SAMUT PRAKAN: A security guard is being sought in the gruesome murder of his colleage whom was discovered hacked to bits by a water treatment facility.  The victim has reportedly been in a row with the suspect, Mr. Somchai, over his drinking on the job issues. When their supervisor could make contact with neither of them soon after, a search began and the body was found.

More here in Bangkok Post

PHUKET:  Kamala Road was blocked and even Route 4233 had been taken out of operation temporarily due to flood and landslide damage. Motorists are advised to find other routes overland. As soon as the bridge in front of Wyndham resort is repairs officials expect traffic will be able to pass without jamming. The same applies to traffic in the Patong direction due to a large rock in the road. So far no fatalities have been reported. More on Phuket News.

Photo Credit Phuket News.

SOUTH KOREA: The government of South Korea’s immigration ministry has given permission to over 120,000 illegal migrant Thai workers to leave the country voluntarily without being blacklisted.  The alert came in 6 languages including Korean, Russian, Chinese, English, Vietnamese, and Thai.  Thai delegates who negotiated the exit pardon, also requested South Korea expand it’s overall quota of allowed workers.  More here from Bangkok Post.

ANDAMAN SEA: Thailand’s famed Maya Beach will now be closed to tourists indefinitely. It was supposed to open next month but the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) announced the bay will remain closed indefinitely. Made famous by the well-known Leonardo DiCaprio film “The Beach,” Maya Bay has been closed off since June 1 in an effort to recover the ecosystem and install more boat jetties. The fact that commercially-related work has also gone on almost guarantees it will open at some point, perhaps later into the tourist season e.g. November or December.

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BANGKOK: In the effort to streamline tourists getting back their VAT Value Added Tax for all the amazing things they get up to in LOS, will be handled by a new firm called COUNTER SERVICE VAT. In what will hopefully be a revolutionary way to abscond with oops I mean refund tourists their VAT, the company’s director however noted the project is still considered temporary. Oh darn. More here in Bangkok Post.