South Thailand News

Stay updated with the latest Southern Thailand news at The Thaiger, your ultimate source for regional information. Keep informed on local events, business developments, and lifestyle stories in popular locations beyond Phuket, Koh Samui, and Krabi. We’ve got reports of the latest goings on in Trang, Songkhla, Yala, and more.

Whether you’re a resident or a visitor, The Thaiger’s Southern Thailand news page is your essential guide to exploring this stunning tropical region. Dive into the vibrant community and rich culture with our expertly curated content, designed to keep you connected and well-informed.

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  • Python surprise: Slippery situation at Phang Nga Police Station

    A large python was found in the engine compartment of a confiscated pickup truck at the Thap Put Police Station in Phang Nga, causing quite a commotion. Police officers managed to safely extract the snake after a resident discovered it and reported the incident. The discovery of a sizable python in a confiscated Isuzu pickup truck disrupted the routine training…

  • Volcanic durian from southern Thailand creates year-long waitlist

    A surge in demand has led to a year-long waitlist for the unique volcanic durian grown exclusively in southern Thailand, which boasts a GAP certification ensuring its safety and quality. This particular variety is reported to be twice as delicious as the commonly known Monthong durian. At the heart of this phenomenon is Saiyut Jannsawang’s orchard in Na Khao Sia…

  • Fare game: Thai man fights taxi overcharge at Krabi Airport

    A Thai man lodged a complaint at the Ministry of Interior after a taxi driver at Krabi International Airport attempted to overcharge him 2,500 baht for a 12-kilometre trip. The actual taxi fare is 400 baht. The 30 year old man visited Krabi Provincial Damrongtham Centre, under the Ministry of Interior, yesterday, June 25, to report the cheating taxi driver.…

  • Stinging situation as Bluebottles sighted around Racha Islands

    The Thai authorities issued a warning about the presence of Portuguese Man o’ War, also known as bluebottles, at the Racha Islands, located south of Phuket, following an incident where a tour boat staff member was stung yesterday. The Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) has identified bluebottles at Ao La, Ao Tu, and Racha Yai Islands. Tourists and…

  • Minor earthquake in Phang Nga prompts safety inspections

    An earthquake with a magnitude of 2.2 struck the Bang Toei area in Phang Nga Province, prompting officials to inspect for potential damage. It was confirmed that an earthquake occurred in Bang Toei, Mueang District, Phang Nga Province. The incident occurred in the early hours of today, June 26, as reported by the Earthquake Surveillance Division of the Thai Meteorological…

  • Police officer accused of assaulting man in Phatthalung

    A 23 year old man from Khuan Khanun District, Phatthalung Province, filed a complaint against a police officer who allegedly assaulted him in his home. The incident occurred at 6.46pm yesterday while the man was cleaning his dog’s kennel. Yanason (surname withheld) reported that while he was cleaning, Chakraphan (surname withheld), a police sergeant from Raman Police Station in Yala,…

  • Southern Thailand: Family shocked to find body preserved in ice

    Rescue workers were startled to discover a corpse preserved in ice, akin to salted mackerel after being called to inject formalin due to the smell and bloating. The body had been kept in ice for four days. Yesterday, the Facebook page of Oat Chantra, a rescue worker from the Phutthabucha Lansuan Rescue Unit, shared images of the event. The post…

  • Italian arrested for cocaine sales and illegal business on Samui

    Police in Surat Thani arrested an Italian man allegedly involved in selling cocaine and operating a motorbike rental business illegally on Samui Island. The arrest, made on June 18, followed an investigation by Surat Thani Immigration based on tips from concerned locals. Officers identified the suspect as 39 year old Mattio who was apprehended on Lamai Beach Road in the…

  • Missing contraband diesel vessels found near Malaysian waters

    Three vessels carrying 330,000 litres of contraband diesel that vanished from a police pier in Chon Buri have been located near Malaysian waters, police confirmed. Police Major General Charoonkiat Pankaew, Deputy Commissioner of the Central Investigation Bureau, announced that the three boats disappeared from the marine police pier in Sattahip district of Chon Buri last week. After travelling through Cambodian…

