An 11-year-old boy crashed a pickup truck into a group of monks on a pilgrimage walk in northeastern Thailand on Thursday, killing eight, officials said.

A total of 35 monks from Mukdahan province, about 600 kilometers northeast of the capital Bangkok, were on the pilgrimage. 

Five monks were killed at the site, while three others died at a hospital, according to Mukdahan Governor Worrayan Boonnarat. Fourteen others were hospitalized, with four in critical condition.

The group started the 260-kilometer walk to Ubon Ratchathani province about 30 minutes before the crash.

Security camera footage shared by a local rescue group, Ruam Jai Mukdahan Rescue Association, shows the monks walking in a single line on the side of a road before the truck crashes into them.

Local police said the boy is now in custody and will be questioned when state child protection officers arrive.

The police said the cause of the accident is still under investigation, but said they were told by the monks that they saw the vehicle swerving before it slid off the road and crashed into the group. (ABC News) 

An 11-year-old boy crashed a pickup truck into a group of monks on a pilgrimage in northeastern Thailand, killing at least eight. The group of 35 monks was walking in Mukdahan Province when the crash occurred. Five monks died at the scene, while three later died in hospital,… pic.twitter.com/CGC78p7Hkw

— Al Arabiya English (@AlArabiya_Eng) July 2, 2026

The post 11-year-old boy driving pickup truck crashes into group of Thai monks, killing 8 appeared first on Newswire.

An Australian man has been charged with the murder of a teenage girl whose naked body was found in a suitcase in Thailand.

Pattaya City police told the Guardian the man, identified as Simon Peter Carman, 46, has denied the charges against him.

In video footage of Carman in custody obtained by the ABC and other media, Carman says what occurred was “out of my control”. Local Thai media have reported the alleged crime began with a disagreement over money.

Carman was arrested at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airport on Friday evening in connection with the disappearance of Tunchanok Donhomla, 17, in Pattaya on Thailand’s eastern Gulf coast.

After questioning Carman in the early hours of Saturday morning, local police in Pattaya found a naked body in a suitcase near railway tracks, which they identified as Donhomla.

Police said they have laid three charges against Carman of murder, concealing a corpse in an attempt to hide the cause of death, and abduction of a minor over 15 but not yet 18 years of age for indecent purposes. 

Carman denied all charges, they said.

In videos taken while Carman was in custody he addresses the victim’s family: “I feel bad for what happened to your daughter. It was out of my control.”

“I hope you – I know you’ll be very sad, upset. Same, same me. It shouldn’t happen. I hope you’re OK – I know you’re not – but I hope and tell other girls just to be … careful …” Carman says in the video.

The footage appears to show scratch marks on Carman’s upper arms and neck which he describes as spider bites: “I think it’s a spider; they always get in here.”

CCTV footage, also seen by the Guardian and verified by police, allegedly shows Carman and Donhomla holding hands in a condo lobby while waiting for an elevator shortly after 3.30am on Thursday.

CCTV footage from later Thursday evening – between 9.25pm and 9.48pm – allegedly shows Carman dragging the suitcase out of the building and leaving on a motorbike with it strapped behind him, and between 9.57pm and 10.06pm returning without the suitcase.

The local Thairath news website reported that Carman pleaded not guilty to police, saying that he acted in self defence which resulted in Donhomla’s death.

Thairath reported that a struggle ensued because of a disagreement over the charge for Donhomla’s time.

In Thailand’s criminal code, being convicted for murder can carry the death penalty or between 15 and 20 years’ imprisonment.

The victim’s father, Thongchai Donhomla, 46, said he was struggling to come to terms with the loss, Reuters reported.

“I am deeply saddened. My daughter had ⁠no mother, so whenever she wanted anything, she would find a ​way herself, and she ​always helped me too,” he ​said.

Carman remained in custody at Pattaya City court on Sunday. He will appear in court at a date to be determined. (The Guardian)

The post Australian man charged with murder in Thailand after teenage girl’s body found in suitcase appeared first on Newswire.

Princess Bajrakitiyabha, the eldest daughter of Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn, died at the age of 47 after nearly four years in a coma, the royal palace said in a statement on Friday.

Bajrakitiyabha was taken to hospital in December 2022 after she collapsed from a heart condition and other infections. She has been in a coma ever since.

On May 21, her medical condition worsened as a result of multiple infections in several organs, with physicians unable to contain her irregular heart rate.

After years of treatment, physicians discovered a stomach infection that led to inflammation in her intestines in April, causing her blood pressure to fall and her heartbeat to become irregular.  

Educated in Britain, the United States and Thailand, Bajrakitiyabha held several positions with the United Nations and campaigned for better treatment of women in prisons.

Known in Thailand as “Princess Bha”, the 47-year-old was seen as close to her father, and was appointed to a senior role in his bodyguard command a year before her hospitalisation.

