Surat Thani
- 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…
- Thailand News
Police raid illegal ‘casino’ on Koh Samui located near police station
Officers from Bor Put police station in Koh Samui raided an illegal “casino” located in the middle of the island yesterday evening. They were joined by the island’s mayor, Chayapon Intarasupa. Those running the operation allegedly allowed people to gamble in different games to win money, according to reports. Thai media reported that the illegal gambling centre was a one-story…
- Thailand video news
Thailand News Update | Thais evacuate Ukraine & Storm in Thailand damages 200 homes
Forty-seven Thais arrived at the help centre in the Ukrainian city of Lviv with more on their way yesterday… this from the Thai embassy in Warsaw, in neighbouring Poland. The embassy, which is making arrangements to evacuate Thais from Ukraine currently under attack from Russian military forces, said 47 Thai citizens reached Lviv, the largest city in western Ukraine yesterday.…
- Crime News
7 arrested for alleged sex with underage girls, police looking for more suspects
Seven people were arrested for allegedly having sex with underage girls in the southern province of Surat Thani. A 14 year old girl also faces human trafficking charges for allegedly enticing other teen girls into prostitution. With one of the suspects being the son of a politician, Police Lieutenant General Surachate Hakparn, known as “Big Joke,” says all suspects will…
- Thailand News
Inmate with Covid-19 escapes from Koh Samui Hospital, officials set 20,000 baht bounty
There’s a 20,000 baht bounty for those who have information that will lead to the arrest of a Covid-infected inmate who escaped from Koh Samui Hospital. The news follows a statement from Thailand’s Justice Minister on an uptick of inmate escapes, particularly involving those who were in quarantine before being released into the prison population or at a hospital being…
- World News
Surat Thani immigration police arrest human trafficking suspect from Myanmar
A 46 year old Myanmar national was arrested by Surat Thani Immigration Police today for allegedly smuggling six others into Thailand. The suspect, who is identified as Bumaw, was reportedly seen on a road in Tambon Talad in Surat Thani province’s Mueang district, and Immigration Police arrested him at the spot, nearly four months after the Surat Thani Court issued…
- Thailand News
Soi Dog Foundation rescues neglected and dying dogs from illegal Surat Thani shelter
The following is a press release from the Soi Dog Foundation. An illegal shelter in Surat Thani has been successfully shut down and 17 street dogs were rescued by Soi Dog Foundation after reports were received of dire conditions and severe neglect. The shelter was reportedly constructed by a local landowner to contain the dogs who had been living on…
- Thailand News
Flash floods from heavy rain hit three districts in Surat Thani
Last night, villages in three districts in Southern Thailand’s Surat Thani province were hit by flash floods due to heavy rain and local rescue teams along with the military assisted residents in moving their belongings to higher ground. Governor Wichawut Jinto and Chamnong Sawatwong, chief of the provincial disaster prevention and mitigation office, led the relief effort, which included territorial…
- Thailand News
Student dies after receiving second Covid-19 vaccine shot
A Phang Nga Community College student who developed blood clots after receiving her second Covid-19 vaccine shot has died of a haemorrhagic stroke following brain surgery. As reported by the Bangkok Post, the student, 20 year old Ketsiree Kongkaew, who had had her left leg amputated, died on Monday morning at Songklanagarind Hospital in Hat Yai. Having first received the…
- Crime News
Police arrest British man in Koh Samui for marijuana
A British man on Koh Samui was arrested by immigration police for illegal possession and use of marijuana, according to the provincial immigration police chief. Police say that 32 year old Paul Mathew Kennedy was arrested on Monday at his home in Moo 5 in tambon Bophut. Immigration police say an informant tipped them off to Kennedy, accusing him of…
- Tourism News
Koh Phangan and Koh Tao islands relax visitor restrictions today
