Jessica Bang, an emerging Australian golf talent, has died in Thailand aged 18.

Bang collapsed on August 1 after suffering a brain haemorrhage.

On Thursday, the WGPA of Australasia announced Bang's death.

The 18-year-old collapsed on August 1, as reported by the Daily Telegraph, before being rushed to Synphaet Ramintra Hospital in Bangkok.

WPGA Tour of Australasia announced Bang's death in a statement on Thursday night.

"The WPGA Tour of Australasia and the broader Australian golf community is deeply saddened by the passing of young Tour member Jessica Bang in Thailand," the statement read.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-14/australian-teen-golfer-jessica-bang-dies-in-thailand/107036160?utm_campaign=abc_news_web&utm_content=link&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_source=abc_news_web

Took place in Bang Kauai

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-07/thailand-bangkok-school-shooting/107009728?utm_campaign=abc_news_web&utm_content=link&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_source=abc_news_web

The nomination follows the conclusion of the 48th World Heritage Committee meeting in South Korea, where UNESCO considered 30 new World Heritage nominations and reviewed the conservation status of 147 existing sites.

Officials said the proposal highlights both the railway’s historical significance during World War II and its connection to protected natural areas in western Thailand. LINK

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... speaking as one, who like many here have had to walk on egg shells, when interacting with Thai people, in order to not offend their many sensibilities, I am concerned, that "Tourism-ing Up" this site of the many deaths, of so many of the 'Farangs' forbears, may not be in the best of taste..

... sad for the family, but a salutary warning, for those that think, followers are the answer to deity.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/3293467/thai-youtuber-hlun-solo-found-dead-in-georgia

Juthathip Thongnoi says a paid carrying job left her detained in Japan for 20 days after methamphetamine was found hidden in coffee sachets.

“Looking back, it was not worth the money at all.”

After spending 20 days in custody in Japan, Juthathip Thongnoi has warned travellers against accepting pre-packed goods to carry overseas, even when the contents appear to be ordinary food or snacks.

Juthathip, known as Tian, was detained by Japanese authorities in Fukuoka at about 7am on July 12 after crystal methamphetamine was found concealed in coffee sachets in a parcel she had agreed to carry.

She maintained that she had inspected the package before travelling but did not realise drugs had been hidden inside. LINK

She had often seen him walking past the bar where she worked in Pattaya, a city about a two-hour drive from Bangkok. But this was the first time Kanyarat had seen him come in.

As he passed under the bunting of flags from around the world, it appeared “he was drunk from somewhere else because he walked wobbly,” says Kanyarat, who identifies as a ladyboy, a term commonly used in Thailand’s transgender community.

He sat with her colleague, Tang, on a rattan cane couch, bought them both a drink and began nuzzling and massaging her.

The man asked Tang to go home with him, but she didn’t want to, and he left the bar at about 2am. It would be more than two days before Kanyarat would see his face again – and this time, it was on the news.

The man was Simon Peter Carman and he had been charged with murder.

Soon after leaving the bar on 25 June, police allege Carman went to the nearby palm-tree lined beach strip and met a 17-year-old girl named Thunchanok Donhomla who had only arrived a week before in Pattaya from Kalasin, an area in north-east Thailand with high levels of poverty. Police allege CCTV footage captured Donhomla holding Carman’s hand as they waited for an elevator in his condo’s lobby.

She was not seen alive again. The following night, her naked body and her belongings – her clothes, vape and platform sandals – were found in a suitcase left in high grass near the railway tracks.

Donhomla’s death has drawn international headlines and her family are demanding justice. Experts say her death speaks to broader issues in Thailand’s sex industry – including the underage girls exploited by it.... LINK

Dr. Wichan said the small number of liver fluke cases found is a clear indication that the infection is not at the level of an epidemic, adding that the parasites do not spread from humans to humans but through the eating of raw or uncooked fresh-water fish.       

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The suspect has been identified only as “Nanthawat”, who allegedly told police investigators that he received a black plastic bag containing six fabric elephant-patterned tote bags from “Uthai”, a Hmong hill tribe man who delivered a package of drugs to the condominium of cabin crew member Meena in the Bang Na area on June 22.

Nanthawat is reported to have told police that he panicked after learning about Meena’s arrest in Australia and contacted Uthai about what to do with the six tote bags in the plastic bag.

After being told to get rid of the bags, Nanthawat claimed that he used a knife to cut them open and flushed all the white powder in them down the toilet in his apartment.  

