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.
-
Sponsored The hidden costs of ignoring pre-existing conditions in Thailand
The Thaiger key takeaways Not declaring pre-existing conditions can result in denied claims, high costs, or visa problems. Cigna provides coverage for common chronic conditions like diabetes and arthritis with high limits and direct billing. Honest disclosure ensures proper coverage,...
-
Southern Thailand man caught mailing grenades via courier
A man has been arrested in southern Thailand after a private courier discovered grenades in a suspicious parcel, prompting a full military-led investigation. Police arrested a man linked to the illegal shipping of M79 grenades after a private courier company discovered live rounds hidden in a parcel. Yesterday, October 23, Colonel Ekwarit Chobchupol, deputy spokesperson for the Internal Security Operations…
-
Deputy PM says no foreigners encroach Koh Pha Ngan forest
The deputy prime minister (PM) of Thailand confirmed that no foreigners encroached on forest land on Koh Pha Ngan, an island in the southern province of Surat Thani. Some locals on Koh Pha Ngan voiced concerns that the island was taken over by foreigners, particularly Israeli nationals. They claimed that Israelis used Thai nominees to buy seaside land, encroached on…
-
Russian car rental network dismantled in Koh Pha Ngan crackdown
Tourist police launched a joint operation on Koh Pha Ngan to crack down on an illegal car rental and hotel business run by foreign nationals, seizing hundreds of vehicles. The operation, carried out yesterday, October 21, was led by Police Major General Krits Warit, in line with the Tourist Police Bureau’s policy to suppress transnational crime. The joint task force…
-
Krabi pickup driver claims blocking ambulance due to concerns about mother’s illness
A Thai pickup truck driver blocked an ambulance at Plai Phraya Hospital in the southern province of Krabi, resulting in the death of a 69 year old heart attack patient. The patient, identified as Somkuan, was admitted to Plai Phraya Hospital with respiratory failure at around 11.10pm on October 16. His condition deteriorated, prompting the medical team to arrange for…
-
Trat tourism hit by UK travel alert over martial law fears
The tourism industry in Trat province, southeast Thailand, is facing severe financial losses after a UK travel advisory urged against non-essential visits, prompting widespread cancellations. Trat’s once-bustling tourist hotspots are reeling after a UK travel advisory urged citizens to avoid non-essential trips to the eastern Thai province due to ongoing martial law — a move that has sparked widespread cancellations…
-
Chak Phra festival fuels lucky number frenzy in southern Thailand (video)
A wave of lottery fever is sweeping Trang province in southern Thailand as festival-goers hunt for lucky numbers during one of the region’s most revered religious events. Trang’s annual Chak Phra festival has once again stirred a blend of spiritual devotion and lottery excitement, drawing large crowds to Mueang district as locals seek both merit and fortune ahead of the…
-
Thai man arrested for murdering neighbour allegedly over lottery dispute
Police yesterday, October 15, arrested a Thai man who murdered a woman and dumped her body in a pond in Phetchaburi province. He was arrested while hiding in Krabi. The body of 55 year old Thai woman, Ladda Dodesang, was discovered tied to a wooden log in a pond in Phetchaburi province on September 29. Her neck was wrapped with…
-
Police bust 5 illegal tour guides working for Israeli-Thai couple on Koh Pha Ngan
Police arrested five illegal tour guides for offering ATV trips to foreigners on Koh Pha Ngan in Surat Thani province and launched a further investigation into an Israeli man and his Thai wife, who are alleged to be behind the illegal business. Officers from the Koh Phangan Tourist Police and the Immigration Office monitored the area near the entrance to an…
-
Lebanese man becomes aggressive after arrest for illegal motorcycle rental shop
A Lebanese man reportedly became aggressive towards police officers after he was arrested yesterday, October 14, for illegally operating a motorcycle rental shop on Koh Pha Ngan in Surat Thani province. Officers at Koh Pha Ngan Police Station are continuing a crackdown on foreign nationals who are illegally operating businesses or working without permits on the island. As part of…
-
French tourist’s complaint leads to arrest of 4 Israeli soldiers in Koh Pha Ngan drug party
A complaint from a French national led to the arrest of four Israeli soldiers who threw a drug party at a villa on Koh Pha Ngan, an island in the southern province of Surat Thani. View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Thaiger (@thethaigerofficial) Koh Pha Ngan Tourist Police received a complaint through the 1155…
-
Israeli tourist boom sparks tension on Koh Pha Ngan
Following an incident last week where a Koh Samui restaurant denied claims it removed Israeli diners amid online backlash, officials on Koh Pha Ngan held a meeting to address rising tensions involving Israeli tourists and foreign-run businesses. Surat Thani Governor Teeruth Supawiboonpol chaired a high-level meeting with provincial agencies this week to address the concerns, which echo similar unrest seen…
-
Teen gunmen shoot 13-year-old in back in Hat Yai revenge raid
A teenage gang attacked a rival’s home in Hat Yai, shooting a 13 year old boy in the back when they failed to find their intended target during the raid. Police from Thung Lung Police Station were alerted at 11.20pm yesterday, October 9, and rushed to the scene near a railroad crossing on Kanchanawanit Road in the Ban Phru subdistrict.…
