southern Thailand
- Thailand News
Body of popular monk found floating on a river in southern Thailand
A revered Thai monk’s body was found floating on a river near a market in Surat Thani province, southern Thailand, yesterday at around 11am. Phra Udomthammapreecha, also known as Jamlong Kwandee, was an advisor to the head monk of Surat Thani province and acting abbot of Wat Borommathat Chaiya Ratchaworawihan in Chaiya district. Yesterday morning, officers from Muang Surat Thani…
- Crime News
Thai woman arrested for selling macaques via Facebook
Today, a Thai woman was arrested in Hat Yai district, Songkhla province, for selling protected wildlife via Facebook. Undercover police pretended to be interested in buying a macaque so they could arrest the woman this morning. One macaque, a basket and a bottle of milk were seized by police. The woman was buying macaques and reselling them for a higher…
- South Thailand News
Several officials in Thailand wanted over child trafficking involvement in south
After several raids this week, police are investigating several officials over a sex trafficking case in the southern Thai province of Surat Thani. The director-general of Thailand’s Department of Children and Youth has been charged for hampering an investigation into a trafficking ring. Several other officials found to be involved in the ring include the chairman of a local savings…
- Thailand News
British Muay Thai fighter seriously injured after motorbike crash in southern Thailand
A British Muay Thai fighter is undergoing surgery in Bangkok after he was involved in a serious road accident in Koh Samui on April 13. Chris – a 32 year old martial arts champion from York, UK – pulled out of a coffee shop on his motorbike when he was crushed by a pickup truck. Chris survived the incident but…
- Crime News
UPDATE: Corpse found floating in Gulf of Thailand
UPDATE: A man has confessed to the murder of 23 year old Chalermchai Siang, whose body was found floating on the surface of the ocean 500 metres away from the shore in Nakhon Si Thammarat Province on Monday. Three rocks had been attached to Chalermchai’s body in an attempt to weigh it down and his wrists and ankles had been…
- Crime News
Corpse found floating in Gulf of Thailand
Fishermen discovered the body of a man floating on the surface of the sea around 500 metres away from the coast in Nakhon Si Thammarat province in southern Thailand yesterday. The man’s wrists and ankles had been tied up with ropes and weighed down with rocks. His identity remains unknown. The swollen corpse of a man, around 165 centimetres tall…
- Thailand News
Court lifts 4 year hijab ban at Pattani school
The court has lifted a ban on hijabs set four years ago at a school in Pattani, southern Thailand. The school claimed that wearing a hijab – or Islamic headscarf – to school went against the Education Ministry’s regulations. Four years of court battles between the school and parents finally ended yesterday when the Yala Administrative Court announced a ruling…
- Tourism News
Koh Phang Ngan looking beyond Full Moon parties to more sustainable tourism
The Koh Phang Ngan Hotel and Tourism Association says the island is looking beyond its legendary full moon parties and aiming for more sustainable tourism. The association’s president, Chantana Limsuwan, says the island hopes to welcome 100,000 visitors this year, following the easing of travel restrictions. The Bangkok Post reports that the Full Moon Party on April 16, coupled with…
- South Thailand News
Southern Thailand province gets a wave of income from Full Moon Party, Songkran
Thailand’s southern province of Surat Thani saw a wave of tourism income generated during the Songkran holiday. Many tourists came to the province for the famous Full Moon Party on Kho Pha Ngan, among other tourist attractions. Tourism officials said the province gathered up a total of 895.7 million baht from 83,000 visitors between April 13-17. The income is up…
- Crime News
Village chief kills thief who stole his chickens
A village headman shot and killed a thief who allegedly stole his chickens at around 6am this morning in Songkhla province, southern Thailand. The shooter said the man was threatening him with a machete so he shot him three times in the chest out of self-defence. Police are speaking with eyewitnesses to determine what happened. When police arrived at the…
- Crime News
Death penalty for Thai man who killed high school student
A Thai man has been sentenced to death over the murder of a high school student in Trang province, southern Thailand, in 2018. The man shot and killed a 16 year old boy and shot and wounded another man who was the only witness to the murder. The victims’ families are satisfied with the Supreme Court’s ruling after fighting for…
- Crime News
Armed man robs gold shop in Pattani, southern Thailand – VIDEO
An armed man has robbed a gold shop in a Big C supermarket in Pattani province, southern Thailand. Police say the thief stole a total of nine necklaces worth 15 baht weight in gold (a ‘baht’ in gold is about 15 grams). According to CTV footage, the robber walked by the Yang Hub Teng gold and jewellery shop in the…
- Thailand News
100 year old banyan tree falls down, kills 10 year old boy
A 10 year old boy was crushed to death by a 100 year old banyan tree which fell down this morning at a temple in Nakhon Si Thammarat province, southern Thailand. The boy was sitting near the tree studying online when the incident happened. The boy sadly died instantly when the tree fell on him, crushing him underneath. The boy’s…
- South Thailand News
Man in Southern Thailand believed to have drowned after fishing in flooded rice field
The body of a man in Southern Thailand was found yesterday. His mother believes he drowned while fishing in a flooded rice field. The man’s mother said the rice fields near her house were under about 70 centimetres of water after several days of continuous rain. She says her son went to catch fish in the fields. When she noticed…
- Thailand News
Rare sea creatures spotted in Krabi, southern Thailand
Rare marine animals were spotted enjoying Thailand’s coastal waters last week in Krabi, southern Thailand. Dugongs (manatee’s little cousins), humpback dolphins and sea turtles were seen from above in an aerial survey conducted by the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) from March 27 – April 1. A total of 34 dugongs, colloquially known as “sea cows”, were seen…
