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Rail track bomb injures rangers, halts trains in Narathiwat

A bomb exploded on the railway track near Maruebo station in Rangae district on Monday morning, injuring two rangers and halting two local train services.

The Maruebo station master reported the 6.30am explosion damaged the track and some sleepers at a switching point, the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) reported.

Security authorities said two rangers were hurt and were taken to the district hospital in Rangae.

The station master’s name was not provided.

The bomb forced the rescheduling of two trains. Train No.448 from Sungai Kolok to Surat Thani was terminated at Tanyongmat in Rangae and train, No.453 from Yala to Sungai Kolok was halted at Reuso.

The SRT said it was discussing the situation with security agencies before deciding when to resume normal services. A repair gang was fixing the tracks.

It was the second attack on the same line in Rangae district in a week. Residents informed rangers patrolling the tracks last Tuesday that 13 bolts and eight sleepers were missing near another station.

Fourth Army Region commander Lt Gen Norathip Phoynok has instructed all army units to remain vigilant against further attacks.

Two parties warn of adverse impact of rare earths MoU with US

Members of the Democrat Party and the People’s Party have warned the Anutin Charnvirakul government of possible adverse effects from the new memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the United States on the supply of critical minerals.

They referred to the White House announcement on the “Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of the Kingdom of Thailand Concerning Cooperation to Diversify Global Critical Minerals Supply Chains and Promote Investments’.

Democrat Party deputy leader Werapong Prapha said on Facebook that rare earth minerals such as tungsten, and also tin, were major raw materials for the development of clean energy and electric vehicle manufacturing, and the US and China were trying to dominate rare earth supplies.

Under the MoU, he said, the US will help Thailand explore and produce critical minerals and Thailand must let the US ‘have first opportunity to invest, in accordance with domestic laws, in critical minerals assets that may be sold in Thailand or by a company headquartered or incorporated in Thailand”.

That clause in the MoU showed that the US wanted to expand its access to critical minerals and block China’s access, Mr Werapong said.

He warned that Thailand’s economy had a considerable dependence on China and said Bangkok should maintain good ties with Beijing.

People’s Party MP Phattarapong Leelaphat said it was unnecessary for the Anutin government to sign the MoU on critical minerals, which were national resources.

He said the MoU seemed to benefit mainly the US. He doubted Thailand could afford reciprocal investment or had the technological capability for reciprocal critical minerals production in the US, as stated in the MoU.

He pointed out that the MoU allowed the US to explore for rare earths in Thailand, quickly obtain information about rare earth deposits in Thailand and invest in production at the first opportunity.

The MoU also called for regulatory facilitation for US rare earth production in Thailand, he said.

Mr Phattarapong said the government had made Thailand a pawn in the rare earths war between the US and China.

Dispel steel bar doubts

The decision by the Thai Industrial Standards Institute (TISI) to release 40,000 deformed steel bars, confiscated in the wake of the State Audit Office (SAO) collapse, has stirred controversy. The move came only shortly after the new government took shape, raising questions over timing and transparency.

Worth 40 million baht, the steel belonged to China’s Xin Ke Yuan Steel, which was accused by the industrial minister under the previous government of producing substandard steel products. An earthquake on March 28 led to the collapse of the 30-storey SAO building, killing nearly 100 people.

In a subsequent probe, the Ministry of Industry found the use of SKY-branded steel bars supplied by Xin Ke Yuan Steel failed to meet safety standards. The previous government ordered all related steel stock seized for testing. Former industry minister Ekanat Promphan declared in April that some of the company’s products were substandard.

The firm has run into trouble previously. Its plants were shut down in December 2024 after the factory was found violating environmental law. Following the SAO tragedy, TISI confiscated 41,635 bars pending an inspection.

However, according to TISI’s recent reports, two rounds of testing — on April 2 and Sept 15 — both found the samples “in compliance with standards,” leading to the full release of the confiscated stock. This outcome has sparked widespread scepticism, given that earlier reports suggested repeated failures in quality tests.

Mr Ekanat himself raised the question last week, pointing out the clearance order was issued on Sept 15, just three days after he and his team departed from the ministry. Xin Ke Yuan Steel last month sued Mr Ekanat and other state agencies for 3.21 billion baht in response to the ministry’s decision to close its factory.

