Narathiwat

  • South Thailand News

    Both sides in Thailand’s Southern Insurgency agree to 40 day ceasefire

    The Thai government and the most influential rebel group in Southern Thailand have agreed to stop violence for 40 days, from April 3 – May 14, for the holy month of Ramadan and the Songkran holidays. For the first time in the decades-long conflict, unarmed rebels will be allowed to visit their families during Ramadan. The agreement was made at…

  • South Thailand News

    Pumice from volcanic eruption found on southern beaches off Gulf of Thailand

    Locals who live near the beaches of Songkhla and other southern districts along the Gulf of Thailand have found numerous small pumice stones that are believed to be from a volcanic eruption. No one knows where these spongy greyish-green stones came from. They were discovered along the shoreline in various locations, including Chalathat and Samila beaches, and other major tourist…

  • South Thailand News

    Ununiformed checkpoint police face charges for shooting at truck

    5 young men left a camping trip outside Ban Phikunthong village in Narathiwat to run to town to grab some food at a 24-hour convenience store. As they were driving through Muang district they approached 3 men dressed in street clothes signalling them to pull over. Unsure of what they wanted in the middle of the night, and with no…

  • South Thailand News

    Bomb in Narathiwat explodes, monks and soldiers unharmed

    In the Deep South province of Narathiwat bordering on Malaysia, a bomb exploded this morning, with 2 monks and 2 soldiers narrowly escaping harm. The explosion took place early this morning on the side of the road in Rueso district of the province that often sees violence and bombings from local insurgents. As is common for Buddhist monks in Thailand,…

  • South Thailand News

    Six gunmen attack police vehicle in Deep South, two officers injured

    Six gunmen reportedly fired shots at a police pickup truck in the Deep South province Narathiwat, injuring two officers before pouring petrol on the vehicle and setting it on fire. The region near the Malaysian border is prone to violence related to the religious separatist insurgency. The officers were driving from the Si Sakhon district police station to Narathiwat Court…

  • South Thailand News

    Senior health official says South must move to Pfizer only to tackle Covid-19 outbreak

    A senior health official in the southern province of Songkhla says the region must move to Pfizer vaccines only, in order to combat a surge in Covid-19 infections. According to a Nation Thailand report, Dr Papon Deechaisit is proposing a move from mixing Sinovac and AstraZeneca to using Pfizer for both doses. There has been a concerning spike in infections…

  • Covid-19 News

    10 provinces on Ministry of Public Health Covid-19 watchlist

    After surges in local Covid-19 infections, the Ministry of Public Health has added 10 provinces to its watchlist to be closely monitored. The 4 Deep South provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani, Songkhla, and Yala were added to the list, as well as Chanthaburi, Nakhon Ratchasima, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Ratchaburi, Rayong, and Tak. While some provinces have already implemented their own tighter…

  • South Thailand News

    Violence continues between military and insurgents in Thailand’s deep south

    The fighting between the military and insurgents in the Southern border provinces of Thailand continues. Yesterday the Thai military killed a suspected insurgent after a shootout in a peat swamp in the Bacho district of Narathiwat, a province on Thailand’s southern border. This marks the sixth insurgent killed in the area in the last week. A combined force of Thai…

  • Covid-19 News

    High Covid-19 infections in the Deep South fuel lockdown fears

    The Deep South of Thailand, particularly Songkhla and Pattani, has seen a surge in Covid-19 infections, prompting calls for action and fears of lockdowns to come. Covid-19 clusters have been mainly centred in factories and businesses, with outbreaks traced to a wedding banquet and a barbecue restaurant, but some cases are still crossing provincial lines into the southern provinces. Chana,…

  • South Thailand News

    Covid infections climbing in South, officials say curve should flatten within a month

    The Public Health Ministry says that while Covid-19 infections are rising in the south of the country, numbers are expected to level off within a month. According to a Bangkok Post report, Dr Thongchai Lertwilairattanapong says the Delta variant accounts for around 30% of infections in the region, although the Beta variant is more prevalent in Yala, Pattani, Narathiwat, and…

