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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Sponsored 5 ways retirees in Thailand lose money (and how to stop it)
Retiring in Thailand can be affordable and enjoyable, but many retirees lose money due to common mistakes. High living costs, scams, and unexpected expenses can quickly drain savings. There are five ways that retirees in Thailand can lose money and...
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Trang mayor’s body found five kilometres from scene of fatal accident
Following a Christmas Day road incident where a white Mitsubishi SUV was seen plunging into a canal, rescue workers have recovered the body of the mayor of Nakhon Trang five kilometres from the scene of the crash. The Nation reports that CCTV footage shows the car being driven at high speed before running off the road and plunging into the…
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CCTV footage from Thai prison posted on Youtube live – VIDEO
It’s no secret that Thai prisons are a place you should avoid. Cramped, dangerous, hot, unsanitary. Even the notorious Bang Kwang Central Prison in Bangkok has earned the name ‘Bangkok Hilton’, mocking its less-than-confortable living conditions. Now some leaked CCTV footage from a prison in Chumpon, southern Thailand, has been leaked and shared on YouTube. Channel 31 reporting of the footage below……
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Solar eclipse today across Thailand. Here’s how to watch it.
CAUTION: Looking at the sun directly and without proper equipment is dangerous and can cause blindness. Read more, along with some guidelines for viewing the solar eclipse, HERE. How it will look in your area below… The skies will darken across Thailand around midday today. The further south you are, the darker it will get as the moon moves over…
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Villages fed up with living with dirty water in Phattalung
PHOTOS: INN News Imagine living with dirty tap water for four years. In a country like Thailand, in 2019, that’s not intolerable. But if you live in an unfortunate village in Phattalung, that’s the current situation. Villagers in Tamot District, Phatthalung, southern Thailand, have expressed their complaints after living with dirty tap water for years. The villagers have approached the…
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British diver found dead at cave site in Nakhon Si Thammarat
A British diver has been found dead at a popular diving site in Nakhon Si Thammarat, southern Thailand. The 60 year old British man was identified as Roger Matthew Smith, a resident of Thailand. Authorities confirm he was still wearing his diving gear when his body was found at Talay Songhong in the westernmost section of the province. Police say there…
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Over 30,000 displaced in Narathiwat floods, southern Thailand
Out of almost nowhere, and amidst a looming drought for many parts of the country, heavy rains have left flooded areas in Narathiwat, in Thailand’s deep south, displacing over 30,000 people. Soldiers, government officials and volunteers yesterday rushed to the assistance of 37,171 people hit by unseasonal floods in five districts of the southern Thai province, according to Thai Rath.…
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Army promises investigation after three civilians shot and killed
PHOTO: Villagers carry the body of one of the three men killed by government forces on Wednesday, from the Tawae mountains in Narathiwat – Benar News The army has promised a full and fair investigation after three unarmed men were shot dead by security forces in mountains around Narathiwat province, southern Thailand, on Monday. Pornsak Poolsawat, Thailand’s southern army commander, originally…
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Swedish national still missing in Bangkok
A Hat Yai woman has asked for police help in locating her Swedish husband, who went missing shortly after they arrived in Thailand from Stockholm last Thursday. 55 year old Begt Erik Gustafsson, a welder, allegedly left with a friend and hasn’t been seen heard from since. Sixty-five year old Amphorn Maksomboon filed a missing person report with Hat Yai…
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14 year old arrested as gunman in Yala murder
PHOTO: Facebook/Krpoliceyala A 14 year old boy is accused of shooting a forestry official in the southern Thai province of Yala, according to police who arrested three suspects on Saturday, including the alleged mastermind. Authorities say the killing was planned by 34 year old Arseesa Kamae, an accountant who worked for the victim. She allegedly hired 33 year old Treenaphat…
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Teacher arrested for death of twins who stole his limes in Phattalung
