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THAILAND LIVE Thailand Live Wednesday 25 June 2025
One Dead as Fishing Boat Catches Fire and Sinks Off Surat Thani Coast Picture courtesy of Khaosod. A dramatic rescue unfolded off the coast of Surat Thani after a fishing trawler caught fire and sank during rough sea conditions, leaving one crew member dead and others forced to jump overboard to save their lives. Full story:https://aseannow.com/topic/1364695-one-dead-as-fishing-boat-catches-fire-and-sinks-off-surat-thani-coast/ -
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Getting Thai health insurance for 68 year old American
yeah but if I plan on staying for one year or two if I use it the right way, then to get the Non imm O-A prior to going to Thailand they really want a proper Thai insurance that has all that COVID stuff -
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Fire One Dead as Fishing Boat Catches Fire and Sinks Off Surat Thani Coast
Picture courtesy of Khaosod. A dramatic rescue unfolded off the coast of Surat Thani after a fishing trawler caught fire and sank during rough sea conditions, leaving one crew member dead and others forced to jump overboard to save their lives. At around 15:00 on 23 June, Vice Admiral Nares Wongtrakul, Director of the Maritime Enforcement Command Centre (Sorn Chon) Region 2, ordered an immediate response following a distress call from the owner of the trawler Chotiaphinan 15. The vessel had caught fire and subsequently sunk while fishing alongside a sister boat, Chotiaphinan 56, in the Gulf of Thailand. Coordinates placed the incident approximately 13 nautical miles from the Tha Chana pier in Surat Thani province, at 9°39.794’N, 99°26.073’E. Three crew members were aboard the Chotiaphinan 15 when the fire broke out. One of them, a 64-year-old mechanic named Mr. Songwut, was found unconscious after the incident. He was quickly transferred to the nearby Chotiaphinan 56 and evacuated aboard the fast-response vessel Sorn Chon 4003, dispatched by the Maritime Enforcement Unit in Surat Thani. Mr. Songwut was pronounced dead en route to Don Sak Hospital. Initial investigations suggest the blaze originated in the engine room and spread rapidly, giving the crew no time to extinguish it. All three crewmen were forced to leap into the sea to avoid the flames. The fire soon engulfed the vessel completely, which sank shortly after. Strong winds and rough seas complicated the rescue operation, but swift coordination between maritime enforcement officers and nearby vessels prevented further loss of life. The body of the deceased was brought ashore by Sorn Chon 4003 and handed over to relevant authorities for further investigation and formal procedures. Authorities are continuing their inquiry into the precise cause of the fire. Adapted by Asean Now from Khoasod 2025-06-25 -
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THAILAND LIVE Thailand Live Wednesday 25 June 2025
Two Injured as Booby-Trapped Torch and Drill Explode in Lopburi Picture courtesy of Khaosod. A couple of explosions have rocked a rural village in Lopburi province after two seemingly ordinary household items, a head torch and an electric drill, were found to be booby-trapped with explosives. Two people have been left injured, including an 18-year-old who lost fingers and an eye, in what local authorities are now treating as a deliberate attempt to harm people. Full story:https://aseannow.com/topic/1364694-two-injured-as-booby-trapped-torch-and-drill-explode-in-lopburi/ -
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Middle East Iran-Israel Ceasefire Holds Amid NATO Drama and Rising Repression in Tehran
Trump’s Fiery Diplomacy: Iran-Israel Ceasefire Holds Amid NATO Drama and Rising Repression in Tehran A tense ceasefire between Israel and Iran appears to be holding—at least for now—following an extraordinary series of outbursts and interventions by U.S. President Donald Trump. As he departed for the NATO summit in the Netherlands, Trump lashed out at both nations on his social media platform Truth Social, accusing them of violating the truce he had personally declared just hours earlier. But shortly after taking off on Air Force One, he announced that both sides had agreed to stop hostilities again, boasting, “Both Israel and Iran wanted to stop the War, equally! It was my great honor to Destroy All Nuclear facilities & capability, and then, STOP THE WAR!” Trump’s tone has swung dramatically in recent days, but it is clear he sees the ceasefire and renewed defense commitments by NATO allies as a personal triumph. In a gushing message sent to him by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, which Trump promptly shared online, Rutte praised the president’s military actions. “Dear Donald, your decisive action in Iran... was truly extraordinary, and something no-one else dared to do,” he wrote. “You are flying into another big success in The Hague… You will achieve something no American president in decades could get done.” The ceasefire comes after twelve days of conflict and destruction, with Iranian citizens voicing a mix of relief and deep skepticism. “I can’t believe the US and Israel made peace with them, especially after all they said about regime change, giving us false hope,” said one Tehran resident via a secure messaging app. Another was more blunt: “I wanted the war to continue until all mullahs are dead. The fact that they are staying and might continue to stay and crack down on us scares me more than the war itself.” Inside Iran, the end of active hostilities has not brought calm. In fact, repression has intensified. Since June 13, Iranian authorities have arrested hundreds on vague “security charges,” a catch-all term used to silence dissent. Today, the prosecutor in Kermanshah province announced that 115 people had been detained for “disturbing security,” including a European citizen accused of espionage. Hamidreza Karimi noted that while only a few face formal spying charges, most are accused of “propaganda against the system.” Iran's judiciary says parliament has now eased legal restrictions, allowing for faster prosecution and harsher sentences for alleged infiltrators and spies. “Under the previous