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Sakchai Lalit/AP

BangkokAP —  

A huge fire engulfed a pub in Bangkok early on Monday morning local time, killing at least 27 people before firefighters brought the blaze under control, officials said.

Footage shared online by first responders shows a huge blaze raging and plumes coming out of the front door of the Na Ladprao pub in the northern part of the Thai capital. People are seen trying to flee as thick black smoke billows into the sky. Rescuers said the fire was reported around midnight.

Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul told reporters at the scene that 27 people died and that several of the injured have been taken to the hospital. He said the cause of the fire is under investigation. ... LINK

The rings were found with human bones during an ongoing dig at the Don Yai Thong archaeological site in Phetchaburi province last week, the Thai government’s Fine Arts Department said in a statement.

One ring found Thursday was engraved with characters believed to be Bhrami script, an ancient Indian writing system. An initial assessment by experts identified the script reading as “pusarakhitasa,” meaning “the one protected by Pushya,” said to be one of the most auspicious zodiac signs in Indian astronomy, the department said... LINK

These $300 billion resources are locked by a 25-year-old maritime border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia.

Thailand recently escalated tensions by unilaterally withdrawing from a 2001 framework agreement. In response, Cambodia invoked a rare UN Law of the Sea mechanism to compel negotiations. Cambodia argues unlocking these resources is vital for regional energy security, especially after global chokepoint crises.

However, Thailand, driven by nationalism and a desire to define borders before resource sharing, remains resistant, leaving the valuable energy untapped...  LINK

The first time I've seen a Thai use their thumb instead of finger to point 😊

13 (Evil People) arrested, heroin and cocaine worth B400 million seized over two months

Police say 11-year-old boy who took his parents’ vehicle without permission is now in custody and will be questioned.

The child – who media reports said is 11 years old – stole his parents’ vehicle on Thursday and drove into a procession of about 30 monks on a pilgrimage in Thailand’s northeastern Mukdahan, local police told Al Jazeera.

Reports said 10 to 20 other people were injured, according to police and health officials.

The group of monks and lay followers were walking along a roadside in Mukdahan, about 600km northeast of the capital Bangkok, when the incident occurred.

They had started the 260-km walk to Ubon Ratchathani province about 30 minutes before the crash, the Associated Press reported...

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Police Lieutenant Siriyaaporn Kongpetchsak, Deputy Investigator at Nong Prue Police Station, received the report at 9.30am on Thursday. She immediately alerted senior officers before leading investigators to the property.

Officers from Forensic Science Division 2, Pattaya Tourist Police, a medical examiner and rescue workers from the Sawang Boriboon Thammasathan Foundation also attended the scene. From the outset, detectives treated the death as highly suspicious.

Police find blood trail and staged bathroom scene after British businessman found dead in Chonburi

The killing occurred inside a luxury housing estate in Nong Prue subdistrict, Bang Lamung district. The couple had rented the single-storey house only two weeks earlier. Police found Mr Thomas David, 34, lying face up inside the shower area of the bathroom.

The British businessman had suffered a stab wound beneath his left ribcage. His body rested on a bloodstained bedsheet, while a pillow had been carefully placed beneath his head. A grey towel covered his body. Medical findings suggested he had been dead for at least six hours before officers arrived.

Investigators then widened their search throughout the house. They found dried bloodstains across the floor and inside several rooms. Notably, blood trails led directly towards the bathroom where the body was found. Officers also documented signs of a violent struggle throughout the property. Those findings immediately cast doubt on the claim of suicide. Instead, detectives believe the fatal wound was inflicted before the body was moved.

Police found the victim’s wife, identified only as Ms Violet, sitting beside the body. Officers said the 21-year-old appeared heavily intoxicated, possibly through marijuana use. She also had cuts on her fingertips.

Detectives said she spoke incoherently throughout their first interview. She claimed to suffer from depression together with severe anxiety and panic attacks. Nevertheless, she repeatedly insisted that her husband had stabbed himself....

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Thailand’s disaster authorities have warned that a tropical depression over the central South China Sea could bring heavier rain to several parts of the country from July 2-6, although the system is not expected to directly affect Thailand.

The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, through the National Disaster Warning Centre, said on July 2, 2026, that it had been monitoring weather information from the Thai Meteorological Department and other forecasting agencies. The depression was moving west-northwest over the central South China Sea...

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Police found Ms Tunchanok's naked body in a black suitcase alongside a railway line, about 10 minutes' drive from the hotel where Mr Carman had been staying.

Suspicion of murder

Officers are questioning him on suspicion of murder, which carries the death penalty or life in prison.

