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  • Police search 2 rooms Thitisan and subordinated used; unknown powder and drugs allegedly found

    Police search 2 rooms Thitisan and subordinated used; unknown powder and drugs allegedly found

    Police investigating the now-infamous case of the man who died in police custody in Nakhon Sawan, a northern Thai province, have searched a condominium room used by former police station chief, Thitisan Utthanaphon, and a subordinate’s apartment, today. The search was conducted by local police and investigators from the Crime Suppression Division. The investigators say they found a suspicious powdered…

  • Former Nakhon Sawan officer will face perjury charges over suspect’s cause of death

    Former Nakhon Sawan officer will face perjury charges over suspect’s cause of death

    The now-ousted Nakhon Sawan police station chief will face perjury charges for his statement on the cause of death of the suspect. The former superintendent of the Mueang station, Thitisan Utthanaphol, is accused demanding a 2 million baht bribe from the suspect and placing plastic bags over the suspect’s head, killing him. Thitisan, known as “Joe Ferrari” for his collection…

  • Hat Yai immigration officer investigated for alleged extortion

    Hat Yai immigration officer investigated for alleged extortion

    Immigration police are investigating an officer in Songkhla’s Hat Yai district for alleged extortion after an audio clip of an officer asking an immigrant for a monthly fee was shared on a watchdog Facebook page. A committee has been set up by Immigration Division 6 to investigate the case and to determine whether an immigration officer was involved. The division says the…

  • Russian man on Koh Samui arrested for possession of illicit drugs for sale

    Russian man on Koh Samui arrested for possession of illicit drugs for sale

    Police in Koh Samui arrested a Russian man on drug trafficking charges and seized various kinds of illicit drugs including methamphetamine, cocaine, ketamine, and ecstasy. The man, 47 year old Konstantin Savosin, was apprehended yesterday at a house in Tropical Villa Eagle Nest housing estate on Koh Samui, an island in the Gulf of Thailand off the Surat Thani coast.…

  • Man allegedly killed a man for reporting him for visa overstay

    Man allegedly killed a man for reporting him for visa overstay

    An Indian man was arrested allegedly killing a man and then dismembering the body because he thought the victim reported him to immigration for overstaying his visa. Officers found the mutilated remains of 52 year old Mahesh Singh, also an Indian national, in Pathum Thani’s Thanyaburi district around 11am yesterday. His body had been cut into two pieces. 29 year old…

  • Suvarnabhumi’s ranking plummets in World’s Best Airports index

    Suvarnabhumi’s ranking plummets in World’s Best Airports index

    The results of this year’s World’s Best Airports awards are in, and in the last 10 years, Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi has taken a nosedive from number 13 to 66. The awards, voted for by passengers, are run annually by UK consultancy, Skytrax. This year’s results were decided by an online survey that ran for a 12-month period between August 2020 and…

  • Pattaya officials concerned high costs of Covid tests will deter foreign tourists

    Pattaya officials concerned high costs of Covid tests will deter foreign tourists

    Tourism officials in Pattaya are concerned that the demands being made of foreign tourists, including multiple costly Covid tests, will put people off visiting. Pattaya hopes to re-open quarantine-free under a sealed route scheme, but Thanet Supornsahasrungsi from the Chon Buri Tourism Council has expressed concern about the costs involved for visitors. The Bangkok Post reports that Pattaya is eyeing…

  • Tourism Minister defends PM’s re-opening plan on day 3 of no-confidence debate

    Tourism Minister defends PM’s re-opening plan on day 3 of no-confidence debate

    Thailand’s Tourism Minister has defended the PM’s promise to re-open the country, pointing out that Bangkok and another 4 provinces should be in a position to welcome tourists from next month. Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn says the re-opening of those 5 provinces will be followed by a further 21 provinces around the country. He was speaking during yesterday’s no-confidence debate against PM…

  • Anutin speaks in defence of handling of Covid-19 and vaccines

    Anutin speaks in defence of handling of Covid-19 and vaccines

    On the first day of the 4 day censure debate where multiple cabinet members as well as PM Prayut Chan-o-cha are facing a vote of no-confidence, Minister of Public Health Anutin Charnvirakul spoke in the evening in defence of himself and in praise of the government’s competent handling of the Covid-19 crisis. The minister walked through the Covid-19 crisis and…

  • 500 kilograms of marijuana discovered on Mekong riverbank in Nakhon Phanom

    500 kilograms of marijuana discovered on Mekong riverbank in Nakhon Phanom

    500 kilograms of dried and compressed marijuana were found along the Mekong River in the Isaan province Nakhon Phanom. A drug suppression team from the Mekong Riverine Unit seized 10 sacks containing 1-kilogram packages of compressed marijuana. Altogether, there were 500 slabs weighing a total of 500 kilograms, according to commander of the unit, Jaraskiat Chaiyaphan. Police believe the slabs of…

