It was supposed to be an ordinary evening in Banglamung, Chon Buri — until a wave of chaos tore through Sutharat Deejaivong’s quiet street and left an otherwise ordinary family running for safety. The 42-year-old mother’s calm life was jolted into emergency mode when more than 20 teenagers allegedly converged on her home, armed with ping-pong bombs and at least one firearm. The result: damaged property, a terrified household that fled their own home, and a police case that, months later, still smells of frustration and unanswered questions. The trouble began on June 17, according to Sutharat. What started as a spat between her daughter and a group of teens she knew escalated into something far worse. Outside the family house, tensions flared and a male teenager reportedly attempted to assault the daughter. When her boyfriend stepped in to intervene, tempers exploded and a physical fight followed — both sides…
Posts published in “Thailand”
A midnight spill of meatballs and metal: Pattaya pickup crash leaves three injured Just after midnight on August 16, a slippery stretch of Sukhumvit Road in Nongprue turned a routine drive into a chaotic scene straight out of a darkly comedic action film. A bronze Isuzu D-Max — modified with a high metal cage and carrying hundreds of meatballs — lost control on the wet pavement, flipped over, and slammed into an electric pole near the motorway underpass en route to Sattahip. The result: three people injured, a scattering of meatballs across the median, and an investigation by Pattaya City Police that’s still piecing together exactly what happened. Volunteers from the Pattaya Swang Boriboon Rescue Centre were among the first on the scene after an emergency call. They found the pickup overturned and badly damaged, its load of processed meat strewn like oversized marbles across the road. The 20-year-old driver,…
Thailand’s Monsoon Trough Throws a Soaking Curveball — 50 Provinces on Alert Brace yourselves: the Thai Meteorological Department (TMD) has issued a robust weather wake-up call. A sprawling monsoon trough is moving through the country, drenching 50 provinces and seriously stirring the atmosphere across three major regions — including Bangkok. With roughly 80% of Thailand expected to see rain, this isn’t your garden-variety drizzle. The forecast for August 16 warns of heavy to very heavy downpours, flash floods and mountain runoffs that can turn sleepy streams into raging waterways in hours. What’s happening in the sky? The meteorological picture reads like a climate drama script. The monsoon trough stretches across lower northern Thailand, upper central Thailand and the northeast, coinciding with a low-pressure system over the upper South China Sea. Meanwhile, a strong southwest monsoon blankets the Andaman Sea, the Gulf of Thailand and the Thai mainland, plus another low-pressure…
Three Arrested in Prachin Buri as E‑Waste Trail Leads to Unlicensed Chachoengsao Facility What began as a tip-off turned into a roadside environmental drama on 15 August, when Prachin Buri police intercepted three pickup trucks laden with electronic waste bound for Chachoengsao. The trio — a Thai driver, a Chinese national and a Myanmar national — were stopped while hauling motors, cooling-system parts and assorted scrap metal. Police Colonel Winyu Jamsai, superintendent of Subdivision 2 of the Natural Resources and Environmental Crime Division, confirmed the seizure and said the haul came from a site previously ordered shut for illegal e‑waste disposal in Si Maha Phot district. The scene had all the elements of a modern-day mystery: an apparently shuttered dumping ground suddenly active again, three drivers claiming they were only doing a job, and a factory in tambon Samet Nuea, Bang Khla district, Chachoengsao, that — according to early inquiries…
Suspended PM Paetongtarn Heads to Constitutional Court Amid Leaked Audio Storm Thailand’s suspended Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has been summoned to appear in person at the Constitutional Court over a contentious leaked audio recording involving Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen — and, if her team is to be believed, she’s likely to show up. The announcement came from Dr. Prommin Lertsuridej, Paetongtarn’s Secretary-General, after the court set a hearing for August 21 with a ruling due on August 29. When asked whether the prime minister — who also serves as culture minister — would attend, Dr. Prommin kept it simple and confident: “When the time comes, we will know. I believe she will decide for herself, and she will likely go.” That line, measured and almost casual, speaks to a team trying to balance legal prudence with public resolve. Defence Team, Limited Witness List, and Political Overtones The case has…
