KANCHANABURI — 29 April 2026, Villagers in Kanchanaburi province are on edge after large, crocodile-like footprints were found on a sandbank in the Mae Klong River, prompting an urgent inspection by officials.

Residents of Moo 3 in Wai Niao subdistrict, Tha Maka district, reported discovering the tracks on a mid-river islet, raising concerns among people living nearby. Community leaders have contacted the provincial fisheries office to verify the findings.

Naruenart Kongkaew, who first spotted the tracks, said he and friends had gone to the area when water levels dropped enough to allow access to the islet. There, they found marks resembling the drag of a large animal's body across the ground, along with deep clawed footprints leading into the water.

"The size was clearly larger than a person's body. It doesn't look like a monitor lizard," he said, adding that locals are now afraid to enter the water.

Later, Chalermphon Hongyon, head of a regional water rescue unit, inspected the area and found two large burrows. The surrounding ground showed signs of heavy disturbance, consistent with a large animal moving in and out of the water. He said body marks suggested a creature measuring at least 4 metres in length.

Villagers in nearby Ban Pong Tuek also reported finding a similar burrow about 3 metres deep, with matching traces.

Chalermphon said crocodiles typically bask on land during the day and retreat to burrows at night. However, he cautioned that it remains unconfirmed whether the animal is indeed a crocodile, pending a detailed inspection by fisheries officials.

In the meantime, the village head has issued a warning urging residents and fishermen to avoid the riverbank and refrain from entering the water until the species is identified, citing potential danger.

The Board of Investment (BOI) reported that first-quarter 2025 investment promotion applications exceeded 1 trillion baht across more than 600 projects, led by the digital and electronics industries supporting AI and clean energy.

BOI Secretary General Narutt Tedsathirsak revealed that despite global volatility and manufacturing relocation trends, Thailand continues to attract investor interest. In the first quarter of 2025, 624 projects valued at 1,016,962 million baht were submitted for investment promotion—a 2.4-fold increase from the same period last year.

This growth stems from major investment projects in the digital and electronics industries, reflecting investor confidence in Thailand's potential as an advanced technology manufacturing base.

"The first-quarter investment promotion value exceeding 1 trillion baht clearly signals that Thailand is transitioning from a traditional manufacturing base to an industry of the future, particularly in digital and AI supply chains that have become the backbone of the global economy. This proves Thailand is ready to receive investments from around the world to establish itself as the region's investment hub amid challenging global conditions," Narutt stated.

The top five industries by investment value are:

1. Digital Industry: 873,741 million baht (48 projects) – primarily data center and cloud service investments from leading companies in Singapore, Japan, the United Kingdom, and Malaysia, including TikTok System, Skyline Data Center and Cloud Services, Global Switch, and Evolution Data Center. These projects strengthen Thailand's role as Southeast Asia's digital infrastructure and AI hub.

2. Electronics and Electrical Equipment Industry: 40,456 million baht (80 projects) – mainly advanced electronic component manufacturing, PCB production, and critical data center equipment including HDDs, optical transceivers, and AI data center servers, from companies in the US, Taiwan, Japan, Singapore, and Hong Kong. Companies like Multi-Fineline Electronics, Celestica, Inventec, Cal-Comp Electronics, Western Digital Storage Technologies, Fabri-Net, and Canon Hi-Tech are expanding their Thai operations with increasingly advanced technology products to meet AI and modern industry demands.

3. Energy and Basic Utilities Industry: 17,103 million baht (108 projects) – primarily clean energy production, especially solar and wind power from Thai operators such as VoltZinc Solution, Wang Khon Khwaeng Solar Energy, NP Watt, Kanchanaburi Solar Energy, Nong Khaem Solar Energy, and Ban Po Solar Energy. These projects will support Thailand's transition to clean energy and achieve greenhouse gas emission reduction targets.

4. Agriculture and Food Industry: 16,963 million baht (61 projects) – mainly value-added processing investments including natural rubber products and modified starch production, as well as animal husbandry and breeding by Thai companies such as Sri Trang Agro-Industry, Siam Quality Starch, and Farm Luck, demonstrating Thailand's potential to upgrade agricultural raw materials into high-value products.

The Royal Thai Police, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, and Ministry of Labor have integrated cooperation with the United States to escalate efforts against international call center gangs and human trafficking, aiming for Tier 1 status.

