A TikTok clip showing a woman with her twin partners has sparked widespread debate online.
BANGKOK — A Thai woman has confirmed that her relationship with twin brothers is real, not staged content, after a TikTok video showing the trio celebrating her birthday went viral online.
The clip, posted on 17 January 2026, shows two men who look identical carrying a cake to surprise the woman and taking turns kissing her on the cheek. The video quickly drew widespread attention, with many social media users questioning whether the relationship was genuine or created for views.
The woman, identified only as Fah, later spoke out to clarify that the relationship is real. She said she had been single for nearly a year and was not actively seeking a partner when she met the twin brothers. Both men approached her at the same time, and their relationship gradually developed.
Fah said the three eventually agreed to be in a consensual three-person relationship and have been together for more than a year.
She added that both her family and the men’s families are aware of and accept the relationship. In their daily life, the trio live together and support one another. The twin brothers work and earn income, which Fah manages to cover household expenses and plan for their shared future.
Addressing online questions about having children, Fah said that if she becomes pregnant, a DNA test would be carried out to identify the biological father so the correct name can be listed on the birth certificate. She added that the child would call both men “father”.
The story has continued to spark debate online, with reactions ranging from curiosity to support.
A woman appeals for help on Facebook after her boyfriend’s proposal ring was stolen by a pickpocket at EDC Phuket.
PHUKET — A man who planned to propose to his girlfriend at the EDC Thailand 2026 music festival in Phuket has appealed for help after a diamond ring and wallet were stolen during the event.
On 18 January 2026, a Facebook user identified as Acare Alice posted an appeal on social media, sharing three photos of a diamond ring and a wallet. She said her boyfriend was pickpocketed at EDC Phuket, losing a wallet and a diamond ring engraved with the names “Acare & Golf”.
She asked members of the public, including jewellery shops and pawn shops in Phuket and nearby areas, to contact her if anyone attempts to sell a ring matching the description. A contact number was provided in the post, along with the hashtags #edcthailand2026 and #edcthailand.
The post quickly gained traction, with many users sharing it and offering words of encouragement, hoping the couple would recover their belongings.
The victim, identified as Golf, told reporters that he and his girlfriend travelled from Chiang Mai to attend EDC Thailand 2026 in Phuket. They arrived at the venue at about 9pm. While standing in the crowd, he began receiving repeated notifications from his banking application.
After checking, he discovered that his credit card had been used for transactions totalling about 300,000 baht. He then examined his chest bag and found the zip open and his Louis Vuitton wallet missing.
The stolen items included his and his girlfriend’s identification cards, a driving licence, a diamond ring valued at about 300,000 baht, 2,500 baht in cash and several credit cards.
Golf said he has filed a police report at Cherng Talay police station. Officers told him such cases are difficult to solve unless the stolen ring is brought in for sale, which could help lead investigators to the suspect.
He said he had brought the diamond ring to the festival because he knew there was a designated proposal zone at the event and intended to surprise his girlfriend. The theft occurred before he had the chance.
Golf appealed to the public to help share information so the ring and important documents, especially the identification cards, can be returned, saying they are of great importance to him.
UDON THANI — 17 January 2026, Police are searching for a serial petty thief who posed as a recycling collector and allegedly stole women’s clothing, including underwear, from a self-service laundromat before taking snacks from a nearby wholesale shop.
The Kud Jab Online Isaan Indie Facebook page posted CCTV footage as a public warning after a man, believed to be about 40 years old, was seen pushing a two-wheeled cart and roaming the area to steal property. The clips show two separate incidents.
In the first, CCTV footage timestamped 01:15 on 16 January shows the suspect pushing a cart past the Baby Wash & Dry laundromat on the Kud Jab–Suwannakhuha Road, at 111 Moo 13, Muang Phia, Kud Jab, Udon Thani. The man parked the cart across the road, walked into the shop, selected customers’ laundry that had been left for washing and drying, and carried out a green basket containing women’s clothing, including several items of underwear.
The suspect, seen taking womens’ items before exiting the laundromat with a green basket
The suspect is described as a slim man in his 40s, wearing a white short-sleeved T-shirt, blue jeans, black sneakers and a light-blue cap.
After leaving the laundromat, he was seen pushing his cart to a fresh snack shop in the Kud Jab municipal market area, about 200m away, at 335 Kud Jab–Nong Wua So Road. CCTV footage recorded at 03:00 the same day shows the man stealing four packs of fried soybeans and 10 packs of sweets worth a total of 760 baht, which had been displayed at the front of the shop under a tarp.
