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.
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Train hits car, killing young girl in South Thailand
A train hit a car at a railway crossing with no barriers in South Thailand’s Chumphon province yesterday. The crash killed 16 year old Piyamat Nilsuk, and injured her brother, 19 year old Payungsak Nilsuk. Police arrived on the scene to find Piyamat and Payungsak’s car badly wrecked, after the crash had made it turn over several times until it…
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Student hit by motorbike on zebra crossing in front of school in Trang
A female student has been hit by a motorbike while crossing the road at a zebra crossing with a group of friends and teachers in front of a school in the southern province of Trang. The motorbike rider stopped only a minute to check that the young girl was OK then immediately drove away. The dashcam video of the student…
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Tourists who went missing in southern Thailand park found safe
Yesterday, park rangers in Thailand’s southern province of Surat Thani found 2 tourists who had gone missing the day before. The women, 19 year old Eliza Rose and 19 year old Matilda Cox, got lost in a jungle in Khao Sok National Park in Phanom district. Eliza is a British national, and Matilda is from Northern Ireland. Eliza and Matilda…
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Bomb blasts in southern Thailand heard from Malaysia
A series of bomb blasts and gunshots occurred in the border town of Tak Bai in Narathiwat on Thailand’s southern border last night. Assailants launched a series of attacks at 2 police stations, a military unit and a market, injuring three police officers. The bombs could be heard in Pengkalan Kubor in Kelantan on the Malaysian side of the border.…
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Family moves out after 14 cobras invade house in southern Thailand
A family in Songkhla province in southern Thailand moved out of their house on Monday after they discovered 14 cobras living inside with them. The family kept discovering more and more cobras over a period of four days until they had enough, and decided to leave for good. The 43 year old renter of the house, Erawan, said he found…
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Cafe serves drinks in “penis” bags in southern Thailand
A cafe in Songkhla province, southern Thailand, has come up with a bizarre idea to attract customers… and it seems to be working. Everything about the cafe is completely normal, aside from the fact that they serve drinks in bags that look like penises. Thirsty anyone? Chadeen cafe serves Thai milk tea, green tea, coffee and fruity sodas. With a…
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Notorious hitman arrested in southern Thailand
Yesterday, police and military forces in Thailand’s southern province of Ranong arrested a notorious hitman. The hitman, 41 year old Nirut Krajang, had fled to Myanmar when a Chumphon court issued an arrest warrant for murder. There, he worked for 4 months in forestry before his eye was injured and he returned to Thailand for treatment. But coming back home…
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Uncertainty hangs over Bangkok-Betong route as Nok Air considers its options
Nok Air’s flights between Bangkok and Betong, in the southernmost province of Yala, could be in jeopardy, as the carrier considers its options. The struggling low-cost airline is incurring financial losses on the Don Mueang to Betong route, according to Nok Air CEO, Wutthiphum Jurangkool. According to a Bangkok Post report, the airline expects losses to reach 40 million baht…
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Nok Air gamble fails to take off costing airline millions
Low-cost budget airline Nok Air’s gamble of investing in a special route to boost tourism has backfired to the tune of 40 million baht. The Thai airline, which mostly operates domestic services out of Don Mueang International Airport, introduced the Bangkok to Betong route in February but plan to scrap it in July after suffering heavy losses. The Betong International…
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New Krabi Airport terminal scheduled to open in November
Krabi International Airport is hoping to double its passenger capacity when a new passenger terminal opens, car parking areas increased and renovations are completed on the old terminal. The terminals were expected to officially open in October, but the schedule is now postponed until November due to delays caused by the Covid pandemic in Thailand (although The Thaiger notes the…
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Songkhla woman charged with trafficking young girl
A woman in Thailand’s southern province of Songkhla has been charged with trafficking a young girl, forcing the girl into prostitution at her karaoke shop. The woman was arrested last week, but police announced the arrest yesterday. The woman arrested is 48 year old Nattha Meenche. The 13 year old girl says she was forced to provide sex services to…
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14 year old student takes her own life after teacher expels her from school
A 14 year old female student in the southern province of Songkhla has committed suicide after a teacher expelled her from school because of her financial and family problems. Thai media reported that a 14 year old female student decided to hang herself at a house in Songkhla province on May 13. Her friends told police that she had problems…
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Man stabbed to death at wedding in southern Thailand
A man stabbed another man to death at a wedding party in Thailand’s southern province of Nakhon Si Thammarat last night, according to police in Nopphitam district. Witnesses told police that the victim, 58 year old Diam Yangkaew, had been drinking with other guests at a table, when another man showed up on a motorcycle. They say the man walked…
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Suspected insurgent dies in military custody, court rules no foul play
Yesterday, a court in Songkhla province, southern Thailand, ruled that there was no evidence of foul play in the case of a suspected insurgent who fell into a coma and died while being held in military custody in Pattani province in 2019. A suspected leader of an insurgency group accused 34 year old Abdullah Esomuso of being involved with a…
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Burmese man killed in Surat Thani flash flood, more wet weather to come
A Burmese man has died after being washed away in a flash flood in Surat Thani over the weekend. According to a Bangkok Post report, heavy rainfall has damaged 3 districts in the southern province. The body of 30-year-old Sai Chan, from Myanmar, was recovered on Saturday. The man had been reported missing after he drove his motorbike through a…
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Several officials in Thailand wanted over child trafficking involvement in south
After several raids this week, police are investigating several officials over a sex trafficking case in the southern Thai province of Surat Thani. The director-general of Thailand’s Department of Children and Youth has been charged for hampering an investigation into a trafficking ring. Several other officials found to be involved in the ring include the chairman of a local savings…
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Songkhla Muslims against plan for Chinese goddess statue on mountain
In Thailand’s tense Deep South, Muslim communities are speaking out against a plan to build a statue of a Chinese goddess on a mountain in Thepa district. The company planning to build it is TPI Polene Power Plc, a power plant operator. Many in the community around the mountain are Muslims, and an imam, who asked to remain anonymous, said…
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Koh Phang Ngan looking beyond Full Moon parties to more sustainable tourism
The Koh Phang Ngan Hotel and Tourism Association says the island is looking beyond its legendary full moon parties and aiming for more sustainable tourism. The association’s president, Chantana Limsuwan, says the island hopes to welcome 100,000 visitors this year, following the easing of travel restrictions. The Bangkok Post reports that the Full Moon Party on April 16, coupled with…
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Southern Thailand province gets a wave of income from Full Moon Party, Songkran
Thailand’s southern province of Surat Thani saw a wave of tourism income generated during the Songkran holiday. Many tourists came to the province for the famous Full Moon Party on Kho Pha Ngan, among other tourist attractions. Tourism officials said the province gathered up a total of 895.7 million baht from 83,000 visitors between April 13-17. The income is up…
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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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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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Southern Thailand ceasefire shattered with another fatal bombing
The leader of one of Thailand’s southern rebel groups claimed yesterday that the group was behind a double bombing that killed a villager that day. Chalermchai Petchkart, the police chief of Sai Buri district in Pattani province, where the bombing happened, told Benar News that the bomb that exploded and killed the villager had been left in a paper bag.…
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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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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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Businesses in Betong offer to guarantee seats on flights if Nok Air drops price
Tourism firms in Betong are trying to strike a deal with Nok Air in order to get commercial flights operating again at the southern town’s airport. According to a Bangkok Post report, businesses have offered to guarantee 60 seats on every Nok Air flight to Betong if the airline drops the cost of a round-trip ticket. Nok Air’s round-trip fare…
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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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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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