The Nation
Nakhon Ratchasima
Mun Poolsup re-enacts the shooting during a press conference held at the Provincial Police Bureau 3 yesterday. On the night of August 20, Mun allegedly shot and killed an MP
NAKHON RATCHASIMA: -- The man who allegedly shot dead an MP's son in a road-rage incident claimed yesterday that he did it in self-defence because he was fired at first.
Mun Poolsup, a construction contractor, told the press at 11am yesterday that somebody inside the sport-utility vehicle driven by Farut Thaiseth had fired at him first, so he shot back three times.
Mun surrendered to police on Thursday night and was presented to the media at the Provincial Police Bureau 3 yesterday. Guarding the press conference were 30 heavily armed police commandos.
On the night of August 20, Farut, son of Chart Thai Pattana Party MP Chada Thaiseth, was shot dead in his SUV during a family vacation at a resort in Khao Yai.
Mun explained that he was alone in his pickup truck, driving from a construction site in Nakhon Ratchasima's Pak Chong district. He said he spotted the SUV ahead of him, so he flashed his front lights to signal that he wanted to overtake. However, after he overtook the SUV, its driver turned the high beam at him so he responded by turning on the spotlight in the rear of his truck.
He said when his pickup approached a curve, he heard gunshots and felt his vehicle being shot at several times. So he slowed down to let the SUV overtake him and then fired his 9mm pistol at it three times.
Mun said he saw the SUV crash into an electricity pole so he sped away and got rid of his pistol at Ban Kanongphra village in Pak Chong.
He then said he tried to go undercover in Bangkok, but after reading media reports that an MP's son had been killed in the incident, he decided to call Pol Colonel Phanu Buranasiri, deputy investigation chief of the Provincial Police Bureau 3, and offered to surrender.
Mun said he hoped he would receive fair treatment by police because he had shot in self-defence. He went on to say that he had bought the pistol for just Bt1,500 and did not have enough funds to fight a lawsuit against an MP. Also, he said, he did not have enough knowledge because he had only completed Grade 6.
The pickup truck was also presented to the media yesterday. Visible were six bullet holes - one each at the driver's console, the front-right wing, the rear right light, the edge of the front right wheel, front right light and to the left of the bonnet.
Assistant Police Commissioner-General Pol Lt-General Jarumporn Suramanee said more than 100 policemen had been deployed to look for the pistol at the location cited by Mun, but the gun had yet to be found.
Jarumporn also insisted that Mun was not a scapegoat because he had turned himself in, adding that one of Farut's friends would be charged with attempted murder for firing at Mun's pick-up truck.
He said the police would be fair to both sides and the final decision would depend on the courts.
-- The Nation 2012-09-01
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Crooked Bangkok Cops Steal 2 Million THB from Victims
Three Bangkok policeman, including a vice squad leader, were arrested for stealing money from residents’ bank accounts after threatening them with false arrests. More than 40 people reported being victimized by the crooked cops, who stole more than 2 million THB from residents.
BANGKOK – September 1, 2012 [PDN]: the arrests of three corrupt police officers were coordinated by Pol. Lt. Col. Surawej Karnwattanasirikul, detective inspector of Thammasaka police station; and Pol. Capt. Sutep Janthawong, vice detective inspector.
The three suspects were arrested in the Bangyai area. They were identified as: Pol. Sen. Serg. Maj. Weerapong Samseemuang, age 46, the leader of the squad of Prevention and Suppression division, Samsen police station; Mr. Lar Seewichai , age 37, from Thai Yai; and Mr. Nattawut Wanijkornchai, age 42, from Chumporn.
Police also seized a bronze Toyota pickup truck with no license plate as evidence.
One of their victims, Mr. Sommai Loongyee, age 35, who works as a house painter, described to police how the crooked cops operated. In late April 2012, Mr. Sommai received a call from the suspects to paint a house in the Thai cement village at soi 10, Bangsue district and sub district.
On May 1, he went to the house. When Mr. Sommai reached the top of the soi, he called the suspects, who then said there was a change in plans, and told him to drive to soi 22.
When Mr. Sommai reached soi 22, he called them again. He also noticed a pickup truck circling around many times. When his cellphone rang, the pickup truck was parked in front of him.
The pickup truck driver was Pol. Sen. Serg. Maj. Weerapong, dressed in full police uniform. The officer got out of the car and told Mr. Sommai that he looked like the suspect that a police secret agent had told him would come to deliver drugs at this spot.
Full story: http://www.pattayada...b-from-victims/
-- Pattaya Daily News 2012-09-03
Three Bangkok policeman, including a vice squad leader, were arrested for stealing money from residents’ bank accounts after threatening them with false arrests. More than 40 people reported being victimized by the crooked cops, who stole more than 2 million THB from residents.
BANGKOK – September 1, 2012 [PDN]: the arrests of three corrupt police officers were coordinated by Pol. Lt. Col. Surawej Karnwattanasirikul, detective inspector of Thammasaka police station; and Pol. Capt. Sutep Janthawong, vice detective inspector.
The three suspects were arrested in the Bangyai area. They were identified as: Pol. Sen. Serg. Maj. Weerapong Samseemuang, age 46, the leader of the squad of Prevention and Suppression division, Samsen police station; Mr. Lar Seewichai , age 37, from Thai Yai; and Mr. Nattawut Wanijkornchai, age 42, from Chumporn.
Police also seized a bronze Toyota pickup truck with no license plate as evidence.
One of their victims, Mr. Sommai Loongyee, age 35, who works as a house painter, described to police how the crooked cops operated. In late April 2012, Mr. Sommai received a call from the suspects to paint a house in the Thai cement village at soi 10, Bangsue district and sub district.
On May 1, he went to the house. When Mr. Sommai reached the top of the soi, he called the suspects, who then said there was a change in plans, and told him to drive to soi 22.
When Mr. Sommai reached soi 22, he called them again. He also noticed a pickup truck circling around many times. When his cellphone rang, the pickup truck was parked in front of him.
The pickup truck driver was Pol. Sen. Serg. Maj. Weerapong, dressed in full police uniform. The officer got out of the car and told Mr. Sommai that he looked like the suspect that a police secret agent had told him would come to deliver drugs at this spot.
Full story: http://www.pattayada...b-from-victims/
-- Pattaya Daily News 2012-09-03
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2011 flood crisis cost Thailand Bt1.4 trillion; 65,000 lost jobs
PUANGCHOMPOO PRASERT,
THAMMARAT KITCHALONG
THE NATION
BANGKOK: -- Last year's flood crisis has cost some 65,000 people their jobs and caused economic losses of about Bt1.425 trillion, a researcher told reporters yesterday.
Prof Paiboon Suriyawongpaisal from the Health Systems Research Institute (HSRI) said the losses were seven times higher than the 2011 state budget.
As per World Bank rankings, Thailand stands at No 4 among countries with highest economic losses due to natural disasters.
The professor went on to say that the crisis had affected more than 12 million people in 61 provinces.
In related news, the Social Security Office (SSO) is considering expanding the Workmen's Compensation Fund (WCF) to cover more businesses.
PUANGCHOMPOO PRASERT,
THAMMARAT KITCHALONG
THE NATION
BANGKOK: -- Last year's flood crisis has cost some 65,000 people their jobs and caused economic losses of about Bt1.425 trillion, a researcher told reporters yesterday.
Prof Paiboon Suriyawongpaisal from the Health Systems Research Institute (HSRI) said the losses were seven times higher than the 2011 state budget.
As per World Bank rankings, Thailand stands at No 4 among countries with highest economic losses due to natural disasters.
The professor went on to say that the crisis had affected more than 12 million people in 61 provinces.
In related news, the Social Security Office (SSO) is considering expanding the Workmen's Compensation Fund (WCF) to cover more businesses.
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Thailand grapples with killer student gangs
by Aidan Jones
Lopburi, Thailand, Sept 4, 2012 (AFP) - Sweat dripping from their foreheads as they complete a set of press-ups, students at a Thai army boot camp are momentary allies, but a spate of gang shootings suggests it is an uneasy peace.
Deadly rivalries between student gangs have seen several teenagers gunned down in Bangkok since the start of the school year in May, leaving the kingdom's authorities scrambling for answers to a decades-old violent tradition.
The 150 students doing fitness drills at the army camp north of the capital come from vocational colleges -- schools notorious for incubating ruthless gangs who fight for the perceived pride of their institution.
"I stabbed a student in the head," says Pond, a pimply 18-year-old who escaped prosecution for the assault but was fined a few dollars for carrying a knife.
"Sometimes I feel bad about it, but it's what happens. We do it because it's a legend, passed down from the seniors in our school. We do it for pride."
The colleges prepare teenagers for a life of manual work, rather than going on to university, and the students are often viewed as low status by a society with a keen sense of hierarchy.
An epidemic of violence strikes at the start of every new school year, leaving ordinary Thais on guard for the appearance of students in public spaces, where disputes can lead to tragedy.
A bystander died after she was hit by a stray bullet in June as a group of students opened fire on a Bangkok bus in an attack that killed a rival gang member.
Guns, machetes and even improvised grenades were among an arsenal seized in a subsequent police crackdown, but the death toll has risen unabated with at least three more students killed and several others wounded since.
Bangkok police recorded more than 1,000 cases of students fighting between January and July this year, and the nationwide tally is likely to be much higher.
Desperate for a solution, Thai authorities established the boot camp, where the worst offenders are sent after consultation between their colleges and their parents.
Once there, they are forced to follow orders from no-nonsense army trainers and must live cheek-by-jowl with their sworn enemies.
Dressed in a blue jumpsuit and plimsolls, his hair cropped close like his peers, Pond -- a nickname -- explains that he was blacklisted by his school for persistent fighting and sent to the camp to reform.
He says the 5:00 am wake-up calls, regular meal times and fitness drills have brought some discipline to his chaotic life, but is frank about his prospects of following a new path.
"At the moment I don't want to fight anymore... but when I am back out there I will protect myself," he says, fidgeting with the catch on his army-issue baseball cap.
For Zoom, a scrawny, jittery 18-year-old, fighting for school pride delivers a sense of power, belonging and respect from younger pupils.
He says trivial insults about each other's school are enough to spark confrontation and chillingly recalls a fight last year which started after rivals swore at him from a motorcycle.
As the students passed by he reached for his knife "and slashed one of them across the head", he says, in a description betraying no hint of remorse.
The camp interns, several marked with gruesome scars from similar knife slashings, miss cigarettes, junk food and other home comforts, but generally appear engaged and willing to team up with erstwhile rivals in tasks such as abseiling or cooking.
Their instructors have 10 weeks to break down resentment between them and hope team-building exercises and group discussions will foster friendships that last once the camp ends in September.
But after decades of brawling between the colleges, the instructors are realistic.
"Ten percent of the students are not good when they come to the camp," explains Lieutenant Colonel Wanchana Sawasdeem, an army spokesman.
"When they leave they still won't be good -- they don't accept the system at all. But for 90 percent it will work, even if it just means they hesitate before fighting... at least the camp will have made them think."
While the vocational colleges churn out many success stories, a hardcore among each year gravitates towards the hyper-violence of the gangs, impressed by the tales of older pupils and even former students whose influence lingers.
"Winning fights is their way of life," says Montree Sintawichai, a former senator and now an expert on young people's issues who works for a charity called the Child Protection Foundation.
"The students think their victims are weak... they have little respect and little forgiveness," Montree says.
Boot camp instructor Colonel Wijak Kesuda is happy with the bond established between the pupils and the army trainers and says that, after initial resistance, instilling a sense of discipline was a relatively easy task.
"The hard part is making them respect themselves, other people and society," he says.
by Aidan Jones
Lopburi, Thailand, Sept 4, 2012 (AFP) - Sweat dripping from their foreheads as they complete a set of press-ups, students at a Thai army boot camp are momentary allies, but a spate of gang shootings suggests it is an uneasy peace.
Deadly rivalries between student gangs have seen several teenagers gunned down in Bangkok since the start of the school year in May, leaving the kingdom's authorities scrambling for answers to a decades-old violent tradition.
