South Thailand News
Southern Thailand news, Phuket news, Koh Samui news, and Krabi updates—stay informed on business, tourism, and local events from Trang, Songkhla, Yala, and beyond. Get the latest from The Thaiger, your trusted Southern Thailand news source.
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Italian arrested for cocaine sales and illegal business on Samui
Police in Surat Thani arrested an Italian man allegedly involved in selling cocaine and operating a motorbike rental business illegally on Samui Island. The arrest, made on June 18, followed an investigation by Surat Thani Immigration based on tips from concerned locals. Officers identified the suspect as 39 year old Mattio who was apprehended on Lamai Beach Road in the…
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Southern Thailand popular for Malaysian polygamous marriages
Southern Thailand has emerged as a preferred destination for Malaysian men seeking ceremonial polygamous marriages. Each month, at least 30 couples from Malaysia undergo marriage ceremonies at the Narathiwat Islamic Religious Council, according to a report by the Bernama news agency. These couples primarily hail from the neighbouring states of Kelantan and Terengganu, though some travel from as far as…
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Missing contraband diesel vessels found near Malaysian waters
Three vessels carrying 330,000 litres of contraband diesel that vanished from a police pier in Chon Buri have been located near Malaysian waters, police confirmed. Police Major General Charoonkiat Pankaew, Deputy Commissioner of the Central Investigation Bureau, announced that the three boats disappeared from the marine police pier in Sattahip district of Chon Buri last week. After travelling through Cambodian…
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Koh Samui steals spotlight: Readers rave over four island getaways
Readers of the popular American travel magazine Travel+Leisure voted four accommodations in Koh Samui as winners in the Beach+Island Resort category. Travel+Leisure released its 2024 Luxury Awards Asia Pacific ranking, allowing readers to nominate and vote for outstanding accommodations in various categories, including five-star urban escapes, private-island beach resorts, innovative spas, Instagram-worthy swimming pools, awesome airlines and airports, cruises, and…
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Twinning triumph: Thailand to launch second border bridge to Malaysia
Thailand is set to break ground on a monumental project that will transform the region. The Twin Bridge, a massive construction project in Rantau Panjang-Sungai Golok, is expected to begin in April 2025. Narathiwat Province Governor Trakul Thotham announced that before construction starts, an environmental impact assessment (EIA) must be conducted. The EIA survey is scheduled to kick off next…
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Fake police officer causes uproar in Songkhla snooker hall
A man claiming to be a police officer caused a scene after parking his car in the middle of the road in Songkhla Province, boasting about his rank and causing a disturbance in a snooker hall. The incident led to a formal complaint against him. The incident occurred yesterday when a Facebook user posted about a troubling encounter in the…
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Employee shot dead in Pattani ambush
A shocking incident occurred in Pattani, where an unidentified assailant ambushed and shot dead an employee of the Kolotanyong Subdistrict Administrative Organisation (SAO) while he was riding his motorcycle to work. The police are urgently investigating the motive behind the attack. Officers yesterday received a report from Nong Chik Police Station’s radio centre about the fatal shooting of an employee…
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Ruff rescue: Abandoned pit bull in Hat Yai finds new home
A pit bull was found abandoned in the heart of Hat Yai, dehydrated, weak, and unable to move. Rescuers discovered it infested with ticks and emaciated. Fortunately, a kind-hearted individual has already come forward to offer the dog a new home. Residents found the pit bull, weighing about 50 kilogrammes, left in Soi 6, Rat Uthit area, yesterday, June 11.…
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South Thailand: Woman evading arrest as a nun caught
Thai police apprehended a woman who had been evading arrest by becoming a nun in Nakhon Si Thammarat over the past ten months. Believing she had escaped justice, the woman was finally captured following a police investigation. Law enforcement officers from the Anti-Human Trafficking Division, in cooperation with local police units from Damnoen Saduak in Ratchaburi and Tha Sala in…
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Reeling trouble: Illegal fishing devices net controversy in Songkhla
Illegal fishing tools continue to cause problems in Songkhla, particularly the use of Pongpang fishing devices in Songkhla Lake. Despite efforts by authorities to enforce the law, the situation remains unresolved as fisherfolk persist in using these prohibited tools. The Pongpang devices are installed in the navigable channel between Hua Phaya Nak and the new fishing pier in Mueang Songkhla…
