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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Police investigating possible Thai links to Rohingya boatpeople marooned on Rawi Island
PHOTO: Thai PBS 65 Rohingya were discovered yesterday on Koh Rawi off the coast of Satun province, north-west of Malaysia’s Langkawi island, after their boat’s engine broke down on its way, presumably to Malaysia. One Thai national was identified amongst the group. Authorities are questioning the man into possible involvement in human trafficking. The boat was found 500 metres away from…
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Fishermen say they will protest fishing bans off Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand
Fishermen in Nakhon Si Thammarat are warning of mass protests against the provincial governor if he doesn’t act and allow them to fish legally in the seas off the provincial coast. The south Thailand fishermen say they’re being harassed by fishery officials. 500 local fishermen gathered yesterday to air their grievances to the newly elected Palang Pracharat MP for the…
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21 undocumented Burmese migrants found in Songkhla, alleged Thai trafficker arrested
FILE PHOTO: Malay Mail A Thai man has been arrested for allegedly trying to smuggle 21 undocumented Burmese migrants from Thailand’s south across the border into Malaysia. A resort in Tambon Patong of Songkhla’s Hat Yai district was searched by soldiers and police earlier today (Monday) and discovered five Burmese men and two women in two of the rooms. Their account…
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Little Marium growing up in a Dugong Thai nursery
Marium, an orphaned baby dugong found along the Krabi shore two months ago, will remain in the care of a dugong nursery on Koh Libong in Trang for at least six more months. ‘Marium’ means ‘beautiful woman of the sea’. Chaiyapruek Weerawong, head of the Koh Libong Wildlife Preserve, says the female dugong would then be released in the open…
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17 survive as minivan flips over in Phattalung, southern Thailand
PHOTOS: Pattaung Rescue 17 people have survived after a minivan flipped over in Phattalung in Thailand’s south. Phattalung rescue workers were notified of the incident on the Phattalung –Trang Road in Phattalung province this afternoon. The minivan was travelling from Songkhla to Trang at the time. Emergency responders arrived to find the overturned minivan in the middle of the road.…
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Baby dugong ‘Marium’ being cared for in Trang
PHOTOS: DMCR A baby dugong, which was found lost in Krabi two months ago, has been given the name ‘Marium’ and continues to be cared for at a dugong nursery in Trang. The baby dugong, found on a Krabi beach, was taken back to its home area in Trang, southern Thailand, on April 30. Read more about the wayward baby…
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Security stepped up for the end of Ramadan in Songkhla, Thailand
FILE PHOTO Police and troops are stepping up security in Songkhla and the southern province, especially the town of Hat Yai, ahead of the Eid al-Fitr festival – the end of the annual Ramadan – tomorrow (Wednesday). Today is the last day of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting. A security source said intelligence agencies believed Muslim insurgents would…
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Airports of Thailand open bidding for new duty free contracts at three airports
Airports of Thailand (AoT) says they will finalise the bidding process to announce who will manage the commercial areas at three provincial airports – Phuket, Had Yai and Chiang Mai – on June 10. King Power Duty Free has had a stranglehold on the duty free concession areas of the country’s four main airports but are having to bid for…
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30 False killer whales sighted of Koh Tao – VIDEO
PHOTO: DMCR VIDEO: Ban’s Diving Resort (Official Fan Page) About 30 of false killer whales sighted off Koh Tao, Surat Thani over the weekend. The Department of Marine and Coast Resources reported that they were notified from Ban’s Diving tours operator on Koh Tao that that they were on a speedboat with tourists just off the coast of Koh Tao.…
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Songkhla bus crashes, seven injured
PHOTO: Siam Rath News Seven passengers have been injured after a Phuket to Hat Yai bus skidded into a ditch and crashed on its side in Songkhla’s Rattaphum district early today. The accident happened on the Hat Yai-bound Asia highway Tambon Khuan Tai at 3am this morning. The bus was laying on its side with around 20 passengers trapped inside. Seven passengers…
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Suspect who killed ex-wife’s new husband in Phattalung, arrested at Phuket checkpoint
A suspect who killed his ex-wife’s new husband in Phattalung last Sunday has now been arrested at the Phuket checkpoint at the top of the island. 32 year old Ms Rattana Nookong, Kringkrai Kotchapan’s ex-wife, sustained injuries from Kringkrai’s gun shots. Kriengkrai also shot and killed 40 years old Mr Sarawut Srinoon, Ms Rattana’s new husband in Phattalung on May…
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Villagers taken in under martial law for questioning over Yala shoot-out, Southern Thailand
PHOTO: Charoon Thongnual Security officials have interrogated 18 people living near the site of this week’s clash between soldiers and suspected insurgents in Yala’s Yaha district. “They were brought in for questioning under martial law as authorities intend to go after the unidentified gunmen in Monday’s clash,” a source said yesterday. The Nation reports that the gunfight lasted several hours…
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OrBorTor president shot dead in Yala
PHOTOS: Work Point News An OrBorTor president in Yala’s Raman district has been fatally shot while riding his motorcycle home last night. Police say 55 year old Sama-ae Sama was shot on a main road in Moo 2 village in Tambon Tha Thong at 8.15pm. He was rushed to the Raman Hospital but died later. Police said Sama-ae was returning home…
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14 smuggled Burmese migrants rescued and alleged trafficker arrested
