Thaksin and Malaysian PM hold talks aboard yacht

Following Anwar’s visit of the original Thai Prime Minister as a special adviser to Asean, the meeting took place.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and former Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra pose for photographs during talks at an unknown location — reported to be a luxury yacht off the island of Langkawi — on Thursday. (Photo: @anwaribrahim X account)
On Thursday, Anwar Ibrahim, the prime minister of Malaysia, and Thaksin Shinawatra, the former leader of Thailand, pose for photos while speaking on a rumored luxury yacht off the area of Langkawi. ( Photo: @anwaribrahim X account )

On a luxury yacht, the former prime minister met Indonesian prime secretary Anwar Ibrahim for a meeting where they discussed a variety of problems, including boosting bilateral ties, resolving the Myanmar fight, and restoring harmony in the deep north.

The meeting took place shortly after Thaksin was chosen to lead Mr. Anwar’s affairs at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations ( Asean ).

After attending an event on Friday to celebrate the 75th anniversary of Thai Rath news, Thaksin announced to reporters that he had boarded a sailboat in Phuket and that he had traveled to Koh Lipe, Thailand, with previous agriculture minister Thamanat Prompow, on Wednesday.

He and Thamanat were seen having a long brunch at the island’s Bulow Casa Grand View Resort the following day. The meeting with Mr. Anwar took place at lake close to the Thai-Malaysian sea border, and Thasin next boarded a yacht for the meeting.

Thaksin said the gathering offered an opportunity to discuss problems, including the condition in Thailand’s strong South, the Thai market, the Myanmar problems, and Asean and world affairs. He claimed that he emphasized the need for the Asean member states to work together to build a stronger group.

More than 700 million people in the area may unite to become a force to reckon with, he said.

Mr. Anwar claimed to have met with his “dear buddy” Thaksin to talk bilateral and regional problems, including efforts to bring about the restoration of peace in southern Thailand and the Myanmar problems, in a message posted on X.

” It was a pleasure to meet past Thai Prime Minister, and a dear colleague, Dr Thaksin Shinawatra, for an interesting, wide-ranging and successful conversation, including in his ability as an unofficial adviser to Malaysia’s Asean chairmanship”, he wrote.

” Our talk centred on important regional objectives: revitalising markets, leveraging emerging technology, fostering serenity in southern Thailand, and addressing the Myanmar problems.

” Malaysia and Asean will have a lot of opportunities to address these issues with greater trust and effectiveness thanks to Thaksin’s unmatched network of relationships across the area, combined with his unique experience.

We even discussed ways to improve Malaysia and Thailand’s now strong diplomatic relations, keeping them in line with the local unity and sustainable development goals I share with Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra.

Thaksin and I have believed that Malaysia and Thailand could achieve much more up, both for our individual countries and the entire region. We are dedicated to bringing that vision into reality.

Next month, Mr. Anwar will form a loose advisory group with members to support Malaysia’s Asian presidency.

The Indonesian leading revealed the program during a combined press conference on Dec 16 in Putrajaya, where he met with Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, Thaksin’s child. From 2001 to 2006, Thaksin served as prime minister.

Experts see the appointment as Mr. Anwar’s deliberate attempt to touch the expertise of important regional figures.

Mr Anwar aims to promote Asean cohesion and even boost Malaysia’s authority in the region, said Panitan Wattanayagorn, a former foreign relations professor at Chulalongkorn University.

Malaysia may benefit from Thailand’s role in addressing the Myanmar problems, which could boost its position as the Asean head, he said.

According to Mr. Panitan, on a bilateral level, Mr. Anwar is thought to have a thorough understanding of the challenges facing southern Thailand.

The Malaysian prime minister’s meeting with Thaksin took place in Phuket in May 2024.

Continue Reading

Cambodia to open consulate in Songkhla

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, left, and then-prime minister Srettha Thavisin have a discussion at Government House during his visit to Thailand on Feb 7, 2024. (Photo: Chanat Katanyu)
During his trip to Thailand on February 7, 2024, Thai Prime Minister Hun Manet, left, and then-prime secretary Srettha Thavisin have a conversation at Government House. ( Photo: Chanat Katanyu )

The consulate-general office’s area in Thailand has been chosen by the Thai government in Songkhla.

