Thai worker’s body being brought back from IsraelListen to this articleNisant Meeram is seen in a video call with his wife from the apple orchard where he was working in northern Israel, a few days before his death. (Photo supplied)The government will repatriate the body of a Thai worker who was killed last week in Israel on Tuesday, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Nisan was killed by leftover ammunition while working in an apple orchard in Kibbutz Yir’on in northern Israel on Oct 11. The worker’s body will be brought back on El Al flight LY081 on Oct 21, arriving in Bangkok on Tuesday at 2pm. “The Royal Thai Embassy will closely work with Israel on the compensation for Nisan’s family,” Mr Nikorndej added.

The House Committee on Southern Border Peace will summon three key officials to consider what steps should be taken when the statute of limitations expires for the Tak Bai massacre case next Friday. The Tak Bai massacre involved the deaths of 85 people in Narathiwat's Tak Bai district on Oct 25, 2004. Seven defendants in the case have not appeared before the Narathiwat Provincial Court, with concerns they are waiting out the statute of limitations. She said MPs are not eligible for immunity once they are a defendant in a court case. She urged the government to demonstrate its political will to bring the defendants in the Tak Bai case to justice.

Tourism to gain from central bank cutListen to this articleTourists visit Wat Arun in Bangkok. (Photo: Apichart Jinakul)Thailand's policy rate cut is expected to benefit the tourism industry, letting business operators invest and upgrade their services to improve competitiveness, while tourist spending could increase. Sanga Ruangwattanakul, president of the Khao San Road Business Association, said the reduction would help to improve the economy, and the tourism industry in particular. Mr Suksit said he believes the central bank will be able to keep the local currency in an acceptable range. "Our currency swing should not hurt the tourism industry at the same level as when the currencies of source markets were previously affected," he said.

Vietnam estimates China rail link will cost $7.2bnListen to this articleVietnamese people exercise at Lenin Park in Hanoi on June 16, 2024. (Photo: Reuters)HANOI: Vietnam has estimated the cost of building a new railway linking it with China's Yunnan province at 179 trillion dong ($7.2 billion), state media reported on Wednesday. The 427-kilometre railway would run from the border province of Lao Cai through the capital Hanoi and port city of Haiphong to Ha Long City, the official Vietnam News Agency reported. Vietnam has been seeking to upgrade its aging railway systems, including plans to build a high-speed railway running along the length of the country and lines linking with China, its largest trading partner. Vietnam Railway Authority has submitted the plan to build the Lao Cai-Ha Long railway to the transport ministry for review and approval, the report said.

The Faculty of Dentistry, Chulalongkorn University, organises a free dental treatment event in honour of Her Royal Highness Princess Srinagarindra. The free services included dental fillings, extractions and scaling, with a limited capacity of 900 adults and 150 children. The event took place at Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, on Thursday.

Farmers in Chon Buri province held their annual water buffalo races on Wednesday, celebrating the start of the monsoon season and marking the beginning of the rice-growing period. This tradition, which dates back to the 1800s, continues to honour a long-standing agricultural tradition.

The most recent change in the policy rate was an increase of 25 basis points in September last year. The last time the central bank cut rates was in May 2020. The Pheu Thai government has been pressing the central bank for months to cut borrowing costs to help spur the underperforming Thai economy. Central bank governor Sethaput Suthiwartnarueput has maintained that rate decisions will be guided by the outlook for domestic economic and financial conditions and inflation. While Wednesday’s decision might placate critics of the BoT for a while, manoeuvring to influence the choice of a new central bank chairman remains a concern.

(Photo supplied/Wassayos Ngamkham)Police have arrested all 18 suspects wanted in the iCon Group fraud case, including founder and CEO Warathaphon “Boss Paul” Waratyaworrakul, the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) said on Wednesday night. Kan Kantathavorn, a well-known TV host and actor linked to The iCon Group, was brought to the CIB at 7.30pm. The last three suspects arrested were Saowapha Wongsakha, Songkrot “Boss Peter” Sretthanan and Chetnaphat “Boss Tommy” Apiwattanakarn. Pol Maj Gen Montree Theskhan, commander of the Crime Suppression Division, ordered building management to prepare rooms to interrogate the fraud suspects and cleaning staff to clean detention rooms. More than 1,100 people have filed fraud complaints against The iCon Group, which sold health and dietary supplements.