Early-morning speed ended in tragedy: A 26-year-old motorcyclist died after a high-speed collision with the rear of a 20-wheel truck in Pathum Thani on the morning of August 16. The crash, which occurred around 5:30 a.m. in Ban Klang, Mueang district, left rescuers and investigating officers piecing together the final moments of a ride that ended far sooner than anyone expected. The scene and the shock Police Major Parada Tantirungarun of Suan Phrik Thai Police Station, forensic officers from the Ministry of Justice, and volunteers from the Ruam Katanyu Foundation rushed to the scene after reports of a severe collision. They found the rider, identified only as 26-year-old Chaiphisit, lying dead on the asphalt. Nearby, his modified white Honda — notably missing a licence plate — was discovered roughly 150 metres from his body. The motorcycle’s speedometer was reportedly stuck at 140, a chilling detail that underlines how fast events…
After nearly a decade of waiting and ticket re-routing, Thailand and Malaysia have agreed to bring the Bangkok–Butterworth rail link back to life by the end of 2025 — and rail fans, backpackers, and weekend escape artists should be grinning ear to ear. The decision, sealed during the recent 43rd SRT–KTMB Joint Conference, signals a fresh push to knit Southeast Asia’s rail network closer together under an eye-catching theme: “Railnaissance.” What’s changing — and why it matters At the heart of the agreement are six practical pillars designed to make border-hopping by train simple and genuinely pleasant: Resumption of the Bangkok–Butterworth cross-border service Track doubling to improve capacity and reliability Integration of passenger ticketing systems for seamless bookings Inspection and certification of cross-border rolling stock to ensure safety and compatibility Joint promotion of rail tourism and collaborative marketing Establishment of joint standard operating procedures for emergencies SRT Governor Veeris Ammarapala…
In a dramatic development on August 15, two police officers were arrested in connection with a large drug-trafficking network, and authorities moved to seize and freeze assets valued at 35.209 million baht. The operation — a coordinated, multi-unit crackdown focused on alleged money laundering tied to narcotics trafficking — was led by Police Lieutenant General Santi Chaiyanirami, Commander of the Narcotics Suppression Bureau, alongside Police Lieutenant General Surapol Prembutr, Commander of Provincial Police Region 1. The two officers taken into custody are Lieutenant Colonel Weerakan, deputy inspector of the Pathum Thani Provincial Police investigation unit, and Sergeant Major Yuranan, a squad leader from the same unit. Both face money laundering charges that accuse them of transferring or receiving assets to hide their origins or to help others avoid criminal accountability — allegations that, if proven, strike at the core of public trust in law enforcement. The financial swoop unfolded in…
In the early hours of August 15, a dramatic anti-narcotics operation in Pathum Thani turned up a hoard of crystal meth so large it read like a crime‑thriller prop list: 422 packages, roughly 422 kilograms, stashed inside a three‑storey commercial building in Lam Luk Ka district. The bust — the result of tip‑offs, surveillance and coordination between local police and the Narcotics Suppression Bureau — led to the arrest of three men and the seizure of what investigators described as “almost half a tonne” of the stimulant. How the sting unfolded The case started when Sai Mai Police Station detectives zeroed in on 27‑year‑old Anawin, known locally as “Win Chon Buri,” who was suspected of hiding crystal meth at a rented house on Nimmitmai Road. Officers gathered evidence that Anawin moved drugs at night, distributing consignments to clients before slipping back into anonymity. Armed with that intelligence, they teamed up…
Thailand’s top diplomat, Foreign Affairs Minister Maris Sangiampongsa, has leveled a sharp public charge: Cambodia is repeatedly breaching the Ottawa Convention and trampling on Thailand’s sovereignty by laying anti-personnel landmines along their shared border. The dramatic accusation was delivered via video briefing during the 10th Mekong-Lancang Cooperation Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Anning, China — a session that drew 67 participants from 41 countries, one organisation and four international agencies to the Foreign Affairs Ministry on August 15. The claim in context In his address, Maris stressed that Thailand has not only honoured its obligations under the Ottawa Convention but has also led by example in mine clearance and victim support. Over the past two decades, Thailand says it has cleared and returned more than 99% of land once contaminated by anti-personnel mines — roughly 2,500 square kilometres — to communities eager to farm, travel and rebuild normal life. Beyond clearing…