Just after 1:20 a.m. on December 20, a fierce blaze ripped through Building B5 of Rong Kluea Market in Pa Rai sub-district, Aranyaprathet — a bustling trading hub that hums day and night along the Thai-Cambodian border. In the small hours, flames lit the sky above one of Thailand’s busiest cross-border marketplaces, reducing a cluster of shops to smoldering shells while sending firefighters and police into an all-out scramble to protect the tightly packed market. Rapid response in the dead of night The radio communications center at Khlong Luek Police Station received the initial alarm and wasted no time. Officers and fire engines from multiple local agencies converged on the scene, where crews fought the inferno for more than an hour before bringing it under control. Authorities emphasized that, despite the market’s dense layout and the ever-present danger of a domino effect, the flames were contained and did not leap…
Posts published in “Thailand”
Pattaya’s luxury veneer took an abrupt turn toward a police procedural this week when immigration officers swooped on a rented mansion in Nong Prue and arrested 19 Indian nationals accused of running an illegal online business selling sexual enhancement drugs and sex toys. The Immigration Bureau announced the operation at a packed press briefing at its Mueang Thong Thani headquarters in Pak Kret, Nonthaburi. How a high-end house became an illicit e-commerce hub Investigators from Immigration Division 3, working with Chon Buri immigration police, had been following a trail of suspicious foreign-run enterprises across Chon Buri. Their inquiry led them to a plush rental property in Bang Lamung district, where officers say a team of foreigners had quietly turned the residence into a fulfillment center for an unlicensed online shop. The website — reportedly live for roughly three months — drew a sizable customer base, with women making up a…
In a case that reads like a tragedy and a cautionary tale rolled into one, a Bangkok court has handed down a four-year prison sentence to a Thai woman who fatally assaulted a young entertainer at a love hotel while eight months pregnant. The legal outcome—paired with a hefty compensation order—was detailed on Facebook by prominent Thai lawyer Nitikorn Kaewto on Tuesday, December 16. The victim, 23-year-old Potjanart, died after the April attack in Min Buri district. According to court records and police reports, 28-year-old Worrawan followed her husband, 28-year-old Bas, to a love hotel that day, accompanied by a transgender friend. The scene that unfolded inside the hotel would lead to criminal charges and national attention. Worrawan allegedly found Bas lying naked on a bed with Potjanart. Enraged, she is said to have dragged a naked Potjanart out of the room and assaulted her repeatedly. The attack continued until…
When the guns spoke along the Thai-Cambodian border, many families in Sa Kaeo province packed what they could and fled — leaving behind homes, memories, and, in too many cases, the creatures that are part of daily life. What followed was not just a military operation but a quietly compassionate mission: soldiers from the Burapa Task Force, operating through the Ta Phraya Special Task Force in Ta Phraya district, stepped into a role that isn’t often captured in headlines — caretaker. On December 19, as residents evacuated high-risk zones amid ongoing clashes, Burapa officers fanned out across villages to check on animals left behind. These weren’t glamorous rescues. They were practical, humane, and sometimes humorous rounds of care: delivering sacks of feed, topping up water troughs, and making sure the village dogs, cattle, buffalo and pigs were not forgotten as their owners sought safety. Photo via Thairath The Ta Phraya…
If you thought competitive eating was all grit, glory and gravy, think again. Bangkok’s beloved Gold Curry — famed for towering plates of Japanese-style rice curry and a lineup of heroic eating challenges — has publicly accused a foreign challenger of pulling off one of the sloppiest stunts in curry contest history to walk away with a 20,000‑baht payday. Gold Curry, a go‑to spot for anyone craving generous helpings and a shot at fame (or at least free food), runs five escalating challenges that dare diners to do the near‑impossible: Free meal: finish a 2‑kilogram rice curry in 15 minutes Voucher challenge: finish a 4‑kilogram rice curry in 30 minutes and win a voucher for 30 curry dishes 10,000‑baht challenge: finish a 6‑kilogram rice curry in 30 minutes 20,000‑baht challenge: finish an 8‑kilogram rice curry in 45 minutes 40,000‑baht challenge: finish a 10‑kilogram rice curry in one hour On December…
