Posts published by “Editorial Team”

If you’ve ever watched a diplomatic teacup turn into a tempest, you’ll appreciate the swirl that followed remarks by Singapore’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Vivian Balakrishnan, at the 17th ASEAN and Asia Forum (AAF). Hosted by the Singapore Institute of International Affairs on August 5, the forum became the stage for a frank assessment of tensions between Thailand and Cambodia—an assessment that ricocheted across social media and drew a measured, clarifying response from Bangkok. At the heart of the matter are long-standing territorial issues between Thailand and Cambodia, a subject that needs no introduction to anyone who follows Southeast Asian geopolitics. Taking the mic, Balakrishnan did not sugarcoat his view. He called the conflict “a major setback,” adding with characteristic candor, “There’s no need to put lipstick on this. This is a setback, a major setback, not just for peace and stability, but for credibility in ASEAN.” He went further,…

In a case that has sent shockwaves through Surat Thani, a surprise inspection at Santiwararam Temple in Koh Samui’s Taling Ngam subdistrict ended with the abbot and another monk defrocked and facing legal proceedings after testing positive for drugs. The operation, led by Amorn Chuachu, the district chief of Koh Samui, brought together a task force of administrative officers and law enforcement, including Police Colonel Panya Nirattimanont, superintendent of Koh Samui Police Station, and Police Lieutenant Colonel Sawat Thalawal, an investigative officer. They worked in tandem with local police and the Surat Thani Office of National Buddhism after reports surfaced of suspicious gatherings of young people at the temple—and troubling whispers that drug use may have reached into the monastic quarters. Authorities approached the matter methodically. The abbot and three monks were invited for drug testing while officers conducted a lawful search of their living areas. During the search, drug…

In Mueang Hua Thanon, nestled in Panat Nikhom district, Chon Buri, a quiet evening of fishing took a wild turn when a local angler discovered that his “big bite” came with teeth he definitely didn’t expect. Instead of hauling in a hefty catfish, 35-year-old Pornsak found himself face to snout with a crocodile—yes, a crocodile—lurking in the same natural waterway where families often cast lines at dusk. A fish tale with scales and teeth Pornsak had taken a few days off work and, like any self-respecting weekend fisherman, set up an impressive spread: 30 fishing rods lining the waterway. As the sky bruised into evening and the cicadas tuned up, one rod began to bend and tremble. Convinced he had a prize catch, he hurried over—only to freeze when he saw the unmistakable armored hide and uncompromising stare of a crocodile on his line. Startled but steady, he managed to…

Sixteen days isn’t enough time to binge every season of your favorite series, but for one newly released ex-con in Khon Kaen, it was enough to script a full-blown motorcycle caper. Police in the Mueang district of Khon Kaen province have apprehended a 35-year-old man, identified as Boonmee, after a swift spree of three motorcycle thefts that unfolded in the short window after he walked out of prison on July 24. His alleged motive? Selling the bikes on the cheap—between 500 and 900 baht (roughly US$15 to $30)—to bankroll booze and basic meals. Officers tracked him down to Khon Kaen’s third bus terminal in the Mueang Kao subdistrict, a bustling transit hub that had, by necessity, become his makeshift home. According to the investigation, Boonmee admitted that life on the outside turned harsh the moment he reached his front door: his children had moved to Bangkok for work, the house…

Tragic fall claims life of 66-year-old in Mae Hong Son’s Mueang district A quiet night in Mae Hong Son’s Mueang district turned devastating for one family after a 66-year-old man, identified by relatives as Kornsak, died following a fall inside his home in Village 1 of Huai Pha subdistrict. The incident came to light yesterday, August 10, when the couple’s son arrived for a morning visit and discovered his father at the base of the stairs. The victim’s wife, who is blind, had been by his side, unaware of his passing through the night. Responding swiftly to calls for help, Police Lieutenant Suwan Charoensuk from Mueang Mae Hong Son Police Station coordinated with medical staff from Srisangwan Hospital and volunteers from the Mae Hong Son Disaster Relief Foundation. The team arrived at the two-storey semi-concrete, semi-wooden home to examine the scene and provide support to the grieving family. What happened…

Thailand, keep those umbrellas within arm’s reach! The Thai Meteorological Department (TMD) has raised the flag for heavy rain in 44 provinces, with the Northeast squarely in the splash zone—about 70% of the region is expected to see showers that go from steady to downright drenching. The watchwords for the day: flash floods and forest runoff, especially near hills, watercourses, and low-lying communities. What’s steering the storm? Two main players are driving this soggy setup. First, a monsoon trough is draped across northern Laos and northern Vietnam. Second, a strengthening southwest monsoon is sweeping moisture across the Andaman Sea, Thailand, and the Gulf of Thailand. Together, they’re priming the skies for widespread thunderstorms and pockets of heavy to very heavy rain. And yes, Typhoon Podul is on the map—currently roaming the Pacific, tracking past Taiwan and forecast to make landfall on China’s eastern coast around August 13–14. Good news for…

In the quiet hours before dawn in Ang Thong province, a 74-year-old woman named Kasorn (spelled Kaesorn in some reports) held vigil over an uninvited houseguest—a huge python that slithered into her home and refused to leave. By sunrise, one of her five beloved cats had vanished. What unfolded at 38/2 Moo 6, Bang Phlap subdistrict, Pho Thong district, was equal parts suspense, superstition, and small-town solidarity—all unfolding on August 10. Living alone with her cats and managing a disability in her left hand, Kasorn is used to handling life’s hurdles. But this one came with scales. It started with a rustle and a bump in the night—strange noises that drew her to the kitchen. There, a gleaming, muscle-bound python, likely attracted by her pets, was making itself at home. In a uniquely Thai twist, she tried to reason with the serpent, gently urging it to leave—after acknowledging, with a…

Under the cover of darkness and the whisper of sugarcane leaves, Thai soldiers and excise officials pulled off a stealthy midnight sting near the Thai–Cambodian border that would make any thriller proud. In the early hours of August 10, a patrol from the Burapha Task Force, working shoulder-to-shoulder with the Aranyaprathet Special Task Unit and the 1204th Ranger Company, stumbled upon a suspicious stash tucked about 10 metres from the Khong Nam Sai canal in Sa Kaeo province. The canal, which marks part of the frontier in Ban Non Khilek, Phansuk subdistrict, Aranyaprathet district, turned out to be the silent witness to a sizeable smuggling operation. It was around 12.30am when the patrol’s flashlights picked out something that didn’t quite belong among the canes: 15 bulky sacks, carefully hidden yet just close enough to be ferried across the border and whisked into Thailand’s interior. What the officers found inside would…

A stare-down on a Bangkok sidewalk spirals into violence In Bangkok’s Thon Buri district, what began as an awkward exchange of glances turned into a chaotic street scene outside a bank in the Wat Kanlaya subdistrict. According to police, a 40-year-old man identified as Akhom allegedly seized a knife from a nearby grilled chicken vendor and stabbed a 48-year-old passerby in the torso—an eruption of violence as sudden as it was senseless. It happened right on the sidewalk, where the everyday soundtrack of sizzling skewers and ATM beeps abruptly gave way to shouts for help. Bystanders reacted fast, swarming to disarm and restrain the suspected attacker even as he suffered a deep cut to his own right hand from the very blade he’d wielded. Swift response from police and medics Police Colonel Suraphat Rattanatraiwong of Buppharam Police Station received the report and dispatched officers to the scene without delay. Emergency…