Jon Whitman
- Thailand News
Bangkok road rage killer waits months for revenge
Bangkok road rage killer Peerasin Kulchutisin waited months to take his revenge on a driver who beat him up after a minor traffic incident. Komsan Intharit was shot dead and his lawyer Anusorn Wichathorn injured during a negotiation at Lak Song Police Station in Bangkok’s Bang Khae district over a minor collision that led to a fight on Phetkasem Road…
- Thailand News
Celebrity internet royalist arrested for fundraising fraud
Celebrity internet royalist Suvinai Pornavalai was arrested outside his Bangkok home yesterday. Members of the cybercrime unit came calling after Suvinai claimed to have raised nearly 700,000 baht (US$20,000) to pay for “a ritual” to extend the life of Princess Bajrakitiyabha, who remains hospitalised for an unspecified heart condition. According to rabble-rousers Prachatai.com, Suvinai maintains his innocence and claims to…
- Crime News
Chinese Pattaya nightclub owner nowhere in sight as cops seize token assets
A Pattaya Police attempt to dismantle the drug networks of a Chinese crime boss has failed to apprehend that star of the show. At least the police managed to get their hands on a few of the nightclub owner’s assets worth a paltry 50 million baht (US$1.5 million). It’s not quite as exciting as it sounds. They didn’t take the…
- World News
Cambodian call centre scammers rounded up on Thai border
Dozens of Cambodian call centre scammers have been rounded up by police in Sa Kaeo province. Through the website thaipoliceonline.com, police received complaints from victims duped into investing in a scam named “Amata” that promised high returns. Upon the due date, the victims were unable to withdraw any money and even went so far as to invest more. An investigation…
- Environment News
Hippos swallows toddler in Uganda, spits him out again
A two-year-old boy survived being half-eaten by a hippopotamus near his home in southwestern Uganda. Iga Paul was playing near the shores of Lake Edward when the hippo grabbed the toddler and swallowed half of his body, according to the BBC. Iga was saved and has made a full recovery, police say. The hippo had the boy in its jaws…
- Entertainment
Thai soap star arrested on porn and gambling charges
Thai soap star Thamolphan Phanuchitputthiwong, better known as “Yam” Thamonphan, has been arrested along with her computer-whizz husband Phumphat Prasertwit. The celeb couple is accused, along with another man, Chetchai Hongkham, of operating porn and gambling sites, among a string of related offences. They were arrested at a house in the Bang Krui district of Nonthaburi on Thursday. Police grabbed…
- Thailand News
Temples hold prayers for recovery of Princess Bajrakitiyabha
Temples of all denominations across the country have held prayers for the speedy recovery of Princess Bajrakitiyabha, the eldest daughter of King Maha Vajiralongkorn, who collapsed earlier in the week with a heart condition. Senior leaders including Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha visited the princess in hospital today to lay orange flowers, the colour associated with the princess. Princess Bajrakitiyabha lost…
- Thailand News
Tuhao buck passes to Department of Special Investigation
The “Tuhao” case is certainly a complicated one. Its trail of intrigue leads from Beijing to Bangkok and back again, passing all points between. So it is no surprise that the Department of Special Investigation decided to take up the case involving Chinese businessman Chaiyanat “Tuhao” Kornchayanant. Justice will now be served. Justice Minister Somsak Thepsutin said yesterday that Tuhao was…
- Tourism News
Battle lines drawn in Koh Lipe turf war
Thailand’s human rights commission (NHRC) is calling for the government to take urgent action in the Koh Lipe turf war to help sea gypsies living on the island in Satun province. The Moken are a semi-nomadic tribe that lives in Thai coastal provinces and inhabits over 800 islands in the Andaman Sea. They number less than 3,000 people. The Moken have…
- World News
River of Dreams – Lawless ‘zones’ on Thailand-Myanmar frontier
Thailand and Myanmar are friendly and close neighbours separated only by a strip of water, so the story goes. Along the Moei River, a fantastic US$15 billion (500 billion baht) city of the future, Shwe Kokko Yatai New City, is under construction. Development is well underway in Myanmar’s Karen state, perhaps the most unpleasant place in the world today, where…
