South Thailand News
Stay updated with the latest Southern Thailand news at The Thaiger, your ultimate source for regional information. Keep informed on local events, business developments, and lifestyle stories in popular locations beyond Phuket, Koh Samui, and Krabi. We’ve got reports of the latest goings on in Trang, Songkhla, Yala, and more.
Whether you’re a resident or a visitor, The Thaiger’s Southern Thailand news page is your essential guide to exploring this stunning tropical region. Dive into the vibrant community and rich culture with our expertly curated content, designed to keep you connected and well-informed.
-
Sponsored Do foreigners get free healthcare in Thailand?
Thailand’s healthcare system is well-regarded across Southeast Asia, with options ranging from public hospitals to world-class private facilities. But when it comes to foreign residents or tourists, healthcare access isn’t as straightforward. So, do foreigners get free healthcare in Thailand?...
-
Mysterious objects from sky leave Thai couple on cloud nine
A Thai couple in the southern province of Phatthalung claim that mysterious objects falling from the sky made them feel refreshed and healthier, both physically and mentally. The couple, Wichate Siriphuwadon and Maneerat Siriphuwadon, displayed several shiny black objects of varying sizes, with a total weight of around 20 kilogrammes, to various news agencies. They revealed that they discovered the…
-
Severe floods in South Thailand claims 8 lives, impacts thousands
Severe flooding has engulfed five southern provinces of Thailand, devastating 47 districts and affecting more than 128,000 households. The death toll has tragically increased to eight as the region grapples with this natural disaster. The floods hit the Nakhon Si Thammarat and Koh Samui districts in Surat Thani the hardest yesterday, December 16. These areas are at the core of…
-
Australian tourist escapes drowning amid South Thailand flooding
An Australian tourist had a narrow escape from drowning in South Thailand after his car plunged into a flooded ditch amidst severe flooding in Nakhon Si Thammarat. The deluge has affected 21 districts, severing numerous roads and resulting in the tragic loss of four lives. As heavy rainfall continues to worsen the situation, rescue teams are tirelessly working to assist…
-
Dating scam: Thai tomboy arrested for stealing pickup and phone
Police arrested a Thai tomboy in the southern province of Chum Phon for operating a romance scam, stealing a pickup and mobile phone from a woman she met on a dating application. The victim, identified only as Kuy, filed a complaint at the Chulalongkorn Pratunam Police Station on Friday, December 13, after losing her grey Toyota Vigo pickup truck and…
-
Landslide on Koh Samui leaves two missing amid heavy rain
Heavy rainfall over consecutive days on Koh Samui has led to a landslide that engulfed a workers’ camp, leaving two individuals missing. Police have launched a search operation, highlighting the precarious situation as the incident occurred in two separate events. Police in Koh Samui’s Surat Thani province received a distress call this morning regarding a landslide that buried a construction…
-
Deadly floods hit Surat Thani and Nakhon Si Thammarat
Surat Thani and Nakhon Si Thammarat have been hit hard by renewed flooding, resulting in the deaths of two individuals. Persistent heavy rain since December 12 has caused significant overflow from canals and other water sources, inundating agricultural areas, roads, and homes across these southern provinces. In Surat Thani, the districts of Mueang, Kanchanadit, and Don Sak experienced severe flooding…
-
Former officer arrested after abducting wife in Surat Thani
A former police officer, under the influence of methamphetamine (meth), was apprehended after abducting his estranged wife in Surat Thani province. The dramatic chase unfolded over more than an hour, following a family dispute and divorce request. Police in Surat Thani arrested 27 year old Phasakorn Kheawphakdee after a tense highway pursuit. The incident began when Sutheemas, his 25 year…
-
Fire at Trat co-op narrowly avoided major disaster
A security guard mistook a fire for burning rubbish, only to discover a forklift engulfed in flames, which spread to a pile of wooden pallets and over 40 trolleys. The blaze narrowly missed the co-op store building, prompting an urgent firefighting effort. Officers from the Mueang Trat Police Station received a report of a fire at the Trat Provincial Cooperative…
-
Southern Thai man finally receives 10,000 baht government aid
A man from southern Thailand was overjoyed when the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC) branch in Loei province finally tracked him down to ensure he received the government aid of 10,000 baht. The initiative was part of a final effort by the bank to help vulnerable groups secure their due benefits before the deadline. BAAC in Loei took…