PHOTO: Bang Klam, Songkhla Immigration police in Songkhla have arrested an alleged Burmese human trafficker and rescued 14 smuggled Burmese from a rented house in Bang Klam district. Police arrested the alleged ring leader, 29 year old Aung Chanai, not far from the rented house on the Asia highway in Moo 4 village in Tambon Tha Chang where he allegedly…
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Woman killed, nine injured in seven-vehicle pileup in Nakhon Si Thammarat
A woman has died and nine others injured in a pileup involving four pick-up trucks, a sedan and two motorcycles on a road in Nakhon Si Thammarat this morning. Police say the accident happened at 9am on the Nakhon Si Thammarat-Pak Phanang road in front of the 17th regional office of the Government Saving Bank in Tambon Pak Nakhon, Muang…
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Ouch! Man falls from mango tree, ends up with metal rod through his testicles
PHOTO: Daily News Daily News reports that an iron rod, sitting under a mango tre,e had gone right through a man’s testicles after he fell from a mango tree in Nakorn Si Thammarat yesterday. The poor man, Piyapong, was fighting extreme pain as friends tried to keep him in consciousness with smelling salts. Meanwhile, according to the report, the Tai…
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Four southern islands to be closed to tourists during monsoon
PHOTO: Koh Kradan Four islands in the Haad Chao Mai National Park in Trang, southern Thailand, will be closed to tourists for four months starting June 1. The chief of the Haad Chao Mai national park, Narong Kong-iad, says that access to the park will be denied to tourist from June 1 to September 30 for “the nature to rehabilitate…
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Co-ordinated pipe bomb attacks in Yala injure five
FILE PHOTO Five Army troops and rangers have been injured after southern insurgents threw pipe bombs. Security officials say the incidents happened at three locations in Yala in what appears to be a co-ordinated incident. The commander of Muang Yala police station, Pol Col Narawee Binwaearong, says two insurgents on a motorcycle rode to a security checkpoint on the Siroros…
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Mother blames rescuers for damage to her car after trying to get her daughter out of the locked SUV
PHOTOS: Gimyong News Locals who tried to help a one year old baby who has was locked inside an SUV are being blamed as the mother claims they have caused scratches and damage to her car. Gimyong News is reporting that the incident happened at 7.30am today in Hat Yai Songkhla. A one year old girl was stuck inside a SUV…
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Nakhon Si Thammarat Police chief orders “shoot to kill” if necessary
PHOTO: Daily News A police chief in Nakhon Si Thammarat has told his police to shoot to kill if necessary as the hunt for a Thai man continues. Thanakorn Saiyut was described as “armed and dangerous” by Pol Col Suthat Songsayom of the Chawang police who said he wanted the man dead or alive. Nakhon Si Thammarat is just south of…
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Hat Yai’s annual balloon festival bursts into the skies above Songkhla
The International Balloon Festival at Hat Yai 2019 is on again this weekend as Songkhla’s provincial capital bursts into colour with larger-than-life characters. It started on May 10 at the Jiranakorn Stadium in Hat Yai and is sponsored by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT). The three-day festival of inflatable fun features 15 spectacular hot air balloons from Thailand and…
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15 car convoy arrested in Songkhla for petrol smuggling
Soldiers and customs officials have stopped and searched 15 vehicles heading north from Malaysia into Thailand smuggling petrol and diesel. Officials seized 5,100 litres of petrol and diesel allegedly being smuggled into Songkhla’s Sadao district this morning at the Tha Khoi-Padang Bezar border crossing from Malaysia. The drivers of the five cars and 10 pickup trucks were arrested on charges…
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Dangerous fake JW Whisky heading for BKK
FILE PHOTO Excise officials have busted a factory in Thailand’s far south that was mixing up brews of fake Johnny Walker Red and Black label whiskey. Police say the man behind the faux booze is a foreigner. The whiskey was described by officials as “very dangerous” for consumers and was on its way for Bangkok. They warned it could also end…
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Wanted militant killed during security forces raid in Pattani
PHOTOS: InnNews.co.th A wanted insurgent has been shot dead by security forces during a raid on a hideout in Pattani yesterday afternoon. Thai PBS reports that the victim was later identified as 37 year old Sarisan Amri who was the subject of five outstanding arrest warrants for his suspected involvement in a series of offences in southern province. About 100…
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Songkhla man accused of human trafficking of Burmese
FILE PHOTO A Songkhla man has been arrested for allegedly being a member of a human trafficking ring that has been smuggling Burmese migrants into Malaysia across the southern border. 60 year old Thammasak Boonyarit was arrested at a house in Songkhla’s Hat Yai district under an arrest warrant issued by the Chumphon Court. The arrest was made a day…
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Three metre king cobra caught in Trang – VIDEO
PHOTOS/VIDEO: Thai South News A three and a half metre king cobra has been caught in Trang, in southern Thailand. Thai South News reports that yesterday at 5pm rescue workers were notified that the king cobra had been found inside a toilet of a mosque in Palean, Trang. Rescue workers arrived at the scene to find the cobra hiding behind…
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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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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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Family alleging sex abuse of four of their children may be forced to move
PHOTOS: The Nation A family who who have made official reports alleging that four of their children were sexually abused by an ‘influential’ local man in Chumphon’s Lang Suan district, claim they are being harassed and may have to move. They claim that three female family members, aged 6, 10 and 14, and their 9 year old boy, were sexually assaulted…
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