At 12:30 on 17 January, reporters visited the Baby Wash & Dry laundromat and spoke with Ms. Kittiya Mahaphet, also known as May, who attends the shop. She showed reporters the CCTV cameras and the spot where the stolen laundry basket had been placed. She said the shop has been operating for eight to nine months and had never experienced theft of this kind.
Ms. Kittiya said she recognised the suspect as someone who regularly collects recyclable waste in Kud Jab district and had previously asked for recyclables from the shop and nearby premises. “I never thought he would turn into a petty thief,” she said.
The stolen basket contained jeans, T-shirts and several items of women’s underwear, with a total value of several thousand baht. The clothes belonged to customers who had completed their washing and drying and were due to collect them. CCTV footage showed the suspect ignoring men’s clothing placed nearby and taking only women’s items.
Ms. Kittiya said she had filed a police complaint and urged the suspect to surrender. “If you turn yourself in, the punishment may be lighter,” she said, adding that the shop intends to pursue the case fully. She also asked police to arrest the suspect quickly, fearing he could target other locations.
Ms. Patcharaporn Meepuak, 35, known as Kae, the owner of the snack shop, said she has been in business for 10 years and had never encountered such an incident. She said the suspect is often seen pushing a cart to collect recyclables and appeared pitiful. “I never thought he would be a thief,” she said.
She said the man stole snacks from her shop after targeting the laundromat, parking his cart in front of the store, lifting the tarp and repeatedly carrying sweets and snacks to the cart.
CCTV footage of the suspect is seen taking snacks from beneath a tarp from a local seller
“I want him to change his ways and surrender to police before it’s too late,” Ms. Patcharaporn said. She added that other market vendors had also been targeted by the same suspect but had not reported the incidents because the losses were small. “After this, I will keep all snacks inside the shop. I won’t leave them outside anymore.”
While the incident involved theft, the apparent targeting of women’s belongings raises wider concerns about crimes that disproportionately affect women. Such cases can leave lasting unease, even without direct confrontation, and serve as a reminder of the everyday safety concerns many women face, underscoring the importance of awareness and prevention within the community.
ฺBANGKOK — 17 January 2026, A six-wheel truck carrying a crane overturned on a bridge in Bangkok, narrowly avoiding plunging into a canal and injuring two people, authorities said.
The accident occurred at 13:52 on Nararatthanatharn Bridge on Chakraphong Road, in Talat Yot subdistrict of Phra Nakhon district. Fire and rescue officers from Phukhao Thong station were dispatched to the scene.
Officials found a Hino Mega six-wheel articulated truck lying on its side on the bridge’s footpath. A small crane loaded on the rear of the truck was left hanging over the edge, almost falling into the canal below. Oil was reported to have leaked onto the road surface, prompting district officials to spread sand to prevent further hazards.
Two people were injured in the crash. One man, about 28 years old, suffered chest pain and was taken by rescue volunteers to Klang Hospital. Another man, about 20, sustained minor injuries, received first aid at the scene and declined hospital treatment.
Authorities later coordinated the use of a crane to lift and remove the overturned truck and its load to reopen traffic. The cause of the accident was under investigation.
BANGKOK — 17 January 2026, The Thai Red Cross Society has released a summary report on its humanitarian assistance mission following unrest along the Thai-Cambodian border, presenting the operation to the international Red Cross community.
According to a report by local media, the Thai Red Cross compiled the findings from relief efforts carried out in July and December 2025. The report, produced in both Thai and English, was submitted on 15 January to the International Committee of the Red Cross, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and Red Cross partners worldwide.
The report details the integration of humanitarian assistance across seven border provinces to support more than 400,000 people affected by the unrest, many of whom were displaced to temporary shelters.
Assistance included the deployment of medical and nursing teams to provide treatment and psychological support, as well as the distribution of food, drinking water, blankets and other basic necessities. Funding was also allocated for repairing damaged homes and constructing new housing for those who lost their residences.
The Thai Red Cross said it also extended aid to Cambodian nationals stranded in the affected areas, in accordance with humanitarian principles and without discrimination.
The mission was described as demonstrating the Thai Red Cross Society’s capacity and readiness to operate within the global humanitarian arena.
