Law and judiciary
Crime and law enforcement
Thai court hands Myanmar men death penalty for British tourist murders
Two Myanmar migrants were sentenced to death on 24 December for murdering a pair of British holidaymakers on a Thai island, in a case that sullied the kingdom’s reputation as a tourist haven and raised questions over its justice system. Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Tun were ...
Bangkok traffic violators given 100-baht 'fine gift'
Traffic violators have been given time until 15 January to pay a flat-rate fine of 100 baht for all minor traffic offences committed in Bangkok as a “New Year gift” offered by the acting Metropolitan Police Bureau chief. Pol Lt Gen Sanit Mahathaworn said on 22 ...
4.5 tonnes of ivory seized in huge Interpol operation
A huge international police operation has seized 4.5 tonnes of African elephant and rhino tusks in Thailand and Singapore, leading to 376 arrests, Interpol said. Keep reading ...
Violent protests boil over in Bavet
Ongoing protests by striking garment workers in the Svay Rieng province town of Bavet spiralled into “anarchy” on 22 December after protesters pelted police with rocks, aggravating an already volatile situation and spurring national authorities to begin mediation efforts. Two military police were injured in the encounter, ...
Foreigners targeted as police raid Pattaya nightclubs
A foreign tourist was arrested and three illegal migrant workers detained when Pattaya police raided popular Walking Street nightspots as part of a pre-New Year’s immigration crackdown. More than 100 officers from a special operations unit and Pattaya police station took part in the late-night sweep ...
New group aims to help cut Myanmar road deaths by half
Road deaths need to be cut by 2000 a year or they will exceed regional targets, a new traffic-safety NGO says. ASEAN has called on member countries to reduce road deaths by half over the next five years, and the Myanmar Organisation for Road Safety, which ...
Armed group embroiled in illegal housing scam
People duped into buying government-owned land beside the Yangon-Mandalay Highway on 17 December urged police to take action against those responsible, shortly after the authorities moved in and evicted thousands from the Hlegu site. More than 1600 acres had been subdivided and sold in 2400-square-foot plots since ...
$1.3m of ivory, scales seized en route to Laos
An air shipment of illegal ivory and pangolin scales, worth an estimated $1.3 million, was intercepted and seized by the authorities on 13 December at the Changi Airfreight Centre. In a joint release on 17 December, the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) and Singapore Customs ...
DNA test proves Benjina corpse is Thai
A DNA test has confirmed that a corpse unearthed on Indonesia’s Benjina Island is that of a Thai crew member of a fishing trawler, Justice Minister Paiboon Koomchaya said on 16 December. Indonesia earlier believed the body was a Cambodian national, based on the seaman’s book found ...
Chakthip transfers new trafficking probe chief
A deputy Metropolitan Police Bureau (MPB) chief in charge of handling human trafficking has been transferred to an inactive post after he complained about a heavy workload in handling human trafficking cases. National police chief Chakthip Chaijinda said on 15 December he had ordered the transfer of ...
