It sounded like something out of a movie: dozens of packages bobbing in a narrow canal, glinting like sinister ice cubes under the Thai sun. But this was no cinematic prop — it was a major drug bust in Samut Songkhram province that had locals dialing the police and authorities scrambling to piece together a sprawling trafficking puzzle. On August 18, officers from Mueang Samut Songkhram Police Station were alerted to narcotics floating in the Lampradong canal beside a busy road in the Mueang district. Police Lieutenant Chananthip Ongkhlueab, the station’s deputy inspector, led the response team. He was joined by Deputy Governor Kornakod Wongsuwan and Police Major Anake Khachijit as they confirmed what residents feared: about 87 kilogrammes of crystal methamphetamine were bobbing in the water and were soon recorded as evidence. What began as a startling discovery quickly revealed itself to be the latest knot in a much…
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In the quiet pre-dawn hours of August 18, a fierce blaze ripped through the sanctuary of Wat Weluwan in Mueang Kaew subdistrict, Mae Rim district, Chiang Mai — leaving a beloved place of worship smoldering and scorched. What began as smoke spotted by a resident monk at about 3:20 a.m. quickly escalated into a full roof fire that would gut the sanctuary’s interior before firefighters brought the situation under control at around 4:00 a.m. Responders from Mae Rim Police Station, the Phanthong rescue team and Mae Sa Subdistrict Administration Organisation’s disaster prevention unit arrived promptly on scene with one fire truck and a four-member crew. Their fast action contained the blaze before it consumed neighboring buildings, but they could not save the sanctuary’s inner treasures. The interior was devastated; although the Buddha statues and the principal Buddha image suffered only minor damage, restorers now face a difficult job and an…
A quiet pre-dawn stretch of Sukhumvit Road turned tragic on the morning of August 17, when a collision near the U-turn at Pattaya South Highway left two people dead and a neighbourhood shaken. At 5:06 a.m., what began as an ordinary commute became a scene of destruction — a mangled Yamaha motorcycle, a pickup truck crashed into a house, and two lives lost in a moment that investigators and residents are still trying to piece together. Rescue volunteers from the Sawang Boriboon Thammasathan Foundation and officers from Pattaya City Police Station, led at the scene by Deputy Investigator Lieutenant Anirut Jehaera, arrived quickly after the emergency call. The first responders found a blue Yamaha Grand Filano motorcycle badly damaged, its parts strewn across the asphalt. Nearby, 37-year-old Arthit Atjamnuay was critically injured and struggling to breathe. Volunteers administered CPR and rushed him to hospital, but he later succumbed to his…
On a hot, tense day in Si Saket province, a Dutch man and his Thai wife stepped forward to tell a personal story that brought the abstract headlines down to human scale: they had fled cross-border violence, narrowly escaped attacks, and wanted the world — starting with the Netherlands’ ambassador — to know what they had seen and felt firsthand. From the front line to the ambassador’s ear The couple, who moved to Si Saket two years ago, met with the Dutch ambassador during an international delegation’s tour of border areas affected by recent clashes. The visit was led by Thailand’s Foreign Affairs Minister Maris Sangiamphongsa together with Royal Thai Army Spokesperson Winthai Suwaree, and included ambassadors and representatives from 33 countries and international organisations. The goal: show clear, on-the-ground evidence of damage and, crucially, alleged anti-personnel mines that Thai officials say were planted by the Cambodian military. Standing before…
Late on August 16, the outbound lanes of the Udon Ratthaya Expressway near the Muang Thong Thani entrance in Pak Kret, Nonthaburi, turned into a scene of chaos when 11 vehicles collided in a multi-car pileup that has since ignited a storm of speculation online. Photos and reports circulating on social media — and picked up by KhaoSod — show a tangle of crushed metal, shattered glass and frantic bystanders, and many users immediately raised the specter of street racing as the possible cause. One of the survivors, who was riding in a blue BMW, described the crash as “the most terrifying experience” of their life. According to their account, they were traveling at a normal speed with their partner driving from Chidlom to Rangsit — a familiar route for the couple — when everything changed in an instant. “We were in the middle lane,” the victim recalled. “The road…