PHOTO: Assawin Pakkawan A 55 year old teacher has been arrested for the murder of twin brothers who, according to the police report, stole limes (lemons) from his farm in Phatthalung Province, southern Thailand. Police announced the arrest of Madyusup Chaisukkho, an English teacher at a public school in Pak Phayun district, for the deaths of 31 year old Manop Khongchan…
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High winds, strong waves harm southern fishing businesses
PHOTO: Sumeth Panpetch Fishermen in the Ranot district of Songkhla province in southern Thailand, are struggling to make a living as strong winds and waves of three to five metres in height continue to batter the southern Gulf coast. The Nation reports that dangerous conditions in the Gulf of Thailand have been preventing local fishermen from going to sea for…
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Strong winds topple power poles in Prachuap Khiri Khan
PHOTO: Chaiwat Satyaem Strong winds have knocked down four high-voltage poles in the south-central province of Prachuap Khiri Khan, damaging roadside shops and buildings. The disruption damaged local power and electrical appliances in many homes in the Pran Buri district, south of Hua Hin, on Saturday. The damage happened whilst the Thai Meteorological Department was issuing more warnings of strong winds in…
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‘Ice’ thief set on fire by her own family in southern Thailand
PHOTO: Chiang Rai Times A woman is recovering in hospital in Hat Yai, southern Thailand, after being set on fire by family members who accused her of stealing 300 grams of crystal methamphetamine (ice) from them. The Chiang Rai Times reports that Malai Chumpraman, aged 50, earns money as a scrap metal collector. Her husband is serving time for drugs…
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Chinese man arrested trying to exit Thailand with fake Thai passport and ID
PHOTO: Immigration Police Fake ID – check. Fake passport – check. Able to speak Thai – Doh! Immigration officials in Sadao, on the souther Thai border with Malaysia, have busted a Chinese man as he attempted to leave the country using a fake Thai passport and ID card. Thai Residents reports that the man claimed to be a 47 year…
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Police shoot and kill major meth trafficker in Nakhon Si Thammarat
PHOTOS: Chiang Rai Times A Burmese drug trafficker has been shot dead in a gunfight with police in the southern province of Nakhon Si Thammarat. The ambush was the result of a sting after police pretended to be buyers. Authorities raided a house rented by the suspect and found a tablet press, 11 kilograms of methamphetamine powder, 500,000 ‘speed’ pills…
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Man confesses to stabbing murder of ex-girlfriend in Songkhla
PHOTO: Assawin Pakkawan A 26 year old teacher has surrendered to police and confessed to the murder of his ex-girlfriend. She was found stabbed to death in her car in Songkhla province, southern Thailand, on Thursday. The violent murder, on the Koh Taeo-Sam Kong road in tambon Koh Taeo was reported to police in the morning. The blood-stained body of…
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Two suspects in Yala’s November 5 deadly attacks, shot and killed
Authorities have shot and killed two men suspected in deadly attacks in southern Thailand earlier this month. Fifteen people, mostly volunteers, staffing a security checkpoint in Yala province were shot and killed when it was ambushed by gunmen. A day after the attacks, PM Prayuth Chan-o-cha authorised curfews in nine districts of Southern Thailand. The two suspected leaders of local insurgent cells…
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4,000 chickens buried alive in Thailand’s south
WARNING: Some readers will find the story upsetting PHOTOS: Khaosod An upsetting video was been posted online showing almost 4,000 chickens being destroyed by being buried alive. They were thrown in one by one into a pit filled with mud. Many Netizens slammed the authorities saying this is extremely cruel and questioned whether it was necessary to deal with the…
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Security forces kill two suspected insurgents in Thailand’s south
Two men suspected of being Islamic insurgents have been shot dead by security forces in Pattani, southern Thailand. The two militants were believed to be members of the National Revolutionary Front, Thai PBS World reports that officials received a tip-off that the men were hiding out at a property in Khlong Tan Yong. The house was surrounded by the military…
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Roadside bomb injures 3 police in Narathiwat
PHOTO: A similar roadside bomb attack in Narathiwat on July 16 this year. – Bangkok Post Three policemen have been injured, one of them seriously, by a bomb believed to have been planted by insurgents in the southern border province of Narathiwat. The three officers were part of a team of six traffic police deployed at a checkpoint. The bomb was…
