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 Why is Bangkok's air quality so bad?
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...
-
72 year old grandmother raped and killed in Chumphon
PHOTOS: Daily News A Chumphon man returned from a short fishing trip to find that his wife was missing from the house. 72 year old Pornwichai looked everywhere but was unable to locate her. Eventually the family dog Bunnam came running to the house. Pornwichai said to his pet: “Have you seen your mum then?” The dog became agitated and…
-
Italian couple killed as truck rolls on top of them in Chumphon – VIDEO
PHOTO: Screenshot from Thai Rath’s video Two Italian tourists have been killed after an oil truck’s brakes allegedly failed coming down a hill. The truck overturned and rolled onto the pair in Chumphon. Workpoint News reports that the incident happened at an intersection in Paknam, Chumphon yesterday afternoon. Emergency responders arrived to find the overturned oil truck lying on the…
-
Anti-vaxers blamed for astonishing rise of Measles in 2018 – UNICEF
“Measles is more contagious than tuberculosis or Ebola, yet it is eminently preventable with a vaccine that costs pennies.” Thailand figures in the Top 10 countries in the world where measles cases rose alarmingly in 2018. Most of the rises of Measles cases in Thailand have occurred in the three southern-most provinces where a large Muslim majority live. In some…
-
400 marauding macaques invade plantations in Surat Thani
PHOTO: Catch us if you can Surat Thani officials are coming up with a plan to sort out the 400+ long-tailed macaques who have been invading fruit orchards and oil palm plantations for months. Provincial governor Wichawut Jinto has made the order after receiving countless complaints from residents of the southern province’s Phunphin district saying that the monkeys have caused…
-
Rolling his way to Narathiwat raising funds for southern hospitals
PHOTO: ‘Uncle Mee’ during one his fund-raisers last year – The Nation A wheelchair user is on his way in a mega southern journey from Chiang Mai to Narathiwat in the south to raise funds for three hospitals in the southern border provinces. 56 year old Sathit Jantharangsi, or Uncle Mee, reached Phitsanulok last night and was heading to Nakhon…
-
History of Thailand’s Southern Insurgency
Whenever there’s news about violence in southern Thailand, Thaiger readers may wonder who’s fighting who, and why. So we present a brief history of the insurgency which has gripped Thailand’s southernmost provinces for decades. The area has been coined the ‘deep south’ or the ‘restive south’ and has become, statistically, a more bloody conflict than the situation on the Gaza…
-
Six marine officials killed as van slams into tree, Chumpon
PHOTO: A van is almost totally destroyed after slamming into a tree on Highway 41 in Sawi district of Chumphon yesterday (Sunday) – Facebook/Chumphon Rescue Volunteers at Khao Ka Rong Investigators are blaming a burst tyre on a passenger van that crashed, killing six Marine Department officials in Chumpon, heading back from Phuket towards Bangkok. The officials were killed and five others…
-
Southern insurgency: Ranger shot dead in Songkhla house
FILE PHOTO: The latest shooting in a spate of recent violence in the southern provinces – The Nation A ranger based in Yala has been shot dead at his home in Songkhla’s Muang district. Pol Capt Adirek Burintrapibal, the deputy inspector of Muang Songkhla police station, was alerted at 8.30pm last night of the shooting at a house in Moo 10…
-
Four rangers escape unharmed after insurgents’ attack in Narathiwat
MAP: Narathiwat’s Ra Ngae district Four rangers have escaped unhurt after southern insurgents detonated a roadside bomb in an attack in Narathiwat’s Ra Ngae district this morning. Police say the attack happened at 8.10am on a main road in Ban Pa Phai village in Tambon Tanyong. The bomb damaged a makeshift shelter for vendors to buy rubber latex from local…
-
One dead, one injured in Narathiwat garage shooting
