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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Starting a new life abroad is exciting—new culture, new lifestyle, and new chances to grow. But living far from home also means taking steps to protect your health in unfamiliar surroundings. Without the right coverage, even small health issues can...
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Rusty’s journey: Rescued Thai dog experiences snow for the first time in UK
Niall Harbison, the founder of the Happy Doggo sanctuary in Koh Samui, an island in the southern province of Surat Thani, rescued a stray dog that had been chained in a shack in a forest and found him a new home in the UK, where he now enjoys a life surrounded by fluffy snow. Harbison, originally from Ireland, established his…
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BRN operative arrested in Yala for planned January attack
Police apprehended a Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN) operative involved in a 2017 bombing incident while he was hiding in Than To district, Yala province. The suspect confessed to entering the village with plans to attack yesterday, January 6. Police received reports from locals about a suspicious man blending in with residents in the Mueang 6 Santi 2 village, Mae Wat…
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Missing Thai woman found after six days following abduction claim
The Be One organisation located a missing 26 year old Thai woman in the southern province of Phetchaburi last night, January 6, after she informed friends that she was abducted by two men and went missing for six days. The public became aware of the disappearance of the 26 year old woman, Arissara “Alice” Srichathum, after Facebook page Tudd Entertain…
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Scrubs to feathers: Retired nurse rakes in a nest egg with ostriches
A retired nurse from Trang’s Mueang district has traded scrubs for feathers, earning a tidy nest egg by raising ostriches and selling their eggs and chicks. Prachuap Singkerk has transformed a two-rai plot of land next to her home into an ostrich haven, where she cares for nine of the towering birds: four males and five females. These industrious ostriches…
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Lottery luck: Surat Thani woman nets 30 million baht windfall
A lucky individual has ushered in the new year with a significant windfall, winning 30 million baht from the government lottery. The Government Lottery Office announced the results of the draw yesterday afternoon, January 2, revealing the winning numbers for the first prize as 730209. It was a moment of astonishment and joy for one fortunate winner who secured five…
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7 killed in Surat Thani pickup accident including 2 year old twins
A family of seven, including two year old twins, lost their lives when their pickup crashed into a tree on the side of Asian Highway 41 in the southern province of Surat Thani yesterday, December 2. The crash site was just 4 kilometres from the location of a fatal bus accident the previous day. Rescuers from the Kusol Sattha Surat Thani…
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New year tragedy: Burmese man falls to his death at Songkhla waterfall
A Burmese tourist fell to his death from a cliff at a waterfall in the southern province of Songkhla yesterday, January 1. Rescue efforts spanned over three hours. Rangers overseeing the waterfall at the Ton Nga Chang Wildlife Sanctuary in Songkhla sought assistance from Mittaphap Samakki Foundation rescuers to retrieve the body of the Burmese man, 31 year old Aung…
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Tattoo shop owner arrested for shotgun standoff on Koh Phangan
A tattoo shop owner turned new year celebrations into a nightmare on Koh Phangan, as shocking footage reveals him brandishing a shotgun and terrorising tourists in the early hours of New Year’s Day. The perpetrator, 49 year old Denchai from Phatthalung province, was caught on security cameras at 2.56am yesterday, January 1, outside a massage shop in Krung Thai Soi,…
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Deadly inmate brawl disrupts new year at Pattani Prison
Chaos erupted at Pattani Prison as a brawl among inmates left one dead and 12 injured. The altercation, involving sharp metal weapons, followed a heated dispute during an internal football match yesterday. Pattani’s police force quickly responded to the incident that marred the new year celebrations. Upon receiving reports of a violent clash at the central prison in Pattani, police…
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Military officer killed in Narathiwat shooting and vehicle fire
A shocking and violent incident unfolded yesterday, December 31 in Narathiwat, when armed assailants opened fire on a military officer’s pickup truck, resulting in a tragic loss of life. The incident took place within a palm plantation in the Paluru subdistrict of Su-ngai Padi, leaving the vehicle engulfed in flames. The attack occurred at 6pm when individuals armed with firearms…
