Paetongtarn Shinawatra, newly endorsed by His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn on August 18, has officially become Thailand’s youngest prime minister. The new cabinet’s line-up awaits royal endorsement this coming weekend, bringing a wave of excitement and anticipation across the nation. (Photo: Government House) The newly formed coalition between the former opposition Democrat Party and the ruling Pheu Thai Party is set to boast a stronghold of 322 MPs within parliament. Caretaker Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai, who stepped into the role after Srettha Thavisin’s dismissal by the Constitutional Court, emphasized the meticulous vetting process Pheu Thai is conducting to ensure each minister is aptly suited for their role. “Pheu Thai is trying to ensure each cabinet minister is a good fit,” Phumtham stated, embodying the careful deliberation behind every decision. “The cabinet line-up is almost finalised. After it is royally endorsed, it will get straight to work.” Prommin Lertsuridej, the…
Posts published in “Thailand”
Amid the unyielding deluge sweeping the northern provinces of Thailand—Chiang Rai, Nan, Phayao, and Phrae—the Provincial Waterworks Authority (PWA) makes unrelenting efforts to ensure the well-being and safety of residents. Tasked with a mission to bring relief during this challenging period, the PWA has ramped up its operations to supply essential resources, including bottled drinking water emblazoned with their iconic logo, indispensable supplies, and clean water trucks, all to make sure that no one is left thirsty or in dire need. Mr. Chakapong Kamchan, the stalwart Deputy Governor (Operations 2) and Acting Governor of the PWA, shared some heartfelt words, “Due to the severe flooding in the upper northern region, which affects Chiang Rai, Nan, Phayao, and Phrae provinces, we are seeing an ebb in heavy rains; however, we remain vigilant regarding the water mass navigating through various river basins. It is in these trying times that we at the…
This week, Phitsanulok’s Muang district became the epicenter of an electrifying crackdown. In a dramatic operation led by the Crime Suppression Division (CSD), two sisters found themselves in handcuffs, exposing an elaborate network entangled in document forgery. Poised for justice, Pol Col Anek Taosuphap, the CSD’s astute deputy commander, briefed us on the captivating details of this high-stakes mission. Meet the suspects: Kanokwan Nonwisit, 25, and her slightly older sister, Amornrat, 27. Their arrest unfolded like a scene from a crime thriller, as part of an ambitious sting operation spanning a jaw-dropping 30 locations nationwide. These two sisters had no inkling that their world would soon come crashing down. What did the authorities uncover? Quite the treasure trove of incriminating evidence. Among the seized items were a notebook computer, a PC, a printer – the usual suspects. But then, things got even more intriguing: a book meticulously listing their alleged…
A stunning revelation has emerged surrounding Red Bull heir Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya and the infamous 2012 hit-and-run case that left a policeman tragically dead. Former senior prosecutor Chainarong Saengthong-aram has come forward, declaring that his assistance to Mr. Vorayuth was an act stemming from deep compassion, as the young driver was a friend of his niece. Chainarong is now one of eight defendants facing allegations of mishandling this highly scrutinized case. The controversy centers on accusations that he deliberately understated the speed of Mr. Vorayuth’s Ferrari at the time of the accident. Official estimates suggest the car was hurtling down the road at 177kph, but records were allegedly doctored to report a more palatable, legal speed of under 80kph. As the clock ticks down to the trial, scheduled at the Central Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases on September 10 at 9:30 am, Chainarong expressed a curious mix of…
The harrowing tale of a collapsed rail tunnel in Nakhon Ratchasima reached its somber conclusion yesterday morning. After an intense five-day search and rescue mission, the bodies of the two remaining trapped workers were finally recovered. Ekkarat Sriarayanpong, the head of the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) governor’s office, shared the bittersweet news. The two victims, both Chinese nationals, had been found just three meters from where the first worker’s body had been discovered. Identified as Hu Xiangmin, a diligent supervisor, and Tong Xinlin, a skilled backhoe operator, both men had been working arduously inside the tunnel when disaster struck late Saturday night. The tunnel had succumbed to the relentless pressure of prolonged rainfall, leading to the devastating collapse. The traumatic ordeal of the two Chinese workers was compounded by the recovery of another worker’s body, a Myanmar national, the day before. The collapse transpired approximately 1.5 kilometers from the…