  • Koh Samui steals spotlight: Readers rave over four island getaways

    Readers of the popular American travel magazine Travel+Leisure voted four accommodations in Koh Samui as winners in the Beach+Island Resort category. Travel+Leisure released its 2024 Luxury Awards Asia Pacific ranking, allowing readers to nominate and vote for outstanding accommodations in various categories, including five-star urban escapes, private-island beach resorts, innovative spas, Instagram-worthy swimming pools, awesome airlines and airports, cruises, and…

  • Heartless landlord leaves terminally ill man homeless before death

    The owner of a rented house in the southern province of Songkhla refused to allow a terminally ill Thai man to rest in her residence. This forced the man to seek refuge in a temple, where he passed away this morning, June 14. Witnesses took to social media to share the heartbreaking story of 63 year old terminally ill Thai…

  • Twinning triumph: Thailand to launch second border bridge to Malaysia

    Thailand is set to break ground on a monumental project that will transform the region. The Twin Bridge, a massive construction project in Rantau Panjang-Sungai Golok, is expected to begin in April 2025. Narathiwat Province Governor Trakul Thotham announced that before construction starts, an environmental impact assessment (EIA) must be conducted. The EIA survey is scheduled to kick off next…

  • Employee shot dead in Pattani ambush

    A shocking incident occurred in Pattani, where an unidentified assailant ambushed and shot dead an employee of the Kolotanyong Subdistrict Administrative Organisation (SAO) while he was riding his motorcycle to work. The police are urgently investigating the motive behind the attack. Officers yesterday received a report from Nong Chik Police Station’s radio centre about the fatal shooting of an employee…

  • Ruff rescue: Abandoned pit bull in Hat Yai finds new home

    A pit bull was found abandoned in the heart of Hat Yai, dehydrated, weak, and unable to move. Rescuers discovered it infested with ticks and emaciated. Fortunately, a kind-hearted individual has already come forward to offer the dog a new home. Residents found the pit bull, weighing about 50 kilogrammes, left in Soi 6, Rat Uthit area, yesterday, June 11.…

  • Student’s fatal fall in Trang sparks investigation

    Tragedy struck a school in Trang when a 15 year old female student fell to her death from a school building. The governor suspects personal stress might have contributed to the incident, prompting an official investigation by the school. The police received a report from Trang Hospital’s emergency room regarding a fatal fall this morning, June 12. The police, led…

  • South Thailand: Woman evading arrest as a nun caught

    Thai police apprehended a woman who had been evading arrest by becoming a nun in Nakhon Si Thammarat over the past ten months. Believing she had escaped justice, the woman was finally captured following a police investigation. Law enforcement officers from the Anti-Human Trafficking Division, in cooperation with local police units from Damnoen Saduak in Ratchaburi and Tha Sala in…

  • Over 80 patients flee Krabi drug rehab centre over alleged abuses

    More than 80 patients escaped from a drug rehabilitation centre on Koh Sriboya, an island in the southern province of Krabi, over alleged abuses by the Thai authorities. A community leader on Sriboya Island reached out to officers from Khlong Kanan Police Station for assistance, as residents grew concerned about approximately 80 patients who had absconded from a drug rehabilitation…

  • Cyber police nab key administrator of major gambling site in Thailand

    Cyber police apprehended the key administrator of a major gambling site, slotking77, which had a financial turnover exceeding 180 million baht. The arrest occurred after the individual absconded following a bail release at the prosecutor level today. Phumipat Phattharasriwongchai, Commander of the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau 5, along with Ukrit Srinitivorawong, Chief of News Analysis and Special Tools Division, led…

  • Thai-Malay twin-city initiative to boost southern economic growth

    The Thai government announced a collaboration with Malaysia to promote a twin-city concept in the Deep South, aiming to stimulate economic growth and bring peace to the region. Deputy Prime Minister and Commerce Minister Phumtham Wechayachai recently chaired a meeting to review the progress of this initiative, which seeks to transform the longstanding conflict zones into thriving trade hubs through…

  • Cave tragedy: Thai man’s final journey into the depths of despair

    A man reportedly committed suicide inside the sacred Khao Khun Panom cave in the southern province of Nakhon Si Thammarat, allegedly motivated by a serious illness. A monk from Khao Khun Panom Temple, where the cave was situated, discovered the lifeless body of a man while entering the cave for his daily meditation. Subsequently, the monk contacted officers from the…

