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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Sponsored How one hospital visit in Thailand could cost more than your whole trip
Thailand is a favourite spot for travellers who want to enjoy more while spending less. From cheap street food to low-cost hotels and fun attractions, it’s easy to stretch your budget here. But there’s one thing many people don’t think...
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Armed man robs gold shop in Pattani, southern Thailand – VIDEO
An armed man has robbed a gold shop in a Big C supermarket in Pattani province, southern Thailand. Police say the thief stole a total of nine necklaces worth 15 baht weight in gold (a ‘baht’ in gold is about 15 grams). According to CTV footage, the robber walked by the Yang Hub Teng gold and jewellery shop in the…
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Rebel group PULO won’t engage in peace talks if independence is off the table
The leader of a rebel group in Thailand’s Deep South said the rebels will not engage in peace talks with the Thai government if the possibility of independence in Thailand’s southern border region is off the table. Under the framework of Thailand’s current constitution, the kingdom remains indivisible. The group’s leader Kasturi Makhota made the announcement days after his rebel…
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100 year old banyan tree falls down, kills 10 year old boy
A 10 year old boy was crushed to death by a 100 year old banyan tree which fell down this morning at a temple in Nakhon Si Thammarat province, southern Thailand. The boy was sitting near the tree studying online when the incident happened. The boy sadly died instantly when the tree fell on him, crushing him underneath. The boy’s…
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Bomb disposal officers need blood donations after explosion in southern Thailand
A double bomb attack in Pattani province in southern Thailand on Friday killed a fisherman and injured 3 explosive ordnance disposal officers, leaving 2 of them severely injured and in desperate need of blood donations. By the way, Songklanagarind Hospital invites the public to urgently donate blood of any type at the hospital (details below). Lt. Col. Thanongsak Jesa, an…
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80 year old woman dies after falling from the seventh floor of a hospital
In Nakhon Si Thammarat, southern Thailand, an 80 year old woman has died after falling from her room on the seventh floor of a hospital where she was being treated for Covid-19. She was taken to the emergency room but it was too late. The incident happened at the Maharat Nakhon Si Thammarat Hospital in Nakhon Si Thammarat last Monday.…
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Floods cause mass buffalo starvation at Thale Noi park in southern Thailand
More than 200 dead water buffaloes have been found floating today at the Thale Noi Waterfowl Park in the southern Thai province of Pattalung. Prolonged flooding in the region had destroyed the grasses that the buffalo rely on for food. Without it, they starved to death. Local authorities quickly rescued another 300 buffaloes, giving them dry grass and supplementary food…
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Both sides in Thailand’s Southern Insurgency agree to 40 day ceasefire
The Thai government and the most influential rebel group in Southern Thailand have agreed to stop violence for 40 days, from April 3 – May 14, for the holy month of Ramadan and the Songkran holidays. For the first time in the decades-long conflict, unarmed rebels will be allowed to visit their families during Ramadan. The agreement was made at…
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Man in Southern Thailand believed to have drowned after fishing in flooded rice field
The body of a man in Southern Thailand was found yesterday. His mother believes he drowned while fishing in a flooded rice field. The man’s mother said the rice fields near her house were under about 70 centimetres of water after several days of continuous rain. She says her son went to catch fish in the fields. When she noticed…
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Officers find suspected hideout of alleged hitman on Thailand’s most wanted list
The alleged hitman who evaded arrest after shot an M16 rifle, killing an officer during a highspeed chase, has reportedly fled from police again. The man, who is on Thailand’s most wanted list for multiple charges involving murder, is believed to be hiding out in a forest on Khao Cao Mountain in southern province Songkhla. A team of more than…
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Director of Betong Airport transferred to inactive post
Oh dear, it all looked so promising… Following on from Nok Air’s declaration that it was suspending services to the newly-opened Betong Airport due to low uptake, the airport’s acting director has now been sacked. According to a Nation Thailand report, Duangporn Suwanmanee was removed from her position just 4 days after Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha arrived on the airport’s…
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No flights to new Betong airport, Yala tourism officials talk promotions to boost travel
After the highly-publicised launch of the new airport in Southern Thailand’s Yala went sour, with Nok Air suspending flights to the airport due to a lack of passengers, tourism officials in the Betong area plan to offer discounts on hotel rooms and food for travellers to help the flights takeoff. Nation Thailand says the Betong Airport was “built to boost…
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Nok Air asks for time to promote routes to new Betong airport after cancelling flights
Yala’s new Betong International Airport is open for business, but you might be hard-pressed to book a flight there. Nok Air has suspended its route from Bangkok to Betong, saying it needs an additional two to three months to promote the airport among domestic and foreign tourists before it can reopen the route. Last week, Nok Air cancelled its flights…
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Four military rangers injured in another Southern Thailand bomb
A bomb exploded in Mayo district of Pattani province in Southern Thailand this morning. Four paramilitary rangers were injured from the bomb on their way to fix a broken water pump near their base. One ranger was severely injured. One ranger’s left arm was injured. One ranger’s leg was wounded, and another ranger suffered chest pain. All the rangers were…
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Tourism officials in South encouraged by opening of Yala’s Betong Airport
The newly opened Betong Airport, in the southern province of Yala, has inspired hope of a tourism revival in the town. The Bangkok Post reports that the airport received its operating licence from the Aviation Authority of Thailand on January 28. The 920-rai facility can handle up to 300 passengers an hour, or 80,000 a year. The airport is seen…
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Prayut orders tight security amidst new Southern bomb attack
In the aftermath of a bombing in Yala province in Southern Thailand, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has ordered investigators to hunt down the perpetrators. The attack injured four patrolling rangers and two civilians in front of a school in Bannang Sata district. This news comes after a government negotiator announced last month that the Thai government would have peace talks with…
