PHUKET: Phuket Governor Chotinrin Kerdsum welcomed a delegation from Jordan’s Ministry of Tourism this week as the province sought to strengthen tourism cooperation and attract more visitors from Jordan and the wider Middle East.

Thai palaeontologists have named a new long-necked dinosaur species from Kalasin province, adding a 15th formally recognised dinosaur species to Thailand's fossil record and strengthening the country's place on the map of Jurassic dinosaur discoveries.

The new species, Uragasaurus kalasinensis, was announced on 8 July after being published in the journal Scientific Reports by a research team led by Apirut Nilpanapan, Sita Manitkoon, Varavudh Suteethorn and Komsorn Lauprasert.

The fossil was discovered at the Phu Noi fossil site in Din Chi subdistrict, Kham Muang district, Kalasin province, within the Lower Phu Kradung Formation, which the study places in the Upper Jurassic period.

Researchers identified Uragasaurus as a member of Mamenchisauridae, a family of sauropod dinosaurs known for their exceptionally long necks. Sauropods were large, four-legged, herbivorous dinosaurs, and mamenchisaurids include some of the longest-necked animals ever to walk on land.

Uragasaurus is estimated to have measured about 18 to 20 metres in length and was herbivorous. The species was identified from an isolated anterior dorsal vertebra whose anatomical features differed from those of previously known mamenchisaurids, allowing researchers to classify it as a new species.

The discovery is scientifically significant because mamenchisaurid fossils have previously been found mainly in China. The identification of Uragasaurus kalasinensis in northeastern Thailand expands scientists' understanding of where these giant long-necked dinosaurs lived during the Late Jurassic.

The genus name Uragasaurus combines the Sanskrit word uraga, meaning "snake" or "serpent lizard", with the Greek word sauros, meaning "lizard". The species name, kalasinensis, honours Kalasin province, where the fossil was discovered.

The study also identifies Uragasaurus kalasinensis as only the second dinosaur species formally named from the Phu Kradung Formation, underscoring the scientific importance of the Phu Noi fossil site, where thousands of prehistoric fossil specimens have been recovered and many more remain awaiting study.

With the naming of Uragasaurus kalasinensis, Thailand now has 15 officially named dinosaur species, further reinforcing Kalasin's reputation as one of the country's most important palaeontological sites.

It is hard to believe that the first Toy Story film landed in cinemas 31 years ago this year. That has meant that in some families three generations of children have grown up with a franchise that really did change cinema.

At 6:00 AM on July 9, 2025, Deputy Commander Wivatthana Khamchamnai of the Technology Crime Suppression Bureau (TCSD) led a joint operation with officers from multiple agencies including TCSD Region 3, the Cyber Crime Investigation Division, and the Technology Crime Suppression Center (TICAC). Armed with a search warrant from Sakon Nakhon Provincial Criminal Court, they raided a room in Mueang District and arrested Noppol (surname withheld), 23, who held an outstanding arrest warrant for uploading obscene computer files that are publicly accessible and distributing such material knowingly.

Police discovered extensive studio photography equipment in the room. Upon inspecting Noppol's phone, officers found additional videos shot with his current girlfriend, leading them to seize camera memory cards, laptops, and flash drives. Deputy Commander Wivatthana revealed that a female victim had filed reports at Phayathai and Phanat Nikhom police stations. The arrest warrant was issued by the criminal court. The suspect will be transferred to Phayathai Police Station for further legal proceedings.

Initially, the suspect admitted to posting on a TikTok group chat called "middam" with over 100,000 members, though he claimed responsibility for only 2-3 posts. Investigators are questioning other posters to determine if additional victims exist, mostly high school students hired for photo shoots whose images were later used for blackmail. During preliminary investigation, police confirmed the photos and posts existed but the suspect claimed he acted recklessly. His primary income came from photography commissions—mostly shooting secondary students—earning 20,000-30,000 baht monthly. He denied profiting from video sales or other crimes, though authorities are still tracing financial links to gambling websites for possible additional charges.

