A majority of respondents in a new Suan Dusit Poll expressed low confidence in the fairness and impartiality of Thailand’s justice system following recent political cases.

The survey, released today, September 20, was conducted by Suan Dusit Poll at Suan Dusit University among 1,123 respondents nationwide between September 15 and 18. Responses were collected both online and in the field.

Asked how much confidence they had in the fairness and neutrality of the Thai justice system in light of recent political cases, 46.39% said they were not very confident, while 21.10% said they had no confidence at all.

Taken together, 67.49% expressed little or no confidence. By comparison, 18.52% said they were fairly confident and 7.67% said they had a high level of confidence, while 6.32% were unsure or had no opinion.

Respondents were also asked whether different groups in Thai society receive equal treatment from the justice system.

Some 38.02% said treatment was not equal at all and 35.53% said it was not very equal. Another 13.89% considered treatment fairly equal, while 5.97% said it was highly equal and 6.59% were unsure or had no opinion.

When asked what had reduced confidence in the justice system, political interference ranked first at 66.87%, followed by unequal law enforcement at 58.86% and differing standards in the consideration or judgment of cases at 56.63%.

The survey also asked what should be prioritised to rebuild confidence.

Making legal rights and assistance easier for the public to access ranked first at 66.52%, followed by enforcing the law equally for all sides at 65.45% and ensuring relevant agencies operate independently without interference at 62.24%.

When respondents were asked what first came to mind when thinking about the Thai justice system, court hearings and judgments ranked highest at 63.85%.

Protection of rights, freedoms and assistance for the public followed at 61.09%, while police law enforcement and prosecutions were cited by 59.04%.

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Former England international Andros Townsend was run over by a pitch roller while warming up at half-time during a Thai League 1 match, but escaped serious injury and later came on in stoppage time.

The incident happened during Pattani FC’s 3-0 home defeat to PT Prachuap FC at Tinsulanon Stadium yesterday, September 19.

Townsend, who was among the substitutes for Prachuap, was warming up with teammates when he followed the ball towards an area where the pitch roller was operating.

The roller passed over the 35 year old around the waist and upper thigh area, sending him to the ground.

Despite the alarming incident, Townsend did not suffer a serious injury and was later introduced in the 90+4th minute.

Footage of the incident subsequently drew attention from British media, with the unusual accident also prompting questions over why pitch-maintenance machinery was operating in an area being used by players to warm up.

The Football Association of Thailand has since responded, saying competition organisers had reminded match commissioners, referees, other officials and all member clubs to strictly follow competition regulations and safety standards.

The association said particular attention must be given to the safety of players, officials, referees, staff, supporters and everyone involved in matches.

Match commissioners and clubs were also instructed to tighten oversight of staff working in different areas of stadiums and ensure their operations comply fully with competition rules and standards.

The FA said venues, security systems and arrangements for supporters should also be checked thoroughly.

It added that it would investigate the circumstances surrounding the Townsend incident and review relevant competition procedures and safety measures.

The association said the aim was to prevent similar incidents and strengthen safety standards across professional league matches.

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Passengers were evacuated from Tao Poon MRT station in Bangkok after an electrical fire broke out on the tracks today, September 20, forcing a temporary service suspension and causing delays.

The Rama 9 radio centre received the first report at around 12.20pm after a fire was reported on the rail area near Tao Poon station on Pracharat Sai 2 Road in Bang Sue.

Bang Pho firefighters arrived shortly afterwards and found flames around electrical equipment on the tracks. By 12.43pm, crews had entered the station’s electrical control area with thermal imaging equipment and smoke extractors.

All passengers had been evacuated, and no injuries were reported.

Bangkok Expressway and Metro Public Company Limited (BEM) said an electrical system fault forced MRT services to be suspended between Bang O and Kamphaeng Phet stations, with passengers advised to use nearby stations. Some stations experienced delays of around 60 minutes.

