Thailand performs first cross-border robotic surgery

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21 April 2026, 19:36

Thailand has marked a medical milestone after successfully performing its first cross-border robotic-assisted surgery to treat a patient with gallstones, officials said on 21 April 2026.

The procedure, a tele-robotic assisted surgery, was carried out between Nopparat Rajathanee Hospital in Thailand and West China Hospital in Chengdu, China, covering a distance of more than 2,000 kilometres in real time.

Health Minister Pattana Promphat said the achievement reflects Thailand’s push to integrate advanced medical technology into healthcare services, aiming to reduce waiting times and expand access to specialist treatment. He said the success of robotic surgery systems also strengthens Thailand’s position in international medical innovation and lays the groundwork for future telesurgery development.

The operation involved a robotic-assisted gallbladder removal procedure performed on a patient in Bangkok, while a specialist surgeon at West China Hospital controlled the robotic system remotely through a high-speed communication network.

According to the Department of Medical Services, led by Dr. Nattapong Wongwiwat, the surgery was the result of close cooperation between Thai and Chinese medical teams. The procedure was supported by surgeons, anaesthesiologists and medical staff on-site in Bangkok, with contingency plans in place to ensure patient safety throughout the operation.

Officials said the breakthrough could help reduce healthcare inequality by enabling patients in remote areas to access world-class surgical expertise without travelling abroad, while also opening new opportunities for international medical collaboration.

Bangkok Airways, BDMS founder Prasert dies aged 93

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21 April 2026, 18:57

Thai doctor and business magnate Prasert Prasarttong-Osoth, founder of Bangkok Dusit Medical Services (BDMS) and owner of Bangkok Airways, has died at the age of 93.

He passed away on 21 April 2026 after being treated for an extended period. His funeral will be held at Sala Klang Nam, Wat Thepsirin in Bangkok.

Born on 22 March 1933, Prasert was the chairman of Bangkok Airways and a key figure in Bangkok Dusit Medical Services, one of Thailand’s largest private healthcare groups. He also previously held senior executive roles across the group, which became a major force in Thailand’s private medical sector.

Prasert graduated in medicine from Siriraj Hospital under Mahidol University after completing earlier studies at Assumption College and preparatory programs at Chulalongkorn University. He began his career in surgery at Siriraj Hospital before expanding into business sectors including construction and oil exploration consultancy.

He later built a diversified business empire spanning aviation, healthcare, and related industries. In 2026, Forbes ranked him as Thailand’s seventh-richest person and 1,108th globally, with an estimated net worth of around US$3.9 billion.

Ladyboy fined after wild Songkran video goes viral

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21 April 2026, 18:14

Police in Sattahip have tracked down and questioned a transgender woman seen in a viral video during Songkran celebrations in Bang Saray, Chon Buri.

The incident took place on 20 April 2026 along Bang Saray Beach Road during the “Wan Lai” water festival, where large crowds of Thai and foreign tourists gathered to celebrate Songkran. Police said some groups of young revellers, including women and transgender individuals, were seen wearing revealing outfits, dancing to loud music, and behaving inappropriately in public. One individual in a bikini-style outfit was later seen removing clothing during the event, with officers initially suspecting alcohol consumption as a factor.

Police at Sattahip Police Station later identified and summoned a 32-year-old transgender woman seen in the clip for questioning. She admitted to attending the festival, drinking alcohol, and behaving in a way she now said went too far, and apologised for the incident.

Authorities said she was fined under public indecency laws for committing an act deemed shameful in public by exposing or revealing the body or engaging in obscene behaviour.

EveryONE Thailand gospel event reaches 20 million people

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21 April 2026, 17:20

Pastor Manoonsak Kamolmatayakul, the Thai Co-Chair, has announced that the ‘EveryONE Thailand: Gospel for Everyone’, a collaborative effort between Empowered21, the Global Evangelist Alliance (GEA), and churches across Thailand, has reached a landmark moment of national celebration, following more than a year of widespread impact that has brought hope and transformation to communities throughout the country.

“We are tremendously pleased to have witnessed the success of this project across multiple dimensions. Evangelism events were held in more than 20 provinces, covering every region of the country. Over 100,000 people participated in activities, more than 50,000 accepted the faith, and thousands received physical and emotional healing. Our community-level ‘Small Gospel Trucks’ reached more than 500 communities nationwide. Most significantly, throughout the campaign, we reached over 20 million people, both within Thailand and in Thai communities abroad, through various channels, far surpassing our original target of 7 million by nearly threefold. This is a true reflection of the collective strength of collaboration across all sectors,” said Pastor Manoonsak.