Current Industry Minister Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana said the seized bars were not connected to the collapsed SAO building, but in fact tied to a factory fire on Dec 18, 2024. He added that part of the release process had begun under the previous administration.

TISI secretary-general Ekniti Romyanon maintains the agency abided by the rules. Once tests confirmed compliance, it was obliged to return the products to their owner. Still, confusion persists. TISI documents indicate the seizure order was issued on April 2, after the building’s collapse, seemingly contradicting the minister’s account that it involved a separate incident.

The key concern is that when two industry ministers offer conflicting accounts, who should the public trust? More urgently, will the 40,000 released bars now enter the construction supply chain and can the public have full confidence in the nation’s safety standards, given that questions over the testing process still remain?

To be fair, the Council of Engineers of Thailand, which led the central investigation into the building collapse, concluded the failure was not caused by the quality of the steel. Xin Ke Yuan’s products, therefore, cannot be held culpable for that tragedy. Yet that is a separate matter from the questions surrounding TISI’s testing standards.

The Ministry of Industry must act to dispel public doubt by disclosing the test results. TISI’s role is to safeguard public trust in industrial standards. If its enforcement outcomes appear to shift with the political winds, that trust will erode, along with confidence in industry itself.

Thailand hopes resumed US direct flights will bring more tourists

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) expects more tourists from the United States following the return of direct flights between the two countries after more than a decade’s absence.

TAT governor Thapanee Kiatphaibool said tourism would be one of the sectors to benefit from the resumption of direct flights between Thailand and the US.

She made the statement on Sunday after taking part in a ceremony at Suvarnabhumi airport welcoming the inaugural flight resumption by United Airlines.

It was the first direct flight between the US and Thailand in 11 years. United now offers daily flights between Los Angeles and Bangkok through Hong Kong.

Direct flights mean passengers do not need to change planes and use the same flight number throughout the trip.

The inaugural flight of UA820 left Los Angeles at 11.15pm (local time) on Friday and arrived in Bangkok at 11.25am on Sunday. The return leg for the US Pacific coastal city, UA821, left Suvarnabhumi airport at 4.55pm on Sunday. The US carrier uses a Boeing 787 Dreamliner on the route.

“This new service not only strengthens bilateral tourism and economic ties but also responds to the growing interest among American travellers seeking meaningful experiences in Thailand,’ the tourism chief said on the TAT website.

About 800,000 US travellers have visited the country this year, a 5% increase year on year, TAT data from Jan 1 to last Friday showed. Thailand targeted 1 million arrivals from the US this year.

The resumption of direct flights between the two countries follows the decision by the US Federal Aviation Administration to put Thailand back on its list of countries complying with US aviation standards earlier this year.

Thai Airways International is still not keen on returning to US destinations. The national carrier flew to Seattle, Dallas, Los Angeles and New York before terminating its trans-Pacific service.

Beyond revenue: KRA’s role in protecting Kenya’s health, safety, security

Illicit trade not only possess health and environmental challenges to consumers but also denies the government the much needed revenue for financing its budget.

In some cases, restricted or prohibited goods are smuggled through the borders; such goods may consist of banned drugs or narcotics, weapons or even dangerous chemicals that can be misused for manufacture of chemical/biological weapons.

With increasing global threats in public health, safety and security caused by illicit trade, Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has also enhanced its capacity to detect such goods through investments in modern scanning and laboratory technology.

In this regard, KRA has a fully-equipped ISO 17025 certified Inspection and Testing Centre (I and TC) that handles a wide range of testing for customs and excise, environmental protection, and public safety.

When detected and intercepted, goods suspected to be restricted or prohibited undergo chemical analysis to ascertain their true identity and chemical composition within the shortest turnaround time possible.

The I and TC is a fully accredited testing laboratory mandated to conduct scientific examination in support of revenue and enforcement functions for the Authority.

The key areas of expertise typically revolve around various scientific and technical fields in tariff classifications of trade goods and to ensure compliance with national regulations and international trade standards, especially compliance with multilateral conventions (Montreal, Stockholm, Basel, Rotterdam, Minamata and Chemical Weapons Convention) by providing annual reports to national authorities.

The centre conducts chemical tests on various goods such as industrial chemicals, food products and raw material to establish their composition for the purpose of customs and tax compliance and regulations.

The centre specialises in food, alcohol and drug testing, material and product testing, for example, metals, polymers, oils, textiles and fertilisers.