  • South Thailand News

    Infections rise in “Deep South,” top health official to assess the situation

    As Covid-19 infection rates rise in Thailand’s four southern provinces near the Malaysian border, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has ordered Public Health Permanent Secretary to visit and assess the situation, a government spokesperson said yesterday. The prime minister has asked that the situation be brought under control within the next two months. According to the CCSA, the four border provinces, known…

  • South Thailand News

    Four suspected insurgents on the run killed in clash with “Deep South” soldiers

    In the “Deep South” province Narathiwat, four suspected insurgents were killed in a gunfire exchange with soldiers on Sunday and an army officer was killed in another clash with insurgents the night before, according to the Bangkok Post. Reports say the insurgents killed in the incident were all wanted on court warrants, most of them facing charges for deadly attacks.…

  • South Thailand News

    Train that was bombed over the weekend in Southern Thailand resumes service

    A freight train that was bombed and experienced gunfire over the weekend in Southern Thailand is back up and running. The bomb exploded as the train was passing through Narathiwat on the Bangkok- Sungai Kolok route Saturday at around 12:30pm. Gunshots were fired at one carriage. The explosion damaged the train and the rail track, but luckily no one was injured…

  • South Thailand News

    Bomb rocks train en route to Bangkok from the Deep South

    This afternoon a bomb exploded on a train bound for Bangkok as it was departing the Deep South province of Narathiwat. The explosion rocked a freight car, obliterating the wooden floor of the train and spilling its cargo onto the runway. The train had departed the Su-ngai Kolok district of Narathiwat heading for Bangkok, and had only travelled about 40…

  • South Thailand News

    Off-duty volunteer ranger shot and killed in Narathiwat

    An off-duty territorial defence volunteer was shot and killed in Narathiwat, a province in Thailand’s “Deep South” near the Malaysian border with ongoing violence due to the religious separatist insurgency. The volunteer, Madrusli Kolae, was killed around 6:15pm yesterday as he was going home on his motorcycle after playing football at a field in the Chanae district. Witnesses say they…

  • Thailand video news

    Good Morning Thailand | Daily deaths reach 235, CDC downgrades Thailand | August 10

    Tim and Jay bring you up to date with all the main stories from around Thailand and get you ready for the day with the daily Good Morning Thailand. Plenty of main stories… The public health department has announced 235 Covid-related deaths in Thailand over the past 24 hours. Teerawat Thothip, the suspect accused of murder for the killing of…

  • South Thailand News

    Volunteer ranger killed in grenade attack by suspected insurgents

    A volunteer ranger was killed in a grenade attack by suspected insurgents at a Thai army camp in Narathiwat, a province in Thailand’s Deep South near the Malaysian border with ongoing violence related to the religious separatist insurgency. Four soldiers at the makeshift base were injured in the attack. The army set up a small camp along the Sungai Kolok…

  • Covid-19 News

    Preparing for Bangkok lockdown measures from today on

    The CCSA announced yesterday sweeping new Covid-19 lockdown measures for Bangkok and surrounding provinces, as well as 4 southern provinces, and now people and businesses are scrambling to prepare before provisions go into effect from now until Monday. Airlines have quickly implemented emergency measures for domestic travellers to handle the wave of cancellations and rescheduling due to Bangkok and other…

  • Covid-19 News

    As Phuket opens, Bangkok, 9 provinces face new restrictions

    Things are changing next week in the level of severity of the rules and restrictions for Covid-19 safety and control. No, we’re not talking about loosening all the restrictions in the Phuket Sandbox reopening, we’re referring to partial lockdowns in Bangkok and 9 other provinces around Thailand to battle rising Covid-19 infections. The Royal Gazette published today the new restrictions…

  • Covid-19 News

    1 month closure of Bangkok, southern work camps ordered

    While Deputy Prime Minister and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul claimed the situation in Bangkok hospitals was not critical, senior doctors at many hospitals are proposing a 1-week full lockdown of the capital city. Perhaps meeting in the middle, late this afternoon PM Prayut Chan-o-cha announced the 1-month closure of all construction work camps in Bangkok as well as 4…