Last year, Thailand’s influential Queen Mother died at the age of 93. (CNA)

The post Thai Princess Bajrakitiyabha dies after more than three years in coma appeared first on Newswire.

Scientists have identified the remains of a massive new species of dinosaur in Thailand, estimated to have weighed as much as nine adult elephants.

“Nagatitan chaiyaphumensis” is the largest-known dinosaur from Southeast Asia, and ⁠a member of the dinosaur lineage called sauropods, known for having long necks and tails, small heads and four columnar legs, according to a report published on Thursday in the Scientific Reports journal.

The herbivore stretched 27 metres (89 feet) and weighed about 27 tonnes, according to the study referenced in the report.

The dinosaur is likely to have roamed what is now Thailand between 100 and 120 million years ago and is the largest ever found in Southeast Asia, researchers said.

Its head and teeth were not among the fossils recovered, but researchers have a good idea of its feeding preferences based on other sauropods.

“Nagatitan was probably a bulk browser that focused on consuming high volumes of vegetation that required little to no chewing such as conifers and possibly seed ferns,” said Thitiwoot Sethapanichsakul, a University College London PhD student in palaeontology and lead author of the research.

Sauropods were some of the largest recorded land animals in Earth’s history.

“Our dinosaur is big by most people’s standards. It likely weighed at least 10 tonnes more than Dippy the Diplodocus,” said Sethapanichsakul, referring to the enormous composite cast previously on display at London’s Natural History Museum.

The Thai PhD student called the newly discovered sauropod “the last titan” because it was unearthed in one of the youngest rock formations where dinosaurs have been found in Thailand.

He added that it’s fitting to call Nagatitan Southeast Asia’s last “titan” because the region became a shallow sea in the Cretaceous period, meaning ⁠no more sauropods would live there.

Nagatitans belonged to a subgroup of sauropods that originated about 140 million years ago, and about 90 million years ago, they became the only sauropods left worldwide, thriving until the dinosaur age ended 66 million years ago with an asteroid impact.

The first remains of the enormous creature were unearthed a decade ago by locals in northeast Thailand, but the excavation was not completed until 2024, according to the study.

The remains partially resembled those of previously discovered sauropods, but had enough unique features to be considered a new species.

Nagatitan’s name references Naga, a serpent-like being in some Asian religious traditions that is prominently depicted in various Thai temples. ⁠In all, there are 14 known named dinosaurs from Thailand.

A life-size reconstruction of Nagatitan chaiyaphumensis is on display at Bangkok’s Thainosaur Museum. (Al Jazeera)

The post Scientists dig up Southeast Asia’s largest dinosaur in Thailand appeared first on Newswire.

Twenty‑three (23) monks arrested in connection with smuggling Kush and Hash drugs from Thailand were today ordered to be remanded until May 26 by Negombo Magistrate Subhani Abeysekara.

The suspects were produced before the court after being taken into custody at Katunayake Airport on April 25, when 112 kilograms of Kush and Hash were discovered in their luggage upon arrival from Thailand.

Police investigations revealed that the operation had allegedly been organized by a monk named Amithananda. He was later arrested while hiding at a temple in the Gampaha area.

The group of monks had reportedly returned from a tour in Thailand when they were intercepted by airport authorities. 

All 23 suspects were remanded once again today. (Newswire)

The post 23 monks remanded over Thailand drug smuggling case appeared first on Newswire.

Thailand’s former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has been released from a prison in Bangkok after spending eight months of a one-year sentence there over a corruption-related charge.

Hundreds of people, including the 76-year-old billionaire’s family and political allies, greeted him on Monday, chanting, “We love Thakisn” as he left the Klong Prem Central Prison.

Thaksin remade ⁠and dominated Thai politics for a quarter-century, but his influence has waned of late following his jailing and his once formidable Pheu Thai Party’s worst election performance on record ⁠earlier this year.

His hair closely cropped and in a simple white shirt, Thaksin walked out of prison at about 7:40am local time (00:40 GMT) and was immediately surrounded by family members, including his daughter, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, who was sacked as prime minister by ‌a court order in August last year, weeks before his imprisonment.

He smiled brightly as he walked around to greet his supporters, but left without speaking to reporters.

Thaksin had served as prime minister from 2001 until a military coup toppled him in 2006, while he was abroad.

After 15 years in self-exile, he returned to Thailand in 2023 to face an eight-year sentence for conflicts of interest and ⁠abuse of power relating to his time in office. That sentence ⁠had been commuted to one year by the king.

But he was in prison for only a few hours following his homecoming before complaining of heart trouble and chest pains. He then spent six months in the VIP ⁠wing of a hospital until he was freed on parole.

