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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Ranger killed in Pattani roadside bomb ambush
One ranger has been killed after southern insurgents detonated a roadside homemade bomb to ambush his patrol unit in Pattani’s Panare district this morning. Police say the attack happened at 10.20am on the main road in Ban Rawor village in Tambon Krawa. 34 year old Ranger Damrong Thong-u was killed by the blast. Police say the explosion occurred when Damrong…
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49 passengers on Bangkok-Phuket bus as it skids off road in Surat Thani
PHOTOS: Newshawk Phuket An express bus which was traveling from Bangkok to Phuket has skidded off the road in Surat Thani. 49 passengers escaped injury following the wayward bus careering off the main road into roadside gravel and bushes. Newshawk Phuket reports that, at 7.47am this morning, a bus travelling from Bangkok heading to Phuket skidded off the road in…
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12 women rescued from human trafficking ring at Malaysia border
Officials have raided a karaoke bar in Narathiwat’s Sungai Kolok district, on the Malaysian border, rescuing 12 Lao women from prostitution. The raid against the Relax Pub in the border town was carried out at 8.30pm last night by officials from the Provincial Administration Department and DSI (Department of Special Investigation), as well as staff of an international non-governmental organisation.…
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Baby dugong rescued in Krabi, taken back to its Trang home – VIDEO
PHOTOS/VIDEO: DMCR A baby dugong, found on a Krabi beach, has been taken back to its home. The Department of Marine and Coastal Resources is reporting that yesterday the dugong was taken back to its home in Trang. “The dugong is aged around two to three years old. It is 120 centimetres long. No wounds were found on the dugong.…
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One killed, two injured in Pattani shootings
One person has been killed and two others injured during two separate shootings in Pattani province on Thursday night. In Sai Buri district, a 24 year old Narathiwat-based paramilitary ranger volunteer Pathompong Kaewthong and his 22 year old wife Nureehan Dengla, were shot and wounded in Tambon Kadunong while riding home on their motorcycle after shopping at a local market.…
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Boat carrying a Bangkok school group sinks at Chumpon pier
A boat carrying up to 40 schoolchildren has sunk after hitting underwater rocks next to a pier in Chumpon province last Monday. The vessel “Mattha” was carrying around 50 people, including the group from a school in Bangkok on a snorkelling day trip around the nearby islands. But when the boat returned later in the day, the tide was out…
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Five metre king cobra caught in Trang – VIDEO
PHOTOS/VIDEO: Trang DDPM (Kantang) / Rak Trang News / Maetee Mueangkaew A five metre king cobra has been caught in Trang, in southern Thailand, yesterday. 74 year old Amphon Srisombat, a resident at a house in Kantang district, Trang, called staff at the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation to explain that the king cobra was inside her house. A DDPM…
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Chumpon plantation owner faces accusations of child sex abuse
“Jan said ‘Surin’ often took her daughter to his home. When the girl was seven years old, however, it was revealed that ‘Surin’ had allegedly molested or raped her over the previous five years.” In the latest in a string of serious child abuse cases, relatives of the alleged victims, in this case three girls aged 6, 10 and 14…
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Coral in Trang extensively damaged after tourist influx over Songkran
PHOTOS: Prueg Ubonkerd Tourists during Songkran have caused extensive damage to coral in the national park area of Trang, south of Thailand. Matichon Online reports that the damage was caused by the tourist numbers overwhelming the area during the week-long Songkran break. Many boats have dropped their anchors onto the fragile underwater area or tied ropes around corals as there…
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SUV catches fire sitting in Trang’s hot sun
PHOTOS: Earn Benjakun A SUV has caught fire while it was parked in the hot southern sun in Trang over the weekend. Fire fighters in Trang were notified of the burning SUV in Yan Ta Khao District in Trang at 2pm on Sunday. Fire fighters arrived to find the SUV ablaze. It took about 15 minutes to control the fire.…
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Pattani smuggler arrested with over 10,000 packets of illegal cigarettes
