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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Imagine waking up early in Bangkok and you see all the beautiful morning fog from your balcony, but as you sip your coffee you realise it's just Bangkok's air pollution that's making the sun rise aesthetic. Ranked as the 36th...
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3 killed, 2 injured in Nakhon Si Thammarat crash
3 people have been killed, one an 11 year old girl, and 2 others seriously injured, after the pick-up they were travelling in collided with a roadside tree. They were all from the same family, driving in a Ford Ranger heading to a family burial. Police say the pickup they were travelling in ran off the road, hitting a roadside tree…
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Online marijuana dealer arrested in Nakhon Si Thammarat
Authorities in the southern province of Nakhon Si Thammarat have arrested a young man whose online marijuana sales soared during the Covid-19 outbreak. Human trafficking suppression police today apprehended 24 year old Nanthapong Phuetsawanit at a house in tambon Sra Kaeo of Tha Sala district and confiscated 41 marijuana plants, 1.5 kilograms of dried marijuana, quantities of cannabis oil and…
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Jilted uni student throws acid on ex girlfriend
A university student in Thailand’s southern Songkhla province has been arrested today and charged with physical assault and possessing a fake gun, after he splashed acid on his former girlfriend for rejecting him. 18 year old Nong Thawibboonphonwent went to see his 20 year old ex-girlfriend Rattiyakorn (surname withheld), around 10:30 last night at the convenience store where she works,…
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Injured whale shark looks for help from divers – VIDEO
Video footage of a huge whale shark swimming toward a diving instructor while showing its tail that was caught in a rope has gone viral on the internet. The encounter took place near Koh Pha Ngan in the southern Surat Thani province last Saturday. A 3 metre long whale shark, injured by a rope tightening around its tail, swam toward…
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Ranong slot machine. ATM glitch gives customers 10 times more cash.
An ATM in southern Thailand turned into a very generous slot machine as lucky customers were getting 10 times the amount they had asked to withdrew. One person withdrew 2,700 baht, but the machine handed out 27,000. Another withdrew 1,200 baht and got 12,000. Some people filed a report and handed the money immediately over to Ranong police over the…
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Songkhla teen charged with attempted murder after stabbing his mother
A teenage boy allegedly stabbed his mother multiple times because, he told police, he couldn’t live up to her expectations and said he wanted the freedom to make his own decisions without parental scrutiny. The 16 year old boy is charged with attempted murder and use of a deadly weapon. The mother has serious injuries but is in stable condition.…
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6 major zoos, 127 national parks to reopen tomorrow in Thailand
Starting Monday, 6 of Thailand’s major zoos will reopen for visitors free of charge, and 127 of the country’s 155 national parks are also set to open their doors again. The minister of natural resources and environment told a press briefing that Chon Buri’s Khao Kheow Open Zoo, Chiang Mai Zoo, Nakhon Ratchasima Zoo, Songkhla Zoo, Khon Kaen Zoo, Ubon…
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Surat Thani fishermen want government intervention in “cockle war”
Cockles – and Thailand’s “cockle wars” – are back in the news this week. Fishermen in the southern Surat Thani province are calling for clearer guidelines on cockle catches, as their conflict with shellfish farmers drags on despite intervention from provincial authorities. Last Wednesday, a man rode in on his jet ski, firing a gun as some 300 fisherman raided…
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Husband, wife arrested after gold shop heist in southern Thailand
A husband and wife have been arrested for robbing a gold shop in southern Thailand, running off with necklaces valued at thousands of baht. They have a 2 year old son and the wife is 7 months pregnant with their next child. They told police that they needed money to support their family. The couple re-enacted the gold shop heist…
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Police officer faces scrutiny after flying helicopter onto temple grounds
A high-ranking tourist police officer landed the department’s helicopter at a famous Buddhist temple in Southern Thailand. The senior regional officer for the Tourism Police Bureau parked the helicopter inside the compound of the Wat Chedi in Sichon, a district in Nakhon Si Thammarat. Why a car wouldn’t have been a sufficient means of transportation has not been addressed by…
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Mother, pregnant woman among 5 arrested for drugs in Songkhla
A young woman carrying a baby and a pregnant woman were among 5 people caught using drugs in a raid at a rented house in Songkhla’s Thepha district. Local officials and volunteers surrounded the house after receiving a tip that people were using the property to take drugs and sell methamphetamine pills (“yaba”) and crystal methamphetamine (“ya ice”) to young…
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Monkeys drown in water tank after food and water shortage
15 monkeys were found dead in a water tank yesterday in Songkhla, near the Malaysian border. The province’s long-tailed macaque monkeys are facing a food shortage due to the lack of tourists in the area. Officials say the monkeys found yesterday must have been thirsty when they jumped in the 3 metre deep tank and drowned. There hasn’t been much rain in…
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National Covid-19 figures with 1 additional death (June 2)
Today the Centre of Covid-19 Administration reported 1 new Covi-19 case and 1 addition death in Thailand. This takes the total number of infections to 3,085 and the accumulated death toll to 58. The additional fatality was an 80 year old Thai man living in Narathiwat and the latest patient was a 32 year old male student who had recently…
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Southern mayor backs bounty for shark hunt after boy’s foot was bitten
People are searching for a shark after it bit a boy’s foot at the Chebilang pier in the southern province of Satun. The Chebilang mayor Mahmadneesum Bilungload even said he’ll give a cash reward of 1,000 baht to whoever catches the shark. He took a long tail boat out on Saturday afternoon to scope out the scene and try and…
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Suspect in Phattalung murder commits suicide as police close in
A murder suspect in Thailand’s southern Trang province committed suicide as police moved to arrest him yesterday. Authorities say he was one of three gunmen in the murder of a driver in neighbouring Phatttalung province last year. 40 year old Haron Usen was hiding out with his girlfriend in a house in tambon Bang Sak. Provincial and local police surrounded…
