Samut Prakan — A tense relationship, a bottle of bathroom cleaner, and a busy shopping mall bathroom collided in dramatic fashion on the morning of August 10, when a 19-year-old woman allegedly attacked her ex-boyfriend in Bang Phli district. By day’s end, the suspect, known only as Mew, had surrendered to police, and a swirl of hurt feelings, financial disputes, and accusations had come to light—painting a picture of a young couple’s breakup gone very wrong. A frantic morning at a shopping centre At about 9:30am, rescue workers from the Ruam Katanyu Foundation and medical staff from Chularat 1 Suvarnabhumi Hospital raced to a bathroom outside a shopping centre in Samut Prakan. Inside, they found 22-year-old Silaphat sitting in distress with painful chemical burns on his legs and arms. First responders quickly administered first aid before rushing him to the hospital for further treatment. Initial reports feared an acid attack,…
Posts published in “Thailand”
Back in their homes after a tense evacuation, residents of Surin’s Kab Choeng district returned to their fields expecting weeds and wind damage—and instead found war relics jutting from the earth. Four unexploded BM-21 rockets, believed to have been fired from across the Cambodian border, turned up in farmland and forest patches, partly buried like unwelcome fence posts in the quiet countryside. Local officials moved fast. The Dan Subdistrict Administrative Organization, alongside the Surin provincial police’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team, locked down the area and issued a clear warning: keep out. The message is simple but serious—do not approach, do not touch, and call in the professionals. It was the returning villagers themselves who first spotted the danger. Walking the edges of sugarcane fields and rice paddies, they saw odd shapes breaking the surface—metal cylinders planted tail-first, noses lifted skyward. Sirichai Tantirattananon, the mayor of Dan subdistrict, described the…
Thailand’s latest crime-busting storyline reads like a tech thriller with a dirty secret: a cross-border pipeline of second-hand mobile phones allegedly arriving from China, stripped for parts, and—when deemed worthless—dumped at petrol stations. The claim landed with a thud on Thai social media after Thitiphat Chotidechachainan, better known as Oh or Oh Sud Soi, spotlighted the issue in a Facebook post that quickly gathered traction. His message was blunt: behind bargain phone deals and rebranded devices lies a shadowy stream of electronic waste washing up on Thai soil. From bargain bin to biohazard: how the scheme allegedly worked According to Oh’s account, several opportunistic entrepreneurs saw a golden opportunity in second-hand mobile phones shipped in from China under labels like GM Phone and Yesphone. The devices, along with chargers that reportedly lacked Thai Industrial Standards Institute (TISI) certification, were sold online and in shops across Thailand. The tidy profit model?…
It was a quiet Friday afternoon in Mueang, Chon Buri—until the unthinkable unfolded at the entrance to Nong Ri Health Centre. At around 3pm on August 9, police and local agencies were called to the scene after a passerby spotted a man in a strange, slumped position on a marble bench. At first glance, locals assumed he was simply sleeping off a midday drink. Minutes later, the truth proved far more sobering. The man, estimated to be around 40 years old, had no identification on him. In his pockets: approximately 3,000 baht in cash, a single Myanmar banknote of 200 kyat, and a pack of cigarettes. The unusual mix raised more questions than answers and sparked speculation that he might have been a Myanmar worker—though authorities have reinforced that this is only an early assumption, not a confirmation. For now, his identity and story remain unknown. Witness account: a routine…
If you’ve ever watched a diplomatic teacup turn into a tempest, you’ll appreciate the swirl that followed remarks by Singapore’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Vivian Balakrishnan, at the 17th ASEAN and Asia Forum (AAF). Hosted by the Singapore Institute of International Affairs on August 5, the forum became the stage for a frank assessment of tensions between Thailand and Cambodia—an assessment that ricocheted across social media and drew a measured, clarifying response from Bangkok. At the heart of the matter are long-standing territorial issues between Thailand and Cambodia, a subject that needs no introduction to anyone who follows Southeast Asian geopolitics. Taking the mic, Balakrishnan did not sugarcoat his view. He called the conflict “a major setback,” adding with characteristic candor, “There’s no need to put lipstick on this. This is a setback, a major setback, not just for peace and stability, but for credibility in ASEAN.” He went further,…
