Koh Samui
- Koh Samui News
Thailand marine officials look into building cruise ship terminal on Koh Samui
Marine officials in Thailand are looking into building a cruise ship terminal on Koh Samui, a popular Gulf of Thailand island off the Surat Thani coast. A terminal is considered to be more convenient and safe for travellers as, at the moment, cruise ships must anchor by the island and smaller boats transfer travellers to the island and back to…
- World News
Body of Australian cricket star Shane Warne flown home to Melbourne
The body of cricket legend Shane Warne has been flown out of Bangkok, landing in his native Melbourne yesterday. According to an AFP report, a private jet transported the body of the 52-year-old, who died of a heart attack last week while on holiday on Koh Samui. After an 8-hour flight, the chartered jet touched at Melbourne’s Essendon North airport…
- Thailand video news
Thailand News Today | Songkran will go ahead…but with what restrictions?
The Thai government says Covid ain’t stoppin’ this year’s Songkran celebrations but insists that disease prevention measures will need to be followed. What that means for the mass water fights that were emblematic of the pre-pandemic celebrations remains unclear for now. According to a, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has given the green light for interprovincial travel and “all related activities” over…
- Thailand video news
Thailand News Today | Thai govt assists Ukrainian and Russian tourists
The Thai government says over 7,000 Ukrainian and Russian tourists affected by flight cancellations will be allowed to extend their visas free of charge. It’s one of a number of measures officials are implementing to help visitors stranded as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Other measures potentially include offering shelter and access to a Chinese payment platform. The…
- Koh Samui News
Body of Australian cricket legend to be flown home following autopsy
Police on Koh Samui say the body of Australian cricket player, Shane Warne, will be flown home for a state funeral once the autopsy is completed. The 52-year-old was found dead at a villa on the island on Friday, a day after he arrived. The player is thought to have died of a heart attack. According to a Bangkok Post…
- World News
Ukrainian and Russian tourists in Thailand face problems with financial transactions, travel
Many Ukrainian and Russian tourists in Thailand have been facing problems with financial transactions and travel following measures launched by various countries banning and blocking services by Russian banks and close airspace to Russian aircraft. Having arrived in Thailand, in the thousands, during February, they’ve now found themselves somewhat stranded by both fallout from the international sanctions as well as…
- Thailand video news
Thailand News Today | Suspicions over Thai actress drowning
Many Thais are speculating that the drowning of the Thai TV actress Tangmo in the Chao Phraya River was not an accident and police now say they are going to use a lie detector during interrogations. Reports say the 37-year-old woman had gone to the back of the speedboat to urinate but had fallen in at around 10:40 pm Thursday…
- Crime News
Family works to appeal South African’s sentencing in Koh Samui drug trafficking case
The family of the young South African woman incarcerated at Thai prison for accepting a package of drugs have been working on an appeal. 22 year old Ashley Oosthuizen was sentenced to life in prison after she accepted a package of MDMA at the Koh Samui restaurant Hot in the Biscuit in late-2020. Her mother, Lynn Blignaut, told The Thaiger…
- Crime News
Renewed calls for justice for Koh Samui expat incarcerated on drug charges
Calls for justice have been renewed for an expat who was arrested on Koh Samui and now sits in Thai jail for drug charges. The young South African woman, Ashley Oosthuizen, was arrested after she reportedly accepted a package from a delivery person that contained MDMA. In a screenshot leaked online, the Koh Samui Provincial Court sentenced her to the…
- Koh Samui News
Central Festival Samui opens Covid test centre for Test & Go, Sandbox tourists
A Covid-19 testing centre has opened on Koh Samui to travellers entering under either the Sandbox or Test & Go travel schemes. Koh Samui Hospital and Bangkok Hospital Samui have teamed up with Central Festival Samui to open the “Samui Swab Centre” to offer convenient Covid-19 RT-PCT tests for tourists who are required to take two tests after entering Thailand.…
