Yala

  • South Thailand NewsPatani Colonial Territory designer summoned for game of truth or dare

    Patani Colonial Territory designer summoned for game of truth or dare

    The designer of Patani Colonial Territory, a game based on the recent history of Thailand’s southern regions, is believed to have been summoned by police after the game was confiscated from a café in Yala. Chachiluk Games said that the game designer was not involved in the conceptualisation and production process. Reporting on Thailand involves at least one truly absurd story…

  • Thailand Weather UpdatesFlood warning for 11 southern provinces

    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 NewsPolice seize board game after claims it could cause insurrection in Thailand

    Police seize board game after claims it could cause insurrection in Thailand

    Police officers in Yala yesterday seized a fun board game called Patani Colonial Territory from a coffee shop after a government official claimed that it could cause insurgency throughout the kingdom. For conspiracy theorists, this is up there with Elvis still lives. Officers in the southern Thailand province confiscated the offending game at the Life Coffee Slow Bar in the…

  • Road deathsSleeping driver unharmed after seemingly deadly crash

    Sleeping driver unharmed after seemingly deadly crash

    Yesterday morning saw what looked to be a grizzly car crash in Nakhon Si Thammarat but, surprisingly, the driver walked away unharmed. A pickup truck brimming with durian fruit smashed into a power pole on the highway yesterday morning after the driver fell asleep at the wheel. A man from Phang Nga had been driving down Highway 41 in Thung…

  • Tourism NewsThailand tourism: 9.3 million arrivals predicted, south busy

    Thailand tourism: 9.3 million arrivals predicted, south busy

    In its latest estimates, the Ministry of Tourism and Sports predicts that the second half of 2022 will bring more than 7 million travellers to Thailand. The first 6 months nearly hit the 2 million tourist mark, with 1.987 million visitors arriving from abroad from the beginning of January until June 28. Tourism generated around 114 billion baht so far…

  • Thailand video newsThailand News Today | CCSA confirms possible easing of mask mandate

    Thailand News Today | CCSA confirms possible easing of mask mandate

    The CCSA has acknowledged that face masks in Bangkok may soon be dropped. Although no date has been announced yet, the CCSA says the easing of mask-wearing in some public locations is on the table, as well as allowing night venues to stay open until 2 am. Nightlife venues were allowed to “officially” open until midnight starting June 1, although…

  • South Thailand NewsSouthern Thai man sentenced to almost 5 decades for terrorism and other charges

    Southern Thai man sentenced to almost 5 decades for terrorism and other charges

    Southern Thailand doesn’t look like it’s headed towards peace any time soon. In the latest report on violence in the region, a man in Yala province has been sentenced to 46 years in prison yesterday after he was charged with terrorism, criminal association, and violating the firearms and explosives law. The man, along with 8 other people, was found guilty…

  • Thailand NewsMan becomes first person ever to rollerblade across Thailand

    Man becomes first person ever to rollerblade across Thailand

    A Thai man set a new record on Sunday by becoming the first person in the world to rollerblade from the northernmost to the southernmost tip of Thailand. The man’s journey from Mae Sai district in Chiang Rai to Betong district in Yala covered 2,051 kilometres and took 55 days. People have famously run the same route and many Thai’s…

  • Thailand video newsThailand News Update | Thunderstorm destroys brand new passenger building at Don Mueang Airport

    Thailand News Update | Thunderstorm destroys brand new passenger building at Don Mueang Airport

    The Thai public health ministry says it intends to stick to its schedule of declaring the Covid situation in Thailand ‘endemic’ by July 1. Since April 1 the number of new daily infections has fallen sharply but a ministry spokesperson yesterday noted that the number of daily deaths is continuing to rise and has been over 100 people each day…

  • Crime NewsPolice arrest murder suspect on the run for 15 years in southern Thailand

    Police arrest murder suspect on the run for 15 years in southern Thailand

    Police arrested a man on suspicion of a murder which took place nearly 15 years ago this morning in Yala province, southern Thailand. Police found the suspect on the side of the road in Betong district and arrested him on a warrant issued by Chiang Rai Provincial Court back in 2007. Police believe the murder was a politically motivated attack.…

  • South Thailand NewsBoth sides in Thailand’s Southern Insurgency agree to 40 day ceasefire