A gunman has opened fire at a Malaysian garage owner in Narathiwat’s Sungai Golok district last night, killing him and severely injuring a Malaysian employee. 54 year old Sulaimi bin Mat Ali died at the Sungai Golok Hospital after the 8:30pm shooting at his car workshop on Soi Pracha Ruamjai off Pracha Uthit 2 Road in Ban Sarayor village in…
-
Sentences handed down for militants linked to truck theft and murder in Songkhla
One militant has been sentenced to death and another three handed down life sentences. The sentences were handed down by the presiding judge at the Na Thawee provincial court yesterday in the southern province of Songkhla after being found guilty of murder, robbery and illegal detention. A fifth defendant was sentenced to two years and eight months prison for being an accessory…
-
Boom boom on the border – Thailand’s unlikely red-light district
PHOTO: The attractions of Thailand’s southern border town usually become apparent after sunset On one side of the Thai/Malaysian border is Sungai Golok, on the Malaysian side it’s the town of Rantau Panjang. The two towns are separated by the Golok River as well as decades of furious fighting between Muslim separatists who want to reclaim some of the southern…
-
A new round of Southern peace talks gives hope but the Junta is stalling during the election campaign
Peace talks to end the long-running conflict in Thailand’s southernmost provinces hit a stumbling block last week when Thailand’s new peace negotiator failed to attend a scheduled meeting. The struggle, commonly referred to in international media as the ‘southern insurgency’, has been between Muslim guerilla fighters and the Thai army, partly over borders, and partly fueled by religious and cultural differences.…
-
Whale shark carcass found on Satun Beach
PHOTO: DMCR The body of a whale shark was discovered on a beach in Satun yesterday. The Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) is reporting that officials at the Mu Koh Paetra National Park in Satun were notified about the huge whale shark carcass that had been washed on a beach between Phang Ga Ya Bay and Ko Bulon…
-
800K methamphetamine pills seized in Chumphon
PHOTOS: Region 8 Police 800,000 methamphetamine pills have been seized in Chumphon this week. A staged media scrum was held at Region 8 Police headquarters in Mai Khao yesterday, led by the Region 8 Police Commander Lt Gen Pongwut Pongsri. The arrests came after police and soldiers set up a checkpoint on Bangsaphan – Chumphon Road in Patiw, Chumphon. Following…
-
Sea Turtle found dead on Chumpon beach, choked on plastics
by Prasit Leehukunakorn A large green turtle has been found dead on Chumphon’s Bang Nam Jeud Beach, believed to have died from plastic waste it ingested. “I found a piece of plastic in its throat, so I think it’s the latest victim of sea-borne plastic waste,” said Amnuaykiat Timnakha, deputy chief of the Tambon Bang Nam Jeud Organisation. He was…
-
HM the King expresses concern for people affected by unrest in the Deep South
(Quoted directly from the Government’s Public Relations Department) His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun has been deeply concerned about the people and officials affected by unrest in the southern border provinces. His Majesty on January 21, 2019 assigned Privy Councilor General Paiboon Koomchaya to present baskets of various items given by His Majesty to relatives of the monks killed in…
-
Mother and son killed after train collided with their pickup truck in Surat Thani
PHOTOS: fm91bkk A mother and a son have been killed after a train collided with a pickup truck in Surat Thani this morning. FM 91 Bangkok is reporting that the Tha Chana Police in Surat Thani were notified of the incident at a railway in Tha Chana. Police and rescue workers arrived at the scene where there were no barriers for…
-
Attacks in Thailand’s deep south – International coverage
Thailand’s southern insurgency, a long, protracted border and religious ‘war’, continues to rage with recent attacks getting more attention. This is partly due to the new targets with local schools getting caught in cross-fire and last Friday night’s killing of a temple abbot and another monk during prayers. The international media is now starting to provide greater coverage of one…
-
Thai PM condemns southern violence. Urges media to be ‘careful’ covering the story.