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South Korean man missing after boat capsizes near Koh Pha Ngan
A South Korean man remains missing after a long-tail boat capsized at around 3am yesterday, December 29, in the sea near Koh Pha Ngan, an island in the southern province of Surat Thani. A boat driver was tested positive for drugs. The accident occurred on a long-tail boat named Phichitchai, which departed Rin Beach on Koh Pha Ngan and was…
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Yacht fleet breakfast: Thaksin and Thamanat’s island meet-up
Former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and ex-Agriculture Minister Thamanat Prompow made waves yesterday, December 26 as they were spotted enjoying a private breakfast on the picturesque Koh Lipe, Satun province. The political duo arrived in style, leading a fleet of six luxury yachts to the tropical getaway. Landing unannounced at the upscale Bulow Casa Grand View Resort, they dined from…
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Surat Thani resident uncovers 14k meth pills in fertilizer sack
A resident found a mysterious sack placed in front of their home in Surat Thani province, which, upon inspection, revealed 14,000 methamphetamine (meth) pills. The incident prompted immediate action by local police to trace the origins of the drugs. At the office of the Narcotics Control Centre within Phunphin district, Surat Thani province, officials gathered to address a significant drug-related…
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Bitch leaves behind puppies after fatal shooting in Songkhla
A bitch, believed to have been shot, struggled to return to her puppies to nurse them before succumbing to her injuries while they were still feeding. This tragic incident took place yesterday, December 25, in Songkhla province, adding a sad note to Christmas and prompting immediate action from local officials and animal welfare organisations. A video circulated online showed a…
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South Thailand: Schoolgirl attacks senior with knife at tourist spot
A shocking incident unfolded recently at a popular tourist spot in Nakhon Si Thammarat province when a third-year secondary school girl attacked a fifth-year student with a folding knife. The incident took place at Ban Wang Yao, Thon Hong subdistrict, Phrom Khiri district, on Christmas Eve, leaving the older student injured and raising concerns about youth violence. The head of…
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Suspect’s escape leads to soldier’s death in Pattani crash
A tragic incident unfolded yesterday, December 25, when a suspect involved in a security case seized control of a vehicle’s steering wheel, causing it to veer off the road into a fruit orchard. This action resulted in one soldier’s death and injuries to three others. The suspect managed to escape during the ensuing chaos. Police had been conducting a coordinated…
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Tsunami guardian: How one man guards Thailand from the waves (video)
Nearly 20 years after the devastating Boxing Day tsunami, one man in Phang Nga province has become a beacon of hope and safety for his community. Meet 59 year old Banlue Choosin, a former fisherman turned guardian of the Andaman Sea. Ban Nam Khem village, where Banlue lives, was one of the hardest-hit areas in the 2004 disaster, which claimed a…
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Supermodel recalls surviving 2004 tsunami after 20 years
Twenty years after surviving the devastating 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, supermodel Petra Nemcova revisited her harrowing experience in a recent Good Morning America interview with Diane Sawyer. Nemcova, now 45 years old, was vacationing at Thailand’s Khao Lak resort with her boyfriend, photographer Simon Atlee, when the tsunami struck on December 26, 2004. The massive waves, triggered by an undersea…
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Pipe bomb attack injures four officers at Narathiwat base
A brazen attack occurred yesterday, December 21, as assailants hurled a pipe bomb at the Border Patrol Police base in Narathiwat, leaving four officers with minor injuries. The incident, captured on CCTV, has prompted a manhunt ordered by local police. At approximately 6.37pm, the incident unfolded at the Border Patrol Police Operation Base 934, located in Bura Pue, Kokkien subdistrict,…
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Thai ONCB busts drug trafficking network in Songkhla waters
A significant drug trafficking network operating via maritime routes has been dismantled by police in Songkhla, following an extensive investigation and operation Swooping the Pirates: Suppressing the Seas EP.3. Eighteen people connected to the network were arrested, and assets valued at over 170 million baht were seized. The operation was initiated after a major bust on December 4, when police…