Joining the rush for restrictions easing as Thailand aims for the big leap to unquarantined reopening (for some) without a certificate of entry (for some) on November 1, the popular tourist islands of Koh Phangan and Koh Tao have eased their entry requirements starting today. The governor of Surat Thani, home to the Samui Plus Sandbox reopening as well as…
- Transport News
AirAsia relaunching 9 routes including Phuket-Chiang Mai Oct 15
AirAsia announced in a press release today that they will resume many domestic flight routes including from Don Mueang Airport in Bangkok around the country and a Phuket to Chiang Mai direct flight. The flights from Don Mueang will resume on October 15, while the Phuket — Chiang Mai route will recommence the next day. Last month AirAsia reinstated 11…
- Visa Information
Hungarian woman arrested in Koh Samui for 10-year overstay
A Hungarian woman was arrested in Koh Samui by Surat Thani Immigration Police for a visa overstay… of more than 4,000 days. The woman admitted to having travelled to Thailand in November of 2009 on a tourist visa and then stayed with her husband without ever bothering to apply for any visa or extension. The woman’s visa expired at the…
- Koh Samui News
Samui Plus programme rakes in nearly 40 million baht
The Samui Plus Programme has raked in nearly 40 million baht in revenue following its launch in July, according to the governor of Surat Thani, Witchawut Jinto. Witchawut says the plan, which includes Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao, has brought in 918 visitors, 347 of which came through Phuket Sandbox. Despite the governor’s enthusiastic review, the programme has…
- Thailand News
9 year old Israeli boy on Koh Phangan dies from box jellyfish sting
Officials are warning swimmers in Koh Phangan of the presence of box jellyfish after a 9 year old Israeli boy died after being stung while he was at a popular beach with his family. Thai authorities say they are now coming up with a long term plan to prevent potentially deadly encounters with box jellyfish. The Israeli boy and his family…
- Koh Samui News
Koh Samui flights resume Wednesday despite Covid-19
The Samui Plus international reopening plan has seen a fraction of the success of the Phuket Sandbox reopening and were hampered by the grounding of nearly all domestic flights in Thailand, despite an exception for Sandbox flights. Now the province that’s home to Koh Samui, Koh Phangan, and Koh Tao will continue the Samui Plus programme and expects flights to…
- Thailand News
Heavy rain causes flash flood in Surat Thani
Raging currents of flood swept away the roof of a shop at Surat Thani province. Due to heavy rain, water from the Nuea Khlong waterfall flowed down the mountain yesterday, flooding some houses in Wiang Sa District. Southern parts of Thailand get by far the most rain, with around 2,400 millimeters every year, compared with the central and northern regions…
- Koh Samui News
Surat Thani announces new Covid-19 measures for Samui Plus
Less than 10 days after the less-than-thrilling Samui Plus reopening that saw just 31 international arrivals to Samui (with 2 to Koh Phangan and 1 to Koh Tao) so far and 110 people from the Phuket Sandbox, Surat Thani province in which the islands reside has announced immediate Covid-19 measures to curb the spread of the virus. The announcement today…
- Koh Samui News
Slow start for “Samui Plus” reopening, only 33 seats booked for this month
While the “Samui Plus” reopening plan is set to start tomorrow, it might be more of a “soft” reopening. Only 33 airline seats are booked for this month and tourism officials say it will be a few months before the islands see an influx of international arrivals. Similar to the “Phuket Sandbox,” the scheme allows the trio of islands in…
- Pattaya News
Pattaya looks into September reopening despite uptick in Covid-19 infections
Despite the uptick in Covid-19 infections, Pattaya is planned to reopen to foreign arrivals, possibly in September, under a scheme similar to Phuket and the trio of islands off Surat Thani, where tourists who are vaccinated against Covid-19 can enter without undergoing a 14-day quarantine. Yesterday, Pattaya City Mayor Sonthaya Khunplume met with the deputy mayors and those in the…
- Phuket News
UPDATE: Tourism Minister reportedly says July 1 ‘sandbox’ won’t happen
