meet with business leaders and provincial government, to discuss ways to help the decimated local economies. Since the closure of borders in late March, as the Covid-19 pandemic began its worldwide rampage, former tourist hotspots like the southern islands have borne the brunt of…
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Eerie green glow hovers over Ranong on Halloween
Thai social media is in a meltdown after people shared photos an “eerie green glow” spotted in night sky over Ranong province in southern Thailand (5 hour drive north from Phuket). The pictures of the eerie green glow were snapped by residents living in Muang Ranong district. Of course the theories have been coming thick and fast – it was…
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Ang Thong National Park – Thailand’s most beautiful islands?
Today Manit takes you to Thailand’s second-largest island Koh Samui and then on to the stunning Ang Thong National Marine Park off the coast of Surat Thani in the Gulf of Thailand to seek the answer to the question… are the Ang Thong National Marine Park islands Thailand’s most beautiful. Then we will explore a magnificent turquoise lagoon, enjoy paddling…
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Bangkok Airways add 3 new local routes to their schedule
Some domestic routes are being added as local routes continue to expand. This time Bangkok Airways has announced it’s resuming its Samui-Phuket, Phuket-Hat Yai and Phuket-Pattaya/Rayong (U-Tapao) flights. The first additions to the schedule will be the Phuket-Samui flights resuming this Sunday, October 25, and the Phuket-Pattaya flights start again next Tuesday, October 27. The Phuket-Samui flights will be operating…
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Pattani ranger volunteer killed in bomb explosion, 2 others shot in ambush
A ranger volunteer was killed from a bomb explosion after an ambush in Pattani’s Sai Buri district in Southern Thailand. Gunmen in the ambush shot and injured 2 volunteers. A team of officers protecting teachers were driving on motorcycles through the district when they were ambushed by gunmen, police say. The alleged gunmen opened fire on the group, shooting 33 year…
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Zoos to be investigated for possible involvement in black market animal trade
Zoos across Thailand will be investigated for possible involvement in the black market wildlife trade. The probe follows a case where 2 rare albino barking deer went missing at Songkhla Zoo and a top zoo official investigating the disappearance was shot and killed at the zoo in an apparent murder-suicide. After suspicion that the deer were stolen and sold in…
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PM orders probe after top zoo official killed while investigating missing rare deer case at Songkhla Zoo
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has ordered an investigation into the Songkhla Zoo after a top zoo official investigating a missing rare deer case was shot and killed by the zoo’s senior veterinarian in an apparent murder-suicide. After the fatal shooting, some have cited concerns that the 2 rare albino barking deer may have been stolen and sold in the illegal wildlife…
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Koh Phangan hotel probed after complaints of cultural appropriation for Angkor Wat design
A Koh Phangan hotel is saying sorry for using Cambodia’s culture and famous landmarks, including the popular Angkor Wat, in what looks to be a case of cultural appropriation, misusing or misrepresenting a culture and profiting off it. An investigation into the claims of cultural appropriation has been launched by Surat Thani Culture Office. Cambodia’s Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts is also…
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Songkhla senior zoo official carries out murder-suicide after deers go missing
A senior zoo official in Songkhla has reportedly shot himself in his home in an apparent murder-suicide after being investigated over 2 missing rare albino barking deers. Phuvadol Suwanna, chief of the conservation and research section of the state-run zoo, allegedly murdered his boss, Suriya Senpong, the Director of the Zoological Park Organisation of Thailand, while he was investigating the…
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Songkhla Zoo director to be investigated over missing rare animal
After a rare albino barking deer went missing from the Songkhla Zoo, the zoo director, who claims the animal was eaten by a python, is now being investigated by the Zoological Park Organisation as well as the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry. The 1 year old deer went missing from the zoo in February, but yesterday zoo director Chalermwut Kasetsomboon…
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The man who wrote the bad reviews for Koh Chang’s Sea View Resort has a criminal record
In the ongoing stoush between the American, Wesley Barnes, and Koh Chang’s Sea View Resort, the story is now reaching way beyond Thailand’s borders, being reported in mainstream media around the world. Much of the media discussion has focused on whether it is appropriate to be able to sue people over a bad review with criminal defamation. Defamation is a…
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Bride and groom shot in Nakhon Si Thammarat wedding
Four people have been killed during a Nakhon Si Thammarat wedding reception in the Tham Phannara district. One other person was seriously injured in the hail of bullets. Local police report that the incident occurred around 11pm on the road outside the house where the reception was being held in the Dusit tambon village. Two of the dead people were…
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Mother allegedly kills 3 year old daughter in Surat Thani
A mother allegedly slashed her 3 year old daughter’s throat in Surat Thani’s Phun Phin district. The child was sleeping beside her at their rubber plantation home. Police say they found the child dead on the mattress, soaked in blood. They say the child’s throat had a deep cut. 43 year old Bupha Yuensuk admitted to the murder, police say.…
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Phatthalung 20 year old arrested for killing girlfriend and putting body in a cage
A Phatthalung man has been arrested over the killing of his 23 year old girlfriend. He has been identified as 20 year old Natthapol Dumsin. The man allegedly smashed her head repeatedly, killing her because she said she wanted to break up with him. Police say he has now confessed to the crime. Phatthalung Police acted after receiving reports of a…
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