Thailand has quietly pulled the welcome mat from under an American visitor after government officials discovered he isn’t the White House correspondent he claimed to be. Michael B. Alfaro — who livestreamed from the tense Thailand–Cambodia frontier alleging Thai forces blocked crossings — was initially invited to observe damage and operations near Surin. That invitation has now been revoked, and Bangkok’s message is blunt: misrepresent yourself, and you’re not welcome. The invitation was originally extended by the Ad Hoc Centre for Thailand–Cambodia Border Situation to allow foreign media a firsthand view of areas affected by artillery and other conflict-related hazards. The proposed itinerary sounded straightforward and solemn: visits to hospitals and schools hit by shelling, civilian zones caught in crossfire, and mine-clearance work conducted by the Thailand Mine Action Centre. But the plan unraveled after officials investigated Alfaro’s credentials. Jirayu Houngsub, a member of the Ad Hoc Centre, said the…
The island of Phuket turned the heat up on drug networks last week as coordinated raids swept through all three districts, netting several suspects and a stash of methamphetamine — both the pill form known locally as ya bah and the crystal form ya ice. From August 14 to 17, the Special Operations Unit of the Phuket Provincial Defense Office, backed by senior district officials and the Volunteer Defense Corps (OrSor), led a focused push under the “No Drugs, No Dealers” campaign. The message was blunt and unmistakable: Phuket wants its communities drug-free. Major haul and multiple arrests in Cherng Talay The largest of the operations unfolded in Cherng Talay after a tip-off sparked a targeted probe into a suspected network. Four Thai men were arrested and charged in connection with possession and distribution of Category 1 narcotics. Among them were 27-year-old Beer and 21-year-old Beach, found with 10.58 grams…
Late on the afternoon of August 17, the quiet roadside trees of Paklok sub-district in Phuket were shattered by a metallic roar and the sudden sight of an ultralight aircraft wedged beside the road. What began as a routine training flight ended with two injured men, a stunned neighborhood and a fresh investigation into what caused the light aircraft to fall from the sky. At approximately 4:30 p.m., an ultralight identified as a UM-22 Quicksilver MX II Sprint — a nimble, high-lift craft prized by flying schools for its short takeoff and steady low-speed handling — came down just off a runway, according to local reports. The two occupants, 40-year-old Thai trainer Surasak Chana and 36-year-old Russian student Sergei Razukov, were rushed to Thalang Hospital. Initial updates say Razukov suffered minor head injuries, while Chana was in more serious condition with a broken left ankle and a head wound; authorities…
Late on the night of Thursday, August 14, Soi Bonkot 8 in Bang Lamung district became the scene of a tragic collision that would later draw sharp criticism and heated debate across social media. At around 11pm, a British national riding an electric off-road motorcycle reportedly crashed into the motorbike of 49-year-old Churairat Phetraksa. Churairat was rushed to hospital with catastrophic head injuries and multiple abrasions; she later died, according to a local Facebook news page, on August 17. The details circulating online paint a dramatic — and disturbing — picture. Witnesses told reporters and commenters that the foreign motorcyclist had been performing repeated wheelies along the street before losing control. One eyewitness described a violent impact and said Churairat had bled heavily at the scene. In the chaotic moments that followed, several residents allegedly assaulted the British rider; police confirmed he sustained injuries not from the collision itself but…
Alex is back with a lively roundup of the headlines rattling Thailand right now — a mix of big government crackdowns, border standoffs, visa shake-ups, human dramas and a surprising cultural shift among the young. Fasten your seatbelt: from cannabis closures to compassion for a stranded pensioner, it’s a lot to take in. Mass cannabis sweep: over 1,000 shops shut In one of the most sweeping enforcement moves of the year, Thailand’s Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine marched through the cannabis industry between June 16 and August 13. Authorities targeted 5,218 cannabis businesses, suspending 724 licences, revoking 129, prosecuting 180 unlicensed operators and permanently closing 1,079 shops. Police carried out 116 raids, seized nearly 981 kilograms of cannabis and arrested 33 suspects trying to smuggle drugs through Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports. The message was clear: the era of casual dispensaries is meeting a hardline brake. Border chill…