The report stated as follow. Two major waves of armed hostilities occurred along the Thailand–Cambodia border in 2025, the first of which took place from July 24–28, and the second from December 7–27. Both incidents involved artillery exchanges and multiple rockets attacks, leading to significant repercussion on civilian population in Thailand. The conflict primarily impacted border provinces including Ubon Ratchathani, Si Sa Ket, Surin, Buri Ram, Sa Kaeo, Chanthaburi, and Trat. Compiled from official Thai authority information, during the July clashes, at least 15 civilians were killed, with 38 injured, and 195 hospitals adversely affected with one hospital heavily damaged. Approximately 140,000 civilians were evacuated from high-risk zones to temporary shelters.
In December, renewed violence resulted in over 40 civilian fatalities with dozens injured, 199 hospitals and 892 schools were affected. Displacement surged dramatically. About 400,000 people had to leave their homes to take shelters in more than 1,000 facilities set up by the local authorities. Thai Red Cross Society (TRCS) immediately mobilized humanitarian assistance to aid the affected people, through its main operating units including the Relief and Community Health Bureau, the Provincial Chapters Administration Bureau, the Youth and Volunteer Bureau, King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Queen Savang Vadhana Memorial Hospital, and the National Blood Centre—in collaboration with the seven Provincial Red Cross Chapters, three Red Cross Health Stations, regional blood centers, government agencies, private sector, civil society organizations and local volunteers. This concerted effort helped over 300,000 civilians living in temporary shelters in seven affected provinces.
In response to the conflict along the Thailand–Cambodia border, TRCS has performed its auxiliary role in supporting the state’s humanitarian operations. Guided by the principles of neutrality and impartiality, TRCS provided assistance covering basic needs, medical care, mental health support, blood supply, and livelihood restoration. These efforts were driven by close cooperation among Provincial Red Cross Chapters, government and private sectors, volunteers, and the public. All operations were conducted in strict adherence to the seven Fundamental Principles of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, ensuring accountability, transparency, and public trust in Thai Red Cross Society.
FILE - Monthanus Ratanapakdee holds a photo of her father, 84-year-old Vicha Ratanapakdee, and stands in front of the San Francisco apartment building where he was attacked last year and later died of his injuries, on Jan. 26, 2022. (AP Photo/Terry Chea, File)
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A man has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the death of an older Thai man whose 2021 killing in San Francisco helped spark a national movement against anti-Asian American violence.
A jury did not find Antoine Watson, 24, guilty of murder when it returned a verdict Thursday for the January 2021 attack on Vicha Ratanapakdee, 84. Jurors found Watson guilty on the lesser charges of involuntary manslaughter and assault.
The office of San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins declined to comment, saying that the jury was still empaneled. Jurors will return Jan. 26 to hear arguments on aggravating factors, and sentencing will be scheduled once that is completed, the office said in an email.
Vicha Ratanapakdee was out for his usual morning walk in the quiet neighborhood he lived in with his wife, daughter and her family when Watson charged at him and knocked him to the ground. The encounter was captured on a neighbor’s security camera. Ratanapakdee never regained consciousness and died two days later.
His family says he was attacked because of his race, but hate crime charges were not filed and the argument was not raised in trial. Prosecutors have said hate crimes are difficult to prove absent statements by the suspect.
Watson testified on the stand that he was in a haze of confusion and anger at the time of the unprovoked attack, according to KRON-TV. He said he lashed out and didn’t know that Ratanapakdee was Asian or older.
San Francisco Public Defender Mano Raju, whose office defended Watson, extended his sympathies to the victim’s family and said the defendant is “fully remorseful for his mistake.”
“While this death was a terrible tragedy and has garnered a lot of press attention, the importance of our legal system is that it gives us a chance to look at the facts in a balanced way,” he said in a statement.
Hundreds of people in five other U.S. cities joined in commemorating the anniversary of Ratanapakdee’s death in 2022, seeking justice for Asian Americans who have been harassed, assaulted, and even killed in alarming numbers since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Asians in America have long been subject to prejudice and discrimination, but the attacks escalated sharply after COVID-19 first appeared in late 2019 in Wuhan, China. More than 10,000 hate incidents against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders were reported to the Stop AAPI Hate coalition from March 2020 through September 2021.
The attacks involved shunning, racist taunting and physical assaults.