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Thai party entertainer assault for allegedly sitting on client’s lap
A Thai party entertainer in the southern province of Surat Thani is seeking justice and compensation from a client’s girlfriend who physically assaulted her for allegedly sitting on her boyfriend’s lap. The female party entertainer, Namphung Sumaporn, shared details of the assault on Facebook to seek justice for her colleague, identified only as 27 year old Bee. The incident occurred…
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Sacks found in Phatthalung canal are decomposed pork, not bodies
The mysterious discovery of two bloated sacks floating in a canal triggered a rapid response from the rescue services in Phatthalung province. Residents reported a strong stench emanating from the canal near Apai Borirak Road, leading to fears that the sacks might contain bodies. Rescue personnel arrived swiftly to investigate, only to find a surprising revelation. “The smell was unbearable,…
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Mysterious objects from sky leave Thai couple on cloud nine
A Thai couple in the southern province of Phatthalung claim that mysterious objects falling from the sky made them feel refreshed and healthier, both physically and mentally. The couple, Wichate Siriphuwadon and Maneerat Siriphuwadon, displayed several shiny black objects of varying sizes, with a total weight of around 20 kilogrammes, to various news agencies. They revealed that they discovered the…
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Severe floods in South Thailand claims 8 lives, impacts thousands
Severe flooding has engulfed five southern provinces of Thailand, devastating 47 districts and affecting more than 128,000 households. The death toll has tragically increased to eight as the region grapples with this natural disaster. The floods hit the Nakhon Si Thammarat and Koh Samui districts in Surat Thani the hardest yesterday, December 16. These areas are at the core of…
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Dating scam: Thai tomboy arrested for stealing pickup and phone
Police arrested a Thai tomboy in the southern province of Chum Phon for operating a romance scam, stealing a pickup and mobile phone from a woman she met on a dating application. The victim, identified only as Kuy, filed a complaint at the Chulalongkorn Pratunam Police Station on Friday, December 13, after losing her grey Toyota Vigo pickup truck and…
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Relentless flooding in Nakhon Si Thammarat plunges city
Severe flooding has devastated Nakhon Si Thammarat as relentless rain continues to batter the province, submerging key city areas and causing another fatality, bringing the death toll to four. Residents have been urged to stay alert as the situation worsens. Heavy rain has persistently hit Nakhon Si Thammarat for several days. Although there was a brief reprieve yesterday morning, December…
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Landslide on Koh Samui leaves two missing amid heavy rain
Heavy rainfall over consecutive days on Koh Samui has led to a landslide that engulfed a workers’ camp, leaving two individuals missing. Police have launched a search operation, highlighting the precarious situation as the incident occurred in two separate events. Police in Koh Samui’s Surat Thani province received a distress call this morning regarding a landslide that buried a construction…
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Deadly floods hit Surat Thani and Nakhon Si Thammarat
Surat Thani and Nakhon Si Thammarat have been hit hard by renewed flooding, resulting in the deaths of two individuals. Persistent heavy rain since December 12 has caused significant overflow from canals and other water sources, inundating agricultural areas, roads, and homes across these southern provinces. In Surat Thani, the districts of Mueang, Kanchanadit, and Don Sak experienced severe flooding…
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Fire at Trat co-op narrowly avoided major disaster
A security guard mistook a fire for burning rubbish, only to discover a forklift engulfed in flames, which spread to a pile of wooden pallets and over 40 trolleys. The blaze narrowly missed the co-op store building, prompting an urgent firefighting effort. Officers from the Mueang Trat Police Station received a report of a fire at the Trat Provincial Cooperative…
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Father killed in motorbike crash with parked truck in Phatthalung
A devastating accident in Phatthalung province claimed the life of a 47 year old father who was hurrying home on his motorcycle with bread for his children. The incident occurred when he collided with the back of a pickup truck loaded with rubberwood logs. Suphat Khunnui, a deputy inspector at Mueang Phatthalung Police Station, was alerted to a fatal collision…
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