In September last year, the Supreme Court ruled that Thaksin must serve ⁠that time in prison, concluding that he and his doctors ⁠had intentionally prolonged his hospital stay with minor surgeries that were unnecessary.

A Ministry of Justice panel agreed last month to grant him parole as part of a review of more than 900 eligible prisoners’ cases, citing his good behaviour in prison, his age and the low risk that he would repeat his offence.

According to the corrections department, Thaksin will be required to wear an electronic ankle monitor for the remainder of his sentence.

In a video streamed by the Thairath news outlet on Monday, Thaksin was seen rolling down the car window to greet a small group of supporters outside his home in western Bangkok and responding to reporters’ shouted questions that “I was in hibernation; I can’t remember anything now”.

Thaksin’s Pheu Thai Party, which slipped to third place in February’s elections, joined the governing coalition of conservative Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul.

Thaksin’s nephew, Yodchanan Wongsawat, who became Pheu Thai’s standard-bearer ahead of the February election, was made minister of higher education in Anutin’s cabinet.

Thaksin’s daughter, Paetongtarn, became the country’s youngest prime minister in 2024, but was removed from office by Thailand’s Constitutional Court after a recording was released of a compromising phone call with former Cambodian leader Hun Sen. (Al Jazeera)

The post Thailand’s former PM Thaksin Shinawatra released from prison appeared first on Newswire.

Authorities in Chiang Mai, a city in northern Thailand, are investigating the deaths of dozens of tigers at a popular tourist attraction this month.

Seventy-two tigers died in the span of less than two weeks across two facilities of Tiger Kingdom Chiang Mai, a park where visitors can touch and interact with tigers.

The provincial livestock office in Chiang Mai said in a statement on Friday (Feb 20) that testing detected the highly infectious canine distemper virus as well as bacteria affecting the respiratory system.

“When tigers fall ill, it is more difficult to detect than in animals like cats or dogs. By the time we realised they were sick, it was already too late,” Somchuan Ratanamungklanon, director of the national livestock department, told local media.

The park where the deaths occurred, Tiger Kingdom, could not be reached for comment on Saturday.

Its website advertises a chance for visitors to touch and take photos with the big cats. (BBC/ CNA)

The post Authorities probe deaths of 72 Tigers at Thailand tourist park appeared first on Newswire.

At least 22 people have been killed and about 80 injured when a construction crane fell on a passenger train in northeast Thailand.

The accident took place on Wednesday in the Sikhio district of Nakhon Ratchasima province, 230km (143 miles) northeast of Bangkok. The train was headed from the Thai capital to Ubon Ratchathani province.

Transport Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said in a statement that there were 195 passengers on board and he had ordered an investigation to be carried out.

Those killed were in two of the three carriages hit by the crane, he said.

Al Jazeera’s Tony Cheng, reporting from Bangkok, said the train was reportedly travelling beneath a construction site for a high-speed rail line when a crane working overhead collapsed.

“The train then was derailed when it hit that crane, and there was a brief fire that ensued,” Cheng said.

“Initial reports said there were only four fatalities. That very quickly jumped to 12, and we now understand from the Thai police who told Al Jazeera that it’s 22 and at this stage they are expecting it to climb,” he said.

A fire has been extinguished and rescue work is now under way, according to police.

Local resident Mitr Intrpanya, 54, was at the scene when the incident happened.

“At around 9am, I heard a loud noise, like something sliding down from above, followed by two explosions,” Mitr told the AFP news agency.

“When I went to see what had happened, I found the crane sitting on a passenger train with three carriages. The metal from the crane appeared to strike the middle of the second carriage, slicing it in half,” Mitr said.

Cheng said the route that the train was taking is “very commonly used”, serving heavily populated regions of northeast Thailand.

“This route has been the site of a high-speed Chinese rail project, which has been under construction for quite some time now – about a decade,” he said.

“It is supposed to be bringing a high-speed rail, which is on a concrete platform above the existing rail line. Pictures that we have seen of the scene seem to show the crane which was working up there has fallen from these big concrete columns,” he added. (Al Jazeera)

The post At least 22 people killed after crane falls on train in northeast Thailand appeared first on Newswire.

Thailand is in mourning following the royal palace’s announcement that former Queen Sirikit, the mother of the current Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn and wife of the nation’s late and longest-reigning monarch Bhumibol Adulyadej, has died at the age of 93.

“Her Majesty’s condition worsened until Friday and she passed away at 9:21pm … at Chulalongkorn Hospital at age 93,” the palace said in a statement on Saturday.

Sirikit was married to King Bhumibol, who died in 2016 after seven decades on the throne.

She had been dealing with a blood infection since October 17, and despite her medical team’s efforts, her condition did not improve, according to reports.

A government spokesman said Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul had cancelled his Saturday flight to Malaysia – where the ASEAN leaders’ summit will be held from Sunday to Tuesday – following news of the Queen Mother’s death.

