Latest news with #Khaosod
South China Morning Post
29-05-2025
- Health
- South China Morning Post
Thai restaurant owner calls for more public toilets after defecation issues
Thai restaurant owner has urged local authorities to provide more public toilets for tourists after finding foreign visitors defecating on his property. Pannatat Asawapitakchon, owner of a floating restaurant in Phuket in southern Thailand, said he witnessed a female tourist defecating behind the Buddha statues outside the restaurant during closing hours on May 22 when he was sitting inside, according to Thai daily newspaper Khaosod. He then went out to ask her to clean up the area. 'At first she didn't accept responsibility, but after talking for a while, she went to clean the spot where she had defecated,' he said. 'But it wasn't clean enough, so I had to clean it again myself. That's why I want to ask the relevant agencies about public restrooms – I'd like them to build restrooms in the Rawai Beach area.' Thai restaurant owner Pannatat Asawapitakchon posted a photo of the tourist he claimed had defecated on his property to urge local authorities to provide more public toilets. Photo: Facebook / Pannatat Asawapitakchon Such incidents had occurred twice on his restaurant premises, he added. A week before the incident, the owner said he had seen another foreign tourist defecating in front of the restaurant. In a Facebook post last week, Pannatat said tourists and passers-by were welcome to use the restroom in his restaurant during opening hours. While staff had previously suggested charging a restroom fee, the restaurant had decided it could afford costs such as labour, water, electricity, tissue paper and cleaning supplies.
The Sun
26-05-2025
- The Sun
Three Royal Thai police officers perish in devastating helicopter crash
THE Royal Thai Police is in mourning following a devastating helicopter accident that claimed the lives of three dedicated officers on Saturday afternoon. According to Thai news website Khaosod, the tragic incident unfolded in the skies above Prachuap Khiri Khan province, casting a shadow over the law enforcement community. The Bell 212 helicopter, operated by the Kanchanaburi Police Aviation Unit, was returning from a routine police operation at Surat Thani airport when disaster struck around 1pm. Witnesses reported seeing the aircraft engulfed in flames before it plummeted to the ground near a local airbase in Mueang district. The victims have been identified as three devoted members of the Royal Thai Police who died serving their country: Police Lieutenant Colonel Pratueng Chulert, who served as the aircraft's pilot, Police Sub-Lieutenant Songpol Boonchai, the co-pilot, and Police Sub-Lieutenant Thinkrit Suwannanoi, the onboard mechanic. All three officers were pronounced dead at the scene, their lives cut tragically short while carrying out their professional duties. In what authorities describe as a remarkable turn of events amid the catastrophe, one officer aboard the helicopter managed to deploy his parachute and escape the doomed aircraft. Emergency responders are working to determine his current condition, though details remain limited as rescue operations continue. The swift response of emergency services and firefighters to the crash site underscored the gravity of the situation, though their efforts could not save the three officers who remained trapped in the burning wreckage. National Police Chief Police General Kitrat Panphet has ordered a comprehensive investigation into the circumstances surrounding the fatal crash. The probe will examine all possible factors that may have contributed to the aircraft's mechanical failure and subsequent destruction. 'We have lost three brave officers who dedicated their lives to protecting and serving our nation,' the police chief reportedly stated in his official response. 'Our hearts go out to their families during this incredibly difficult time, and we are committed to uncovering the truth behind this tragedy.' The investigation will focus on determining what caused the in-flight emergency that led to the helicopter's catastrophic failure, with experts examining both mechanical and operational factors. This latest tragedy adds to the risks faced daily by members of the Royal Thai Police's aviation units, who regularly undertake dangerous missions across the country's diverse terrain. The loss of these three officers serves as a stark reminder of the sacrifices made by law enforcement personnel in the line of duty. The police force has pledged to provide full support to the families of the deceased officers as they navigate this profound loss, while the broader law enforcement community honors the memory of their fallen colleagues.
