Dashcam footage from the Thai pickup truck driver's vehicle moments before striking the German couple's motorcycle on the evening of October 18 on Petchkasem Road in Takua Pa District, Phang Nga Province.
PHANG NGA — What was meant to be a dream vacation in Thailand ended in heartbreak for an elderly German couple when a high-speed collision on Saturday claimed the wife’s life and left her husband fighting for survival.
The tragedy unfolded at 5:20 p.m. on October 18 on Petchkasem Road near the U-turn point in front of Khuekkhak Subdistrict Health Station in Takua Pa District, transforming an afternoon motorcycle ride into an unimaginable nightmare for the couple.
Deputy Investigation Inspector Pol. Sub Lt. Rungrot Jitarak of Khao Lak Police Station said on October 19 that authorities are gathering evidence following the devastating crash that took the life of Mrs. Petra, 63, and critically injured her husband, Mr. Martin, also 63.
According to the investigation, Mr. Somkid, 56, was driving a white Isuzu pickup truck registered in Phang Nga Province in the right lane at speeds exceeding 100 kilometers per hour. While alcohol tests came back negative, dashcam footage from his vehicle captured the horrific moment of impact as Mr. Martin attempted to change lanes to the right.
The force of the collision threw Mrs. Petra from the motorcycle. Despite emergency response efforts, she succumbed to her injuries. Her husband remains hospitalized with serious injuries as he faces not only physical recovery but the devastating loss of his life partner.
Police have contacted the German Embassy to provide consular assistance to Mr. Martin during this difficult time.
Police officers work by a basket lift used by thieves Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025 at the Louvre museum in Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
PARIS (AP) — In a minutes-long strike Sunday inside the world’s most-visited museum, thieves rode a basket lift to the Louvre, forced a window into the Galerie d’Apollon — while tourists pressed shoulder-to-shoulder in the corridors — smashed display cases and fled with priceless Napoleonic jewels, officials said.
It was among the highest-profile museum thefts in recent memory and comes as Louvre employees have complained of worker and security understaffing.
One object was later found outside the museum, according to Culture Minister Rachida Dati. French daily Le Parisien reported it was the emerald-studded crown of Napoleon III’s wife Empress Eugénie — gold, diamonds and sculpted eagles — recovered just beyond the walls, broken.
The theft unfolded just 250 meters (270 yards) from the Mona Lisa, in what Dati described as “a four-minute operation.” No one was hurt.
Images from the scene showed confused tourists being steered out of the glass pyramid and adjoining courtyards as officers closed nearby streets along the Seine.
Also visible was a lift braced to the Seine-facing facade near a construction zone — an extraordinary vulnerability at a palace-museum.
FILE – A person photographs Leonardo da Vinci’s painting Mona Lisa at the Louvre museum, Aug. 31, 2025, in Paris. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, file)
A museum already under strain
Around 9:30 a.m., several intruders forced a window, cut panes with a disc cutter and went straight for the vitrines, officials said. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said the crew entered from outside using a basket lift.
The choice of target compounded the shock. The vaulted Galerie d’Apollon in the Denon wing, capped by a ceiling painted for Louis XIV, displays a selection of the French Crown Jewels. The thieves are believed to have approached via the riverfront facade, where construction is underway, used a freight elevator to reach the hall, took nine pieces from a 23-item collection linked to Napoleon and the Empress, and made off on motorbikes, according to Le Parisien.
Daylight robberies during public hours are rare. Pulling one off inside the Louvre — with visitors present — ranks among Europe’s most audacious since Dresden’s Green Vault museum in 2019, and the most serious in France in more than a decade.
It also collides with a deeper tension the Louvre has struggled to resolve: swelling crowds and stretched staff. The museum delayed opening during a June staff walkout over overcrowding and chronic understaffing. Unions say mass tourism leaves too few eyes on too many rooms and creates pressure points where construction zones, freight routes and visitor flows meet.
Security around marquee works remains tight — the Mona Lisa is behind bulletproof glass in a bespoke, climate-controlled case.
FILE – People check jewelry in the Apollo Gallery of the Louvre museum on Sept. 4, 2025 in Paris. (AP Photo/Alexander Turnbull)
It’s unclear whether staffing levels played any role in Sunday’s breach.