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Over 80 patients flee Krabi drug rehab centre over alleged abuses
More than 80 patients escaped from a drug rehabilitation centre on Koh Sriboya, an island in the southern province of Krabi, over alleged abuses by the Thai authorities. A community leader on Sriboya Island reached out to officers from Khlong Kanan Police Station for assistance, as residents grew concerned about approximately 80 patients who had absconded from a drug rehabilitation…
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Cyber police nab key administrator of major gambling site in Thailand
Cyber police apprehended the key administrator of a major gambling site, slotking77, which had a financial turnover exceeding 180 million baht. The arrest occurred after the individual absconded following a bail release at the prosecutor level today. Phumipat Phattharasriwongchai, Commander of the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau 5, along with Ukrit Srinitivorawong, Chief of News Analysis and Special Tools Division, led…
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Cave tragedy: Thai man’s final journey into the depths of despair
A man reportedly committed suicide inside the sacred Khao Khun Panom cave in the southern province of Nakhon Si Thammarat, allegedly motivated by a serious illness. A monk from Khao Khun Panom Temple, where the cave was situated, discovered the lifeless body of a man while entering the cave for his daily meditation. Subsequently, the monk contacted officers from the…
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Songkhla pushes for cruise terminal to boost tourism
The Songkhla Tourism Association is calling for government intervention to boost tourism by constructing a cruise ship terminal and introducing direct flights from Chinese cities to Hat Yai. President of the Songkhla Tourism Promotion Association Songchai Mungprasithichai announced plans to seek government support for direct flights to Hat Yai, proposing routes such as Kunming-Hat Yai to attract more Chinese tourists…
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Fugitive caught after 16 years, taunting police on social media
Sixteen years on the run ended abruptly for a fugitive wanted for attempted murder after he taunted police on social media. On June 1, a team led by Montri Teshkan, Police Major General, arrested 35 year old Wuttichai, also known as Kay,in Chumphon’s Lang Suan district. Authorities had been searching for Wuttichai following an incident on April 10, 2008. That…
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Two shot dead while gathering intelligence in Songkhla
Two people were shot dead while gathering information in Thepa, Songkhla yesterday. Ponnchai Kwanpanya, the head of Huai Pling Police Station in Songkhla, received a report of a shooting incident yesterday at 5.30pm. The attack occurred on a road in Ban Huai Pling, Moo 2, Tham Wang Subdistrict, Thepa District, Songkhla Province. Authorities, including military forces from Songkhla Special Task…
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Fugitive suspect arrested for killing boyfriend in Nonthaburi condo
Police today arrested a fugitive suspected of killing his boyfriend at a condominium in Nonthaburi province before fleeing to the southern province of Chumphon. Local police officers in Chumphon arrested the 27 year old Thai man, Phurinat, at a house in the Mueang district of the province at about 1pm today, May 31. He is the prime suspect in the…
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Pattani volunteer shot dead after local football match
A government volunteer in Pattani was shot dead in an ambush by a group of gunmen while returning home on his motorcycle after a football match at 5.45pm yesterday. The District Chief of Sai Buri was informed by the village head of Moo 6, Kadunong subdistrict, Sai Buri district, Pattani, about the tragic event. Athar Hama, a member of the…
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Cabinet’s coastal crusade: 3 notifications to protect Andaman Sea
The Cabinet approved three ministerial notifications aimed at protecting the environment in Phang Nga, Krabi, and Ranong, three coastal provinces along the Andaman Sea. Deputy Prime Minister and Natural Resources and Environment Minister, Police General Phatcharavat Wongsuwan, announced yesterday, May 29, that two notifications from his ministry had received approval during a meeting held yesterday. The approved notifications focus on…
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Record meth seizures in Southeast Asia’s Golden Triangle
In a recent report released yesterday, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) disclosed that East and Southeast Asia are currently grappling with an unprecedented influx of methamphetamine and other synthetic drugs. This surge is largely sourced from the Golden Triangle, an area where the borders of Thailand, Myanmar, and Laos converge. Historically recognised for opium cultivation and…