Inmates at Samut Songkhram Prison were trained by fish sauce master Jittrakorn Buadee from Phetchaburi, whose idea of making sauce from the invasive fish has been widely praised. Bundit Kunlawanit, director of the Samut Songkhram fisheries office, said the number of blackchin tilapia in local water sources has fallen since the programme began in August. The department says it has eradicated at least 90,000kg of blackchin tilapia from 17 provinces nationwide. A House of Representatives sub-committee in September said a company that it declined to name was the sole importer of blackchin tilapia was at the root of the problem. CP Foods has publicly acknowledged that it first imported blackchin tilapia for research in December 2010, with permission from the Department of Fisheries.

When asked whether the government would put additional pressure on Gen Pisal to return to Thailand to stand trial, the premier said it already had. When quizzed on reports Gen Pisal is currently in Japan, Ms Paetongtarn said this must be handled by Interpol. Gen Pisal quit Pheu Thai on Monday, said Wisut Chainarun, another of the party's list-MP and also the chief government whip. Therefore, no one in the party needs to criticise Gen Pisal over the Tak Bai issue any longer, he said. As a consequence of his resignation, Gen Pisal lost his seat in the House and will be replaced from the party list.

Australia’s federal government announced last month that it plans to ban younger teenagers from using social media — a move that would be a world-first if successfully rolled out.

The conflict between Israel and the Iran-backed Lebanese armed group Hezbollah is breaking up families, as people flee Lebanon for safety and a better future. Some 270,000 residents of Lebanon had fled across the border into Syria, the United Nations refugee agency chief said, as he warned on Monday the world needed better solutions for the unprecedented displacement crisis it's now facing.

Revised contract now readyProposed contract revisions for the high-speed rail project connecting three airports are expected to be submitted to the cabinet within two weeks, Finance Minister Pichai Chunhavajira said. The original contract was signed in 2019 by the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) and Asia Era One, a Charoen Pokphand (CP) Group subsidiary. Last Friday, the EEC Policy Committee approved proposed revisions to five key points in the contract. Under the original contract, when the private sector operates the high-speed train, the government would pay a total of 149.65 billion baht in instalments. The private sector must also provide additional guarantees beyond the original contract, totalling 160 billion baht, to ensure that the high-speed train is constructed and operational within five years.

Kunlavut moves coolly into last 16Listen to this articleKunlavut Vitidsarn will play Koki Watanabe in the last 16. (Photo supplied)Kunlavut Vitidsarn stormed into the men's singles last 16 of the US$850,000 BWF Denmark Open in Odense on Tuesday. Kunlavut, the Paris Olympics silver medallist, cruised past Mads Christophersen of Denmark 21-18, 21-6 in just 36 minutes to book his berth in the last 16 round of the World Tour Super 750 event. Pornpawee Chochuwong and Busanan Ongbamrungphan are also in the women's singles draw and will play their first round matches on Wednesday. Thuy Linh will play seventh seed Supanida Katethong of Thailand or Aakarshi Kashyap of India in the last 16.

Listen to this articlePeople who say they suffered financial damage because of the practices of The iCon Group file complaints with the Consumer Protection Police Division in Bangkok. The assets seized consisted of money in stock trading accounts, current accounts, savings accounts and digital asset trading accounts, the statement said. Apart from the company and CEO Warathaphon “Boss Paul” Waratyaworrakul, others whose assets were impounded were the actor and TV programme host Kan Kantathavorn, Thitaya Hong-upathumchai and Nichaphon Thongmee. iCon clinic under investigationIn a related development, a clinic under the iCon Group, which specialised in selling health and dietary supplements, could be in trouble for hiring a fake doctor, according to the Department of Health Service Support (DHSS). Legal action will be taken against the clinic owner.”According to his explanation, The Icon Wellness clinic is legally registered with the department, and iCon CEO Warathaphon is listed as a member of the clinic’s board.