A mid‑afternoon welding job in Pattaya turned into a smoke-filled scramble on September 11, when sparks from rooftop work ignited insulation and set a townhouse alight. The blaze erupted at about 2:30pm in Soi Nern Plab Wan, close to the entrance of Chatkaew 9 Village, and quickly drew neighbours, rescuers and a plume of thick black smoke that could be seen rising from the building’s second floor. Sawang Boriboon Thammasathan Rescue Centre crews answered the call without delay, sending three fire trucks and teams to the scene. Firefighters, supported by neighbours and other rescue personnel, moved fast to tackle the flames originating at house number 18/38. Local onlookers gathered nearby, anxious but relieved as crews wrestled the fire into submission. Thanks to that rapid response and focused firefighting, the damage was limited: the inferno was contained to the kitchen area and did not spread throughout the house, sparing the structure…
Posts published in “Thailand”
Autopsy reveals how Bangkok zookeeper was fatally mauled by lions — and why safety questions are mounting An autopsy has laid out in stark, clinical detail how a 58-year-old zookeeper at Safari World in Bangkok lost his life after a lion attack, leaving his family and the public searching for answers about what went wrong inside the enclosure. Police Major General Wirun Supasingsiripreecha, commander of the Institute of Forensic Medicine at Police General Hospital, spoke to reporters on September 11 after examining the body of zookeeper Jian Rangkarasmee, who was killed inside the lion area on September 10. Jian’s younger sister, 51-year-old Rattana Rangkarasmee, attended the press briefing as the family received the body back the night before. What the autopsy found According to Pol. Maj. Gen. Wirun, the autopsy revealed a series of catastrophic injuries: a broken neck, severe wounds to the thigh that ruptured a major artery, and…
What should have been a lazy morning at Karon Beach turned into a pulse-racing rescue when a foreign tourist chose to ignore bright red warnings and took on the monsoon-swollen surf. The drama played out on the morning of September 10, when lifeguards had clearly raised red flags and warned swimmers: stay ashore. One man, apparently unconcerned, waded past the safety line — and within moments a monstrous wave carried him out beyond his depth. Witnesses described a surreal mix of calm indifference and sudden panic. Some beachgoers stood frozen, others screamed, and a few — all too human in the smartphone era — filmed the unfolding emergency rather than rushing in. The sea, furious from monsoon winds, threw the tourist back and forth like a cork. He fought to stay afloat, coughing and spluttering as strong currents pulled him farther from shore. Fortunately, Karon’s lifeguard team sprang into action.…
Imagine craving a silky avocado smoothie and instead being served a blender-full of green chicken curry. For Thitiwat Koosakul, this wasn’t the nightmare food mashup of a sleep-deprived chef—it happened for real, and he did what any modern fed-up foodie would do: he went public on Facebook. Thitiwat ordered what sounded like a perfectly normal lunch through the LINE Man app: spicy grilled chicken with rice and a boiled egg, plus an avocado smoothie to wash it all down. What arrived, however, was a culinary identity crisis. His avocado smoothie tasted like—well—green chicken curry. To make matters worse, the spicy grilled chicken he’d paid for had also been replaced by green chicken curry. At first he tried to be generous with his assumptions. “Maybe it’s an unfamiliar variety of avocado,” he thought, taking a sip. The verdict was instantaneous and dramatic: he vomited. He described the smoothie as fishy, salty,…
What began as an ordinary day in Kamala, Phuket, turned disturbingly memorable when a local woman became the target of an alleged public sexual offence. Video shared by the popular Facebook page เจ๊ม้อย v+ (Jmoi v+) shows the chaotic aftermath: a man reportedly from India followed a woman into her home, exposed himself and masturbated in front of her before neighbours intervened. The post didn’t give an exact date, but the footage and the caption sketch a clear sequence. The suspect is said to have arrived in the community on a motorcycle, parked, and then followed the victim on foot. As she reached her doorway he allegedly approached, exposed himself and began masturbating. The woman screamed, chased him out of her residence and called for help — a reaction that summoned nearby residents and local administrative officers. Officers detained the man and escorted him to the police station, where the…
