A short, candid clip of a passenger putting his feet up on the backrest of a Trang–Phuket coach has stirred a surprisingly loud chorus of online disapproval — and the traveller has since issued a direct apology. The footage, first shared on December 2 by Facebook user Y’Not Seven and quickly picked up by local pages, shows an Indian man travelling with a friend who removes his shoes and rests both feet on the empty seat in front of him. What might have been a private moment of discomfort became a public controversy within hours. In the video the bus is not full, but that didn’t soften reactions. The person who filmed it labelled the behaviour “inappropriate” and “disrespectful,” and even claimed the man’s feet gave off an unpleasant smell that bothered other passengers. Those accusations struck a nerve. In the comments that followed, many Thai netizens condemned the action…
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A routine trip to the supermarket in Nakhon Sawan turned into a scene of horror and heroism on the evening of Monday, 1 December, when a 33-year-old salesperson named Nicha was doused with fuel and set on fire outside a store on Krai Lat Road in the Pak Nam Pho sub-district. Shoppers and passersby who had gone out for groceries found themselves scrambling to save a life instead. Witnesses say the attack took place at around 5pm. What began as a loud confrontation outside the shop escalated in an instant: the assailant, later identified as Nicha’s boyfriend, 33-year-old Apichai Chantarak, allegedly poured an accelerant over her and ignited it. Locals rushed to smother the flames, and their quick thinking likely prevented an even deadlier outcome. Nicha was hauled into a vehicle and rushed to Sawan Pracharak Hospital in critical condition with severe burns over much of her body. Apichai fled…
Thailand has flipped a long-standing switch today, December 3, 2025: for the first time in decades, alcohol sales are allowed between 2:00pm and 5:00pm as part of a bold six-month experiment. The 180-day trial—confirmed in the Royal Gazette on December 2—was set in motion after growing calls from tourism bosses, hotel owners, nightlife operators and even ordinary drinkers who argued that the afternoon ban had outlived its usefulness in a modern, travel-heavy Thailand. Deputy Prime Minister Sophon Sarum was among those who flagged the issue two weeks ago, telling reporters that the National Alcohol Policy Committee found the afternoon restriction “outdated” and incompatible with contemporary lifestyles, tourism demands and the wider economy. The committee also acknowledged an awkward side effect: the ban encouraged off-the-books sales from tiny neighborhood shops and community groceries, creating a shadow market that was harder to regulate than a transparent, lawful window of afternoon trading. So…
What reads like the script of a high-stakes real estate thriller has landed a group of Phuket buyers in a very real, very costly nightmare. Dozens of Thai and foreign purchasers say they were sold the dream of luxury pool villas — only to find unfinished shells, disappearing developers and a tangled web of politics and power that’s stalled any hope of swift justice. Collectively, the victims estimate losses in excess of 100 million baht. The story centers on an agent named Chaiwat, who presented himself as the man behind property firms called Alicha Grand and Alisha Property. He convinced buyers that he owned the land for a high-end villa project in Phuket. Lured by glossy brochures, staged promo photos (reportedly featuring foreign models) and promises of resort-style living, many signed contracts for villas priced between 15 and 20 million baht. But the villas never reached completion. Buyers paid deposits…
Alex and Jay are back with another lively roundup of the stories making waves across Thailand and Southeast Asia. From flood relief packages and controversial government decisions to tense maritime face-offs and the occasional bizarre accident, this episode serves up a little bit of everything — equal parts serious news and eyebrow-raising moments. Cabinet ditches extra long weekends for 2026 In a move that will please some and frustrate others, Thailand’s Cabinet has dropped its plan to introduce extra public holidays for 2026. Officials said the idea clashed with economic and administrative needs — especially in industries that rely on steady workflow and in public services where sudden extra days off could create bottlenecks. Supporters of more long weekends were hoping for extra mini-vacations, but voices in business and government warned that productivity and essential services could suffer. The Cabinet ultimately decided to stick with the current holiday calendar and…
