PHUKET: A fire at an abandoned building in Chalong last night (July 14) was brought under control within about 30 minutes, with police later seizing two motorcycles found near the scene as part of their investigation.

Luang Por Daeng Ratpo, formally known as Phra Kru Yanavilash, was a highly respected ascetic at Wat Khao Bandai It in Muang District, Phetchaburi. Born into the Angsang family on the second lunar day of the eleventh month in 1879, he spent his childhood helping his parents farm and had no opportunity for formal schooling. When he came of age, his parents arranged for him to study under Phra Ajarn Plian at Wat Khao Bandai It. At age 22, he was ordained in a ceremony conducted by Phra Kru Yanavissuthi of Wat Kaen Lek. He received the monastic name Ratpo and devoted himself to studying Buddhist scriptures and maintaining strict discipline. Phra Ajarn Plian taught him meditation techniques and spiritual knowledge without reservation, leading him to become an accomplished practitioner of the highest seniority.

When Phra Ajarn Plian passed away, Luang Por Daeng became the abbot of Wat Khao Bandai It starting in 1918. Despite his administrative duties, he continued his daily meditation practice and never boasted of his spiritual attainments. However, his sacred talismans and amulets demonstrated remarkable protective power.

During the 1934–1937 period, a severe livestock epidemic struck Phetchaburi, killing many cattle and buffalo. Villagers sought Luang Por Daeng's help, and he blessed sacred cloth squares inscribed with yantras, which families tied to their animal pens. Remarkably, animals in pens protected with his yantra remained unharmed while others perished.

When World War II bombing devastated Phetchaburi, destroying railways, bridges, homes, and closing schools and government offices, villagers who possessed his blessed cloth or amulets reportedly remained safe and unharmed. On December 5, 1959, he was granted ecclesiastical promotion to Phra Kru Sannyabat with the royal title Phra Kru Yanavilash. He was known for his kindness, gentle temperament, and refusal to speak harshly to anyone, particularly forbidding crude language about parents. He passed away peacefully on January 16, 1960, at age 96 after 74 years of monastic life.

Luang Por Daeng created many sacred objects and amulets that became widely sought after. After his first series of amulets gained popularity, another highly successful edition emerged: the Military Commander series amulet, created in 1968 on his ninetieth birthday at the request of General Samran Petcharakul, then commander of the First Region. The Royal Mint designed and produced 48,000 copper amulets, along with silver, gold, and alpaca versions. Measuring approximately 2.7 centimeters wide and 3.7 centimeters tall, the amulet features a half-length portrait facing forward with the word 'commemoration' inscribed above and text on a ribbon below.

Entrepreneur Yui-Veena Tasnai has successfully transformed ordinary pandan leaf into a premium product ready to compete in global markets. Initially a baker importing French butter and Belgian chocolate, she pivoted during the COVID-19 pandemic to embrace local Thai ingredients, choosing pandan leaf for its accessibility, fast growth, and distinctly Thai aroma. When her father, the original pandan farmer, suffered an accident, she nearly gave up but continued under his guidance, gradually learning to cultivate and expand the crop.

She partnered with organic farmers in Phichit province, establishing clear standards for leaf harvesting, size, age, and timing with documented SOPs. The partnership benefits farmers with supplementary income while ensuring quality raw materials. Her current network includes about 10 farmers, with plans to expand further toward official organic certification. She recently purchased an additional 4 rai of land to build a learning center and dedicate 1 rai specifically for pandan cultivation as a sustainable production base and educational resource.

Pandan's key advantage is that one planting yields harvests for 10 years, with new shoots emerging every month after cutting. Her brand has expanded internationally, recently achieving top-three rankings in Hong Kong through a startup support program. Fresh pandan exports command higher prices but face quality issues from freezing that degrades aroma and color. In response, she developed premium pandan powder that retains approximately 80% of fresh leaf flavor and aroma while solving storage problems—opening significant opportunities for Hong Kong and Chinese markets.

On July 15, 2569, the radio program Khon Kra-Aew discussed a complaint by resident Khun Phai, who says he has suffered greatly from his neighbor's disruptive conduct, including loud Buddhist chanting, drumming, and guitar playing, with the worst being the throwing of foul-smelling curry bags.