Sparks from the fire also fell to street level, causing minor damage to one parked motorcycle.

The governor of the Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand said an initial assessment suggested unusually high moisture around the power rail during rainy conditions may have caused a short circuit.

A later inspection attributed the fire to an electrical control cabinet overheating and causing a short circuit, although officials continued examining the system to determine the exact cause.

At around 1.50pm, police and BEM staff inspected the third-rail cut-off system and walked along the affected tracks to assess the damage and investigate the cause.

Officials said the investigation would continue to establish what caused the fire and prevent a similar incident.

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Four people have been jailed in London over a trafficking network that brought Thai women to Britain and forced them to work in brothels, the Metropolitan Police said. Woolwich Crown Court handed down the sentences on Friday, September 18, totalling nearly 23 years.

Detectives identified 24 women they believe were exploited by the group. All arrived last year, mostly on what appeared to be ordinary visitor visas.

Police said the women were told they owed tens of thousands of pounds and had their passports taken, leaving many isolated and dependent on their exploiters. They were then taken to brothels in London and Kent and pressed to work off the debts.

One woman was smuggled in from the Netherlands, hidden in the back of a vehicle after crossing the Channel.

The case began last year when officers carrying out welfare checks at brothels linked to a separate inquiry spoke to Thai women. They said a woman they knew as Freya, or Freya Ice Queen, had taken their passports.

That led detectives to a wider group controlling brothels across London and Kent. Police linked 26 brothels to the network, two of them owned by one of the defendants, and visited all of them to safeguard victims. Many of the women had already left by the time officers arrived.

Officers searched seven addresses under six warrants on October 22 last year. They seized £57,145 in cash, a cash-counting machine, designer watches and handbags, and the passports of three of the women.

The longest sentence, seven years and eight months, went to 49 year old Achareeya Spurr from east London, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to traffic people, controlling prostitution for gain and handling criminal property.

Six years and nine months went to 56 year old Chin Ping, also from east London. Four years and four months went to 31 year old Sarunyoo Siriwan from south-east London, and four years to 27 year old Ugur Sahin from north-west London.

The three men were convicted after a trial lasting seven weeks of the same three charges, plus helping a non-UK national breach immigration law. All four also received Slavery and Trafficking Prevention Orders restricting what they can do after release.

A Metropolitan Police detective said the group treated women as commodities to be bought and controlled, profiting from the suffering of women who travelled thousands of miles only to be trapped in debt.

The force set up a reception centre offering the women immediate advice and support. Justice and Care’s Debi Lloyd, head of UK counter-trafficking operations, said the outcome rested on the courage of women who came forward after severe trauma.

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An assistant village headman was shot dead, and several attacks hit Yala overnight, prompting the provincial governor to order an immediate increase in security.

The violence occurred across Bannang Sata district from late yesterday, September 19, into the early hours of today.

The first incident involved the fatal shooting of 42 year old Hamdi Jesoh, an assistant village headman.

Hamdi was riding a motorcycle to visit his wife when unidentified attackers ambushed and shot him with a shotgun, killing him.

At around 2.30am, further attacks were reported at several points along Highway 410 in Ban Phong Yamu.

Attackers burned tyres, placed a suspicious object on the road, scattered road spikes and destroyed two CCTV cameras.

Three construction vehicles belonging to a contractor working on a four-lane road project were also set on fire, including an excavator and road rollers.

A resident’s car was also burned while its owner was returning from Betong district.

Bannang Sata police, military personnel, administrative officials and forensic officers examined the scene this morning.

Investigators have not ruled out either a personal dispute or an attempt to stir unrest in the area.

Following the attacks, Governor Kongsakul Chantharach inspected the damage and met with security agencies before ordering tighter protection across the area.

Construction machinery is to be moved to safer locations, including areas near local administrative offices or mosques, while contractors have been asked to provide security guards.

Officials were also instructed to increase patrols along routes where infrastructure projects are under way.