The Thai Prime Minister Hun Manet’s agreement, which was obtained by the Khmer Times on Friday, stated that his government had chosen to establish the country’s first consulate-general in Thailand in the southwestern border territory.

The business will be established, but the Vietnamese online media did not provide more details about when.

In February, Hun Manet and then-prime secretary Srettha Thavisin spoke in Bangkok, and the decision was taken. It is a mutual movement, as Thailand even plans to set up a consulate-general in Siem Reap.

About 1.2 million Cambodians are officially employed in Thailand, according to Thai Labour Ministry numbers.

Continue Reading

Traffic police figure upgraded to ‘Sarawat Choey AI’

If the program performs well, more will be deployed.

The Sarawat Choey AI figure stands on the back of a police truck to detect traffic violators in the busy Ratchaprasong intersection in Pathum Wan district, Bangkok, on Wednesday. (Screenshot)
On Wednesday, the Sarawat Choey AI figure appears on the backside of a police vehicle to apprehend traffic offenders in the active Pathum Wan district of Bangkok. ( Screenshot )

The long-standing customers authorities figure in Thailand, known as ‘ Jah Choey’ or Pol Sgt Idly Silent, has been promoted to authorities significant after 17 years of service.

With this development, the name has been changed to ‘ Sarawat Choey AI’.

According to Pol Lt Col Tossaporn Kleebkaew, deputy superintendent of the Traffic Police Division, the new model now employs artificial intelligence ( AI ) technology to assist police in identifying traffic violations.

Driving on the wrong side of the road and riding without a helmet are some of the ways Sarawat Choey AI can detect driving in restricted areas. Before issuing cards or sanctions, the recorded information will be sent to police for review.

In Pathum Wan area, Bangkok, on Wednesday, the first Sarawat Choey AI implementation took place in front of the central shopping complex. &nbsp, The monument was placed on a police vehicle for accessibility to different places. &nbsp,

More images will be used in different areas of the city if the new variant is effective, according to Pol Lt Col Tossaporn.

In 2007 to help traffic police in their jobs,” Jah Choey” was first introduced to Thai drivers.

Old version of Jah Choey at Khaosan Road in Bangkok. (Photo: Chanat Katanyu)Jah Choey, an’ smart’ fake police agent, on Khaosan Road, Bangkok. ( Photo: Chanat Katanyu )

Continue Reading

Two men arrested, over 4 tonnes of smuggled seafood seized

Two smugglers are told to take boxes containing smuggled seafood from their pickup trucks after a joint patrol led by soldiers intercepted the vehicles on a natural route behind upland agricultural areas in Sangkhla Buri district, Kanchanaburi, on Thursday evening. (Photo: Piyarach Chongcharoen)
After a joint patrol led by men intercepted the cars on a healthy path behind upland agricultural regions in Kanchanaburi’s Sangkhla Buri district on Thursday night, two traffickers are instructed to remove the boxes containing seized shrimp from their pickup trucks. ( Photo: Piyarach Chongcharoen )

In Sangkha Buri area, two men were detained and more than four tons of smuggled seafood were found close to a healthy border crossing late on Thursday evening.

After the owners evaded officials at the Ban Nam Kerk security station, two suspected pickup trucks were pursued along the natural way by Latya Task Force men, border police officers, and local officials.

Around 5.30pm, the team later interrogated the vehicles driving behind upland agricultural areas in Sangkhla Buri’s tambon Nong Lu.

Somchai Wattanapreechanukul, a 32-year-old resident of Nong Lu, was driving a pickup truck with Kanchanaburi licence plates, while another driver identified only as Safong, 34, also from Nong Lu, drove a pickup truck with Nakhon Pathom licence plates. After officers discovered that the vehicles had been loaded with seafood that had not been taxed, both were detained.

Smuggled fish of various species, weighing more than 4,000 kg, were seized from the two pickup trucks near the Myanmar border in Sangkhla Buri district, Kanchanaburi.Smuggled fish of various species, weighing more than 4,000 kg, were seized from the two pickup trucks near the Myanmar border in Sangkhla Buri district, Kanchanaburi. (Photo: Piyarach Chongcharoen)

Smuggled fish of various species, weighing more than 4, 400 kg, were seized from the two pickup trucks near the Myanmar border in Sangkhla Buri district, Kanchanaburi province. ( Photo: Piyarach Chongcharoen )

The seized seafood consisted mostly of various fish species, weighing 4, 497 kilogrammes in total, with a combined value of about 365, 230 baht, said the arresting team.