  • South Thailand News

    Police arrest suspect who allegedly sold assault rifles stolen from military base

    Officers in Thailand’s Deep South have arrested a man for allegedly selling assault rifles that were stolen from a military base in Narathiwat, a province by the Malaysian border with ongoing violence from the religious separatist insurgency. 6 out of the 26 AK102 assault rifles stolen from the the 4th Army Area base have been found. Earlier reports said 28 assault…

  • South Thailand News

    More assault rifles missing from arms depots in Narathiwat

    Police suspect insurgents stole at least 37 assault rifles from armories in 5 districts in the Deep South province Narathiwat, which borders Malaysia and is prone to violence due to the religious separatist insurgency. Police have been checking the stock of each arms depot in the province. On May 18, police reported that 28 AK102s were missing from the 2nd Narathiwat…

  • South Thailand News

    Health officials checking for additional cases of South African variant in South

    Samples taken from Covid-19 patients in southern Thailand are being tested to check for the highly-contagious, so-called South African variant. Supphakit Siriluck from the Medical Science Department says so far, the variant has only been found in Narathiwat province, but samples from patients in Songkhla and Phatthalung are also being analysed. Supphakit says that at the moment, the world is…

  • Covid-19 News

    Villages in southern Thailand closed off due to cases of South African variant

    Health officials in the southern province of Narathiwat have sealed off 9 villages after 3 confirmed cases of the Covid-19 variant first detected in South Africa. Opas Karnkawinpong from the Disease Control Department says the villages in the Tak Bai district have been closed off to prevent the virus spreading further in the province. The district sits across the Kolok…

  • Thailand News

    Inmates in Thai prisons to get vaccinated against Covid-19 next month

    All inmates in Thai prisons will be vaccinated against Covid-19 starting next month. The announcement of the nationwide prison vaccination campaign follows this week’s outbreaks infecting nearly 3,000 inmates at 2 Bangkok prisons. There have also been outbreaks at prisons in Chiang Mai and the southern province of Narathiwat. At the Central Women’s Correctional Institution in Bangkok, more than 1,000…

  • Covid-19 News

    Human Right Watch calls for Thailand to immediately act on Covid-19 outbreaks at prisons

    In response to the recent Covid-19 outbreaks in Thailand prisons, the Human Rights Watch issued a statement saying Thai authorities need to take immediate steps to tackle overcrowding in prisons and release inmates that do not pose a serious risk to the public. The organisation also notes that under international human rights law, the government must provide equal and accessible…

  • South Thailand News

    Suspected insurgent killed in gunfire exchange with rangers in Thailand’s deep south

    A suspected insurgent was shot and killed in a gunfire exchange with Thai rangers in Narathawit, a province in Thailand’s deep south by the Malaysian border plagued with violence from the religious separatist insurgency. 2 other men were arrested after the clash with rangers in the Bacho district this morning. Another suspected insurgent is on the run. Rangers got a…

  • South Thailand News

    Thailand’s Southern Insurgency – who’s fighting who?

    Trouble in the ‘south’. Attacks against civilians and rangers. Insurgents attack Thai soldiers – the sorts of headlines that people have read about Thailand’s southern conflict for the past 70 years or so. Thaiger readers may wonder who’s fighting who, and why. The area has been coined the ‘deep south’ or the ‘restive south’ and has become, statistically, a more…

  • Songkran News

    Songkran: Economy booster or Covid-19 spreader?

    While the government is encouraging people to enjoy themselves and spend money in the struggling economy for the upcoming Songkran Festival, some Covid-19 experts are warning that this may bring about a third or even fourth wave of infections. The past has shown that people letting loose and partying free is often the source of viral outbreaks, as was the…

  • Covid-19 News

    CCSA Update: 194 new Covid-19 cases, outbreak at Narathiwat prison

    194 new Covid-19 cases were reported today in the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration’s daily briefing. Most cases are linked to an outbreak at a prison in the southern province Narathiwat. A number of other cases are linked to bars and entertainment venues in Bangkok. Out of the 194 new cases, 94 cases were in Narathiwat. Most are prison inmates.…