The centre continually researches new testing methods and innovations to keep up with global scientific advancements and improve testing accuracy and efficiency.

KRA’s I and TC has therefore been instrumental in protection of public health, safety and security by identifying potential risks, hazards or threats associated with such goods, it also supports revenue collection by examining the properties, components and market value of the goods to determine their customs value. This also ensures fair and transparent trade practices.

Agency to monitor growing scam threat

The National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC) has committed to regularly monitor and report on scam-related crimes, which have emerged as a growing social threat.

In its “Social Conditions Report for the Second Quarter of 2025”, the state planning agency cited data from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime indicating several neighbouring countries have become hubs for global cybercrime and online fraud networks. These include online gambling scams, romance scams and even human trafficking — activities that have caused significant economic losses to victims worldwide.

The NESDC said Thailand has intensified measures to combat international scammers and human traffickers, such as its “Three Cuts” policy (cutting electricity, fuel and internet) along the Thai-Myanmar border; restrictions on border crossings between Thailand and Cambodia; joint military-police border patrols; integrated intelligence sharing among multiple agencies; and stricter monitoring and screening of high-risk areas along the borders.

In addition, stronger measures were implemented to prevent technological crimes. The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission approved a resolution on June 30 requiring service providers to share responsibility for damages caused by fraud.

Meanwhile, the Bank of Thailand mandated financial institutions limit fund transfers and payments to no more than 50,000 baht per day, with the rule enforced for new customers in August and for existing customers later this year.

A source from the Finance Ministry who requested anonymity said the economic impacts from scam gangs are clear and severe, falling into three categories:

1. Capital outflow: Tens of billions of baht are lost each year — money that should have supported consumption and investment is siphoned out of the economy.

2. Erosion of the digital economy: Scams undermines public trust in online transactions, slowing digital economy growth, which was designated as a national priority.

3. Enormous hidden costs: Both the government and financial institutions allocate vast budgets and resources to address these scams instead of improving other areas of service development.

The source said Singapore offers a model for addressing this issue, establishing the Anti-Scam Centre (ASC) in 2019, a one-stop service agency dedicated to preventing and combating cybercrime, particularly scams. The ASC operates under the Singapore Police Force and works in real time with the private sector.

Representatives from more than 10 banks are stationed at the centre, which cooperates with telecom companies to block suspicious phone numbers and messages. ASC officers can trace and freeze transferred funds within just a few hours. In six years, the ASC has frozen more than 27,000 bank accounts, recovered over S$200 million and arrested more than 10,000 suspects.

Maasai Mara varsity to pay driver cleared of graft claim

Maasai Mara University has been faulted by the Employment and Labour Relations Court for failing to lift the suspension of a former driver, despite being cleared of allegations of corruption.

The court said it was unfair for the employer to keep Hassan Abdi Noor in limbo for more than five years.

Mr Noor was suspended together with former Vice Chancellor Mary Walingo and others over allegations of corruption at the university.

The suspension followed an alleged expose by a local TV station, and the court heard that Mr Noor was initially suspended on August 28, 2020, without pay.

However, the move was later revised for him to get half salary and other benefits, pending the determination of the criminal case.

Their charges were later quashed by the High Court, but the former driver was yet to be reinstated and directed by the High Court, forcing him to challenge the suspension.

‘The respondent (Maasai Mara University) is to pay general damages equivalent to 10 months’ salary, which will cover the constitutional violation,’ said the court.

The court, however, rejected an application for his reinstatement, saying he has been out of his job since August 2020, and it was far-fetched to return him to his former job.

Mr Noor told the court that he took the job as a driver in June 2009 at the university then known as Narok University College.

After completing his probation, he was confirmed as a full employee on May 31, 2010.

He said he worked diligently and to the best of his abilities, without facing any disciplinary actions for misconduct or breach of duty.

Mr Noor said he was promoted to the rank of senior driver, earning a basic salary of Sh123,492 and a house allowance of Sh55,286, together with allowances and benefits.

In September 2019, a local TV station aired an expose implicating senior officials of misappropriation of funds.

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations later filed proceedings against him and others before the anti-corruption court in Nakuru.

Mr Noor said he was suspended by the university council on August 28, 2020, without pay pending the hearing and determination of the criminal charges.

He said the last time he received his full salary was in August 2020, and since then, all subsequent payments have been significantly reduced.

