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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Roadside bomb injures 3 police in Narathiwat
PHOTO: A similar roadside bomb attack in Narathiwat on July 16 this year. – Bangkok Post Three policemen have been injured, one of them seriously, by a bomb believed to have been planted by insurgents in the southern border province of Narathiwat. The three officers were part of a team of six traffic police deployed at a checkpoint. The bomb was…
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Man shoots dead son-in-law after “causing him to lose face”
PHOTO: Nujaree Raekrun A man remains on the run after killing his son-in-law, having never forgiven him for not turning up to the wedding party laid on for him and the man’s daughter three years ago. The Bangkok Post reports that Narong Krainara shot 34 year old Sarawut Phonhiran on Tuesday night, at a house in the Thung Yai district of…
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Yala’s “Suicide judge” moved to Chiang Mai
PHOTO: prachatai.com The Southern judge who made headlines for shooting himself in court over alleged ‘interferences’ in a case, has been transferred. Following his recovery, Judge Khanakorn Pianchana was transferred to the Research Justice Division in Chiang Mai, according to the Court of Justice. A probe has also been ordered to see if he broke any disciplinary codes. The transfer comes…
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More rare and endangered species found in southern Thailand
PHOTO: brucekekule.com More protected and rare animals have been found in the Khlong Saeng Wildlife Research Station in Surat Thani, southern Thailand, an area already famous for its virgin forests and rich natural diversity. The Chief of the station, Kriangsak Sribuarod, says a wildlife survey during September and October this year found new animals, never before seen around the sanctuary.…
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Cooler in the north, more rain for the south
The north of Thailand is in for some thundershowers from today and for the next two days, as a result of another high-pressure system from China that is currently over the region. The showers will be followed by a further dip in temperatures and strong winds, according to a forecast issued by the Thailand Meteorological Department. Temperatures in the north…
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Argument over soft drink ends in death of 14 year old girl
A 14 year old girl has been shot and killed in Nakhon Si Thammarat in an argument between two grown men over a soft drink. It’s understood the girl’s father, Wichai Yisoonsaem, became angry when his neighbour, 27 year old Anusak Daengdet, helped himself to a soft drink but proceeded to pour it out for the family dog. The Chiang…
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Six suspects detained for questioning over Yala massacre
ORIGINAL PHOTO: Reuters More than 200 troops and police conducted searches in Thailand’s southern border provinces on Friday night, looking for suspects in Tuesday’s brutal attack in Yala Province that killed 15. Nine suspects were arrested, but three were released shortly after checks showed they had no prior connections with the insurgency or criminal records. The rest were detained for…
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Army clarifies curfew rumours for districts in Southern Thailand
PHOTO: New Straits Times The army says now that won’t upgrade the curfew in the troubled deep South following an attack that killed 15 people on Tuesday night. A spokesman for the Internal Security Operations Command says, contrary to some news reports, no curfew would be imposed at this stage. He says the Army is urging people not to panic.…
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Ranger stabbed by attacker linked to southern Thailand insurgents
PHOTO: Thai PBS World A paramilitary ranger remains in a critical condition in hospital after he was stabbed by a man who tried, unsuccessfully, to steal his service rifle. The man was quickly subdued by another ranger. The attacker reportedly died following the incident. The scuffle took place yesterday near Ban Suwo defence outpost in Narathiwat. It was reported that…
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Thai military says martial law in south will not be lifted
PHOTO: Sumeth Panpetch, Associated Press Following the insurgent attack that killed 15 volunteers at a security checkpoint earlier this week, the Army says it’s not planning to lift the emergency laws currently in place in the south of the country. The attack is believed to have been carried out by a militant group identified as the BRN or National Revolution…
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Thailand’s south in mourning after insurgent attack killed 15 in Yala