  • Fugitive caught after 16 years, taunting police on social media

    Sixteen years on the run ended abruptly for a fugitive wanted for attempted murder after he taunted police on social media. On June 1, a team led by Montri Teshkan, Police Major General, arrested 35 year old Wuttichai, also known as Kay,in Chumphon’s Lang Suan district. Authorities had been searching for Wuttichai following an incident on April 10, 2008. That…

  • Two shot dead while gathering intelligence in Songkhla

    Two people were shot dead while gathering information in Thepa, Songkhla yesterday. Ponnchai Kwanpanya, the head of Huai Pling Police Station in Songkhla, received a report of a shooting incident yesterday at 5.30pm. The attack occurred on a road in Ban Huai Pling, Moo 2, Tham Wang Subdistrict, Thepa District, Songkhla Province. Authorities, including military forces from Songkhla Special Task…

  • Kazakhstan’s first direct flight lands in Surat Thani

    The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) and Scat Airlines today celebrated the inaugural direct flight from Almaty, Kazakhstan to Surat Thani. The flight carrying 212 passengers, landed at Surat Thani International Airport this morning at 7.30am. The Thai Ambassador to Kazakhstan, Chatchawan Sakornsinsuwan, accompanied the flight, along with Kazakhstani travel operators and media, receiving a warm welcome from local officials.…

  • Fugitive suspect arrested for killing boyfriend in Nonthaburi condo

    Police today arrested a fugitive suspected of killing his boyfriend at a condominium in Nonthaburi province before fleeing to the southern province of Chumphon. Local police officers in Chumphon arrested the 27 year old Thai man, Phurinat, at a house in the Mueang district of the province at about 1pm today, May 31. He is the prime suspect in the…

  • Cabinet’s coastal crusade: 3 notifications to protect Andaman Sea

    The Cabinet approved three ministerial notifications aimed at protecting the environment in Phang Nga, Krabi, and Ranong, three coastal provinces along the Andaman Sea. Deputy Prime Minister and Natural Resources and Environment Minister, Police General Phatcharavat Wongsuwan, announced yesterday, May 29, that two notifications from his ministry had received approval during a meeting held yesterday. The approved notifications focus on…

  • Record meth seizures in Southeast Asia’s Golden Triangle

    In a recent report released yesterday, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) disclosed that East and Southeast Asia are currently grappling with an unprecedented influx of methamphetamine and other synthetic drugs. This surge is largely sourced from the Golden Triangle, an area where the borders of Thailand, Myanmar, and Laos converge. Historically recognised for opium cultivation and…

  • Derailed heist: Thieves steal railway crossings equipment in Songkhla

    Thieves have stolen signal poles, barrier arms, and other equipment from 17 railway crossings in Songkhla, putting passengers, pedestrians, and motorists at risk. The thefts occurred in the Khuan Niang, Hat Yai, and Sadao districts, focusing primarily on the Hat Yai-Padang Besar route in the Sadao district. Equipment was stolen from nine out of the 10 crossings in this area.…

  • World Otter Day highlights conservation efforts in Thailand

    Today marks World Otter Day, an initiative aimed to raise awareness about the protection of otters, classified as endangered wildlife. The International Otter Survival Fund (IOSF) designated the last Wednesday of May each year to highlight the threats facing otters, such as habitat destruction, illegal fur trade, pollution, and poaching. Otters, members of the weasel family, are the largest animals in…

  • Commerce Ministry investigates oil palm price drop

    The Commerce Ministry directed the Internal Trade Department to investigate the recent drop in oil palm prices by visiting provinces known for palm plantations. This initiative follows complaints from growers about reduced purchase prices. Commerce Minister Phumtham Wechayachai instructed Wattanasak Sur-iam, director-general of the Internal Trade Department, to assess the situation in Phang-Nga, Krabi, and Surat Thani provinces. The goal…

  • Satun’s Khao Khom cave recognised as new prehistoric site

    The Fine Arts Department of Thailand has officially recognised Khao Khom cave in Satun province as a new prehistoric archaeological site, revealing that the cave’s discoveries could date back as far as 6,000 years. Fine Arts Department Director-General Phanombut Chantarachot confirmed that a recent study was conducted on human skeletons and pottery remains found in the cave. This preliminary research…