Royal Thai Navy

  • Thailand News

    Corpse wearing Royal Thai Navy shirt is a fisherman, not a HTMS Sukhothai sailor

    The dead man wearing a Royal Thai Navy shirt found washed up on a beach in Songkhla province this morning was a fisherman and not a sailor from the HTMS Sukhothai, which sank in the Gulf of Thailand just over a week ago. Many thought the man may be one of the 11 HTMS Sukhothai sailors still missing. However, a…

  • Thailand News

    Body of tattooed man wearing Royal Thai Navy shirt washes up in southern Thailand

    The body of an unidentified man wearing a Royal Thai Navy shirt washed up on a beach in Songkhla province in southern Thailand early this morning, reports KhaoSod. It is not yet confirmed whether the man is one of 11 sailors still missing from the HTMS Sukhothai, which sank off the coast of Prachuap Khiri Khan province just over one…

  • Thailand News

    Death toll of sunken Thai navy ship rises to 18, 11 sailors missing

    The Royal Thai Navy recovered the bodies of three more missing HTMS Sukhothai sailors from the Gulf of Thailand yesterday, December 25, bringing the total death toll from the tragedy to 18, according to a navy spokesperson. Of the 105 crew members aboard the warship when it sank over a week ago, 76 have been rescued, 18 died and 11…

  • Thailand News

    VIDEO: Navy rescues stranded sailor from Thailand’s choppy waters

    Yesterday, the Royal Thai Navy posted a video of navy officers rescuing a missing HTMS Sukhothai sailor from the Gulf of Thailand. On Monday at 9:10am, navy officers threw a rope to Chief Petty Officer Natee Timdee and hoisted him up onto the HTMS Kraburi. The sailor floated in the sea all night after the HTMS Sukhothai sank to the…

  • Thailand News

    Sailor floating in Gulf of Thailand for 60 hours rescued by navy

    The Royal Thai Navy found another HTMS Sukhothai crew member alive floating near Koh Talu in the Gulf of Thailand this afternoon, reports ThaiRath. The sailor drifted in the sea amid high waves and strong winds for 60 hours after the warship sank, 19 nautical miles off the coast of Prachuap Khiri Khan province, on Sunday night. Navy vessel HTMS…

  • Thailand News

    Navy ship sinks in Thailand: ‘There weren’t enough life jackets on board’

    In a race against time, the Royal Thai Navy continues their search today for missing crew members from the HTMS Sukhothai which sank off the coast of Thailand on Sunday night. So far, the navy’s HTMS Kraburi has brought ashore the bodies of six crew members found floating in the sea. The navy is still searching for 23 missing sailors.…

  • Thailand News

    Navy ship sinks in Gulf of Thailand: 77 rescued, 4 dead, 24 missing

    UPDATE 4 In a press release this afternoon, the Royal Thai Navy reported the results of their continued search for missing sailors from the HTMS Sukhothai which sank in the Gulf of Thailand on Sunday. On Sunday night, 75 crew members were rescued from the sinking ship. Navy vessels have since found two more sailors alive in the Gulf of…

  • Thailand News

    Navy rescues German man with heart failure from cruise ship in Gulf of Thailand

    Officers from the Royal Thai Navy battled against strong waves to help a German man who suffered from heart failure on a cruise ship in Thailand‘s waters last night. The MEIN SCHIFF 5 cruise ship departed from Chon Buri province and was headed for Singapore when 73 year old passenger Bernd Joachim Max Thiele, of German nationality, fell unwell about…

  • Thailand News

    Navy rescues 1 sailor from Gulf of Thailand, 30 still missing

    UPDATE 3 Last night, the Royal Thai Navy rescued one missing sailor – Chief Petty Officer Natee Timdee – found floating in the Gulf of Thailand. Natee was unconscious when he was found but his condition is now “safe.” The navy reports that 30 sailors are still missing. At 8:45pm, the HTMS Kraburi docked at Prachuap Pier after patrolling the…

  • Thailand News

    Body and 9 sailors found alive by oil tanker are not from HTMS Sukhothai, says navy

    UPDATE 2 The Royal Thai Navy says the nine sailors found alive and one dead body discovered by an oil tanker in the Gulf of Thailand are not crew members from the HTMS Sukhothai which sank off the coast of Prachuap Khiri Khan province last night as widely reported in Thai media. At least four boats sank in Thailand’s waters…

  • Thailand News

    Navy ship sinks in the Gulf of Thailand, 84 rescued, 1 dead, 21 missing

    False information in this story has been updated. In total, 84 members of the Royal Thai Navy have been rescued from the Gulf of Thailand after the HTMS Sukhothai navy vessel sank to the bottom of the sea last night amid rough conditions. One body has been recovered and 21 crew members are still missing. As of noon today, the…

  • Thailand News

    Navy ship sinks in the Gulf of Thailand, 73 rescued, 33 missing

    This story has been updated. The Royal Thai Navy‘s HTMS Sukhothai sank in the Gulf of Thailand last night, around 20 miles from the coast of Prachuap Khiri Khan province, with 106 navy personnel on board. Navy vessels, tug boats and oil tankers rescued 73 crew members from the water, three of whom are in critical condition, and are still searching…