The 150 students doing fitness drills at the army camp north of the capital come from vocational colleges -- schools notorious for incubating ruthless gangs who fight for the perceived pride of their institution.
"I stabbed a student in the head," says Pond, a pimply 18-year-old who escaped prosecution for the assault but was fined a few dollars for carrying a knife.
"Sometimes I feel bad about it, but it's what happens. We do it because it's a legend, passed down from the seniors in our school. We do it for pride."
The colleges prepare teenagers for a life of manual work, rather than going on to university, and the students are often viewed as low status by a society with a keen sense of hierarchy.
An epidemic of violence strikes at the start of every new school year, leaving ordinary Thais on guard for the appearance of students in public spaces, where disputes can lead to tragedy.
A bystander died after she was hit by a stray bullet in June as a group of students opened fire on a Bangkok bus in an attack that killed a rival gang member.
Guns, machetes and even improvised grenades were among an arsenal seized in a subsequent police crackdown, but the death toll has risen unabated with at least three more students killed and several others wounded since.
Bangkok police recorded more than 1,000 cases of students fighting between January and July this year, and the nationwide tally is likely to be much higher.
Desperate for a solution, Thai authorities established the boot camp, where the worst offenders are sent after consultation between their colleges and their parents.
Once there, they are forced to follow orders from no-nonsense army trainers and must live cheek-by-jowl with their sworn enemies.
Dressed in a blue jumpsuit and plimsolls, his hair cropped close like his peers, Pond -- a nickname -- explains that he was blacklisted by his school for persistent fighting and sent to the camp to reform.
He says the 5:00 am wake-up calls, regular meal times and fitness drills have brought some discipline to his chaotic life, but is frank about his prospects of following a new path.
"At the moment I don't want to fight anymore... but when I am back out there I will protect myself," he says, fidgeting with the catch on his army-issue baseball cap.
For Zoom, a scrawny, jittery 18-year-old, fighting for school pride delivers a sense of power, belonging and respect from younger pupils.
He says trivial insults about each other's school are enough to spark confrontation and chillingly recalls a fight last year which started after rivals swore at him from a motorcycle.
As the students passed by he reached for his knife "and slashed one of them across the head", he says, in a description betraying no hint of remorse.
The camp interns, several marked with gruesome scars from similar knife slashings, miss cigarettes, junk food and other home comforts, but generally appear engaged and willing to team up with erstwhile rivals in tasks such as abseiling or cooking.
Their instructors have 10 weeks to break down resentment between them and hope team-building exercises and group discussions will foster friendships that last once the camp ends in September.
But after decades of brawling between the colleges, the instructors are realistic.
"Ten percent of the students are not good when they come to the camp," explains Lieutenant Colonel Wanchana Sawasdeem, an army spokesman.
"When they leave they still won't be good -- they don't accept the system at all. But for 90 percent it will work, even if it just means they hesitate before fighting... at least the camp will have made them think."
While the vocational colleges churn out many success stories, a hardcore among each year gravitates towards the hyper-violence of the gangs, impressed by the tales of older pupils and even former students whose influence lingers.
"Winning fights is their way of life," says Montree Sintawichai, a former senator and now an expert on young people's issues who works for a charity called the Child Protection Foundation.
"The students think their victims are weak... they have little respect and little forgiveness," Montree says.
Boot camp instructor Colonel Wijak Kesuda is happy with the bond established between the pupils and the army trainers and says that, after initial resistance, instilling a sense of discipline was a relatively easy task.
"The hard part is making them respect themselves, other people and society," he says.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
French tourist killed, another comatose in Phuket motorbike crash
Phuket Gazette
Scrape marks on the road show the direction the bike traveled after hitting the curb and projecting the two riders toward the retaining wall.
Mr Heras struck the wall and dropped into a dry pool, while Mr Donny struck the low wall in the foreground, bounced over and fell down into a concrete drainage ditch.
PHUKET: -- One French tourist is dead and another remains in coma after the motorbike they were riding crashed on the beach road in Karon before dawn yesterday.
Chalong duty officer Boonlert Onklang said that police were informed of the accident, at a curved section of the beach road near the Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort, at 3.40am.
Arriving at the scene, police were told by one of the resort’s security guards that he heard what sounded like a large motorbike heading toward Karon Circle, followed by a loud crash.
The guard ran to the scene to find two men lying off to one side of the road, their Yamaha 400 Majesty motorbike lying in the middle of the road.
Police found the body of Ludovic Didier Donny, 36, in a canal on the other side of a stone retaining wall, and the severely injured Jerome Sebastien Heras, 35, in a small concrete pond beside the wall.
Mr Heras, from Perpignan in France, was rushed to Vachira Phuket Hospital with multiple injuries. He has yet to regain consciousness.
Mr Donny, from Noisy-le-Sec, a suburb of Paris, died at the scene. His body was transported to the Vachira Phuket Hospital morgue.
The two tourists had arrived in Phuket the previous day, Col Boonlert said.
“Mr Donny received fatal injuries to his head. Mr Heras survived, but has cuts all over his body. His chances of survival are about 50-50,” he said.
“After examining the crash area, it appears that motorbike struck the curb before hitting the wall. We don’t know who was operating the motorbike.”
Police at the scene noted that neither man was wearing a helmet.
Mr Hera’s blood contained more than 200 parts per million of alcohol. Due to coagulation of the blood after death, the blood alcohol level of the late Mr Donny could not be checked, Col Boonlert said.
“The French Embassy has been informed of the incident,” he added.
Source: http://www.phuketgaz...ticle16830.html
-- Phuket Gazette 2012-09-05
Phuket Gazette
Scrape marks on the road show the direction the bike traveled after hitting the curb and projecting the two riders toward the retaining wall.
Mr Heras struck the wall and dropped into a dry pool, while Mr Donny struck the low wall in the foreground, bounced over and fell down into a concrete drainage ditch.
PHUKET: -- One French tourist is dead and another remains in coma after the motorbike they were riding crashed on the beach road in Karon before dawn yesterday.
Chalong duty officer Boonlert Onklang said that police were informed of the accident, at a curved section of the beach road near the Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort, at 3.40am.
Arriving at the scene, police were told by one of the resort’s security guards that he heard what sounded like a large motorbike heading toward Karon Circle, followed by a loud crash.
The guard ran to the scene to find two men lying off to one side of the road, their Yamaha 400 Majesty motorbike lying in the middle of the road.
Police found the body of Ludovic Didier Donny, 36, in a canal on the other side of a stone retaining wall, and the severely injured Jerome Sebastien Heras, 35, in a small concrete pond beside the wall.
Mr Heras, from Perpignan in France, was rushed to Vachira Phuket Hospital with multiple injuries. He has yet to regain consciousness.
Mr Donny, from Noisy-le-Sec, a suburb of Paris, died at the scene. His body was transported to the Vachira Phuket Hospital morgue.
The two tourists had arrived in Phuket the previous day, Col Boonlert said.
“Mr Donny received fatal injuries to his head. Mr Heras survived, but has cuts all over his body. His chances of survival are about 50-50,” he said.
“After examining the crash area, it appears that motorbike struck the curb before hitting the wall. We don’t know who was operating the motorbike.”
Police at the scene noted that neither man was wearing a helmet.
Mr Hera’s blood contained more than 200 parts per million of alcohol. Due to coagulation of the blood after death, the blood alcohol level of the late Mr Donny could not be checked, Col Boonlert said.
“The French Embassy has been informed of the incident,” he added.
Source: http://www.phuketgaz...ticle16830.html
-- Phuket Gazette 2012-09-05
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Posted 2012-09-06 06:55:04
Car crash politics: Laws don't touch rich in Thailand
By Ploy Bunluesilp , NBC News
BANGKOK, Thailand – Shortly before dawn on Monday in an upscale area of Bangkok, a 27-year-old Thai man driving a Ferrari crashed into a policeman on a motorcycle. The driver dragged him more than 100 yards along the road before fleeing the scene. The policeman, 47-year-old Sgt. Maj. Wichien Glanprasert, was killed.
The furious reaction to the incident this week has shown one thing above all: most Thais have no faith in their justice system.
'I don’t believe in Thai justice'
The driver of the car was Vorayuth Yoovidhya, scion of one of the richest families in Thailand. His grandfather, Chaleo Yoovidhya, founded the Red Bull energy drink empire. Forbes magazine ranked the family as Thailand's fourth richest (not including the royal family) earlier this year with a net worth of $5.4 billion.
Thais know from long experience that the wealthy are rarely held accountable for their crimes.
Red Bull heir held over deadly hit-and-run in Ferrari
"As long as you are rich and powerful, you can get away with everything,” said 40-year-old Ubonwan Weeyanond. “I don’t believe in Thai justice, it’s only a privilege for the rich, not for poor people." [more...]
Full story: http://worldnews.nbc...ich-in-thailand
-- NBC News 2012-09-06
By Ploy Bunluesilp , NBC News
BANGKOK, Thailand – Shortly before dawn on Monday in an upscale area of Bangkok, a 27-year-old Thai man driving a Ferrari crashed into a policeman on a motorcycle. The driver dragged him more than 100 yards along the road before fleeing the scene. The policeman, 47-year-old Sgt. Maj. Wichien Glanprasert, was killed.
The furious reaction to the incident this week has shown one thing above all: most Thais have no faith in their justice system.
'I don’t believe in Thai justice'
The driver of the car was Vorayuth Yoovidhya, scion of one of the richest families in Thailand. His grandfather, Chaleo Yoovidhya, founded the Red Bull energy drink empire. Forbes magazine ranked the family as Thailand's fourth richest (not including the royal family) earlier this year with a net worth of $5.4 billion.
Thais know from long experience that the wealthy are rarely held accountable for their crimes.
Red Bull heir held over deadly hit-and-run in Ferrari
"As long as you are rich and powerful, you can get away with everything,” said 40-year-old Ubonwan Weeyanond. “I don’t believe in Thai justice, it’s only a privilege for the rich, not for poor people." [more...]
Full story: http://worldnews.nbc...ich-in-thailand
-- NBC News 2012-09-06
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Depressed woman 'fed herself to crocodiles' at popular Thai tourist attraction
By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
File photo. Source wikimedia
SAMUT PRAKARN: -- A woman who was suffering from depression is believed to have fed herself to the crocodiles at a popular tourist attraction in Thailand.
The 36-year-old Thai woman told her husband that she was going to see a doctor and would then go to popular Crocodile Farm in Samut Prakarn just outside Bangkok.
She never returned home but she was caught on CCTV cameras entering the tourist attraction 20 miles south of the capital.
The mystery has deepened because the Crocodile Farm have reportedly denied the incident took place.
However, husband Sunai Jisathra, 55, claims he was told by workers there that a woman fitting his wife Tiphawan's description had been killed.
He said farm workers told him it happened after the woman 'jumped intentionally' into a crocodile pit.
Mr Jisathra also said he had been contacted by a man who said he represented the farm and wished to make a settlement.
The husband said that he was not surprised. His wife had money problems and had suffered from depression for a long time.
'It was possible she had committed suicide to escape her troubles,' he said.
He said he would not file any charges against the farm owner. All he wanted was the truth and that incidents at tourist attractions in Thailand can often be covered up.
Source: http://www.dailymail...attraction.html
By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
File photo. Source wikimedia
SAMUT PRAKARN: -- A woman who was suffering from depression is believed to have fed herself to the crocodiles at a popular tourist attraction in Thailand.
The 36-year-old Thai woman told her husband that she was going to see a doctor and would then go to popular Crocodile Farm in Samut Prakarn just outside Bangkok.
She never returned home but she was caught on CCTV cameras entering the tourist attraction 20 miles south of the capital.
The mystery has deepened because the Crocodile Farm have reportedly denied the incident took place.
However, husband Sunai Jisathra, 55, claims he was told by workers there that a woman fitting his wife Tiphawan's description had been killed.
He said farm workers told him it happened after the woman 'jumped intentionally' into a crocodile pit.
Mr Jisathra also said he had been contacted by a man who said he represented the farm and wished to make a settlement.
The husband said that he was not surprised. His wife had money problems and had suffered from depression for a long time.