law,” a judiciary spokesperson explained, “many of those arrested during the war with Israel could not have been tried. Now the parliament has opened our hands to deliver exemplary punishments.” At least three people have already been executed, and more arrests have been reported across multiple cities, often tied to social media posts or vague accusations of espionage. Meanwhile, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has called on Iran to resume cooperation over its nuclear program. “Resuming co-operation with the IAEA is key to a successful diplomatic agreement to finally resolve the dispute over Iran’s nuclear activities,” said agency chief Rafael Grossi. He also noted that Iran’s uranium enrichment facilities had suffered “extensive damage,” with “some localized radioactive as well as chemical release,” though no elevated radiation levels have been reported outside the sites. Back in the Netherlands, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer expressed cautious optimism. “This is an opportunity to secure much-needed stability in the Middle East. Iran must never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon, and they must now return to the table and work towards a lasting settlement,” he said, adding that it was a central message he was sharing with NATO leaders. Still, as Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly held a firm exchange over the ceasefire’s early violations, observers remain wary. Ceasefires in the region, as history shows, are fragile at best. The destruction of Iranian nuclear infrastructure may have pushed the clock back, but the hard questions remain: how far was Iran from a weapon, and what now? Adapted by ASEAN Now from BBC 2025-06-25 -
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EU NATO’s €1 Million-a-Minute Summit Amid Sabotage Fears and Soaring Tensions
A Fortress for Diplomacy: NATO’s €1 Million-a-Minute Summit Amid Sabotage Fears and Soaring Tensions In the Dutch city of The Hague, a NATO summit like no other is underway. Though it will last just two and a half hours in face-to-face talks, it has already become the most expensive in the alliance's history, costing €183 million—more than €1 million per minute. That breaks down to over €10 per Dutch citizen. For host nation the Netherlands, and for NATO at large, this is not just a meeting—it’s a display of unity under pressure, with security concerns, spending targets, and the unpredictable presence of President Trump all shaping the landscape. A massive military and police effort is in place to protect the gathering, involving 27,000 police officers—half of the Dutch police force—and 10,000 soldiers. The scale of this operation is matched by growing anxiety over potential sabotage. A recent fire near Amsterdam’s main airport that damaged 30 rail cables has fueled speculation. “It could be sabotage. That is one of the things we are investigating,” said Dutch security minister David van Weel. While some officials suggested the fire might have been caused by vandals or copper thieves, Van Weel added, “It could be an activist group. It could be another state. It could be anything.” ProRail, which manages the Dutch railway network, is also investigating the incident. “We are very keen to find out what the cause is,” said a spokesperson, though the company declined to speculate. The summit’s purpose, at least officially, is to reaffirm NATO’s commitment to defense spending. A pledge by member states to spend 5 percent of GDP on military and defense-related budgets is expected to be presented as a victory for President Trump. His efforts are likely to be praised by leaders such as UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. “There is total commitment by the American president and the US senior leadership to NATO,” declared Mark Rutte, NATO’s secretary-general and the former Dutch prime minister. Rutte emphasized that increased military spending is not just about keeping Trump satisfied—it’s about preventing war. “If we want to prevent war, we have to spend more. We need ammunition, ammunition, ammunition. Then we will get peace by being strong,” he said. Still, behind the summit’s polished exterior—complete with choreographed “family photographs,” royal dinners, and strategic leader encounters—there’s considerable unease among NATO allies. Many remain uncertain about Trump’s long-term commitment to the alliance, and divisions persist over the United States’ recent military actions in the Middle East. To avoid sparking tensions, the summit’s communique has been reduced to just five short paragraphs on a single sheet of paper, a stark contrast to the 44-paragraph declaration issued at last year’s Washington meeting. Not all members are on board with the 5 percent spending goal. Spain has refused to commit, and Belgium and Slovakia have expressed reservations. As a result, the deadline to meet these targets has been extended from 2032 to 2035, giving countries like the UK more time to reach 3.5 percent of GDP for core military spending and 1.5 percent for related expenditures. President Trump’s arrival is treated as a security event unto itself. His 1,000-strong entourage includes Secret Service agents and two “Beast” limousines, which arrived aboard American C-17 aircraft. These nine-ton armored vehicles contain satellite phones, bulletproof glass, and even nuclear codes. Trump will attend a dinner hosted by King Willem-Alexander and spend the night at the Dutch royal residence before a working breakfast with the king and then on to the summit. The Hague has been transformed into a fortress. A ten-mile no-fly zone is monitored by F-35 jets, Apache helicopters, and naval frigates in the North Sea. Police and military drones patrol the skies, while leaders travel between venues in golf buggies through three miles of barricades and mesh fencing. Even the summit venue itself, the World Forum, has walls thick enough to prevent electronic eavesdropping. At a time of global insecurity, NATO’s most costly and shortest summit is a reminder that peace and diplomacy require not just words—but steel, secrecy, and spectacle. Adapted by ASEAN Now from The Times 2025-06-25
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