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Transport Company interprovincial bus services to the South remain suspended
Transport Company, Thailand’s interprovincial bus company, announced this week that it is continuing its suspension of all services to the southern provinces as the country will be under the state of emergency until June 30. It did not say when services will resume. The company was expected to resume services from Bangkok to Koh Samui, Phuket and Trang from June…
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Son stabs father multiple times in Nakhon Si Thammarat
A father was stabbed 9 times by his son yesterday in the southern province of Nakhon Si Thammarat. The Bangkok Post reports the 25 year old son was high on drugs and acting erratic. His 53 year old father tried to calm him down, but the son took out a knife and stabbed his father multiple times. The father, a…
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5 Thai students test positive for Covid-19 after returning from Saudi Arabia
5 students, who returned to Thailand from Saudi Arabia via Malaysia, have now been confirmed as being infected with the Covid-19 virus. The students are part of a group of 39 returning citizens who arrived back in the country via the Padang Besar road checkpoint at the Malaysian border. All 39 are reported to be in mandatory state quarantine at…
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Surat Thani police extortion case – police chief promises swift and thorough investigation
Police in the southern Surat Thani province have been ordered to speed up their internal investigation into allegations that 3 of their officers demanded 5 million baht from a trader to drop charges relating to the purchase of seafood from local fishermen. The report will be submitted to the National Anti-Corruption Commission. A spokesman said today that the investigation is…
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19 kilograms of crystal meth, valued around 10 million baht, seized on Thai train
2 people are in custody and 19 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine or “ya ice” has been seized after it was discovered in their bags on an express train from Bangkok to the southern province of Nakhon Si Thammarat last night. 22 year old Ekkapong Kaewsa, of Bangkok, and his female companion 23 year old Methanee Suparb from Si Sa Ket,…
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Last Covid-19 patient in Songklanagarind hospital sent home
A hospital on the front lines fighting Covid-19 in the Hat Yai district of the southern province of Songkhla has released its last remaining Covid-19 patient. The patient was sent home yesterday, after making a full recovery. According to the staff at Songklanagarind Hospital, the patient fell critically ill in his home province of Narathiwat and had to be transferred…
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Thailand’s new Covid-19 cases – May 19
Today Dr Taweesilp Visanuyothin, spokesman of the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, reported 2 additional cases of Covid-19 bringing the total number of cases in Thailand to 3,033. No further deaths have been confirmed today, leaving the accumulated toll at 56. No additional patients were discharged from hospital in the past 24 hours, leaving the number of recovered patients at 2,857 cases. The…
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Woman accidentally shot during father-son fight in Nakhon Si Thammarat
A man accidentally shot and killed his daughter-in-law during a fight with his son last night in southern Thailand. After a heated argument around 7:30 pm Sunday, a father got out a shotgun to shoot his son, but the trigger failed, Thai media reports. The son, 33 year old Niran Rakkaew, then tried to grab the in the gun from his…
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Nakhon Si Thammarat gangster arrested over murder of wife’s lover
Police in the southern Thai province of Nakhon Si Thammarat have arrested a 32 year old local gangster and drug dealer for the murder of a 41 year old criminal associate last Tuesday. The incident took place in the evening, on the side of the road in the Klai sub-district of Tha Sala district. They identified the suspect as Sunathorn…
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Truck overturns in Songkhla, injuring 12
12 seafood processing factory workers were injured after the pickup truck they were travelling in burst a tyre, rammed into a roadside lamppost, and overturned. The incident occurred in the southern province of Songkhla this morning. Authorities say the crash happened on Ramot-Songkhla Road in tambon Muang Ngam. Police and rescue workers rushed to the scene to find an Isuzu…
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4 alleged gang members arrested, more than a million speed pills seized
Police today announced the arrest of 3 members of a drug gang at 2 houses in Bangkok, and a fourth in the southern Narathiwat province on the Malaysian border. More than a million methamphetamine pills were seized. Police say the houses were used to store drugs smuggled from Laos. A combined team of soldiers, police and officials from the Office…
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Strange pineapple tree worshipped by plantation owner in Songkhla
The owners of a rubber plantation in the southern province of Songkhla today reported they had found a strange pineapple tree on their farm. “It looks like 15 pineapple trees merged together as one.” Reports from Thai media reveal that after the discovery of the fascinating tree, Phanchakonrat and her husband had brought flowers, incense and candles to worship it,…
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Naked man steals motorbike in Nakhon Si Thammarat – VIDEO
On Sunday a completely naked man seized a motorcycle from a shocked woman in the southern province of Nakhon Si Thammarat and rode away on it. Police found him yesterday at a nearby market, still without clothes. The incident occurred in broad daylight and in full view of witnesses. It was recorded and posted on Facebook and, predictably, went viral. The…
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Phuket bus driver shares government quarantine facility with coffin
A bus driver who left Phuket to return to his home city of Trang was left feeling a little, well, uneasy when he realised he would be sharing his government quarantine facilities with a coffin. Were the authorities just ‘planning ahead’? Or just a ‘whoops’ moment? The man had left Phuket as part of the exodus of some 50,000 people…
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Human Rights Watch says Thailand should free detained migrants
A significant number of migrants in Thailand’s Songkhla immigration detention centre have the coronavirus and the Human Rights Watch is saying all them should be free due to the dangers of the coronavirus pot the other detainees. In an article urging the release of the migrants, the HRW said the virus infections “spread like wildfire in squalid lockup” and that…
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