  • 2 international schools in Bangkok busted for allegedly breaking various laws

    2 international schools in Bangkok busted for allegedly breaking various laws

    2 international schools in Bangkok have been busted for breaking various laws. The Secretary of the Office of the National Primary Education Commission, Attaphol Treuktrong, said that his office is pursuing legal actions against the 2 international schools after it was determined the schools broke laws. The schools are the Foster International School in Thon Buri and the St. Mark’s…

  • Poacher arrested in Pathum Thani for allegedly catching and selling macaques

    Poacher arrested in Pathum Thani for allegedly catching and selling macaques

    An alleged poacher was arrested by the National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department officials today. The suspect and another man would allegedly shoot wild macaque monkeys with tranquilising darts and later sell the monkeys for 1,000 to 1,500 baht each. Officers say 40 year old Pitak Thongsu was found with 6 macaques in his possession. Head of special operations for…

  • More anti-government protests in Bangkok today, day 2 of no-confidence debate

    More anti-government protests in Bangkok today, day 2 of no-confidence debate

    Police in Bangkok are preparing for more anti-government protests today, with 2,250 officers on duty to patrol rallies by 3 different groups. Today is day 2 of the no-confidence debate against the government, with protests planned by Ratsadorn Taliban, Ramkhamhaeng for Democracy, and Thalugas, with each group meeting in different areas of the capital. According to a Bangkok Post report,…

  • Hua Hin opts for quarantine-free re-opening, similar to Phuket sandbox

    Hua Hin opts for quarantine-free re-opening, similar to Phuket sandbox

    The head of Hua Hin Recharge, which aims to re-open the popular tourist spot from October 1, says the programme will be similar to the Phuket sandbox scheme. Krod Rojanastien adds that he’s confident Hua Hin can achieve the required herd immunity in time. The Bangkok Post reports that as of yesterday, 55% of Hua Hin’s 90,564 residents have been…

  • Calls for former police chief’s wealth to be investigated

    Calls for former police chief’s wealth to be investigated

    An activist from the Association for the Protection of the Thai Constitution has petitioned the Anti-Money Laundering Office to look into the wealth acquired by former police chief, Thitisan Utthanaphon. Thitisan has been fired as police chief in the northern province of Nakhon Sawan and is being investigated for his alleged role in the death of a suspect in custody.…

  • Phuket officials look to vaccinated domestic visitors for tourism lifeline

    Phuket officials look to vaccinated domestic visitors for tourism lifeline

    Officials on the southern island of Phuket are pinning their hopes on vaccinated domestic tourists to revive the flagging economy. A proposal to attract vaccinated local tourists is being submitted for approval and if granted, would replace current restrictions, says deputy governor, Pichet Panapong. According to a Bangkok Post report, Pichet says the current measures on Phuket are damaging the…

  • Samut Prakan facility to burn about 28,000 kilograms of drugs today

    Samut Prakan facility to burn about 28,000 kilograms of drugs today

    A large quantity of illicit drugs, which have been stored in an Food and Drug Administration warehouse for evidentiary purposes, are being burned today. The thousands of kilograms of drugs, including methamphetamine, heroin and ecstasy, are said to have a street value of more than 29 million baht. A court order gave the go-ahead to destroy the drugs in Samut…

  • Police issue warning over rumoured death of officer who leaked custody killing footage

    Police issue warning over rumoured death of officer who leaked custody killing footage

    Thai police have hit back at unsubstantiated rumours of the death of a police officer who leaked footage of a suspect allegedly being killed in custody. National police spokesperson Yingyong Thepjamnong has described the claims as, “fake news” and warned that those behind them could face prosecution under the Computer Crime Act. Claims that a junior officer named as Tossaporn…

  • Anti-government protesters arrested after police officer injured at weekend rally

    Anti-government protesters arrested after police officer injured at weekend rally

    Following Sunday’s anti-government protest in Bangkok, 2 activists have been arrested after video footage allegedly showed them injuring a police officer. The Bangkok Post reports that the pair are among a total of 27 protesters arrested, according to Pakapong Pongpetra from the Metropolitan Police Bureau. He says 13 of the detainees are minors and 2 are women. Sunday’s rally began…

  • “Dark red” interprovincial transport ban lifted, flights and bus services resume Wednesday

    “Dark red” interprovincial transport ban lifted, flights and bus services resume Wednesday