Khun Phai, accompanied by his parents, explained that the adjacent house was originally occupied by the neighbor's father (whom he called Khun Akon). When Khun Akon lived there, there were no problems and they were good neighbors. However, once Khun Akon's son—the defendant Khun Aek—moved in, the noise began and problems erupted. The disturbances became so severe that even Khun Akon could not stay, his siblings had to move him out, and Khun Aek's wife also had to leave. Khun Phai said his mother, who has a heart condition, has been severely affected, waking at night to take medicine and struggling to return to sleep. She is now under significant stress.

"We've reported this to the district office and police, but nothing has been resolved," Khun Phai said. "The behavior has actually escalated. The worst part is the foul-smelling curry bags thrown almost every other day. We've installed CCTV and clearly captured a hand throwing from his house."

Khun Aek then called the radio program to respond. He said he runs a second-hand musical instrument business and insisted the chanting was at normal volume. He argued that claims about noise levels should be measured with proper instruments—otherwise anyone could claim something is loud. He denied making noise late at night, saying that if he told someone to sleep, he would also need to sleep himself. Although the program played a recording of loud noise at 2 a.m., Khun Aek denied responsibility and offered to let investigators check his own CCTV footage.

Khun Aek claimed he too was a victim, with people breaking into his home, removing windows, and causing property damage. When asked about throwing curry bags, Khun Aek first denied it, but when confronted with footage and pressed on who else could have thrown it, he eventually admitted: "Ah, okay, yes I did." He said he did it out of anger because people had broken into his home multiple times.

Khun Aek described his own suffering: he has been burglarized multiple times since 2559 with no resolution or accountability. He invited investigators to visit his home to see the actual situation, rather than judge based on one side and emotions. He asked who would be responsible for the damage he has suffered if he did nothing.

When asked about a recent knocking on his wall early in the morning, Khun Aek denied knowledge and blamed rats, then countered by asking whether others must sleep while he cannot.

Koh Samui has been named the World's Best Island for 2026 in the “World's Best Awards 2026” by international travel magazine “Travel + Leisure.” The southern island earned a reader score of 95...

CHIANG MAI — A karaoke bar in Chiang Mai has agreed to fully refund nearly 150,000 baht (approximately $4,471 USD) to two British tourists following a dispute over charges the visitors claimed were excessive. The business initially maintained that the charges reflected actual services provided and their standard rates.

The dispute arose after the British tourists, accompanied by a lawyer, filed a complaint alleging they had been overcharged during a visit to a karaoke venue in the city. The Thai wife of one of the tourists, along with their lawyer, met with investigators at Chiang Mai City Police Station. Police summoned representatives from both the tourists and the karaoke bar for questioning on the night of 13 July and encouraged them to reach a mutual settlement.

The incident occurred on 28 June when a British man living in Hang Dong district and a British friend went for food and drinks in the Nimmanhemin area before heading to a karaoke bar in Chiang Mai's old city. According to the tourist's wife, both men were heavily intoxicated. After initially paying less than 1,000 baht for their first visit, staff allegedly persuaded them to stay. The husband eventually threatened to call police before they were allowed to leave.

Later, a tuk-tuk driver took the friend to his hotel, but instead of taking the husband home to Hang Dong, allegedly returned him to the same karaoke bar while he was too intoxicated to make sound decisions. The following day, the couple discovered charges exceeding 120,000 baht on the husband's credit card and an additional 26,000 baht on his wife's card, totaling nearly 150,000 baht. They subsequently filed a police complaint.

After coordinating with their banks, the couple discovered multiple transactions processed in quick succession, with some payments transferred to an individual's PromptPay account rather than a business account. They also noted that one credit card had been charged beyond its 50,000-baht spending limit. The karaoke bar explained that the customers had requested numerous female hostesses at 700 baht per person per hour over approximately four to five hours. However, the tourists disputed the amount, arguing the charges were disproportionately high and questioning why multiple payments of varying amounts had been processed instead of a single transaction.