The Louvre has a long history of thefts and attempted robberies. The most famous came in 1911, when the Mona Lisa vanished from its frame, stolen by Vincenzo Peruggia and recovered two years later in Florence.
Today the former royal palace holds a roll call of civilization: Leonardo’s Mona Lisa; the armless serenity of the Venus de Milo; the Winged Victory of Samothrace, wind-lashed on the Daru staircase; the Code of Hammurabi’s carved laws; Delacroix’s Liberty Leading the People; Géricault’s The Raft of the Medusa. More than 33,000 works — from Mesopotamia, Egypt and the classical world to Europe’s masters — draw a daily tide of up to 30,000 visitors even as investigators now begin to sweep those gilded corridors for clues.
Politics at the door
The heist spilled instantly into politics. Far-right leader Jordan Bardella used it to attack President Emmanuel Macron, weakened at home and facing a fractured parliament.
“The Louvre is a global symbol of our culture,” Bardella wrote on X. “This robbery, which allowed thieves to steal jewels from the French Crown, is an unbearable humiliation for our country. How far will the decay of the state go?”
The criticism lands as Macron touts a decade-long “Louvre New Renaissance” plan — about €700 million to modernize infrastructure, ease crowding and give the Mona Lisa a dedicated gallery by 2031. For workers on the floor, the relief has felt slower than the pressure.
Police officers work by a basket lift used by thieves Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025 at the Louvre museum in Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
What we know — and don’t
Forensic teams are examining the site of the crime and adjoining access points while a full inventory is taken, authorities said. Officials have described the haul as of “inestimable” historical value.
Recovery may prove difficult. “It’s unlikely these jewels will ever be seen again,” said Tobias Kormind, managing director of 77 Diamonds. “Professional crews often break down and re-cut large, recognizable stones to evade detection, effectively erasing their provenance.”
The Louvre closed for the rest of Sunday as police sealed gates, cleared courtyards and shut nearby streets along the Seine.
Key questions still unanswered are how many people took part in the theft and whether they had inside assistance, authorities said. According to French media, there were four perpetrators: two dressed as construction workers in yellow safety vests on the lift, and two each on a scooter.
Investigators are reviewing CCTV from the Denon wing and the riverfront, inspecting the basket lift used to reach the gallery and interviewing staff who were on site when the museum opened, authorities said.
A drone view of a compound, where South Korea's Vice Foreign Minister Kim Jina visited after meeting with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet to discuss issues regarding job scams that resulted in the death of a South Korean university student, in Takeo province, Cambodia, October 16, 2025. REUTERS/Roun Ry
“ Online scam operations have proliferated in Cambodia since the COVID-19 pandemic, when the global shutdown saw many Chinese-owned casinos and hotels in the country pivot to illicit operations.
“Operating from industrial-scale scam centres, tens of thousands of workers perpetrate online romance scams known as “pig-butchering”, often targeting people in the West in a vastly lucrative industry responsible for the theft of tens of billions of dollars each year.”
From Al Jazeera, 18 October, 2025
“Abducted, trapped, forced to scam: inside Cambodia’s largest crime hub in Sihanoukville
The compounds, which often run their own canteens, are surrounded by armed guards and high concrete walls topped with barbed wire
“Rows of grey buildings with thick iron bars line the streets of Sihanoukville, about 250km (155 miles) southwest of Phnom Penh. Near the city’s Chinatown stands Cambodia’s largest so-called yuanqu – a slang term in Chinese criminal circles meaning “scam compound”, derived from yuanqu, or industrial estate.”
From The Korea Times via the South China Morning Post, 17 October 2025
By now, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see the obvious; it takes Cambodians with honesty to admit that the cruel and illegal scam operations in Cambodia are on an industrial scale, have gone out of control, and have gone too far.
In the end, it took the death by torture of a 22-year-old South Korean male student to wake up the South Korean public to demand an end to these transnational crimes which involve not only scamming but torture, human trafficking, organ harvesting and killings. And the Korean Government finally acted earlier this week, sending its Vice Foreign Minister to Phnom Penh, who met with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet.