PHOTOS: The Nation Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has responded to escalating violence in the strife-torn South today by saying that the people behind the deadly attack at a temple in Narathiwat province on Friday night were seeking to ramp up attention given to the violence in the South to the international level and lure officials into conducting “forceful suppression”. “Those…
-
UPDATE: Narathiwat temple murders – Security increased while PM condemns shooting
PHOTO: Slain Abbot Phra Khru Prachote Rattanarak The national police chief is ordering police regional units in Narathiwat to ramp up security in the province to hunt down the culprits behind last night’s deadly attack at a temple. Police spokesman Pol Lt General Piya Uthayoh says the motive behind the attack on monks at Rattananuparb Temple in Sungai Padi district…
-
Human Rights Watch condemn Narathiwat temple murders as a war crime
PHOTOS: The Nation The cold-blooded attack on a Narathiwat temple, where two monks were gunned down last night, was “inhumane and barbaric”. Spokesman for the Defence Ministry, Lt General Kongcheep Tantrawanich, says that those behind the attack at Wat Rattananuparb in Sungai Padi district “showed no mercy”. “They prefer to use violence to make people fear for their own benefits…
-
Two monks killed in temple shooting at Narathiwat
PHOTO: The Nation “We believe that at least six assailants were involved in the shooting and are at large,” – police spokesman in the Su-ngai Padi district. Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has condemned the latest violence in southern province Narathiwat where two monks were gunned down and others injured last night (Friday). Narathiwat is Thailand’s southern-most province. Government spokesman Puttipong Bunnakun…
-
Students huddle under desks in Narathiwat as insurgents fight with soldiers
by Narong Nuansakul, Nakarin Chinworakamon Students huddled under desks and screamed in fear as they could hear guns being fired near their school in Narathiwat province, bordering the Malaysian border, yesterday. The gunfight erupted after rangers and police confronted a group of suspected insurgents in a rubber plantation nearby. One suspect was killed in the clash, and authorities believe other…
-
More dead whales along the southern Gulf coast
Two young Omura whales have been separately found on Songkhla’s beaches. They were probably from the same herd. The bodies had already started decomposing when they were found. Pak Tae Ra villagers in Ranote district alerted a regional maritime research centre that a big whale was found on the beach. The centre’s chief Suthep Juela-ong found the remains of an Omura…
-
Burmese human-trafficking suspect escapes from Songkhla police cell
PHOTOS: The Nation A Burmese suspect has broken free from a detention room at a police station in Songkhla today where he was detained pending a human trafficking investigation. Police say 27 year old Zaw Win somehow unlocked the padlock on the detention cell at the Bang Klam police station in Bang Klam district at about 7am this morning. A…
-
Six metre king cobra caught by rescue workers in Trang – VIDEO
VIDEO/PHOTOS: หน่วยกู้ภัยบรรเทาวังวิเศษ A 20 kilogram, 6 metres king cobra has been caught in Trang by rescue workers. 77 Kaoded news reports that Sikao Police in Trang were notified of the incident at a house at 4.45pm yesterday. Police decided it wasn’t quite in their work contract and contacted rescue workers who headed to the house. Sawai Kaewjuea, a rescue worker, led his…
-
Driver charged in Chumphon tour bus accident
PHOTOS: หน่วยกู้ภัยมูลนิธิชุมพร //บางหมาก 02 / MulnithiChumphrKarKuslSngKheaaH A tour bus driver has been charged for reckless driving after yesterday morning’s tour bus accident in Chumphon. 23 Filipino tourists escaped serious injury in the bus crash. The bus was travelling from Bangkok to Phuket. Read more about yesterday’s crash HERE. Thairath is reporting that the tour bus driver, 36 year old Taweesak Chitchuea from…
-
23 Filipino tourists escape serious injury in Bangkok – Phuket bus accident in Chumphon
PHOTOS: หน่วยกู้ภัยมูลนิธิชุมพร //บางหมาก 02 / MulnithiChumphrKarKuslSngKheaaH 23 Filipino tourists have escaped serious injury in a tour bus crash in Chumphon early this morning. The bus was travelling from Bangkok to Phuket. Chumphon rescue workers were notified of the incident on Phetkasem Road, southbound, at 4.30am this morning. Rescue workers arrived at the scene to find the Bangkok – Phuket tour bus in…
-
170K meth pills and 2 kg crystal meth seized in Hat Yai
PHOTOS: Hat Yai Police A man has been arrested with 170,000 methamphetamine pills and two kilograms of crystal methamphetamine in Hat Yai, Songkhla. A team from Hat Yai Police last week arrested 31 year old Watcharaphon ‘Pom’ Srinuanput at a rented room in Hat Yai. He was found with 170,000 methamphetamine pills and two kilograms of crystal methamphetamine inside his…
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.