'It was possible she had committed suicide to escape her troubles,' he said.
He said he would not file any charges against the farm owner. All he wanted was the truth and that incidents at tourist attractions in Thailand can often be covered up.
Source: http://www.dailymail...attraction.html
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Heavy rain causes traffic chaos in Bangkok; flooding in Phetchabun, Phichit
The Nation
BANGKOK: -- Heavy rain hit Bangkok during the night and continued throughout the morning, causing flooding in many areas and worsening the already chaotic traffic in the rush hour.
Vehicles were stuck bumper to bumper on the roads, with many commuters spending double their usual time travelling from home to office.
Many Bangkokians updated their facebook walls with photos of traffic congestion. Some said they simply gave up trying to reach their destinations while others said they wanted to go home but could not get out of the jam.
Traffic radio stations were busy taking calls from people trapped on the roads. The rains that hit the capital during the night and was still continuing at noon in some parts of the city.
The Nation's reporter Kornchanok Raksaseri missed a meeting at the Thai Journalists Association scheduled for 10.30am.
"An hour after leaving the Nation Tower at KM 4.5 on Bangna Trat Road, I had yet reach the entrance to the Bangna Expressway. I moved less than 100 metres in 10 minutes. It was 10am by the time I arrived at Bangna Intersection so I gave up and returned to the office. I learned later that the meeting I was supposed to attend in the city was cancelled," she said.
It usually takes her a little over an hour to reach Pichai Road.
In the northern province of Phetchabun, heavy rain caused localised flooding, affecting about 1,000 homes. Flooding is also likely to be reported from a wider area.
A flash flood hit about 1,000 houses in three communities. About 1,200 acres of farmland have been inundated. Some schools were forced to close.
However, the water level in the Pasak River is stable and the situation is expected to return to normal within two days if there is no more rain and northern run-off.
Flash floods also affected the Wangdaeng canal, flooding a community in Thapklor municipality in Phichit. Local residents moved their belongings to higher ground.
About 100 homes have been flooded and some roads cannot be used, so residents are travelling by boat and continue to watch flood water levels closely.
In Chaiyaphum, the water level in the Lamprataw Dam on Phulanka Mountain has risen, posing a flood threat to low-lying areas on the side of the mountain. Some muddy torrents have formed as rainwater flows down the mountain,
The Nation
BANGKOK: -- Heavy rain hit Bangkok during the night and continued throughout the morning, causing flooding in many areas and worsening the already chaotic traffic in the rush hour.
Vehicles were stuck bumper to bumper on the roads, with many commuters spending double their usual time travelling from home to office.
Many Bangkokians updated their facebook walls with photos of traffic congestion. Some said they simply gave up trying to reach their destinations while others said they wanted to go home but could not get out of the jam.
Traffic radio stations were busy taking calls from people trapped on the roads. The rains that hit the capital during the night and was still continuing at noon in some parts of the city.
The Nation's reporter Kornchanok Raksaseri missed a meeting at the Thai Journalists Association scheduled for 10.30am.
"An hour after leaving the Nation Tower at KM 4.5 on Bangna Trat Road, I had yet reach the entrance to the Bangna Expressway. I moved less than 100 metres in 10 minutes. It was 10am by the time I arrived at Bangna Intersection so I gave up and returned to the office. I learned later that the meeting I was supposed to attend in the city was cancelled," she said.
It usually takes her a little over an hour to reach Pichai Road.
In the northern province of Phetchabun, heavy rain caused localised flooding, affecting about 1,000 homes. Flooding is also likely to be reported from a wider area.
A flash flood hit about 1,000 houses in three communities. About 1,200 acres of farmland have been inundated. Some schools were forced to close.
However, the water level in the Pasak River is stable and the situation is expected to return to normal within two days if there is no more rain and northern run-off.
Flash floods also affected the Wangdaeng canal, flooding a community in Thapklor municipality in Phichit. Local residents moved their belongings to higher ground.
About 100 homes have been flooded and some roads cannot be used, so residents are travelling by boat and continue to watch flood water levels closely.
In Chaiyaphum, the water level in the Lamprataw Dam on Phulanka Mountain has risen, posing a flood threat to low-lying areas on the side of the mountain. Some muddy torrents have formed as rainwater flows down the mountain,
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Drunk Russian in coma after leap from Level 3 at Suvarnabhumi Airport
Quick translated from Matichon and mweb
BANGKOK: -- At 08.30 AM. September, 6. Pol.Lt. Natthapon Ekkachan, (an officer on investigation at Suvarnabhumi Airport police station, Samutprakarn province) has been reported from the staff of Samitivej hospital that there is an injured person falling from a height and sent here to treat so Pol.Lt Natthapon went to the hospital to investigate and found Mr. Mikoley, 58 years old, Russian lay down unconsciously in the ICU with wounded head, broken right arm, contused and bruised at the body with serious injury.
After investigated, he found that Mr. Mikoley (injured person) came from Russia since 4 September this year. Before the accident, the witnessessaw him and he looked like drunk person standing up near the balcony on the 3rd floor close to the police station at the Arrival terminal of Suvannabhumi Airport. Then, he fell down to attack with terrace and stair rail and down to the ground floor with a serious injury. Initially, the officer is still investigating and because the patient is still unconscious so the officer has to wait for him to get well and then go on with the investigation.
Additional translation from mweb.com:
08.30 AM. Today (6 Sep) Mr. Mikolay, age 58, Russian jumped out from the 3nd floor of the passenger terminal of Suvarnabhumi Airport and fell to the 1st floor. The officer sent him to Samitivej Srinakarin hospital already and Coordinated with Russian embassy to take care of him. After making an enquiry with the Tourist Police Officer, Mr.Mikolay has stayed at the airport for several days. He was desperate and he always asks for drinking water. However, they still can’t find the actual cause of this accident.
Quick translated from Matichon and mweb
BANGKOK: -- At 08.30 AM. September, 6. Pol.Lt. Natthapon Ekkachan, (an officer on investigation at Suvarnabhumi Airport police station, Samutprakarn province) has been reported from the staff of Samitivej hospital that there is an injured person falling from a height and sent here to treat so Pol.Lt Natthapon went to the hospital to investigate and found Mr. Mikoley, 58 years old, Russian lay down unconsciously in the ICU with wounded head, broken right arm, contused and bruised at the body with serious injury.
After investigated, he found that Mr. Mikoley (injured person) came from Russia since 4 September this year. Before the accident, the witnessessaw him and he looked like drunk person standing up near the balcony on the 3rd floor close to the police station at the Arrival terminal of Suvannabhumi Airport. Then, he fell down to attack with terrace and stair rail and down to the ground floor with a serious injury. Initially, the officer is still investigating and because the patient is still unconscious so the officer has to wait for him to get well and then go on with the investigation.
Additional translation from mweb.com:
08.30 AM. Today (6 Sep) Mr. Mikolay, age 58, Russian jumped out from the 3nd floor of the passenger terminal of Suvarnabhumi Airport and fell to the 1st floor. The officer sent him to Samitivej Srinakarin hospital already and Coordinated with Russian embassy to take care of him. After making an enquiry with the Tourist Police Officer, Mr.Mikolay has stayed at the airport for several days. He was desperate and he always asks for drinking water. However, they still can’t find the actual cause of this accident.
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One million cameras will spy on future Bangkok criminals
An ambitious crime-fighting project would flood the streets of Bangkok with 1,000,000 surveillance cameras within three years. Residents will have to pay between 100 to 200 baht a month to help finance the “Miracle Eyes” project.
BANGKOK – September 6, 2012 [PDN]: at 10:00 a.m., the formal launch of a massive camera surveillance project was announced at the Thai Metropolitan Police Bureau by Pol. Lt. Gen. Kamronwit Thoopkrajang, commissioner of metropolitan police; Pol. Maj. Gen. Adul Narongsak, the vice commissioner of Metropolitan Police, administrative division; and Mr. Montchai Noosong, acting committee general manager, TOT Co. Ltd.
The innovative new crime prevention model will install 1 million cameras in Bangkok’s public areas, said Pol. Lt. Gen. Kamronwit. It would be similar to a system in London, England.
When crimes occur in that city, police officers rush to examine CCTV footage for evidence to obtain information and shorten the duration of investigations.
The “Miracle Eyes” project is a cooperative venture of the Bangkok Metropolitan Police and TOT Public Co, Ltd. But the Miracle Eyes project needs time and co-operation from Bangkok residents to establish the CCTV system, officials said.
An important part of the preliminary work is to spread information and support for the project. For the setup and maintenance costs, people would have to pay 100-200 baht per month.
The payoff would be the added protection against criminals — as if police officers were literally standing in front of everyone’s house for protection.
The police commissioner said the police will do their part to carry out the project. “I would like all the police officers who are stationed in the center to prepare for the Miracle Eyes project, with cooperation from across 88 police stations.”
Full story: http://www.pattayada...gkok-criminals/
-- Pattaya Daily News 2012-09-07
An ambitious crime-fighting project would flood the streets of Bangkok with 1,000,000 surveillance cameras within three years. Residents will have to pay between 100 to 200 baht a month to help finance the “Miracle Eyes” project.
BANGKOK – September 6, 2012 [PDN]: at 10:00 a.m., the formal launch of a massive camera surveillance project was announced at the Thai Metropolitan Police Bureau by Pol. Lt. Gen. Kamronwit Thoopkrajang, commissioner of metropolitan police; Pol. Maj. Gen. Adul Narongsak, the vice commissioner of Metropolitan Police, administrative division; and Mr. Montchai Noosong, acting committee general manager, TOT Co. Ltd.
The innovative new crime prevention model will install 1 million cameras in Bangkok’s public areas, said Pol. Lt. Gen. Kamronwit. It would be similar to a system in London, England.
When crimes occur in that city, police officers rush to examine CCTV footage for evidence to obtain information and shorten the duration of investigations.
The “Miracle Eyes” project is a cooperative venture of the Bangkok Metropolitan Police and TOT Public Co, Ltd. But the Miracle Eyes project needs time and co-operation from Bangkok residents to establish the CCTV system, officials said.
An important part of the preliminary work is to spread information and support for the project. For the setup and maintenance costs, people would have to pay 100-200 baht per month.
The payoff would be the added protection against criminals — as if police officers were literally standing in front of everyone’s house for protection.
The police commissioner said the police will do their part to carry out the project. “I would like all the police officers who are stationed in the center to prepare for the Miracle Eyes project, with cooperation from across 88 police stations.”
Full story: http://www.pattayada...gkok-criminals/
-- Pattaya Daily News 2012-09-07
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Like it or not, corruption is the name of the game in Thailand
BANGKOK, Sept 7 – Corruption is increasingly acceptable in Thai society with an alarming trend of people seeing it as a way of life and willing to ‘tag along’ for personal gain.
An Assumption University poll conducted Sept 1-6, found the number of Thais not objecting to corruption if it was with their partial advantages increased from 63.4 per cent in June to 65.8 per cent in August.
Only one-third – 34.2 per cent – of the 2,117 respondents insisted that corruption is unacceptable.
Assumption Poll director Noppadol Kannikar said the younger generation is most worrisome with 79.1 per cent of respondents under 20 and 76.5 of those aged 20-29 said state corruption is acceptable if it benefits themselves personally.
A similar attitude was reported by nearly two-thirds of the rest of the respondents -- 64.8 per cent of the 30-39 age group, 65.4 per cent of the 40-49 age group, and 59.9 for people above age 50.
Among career groups which embrace the same attitude, students represented the highest percentage at 70.6 followed by entrepreneurs at 66.2 per cent, private employees at 64.3 per cent, general wage earners and farmers at 61.9 per cent.
Lying? White lies only, or more? More than two-thirds, 68.3 per cent, approved lying for survival while slightly under one-third, 31.7 per cent, said they would not lie regardless.
In the public sector nearly 60 per cent of state officials described corruption as acceptable, and referred to benefits in terms of job promotion, transfer to a better location and profit.
They claimed that every government is corrupt and politically intervene in public administration. (MCOT online news)
BANGKOK, Sept 7 – Corruption is increasingly acceptable in Thai society with an alarming trend of people seeing it as a way of life and willing to ‘tag along’ for personal gain.
