An ASEAN Observer Team (AOT) comprising representatives from the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia, accompanied by Thai and international journalists, visited the O’Smach–Chong Chom area along the Thai-Cambodian border in Surin province. The delegation inspected a base allegedly operated by scam networks and transnational criminal organisations. Thai forces have controlled more than 500 rai, approximately 80 hectares, of the area since two rounds of clashes along the border.

Inside the compound, the delegation found a large hall apparently used by scammers to contact and deceive victims. The facility contained prepared scripts, costumes and mock settings designed to support fraudulent impersonation schemes.

The compound also contained a hospital equipped with an operating theatre, medical instruments, an obstetrics and gynaecology room, an X-ray room and a blood-testing laboratory. Thai authorities said they had obtained information alleging that, in addition to providing ordinary medical treatment and surgery, the hospital had been used to remove organs from people considered no longer useful to the operation and sell them.

In the basement of a four-storey command building, inspectors found detention cells and 12 rooms reportedly used for torture. The sealed rooms had no ventilation and were individually monitored by CCTV cameras. An electrified chair and electric shock batons were also found, allegedly used to punish workers who failed to meet their assigned revenue targets.

After inspecting the area for almost two hours, Air Chief Marshal Prapas Sornchaidee, Assistant Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Air Force, said the visit was conducted on behalf of the Thai government, the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Thai people. Its purpose was to present the facts to the international community. He reiterated that Thailand had no intention of seizing Cambodian territory.

Prapas said Thai authorities had been unaware that the area housed a major scam operation before taking control of it. Thai forces entered the area after it was allegedly used to launch drones, position snipers and conduct armed attacks against Thai troops and civilians. After securing the site, they discovered more than 150 buildings and what appeared to be a large-scale scam operation.

Source: ข่าวช่องวัน

(OP’s take: well there are some comments calling the equality treatment for the zoo owner too. You got it covered.)

Thailand’s Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul signed an order on September 7, 2026, directing the deportation of French national Kevin Dimino, co-owner of Samui Exotic Park on Koh Samui. The order came two days after Anutin ordered the deportation of Israeli national Yaacov Ohayon, who had been convicted of threatening the park’s Thai co-owner, Jindarat Sattayapun.

Ministry of Interior Order No. 2354/2569 stated that Dimino had engaged in threatening, intimidating and physically assaulting others, causing public nuisance, creating serious divisions involving race and religion, and provoking conflict among groups of tourists. It also cited reckless conduct that could endanger other people or their property without regard for their safety or well-being.

The order referred to a Koh Samui Provincial Court judgment finding Dimino guilty under Sections 43(4), 43(8) and 157/1, paragraph two, of the Land Traffic Act B.E. 2522 (1979). The court initially fined him 10,000 baht. His guilty plea resulted in the penalty being reduced by half to 5,000 baht under Section 78 of the Criminal Code, and the seized evidence was ordered forfeited.

The Interior Ministry determined that his conduct was contrary to public order, good morals and public welfare. Anutin therefore exercised his authority under Section 5 of the Deportation Act B.E. 2499 (1956), together with Clause 4 of the Prime Minister’s Office Regulation on Deportation B.E. 2569 (2026), to order Dimino’s removal from Thailand.

In a subsequent clarification, the Interior Ministry provided further details concerning the conduct considered in reaching its decision. The ministry alleged that Dimino had:

1. Intimidated the owner and teachers of a language school in the area.
   
2. Physically assaulted a Bhutanese national, injuring the person’s leg, and carried a pocketknife which he used to threaten the victim.
   
3. Insulted, mocked and directed abusive language at people outside private premises in the area.
   
4. Physically assaulted a foreign tourist and threw a sign at the tourist, while also directing offensive language at the person’s family.
   
5. Posted messages inviting people who opposed or disliked nationals of a particular country to visit his privately owned zoo, while expressing mocking political and religious symbolism that brought a location in Thailand into a conflict involving race, religion and politics.
   
6. Threatened another passenger aboard a domestic flight, prompting cabin crew to alert police, who removed him from the aircraft.

These incidents were presented by the Interior Ministry as administrative grounds supporting the deportation decision. The court judgment expressly cited in the order concerned offences under the Land Traffic Act.

The ministry said Dimino’s conduct affected public order and safety, created racial and religious divisions, and risked harming Thailand’s international relations. It maintained that deportation decisions are made according to the same standard for every nationality, based on the conduct of the individual concerned.

Dimino has the right to appeal to the prime minister within seven days of acknowledging the order. As of September 8, immigration authorities were still attempting to locate him, meaning that a deportation order had been issued, while his physical removal from Thailand had yet to be completed.