Suddenly, and with lightning speed, 64 Korean nationals arrested by the Cambodian authorities were deported back to Korea. As Korean Second Vice Minister Kim Ji-na visited the country, most scammers had fled in the nick of time.
As I type these words, the Cambodian Police insists that only 118 South Koreans are still unaccounted for in Cambodia, and not 330, as reported by The Korea Times. The figure 118 is indeed still a very large and disturbing number.
The most disturbing question remains: How could the Cambodian authorities for all these years allow these reportedly Chinese-led criminals to operate a vast network of scam centres when the size and feature of the centres, which resemble a concentration camp or a high-security prison, are not hiding deep in the tropical jungles and can be seen and easily spotted?
It’s undeniable that the Cambodian Government must be aware of their existence to some degree, as the scammer complexes are numerous and as large as actual prisons. The questions are: To what high level in the Cambodian government leadership is complicity involved? Why does the Chinese Government not seem serious, or even unusually quiet, about cracking down, even though the ringleaders are Chinese?
After all, Mr Chen Zhi, the Chinese-born tycoon, a former advisor to Cambodian leader Hun Sen, and alleged leader of a major cyber-crimes empire, the Prince Group, based in Cambodia, was born a Chinese, and the US and the UK have just seized 15 billion dollars worth of Bitcoin and London assets.
“The US justice department alleged people had been forcibly detained in the scam compounds connected to the group and made to engage in a range of fraudulent schemes that stole billions of dollars from victims in the US and globally,” wrote a report in The Guardian two days ago.
To what extent is Thailand involved? And how long will the Cambodian government be in denial and will the people tolerate living like this?
I feel sympathetic to ordinary Cambodian citizens who feel that their country’s good name has been severely tarnished by these scammers. All evidence points to a very high-level complicity in the Cambodian Government, however.
Given the low level of press freedom (and I am citing a report from the Paris-based Reporters Without Borders, or RSF) and limited political freedom there, I am not surprised that some educated young Cambodians took to social media to express their frustrations among friends.
“Cyberscam, if an adult can say sorry, I’m wrong and resolve to solve it from now on, surely it is the only positive thing we can do, rather than keep pushing the boat along the water and keep throwing devils at each other by ignoring the problem,” wrote one Cambodian on social media in English this week. “It’s not serious to say sorry, accept the mistake and start to solve it rather than continue being arrogant and not admitting being wrong; it will cause disaster in the end and be difficult to water down, as the Khmer saying goes: “prevention is better than cure”.”
The future of Cambodia will have to be decided by Cambodians, particularly young Cambodians, and we can only wish them well.
As for Thailand, it is undeniable that some influential figures in Thailand, possibly including politicians and military officers, may be involved or benefit from the scam centres, some of which are located not far from the Thai-Cambodian border. Thais should demand more from their government to solve the Thai-part of the crime network instead of expecting South Korea to help identify the culprits.
This morning, the Embassy of South Korea in Bangkok just issued a statement regarding another fake news story spread by a Thai press outlet, this time by Thansettakij.
”The Thansettakij article dated October 19 reported that “the Korean Prime Minister stated that seven Thai politicians are involved in a Cambodian scam case.” The Government of the Republic of Korea clarifies that this report is not factual. The Embassy of the Republic of Korea will take necessary measures against this fake news.”
To expect the South Korean government to name Thai politicians allegedly involved is not just forlorn but foolish – even if they know the names.
To this day, Korea hasn’t even dared to say which Cambodian politicians are linked, and probably never will. Korea will probably find other ways to pressure and punish Cambodia.
As for the Thai people, please use your judgment and stop sharing baseless, fake news just because you want it to be true. It’s embarrassing. No wonder many people are still victims of scammers. If something is too good to be true, it probably isn’t. Furthermore, the Korean media hasn’t even reported this story; it’s the Thai media that is imagining things.
Let’s help raise the level of media literacy and information awareness.
Illegally cleared land on Koh Phangan prepared for construction, as documented by authorities investigating environmental destruction in the Fourth Army Region.