In March last year, the High Court in Nakuru quashed the criminal proceedings and prohibited the police from probing them on the alleged scandal.

But since then, Mr Noor said the council has failed and refused to take any action regarding his suspension, leaving him in a state of uncertainty and unfairly depriving him of work and earnings, despite the matter having been resolved.

He sought to be paid his withheld salary amounting to Sh2.5 million and reinstatement.

Mr Noor said he has suffered financial, mental, and psychological strain due to the unfair and unreasonable refusal to reinstate him to employment with full salary.

CIC Insurance, Equity Bank fined Sh.1.2bn for keeping unclaimed assets

Twenty firms, including CIC Insurance and Equity Bank, have been fined Sh2.2 billion for failing to transfer unclaimed assets such as dividends, insurance claims and savings to a State agency that reconnects idle properties with their owners.

Fifteen of the 20 companies have been fined at least half of the value of assets they failed to transfer to the Unclaimed Financial Assets Authority (UFAA), according to disclosures by the Auditor-General.

CIC Insurance bore the heaviest brunt of the penalties with a fine of Sh999.6 million for failing to remit Sh1.4 billion to UFAA ahead of Equity Bank (Sh249.7 million) and Moi University (Sh211.3 million).

Unclaimed cash, shares and dividends surrendered to UFAA crossed the Sh75 billion mark in November last year, reflecting the difficulty in reuniting the idle wealth as investors, including tycoons, show disinterest in reclaiming the assets.

Idle assets include money in bank accounts and dividends which have been dormant for more than five years, bankers’ cheques not cashed and contents in safe deposit boxes unclaimed for more than two years.

Insurance policies that remain uncollected for two years and cash sitting in mobile phone wallets for the same period should be transferred to UFAA.

Reporting and surrender of unclaimed financial assets by all holders is mandatory and is due on or before November 1 every year. Holders are encouraged to file nil returns if applicable.

The law allows UFAA to charge any entity that fails to surrender unclaimed assets a penalty of 25 percent of the assets held.

In addition, the authority levies a penalty of between Sh7,000 and Sh50,000 for each day that the assets stayed before being submitted.

The law requires the holding company to search for the rightful owners of an asset before declaring it unclaimed and forwarding it to UFAA.

The Auditor-General’s report of UFAA books noted that the penalties have triggered spats with companies, delaying the transfer of the unclaimed assets and payment of fines.

‘The audit established that failure to close compliance audits was due to imposition of heavy penalties on holders for the assets identified during compliance audits, thereby discouraging holders from remitting assets to the Authority,’ said the Auditor-General.

The penalties on 20 audited firms amounted to Sh2.2 billion against identified unclaimed assets of Sh5.1 billion.

UFAA hired three compliance auditors to help it audit 134 companies in five phases and unremitted assets worth Sh12.2 billion were identified.

The compliance auditors charged UFAA Sh416.3 million, while the State agency charged the targeted firms Sh318.8 million for the job.

But UFAA had only collected Sh94.5 million of the charges as at August last year, says the Auditor-General.

Listed gas making manufacturer Carbacid Investment received the most disproportionate penalty, with the authority fining it Sh30.8 million for failing to remit Sh1 million.

Moi University Retirements and Benefits Scheme was fined Sh111.6 million for failing to remit Sh29.7 million. This means the penalty was 375 percent of the unremitted assets.

The University of Nairobi had the largest volume of unclaimed financial assets not remitted to the UFAA at Sh2.3 billion, but was fined Sh66.8 million.

The Auditor-General’s report did not disclose the assets that had not been transferred to UFAA.

Learning institutions are expected to remit overpaid fees and caution money that remain unclaimed for a period exceeding two years after a student’s schooling. Cash-strapped public universities held unclaimed assets worth Sh2.6 billion.

Maseno University was holding Sh40.6 million of unclaimed assets, attracting a fine of Sh74.5 million.

Pioneer Assurance had penalties of Sh131 million imposed for unremitted Sh246.5 million, while Pacis Insurance paid fines of Sh10.1 million for keeping Sh6.2 million idle assets.

Many Kenyans said UFAA remain uninterested in pursuing funds legally belonging to them or their families.

Billionaire businessmen, former powerful government officials and prominent politicians are in the long list of individuals with shares worth Sh39.4 billion that have been surrendered to the Treasury, up from Sh30 billion in 2021 and Sh16.42 in 2017.