A man has been arrested in Pattani’s Mayo district after trying to smuggle 10,802 packets of foreign cigarettes. Police and Excise Department chief Itthipol Liabyainak announced the arrest of Yaman Pohleng, the owner of a grocery store in Tambon Sakhor Bon. Itthipol says the joint operation by Excise officials and border patrol police was carried out following tips-off that Yaman had…
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Phuket taxi slams into tree in Phattalung
PHOTOS: Phattalung Rescue Two people have sustained serious injuries after a Phuket taxi slammed into a tree in Phattalung last night. Phattalung rescue workers were notified of the accident in Mueang Pattalung District at 7.57pm last night (Sunday). They arrived at the scene to find the Phuket registered taxi resting in front of the big tree on the side of…
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Eight fishing tour boats destroyed at southern pier
PHOTOS: The Nation A fire has destroyed eight tourist fishing boats in Satun province earlier today. Police report that the fire broke out at the Pak Bara pier and spread quickly from a fishing boat to seven other adjacent boats. The boats were used to take tourists out to fish in the sea. The pier is the take-off point for…
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Boonrod gets his own Facebook page – VIDEO
Boonrod, the dog rescued this week from an oil rig the middle of the Gulf of Thailand, can now show off his own Facebook page with more than 6,000 followers. Launched just yesterday, Boonrod บุญรอดหมาอ่าวไทย (Boonrod Gulf of Thailand dog), has Facebook user Vitisak Payalaw serving as an administrator. The rescue of the tan-coloured dog, named Boonrod (“Survivor” in Thai) by oil…
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Village leader killed in Yala in an insurgent ambush
FILE PHOTO An assistant village headman has been ambushed and shot dead in Yala’s city district just after midnight today (Wednesday). 53 year old Sakariya Waemamah was killed on the main village road in Ban Taseh village at about 12.05am while riding home on his motorcycle. Police found 23 spent shells from an M16 assault rifle and two spent shells…
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‘Boonrod’ plucked out of the Gulf of Thailand, 220 kilometres offshore
The story of a lucky dog. But how did he get there? by Nicola Stow via VIRAL PRESS Workers onboard a Thai oil rig noticed a dog’s head poking above the ripples as she was paddling around the Gulf of Thailand on Friday. The rig was 22o kilometers off the coast of Songkhla. It’s understood the Aspin dog, named Boonrod (Thai for…
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“Racial profiling and xenophobic” – a rant against Dual Pricing
“Yet another example of Thailand’s racial profiling and xenophobia towards foreigners.” A post by ‘Despondant Foreigner’ on ThaiVisa has again brought up the ongoing saga of dual-pricing. Dual-pricing is the difference in entry fees, or even some restaurant prices, between ‘locals’ and expats, foreigners and ‘farang’. The rules are applied in a lumpy fashion at various tourist hot spots around…
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Police officer and wanted insurgent shot in Songkhla clash
One policeman has been injured along with an alleged insurgent when troops and southern insurgents clashed in Songkhla’s Sabayoi district today. The exchange of gunfire happened at 10:30am this morning when troops and police reportedly searched for suspects in Ban Long Khuan village in Tambon Khuha. The team received a tipoff that December 26’s Khuan Niang district bombing suspects might…
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Four dead in Narathiwat minivan accident – PHOTOS
PHOTOS: Mettatham Rescue Foundation Four people are dead after a minivan collision in Narathiwat early today. The Mettatham Rescue Foundation reports that they were notified of the accident early this morning in Bajoh, Narathiwat, in the far south of Thailand. The minivan was carrying 12 teachers from a school in Narathiwat, from Malaysia back to the border province. Four people died…
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Four kilograms of marijuana found in delivery pickup in Nakhon Si Thammarat
PHOTOS: Infantry Division 5 A parcel delivery driver has been found with four kilograms of marijuana in his Kerry Express pickup truck in Nakhon Si Thammarat. The Infantry Division 5 reports that while soldiers from the Infantry Division 5 were on their duty at a normal checkpoint in Chulabhon District, they stopped a pickup truck doing parcel deliveries. They found…
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No sign of concrete policies for conflict in the far South