Thailand’s battle against domestic and sexual violence is at a crossroads. Campaigners, activists and lawmakers have turned up the pressure on the new government, insisting that current laws do more to protect abusers than victims and that urgent reform can no longer be postponed. On September 10, the Coalition Against Gender-Based Violence Thailand convened a public forum that felt less like a polite town-hall and more like a collective wake-up call. The room brought together activists, legal experts and sympathetic lawmakers who laid out, in stark terms, how legal gaps and cultural complacency are leaving survivors exposed. Lawmakers and advocates sound the alarm Sasinan Thamnithinan, vice president of the Thai Women Parliamentarian Caucus, delivered one of the forum’s most forceful warnings: violence wears many masks. “It’s not just physical assault or overt abuse,” she told the audience. “We’re talking sexual harassment, emotional manipulation, online abuse — all of which current…
It was a brisk mid-morning sweep in Patong that had locals doing a double take: at 10:30 a.m. on September 10, officers from Patong Police Station set out on a determined mission to reclaim the public way. What began as routine patrolling along Rat Uthit 200 Pi Road in Kathu district quickly turned into a tidy-up operation aimed at one of Phuket’s most persistent urban nuisances — improvised kerbside parking claims. Leading the charge was Police Colonel Chalermchai Hirasawat, flanked by senior officers including Police Lieutenant Colonel Somporn Surin and Pol. Lt. Col. Chamnan Sapsin, with the traffic unit under Pol. Lt. Col. Charuwat Thiamnakha coordinating movements. The scene was almost cinematic: officers methodically walking the pavement, inspecting each makeshift blockade, and removing anything that wasn’t meant to be on a public road. The offenders, if you can call them that, were not human but a motley assembly of plastic…
A day of sun and sea turned tragic off the coast of Pattaya yesterday when a Chinese tourist lost her life during a jet ski outing near Koh Larn. The couple involved — later identified as husband Xiao Ma and wife Chong Yang — failed to return their rented jet skis by the scheduled 3pm deadline, prompting alarm from the rental operator and a multi-agency rescue response that ultimately ended in grief. The sequence began when the rental operator on Ta Waen Beach, Koh Larn, reported that the pair hadn’t come back on time and that the weather had taken a nasty turn. Strong winds and choppy water made the late afternoon risky, and the operator feared the worst. Sea Rescue Pattaya City quickly coordinated with the Sawang Borriboon Dhammastan Rescue Foundation and the Tourist Police, launching a search-and-rescue operation that continued into the night as conditions deteriorated. Under fading…
Thailand’s food-delivery heavyweights are lining up behind a government proposal to resurrect the co-payment scheme that many restaurateurs remember fondly — and for good reason. Industry leaders say the programme, which was credited with turbocharging small restaurant sales up to fivefold during its previous run, could be just the jolt the country’s dining sector and wider economy need as growth cools. “Grab is fully behind the government’s plan,” Chantsuda Thananitayaudom, managing director of Grab Thailand, told reporters. “We’re ready to collaborate through marketing campaigns and financial support once it’s confirmed.” Grab, she noted, took part in the scheme three years ago when participating merchants reported dramatic spikes in orders and revenue. Big names, practical ideas On September 9, executives from major delivery platforms including Grab and LINE MAN Wongnai met with Bhumjaithai Party deputy leader Siripong Angkasakulkiat and representatives from the Thai Restaurant Association to discuss bringing the co-payment model…
Commuters, breathe a sigh of relief: the BTS Skytrain is bringing back its popular monthly travel packages starting tomorrow, September 11. After a period of uncertainty sparked by political upheaval and a proposed nationwide 20-baht flat fare, Bangkok’s elevated lifeline has quietly listened to passenger pleas and reinstated wallet-friendly bundles you actually might want to buy. What’s back on the menu? Dubbed the “Xtreme Savings” travel packages, the revived plans allow passengers to buy a block of trips that must be used within 30 days — priced to shave a few baht off every ride compared with standard single fares. You can pick them up through the Rabbit Rewards app or at any BTS ticket office. Important activation rule: you must use your first trip within seven days of purchase to kick the package into action. Price breakdown (yes, we did the math) For adults, the options are: 15 trips…