Representatives from the United States and Thailand combined efforts and cut down a 3,200-acre opium plantation in Chiang Rai on Friday. Reports say local villagers planted the opium plants in exchange for pay. The plantation area is hard to access by land because it lies in a valley.NBC
A Swiss man is facing up to 75 years in a Thai jail for defacing images of King Bhumibol Adulyadej with black paint on the revered monarch's birthday. Police are charging the 57-year-old Oliver Rudolf Jufer with five counts of lese majeste, each of which carry jail terms of between three and 15 years. Jufer is due to go on trial in Chiang Mai next month Only one Thai newspaper reported the episode after police asked local journalists not to write about it to minimize the disrespect to King Bhumibol, the world's longest-reigning monarch.ITN
The Cabinet today will consider six proposed electric-rail routes in Bangkok costing 165 billion baht. Construction on the Bang Sue to Taling Chan "Red Line" route is due to begin in October, while work on the other five lines should begin before June of next year. The construction plans are designed to match loan approvals from the Japan Bank for International Cooperation, according to Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning Director-General Maitree Srinarawat.The Nation