Police in Chon Buri, Thailand were shocked to discover the body of Chen Pu Lin, a 33-year-old Chinese tour agent, late on Monday night. Lin had fallen to his death from the rooftop of the Mantra Pura Hotel in Pattaya. Police and rescuers who attended the scene concluded that Lin had plunged from the top of the three-storey hotel, with the only clues to the tragedy being his body lying in a pool of blood and a broken window in his third floor accommodation. Investigators from the hotel found traces of a forced entry at room 355, which Lin was staying in, however, no obvious signs of robbery were present. Witnesses reported that Lin had been part of a four-man party from a Chinese tour agency, and on the night of his death, he had chosen to remain in his room claiming he was unwell. Forensic police have since been…
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A massive explosion shook the small town of Muang in Samut Songkhram on Tuesday morning, as the oil tanker Smooth Sea 22 caught fire at a nearby dockyard. The boat had been undergoing regular maintenance at Ruammitr Dockyard in tambon Laem Yai, and thankfully all of its tanks were empty at the time of the blast. Unfortunately, the damage caused was still immense, with glass window panes being shattered in houses located up to several kilometres away. Efforts quickly began to contain the blaze, however eight workers from the dockyard were missing in the aftermath, leaving local residents and the authorities deeply concerned. The Marine Department is now investigating the cause of the fire and has launched a full search to locate the missing dockyard workers. In a statement they said: “We are doing all we can to put this incident behind us as soon as possible and to ensure…
Koh Samui Bridge Project to Be Studied The Expressway Authority of Thailand (Exat) is preparing to study the feasibility of building a bridge linking mainland Thailand to the picturesque island of Koh Samui. Exat governor Surachet Laophulsuk recently visited the island to research the proposed bridge site and gain insight from locals on the project. The potential bridge, if approved, is expected to start construction in 2028 and set to be completed two years later. Mr. Surachet, during a lecture to local administrative organisations, the municipal office, state offices and local tourism businesses, discussed the importance of providing Koh Samui with an overland transport option. The forum heard how the current only modes of travel, air and boat connection, cannot guarantee 24-hour access to the island, especially during the rainy season. This travel limitation works against the island’s high-value tourism and public health in emergency cases. Many of the local…
Heartbreaking news emerged today of the death of five year-old tiger Vichit, who was found in a creek in Mae Wong National Park in Kamphaeng Phet. The tiger, originally born in Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary, had strayed from its habitat before tragically passing away. Rungroj Asavakultarin, chief of Nakhon Sawan’s Protected Areas Regional Office 12, informed officials that rangers had discovered the carcass near a creek on January 9th. A veterinary team then examined the body at the Mae Wong National Park Office and found several wounds on the tiger’s body and neck, broken front ankles and traces of other animal fangs. Pimchanok Songmongkol, the vet who conducted the examination, said the tiger was male and weighed approximately 100 kilos. She further confirmed that the tiger had been dead for about three days and had begun to decay, with flies and worms visible in the wounds. The cause of…
Amidst the political uncertainty in China, the real estate markets in Southeast Asian countries such as Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand are becoming increasingly attractive to Chinese nationals wanting to flee the motherland. Over the past three years, the Chinese have sought to buy new homes and stay in SE Asia, however, their plans have been halted due to the pandemic. However, the recent “will of the people” movement in China to liberalize the country has many excited and running towards new opportunities in the region. This “run culture” has been driven by the Chinese millennial cohort, who are mostly high-net-worth individuals looking for better-quality of life and to escape the “merciless parenting environment” found in China
In a stunning clash of law enforcement and drug traffickers in Chiang Rai province, five suspected drug smugglers were killed and almost 500,000 methamphetamine pills were seized after an intense firefight. A military patrol of the Pha Muang Task Force came across the suspected smugglers carrying backpacks in the morning hours of Thursday in the area where the forested borders of Thailand, Laos and Myanmar meet. When the task force attempted to search the individuals, the group of five opened fire, resulting in an intense five-minute firefight. The Pha Muang Task Force reported that the suspects were killed and no Thai soldiers were injured. Premchai Premkamol, an officer with the task force, told AFP news agency “Narcotics have been very prevalent at the border but recently there has been an order from the commander to step up law enforcement efforts.” The skirmish in Chiang Rai follows two similar incidents in…
The House of Representatives has voted in favour of a special committee’s report in exploring the opportunity of setting up a casino-entertainment zone in Thailand. After a three-hour meeting, the report was passed with 310 votes for, and nine votes against. The report, which was prepared by the special committee set up in December 2021, states that Bangkok, with the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) and areas within a 100-kilometre radius of Suvarnabhumi and U-Tapao airports, would be ideal hosts for a casino complex. Amenities such as five-star hotels, shopping malls, beauty and spa parlours, amusement parks, zoos, indoor and outdoor sports stadiums, as well as the casinos themselves, have been included in the proposal. Sanhapot Suksrimuang, a committee member from the Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP), said the study took 240 days and its report was comprehensive. Pakornwut Udompipatsakul, another committee member from the Move Forward Party (MFP), added that it…
On June 9, 2022 Thailand made history when it became the first country in Asia to decriminalize cannabis nationally, joining Canada and Uruguay as the only other countries in the world to do so. However, many people do not realize that cannabis was not always illegal in Thailand. In fact, the country had a long history of cannabis use since pre-written history. Cannabis was used for religious ceremonies and believed to possess medical and magical properties. The use of cannabis began to wane in the 19th century when British merchants arrived in Thailand and began to take control of the trade. The merchants had a vested interest in opium, and replaced it with hemp, which they viewed as a more profitable crop. Throughout the 20th century, laws were increasingly passed restricting the use of cannabis. After several decades of strict regulation, Thailand enacted a law in 1934 that made cannabis…
Visitors to northern Thailand’s backpacker haven of Pai were shocked yesterday, as a motorbike accident left one tourist, a Belgian-Moroccan national, with a broken back. Issam Messaoudi and a friend had set out to visit Mor Paeng Waterfall, a popular swimming spot 6 kilometers from Pai. However, they encountered treacherous road conditions, likely worsened by rainfall, which caused the motorbike to skid and lose control on the steep and slippery road. Thankfully the friend was unscathed, but the same cannot be said for Messaoudi, who was taken to the hospital in Pai and X-rays revealed a broken back. Not having enough resources to treat the young tourist, the hospital decided to send him on a long, perilous journey to Bangkok Hospital in Chiang Mai City for treatment. This is not the only such incident to have recently occurred in Thailand. With the return of many international travelers, motorbike incidents involving…
This week, in an unexpected turn of events, 54-year-old Peter Coker Jr, a citizen of the Caribbean island state of St Kitts and Nevis, was arrested in a hotel room near Surin beach in Thalang district of Phuketon Wednesday. This arrest was the culmination of a long-running investigation by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) into stock manipulation and colluding in fraud. The CIB, led by Pol Maj Gen Montri Khetkhan, were working with the FBI in this investigation. The suspect was wanted on an arrest warrant issued by the Criminal Court in the US on December 27, 2022, as he was on red and black notices issued by the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol). This case related to the share manipulation of two companies, Hometown International and E-Waste Corp, which were traded on the OTC Link Alternative Trading System. The investigation has revealed that the accused were business partners…