FILE – Flowers are left with pictures of 84-year-old Vicha Ratanapakdee during a rally attended by hundreds of people on Jan. 30, 2022, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Janie Har, File)
BANGKOK — 17 January 2026, Thailand’s Ministry of Digital Economy and Society has warned the public about a false claim circulating online that new rules limit visa-free entry for foreign nationals to twice a year.
Wetang Puangsup, spokesman for the ministry, said the warning followed monitoring and reports handled by the Anti-Fake News Centre of Thailand, in line with government policy to prevent and address security and social threats. The ministry has prioritised raising public awareness of technology-related crime, fake news and disinformation.
On 15 January 2026, the centre reviewed 157,300 online messages, of which 4,815 required verification. Most of the flagged content came from social media monitoring, accounting for 4,810 messages, followed by five messages from the Line Official channel. A total of 34 issues required investigation, with two already verified by relevant agencies.
Among the seven items drawing the greatest public attention, four were found to be fake news and three misleading.
The most prominent fake story claimed that a new regulation allows foreigners to enter Thailand visa-free only twice a year. The ministry said it had coordinated with the Immigration Bureau, which confirmed the claim was false. No announcement has been made to amend the law to impose such a limit, nor has any clear legal framework been set.
The Immigration Bureau continues to apply existing measures, including stricter screening of foreigners who frequently enter and leave the country in a pattern resembling so-called “visa runs”.
Other widely shared items included misleading health claims, unverified allegations involving large cash withdrawals ahead of an election, and false reports about online lottery sales, overseas job recruitment and loan offers promoted through social media platforms.
The ministry urged the public to remain vigilant about information shared online, warning that believing or forwarding false news can lead to misunderstanding, financial loss or damage to personal data, with wider social consequences. It advised people to trust and share information only from official sources and to verify facts and website links carefully before sharing.
SAKON NAKHON — 17 January 2026, Thai security forces have seized about 300 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine and arrested two suspects in an integrated operation in Sakon Nakhon province, authorities said.
The operation was carried out under the direction of the Second Army Region and the Northeast Border Narcotics Suppression Command. Forces worked with Border Patrol Police Region 2, the Surasak Montri Task Force and related agencies to act on intelligence expanded from border areas.
Security officials said intelligence indicated a drug trafficking network was moving narcotics from the border district of That Phanom in Nakhon Phanom province into inland areas. Authorities deployed joint units to monitor and track the suspects.
One of the two car, used to transport crystal methamphetamine.
At 21:10 on 16 January 2026, officers intercepted the suspects at the bypass market car park in Dong Mafai subdistrict, Mueang Sakon Nakhon district. They seized six sacks containing about 300 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine, along with two vehicles and two mobile phones.
The suspects were identified as Rungsak Suphon, 34, from Bueng Kan province, and Kritthaphat Mekkhon, 48, from Nakhon Phanom province. They were taken, along with the evidence, to Border Patrol Police Region 2 for arrest records before being handed to investigators at Dong Mafai police station for prosecution.
A security source said the seizure reflected close intelligence sharing and coordinated operations among multiple agencies, underscoring intensified efforts to block drug trafficking along the border and dismantle supply routes into Thailand’s interior.
Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado speaks at the Heritage Foundation, an influential conservative think tank, a day after meeting with President Donald Trump and members of Congress, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado said on Friday she’s confident of her country’s eventual transition to democracy after the U.S. military ousted former President Nicolás Maduro.
But she acknowledged the challenge of holding free elections after decades of autocratic rule and declined to set any timetable. When pressed, she also took pains to avoid giving any details on her plans to return home, saying only that she would return “as soon as possible.”
Her struggle to offer clear answers in Friday’s news conference reflects how President Donald Trump’s endorsement of a Maduro loyalist to lead Venezuela for now has frozen out the nation’s Nobel Peace Prize -winning crusader for democracy.
With little choice but to put her faith in the U.S. and hope for an eventual transition, Machado has sought to cozy up to Trump, presenting her Nobel medal to him a day earlier at the White House.
As Machado was meeting with Trump, CIA Director John Ratcliffe was in Venezuela meeting with acting President Delcy Rodríguez, further confirmation that Maduro’s longtime second in command was the woman that Washington preferred to see managing Venezuela at the moment.
Speaking to reporters at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank in Washington, Machado said she was “profoundly, profoundly confident that we will have an orderly transition” to democracy that would also transform Venezuela’s self-proclaimed socialist government long hostile to the U.S. into a strong U.S. ally.
