In a sobering reminder of the fragile line between people and wildlife in Thailand, a wild elephant attacked and killed 66-year-old rubber tapper Abdulloh Kariya on August 24 in a rubber plantation in Chachoengsao province. The dreadful episode unfolded roughly 100 metres into dense forest near Ban Khlong Takian village and was witnessed by Abdulloh’s 20-year-old nephew, Aris, who has been left shaken by what he saw. Village head Chai Khemmonta informed Tha Takiap district chief Amnuay Kasetsinnukul, after which rescue volunteers and relevant agencies were dispatched to the scene to investigate. According to reports, Abdulloh — who had moved with his family from Yala province to work as a rubber tapper — was found lying face down with severe injuries consistent with an elephant mauling. Eyewitness accounts paint a terrifying scene. Aris described the elephant as being in an unusually aggressive state, which led to the fatal attack. Abdulloh’s…
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A quiet stretch of road in Phetchaburi turned into the scene of a grim discovery on the afternoon of August 22. At 12:30 pm, officers at Baan Lat district station were alerted to a body lying beside the Ban Lat–Phor Rieang road in village 8, Tha Chang subdistrict. Police, medical staff from Ban Lat Hospital and volunteers from the Sawangsanphet Dhammasathan Foundation quickly cordoned off the area to begin what promises to be a careful and methodical investigation. The victim and the immediate scene The deceased has been identified as 55-year-old Naunchan, originally from Buriram. According to investigators, she was found lying in the grass by the roadside wearing a short-sleeved shirt and black trousers. A black rope was discovered around her neck, and responders estimated she had been dead for roughly a day before being found. Forensic teams from Ban Lat Hospital were called in to examine the scene…
Bangkok Braces for Four Days of Stormy Weather — BMA Says It’s Ready On Sunday, August 24, Aekvarunyoo Amrapala, spokesperson for the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA), warned that a storm is expected to affect Bangkok over the next four days. But before you reach for the umbrella that doubles as a paddle, take heart: the city says it’s not leaving you to fend for yourself. The BMA reports a full-court press of flood-prevention measures designed to keep traffic moving, homes safe, and the worst of the weather from turning daily life into an aquatic adventure. Think of it as Bangkok flexing its drainage muscles—four major water tunnels and an army of pumps included. Key measures already in play Here’s what the city has put on standby to limit the impact of heavy rain and potential flooding: Drainage systems at full alert: The BMA has its drainage network on maximum readiness…
What began as a routine call about a backyard python turned into a small-town wildlife mystery that has Ang Thong buzzing — and a handful of residents quietly scribbling down a house number for the next draw. In the early hours of August 23, 2025, Pannawat “Lek” Imsub, a volunteer with the Poh Teck Tung Foundation based at Wat Loh in Mueang Ang Thong district, received reports of a 3–4 metre python that had slithered into house number 25/5 on Thetsaban 3 Road, Bang Kaeo subdistrict. When Lek arrived, the obvious suspect was nowhere to be found. The homeowners, understandably anxious, checked their CCTV footage and — sure enough — the video verified a large, 4-metre python had entered and left the property under cover of darkness. That should have been the end of it, the kind of “case closed” that sends a volunteer home with a satisfied nod. But…
Evening Raid in Banglamung: Woman Arrested Over 62 Disposable Vapes and Drug Test Flag What began as a routine operation in Banglamung, Chon Buri, on the evening of August 21 quickly escalated into a case that touches on smuggling, underage sales and drug use. At 6:30 p.m., a raid on a residence on Soi Thung Klom-Tal Man 29, led by Deputy Superintendent Police Lieutenant Colonel Thana Wisetchai alongside Investigation Chief Police Lieutenant Colonel Suphat Sutsong, ended with the arrest of 50-year-old Hathaithip “Thai” Rueangkham. Police say they recovered 62 disposable e-cigarettes of the COKE TIN brand from the property. The devices were seized as evidence and have become the focal point of an investigation that local news outlets, including The Pattaya News, are following closely. A Strange Story — and a Stranger-Smelling Defense During questioning, Hathaithip insisted she wasn’t part of an organised trafficking network. According to her account, the…