Police General Kittiratsaku Phandpetch, National Police Commissioner, assigned Police General Thatchai Pitaneelabutr, Deputy National Police Commissioner and director of the Anti-Human Trafficking Center (ATCC), to lead a high-level delegation including Hattaya Khoosukul, Director-General of the Americas and South Pacific Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Suriya Jindavongsa, Ambassador to Washington, DC, along with representatives from the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, Ministry of Labor, and civil society organizations. The delegation traveled to Washington, DC between April 21-25, 2025 to participate in discussions and present Thailand's progress in preventing and suppressing human trafficking, call center gangs, and sexual abuse of children and youth, while strengthening bilateral cooperation.

Elevating Bilateral Cooperation

During this visit, Thai representatives held discussions with senior U.S. government officials and learned about President Donald Trump's policy emphasizing firm suppression of call center gangs due to damages to American citizens exceeding six billion U.S. dollars (approximately 193.935 billion baht) in the past year.

Operations of these call center gangs were found to be scattered across the ASEAN region, particularly in Cambodia, Myanmar, and Laos, where they deceive populations from over 40 countries, including Thai nationals, to force them into labor through international fraud schemes.

Jeanine Pirro, U.S. District Attorney for the District of Columbia and head of the Scam Center Strike Force, reporting directly to the U.S. President, praised the operations of the Royal Thai Police under Police General Thatchai's leadership for establishing the IAC Warroom operational center. This center successfully integrates information with financial institutions and mobile network service providers, enabling rapid and efficient account seizure and asset recovery for victims. It also features close cooperation with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), resulting in numerous arrests and substantial asset seizures.

Disclosure of Serious Criminal Investigation Data

During the meeting, Police General Thatchai presented in-depth intelligence and investigation data on the dismantling of a large-scale call center gang operation near the Chong border area in Cambodia. The operation involved over 10,000 individuals of diverse nationalities who were defrauded and forced into labor through romance scams and investment fraud schemes.

Additionally, significant evidence of severe human rights violations was discovered, including lists of names and phone numbers of over 10,000 American citizens targeted by the gang, as well as facilities resembling detention rooms, equipment suspected of being used for torture of non-compliant individuals, and medical laboratories and X-ray facilities. These discoveries led to suspicions of illegal organ trafficking on the dark market or unethical experimentation, which the U.S. government takes extremely seriously. Both countries agreed to escalate intelligence and joint investigation cooperation to expand results across regions.

On April 29, 2025, Plaeng Daeng Police Station reported that on the evening of April 28, officers responded to reports of a body found in a forest behind a school in Plaeng Daeng Subdistrict, Plaeng Daeng District, Rayong Province. Upon arrival, they discovered a male body wearing a black crew-neck shirt and black shorts with severe lacerations on both arms resembling sharp bite wounds. Medical examiners estimated he had been dead for approximately two days. A black and red motorcycle was found overturned 200 meters away in a rubber plantation.

According to the victim's brother, the deceased was identified as Yee Zee Saw, 18, a Myanmar national. The victim left on his motorcycle on the morning of April 27 and had not been in contact since. The brother stated the victim did not drink alcohol and was unaware of any prior conflicts.

A Cambodian laborer, Ms. B (pseudonym), who first discovered the body, reported finding the victim lying at the base of a mango tree while gathering branches behind the school. She immediately ran to notify her employer, who called police.

Initial police investigation suggests that Yee Zee Saw may have been chased at high speed by a group on motorcycles, causing his bike to crash and flip in the rubber plantation. He was then allegedly attacked with a sharp weapon, attempted to flee to nearby residents for help, but died from severe blood loss due to his injuries.

Police are currently reviewing CCTV footage along the victim's suspected route and conducting further witness interviews to identify the perpetrators and establish the true motive for the homicide.

At 9:25 AM on April 29, 2025, at Government House, Deputy Minister Phrayadon Phrisananantakul gave a statement regarding the first Economic Cabinet meeting, indicating it is scheduled for next week. The meeting agenda will address the 'Thai Helps Thai Plus' program and economic policies designed to assist citizens affected by Middle East developments. Following the meeting, project timelines will become clear, with the goal of having all initiatives operational by June 1.