At about 8:00pm on the evening of August 18, a routine drive along the Udon Thani–Sakon Nakhon Road turned into something out of an action movie — except it had a surprisingly lucky ending. A white Isuzu pickup, registration ป 5179 Udon Thani, flipped over several times in Mueang Nong Han district, leaving a trail of twisted metal, a badly damaged traffic sign and a felled tree. Miraculously, the driver walked away with only a minor head wound. The man, the tiles and the talisman The injured motorist was identified as 32‑year‑old former traffic officer Phong Sakon, better known to friends as “Oung.” Locals who rushed to help pulled him from the wreck and took him to Udon Thani Centre Hospital, where medics treated a small head injury and released him after observation. Phong, smiling amid the chaos, gave reporters an explanation that mixed practicality with devotion: he had been…
THAI.NEWS - Thailand Breaking News
Thailand’s underground cockfighting world just got a headline-grabbing jolt: a champion rooster named Fakhamram — fresh from an earth-shaking victory at Kaew Khok Krot stadium in Nakhon Ratchasima — has been sold for a jaw-dropping 6.5 million baht. The sale came hot on the heels of a five-round, multimillion-baht showdown on Sunday, August 17, that featured two elite birds and a prize pot so enormous it felt more like a sporting spectacle than a traditional fight: 125.1 million baht. The epic clash: Fakhamram vs. Jao Kaotao Under the lights at Kaew Khok Krot, Fakhamram — representing Richa Farm — faced off against Jao Kaotao of Ban Suan Nong B White Rooster Farm in a match that had the crowd holding its collective breath. Both birds fought under the customary rules for high-stakes matches: spurs and gaffs wrapped, five bruising rounds, and drama to spare. Fakhamram set the tone early, landing…
If you thought a trip to Lotus Mall in Tak Province was going to be a quiet errand run, think again. On August 18, a scene straight out of a heist movie — minus the cinematic finesse — unfolded at Wang Tokang Gold Shop when a 28-year-old man allegedly tried to make off with a one-baht gold necklace. The suspect, identified as Thanapol from Mueang district, reportedly walked into the store acting like a customer, but staff quickly grew suspicious and raised the alarm. Security and police were already on the mall floor conducting routine checks when a sharp cry cut through the hum of shoppers. Store employee Onchuda Sukla shouted for help, which set into motion a swift response. Police Colonel Sitthichai Yimyuan and his team were among the officers who joined in apprehending Thanapol as he attempted to flee the scene clutching the necklace. Although he made a…
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…
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…