Police urged parents, especially of teenage girls, to warn children about the dangers of private photos and videos with photographers or kept privately, as content can leak and be misused for extortion or sale—even between former romantic partners.

Ms. B (pseudonym), 19, the suspect's ex-girlfriend and victim in this case, revealed that starting in 2566, she dated the suspect amid constant quarrels, mostly over his infidelity. Around January 2567, her older brother visited his house, making him angry, fearing he would tell his mother about how she was being mistreated. She was unaware her intimate video had been released. Late that night, he messaged her about the leaked clip—content only she and he possessed. When questioned, he denied knowledge, claiming a friend sent it to her. The relationship ended following this incident.

On July 9, 2026, Surapong Intrathaweorn, secretary-general of the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC), announced that the NACC board had found sufficient evidence of wrongdoing against Rajana Kalpatinant during her tenure as mayor of Ubon Ratchathani Municipality, along with associates. The case involves splitting road construction and improvement projects worth 43.22 million baht in fiscal year 2006 into 26 separate contracts of no more than 2 million baht each, designed to avoid competitive bidding and ensure unfair price competition.

Investigations revealed that during December 2005 to January 2006, Kriang Kalpatinant, then a provincial legislator and Rajana's husband, ordered municipality advisor Veera Vasuthada and engineering department staff to survey and design the road projects and break them into segments with individual project budgets not exceeding 2 million baht. This was intended to circumvent the competitive bidding requirement.

Rajana subsequently approved designs for 26 projects totaling 43.22 million baht and submitted them to the Department of Local Administration in two separate batches in January 2006—first 11 projects (18.71 million baht) and then 15 projects (24.51 million baht)—deliberately separating projects on the same roads to avoid joint submission.

Kriang coordinated budget allocation with the Department of Local Administration and regularly intervened in municipal affairs. Before the budget allocation reached the municipality, Kriang instructed Veera to oversee the bidding process and prepare procurement documents. Once budget allocation was received, the municipality immediately sought approval for sealed-bid procurement.

Kriang and his brother Kan Kalpatinant sought to ensure their company, Ubon Montri Construction Partnership—owned by Kan and his daughter Rattika Kalpatinant—or other companies controlled by their associates would be awarded contracts. They coordinated to distribute projects among their own businesses and allied firms to secure contracts with the municipality. On February 17, 2006, Ubon Ratchathani Municipality received the budget allocation notice.

On July 9, 2025, at Parliament, Senator Pisit Abhiwatpongpong, serving as secretary of the Senate's special committee, responded to criticism from the Pheu Thai Party over a Facebook post that claimed the government and Senate had voted to approve an amnesty bill excluding Article 112 charges and election-related offenses. Although Pheu Thai later edited the post, Pisit questioned whether such messaging qualifies as fake news, noting that the matter had already been discussed in the House of Representatives and the Senate acted according to proper procedure.

Pisit emphasized that Pheu Thai, as Thailand's second-largest party, should maintain higher standards when posting on its own platform. He stated he wanted to provide final clarification on this matter, as he was exhausted by repeatedly answering questions about alleged Senate favoritism in the amnesty bill.

"Senate members are not opportunists," Pisit declared. "Even if we face accusations today, we remain legally qualified senators. We have not been indicted, and we have no need to amend laws to benefit ourselves. Most Senate members reject self-serving legislation. We absolutely will not do this."

Regarding Article 112 protections, Pisit explained that senators deliberately excluded youth from amnesty provisions. The reasoning, he said, was simple: if youth were exempted from defamation charges, certain ideological groups could exploit this to teach young people to disrespect state institutions. He expressed deep concern about youth being drawn into anti-establishment movements, particularly since 2019.

"We must separate politics from governance institutions," Pisit stressed. "Yet some factions try to blur these lines. Without clear legislation, people will use loopholes to indoctrinate youth into institutional disrespect. We have grown tired of endless color-coded political conflicts for twenty years. Thailand's economy suffers because foreign investors hesitate to commit amid political turmoil. Today, we must join hands and move forward."