The Thai leader instead held a cabinet meeting to discuss funeral arrangements. The atmosphere at the meeting was sombre, according to Thai news outlet The Nation, with all government officials present dressed in black.

Prime Minister Anutin will now fly to Malaysia on Sunday, according to The Nation, the same day US President Donald Trump is set to oversee the signing of a peace agreement between Thailand and Cambodia after a border dispute escalated into all-out conflict in July.

King Vajiralongkorn has decreed that a one-year official mourning period will be observed by members of the royal family and royal servants from the date of his mother’s passing, according to the Thai PBS media outlet.

The late Queen Mother’s remains will be enshrined in Bangkok’s Grand Palace.

Although overshadowed by the stature of her late husband and her son, who is now king, Sirikit was a similarly beloved figure across much of the country, with her August 12 birthday celebrated as Mother’s Day.

Even during widespread student-led protests in 2020 and 2021 – which morphed into unprecedented public criticism of the monarchy and calls to repeal draconian lese-majeste laws – protesters’ ire was largely directed at the king rather than his parents.

The royal family is venerated in Thailand, and the monarchy is protected by some of the world’s harshest laws banning criticism of the institution.

Royal family members are treated by many as semi-divine figures and lavished with glowing media coverage and gold-adorned portraits hanging in public spaces and private homes nationwide.

King Bhumibol’s death in 2016 was followed by intense displays of public grief and a yearlong official mourning period, with many Thais choosing to wear black for its duration.

Royal fashion icon

Sirikit was born into a rich, aristocratic family in Bangkok in 1932, the year absolute monarchy was replaced by a constitutional system in Thailand.

She met Bhumibol in 1948 in Paris, where her father was the Thai ambassador and the 16-year-old Sirikit was studying music and languages.

The pair would marry two years later on April 28, 1950, a week before Bhumibol was officially crowned as Rama IX of the Chakri Dynasty.

Sirikit was given the royal title Somdet Phra Nang Chao Sirikit Phra Borommarachininat. The couple had four children – King Vajiralongkorn, and princesses Ubolratana, Sirindhorn and Chulabhorn.

During their early decades on the throne, the young Thai royals crisscrossed the world as goodwill ambassadors, forging personal ties with world leaders, with Sirikit becoming known internationally for her fashion sense.

By the 1970s, the royals had turned to Thailand’s domestic problems, setting up development programmes to address social and environmental issues, including deforestation, rural poverty and opium addiction among hill tribes in the north of the country.

Their charitable activities were televised each evening on the country’s Royal Bulletin.

“Misunderstandings arise between people in rural areas and the rich, so-called civilised people in Bangkok,” she told The Associated Press news agency in 1979.

“People in rural Thailand say they are neglected, and we try to fill that gap by staying with them in remote areas,” she said.

By the 1980s, Sirikit was often ill, at one point disappearing from public view for several months. By the early- to mid-2000s, she had taken on a more politicised role in public life amid a period of heightened tension between Thailand’s royalist Yellow Shirts and the Red Shirt movement of the rural underclass.

Sirikit expressed public sympathy with royalist demonstrators, and in a highly symbolic act, attended the 2008 funeral of People’s Alliance for Democracy member Angkhana Radappanyawutt, who died during clashes with police.

Sirikit suffered from numerous ailments in her later life, rarely appearing in public after suffering a debilitating stroke in 2012.

She was admitted to Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn Hospital in September 2019, receiving long-term care there until her passing. (Al Jazeera)

The post Thailand mourns as beloved Queen Mother Sirikit dies at 93 appeared first on Newswire.

The Thai government is set to hold talks with Sri Lanka next week (28) to bring back two elephants that were gifted by Thailand, following reports of poor living conditions and alleged mistreatment.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE), Suchart Chomklin, wrote on his Facebook page yesterday (23) that he plans to fly urgently to Sri Lanka amid growing concerns about the welfare of the two Thai elephants, Plai Pratu Pha and Plai Srinarong.

Concerns were first raised last year by the Reclaim Thai Elephant group. The group’s coordinator, Yuwanuch Kiattiwong, together with 50 members, visited the MONRE to submit an official letter urging the government to take action over the elephants’ poor living conditions.

According to the group, the elephants, which were originally gifted by Thailand, have been forced to work excessively and deprived of proper welfare standards. The animals were reportedly kept in chains at all times and beaten. The group called for their immediate return to Thailand to ensure a better quality of life.

In his Facebook post, Suchart explained that he, PM Anutin Charnvirakul, and other Thai government agencies are closely monitoring the situation and have not ignored the issue.

Suchart stated that he had discussed the matter with PM Anutin, who approved diplomatic efforts to coordinate with all relevant agencies to bring the elephants home. However, he noted that the process may take some time.