The authority reckons it had received Sh36.09 billion in cash in local and foreign currencies from Sh23.2 billion in 2021.

Surrendered safe boxes that are believed to contain jewelry, title deeds, share certificates and Treasury bills rose to 3,737 units from 1,953 in June. Over 9.87 million unit trusts whose values were not disclosed were also part of the idle assets.

The money is largely held by insurance companies, banks, pension schemes, legal firms, mobile phone money wallets and saccos, among others.

So far, the authority has reunited less than 10 percent of the billions worth of shares and cash with beneficiaries, representing 1.9 percent of the unclaimed assets.

Kenyans have failed to claim Sh3.2 billion lying idle in M-Pesa wallets, with Airtel and Telkom Kenya subscribers having Sh114.3 million and Sh7 million, respectively.

Some of the unclaimed assets are linked to the deceased having kept their wealth secret and the absence of Wills.

Overhead concrete-pour spills onto Rama II Rd

Traffic on Rama II Road was briefly interrupted by a concrete spill during pouring for the M82 motorway being built overhead in Samut Sakhon early on Monday, not by a construction subsidence as some people had wrongly speculated on social media, the Department of Highways said.

The incident occurred about 1.55am at a construction site of the Ekkachai-Ban Phaeo section of the M82 project.

It was near kilometre marker 29+600 on the Bangkok city-bound lane of Rama II Road, a highway notorious for its decades of often-fatal accidents caused by the construction of the long delayed overhead motorway.

A Facebook user posted in a Samut Sakhon local news group that wet concrete had fallen onto the road surface as vehicles were passing. The post was quickly shared on social media, drawing complaints about the repeated construction-related accidents along the road.

In response, the Department of Highways apologised for the incident and said it happened during the pouring of concrete for a supporting cross beam.

Some of the mixed concrete had overflowed from a formwork into the protective trap and spilled onto the road below, blocking a traffic lane, the department said.

It was not caused by any structural flaw. The structure’s integrity remained safe.

Repair crews and machinery rushed to the scene by the department and the contractor quickly cleared away the spill and normal traffic resumed within 30 minutes, the statement said. There were no reports of people suffering any injury and no damage to public property, it said.

Sun King stirs up competition with solar smartphones, TVs assembly plant

Off-grid solar firm Sun King has intensified competition in Kenya’s locally assembled phones and TV market with the launch of a new production plant in Nairobi, challenging the dominance of players such as M-Kopa, EADAK, and Vision Plus.

The Nairobi-based company, which supplies off-grid solar panels and solar-powered electronics across Kenya, Nigeria, and 10 other African countries, has opened its first plant on the continent in the capital, with a second one planned for Nigeria.

The new facility has started with assembly of smartphones and TVs, with plans to gradually expand into other solar products and electronics that the firm already sells alongside its off-grid panels

Currently, the government offers import duty waivers on smartphone and television components, and locally assembled phones are exempt from excise duty, a policy that will help Sun King lower its production costs.

At the same time, the company’s entry is expected to heighten competition among the few firms already assembling such devices locally, including M-Kopa, East Africa Device Assembly Kenya (EADAK), and Vision Plus, which is currently the only local assembler of TV sets in Kenya.

Sun King said the new plant is designed to cut ‘logistics costs and carbon emissions, shorten supply chains, and ensure product availability for customers.’

‘These investments help the continent capture more economic value generated by its growing demand for energy and technology,’ it said in a statement.

Juma Mukhwana, Principal Secretary at the State Department of Industry, said the move demonstrates ‘courage and confidence’ in the Kenyan economy, and is set to boost the country’s manufacturing industry.

‘Opening our own . facility in Kenya gives us the scale to deliver more efficiently, the flexibility to innovate faster, and the foundation to grow a resilient manufacturing ecosystem here in Africa,’ noted Sun King’s chief operating officer Kota Kojima.

‘For our customers, it means faster access to products and quality solutions made closer to home.’

Until now, Sun King has been importing all its solar panels and electronics from abroad for distribution across Kenya and other markets.

The Nairobi plant marks the first time the company is assembling products from its inventory locally.

The local operation is also expected to expand into other items in its product line, including refrigerators, water pumps, and audio devices, all designed to run on off-grid solar energy.