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A bomb explosion inside one of Bangkok’s most popular tourist attractions killed at least 19 people and injured 123 others – mostly foreign tourists – on Monday. Of the 19 dead victims, 12 died at the scene. The figures were based on information released by the Royal Thai Police Office as of 11.20pm on Monday. An improvised explosive device placed inside the Erawan shrine complex at the Ratchaprasong intersection detonated at 6.55pm. The scale of the explosion set motorbikes and taxis ablaze inside the intersection and bowed the iron fence of the Hindu shrine outward. Casualties were immediate , with...

The BBC's Jonathan Head, who is at the scene, says there is a huge amount of chaos, with body parts scattered everywhere. The attack took place close to the Erawan Shrine in the capital's central Chidlom district. The explosion occurred at about 19:00 local time (12:00 GMT), with police saying it may have been caused by a motorcycle bomb. No-one has yet said they carried out the attack. Some reports said foreign tourists may have been among the casualties.

Bangkok bomb: Explosion close to Erawan shrine kills at least 12 people - latest updates Reports of several injuries and 12 reportedly killed after a bomb exploded at the Ratchaprasong intersection in central Bangkok. Follow the latest developments here By Raziye Akkoc, and James Rothwell 2:15PM BST 17 Aug 2015 • A bomb exploded on Monday in central Bangkok • Local media say 12 dead, 25 wounded • Motorcycle bomb, police say • The explosion was near the important Erawan shrine

North Korea 'Continues To Lie' About Abduction Of Thai Citizen North Korea’s foreign minister said during a meeting in Bangkok on Monday that Thai companies were welcome to invest in his country because Thais are “trustworthy,” but a human rights group says that same quality is exactly what’s lacking in officials from the Hermit Kingdom. Phil Robertson, deputy director of Human Rights Watch’s Asia Division, said that Pyongyang for decades has been lying to Thailand about the tragedy of a Thai national who was abducted by North Korean agents. “If North Korea is really a true friend of Bangkok, it...

A fleet of at least 30 fishing trawlers crewed by slaves is being hunted off the coast of Papua New Guinea as the true extent becomes apparent of the trafficking of Burmese men by a massive Thai-run criminal syndicate operating throughout the East Indies. Immigration officials have so far intercepted one of the fishing vessels, called the Blissful Reefer, and rescued its trafficked crew. Another 33 Thai trawlers thought to be crewed by slaves are being tracked in fishing grounds off the south coast of Papua New Guinea, known locally as the Dog Leg. The trawlers are thought to be...

Japanese broadcaster TV Asahi apologised Saturday after its Bangkok bureau chief posted an image of his genitals on a mobile forum set up by Thailand's foreign ministry, which warned of "consequences". A spokesman for the channel said the unnamed employee had been removed from the job due to his "extremely inappropriate" behaviour. The ministry demanded an explanation for the graphic picture that appeared late Monday in the forum, which was set up for foreign journalists working in Thailand. "We deeply apologise to the Thai foreign ministry and other people concerned," the spokesman said, adding the journalist had been urged to...

America and Spanish man claim Thai woman reneged when she found out their status In the midst of an ugly battle in which two homosexual men are trying to bring a girl out of Thailand to rear her in Spain, the Southeast Asian country is proceeding to ban foreigners’ use of surrogate mothers there. The gay fathers’ case is one of several contentious cases, albeit the highest profile, that has led to the legislative action. Fusion gave some of the background: A child born in Thailand by surrogate last year was left behind after he was born with Down’s syndrome....

(Poster's note: I searched by title and keyword and didn't find this already on FR) A pilot from New York believes he has found the wreckage of the missing Malaysia Airline Flight 370 off the coast of Thailand after searching thousands of satellite images online. Michael Hoebel, 60, spent hours trawling through the images made available to the public on a crowd-sourcing website, TomNod.com, before coming across what he believes is the doomed plane. The recreational pilot from Tonawanda said he was shocked to discover that the aircraft, which vanished two months ago, appeared to be in one piece beneath...

A British man of Asian origin was arrested in Thailand after police found him in possession of six human fetuses that had been roasted and covered in gold leaf in a black magic ritual, The Telegraph reports.