- Thailand News
Infected inmate escapee from Koh Samui Hospital surrenders, says he got hungry
The inmate infected with Covid-19 who escaped from Koh Samui Hospital has reportedly surrendered to police. Apparently, he turned himself in to police because he got hungry. With prisons and correctional facilities requiring a quarantine period for all new inmates, and with a number of them testing positive for Covid-19, there has been an increase in prisoner escapes, according to…
- Thailand News
Inmate with Covid-19 escapes from Koh Samui Hospital, officials set 20,000 baht bounty
There’s a 20,000 baht bounty for those who have information that will lead to the arrest of a Covid-infected inmate who escaped from Koh Samui Hospital. The news follows a statement from Thailand’s Justice Minister on an uptick of inmate escapes, particularly involving those who were in quarantine before being released into the prison population or at a hospital being…
- Phuket News
More lost tourists with Covid break Phuket quarantine for Samui
Police have yet to confirm whether they found several missing Russians – a single man and a separate couple – who left hotels in Phuket before finishing mandatory hotel quarantine periods only to be found to be positive for Covid-19. But the hunt for Covid-19 infected tourists is on yet again, as Phuket Tourist Police are looking for any information…
- Phuket News
Thailand adds three Sandbox destinations to take some pressure off Phuket
Aside from Phuket, vaccinated travellers can now travel to three prominent beach resorts in Thailand – Krabi, Phang Nga, and Koh Samui – under the Sandbox tourism programme, which allows foreign tourists to enter the kingdom without undergoing a strict and lengthy quarantine. With the Test & Go quarantine exemption scheme suspended indefinitely, allowing the three destinations to welcome foreign…
- Pattaya News
Yacht docked at Pattaya pier catches fire
A yacht docked in Pattaya caught fire today, sending a dark cloud of smoke billowing above buildings along the coast. The Shiraz yacht docked at the Ocean Marina Yacht Club caught fire at around 10:58am today. It took firefighters 30 minutes to control the flames. Firefighters are still investigating, but the cause is suspected to be a short circuit. The…
- Thailand News
Surat Thani islands, Krabi, Phang Nga approved for Sandbox scheme starting January 11
With the Test & Go quarantine exemption scheme suspended indefinitely, more areas have been approved to welcome travellers under the Sandbox programme, which allows those who are fully vaccinated to enter and stay in a designated area or province rather than undergoing quarantine at a hotel or facility. Starting January 11, travellers can register to enter Thailand through the Sandbox…
- Environment News
Prachuap Khiri Khan, Koh Samui beaches have the cleanest water
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has just completed their 2021 Environmental Quality Audit of Thailand, and Prachuap Khiri Khan and Koh Samui dominated the list of cleanest sea water beaches. All top 5 beaches with the cleanest sea water were in the Gulf of Thailand. The best seawater was one of 4 categories assessed by the study, which…
- Koh Samui News
Samui businesses call for Test & Go to be reinstated and to be included in sandbox
Tourism operators on Koh Samui are urging the government to reconsider the suspension of the Test & Go entry scheme. Operators are also asking for a sandbox programme for Samui, demanding to know why this is currently limited to Phuket only. According to a Pattaya News report, operators have cited multiple cancellations of hotel bookings from foreign tourists who had…
- Tourism News
Koh Samui, Phangan and Tao see uptick in holiday tourists
While tourism is still far below the levels of 2019 before the Covid-19 pandemic, it was showing an uptick before the Omicron variant drove government officials to cancel the Test & Go scheme that avoided any significant quarantine and which brought the vast majority of tourists since launching in November. But while tourism has been tepid, Koh Samui, Koh Phangan,…
- Covid-19 News
Escaped Israeli officially cleared of Covid-19, now faces prosecution
The good news is: you don’t have Covid-19. The bad news: you’re being sent to police custody. In the most recent twist to the case of an Israeli tourist who entered Thailand on Friday and snuck off before receiving his Covid-19 test only to be diagnosed with Omicron as a nationwide manhunt ensued, the man has now been determined to…
