(27 May) Around 05.30 today Pratunam Chulalongkorn police station in Pathum Thani province received reports of a robbery at a grocery store in Soi Rangsit.

Ms. Lumyai Srimongkolpatum,
64, was left with a bruise after the robber tried to cut into her arm with a knife. She said that
she was opening up the shop as usual and a teenage boy came in to buy some cigarettes. She said the
man then told her to hand over all her cash, but she refused to do so, and the robber hit her arm
with a knife stroke.

He was charged with attempted robbery and assault and will be
prosecuted.

(28 May) Minister of Tourism plans to review the law to improve tourists' safety in Pattaya after a Banana Boat accident killed a Phitsanulok native there recently.

On 25 May, Mr. Pitak Adon, 36, a chauffeur for Japanese managers in the industrial estate, was hit by a Banana Boat tugboat “Suwandeechokechai 36” and sliced to death by the boat′s propellers near Jomtien beach, a short distance from Pattaya.

Mr.Atichai Boonjit, 22, the boat driver, was prosecuted on charges of negligent acts, causing the death of others.

Commenting on the incident, Mr.Somsak Purisrisak, Minister of Tourism and Sport, said he is very upset because similar incidents took place several times already, but nothing ever got improved.

There had been meetings on this subject after every accident, he said, and a workshop session has been held to prepare the staff and officers for problem solving and long term prevention. Yet, fatal incidents keep reoccuring.

I am very upset by the recurrence of tourist accidents which involved both Thai and foreign victims, Mr. Somsak told our correspondent, adding that Thailand needs to regain the trust of tourists in order to achieve the goal of 25 million tourists per year, which will create a 2 trillion baht income for the country.

Mr. Somsak stated that this must be declared as a national agenda, so that the responsibility would not be pushed away again. He said the matter will be discussed between the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, the Justice Department, and prosecutors to push for law amendment since the current laws are already obsolete.

The amendment of laws, for example, law of the Marine Department, if left to the process of the government, would take forever. I call on the Council of State, Ministry of Transport, and the Attorney General to help determine what is holding us back and amend it as soon as possible, instead of putting the issue in a list with other issues, which has proven to be so slow. These laws need to be rewritten fast, for example, motorcycle rental laws, insurance laws, temporary driving license laws. This needs to be done within 2 years, the Minister said.

In recent developments, Mueang Pattaya Police said the Banana Boat accident fully has the commander’s attention. Mr. Atichai, the boat driver, claimed he did not see the man in the ocean and that the victim was already unconscious before the boat hit him. Police are still waiting autopsy results.

Mr. Ronkij Akesing, Deputy Mayor of Pattaya, informed police that the family of the deceased have asked for a 200,000 baht compensation, which will be negotiated with the boat owner. A meeting on the subject will take place at Mueang Pattaya police station soon.

(27 May) The celebration of Sixth Lunar Month at a temple in Nong Khai province turned tragic when the homemade rocket, a part of the folk tradition, malfunctioned and killed 2 people in the car it landed on.

The incident took place in Nongtua field. A green Toyota car, with license plate ′กค 2142 Nong Khai′, was set on fire 100 meters from Taat Temple where the rocket was launched. The fire killed Ms. Sangiem Sontirat, 41, in her front seat, while the driver, Mr. Anuwat Sontirat, 47, was severely burned and died later at the hospital.

Investigations revealed that the Taat Templeand the Nong Khai municipality were holding a Sixth Lunar Month Fireballs ceremony,where rocket competition was held, with up to 250 projectiles scheduled to be lit between 25 May – June 19. The batch were lit from 09.00, 3 at a time. 

The incident took place during the 5th set of rockets. Safety checks were done prior to the lighting of each rocket, officials said, but when one particular rocket made by Nong Plaifah Bringkan Team was lit,the ring directing the fireball’s aim fell off and it was set of parallel to the ground at the same moment as Mr.Anuwat and Ms.Sangiem’s car was just heading into the area. 

The projectile hit the front door on the passenger side of the car and broke into two. The nitrate broke out of the rocket spread all over the car. As a result, sparks flew, igniting the deathtrap. 

The event attendees tried to help the two victims. Mr.Anuwat was more than 50% burned and was sent to Nong Khai hospital where he later succumbed to his wounds, but Ms.Sangiem could not be retrieved from the car due to the car’s safety system and she was burned to death in just a few moments. 

Police have called in the event organisers along with the Mueang Nong Khai municipality for further questioning at Mueang Nong Khai police station on 27 May. The festival is also cancelled. 

The rocket launching tradition stems from local tale about a king of earth who made a pact with the king of the heavens. The earthly king would send the rocket toward the sky when his kingdom needs water for its crops, and upon receiving the signal the heavenly king would make it rain. 

However, these homemade rockets are notorious for their unsafe qualities and have killed people in the past years.

(26 May) The 2 Katoey who danced naked for a cover of the viral music video "Splash Out" (Feeling Tight In My Chest) have issued a public apology to transgender individuals in Thailand for giving them a bad reputation after the video became talk of the town and attracted attention from the police.

Previously, the 2 lady boys were dancing to the “Splash Out”, popularised by singer Baitoey RSiam, and the video was posted the video on the internet (it is not clear who uploaded the clip), causing quite a stir. While many praise their beauty, other lady boys have reprimanded the pair for creating a bad impression of lady boys in the country.

The ICT – the Thai internet policing agency – said they were trying to block the video. The police said the video clearly violates the law since it constitutes as pornography, and the force will seek out the pair for legal prosecution.