SURAT THANI — Authorities have discovered multiple buildings constructed illegally within a national forest reserve on Koh Phangan, prompting the provincial governor to launch an investigation into foreign-owned nominee businesses accused of destroying the island’s natural resources.
A task force addressing illegal land encroachment and environmental destruction in the Fourth Army Region announced October 18 that inspections conducted in September revealed widespread environmental damage across the popular resort island. One development features a cluster of at least five buildings constructed inside the national forest reserve, violating the National Forest Reserve Act of 1964, according to aerial photography and GPS mapping.
Natural forested hillside on Koh Phangan illegally constructed for development, according to military task force investigating land encroachment.
Cleared Land Signals More Construction Ahead
Adjacent forested hillsides have been cleared and graded for vehicle access, with groundwater wells drilled and rocks strategically placed to prevent landslides—clear indicators of planned construction. Preliminary inspections found no evidence the land had been previously developed or used.
Authorities are now compiling evidence and cross-referencing map data before submitting their findings to Surat Thani Governor Theerut Supaviboonyaphon for legal action.
Locals Fear Foreign Dominance Through Nominee Schemes
The investigation coincides with mounting local concern that foreigners are gaining control of Koh Phangan through nominee arrangements—using Thai proxies to circumvent laws restricting foreign ownership of hotels, restaurants, and real estate. Residents worry these practices are squeezing out local businesses and eroding the island’s cultural identity while depleting natural resources.
Coastal hillside on Koh Phangan cleared for construction in violation of protected forest laws, according to Fourth Army Region task force inspection.
Governor Theerut has ordered specialized task forces and relevant agencies to accelerate investigations into violations by foreign nationals and business groups, with particular focus on nominee operations, to safeguard natural resources and protect the local community’s livelihood.
Tourism Boom Brings Environmental Devastation
While Koh Phangan draws millions of tourists annually, the rapid expansion of accommodations and commercial ventures has triggered severe environmental degradation. Luxury buildings and villas have mushroomed across elevated terrain and forested hillsides, particularly in areas encroaching on forest reserves and national park boundaries.
Screenshot from the “Save Koh Phangan” page posted October 6, 2025, depicting what the page described as an all-Israeli party to release stress from the war back home that allegedly caused damage requiring the property owner to renovate the premises.
Complaints allege foreign groups are systematically using Thai nominees to purchase prime beachfront and hillside properties, then clearing vegetation and erecting illegal structures—damaging ecosystems, degrading coral reefs, and overwhelming the island’s waste management and wastewater treatment capacity.
The crackdown represents broader efforts to combat illegal development and nominee schemes threatening Thailand’s protected natural areas and coastal communities.
Narcotics Control Board officers arrest foreign suspects facing drug possession charges. They will be handed over to immigration police for deportation, Oct. 18, 2025.
BANGKOK — More than 100 officers from the Narcotics Control Board, police, and military raided an illegal nightclub in Bangkok’s Ratchathewi District early Saturday morning, arresting a Nigerian national for cocaine trafficking and detaining 22 patrons who tested positive for drugs.
The 5 a.m. raid on October 18 at a venue on Ratchaprarop Soi 14 found over 100 Thai and foreign patrons inside the establishment, which had been operating until 7 a.m. daily in violation of licensing laws.
Tip-Off Led to Major Bust
The raid followed complaints to the Narcotics Control Board’s hotline (1386) about the venue, a converted former curtain hotel that had been renovated with DJ equipment and was attracting both Thai and foreign tourists for drug use.
Officers shut down all activities and conducted drug tests on 127 clubgoers while searching for illegal substances. Twenty-two people tested positive for drugs—11 foreigners and 11 Thais. Thai suspects were transferred to Din Daeng Police Station before being sent to Din Daeng Public Health Service Center for rehabilitation, while foreign suspects face drug possession charges at Din Daeng station before being handed over to immigration police for deportation.
Over 100 officers led by the Narcotics Control Board raid a nightclub on Ratchaprarop Soi 14 in Bangkok, conducting drug tests and searching for illegal substances, October 18, 2025.Over 100 officers led by the Narcotics Control Board raided a nightclub on Ratchaprarop Soi 14 in Bangkok to test patrons for drugs and search for illegal substances, Oct. 18, 2025.