UPDATE By the conclusion of a meeting in Phuket this afternoon the only confirmation was that the July 1 date for a re-opening of Thailand, via the Phuket sandbox was “still on”, according to Bill Barnett from c9hotelworks.com who attended the meeting. More details when they emerge. Bottomline, nothing is confirmed until the Thai Cabinet discusses the issue, probably Tuesday,…
- Thailand News
Bodies of couple who died at a Koh Tao pool sent to police hospital for autopsies
Medical examiners at the Police General Hospital will do an autopsy on the bodies of the billionaire couple who were both found dead in a resort pool on Koh Tao, an island in the Gulf of Thailand off the Surat Thani coast. The results on the cause of death will be released in around 2 weeks, Koh Tao police chief…
- Covid-19 News
Covid UPDATE: 2,112 new infections and 15 deaths, provincial totals
2,112 new Covid-19 cases and 15 coronavirus-related deaths were reported today in the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration’s daily briefing. Since April 1, there have been 46,037 confirmed Covid-19 infections in Thailand, making up more than half of Thailand’s cumulative count of 74,900 infections since the start of the pandemic last year. There are 30,222 active Covid-19 cases in Thailand.…
- Songkran News
Songkran: Economy booster or Covid-19 spreader?
While the government is encouraging people to enjoy themselves and spend money in the struggling economy for the upcoming Songkran Festival, some Covid-19 experts are warning that this may bring about a third or even fourth wave of infections. The past has shown that people letting loose and partying free is often the source of viral outbreaks, as was the…
- Covid-19 News
6 Covid-19 infections in Surat Thani from prison
Today, 6 people contracted Covid-19 infections in the Surat Thani province after an event that hosted prisoners from Narathiwat Central Prison. On April 1, 5 inmates and 3 staff members from the prison, located in the south of Thailand, travelled to Surat Thani. The supervisors stayed in the Diamond Plaza Hotel in Surat Thani City, while the 5 prisoners stayed…
- Thailand News
Boy killed by lightning strike in Surat Thani, 5 others injured
A 12 year old boy was killed by a lightning strike while he was playing football at a field in Southern Thailand’s Surat Thani. 5 other children were also injured from a bolt of lightning and were rushed to the Surat Thani Hospital. Heavy rain had just cleared up and the boys were playing football when lightning struck the middle of…
- Tourism News
5 other provinces adopting Phuket’s sandbox reopening model
5 other Thai provinces will be adopting Phuket’s sandbox model between the months of October and December, with a full reopening of Thailand, set to take place in January 2022. The Tourism Authority of Thailand governor says the plan to reopen the tourism provinces will need local residents’ support and a detailed map of where tourists would be allowed to…
- Pattaya News
Extra doses of Covid vaccine lined up for tourist provinces
Thailand’s Culture Ministry and the Tourism and Sports Ministry says provinces considered major tourist destinations could be given extra doses of the Covid-19 vaccine. Culture Minister Itthiphol Kunplome says the government is being asked to agree to the proposal in order to boost residents’ confidence and help local economies. The chosen provinces included Phuket, Chiang Mai, Chon Buri (Pattaya), and…
- Crime News
3 men arrested over alleged murder of drug business colleague
3 men have been arrested in the southern province of Nakhon Si Thammarat and charged with the murder of a fourth man. The Pattaya News reports that an unnamed 46 year old Thai man, allegedly involved in a drugs-related business with the 3 suspects, was shot dead in a rubber plantation in the southern province of Surat Thani. Police have…
- Pattaya News
Thailand to introduce “area quarantine” for international visitors from April
From next month, foreign visitors to the Kingdom will be able to experience the delights of “area quarantine”, after the government confirmed the scheme for 5 provinces. Following a meeting with the Public Health Ministry, the Tourism Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn confirmed that Phuket, Krabi, Chiang Mai, Chon Buri (Pattaya), and Surat Thani (Koh Samui and Koh Pha-ngan) have been chosen…
