This week: Tangmo tragedy, Ukraine invasion
TV actress Tangmo drowns
As war rages in Ukraine, the story dominating Thai news was the death of TV actress Nida "Tangmo" Patcharaveerapong.
Thirty-seven-year-old Tangmo fell from a speedboat into the Chao Phraya River in Nonthaburi last Thursday night. Her body was found on Saturday afternoon.
Her companions initially said that the boat's toilet was not working properly and that the actress had gone to the back of the boat to relieve herself before falling into the river.
Tangmo's mother expressed disbelief over the claim that the fall was accidental, hinting at the possibility of foul play.
Police found a big cut on the thigh of the late actress and a scratch and bruise on one boat companion.
Police removed the boat's propeller to determine if it caused the cut. During Wednesday's re-enactment of the boat's journey, police botched the reattachment of the propeller, which fell off and sank to the river bed. Divers retrieved it on Thursday.
The boat owner and driver have been charged with negligence and operating an unauthorised vessel. Police said they would use lie detectors in their interviews of Tangmo's companions, adding that all five from the boat may face charges of negligence leading to death and giving false statements to the police.
Thailand backs UN resolution against Russian invasion
As fighting intensified in Kyiv and across Ukraine, Thailand joined 140 other countries to vote for a United Nations resolution demanding an immediate withdrawal of the Russian forces and deploring Russia's "aggression against Ukraine".
According to a government source, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha insisted Thailand will maintain its neutrality in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Call to scrap PCR tests, Thailand Pass
Meanwhile, hoteliers want to scrap RT-PCR testing requirements and the Thailand Pass scheme because the Russian invasion has darkened the tourism outlook to such an extent that the industry might attract only 10% of pre-pandemic arrival numbers.