The Sun
26-05-2025
- The Sun
Royal Thai Police Helicopter Crash Kills 3 Officers
THE Royal Thai Police is in mourning following a devastating helicopter accident that claimed the lives of three dedicated officers on Saturday afternoon. According to Thai news website Khaosod, the tragic incident unfolded in the skies above Prachuap Khiri Khan province, casting a shadow over the law enforcement community. The Bell 212 helicopter, operated by the Kanchanaburi Police Aviation Unit, was returning from a routine police operation at Surat Thani airport when disaster struck around 1pm. Witnesses reported seeing the aircraft engulfed in flames before it plummeted to the ground near a local airbase in Mueang district. The victims have been identified as three devoted members of the Royal Thai Police who died serving their country: Police Lieutenant Colonel Pratueng Chulert, who served as the aircraft's pilot, Police Sub-Lieutenant Songpol Boonchai, the co-pilot, and Police Sub-Lieutenant Thinkrit Suwannanoi, the onboard mechanic. All three officers were pronounced dead at the scene, their lives cut tragically short while carrying out their professional duties. In what authorities describe as a remarkable turn of events amid the catastrophe, one officer aboard the helicopter managed to deploy his parachute and escape the doomed aircraft. Emergency responders are working to determine his current condition, though details remain limited as rescue operations continue. The swift response of emergency services and firefighters to the crash site underscored the gravity of the situation, though their efforts could not save the three officers who remained trapped in the burning wreckage. National Police Chief Police General Kitrat Panphet has ordered a comprehensive investigation into the circumstances surrounding the fatal crash. The probe will examine all possible factors that may have contributed to the aircraft's mechanical failure and subsequent destruction. 'We have lost three brave officers who dedicated their lives to protecting and serving our nation,' the police chief reportedly stated in his official response. 'Our hearts go out to their families during this incredibly difficult time, and we are committed to uncovering the truth behind this tragedy.' The investigation will focus on determining what caused the in-flight emergency that led to the helicopter's catastrophic failure, with experts examining both mechanical and operational factors. This latest tragedy adds to the risks faced daily by members of the Royal Thai Police's aviation units, who regularly undertake dangerous missions across the country's diverse terrain. The loss of these three officers serves as a stark reminder of the sacrifices made by law enforcement personnel in the line of duty. The police force has pledged to provide full support to the families of the deceased officers as they navigate this profound loss, while the broader law enforcement community honors the memory of their fallen colleagues.
Business Times
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Business Times
Thai Court orders ex-premier Yingluck to pay US$306 million fine
[BANGKOK] A Thai court ordered former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra to pay a US$306 million fine for losses incurred under her administration's controversial rice purchase programme over a decade ago, according to local media reports. The Supreme Administrative Court ruled that Yingluck, who is Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra's aunt, must pay the penalty because her carelessness had caused the state financial damages, Thai-language newspaper Khaosod reported on Thursday (May 22). The ruling, which is final and cannot be appealed, overturned a lower court's verdict from 2021. Yingluck, whose government was ousted in a coup exactly 10 years ago, was originally ordered by the Ministry of Finance in 2016 to pay a penalty of 35.7 billion baht (S$1.40 billion) for her role in the rice-pledging scheme. She filed a lawsuit against the ministry, and called for fairness from then-junta leader Prayuth Chan-Ocha, who denied any bias in the prosecution. Yingluck's Pheu Thai party won a general election in 2011 in part by appealing to millions of rice farmers with the plan to buy crops at inflated prices. She said the programme would help reduce inequality, while her opponents say it encouraged corruption. The damages sought were a fraction of the 178 billion baht that the rice-pledging programme was estimated to cost the country in 2012 and 2013. The former leader fled Thailand in 2017 just before a court hearing in another case related to the rice scheme. She was found guilty in absentia and sentenced to five years in prison for criminal negligence. Yingluck remains in exile. But her potential return to Thailand has been a subject of interest after her older brother, former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, returned to Thailand in 2023 following a 15-year exile. Thaksin served a small portion of his original eight-year jail term over corruption in a Bangkok hospital before walking free. BLOOMBERG
Bloomberg
22-05-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Thai Court Orders Ex-Premier Yingluck to Pay $306 Million Fine, Reports Say
A Thai court ordered former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra to pay a 10.03 billion baht ($306 million) fine for losses incurred under her administration's controversial rice purchase program over a decade ago, according to local media reports. The Supreme Administrative Court ruled that Yingluck, who is Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra's aunt, must pay the penalty because her carelessness had caused the state financial damages, Thai-language newspaper Khaosod reported on Thursday. The ruling, which is final and cannot be appealed, overturned a lower court's verdict from 2021.
