Police arrested a 25-year-old man on August 4, 2569 for stealing cassava roots from local farmers' fields. The suspect, identified as Mr. A (pseudonym), was caught with stolen cassava and admitted to the crime, saying he had no money to buy milk for his children and came from an impoverished household. He explained that he normally collected leftover cassava heads after harvesting, but when those became unavailable, he resorted to stealing from actively cultivated fields, netting 300 baht from this latest theft. He expressed remorse and accepted legal responsibility.

The suspect's wife later visited him with their three children—ages 4, 3, and 2 years old—at the police station. Moved by the family's hardship, officers purchased rice and milk for the children. The wife explained that the family typically survived by collecting and selling leftover cassava, and she was unaware her husband would resort to theft. She expressed worry about how she and the three children would survive if he were imprisoned.

According to Deputy Inspector Rangsiwat Gangsrannon, approximately one ton of cassava was stolen, and investigations are ongoing to determine if the suspect committed similar thefts elsewhere. Although officers sympathize with the suspect's circumstances, theft is a criminal offense that must be prosecuted under agricultural property law—which carries heavier penalties than general theft. The suspect has been charged under the Penal Code, Section 335.

A 67-year-old driver had a harrowing escape when his modified Nissan Sefiro caught fire near a traffic light in Si Saket on August 4, 2025, at 5:45 p.m. He was returning home after failing to locate an old engine he had left at a technical college when he noticed the smell of leaking gasoline at a red light. As he slowly moved the car toward the roadside to investigate, white smoke and flames suddenly shot from the engine compartment. He immediately opened the door and fled the vehicle just as the fire spread violently through the cabin. "If I had been even a second slower, I could have been trapped inside," he recalled. Rescue teams from Si Saket Municipality and the Phetchkasem Foundation responded quickly, temporarily halting traffic to allow fire trucks to spray water and chemical agents, eventually containing the blaze. The vehicle had been modified with a 1JZ engine and equipped with an LPG fuel system, but the owner clarified he had not used the gas system for an extended period and relied solely on gasoline. He believes a fuel system malfunction caused the leak and subsequent ignition in the engine bay.

On August 4, 2025, a reporter visited a row house in Soi Gok Lang, Ban Thung La Han, Moo 8, Huai Yai Subdistrict, Bang Lamung District, Chon Buri Province, to investigate a 2018 shooting incident. Paong, then 43, opened fire on the row house with a firearm, injuring one resident. He was arrested by Huai Yai Police, charged, and imprisoned, before being released in June 2026. He subsequently committed two murder cases that claimed five lives.

According to interviews with the row house owner and witnesses, the incident stemmed from a confrontation between Paong and a man named Bom, 24, who had ridden a loud motorcycle past him in the alley. After an initial argument and scuffle, the two separated. Approximately ten minutes later, Paong returned on his motorcycle and opened fire on the row house, firing about five rounds. Everyone fled to safety. Later that night, as Bom stepped outside to urinate, Paong fired two more shots, striking Bom in the abdomen and causing severe injury. Bom was rushed to Bang Lamung Hospital.

When police arrested Paong, they did not recover the firearm. He confessed that he had used a .38 caliber revolver and threw it into the sea near a temple. Divers and metal detection equipment were deployed to search, but the weapon was never recovered. Police suspected Paong may have hidden the gun with someone else or concealed it elsewhere. Paong was charged with attempted murder and gun law violations under Warrant No. 444/2561, issued on October 7, 2561 (2018). He was apprehended on October 13, 2018, at his residence in Pong Subdistrict, Bang Lamung District.

The Phuket Express -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Phuket — Provincial authorities in Phuket have launched a major operation to regulate social order, targeting establishments suspected of operating as entertainment venues and illegally offering baraku (hookah) services. The raid followed public complaints about clandestine sales and services. Undercover officers entered a venue in Rawai, ordering baraku to obtain a receipt as evidence. Once confirmed, […] Illegal Hookah Venue Raided in Rawai, Two People Arrested, Assets Seized Worth 500,000 Baht -=-=-=-=--=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-==-=- The Phuket Express - Real. Unbiased. Impactful. In the moment.

A 34-year-old man was found dead after being stabbed in the neck by a friend who broke into his townhouse in Talat Khwan subdistrict, Muang district, Nonthaburi province on August 4, 2025, at 6:30 p.m. Police Captain Chayachai Nathonkan, commander of Muang Nonthaburi Police Station, led investigators and rescue personnel to the scene, where they discovered the victim lying on his back with a critical stab wound to the left side of his neck. Responders attempted CPR and provided first aid, but the victim was pronounced dead at the scene. Forensic pathologists were called to conduct an autopsy.

Initial investigation revealed that the attacker broke into the victim's home and stabbed him with a knife before fleeing on a white Honda motorcycle with his girlfriend, with no license plate information available. A witness stated that the attacker entered without speaking, struck the victim first, then stabbed him. The witness initially thought it was horseplay since the two were friends, but recalled they had previously argued over a woman. The witness attempted to intervene, but the attacker fled with his wife. The exact cause of their dispute remains unclear.

Police have taken the victim's body to the hospital and launched an investigation to track down and apprehend the suspect for legal proceedings.

A deeply disturbing case has emerged from Wang Sam Mao district in Udon Thani province, where a drug-addicted son assaulted his own mother after breaking into the bathroom. The mother sought help from the subdistrict headman, who apprehended the suspect and handed him over to police.

The incident occurred on the night of July 29 at a home in Wang Sam Mao subdistrict. A 53-year-old woman (identified as Ms. A for privacy) reported to subdistrict headman Ms. Srocha Thanomphakdi that her son, high on drugs, kicked down the bathroom door, strangled her, and assaulted her in the bathroom before dragging her to assault her again on a bed. Despite her pleas and telling him "I'm your mother," he refused to stop and continued assaulting her from 10 p.m. until midnight. The mother seized an opportunity when her son fell asleep and called for help.

The subdistrict headman and village security officers rushed to the house, finding the 25-year-old son (identified as Mr. B) naked on a bed. When questioned, he initially denied the crime but eventually confessed to assaulting his mother and taking six methamphetamine tablets before committing the act. The mother confirmed to police that she was pressing full charges and pleaded that her son remain incarcerated, saying she would die if he were released.

According to subdistrict security officer Mr. Anawat Laddao, Mr. B has been using drugs since ages 17-18 and has undergone rehabilitation seven times. He has repeatedly harmed his mother, prompting her to spend her municipal sanitation worker salary of approximately 7,000 baht per month plus an additional 6,000-7,000 baht monthly to send him to a rehabilitation center in Chachoengsao province. After nearly two years in treatment, he escaped and returned to his mother, only to resume drug use within four months. About a week before the assault, an uncle passed away, and Mr. B earned money from funeral donations, which he spent on drugs before attacking his mother.