DailyNews reported that the governor urged residents to report suspicious activity as investigators work to identify and locate those responsible.

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A woman gave birth unexpectedly outside a Pattaya shopping centre, where a newborn girl was found beside a dinosaur display before rescuers located the exhausted mother inside the mall.

The Sawang Boriboon rescue foundation was alerted on September 19 to the newborn outside Central Beach Festival on Pattaya Second Road.

Rescuers found the baby lying near fencing around a dinosaur display with the umbilical cord still attached. She was initially silent but began crying after responders moved in to help.

Motorcycle taxi drivers nearby brought cloth to cover the baby and held her while emergency services were contacted.

The mother, a 40 year old woman from Bangkok, was initially nowhere to be found.

Mall security and rescue workers searched the area before locating her exhausted in a ground-floor toilet. Rescuers said the placenta had been discarded in a bin.

The woman and her baby were then taken to Pattaya Hospital.

Initial examinations found both were safe but required close observation. The mother was suffering from heavy bleeding and severe exhaustion, reported Siam Chon News.

She told officials this was her third pregnancy and estimated she had been around seven to eight months pregnant.

The woman said she developed severe abdominal pain while sitting outside the mall that morning before suddenly giving birth. She then went into the shopping centre to wash herself before rescuers found her.

Motorcycle taxi driver Suchat said the woman staggered towards the dinosaur display and appeared to be pushing before suddenly giving birth. Bystanders rushed to help the newborn and call emergency services, while the mother walked away and was later found inside the mall.

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A local official in Uthai Thani has been charged with raping a girl aged 15 or younger, but denied the allegation and claimed his relationship with the autistic woman had been consensual.

The case involves “Ae”, now 20, whose family alleges the official repeatedly raped her from primary school age until she became pregnant at around 15, threatened her family and later raped her again.

Her family returned to the police on September 18 with medical evidence and called for the case to be prosecuted.

The 65 year old deputy chief of a subdistrict administrative organisation in Lan Sak district appeared at Lan Sak Police Station the same day to meet investigators.

Officers checked whether he was carrying any weapons before taking him into an interview room, following allegations from Ae’s family that he had previously claimed to possess guns and had threatened them.

Speaking to reporters, the official denied raping Ae but acknowledged having had a relationship with her when she was around 15 to 16 years old. He claimed the relationship was consensual and referred to her as his wife.

He said he had known Ae since childhood because her family had previously hired him to take her to and from school.

The official also claimed he had supported her financially and cared for her over the years.

He acknowledged that discussions had taken place with the family over compensation, saying some money had been provided and a written agreement concerning land had also been made.

According to his account, the relationship between the two sides later deteriorated because of disagreements over money and the terms of that agreement.

Addressing the family’s allegations that he had threatened them, the official denied intending to hurt anyone.

He said he had wanted the family to become afraid and stop contacting other people about the matter.

He also maintained that he had never abandoned Ae and said he was prepared to defend himself in court and take legal action against anyone he believed had damaged him through the allegations.

Police said the criminal case cannot be resolved through mediation or a private settlement.

Police have initially charged the official with rape of a girl aged 15 or younger. He denied the charge and is expected to contest the case.

After questioning, police planned to take a blood sample for DNA testing as part of the investigation before seeking court approval to detain him while proceedings continue.

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A man has died inside a burrow in Chon Buri after going in to reach newborn puppies he feared would be flooded. Two of the puppies were found dead beside him.

Wanna Sae Li, 65, crawled into a burrow beside a drainage canal in Ban Bueng as the rain rose. Rescuers had to dig him out and found two newborn puppies at his fingertips.

Rescue volunteers in Ban Bueng reported the death at about noon on Saturday, September 19. Pol. Maj. Siriwit Wongkawankrom, an investigating inspector at Ban Bueng station, went to the scene in Moo 10 of Nong Irun subdistrict.

Investigators followed with a medical team from Ban Bueng Hospital and more volunteers. Behind the house they found a burrow about 60 centimetres across, close to a drainage canal and covered over with grass.

