Bureau chief tied to illegal oil incidentPol Maj Gen Jaroonkiat Pankaew, commander of the Anti-Corruption Division (ACD) and also acting Highway Police Department commander, says the director of the Excise Department's Prevention and Suppression Bureau was involved in a case of illegally transported oil detected by the Highway Police on June 7. (Photo supplied)The director of the Excise Department's Prevention and Suppression Bureau was involved in a case of illegally transported oil detected by the Highway Police on June 7, according to the results of an internal probe. HPD staff refused to comply, according to Pol Maj Gen Jaroonkiat Pankaew, commander of the Anti-Corruption Division (ACD), who is also the acting HPD commander. The director reportedly asked to contact Pol Maj Gen Jaroonkiat directly, but Pol Maj Gen Jaroonkiat declined. Both the department and the Finance Ministry will decide on the punishment, added Mr Kriengkrai.

Ukraine claims gains despite Russia 'powerful resistance'Ukrainian units say they are pushing the Russian troops back slowly. (AFP photo)KYIV (UKRAINE): Kyiv on Thursday reported progress in its counteroffensive on the eastern and southern fronts, despite contending with strong resistance from Russian troops. His visit came as Kyiv, bolstered with Western weapons and training, pushed its long-awaited effort to force Russian troops off its territory. "The enemy is pulling up additional reserves and is trying with all its might to prevent the advance of Ukrainian forces," Ukrainian Deputy Defence Minister Ganna Malyar told a briefing. Russian troops already pummeled the hometown of President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday, killing 12 people.

Police charge India wrestling chief with sexual harassmentFarmers gather to support demands police investigate wrestling federation chief Brij Bhushan Singh over allegations of sexual harassmentNEW DELHI - Indian police said Thursday they had charged the country's wrestling federation president with sexual harassment and stalking, following a protest by the sport's top figures demanding his arrest. Singh was accused by Olympic medallists and other Indian wrestling champions of groping female athletes and demanding sexual favours. Delhi Police said in a statement that "after completion of investigation" they charged Singh with sexual harassment and stalking under the Indian Penal Code. He has denied the allegations of sexual harassment and intimidation, and claimed to be the victim of a "conspiracy" to force him out of parliament. The wrestlers decided to pause the sit-in after the government promised to investigate the sexual harassment claims, giving itself a Thursday deadline to respond to the protesters' demands.

Department clamps down on protected wood shipmentsMr Ronnarong says the importation of timber logs through customs checkpoints in Tak, Kanchanaburi and Mae Hong Son provinces is prohibited. The order also prohibits the import of phayung logs, processed phayung and artefacts made from phayung from Cambodia and Laos. He said the export of phayung logs, processed phayung wood, balled and burlapped phayung tree, and artefacts made from phayung wood is prohibited. The export of timber logs and processed wood, other than the prohibited items listed earlier, is allowed but requires authorisation. According to Commerce Ministry data, the value of Thailand's wood and wood product exports totalled 104 billion baht last year.

photos courtesy of 333 GalleryThe relation between the body and vernacular cultures and traditions in Indonesia is portrayed through artworks during "Body, Community, and Society: She is House" which is running at 333 Gallery, until July 2. The exhibition focuses on gendered bodies which are oftentimes excluded or accorded minor narratives but that are part of the same cycle of life. Of utmost relevance are their places of birth or cultural reference -- Java, West Sumatra, Bali and North Sulawesi. By expanding the notion of the body to that of a home, a body of people or a body of knowledge, the works question the formation of social hierarchies, the transformation of cultural knowledge and the possibility of new knowledge that evolves from the embracement of otherness. 333 Gallery is located at Warehouse 30 on Charoen Krung 30 and opens Tuesday to Sunday from 11am to 6pm.

Thailand records 11.4m foreign touristsTourists visit Asiatique The Riverfront, an open-air mall on the banks of the Chao Phraya River on Charoen Krung Road in Bangkok, in May 2023. (Photo: Nutthawat Wichieanbut)Thailand received 11.4 million foreign tourist arrivals from January to June 11, and saw spending of 472 billion baht (US$13.67 billion), the Ministry of Tourism and Sports said in a statement on Tuesday. The tourist numbers surpassed the 11.15 million in the whole of 2022.

For TIDLOR, the main business revolves around vehicle title loans, while the hire purchase portfolio is a minor portion that mainly focuses on truck hire purchase. Additionally, Ngern Tidlor is a subsidiary of Bank of Ayudhya, committed to transparent business practices and providing fair financial opportunities for underbanked customers and independent workers. As an influential player in the industry, Ngern Tidlor has been instrumental in establishing standards for vehicle title loan business through initiatives like the Vehicle Title Loan Trade Association (VTLA). Furthermore, Ngern Tidlor is recognized as a role model for transparency in business operations. Moreover, Ngern Tidlor remains committed to progressing through the implementation of efficient development strategies and technology investments to ensure sustainable business growth.