Thailand’s south is grappling with grief after 15 people died in an insurgent attack in the southern province of Yala on Tuesday night. Those who died were mostly defence volunteers, manning a security checkpoint in Yala – sitting ducks for the much-better organised and resourced southern insurgents. The south, accustomed to attacks from militant groups for nearly two decades, has been…
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Volunteer village guard system in Thailand’s south up for review after Tuesday’s deadly attack
PHOTO: Facebook/Yala ToDay The village guard system, used as part of the local volunteer security in the Deep South of Thailand, is set to be completely reviewed, or replaced by a more mobile system where village defence volunteer units will be on regular patrol to seek insurgents, instead of being a “sitting duck”. 15 volunteers and villages were killed after…
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Songkhla business man claims he was forced to sign dodgy drug test
PHOTOS: Sanook.com A Songkhla businessman is claiming that he was forced to sign a document admitting to using illicit drugs. 38 year old Somchai owns a banana business and is a special professor at the Songkhla Rajabhat University, and qualified electrical contractor, according to Sanook. Somchai and his lawyer faced the media this week and presented documents from Ramathibodi Hospital…
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Insurgents detonate car-bomb and fire at a security outpost in Pattani
PHOTO: Thai PBS World Southern insurgents have damaged eight vehicles in front of an old police station in Mai Kaen district in Pattani after detonating a car bomb. The incident happened last night in Thailand’s southern border province of Pattani. A security outpost in Yarang district was also under fire from a different group of suspected insurgents last night as well.…
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Five Burmese arrested trying to get into Thailand with dodgy passports
PHOTO: INN News Five Burmese, carrying fake passports to try and enter into Thailand, have been arrested at the Ranong checkpoint. Border control police reported the arrest of 22 years old San MG, 30 years old Hla Thein, 42 years old Nu Saw, 30 years old Than Tun, and 36 years old Aung Saw. They were arrested on October 13 by…
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Army hunting man who shot dog with a spear gun in southern Thailand
A man who shot and seriously injured a dog with a spear gun is being hunted by army officers in Songkhla province, southern Thailand. The man is accused of shooting the dog twice, with the arrows piercing its liver and stomach. The “Smiledog Home Hatyai” Facebook page says the dog is named Mee Dum. Photo:Smiledog Home Hatyai It was…
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Southern Thailand braces for rough weather and rain
The Thailand Meteorological Department issued a weather warning for southern Thailand with torrential rain forecast to hit the region throughout the weekend. The heavy monsoon over the Gulf of Thailand and south of the country is being blamed for the rough weather, with the TMD predicting flash flooding in many areas. (Phuket, Hat Yai and Hua Hin’s forecast below) “Waves are…
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Judge Kanakorn Pianchana, another victim of the southern insurgency
Five men were awaiting the judge to hand down his verdict. Charged with murder and facing either life imprisonment or a death penalty, or being acquitted. On October 4 Judge Kanakorn Pianchana, at the Yala Provincial Court, announced the five men were acquitted, in a 25 page document. What was to follow was both profound and tragic. The judge claimed, as…
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Five days to move out – restaurant encroaches on Nakhon Si Thammarat creek
PHOTO: Facebook/Strong Club – Sufficiency mind, anti-corruption A restaurant in Nakhon Si Thammarat has been exposed for illegally encroaching on the Baan Kiriwong creek and constructing permanent foundations and infrastructure. They’ve been ordered by authorities to move out. The Nation reports that a Facebook page titled “Strong Club – Sufficiency mind, anti-corruption” posted a photo with a caption on October…
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Thailand is facing “hybrid warfare” by “ill-intentioned politicians” – Army chief Gen Apirat
PHOTO: Screenshot – Matichon TV Thailand’s Army Commander-in-Chief Gen Apirat Kongsompong is warning that Thailand is facing what he described as a “hybrid warfare”. The ultra-loyalist Army chief says the ‘war’ is being waged by a collection of “ill-intentioned politicians”, remnants of communist ideologues and “foreign forces” against the country’s major establishments. His speech was aimed fairly and squarely at…