In the meantime, Suchart, along with relevant officials and veterinarians, will travel to Sri Lanka to assess the elephants’ health and living conditions. The team will also advise local caretakers to provide proper care while diplomatic discussions continue.

The Director of the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, Attaphon Charoenchansa, confirmed that he will accompany Suchart on the trip.

Attaphon stated that if negotiations are successful, officials plan to follow the same model used for the return of Plai Sak Surin, another elephant previously gifted to Sri Lanka and successfully brought back to Thailand in 2023.

According to a report by The Standard, Plai Pratu Pha was the first elephant sent to Sri Lanka in 1979 when he was 12 years old. He currently resides at the Temple of the Sacred Tooth in Kandy.

Plai Srinarong was sent in 2001 together with Plai Sak Surin. While Plai Sak Surin has already been rescued and returned to Thailand, Plai Srinarong remains at an elephant shelter near the Kirivehera Temple in Kataragama. (Thaiger)

The post Thai Govt moves to bring back 2 gifted elephants from Sri Lanka appeared first on Newswire.

Thailand’s Supreme Court has ruled that former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra must serve one year in prison, in a watershed case for the kingdom.

The court issued its ruling on Tuesday in a review of whether Thaksin’s stay in the private room of a police hospital from 2023 to early 2024 counted as time served towards an earlier prison sentence.

Thaksin, 76, was sentenced to eight years’ imprisonment in 2023 for fraud and abuse of power following his surprise return to Thailand after 15 years in exile.

His sentence was commuted to one year by the king, and he was later released early due to his age.

Despite the seriousness of the charges, the former premier never spent a day in prison and instead remained in hospital due to health concerns.

“Of all the options that were on the table, either complete release or some form of home arrest, this is the worst option,” said Al Jazeera correspondent Tony Cheng from Bangkok.

Cheng said that the verdict would be unsurprising for many Thais.

“People were quite disappointed he spent all that time in police hospital; he didn’t even end up serving a night in jail in the end. I think this will be seen as some kind of justifiable sentence for the crimes that many people feel that he was guilty of during his time in power,” he said.

Thaksin’s return to prison marks the latest blow for his troubled political dynasty, which has held sway over Thai politics for 25 years.

The billionaire businessman served as prime minister from 2001 until 2006, when he was ousted by a military coup. He left Thailand in 2008, but his Pheu Thai party and its allies have remained highly influential ever since.

Despite wielding influence from abroad, Thaksin was never able to regain his former popularity following his return to Thailand, according to Cheng.

“It was felt that this could be a second coming for Thaksin, but over the past two years we’ ve really seen his influence wane. He wasn’t able to bring to bear that dynamism that we had seen before,” he said.

Thaksin’s Pheu Thai party returned to power in 2023, but last week it was ousted by the Bhumjaithai Party, its one-time ally and coalition partner.

It was the second setback in as many weeks after Thaksin’s daughter, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, was formally removed from her post as prime minister over her mishandling of a border conflict with Cambodia.

She held the post for less than a year.

Last week, Thaksin generated speculation online that he might once again try to flee Thailand after he made an unexpected trip to Dubai – a city where he spent time in exile in the past.

Thaksin’s private plane was bound for Singapore on Thursday night when it suddenly rerouted midair to the Middle East, raising questions online about whether he intended to return.

Thaksin said on social media that the change was due to problems at a Singaporean airport, and he intended to return to Bangkok following a medical check up. (Al Jazeera)

The post Thailand’s top court orders former PM Thaksin to spend one year in jail appeared first on Newswire.

Venerable Omalpe Sobitha Thero on Saturday (30) submitted a special letter to Minister of Foreign Affairs Vijitha Herath, conveying a united appeal from the four Mahanayaka Theros of Sri Lanka for peace and harmony between Thailand and Cambodia.

The letter, jointly signed by the Most Ven. Tibbotuwawe Sri Siddhartha Sumangala Mahanayaka Thero (Malwatta Chapter), the Most Ven. Warakagoda Dharmasiddhi Sri Gnanarathana Mahanayaka Thero (Asgiriya Chapter), the Most Ven. Makulewe Sri Wimala Mahanayaka Thero (Ramanna Sect), and the Most Ven. Karagoda Uyangoda Maithri Murthi Mahanayaka Thero (Amarapura Sect) expresses deep concern over the conflict that has arisen between the two nations.

While the dispute concerns the ownership of an ancient temple, the letter emphasizes that exploiting religious sentiment for conflict is against the teachings of the Buddha. 

The Mahanayaka Theros urged both governments, as well as religious leaders and practitioners in Thailand and Cambodia, to uphold the noble heritage of Buddhism by resolving differences peacefully and fostering harmony.