A pair of human feet protruded from the mouth of the burrow as far as the knees. Officers told the volunteers to bring digging equipment.

They dug about 30 centimetres down and roughly 150 centimetres along the length of the body. It took about 10 minutes to bring him out.

Both his arms were stretched forward and he was lying face down. Two newborn puppies lay dead at his fingertips.

An examination found no sign that he had been harmed by anyone. He lived alone in the house, with a few relatives in the houses nearby.

His brother Somsak Sae Li, 75, had come to see him that morning. He said Wanna went in because he feared the rain would flood the burrow where the puppies were sheltering. He crawled in too deep to get himself out again.

Eight newborn puppies were found on the ground under the house, watched over by two female dogs. The burrow was wet sand beside the canal in an area where dogs had dug out several shelters.

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The 48-year-old tourist slipped while photographing the second tier of Kwang Tone waterfall in Pha Taem National Park on September 18. Rescuers walked three kilometres of forest trail and took more than two hours to reach her.

A woman has died after falling more than 10 metres at a waterfall in Pha Taem National Park in Ubon Ratchathani. She had been taking photographs at the time.

Park chief Pramuan Rattanawan alerted Khong Chiam police at about 4pm on Friday, September 18. Pol. Col. Santiphap Saingam went to the scene with investigators and a doctor on duty from Khong Chiam Hospital.

Park staff and rescue volunteers made their way in along a natural trail of about three kilometres. The walk took them more than two hours.

They found Wanwisa, who was 48 and from Songkhla province, with no vital signs. Officers gave CPR at the scene but could not revive her.

Carrying her out was difficult and it was dark by the time they reached the road. Her body was sent for examination at the forensic unit of Sunpasitthiprasong Hospital in Mueang Ubon Ratchathani.

She had travelled from Bangkok with a group of 14 friends, according to those who were with her. The group’s leader said they had visited often and so had not asked for a park guide.

She walked down to photograph the second tier of the falls before the fall, her friends said. She slipped and went over the edge to the level below, a drop of more than 10 metres.

Police contacted her family, who came to collect her. They did not question the cause of death and took her for funeral rites.

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Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana Rajakanya has presented all eight styles of Chud Thai Phra Ratchaniyom in Tokyo as Thailand continues its push for UNESCO recognition of the national costume tradition.

The Princess presided over the presentation on September 18 at the Hyokeikan building of the Tokyo National Museum, where three styles of traditional men’s Suea Phra Ratchathan shirts were also showcased.

The event, “Chud Thai: Knowledge, Craftsmanship and Practices of the Thai National Costume,” was organised by Thailand’s Department of Cultural Promotion from September 17 to 18 as part of efforts to promote knowledge of Thai national dress internationally.

The programme also featured demonstrations of traditional Thai craftsmanship, including jewellery making, metallic-thread work, silk embroidery, gold and silver craftsmanship, traditional gold decoration techniques and silk weaving featuring auspicious patterns.

The works were presented not simply as historical objects but as living forms of cultural heritage that can continue to develop through contemporary design.

Thailand’s Cabinet approved the submission of “Chud Thai: Knowledge, Craftsmanship and Practices of the Thai National Costume” to UNESCO in 2024 for consideration as intangible cultural heritage.

The nomination is due to be considered during the 21st session of UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Committee in December 2026 in Xiamen, China.

The Tokyo presentation forms part of efforts to position the tradition as living heritage that continues to evolve while retaining its cultural foundations.

The eight recognised styles of Chud Thai Phra Ratchaniyom are Ruean Ton, Chitralada, Amarin, Boromphiman, Dusit, Chakri, Siwalai and Chakkraphat.

Their names are derived from throne halls and royal residences within the Grand Palace and Dusit Palace. The three styles of men’s Suea Phra Ratchathan were also presented as part of Thailand’s long-established national dress traditions.

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