CHIANG MAI — Immigration police in Chiang Mai have arrested a British national for overstaying his visa, according to officials.

Pol. Col. Phitthakphong Charoenkul, superintendent of Chiang Mai Immigration, and Pol. Lt. Col. Nattaphon Chumbuatong, deputy superintendent, stated that an investigation team has been assigned to locate foreign nationals who are violating immigration laws or committing other offences.

On 28 April 2026, immigration investigators working with officers from Immigration Division 5 conducted an inspection in an area along Samlan Road in Phra Sing subdistrict, Mueang district, following a public tip-off about an illegal foreign resident.

Authorities arrested a British man and charged him with "being a foreign national staying in the Kingdom after permission had expired". He was informed of the charges and his legal rights before being transferred to Mueang Chiang Mai Police Station for further proceedings.

The suspect admitted he had entered Thailand under the visa exemption scheme, which permits nationals from 93 countries and territories to stay up to 60 days per visit to facilitate tourism and short-term business activities. He acknowledged failing to leave the country or apply for a visa extension before his permitted stay expired.

On April 29, 2025, Abhisit Vejjajiva, the Democrat Party leader and slate list MP, discussed the selection process for the Bangkok governor candidate and Bangkok City Council members. He reported that nearly all Bangkok City Council candidates have been approved, with only about 5-6 districts still pending approval, which should be finalized within the next week. He indicated this timeline would align closely with the unveiling of the Bangkok governor candidate.

Regarding who the Bangkok governor candidate will be, Abhisit said it's time the announcement will be made, as the party is working to prepare everything simultaneously. "It's not just about the candidate," Abhisit stated, "but also about the policy concepts and direction we will pursue."

The Thai National Police and Meta have strengthened their cooperation to combat online crime and are preparing to implement aggressive measures to block fraudulent pages of all kinds. On April 29, Deputy National Police Commissioner Trirot Phiwpan announced that a progress meeting was held between the National Police Office and Meta regarding the blocking of online gambling pages on Facebook. The meeting included Chakra Thanadaksorn, director of the Technology Crime Prevention unit, along with Ben Leechaianan, Head of Public Policy for Thailand at Facebook Thailand, and Meta Platforms representatives Avinash Raju and Fatima Laraib.

Meta has cooperated effectively in blocking Facebook pages suspected of illegal activity. Between October 1, 2025 and April 27, 2026, Meta removed a total of 158,365 pages related to online gambling, representing a high compliance rate in the region as part of efforts to combat online crime.

Deputy Commissioner Trirot revealed that the next phase of cooperation between the Thai National Police and Meta Platforms will escalate enforcement against pages, content, or material that violates various laws on the Facebook platform. The approach will involve proactive searches for rapid blocking and will expand beyond online gambling content to target scam operations of all types, including investment fraud and fake job schemes. Tools and databases will be used to identify suspicious pages and block them immediately to minimize victim numbers.

The National Police Office is also collaborating with Facebook Thailand and Meta Platforms to develop a "Digital Citizenship 101" curriculum in partnership with multiple agencies to build technological resilience and strengthen cybersecurity awareness. The program targets teachers and Thai youth across 437 pilot schools to ensure they understand online threats and can use social media responsibly. The curriculum will be available for teachers and the public starting in late June.

On April 29 at 9:30 AM, Supamas Isarabhakdi, Minister attached to the Prime Minister's Office, conducted an inspection of gold ornament standards and collected random gold samples in the Yaowarat area to build public confidence amid volatile gold prices.

She personally led the inspection at Chin Hua Heng Gold Shop and collected ornamental gold samples before deploying work teams and relevant agencies to inspect other gold shops in the area. Participating shops included Thong Yai Yaowarat (1988), Hua Seng Heng, Lang Hong, Sow Seng Heng, Yu Long Kim Kee, and Buan Hua Luang (2490) gold shops.

The inspection team included Ranrong Poolpipat, Secretary-General of the OCPB, Chitti Tangsittipakdi, Chairman of the Gold Traders Association, and Sumet Prasangphongchai, Director of the National Gemstone and Jewelry Research and Development Institute (Public Organization). The inspections aimed to assure consumers that gold sold meets quality standards and proper labeling requirements.

The initiative is a collaboration between the Gold Traders Association, the National Gemstone and Jewelry Research and Development Institute, and the OCPB, targeting improvements in Thai gold ornament standards regarding weight, purity, product labeling, and quality assurance processes. Random samples will be thoroughly tested to guarantee compliance with established standards.

Supamas noted that tensions in the Middle East have caused volatile gold prices and increased investment in gold. The OCPB partnered with the Gold Traders Association and the National Gemstone and Jewelry Research and Development Institute to randomly inspect gold ornaments in shops to protect the industry and reassure consumers they would receive gold meeting standards for purity, weight, and fair pricing without exploitation.

Meanwhile, the OCPB will actively educate the public on gold investment to prevent consumer fraud in both retail and online purchases. Anyone experiencing scams or unfair treatment in gold transactions can report to the OCPB immediately, which will ensure justice for consumers at all stages.

In consumer protection efforts, the OCPB has proactively addressed multiple issues including flight cancellations, fraudulent tours, misrepresented online products, and electric vehicle sales requiring proper labeling, with ongoing field monitoring. Consumers can file complaints through the OCPB hotline 1166 or the OCPB Connect application.

A tragic incident occurred at 09:30 on April 29, 2025, when police from Samkok Station received a report of a pickup truck impaled by roadside metal at Highway 9 (heading toward Bang Bua Thong) in Bang Kra Bue Subdistrict, Samkok District, Pathum Thani Province. Officers and rescue volunteers quickly arrived at the scene on a bridge in the rightmost lane, where they found a gray Nissan Navara with Bangkok license plates. The driver, identified as Subbun, 28, was unconscious in the driver's seat with a two-inch angle-iron beam, approximately one meter long, embedded in his abdomen.

Rescuers attempted CPR but were unsuccessful, and the driver was pronounced dead. Officers contacted forensic pathologists from the Justice Ministry's Institute of Forensic Medicine. Two Myanmar workers, one man and one woman, were also found at the scene. The male worker, identified as Chuem, 42, explained that the group was traveling from Lad Krabang to a construction site in Lad Lum Kaew when suddenly the vehicle swerved to the right, lost control, and fell into the drainage ditch along the roadside before landing on the bridge.

Once the vehicle stopped, a metal bracket that had been lodged beneath the truck suddenly shot upward and pierced through the cabin, striking the driver fatally in the abdomen. Police initially suspect the driver fell asleep while driving, causing the vehicle to veer right before the front wheel dropped into the drainage ditch where the metal bracket was positioned. The bracket became dislodged and shot upward through the vehicle's undercarriage before piercing the driver's abdomen. Further detailed investigation is ongoing, and the body has been transferred to the Institute of Forensic Medicine for autopsy and official cause-of-death determination.