The two men admitted during questioning that they had used their pickup trucks to travel across the border and to ship seafood from a border village in Phayatonezu township, a township in Myanmar, to the Three Pagodas Pass in Nong Lu.

The seafood was smuggled into Songkalia Village in Nong Lu for 8, 000 baht each, with payment being received after the successful delivery.

Soldiers inspect boxes containing smuggled seafood seized from the two pickup trucks in Sangkhla Buri district, Kanchanaburi. (Photo: Piyarach Chongcharoen)

Soldiers inspect boxes containing smuggled seafood from Sangkhla Buri’s two pickup trucks. ( Photo: Piyarach Chongcharoen )

Continue Reading

Driver killed, at least 8 injured as bus crashes into trees

Authorities believe the driver was asleep behind the wheel.

A rescue volunteer helps passengers stranded inside the Air Muang Loei bus exit the vehicle following an accident in Chumphae district, Khon Kaen province, on Friday morning. (Photo: MittraphapRoad Facebook account)
Following an accident in Chumphae area, Khon Kaen state, on Friday night, a rescue charity helps people who are stranded inside the Air Muang Loei vehicle exit the vehicle. ( Photo: MittraphapRoad Facebook account )

In Khon Kaen state on Friday, a vehicle carrying people to celebrate the New Year’s vacation lost power and crashed into trees, killing the vehicle and injuring eight people.

Pol Lt Lanthae Chanabua, a deputy director at Chumphae police station, told JS100 Radio that the double-decker vehicle, with 36 people on board, including a vehicle, veered off a slope and slammed into some plants at kilometre symbol 225 on Road 201 in Chumphae area around 6.30am.

The crash killed vehicle Wanchai Pongkhan and injured eight people, two of whom are in critical condition, according to Thairath Online. All were sent to Chumphae Hospital.

The passengers returned home or travel in the northern state during the lengthy tear, according to Pol Lt Lanthae, and the vehicle, which was operated by Air Muang Loei, left Bangkok for Chiang Khan region in Loei state on Thursday evening.

The officer claimed that the driver may have fallen asleep behind the wheel because the incident occurred early in the morning. He continued,” Police found no evidence on the road surface that suggested that he attempted to brake.”

Locally known as Maliwan Road, which includes Road 201 and a section of Road 12, the roads from Khon Kaen to Loei are known as Maliwan Road.

Continue Reading

20 foreign sex worker suspects arrested in Pattaya

Twenty suspects, seated, are detained by immigration police in Chon Buri province on Friday. (Photo: Chaiyot Pupattanapong)
Twenty suspects, seated, are detained by immigration authorities in Chon Buri state on Friday. ( Photo: Chaiyot Pupattanapong )

Twenty people from various nations were detained in Pattaya Beach Town on Friday for supposedly providing gender services.

According to Pol Lt Col Piyapong Ensan, commander of Pattaya holiday officers, problems made by locals and tourists about a group of unusual women scurrying for money at various locations along the shore, which disturbed the public’s order.

Police tracked the children’s behavior until they established that they were offering sexual for money. The soldiers arrested 20 defendants — nine Ugandans, eight Uyghurs, two Madagascans&nbsp, and one French — aged between 26 and 51.

The suspects pleaded guilty to the cost and claimed to have been in Thailand for sex. They were fined, and their visa were revoked to promote imprisonment. &nbsp,

In order to welcome visitors during the New Year, the procedure was said to increase the visitor city’s reputation.

Continue Reading

Koh Lan sea walking tours tread lightly

The Department of Marine and Coastal Resources has introduced an environmentally-friendly sea walking activity at Koh Lan and its neighbouring islets in Chon Buri province. It is an attempt to promote the blue economy that exploits nature in a sustainable way. (Photo: Department of Marine and Coastal Resources)
Koh Lan and its neighboring island in Chon Buri state now offer an environmentally friendly marine walking route. It tries to foster a green blue economy by utilizing nature in a responsible way. ( Photo: Department of Marine and Coastal Resources )

A pilot project involving environmentally friendly sea walking tours on Koh Lan and its neighboring islets in the province has been launched by the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources ( DMCR ).

Before recently, travels had been conducted in southern provinces, but they were unrestricted and harmed the marine ecosystem.