_______________

Continued timeline from the last thread:

• September 5, 2026: Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul signed a deportation order against Israeli national Yaacov Ohayon. Ohayon had been convicted of threatening the life and physical safety of Jindarat Sattayapun, the Thai co-owner of Samui Exotic Park. He received a 15-day suspended prison sentence and a fine of 5,000 baht.

• September 7: Anutin signed Ministry of Interior Order No. 2354/2569 directing that Kevin Dimino, Jindarat’s French husband and co-owner of the park, be deported. The order cited his broader conduct and a Koh Samui Provincial Court conviction under the Land Traffic Act. The only court judgment specifically identified in the order concerned traffic offences, while the other conduct was cited as the Interior Ministry’s grounds for deportation.

• September 8: The Interior Ministry issued further details alleging that Dimino had previously intimidated students and teachers at a language school, assaulted a Bhutanese national and threatened him with a knife, assaulted another foreign tourist, posted messages contributing to racial and religious divisions, and been removed from a domestic flight after allegedly threatening another passenger. These additional incidents were presented by the ministry as administrative grounds supporting deportation and were not identified in the order as convictions in the cited traffic case.

• As of September 8: Immigration authorities had not located or detained Dimino. He was reportedly seen returning briefly to Samui Exotic Park after the order was issued and subsequently disappeared from view. Authorities continued searching for him.

• Yaacov Ohayon remained in custody at Koh Samui Police Station and was reportedly preparing to appeal his deportation order. If Dimino is detained, authorities plan to hold him at a separate location to prevent another confrontation between the two men.

Both men have seven days from acknowledgement of their respective orders to appeal to the prime minister. A deportation order has therefore been issued against each party, although Dimino had not yet been physically removed from Thailand as of September 8.

Sources: Sorayuth https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid0Z3c8Lroguoa7xc37sn1tLXBz4GLxkYEeUPSwtsP85VpMYNYuxgWuUeCWVqx9XyGAl&id=100044308452347

This is my story. Or at least a small part of it.

Generals, rebels, stock market, mafia, smugglers, kidnappers.

I left Mae Sot. Now I am in a village just next door to the people who should want to kill me.

I have been in bangkok for the last 5 months now and i am currently studying at a college for my undergrad and to say the least it has been an experience, thai students do not want to make internnational friends unless they are WHITE or unless they need something from you , the international students majorty burmese are always in a burmese group and i tried to make friends with them but they were just talking shit about me infront of me (ik coz they kept on saying my nickname) the education quality is mid not the worst but def not the upgrade i was looking and there is genuinly no uni/college culture of parties or hangouts or inviting eachother ect ect it all just feels really superfical and fake and I am now really considering transfering next year as this def not i was looking for ik i should i have done more research and i am at fault here but hopefully the rest of my year is better

On September 6, 2026, Thanet Supharosahasrangkasi, president of the Chonburi Tourism Federation, spoke about the impact of around 5,000 US Navy personnel from the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) who came ashore to spend their shore leave in Pattaya and Chonburi from September 2-6, 2026.

He said that although the number of personnel coming ashore at any given time may not seem as large as it did in the past compared with the size of Pattaya today, their visit clearly brought more activity to the city during the low season.

The main businesses benefiting included restaurants, shopping malls, retail stores, tourist attractions, and hotels, particularly international hotel chains. At the same time, the travel habits of younger US military personnel appear to have changed significantly from the image people had in the past.

Thanet said that, based on his observations, many of the personnel were not focused on nightlife or drinking alcohol as much as the old stereotype suggested. Instead, they spread out across different tourist attractions, ate at restaurants, and shopped, bringing more business to restaurants, malls, shops, and tourist sites.

Another positive effect for Pattaya was the way the visit highlighted the city’s diverse tourism offerings. Photos showed US personnel visiting cultural attractions, Nong Nooch Tropical Garden, trying local food, and shopping at various malls.

“At first, people on social media may have interpreted it negatively, but once you actually saw where they went, they visited cultural attractions, went to Nong Nooch, ate local food, and shopped at malls. I think that helped improve Pattaya’s image because the city doesn’t rely solely on nightlife tourism. Today, we have shopping malls, restaurants, and cultural attractions as well,” Thanet said.

Regarding spending by the approximately 5,000 personnel, Thanet estimated that if each person spent around 10,000-20,000 baht during their stay, it would generate roughly 50-100 million baht in economic activity. Most of the spending was expected to go toward shopping, food, and tourism activities.

Thanet also discussed Pattaya’s overall tourism situation. Normally, November through around March or April is considered the high season, while the period after Songkran through October is the low season, when tourist numbers naturally decline.

