Posts published by “Editorial Team”

Thailand is waking up with a brisk reminder that the calendar is turning: a strong high-pressure system sweeping down from China has ushered in a cold snap, whipping up gusty winds, dropping temperatures and stirring stormy seas across large swaths of the country. The Meteorological Department (TMD) says the chill is most pronounced in the north and northeast, with parts of the south also feeling the sting as the northeast monsoon strengthens over the Gulf of Thailand and the upper Andaman Sea. What’s driving this chilly interlude? A dominant high-pressure area over upper Thailand — essentially a cool air dam rolling in from China — is the main culprit. It’s packing dry, cool air and brisk northeasterly winds that are dragging temperatures down, especially in the pre-dawn hours. At the same time, a low-pressure pocket over the lower Gulf is turbocharging the northeast monsoon, producing thundershowers that target southern provinces…

It was the kind of quiet November evening in Ayutthaya that usually slips by unnoticed — until it didn’t. Yesterday, November 18, a tense scene unfolded on a bridge in the Pratu Chai district when a 15-year-old boy in his school uniform was found sitting on the edge, clutching a handwritten farewell letter and openly crying. The sight drew a crowd of concerned residents and classmates. What might have become a tragic headline instead became a story of calm, human intervention thanks to two police officers whose steady presence helped turn the tide. Police Senior Sergeant Major Itsara Samakrob and Police Lance Corporal Thanachai Thianthong were dispatched to the bridge after a call about a possible suicide attempt. Rather than rushing in with orders or dramatic gestures, the officers approached the boy quietly, asking permission to read the letter he had left behind. That simple act — treating him with…

When a short, sharp clip of a traffic policeman asking for a 100-baht “parking fee” at Bangkok’s Morchit Bus Terminal exploded across social feeds, the timing couldn’t have been worse for the Royal Thai Police. The footage — shared widely alongside fresh allegations by former deputy commissioner Surachate “Big Joke” Hakparn that more than 200 officers were tied to bribery, call-centre scams and online gambling rings — lit the tinderbox of public anger. But today the Metropolitan Police Bureau moved to calm the flare-up: the viral video is not new, it dates back to 2019, and the officer involved is already out of uniform. Old footage, new outrage The clip shows a traffic officer insisting a motorist hand over 100 baht to leave the Morchit terminal. The driver protests, saying he was told by the officer’s superior that parking there is free; the officer brushes that aside and insists the…

In a fast-moving shake-up that has rattled Thailand’s corrections world, the Ministry of Justice has quietly moved to reassign the director of Bangkok Remand Prison after a surprise inspection allegedly uncovered staff involvement in illegal activities. The move — formalized in Ministry Order No. 233/2025 — signals the ministry’s intent to treat the matter with urgency and help ensure an impartial inquiry. On November 18, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Justice Pongsvat Neelayothin signed the order under the authority of Section 21 of the State Administration Act 1991, as amended by Act No. 5 (2002). The personnel shuffle took effect November 16, when Manop Chomchuen, director of Bangkok Remand Prison, was reassigned to the role of Inspector-General within the Department of Corrections. According to official statements, the transfer followed a surprise raid and inspection at both Bangkok Remand Prison and Bangkok Special Prison, during which investigators reportedly uncovered evidence…

Under the glow of streetlights and the hum of a late-night hospital car park, Patong police closed in on a 31-year-old man accused of selling cocaine in a swift undercover operation on the evening of November 18. The arrest, carried out in the parking lot of Patong Hospital at 6:55pm, was the latest move in a focused campaign to stamp out narcotics activity in Phuket’s busiest nightlife and tourist zones. The sting was mounted under the direction of Patong Police Superintendent Colonel Chalermchai Hirasawat and executed by a team led by Lieutenant Colonel Suchart Chumphusang, Deputy Superintendent of Investigation, alongside Lt. Col. Saran Chaiwut, Chief of the Investigation Division. Investigators arranged a controlled purchase for 6,000 baht. When the exchange took place, officers say the suspect handed over two small plastic bags containing roughly 1.10 grams of cocaine. Uniformed officers moved in immediately and placed the man under arrest. Patong…