He claimed that the tour operators did not abide by the agency’s rules for safeguarding and maintaining coral reef places.

Coral was taken from their natural environments and placed on a sea-walking path to give visitors a closer look, according to some users. Due to the office putting a stop to these activities, it had a significant effect on aquatic life.

But, such actions can now be conducted if they are regulated because the Chon Buri Provincial Administrative Organization promotes Koh Lan Island and its surrounding islands.

This is being done in accordance with the updated 2021 Environment Promotion and Preservation Law, which enables local government to produce its environmental protection strategies and protected places. In 38 designated regions, the administration business is allowing water walking tour to promote local tourism actions.

A DMCR research group, local businesses, and travel agencies have been collaborating on paths that don’t hurt coral reef environments. The tour driver’s primary responsibility is to make sure that the regulations are firmly adhered to, and tourists will not be permitted to wander off the designated routes.

” This is a useful model, which we desire may be expanded into other regions”, said Mr Pinsak. ” We want to advertise a blue business in which people can profit from their own efforts to safeguard and protect the natural resources.”

Koh Lan and its surrounding territories are designated as protected areas in one location.

Up to 10,000 visitors to Koh Lan and its neighboring islands each time, and generate at least 5 million ringgit of regular income, are regarded as the state’s most significant diving and snorkeling sites.

To provide a steady growing environment for marine and habitat for fish and additional marine organisms, the DMCR and its partners have strongly collaborated to install artificial reefs.

Continue Reading

Phuket sees tourist influx for NY break

230, 000 guests owing over five-day interval

Tourists visit a walking street in the Old Town zone of Phuket. The province is expecting almost 8 billion baht to be generated from more than 230,000 visitors between Dec 28 and Jan 1, says Lertchai Wangtrakuldee, director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand's Phuket office. (Photo: Achadthaya Chuenniran)
In Phuket’s Old Town area, visitors make a running path. The state is expecting about 8 billion ringgit to be generated from more than 230, 000 customers between Dec 28 and Jan 1, says Lertchai Wangtrakuldee, chairman of the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s Phuket business. ( Photo: Achadthaya Chuenniran )

During the New Year’s vacation, Thailand anticipates a sizable influx of tourists, with Phuket anticipating 230, 000 visitors from December 28 through January 1.

In northeastern Thailand, Chiang Mai Airport will eventually get 33, 000 travellers per day because people are constantly drawn there by the region’s renowned hills nations, elephants, and digital vagabond vibe.

In Phuket, Lertchai Wangtrakuldee, director of the provincial Tourism Authority of Thailand’s ( TAT ) office, said the province was expecting almost 8 billion baht to be generated from more than 230, 000 visitors between Dec 28 and Jan 1, or roughly 35, 000 baht per person on average.

The regular routine expenses by visitors are estimated at 9, 000 baht per person, which may help boost the local market, he said.

He claimed that during this time, the average hotel occupancy rate on the island is over 80 %.

Mr Lertchai said some of the noted activities during the New Year include countdown activities, concerts, fire features and a coffee event.

Meanwhile, TAT Phuket has launched a campaign for public transportation on the island, promoting electric vehicles ( EVs ) and buses as the main modes of transportation to ease traffic congestion and enhance visitor experiences.

TAT also intends to improve and modernize the lineup of conventional year-end spiritual events to draw in younger audiences.

Art products may be incorporated into the religious customs that are upheld annually, including at shrines.

Mr. Lertchai claimed that this year, the beach has attracted more American visitors than ever.

He referred to Saudi Arabia as a promising emerging market that is also then aware of what Phuket has to offer.

Mr. Lertchai claimed that the TAT business is keeping tabs on the number of guests to the island province in the new year to avoid large volumes of traffic congestion.

Despite the efforts to reduce customers, he said this year’s income is expected to increase by 30 %, rising from 388 billion to 450 billion ringgit.

However, in Chiang Mai, Wg Cdr Ronnakorn Chalermsanyakorn, general manager of Chiang Mai Airport, just led a launch ceremony for the airport’s security labor to make living safer and more convenient for people including travellers between Dec 27 to Jan 4.

Wg Cdr Ronnakorn stated that the airport anticipates 205 planes a day during the trip, an increase from the standard 196 flights.

The airport also aims to get a normal average of 33, 000 people, 22 % more than the preceding year, he said.