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Yala’s “Suicide judge” moved to Chiang Mai
PHOTO: prachatai.com The Southern judge who made headlines for shooting himself in court over alleged ‘interferences’ in a case, has been transferred. Following his recovery, Judge Khanakorn Pianchana was transferred to the Research Justice Division in Chiang Mai, according to the Court of Justice. A probe has also been ordered to see if he broke any disciplinary codes. The transfer comes…
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More rare and endangered species found in southern Thailand
PHOTO: brucekekule.com More protected and rare animals have been found in the Khlong Saeng Wildlife Research Station in Surat Thani, southern Thailand, an area already famous for its virgin forests and rich natural diversity. The Chief of the station, Kriangsak Sribuarod, says a wildlife survey during September and October this year found new animals, never before seen around the sanctuary.…
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Two killed, granddaughter wounded, in southern Thailand drive-by shooting
SCREENCAPTURE: Channel 8 A couple have been shot and killed, and their granddaughter wounded, during a drive-by shooting in the southern province of Yala. Thai media report that the couple were the parents of a local police sergeant, Surakarn Khunkaew. The attack took place in Mae Lan district of Pattani on Friday. Police found the bodies of Anukul Khunkaew and…
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Cooler in the north, more rain for the south
The north of Thailand is in for some thundershowers from today and for the next two days, as a result of another high-pressure system from China that is currently over the region. The showers will be followed by a further dip in temperatures and strong winds, according to a forecast issued by the Thailand Meteorological Department. Temperatures in the north…
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Six suspects detained for questioning over Yala massacre
ORIGINAL PHOTO: Reuters More than 200 troops and police conducted searches in Thailand’s southern border provinces on Friday night, looking for suspects in Tuesday’s brutal attack in Yala Province that killed 15. Nine suspects were arrested, but three were released shortly after checks showed they had no prior connections with the insurgency or criminal records. The rest were detained for…
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Army clarifies curfew rumours for districts in Southern Thailand
PHOTO: New Straits Times The army says now that won’t upgrade the curfew in the troubled deep South following an attack that killed 15 people on Tuesday night. A spokesman for the Internal Security Operations Command says, contrary to some news reports, no curfew would be imposed at this stage. He says the Army is urging people not to panic.…
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Thailand’s south has partial curfew imposed from December 1
PHOTO: Sumeth Panpetch, Associated Press The government has confirmed that a partial curfew will be put in place for Thailand’s Deep South for one year from December 1. The announcement follows Tuesday night’s deadly attack by insurgents on a checkpoint in Yala when 15 people were killed. The three southern Thai provinces that border Malaysia remain a hotbed of Islamic militant…
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Ranger stabbed by attacker linked to southern Thailand insurgents
PHOTO: Thai PBS World A paramilitary ranger remains in a critical condition in hospital after he was stabbed by a man who tried, unsuccessfully, to steal his service rifle. The man was quickly subdued by another ranger. The attacker reportedly died following the incident. The scuffle took place yesterday near Ban Suwo defence outpost in Narathiwat. It was reported that…
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Thailand’s south in mourning after insurgent attack killed 15 in Yala
Thailand’s south is grappling with grief after 15 people died in an insurgent attack in the southern province of Yala on Tuesday night. Those who died were mostly defence volunteers, manning a security checkpoint in Yala – sitting ducks for the much-better organised and resourced southern insurgents. The south, accustomed to attacks from militant groups for nearly two decades, has been…
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Volunteer village guard system in Thailand’s south up for review after Tuesday’s deadly attack
PHOTO: Facebook/Yala ToDay The village guard system, used as part of the local volunteer security in the Deep South of Thailand, is set to be completely reviewed, or replaced by a more mobile system where village defence volunteer units will be on regular patrol to seek insurgents, instead of being a “sitting duck”. 15 volunteers and villages were killed after…
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