An exemplary act of honesty occurred last Saturday when taxi driver Pornsak Phunee returned a wallet containing a significant sum of money to a Bangladeshi tourist. The wallet, which was left in Pornsak’s cab, contained over 370,000 baht in foreign currencies, photos, and a credit card belonging to Jahirul Islam Munshi.
Outofcourt settlements have significantly benefited the economy since the law facilitating them took effect on May 23, 2019. According to the government, a total of 53,030 civil and 353 criminal cases have been settled without court involvement. This approach has saved people about 6.88 billion baht in court fees for civil cases, while outofcourt settlements in criminal cases have saved the state up to 27 billion baht.
On July 29th, a devastating explosion occurred at a fireworks warehouse in Sungai Kolok district’s tambon Muno, Narathiwat province. The blast tragically claimed 12 lives and left 389 people injured. In addition to the human toll, the explosion destroyed three schools and caused significant damage to 682 homes in Muno village.
The Huai Khwang district in Bangkok has witnessed a growing parallel Chinese society, as more Chinese expats have settled in the area. Dubbed the second Yaowarat or Bangkok’s new Chinatown, Huai Khwang saw a temporary exodus of Chinese vendors during the pandemic. However, with the Chinese government reopening its borders in January, investors have returned to the district, bringing life back to Pracharat Bamphen Road and the surrounding area.
Thai police have captured an Australian man, Robert Wainwright, who is sought after in Australia for drug and weapon offenses. He was found living in Phuket on a student visa with his Australian girlfriend. Pol Lt Gen Pakphumpipat Sajjapan, Immigration Bureau (IB) commissioner, announced the arrest during a press briefing and mentioned that Wainwright’s girlfriend had been handling his affairs to avoid drawing attention.
A Taiwanese man, Kuo Chemin, suspected of laundering around 3 billion baht (approximately NT$2.7 billion) for phone scammers and online gambling gangs, was arrested in Bangkok on July 27th. He has been extradited to Taipei, where he was handed over to prosecutors on August 10th. The Thai Immigration Bureau police confirmed the news during a briefing on August 18th.
Thailand has set its sights on becoming a premier destination for Muslim tourists from around the world by 2027. This ambitious goal has been announced by deputy government spokeswoman Rachada Dhnadirek. The focus on Muslim tourists is due to their increasing numbers and high purchasing power. In 2022 alone, over 3 million Muslim tourists visited Thailand, a significant increase from the 875,043 visitors in 2017.
The Thai government has announced plans to partially open the Map KabaoJira Junction doubletrack railway line in 2024, which will significantly increase train travel speeds in the region. Currently, passenger trains on the existing singletrack lines can only reach speeds of 50km/h. However, with the completion of the doubletrack upgrade, train speeds will increase to 120km/h for passenger services and 60km/h for freight trains.
On August 17, 2023, a Myanmar woman named Moe Moe Aye was arrested in Bangkok during a crackdown on online scams and cryptocurrency fraud by the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB). The 24yearold was charged with colluding in fraud, inputting false information into a computer system, laundering money, and related offenses.
In a shocking turn of events, the Department of Industrial Works has requested legal action against 36 individuals, including the notorious serial killer, Sararat “Aem Cyanide” Rangsiwuthaporn, who has brought attention to the misuse of cyanide. The department filed the request with the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) to look into these breaches of laws regulating the poisonous chemical.