Friday 29 May 2026

Good morning Bangkok. Happy Friday.

🌡️ Weather: 28-36°C (82-97°F). Hot through the afternoon. TMD's severe weather warning for heavy to very heavy rain, flash floods and strong Andaman waves continues through June 1. Bangkok stays drier than the south but scattered showers are possible from mid-afternoon.

🌫️ AQI: 70-138 (Moderate to Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups). Morning is the cleaner window. Check your local sensor before outdoor plans.

Jarong Kroamoh, Director of the Office of Investigation and Special Affairs at the National Anti-Corruption Commission, crashed his pickup truck into a motorcycle on the Bangrak Noi Overpass on Ratchapruek Road in Nonthaburi at approximately 11PM on Wednesday, May 27. The 43-year-old delivery rider was killed at the scene, his arm severed by the impact. Officers from Bang Sri Mueang Police Station tested Jarong's blood alcohol at 189 milligrams per 100 milliliters of blood, nearly four times the legal driving limit of 50mg.

A witness at the scene gave an account to Thai media that has since been widely circulated. He described Jarong getting out of his vehicle, appearing heavily intoxicated, and claiming to be "a senior government official who knew senior police officers in Nonthaburi." The witness then described something more serious: an attempt at the scene to swap the driver with another person. "The actual driver was wearing a white shirt, while the person who was going to switch places with him was wearing black," the witness said. He added that he had recorded video of everything. Jarong was taken to Bang Sri Mueang Police Station, where legal proceedings were continuing as of Thursday. NACC Secretary-General Surapong Intharathaworn confirmed the agency was informed and is preparing an official statement.

Bottom Line: An official whose job is to investigate corruption allegedly tried to evade accountability at a crash scene where a man had just died. The irony does not need underlining. What it needs is consequences. The delivery rider was 43 years old. He was working. He is dead because someone whose salary comes from public trust drove drunk at nearly four times the legal limit on a Wednesday night. For anyone who has followed the delivery rider stories in this newsletter, from the petition at the Labour Ministry last week to the Makkasan crash, the pattern is consistent: the people who move this city's food, packages and commerce on two wheels at all hours are the most exposed and least protected participants in Bangkok's daily economy. They deserve better than becoming a footnote in someone else's scandal.

Vesper has been on the Asia's 50 Best Bars list for years, and the reason it stays there is the same reason it works on a Friday night: the drinks are genuinely world-class and the room never forgets that a bar is supposed to be fun. The space sits on Convent Road in Silom, a street that has quietly become one of Bangkok's strongest bar corridors, and the format is cocktail-forward without being precious about it. The bartending team competes internationally and brings that precision back to every drink they make behind the counter, but the atmosphere stays warm and social rather than clinical. The menu rotates seasonally and leans into Thai and Southeast Asian ingredients in ways that feel natural rather than forced. If you are not sure what to order, tell the bartender what you like and let them build something. They are better at choosing for you than you are at reading a menu, and that exchange is half the experience. The Convent Road location means you are a two-minute walk from BTS Sala Daeng, surrounded by dinner options before and late-night options after, making Vesper the kind of anchor that a proper Friday evening can be built around. For a Friday night when you want somewhere that takes cocktails seriously without taking itself seriously, this is it.

TIP: Go between 7PM and 8PM for a seat at the bar before the late crowd arrives. The bartender's recommendation is always the right first order.

Have a wonderful Friday, and see you tomorrow morning.

— Devon