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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German man arrested for illegal e-bike tours on Koh Pha Ngan
A German man and a Myanmar national were arrested on Koh Pha Ngan for illegally operating a tour business using electric motorbikes to guide tourists. Tourist police swooped in at midday on Monday, September 22, following complaints that high-speed electric motorcycles, reportedly rented out by the pair, were causing safety concerns among locals and visitors. The suspects were identified as…
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Ranong police stabbed during motorcycle theft arrest, suspect dies
A motorcycle thief died, and a police officer sustained serious injuries during an arrest yesterday, September 22, in the southern province of Ranong. The owner of the stolen motorcycle, Kannika Paeng-on, filed a complaint with Mueang Ranong Police Station after the thief rode her motorcycle out of her home in front of her and her husband. Kannika reported that she,…
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Malaysian tourists complain after hours-long wait at Thai border checkpoint
Malaysian tourists complained after officials at the Sadao Customs Checkpoint in the southern province of Songkhla made them wait two to three hours to enter Thailand due to delayed document processing. Senator Chaiyong Maneerungsakun planned to raise the issue of delays at the border checkpoint in Parliament. He revealed that he had received numerous complaints from Malaysian tourists travelling to Thailand…
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Songkhla puppy killer hunted with 20k reward on offer
Police and animal welfare groups in Songkhla are investigating after three puppies were found brutally killed in a plantation, prompting outrage and a reward offer. A disturbing case of animal cruelty has shaken communities in Songkhla after three puppies were found gruesomely killed in a rubber plantation near the Prue To-Thung Ngai road in Thung Yai, Hat Yai district. Animal…
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Pickup driver busted for fake tax sticker trick in Chumphon
Police in Chumphon, southern Thailand, arrested a pickup driver who altered his expired tax disc with a marker to avoid fees after he was caught during a routine highway checkpoint. The man, identified as 39 year old Nakarin from Ubon Ratchathani, was stopped at a checkpoint on Highway 41 in Wisai Tai, Sawi district, around 11am on Tuesday, September 16.…
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50 Chumphon politicians jump ship to back Anutin’s Bhumjaithai
Around 50 politicians from Chumphon have defected from the United Thai Nation Party (UTN) to join Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul’s Bhumjaithai Party (BJT). The group was officially welcomed at BJT headquarters yesterday, September 17, by senior party figure Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn. Among the defectors were Chumphon MPs Chumpol Chulasai and Wichai Sudsawat, along with Nopporn Usit, president of the Chumphon Provincial…
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Trang man dies after ambulance fails to arrive in time (video)
A 60 year old man collapsed near a hospital in Trang and died after waiting in vain for an ambulance, raising questions over Thailand’s emergency response system. The victim, identified as Charoen, a hotel caretaker from Sikao district, was pronounced dead on September 12 after suffering an acute heart attack. His family say the tragedy highlights serious failures in the…
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Trang Airport opens new terminal after 4-year delay
Trang Airport has opened a new domestic terminal after years of construction delays, boosting capacity and marking a major step in regional air travel. The 1.07-billion-baht project finally saw a soft opening on September 5, when the terminal welcomed its first travellers. The launch followed extensive testing, including a simulation with 50 trial passengers to assess service procedures and identify…
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Thai woman saved from second suicide attempt after romance scam loss
Police and rescuers successfully intervened in the second suicide attempt of a Thai woman in the southern province of Trat yesterday, after she lost nearly 90,000 baht to a romance scam. The woman, 58 year old Amornrat, locked herself in her bedroom on the second floor of her home in Bang Phra sub-district. Her sister-in-law contacted Mueang Trat Police Station…
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Police raid kratom juice site in Hat Yai, seizing 138 litres
Yesterday, September 6, police from the Hat Yai Provincial Police Station’s drug suppression team, in collaboration with the Chang Suek Song Le Unit of Border Patrol Police 437, raided a significant kratom juice production and distribution site in the red zone of Hat Yai district, Songkhla province. The operation, led by Police Colonel Thammarat Phetnongchum and Police Major Baramet Yoddaeng,…