In a case that has sent shockwaves through Surat Thani, a surprise inspection at Santiwararam Temple in Koh Samui’s Taling Ngam subdistrict ended with the abbot and another monk defrocked and facing legal proceedings after testing positive for drugs. The operation, led by Amorn Chuachu, the district chief of Koh Samui, brought together a task force of administrative officers and law enforcement, including Police Colonel Panya Nirattimanont, superintendent of Koh Samui Police Station, and Police Lieutenant Colonel Sawat Thalawal, an investigative officer. They worked in tandem with local police and the Surat Thani Office of National Buddhism after reports surfaced of suspicious gatherings of young people at the temple—and troubling whispers that drug use may have reached into the monastic quarters. Authorities approached the matter methodically. The abbot and three monks were invited for drug testing while officers conducted a lawful search of their living areas. During the search, drug…
In Mueang Hua Thanon, nestled in Panat Nikhom district, Chon Buri, a quiet evening of fishing took a wild turn when a local angler discovered that his “big bite” came with teeth he definitely didn’t expect. Instead of hauling in a hefty catfish, 35-year-old Pornsak found himself face to snout with a crocodile—yes, a crocodile—lurking in the same natural waterway where families often cast lines at dusk. A fish tale with scales and teeth Pornsak had taken a few days off work and, like any self-respecting weekend fisherman, set up an impressive spread: 30 fishing rods lining the waterway. As the sky bruised into evening and the cicadas tuned up, one rod began to bend and tremble. Convinced he had a prize catch, he hurried over—only to freeze when he saw the unmistakable armored hide and uncompromising stare of a crocodile on his line. Startled but steady, he managed to…
Sixteen days isn’t enough time to binge every season of your favorite series, but for one newly released ex-con in Khon Kaen, it was enough to script a full-blown motorcycle caper. Police in the Mueang district of Khon Kaen province have apprehended a 35-year-old man, identified as Boonmee, after a swift spree of three motorcycle thefts that unfolded in the short window after he walked out of prison on July 24. His alleged motive? Selling the bikes on the cheap—between 500 and 900 baht (roughly US$15 to $30)—to bankroll booze and basic meals. Officers tracked him down to Khon Kaen’s third bus terminal in the Mueang Kao subdistrict, a bustling transit hub that had, by necessity, become his makeshift home. According to the investigation, Boonmee admitted that life on the outside turned harsh the moment he reached his front door: his children had moved to Bangkok for work, the house…
Tragic fall claims life of 66-year-old in Mae Hong Son’s Mueang district A quiet night in Mae Hong Son’s Mueang district turned devastating for one family after a 66-year-old man, identified by relatives as Kornsak, died following a fall inside his home in Village 1 of Huai Pha subdistrict. The incident came to light yesterday, August 10, when the couple’s son arrived for a morning visit and discovered his father at the base of the stairs. The victim’s wife, who is blind, had been by his side, unaware of his passing through the night. Responding swiftly to calls for help, Police Lieutenant Suwan Charoensuk from Mueang Mae Hong Son Police Station coordinated with medical staff from Srisangwan Hospital and volunteers from the Mae Hong Son Disaster Relief Foundation. The team arrived at the two-storey semi-concrete, semi-wooden home to examine the scene and provide support to the grieving family. What happened…
Thailand, keep those umbrellas within arm’s reach! The Thai Meteorological Department (TMD) has raised the flag for heavy rain in 44 provinces, with the Northeast squarely in the splash zone—about 70% of the region is expected to see showers that go from steady to downright drenching. The watchwords for the day: flash floods and forest runoff, especially near hills, watercourses, and low-lying communities. What’s steering the storm? Two main players are driving this soggy setup. First, a monsoon trough is draped across northern Laos and northern Vietnam. Second, a strengthening southwest monsoon is sweeping moisture across the Andaman Sea, Thailand, and the Gulf of Thailand. Together, they’re priming the skies for widespread thunderstorms and pockets of heavy to very heavy rain. And yes, Typhoon Podul is on the map—currently roaming the Pacific, tracking past Taiwan and forecast to make landfall on China’s eastern coast around August 13–14. Good news for…