Koh Samui News
Koh Samui news, tourism, business, and nightlife—stay updated with breaking stories, local events, and expat insights from Koh Samui, Koh Phangan, and Koh Tao. Get the latest from The Thaiger, your trusted island news source.
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Tourist police threaten to ban the alleged Koh Tao rape victim
PHOTO: Sairee Beach, Koh Tao – saireehutresort.net Maj-Gen Surachate Hakparn says that the London teenager who claims she was drugged, robbed and raped on Koh Tao will be blacklisted for life if she is lying. He went on saying that “Thailand wants quality tourists – not bad ones. There is not a scrap of evidence to suggest she is…
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Surat Thani police issue arrest warrants for administrators of Samui website
PHOTOS: Tourist Police Police this week say they wrapped up their investigation into the alleged rape case on Koh Tao involving the 19 year old female British backpacker. The conclusion – there is no evidence to substantiate the allegations of rape. They say without interviewing the UK tourist they have no report or evidence to indicate any wrong-doing. On Friday…
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Tourist police report says evidence doesn’t support assault allegation on Koh Tao
The Deputy Commander of the Tourist Police has submitted findings from an investigation into the alleged sexual assault of a British tourist on Koh Tao to the Consulate of the United Kingdom in Thailand. Deputy Commander of the Tourist Police, Pol Maj Gen Surachete Hakparn says that the area said to be the scene of the crime would have been…
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Police say they will seek arrest warrants for publishers of Koh Tao story
FILE PHOTO: Sairee Beach, Koh Tao Khaosod English are reporting that Police are seeking a warrant to arrest the editor of a news site that published accounts of an alleged sexual assault on the tourist island of Koh Tao. According to the report, the editor of the Samui Times, Su Buchanan, will be charged under cybercrime laws for defaming the…
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Koh Phangan pharmacy worker apologises for bottling female tourist
Thai Rath is reporting that the pharmacy worker who smashed a bottle over the head of a female Portuguese tourist on Koh Phangan has apologised for his actions. But he stopped short of apologising to the victim. He blames the tourist and her friend for starting the incident and says that anyone who had heard the full story and seen…
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“No evidence of a rape” – Koh Tao
Pol Maj Gen Surachete Hakparn, the deputy tourist police commissioner currently on Koh Tao, says police investigators have not found any evidence or information that would support a rape case as claimed by a British backpacker. But he did welcome any evidence from the UK teenager to prove her claims. Pol Maj Gen Surachet Hakparn was assigned by the national…
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Samui Times responds to Police accusations of ‘fake news’
The media has become its own story today after Surat Thani, Koh Tao and Koh Phangan police and officials have accused Samui Times of spreading ‘fake news’, apparently the latest go-to explanation for any news that you disagree with. Samui Times responds to allegations of spreading ‘Fake News’ and having a ‘Vendetta’ against Koh Tao Sanook has reported that the…
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Accusations fly between foreigner and Thai over bottle attack on Koh Phangan
PHOTOS & VIDEO: Facebook/Natthicha Yachana Accusations are being fired thick and fast on social media after various clips have been aired online of the aftermath of an altercation in front of a pharmacy on Koh Phangan. Thai Rath reports that a female foreign tourist was hit over the head with a bottle in a scuffle between here and the owner of…
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The monthly Full Moon Party still popular
PHOTO: RTW Backpackers More than 10,000 foreign tourists joined the Full Moon Party on Koh Pha-Ngan last night (Sunday) and under the watchful eye of security officials. Pha-Ngan district chief Krirkkrai Songthani sent 120 troops, police and Interior Ministry officials to the Haad Rin Beach to maintain security and safety during the party. Krirkkrai said the beach was crowed with…
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Koh Phangan police hit back at allegations of mishandled report