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Woman arrested in Hat Yai for smuggling drugs in brassiere
Yesterday, September 6, police units from the Royal Thai Police and the Provincial Police Region 9, led by Police Colonel Thammarat Phetnongchum, apprehended a 25 year old woman in the outskirts of Hat Yai. The arrest occurred as she attempted to deliver drugs hidden in her brassiere to customers at a concert. The operation took place in the Saphan Dam community,…
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French man stabs himself with scissors at Hat Yai market
A French man stabbed himself with scissors at a market in Hat Yai district, Songkhla province, yesterday, September 4. His motive remains unknown. Officers from Hat Yai Police Station were called to investigate a shocking self-stabbing outside a chicken rice restaurant in Kim Yong Market at around 3.30pm. Rescuers from the Tong Sia Siang Teung Foundation also attended the scene.…
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Thai man shoots motorcyclist in Trang, mistaking victim for thief
A Thai man shot a motorcyclist, who was travelling behind him on a road in Trang province on Tuesday, September 2, claiming he mistook the victim for a thief. Monks at Rai Pru Temple in Mueang Trang district sought assistance from the Nam Phud Sub-district Office Rescue Foundation at around 7.30pm on Tuesday after the injured victim, 22 year old…
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Durian wholesaler shot dead in Yala’s Betong district
A mystery gunman fatally shot a well-known durian wholesaler at his business premises in Betong, Yala province. The incident occurred around 8.45pm yesterday, September 3, when Police Lieutenant Chatchai Channam, head of the special task force 444, was notified of the shooting. The victim, 68 year old Prasert Khananurak, known as Ko San, was found dead at the buying station yesterday,…
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Thai man attacked, seriously injured by wild bull in plantation
A Thai man sustained serious injuries after being attacked by a wild bull in a pineapple plantation in the southern province of Prachuap Khiri Khan yesterday, September 2. The community leader, Arunchai Sommit, contacted the Luang Phor Nai Kuti Wat Kui Buri Rescue Foundation to transport the injured man, 64 year old Somsak, from the pineapple plantation in the Kui…
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Bangkok Airways plans 400-million-baht upgrade for Trat Airport
Bangkok Airways has unveiled plans to enhance Trat Airport, aiming to establish it as the East’s aviation hub and stimulate economic and tourism growth in the province. Bangkok Airways CEO Puttipong Prasarttong-Osoth shared details of the project during a press briefing at Trat Airport yesterday, September 1. The airport, situated on 1,600 rai of land in Tha Som subdistrict, Khao…
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Multiple bombings and tyre fires hit southern provinces overnight
A series of disturbances erupted across multiple locations in Narathiwat last night, August 31, as perpetrators detonated bombs near ATMs and set tyres on fire. Police responded and conducted investigations into these incidents. Reports indicated the unrest began around 7.40pm yesterday, August 31. The police at Su-ngai Padi station received information from a commander of the Ranger Company 4811 about…
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Malaysian man caught smuggling weapons into Thailand for 70,000 baht
A 45 year old Malaysian man was apprehended in Songkhla for smuggling military-grade weapons and over 400 rounds of ammunition into Thailand. He confessed to being hired by a Malaysian national for 70,000 baht to transport the arms. Police Colonel Surachit Phetchajom, together with administrative and military officials, announced Yeb Sun Ee’s arrest. Yeb was found in possession of two…
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Thai navy seizes 8,000 litres of smuggled diesel oil
The Second Naval Area Command in Songkhla recently detained a modified fishing vessel suspected of smuggling 8,000 litres of diesel oil without customs clearance. Three crew members were apprehended, and the vessel was brought ashore for legal proceedings. This marks almost 30,000 litres of oil seized in just one month. Yesterday, August 30, naval forces, including patrol boat T.266 and…
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Southern Thailand’s Phi Phi boardwalk faces repair delays
Frustrated locals and business owners on Phi Phi Don in Krabi say officials are dragging their feet over repairs to the island’s main boardwalk, more than a year after storms tore it apart. The boardwalk, a vital route linking Ton Sai Bay pier with the island, was wrecked by fierce winds and waves in July last year. Since then, tourists…