  • Politics News

    Thailand’s submarine engine talks stall again

    Thailand’s submarine engine talks have stalled again. The Royal Thai Navy (RTN) has still not decided on how to power an S26T Yuan-class submarine being assembled in China. The choice remains the same – a Chinese-made engine or an unobtainable German-made one. Germany’s embargo on sales of military equipment, which it initiated in the wake of WWII, prevented the sale…

  • Thailand News

    Thai navy buys pilotless aircraft from Israel for 4 billion baht

    Thailand has signed a contract to buy Hermes 900 “unmanned aerial vehicles” (UAV) from an Israeli defence company, according to an announcement made today by the Royal Thai Navy (RTN). The purchase will cost 4 billion baht ($US107,003,360). The pilotless aircraft will patrol Thailand’s seas to “protect the sovereignty of Thailand’s waters and shipping routes.” The drones will also assist…

  • Thailand News

    RTN’s ocean conservation activity accused of spoiling ecosystem

    A Royal Thai Navy marine conservation activity day has set social media on fire. Thai netizens heavily criticised RTN’s activity day, which charged people money to take part, saying it did not improve the environment or create environmental awareness, but it destroyed the ecosystem. The RTN and the Royal Thai Marine Corps came under fire after their conservation activity day…

  • Pattaya News

    Royal Thai Navy explains signs on Ko Samae San banning bikinis

    Thailand is known for its beautiful beaches, and Ko Samae San in Chon Buri province is a tropical paradise gem of an island with beautiful marine reserves and beaches to relax on. But the Royal Thai Navy stirred controversy recently when a photo went viral on Facebook of a sign on the beaches of Ko Samae San banning people from…

  • Economy News

    Government under fire on military spending plans

    The government yesterday was criticized over the Defence Ministry’s weapons procurement plans. Shots were fired by deputy Pheu Thai Party leader Yuttapong Charasathien who says a number of procurement projects lack transparency and spending is too high. Yuttapong criticized the navy’s request of almost 41 million baht for a number of weapons systems, but in particular its decision to buy…

  • Pattaya News

    Thai Navy seamen discharge follows investigation over trainee hazing

    The Thai navy has quickly responded to yesterday’s public revelation about a Royal Thai Navy instructor who was dealing out punishments to new Navy recruits by forcing them to drink a cocktail including diluted human semen. The incident happened at the Sattahip Naval Base in October last year. Petty Officer Second Class Thaksin Ngokpilai was first transferred to an “inactive…

  • Crime News

    Senior Thai naval officer allegedly forces marines to drink semen

    In a video circulating online, a senior naval officer is seen forcing trainee marines to drink what he says is semen mixed with fish sauce. Today, a naval base in Chon Buri province confirmed that the clip is real and happened at Sattahip Naval Base in October last year. The Royal Thai Navy has launched an investigation into the incident…

  • Thailand News

    Thai navy won’t buy Chinese submarine switcheroo, must have German engine — PM Prayut

    No engine, no cigar. That’s the hard line Thailand Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha set on Monday regarding the navy’s deal to purchase a Chinese submarine without the most important part — the engine. If China doesn’t include the German-made engine as stated in the purchase agreement, then it’s “Hasta la vista, baby.” “What do we do with a submarine with…

  • Thailand News

    Thai Navy helps bring crew of gas tanker back to shore after more than a year at sea

    The Thai Navy helped five crew members on a gas tanker get to shore after one complained that they had been on board the vessel for 13 months without leave. The Schumi 7 liquefied petroleum gas tanker, en route for Bangladesh, was redirected to a boat pier at Ao Makham Bay in Phuket. Noppadol Boonmee, a crewman on the vessel, had…

  • Thailand News

    MP questions submarine purchase from China, says it will be delivered without an engine

    A MP from the Pheu Thai Party claims that the submarine that the government recently brought from China will be delivered without an engine after issues with a German supplier. The MP, and also Pheu Thai party leader, Yuttapong Charasathien, is criticising the 12.42 billion baht submarine purchase from a Chinese firm, saying the “deal lacked transparency”. Yuttapong says the…

  • Pattaya News

    Royal Thai Navy sailor reports “being abused” by senior officer

    A sailor in the Royal Thai Navy has made a formal complaint to police that his senior “abused him”. The seaman surmised that his senior might have been dissatisfied with his cooking skills and how he cut the vegetables. He told police he was hit on the head and ordered to go through a range of punishments. After discussing with…

  • Bangkok News

    China proposes to donate two used submarines to Thai Navy after problems in purchase deal

    The Royal Thai Navy is reportedly in talks with China about receiving two decommissioned military submarines. But apparently, the offer is on the table because there was a problem with ordering parts for the submarine currently being assembled by China for Thailand, according to the Bangkok Post. The used submarines would be used for training while Thailand waits for its…

  • Pattaya News

    Thai navy lieutenant arrested for allegedly installing cameras in women’s bathroom