In addition, international conditions, fuel prices, and rising air travel costs have put pressure on the foreign tourist market, particularly long-haul travelers and those who need to transit through the Middle East.

At the same time, regional tourism competitors, particularly Vietnam, are becoming increasingly competitive due to lower living costs, accommodation prices, and overall travel expenses, giving tourists in some markets more options.

Thanet said that under these circumstances, the arrival of around 5,000 US personnel, although only for a short period, helped stimulate economic activity and bring more energy to Pattaya during the low season. It also showed that Pattaya offers a much wider range of tourism experiences than its traditional image as a nightlife destination.

Interesting video. Sadly it’s utterly unlistenable. Recommend turning the sound off.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdLU-FEb0HE

https://www.khaosod.co.th/politics/news_10388665

Hello,

interesting promotion from AMEX about free flight ticket, but not clear how widespread it is in the country.

Any experience if accepted in the following shops:

-BigC

-Makro

-Lotus

-Thai Life insurance

-Bangkok Hospital

-Shopee/Lazada

thanks

In offices here it seems that everybody takes their lunch break at exactly the same time. For example, immigration is closed 12-1pm everyday. I just walked into my tessabaan to buy stickers for the rubbish and it's like the Mary Celeste in there.

I've never worked in an office but I have worked in places where we staggered our lunch so you still have a skeleton crew on hand to keep things ticking over.

I guess I'm wondering what the thinking is behind everyone downing tools at the same time? Cheers!

On September 7, 2026, Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Anutin Charnvirakul signed Ministry of Interior Order No. 2354/2026 regarding the deportation of Mr. Kevin Dimino from the Kingdom. 

It has been established that Mr. Kevin Dimino, a French national, has engaged in threatening, harassing, and physically assaulting behaviors, causing severe public nuisance and stoking deep racial and religious divisions, including among tourists. Furthermore, his reckless conduct posed a potential danger to lives and property, showing a total disregard for public safety and the well-being of others, in direct violation of the law. Additionally, the Koh Samui Provincial Court found Mr. Kevin Dimino guilty under Sections 43 (4), (8), and 158/1, Paragraph 2 of the Road Traffic Act, B.E. 2522 (1979), and sentenced him to a 10,000 Baht fine. Due to the defendant's guilty plea, which proved useful to the proceedings, the court found grounds for mitigation and halved the penalty under Section 78 of the Criminal Code to a 5,000 Baht fine, with standard legal measures to be taken under Sections 29 and 30 of the Criminal Code in default of payment, alongside the confiscation of seized assets. 

Such behavior undermines public order, good morals, and the general welfare of the public, necessitating his deportation from the Kingdom under Section 5 of the Deportation Act, B.E. 2499 (1956). By virtue of Section 5 of the Deportation Act, B.E. 2499 (1956), in conjunction with Clause 4 of the Regulations of the Office of the Prime Minister on Deportation, B.E. 2569 (2026), the Minister of Interior hereby orders the deportation of Mr. Kevin Dimino, a French national, from the Kingdom. 

Should Mr. Kevin Dimino wish to contest this decision, he reserves the right under Section 8 of the Deportation Act, B.E. 2499 (1956) to appeal to the Prime Minister to either revoke the deportation order or stay the expulsion. This appeal must be submitted within 7 days from the date of receiving this notice. Ordered this 7th day of September 2026. 

Is there anybody here who does not use air conditioning in their home?

If so, can you let us know what type of home you live in and what kind of environment you live in, e g. city, rural, north, south, etc.?

Last August, I was on vacation in Patong and took the hotel shuttle back. The driver played this song, and I've been trying to find it using Gemini and Shazam, but no luck with the title or the band.

Can you guys help me out? I really love the singer's voice, and the style is right up my alley.

Thanks!

So it’s my Thai finances birthday in a week. I invited her to invite a few friends to go to a Korean bbq but she said she just wants to keep it simple so I offered to cook for her and her friends and invite them over which she liked a lot more .

I suggested we make a grilled pork bbq “moo kata” at the house but she we can’t because one of her friends is Muslim

So I suggested roast beef and she said cannot because one of her friends is isaan

So I suggested a seafood platter and she looked at me funny and said you know I’m allergic to seafood

I guess it’ll be a bucket of kfc

Did foreigners really have the idea that they could go to a country without being a citizen, knowing the language, or probably not even making an attempt to acquire a PR that they could just sign some shoddy papers to "legally" acquire land with it ever coming back to bite them?

This level of delusion is absolutely crazy.

