Nakhon Si Thammarat’s provincial police chief, Pol Maj Gen Somchai Suetortrakul, has ordered an investigation into four officers from the Bang Khan police station. The officers are accused of extorting 300,000 baht from a drug dealer, Chaiya, in exchange for his release last Thursday.
In a harrowing turn of events, a man being held hostage managed to call for help as the car he was in approached a police checkpoint in Bangkok’s Min Buri district. The police officers, who were manning a drink driving test point on Rom Klao Road, heard the cry for help around 12:30 am and proceeded to pull over both the Chevrolet car with the hostage and the Toyota car following behind it.
Phuket has seen a surge in Chinese tourists during the start of the low season, with the majority of international visitors hailing from China. Russia and Australia follow as the next top sources of tourists, as reported by the Phuket Tourist Association (PTA).
A Russian tourist, identified as 33yearold Oleg Rusovsiannikov, was injured during an altercation with a group of guards at a gogo bar on Pattaya’s Walking Street. The incident occurred early on a Sunday in the Bang Lamung district’s tambon Nong Prue, and was reported to the Pattaya police at around 3:30 am.
The Thai government has set an ambitious goal to transform Krabi, an Andaman province, into a carbonneutral tourism destination by 2040. Government spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri revealed the plan, stating that Prime Minister Prayut Chanocha has expressed gratitude to all participants who have cooperated in striving to achieve netzero carbon emissions in the sector by 2040. This initiative is part of a broader plan to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 and netzero emissions at the national level by 2065.
On the night of February 24, 2023, Thai actress Nida “Tangmo” Patcharaveerapong fell into the Chao Phraya River from a speedboat near the Pibul 1 pier in Muang district of Nonthaburi. Her body was found two days later, and the incident received widespread coverage in local media.
Education Minister Trinuch Thienthong clarified on Wednesday that a 15yearold girl, who was released on May 18 after being detained for 51 days on a charge of royal defamation, had not been expelled from school. This clarification came in response to the girl’s Facebook post, in which she claimed that she had been expelled and was now “an outsider”.
A recent case of illegal sale of frozen fish has led to the arrest of five state officials and two civilians in Thailand. The individuals were allegedly involved in the sale of frozen fish confiscated from an illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing (IUU) vessel. The suspects include a former director of the Bangkok Port Customs Office and senior customs officials.
In Satun, Thailand, local fishermen have staged a protest by blocking the entry to the Pak Bara canal in Langu district with their boats. This demonstration was initiated in response to the confiscation of three fishing boats and the detention of 12 crew members on Sunday.
On June 14, 2023, twelve captured wild macaques were discovered inside a bag at a mango plantation in Doem Bang Nang Buat district. Tragically, three of the apes had already died. Kalayakorn Titwattana, chief of Moo 11 village in tambon Khao Din, reported the find to Anan Sriphudpong, chief of the Bung Chawak Wildlife Reserve Office.