-
Gunmen attack soldiers aiding flood relief in Narathiwat
A tragic attack unfolded in Narathiwat, Thailand, yesterday, when gunmen ambushed military personnel repairing flood-damaged homes. The assailants, using M16 rifles, left one soldier dead and two others injured before fleeing on motorcycles. Police were alerted when Narawi Binwaearong, a local police officer, received reports of the violent incident involving paramilitary soldiers from the 4908th Ranger Company. The attack occurred…
-
Six arrested in South Thailand for call centre scams and firearms
Police apprehended six people suspected of being involved in call centre scams and the illegal trade of firearms. The Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB) announced the arrest on Tuesday, December 10, indicating possible connections between the suspects and insurgency financing in Thailand’s southern regions. The arrests took place on December 10 in Songkhla and Yala provinces following numerous complaints related…
-
Portuguese man missing in Koh Pha Ngan, wife fears suicide
The wife of a Portuguese man, missing from his home in Koh Pha Ngan since November 17, fears he may have taken his own life. The 38 year old half-Thai, half-American woman, Avalon Oneita Juliana, sought help from local police and the Portuguese Embassy in Thailand after her husband, 51 year old Daniel Joao D’Costa Ferreira Dos Santos, disappeared. Santos…
-
2 Thai boys arrested for shooting girl, mistaking her for an enemy
Police arrested two Thai boys who mistakenly shot a 15 year old girl in the head on a road in the Phra Phrom district of Nakhon Si Thammarat province last night, December 9, believing her to be their rival. Officers from Phra Phrom Police Station launched an investigation into the attempted murder, which took place around midnight on Jang Hoon-Na Pru…
-
Trang Airport project abandoned, contractor loses millions
The Airports Department has terminated its contract with Port and Marine Corporation (PAM) and confiscated a 53 million baht security deposit after the company failed to complete the construction of a new passenger terminal at Trang Airport in southern Thailand. Director General Danai Ruangsorn announced that Deputy Transport Minister Manaporn Charoensri instructed the department to end the agreement and expedite…
-
British man commits suicide, leaving sand messages for Thai wife
A British man left messages in the sand for his wife and children before taking his own life on Cha-am Beach in the southern province of Phetchaburi. He was reportedly distressed over two legal cases and a 400,000-baht loss to a friend. A Thai tourist discovered the lifeless body of the British man, later identified as 42 year old Antony…
-
Yala tackles flood crisis with dam plans and relief efforts
Yala city municipality is taking a proactive approach to combat its persistent flooding woes. The city’s mayor, Pongsak Yingchoncharoen, has put forward guidelines aimed at tackling the long-term flood issues and is revisiting plans for the construction of the Krong Pinang and Kuemeng dams as part of these efforts. Pongsak provided an update on the flood situation yesterday, December 7,…
-
Ukrainian woman found dead in Krabi hotel with suicide letter
A Ukrainian woman left a suicide note and took her own life at a hotel room in the southern province of Krabi, a few days before her body was discovered by a hotel maid yesterday, December 5. The maid, whose identity was not disclosed, alerted officers from Mueang Krabi Police Station to investigate the room on the fourth floor of…
-
Thai man arrested for driving into wife outside police station (video)
Police in the southern province of Krabi yesterday arrested a Thai man after he drove his pickup into his wife and her family outside a police station in Nakhon Si Thammarat on November 20. The domestic violence case initially went largely unnoticed despite occurring over two weeks ago. However, it gained public attention after officers apprehended the suspect yesterday, December…
-
Road collapse in Betong disrupts traffic until December next year
A road collapse in Betong, Yala Province, has caused significant disruption, with officials warning motorists to avoid the area due to safety concerns. The road, which has sunk over 10 metres deep, is closed for repairs from today, December 4 until further notice. A report from locals alerted the acting head of the Betong District Transport Office, Thararath Sangthong, to…
-
Severe floods persist in Narathiwat after Kolok River overflows