Cocaine, Ice, and Laughing Gas Seized
Authorities arrested two staff members and seized approximately 2 grams of crystal methamphetamine in two bags and one package of cocaine. The suspects face charges of jointly possessing Category 1 and 2 narcotics for commercial purposes. A black Suzuki Swift was also confiscated as evidence.
Searches uncovered additional cocaine, methamphetamine, ketamine in plastic bags, and multiple canisters of nitrous oxide (laughing gas).
Nigerian Dealer Targeted Club Patrons
Police Colonel Suriya Singhakamol, Secretary-General of the Narcotics Control Board, said investigators had been tracking a Nigerian man who was smuggling cocaine into the venue and selling it to customers. The establishment had been operating for over a year and was also illegally selling e-cigarettes, cannabis, and nitrous oxide while operating beyond legal hours.
Authorities are continuing their investigation and pursuing additional charges in the case. The crackdown is part of ongoing efforts to suppress drug trafficking networks targeting Bangkok’s nightlife districts.
Immigration Police question two Israeli nationals at Hotel Arcana on Koh Phangan during a raid on October 17, 2025.
KOH PHANGAN — Police have arrested three Israeli nationals and five Thai and Myanmar workers in a continuing crackdown on illegally operated nominee businesses on the resort island of Koh Phangan, where foreign investors use Thai proxies to skirt ownership laws.
The joint operation by Surat Thani Immigration Police, Provincial Police, Tourist Police, and local officials targeted two hotels operating without proper licenses and employing illegal migrant workers. A total of eight people were detained: two Israelis, four Myanmar nationals, and two Thais. Authorities continue to pursue a third Israeli suspect.
First Raid: Hotel Operating Without License
At Hotel Arcana in Moo 8, Koh Phangan sub-district, authorities charged Mr. Guy, an Israeli national, and Mr. Suwichanon, a Thai national—both company directors—with operating a hotel without authorization.
Police also arrested Mr. Sean Gal, an Israeli national serving as hotel manager, for working beyond the scope of his visa permissions. Two Myanmar workers were detained for illegal employment.
Second Location: Café Uses Restricted Labor
At Blessings Home and Cafe in Thong Sala village, officers discovered two Myanmar workers employed in positions prohibited for foreign laborers: serving coffee and handling cash at the bar.
Mr. Panupong, a Thai national registered as the employer, was charged with allowing foreigners to work beyond their legal scope. However, investigation revealed that Ms. Yara, an Israeli national listed as a company director, was the actual owner. She is the third Israeli suspect being pursued by authorities and will face charges of operating a hotel without authorization, while the Myanmar workers were charged with working beyond their legal permissions.
Immigration Police raid Hotel Arcana, Koh Phangan, on October 18, 2025.
Nationwide Campaign Against Nominee Schemes
Police Lieutenant General Phanumat Bunlaksana, Commissioner of the Immigration Bureau, emphasized that the operation aligns with policies to suppress transnational criminals and groups using Thailand as a base for illegal activities, including nominee business schemes that damage the economy and Thailand’s tourism image.
Authorities have opened a 24-hour hotline at 1178 for citizens to report suspected illegal activities by foreigners.
The crackdown on Koh Phangan reflects growing enforcement against foreign-owned businesses that circumvent Thai law by registering companies under Thai nominees while maintaining actual control of operations.
A selection of British national newspapers showing the front pages and their reaction to Prince Andrew announcing that he will relinquish his Duke of York title and the Order of the Garter, amid ongoing problems in his personal life, in London, Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
LONDON (AP) — Prince Andrew said Friday he is giving up his royal title of the Duke of York and other honors after his friendship with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein returned to the headlines.
Andrew, younger brother of King Charles III, said in a statement released by Buckingham Palace that “the continued accusations about me distract from the work of His Majesty and the royal family.”
“With His Majesty’s agreement, we feel I must now go a step further. I will therefore no longer use my title or the honours which have been conferred upon me,” Andrew said in his statement Friday. “As I have said previously, I vigorously deny the accusations against me.”