Pastor Manoonsak Kamolmatayakul added: “Whilst the formal campaign has concluded, the mission continues. The proclamation of the ‘Gospel’, described as the water of life that heals, restores, and leads people towards the freedom of transformation, instilling faith, hope, and love through Jesus Christ, will press forward without pause. This is not a celebration marking the close of a project. It is ‘the beginning of the next chapter’, a continuing movement of mission and transformation without end.”

The celebratory event, entitled ‘Gospel for Everyone: The Next Chapter Celebration,’ was held on 18–19 April at BITEC in the Bang Na district. The occasion was filled with great joy and was honoured by the presence of Mr Chuan Leekpai, Thailand’s 20th Prime Minister (two terms) and former President of the National Assembly and the House of Representatives, who presided over the opening ceremony. The event also welcomed representatives from the Empowered21 and GEA steering committees, pastors, and delegates from international Christian network organisations, as well as several celebrated artists and public figures, including Preaw Kanitkul, Tah and Friends, Planetshakers, and W501, who shared their inspiration and bore witness to this historic milestone in Thailand’s largest-ever evangelism initiative.

Crane collapses, boom blocks road in Samut Sakhon

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21 April 2026, 17:01

Crane collapses, boom blocks road in Samut Sakhon

SAMUT SAKHON — 21 April 2026, A construction crane collapsed on Tuesday afternoon, sending its nearly 30-metre boom crashing across a parallel carriageway on Phutthamonthon Sai 4 Road, temporarily blocking traffic. No injuries were reported.

Police in Krathum Baen district said they were alerted at about 14:30 to the incident, which occurred about 500 metres from the Phutthasakhon intersection on Phetkasem Road, outside a Kubota D.N.M. company site in Om Noi subdistrict.

At the scene, the crane’s boom was found lying across the frontage road, forcing authorities to close the lane while crews worked to remove the obstruction. The operation was expected to take more than two hours before traffic could resume.

The end of the boom also struck the edge of a U-turn bridge, causing minor damage. The crane itself had toppled onto its side within the company compound.

The driver, identified as 62-year-old Suwit Chatwanit, told officials he had been operating the crane to lift construction materials for a display base when a stabiliser base came loose from its ground support, causing the vehicle to lose balance and tip over.

The falling boom struck high-voltage power lines before coming to rest across the road.

Recovery teams planned to use two cranes to support both sides of the boom, detach it from the main vehicle and move it back inside the construction site.

Authorities said no casualties were reported.

Marcos thanks Thailand for helping 1,000 Filipino scam victims in a neighbouring country

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21 April 2026, 16:59

Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. has congratulated Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul on his return to office and invited him to attend the 48th ASEAN Summit next month.

During a telephone call at 13:30 on 21 April 2026 at Government House in Bangkok, President Marcos expressed confidence in Anutin’s leadership, saying his reappointment reflected public trust. He also reaffirmed the invitation for Thailand to join the ASEAN Summit, which the Philippines will host in May.

Anutin thanked the Philippine leader and confirmed his readiness to attend and support the meeting. He said Thailand expects closer cooperation with the Philippines, particularly in economic areas, amid global uncertainties. He added that regional issues, including developments in the Middle East, are likely to be discussed at the summit, especially in relation to energy and food security.

Both leaders agreed to strengthen cooperation against transnational crime, particularly online scams, at both bilateral and ASEAN levels. President Marcos thanked Thailand for assisting in the repatriation of nearly 1,000 Filipinos affected by scam operations in Myanmar. Anutin said Thailand and the Philippines would continue to deepen ties across economic, security and sustainable development sectors to strengthen ASEAN as a whole.

Thai officials seize fuel bound for Myanmar at border

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21 April 2026, 15:29

Thai officials seize fuel bound for Myanmar at border

TAK — 21 April 2026, Thai authorities have seized large quantities of fuel in separate operations along the Thai-Myanmar border in Tak province, suspecting the shipments were bound for Myanmar.

Border patrol rangers from Company 3506 of Task Force 35, together with police and local officials, were patrolling near a cargo transit point in Ban Mae Salit Luang, Tha Song Yang district, when they spotted a suspicious vehicle transporting goods.

Upon seeing officers, the driver abandoned the fuel containers and fled. A search found three 200-litre drums of 91-octane gasohol, totalling 600 litres.

In a subsequent patrol near the rear of the Tha Song Yang highway unit, officials discovered a further eight 30-litre diesel containers, totalling 240 litres, left unattended. All 840 litres were seized and handed to investigators at Tha Song Yang police station for legal action.