Visitors are advised to use the integrated check-in program during the holidays when the aircraft is typically busy and to allow more time for the check-in process.

Continue Reading

Airports ease booze rules

Passengers wait to board an aircraft at Suvarnabhumi airport in Samut Prakan. A new rules, which the Prime Minister's Office has announced, will allow daily sales of alcoholic beverage at major international flights. (Photo: Suvarnabhumi Airport)
At Samut Prakan’s Suvarnabhumi Airport, people wait to table an airplane. A new legislation that allows the sale of alcoholic beverages daily at major international flights has been made by the Prime Minister’s Office. ( Photo: Suvarnabhumi Airport )

A new rules, which the Prime Minister’s Office has announced, will allow daily sales of alcoholic beverage at major international flights.

The announcement was made on Christmas Day and became effective on Thursday.

An spectator said the goal is to make the law more appropriate and in line with the” present condition.”

Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, on the tips of the Alcoholic Beverage Control Committee, has revoked the PM’s Office news on Feb 5, 2015 that limited the price of alcoholic beverages.

On Makha Bucha, Visakha Bucha, Asanha Bucha, and the beginning and end of Buddhist Lent, which are the five main Buddhist holy days, for income are prohibited global.

The PM has since approved the alcoholic beverage control committee’s decision to allow all international airports under Airports of Thailand Plc ( AoT ) to sell alcohol during those five days.

That list comprises Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Phuket and Hat Yai flights.

The aim is to improve travellers ‘ spending and encourage tourism more, said a source.

In the meantime, the Department of Excise has announced its intention to update the rules governing the production of society spirits in order to boost the local business and raise the standard for local alcoholic beverages.

This is intended to lower the barriers to obtaining permits to develop community liquor, increase earnings, and promote private products, according to Deputy Finance Minister Paopoom Rojanasakul.

Breweries and craft beer breweries can now buy cellar beer off-site thanks to the revised guidelines. Keg pots must be at least 20 gallons. Small beer companies will also be able to upgrade without having to apply for a new license to become medium-sized companies.

The new regulations are expected to come into effect in February, he said.

Continue Reading

Banks, telecoms face tougher scam laws

Officials show mule accounts seized from scam gangs, at the Central Investigation Bureau in 2021. (Photo: Chanat Katanyu)
Animal records seized from con groups are displayed at the Central Investigation Bureau in 2021, according to authorities. ( Photo: Chanat Katanyu )

Banks and cellular phone network providers will be held more accountable for preventing online scams by the government.

An executive order, requiring bankers and cellular phone network providers to take more care to help prevent their clients from losing money to online scams, will been announced in the Royal Gazette on Thursday, according to Deputy Minister Prasert Jantararuangtong.

We anticipate that, for example, cellular phone messages that might contain clickbait that must be immediately removed by the mobile phone network operators, or that they will be held accountable if they cause scammers to lose money, according to Mr. Prasert.

This kind of legal system, he said, has been used in other countries such as Singapore, where the government is defrost a bank account where needed.

According to Mr. Prasert, the state anticipates the order to speed up the recovery of lost funds lost in online scams by the state.

With this constitutional method, the process may take no longer than six months, an development from the existing one or two centuries, said Mr Prasert, who is also the modern economy and society minister.

Former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra made the announcement of the order in response to a promise to stop online swindling criminals operating in neighboring nations.

He was speaking as he assisted a candidate for the Pheu Thai Party in a Tuesday regional vote in Chiang Mai.

At the campaign event for the vote, Thaksin made a hint that he knew about a significant call center group operating from a tower in Poipet, Cambodia.

He likewise claimed to have instructed the governments of Myanmar and Cambodia to do more to address the issue of virtual scams, which affects many Thai citizens.

He said without going into specifics that he would volunteer to take troops from Thailand to deal with the groups for them if these nations weren’t able to expend the funds to expel those criminals that are operating on their soil.

The Royal Thai Police (RTP ) was briefed on Thursday by Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra about the importance of keeping the public informed about the launch of an online platform to combat online scams.

The PM was paying a visit to the RTP’s office, where she was briefed on the officer’s “Cyber Check” virtual system.

It has technology that enables people to check with the police first to see if a bank account they are required to transfer money to or a phone number used by someone to contact them is on a police black list.

Continue Reading