An Assumption University poll conducted Sept 1-6, found the number of Thais not objecting to corruption if it was with their partial advantages increased from 63.4 per cent in June to 65.8 per cent in August.
Only one-third – 34.2 per cent – of the 2,117 respondents insisted that corruption is unacceptable.
Assumption Poll director Noppadol Kannikar said the younger generation is most worrisome with 79.1 per cent of respondents under 20 and 76.5 of those aged 20-29 said state corruption is acceptable if it benefits themselves personally.
A similar attitude was reported by nearly two-thirds of the rest of the respondents -- 64.8 per cent of the 30-39 age group, 65.4 per cent of the 40-49 age group, and 59.9 for people above age 50.
Among career groups which embrace the same attitude, students represented the highest percentage at 70.6 followed by entrepreneurs at 66.2 per cent, private employees at 64.3 per cent, general wage earners and farmers at 61.9 per cent.
Lying? White lies only, or more? More than two-thirds, 68.3 per cent, approved lying for survival while slightly under one-third, 31.7 per cent, said they would not lie regardless.
In the public sector nearly 60 per cent of state officials described corruption as acceptable, and referred to benefits in terms of job promotion, transfer to a better location and profit.
They claimed that every government is corrupt and politically intervene in public administration. (MCOT online news)
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Police Officer couple involved in “armed” incident at Car Showroom in Chonburi City
CHONBURI:--Two Police Officers were involved in a bizarre incident in front of a Chevrolet Showroom on the Sukhumvit Road in Chonburi City on Thursday.
The pair, who are married, destroyed the front windscreen to their new White Chevrolet Cruze, in protest of, what they claim to be, poor service by the Showroom. Police Captain Ploypailin and her Husband, a Police Officer working in Sriracha District began their protest by parking their new car in the middle of the street, which caused traffic jams in both directions.
The pair then confronted Khun Pirawat, owner of Chonburi Auto Center who manage the Chevrolet Showroom and claimed that damage which was repaired under warranty was not completed to an acceptable standard and they demanded a new car and 300,000 Baht in compensation. We understand that since the car first went for repair at the Center in July, the pair have encountered customer service issues including claims that sub-standard workmanship and spare parts were used to repair damage caused to the vehicle by the female officer who was involved in a minor road accident.
The situation became very heated and at one point, local Police were called in to control the situation after the female Police Captain, who was in full uniform, was seen to draw her gun and threaten staff at the Center.
Full story:http://www.pattayaon...-chonburi-city/
CHONBURI:--Two Police Officers were involved in a bizarre incident in front of a Chevrolet Showroom on the Sukhumvit Road in Chonburi City on Thursday.
The pair, who are married, destroyed the front windscreen to their new White Chevrolet Cruze, in protest of, what they claim to be, poor service by the Showroom. Police Captain Ploypailin and her Husband, a Police Officer working in Sriracha District began their protest by parking their new car in the middle of the street, which caused traffic jams in both directions.
The pair then confronted Khun Pirawat, owner of Chonburi Auto Center who manage the Chevrolet Showroom and claimed that damage which was repaired under warranty was not completed to an acceptable standard and they demanded a new car and 300,000 Baht in compensation. We understand that since the car first went for repair at the Center in July, the pair have encountered customer service issues including claims that sub-standard workmanship and spare parts were used to repair damage caused to the vehicle by the female officer who was involved in a minor road accident.
The situation became very heated and at one point, local Police were called in to control the situation after the female Police Captain, who was in full uniform, was seen to draw her gun and threaten staff at the Center.
Full story:http://www.pattayaon...-chonburi-city/
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Nine-year-old boy steps on booby trap, leg ripped off
NARATHIWAT, Sept 9 – A nine-year-old lost his leg after he stepped on a booby trap in the violence-plagued province of Narathiwat.
A homemade bomb was placed in a tin and placed near a tree at the roadside.
Moohammadsafig Latae lost his left leg to the blast and was sent to hospital. Two friends, standing nearby, were knocked to the ground due to the force of the bomb. Both were sent to hospital where they were treated and later allowed to return home.
Police initially believed the bomb was placed by presumed insurgents, targeting state officials but the boy stepped on the hidden bomb first. (MCOT online news)
NARATHIWAT, Sept 9 – A nine-year-old lost his leg after he stepped on a booby trap in the violence-plagued province of Narathiwat.
A homemade bomb was placed in a tin and placed near a tree at the roadside.
Moohammadsafig Latae lost his left leg to the blast and was sent to hospital. Two friends, standing nearby, were knocked to the ground due to the force of the bomb. Both were sent to hospital where they were treated and later allowed to return home.
Police initially believed the bomb was placed by presumed insurgents, targeting state officials but the boy stepped on the hidden bomb first. (MCOT online news)
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ACCIDENT
Girl, 12, in coma after escalator accident
The Nation
BANGKOK: -- A 12-year-old girl is in a critical condition after her head got stuck between an escalator and the upper floor as the escalator was moving up at Future Park Rangsit, a mega-mall north of Bangkok yesterday.
Nuanprae Wasutpichaikul's hair got entangled in the escalator while she bent down to watch a show on the second floor of the mall while standing on an escalator moving from the second to the third floor.
Before security guards could stop the escalator, Nuanprae passed out. Nuanprae stopped breathing but paramedics were able to resuscitate her. She was rushed to Pathumwet Hospital.
Wichitra Wasutpichaikul, Nuanprae's mother, fainted when she saw her daughter's head stuck to the escalator.
She later said she had dropped her daughter off at the mall to study at a tuition centre.
She had told her daughter to go ahead and attend her class while she was searching for a place to park.
Doctors said the girl has a blood clot in the brain and is in coma.
Girl, 12, in coma after escalator accident
The Nation
BANGKOK: -- A 12-year-old girl is in a critical condition after her head got stuck between an escalator and the upper floor as the escalator was moving up at Future Park Rangsit, a mega-mall north of Bangkok yesterday.
Nuanprae Wasutpichaikul's hair got entangled in the escalator while she bent down to watch a show on the second floor of the mall while standing on an escalator moving from the second to the third floor.
Before security guards could stop the escalator, Nuanprae passed out. Nuanprae stopped breathing but paramedics were able to resuscitate her. She was rushed to Pathumwet Hospital.
Wichitra Wasutpichaikul, Nuanprae's mother, fainted when she saw her daughter's head stuck to the escalator.
She later said she had dropped her daughter off at the mall to study at a tuition centre.
She had told her daughter to go ahead and attend her class while she was searching for a place to park.
Doctors said the girl has a blood clot in the brain and is in coma.
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Thailand: police bribe caught on video
Anti-corruption campaign sets up Bangkok cop for $12 bribe
Patrick Winn
BANGKOK: -- Back in July, when blogging about a volunteer cop filmed while kicking a couple off a speeding motorbike, I wrote that "police corruption is one of Thailand's most intractable problems.
Roadside shakedowns and abuse are common. But perhaps an army of camera phone-wielding, dashboard video-recording motorists is part of the solution."
The latest contribution to the Thai cops behaving badly on YouTube collection depicts a commonplace payoff to a traffic cop.
This isn't a Rodney King moment in which cameras happen to be running when abuse goes down. This is more like reverse entrapment: a cabbie pulls an illegal U-Turn in a spot known for shakedowns, [more...]
Full story: http://www.globalpos...lice-corruption
-- Global Post 2012-09-10
Anti-corruption campaign sets up Bangkok cop for $12 bribe
Patrick Winn
BANGKOK: -- Back in July, when blogging about a volunteer cop filmed while kicking a couple off a speeding motorbike, I wrote that "police corruption is one of Thailand's most intractable problems.
Roadside shakedowns and abuse are common. But perhaps an army of camera phone-wielding, dashboard video-recording motorists is part of the solution."
The latest contribution to the Thai cops behaving badly on YouTube collection depicts a commonplace payoff to a traffic cop.
This isn't a Rodney King moment in which cameras happen to be running when abuse goes down. This is more like reverse entrapment: a cabbie pulls an illegal U-Turn in a spot known for shakedowns, [more...]
Full story: http://www.globalpos...lice-corruption
-- Global Post 2012-09-10
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Pattaya Policeman struck by car at midnight
By Staff Reporter
PATTAYA: -- An off duty police officer was involved in a motorbike accident on the Sukhumvit in the arly hours of Monday
The Sergeant, had finished duty and was on his way home at just after midnight, riding his bike along the Sukhumvit Road toward Sattahip, when a car is said to have sped up alongside him and hit his bcycle with enough force to unbalance him.
Police and emergerncy services arrived on the scen to find the officer with cuts, abrasions and possible spinal injuries and he was taken to hospital.
Full story: http://www.pattaya10...ar-at-midnight/
-- pattaya103.com 2012-09-10
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By Staff Reporter
PATTAYA: -- An off duty police officer was involved in a motorbike accident on the Sukhumvit in the arly hours of Monday
The Sergeant, had finished duty and was on his way home at just after midnight, riding his bike along the Sukhumvit Road toward Sattahip, when a car is said to have sped up alongside him and hit his bcycle with enough force to unbalance him.
Police and emergerncy services arrived on the scen to find the officer with cuts, abrasions and possible spinal injuries and he was taken to hospital.
Full story: http://www.pattaya10...ar-at-midnight/
-- pattaya103.com 2012-09-10
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UPDATE
Female Police Captain involved in Chevrolet Showroom incident revealed as fake officer
CHONBURI:--at the Chevrolet Showroom in Chonburi City last Thursday have now been detained by Provincial Police Investigators who are demanding an explanation of their behaviour which involved the female officer drawing her firearm at one point and threatening staff at the showroom.
Police Lieutenant General Panya, the Region 2 Police Commissioner held a press conference on Monday attended by Police Senior Sergeant Major Rachapon, who works at Nong Kham Police Station in Sriracha District, and his wife who was confirmed as not being a real Police Officer.
The gun used in the incident belonged to her Husband, according to Khun Rachapon who was sat next to his wife, who chose to conceal her face during the press conference. For now Khun Ploypailin has been charged with impersonating a Police Officer and possession and use of a firearm in a public place in contravention of gun license conditions.
The real Police Officer was told that his conduct was not acceptable and during the press conference he had to be stopped from attacking the Chevrolet Showroom who have already threatened their own legal action against the pair.
Full story:http://www.pattayaon...d-fake-officer/
Female Police Captain involved in Chevrolet Showroom incident revealed as fake officer
CHONBURI:--at the Chevrolet Showroom in Chonburi City last Thursday have now been detained by Provincial Police Investigators who are demanding an explanation of their behaviour which involved the female officer drawing her firearm at one point and threatening staff at the showroom.
Police Lieutenant General Panya, the Region 2 Police Commissioner held a press conference on Monday attended by Police Senior Sergeant Major Rachapon, who works at Nong Kham Police Station in Sriracha District, and his wife who was confirmed as not being a real Police Officer.
The gun used in the incident belonged to her Husband, according to Khun Rachapon who was sat next to his wife, who chose to conceal her face during the press conference. For now Khun Ploypailin has been charged with impersonating a Police Officer and possession and use of a firearm in a public place in contravention of gun license conditions.
The real Police Officer was told that his conduct was not acceptable and during the press conference he had to be stopped from attacking the Chevrolet Showroom who have already threatened their own legal action against the pair.
Full story:http://www.pattayaon...d-fake-officer/
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Caged tigers found on Thai apartment block roof
Bangkok, Sept 10, 2012 (AFP) - Thai police said they had discovered six underfed tigers in specially-built cages on the roof of an apartment building on Monday, arresting a man who claimed he had been planning to open a zoo.Four adult cats and two cubs were found at the property on an industrial estate in Pathumthani province, north of Bangkok, in the raid by police from Thailand's Natural Resources and Environmental Crime Suppression Division.
A 28-year-old man, who lives in the building, was arrested at the scene and claimed to own the animals.
"The man said that he was preparing to open a zoo in the province", said police Captain Montri Neepasee, who said the animals had not been given enough food and did not look "completely healthy".