- Thailand News
Tourist impaled in the neck by needlefish while swimming at Thailand beach
A needlefish impaled a tourist in the neck while he was swimming at a popular beach in Thailand on Thursday. Careful not to remove the needlefish from his neck, lifeguards gave the man first aid on Ao Tan Khu beach in the eastern province of Trat by Cambodia before taking him to a local hospital at around 1pm. Local officials…
- World News
Southern Thailand officials allocate 252 baht for Sadao connection with Malaysia
Now that Thailand’s Sadao border with Malaysia will finally reopen tomorrow, officials in southern Thailand have approved nearly 252 million baht to connect the two countries there. Thailand’s Deputy Minister of Interior announced today that the development committee of the southern border provinces approved construction of the road to connect the new Sadao Customs House and Bukit Kayu Hitam border…
- Thailand News
UPDATE: Iranian tourist’s body found after white water rafting accident
The body of the Iranian tourist who went missing yesterday after a white water rafting accident in Phang Nga province has been found. Police are preparing to investigate everyone involved in the incident. 42 year old Bahzadifar Javad Gholamabbas was white water rafting in Song Phraek with his four friends and two tour operators when their rubber boat hit a…
- Thailand News
Iranian tourist missing after white water rafting accident in Thailand’s Phang Nga
UPDATE: The tourist’s body has since been found. Read more HERE. An Iranian tourist has gone missing after a white water rafting accident yesterday in Southern Thailand’s Phang Nga province. A group of five foreign tourists alongside two tour operators were white water rafting down a river in Song Phraek village when they crashed into a rock causing their rubber…
- Thailand News
Body of Burmese fisherman found in oil tank in southern Thailand’s Surat Thani
The body of a Burmese fisherman was found in an oil tank on a fishing boat docked in the southern province of Surat Thani. The tank was on a fishing boat where the man had worked which was found by a painter who was going to clean and paint the boat’s engine room. He tried to move the tank out…
- Thailand News
Massive water monitor lizard disturbs Southern Thailand home
Possibly one of the heaviest Asian water monitor lizards ever reported was found at a home in Southern Thailand. The massive lizard weighing around 100 kilograms was safely relocated by a rescue team yesterday after lying in front of the door at a house in Nakhon Si Thammarat. 29 year old Teerasuk Pudee returned from work to find what he…
- South Thailand News
Director of Betong Airport transferred to inactive post
Oh dear, it all looked so promising… Following on from Nok Air’s declaration that it was suspending services to the newly-opened Betong Airport due to low uptake, the airport’s acting director has now been sacked. According to a Nation Thailand report, Duangporn Suwanmanee was removed from her position just 4 days after Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha arrived on the airport’s…
- Thailand video news
Thailand News Update | Pattaya’s Songkran Covid-19 restrictions
The mayor of Pattaya has approved the Songkran celebration but has changed the focus of the event to traditional and religious activities instead, obviously aiming at domestic tourists without a lot of international tourists to cater for this year. With fears and concerns about Covid-19 lingering, water and foam events, as well as alcohol consumption and any big celebrations will…
- Crime News
Drug trafficking suspect who allegedly shot at police last year arrested, South Thailand
Police in the southern province of Nakhon Si Thammarat arrested an alleged drug trafficker and his girlfriend last night. The two were hiding in a rented house in Muang district. Nakhon Si Thammarat police found 80 meth pills, drug paraphenalia, and nearly 300,000 baht cash. They also found bank account books showing deposits of several million baht, guns and ammunition…
- South Thailand News
No flights to new Betong airport, Yala tourism officials talk promotions to boost travel
After the highly-publicised launch of the new airport in Southern Thailand’s Yala went sour, with Nok Air suspending flights to the airport due to a lack of passengers, tourism officials in the Betong area plan to offer discounts on hotel rooms and food for travellers to help the flights takeoff. Nation Thailand says the Betong Airport was “built to boost…
- Crime News
Southern Thailand police find large haul of methamphetamine hidden in deep fryers
Officers in Southern Thailand found hundreds of kilograms of crystal methamphetamine hidden in electronic deep fryers packaged to be shipped overseas. A couple was arrested after officers raided a home and a motorcycle repair shop, seizing methamphetamine from both locations, which, in total, weighed more than half a tonne with a street value of 117 million baht. Officers suspect the…
- Thailand News
Man caught with endangered tortoise faces charges for hunting in Thailand wildlife sanctuary
Thai authorities caught a man with an endangered tortoise he reportedly caught in a wildlife sanctuary and planned to cook up and eat. The man was found in the southern province of Prachuap Khiri Khan province with firearms and a yellow elongated tortoise which he claimed he was cooking. The man faces charges relating to illegally entering a wildlife sanctuary, hunting…
- Koh Samui News
Koh Samui villa owner cuts rates in half for Ukrainian couple stuck in Thailand
A kind villa owner on the southern island of Koh Samui has reduced the rates of his villa by 50% for a Ukrainian couple who can’t return to their country due to the ongoing violence caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. There are no commercial airlines are flying to Ukraine as the country closed its airspace to civilian flights following…
- Thailand News
Aircraft wreckage washes up on Nakhon Si Thammarat beach in Southern Thailand
Aircraft wreckage washed up on a beach in the southern province Nakhon Si Thammarat and provincial officers have called in aircraft specialists to investigate. A local official says locals found similar wreckage six years ago. A 3.16 metre long, 1.80 metre wide metal piece, weighing around 70 to 80 kilograms, was found on Tha Phraya beach. There were two spots…