    Both sides in Thailand’s Southern Insurgency agree to 40 day ceasefire

    The Thai government and the most influential rebel group in Southern Thailand have agreed to stop violence for 40 days, from April 3 – May 14, for the holy month of Ramadan and the Songkran holidays. For the first time in the decades-long conflict, unarmed rebels will be allowed to visit their families during Ramadan. The agreement was made at…

  • South Thailand NewsBusinesses in Betong offer to guarantee seats on flights if Nok Air drops price

    Businesses in Betong offer to guarantee seats on flights if Nok Air drops price

    Tourism firms in Betong are trying to strike a deal with Nok Air in order to get commercial flights operating again at the southern town’s airport. According to a Bangkok Post report, businesses have offered to guarantee 60 seats on every Nok Air flight to Betong if the airline drops the cost of a round-trip ticket. Nok Air’s round-trip fare…

  • South Thailand NewsNo flights to new Betong airport, Yala tourism officials talk promotions to boost travel

    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…

  • Transport NewsNok Air asks for time to promote routes to new Betong airport after cancelling flights

    Nok Air asks for time to promote routes to new Betong airport after cancelling flights

    Yala’s new Betong International Airport is open for business, but you might be hard-pressed to book a flight there. Nok Air has suspended its route from Bangkok to Betong, saying it needs an additional two to three months to promote the airport among domestic and foreign tourists before it can reopen the route. Last week, Nok Air cancelled its flights…

  • Thailand NewsAll Betong airport flights cancelled just 24 hours after airport opening

    All Betong airport flights cancelled just 24 hours after airport opening

    Less than 24 hours after PM Prayut Chan-o-cha arrived on the first flight into Betong International Airport to chair the opening ceremony, all scheduled flights in and out of the airport have been suspended. At present, it is not possible to book flights in or out of Betong and it is not yet known when flights will resume. The Tourism…

  • South Thailand NewsFour military rangers injured in another Southern Thailand bomb

    Four military rangers injured in another Southern Thailand bomb

    A bomb exploded in Mayo district of Pattani province in Southern Thailand this morning. Four paramilitary rangers were injured from the bomb on their way to fix a broken water pump near their base. One ranger was severely injured. One ranger’s left arm was injured. One ranger’s leg was wounded, and another ranger suffered chest pain. All the rangers were…

  • South Thailand NewsPrayut orders tight security amidst new Southern bomb attack

    Prayut orders tight security amidst new Southern bomb attack

    In the aftermath of a bombing in Yala province in Southern Thailand, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has ordered investigators to hunt down the perpetrators. The attack injured four patrolling rangers and two civilians in front of a school in Bannang Sata district. This news comes after a government negotiator announced last month that the Thai government would have peace talks with…

  • Thailand NewsPM Prayut to board first official flight to Yala’s new airport, chair opening ceremony

    PM Prayut to board first official flight to Yala’s new airport, chair opening ceremony

    PM Prayut Chan-o-cha will be onboard the first flight to the new Betong Airport in the southern province Yala to preside over the opening ceremony on Monday. The prime minister hopes the airport will stimulate the southern border provinces’ economic development, encourage domestic and international commerce and improve security in the area. The airport, under construction from 2017 to 2019,…

  • Transport NewsCommercial flights at Thailand’s newest airport in Yala to take off on March 14

    Commercial flights at Thailand’s newest airport in Yala to take off on March 14

    Commercial flights at Thailand’s newest airport in the southern province Yala are set to take off on March 14. PM Prayut Chan-o-cha announced that the first flight to Yala’s Betong Airport will depart from Bangkok’s Don Mueang Airport this month. The new airport is a part of the government’s strategy to strengthen the economy and stability in the three southern provinces,…

  • South Thailand NewsMan left with shrapnel wounds after another bomb attack in Thailand’s Deep South

    Man left with shrapnel wounds after another bomb attack in Thailand’s Deep South

    A man was rushed to a hospital with shrapnel wounds on his torso after an attacker threw a bomb next to a security booth last in Yala in Thailand’s Deep South, a region with ongoing violence related to the religious separatist insurgency. Earlier that night, gunmen shot another man on a motorcycle in Bannang Sata, the same district of Yala…

  • Crime NewsBomb attack damages vehicles carrying ballot boxes from local election in Yala

    Bomb attack damages vehicles carrying ballot boxes from local election in Yala

    A bombing in the Deep South province Yala damaged several vehicles carrying ballot boxes from a local election. After the polls closed on Sunday for the Bannang Sata tambon administration organisation elections, eight vehicles were used to take the ballot boxes to the district office. As the vehicles drove on a rural road at around 7:55pm, a parked motorcycle exploded. A…