The tigers were fed with around 10,000 baht's worth ($322) of chicken bones a month.
"They did not get enough nutrients for their growth," Montri said, adding that the cubs were "stressed" in the small cages.
He said the owner of the building, a cousin of the arrested man, denied all knowledge of the caged tigers.
Montri added that the other occupants of the flats had apparently ignored the presence of the big cats on the roof.
"The renters are mostly factory workers and they do not seem to care about environmental issues," he said.
Police said that the tigers will be sent to an animal sanctuary in a nearby province on Tuesday.
A second officer involved in the case, Colonel Panpong Panklump, said the arrested man had been charged with illegal possession of wildlife, which carries a maximum penalty of four years in prison.
He added he believed the tigers would have been sent to Vietnam, where there is demand for "their meat and skins".
Thailand, a hub of international smuggling, is one of just 13 countries hosting fragile tiger populations. Worldwide, numbers are estimated to have fallen to only 3,200 tigers from approximately 100,000 a century ago.
In February police busted a grisly exotic wildlife slaughterhouse in Bangkok when officers caught four men in the act of chopping up a tiger in a residential home.
Bangkok, Sept 10, 2012 (AFP) - Thai police said they had discovered six underfed tigers in specially-built cages on the roof of an apartment building on Monday, arresting a man who claimed he had been planning to open a zoo.Four adult cats and two cubs were found at the property on an industrial estate in Pathumthani province, north of Bangkok, in the raid by police from Thailand's Natural Resources and Environmental Crime Suppression Division.
A 28-year-old man, who lives in the building, was arrested at the scene and claimed to own the animals.
"The man said that he was preparing to open a zoo in the province", said police Captain Montri Neepasee, who said the animals had not been given enough food and did not look "completely healthy".
The tigers were fed with around 10,000 baht's worth ($322) of chicken bones a month.
"They did not get enough nutrients for their growth," Montri said, adding that the cubs were "stressed" in the small cages.
He said the owner of the building, a cousin of the arrested man, denied all knowledge of the caged tigers.
Montri added that the other occupants of the flats had apparently ignored the presence of the big cats on the roof.
"The renters are mostly factory workers and they do not seem to care about environmental issues," he said.
Police said that the tigers will be sent to an animal sanctuary in a nearby province on Tuesday.
A second officer involved in the case, Colonel Panpong Panklump, said the arrested man had been charged with illegal possession of wildlife, which carries a maximum penalty of four years in prison.
He added he believed the tigers would have been sent to Vietnam, where there is demand for "their meat and skins".
Thailand, a hub of international smuggling, is one of just 13 countries hosting fragile tiger populations. Worldwide, numbers are estimated to have fallen to only 3,200 tigers from approximately 100,000 a century ago.
In February police busted a grisly exotic wildlife slaughterhouse in Bangkok when officers caught four men in the act of chopping up a tiger in a residential home.
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Sukhothai business district flooded
SUKHOTHAI, Sept 10 - The rising Yom River has flooded downtown areas of the Sukhothai provincial seat, damaging wide areas, bringing business and commerce to a halt.
Residents and shopkeepers moved their belongings to higher ground during the night as floodwaters from the Yom River gushed out from underground sewers and washed away some pavement at the riverside market.
About 1,000 homes are flooded by up to one metre of water, and four schools in the municipality have closed.
Deputy Director-General Anusorn Kaewkangwan of the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department said northern run-off raised the water level in the Yom River and some parts of flood protection dyke near the market were damaged.
As a result, floodwaters flowed into the market about one metre deep and about half a metre at the provincial hall.
The situation is not considered critical at the moment. Giant sandbags are placed to plug the 10 - metre hole to control the flooding, he said. (MCOT online news)
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Charges against officer found valid
The Nation
BANGKOK: -- The police serious-case disciplinary investigation committee yesterday said it had unanimously found charges levelled against Thong Lor police inspector Pol Lt-Colonel Pannapon Nammuang to be valid.
The charges are: failing to perform his duty with decency and fairness, leading to severe damage; recklessness causing damage to the force; negligence to perform his duty, leading to severe damage; and allowing exploitation by others, leading to injustice and damage to the civil service.
Pol Colonel Sunthorn Khemaprapa, who chaired the panel, said it would summon Pannapon to hear the charges in three days and give him the opportunity to explain himself.
The committee would then discuss the matter further and submit its ruling to the Police Commission to consider suitable punishment. This would entail a discharge from the force, either with or without pension.
Pannapon is accused of trying to help Red Bull heir Worrayuth Yoovidhya to avoid hit-and-run charges.
After the incident in which Pol Senior Sgt-Major Wichean Klinprasert was killed, Pannapon wrongly took a butler at Worrayuth's house into custody.
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Brutal Man Beats Bleeding Woman at Full Love Inn
PATTAYA: -- A young Thai woman was badly beaten at a Soi Bongkot motel. Her unknown assailant then fled on a motorbike. Police found evidence of the woman having her menstrual period, which may have thwarted the man’s intent to have sex, so he beat her.
PATTAYA – September 12, 2012 [PDN]; at 8:10 p.m., a report of a woman being beaten at a love motel was received by Pol. Lt. Col. Prasit Munsri, investigation officer, Pattaya police station, Chonburi province.
He rushed to the scene with a police team and the rescue officer of the Sawangboribulthammasathan Pattaya foundation.
The beating incident occurred in the Full Love Inn hotel, room number 402, Soi Bongkot Moo 9 Tambon Nong Preu, Amphur Banglamung. The hotel is a daily motel that offers hourly rates.
At the scene, police found the naked and severely beaten Thai woman lying face down on the floor of the bathroom. Her hands and feet had been tied with a belt and white towel.
She was about 20 to 25 years old, and her face was badly bruised. Her mouth had been taped shut with adhesive tape, and she was breathing very softly. The rescue officer untied her body and rushed her to Banglamung hospital.
Full story:http://www.pattayada...-full-love-inn/
--PATTAYA DAILY NEWS 2012-09-13
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Thai police applicants told they cannot have genital implants or try to enlarge them
BANGKOK: -- There has been a lot of news recently of cheating going on for police entrance exams in Thailand. During the recent exams, everyone had to submit themselves to a pat down and go through a metal detector.
Now comes news that many people were disqualified from even taking the exams as they failed medical examinations at the Police General Hospital. I presume all of the usual contagious diseases were tested for, but according to the Bangkok Post, many people were disqualified for having tattoos on their body parts.
I didn’t realize that was true for police officers, but I do know that people applying for office work will have to make sure that they don’t have any visible tattoos.
What was even more surprising is that, according to a police spokeswoman of the Royal Thai Police Office, applicants who failed the health checks also included many who had injected paraffin gel into their genitals, and those that had their genitals implanted with small beads.
I am not sure how that would affect their job as this kind of thing has been going on for years in Thailand.
Full story: http://www.richardba...nital-implants/
-- richardbarrow.com 2012-09-14
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Highway robbers fail again
By Staff Reporter
PATTAYA: -- A 27 year old ex convict saw his luck run out again this week as he and a partner thought they had perfected the art of gold theft. First they cruised the Naklua road, north of Pattaya City, in search of people wearing gold.
Until they spotted . Mr. Jatuphol Krataiwongjanriding on a baht bus and wearing a heavy necklace.
Then they set their plan to action.
The 21 year old, Aekkalak Chamchoi ro de their motorbike alongside the bus and his partner in crime grabbed the necklace.
Since a baht bus is no match for a nippy scooterbike, the two fled the scene and thought they were safe.
Little did they know that Pattaya Police were already aware of the robbery and had put out a call to all officers on the Sukhumvit road to watch out for them., and they were soon spotted.
The police gave chase but the two managed to evade them, zipping from soi to soi in an attempt to lose their tail. At one point it looked as if they were going to escape, but they didn’t notice a 34 year old police volunteer on another bike, until it was too late.
Full story: http://www.pattaya10...ers-fail-again/
-- pattaya103.com 2012-09-14
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Convicts rob ladyboy
By Staff Reporter
PATTAYA: -- Patrolling police officers noticed a one sided fight involving 4 people in Nong Prue
What they found was a gang of three recently released convicts attacking a young ladyboy in Nong Prue, Pattaya, and demanding all her possession with the threat of even more violence.
The 24 year old had already had quite a beating by the time the police came across the mugging, and managed to arrest the three before they could escape.
With them, they recovered the ladyboy’s handbag containing a purse with 4560 baht and a mobile phone along with make up and cosmetics.
Full story: http://www.pattaya10...ts-rob-ladyboy/
-- pattaya103.com 2012-09-14
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Full house fails urine test
By Staff Reporter
SATTAHIP: -- Neighbourhood Karaoke bar was a drugs den according to local residents who complained to police
Police received several complaints from local residents who lived near a karaoke bar, operating from a 3 floor shop house in Sattahip.
Not only was it a noisy place, but they were convinced that drugs were being consumed on the premises and that some of the staff were also selling to the public.
A team of policemen were sent to investigate and raid the shop house where they found that the first floor was a simple karaoke operation but that the 2nd and 3rd floors were used by the girls for other reasons, including accommodation.
Police explained to the staff that they were investigating reports that drugs were being sold to customers and used by staff on the premises and that no staff member would be allowed to leave before being tested for drug use.
Full story: http://www.pattaya10...ils-urine-test/
-- pattaya103.com 2012-09-14
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Mexican killed, three Thais injured in Phuket head-on crash
Phuket Gazette
Police believe that Mexican national Christian Roth might not have been used to driving on the left in Phuket. Photo: Thawit Bilabdullar
The three men travelling in the black Toyota Altis were rushed to hospital for treatment. Photo: Thawit Bilabdullar
PHUKET: -- A Mexican national died early this morning when the car he was driving, on the wrong side of one of Phuket’s most dangerous roads, struck an oncoming vehicle, injuring the three occupants.
Thalang Police received a report at 2:45am of a dead man in a new white Toyota Vios at a u-turn on Thepkrasattri Road in Srisoonthorn, about two kilometers north of the Heroines’ Monument, opposite the Provincial Electricity Authority substation.
Capt Patiwat Yodkwan arrived at the scene with volunteer rescue workers from the Kusoldharm Foundation and Baan Nai Khlam organization to find a large crowd of onlookers gathered near two badly damaged cars on the road: the white Toyota Vios and nearby a crumpled black Toyota Corolla Altis containing three injured people.
An international driving license at the scene identified the dead driver of the white Vios as 30-year-old Mexican national Christian Werner Roth.
From the black Altis, rescue workers extracted three injured men.
Kijjakarn Manajit, 23, the driver; Khuntub Alaisuk, 21; and Taksin Sirijun, 23, a leading aircraftman of the Royal Thai Air Force, were all taken to Thalang Hospital before being transferred to the better-equipped Mission Hospital Phuket and Phuket International Hospital.
From witness statements, the police deduced that Mr Roth had driven the vehicle south along the northbound carriageway. The vehicle was in the lane nearest the median about 20 meters before the u-turn when it struck the Altis head on.
It is not known how far Mr Roth had driven the car along the northbound carriageway. Currently police believe that the accident occurred because he was not used to driving on the left, as in Mexico they drive on the right.
“I cannot say whether the man [Mr Roth] was also drunk until the medical examination results are released,” said Capt Patiwat.
The Mexican embassy in Bangkok had been notified of the incident, and Mr Roth’s body was transported to Thalang Hospital for examination and to await instructions from his relatives, he said.
Source: http://www.phuketgaz...ticle17917.html
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Speeding Girl Dies of Broken Neck in Car Wreck
SATTAHIP: -- An 18-year-old female student driving her boyfriend’s car lost control of her vehicle at Khao Khaek curve and died instantly after colliding head-on with a pickup truck. Her boyfriend and the truck driver were badly injured. She had been rushing to take an exam.
SATTAHIP – September 17, 2012 [PDN]; at 9 a.m., a report of a fatal traffic accident was received by Pol. Lt. Col. Bamrung Rakbamrungsakul, investigation officer at Plutaluang police station. He rushed to the scene with a rescue officer of the Sawangrojjanathammasathan Sattahip foundation.
