Surat Thani
- Thailand News
Flyin’ high with Gripen: RTAF eyes Swedish jets amidst F-35A snub
The Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) is considering the acquisition of three Gripen jet fighters from Sweden, following the United States’ recent refusal to sell F-35A fighter jets. The plan is to add these jets to the RTAF fleet in Wing 7, located in Surat Thani. The RTAF Gripen fighters are an integral part of the nation’s air force, with…
- South Thailand News
Surat Thani storm leaves durian farmers with over 6 million baht loss
Durian farmers in Surat Thani province are suffering immense losses as the storm knocked down more than 50 tonnes of unripe fruit, resulting in a financial setback of over 6 million baht (US$173,310). Agricultural officials assessed the damage in two affected sub-districts of Ban Na San district, Lamphun and Phoem Phun Sap sub-districts, with assistance required for the devastated farmers.…
- Crime News
Tourists deceived: Travel agency crew ‘unpacked’ by police on fraud charges in South Thailand
Six people from a travel agency have been apprehended by the Provincial Police on charges of fraud in Surat Thani, South Thailand. The suspects are accused of selling counterfeit overseas package tours to a minimum of 99 customers, resulting in damages amounting to 27 million baht. The six arrested allegedly include Sumontri Sonnong, Phanuda Thepchum, Kobsak Pensawat, and Wongchan Pensawat,…
- Tourism News
Surat Thani sees 155% increase in international visitors, boosting revenue
Surat Thani sees a significant increase in international tourists, with over 1.5 million visitors arriving in the province so far this year, a 155% increase compared to the same period last year, according to the provincial governor. Governor Witchawut Jinto announced that since January, the province has welcomed a total of 2.05 million visitors, with 1.5 million being international tourists.…
- Thailand News
Heroic railway station officer saves deaf elderly woman from oncoming train in Surat Thani
A heroic railway station officer in Surat Thani province saved the life of a hearing-impaired elderly woman as she tries to cross the tracks in the path of an oncoming train. The heroic act has garnered attention and praise from the public for the railway station officer’s quick thinking and dedication to his duties. In a recent social media post,…
- Crime News
South Thailand shootout ends with 2 dead, 2 injured after wedding party
A shootout at a hotel car park in Surat Thani‘s main city district in South Thailand ended with two dead and two injured. The shootout occurred after those involved attended a wedding party last night. The tragic incident occurred at the Bunjongburi Hotel’s car park on Liang Muang Road in the Makham Tia sub-district. Authorities were alerted to the situation…
- Tourism News
Miracle in the Gulf of Thailand: No casualties reported after ferry sinks
Interior Ministry permanent secretary Sutthipong Julcharoen reported no casualties on the ferry that sank en route between Koh Samui and mainland Surat Thani yesterday. The ferry sank at Don Sak pier after passengers and vehicles had left the vessel. No one was injured, according to the Interior Ministry. Sutthipong revealed that the R10 ferry of Raja Ferry Co sank at…
- Crime News
Police capture one suspect in cop with a grudge killings in southern Thailand
UPDATE: Police managed to capture one of the two suspects on the run in the cop with a grudge killings in southern Thailand. Pol. Snr. Sgt. Maj. Atthaporn Wichian remains at large but police managed to arrest his accomplice Manop Wang-ngan at 2pm yesterday at a house in Thap Put district, Phang Nga province. Both men are wanted in connection…
- Crime News
Police officer’s grudge turns deadly: Four killed in tragic family dispute in southern Thailand
A tragic family dispute led to the killing of four people by a police officer with a grudge in southern Thailand. The incident occurred over the weekend when four men were shot dead by a police officer attached to the Khirirat Nakhom Police Station in Surat Thani and his three accomplices. According to Provincial Police Region 8 commissioner Pol. Lt.…
- Crime News
Two separate shootings rock South Thailand, claiming 5 victims
Two separate shootings rocked South Thailand yesterday, claiming a total of five victims. In Surat Thani province, an unidentified gunman shot four people dead at a house, including two former village heads and his wife. The gunman attacked the victims at a house in Khiri Rat Dikhom district. Police identified three of the victims as former village headman Thammarong Nilniyom,…