The turquoise promise of Phi Phi Island turned tragic this week when eight‑year‑old Xiao, a young Chinese tourist, drowned after being allowed into the water without a life jacket despite not being able to swim. The heartbreaking incident—reported by KhaoSod—unfolded on a sunny afternoon at Arida Beach in Ton Sai Bay and has left both visitors and local officials reeling. According to police and rescue reports, Xiao and his father arrived on Phi Phi Island via a tour company and stopped for lunch at Chong Khao Bungalow between 1:00 p.m. and 2:10 p.m. After lunch, at about 1:55 p.m., the pair went to Arida Beach. The father sat on the shore; the boy wore only a snorkeling mask and a breathing tube. Despite the father’s knowledge that Xiao could not swim, the child was allowed into the water without a life jacket. Not long after, around 2:00 p.m., the father…
Bangkok’s Fugitives Find Out Crime Doesn’t Pay — Even When You Move Provinces In a reminder that warrants travel as well as people do, Thai immigration officers in Samut Songkhram have rounded up a 27-year-old Myanmar national, Zen Tun, who had been on the run after an alleged theft in Bangkok. What started as a night-time workplace theft in Rom Klao has ended with an immigration team tracking the suspect across provincial borders and handing him back to Bangkok police for the legal process to run its course. The arrest was part of a concentrated crime crackdown ordered by Police General Kittirat Phanphet, focusing authorities on outstanding warrants and firearm-related crimes during the operation window from August 15 to August 24. The Immigration Bureau didn’t act solo — this was a coordinated sting directed by top brass, including Immigration Bureau Commissioner Police Lieutenant General Phanumas Boonyaluck, Police Major General Chairit…
When souvenir dolls started looking more like a crime scene prop than tourist trinkets, Bangkok Metropolitan Police Bureau detectives followed the trail — and unearthed an audacious smuggling scheme. On the afternoon of August 23, at about 4:00 pm, authorities arrested 29‑year‑old Phet at his home in Mueang district, Phetchabun province, after an investigation that began five days earlier. The story begins on August 18, when a 24‑year‑old courier named Nawi was handed boxes bound for Japan. Something about the parcels made him uneasy. Rather than shrug it off, he did the right thing and called police. That suspicion paid off: officers opened two boxes of souvenir dolls and found a curious craft choice — doll heads fashioned from ping‑pong balls. That odd detail proved to be a handy hiding place. Under the ping‑pong cap, inside the hollowed dolls, investigators discovered a white crystalline substance. Laboratory tests confirmed it was…
Thailand Cracks Down on “Paper” Students: Nearly 10,000 Temporary Stays Revoked What started as routine checks by the Immigration Bureau has mushroomed into a no-nonsense campaign to clean up Thailand’s student-visa system. Authorities say thousands of foreign nationals obtained student visas but never actually attended classes — and now the penalty is swift: visa revocation. The move aims to choke off a backdoor route being used for unauthorised residency and, in some cases, other illicit activity. What investigators uncovered Police Major General Panthana Nuchanart, deputy commissioner of the Immigration Bureau, revealed that probes showed many entrants named “education” as their reason for travel but were conspicuously absent from classrooms. In response, the Bureau has partnered with the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation to cross-check enrollments and residency records. The message from the authorities is blunt: if you enter Thailand on a student visa and don’t actually study,…
In a case that reads like a cross between a cyber-thriller and an accountant’s worst nightmare, Thai police have arrested a 33-year-old South Korean man accused of turning cryptocurrency into literal gold for call centre scam networks. The suspect, identified only as Han, was detained at Suvarnabhumi Airport on August 23 after officers from the Technology Crime Suppression Division (TCSD) and the Immigration Bureau intercepted him at an immigration checkpoint, authorities said. Police Major General Athip Phongsiwapai, commander of the TCSD, confirmed that Han is wanted under a Criminal Court warrant on charges including fraud, impersonation and money laundering. The arrest caps an investigation that began when a wave of victims reported being duped into online “part-time job” schemes — tasks like boosting likes and followers — which initially paid out but later froze victims’ investments. The probe, sparked by complaints dating back to February of last year, has already…