  • South Thailand NewsSenior health official says South must move to Pfizer only to tackle Covid-19 outbreak

    Senior health official says South must move to Pfizer only to tackle Covid-19 outbreak

    A senior health official in the southern province of Songkhla says the region must move to Pfizer vaccines only, in order to combat a surge in Covid-19 infections. According to a Nation Thailand report, Dr Papon Deechaisit is proposing a move from mixing Sinovac and AstraZeneca to using Pfizer for both doses. There has been a concerning spike in infections…

  • Covid-19 News10 provinces on Ministry of Public Health Covid-19 watchlist

    10 provinces on Ministry of Public Health Covid-19 watchlist

    After surges in local Covid-19 infections, the Ministry of Public Health has added 10 provinces to its watchlist to be closely monitored. The 4 Deep South provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani, Songkhla, and Yala were added to the list, as well as Chanthaburi, Nakhon Ratchasima, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Ratchaburi, Rayong, and Tak. While some provinces have already implemented their own tighter…

  • South Thailand NewsCovid-19 in Southern provinces prompts Songkhla checkpoints

    Covid-19 in Southern provinces prompts Songkhla checkpoints

    As Thailand’s Deep South faces surges in Covid-19 infections, people crossing from the three southern border provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani, and Yala will face checkpoints when crossing into Songkhla. The checkpoints will stop travellers crossing the southern provincial border to do random Covid-19 screening. Pattani recorded 566 new Covid-19 infections yesterday, the most cases out of the southern provinces, and…

  • South Thailand NewsCovid infections climbing in South, officials say curve should flatten within a month

    Covid infections climbing in South, officials say curve should flatten within a month

    The Public Health Ministry says that while Covid-19 infections are rising in the south of the country, numbers are expected to level off within a month. According to a Bangkok Post report, Dr Thongchai Lertwilairattanapong says the Delta variant accounts for around 30% of infections in the region, although the Beta variant is more prevalent in Yala, Pattani, Narathiwat, and…

  • South Thailand NewsInfections rise in “Deep South,” top health official to assess the situation

    Infections rise in “Deep South,” top health official to assess the situation

    As Covid-19 infection rates rise in Thailand’s four southern provinces near the Malaysian border, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has ordered Public Health Permanent Secretary to visit and assess the situation, a government spokesperson said yesterday. The prime minister has asked that the situation be brought under control within the next two months. According to the CCSA, the four border provinces, known…

  • South Thailand NewsSoldier injured by pipe bomb in Yala

    Soldier injured by pipe bomb in Yala

    A soldier has been injured after a pipe bomb was tossed into a military base in Yala, the “deep south” province near the Malaysian border with occasional violence related to the religious separatist insurgency. The incident occurred last night and was detailed in a report from the Muang police station. The Bangkok Post reports that the attack happened around 8pm…

  • Tourism NewsBetong Airport in Yala is almost ready to be southernmost Airport

    Betong Airport in Yala is almost ready to be southernmost Airport

    Thailand’s southernmost province is set to open Thailand’s southernmost airport as the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand is nearing completion of safety inspections for Betong International Airport in Yala province. The CAAT is doing safety and security inspections now, which will be followed by a license and certification that will allow commercial flights to operate in and out of the…

  • Covid-19 NewsAs Phuket opens, Bangkok, 9 provinces face new restrictions

    As Phuket opens, Bangkok, 9 provinces face new restrictions

    Things are changing next week in the level of severity of the rules and restrictions for Covid-19 safety and control. No, we’re not talking about loosening all the restrictions in the Phuket Sandbox reopening, we’re referring to partial lockdowns in Bangkok and 9 other provinces around Thailand to battle rising Covid-19 infections. The Royal Gazette published today the new restrictions…

  • Covid-19 News1 month closure of Bangkok, southern work camps ordered

    1 month closure of Bangkok, southern work camps ordered

    While Deputy Prime Minister and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul claimed the situation in Bangkok hospitals was not critical, senior doctors at many hospitals are proposing a 1-week full lockdown of the capital city. Perhaps meeting in the middle, late this afternoon PM Prayut Chan-o-cha announced the 1-month closure of all construction work camps in Bangkok as well as 4…