It was reported that a speeding Toyota had hit and flown over a traffic island and collided with the pickup truck, killing the Toyota driver and injuring two others.
The collision occurred on Sukhumvit Road km. 183/400 route km.10-Sattahip, near the curve at Khao Khaek, Moo 1 Tambon Plutaluang, Amphur Sattahip, Chonburi province.
Police arrived at the scene at the road entrance to km.10. They found the damaged car, a bronze Toyota Corona, license number KHOR KOR-4182 Chonburi. The left side of the car was severely damaged.
Full story: http://www.pattayada...k-in-car-wreck/
--PATTAYA DAILY NEWS 2012-09-18
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Ministry of Education Website Hacked by Teen Rebels
BANGKOK: -- The website of the Ministry of Education was hacked by apparent teenagers who posted rebellious messages. The hackers proclaimed teenagers live by their own rules and adults have no right to control them. The ministry briefly shut down the website to fix the problem. Officials vowed to find the hackers and punish them.
On September 17, 2012, at about 4:30 p.m., the website of the Ministry of Education was hacked by apparent teenagers, who posted messages in Thai and English. The messages mainly said teenagers live by their own rules and adults have no right to control them.
“We’re Libertia,” one message in Thai said. “We do what we want to protect our freedom. You have no right to control teenagers like us. We have our own life and our own rules.”
The hackers also posted the same message in slightly fractured English: We’re Libertia. We do whatever we want, because we can. Don’t dominant your teenager. We have our life, We have our rules.”
The hacking caused the website to malfunction, and Ministry officials shut it down at 5:20pm. But the website was later fixed and restored, and it can be accessed at http://www.moe.go.th/
An Education Ministry spokesman admitted that the ministry’s IT security system has defects that had left it vulnerable and needs fixing.
Other comments by the hackers included, “Hacked by Gliech zi Libertia… We don’t need you. Bring me Democrazy!”
The hackers also used foul language to criticize the ministry’s campaign to encourage the volunteering spirit among Thailand youths. “So what the f- – - do we do volunteer for? F — I know it’s no use. I like volunteering here. I volunteer for developing my country to be better.”
The social media networks Facebook and Twitter also spread the news about the hacking. Users cut and pasted the image of the hacked page and shared the viral invasion of the Thai government office.
The Minister of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) has been informed and will be using its resources to track down the hackers to punish them.
Source: http://www.pattayada...by-teen-rebels/
-- Pattaya Daily News 2012-09-18
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INUNDATION
Flooding worsens in east and north
The Nation
BANGKOK: -- The flood situation in many provinces continues to be of concern, particularly in the eastern provinces.
In Sa Kaew, flood water drained into the Prachin Buri River, which eventually overflowed and flooded the province's Kabin Buri district, affecting agricultural areas and homes.
In Sri Maha Pho district, residents have been forced to move their cars and motorcycles as well as pets to higher ground at the entrance to villages for fear that the flood water would keep on rising.
Some of the villagers have left their homes and are now staying on the road, which is causing problems for them.
Villagers at Tha Na market in Nakhon Pathom’s Nakhon Chaisi district, meanwhile, are filling sandbags for an additional flood protection dyke on top of the barrier along the Tha Chin River after the water overflowed into the municipality and the 100-year-old Tha Na market.
Local authorities are using pumps to drain floodwater into the Tha Chin River to protect paddy fields and orchards.
The Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department has reported that 15 provinces have been affected from the flood - Tak, Sukhothai, Pichit, Nakhon Sawan, Chai Nat, Ang Thong, Ayutthaya, Suphan Buri, Prachin Buri, Sa Kaew, Nakhon Pathom and Chaiyaphum, affecting more than 210,000 people.
Lampang governor Tawatchai Terdpaothai has announced five additional districts as disaster zones as a result of forest runoff and flash floods.
Twelve of Lampang's 13 districts of Lampang have now been declared disaster areas.
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Norwegian dies following Bar Brawl at Central Pattaya Beer Bar
PATTAYA: -- A Norwegian died less than 24 hours after suffering a severe skull fracture during a bar brawl at a popular Norwegian-owned Beer Bar in Central Pattaya.
The fight occurred in the early hours of Thursday at Kåres Party Bar in Central Pattaya. The altercation was reportedly between the victim, Mr. Jarle Nyegaard aged 43 and a man currently known only as “Bubu” thought to be aged between 35 and 40. Mr. Nyegaard was at the bar with friends when the altercation began and Mr. Nyegaard was knocked to the floor by the suspected attacker.
During the fall his head hit a table causing a major skull fracture. He was rushed to Pattaya Memorial Hospital and remained in a coma until the early hours of Friday when he passed-away due to his injuries. Police are currently investigating the case and are speaking with other patrons at the bar
Full story:http://www.pattayaon...ttaya-beer-bar/
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Six dead, dozens wounded in Thai south car bomb
Sai Buri, Thailand, Sept 21, 2012 (AFP) - At least six people were killed and 40 more wounded Friday after a car bomb exploded in a packed market in Thailand's insurgency-hit south, officials told AFP.
Nurses scrambled to attend to the wave of bloodied casualties in the main hospital in Sai Buri town, an AFP reporter at the scene said, adding blood donations were urgently required to help the wounded.
"There are six dead now, three men and three women," a Public Health ministry official said in Bangkok, a toll confirmed by the local hospital.
"Altogether 41 people have been wounded either from shrapnel or burns," she said, adding 19 "seriously injured" people had been ferried to bigger provincial hospitals.
An army spokesman said militants opened fire on shops in Sai Buri town centre shortly after Friday prayers in the Muslim-majority region to lure security forces to the scene, before detonating the bomb.
A complex insurgency calling for greater autonomy has plagued Thailand's Muslim-majority far south near the border with Malaysia since 2004, claiming more than 5,300 lives, both Buddhist and Muslim, with near daily bomb or gun attacks.
The bomb, which sparked a fire that destroyed several shops, was meant as a warning to locals not to talk with security forces after nearly 100 suspected militants "surrendered" last week, according to Colonel Pramote Prom-in, an army spokesman in the south.
"The perpetrators are the hardcore and do not want a peaceful solution (to the conflict) so they wanted to terrorise residents not to take side with government," Pramote said. "But it will not affect the government's efforts."
In response to an increase in violence over the summer, authorities in Thailand, a predominantly Buddhist country, said they had renewed peace talks with militant leaders.
"Don't call it negotiations... but there are talks to achieve peace which is a crucial government policy," Yutthasak Sasiprapa, deputy prime minister in charge of national security, said in August.
But the attacks have continued.
Analysts say the lattice of militant groups operating in the lush, forested three southernmost provinces are using increasingly sophisticated tactics to carry out co-ordinated assaults.
Dozens of members of Thailand's security forces have been killed in recent weeks in ambushes and roadside bombs, while civilians perceived to have collaborated with Thai authorities are also routinely executed.
A series of car bombs killed 14 people and injured more than 500 in April in the deadliest attacks to hit the insurgency-torn far south of Thailand in recent years.
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Bangkok gangs danced 'Gangnam Style' before Ekkamai gun battle, report claims
By Coconuts Bangkok
BANGKOK: -- The gangs involved in today’s gun battle in Bangkok’s Ekkamai neighborhood provoked each other at a restaurant the night before – by dancing the “horse dance” from PSY’s massive K-Pop hit “Gangnam Style”, local news website INN is reporting.
A member of the “Nuanchit” gang that came under a hail of at least 50 bullets this morning told the site that his gang knew their would-be killers well.
The two groups had a history of fighting, often bumping into each other in local restaurants and nightclubs, he said.
Last night both the Nuanchit gang and their rivals, from the Rong Poon community in Makkasan, were eating and drinking in the Ruean Thale restaurant in the Phet Phra Ram area of Huai Khwang.
According to INN, “the younger members of both groups danced provocatively at each other in the manner of top hit ‘Gangnam Style’.”
Full story: http://www.coconutsb...-report-claims/
-- COCONUTS Bangkok 2012-09-21
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American suspected of conducting lewd acts with 13 year old boy in Central Pattaya
PATTAYA: -- An American National was arrested in the early hours of Saturday, accused of conducting lewd acts with a 13 year old boy inside a Central Pattaya Department Store toilet.
Pattaya Police arrested Mr. Paul Alan Shapiro aged 65 following information the man was inside a toilet with the boy.
He was detained and taken to Pattaya Police Station where it was revealed that he had met the boy outside of the Central Festival Pattaya Beach and a fee of 300 Baht was agreed between both parties before they both proceeded to the toilets inside of the department store.
The pair were seen by staff members who in-turn contacted the Police.
Full story: http://www.pattayaon...entral-pattaya/
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SUKHOTHAI, Sept 10 - The rising Yom River has flooded downtown areas of the Sukhothai provincial seat, damaging wide areas, bringing business and commerce to a halt.
Residents and shopkeepers moved their belongings to higher ground during the night as floodwaters from the Yom River gushed out from underground sewers and washed away some pavement at the riverside market.
About 1,000 homes are flooded by up to one metre of water, and four schools in the municipality have closed.
Deputy Director-General Anusorn Kaewkangwan of the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department said northern run-off raised the water level in the Yom River and some parts of flood protection dyke near the market were damaged.
As a result, floodwaters flowed into the market about one metre deep and about half a metre at the provincial hall.
The situation is not considered critical at the moment. Giant sandbags are placed to plug the 10 - metre hole to control the flooding, he said. (MCOT online news)
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Charges against officer found valid
The Nation
BANGKOK: -- The police serious-case disciplinary investigation committee yesterday said it had unanimously found charges levelled against Thong Lor police inspector Pol Lt-Colonel Pannapon Nammuang to be valid.
The charges are: failing to perform his duty with decency and fairness, leading to severe damage; recklessness causing damage to the force; negligence to perform his duty, leading to severe damage; and allowing exploitation by others, leading to injustice and damage to the civil service.
Pol Colonel Sunthorn Khemaprapa, who chaired the panel, said it would summon Pannapon to hear the charges in three days and give him the opportunity to explain himself.
The committee would then discuss the matter further and submit its ruling to the Police Commission to consider suitable punishment. This would entail a discharge from the force, either with or without pension.
Pannapon is accused of trying to help Red Bull heir Worrayuth Yoovidhya to avoid hit-and-run charges.
After the incident in which Pol Senior Sgt-Major Wichean Klinprasert was killed, Pannapon wrongly took a butler at Worrayuth's house into custody.
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Brutal Man Beats Bleeding Woman at Full Love Inn
PATTAYA: -- A young Thai woman was badly beaten at a Soi Bongkot motel. Her unknown assailant then fled on a motorbike. Police found evidence of the woman having her menstrual period, which may have thwarted the man’s intent to have sex, so he beat her.PATTAYA – September 12, 2012 [PDN]; at 8:10 p.m., a report of a woman being beaten at a love motel was received by Pol. Lt. Col. Prasit Munsri, investigation officer, Pattaya police station, Chonburi province.
He rushed to the scene with a police team and the rescue officer of the Sawangboribulthammasathan Pattaya foundation.
The beating incident occurred in the Full Love Inn hotel, room number 402, Soi Bongkot Moo 9 Tambon Nong Preu, Amphur Banglamung. The hotel is a daily motel that offers hourly rates.
At the scene, police found the naked and severely beaten Thai woman lying face down on the floor of the bathroom. Her hands and feet had been tied with a belt and white towel.
She was about 20 to 25 years old, and her face was badly bruised. Her mouth had been taped shut with adhesive tape, and she was breathing very softly. The rescue officer untied her body and rushed her to Banglamung hospital.
Full story:http://www.pattayada...-full-love-inn/
--PATTAYA DAILY NEWS 2012-09-13
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Thai police applicants told they cannot have genital implants or try to enlarge them
BANGKOK: -- There has been a lot of news recently of cheating going on for police entrance exams in Thailand. During the recent exams, everyone had to submit themselves to a pat down and go through a metal detector.
Now comes news that many people were disqualified from even taking the exams as they failed medical examinations at the Police General Hospital. I presume all of the usual contagious diseases were tested for, but according to the Bangkok Post, many people were disqualified for having tattoos on their body parts.