- Covid-19 News
Israeli who escaped with Covid-19 now in custody in Koh Samui
After a national manhunt was launched to track him down, a 29 year old Israeli tourist who escaped his arrival hotel before his positive Covid-19 test results came back has turned himself in on the island of Koh Samui. The man had landed in Bangkok December 17 and had left before his test results arrived confirming that he had the…
- Koh Samui News
Koh Samui tourism officials, businesses call on government to open Sandbox registration
The Phuket Sandbox is now the only quarantine substitution programme open for registration, but those on the Gulf of Thailand island Koh Samui are calling on the government to allow the Samui Sandbox scheme to continue as usual. Since the government’s announcement yesterday on closing registration for the Test & Go quarantine exemption scheme and the Sandbox scheme, with the…
- Events
The Christmas scene on shiny, sparkly Samui
Are you looking to celebrate Christmas in Koh Samui? The magical Gulf of Thailand island features an expat community that makes sure to bring a slice of home with them, especially during the holidays. Here, we have a list of venues that are offering Christmas celebrations that may include fine dining and Santa’s grotto for the little ones. At The…
- Thailand News
“Sandbox” entry scheme to remain at 7 days, CCSA reverses move to cut down stay
The period of stay under the “sandbox” entry scheme will continue to be seven days. The CCSA approved to cut the period down to five days but tightened measures after the emergence of the Omicron variant. Under the entry scheme, travellers who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 can enter and roam freely in a designated province or area, such as…
- Covid-19 News
Koh Samui Airport scrutinising international arrivals for Omicron
After the emergence of the Omicron variant, the first international flight arriving at Samui Airport on Koh Samui faced increased scrutiny. All passengers have been strictly screened as airport employees were instructed to thoroughly check incoming international passengers to curb the possible spread of the new Covid-19 variant. The first international flight to arrive at Koh Samui Airport was from…
- Sponsored
Siam Seaplane makes getting to your destination so much easier
Sponsored Article There’s an innovative new company that is going to drastically reduce the time required to get to your holiday destination and get to those hard to get to beach resorts in the Land of Smiles. Siam Seaplane will offer Thailand’s first premium amphibious seaplane service, providing faster, easier and seamless access to waterfront locations such as resorts, and…
- Thailand Weather Updates
Heavy rain and landslide cause villas at Koh Samui resort to collapse
Heavy rain and landslides caused several villas at a resort on Koh Samui to collapse on Saturday. Torrential rain over the past several days flooded several areas on the island and, according to weather reports, rain is expected to continue for the next few days. The landslide hit the Merit Resort Samui early Saturday morning. The resort’s general manager described…
- Transport News
New ferry route Chon Buri-Songkhla, new speedboat Chumphon-Samui
Several new ferry services are launching to connect Thailand, with a long-haul route from Chon Buri to Songkhla and a new boat service launching from Chumphon to the islands of Ko Samui, Koh Phangan, and Koh Tao. The new routes will be run by Seahorse Ferries Company for the cross country route, and Marine Passion through the islands. CHON BURI…
- Press Room
Cryptocurrency is now accepted at Silavadee Pool Spa Resort in Koh Samui
Press Release Silavadee Pool Spa Resort becomes the First Resort in Koh Samui to accept Cryptocurrency. Koh Samui, 2021 – Silavadee Pool Spa Resort is becoming the first resort in Koh Samui to accept cryptocurrency for hotel bookings worldwide. Miss Chonlada Soonthonvasu, Managing Director of Silavadee Pool Spa Resort said, “As the popularity of online booking channels grows, people are…
- Crime News
Police arrest British man in Koh Samui for marijuana
A British man on Koh Samui was arrested by immigration police for illegal possession and use of marijuana, according to the provincial immigration police chief. Police say that 32 year old Paul Mathew Kennedy was arrested on Monday at his home in Moo 5 in tambon Bophut. Immigration police say an informant tipped them off to Kennedy, accusing him of…