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Body of missing Thai man found buried in Nakhon Si Thammarat mountain
The family of a missing Thai man eventually discovered his body buried on a mountain in the southern province of Nakhon Si Thammarat. Five drug suspects confessed to killing him over a dispute within their illegal business dealings. The family of 35 year old Patipon “Film” Pithak filed a missing person report at Chang Klang Police Station on July 17…
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Thailand’s rights body urges halt to mega land bridge plan
Thailand’s ambitious Ranong–Chumphon land bridge project has hit a major roadblock after the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) called for it to be suspended over fears of human rights abuses, flawed economics, and a lack of genuine public input. At its meeting on Tuesday, August 26, the NHRC advised the government to put the project on hold until comprehensive public…
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Phatthalung man claims he runs naked in search of true love
A Thai man ran naked through a community in the southern province of Phatthalung, claiming he did it in search of true love, prompting neighbours to call the police to investigate. Residents living along Phetchakasem Road in the Tha Miram sub-district alerted officers from Mueang Phatthalung Police Station after witnessing the man running past their homes unclothed at around 11pm…
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School lunch scam: Supreme Court jails ex-director for 25 years
Thailand’s top court has slammed the door on a crooked school director who cheated children out of lunches, locking him away for 25 years. The Supreme Court has dismissed an appeal from Somchao Sitthichen, former director of Ban Tha Mai School in Surat Thani, in one of the country’s most notorious school lunch corruption scandals. The case first grabbed headlines…
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Police accused of embezzlement during gambling raid in Nakhon Si Thammarat
Gamblers in the southern province of Nakhon Si Thammarat accused police officers of taking 50,000 baht in cash, which should have been presented as evidence in a criminal case. A member of the Thung Song District Office, Chanin Jaidee, shared details of the alleged corruption with Channel 8 in the hope of seeking justice for gamblers arrested on August 13.…
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Thai man surrenders after fatally shooting alleged lover of friend’s girlfriend
A Thai man fatally shot an alleged lover of his friend’s girlfriend on the roadside in the southern province of Trang on Sunday, August 17, claiming he was taking revenge on behalf of his friend. The fatal attack occured as the victim was with her boyfriend, 24 year old Jiramate was along the Trang–Phatthalung Road in Mueang Trang district. She immediately called…
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Stray dog in Songkhla melts hearts begging for toy from claw machine
A stray dog in the southern province of Songkhla has gone viral on Thai TikTok after being filmed begging for a toy from a claw machine. The TikToker who captured the moment was praised by netizens for giving the dog his first-ever toy. The videos were shared by 23 year old Kannika “View” Eabsamrong, on her TikTok account, @i.view12, on…
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Thai uncle with history of drug use beats niece to death in Trang
Police yesterday, August 17, arrested a Thai man for beating his niece to death at a house in the southern province of Trang on Saturday, August 16. The Siam Ruamjai Pu-in Rescue Foundation was alerted to the incident at 10.36am on Saturday and rushed to the scene, a house in the Huay Yod district of Trang, to transport the victim,…
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Pattani spiritual medium accused of sexually assaulting nearly 30 boys
Teenage boys filed a complaint against a male spiritual medium in the southern province of Pattani for sexually assaulting them. The number of victims is believed to have reached 30 people. The non-profit organisation, Be One, accompanied 13 teenage boys and their families to the Mueang Pattani Police Station to file a complaint against the medium, 25 year old Chondanai. Chondanai…
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Narathiwat police seize 40kg of kratom brew in drug bust
Yesterday, August 13, police and provincial administrative officials apprehended two significant drug dealers in Narathiwat, seizing over 40 kilogrammes of kratom brew intended for local youths. The operation took place at 2.30pm under the leadership of Tra-Koon Thotham, the provincial governor of Narathiwat, along with Police Major General Krisada Kaewjandi and Police Colonel Niyom Suwankhong. Police investigators from Narathiwat province…
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