Police Colonel Anek Sarathongyu, Superintendent of the Pattaya City Police Station, said Mr Carman had initially been charged with "taking a minor for the purpose of committing an indecent act".

"We believe he killed her, and he is being questioned on suspicion of murder," he said.

"He has fingernail scratches across his body that are consistent with a struggle, but he denies killing her. 

"He said that she disappeared from the room while I was asleep and unaware of anything."

Pattaya police said Mr Carman was facing four charges, including trying to kill someone intentionally and burying, concealing, moving or destroying a body to conceal the death or cause of death.

He was also facing charges relating to taking a minor for indecent purposes.

The ABC understands that Mr Carman is now in detention in Pattaya Prison. 

Police allege Simon Carman picked up Tunchanok Donhomla from the Beach Road vice strip in Pattaya.  (Supplied: Pattaya police)

In a video taken after his arrest, Mr Carmen was asked about scratches on his neck.

"I think it's a spider; they always get in here," he said.

Officers found security camera vision that appeared to show Mr Carman leaving the hotel at 9:34pm on Thursday night with a black suitcase matching the luggage that the teenager's body was found in.

Pattaya police are questioning Simon Carman. (Supplied: Pattaya Police)

Surveillance footage allegedly showed him riding a motorcycle with the suitcase strapped to the back.

He then sped alongside the railway tracks, disappearing from view for nine minutes, before being picked up again on camera and returning to his hotel.

After the report at 5pm on Friday that Ms Tunchanok was missing, officers arrested the Australian two hours later at the country's main airport.

Simon Carman was arrested in Thailand on Friday night. (AP/ViralPress)

He was driven in a police car back to Pattaya. 

Ms Tunchanok's body was found at 11pm on Friday, local time.

"She was completely naked, her face showed signs of severe assault, with swelling and bruising covering the entire face, and blood was flowing from her mouth and nose," Mr Sarathongyu said.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said in a statement to the ABC that it was providing consular assistance to an Australian detained in Thailand.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-06-27/australian-arrested-after-teen-girl-found-dead-in-thailand/106850896

Min Buri Criminal Court sentences singer Tik Shiro to two years in prison without suspension over a drink-driving crash that killed two people

Court refuses to suspend prison sentence

The Min Buri Criminal Court has sentenced well-known singer Manaswin “Tik Shiro” Nantasaneto two years in prison without suspension after finding him guilty in a drink-driving case that caused the deaths of two people.

The ruling was delivered on June 24, 2026, with the court finding that the defendant had driven while under the influence of alcohol, resulting in a fatal crash.

The court initially imposed a four-year prison term, but reduced the sentence by half to two years because the defendant confessed, which the court considered useful to the proceedings.

The defendant was in the process of seeking bail after the ruling. .....

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Whatever happened to that little Red Bull boy?

June 23, 2026 at 10:09 pm

by James Morris and Son Nguyen

 LINK

A Phuket taxi driver’s desperate horn blasts sparked a roadside showdown after an Icelandic tourist allegedly snatched her handbag. Viral CCTV footage led police to 37-year-old Johann Freyr Hallgrimsson, who now faces criminal proceedings.

A routine Phuket taxi trip exploded into a dramatic roadside struggle on Monday when a female driver allegedly fought an Icelandic tourist for her handbag before frantic blasts on her horn brought motorists rushing to her aid. Captured on CCTV and shared widely online, the confrontation sparked outrage, triggered a swift police hunt and led to the arrest of 37-year-old Johann Freyr Hallgrimsson within hours. With footage, witnesses and public intervention proving crucial, the case has become one of Phuket’s most talked-about incidents.

Phuket taxi driver Ms Pitchapa Sangkhan fought Icelandic tourist Johann Freyr Hallgrimsson for her handbag before motorists intervened. Viral CCTV footage led to his arrest within hours. (Source: Khaosod)

A female Phuket taxi driver fought to recover her handbag after an Icelandic tourist allegedly grabbed it during a journey through Patong on Monday morning. Moments later, passing motorists and local residents surrounded the vehicle, forcing the return of the property and triggering a police investigation that ended with the tourist’s arrest.

The dramatic confrontation was captured on the taxi’s CCTV system. Subsequently, the footage spread rapidly across social media, drawing widespread criticism and helping investigators identify the suspect. Police later named him as a 37-year-old Icelandic national, Johann Freyr Hallgrimsson.

The complainant, 39-year-old taxi driver Ms Pitchapa Sangkhan, filed a formal complaint at Patong Police Station on Monday evening. By then, footage of the confrontation had already been viewed and shared widely online.

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