by Don Pathan Parties offer few if any answers for a 15 year old deadly insurgency that successive governments have failed to quell. Peace and conflict have never been significant parts of any political party platform in Thailand. This is because a sustainable solution calls for long-term commitment to a policy that could prove to be politically costly. Lasting peace requires…
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Dead dugong washed up on Trang Beach
PHOTOS: DNP A dead dugong which was washed up on a beach in Trang today has been sent to Phuket Marine Biological Centre for further examination. The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation reports that Chaiyapruek Weerapong, the head of Mu Koh Libong Non-Hunting Area in Trang was notified that the dugong was washed up on the beach…
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Massive petrol smuggling network uncovered in South
by Krissana Thiwatsirikul PHOTO: Facebook/Thai News Agency Thirteen people have been arrested following the largest seizure of smuggled petrol in the South in years. Soldiers and paramilitary rangers intercepted 290,000 litres of petrol being smuggled at a pier in Nakhon Si Thammarat’s Tha Sala district after a stake-out this morning. Customs and excise officials inspected the petrol and vehicles before handing…
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3 wounded in explosion at Narathiwat border defence unit
Three security officials have been injured in the latest bout of southern violence when armed militants attacked a border defence unit’s base near the Kolok River in the Tak Bai district in the southern province of Narathiwat on the Thai/Malaysian border. Several houses and cars nearby were also damaged by the powerful IED (improvised explosive device). Initial reports have revealed that a group of about 6 militants opened fire at the base with automatic weapons, followed by…
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Bryde’s whale family sighted off Chumphon coast – VIDEO
PHOTOS: กรีน นำเที่ยว ดำน้ำเกาะเวียง A family of three Bryde’s whales has been sighted off Chumphon in the Gulf of Thailand. The Department of Marine and Coastal Resources is reporting that a family of three Bryde’s whales was sighted between Koh Weng and Koh Rang off the Chumphon coast. There were two mature Bryde’s whales and a baby Bryde’s whale calf.…
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Monk run over during alms rounds outside Chumphon temple
by Thanongsak Supakan A monk has been hit and killed by a speeding pickup truck in Chumphon this morning. He was making his alms rounds at the time. Police and rescue workers were called to the scene on Pathiu-Chumphon Road in front of Wat Laem Yang (Luang Por Khien) in Pathiu district around 4.30am. The 42 year old pickup driver Apiwan…
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Cabinet supports bid for southern ‘Nora’ dance to be included in UNESCO heritage list
“The Thai government will nominate Nora at UNESCO’s upcoming meeting. “Nora, a southern traditional dance, has been given the nod to seek a place on UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage representatives list.The Culture Ministry has been striving to preserve the unique Thai dance after ‘Khon’, the masked dance drama, was registered on the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list at a…
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“Nothing to do with the election” – Deputy PM Prawit
Senior government security officials are claiming the series of bomb blasts last weekend in the southern provinces of Phatthalung and Satun are related to insurgency activities in the predominantly Muslim region. They say there is no connection with the upcoming election and that the timing is just co-incidence. The South has been racked by violence from an ongoing insurgency since…
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Bank evasive after 91 year old claims 5 million baht removed from his account
A 91 year old land owner and farmer in Chumpon claims that he’s had 5 million baht ‘taken’ from one of his bank accounts. Daily News reports that Thon Brahmjan from Tha Kham district had been to the bank, the police and government consumer watchdog Damrongtham Centre at the end of last year after the 5 million baht went missing…
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47 year old shot dead in Narathiwat over drug conflict
A man was shot and killed in Narathiwat last night over an alleged drug-trafficking conflict. Police believe the death is not part of the southern insurgency that has continues to plague Thailand’s deep South for more than a decade. “But the killers may want to disguise their crime as a security case,” according to police. The shooting was reported to…
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