- Technology News
For Tesla Thailand, all bumpy roads lead to China
For newly-minted Tesla Thailand, there’s a bumpy road ahead, and it leads back to China. Tesla began sales in Thailand, just over a week ago, offering its popular Model 3 and Model Y at prices that compete with rivals like BYD. The company staged a glitzy showcase of its plans at Bangkok’s Siam Paragon mall with vehicles to be delivered…
- World News
Curse of Kim Jong-un’s dogs haunts peninsular politics
The curse of Kim Jong-un’s dogs continues to haunt peninsular politics. Kim’s pups were highly-ceremoniously dumped on an unwilling foster father, then South Korean president, Moon Jae-in, after talks in the north in 2018. “Here,” said Kim, more or less. “Take my puppies and raise them as if they were your own. They’re yours now. Take them and get lost.”…
- World News
‘Bus full of prostitutes’ disgusts Berlusconi’s Monza millennials
Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi plans to arrange “ a bus full of prostitutes” for his Monza side if they manage to beat top Serie A rivals. At a Tuesday Christmas dinner with the Monza players Berlusconi, 86 years old, said… “If you win against one of these top teams, I’ll bring a bus of whores into the locker…
- Technology News
Toyota ‘launches’ electric Hilux in Thailand
Toyota has debuted, but not debuted, an electric version of its popular Hilux pickup in Thailand. Little is known about the specs, with Toyota Thailand glossing over battery size and power output details in a launch that was, to say the least, low-key. The assembled press corps was able to enjoy schmaltzy speeches and powerpoints from teary-eyed executives, without the…
- World News
Smuggled wildlife goods pouring out of India
The porous borders between Bangladesh, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Thailand, plus a growing private aviation market make fighting wildlife smuggling close to impossible, according to ThePrint. The emergence of cryptocurrencies has also led to an increase in all kinds of illegal trade. Some of the most smuggled wildlife goods out of India passing through Thailand are red sanders, ambergris,…
- Thailand News
Pheu Thai not ready to name names
The Pheu Thai party is not ready to formally appoint Paetongtarn “Ung-ing” Shinawatra as its preferred candidate for PM. But at a campaign event, director of the Pheu Thai Family Project Nattawut Saikuar, said it was clear that Paetongtarn was the right candidate to lead the party into the election. Nattawut said the party will announce two more candidates “for…
- Crime News
Biggest joke – Big Joke fired as puppet master Chuvit pulls strings
National police chief Pol Gen Damrongsak Kittiprapas has relieved Pol Gen Surachate “Big Joke” Hakparn of command of the “Tuhao” investigation and taken control of the investigation into the crime syndicates run by Chaiyanat Kornchayanant. Big Joke has been fired apparently to appease “supergrass” Chuvit Kamolvisit, who appears now to be the de facto leader of the investigation. Damrongsak said…
- Phuket News
Patong deckchair touts must double capacity to survive
Patong’s deckchair touts – the legal ones – want local authorities to double the number of chairs and umbrellas, claiming that the existing quantity is insufficient to meet demand on Phuket’s Patong Beach. Only 10% of Patong Beach has been allocated to about 60 small-time operators, as part of a new attempt to limit their operations along the entire beach.…
- Crime News
Demon drink – new kid on the block kills neighbour with stick
Yet another Thai man killed a “friend” “by accident” over a “misunderstanding,” this time involving alcohol, for a change. A Buriram man who did not like being asked to pay for his booze has admitted hitting a drinking buddy over the head with a nailed stick but says he did not expect the blow to kill him. Nang Rong police…
- Phuket News
Not holding water – Phuket authorities blameless for floods
Phuket authorities, blameless for this year’s floods, have decided that the sale of government land was behind the recent inundations and landslides on the island. During a disaster mitigation forum at Phuket Rajabhat University, authorities were able to demonstrate their innocence again and again. The new owners of former government land built an unauthorised dam, completely contrary to the purpose…
- Hot News