Iran's foreign minister, Javad Zarif, has written an op-ed in the Financial Times which sets forward a distinct sequence for ostensibly resolving the daunting security challenges of the Middle East. First, the P5+1 - the group of powerful nations negotiating with Iran - should come to a deal over its nuclear program. As a result, he argues, Tehran will "open new horizons" and join "the international battle" against "the increasingly brutal extremism that is engulfing the Middle East." The idea that Iran is a partner in the fight against terrorism is not only disingenuous but also absurd. What Zarif is...

The most laid back cat ever gets a massage by a beach tourist in Thailand...

All he did was ask to go home. The last time the Burmese slave made the same request, he was beaten almost to death. But after being gone eight years and forced to work on a boat in faraway Indonesia, Myint Naing was willing to risk everything to see his mother again. His nights were filled with dreams of her, and time was slowly stealing her face from his memory. So he threw himself on the ground and roped his arms around the captain’s legs to beg for freedom. The Thai skipper barked loud enough for all to hear that...

BANGKOK — The Thai navy has picked Chinese submarines costing 12 billion baht (S$447.5 million) each to be commissioned in the force, a source on the procurement committee says. The majority of the 17-strong committee voted to buy three Chinese submarines, saying it was the “best value for money”. The rest were split between submarines from Germany and South Korea. The navy also received offers from Russia, Sweden and France. The source said China beat other competitors as it offered subs equipped with superior weaponry and technology. Its subs are also able to stay underwater longer. Deputy Prime Minister and...

There is no moral world in which any of this is okay.

Melonie Dodaro needed to 'cure that curiosity I have that has just plagued me my whole life"After spending the first 46 years of her life without knowing her father, a Kelowna, B.C., woman decided to try to find him by sending out a personal plea in a video she posted on Facebook. "I have never met my biological father. My mom was a teenage mom and my father was a visitor to Canada from the Netherlands," she says in the video. "All I know is that he was born in the Netherlands. He visited Canada in 1968 when my mother...

All of a sudden, aircraft carriers are back in fashion. Over in Russia, they're drawing up plans to build the world's biggest aircraft carrier, a 100,000-ton beast that can carry 100 combat aircraft. China's building one, two, or maybe even four aircraft carriers. And here in the United States, we're busy building our second ­Ford-class supercarrier. Around the world and across the seas, aircraft carriers are popping up in the unlikeliest of places -- in Korea, in Thailand, in India, Japan, and maybe soon in Singapore, as well. But you'll never guess the latest country to announce plans to acquire...

My nephew, Nick, had a BBC newscast on about human smugglers in Thailand.  It appears that the BBC is a bit less shy about showing weapons than many U.S. outlets, but that could simply be perception on this one show.  I watch very little TV.    From BBC.com: Manit told us his district had long been used by human traffickers to transfer migrants from boats to trucks. He wanted to stamp it out. But he was getting little help from the central government, or from local law enforcement.  The BBC correspondent was allowed to join a patrol off the coast. ...

I watch very little TV.  I do not like to corrupt the data flow.  But I happened to be in Las Vegas when my nephew was watching a BBC program on human smugglers in Thailand.  From BBC.com: Manit told us his district had long been used by human traffickers to transfer migrants from boats to trucks. He wanted to stamp it out. But he was getting little help from the central government, or from local law enforcement. The BBC correspondent was allowed to join a patrol off the coast.  In the video, the BBC is not shy about showing...

He's been described as the "Buddhist Bin Laden," but Ashin Wirathu thinks he has more in common with the world's most famous fictional spy. "James Bond is a nationalist," the cherub-faced monk said in a recent interview. Flashing a smile, he offered a vague recollection of a movie in which 007, in order to extract information from a woman, took her to bed. "While he did not take much pleasure in the act," Wirathu said, "he did it for his country." His questionable reading of Bond aside, the firebrand Wirathu firmly says he is defending Myanmar against the people he...

You are real ! You are alive IN HIM ! And it is His pleasure to flow ~ through you unobstructed as a pure and virtuous stream ~ ~ ~ To replenish those parched traveling through dry lands but you to must drink deep from His eternal forgiveness And as you raise your head from these waters never look back as Lot's wife but "focus on His heart for His children" For you "ARE" an Oasis of Him as you mirror His water alone for Truly all flesh must be left behind. As His words speak "I only say what...