I didn’t realize that was true for police officers, but I do know that people applying for office work will have to make sure that they don’t have any visible tattoos.
What was even more surprising is that, according to a police spokeswoman of the Royal Thai Police Office, applicants who failed the health checks also included many who had injected paraffin gel into their genitals, and those that had their genitals implanted with small beads.
I am not sure how that would affect their job as this kind of thing has been going on for years in Thailand.
Full story: http://www.richardba...nital-implants/
-- richardbarrow.com 2012-09-14
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Highway robbers fail again
By Staff Reporter
PATTAYA: -- A 27 year old ex convict saw his luck run out again this week as he and a partner thought they had perfected the art of gold theft. First they cruised the Naklua road, north of Pattaya City, in search of people wearing gold.
Until they spotted . Mr. Jatuphol Krataiwongjanriding on a baht bus and wearing a heavy necklace.
Then they set their plan to action.
The 21 year old, Aekkalak Chamchoi ro de their motorbike alongside the bus and his partner in crime grabbed the necklace.
Since a baht bus is no match for a nippy scooterbike, the two fled the scene and thought they were safe.
Little did they know that Pattaya Police were already aware of the robbery and had put out a call to all officers on the Sukhumvit road to watch out for them., and they were soon spotted.
The police gave chase but the two managed to evade them, zipping from soi to soi in an attempt to lose their tail. At one point it looked as if they were going to escape, but they didn’t notice a 34 year old police volunteer on another bike, until it was too late.
Full story: http://www.pattaya10...ers-fail-again/
-- pattaya103.com 2012-09-14
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Convicts rob ladyboy
By Staff Reporter
PATTAYA: -- Patrolling police officers noticed a one sided fight involving 4 people in Nong Prue
What they found was a gang of three recently released convicts attacking a young ladyboy in Nong Prue, Pattaya, and demanding all her possession with the threat of even more violence.
The 24 year old had already had quite a beating by the time the police came across the mugging, and managed to arrest the three before they could escape.
With them, they recovered the ladyboy’s handbag containing a purse with 4560 baht and a mobile phone along with make up and cosmetics.
Full story: http://www.pattaya10...ts-rob-ladyboy/
-- pattaya103.com 2012-09-14
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Full house fails urine test
By Staff Reporter
SATTAHIP: -- Neighbourhood Karaoke bar was a drugs den according to local residents who complained to police
Police received several complaints from local residents who lived near a karaoke bar, operating from a 3 floor shop house in Sattahip.
Not only was it a noisy place, but they were convinced that drugs were being consumed on the premises and that some of the staff were also selling to the public.
A team of policemen were sent to investigate and raid the shop house where they found that the first floor was a simple karaoke operation but that the 2nd and 3rd floors were used by the girls for other reasons, including accommodation.
Police explained to the staff that they were investigating reports that drugs were being sold to customers and used by staff on the premises and that no staff member would be allowed to leave before being tested for drug use.
Full story: http://www.pattaya10...ils-urine-test/
-- pattaya103.com 2012-09-14
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Mexican killed, three Thais injured in Phuket head-on crash
Phuket Gazette
Police believe that Mexican national Christian Roth might not have been used to driving on the left in Phuket. Photo: Thawit Bilabdullar
The three men travelling in the black Toyota Altis were rushed to hospital for treatment. Photo: Thawit Bilabdullar
PHUKET: -- A Mexican national died early this morning when the car he was driving, on the wrong side of one of Phuket’s most dangerous roads, struck an oncoming vehicle, injuring the three occupants.
Thalang Police received a report at 2:45am of a dead man in a new white Toyota Vios at a u-turn on Thepkrasattri Road in Srisoonthorn, about two kilometers north of the Heroines’ Monument, opposite the Provincial Electricity Authority substation.
Capt Patiwat Yodkwan arrived at the scene with volunteer rescue workers from the Kusoldharm Foundation and Baan Nai Khlam organization to find a large crowd of onlookers gathered near two badly damaged cars on the road: the white Toyota Vios and nearby a crumpled black Toyota Corolla Altis containing three injured people.
An international driving license at the scene identified the dead driver of the white Vios as 30-year-old Mexican national Christian Werner Roth.
From the black Altis, rescue workers extracted three injured men.
Kijjakarn Manajit, 23, the driver; Khuntub Alaisuk, 21; and Taksin Sirijun, 23, a leading aircraftman of the Royal Thai Air Force, were all taken to Thalang Hospital before being transferred to the better-equipped Mission Hospital Phuket and Phuket International Hospital.
From witness statements, the police deduced that Mr Roth had driven the vehicle south along the northbound carriageway. The vehicle was in the lane nearest the median about 20 meters before the u-turn when it struck the Altis head on.
It is not known how far Mr Roth had driven the car along the northbound carriageway. Currently police believe that the accident occurred because he was not used to driving on the left, as in Mexico they drive on the right.
“I cannot say whether the man [Mr Roth] was also drunk until the medical examination results are released,” said Capt Patiwat.
The Mexican embassy in Bangkok had been notified of the incident, and Mr Roth’s body was transported to Thalang Hospital for examination and to await instructions from his relatives, he said.
Source: http://www.phuketgaz...ticle17917.html
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Speeding Girl Dies of Broken Neck in Car Wreck
SATTAHIP: -- An 18-year-old female student driving her boyfriend’s car lost control of her vehicle at Khao Khaek curve and died instantly after colliding head-on with a pickup truck. Her boyfriend and the truck driver were badly injured. She had been rushing to take an exam.SATTAHIP – September 17, 2012 [PDN]; at 9 a.m., a report of a fatal traffic accident was received by Pol. Lt. Col. Bamrung Rakbamrungsakul, investigation officer at Plutaluang police station. He rushed to the scene with a rescue officer of the Sawangrojjanathammasathan Sattahip foundation.
It was reported that a speeding Toyota had hit and flown over a traffic island and collided with the pickup truck, killing the Toyota driver and injuring two others.
The collision occurred on Sukhumvit Road km. 183/400 route km.10-Sattahip, near the curve at Khao Khaek, Moo 1 Tambon Plutaluang, Amphur Sattahip, Chonburi province.
Police arrived at the scene at the road entrance to km.10. They found the damaged car, a bronze Toyota Corona, license number KHOR KOR-4182 Chonburi. The left side of the car was severely damaged.
Full story: http://www.pattayada...k-in-car-wreck/
--PATTAYA DAILY NEWS 2012-09-18
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Ministry of Education Website Hacked by Teen Rebels
BANGKOK: -- The website of the Ministry of Education was hacked by apparent teenagers who posted rebellious messages. The hackers proclaimed teenagers live by their own rules and adults have no right to control them. The ministry briefly shut down the website to fix the problem. Officials vowed to find the hackers and punish them.
On September 17, 2012, at about 4:30 p.m., the website of the Ministry of Education was hacked by apparent teenagers, who posted messages in Thai and English. The messages mainly said teenagers live by their own rules and adults have no right to control them.
“We’re Libertia,” one message in Thai said. “We do what we want to protect our freedom. You have no right to control teenagers like us. We have our own life and our own rules.”
The hackers also posted the same message in slightly fractured English: We’re Libertia. We do whatever we want, because we can. Don’t dominant your teenager. We have our life, We have our rules.”
The hacking caused the website to malfunction, and Ministry officials shut it down at 5:20pm. But the website was later fixed and restored, and it can be accessed at http://www.moe.go.th/
An Education Ministry spokesman admitted that the ministry’s IT security system has defects that had left it vulnerable and needs fixing.
Other comments by the hackers included, “Hacked by Gliech zi Libertia… We don’t need you. Bring me Democrazy!”
The hackers also used foul language to criticize the ministry’s campaign to encourage the volunteering spirit among Thailand youths. “So what the f- – - do we do volunteer for? F — I know it’s no use. I like volunteering here. I volunteer for developing my country to be better.”
The social media networks Facebook and Twitter also spread the news about the hacking. Users cut and pasted the image of the hacked page and shared the viral invasion of the Thai government office.
The Minister of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) has been informed and will be using its resources to track down the hackers to punish them.
Source: http://www.pattayada...by-teen-rebels/
-- Pattaya Daily News 2012-09-18
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INUNDATION
Flooding worsens in east and north
The Nation
BANGKOK: -- The flood situation in many provinces continues to be of concern, particularly in the eastern provinces.
In Sa Kaew, flood water drained into the Prachin Buri River, which eventually overflowed and flooded the province's Kabin Buri district, affecting agricultural areas and homes.
In Sri Maha Pho district, residents have been forced to move their cars and motorcycles as well as pets to higher ground at the entrance to villages for fear that the flood water would keep on rising.
Some of the villagers have left their homes and are now staying on the road, which is causing problems for them.
Villagers at Tha Na market in Nakhon Pathom’s Nakhon Chaisi district, meanwhile, are filling sandbags for an additional flood protection dyke on top of the barrier along the Tha Chin River after the water overflowed into the municipality and the 100-year-old Tha Na market.
Local authorities are using pumps to drain floodwater into the Tha Chin River to protect paddy fields and orchards.
The Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department has reported that 15 provinces have been affected from the flood - Tak, Sukhothai, Pichit, Nakhon Sawan, Chai Nat, Ang Thong, Ayutthaya, Suphan Buri, Prachin Buri, Sa Kaew, Nakhon Pathom and Chaiyaphum, affecting more than 210,000 people.
Lampang governor Tawatchai Terdpaothai has announced five additional districts as disaster zones as a result of forest runoff and flash floods.
Twelve of Lampang's 13 districts of Lampang have now been declared disaster areas.
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Norwegian dies following Bar Brawl at Central Pattaya Beer Bar
PATTAYA: -- A Norwegian died less than 24 hours after suffering a severe skull fracture during a bar brawl at a popular Norwegian-owned Beer Bar in Central Pattaya.
The fight occurred in the early hours of Thursday at Kåres Party Bar in Central Pattaya. The altercation was reportedly between the victim, Mr. Jarle Nyegaard aged 43 and a man currently known only as “Bubu” thought to be aged between 35 and 40. Mr. Nyegaard was at the bar with friends when the altercation began and Mr. Nyegaard was knocked to the floor by the suspected attacker.
During the fall his head hit a table causing a major skull fracture. He was rushed to Pattaya Memorial Hospital and remained in a coma until the early hours of Friday when he passed-away due to his injuries. Police are currently investigating the case and are speaking with other patrons at the bar
Full story:http://www.pattayaon...ttaya-beer-bar/
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Six dead, dozens wounded in Thai south car bomb
Sai Buri, Thailand, Sept 21, 2012 (AFP) - At least six people were killed and 40 more wounded Friday after a car bomb exploded in a packed market in Thailand's insurgency-hit south, officials told AFP.
Nurses scrambled to attend to the wave of bloodied casualties in the main hospital in Sai Buri town, an AFP reporter at the scene said, adding blood donations were urgently required to help the wounded.
"There are six dead now, three men and three women," a Public Health ministry official said in Bangkok, a toll confirmed by the local hospital.
"Altogether 41 people have been wounded either from shrapnel or burns," she said, adding 19 "seriously injured" people had been ferried to bigger provincial hospitals.
An army spokesman said militants opened fire on shops in Sai Buri town centre shortly after Friday prayers in the Muslim-majority region to lure security forces to the scene, before detonating the bomb.
A complex insurgency calling for greater autonomy has plagued Thailand's Muslim-majority far south near the border with Malaysia since 2004, claiming more than 5,300 lives, both Buddhist and Muslim, with near daily bomb or gun attacks.
The bomb, which sparked a fire that destroyed several shops, was meant as a warning to locals not to talk with security forces after nearly 100 suspected militants "surrendered" last week, according to Colonel Pramote Prom-in, an army spokesman in the south.
"The perpetrators are the hardcore and do not want a peaceful solution (to the conflict) so they wanted to terrorise residents not to take side with government," Pramote said. "But it will not affect the government's efforts."
In response to an increase in violence over the summer, authorities in Thailand, a predominantly Buddhist country, said they had renewed peace talks with militant leaders.
