Bangkok Airways is rolling up its sleeves and rolling out a plan that could put Trat Airport firmly on the map as the eastern kingdom’s aviation hub. At a press briefing held at Trat Airport on September 1, CEO Puttipong Prasarttong-Osoth laid out an ambitious upgrade designed to turbo‑charge tourism, invite more carriers, and give the province’s economy a lift. Small airport, big ambitions Located on 1,600 rai in Tha Som subdistrict, Khao Saming district, Trat Airport is already a key gateway to islands and coastal retreats. Owned and operated by Bangkok Airways, the airport punches above its weight: in the first half of this year it welcomed 40,427 passengers, a number the airline expects to swell during the upcoming high season as European travel to Thailand continues to recover. Puttipong stressed that Trat is a popular draw for European visitors — many of whom are core customers for Bangkok…
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It was an ordinary Monday afternoon on Phahonyothin Road in Mueang Chai Nat — until a 67-year-old pickup driver and a very unfortunate cow had a dramatic run-in that left both sides bruised, battered and the local community buzzing. At around 3:30 pm on September 1, emergency calls poured into Mueang Chai Nat police after a silver Toyota Vigo ploughed into a large female cow in the inbound lane near Moo 5, Ban Kluai subdistrict, directly opposite Wat Tha Chang. The scene that greeted officers and volunteers from the Ruamkatanyu Foundation was chaotic: the cow was lying in the middle of the road with multiple fractures, broken legs and back injuries, faeces scattered across the tarmac, and the startled animal unable to rise. Nearby sat the Toyota Vigo, registration Phor Khor 1043 Phitsanulok, with a crumpled front end and a dented bonnet. The vehicle’s side was smeared in cow droppings…
Thailand’s political stage has turned into a slow-burning thriller, and the People’s Party (PP) is starring as the inscrutable protagonist. Holding the largest single bloc in Parliament with 143 MPs, the PP has refused to tip its hand as lawmakers knot their brows and bargain their way toward selecting the country’s 32nd prime minister. Parit Wacharasindhu, the party’s spokesperson, told reporters on September 1 that the PP remains undecided after internal discussions with MPs and senior leaders — but undecided does not mean indifferent. The choice they don’t want: repeat business as usual Two scenarios have set off a flurry of political heartbeats within the PP. The first: caretaker Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai could dissolve Parliament. Parit said such a move would align with the party’s principles — essentially a reset button that the PP wouldn’t oppose. The second, and more troubling to the party, is a power play that…
Thailand is being warned to brace for a wet and rowdy 24 hours as the Thai Meteorological Department (TMD) paints a soggy picture across much of the kingdom. Heavy rain is forecast for 51 provinces — including Bangkok and the metropolitan area — and officials urge everyone to stay alert for flash floods and overflowing waterways as rainfall accumulates. Quick snapshot: what’s coming Heavy rain in 51 provinces across northern, northeastern, central, eastern, and parts of the southern coasts. Thunderstorms expected to cover large swathes of regions (60–70% in several areas). Sea conditions rough in many coastal zones — small craft advisories likely. Potential hazards: flash floods, fast-rising rivers, lightning, poor visibility on roads. Regional breakdown (what you need to know) Northern Thailand Expect scattered thunderstorms across roughly 60% of the north, with pockets of heavy rain in Mae Hong Son, Chiang Mai, Lamphun, Lampang, Phrae, Uttaradit, Sukhothai, Tak, Kamphaeng…
Meet Gripen: Korat Zoo’s Newest Little Rock-Climber Steals the Show There’s a fresh, fuzzy heartbeat at Nakhon Ratchasima Zoo — better known to locals and travelers as Korat Zoo — and visitors are already lining up for a peek. On August 26, the zoo celebrated the birth of a baby serow, a rare and protected mountain-dwelling ungulate, in what staff are calling a joyful milestone for conservation and a welcome dose of adorable for zoo-goers. Zoo director Thanachon Kensing shared the happy news: the calf arrived healthy to proud mother Chomphu (meaning “rose apple” in Thai) and father A-ngoon (meaning “grape”). The newborn’s sex is still under wraps, but the little one has been christened “Gripen” — a tongue-in-cheek nod to the Swedish fighter jet mentioned during past border clashes between Thailand and Cambodia. If nothing else, the name promises a story every time visitors ask about it. Why everyone’s…
