Songkhla

  • Thailand News

    7km bridge over Songkhla Lake to boost southern Thailand transport

    Plans are underway to construct a 7 kilometre bridge over Songkhla Lake starting next year, a project aimed at enhancing regional transport in southern Thailand. This proposal includes a commitment to protect the local environment and wildlife, particularly the endangered Irrawaddy dolphins living within the lake. The Department of Rural Roads (DRR) has formed a pact with four other state…

  • Thailand News

    Sadao checkpoint: Entrepreneurs urge continued operation

    Songkhla-based entrepreneurs in the Sadao district appealed to the government to keep the old Sadao immigration checkpoint operational alongside the new one. The move aims to stimulate both trade and tourism with Malaysia. The appeal follows the circulation of rumours concerning the government’s intention to close the Sadao checkpoint in preference for the newly constructed border checkpoint. The discussion involved…

  • Thailand News

    Gold necklace grabbed: Brazen bandit makes glittering 172,000 baht heist in southern Thailand

    A daring theft took place in a well-known jewellery shop when a thief made off with a gold necklace worth 171,665 baht. The incident occurred today at the Yaowarat Gold Shop, located within a shopping mall in Chana district, Songkhla. The thief, identified as 34 year old Madaree, a security guard from Hat Yai, Songkhla, was apprehended shortly after the incident.…

  • Thailand News

    Threatening letter to Songkhla prosecutor prompts police investigation

    A life-threatening letter directed at a provincial Songkhla prosecutor sparked a police investigation yesterday. The letter was a threat from a friend of 37 year old Chaowalit Thongduang, also known as Sia Paeng Na Nod. Chaowalit escaped from Nakhon Si Thammarat Hospital on October 22, where he was detained after a dental treatment. The handwritten letter, composed with a blue…

  • Road deaths

    Three dead, one injured in reckless pick-up truck chase in Sadao

    A high-speed pursuit between two pickup trucks ended in tragedy, with three fatalities and one person injured in a multi-vehicle collision in Sadao, Songkhla. The chase culminated in the trucks losing control and colliding, causing a motorcycle and a lorry to also become entangled in the crash. Rescue services rushed to the scene to provide aid last night. The two…

  • South Thailand News

    Monkey business cleaned up: Tourists cheer innovative solution at Samila Beach, Songkhla

    Tourists visiting Samila Beach in Songkhla are delighted by an innovative solution to the issue of macaque monkeys scavenging through rubbish bins, causing odour and litter. Complaints had been previously made about the monkeys rummaging through the bins, spilling litter and creating a foul smell, disturbing the natural environment of the beach and causing fear among the visitors. The Songkhla…

  • South Thailand News

    Whooping cough warning: Pertussis cases surge, one fatality in southern Thailand

    The Disease Control Department (DCD) in Songkhla province reported an alarming increase in the number of cases of pertussis, commonly known as whooping cough, particularly among children. The department confirmed the diagnosis of two patients in the region, with one fatality in Pattani province. The disease, caused by the bacteria B. pertussis, is highly contagious and spreads through coughing, sneezing,…

  • Crime News

    Songkhla shooting: 67 year old man fatally shot, motorcycle and gun stolen

    In a brutal act of violence, a 67 year old man was shot and killed last night in his home in Songkhla, Thailand. The perpetrator swiftly fled the scene, stealing the victim’s gun and motorcycle. Police are meticulously investigating the case, which they believe was driven by a long-standing grudge. The deceased, identified as Arun, a 67 year old local,…

  • Crime News

    Songkhla mother alleges neighbour tricked son into drug use

    A mother in the province of Songkhla has filed a complaint with the Paveena Hongsakul Foundation for Women and Children, claiming that her 10 year old son has recently been showing signs of drug abuse. His erratic behaviour included destructiveness, verbal abuse towards family members, and attempting to harm a cat. The distressing behavioural shift came to a head when…

  • Thailand News

    One dead, two injured in vicious Songkhla road accident involving sedan and pickup

    A horrifying road accident in Songkhla Province yesterday resulted in one fatality and left two injured. The accident involved a head-on collision between a sedan and a pickup at a curved corner, leaving the sedan driver dead on the scene. Two occupants of the pickup were rushed to hospital with injuries, ushering authorities to swing into action to assist. During…

  • South Thailand News

    Juicy bust: Thai police squeeze illicit kratom factory

    A substantial operation by the Royal Thai Police (RTP) yesterday, culminated in the seizure of an illicit factory manufacturing kratom leaf juice. The raid led to the confiscation of around 3000 bottles of cough syrup, three guns, and the arrest of one suspect. The RTP stormed into the clandestine factory situated along Khlong Toei-Khlong Ple Road nearby the Kho Hong…

  • South Thailand News

    Songkhla temple encourages solar cell donations, not traditional wax candles, for Lent