- Tourism News
Thailand’s Surat Thani province expects over 90,000 tourists during Songkran
Get ready for a blast of Songkran tourism coming up in Thailand! Thailand’s Surat Thani province is expecting to welcome more than 90,000 tourists during the upcoming Songkran festival period. According to the Surat Thani Governor, Vichawut Jintoe, over 67,000 foreign tourists and 23,000 Thai tourists are expected to visit the southern province from April 13 to 16. Surat Thani…
- Tourism News
Foreigners complain they can’t swim at Koh Samui beach due to smelly oil spill
French and German tourists complained that a smelly oil spill prevented them from swimming at Maenam Beach yesterday in Koh Samui, Surat Thani province, southern Thailand. A German man told reporters that he went to the beach to sunbathe and play in the water. But when he tried to go swimming, he noticed a foul smell emanating from the sea.…
- Thailand News
Broken railway crossing barrier in Thailand costs local mayor his life
The Mayor of Nasan was killed by an oncoming train as he drove his car over a railway crossing yesterday in Surat Thani province in southern Thailand. One of four barriers was broken. Kosol Sutthangkun, the 63 year old Mayor of Nasan Municipality, was driving home from a funeral when he was fatally struck by Bangkok – Trang Express Train…
- Thailand News
Drug addict arrested for murdering employer with chainsaw
A Thai man was arrested at the weekend after he used a chainsaw to murder his employer while they worked together in a rubber plantation in the southern province of Surat Thani. The murderer tested positive for drugs, and police found a chainsaw and a knife covered in blood at the scene. A resident who lived near the murder scene…
- Crime News
Thai man attacks nephew’s 2 Pit Bulls with a meat cleaver
Two Pit Bulls are seriously injured after they were attacked with a meat cleaver by their owner’s neighbour, who is also his uncle, on Saturday night in Surat Thani province, southern Thailand. Late Saturday night, the Surat Thani Rescue Radio Centre received a call to help the two dogs attacked with a knife. Rescue workers found two Pit Bull dogs…
- Thailand News
National park officer becomes an alien to promote tourism in southern Thailand
A surge in the circulation of extra-terrestrial-related stories on social media in Thailand inspired a national park officer to photo-edit an application to transform herself into an alien. The aim of this transformation was to boost tourism at the Khao Sok National Park, located in the southern province of Surat Thani. The discussion surrounding the existence of UFOs and aliens…
- Thailand News
Woman’s body found floating in waters of Koh Tao, Thailand
A boat driver found a woman’s body floating in the waters of Koh Tao island in Surat Thani province in southern Thailand, the Thai Maritime Enforcement Centre (MECC) reported this morning. The woman was discovered floating among 20 200-litre oil barrels around 12 nautical miles northwest of Koh Tao island in the Koh Pha Ngan district. Speedboat operators from Koh…
- Koh Samui News
Koh Samui booms as over 200,000 tourists visit the popular island in January
The picturesque island of Koh Samui in Surat Thani province, Thailand, has seen a remarkable turnaround to its economy in the first month of 2023 with over 200,000 tourists visiting in January alone. After a year of uncertainty due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the arrival of over 200,000 tourists has been a welcome sight for the island’s local economy. The…
- Thailand News
Three foreign tourists rescued from Thai jungle
National park officials rescued three foreign tourists who got lost in the jungle in Koh Pha Ngan, Surat Thani province, southern Thailand, yesterday. All three are reportedly safe. At 5.30pm, the Chief of Than Sadet National Park, Tikamporn Phenchom, received a call that three foreign tourists were lost in the jungle on the Khao Ra mountain and needed help. Chief…
- Thailand News
Thailand’s Surat Thani Airport welcomes chartered flight from Taiwan
A chartered Thai Lion Air flight carrying 143 tourists from Taiwan landed at Surat Thani Airport in southern Thailand yesterday. It was the first chartered flight to land on the airport’s runway in three years. Surat Thani Governor Wichawut Jinto welcomed passengers on flight SL-7391 from Taipei yesterday evening, handing out flower garlands and gifts to tourists to celebrate the…