Epstein-related allegations
It’s the latest fall from grace for the 65-year-old prince, who had already stepped down from public life in 2019 over his links to Epstein despite his denials of any wrongdoing.
News that he will be ditching his title came in the wake of the release of excerpts of an upcoming posthumous memoir from Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who has alleged she was trafficked by Epstein and had sex with Andrew when she was 17. The memoir is due to be published on Tuesday.
Giuffre died by suicide in April at the age of 41. In the memoir, she details alleged encounters with Prince Andrew, who she sued in 2021. Andrew denied her claims and said he didn’t recall having met her.
FILE – Virginia Giuffre, center, holds a news conference outside a Manhattan court in New York, Aug. 27, 2019. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews, File)
Interview misstep
Andrew, once second in line to the British throne, has long been a source of tabloid fodder because of his links to Epstein, other questionable characters and money woes.
His attempt to refute Giuffre’s allegations backfired during a November 2019 BBC interview. Viewers saw a prince who proffered curious rebuttals — such as disputing Giuffre’s recollection of sweaty dancing by saying he was medically incapable of perspiring — and showed no empathy for the women who said Epstein abused them.
Within days of the interview, Andrew stepped down from his royal duties. Giuffre sued him and the case was settled in 2022 for an undisclosed sum. A statement filed in court said that the prince acknowledged Epstein was a sex trafficker and Giuffre was “an established victim of abuse.”
Family repercussions
As well as no longer using the title of the Duke of York, a long-established title that was gifted to him by his mother Queen Elizabeth II at his wedding to Sarah Ferguson in 1986, Andrew will also give up other titles: Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order and Royal Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter. He will remain a prince, which he has been entitled to since birth.
Andrew’s ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson will also no longer use the title of Duchess of York. Their children, Beatrice and Eugenie, will remain princesses.
FILE – Britain’s Prince Andrew and Princess Eugenie arrive ahead of the coronation of King Charles III and Camilla, the Queen Consort, in London, May 6, 2023. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File)
Andrew’s chaotic marriage to Ferguson, widely known as Fergie, lasted a decade though the two remain close, living together at a 30-room mansion near Windsor Castle.
Ferguson, herself, has also been embroiled in Epstein-related allegations. Last month, a number of charities severed ties with her after British newspapers published an email that she reportedly wrote to Epstein, describing him as a “supreme friend.’’
Once the golden boy
Andrew had been the poster boy of the royal family for many years, and his romantic links to a number of models and starlets during his youth were widely chronicled in the British press.
His star status within the royal family was at its peak after he flew in multiple missions as a helicopter pilot in the Royal Navy during the 1982 Falklands War when British forces sailed to the south Atlantic to eject the Argentine military that had invaded the U.K. overseas territories.
Questions over financing
Andrew has long been criticized for his opulent, globe-trotting lifestyle.
When he stopped being a working royal, Andrew lost his primary source of income. Questions have been raised since how he has funded his lifestyle, including the running of his Royal Lodge home.
FILE – Britain’s Prince Andrew looks on during an event at the residence of the British Ambassador in New Delhi, India, March 10, 2010. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup, File)
Earlier this year, court documents showed that his damaged reputation and need for money led him to become entangled with a suspected Chinese spy, businessman Tengbo Yang, who was barred from the U.K. in 2023.
Dominic Hampshire, a former senior aide to Andrew, told a special immigration appeals commission how he had arranged meetings between the prince and Yang in an effort to drum up some cash.
While Andrew has said he never discussed anything sensitive with the suspected spy and that he ceased contact with him as soon as concerns were raised, he retreated from view after the news emerged last December.
Front-page fodder for wrong reasons
The prince has been the subject of tabloid stories stretching back to at least 2007, when he sold his house near Windsor Castle for 20% over the 15 million pound asking price. The buyer was reported to be Timur Kulibayev, son-in-law of Nursultan Nazarbayev, then-president of Kazakhstan, raising concerns that the deal was an attempt to buy influence in Britain.
Last year, a court case revealed Andrew’s relationship with a businessman and suspected Chinese spy who was barred from the United Kingdom as a threat to national security. Authorities were concerned that the man could have misused his influence over Andrew, according to court documents.