    The ban on public transportation out of “dark red” zones has been lifted. Following the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration’s decision to ease the restrictions, both the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand and the state-run Transport Company announced domestic flights and interprovincial bus services will resume on Wednesday. While domestic travel from the “high risk” provinces, like Bangkok, there are…

  • Thailand tourism officials call for restrictions on Indian tourists to be lifted

    Thailand tourism officials call for restrictions on Indian tourists to be lifted

    Tourism officials say Thailand should allow Indian tourists to visit the country again as the Covid-19 situation in India has significantly improved. There have been no commercial flights between Thailand and India since April when Thai authorities suspended the issuance of Certificates of Entry, which are mandatory to enter the country, to Indian nationals due to the emergence of the…

  • Man allegedly shoots and kills co-worker because he wouldn’t turn down the radio

    Man allegedly shoots and kills co-worker because he wouldn’t turn down the radio

    A man at a golf cart repair shop allegedly shot and killed his co-worker who had told him to turn down his radio. 46 year old Pongthep Phloiprasong was listening to his radio at the shop run by the Thai police in Phitsanulok’s Phrom Phiram district Sunday night. Witnesses say 37 year old Te Aw, a Burmese national, told him to…

  • Daily protests to continue indefinitely until PM resigns, according to protesters

    Daily protests to continue indefinitely until PM resigns, according to protesters

    Anti-government activists have vowed that protests will take place around the country every day and go on indefinitely until the Thai PM resigns. Protest leaders Sombat Boonngamanong and Nattawut Saikuar were speaking following the conclusion of a peaceful “car mob” rally, which ended in the central province of Pathum Thani. The rally had begun at the Kasetsart intersection near Kasetsart…

  • Porn may open the door to the mainstream for cryptocurrency

    Porn may open the door to the mainstream for cryptocurrency

    Cryptocurrency has grown a strong following of hardcore supporters but has yet to gain widespread acceptance and ease of use. But now another hardcore faction might help bridge the gap and open the doors to wider usage: porn. After OnlyFans became the latest website/porn service to see its value and success hanging in the balance of a battle between its…

  • Thitisan Utthanaphon denies all accusations against him

    Thitisan Utthanaphon denies all accusations against him

    Thitisan Utthanaphon is denying all accusations against him concerning his role in the alleged torture/murder of a drug suspect in police custody in northern Thailand’s Nakhon Sawan’s main city police station, according to his lawyer. Thitisan’s lawyer, Chokechai Angkaew, says Thitisan denied the accusations while he was being questioned. Chokechai adds that Thitisan, aka. “Jo Ferrari” has vowed to fight…

  • Heavy rains in Pattaya bring some fun but also casualties

    Heavy rains in Pattaya bring some fun but also casualties

    The rains that have been battering Pattaya over the weekend have come with a light side and a dark side. Many locals were seen finding the silver lining in the heavy rains, having fun going with the flow, sometimes literally. But for others, the rains turned deadly. The rain caused floods on streets and neighbourhoods, dumping water into people homes…

  • Koh Larn resorts accused of encroaching on coastlines

    Koh Larn resorts accused of encroaching on coastlines

    The island of Koh Larn, just off the coast of Pattaya, is the centre of a controversy as officials are threatening to pursue 39 private resorts accused of illegally encroaching on the coastlines. The Pattaya Marine Office says these resorts are cutting off the sea from the public, violating the Thai law that reserves beaches as state land and not…

  • Fears police chief Thitisan won’t be held accountable for murder

    Fears police chief Thitisan won’t be held accountable for murder

    Many, especially on social media, have expressed worries that Pol Col Thitisan “Jo Ferrari” Utthanaphon will escape harsh punishment or perhaps any punishment at all. With the hashtag #StopLyingJoe trending on Thai Twitter yesterday and the bizarre press conference allowing the now-fired police officer to speak to the public and defend his actions, many believe that after his surrender Thursday,…

  • Flooding in Pattaya over 1 metre deep strands cars, floods homes

    Flooding in Pattaya over 1 metre deep strands cars, floods homes

    Pattaya was battered this morning by heavy rains that caused flooding in rural areas and major city roads in Pattaya and Banglamung. The floods stranded many vehicles on the road with some areas seeing floodwaters reaching up to 1 metre high. Many criticised local authorities as flood management projects were supposed to help avoid situations like this. The heavy rains…

  • Field hospital raided after reports of Covid patients doing drugs, having group sex

    Field hospital raided after reports of Covid patients doing drugs, having group sex

    Police raided a field hospital in central Thailand after reports that the Covid-19 patients were doing drugs and having orgies. A staff member at the field hospital in Samut Prakan, just southwest of Bangkok, told police the patients engaging in group sex and getting into fights where some patients were injured. Officers from the Internal Security Operations Command dressed in…