Feathers are being ruffled and the undercurrent runs deep in the Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP), but not quite deep enough to go unnoticed. Cracks within the senior ranks of the coalition party have been visible for some time, only coming to a head when an outspoken member began chastising Srettha Thavisin while the latter was prime minister over his performance in running the country. The PPRP is now bitterly split down the middle, with party leader Gen Prawit Wongsuwon leading one side, and party secretary-general and Caretaker Agriculture Minister Capt Thamanat Prompow leading the other. Samat Jenchaijitwanich, a former vice minister for justice, is teetering on the edge of losing his PPRP membership following a conflict with Capt Thamanat. An observer noted that Capt Thamanat had every reason to be displeased when Wan Ubumrung fell out with the ruling Pheu Thai Party at the end of June. Mr. Wan was…
Bangkok’s tech scene is buzzing this week, and not in a good way. The Thailand Consumers Council (TCC) along with 119 frustrated individuals have taken a bold step: they’ve filed a class action lawsuit against Thai Samsung Electronics Co. What sparked this legal drama, you ask? A string of defective devices and a corporate giant’s refusal to compensate its loyal consumers. Leading the charge is Sophon Nurat, a distinguished division head at the TCC. According to him, complaints have flooded in about mysterious vertical green and pink lines haunting the screens of various Samsung Galaxy models. And, as if haunted screens weren’t enough, users have also reported instances of their phones overheating. Get this: in some cases, these maddening glitches appeared right after a One UI software update. Coincidence? Sophon doesn’t seem to think so. The plot thickens when we delve into the consumer-experience narrative. Desperate for a fix, users…
The Caretaker Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister, Capt Thamanat Prompow, has taken decisive action against 12 durian exporters after alarming reports from Chinese authorities detailed the presence of cadmium in their products. In a bid to safeguard the reputation and quality of Thai durians, the Department of Agriculture (DoA) has been directed to suspend these exporters immediately and launch thorough investigations into the origins of the toxic contamination. Capt Thamanat emphasized the gravity of the situation by mandating criminal complaints against export agents who had illicitly taken advantage of subrogated export rights from Thailand. Particular scrutiny will be placed on those who might have falsified the Good Agriculture Practices (GAP) certifications, a crucial quality seal issued by the Thai government. This certification is a stringent requirement by China for 22 Thai fruits, including durians. A ministry report dated January 9 disclosed that an impressive 218,922 farms and 2,038 packaging plants had…
In a significant shake-up, fifteen police officers have been transferred pending an intense investigation, after four officers from the special operations unit in Ayutthaya were accused of extorting money from two women they had solicited for sex. The incident has sent shockwaves through the community, prompting social media outrage and an internal police review. Ekkapop Laungprasert, the founder of the Sai Mai Tong Rot Facebook page and an advisor to the interior minister, has been at the forefront of this case. He accompanied a 27-year-old woman to file an official complaint with Pol. Col. Ekkarat Aunjaroen, the deputy commander of the Ayutthaya Provincial Police. The complaint was filed against four police officers who allegedly extorted money from her. Recounting her harrowing experience, the woman explained that she was initially contacted by a man who requested her services for 1,500 baht, only for this seemingly straightforward transaction to take a sinister…
Next week, the House of Representatives is gearing up for the second and third readings of the 2025 fiscal year’s budget bill. This comes amidst buzz that the overall spending plan has been cut back by nearly 8 billion baht, according to an insider scoop. House Speaker Wan Muhamad Noor Matha has marked Sept 3-5 for the budget debate following a thorough review by a dedicated committee. In its first reading back in June, the comprehensive 3.75-trillion-baht budget bill cruised through the House with a supportive vote of 311 to 175, with two members sitting on the fence with their abstentions. To sift through the bill in detail, a special 72-member House committee was put together, featuring an 18-member delegation from the cabinet and 54 representatives from various government and opposition factions. Leading this diligent team was Finance Minister Pichai Chunhavajira, who guided the committee through trimming down the budget…