Surat Thani provincial police have hit back at allegations they’ve mishandled another possible rape case on Koh Tao. In fact they say there was no rape case on the holiday island involving a British backpacker as alleged in social and wider media, in Thailand and overseas. Koh Tao island has earned a reputation in recent years for a number of…
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DSI crackdown on foreigners using Thai nominees: Law firm raided in Bangkok, Phuket and Samui
Four offices of the same investment advisory firm have been raided in Bangkok, Phuket and Samui. Coordinated raids on the offices of what appears to be a single advisory firm were conducted by the DSI (Department of Special Investigations), police and Board of Investment representatives. Pictures showed that the company is DFDL Thailand Legal and Tax. This company offers “investment advisory…
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28 year old Norwegian found dead in car on Koh Samui
Police are investigating a Norwegian tourist found dead inside his car on Samui last Monday. 28 year old Aspen Anray Solian was found dead in the driver’s seat on Thaweerat Phakdee Road in Tambon Maret. A doctor says he had died about one or two hours before he was found. Police say the body showed no signs of violence. A…
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Warning out for Samui ferry as waves reach 3 metres in Gulf of Thailand
The Samui Harbour Office has issued warnings to the ferry operator to be careful in both directions on the Surat Thani run with waves up high as three metres today in the Gulf of Thailand. The office has also prohibited small boats from leaving the shores of Koh Samui. The ferry boat operator was warned to check lifejackets and all…
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ATMs not filled after money trucks crash – Koh Tao
ATM machines on Koh Tao will have to make do with cash on hand after two security trucks crashed on their way to deliver more refill banknotes early today (Tuesday). The Ban Nai Hood police station in Chumphon’s Lang Suan district was alerted to the accident on the Asia highway No 41 at 5.55am, with the trucks headed to Koh…
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Nigerian drug suspect arrested after police chase
PHOTO: Matichon Thai-language daily Matichon has reported that a Nigerian drug suspect did a runner after being tracked down by Samui police today. In a scene straight out of an action thriller, Koh Samui policemen and soldiers had to chase down a Nigerian drug suspect who jumped out of a window of his rented house, climbed over the fence and…
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Banyan Tree Samui hailed as eco-friendly leader in Thailand
The Banyan Tree Samui has become the first and only hotel in Thailand to be awarded “Gold Certification” at a single-property level by Earthcheck, the world’s leading scientific benchmarking, certification and advisory group for travel and tourism. Although other hotel chains have received similar accolades from EarthCheck at a group level, Banyan Tree Samui stands alone as the sole property…
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Indian currency cons arrested on Samui
Thai TV Channel 7 has featured the arrest of two Indian citizens who were attempting to rip off currency exchanges on Koh Samui. The scam works as follows… the Indians would bring 10 x US$100 dollar bills to a currency exchange booth, to change to Thai currency. One would then ask to recount the US dollars and take out two…
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Agama Yoga founder Swami Vivekananda accused of sexual assault
The founder of the Koh Phangan based yoga and tantra school Agama, Swami Vivekananda Saraswati, has been accused by multiple women of sexual assault. He claims to be the “brilliant exponent of a unique and modern trend of thinking in Yoga” who “has reached high states of spiritual realisation.” Agama Yoga is one of the world’s largest yoga training centres. Swami’s…
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Two gibbon touts arrested on Samui – three gibbons rescued
Yesterday we posted the story about Samui beach touts hawking a baby gibbon for tourist photos – a lucrative little cash business at 100 baht per photo. But the practice is frowned upon my may westerners these days and remains illegal in Thailand. Facebook blogger Arkadiy Kulev was keen to see the touts arrested. Today (Thursday), Samui police have arrested two…
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Baby gibbon used for photo-ops in Samui
PHOTOS: Facebook/Arkadiy Kulev “Endangered gibbon used to entertain tourists on Chaweng Beach in Koh Samui, Thailand.” On Phuket it’s the slow loris which is the ‘cute-creature-for-100-baht-photos’. In Samui they’ve gone for a baby gibbon. A foreign resident on Koh Samui has exposed that a baby gibbon was used for selling photos at Chaweng Beach, resulting in an uproar among expats…