FILE – Prince Andrew looks round as he leaves after attending the Easter Matins Service at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, England, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, File)
While the palace said Andrew had decided to give up his royal titles, royal historian Sally Bedell Smith said the king, Prince William and the entire family exerted enormous pressure on him.
“I think he was absolutely forced into this,″ said Smith, author of “Prince Charles: The Passions and Paradoxes of an Improbable Life.”
“He’s had many opportunities to fall on his sword, and he hasn’t. So I think he was given a pretty stark choice: Either do this voluntarily or we’re going to have to do this the hard way.″
Insulating the monarchy at a delicate time
While the cumulative weight of Andrew’s scandals demanded a response from the royal family, this week’s revelations came at a particularly sensitive moment for the king as he prepares for a state visit to the Vatican, where he is expected to pray beside Pope Leo XIV.
The visit is very important to Charles, who has made the bridging of faiths an important part of his “mantra,” said George Gross, an expert on theology and the monarchy at King’s College, London.
FILE – From left, Britain’s Prince Andrew, Prince William, Prince Charles, Kate Duchess of Cambridge, Camilla Duchess of Cornwall and Prince Harry arrive to attend a Christmas Service at St Mary’s church on the grounds of Sandringham Estate, the Queen’s Norfolk retreat, England, Dec. 25, 2011. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis, File)
“I think this was the speediest, really the quickest way of lowering his status even more without having to go to Parliament,” Gross said. “Even if Parliament would have approved, it takes time.’’
Charles may also have been motivated by a desire to protect the work of Queen Camilla, who has made combating domestic violence one of her signature issues, and the Duchess of Edinburgh, who has sought to combat sexual violence in war zones such as Congo.
The king will hope that this move finally draws a line between Andrew and the rest of the royal family, Prescott said.
“If there are allegations, or further stuff comes out, it will all be on Prince Andrew,” he said. “They’ve severed the connection between Prince Andrew and the monarchy as an institution.”
South Koreans, wearing caps, allegedly involved in online scams in Cambodia arrive at the Incheon International Airport, in Incheon, Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. (Yonhap via AP)
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Dozens of South Koreans allegedly involved in online scams in Cambodia arrived in South Korea on a chartered flight Saturday to face criminal investigations.
The repatriation follows the death of a South Korean student who was reportedly forced to work in a scam center in Cambodia. His death triggered public outrage in South Korea, prompting the government to send a delegation to the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh, for talks on joint responses.
Cambodian Interior Ministry spokesperson Touch Sokhak said earlier that 64 South Koreans were to be repatriated from Cambodia late Friday. After their chartered plane landed at South Korea’s Incheon International Airport on Saturday morning, the returnees were seen in handcuffs, each escorted by police officers on both sides, as they were led to a parking area where security vehicles were waiting to transport them.
A Korean Air plane is seen at the VIP section for chartered planes at Techo International Airport in Kandal province, Cambodia, Friday, Oct. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)
Most of the repatriated South Koreans were detained in Cambodia during crackdowns on scam centers and will face police investigations at home, Seoul’s national security director Wi Sung-lac said. Authorities are likely seeking to determine whether they had willingly joined the organizations or were forced to work after being lured by false job ads.
Scam centers in Cambodia are estimated to have about 200,000 workers, including 1,000 South Koreans, according to South Korean officials.
Online scams have risen sharply since the COVID-19 pandemic and produced two sets of victims — those forced to work as scammers under the threat of violence, and the targets of their fraud via bogus investment pitches, illegal gambling schemes and even romantic ploys. Monitoring groups say online scams earn international criminal gangs billions of dollars annually.
South Koreans, wearing caps, allegedly involved in online scams in Cambodia arrive at the Incheon International Airport, in Incheon, Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. (Yonhap via AP)
A South Korean travel ban came into effect Thursday for parts of Cambodia, including Bokor Mountain in Kampot province, where the South Korean student was found dead. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet has requested the restrictions are eased, Seoul’s Foreign Ministry said.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Friday ordered authorities to take urgent action to try to remove illegal advertisements for jobs not only in Cambodia but also across Southeast Asia.
