The Australian tourist, Terrance John White, 19, of Innisfail, Queensland, reported the incident to Thalang Police yesterday (Nov 24). Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub

Police are also looking for the taxi driver, confirmed Lt Col Kittipoom Tinthalang of the Thalang Police.

The tourist was identified as Terrance John White, of Innisfail, Queensland.

Mr White explained to police that he was riding in a taxi back to his hotel room in the Nai Yang area, just south of Phuket International Airport, early yesterday morning (Nov 24) when an argument ensued about the driver not using the meter.

The argument ended with the driver of the taxi stopping the car on the dark coastal road near the intersection of the Mu Dok – Sakoo Rd (intersection of Route 4018 and Route 4021) – at the southern end of Nai Yang, and Mr White getting out of the taxi.

Soon after getting out of the taxi, at about 3am, while Mr White was walking along the road, four persons arrived – presumably on two motorbikes. Two of them had guns and pointed them at him while robbing him, Mr White told the police.

The robbers made off with B10,000 cash and Mr White’s iPhone, he said.

After being robbed, Mr White reported the incident to police at Phuket airport, who took him to Sakoo Police Station to file a formal report, which was received by Lt Col Bandasak Srilert.

Sakoo Police, along with Mr White, reported the incident to the Thalang Police at 4pm yesterday.

It was not made clear in the police report whether Mr White exited the taxi by choice, or if they driver stopped the car to abandon him by the side of the road. However, Mr White did later confirm that the taxi was bearing green licence plates, indicating that the vehicle to be a legally registered “commercial passenger vehicle”.

Col Kittipoom Tinthalang of the Thalang Police noted that police are now checking CCTV in the area and along the route Mr White travelled for any clues in tracking down the taxi driver and the four robbers.

Photo from: Donwahah Khiaddech’s facebook.

People on the beach at Koh Lipe were treated to a spectacular sight of four waterspouts off Satun today.

The sudden phenomenon in the Andaman Sea was recorded as video and photos and widely shared on social media.

The phenomenon happened a little before noon on Sunday when the four waterspouts shot out towards the horizon for 10-15 minutes, which was observed by those on the Sun Rise Beach, East of Koh Lipe.

But the rare phenomenon disappeared when rains arrived.

TMD spokesman Surapong Sarapa said a waterspout was common in the Andaman Sea coast during the rainy season but it was rare to have four of them at the same time.

“He thought he could sell it legally.”

A man has been arrested for advertising marijuana for sale on YouTube.

With all the news about legalising medical marijuana in Thailand, he says he believed it was now legal to sell cannabis in Thailand.

The Nation reports that, after police were alerted that a man was cashing in on cannabis on the YouTube channel, “SamunphirSpp.law 168”, officers arrested 31 year old Rangsan Wisetlinthng at a house in Bueng Kan’s Muang district on the Laos border in Thailand’s north-east.

Police found 3 kilograms of dried, compressed marijuana, three bottles of marijuana powder, and 161 marijuana seeds in the house.

Rangsan, who is from Nakhon Ratchasima, said he packed and mailed marijuana to buyers when they made orders on his YouTube channel.

He claimed that he read a report that a law has been passed to allow possession of marijuana so he thought he could sell it legally.

Just yesterday, the National Legislative Assembly passed the first reading of the bill to allow use of marijuana for medical reasons. The bill has yet to be vetted and deliberated in the second and third readings.

Sourced from The Thaiger https://thethaiger.com/news/north-east/man-thought-he-could-now-sell-marijuana-legally-aah-no , who in turn sourced it from The Nation.

Second Related Story:

Thailand Mulls Becoming the First Country in Asia to Legalize Medical Marijuana

Artur Widak—NurPhoto/Getty Images

File Under: He Stabbed Me First Dept.

Two monks have become embroiled in a drunken brawl north of Bangkok last night.

The two were injured in a scuffle and knife fight after they drank together at their temple in Ang Thong’s Pa Mok district.

Local police were called to Wat Amphawan at 11pm.

When police arrived they found 52 year old Phra Wannop Roengjai soaked in blood. He suffered cuts to his head, back, arms and chin. Medics performed first aid and took him to the district hospital.

Phra Wannop told police that he drank with 43 year old Phra Chuchart Boonloh and they engaged in a heated argument before Phra Chuchart allegedly attacked him. Phra Wannop said he seized the knife and threw it away.

After Phra Wannop was sent to the hospital, Phra Chuchart, who had a big cut on his chest, said Phra Wannop attacked him with the knife first so he seized the knife and hit him back with the knife.

Phra Chuchart was also sent to the hospital.

Police will wait for them to recover before asking the Wat’s Abbot to defrock the pair so that they could face legal charges.

Sourced from The Thaiger https://thethaiger.com/news/bangkok/monks-behaving-badly-ending-up-in-hospital , who in turn sourced it from The Nation

Google Street View of Wat SAmphawan in Bangkok

GOOGLE STREET VIIEW WAT AMPHAWAN IN BANGKOK

CHONBURI – British Nationals Joseph Michael Mulhare, 43, and Gregory Michael Mulhare, 38, were apprehended at a resort in tambon Don Hualor, Pol Maj Gen Surachate Hakparn, acting chief of the Immigration Bureau, told reporters on Thursday.

Their arrest followed a request by the British Embassy. The two brothers were said to be members of a drug trafficking gang who had fled to Thailand on Nov 2 and thought to be hiding in Pattaya.

Police investigators found the Britons were hanging out in Soi Bua Khao, or South Pattaya Soi 22, and were regular customers at a beer bar in the area, Pol Maj Gen Surachate said.

A team of immigration and crime suppression police kept a close watch on the suspects, who later moved from Soi Bua Khao to stay at a room at The Loft Pratamnak in Khao Pratamnak area, Pattaya.

Google Streetview of Fugitive’s Location

On Nov 18, they had hired a woman, identified only as Jeerawan, for 2,000 baht to take them to a hotel on Khao San Road in Bangkok.

The duo later checked out and took a taxi to Suvarnabhumi airport, in a tactic seen as trying to mislead police. From the airport they took another taxi to the Sukhumvit Suite Hotel at Asoke intersection.

They stayed at the hotel until 10pm on Nov 19, when they hired a taxi to take them to a resort in Tambon Don Hualor, Chon Buri, where they were detained.

The suspects were taken to Chon Buri immigration office, where their visas were to be revoked pending deportation to the UK to face charges.

By Wassayos Ngamkham
The Bangkok Post

Sourced from Chiang Rai Times: https://www.chiangraitimes.com/two-britons-wanted-for-drug-trafficking-in-uk-arrested-in-pattaya-thailand.html