“As followers of the Buddha, it is our bounden duty to ensure that his teachings of peace and non-violence are maintained in practice,” the letter states, reminding that history has shown the vital role monks have played in preventing violence and nurturing coexistence. (Newswire)

The post Sri Lanka Mahanayaka Theros appeal for peace between Thailand & Cambodia appeared first on Newswire.

The Embassy and Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka in Bangkok, together with the visiting Sri Lankan delegation, recently engaged in a meeting with the Office of National Buddhism of Thailand, a central government agency under the Prime Minister’s Office. 

According to the Embassy and Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka in Bangkok, the Office of National Buddhism of Thailand is responsible for the administration of Buddhism in the country.

The Sri Lankan delegation was led by Chief Incumbent of the Gangaramaya Temple in Colombo, the Most Venerable, Dr. Kirinde Assaji Thero. The visiting dignitaries called on the Acting Director of the Secretariat Office of the Sangha Supreme Council, Associate Professor Dr. Chachapon Jayaphorn.

The interaction focused on the deep-rooted cultural and religious linkages shared by Sri Lanka and Thailand through Theravada Buddhism and explored avenues to expand ongoing cultural & religious collaboration between the two countries.

Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to Thailand, Wijayanthi Edirisinghe, highlighted the significant achievements of cultural and religious ties with Thailand and events which were organised for the commemoration of 70 years marking diplomatic relations between Sri Lanka and Thailand this year. Dr. Jayaphorn assured that the fullest support will be extended for future activities organized for strengthening religious and cultural ties.

The Ven. Dr. Kirinde Assaji Thero even extended an invitation for a high-level representation of the Government of Thailand to participate in the Nawam Perahera to be organized in Colombo in February 2026. 

The meeting was attended by Chairman, Task Force for Tourism (Western Province), Dr. Dulan Hettiarachchi, Minister Counsellor and Head of Chancery, Thilini Ihalage, and Minister Counsellor/Commerce of the Mission, Shiwanthi Abeyrathne. (Newswire)

The post Sri Lanka, Thailand discuss expanding Buddhists, cultural ties appeared first on Newswire.

The United Nations Security Council is due to hold an emergency meeting on Friday to discuss the ongoing border clashes between Thailand and Cambodia.

A long-running border dispute erupted into intense fighting on Thursday, with violence flaring near two temples on the border between Thailand’s Surin province and Cambodia’s Oddar Meanchey.

Both countries blame the other for triggering the latest clashes.

While Cambodia fired rockets and shells into Thailand, the Thai military scrambled F-16 jets to hit military targets across the border.

They also claimed that Cambodia was using heavy weapons, including artillery and rockets.

“Cambodian forces have conducted sustained bombardment utilizing heavy weapons, field artillery, and BM-21 rocket systems,” the Thai military said in a statement. “Thai forces have responded with appropriate supporting fire in accordance with the tactical situation.”

Thailand’s acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai warned on Friday that the cross-border clashes “could develop into war.”

“We have tried to compromise as we are neighbors, but we have now instructed the Thai military to act immediately in case of urgency,” said Wechayachai.

“If the situation escalates, it could develop into war — though for now, it remains limited to clashes,” he told reporters in Bangkok.

The Thai Interior Ministry said the death toll on their side had risen to 14. It added that over 100,000 people from four border provinces had been moved to nearly 300 temporary shelters.

Meanwhile, Cambodia confirmed on Friday its first fatality.

A Cambodian provincial official said on Friday that at least one Cambodian civilian was killed and five others injured.

Around 1,500 Cambodian families from Banteay Ampil district in the Oddar Meanchey province near the conflict zone have been evacuated to safety, Meth Meas Pheakdey, a spokesperson for the provincial administration, said on Facebook.

What is the conflict about?

The two nations are locked in disagreement over the Emerald Triangle — an area where the borders of both countries and Laos meet, and home to several ancient temples.

Thailand and Cambodia, which share an 800-kilometer (500-mile) frontier, have been arguing over where the border should be drawn for years.

Dozens of kilometers in several areas are contested.

Fighting broke out between 2008 and 2011, but a UN court ruling in 2013 settled the matter for over a decade. (DW)

The post Thailand, Cambodia clashes : UN to hold emergency meeting appeared first on Newswire.

Thailand’s embattled prime minister was suspended from duty Tuesday and could face dismissal pending an ethics probe over a leaked phone call she had with Cambodia’s powerful former leader.

Paetongtarn Shinawatra, 38, has only held the premiership for 10 months after replacing her predecessor, who was removed from office. Her suspension brings fresh uncertainty to a country roiled by years of political turbulence and leadership shake-ups.

The Constitutional Court accepted a petition brought by a group of 36 senators who accused Paetongtarn of violating the constitution for breaching ethical standards in the leaked call, which was confirmed as authentic by both sides.