    The 54 year old Lieutenant Commander from the Royal Thai Navy was arrested for allegedly installing hidden cameras inside bathrooms at an IT department in a Chon Buri hospital. Maintenance staff found the cameras hidden in the bathroom ceiling. Reports say more than 1,000 videos were recorded on the cameras, which were apparently up for more than six years. The…

  • Pattaya News

    Drunken officer charged for name-dropping Big Joke, Prayut, King

    A naval officer has been dismissed from duty and is facing lèse majesté charges after drunken antics where he name-dropped everyone up to and including former King Bhumibol Adulyadej. The officer is being held at the military camp in Sattahip in Chon Buri, facing 4 charges and possible Section 112 charges. The prosecution stems from a December 23 incident with…

  • Pattaya News

    Royal Thai Navy reopens its three hospitals in response to Covid spike

    The Royal Thai Navy reopened three of its field hospitals, including two in Chon Buri, that can house 1,109 patients following the recent influx of new Covid-19 cases, according to Navy Chief Admiral Somprasong Nilsamai on Monday. Today, Chon Buri ranks as the province with the highest number of new Covid-19 infections. Under the provincial public health offices in command,…

  • Thailand News

    Mysterious “ghost ship” might have been an illegal oil tanker, expert says

    An expert told Thai media that he suspects the mysterious abandoned Chinese vessel found in the Gulf of Thailand might have been an illegal oil tanker distributing oil to various countries. The Jin Shui Yuan 2, which many are calling a “ghost ship,” was reported by staff at an oil rig off the coast of the southern province Songkhla last…

  • South Thailand News

    “Ghost ship” found off Thailand coast, Navy investigates abandoned Chinese vessel

    What many are calling a “ghost ship” was found sinking in the Gulf of Thailand off the coast of Nakhon Si Thammarat. The abandoned Chinese cargo ship was spotted by staff working at an offshore oil rig. No one was on board the vessel. The staff at the Chevron rigs reported the vessel to the 2nd Naval Area Command in…

  • Phuket News

    Royal Thai Navy sinks three old battleships during “goodbye” ceremony

    Royal Thai Navy sank three old battleships during a ceremony to say goodbye to the retired vessels. Phuket’s PR department says aiming it to be a marine ecosystem learning park, habitat for fish population and coral reef as well as a destination for divers visiting Phuket in the future. The suitable ways of disposing of old ships is still up…

  • Phuket News

    Fisherman’s body found by Saphan Hin Beach in Phuket

    Rescue teams and the Royal Thai Navy found the body of a 60 year old fisherman by Saphan Hin Beach in Phuket who had drowned after a fishing boat capsized over the weekend. The boat sank at around 8pm on Saturday. The captain and another fisherman were able to swim to safety after hours in the water and got to…

  • Pattaya News

    Tourists stranded an island off the coast of Sattahip rescued by Royal Thai Navy

    Six Belgian tourists stranded on an island off the coast of Chon Buri’s Sattahip district were rescued by the Royal Thai Navy on yesterday. According to the navy officials, the tourists took three small boats into the sea on Sunday and got themselves into trouble when one of the boats had a mechanical failure, and a water leak to another boat.…

  • Eastern Thailand News

    Navy rescued Cambodian man floating at sea for 2 days

    While garbage in the sea is generally not a good thing, floating debris appears to have saved the life of a Cambodian man in the Gulf of Thailand off the coast of Rayong. The man was rescued today by the Royal Thai Navy after 2 days adrift at sea, clinging to debris, after falling off his fishing boat yesterday morning.…

  • Thailand News

    PM orders Thai Navy to postpone submarine purchases as pandemic rages

    The Thai PM has instructed the Navy to postpone the planned purchase of 2 Chinese submarines, saying the funds must be diverted to fight Covid-19. The controversial 22.5 billion purchase was already postponed for a year last August. The Bangkok Post reports that Kongcheep Tantrawanich from the Defence Ministry says the PM has ordered a further postponement given the extent…

  • Thailand News

    Royal Thai Navy goes ahead with plans to buy 2 submarines

    Yesterday, a spokesperson for the Royal Thai Navy says they are going ahead with plans to buy more submarines from China. The Royal Thai Navy was undeterred by rampant outrage on social media over buying 2 submarines for 22.5 billion baht is an indulgence while the country is besieged by Covid. Others criticised the move by saying the submarines are unnecessary…

  • Tourism News

    Royal Thai Army to help tighten overland checkpoint into Phuket

    Following reports of insufficient security on the land borders into Phuket, the Phuket Communicable Disease Committee made the decision to have the Royal Thai Army assist in monitoring the Phuket Checkpoint at Tha Chatchai for Covid-19 safety. There have been concerns that the land crossing into Phuket is understaffed and not secure. The committee meeting was Chaired by Phuket Governor…

  • Phuket News

    Indonesian fisherman rescued after 9 days adrift at sea

    Over the weekend, an Indonesian fisherman who had been drifting in a small boat after his boat engine died, was rescued and brought to Vachira Phuket Hospital. He had been adrift at sea for 9 days before he was rescued by a Phuket fishing boat. Vice Admiral Choengchai Chomchoengphaet says that the fishing crew “Boonlaap 2” told the navy at…