    A temple in Songkhla province put up a clear sign requesting that instead of offering traditional wax candles for the upcoming Buddhist Lent, supporters should donate solar cells. The use of local language on the signage has added a touch of levity and sparked conversation amongst the community. Lieb Temple has grabbed attention with its unique request showcased on banners…

  • Crime News

    Songkran murder fugitive captured after 18-year hunt

    In the province of Songkhla, police finally ended a decades-long hunt for a suspect in a Songkran murder case. Police yesterday apprehended a 38 year old native of Klong Hoy Khong, Songkhla, who has been on the run for 18 years. The dramatic events unfolded during the celebrations of Songkran in 2005. Chaitawat, along with his two allies, found themselves…

  • Crime News

    20 illegal Myanmar migrants captured in Thailand on way to Malaysia

    In a new development on Thailand’s immigration issues, 20 illegal migrants from Myanmar were captured in their pursuit of work in Malaysia. The migrants were hiding at an abandoned property in Sadao, a district forming part of the southern border province Songkhla. Acting on collected intelligence yesterday suggesting the house was sheltering those travelling unlawfully to Malaysia, Immigration and local…

  • South Thailand News

    Marine police seize Vietnamese fishing vessels in Songkhla crackdown

    Thailand’s southern Songkhla province witnessed a series of Marine Police actions as two Vietnamese fishing vessels were seized and their crew members detained, according to authorities. These events unfolded yesterday in the waters of the southern regions of Pattani and Nakhon Si Thammarat. Pol. Lt. Col. Nathapong Takaew, the deputy head of the Songkhla-based Marine Police Sub-division 7, reported today…

  • Crime News

    Caught in the act: Police swoop down on illegal immigration, nabbing 23 in southern Thailand sting

    A swift police operation on illegal immigration yesterday resulted in the apprehension of 23 individuals in Songkhla, a province in southern Thailand. Four of them were Thai citizens acting as drivers, and the remaining 19 were Bangladeshis, who were identified as unlawful immigrants. Following an informant’s tip-off about chances of illegal immigration, the local law enforcement swung into action, anticipating…

  • Thailand News

    Shell shock: Songkla beach residents bemoan mussel decline

    Residents around the Samila Beach area in Songkhla reported a decline in the green mussel population stating that it’s had a negative effect on the community who rely on them as a source of food. Small-sized mussels remain unsuitable for consumption, and it is estimated that the population requires further growth before harvesting is possible. Today, it was reported that the number…

  • Road deaths

    Two women killed as motorbike swerves to avoid truck and is crushed by trailer

    Two women were tragically killed when their motorcycle collided with a trailer after swerving to avoid a pick-up truck making a U-turn on a road in Sadao district of Thailand’s Songkhla province. The victims, believed to be Myanmar migrant workers who were 25 to 30 years old, were run over by the trailer. Between last night and this morning, officers…

  • Thailand News

    Songkhla Lake bridge project raises concerns for Thailand’s last Irrawaddy dolphins

    Concerns have been raised over the potential impact of a proposed bridge across Songkhla Lake in Thailand on the critically endangered Irrawaddy dolphin population. Environmentalist Dr Thon Thamrongnawasawat highlighted the importance of conservation efforts to protect the last 14 remaining Thai dolphins. Dr Thon Thamrongnawasawat, an expert in marine science and environmental issues, took to social media to express concerns…

  • Thailand News

    Jelly blubbers return to southern Thailand river after 3 years

    Jelly blubbers, a kind of jellyfish, have returned to a river in Songkhla province in southern Thailand after disappearing for more than three years. Aerial photos reveal jelly blubbers (Catostylus mosaicus) in their masses floating in the Khlong Bang Rieng River in Bang Riang subdistrict, Khuan Niang district, which locals say is a rare natural phenomenon. Normally, jelly blubbers reside…

  • South Thailand News

    South Thailand bus crash leaves 10 wounded

    A bus crash in South Thailand‘s Songkhla province left 10 people wounded yesterday morning. The bus was carrying 30 passengers from Bangkok to Hat Yai. Rattaphum Police were alerted to the incident on Asia Road in the Kamphaengphet sub-district of Rattaphum district. Emergency responders arrived at the scene and found the bus on the side of the road. Ten injured…

  • Thailand News

    Southern Thailand’s struggle to attract foreign investors

    The Southern Region Industrial Estate in Songkhla province of Thailand is unusually quiet. Long winding roads, usually bustling with heavy vehicles, are mostly empty. There are only two industrial estates in southern Thailand, the other being the Songkla Industrial Estate. In total, there are 67 industrial estates across the country. Sirianya Pornsuwankun, a tenant of the Southern Region Industrial Estate…

  • Crime News

    Thai man beheads his uncle

    A Thai man murdered and beheaded his biological uncle yesterday in Songkhla province in southern Thailand. At 8am, officers at Rattaphum Police Station received a report of a murder behind a house in Khao Phra subdistrict. Police found the body of 56 year old Wasana [surname withheld] lying on his side. The deceased’s head was missing and nowhere to be…