"Don't call it negotiations... but there are talks to achieve peace which is a crucial government policy," Yutthasak Sasiprapa, deputy prime minister in charge of national security, said in August.
But the attacks have continued.
Analysts say the lattice of militant groups operating in the lush, forested three southernmost provinces are using increasingly sophisticated tactics to carry out co-ordinated assaults.
Dozens of members of Thailand's security forces have been killed in recent weeks in ambushes and roadside bombs, while civilians perceived to have collaborated with Thai authorities are also routinely executed.
A series of car bombs killed 14 people and injured more than 500 in April in the deadliest attacks to hit the insurgency-torn far south of Thailand in recent years.
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Bangkok gangs danced 'Gangnam Style' before Ekkamai gun battle, report claims
By Coconuts Bangkok
BANGKOK: -- The gangs involved in today’s gun battle in Bangkok’s Ekkamai neighborhood provoked each other at a restaurant the night before – by dancing the “horse dance” from PSY’s massive K-Pop hit “Gangnam Style”, local news website INN is reporting.
A member of the “Nuanchit” gang that came under a hail of at least 50 bullets this morning told the site that his gang knew their would-be killers well.
The two groups had a history of fighting, often bumping into each other in local restaurants and nightclubs, he said.
Last night both the Nuanchit gang and their rivals, from the Rong Poon community in Makkasan, were eating and drinking in the Ruean Thale restaurant in the Phet Phra Ram area of Huai Khwang.
According to INN, “the younger members of both groups danced provocatively at each other in the manner of top hit ‘Gangnam Style’.”
Full story: http://www.coconutsb...-report-claims/
-- COCONUTS Bangkok 2012-09-21
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American suspected of conducting lewd acts with 13 year old boy in Central Pattaya
PATTAYA: -- An American National was arrested in the early hours of Saturday, accused of conducting lewd acts with a 13 year old boy inside a Central Pattaya Department Store toilet.
Pattaya Police arrested Mr. Paul Alan Shapiro aged 65 following information the man was inside a toilet with the boy.
He was detained and taken to Pattaya Police Station where it was revealed that he had met the boy outside of the Central Festival Pattaya Beach and a fee of 300 Baht was agreed between both parties before they both proceeded to the toilets inside of the department store.
The pair were seen by staff members who in-turn contacted the Police.
Full story: http://www.pattayaon...entral-pattaya/
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Russian Tasered at Karaoke club in Chiang Mai
This past Monday the 22nd September a Russian tourist Mr. Alexander Sheshko, aged 38 was at the BUNNY GIRL Karoake club located on Chang Klan road in the city of Chiang Mai. He was beaten with sticks and Tasered by 4 security guards at the club for failure to pay his bill.
Mr. Alexander story was he went to the Karoake club around 2 am and asked for the price of 1 bottle of Jack Daniels for which he was quoted 2000 baht. Mr. Alexander Sheshko then ordered a few hors d’oeuvres, mixers, and had 1 of the PR girls come into the room and sit with him. He claims he was unaware that when the girl buys a drink he had to pay for it.
After this another 5 girls came into the room for which he claims he did not ask for and sat down and again the girls proceeded to order more drinks for themselves. Mr. Alexander Sheshko claims he asked the Mama sang to remove the girls that he didn’t ask to sit with him.
After a few hours Mr. Alexander Sheshko, Russian Tourist, asked for the bill and to his dismay it was a total of 15,000 baht! He then asked the manager to rethink the bill as it was way too much for what services he received and they came back with a bill of 7000 baht. Everything looked OK for the Russian until the Mama sang came out and then said to the employees he had to pay the 15,000 baht!
This is when things turned bad for Mr. Alexander when 3-4 security guards jumped Tasered him and beat on him submitting him to pay the entire bill.
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On Tuesday police arrested a woman identified as Mrs Prapassorn, 48, and found six sleeping pills in her possession.
Police said they received a complaint from a 31-year-old man (name withheld), accusing the suspect of drugging him and taking off with 26,000 baht in cash.
The victim said they met discreetly at a hotel several times, but on Sopt 21 he passed out after consuming a drink she gave him.
When he woke up, she was gone, so was the cash in his wallet.
He did not know her real name, but police were able to identify her from the hotel surveillance camera.
Police said the suspect had a criminal record so it was easy to locate her.
Police said the woman admitted to stealing the money but denied drugging the victim. She said he may have passed out from the alcohol that he drank earlier.
She admitted she was earlier arrested for providing underage girls to a prostitution ring. She is currently on bail and his fighting the case in court.
She said the parents of two young girls demanded she pay them 50,000 baht to drop the charges.
With no way out, she lured her lover to the hotel room and stole his money to pay off the couple, she told police.
-The Bangkok Post
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Taxi driver dies during fight with Sukhumvit McDonald's delivery driver
By Coconuts Bangkok
BANGKOK: -- A taxi driver died during an altercation with a motorcycle delivery driver for the McDonald’s at Sukhumvit 17 after they crashed into each other last Sunday.
Taxi driver Mr. Suriya Sipumkan, 45, collided with the McDonald’s employee’s motorbike while turning onto Sukhumvit Soi 17 and both men began to fight in the Robinson’s parking lot.
Suriya was hit many times in the face, but ran back to his cab to get a knuckle-duster. He collapsed and died as he was running back to attack the driver, Daily News reported. Many taxi drivers gathered around to help Suriya, but he had already passed away.
Full story: http://www.coconutsb...elivery-driver/
-- COCONUTS Bangkok 2012-09-25
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Woman Killed In Gunfight At Rock Concert
A young woman was killed and several others wounded by gunfire at a Sweet Mullet concert in Ayuddhaya. The shooting occurred in front of the Viengjan entertainment center in Phranakornsriayuddhaya. The combatants escaped after the gun battle, which involved more than 20 people.
AYUDDHAYA – September 28, 2012[PDN]; at 2:15 a.m., a report of a fatal shooting at a rock concert was received by Pol. Lt. Col. Wasan Thipparat, Inspector, Uthai police station, Phranakornsriayuddhaya province. He rushed to the scene with Pol. Maj. Gen. Anurak Taengkasem, Commander; Pol. Col. Wutthiphong Petchkamnerd, Deputy Commander; Pol. Col. Suthep Chanasit, Commander; Pol. Lt. Col. Panthat Sewatathat, Inspector, Uthai police station; and the detective police team and the rescue officer of the Ayudhaya Ruamjai Association.
The shooting occurred in front of Viengjan entertainment center Moo 1 Tambon Thanu, Amphur Uthai. When police arrived, a lot of people were backing their cars out of the parking lot to escape the scene.
As police officers blockaded the area, the sound of gunshots could still be heard several times. After the shooting stopped, police found a lot of injured people who were sent to Ratchathani hospital. One man was shot in his head and severely injured. He was sent to Phranakornsriayuddhaya hospital, along with four other people.
One unidentified woman died at the scene. She was approximately 28 years old, and wearing long pants and a long-sleeved black-and-white shirt. She had been shot in the head by a gun of unknown caliber. The victim died beside a bullet-ridden car, a Toyota Vios, license number KOR TOR 4428 Phranakornsriayuddhaya. There were 2 bullet holes in the car’s front side mirror.
Full story: http://www.pattayada...t-rock-concert/
-- Pattaya Daily News 2012-09-28
Mr. Alexander story was he went to the Karoake club around 2 am and asked for the price of 1 bottle of Jack Daniels for which he was quoted 2000 baht. Mr. Alexander Sheshko then ordered a few hors d’oeuvres, mixers, and had 1 of the PR girls come into the room and sit with him. He claims he was unaware that when the girl buys a drink he had to pay for it.
After this another 5 girls came into the room for which he claims he did not ask for and sat down and again the girls proceeded to order more drinks for themselves. Mr. Alexander Sheshko claims he asked the Mama sang to remove the girls that he didn’t ask to sit with him.
After a few hours Mr. Alexander Sheshko, Russian Tourist, asked for the bill and to his dismay it was a total of 15,000 baht! He then asked the manager to rethink the bill as it was way too much for what services he received and they came back with a bill of 7000 baht. Everything looked OK for the Russian until the Mama sang came out and then said to the employees he had to pay the 15,000 baht!
This is when things turned bad for Mr. Alexander when 3-4 security guards jumped Tasered him and beat on him submitting him to pay the entire bill.
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Woman drugged, stole from lover
- Published: 25/09/2012 at 06:52 PM
CHIANG MAI – Police arrested a married woman accused of
drugging her lover and stealing his money after a sexual rendezvous, reports
said.
On Tuesday police arrested a woman identified as Mrs Prapassorn, 48, and found six sleeping pills in her possession.
Police said they received a complaint from a 31-year-old man (name withheld), accusing the suspect of drugging him and taking off with 26,000 baht in cash.
The victim said they met discreetly at a hotel several times, but on Sopt 21 he passed out after consuming a drink she gave him.
When he woke up, she was gone, so was the cash in his wallet.
He did not know her real name, but police were able to identify her from the hotel surveillance camera.
Police said the suspect had a criminal record so it was easy to locate her.
Police said the woman admitted to stealing the money but denied drugging the victim. She said he may have passed out from the alcohol that he drank earlier.
She admitted she was earlier arrested for providing underage girls to a prostitution ring. She is currently on bail and his fighting the case in court.
She said the parents of two young girls demanded she pay them 50,000 baht to drop the charges.
With no way out, she lured her lover to the hotel room and stole his money to pay off the couple, she told police.
-The Bangkok Post
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Taxi driver dies during fight with Sukhumvit McDonald's delivery driver
By Coconuts Bangkok
BANGKOK: -- A taxi driver died during an altercation with a motorcycle delivery driver for the McDonald’s at Sukhumvit 17 after they crashed into each other last Sunday.
Taxi driver Mr. Suriya Sipumkan, 45, collided with the McDonald’s employee’s motorbike while turning onto Sukhumvit Soi 17 and both men began to fight in the Robinson’s parking lot.
Suriya was hit many times in the face, but ran back to his cab to get a knuckle-duster. He collapsed and died as he was running back to attack the driver, Daily News reported. Many taxi drivers gathered around to help Suriya, but he had already passed away.
Full story: http://www.coconutsb...elivery-driver/
-- COCONUTS Bangkok 2012-09-25
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Woman Killed In Gunfight At Rock Concert
A young woman was killed and several others wounded by gunfire at a Sweet Mullet concert in Ayuddhaya. The shooting occurred in front of the Viengjan entertainment center in Phranakornsriayuddhaya. The combatants escaped after the gun battle, which involved more than 20 people.
AYUDDHAYA – September 28, 2012[PDN]; at 2:15 a.m., a report of a fatal shooting at a rock concert was received by Pol. Lt. Col. Wasan Thipparat, Inspector, Uthai police station, Phranakornsriayuddhaya province. He rushed to the scene with Pol. Maj. Gen. Anurak Taengkasem, Commander; Pol. Col. Wutthiphong Petchkamnerd, Deputy Commander; Pol. Col. Suthep Chanasit, Commander; Pol. Lt. Col. Panthat Sewatathat, Inspector, Uthai police station; and the detective police team and the rescue officer of the Ayudhaya Ruamjai Association.
The shooting occurred in front of Viengjan entertainment center Moo 1 Tambon Thanu, Amphur Uthai. When police arrived, a lot of people were backing their cars out of the parking lot to escape the scene.
As police officers blockaded the area, the sound of gunshots could still be heard several times. After the shooting stopped, police found a lot of injured people who were sent to Ratchathani hospital. One man was shot in his head and severely injured. He was sent to Phranakornsriayuddhaya hospital, along with four other people.
One unidentified woman died at the scene. She was approximately 28 years old, and wearing long pants and a long-sleeved black-and-white shirt. She had been shot in the head by a gun of unknown caliber. The victim died beside a bullet-ridden car, a Toyota Vios, license number KOR TOR 4428 Phranakornsriayuddhaya. There were 2 bullet holes in the car’s front side mirror.
Full story: http://www.pattayada...t-rock-concert/
-- Pattaya Daily News 2012-09-28
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