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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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. Security cameras at the Big C supermarket in Su-ngai Kolok district clearly captured the heist, which took place at around 6.30pm. The robbers, all dressed…
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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…
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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…
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Thai massage shop owner accuses police of rape and extortion
A massage shop owner in the southern province of Prachuap Khiri Khan accused police officers of raping one of her Laotian employees and extorting money from her. The shop owner, 40 year old Aom, appeared on Channel 3’s Hone Krasae news programme on September 30, following her corruption allegations against a deputy superintendent and his subordinates. Aom explained that she…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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Hat Yai thief takes tourist’s gold necklace in bike snatch
A man was arrested in southern Thailand after snatching a tourist’s gold necklace while riding a motorbike, prompting a swift police investigation and arrest. Sakrin “Kae” Chayapan, a 25 year old Thai man, was arrested after CCTV footage and a police investigation linked him to the daylight robbery. He later confessed, claiming financial hardship, but firmly denied any ties to…
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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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Child with special needs found dead in Hat Yai canal
A young boy with special needs was found dead in a canal in Hat Yai, southern Thailand, after going missing, prompting a desperate overnight search by police, rescue teams and family. The boy, known as Nong Inter, vanished on Wednesday afternoon, September 17, from a car repair shop in Hat Yai District 8. He was last seen wearing a camouflage…
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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 man arrested after murdering neighbour over sexual harassment dispute
Police successfully arrested a man for murdering his neighbour following a dispute over alleged sexual harassment. The suspect evaded capture for more than a week in the southern province of Songkhla. View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Thaiger (@thethaigerofficial) The suspect, 43 year old Suthep, fatally shot his neighbour, 45 year old Pongsak, at…
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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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15 year old Thai girl stabbed for viewing rival’s TikTok profile
A 15 year old Thai girl sustained an arm injury after being stabbed in a public park in the southern province of Phatthalung, allegedly over viewing a TikTok profile of her rival. Officers from Mueang Phatthalung Police Station were called to the park on Thun Bamrung Road in the Khuha Sawan sub-district at around 5.30pm yesterday, September 3. They found…
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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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Hat Yai Airport gets flashy facelift for 37th anniversary
From humble beginnings to high-flying growth, Hat Yai Airport is celebrating 37 years of connecting Thailand’s Deep South to the rest of the world, and it’s not stopping there. Airport director Kritsada Puksap, joined by deputy directors Nopphon Phayapphrai and Wing Commander Chaiyong Lamphrom, revealed impressive figures at a recent press conference. Between October last year and July this year,…
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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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Speeding pickup kills biker in deadly Phang Nga U-turn crash
A speeding pickup truck ploughed into a motorcyclist at a U-turn in Khao Lak, Phang Nga province, on Thursday, killing the rider instantly in a horrific crash. The fatal collision occurred at around 5.15pm on August 28 near the Kukkak Subdistrict Health Centre on Phetkasem Road, heading towards Thai Mueang district. Police at Khao Lak Station were alerted to the…
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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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