Late on August 16, the outbound lanes of the Udon Ratthaya Expressway near the Muang Thong Thani entrance in Pak Kret, Nonthaburi, turned into a scene of chaos when 11 vehicles collided in a multi-car pileup that has since ignited a storm of speculation online. Photos and reports circulating on social media — and picked up by KhaoSod — show a tangle of crushed metal, shattered glass and frantic bystanders, and many users immediately raised the specter of street racing as the possible cause. One of the survivors, who was riding in a blue BMW, described the crash as “the most terrifying experience” of their life. According to their account, they were traveling at a normal speed with their partner driving from Chidlom to Rangsit — a familiar route for the couple — when everything changed in an instant. “We were in the middle lane,” the victim recalled. “The road…
Posts published in “Thailand”
Thailand has quietly pulled the welcome mat from under an American visitor after government officials discovered he isn’t the White House correspondent he claimed to be. Michael B. Alfaro — who livestreamed from the tense Thailand–Cambodia frontier alleging Thai forces blocked crossings — was initially invited to observe damage and operations near Surin. That invitation has now been revoked, and Bangkok’s message is blunt: misrepresent yourself, and you’re not welcome. The invitation was originally extended by the Ad Hoc Centre for Thailand–Cambodia Border Situation to allow foreign media a firsthand view of areas affected by artillery and other conflict-related hazards. The proposed itinerary sounded straightforward and solemn: visits to hospitals and schools hit by shelling, civilian zones caught in crossfire, and mine-clearance work conducted by the Thailand Mine Action Centre. But the plan unraveled after officials investigated Alfaro’s credentials. Jirayu Houngsub, a member of the Ad Hoc Centre, said the…
The island of Phuket turned the heat up on drug networks last week as coordinated raids swept through all three districts, netting several suspects and a stash of methamphetamine — both the pill form known locally as ya bah and the crystal form ya ice. From August 14 to 17, the Special Operations Unit of the Phuket Provincial Defense Office, backed by senior district officials and the Volunteer Defense Corps (OrSor), led a focused push under the “No Drugs, No Dealers” campaign. The message was blunt and unmistakable: Phuket wants its communities drug-free. Major haul and multiple arrests in Cherng Talay The largest of the operations unfolded in Cherng Talay after a tip-off sparked a targeted probe into a suspected network. Four Thai men were arrested and charged in connection with possession and distribution of Category 1 narcotics. Among them were 27-year-old Beer and 21-year-old Beach, found with 10.58 grams…
Late on the afternoon of August 17, the quiet roadside trees of Paklok sub-district in Phuket were shattered by a metallic roar and the sudden sight of an ultralight aircraft wedged beside the road. What began as a routine training flight ended with two injured men, a stunned neighborhood and a fresh investigation into what caused the light aircraft to fall from the sky. At approximately 4:30 p.m., an ultralight identified as a UM-22 Quicksilver MX II Sprint — a nimble, high-lift craft prized by flying schools for its short takeoff and steady low-speed handling — came down just off a runway, according to local reports. The two occupants, 40-year-old Thai trainer Surasak Chana and 36-year-old Russian student Sergei Razukov, were rushed to Thalang Hospital. Initial updates say Razukov suffered minor head injuries, while Chana was in more serious condition with a broken left ankle and a head wound; authorities…
Late on the night of Thursday, August 14, Soi Bonkot 8 in Bang Lamung district became the scene of a tragic collision that would later draw sharp criticism and heated debate across social media. At around 11pm, a British national riding an electric off-road motorcycle reportedly crashed into the motorbike of 49-year-old Churairat Phetraksa. Churairat was rushed to hospital with catastrophic head injuries and multiple abrasions; she later died, according to a local Facebook news page, on August 17. The details circulating online paint a dramatic — and disturbing — picture. Witnesses told reporters and commenters that the foreign motorcyclist had been performing repeated wheelies along the street before losing control. One eyewitness described a violent impact and said Churairat had bled heavily at the scene. In the chaotic moments that followed, several residents allegedly assaulted the British rider; police confirmed he sustained injuries not from the collision itself but…
