KALASIN — 29 July 2026, The grandmother of Thai travel YouTuber Hlun Solo says she still believes he is alive, despite reports on social media that he has died in Georgia.

The family has not received official confirmation from the Thai consulate or any other authorities, and says it cannot verify reports of Hlun’s death.

Speaking at the family home in Kalasin at 21:50, Som Plengsuk said her grandson, whose real name is Borwat Pengsuk, should return home if he hears the appeal.

“I still believe my grandson is alive,” she said. “I want everyone and the relevant agencies to help bring him home safely. His family is waiting to welcome him.”

She also rejected speculation that, if he had died, it could have been suicide.

“I do not believe that at all,” she said.

“He was cheerful, friendly and loved by people. He had no enemies or conflicts with anyone.”

Som said Hlun had been earning money to repair and build a home for her, adding that this made the suggestion especially difficult to believe. She appealed for divine protection and for him to return home safely.

Pornsawan Muangnikorn, Hlun’s aunt, said the family had not seen any evidence confirming that the person reportedly found dead was Hlun.

“There has been no photograph, no information about the condition of the body, no passport — nothing that can confirm it was him,” she said.

Hlun’s sister, Borlak Plengsuk, said the family had been contacted by pages and individuals following the case, some of whom told them he had died. However, she said no relevant authority had contacted the family or provided a definitive confirmation.

“At this point, we cannot confirm that my younger brother has died,”

she said. “We do not know what happened, how it happened or under what circumstances. No agency has officially confirmed anything to us.”

AYUTTHAYA — Police arrested two men accused of posing as Buddhist monks and soliciting donations after they were found living at a makeshift camp beside a rice field in Bang Pa-in district.

Pol. Col. Chanan Prempluemjit, chief of Phra In Racha Police Station, said officers were alerted by residents to a group of men dressed in monk-like robes near a rice-field embankment in Moo 8, Chiang Rak Noi subdistrict.

Investigators found a wooden shelter covered with yellow cloth at the site, which resembled a temporary camp. Police said it was the same location where officers had previously made arrests on 7 May.

Two men, 63 and 67 years old, both from Kaeng Khro district in Chaiyaphum province, were found at the camp.

Police seized two sets of monk’s robes, two alms bowls with shoulder straps and two monk’s bags.

The men were unable to produce monk identification documents. Checks of the Royal Thai Police database showed that both men’s national identification cards listed them as civilians and used the title “Mr”, rather than identifying them as ordained monks.

Officers also recognised the pair as suspects previously arrested at the same location. The men reportedly admitted they had returned about three days earlier and claimed they had dressed as monks to collect money because they were in debt and needed income to survive.

Police said the pair argued and attempted to negotiate with officers during the arrest.

Both men were taken to Phra In Racha Police Station and charged with unlawfully wearing clothing or using symbols intended to make others believe they were Buddhist monks.

They were handed over to investigators for further legal proceedings.

NAYPYIDAW — Myanmar’s military-backed parliament has approved a law allowing the death penalty for people who detain or violently force victims to work in online scam centres.

Union Parliament Speaker Aung Lin Dwe announced during a live television broadcast on Tuesday that lawmakers had passed the Anti-Online Scam Bill following a joint session of the upper and lower houses in Naypyidaw.

MP Aye Chan said the final version retained provisions allowing capital punishment for those who detain victims or use violence to force them to carry out online fraud. Lawmakers made few changes to the draft during discussions between the two chambers.

The draft published in May prescribed prison sentences ranging from 10 years to life, as well as the death penalty, for anyone who uses violence, torture, unlawful detention or cruel treatment to compel another person to commit online scams.

The death penalty must be imposed when such abuse results in a victim’s death, according to the legislation.

People convicted of operating online scam centres or carrying out cryptocurrency-related fraud may also face life imprisonment.

The legislation is the first passed by Myanmar’s new military-backed government, led by President Min Aung Hlaing, as the country faces the rapid expansion of scam compounds during its continuing civil war.

Myanmar has become a major base for Southeast Asia’s online fraud industry, including romance and cryptocurrency investment scams targeting victims around the world.

Although some workers enter the compounds voluntarily, many foreign nationals who have been repatriated say they were lured by fraudulent job offers or trafficked before being detained and forced to carry out scams.

The International Organization for Migration said trafficking into Asian scam centres is rising sharply, with victims from more than 80 countries subjected to threats, violence, sexual abuse and other forms of coercion.

Min Aung Hlaing has pledged to crack down on the industry amid mounting pressure from countries including China and the United States. However, rights groups and analysts have questioned the effectiveness of previous operations, with thousands of people reportedly still trapped in scam compounds near Myanmar’s border with Thailand.

China has also imposed severe punishments on criminal groups connected to Myanmar’s scam industry. In January, Chinese authorities executed 11 members of a crime syndicate linked to compounds in northern Myanmar after they were convicted of offences including fraud, unlawful detention and murder.