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Japanese father returns to Thailand, pursuing 17-Year quest for daughter's murderer

13 Sept 04:52 Key points summarised by AI

Yasuaki Kawashita, a 75-year-old Japanese father, has returned to Thailand to press authorities for answers regarding the unsolved murder of his daughter, Tomoko, 17 years ago in Sukhothai.
Tomoko, a solo tourist, was found with her throat slashed during the Loy Krathong festival in 2007; initial police investigations, including a mass DNA collection, failed to identify a suspect.
A 2020 DNA breakthrough indicated the perpetrator was of East Asian descent, leading investigators to focus on a Japanese tourist who had refused DNA testing and left Thailand after the murder.
During his visit, Kawashita will meet with the Justice Minister, revisit the murder site, and urgently request an extension to the 20-year statute of limitations on the case, which expires in 2027.

Yesterday 14:58 Key points summarised by AI

Thailand's government will launch the "Chainat-Pasak-Gulf" water diversion canal project in fiscal year 2027, a seven-year mega-infrastructure initiative.
This permanent structural solution aims to mitigate recurrent central plains flooding by diverting water from the Chao Phraya River directly into the Gulf of Thailand, significantly reducing flow to major cities like Ayutthaya and Bangkok.
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul justifies the long-term investment as a means to reduce future damages and fiscal burdens, contrasting it with the 40-50 billion baht spent annually on short-term flood relief.
Concurrently, the Prime Minister instructed officials to expand drainage capacity into the Tha Chin River and swiftly remove water hyacinths to improve immediate flood management.