Zelensky says counteroffensive 'taking place' as Trudeau visits KyivUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (R) and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau shake hands after talks in KyivKYIV (UKRAINE) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Saturday that counteroffensive action was underway as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited Kyiv and accused Russia over flooding from the breached Kakhovka dam. "Counteroffensive and defensive actions are taking place in Ukraine: at which stage I will not talk in detail," Zelensky said at a joint press conference in Kyiv with Trudeau. Zelensky commented after Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed that Kyiv's long-expected counteroffensive was already failing. It is important that Russia always feels this: that they do not have long left, in my opinion," Zelensky said. He also visited an open-air exhibition featuring destroyed Russian military vehicles.

Move Forward Party leader Pita Limjaroenrat greets supporters in Phuket province on Friday. (Photo: Move Forward Party)PHUKET: Prime ministerial candidate Pita Limjaroenrat has vowed his government will support Phuket in hosting the Specialised Expo 2028. A key component of his speech was on the island's candidature for the Specialised Expo 2028, which will be held from March 21 to June 20, 2028. "We will not do this just in case the island is selected to host the Specialised Expo 2028. Phuket has prepared a 141-rai site in Thalang district to host the Specialised Expo 2028.

Canada loosens visa ruleFile photoThailand is among 13 countries newly added to Canada's electronic travel authorisation (eTA) programme by its Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Sean Fraser, the North American country announced on Wednesday. Travellers who have either held a Canadian visa in the last 10 years or who currently hold a valid United States non-immigrant visa can now apply for an eTA instead of a visa when travelling to Canada by air, according to the website canada.ca. Effective from Tuesday, eligible travellers from Thailand and the following countries can now benefit from the programme: Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Costa Rica, Morocco, Panama, Philippines, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Seychelles, Trinidad and Tobago, and Uruguay. "By making travel to Canada more accessible, we are enhancing opportunities for collaboration, trade and investment, thus invigorating our economy," said Kevin Lamoureux, Canada's MP for Winnipeg North.

Telehouse's first data centre in Thailand on Rama IX Road, which covers an area of 9,000 square metres. Two Japan-based data centre providers have invested US$164 million (5.5 billion baht) in Thailand to build and expand data centres, cashing in on the trend of digital transformation and the exponential growth of cloud computing. Telehouse recently opened its first data centre in Thailand with an investment of $74 million, while NTT invested 3 billion baht through NTT Global Data Centers Corporation to develop its newest and largest data centre in Thailand. Thailand has attracted investment from global cloud and data centre providers to expand their footprints. The new Bangkok data centre follows the Jakarta 3 Data Center in Indonesia, which was completed in April 2022, and the Cyberjaya 6 Data Center in Malaysia, scheduled for completion around mid-2023.

The ban on the sales of alcoholic beverages during Buddhist holidays has sparked a heated debate between advocates and critics of the law -- including the Move Forward Party, which is campaigning for the end of the ban. According to Ms Amarat, banning the sale of alcoholic beverages on Buddhist holidays goes against the nation's constitution, which also guarantees the people's right to belong to religions other than Buddhism. Since many other religions do not frown upon the consumption of alcoholic beverages the way Buddhism does, the ban encroaches on their freedom to choose what's best for themselves, she said. There are five Buddhist holidays in every calendar year during which the sale of alcoholic beverages are prohibited, namely Makha Bucha Day, Visakha Bucha Day, Asarnha Bucha Day, as well as the start and end of Buddhist Lent. The party lambasted the rules for posing stiffer barriers to small makers of alcoholic beverages and attempting to protect the interests of large brewers.

Thai Airways plans jet orders as carrier rebounds from pandemicIn this file photo taken on April 8, 2016 a Thai Airways Boeing 747 plane prepares to land at Changi International Airport in Singapore. (AFP)Thai Airways International Plc said it will begin talks with aircraft manufacturers to purchase 30 new widebody jets as tourists return to Thailand and the carrier looks to rebound from the pandemic. The airline is also looking to add several more A321neos for its regional Thai Smile unit, the CEO said. With order books filling up, airlines around the world are moving quickly to lock in delivery slots with aircraft manufacturers. Demand is being fuelled by strong long-haul demand from Europe and Australia, despite operating at less than 2019 levels of capacity, Chai said.

After selling the seedy side of his business empire, Mr Chuvit began a career in politics as an anti-corruption campaigner, twice serving as a member of parliament. "There is 5,000 websites about the gambling in Thai," Mr Chuvit said on "Deeper Dive". Ignorance of the law, Mr Chuvit pointed out, is no defence -- and enforcement can be lucrative. Mr Chuvit said the amounts were so large because police knew they had caught some big fish. Many of the Chinese, Mr Chuvit discovered, were on visas issued fraudulently in the Northeast.

Most foresee problems forming new govt coalition: pollLeaders of eight parties led by the Move Forward Party signed a memorandum of understanding to serve as a guideline for collaboration between the coalition partners as they stepped closer to forming a new government on May 22. Asked whether they were had doubts that the new government could be formed, 67.83% of the respondents said "yes", citing many factors, including disagreements among them. On the other side, 32.17% said they were not worried. They believed the eight parties, with Move Forward as the core, would be able to reach a settlement in a democratic process, with all showing respect to one another. Asked whether they were confident the process of forming a new government would be smooth, 58.33% said they were not sure, while 41.67% said they were.