The wrecked car lay forlorn near the level crossing, its battered frame illuminated by relentless rain under a murky sky. Moments before, it had been struck by a Bangkok-bound Sprinter train in the Tha Chang district of Surat Thani, transforming a routine drive into a tragic event late on Saturday night. (Photo: Supapong Chaolan) In the serene southern province of Surat Thani, heartbreak struck abruptly on Sunday night. A mother and her young daughter lost their lives, while a married couple sustained serious injuries when their car collided with a Sprinter train at a railway crossing. The fateful crash occurred around seven in the evening at a level crossing en route to Ban Bang Por in tambon Tha Chang. Emergency responders, braving the torrential downpour, discovered a crushed white Honda City, its shattered remains resting roughly four meters from the crossing. Registered in Surat Thani, the wreck bore grim testament…
Posts published in “Thailand”
NARATHIWAT: In a chilling turn of events, a car bomb near the Tak Bai district chief’s house ripped through the tranquility of this far southern province late Sunday night, leaving two soldiers injured and homes engulfed in flames. The explosion struck at 9:51 PM, right next to the residence of Tak Bai district chief, Jirat Siriwanlop, located in Moo 3 village of tambon Jeh Hay. Fortuitously, Mr. Jirat happened to be in Muang district at the time, escaping the immediate danger of the blast. Sadly, not everyone was so fortunate. Pvt Kantayot Binrim, 22, and Pvt Anuwat Hemara, 22, who were off duty and merely out to grab a meal, found themselves at the epicenter of the chaos. Both soldiers, now bearing shrapnel wounds and severe burns, were quickly transported to Tak Bai Hospital before being further referred to Naradhiwasrajanagarindra Hospital for critical care. The ferocity of the explosion didn’t…
A heart-wrenching night descended on Narathiwat as a devastating car bomb left a trail of destruction and sent shockwaves through the tranquil Tak Bai district. Under the cloak of darkness late Sunday night, a violent explosion erupted near the residence of Tak Bai district chief, Jirat Siriwanlop, in Moo 3 village of tambon Jeh Hay, at precisely 9:51 pm. The blast transformed a peaceful neighborhood into a scene of chaos and despair. The district chief, Jirat Siriwanlop, was reportedly away in the Muang district at the time of the explosion, narrowly avoiding the sinister event. However, the same could not be said for Private Kantayot Binrim, 22, and Private Anuwat Hemara, 22. These brave young men, who were off duty and merely out to grab a bite, found themselves at the epicenter of a violent storm. The explosion inflicted severe shrapnel wounds and burns on their bodies, leaving them writhing…
In a reverberating courtroom drama, the Criminal Court delivered a stinging verdict against Bancha Chalapirom, the former chairman of the Chulalongkorn University Savings Cooperative (CU Savings Coop). Bancha has been sentenced to five years in prison for embezzling an astonishing sum exceeding 1.4 billion baht from the cooperative. The judgment handed down on Thursday unequivocally found Bancha guilty under Sections 353 and 254 of the Criminal Code. Despite the grim reality of his sentence, Bancha was granted bail as he expressed his intent to appeal the case. Let’s dive deeper into the sprawling financial behemoth that is CU Savings Coop. As of 2023, the cooperative boasted an impressive membership count of 15,592 and managed total assets worth a whopping 35.76 billion baht. Out of this vast pool, 25 billion baht was strategically invested, while 5.48 billion baht was allocated as loans to members. Additionally, 3.4 billion baht was issued as…
Water surged dramatically out of the spillways at Mae Ngat Somboon Chon reservoir in Chiang Mai this past Sunday, pouring forth at an impressive rate of 110 cubic metres per second. This marked a significant event, as it was the first time in 13 years that such a release has occurred. (Photo: Irrigation Office 1 Chiang Mai) The residents along the Mae Ngat and Ping rivers are now bracing for possible floods due to this water discharge. The decision to release the excess water came after 13 years of holding steady, commencing on Monday. Local authorities announced that the release, which sees 110 cubic meters of water gushing out per second, will conclude by 5 PM. As water levels rose, people living near the riverbanks were advised to stay alert for sudden influxes from upstream. The Royal Irrigation Department also broadcasted warnings on its Facebook page, highlighting a forecast from…