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Police officer and local leader’s son arrested for drugs offences in southern Thailand
PHOTO: Bangkok Post A police officer and a local leader’s son have been arrested in a drugs raid on a house in Songkla, southern Thailand. The men were found in possession of 89 methamphetamine pills and 3.5 grams of crystal methamphetamine. A number of other items were also seized at the property, including drug paraphernalia and a pistol. The arrested…
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Special committee to investigate Yala judge suicide attempt
Photo montage: Bangla Tribune The Nation reports that a special panel will investigate the case of a judge in southern Thailand shooting himself in court, after he was allegedly made to change the verdict he handed down. The committee is expected to report back in 15 days, confirms deputy secretary-general of the Office of the Judiciary, Sarawut Benjakul. It’s understood…
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Investigative panel to probe alleged judicial meddling – reports in 15 days
“The 3 member panel will now have 15 days to wrap up the initial probe and submit their conclusions to the Judicial Commission.” PHOTO: Mariyam Ahmad/BenarNews In a story that has shaken Thais, who have broadly rallied behind the Yala Chief Judge, the government has been forced to act swiftly with an independent enquiry. Yesterday, the Judicial Commission has announced…
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Outpouring of public support for Thai judge who shot himself in Yala court
“Return verdict to the judge, return justice to the people.” People have been placing fresh flowers in front of the Yala Provincial Court to show their support for Khanakorn Pianchana, the local judge who tried to kill himself last Friday in the court room after reading a verdict. Among the flowers message, a message reading “Return verdict to the judge,…
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Judge forced to change “not guilty” verdict shoots himself in court in southern Thailand
A judge has shot himself in the chest at the provincial court in Yala, southern Thailand, after he was forced to change his verdict. Thai PBS World reports that Kanakorn Pianchana tried to kill himself following delivery of his verdict yesterday afternoon. It’s believed he is now out of danger and recovering in hospital. Meanwhile, Thai social media lit up…
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Dr. Thon pleads for dugong conservation plan
PHOTO: SCMP Thailand’s leading marine biologist is urging the Thai government to speed up conservation plans for the dugong, an imperiled sea mammal, aka. sea cow, after their death toll for the year in southern Thai waters has already climbed to a record 21. Dr. Thon Thamrongnawasawat says that the carcass of another deceased dugong was found this week off…
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Police officer caught drinking on the job
A police officer in Nakhon Si Thamarat, southern Thailand, is being investigated for allegedly consuming alcohol while working. The offence is understood to have taken place while Pol Lt-Col Somsak Faipakdee was at his office, during work hours. The Thai-language Daily News reports that the officer, a member of the Border Patrol Police of Tungsong District, is being investigated on…
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Another dead dugong found off the coast of Trang
PHOTO: The baby dugong Mariam, who brought a lot of publicity to the plight of the local dugong population, died in August Another dead dugong has been discovered floating in the Andaman Sea, between Koh Ya in Trang and Koh Ngai Island in Krabi. The corpse was discovered yesterday by a local tour boat. It’s been a bad year for…
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Arrest warrants issued over Saturday’s Songkhla 85 million baht gold robbery
PHOTO: Facebook/Persatuan Pemuda Pemudi Pattani The Na Thawi Provincial Court in Songkhla has issued arrest warrants for two men suspected to be involved in the 85 million baht gold shop heist on Saturday. Authorities have already linked the robbery to the southern insurgency claiming militants would sell the gold to finance operations. The warrants have now been issued for Wae-useng…
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Four beaches in Trang closed to swimming due to unsafe conditions
Officials from the Haad Chao Mai National Park have posted red flags along four popular Trang beaches to warn tourists against swimming because strong onshore winds were whipping up the waves to more than two metres in height. Haad Chao Mai National Park is a protected area located in the Sikao and Kantang Districts of Trang Province, Thailand. It is…
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