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World Otter Day highlights conservation efforts in Thailand
Today marks World Otter Day, an initiative aimed to raise awareness about the protection of otters, classified as endangered wildlife. The International Otter Survival Fund (IOSF) designated the last Wednesday of May each year to highlight the threats facing otters, such as habitat destruction, illegal fur trade, pollution, and poaching. Otters, members of the weasel family, are the largest animals in…
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Vice mayor gunned down in ambush on Pattani highway
In a brazen attack on the Phet Kasem Road, the vice mayor of a Tambon Administrative Organisation (TAO) in Khok Pho district, Pattani province, was brutally murdered by suspected insurgents on Friday evening. Witnesses reported that 57 year old Nan Kongsomboon was ambushed by two men on a motorcycle as he was returning home after tending to his cattle. The…
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Commerce Ministry investigates oil palm price drop
The Commerce Ministry directed the Internal Trade Department to investigate the recent drop in oil palm prices by visiting provinces known for palm plantations. This initiative follows complaints from growers about reduced purchase prices. Commerce Minister Phumtham Wechayachai instructed Wattanasak Sur-iam, director-general of the Internal Trade Department, to assess the situation in Phang-Nga, Krabi, and Surat Thani provinces. The goal…
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Satun’s Khao Khom cave recognised as new prehistoric site
The Fine Arts Department of Thailand has officially recognised Khao Khom cave in Satun province as a new prehistoric archaeological site, revealing that the cave’s discoveries could date back as far as 6,000 years. Fine Arts Department Director-General Phanombut Chantarachot confirmed that a recent study was conducted on human skeletons and pottery remains found in the cave. This preliminary research…
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Bomb attack injures six security officers in Narathiwat patrol
A bomb attack injured six members of a local security unit in Cho Airong District, Narathiwat Province, while they were on patrol to protect teachers. The assailants fled after a brief exchange of gunfire with the authorities. Reports indicate that the incident occurred when the security team, riding motorcycles, was patrolling to ensure the safety of teachers, only 400 metres…
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Pakistani and Thai wife arrested for murder of Indian in Songkhla
Police arrested a Pakistani man and his Thai wife for the murder of an Indian man in the southern province of Songkhla. The motive is suspected to be a business conflict. The dead body of a foreign man was found on the roadside in Songkhla on May 15 with two stab wounds and a gunshot wound. Police later identified the…
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Policewoman arrested for role in kidnapping of Indonesian man
Police arrested a policewoman on May 19 for her alleged involvement in the kidnapping and ransom of an Indonesian man in the southern province of Phatthalung on May 11. The 29 year old Indonesian victim, Syawana, was rescued from a house in Phatthalung province on May 15 by officers from the Mueang Phatthalung Police Station after he was kidnapped and…
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Southern Thailand: Locals unite to halt Land Bridge project
People’s networks from Ranong and Chumphon provinces rallied yesterday in front of the Lang Suan district office, vehemently opposing the controversial multi-billion baht Land Bridge project planned for their region. Protesters issued a powerful statement demanding the immediate cancellation of the project, arguing it would deplete vital resources better preserved for future generations. “Our children and grandchildren deserve a sustainable…
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Trang man wins 72 million baht lottery jackpot
A man from Trang struck it rich after scooping 72 million baht in the latest lottery draw. He also won additional prizes, making his total winnings even more substantial. The Government Lottery Office announced the results of the lottery draw this afternoon. The winning number for the first prize was 205690. The three-digit front prizes were 885 and 747, while…
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Durian scam: Street vendor gets seven years for scale trickery
A woman in Chumphon province has been caught red-handed and faces severe consequences after duping customers with a rigged scale at her roadside durian stall. The scandal unravelled when a suspicious customer, who purchased two durians weighing 16 kilogrammes for 1,640 baht, discovered a significant discrepancy upon shipping the fruits to their mother. The actual weight turned out to be…
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