AYUTTHAYA: Fifty-two street racers were caught and 203 motorcycles seized during a crackdown on “dek waen” racing in this central province in the early hours of Saturday.

A combined team of Ayutthaya police, soldiers, police and local officials arrested 52 street racers, including 11 aged below 18 and 41 others aged over 18, during the crackdown operation at around 1am.

The officers also searched targeted shops repairing and modifying motorcycles and those selling stolen motorcycle parts.

A total of 203 modified motorcycles were seized from the racers and shops.

Pol Col Chokchai Ngarmwong, acting chief of Ayutthaya police, said street racers used social media as a communication channel to set dates for racing on public roads in the province such as Phaholyothin, Rojana and Liang Muang roads.

Their illegal activities caused danger to other road users, Pol Col Chokchai said, adding of the arrested racers, one was found to have nine speed pills in his possession.

SOURCE: https://www.bangkokpost.com/news/crime/1565582/52-street-racers-caught-in-ayutthaya

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Life as an expat in Thailand can be a lot of fun and mostly enjoyable, until you forget to do something important such as renewing your passport in plenty of time.

These days most passports are valid for 10 years so it is understandable how people often forget to renew but when living in a foreign country, it is imperative that you don’t forget or you could have a big and expensive problem.

If you live in Thailand and don’t travel often, the expiry date on your passport can easily slip your mind and you can find yourself with just a very short time left or worst case scenario you could be here in Thailand with an expired passport.

There are a few key reminders which should help to jog your memory. For example Immigration will not allow you to renew your visa past your current passport expiry date.

A lot of expats who are planning to live permanently in Thailand will renew their passport not long before leaving their home country, so if your time here is approaching 8 or 9 years be sure to check your passport expiry date.

Every time you book a trip anywhere or need a copy of your passport for some reason don’t forget to check the expiry date. Time has a habit of running away with us and it’s always better to be safe than sorry.

Why you need to renew your passport early

#1 There are many countries which will not allow you to enter if your passport has less than 6 months validity.

#2 You may face issues renewing your Thai visa if you have less than a year remaining on your current passport.

#3 Peak times such as the approach to summer holidays can often cause delays in passport renewal times and you don’t want to be stuck waiting if you really need your passport.

#4 Peace of mind – knowing there is only a few months left on your passport is a worry which can easily be avoided by taking the initiative to renew when there is at least a year left.

Another concern which expats often forget is how many pages remain in their passport. Don’t let your remaining pages get down to just 2 or 3, in case you need to make an urgent trip. A re-entry permit and an exit stamp can easily eat up 2 pages of your passport.

And last but not least always keep an up to date copy of your passport with your most recent visa stamp and 90 day report in case of losing your passport.

If you are a British citizen in Thailand, Key Visa can help you with renewing your passport or replacing a lost passport.

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NONG KHAI, 25th October 2018 (NNT) – Over 400 fireballs were witnessed shooting up from the Mekong River in Nong Khai province’s Rattanawapi district during the Bung Fai Phaya Nakfestival, yesterday marking the end of Buddhist Lent (October 24).

The phenomenon, believed by locals to be the mythical Naga paying tribute to the Lord Buddha, began with three fireballs appearing at approximately 6.17PM. Over the course of the evening up to 408 of the orbs were counted, 260 in Rattanawapi and 148 in nearby Pon Pisai district.

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BURI RAM: A horny Brahman bull nicknamed “Rambo” has apparently killed his owner in it’s pen in Satuk District. The victim’s wife discovered him laying wounded in the pen with the bull standing beside him. It has been surmised that after a month of preventing the bull from mating with the cows present, the bull became frustrated and rammed the owner, and when he was on the ground, stomped him. More on this story here at Nation Multimedia.

Breaking News October 16, 2018 13:46

By The Nation

Buri Ram man killed by frustrated Brahman bull

A Buri Ram man was found dead and apparently killed by a Brahman inside the bull’s pen at his house in the province’s Satuk district.

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RAYONG: In what may be an instance of misunderstanding or a callous disregard for safety, or a combination of both, a bus driver is facing a probe into his actions in leaving an elderly grandmother and her two very young grandchildren at roadside.  The bus driver claims the grandmother became scared as if she’d missed her stop when he went to pull a U-Turn to get to the station entrance, and insisted on getting off the bus. More info on this from Chiang Rai Times.

RAYONG –  A bus driver is facing disciplinary action after he allegedly expelled a grandmother and 2 children off his bus in Rayong after midnight on Sunday.

The action comes after a Facebook user accused the driver of a Rayong-bound passenger bus of forcing her, her granddaughter and another girl to leave the bus in a deserted area of this eastern province at 2am on Sunday.

The driver closed the door as soon as the passengers were asked to get off the bus, wrote the Facebook user. She said she started crying and was fearful for the safety of the two girls. It was her first trip to Rayong and she would never take this bus again, she wrote.

The driver and the bus company came under heavy criticism after the story and images of the elderly woman and the two girls went viral.

The Bangkok Post on Monday sought an explanation from Khon Kaen Charn Trading Co, operator of the bus, regarding the matter.

Narong Saeng-arun, general manager of the bus company, also known as Charn Tour Co, said his firm has ordered a fact-finding probe into the incident.

The company’s initial investigation found that the grandmother and 2 children had boarded the company’s Nakhon Phanom-Rayong bus No 827-14 at Khon Kaen bus terminal to go to Rayong.

When the bus arrived in Rayong, he said, the driver drove past the bus terminal and was about to make a U-turn to drop the remaining passengers at the terminal. However, the woman appeared frightened and asked the girl to tell the driver to stop the bus, said Mr Narong.

The driver then stopped the bus at the location shown in the Facebook post. The location was in front of a well-lit commercial building, he added.

The accused bus driver and other staff concerned would be called in for questioning, said Mr Narong. If they were found guilty of the accusation, punishments – ranging from a salary cut to suspension or termination – would be imposed on them.

“Our firm would like to apologies to the passengers for service that left them dissatisfied. Company executives put great emphasis on providing good bus transportation services and instruct staff to serve passengers as though they were family members,’’ said the general manager.

By Chakkrapan Natanri
Bangkok Post

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Packs of illicit drugs seized in recent police operations are displayed at the Narcotics Suppression Bureau headquarters in Bangkok during a media conference yesterday (Oct 15). Photo: Apichit Jinakul

CHIANG RAI: In one of the larger seizures in recent months, police seized 12 million ya-bah pills and a hundred kilograms of Ya Ice and three pickup trucks in Chiang Kong district. Three men were also arrested. The bust followed a “tip” that the drugs would be headed through the area. The men just likely scapegoat mules to distract from a much larger shipment occurring elsewhere in the area? More info on this from Phuket News.

Blockbuster drug haul worth over B2bn in Chiang Rai

CHIANG RAI: More than 20 million speed pills (ya bah) and 100 kilograms of crystal meth (ya ice) – worth over B2 billion – have been seized and three alleged traffickers arrested in two major police operations in Chiang Rai province.

ORIGINAL STORY HERE: https://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general/1558470/blockbuster-drug-haul-worth-over-b2bn-in-chiang-rai

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