Posts published in “Thailand”

When a caller claiming to be a mobile network manager told 18-year-old “Ikkyu” he was implicated in an 8 million baht money‑laundering case, the morning of January 12 in Chai Nat could have turned into a nightmare. Instead, thanks to a cool head, a little theatrical acting, and fast family teamwork, what began as a ruthless call centre con ended with the scammer unwittingly handing over the key piece of evidence: a bank account number. The scam was textbook: an urgent accusation, doctored photos to “prove” officialdom, and a demand to transfer nearly 50,000 baht to clear the student’s name. The caller kept Ikkyu on the line from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m., piling pressure and insisting that the transfer was the only way to verify his innocence. To maintain appearances, Ikkyu asked a neighbour for a lift to the bank. But as the drive continued, suspicion crept in. Rather…

On January 12, Pattaya police staged a large-scale sweep that resulted in 36 foreigners being arrested on charges ranging from illegal work and visa overstays to drug use and unlawful entry. The operation — led by the Chon Buri Provincial Immigration Bureau with support from Tourist Police — targeted an eight-storey accommodation block in South Pattaya after officials received a tip-off about an unusually high number of suspicious residents. More than 30 officers fanned out across the building and meticulously inspected all 120 rooms. Authorities discovered over 120 foreign nationals living on the premises, representing a diverse mix of nationalities including India, Myanmar, Uzbekistan, Oman, Russia and Iraq. After identity checks and interviews, 36 occupants were taken into custody for various violations. The arrests break down as follows: eight Indian men were detained for working illegally — caught renovating rooms inside the building without valid work permits — and eight…

In a scene that was equal parts heartbreaking and quietly heroic, rescue workers in Nonthaburi faced an unusual obstacle while responding to a welfare check on January 12: a stubborn, fiercely loyal dog named Hippo who would not let anyone near his owner’s body. The call came into Mueang Nonthaburi Police Station reporting an unresponsive elderly woman at a two‑storey wooden and concrete house on Soi Ngamwongwan 8. Volunteers from the Ruamkatanyu Foundation and an officer from the Institute of Forensic Medicine arrived to find the 77‑year‑old woman lying face up on the ground‑floor near a bathroom. Her belongings were close by and a stainless‑steel, four‑pronged walking cane lay knocked over — quiet clues that pointed to a sudden collapse rather than a struggle. Standing guard over the scene was Hippo, a white Thai dog with the kind of devotion that scenes in movies are made of. According to relatives,…

In a scene that felt like a macabre mystery novel brought to life, divers and officers in Kanchanaburi recovered a bronze Toyota Vios sedan from an irrigation canal on January 12 — and inside the waterlogged vehicle sat a human skeleton believed to be that of a man who vanished more than two years ago. Tha Muang Police Station received the call just after 9:30 a.m., when maintenance crews lowered the canal’s water level for routine repairs and revealed the submerged sedan. The car, its windscreen shattered and its exterior cloaked in thick algae, bore a Chachoengsao registration plate: กจ 147. The condition suggested the vehicle had been underwater for an extended period. When officers hoisted the Vios out of the murky water, the grim discovery became clear — skeletal remains were still seated behind the wheel. Police used the registration number to trace the car’s owner to 61-year-old Pattanasak…

Police investigators in Chiang Mai have formally declared the devastating January 8 house fire that killed five members of a family to be an accident — and issued a sharp rebuke to media outlets that ran with unverifiable theories and sensational claims. The blaze, which tore through a two‑storey home in the Pa Dad sub‑district, claimed the lives of a husband, his wife, their twin five‑year‑old daughters and the man’s elderly mother. Authorities say smoke inhalation, not foul play, was the cause of death. Tragedy at the family home The victims were identified as 38‑year‑old Kawin and his wife, 38‑year‑old Warissara, their twin daughters Lalisa and Lalinda (both five), and Kawin’s 70‑year‑old mother, Sunee. First responders found all five family members unconscious on the second floor of the house. Despite frantic rescue efforts, they later succumbed to the effects of smoke inhalation. In the wake of the tragedy, grief rippled…

What started as a routine food delivery in Bang Bo, Samut Prakan, turned into a headline-grabbing melee that left three riders injured, six staff members out of a job, and a once-bustling restaurant shuttered indefinitely. The short version (and the video that made it public) On January 11, a food delivery rider approached a restaurant in Bang Bo. Calmly, he tried to speak with staff — but the situation escalated rapidly. A bystander’s phone captured the moment a Myanmar worker in a white shirt emerged from the establishment wielding a metal rod and allegedly struck the front of the rider’s motorcycle. What followed was a chaotic scuffle between the rider and several workers, three riders were left injured, and the footage quickly spread online. Aftermath: firings, apologies and an empty restaurant By the next day, January 12, authorities had taken swift administrative action. The restaurant was reportedly deserted when officials…