  • Thailand News

    Pervy man caught on CCTV sniffing woman’s underwear and licking her shoes

    A Thai woman in the southern province of Songkhla filed a complaint with the police after a CCTV camera captured footage of a perverted man climbing over a wall into her house, sniffing her underwear and licking her shoes before leaving. The 28 year old victim, Raenu, posted videos of the incident on a Facebook group named HATYAIZ to warn residents…

  • South Thailand News

    Tourism Ministry sets its sights on developing Songkhla

    Songkhla has caught the attention of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, which has set a 100 billion baht tourism revenue goal over the next decade. The ministry dubbed the Songkhla Lake Basin a Designated Areas for Sustainable Tourism Administration (DASTA) project. As always, the Tourism Ministry came up with a catchy, exciting name: “Amazing Songkhla Lagoon: Moving forward as…

  • Crime News

    Three suspected Burmese migrants found brutally murdered in southern Thailand forest

    Police have launched a murder investigation after the bodies of three men were found dumped in a forest in Songkhla province in southern Thailand yesterday. Police suspect the men were migrant workers, possibly from Myanmar. At 7.30am, officers at Bang Klam Police Station were informed that three men were found dead at a fly-tipping spot in the forest, around 200…

  • Thailand News

    Woman accused of being a witch and sacrificing neighbourhood cats

    A woman is in police custody after residents in the southern province of Songkhla accused her of being a witch and sacrificing neighbourhood cats. Yaowaluck Boonchum was accused by a cat owner of being into the occult after killing her five-month-old Persian cat as a sacrifice. The 44 year old woman denied the allegations, saying she is a cat lover,…

  • Crime News

    3 Thais, 1 Malaysian handed death penalty for businessman’s murder

    On Friday, a court in Thailand sentenced four people – three Thai and one Malaysian – to the death penalty over the murder of a businessman in Songkhla province seven years ago, despite none of them pulling the trigger. Songkhla Provincial Court sentenced two more defendants, the gunman and his driver, to life imprisonment. In December 2014, 54 year old…

  • Thailand News

    Woman accuses police of seizing her car for personal use

    A Thai woman accused officers from Sathon Police Station in the southern province of Songkhla of confiscating her car for personal use. The unnamed woman said her car was seized by the police two years ago despite not being involved in a crime. The woman reported that the police arrested her boyfriend in 2021 for possessing Kratom and two tablets…

  • Hot News

    Bangkok, Songkhla, Chon Buri provinces to host 2025 Southeast Asian Games

    Bangkok, Songkhla, and Chon Buri provinces are the new hosts of the 2025 Southeast Asian Games. The Sports Authority of Thailand decided at a meeting that was presided over by Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon yesterday. During the meeting, Nakhon Ratchasima was also chosen to host the 13th ASEAN Para Games in 2026. A budget allocation from the National Sports…

  • Crime News

    Shootout involving police ends with 1 dead, 2 injured

    A fatal incident involving police officers occurred at a night restaurant in Songkhla. A shootout at the restaurant between a group of police officers and another group of customers left one dead and two injured. The incident took place in the early hours of the morning of Sunday, January 15 at a late-night diner next to the fire station of the…

  • Crime News

    Police bust Songkhla newspaper editor for drug crimes

    Police busted a newspaper editor in Thailand’s southern Songkhla province for drug-related crimes on Friday. The editor was found to be working along with two other suspects. A team of officers from several divisions raided the three suspect’s rooms in the town of Sadao in the Sai Buri district. One of the suspects, 35 year old Paradorn, is an editor…

  • South Thailand News

    Southern Thailand’s Hat Yai railway targeted again

    Train services between Hat Yai and Khlong Ngae in southern Thailand‘s Songkhla province were temporarily suspended again yesterday when officials discovered that several parts of the railway track had been removed by suspected insurgents. Services on the railway, which connects Hat Yai in southern Thailand to Padang Besar in Malaysia, resumed on New Year’s Day after the track was repaired…

  • 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 Weather Updates

    Hard rain stops train services in Thailand’s south

    Heavy rain and high tides are bringing widespread flooding to Songkhla, Nakhon Si Thammarat and Narathiwat. Red flags in Songkhla’s Chalatat Beach advise people not to venture into the 4-metre waves that are pounding the coast. In Narathiwat province, those living close to the Kolok River are ready to move themselves and their valuables to higher ground as the water…

  • South Thailand News

    Railway bomb kills three in southern Thailand

    Three maintenance workers were killed and four were injured by a bomb blast this morning on a railway in Songkhla province, southern Thailand. The workers were repairing the tracks after they were damaged by an explosion on Saturday which derailed and damaged a freight train but caused no injuries. At 12.50pm on Saturday, freight train 707 from Hat Yai in…