- Tourism News
Google’s best beaches almost unknown in Thailand
Last year, both Thai and foreign tourists took to the virtual highways and byways – and often the real ones – searching for Thailand’s best beaches. As the pandemic receded, the vigilant eye of Google Maps was goggling at you, benignly recording your every move, or so the corporation claims. Google’s best beaches in Thailand are those with the most…
- Thailand News
3 million baht raised for British woman who fell from balcony in Thailand
A GoFundMe appeal raised nearly 3 million baht (£73,500) to cover the medical costs of a 21 year old British woman who sustained serious injuries after falling from a low balcony in Koh Pha Ngan in southern Thailand on New Year’s Eve. Maddi Neale-Shankster, a beauty therapist from Coventry in England, suffered a broken back, two collapsed lungs, and her…
- Crime News
Police arrest two Russians for begging on the streets of southern Thailand
Thai police arrested two Russian men yesterday for begging on the streets of Surat Thani in southern Thailand. The men held signs saying they are fleeing war in Russia. Surat Thani Immigration officers, tourist police officers, and officials from the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security jointly arrested 36 year old Evgenii Malakhov and 32 year old Alexander Kulikov…
- Thailand News
Body of Canadian man washes up on beach in southern Thailand
The body of a 63 year old Canadian man washed up on a beach on the mainland of Surat Thani province in southern Thailand yesterday evening. He went missing from Koh Pha Ngan island six days ago. At 8pm, officers from Khanom Police Station rushed to Khanom Beach after a decaying body was discovered on the shore in front of the…
- South Thailand News
UPDATE: Irish kayaker Odhran O’Neill’s body found
Though not a lot of information has been confirmed or released yet, the body of a 22 year old Irish traveller has been recovered from the waters in Khao Sok National Park. He had been kayaking, a popular activity in the region, though the weather has been windy and rainy in the south of Thailand recently, making the waters more…
- South Thailand News
Northern Irishman missing in Khao Sok after kayak capsized
[UPDATE: His body has been found.] The family of a missing Northern Irishman is desperately seeking help on social media after his kayak capsized and he hasn’t been seen since. Odhran O’Neill has been travelling in Thailand and went kayaking in Khao Sok National Park yesterday afternoon. His boat capsized around 1pm and Facebook posts suggest he said that he…
- Thailand News
Thailand’s Full Moon Party attracts 12,000 tourists
At least 12,000 foreign and Thai tourists attended Thailand’s final Full Moon Party of the year last night on Koh Pha Ngan island in Surat Thani province, southern Thailand. A downpour of rain didn’t stop revellers from singing, dancing, and drinking on the island’s Haad Rin Beach on the 15th lunar night of 2022. Koh Pha Ngan administrative officials, officers…
- Thailand News
Beastly reptile crocs the world of small village in southern Thailand
A quiet village in Surat Thani province in southern Thailand was disturbed by a gigantic saltwater crocodile last night. Villagers in Ban Si Thong in Tha Chana district were dumbstruck when they spotted a four-metre-long crocodile emerging from a ditch in the middle of the night, just 100 metres away from the community. The beast did not come alone and…
- Thailand Weather Updates
Flood warning for 11 southern provinces
Southern Thailand has been soaked with rain over the past week. Now, the National Water Command Centre is warning 11 provinces of possible floods this coming weekend. They are expecting heavy rains from Thursday, December 8 through Sunday, December 11. Strong storms have been flickering power in some provinces in the south of Thailand, with high winds blowing debris and…
- Thailand News
Search continues for French tourist missing in Thailand
The search for the missing French tourist believed to be lost in the jungle in Surat Thani province in southern Thailand continues today after it was temporarily called off last night due to heavy rains. He was last seen six days ago. Three witnesses provided useful testimony which has helped police to narrow down their search. Frenchman Gollino Cyrit Tizzlano…