-
Triple bomb attack hits Yala Youth Centre ahead of Buddhist festival
Three bomb explosions rocked Yala’s Mueang district yesterday night, just hours before a traditional Buddhist ceremony was set to begin at a local youth centre. The blasts occurred between 9.05pm and 9.40pm yesterday, October 7, at the Yala Municipality Youth Centre. The first device detonated near the gate leading to a Tai Chi field, followed by a second explosion near…
-
Durian warehouse owner cancels assault reward and cuts ties with son
A durian warehouse owner in Chumphon cancelled his reward for a physical assault on his son’s mistress and announced that he is severing ties with his son in an effort to resolve the matter peacefully. View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Thaiger (@thethaigerofficial) The prominent businessman in Lang Suan district, Chumphon province, Arnon Rodthong,…
-
Durian tycoon offers 30,000-baht reward for attack on his son’s mistress
The owner of a leading durian warehouse in the Lang Suan district in the southern province of Chumphon offered a 30,000-baht reward for anyone who physically assaults his son’s mistress, fearing that the affair would tear apart his family. The warehouse owner, Arnon Rodthong, took to Facebook to reveal the adultery scandal within his family and made a shocking offer…
-
Body of missing woman found tied to log in Phetchaburi pond
The body of a missing Thai woman was found floating in a pond in the southern province of Phetchaburi, bound to a wooden log with ropes around her neck. A Thai man, Chokchai Thipnate, filed a complaint at Nong Ya Plong Police Station on September 29, reporting that his 55 year old mother, Ladda Dodesang, disappeared from their shared home…
-
Former inmate kills neighbour in minor road dispute in Phetchaburi
A former inmate remains at large after fatally shooting his neighbour following a road dispute in the southern province of Phetchaburi. Officers from Raisathon Police Station were called to investigate the death of 46 year old Rungarun Thiankham on a road in Raisathon Subdistrict, Ban Lad District, Phetchaburi, at around 5pm on Saturday, October 4. Rungarun sustained multiple gunshot wounds…
-
Armed gang steals 23 million baht in gold from Narathiwat supermarket
An armed gang of between seven and ten suspects escaped with gold accessories worth more than 23 million baht after a robbery at a gold shop in the southern province of Narathiwat yesterday, October 5. View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Thaiger (@thethaigerofficial) Security cameras at the Big C supermarket in Su-ngai Kolok district…
-
2 thieves steal 10 million baht safe from Trang industrial leader’s home
Two thieves stole a safe containing assets worth over 10 million baht from the home of the President of the Federation of Southern Industries in Trang province, stopping to drink wine before fleeing. One suspect was arrested, while a 100,000 baht reward is offered for information leading to the capture of the second. Officers from Sikao Police Station inspected an…
-
British actor flies in to boost morale at Trat border post
A British actor travelled from overseas to Thailand’s eastern border to donate solar panels and supplies to boost morale among local border patrol police. Actor Mark Shelley and his Thai wife, Naphatwarun Sirirattanasap, travelled from the UK to Trat province, making a patriotic stop at a Border Patrol Police base to donate vital equipment to officers stationed along the Cambodian…
-
Royal Thai Navy targets Cambodian casino in border crackdown (video)
The Royal Thai Navy (RTN) is demolishing Cambodian structures built on Thai territory in Trat, with a casino complex set to be the final target of the operation. The RTN has confirmed it is pushing forward with the dismantling of 17 Cambodian-built structures that encroach into Thai territory in Trat province. The operation, which began earlier this month, has already…
-
Russian man arrested on Koh Pha Ngan for illegal motorcycle rental business
Police arrested a Russian man on Koh Pha Ngan, an island in Surat Thani province, today, September 25, for illegally offering a motorcycle rental service. Officers from Koh Pha Ngan Police Station, the Immigration Bureau, and the Surat Thani Special Taskforce received a complaint from a local that a foreign man was illegally operating a motorcycle rental business on the…
-
Thai girl commits suicide amid alleged expectations from parents
A 16 year old Thai girl committed suicide at her home in Phattalung province yesterday, September 24, allegedly due to the stress of disappointing her parents. Officers from Pa Bon Police Station were called to a house in the Tung Naree sub-district, Pa Bon district, to investigate the death of the teenage girl, known as Look Mod. She was found in…
-
Drunken family fight ends in fatal stabbing in southern Thailand
A drunken row over a wife’s alleged affair ended in bloodshed at a workers’ camp in central Surat Thani, southern Thailand, after a man fatally stabbed his own relative. Police in Tha Chang district were called to a construction site yesterday, September 24, following reports of a fatal stabbing. The victim, 28 year old Rungtawan, a native of Bueng Kan…
-
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…
-
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,…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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.…
-
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…
Don't forget to check out some other things to do in Thailand - get help starting a business or finding a job in Thailand, buy Thailand property, rent a yacht or book a medical procedure worldwide.