Online scam centers were previously concentrated in Southeast Asian countries including Cambodia and Myanmar, with most of the trafficked and other workers coming from Asia. But an Interpol report in June said the past three years have seen victims trafficked to Southeast Asia from distant regions including South America, Western Europe and Eastern Africa and that new centers have been reported in the Middle East, West Africa and Central America.
Police from Patong, Phuket, take custody of the Pakistani suspect at Suvarnabhumi Airport following his arrest for assaulting a transgender woman, Oct. 17, 2025.
PHUKET — A Pakistani tourist accused of assaulting a transgender woman and stealing cash in Phuket’s Patong area was arrested Friday at Suvarnabhumi Airport before he could flee the country.
The case began when Chalemchai, a 25-year-old transgender woman, filed a police report alleging she met a South Asian tourist on Bangla Road in Patong, Kathu District, Phuket on October 13. The two agreed to go to her hotel room in nearby Soi Saen Sabai.
According to Chalemchai’s statement, the foreign man initially paid her 1,000 baht for her services. However, when preparing to leave, he demanded his money back, sparking an argument that escalated into a physical altercation. She claims he assaulted her and fled with 10,000 baht of her money.
A 25-year-old transgender woman points to the hotel room where the alleged assault occurred after she filed a complaint against a Pakistani tourist, Oct. 13, 2025.
Following an investigation, police identified the suspect and obtained an arrest warrant from the court on October 17 for Mr. Muhammad, 23, a Pakistani national.
Patong police apprehended him at the departure area on the fourth floor of Suvarnabhumi Airport as he attempted to leave Thailand. He was transferred back to Patong to face charges of robbery causing physical or mental harm and assault causing bodily or mental injury.
Lt.Gen.Pongchart Kampalanuwong, Director of the Army Sports Development Center - Miss Krongkwan Lertjaruanun, Chief Executive Officer of LUMMAX company
The Royal Thai Army Sports Center, Lumpinee Boxing Stadium, joins forces with LUMMAX to rebrand “Lumpinee Boxing Stadium”
“A major transformation into Asia’s sports and entertainment hub”
The Royal Thai Army Sports Center, Lumpinee Boxing Stadium, has signed a cooperation agreement with LUMMAX Co., Ltd. to jointly upgrade the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium to be modern and meet international standards.
The historical agreement was signed by Lt.Gen.Pongchart Kampalanuwong, Director of the Army Sports Development Center, Lumpinee Boxing Stadium who has determined to center it as the global boxing hub and entertainment venue, under ambitiousness for building up the future of Muay Thai at a level of global stage in a sustainable pathway.
Lt.Gen.Pongchart Kampalanuwong, Director of the Army Sports Development Center, Lumpinee Boxing Stadium, who has led the project, said that the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium modification has not been only involved with basic infrastructure development, but also aggressively maintained persistence to inherit Muay Thai culture. This would be parallel with the country’s potential for promoting Thai martial arts- Muay Thai, entertainment and tourism under its national strategy for the economic and social sustainable development.
The project has received great support from both local and international partners in various fields that helps it offer a chance to other boxing promoters and organizers for joining the scheme as well. This will be a kind of new model for promoting the boxing stadium to a heart of activity that is led to benefit to aspects of economic, social and cultural development, he added.
Under the cooperation, it has sent a clear message to elevate the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium as a full hub of global sports and entertainment, which would welcome other entertainment activity such as concert, boxing show and competition, e-sport, exhibition, Thai culture promotion and other events. It is a significant movement for building up ecosystem that links tourism, sport and importantly creative economy together. The income will be turned into the army staff’s welfare for their well living system.
Miss Krongkwan Lertjaruanun, Chief Executive Officer of LUMMAX company, said that the company would exercise its expertise of advanced audio and light technology and live broadcasting innovation to raise up viewers’ experience, together with creating commercial advertisement and space to lure more business opportunities. It is also incharge of ticket distribution system, which has included both online and offline service to welcome both local and oversea demand. The basic infrastructure facility to serve various kinds of activity will be developed, paving a way for the country’s global destination of sport and entertainment venue.