Alex is back with a lively roundup of the headlines rattling Thailand right now — a mix of big government crackdowns, border standoffs, visa shake-ups, human dramas and a surprising cultural shift among the young. Fasten your seatbelt: from cannabis closures to compassion for a stranded pensioner, it’s a lot to take in. Mass cannabis sweep: over 1,000 shops shut In one of the most sweeping enforcement moves of the year, Thailand’s Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine marched through the cannabis industry between June 16 and August 13. Authorities targeted 5,218 cannabis businesses, suspending 724 licences, revoking 129, prosecuting 180 unlicensed operators and permanently closing 1,079 shops. Police carried out 116 raids, seized nearly 981 kilograms of cannabis and arrested 33 suspects trying to smuggle drugs through Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports. The message was clear: the era of casual dispensaries is meeting a hardline brake. Border chill…
What began as an ordinary evening commute turned into a nightmare — and then a near-miracle — for a 30-year-old Laotian man identified as Ploy. At about 7:00 pm on August 17, authorities from Bang Pakong Police Station in Chachoengsao rushed to a stretch of Bang Na–Trat Road near kilometre marker 46 after a frantic report of a motorcycle crash heading toward Bangkok. The scene that greeted them was as harrowing as it was unlikely: Ploy lying beside his damaged bike, registration กวร 651 Chachoengsao, with the motorcycle’s centre stand grotesquely embedded in his neck. A rescue with surgical precision — from the roadside Rescue teams from Chachoengsao moved fast. First responders stabilized Ploy, carefully cut away the metal centre stand to avoid further injury, and rushed him to Bang Pakong Hospital for urgent treatment. Witnesses at the scene told investigators that Ploy had been riding at a high speed…
In a blockbuster anti-narcotics operation that reads like a police procedural turned reality, Thai authorities announced the seizure of a staggering 900 kilogrammes of crystal methamphetamine — an illicit cargo valued at about 135 million baht (roughly US$4.16 million). The haul, intercepted en route from central Thailand to Narathiwat, was revealed at a press briefing on August 16 at the Royal Thai Police Front Operations Centre in Yala. The announcement was led under the direction of Deputy Prime Minister (and acting Prime Minister) Phumtham Wechayachai, who tasked Justice Minister Police Colonel Tawee Sodsong and Deputy Interior Minister Dech-Isem Khaothong with briefing the nation. A who’s-who of southern security leaders joined them: Police Lieutenant Colonel Wannapong Kocharak (Secretary-General of the Southern Border Provinces Administrative Centre), Lieutenant General Paisan Nusang (commander of the 4th Army Area), Police Major General Achan Jansiri (deputy commissioner of Provincial Police Region 9), and Wichan Chaisethsampan (deputy…
Phuket is turning a meaningful corner in its approach to inclusion. The Phuket City Municipality has announced a fresh package of measures aimed at improving life for residents with autism and intellectual disabilities — and it’s not limited to paperwork. With an ethos built around the new “Leaving No One Behind” policy, local leaders are moving from intent to action, seeking practical ways to level the playing field so every resident can participate, learn and thrive. From database to action At the heart of the plan is a simple but powerful step: a comprehensive database identifying people across the municipality with autism or intellectual disabilities. Mayor Suphot La-ongphet has been clear about the philosophy driving the move. “Everyone is a valuable human resource,” he said, underscoring the aim of equal opportunity and support — not token gestures but sustained, measurable improvement. With the database complete, Mayor Suphot and the Medical…
On a humid Saturday in Trat province, armed forces and diplomats from Thailand and Cambodia sat down at the Barn Talaephu resort in Khlong Yai district to try and turn a tense border chapter into a calmer page. The Regional Border Committee (RBC) meeting — a gathering that reads like a who’s who of border commanders — aimed to tackle landmines, cross-border scam networks and the broader security friction affecting eastern Thailand’s Trat and Chanthaburi provinces. Representatives included Vice-Admiral Apichart Sapprasert, commander of the Chanthaburi and Trat Border Defence Command, Major General Uy Hieng of Cambodia’s Military Region 3, and Rear Admiral Paraj Ratanajaipan, deputy spokesperson for the Royal Thai Navy. While the mood at the seaside venue had a diplomatic polish, the agenda was anything but breezy. The big headline from the talks: both sides signed on to implement the outcomes of the General Border Committee’s (GBC) August 7…