Eventually, the 2 lady boys apologised. The 48-second video clip was filmed on the same bed of the infamous video which landed them in the limelight, but this time they were dressed conservatively. They ′wai′ the viewers throughout the clip, repeating their apologies.

One of the lady boy, who did not identify herself, said they felt guilty of their actions, explaining that they were not very conscious of their behaviour at the time. She also apologised to other lady boys who may have been hurt by the clip.

The other lady boy, who identified herself as “Nong (little sister) Ice”, said they were being naïve. I know we deserve this reprimand, but please stop sharing the video because it is not a good thing to do, she said to the camera, stating that they took the video in private and did not want to become famous like this.

“Please let it end here. Thank you”, Nong Ice said.

The apology clip has led to debates in the online community. Some viewers were supportive and some remain judgmental.

On the same day, Pol.Maj.Gen. Pisit Paoin, head of Crime Suppression Division′s agency that tackled technology crimes, said that since the lady boys have uploaded an apology clip, the media should also urge them to come in to the police station as well so the police can investigate the situation quickly.

If they will not come willingly, there will be a warrant issued, he warned.

Nonetheless, he said their identities and the identity of the person who uploaded the clip onto the internet are still unclear. Pol.Maj.Gen. Pisit said there will need to be further investigations. The police have collaborated with the ICT to determine the identities and to prevent the video from spreading any further, he said.

(26 May) Surges of high waves struck the sea just outside the coats of Krabi province today, damaging many boats moored along the shores and marooning over 100 tourists on small island.

The storm hit Krabi around 12.30 pm with 3-4 meter tidal waves. The surges damaged around 50 long-tailed boats anchored around Nam Mao Bay which is a popular anchor spot for boats ferrying tourists to visit the famous Ton Sai Bay, Phi Phi Islands, and Aow Nang Bay.

Witnesses said the storm lasted about 5 minutes and in some parts the waves were as high as 4 meters, and the sea was at high tide at the time. The waves hit the boats and broke some of them, with some motors floating out into the sea. The people on the boats could be seen running for their lives.

Mr. Weera Chaipattalung, 43, driver of taxi boat in Phi Phi Island said before the incident, there was the usual heavy storm, but all of a sudden a 3 meter wave hit the shore and caused so much damage.

Meanwhile, Krabi Coast Guards received reports of 10 tourist boats to Hong Island in Bokoranee National Park being damaged by the storm as well, stranding more than 100 tourists at the island. Officers have dispatched Gulf Patrol boats to the island and rescued the tourists.

(26 May) A survey says the majority of Thais support PM Yingluck Shinawatra, but a sizable population also thinks her government may place the interest of the elite over the common people.

The survey, conducted by Assumption University (ABAC Poll), gathers opinions from 2,168 subjects in 17 provinces. All respondents are over 18 year old.

According to the survey, 43.8% thinks the government is facing increasing political risk and many respondents voice their concern about the conflict between the government and independent agencies, possibly referring to the standoff between the ruling Pheu Thai Party and the Constitutional Court in recent months.

Many government officials and Redshirts say the court is impartial and biased against Pheu Thai Party. The court judges denied the accusation.

Nonetheless, when asked about their support for Ms. Yingluck as the prime minister, 52.8% say they
support her. 20.4% expressed their opposition and 26.8% say they are apathetic toward Ms. Yingluck.

Asked about their olerance toward the low quality of the politicians, 72.5% say they will tolerate them until new election. Additionally, 54.7% of the respondents say many policies under Yingluck administration are favouring the interest of the elite more than benefits of the people, but 45.3% say they believe her policies are serving the people.

Mr. Noppadol Kannika, director of the ABAC Poll, said the survey reflected important need for communication in politics. He urged the government to instill trust among the people and express their ability to handle many risks.

Mr. Noppadol added that the government and the military should cooperate like during the Great Flood in 2011 in order to lessen the tension between the two camps.

(26 May) The Rock Mode Gang challenges Chiang Mai police yet again by posting of men and women dancing to parody song of Gangnam Style and Harlem Shake on the internet – just after they were fined for their naked bike ride across Chiang Mai.

The gang, called ?The Rock Mode?, have filmed their own naked version of Gumnum Style (which is a Thai parody of the South Korean Gangnam Style) and Harlem Shake, with their genitals flailing about, and uploaded the clip onto Youtube and Facebook.

One of the individuals in the clip is believed to be Mr. Jatpol Chanbuntawee, 24, who was just fined by the police on charges of indecent acts after a video clip of him riding a motorcycle around Chiang Mai naked surfaced online. The uploader, said to be an individual with nickname “Ai Bomb”, has reportedly fled the country.

This latest upload has been interpreted by the the police as the Rock Mode Gang taunting the authorities, and the videos’ intent were clear that they wanted to publish them onto the online world due to the arrest of Mr.Jetpol.

A senior police official in Chiang Mai said that patrol officers have been looking for the gang members in hotels, bungalows, and other places.

Police say they will find the harshest punishment allowed for these individuals for taunting the force. A large scale investigative officers meeting will be held on 27 May to determine the actions which will be taken on the gang members.

With the toughest punishment law available, they will learn to not disobey the law again, the senior police officer said.

(27 May) A taxi driver died in his car during Bangkok′s rush hour this morning.

Witnesses said they saw Mr. Pravit Ngarmsanit, 55, unconscious in his seat, with bubbles foaming at his mouth. The incident took place on Ratchapisek Road, near Criminal Court building. They soon alerted the police.

Rescue workers arrived and tried to resuscitate him, but failed. Mr. Pravit was declared dead at the scene. It is believed he also suffered seizure.

No other detail is immediately available from the police.