Posts published in “Thailand”

Police in Pattaya are investigating the sudden death of an 86-year-old Canadian man whose body was discovered in a condominium car park along Jomtien Beach on the morning of January 15. Officers from Mueang Pattaya Police Station, assisted by volunteers from the Sawang Borriboon Dhammastan Foundation, were called to the scene after a caretaker found the elderly resident lying injured in the parking area below the building. A quiet complex, a tragic discovery The condominium—rising above the palm-lined stretch of Jomtien Beach—has been described by staff as a calm, largely residential building. According to police reports, the man, identified as Canadian national George Eugene, lived on the 14th floor with his Thai wife. On the morning of the incident the couple’s routine was unchanged: the wife reportedly left the unit around 5:00 a.m. each day to tend to her plantation, and a caretaker usually arrived around 6:00 a.m. to stay…

On January 15, an unmistakable gesture of solidarity landed at Thailand’s doorstep: China presented a humanitarian package worth 20 million yuan (roughly 90 million baht) to support recovery efforts after a crane collapse at a Thai–China high-speed rail construction site. The handover took place at Government House at 11:00 a.m., when Chinese Ambassador Zhang Jianwei personally delivered the aid to Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul — a scene that read like diplomacy in action, practical and symbolic all at once. The assistance is split neatly between cash and supplies: 10 million yuan in direct financial support and another 10 million yuan in relief goods. Converted to baht, the combined total comes to approximately 90,229,640 — a figure that Prime Minister Anutin described as more than money, calling it “a proof of deep, long-standing friendship” between the two nations. In short, this was solidarity with a handshake and a shipping manifest. Ambassador…

Thailand Sounds the Alarm: PM2.5 Spikes Hit Bangkok and Beyond On January 15, Thailand’s government issued a clear and urgent warning: fine particulate matter (PM2.5) levels are climbing, and the worst of the haze is expected between January 14 and 16. Deputy Government Spokesperson Lalida Pairsawetthawana confirmed that the Air Pollution Solution Communication Centre (APSC) under the Pollution Control Department has recorded a notable surge in PM2.5 — especially across Bangkok, the upper Central Region, and pockets of the Northeast. What’s to blame? A stubborn cocktail of stagnant air and low wind speeds has allowed tiny dust particles to accumulate close to the ground. Think of it like a slow, invisible fog of tiny particles — unpleasant and unhealthy. Officials predict the situation should begin to improve after January 16, but in the meantime the government is rolling out a multi-pronged response and asking residents to take sensible precautions. Government…

A tragedy at Sura Dham Pithak Military Camp in Nakhon Ratchasima has jolted Thailand this week, after the Royal Thai Army publicly acknowledged that eight soldiers physically assaulted three conscripts — an attack that left 21-year-old Private Krittanon Phonchantuek fatally injured. The case burst into the public eye when a family member, believed to be Krittanon’s aunt, posted his photo on social media with a heartbreakingly simple message: “He (Krittanon) became a soldier to serve the nation. No one expected him to encounter danger in the military premises. How do you dare to do this? This is cruel. This happened too suddenly. The family still can’t accept the loss.” That post spread rapidly, stirring outrage and prompting demands for answers about discipline and safety inside military facilities. Army admits wrongdoing — and promises action On January 14, the Army Spoke Team’s official Facebook page released a statement confirming wrongdoing by…

It was supposed to be another balmy evening in Pattaya — lanterns blinking, motos humming and the promise of seafood and sea breeze — but for 45-year-old Mohamed Abdelkaliq Abdalla Khadim Almaazmi, a tourist from the United Arab Emirates, the night turned sticky with the shock of loss. In mid-January, Almaazmi discovered he was lighter by 14,500 baht after an encounter in a quiet alley near the Marine Plaza Hotel that played out like a sleight-of-hand trick gone wrong. The Casual Approach: Conversation as Cover According to the complaint filed at Mueang Pattaya Police Station at about 7 a.m. on January 13, Almaazmi had been standing by the roadside in southern Pattaya talking with a woman when a stranger — one of two foreign men — strolled up, exchanged pleasantries and leaned in like an old friend. The encounter looked harmless: a warm greeting, a brief embrace, a little chat.…

On January 14, three of Thailand’s most prominent conservative parties made a simple, pointed argument: don’t rip up the 2017 constitution. Instead of grand gestures and a costly constitutional reboot, leaders from the Rak Chart Thai Party, Thai Pakdee Party and the United Thai Nation (UTN) urged a more cautious, surgical approach — tweak what’s broken, preserve what works, and avoid political fireworks that could burn more than bridges. Speaking to voters in Nakhon Ratchasima, Rak Chart Thai’s Jade Donavanik didn’t mince words. The idea of drafting an entirely new charter, he said, is as expensive as it is unnecessary. “A complete overhaul would be unjustifiable on financial grounds alone,” Jade told local crowds, arguing that targeted amendments to problematic clauses would save taxpayers money and respect voter expectations. He also noted a surprising wrinkle: during his campaign stops, many constituents were puzzled to hear conservative parties even flirting with…

In what reads like a political thriller with a distinctly Bangkok setting, People’s Party MP candidate Ratchapong “Pond” Soisuwan was arrested on January 14 after cybercrime investigators say they traced money from an online gambling site to his bank account. The Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB) carried out a focused raid at Ratchapong’s home in Nuan Chan Village, Nawamin sub-district, Bueng Kum district, at about 5:30 p.m., turning a quiet neighborhood into the latest flashpoint in Thailand’s fight against online gambling and illicit finance. Ratchapong, 32, is running as an MP candidate for Tak province in the upcoming general election and previously served as MP for Constituency 2 in Tak under the Move Forward Party. Authorities allege his account received transfers connected to the gambling platform nakarin789.com. According to investigators, the operation wasn’t clumsy; it involved multiple intermediary accounts and a trail of transactions that ultimately led back to Ratchapong’s…