The court voted to suspend Paetongtarn from her prime ministerial duties until it reaches a verdict in the ethics case. Paetongtarn will remain in the Cabinet as culture minister following a reshuffle.

Paetongtarn has faced increasing calls to resign, with anti-government protesters taking to the streets of the capital Bangkok on Saturday, after the leaked call with Cambodia’s Hun Sen over an escalating border dispute sparked widespread anger in the country.

The scandal prompted the Bhumjaithai party, a major partner of the prime minister’s government, to withdraw from the coalition last week, dealing a major blow to her Pheu Thai party’s ability to hold power. Paetongtarn is also contending with plummeting approvals ratings and faces a no-confidence vote in parliament.

In the leaked call, which took place on June 15, Paetongtarn could be heard calling former Cambodian strongman Hun Sen “uncle” and appeared to criticize her own army’s actions after border clashes led to the death of a Cambodian soldier last month.

The Thai prime minister could be heard telling Hun Sen that she was under domestic pressure and urged him not to listen to the “opposite side,” in which she referred to an outspoken Thai army commander in Thailand’s northeast.

She also added that if Hun Sen “wants anything, he can just tell me, and I will take care of it.”

Her comments in the leaked audio struck a nerve in Thailand, and opponents accused her of compromising the country’s national interests.

Thailand and Cambodia have had a complicated relationship of both cooperation and rivalry in recent decades. The two countries share a 508-mile (817-kilometer) land border – largely mapped by the French while they occupied Cambodia – that has periodically seen military clashes and been the source of political tensions.

In the wake of the scandal, Paetongtarn tried to downplay her remarks to Hun Sen, saying at a press conference she was trying to diffuse tensions between the two neighbors and the “private” call “shouldn’t have been made public.”

The prime minister said she was using a “negotiation tactic” and her comments were “not a statement of allegiance.”

Paetongtarn became prime minister last year after the Constitutional Court ruled that her predecessor Srettha Thavisin had breached ethics rules and voted to dismiss him as prime minister.

The same court also dissolved the country’s popular progressive Move Forward Party, which won the most seats in the 2023 election, and banned its leaders from politics for 10 years. (CNN)

The post Thai Court suspends prime minister amid Cambodian dispute appeared first on Newswire.

The Thai military on Monday ordered the closure of permanent and temporary border checkpoints along the Thai-Cambodian frontier, with exceptions granted solely for humanitarian purposes.

According to a directive issued by the 1st Army Region, the decision comes amid escalating tensions following reports of Cambodian military incursions into Thai territory.

These include unauthorised patrols, the reinforcement of military outposts, and terrain modifications, as well as symbolic actions by Cambodian civilians in areas under the 2nd Army Region’s jurisdiction. These activities have reportedly jeopardised border security and contributed to rising tensions along the frontier.

The statement noted that the situation has adversely affected Thai citizens living near the border and could impact cross-border movement in areas overseen by the 1st Army Region. 

In addition, the rise in cross-border criminal activities—particularly involving call centre gangs and hybrid scams—has posed serious threats to public safety and property both within Thailand and across the region.

In light of these developments, and its role as the unit responsible for border security in Sa Kaeo province, the 1st Army Region announced the following immediate measures in the interest of national security and the safety of Thai citizens:

• All cross-border vehicle movement is suspended.
• All pedestrian border crossings by the public, including tourists—both Thai and foreign—as well as all forms of trade, are suspended.
• However, the order allows for humanitarian exemptions on a case-by-case basis. These include medical emergencies requiring urgent cross-border transfers, educational needs of students, and other essential matters necessary for daily life.

The 2nd Army Region has issued a similar order to tighten border control measures at key crossings in response to ongoing Cambodian military incursions and cross-border criminal activity.

The directive, released on Monday, targets the permanent border checkpoints at Chong Chom in Surin province and Chong Sa-ngam in Si Sa Ket, as well as the temporary commercial crossing at Chong Sai Taku in Buri Ram.

The 2nd Army Region cited violations of Thai sovereignty by Cambodian troops, including unauthorised patrols, the reinforcement of military outposts, terrain modification, and the symbolic presence of civilians near the Ta Moan Thom and Ta Krabei temples. 

The situation has been further compounded by the growing presence of transnational criminal operations, including call centre and hybrid scam networks.

To express disapproval of these actions and safeguard national interests, the following measures have been implemented at the three border points:

• All cross-border vehicle movement is suspended.
• All pedestrian crossings, trade, and tourism—by both Thai and foreign nationals—are suspended.
• As with the 1st Army Region’s directive, limited humanitarian exemptions will be granted on a case-by-case basis. These include urgent medical transfers, education for students in the border areas, and essential household trade involving fresh produce and basic goods deemed necessary.

