KUALA LUMPUR – Continuous downpour and ensuing floods in Southern Thailand has caused about 4,000 Malaysian tourists to be stranded in the region.
As a result, the Malaysian Consulate-General in Songkhla has advised Malaysians to postpone plans to travel to the region, until the situation subsides.
In a statement Saturday, it also advised Malaysians who are stranded in the region to be mindful of the weather conditions, and closely follow news reports and directives by the local authorities there about the current situation.
According to the Hatyai-Songkhla Hotel Association, about 4,000 Malaysian tourists are now stranded in various parts of Southern Thailand, as rising flood waters following continuous downpour cut off major routes.
Its president Sitthipong Sitthiprapha told Bernama that the sudden rise in flood waters since Friday night had trapped thousands of Malaysians in hotels across Hatyai and other parts of Songkhla.
“More than 4,000 Malaysian tourists have been stranded since last night, including those intending to return to Malaysia via Sadao as the main road from Hatyai to Sadao is impassable,” he said in a Bernama report.
“There are also Malaysian tourists unable to leave their hotels because of flooding in Hatyai town.”
Sitthipong said local authorities had begun providing food supplies and deploying boats to move stranded tourists to safer areas.
According to him, the number of Malaysian vehicles submerged in the floods remains unclear, but no casualties have been reported this far.
One of those affected is Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM) Langkawi journalist and radio announcer Wan Nur Asyikin W A’zemim, 33, who is trapped in Hatyai with her husband, their nine-month-old son and five-year-old daughter.
The family arrived from Langkawi by public transport on Friday afternoon, and is now forced to face dwindling basic supplies, including diaper for the baby, and food for their daughter, as rising flood waters surrounded their hotel.
To compound the matter, the hotel they are staying in has also lost electricity, and has intermittent phone and internet line coverage.
Wan Nur Asyikin told Bernama that she had contacted the Malaysian Consulate, and was assured that help would arrive soon.
Meanwhile, Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has ordered urgent relief operations in the country’s flood-hit southern provinces, directing officials to prioritise assistance for bedridden residents and those with limited mobility as flooding continues to affect tens of thousands.
Government spokesperson Siripong Angkasakulkiat said Anutin travelled to Hat Yai, visited multiple inundated areas to assess the damage firsthand, spoke with affected families, and urged faster delivery of aid.
“The Prime Minister instructed officials to prioritise assistance for bedridden patients and those with mobility constraints. He also personally distributed rice and drinking water to affected residents as initial relief,” he said in a statement on Saturday.
During the visit, Anutin offered words of encouragement to flood victims, assuring them that government agencies were mobilising additional personnel and resources.
He also distributed relief bags as part of the initial aid efforts.
Besides Hat Yai in Songkhla province, the flooding has also affected Surat Thani, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Trang, Phatthalung, Satun and Pattani. – November 23, 2025