License plate lottery – Today’s lucky number is 45,090,000
The Department of Land Transport’s license plate lottery – and auction of what they laughingly describe as “auspicious” vehicle licence plate numbers – on Saturday produced the highest-ever winning bid at 45.09 million baht (US$1.3 million) for plate number 9 Kor Kor 9999. On Saturday a total of 64 plates were up for auction and another 237 will be offered…
- Hot News
Coconut farmers fight back with monkey-free certificates
Coconut farmers in Ratchaburi and Samut Sakhon provinces have received Department of Agriculture monkey-free certificates in an attempt to combat a PETA Asia campaign against traditional coconut farming. The certificate confirms that no monkeys were used during collection. PETA Asia found the issue of Thai farmers using monkeys to collect coconuts sufficiently photogenic to bring it to the world’s attention…
- Thailand Weather Updates
Cool weather sees tourists heading north for holiday weekend
More Thais will travel during this holiday weekend than last week’s as cool temperatures see tourists heading north. People are choosing to travel on Constitution Day because they preferred to stay with their family on Fathers’ Day last weekend. Cool and foggy weather in the North and Northeast are very attractive to Thais who have been sweating under sultry storm…
- Politics News
Suthep graft case dismissed by Supreme court
Former Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban has been cleared in a graft case, dismissed by Supreme Court Friday. The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) is to appeal against the ruling acquitting Suthep of massive corruption. Suthep is accused of malfeasance in construction projects for police stations and officers’ living quarters more than a decade ago. NACC chairman Watcharapol Prasarnrajkit said Friday…
- Pattaya News
Document forgers arrested in Chon Buri
Police have arrested document forgers in Chon Buri and Kanchanaburi in connection with the forgery of bank and salary statements that were used to defraud loan companies out of about 20 million baht (US$600,000). Pol Lt Gen Jirabhop Bhuridej, commissioner of the Central Investigation Bureau, said yesterday that Satawat Chaengchawee and Wanwisa Pramjon were arrested at their home in the…
- Phuket News
Canadian hitman in Phuket killing moves closer to extradition
The Canadian hitman accused of killing a Vancouver gangster in Phuket is one step closer to extradition after a ruling from an Alberta judge. Matthew Dupre was committed to extradition Friday, to be surrendered to Thailand to be tried for his involvement in the death of Jimi Singh Sandhu. Dupre was a member of the Canadian Armed Forces in Afghanistan…
- Thailand Protest News
Teen protestor claims police harassment
A child protestor aged only 13 is claiming he was followed and harassed by police after a protest at Sanam Luang – Democracy Monument – on Fathers’ Day earlier this week. “Oia” (pseudonym) said that on Monday he tried to stage a protest calling for the repeal of the royal defamation law during an event commemorating the birthday of the…
- Hot News
License to own unicorn issued by LA animal care authority
Los Angeles animal control authorities have apparently been smoking something pretty strong, or are suffering from a massive lack of anything useful to do. A California girl named Madeline has been issued with a license to own a unicorn — if she can find one. The first permit of its kind came with strings attached – though judicious use of…
- Visa Information
Miracle of birth – Barcelona refugees run for beautiful horizon
Spanish police are searching for 14 passengers who jumped off a commercial flight after an emergency landing and ran for the hills in a scene more like an Adam Sandler movie than a people smuggling operation. Pegasus Airlines flight PC652 from Casablanca to Istanbul was diverted to Barcelona’s El Prat Airport to make a forced landing after a passenger on…
- World News
Sold or stolen – South Korean adoptees seek truth
South Korean adoptees seek the truth as the country’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) begins to look into the stories of hundreds of adoptees taken to Europe and the United States. Thousands of South Korean “orphans” were adopted by Western families in the latter part of the 20th century, many of whom suspect that their origins were falsified or obscured…