In a separate case on 20 April, the Customs Department, led by the Regional Customs Office 3 and Mae Sot checkpoint, inspected a 22-wheeled lorry at an informal border crossing in Mae Sot district.

Officials found 16,000 litres of diesel worth more than 700,000 baht concealed on board.

Customs officers said the act constituted smuggling under the Customs Act B.E. 2560 (2017), and legal proceedings are under way.

Authorities believe the fuel was intended for export across the border into Myanmar opposite Mae Sot. Officials said enforcement along the border will be stepped up.

Ex-abbot jailed 50 years in Wat Rai Khing 2-billion-baht embezzlement case

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21 April 2026, 14:49

bac956a1-5356-4510-be33-da2279a43d43 — EX-Wat Rai Khing abbot “Thid Yaem”

A criminal court has sentenced former Wat Rai Khing abbot “Thid Yaem” to 50 years in prison in a major corruption case involving the alleged embezzlement of more than 2 billion baht from temple funds, while a close associate known as “Sika Gen” was sentenced to 8 years in prison.

On 21 April 2026, the Criminal Court delivered its ruling in the high-profile case involving former abbot Phra Dhammavajiranuvat (Yaem Kittintharo), also known as Yaem Inkrungkao, the former abbot of Wat Rai Khing in Nakhon Pathom and former regional ecclesiastical governor of Region 14.

The case stemmed from allegations that the former abbot misappropriated funds from Wat Rai Khing’s bank accounts and transferred them into personal accounts for use in online gambling. Investigators said more than 300 million baht was initially traced to gambling transactions through a broker, while financial evidence later revealed fund transfers totalling at least 847 million baht to accounts linked to close associate Aranyawan Wangthaphan, also known as “Sika Gen”. Authorities later found that the total embezzled amount exceeded 2 billion baht.

Following a lengthy investigation, including undercover operations lasting more than eight months, police obtained arrest warrants and seized financial evidence from the abbot’s residence at the temple in May 2025. Prosecutors charged him with multiple offences, including misappropriation of state-managed assets and abuse of official duty for personal gain or to cause damage to others.

The court sentenced the former abbot to 50 years in prison, while Sika Gen received an 8-year sentence. All defendants have filed appeals against the ruling, according to reports.

Yaem Inkrungkao entered the monkhood at the age of 12 and later became abbot of Wat Rai Khing in 2008. He was widely respected in Buddhist circles, making the case one of the most shocking corruption scandals in Thailand’s religious community.

Teacher sentenced to 1.5 years in prison for Section 112 Facebook post

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21 April 2026, 13:53

A criminal court has sentenced a classical dance teacher to 1 year and 6 months in prison without suspension after finding the defendant guilty under Thailand’s lese majeste law over an online comment.

On 21 April 2026, the Criminal Court delivered its ruling in a case involving a classical dance teacher at a private school in Chai Nat province. The case stemmed from a comment posted on the Facebook page “KTUK – คนไทยยูเค” on 1 March 2021, which prosecutors said violated Section 112 of the Criminal Code and the Computer Crime Act.

The court ruled that the defendant’s actions constituted a single offence falling under multiple legal provisions, and sentenced the defendant to three years in prison under Section 112, which carries the heaviest penalty. As the defendant pleaded guilty, the sentence was reduced by half to 1 year and 6 months, with no suspension granted.

The defendant is currently out on bail pending appeal, according to reports.

Section 112 of Thailand’s Criminal Code, known as the lese majeste law, criminalises defamation, insult or threats against the king, queen, heir apparent or regent, carrying a penalty of three to 15 years in prison.

Skeleton found in forest Identified as missing man

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21 April 2026, 13:17

Skeleton found in forest Identified as missing man

LAMPANG — 20 April 2026, A human skeleton discovered in a forest in Ko Kha district has been identified by relatives as a 76-year-old man with Alzheimer’s disease who had been missing for more than a month, police said.

Pol. Capt. Kantkawee Meetham, a deputy investigator at Ko Kha police station, said officers were alerted to the discovery in the Mae Hai National Forest, near Mae Hai reservoir in Moo 2, Na Saeng subdistrict.

Police, forensic officers, rescue workers and a doctor from Ko Kha Hospital were dispatched to examine the scene.

They found scattered skeletal remains, including a skull, indicating the person had been dead for some time. Nearby were clothing, a wristwatch and a bicycle.

Relatives confirmed the items belonged to Samroeng Klai-in, 76, a resident of Na Kaeo subdistrict, who suffered from Alzheimer’s disease and had been missing since 5 March.

Authorities said the death is initially believed to be from natural causes. The remains have been sent to Lampang Hospital for DNA identification and a detailed examination to determine the exact cause of death.

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