Floods in Narathiwat remain severe, with the districts of Tak Bai and Sungai Kolok in critical condition as the Kolok River overflows. Long-distance water pumps have been requested from Prachinburi’s Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation due to concerns about further rainfall. The recent weather in Narathiwat has shown signs of improvement with sunshine covering all 13 districts, and rainfall…
-
Paetongtarn faces backlash over flood crisis management failures
The recent devastating floods in southern Thailand have intensified pressure on Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra’s government, pushing the leader into the eye of a storm of criticism. With severe flooding wreaking havoc in the south, many are questioning her ability to manage a national crisis effectively. The prime minister, who initially struggled to establish her footing in the north, eventually…
-
Hat Yai lecturer electrocuted closing gate in floodwater
A shocking accident has left Hat Yai residents reeling as a university lecturer lost his life after being electrocuted while closing his front gate in waist-high floodwater. Police are scrambling to uncover who is to blame for the deadly oversight. Officials from the Provincial Electricity Authority’s (PEA) Hat Yai branch inspected the scene and identified a copper-exposed wire near Narun…
-
Floodwaters recede in Narathiwat, trains set to resume
Floodwaters in Narathiwat have receded, returning life to normal and allowing local train services to resume. The border checkpoint between Thailand and Malaysia reopened as of yesterday, December 1, with the railway expected to be operational tomorrow. Heavy flooding in Narathiwat had previously inundated low-lying areas, roads, and railway tracks, leading to the closure of transportation routes and train services.…
-
Thai PM criticised over southern flood response, husband remark
The Prime Minister of Thailand, Paetongtarn “Ing” Shinawatra, came under criticism after denying accusations of neglecting the flood crisis in southern Thailand by citing her husband’s southern heritage as evidence of her concern for the region. Today, December 2, marked the 11th day that residents in southern Thailand have been battling severe flooding. According to the Post Today, 10 provinces…
-
Landslide in Yala damages vehicles amid severe flooding
A landslide in Yala province caused a significant amount of damage to several vehicles yesterday morning, November 30, but fortunately, no injuries have been reported. The incident follows severe flooding across five districts, with major roads submerged and essential goods becoming scarce due to disrupted transport routes. The landslide was reported to have occurred at 7am in the car park behind…
-
Thai fisherman drowns, 31 detained and shot at by Myanmar navy
A Myanmar navy patrol boat recently engaged with Thai fishing vessels off the coast of Ranong province, resulting in the tragic drowning of one fisherman and the detainment of 31 crew members. The Thai Ministry of Defence reported that the altercation occurred when two out of 15 Thai fishing boats were found operating between four and 5.7 nautical miles inside…
-
Drowning in chaos: Pattani floods shut down hospitals
Four hospitals in the southern province of Pattani have been forced to close their doors as relentless floodwaters swamp their compounds, leaving patients to be evacuated to emergency field hospitals. The disaster, which has engulfed Nong Chik, Yaring, Thung Yang Daeng, and Mae Lan hospitals, is wreaking havoc in this southern border province. Dr Anurak Saraparb, chief of the Pattani…
-
Hat Yai on high alert: Red zone declared amid flood threat
Hat Yai has been declared a red zone as the risk of severe flooding looms, with local officials urging residents to brace for potential evacuations. Hat Yai Mayor Sakhon Thongmunee announced the warning this morning, citing a surge of water flowing into the U-Tapao and Wa canals, which cut through Songkhla’s bustling district. “Overflows from these canals could inundate downtown…
-
Surat Thani father and son busted for bitcoin mining electricity theft
Thai police apprehended a father and son involved in a significant electricity theft operation, costing approximately 1 million baht monthly, to support their bitcoin mining business. The father, 64 year old Wirat, claimed ignorance while blaming his son, 34 year old Nuttachai, for the scheme. Commander Montree Techakhan directed officers to arrest the pair at a rubberwood processing factory in…
-
Thai woman surrenders after BMW crash kills mother and 2 kids
A Thai woman surrendered at a police station in the southern province of Chumphon after crashing her friend’s BMW into a victim and her two children, killing them, before reportedly fleeing the scene with her pet cat on Wednesday. The fatal accident occurred on a rural highway in Mueang District, Chumphon, at about 7.40pm, on November 27. Witnesses reported seeing…
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.