On a brisk Friday in Bangkok—December 19—Deputy Governors Jakkapan Piwngam and Tavida Kamolvej took the helm of a committee meeting that could reshape how the city breathes. The topic on the table: rolling out Low Emission Zones (LEZ) across Bangkok to tackle the stubborn winter haze and the tiny, dangerous particles known as PM2.5. What the committee decided (and why it matters) The committee hashed out the guidelines and enforcement playbook for an LEZ program aimed at cutting pollution from heavy vehicles. According to the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Division, the plan is ambitious: enforce LEZ measures across 50 districts in fiscal year 2026. The targeted offenders are large vehicles—those with six or more wheels—whose diesel engines are a well-known source of particulate pollution. But the ban won’t kick in at the whim of a politician. The BMA tied restrictions to hard air-quality triggers. If average…
Thailand’s Supreme Court has just drawn a firm line in the cyber-sand: banks — not customers — must prove who authorised disputed credit card transactions. In a landmark judgment (Supreme Court ruling No. 2624/2568), the court dismissed a bank’s claim against a cardholder who swore the charges weren’t theirs, setting a precedent that shifts the burden of proof squarely onto financial institutions and away from everyday consumers. What happened The case began like many modern fraud disputes: a customer discovered unfamiliar charges on their credit card and insisted they never authorised the transactions. The bank took the matter to court, citing the fine print in the card agreement that typically places responsibility for all account activity on the cardholder. But the Supreme Court didn’t buy it. The judges found that a mere electronic transaction record cannot, on its own, prove that the cardholder authorised the payment. The court’s reasoning —…
In a story that reads like a cross-border thriller — complete with a rescued tiger, a murky handover at the frontier, and a social-media exposé from a retired park official — the founder of Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand (WFFT) has pushed back strongly against allegations of animal trafficking. The drama unfolded after the Karen National Liberation Army (KNU) handed a tiger to WFFT personnel in Sangkhla Buri district, Kanchanaburi, on Wednesday, December 17. Retired national park official Chaiwat Limlikit-aksorn set the scene on his Facebook page on December 18, alleging that Thai officials and a foreign-led animal rescue centre were involved in an illegal transfer of the tiger from Myanmar into Thailand. Chaiwat specifically identified a foreigner who, he said, was standing with Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) officers at the handover. That foreigner has now been confirmed: Edwin Wiek, the Dutch founder of WFFT based…
Deep in the emerald folds of Khlong Lan National Park, Kamphaeng Phet, a remarkable pair of feline celebrities has quietly been stealing the spotlight. Office of Conservation Area Management 12 recently re-released footage that feels almost too cinematic to be true: a leopard and a black panther padding through the same patch of forest, captured by camera traps set up by WWF Thailand. The original clips date back to June 2020, but watching them now is like discovering a nature documentary you didn’t know you needed. Not two species, but two moods of the same cat Before the excitement spins off into myth, it’s worth pausing to appreciate the biology. Both animals belong to Panthera pardus delacourii — the Indochinese leopard. The “black panther” isn’t a separate species at all but the same leopard exhibiting melanism: an overproduction of dark pigment that cloaks the usual rosettes in shadow. Up close,…
What started as an ordinary pre-Christmas sweep turned into a headline-grabbing border drama on December 18, when officers from the 2nd Army Area and Phu Sing Police Station raided a warehouse in Prai Phattana sub-district, Phu Sing district, Sisaket province — directly opposite a brightly lit casino across the Cambodian border. At about 10 a.m., authorities emerged with suitcases and sacks containing roughly 14 million baht in cash and gold, and questions that are only beginning to be answered. The haul: about 11 million baht in cash, packed into several suitcases, and roughly 3 million baht worth of gold jewellery stashed in multiple bags. Photographs circulated by local media showed neat rows of luggage and glittering accessories, but what has captured investigators’ attention is not the sparkle — it’s the context. According to officials, the raid was a response to unusual behaviour by a married Thai-Cambodian couple who refused to…