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PM Prayut to board first official flight to Yala’s new airport, chair opening ceremony
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha will be onboard the first flight to the new Betong Airport in the southern province Yala to preside over the opening ceremony on Monday. The prime minister hopes the airport will stimulate the southern border provinces’ economic development, encourage domestic and international commerce and improve security in the area. The airport, under construction from 2017 to 2019,…
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National park officers rescue 5 German tourists lost in Koh Phang Ngan forest
Officers from the Than Sadet National Park on Koh Phang Ngan have rescued a group of 5 German tourists after they got lost yesterday while on a forest hike. The 4 women and 1 man had been doing the Khao Ra hike, which takes in the highest peak on the island, when heavy rainfall caused them to get lost. A…
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Southern houses damaged by rainstorms and sea waves
Rainstorms and big sea waves damaged about 200 homes in the Southern province of Nakhon Si Thammarat between Thursday and this morning. The storms hit the Gulf of Thailand, and drastically eroded about 500 metres of the beach at Na Saton village. The deputy provincial governor inspected the damage this morning, and the Na Satorn Municipality gave people tiles and…
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Ethnic group in Southern province complains losing residence due to tourism
Representatives of the Mani ethnic group in the Southern province of Satun in Thailand have handed a letter to the authorities complaining that they would lose their residence and couldn’t access a better quality of life due to the local tourism industry. The representatives told the authorities they didn’t even have a right to replace a thatched roof with a…
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Thai-Malaysia border to re-open from next month
The Thai government says it will re-open the country’s border with Malaysia from next month, in an effort to kickstart the recovery of tourism and the economy in the southern provinces. According to a Bangkok Post report, spokeswoman Rachada Dhnadirek says PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has ordered the CCSA to work with the tourism and sports emergency operation centre on Covid-19…
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Pumice from volcanic eruption found on southern beaches off Gulf of Thailand
Locals who live near the beaches of Songkhla and other southern districts along the Gulf of Thailand have found numerous small pumice stones that are believed to be from a volcanic eruption. No one knows where these spongy greyish-green stones came from. They were discovered along the shoreline in various locations, including Chalathat and Samila beaches, and other major tourist…
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Police seize 16 kilograms of methamphetamine in Nakhon Si Thammarat
A drug suppression squad in the southern province of Nakhon Si Thammarat seized 16 kilograms of methamphetamine in a sting operation. The undercover operation was led by the provincial governor in Phrom Khiri district and included police and officials from the Internal Security Operations Command. An undercover cop arranged an appointment with a suspect who is identified as 32 year…
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Three injured including two bomb squad officers injured in Songkhla’s bomb blast
While investigating the scene in Songkhla’s Chana district where a fisherman lost his leg when he stepped on a bomb buried underground, two explosive ordnance disposal personnel at the investigation site sustained serious injuries when another bomb exploded. They were working near a railway bridge near Ban Na subdistrict under the surveillance of police and soldiers where three militants were killed the…
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Security captures fourth Songkhla insurgent after long siege
Security forces captured the fourth insurgent after three others tried to escape from their hiding spot in Chana, a district of Songkla. The insurgent hid in a house, even though local religious and community leaders begged him to surrender. After a pause, there were gunshots again in the evening. Security forces then moved in. The insurgent had an M16 rifle,…
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Insurance fraud ring uncovered after woman breaks her own finger
A woman busted for breaking her own finger led to the uncovering of a syndicate perpetrating insurance fraud around Thailand. The leader of the group and 16 members have now been arrested after at least 16 cases of buying insurance and then cashing in 1 to 2 months later. The group offered a service where they would find someone to…
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African Swine Fever reported at three pig farms in Prachuap Khiri Khan
Provincial livestock authorities in Prachuap Khiri Khan discovered three pig farms in Muang and Thap Sakae districts were infected with African Swine Fever. The reports come in the midst of a pork price crisis said to be driven by an outbreak of the highly contagious and deadly viral disease of pigs. 117 pigs from the three farms altogether had to…
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Ruling party ousts renegade MP Thammanat Prompao after tumultuous career
Thailand’s ruling Palang Pracharat Party has ousted the notorious Thai politician Thammanat Prompao who, apart from other alleged transgressions, was convicted conspiring to import heroin in Australia. He has also been accused of urging voters in a Songkhla bi-election to vote for someone “from a family with pedigree and wealth,” a statement his opponents in the party considered divisive. Palang…
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Food group denies hoarding pork after authorities raid warehouse
In a continued spat after Songkhla livestock authorities discovered over 200 tonnes of pork in a refrigerated warehouse, the company accused of hoarding the pork insisted it has not been doing so. The company, Betagro, which is one of Thailand’s leading agro-industry and food businesses, issued a letter of clarification yesterday, stating that the frozen meat belongs to its subsidiary…
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Burmese migrants trafficked through Thailand caught by Malaysian border
Last night, Thai soldiers caught 31 Burmese migrants on the Thailand-Malaysia border, illegally passing through Thailand and hoping to work in Malaysia. The migrants were found hiding in a ditch on a rubber plantation in Sadao, a district of Songkhla province. The group 25 men and six women had reportedly travelled from Myanmar’s Myawaddy township. After they crossed into Tak…
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Police arrest suspects who defrauded monk out of 140,000 baht
Police have been making progress in tracking down members of a call centre group that defrauded a monk in the south of Thailand out of 140,000 baht. Another arrest was made by cyber police, this time a 45 year old woman from Roi Et, whose bank account received payments from the monk. The group of scammers had tricked a monk…
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