In a case that could be pulled straight from an international crime drama, Thailand’s Immigration Bureau announced the arrest of six foreign nationals this week on charges ranging from large‑scale financial fraud and people‑trafficking to major narcotics smuggling. Deputy Commissioner Police Major General Panthana Nuchanart revealed the sweeping operation, which saw suspects nabbed across Bangkok and Chon Buri as investigators closed in on alleged cross‑border criminal networks. The first name on the list is Pan, a 41‑year‑old Chinese national wanted back home for allegedly defrauding banks of a staggering 560 million yuan — roughly 2.8 billion baht. Authorities say Pan falsified business information to secure loans and siphoned off more than 80 million yuan for illicit gains. He entered Thailand on a tourist visa in May of last year and reportedly overstayed, settling at a salon in Chon Buri where officers eventually tracked him down and made the arrest. Next…
Bangkok woke up under a gray blanket this morning. The Bangkok Air Quality Information Centre’s 07:00 update on December 3 shows a sharp slip in air quality — the city’s average PM2.5 is 47.1 μg/m³, comfortably above the national safety threshold of 37.5 μg/m³. In plain terms: the air is cranky, and it’s asking for special treatment. Some pockets of the city are worse off than others. Twelve districts are ringing particularly loud alarm bells with readings that move from “unpleasant” toward “concerning”: Bang Rak: 59.4 μg/m³ Sathorn: 58.8 μg/m³ Lat Krabang: 56.2 μg/m³ Min Buri: 53.5 μg/m³ Bang Kho Laem: 53.5 μg/m³ Nong Khaem: 53.4 μg/m³ Khlong Sam Wa: 53.3 μg/m³ Prawet: 53.1 μg/m³ Pathum Wan: 52.4 μg/m³ Bang Khen: 52.1 μg/m³ Bang Na: 51.4 μg/m³ Khlong San: 50.5 μg/m³ Southern Bangkok — and especially Bang Rak and Sathorn — tops the list with the highest numbers, so residents…
The Justice Ministry is turning up the volume on equality. In a spirited forum alongside the Thai Health Promotion Foundation (ThaiHealth) and the People’s Movement to Eliminate Discrimination (MovED), officials and activists gathered to refine a draft anti-discrimination bill that, if approved, would reshape how Thailand confronts bias — from Bangkok’s boulevards to remote provincial offices. Pol Lt Gen Rutthapon Naowarat, the Minister of Justice, set the tone in his opening remarks by anchoring the draft in Thailand’s own constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The message was simple but bold: discrimination isn’t a niche legal problem — it’s a national one. With the ministry now preparing the draft for Cabinet review, the conversation has shifted from theory to a tangible legal pathway. ThaiHealth manager Pongthep Wongwatcharapaiboon brought data to the forum, citing collaborative research from the Urban Studies Institute Foundation (USI) and Thammasat University’s faculty of learning…
The lanterns and krathongs of Loy Krathong were still bobbing in ponds and gutters when a quiet worry began to grow in a Udon Thani household. On the evening of November 5, a British man — a husband and dog-owner who has been described only as a 60-year-old foreigner — slipped out of the house on an electric tricycle with the couple’s pet dog, Archie, and never returned. His wife, 56-year-old Phavika Hutchinsan, turned that worry into action on December 1, lodging a missing person report at Mueang Udon Thani Police Station at 1:30 p.m. After filing the report, she went to local media with a simple plea: help us find him. Phavika told reporters her husband didn’t say where he was going that Loy Krathong night — only that he was leaving with Archie on the tricycle — and that their relationship had been mostly calm during the two…
The quiet of a Tuesday morning on Rattanathibet Road was shattered by shouts, a scuffle — and ultimately a gunshot. What began as a conventional road-rage spat at Bang Plu Intersection on December 1 quickly escalated into a criminal case after a 65-year-old local lawyer association president shot a 36-year-old motorcyclist, leaving bystanders stunned and police sorting through competing stories. A roadside confrontation turns violent Rescue workers from the Ruam Katanyu Foundation and police arrived at the scene around 9:00 a.m. to find 36-year-old Bordin seated beside his silver-bronze Honda CB500X, clutching his left arm where a bullet wound had landed. Parked next to the motorcycle was a silver-bronze Toyota Altis — the car belonging to 65-year-old Natchanodom Haengwong-ngam, who remained at the scene and surrendered to officers. Natchanodom, who identified himself as the president of a provincial lawyer association, told police he had been signalling to turn left when…