She dismissed the perception that, in choosing to work with Rodríguez, Trump had snubbed her opposition movement, whose candidate was widely believed to have beaten Maduro in the 2024 presidential election.
“This has nothing to do with a tension or decision between Delcy Rodríguez and myself,” she said, but avoided elaborating in favor of more general assertions about her party’s popular mandate and the government’s dismal human rights record.
“The only thing they have is terror,” she said of Maduro’s government.
Machado waved away the suggestion that her movement wouldn’t be able to assert authority over security forces that remain loyal to Maduro and have long benefited from corruption under his government.
“There are not religious tensions within the Venezuelan society or racial or regional or political or social tensions,” she said.
But she also acknowledged “the difficulty of destroying a 27-year structure allied with the Russians and the Iranians.”
“We are facing challenging times ahead,” she said.
In apparent deference to Trump, she provided almost no details on Friday about what they discussed or even what she thought the U.S. should do in Venezuela, saying, “I think I don’t need to urge the president on specific things.”
Trump has said little about his administration’s plans for holding new elections in Venezuela and far more about its vision for reviving the nation’s crumbling oil infrastructure. He’s relying on a crippling oil blockade and threats of further military action to keep the interim government in line.
In a sign that the U.S. is exploring the restoration of relations with Venezuela, U.S. officials are considering reopening the U.S. Embassy in Caracas, which Trump closed during his first administration.
Machado traveled to Washington looking to rekindle the support for democracy in Venezuela that Trump showed during his first administration. She presented him with the prize she won last year, praising him for what she said was his commitment to Venezuela’s freedom. The Nobel Institute has been clear, however, that the prize cannot be shared or transferred.
Trump, who has actively campaigned to be awarded the prize, said Machado left the medal for him to keep. “And by the way, I think she’s a very fine woman,” he said. “And we’ll be talking again.”
That was of small comfort after Trump said it would be difficult for Machado to lead because she “doesn’t have the support within or the respect within the country.”
Machado crisscrossed Venezuela ahead of the 2024 presidential elections, rallying millions of voters looking to end 25 years of single party rule. When she was barred from the race, a previously unknown former diplomat, Edmundo Gonzalez, replaced her on the ballot. But election officials loyal to the ruling party declared Maduro the winner despite ample credible evidence to the contrary.
Machado, revered by millions in Venezuela, went into hiding but vowed to continue fighting until democracy was restored. She reemerged in December to pick up her Nobel Peace Prize in Norway, the first time in more than a decade that she had left Venezuela.
Venezuelan opposition leader MarÌa Corina Machado greets supporters on Pennsylvania Avenue near the White House after meeting with President Donald Trump Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
___ By JOSHUA GOODMAN and ISABEL DEBRE Associated Press
DeBre reported from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Darlene Superville in Washington and Meg Kinnard in Columbia, South Carolina, contributed.
CHONBURI — At 11:20 on 17 January 2026, Yodchanan Wongsawat, the Pheu Thai Party’s prime ministerial candidate, spoke about campaigning in Chonburi province and how the party aims to win more seats than in the previous election.
Yodchanan said policy was key, citing plans addressing pollution buffers, the marine environment, fisheries and so-called grey capital. He said party candidates had prepared thoroughly and maintained a continuous presence on the ground. He added he was pleased many voters had responded positively and were able to discuss the party’s policies.
Asked whether he was concerned about fierce competition in Chonburi and the fact that influential local political families were no longer aligned with Pheu Thai, Yodchanan said the party’s candidates had been working consistently in their constituencies. He said the era of relying on powerful local families was over, stressing that what mattered most was who could win the hearts of the people.
“The answer is those who work continuously and have experience,” he said. Tourism would also be a key issue in this election, he added, noting that attracting visitors must go hand in hand with restoring the sea and ensuring clean air. He said the party had communicated this clearly and set an ambitious target of winning all seats, adding that in Chonburi it was aiming for 10 constituencies.
Asked about claims of a secret deal among three major political parties, including Pheu Thai, Yodchanan dismissed the suggestion. He said the most important thing was for the public to remain vigilant, stressing that elections must reflect the will of the people and that no deal could succeed without voters’ support.
Pressed on speculation that visible political conflicts were merely staged as a front for future benefits, Yodchanan said Pheu Thai had no such conflicts. He said the party’s focus remained on developing strong policies, listening to public opinion on the ground and clearly communicating its work to voters.