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Two race finale wraps up successful 2018 Samui Regatta
PHOTO: Java Yachting The sun teased and the wind held steady on the final day of the 2018 Samui Regatta. Race Officer Ross Chisholm set two windward/ leewards for the keelboat and multihulls classes while it was a three-race showdown for the Hydrofoil Kites off Mae Nam Beach. It’s been a week of dominance by Kevin and Tom Whitcraft and…
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Breezy Day 4 sets up final day showdown at 2018 Samui Regatta
The Multihull class enjoying the breeze on Day 4 of the 2018 Samui Regatta. Thursday’s day off for the keelboats and multihulls was greeted with glorious sunshine, zero breeze and finished in the afternoon with a refreshing storm. Nothing lost from a sailing perspective and following the storm Samui Regatta was re-booted with 10-15 knots of fresh breeze today and…
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Seconds in it on Day 3 of Samui Regatta
Performance Cruising on Day 3 of 2018 Samui Regatta. Day 3 of the 2018 Samui Regatta started off with a whimper. The storms of yesterday had gone and the sun was out in force, hopes were high for a return to the tropical sailing conditions which have made Samui Regatta so famous. Come start time all the ingredients were there,…
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Search resumes for missing Russian on Samui
Samui officials have resumed a search for a female Russian tourist who went missing on Koh Samui more than a month ago. She is said to be suffering dementia. 39 year old Inna Obukhova was last seen at Centra Coconut Resort Samui on April 20. The operation is being assisted by a sniffer dog from the Nakhon Si Thammarat Border…
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French cybercrime suspect arrested in police raid – Samui
PHOTOS: Samui Police Frenchman Jonathan Verron, an alleged leader of a hacker group that stole data from a British financial institution and demanded a ransom to keep it secure, has been arrested on Koh Samui this morning (Friday). Crime Suppression Division Fifth Command and Technology Crime Suppression Division police had French embassy staff on hand when they raided a house…
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Samui Regatta kicks off May 26
From May 26-June 2, the Samui Regatta is on at the Centara Grand Beach Resort Samui in the waters off the island’s Chaweng Beach. It’s the final event in the annual Asian Yachting Grand Prix Championship. Now in its 17th year, the Samui Regatta has been hosted by Centara Grand Beach Resort Koh Samui since its inception. Each year, a fleet…
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May Event Round-Up
with Paul Poole (South East Asia) May is typically the month of the popular Hua Hin International Jazz Festival and this year is no different. For two days from 18-19 May, the seaside resort transforms into a mecca for jazz lovers with performers and fans arriving from all over the world. This year’s highlights include Austrian-born Simone Kopmajer and New…
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Who’s keeping Thailand’s beaches clean?
PHOTO: Daily News Every week there are volunteers heading to the beaches of Phuket to pick up rubbish, mostly washed ashore and landing on the beaches. Some of it has washed out Phuket’s drains and just making its way back to shore. Other rubbish comes from passing boats and fishing fleets. One group, Clean The Beach Bootcamp, organised bi-weekly by…
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Samui jet ski operators scoop Russian tourist out of the surf
SCREENSHOT by Sanook.com A Russian tourist has been pulled out of the Samui surf by a Jet Ski. The female tourist was swimming at Chaweng Beach on Koh Samui when witnesses say she appeared to get caught in a rip and dragged out to sea. Jet Ski operators at the beach heard the woman’s screams but was was caught in…
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Murder, rape, dead bodies in pools – The toll of dead young British tourists visiting Thailand
PHOTO: Luke Miller (left) was found dead at the bottom of a pool in Koh Tao in 2016 Why is there a mounting toll of young Brits dying, often in mysterious circumstances, in Thailand? 60 or so unexplained, or poorly explained, deaths in just 24 months actually. Britian’s Daily Mail Online has dug deep into the vault of strange disappearances and…
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