On the morning of September 1, Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park officers in Prachuap Khiri Khan made a haul that looks like it came straight out of an adventure novel: 202.5 kilograms of Hin Phra That stones, reportedly destined for the lucrative amulet market. The catch was anything but ordinary — a green mid-sized fibreglass boat, five fertilizer bags ingeniously converted into backpacks, and a mysterious absence of the people who had clearly been hard at work smuggling precious rock out of a protected park. Pisith Charoensuk, head of Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park, said the discovery came during a coordinated patrol led by park units 1 and 3, together with the Bueng Bua Nature Study Centre and the Division 3 Phetchaburi enforcement team. Their search focused on the entrance to Hu Bo Ta Tab in Moo 5, Ban Koh Phai, Rai Mai subdistrict, Sam Roi Yot district…
Border tensions between Thailand and Cambodia flared again on September 1 after the Royal Thai Army (RTA) reported the discovery of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) inside Thai territory near Hill 350 — close to the Ta Kwai Castle area in Surin province. The Second Army Region says the find, made on August 31, has raised fresh alarms about deliberate escalation along a simmering frontier. According to the RTA, soldiers from the 1st Light Weapons Company of the 27th Infantry Battalion stumbled upon a chilling booby-trap setup at about 11:50 a.m. in the western sector of Ta Kwai Castle, roughly 1.7 kilometres from Hill 350 in Bak Dai Subdistrict, Phanom Dong Rak District. The scene reportedly included mortar shells wired with tripwires, PMN‑2 anti‑personnel mines, and an array of caltrops — the kind of crude, cruel devices used to maim and slow troops and vehicles. The area sits near barbed-wire defensive…
On August 31, a routine lunchtime on the Chao Phraya River turned into a dramatic rescue that reminded Bangkokers — and anyone watching online — how quickly everyday life can become a matter of life and death. Two crew members from a Thai Smile Boat were finishing their meal when shouts for help split the air. They didn’t wait for instructions or applause. They jumped into the river, lifejacket on, and pulled a 21-year-old woman from the water just as she was on the verge of drowning. The scene that followed was raw and heartbreaking. The young woman wept continuously and told rescuers, “This world is cruel. My life is terrible. No one loves me.” Emergency teams from the Sai Ma Municipality Office and volunteers from the Ruam Katanyu Foundation arrived and transported her to hospital in a rescue van. Her father, contacted by the rescue team, reached the riverside…
On the late afternoon of August 31 at precisely 3:45pm, Wat Ton Pho Sri Maha Pho in Prachin Buri turned into a buzzing hub of hope, incense smoke and whispered number-seeking. Devotees, lottery hopefuls and curious onlookers packed the temple grounds in Khok Phib subdistrict, Si Mahosot district, all drawn to the sandstone carving of Thao Wessuwan — a revered guardian figure locals often ask for protection, blessings and, yes, lucky numbers. A crowd with a mission: luck, numbers and a celebrity cameo The crowd was a colorful mix: families with small children, elderly devotees steadying their steps with prayer beads, eager teenagers filming ritual moments on their phones, and one well-known singer who added a dash of glamour to the scene. Fon Thanasunthorn, recognized across Thailand for both her voice and her philanthropic appearances, was spotted respectfully offering incense and paying homage to the temple’s sacred Sri Maha Bodhi…
Today, August 31, Bangkok’s Victory Monument is set to be the stage for another round of political drama as the United Power of the Land to Protect Sovereignty and its supporters gather to protest the Pheu Thai Party’s push to form a new government. The demonstration comes hot on the heels of a dramatic Constitutional Court decision on August 29 that removed Paetongtarn Shinawatra from consideration for prime minister after a leaked phone recording with Cambodian leader Hun Sen surfaced. But don’t call it victory just yet, warned one of the movement’s best-known figures. Jatuporn Prompan — former red-shirt leader turned vocal critic — said Paetongtarn’s disqualification is merely a change of faces, not a defeat of the political faction she represents. In other words: swap the headline, not the headlines’ theme. Jatuporn’s point is blunt and simple — if Pheu Thai continues to push a successor from the same…