The Chanthaburi-Trat Border Defence Command has issued an order to tighten controls at all permanent and temporary commercial checkpoints in the two eastern provinces, in line with directives from the National Security Council and the Royal Thai Navy.

The order affects six locations: Ban Laem and Ban Pakkad permanent checkpoints, and Ban Subtaree and Ban Suan Som commercial crossings in Chanthaburi province, as well as the Ban Hat Lek permanent checkpoint and Ban Mamuang commercial crossing in Trat province.

In response, the marine task forces in Chanthaburi and Trat have been instructed to strictly enforce controls on all cross-border movement of tourists, traders, and labourers through the affected checkpoints:

• Suspension of all cross-border travel by the public, including Thai and foreign tourists, as well as all forms of trade.
• Suspension of all cross-border vehicle movement.
• Limited humanitarian exceptions will be allowed, including emergency medical transfers, educational travel for students in the area, and essential household trade involving fresh produce and basic necessities. (National Thailand)

The post Thailand shuts Cambodian border over security concerns appeared first on Newswire.

The Cabinet has approved awarding the consultation services contract to the Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre in Thailand, for the modernisation of services of the Department of Meteorology under the Climate Resilience Mitigation Multi-Stage Approach (CResMPA) funded by the World Bank.

The government says the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Land, and Irrigation is implementing CResMPA.

As such, supporting national development by reducing the potential damage from natural disasters through accurate early warnings and modernising the weather- and climate-related services of the Department of Meteorology has been identified as the priority function under component 1 of the first phase of the project. 

Accordingly, expressions of interest were invited to select a consulting institution per the World Bank Procurement Guidelines for the modernisation of the Department of Meteorology’s services, and eight institutions submitted their expressions of interest. 

Based on the recommendations of the Consultation Procurement Committee appointed by the Cabinet of Ministers, the proposal presented by the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Land, and Irrigation to award the relevant consultation services contract to the Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre in Thailand was approved by the Cabinet. (Newswire)

The post Thai Consultation firm to head Met Department modernisation of services appeared first on Newswire.

SriLankan Engineering, the Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) division of SriLankan Airlines, has been certified by the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) as a Foreign Repair Station and Approved Maintenance Organisation (AMO). 

According to SriLankan Airlines, this milestone certification paves the way for SriLankan Engineering to provide high-quality, cost-effective MRO solutions directly to Thai-registered operators and global leasing companies. 

The accreditation authorises SriLankan Engineering to offer a wide range of MRO services, including base maintenance and heavy checks, as well as component repair and overhaul for Airbus A320 family aircraft; line maintenance for Airbus A320 family and A350 aircraft, as well as Boeing 777 and 787 aircraft; and non-destructive testing (NDT).

This certification places SriLankan Engineering in a strong position to collaborate with Thai carriers and aircraft lessors by offering customised maintenance solutions aimed at enhancing operational performance, reducing Aircraft On Ground (AOG) time and optimising cost efficiency. 

SriLankan Engineering combines world-class capabilities with a flexible, customer-first approach.

Already certified by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), the Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka, and many other National Aviation Authorities, SriLankan Engineering is rapidly gaining recognition as a dependable, partner-focused MRO provider that delivers value through technical excellence and responsive customer service. 

SriLankan Engineering has been expanding across the globe, gaining not only a growing portfolio of repeat and new customers but also a reputation as a trusted provider of MRO solutions. (Newswire)

The post SriLankan Engineering receives certification for MRO Services to Thai Carriers appeared first on Newswire.

Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa visited the Myanmar and Thailand embassies in Colombo today to express his sorrow and condolences over the devastating earthquake that recently struck both countries. 

The disaster has resulted in significant property damage and numerous casualties.

During his visit, MP Premadasa met with the ambassadors and diplomatic staff of Myanmar and Thailand to personally convey his sympathies. 

He further affirmed that Sri Lanka would extend its fullest possible support to both nations during this difficult time. 

A powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck Myanmar on Friday, with strong tremors being felt in Thailand and nearby Chinese provinces.

More than 2,000 people are now confirmed dead in Myanmar, while experts fear the true death toll could take weeks to emerge. (Newswire)

The post Sajith visits Myanmar & Thailand Embassies to offer condolences appeared first on Newswire.

Following an earthquake of 7.4 magnitude in Myanmar that caused tremors in Bangkok and other parts of Thailand, the Embassy and Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka in Bangkok said it is closely monitoring the situation in coordination with Thai authorities.

Sri Lanka’s Foreign Ministry stated that the Embassy and Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka says no adverse incidents involving Sri Lankan citizens have been reported as of now.

Sri Lankan nationals in Thailand are advised to contact the emergency hotline at +66 812498011 in case of emergency. (Newswire)

The post Myanmar earthquakes : Notice for Sri Lankans in Thailand appeared first on Newswire.