THAI.NEWS - Thailand Breaking News

If you lead in Chon Buri’s Bang Lamung district, the message from the top could not be clearer: follow the rules, guard your reputation, and keep your trigger finger firmly under regulation. At a monthly gathering inside the district office’s community hall on August 8, District Chief Patcharapat Srithanyanon delivered a firm, no-nonsense briefing to village headmen and subdistrict chiefs—one that blended accountability with a call to honor the public trust. Presiding over the meeting with the unmistakable authority of his office, Patcharapat laid out expectations that left little room for ambiguity. Leaders, he said, must embody discipline, integrity, and the dignity of their roles. Their conduct is not merely personal—it reflects on the Ministry of Interior and the Department of Provincial Administration, and it shapes how communities perceive the entire machinery of local government. “The use of firearms in the course of your duties must strictly follow regulations and…

A disgruntled customer, a misleading online ad, and a rapid-fire police response: that’s the mix that sparked a high-profile raid at a resort in Bangkok’s Hathai Rat area today, August 9. Metropolitan Police Division 3 officers, acting on a complaint about a “bait-and-switch” sex booking, swooped in and arrested three Laotian women accused of peddling services online with photos that weren’t their own. The operation was headed by Police Major General Siam Bunsom, Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, with investigative coordination from Pol. Maj. Gen. Noppasin Poolsawat and Pol. Maj. Gen. Kiattikun Sonthine, Commander of Metropolitan Police Division 3. Their team moved in after an undercover probe suggested a coordinated scheme trading on slick social media images, alluring descriptions, and quick contact via the Line app. How a complaint on X snowballed into a raid According to investigators, the case began when a customer reported booking through the social…

If you’ve ever wondered what happens when a luxury salon’s hum quietly purrs into a sudden silence, picture this: buzzing clippers frozen mid-fade, clients pausing mid-sip of herbal tea, and a phalanx of Tourist Police stepping through the door with the precision of a movie sting. That was the scene on Bangkok’s lively Ratchadaphisek Road, where an upscale Ratchada barbershop turned into the spotlight of a very real, very dramatic operation. By the time the cape dust settled, seven Chinese men were in handcuffs, accused of cutting hair without the proper paperwork in a profession authorities say is reserved for Thai nationals. The slick raid wasn’t a one-off. It was a carefully choreographed chapter in a nationwide crackdown directed by National Police Chief Police General Kittirat Phanphet and driven by Police Lieutenant General Saksira Phuek-am, Commander of the Tourist Police Bureau. The effort channels the muscle of the newly formed…

Sirens cut through the quiet in Pattaya just after midnight as Immigration Police and Pattaya City officers converged on a condominium for a high-stakes raid. By 12:30 a.m. on August 8, the door was down and a suspect was in cuffs: 24-year-old Malaysian national Tak Sun Chong, accused of secretly filming Thai women during sex and attempting to extort them with the footage. The sting followed a chilling complaint from a woman who told police she was lured through the WeChat app by a man posing as a friendly acquaintance. She said he invited her to his room; what she didn’t know, investigators allege, was that hidden cameras were rolling. According to police, the woman was later threatened: pay up or face humiliation online. The suspect allegedly warned he would upload the videos to pornographic websites if she refused. Her report triggered a joint operation that ended with officers seizing…

Sun, sea, and… sunglasses? Patong Beach, one of Phuket’s most famous stretches of sand, saw more than the usual surf-and-sand drama as immigration officers launched a high-profile sweep aimed at illegal beach vendors. The move followed weeks of complaints from residents and legal business owners who said unlicensed sellers were openly hawking goods and undercutting Thai vendors playing by the rules. Their message was clear: keep the beach beautiful, the competition fair, and the island’s image spotless. Leading the operation was Phuket Immigration Police Superintendent Colonel Kriangkrai Ariyaying, who assigned Deputy Superintendent Police Lieutenant Colonel Wisarut La-iat-ong, Superintendent Pol. Lt. Col. Wirot Srisapha, and the Phuket Immigration Investigation Unit to team up with the Phuket Tourist Police for a targeted sweep of the shoreline. If you picture a meticulous, methodical stroll along the sands at golden hour, you’re not far off—only this time the target wasn’t a sunset selfie, but…

Thailand’s sky has its drama hat on. The Thai Meteorological Department (TMD) is flagging widespread thunderstorms across 45 provinces, with a particular focus on the central and eastern regions. Bangkok, ever the scene-stealer, is tipped for the heaviest downpours. After the rumbles and flashes of August 8, officials are urging everyone to stay alert as the southwest monsoon continues to flex over the Andaman Sea, Thailand, and the Gulf of Thailand. What’s brewing? The southwest monsoon is feeding moisture-laden air across the country, and when that meets daytime heat and local topography, thunderstorm cells bubble up fast. Expect bursts of heavy rain, gusty winds, and the occasional lightning show. In short: keep that umbrella handy and your weather app closer. Out at sea, conditions deserve respect. The upper Andaman Sea will see moderate wind and waves around 1 to 2 metres, kicking past 2 metres wherever storms roll through. Mariners,…

Late-night fruit craving turns into chaos on Rat-U-Thit 200 Pi Road Under Patong’s neon glow, where jet ski sales pitches mingle with the scent of grilled squid and ripe mango, a 60-baht snack spiraled into a scene nobody expected. In the early hours of August 8, outside the Patong Medical Clinic on Rat-U-Thit 200 Pi Road, a disagreement over a simple fruit purchase erupted into a bloody street fight that sent shockwaves through Phuket’s busiest nightlife district. Patong Police received the call at 2:20 a.m. and moved fast. Leading the response was Police Lieutenant Colonel Somprasong Labaisat, Deputy Superintendent (Investigation) of Patong Police Station, accompanied by rescue workers from the Kusoldharm Phuket Foundation. When officers arrived, they found a tourist—identified as 33-year-old Orxan Hidayet Oglu Orkhan from Azerbaijan—lying on the pavement with a serious stomach wound. Emergency responders stabilized him and rushed him to Patong Hospital. As of reporting, authorities…

If international diplomacy had a soundtrack, late July in Southeast Asia would have been all cymbals and drumrolls. While Thai and Cambodian forces traded fire along their contentious border, a different kind of volley erupted online: President Donald J. Trump posted on Truth Social on July 26 that the United States would halt trade talks with both countries if the shooting didn’t stop. Within hours, he said he was on the phone with Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Manet and Thailand’s acting prime minister, urging both sides to stand down and talk it out. According to Trump, those calls worked. He announced that Phnom Penh and Bangkok had agreed to meet—and within days, the leaders did just that in Malaysia, hammering out their first ceasefire agreement. Ever the showman, Trump then proclaimed, “I am proud to be the President of PEACE!”—a victory lap that came paired with a recalibration of tariffs.…

What began as a straightforward rescue turned into a chilling discovery in Phitsanulok on Wednesday, August 6. Around 3pm, a truck loaded with eucalyptus logs lost control on a bend along the Pong Kae–Chat Trakan Road and plunged roughly 50 metres into a ravine in Chat Trakan district. As rescuers battled steep terrain and tangled brush to reach the injured driver, they stumbled upon something no one expected: the wreckage of a second car, long hidden beneath vines, with a human skeleton inside. A rescue that became a recovery Teams from the Phitsanulok Foundation rushed to the scene after the eucalyptus-laden truck left the road at the notorious curve. The driver, who survived the plunge, was the immediate priority. While securing the crash site and preparing to recover the truck, rescuers noticed a glint of metal and the unmistakable silhouette of an overturned hatchback about 20 metres away from the…