Foreign Affairs Minister Maris Sangiampongsa took the spotlight at the 2024 United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, passionately advocating for Thailand’s bid to join the BRICS consortium—a prestigious group uniting Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. During his address at the 79th Session of UNGA, from Sept 24 until Tuesday, Mr. Maris underscored the government’s dedication to policies that center around the populace and prioritize sustainable economic development. Amid the bustling corridors of international diplomacy, Minister Maris made a compelling case for the necessity of reforms within the United Nations. His call to action was clear: the world must unite to tackle global challenges and fortify peace and security to resolve conflicts. Turning his attention to a poignant regional issue, Maris spoke about Myanmar, highlighting Thailand’s ongoing humanitarian efforts and the country’s push for peaceful resolutions. But Maris didn’t stop there. He passionately emphasized Thailand’s ambition to…
Hold onto your seats, political enthusiasts, because the governmental drama is heating up! The Lower and Upper Houses are currently at odds over the required majority to pass an essential referendum on the 2017 constitution rewrite. While the House of Representatives already gave a thumbs-up to the charter referendum bill, the Senate will take the spotlight during its second and third readings come Monday. In an unexpected twist, the Senate committee, which initially seemed on board with a simple majority passed by the House, is now leaning back towards a double majority. Talk about a political plot twist! Pheu Thai Party list-MP Wisut Chainarun, serving as the government’s chief whip, played it cool on Sunday, opting to remain tight-lipped about the Senate committee’s last-minute flip-flop. “And if the Senate finally backs its committee’s decision on the double majority rule in the charter referendum bill, the two Houses will have to…
Concerns have arisen over Thailand’s aspiration to join BRICS, the coalition comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. Masafumi Ishii, a renowned international relations expert and special adjunct professor with the Faculty of Law at Gakushuin University—and former Ambassador of Japan to Indonesia—expressed caution about Thailand’s potential inclusion in BRICS, suggesting it could become a divisive issue for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Ishii’s concerns are quite pointed. He notes that other Southeast Asian nations like Cambodia and Laos might follow Thailand’s lead, potentially creating a split within ASEAN. “Right now, two members—Thailand and Malaysia—have expressed interest in joining BRICS to boost their economies,” he explains. “Should Cambodia and Laos join as well, having four out of ten ASEAN members in BRICS could be significant.” He adds that ASEAN, traditionally non-interfering in the domestic and foreign policies of its members, might find it hard to maintain its…
The heart-wrenching tale of an elderly woman tragically mauled by her neighbor’s pit bull in Pathum Thani last week is a poignant reminder of the dangers posed by aggressive dog breeds. Sadly, this is unlikely to be the last such incident, but it has certainly reignited calls for stricter regulations and more proactive measures from state agencies to safeguard lives. The victim, a 67-year-old woman, was biking past her neighbor’s house when the pit bull attacked. She was later found in a horrifying state, lying in a pool of blood on the street with severe bite marks covering her body and her right leg nearly torn off. Despite efforts to save her, she was pronounced dead at the hospital. Her tragic death is among several horrific cases this year alone. In July, a 70-year-old man lost his life in Khon Kaen after being attacked by his neighbor’s pit bulls while…
The tense atmosphere of political intrigue in Thailand reached another crescendo as the Office of the Election Commission (EC) dismissed two out of more than ten complaints aimed at dissolving certain political parties and removing top-tier officials, including Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra and several cabinet members. Sawaeng Boonmee, the secretary-general of the EC, announced these rejections, citing insufficient information to support the claims. Sawaeng was notably tight-lipped about the specifics, perhaps not recalling the minutiae of these dismissed cases. However, he did disclose that the complaints primarily focused on calling for the dissolution of political entities and the ousting of Prime Minister Paetongtarn and her cabinet. The official stance was clear: the two complaints that faced rejection did not meet the necessary criteria for valid accusations. Instead, they seemed more like casual queries directed at the EC, rather than formal complaints with substantive allegations. “For a complaint to be credible,…