A very good open-access article by Ken Lohatepanont going through capabilities of the free (for Thai citizens) AI Passport, and comparing them to free versions of the same LLMs. Note that it does provide access to a variety of advanced non-free models: Gemini 3.1 Pro, Claude Opus 5, GPT 5.6 Sol, Sonar Reasoning Pro, and Nano Banana Pro, Deepseek and Kimi, along with Thai language models like Pathumma.

Most of the Tuk Tuks and the Red Trucks run on diesel and have zero emission controls, and spew clouds of exhaust as they sit idling or driving slow in traffic cruising for passengers. By taking a grab, you're still supporting Thai small business, and using a vehicle that doesn't vomit streams of black fumes.

Sadly, there are a lot of Western style hyperthyroid SUVs and trucks now, that also spew diesel exhaust, and who try to wind their way through the tiny sois and backstreets, and foul things up just as bad. They're popular here because they project arrogance and disguise their tiny drivers as 'Big Men,' and are bigger and more comfortable than many Thai homes.

Hopefully, Thai cities will eventually exclude these grotesque American-style showboats from the inner city, like most of Europe does.

Edit: Apologies to all of the exhaust-lovers; it's sad that you got so triggered. How about getting the Thai government to start a 'Royal Project' to encourage the tuk tuks and song taus to convert to electric? Of course there are laws about emission control, as one learns in the Thai driver's license process, but as always they laws get evaded with a little under-the-table action. Thanks for the grab-alternative recommendation as well.

Hey everyone, my wife and I are planning to stay in Jomtien pattaya in January to June.. My wife is a painter, and curious to know if she can find oil paint and other supplies there. Any help would be great. Thanks in advance!

สวัสดีครับทุกคน!

พอดีผมทำชิ้นส่วนปลอกล็อคข้อพับแขนหมุน (Handle Shank Collar) ของรอก Shimano 21 Ultegra C3000HG หลุดหายไปครับ (รายละเอียดตามรูปที่แนบเลยครับ) ตอนนี้ผมอยู่ในไทยครับ

เบิกแขนใหม่ยกชุดของแท้ หรือเปลี่ยนไปใช้แขนแต่งแบรนด์แพงๆ ราคาสูงเกินงบไปหน่อยครับ เลยอยากสอบถามน้าๆ ว่า:

มีที่ไหนพอจะสั่งซื้อเฉพาะชิ้นส่วนนี้ (หรือแขนอะไหล่เทียบ) ได้บ้างไหมครับ?

หรือมีน้าท่านไหนมีแขนหมุน Shimano เกลียวหมุน (จากรุ่น 21 Ultegra, Nasci, Sahara หรือ Miravel) ที่เสียแล้ว แต่ต้องการปล่อยเป็นอะไหล่ราคามิตรภาพไหมครับ?

รบกวนขอคำแนะนำด้วยนะครับ ขอบคุณมากครับ!

Hi everyone!

I accidentally lost the handle shank collar (the plastic sleeve/collar that holds the main hinge together) on my Shimano 21 Ultegra C3000HG handle. You can see the missing part in the attached photos.

I’m currently based in Thailand Bangkok. Buying a brand-new complete Shimano handle assembly or a high-end aftermarket replacement is a bit too expensive for my budget right now.

Does anyone know where I can order just this specific piece (or a cheap donor handle) online? Alternatively, if anyone here has an old, broken, or spare compatible Shimano screw-in handle (from a 21 Ultegra, Nasci, Sahara, or Miravel) and is willing to sell it, please let me know!

Appreciate any advice or leads. Thanks!

Hi everyone,

I hope this is okay to share here. I’m part of the team behind Lights in Dark Rooms, a documentary investigating scam compounds across Southeast Asia.

Our team travelled to Thailand and the Philippines to speak with survivors, NGO leaders, security researchers, politicians, and others investigating or responding to these operations.

We’re starting to release some of the longer interviews we recorded during the project, and I thought this one might be particularly relevant here.

In this interview, Mechelle B. Moore (CEO of Global Alms in Mae Sot) discusses the human cost behind online scams, the challenges NGOs face responding to trafficking and scam compounds, and ways people working in technology can actually support organizations dealing with the issue.

Watch the interview here (YouTube)

Thailand has been an important part of our research, particularly given what has been happening along the Thai-Myanmar border.

We recorded hours of conversations like this that couldn’t fit into the documentary, including interviews with survivors and people who have spent significant time investigating these networks. We’re releasing them publicly in hopes that they can be useful beyond the film itself.

If you follow this issue or know people or organizations who would be interested in the interview, we’d really appreciate you taking a look and passing it along.