Barkar Nash (Page 1,049)

CHIANG RAI: Officers in Chiang Saen district yesterday arrested a group of suspects involved in offering a bribe to secure the release of four Chinese nationals nabbed previously for illegally entering the kingdom.

The arrest, led by Chiang Saen Immigration Checkpoint Commissioner Pol Col Chinnakorn Assawapoom, was the result of cooperation between checkpoint officers and police from Chiang Saen station.

Pol Col Chinnakorn said four suspects — identified as Ratthaphong, 50; Sunchai, 34; Peerapol, 34; and Thanthida, 54 (surnames withheld) — were arrested on Friday night at Chiang Saen station after offering a bribe. They sought the release of four Chinese nationals who were arrested on May 18, after they illegally immigrated with their tour guide.

Mr Ratthaphong, who claimed to be the secretary to a deputy of the national police chief, called investigators, offering 800,000 baht in cash in exchange for releasing the Chinese. The officers decided to make the exchange at Chiang Saen station, to secure solid evidence against Mr Rattaphong and his company. The suspects were nabbed as they handed over the money.

The officers looked for Mr Rattaphong’s name in the police database, without success, suggesting he was not involved with any deputy national police chief whatsoever, according to Pol Col Chinnakorn. All suspects were charged with bribery under Section 144 of the Criminal Code. Mr Rattaphong was also charged with falsely claiming to be an officer, as per section 145, and having unauthorised radio equipment.

Meanwhile, the Counter Corruption Division (CCD) commander, Pol Maj Gen Jaroonkiat Pankew, said the division will expand its probe into those involved in the case of Nakhon Sawan’s Mae Wong district chief Prasit Phattanasitthicheewin, charged for allegedly demanding bribes from a cockfighting operator.

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The Public Health Ministry will send 42 medical personnel to accompany Thai Muslims joining the Hajj in Saudi Arabia this year.

Dr Opas Karnkawinpong, permanent secretary of the ministry, and assistant of the permanent secretary, Dr Suppachok Wetchaphanphesat, yesterday said they will be at Suvarnabhumi Airport today to see off the first medical team to join pilgrims on the trip.

Dr Suppachok said that about 12,000 Thai Muslims, mostly from the South, will travel to Mecca from May 21-June 23, and return in July.

All had to pass a set of health checkups and receive vaccinations, or boosters, to protect them against influenza, meningococcal disease and Covid-19.

The ministry issued a vaccine certificate for them to keep as evidence.

He added the ministry had also provided training for Hajj health volunteers, who will coordinate with the pilgrims while working together with the medical team.

During their trip to Mecca, Dr Suppachok said the personnel would be divided into three teams with Dr Zulkifli Yusof, director of Mai Kaen Hospital in Pattani and deputy director of the Southernmost Health Development Administrative Centre, appointed as the leader of this year’s Thai Hajj Medical Office.

The rest of the volunteers and medics are expected to depart on June 2 and June 15, respectively, he said.

The Hajj goers will also be expected to undergo a mandatory 14-day quarantine as soon as they touch down on Thai soil on their return, said Dr Suppachok.

Meanwhile, the Southern Border Provinces Administrative Centre (SBPAC) responded to rumours online that they had not collected any additional charges for Muslims who wanted to go on the pilgrimage this year.

According to a statement released yesterday by the SBPAC, it had yet to receive a budget from the government to bolster teams helping people in the south, most of whom have been affected by the violent unrest in the region’s three major provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat, join the pilgrimage.

SBPAC is also concerned about the higher cost of travel for people who wanted to attend the Hajj and also warned of any scams that might use the SBPAC’s name to defraud pilgrims.

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The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation has announced safety measures will be imposed ahead of the reopening of the Tham Luang Cave site in July.

In 2018, the Tham Luang Cave flooded, trapping 12 young Wild Boars football players and their coach for 18 days before they were rescued. The news made international headlines.

Atthaphon Charoenchansa, director-general of the Marine and Coastal Resources Department, is visiting the Tham Luang-Khun Nam Nang Non National Park in Mae Sai district of Chiang Rai province to survey the area this weekend.

The visit is joined by Chaiwat Limlikhit-aksorn, director of National Park Office; Chutidech Kamonnachanut, director of the Conservation Area Administration Office 15 Chiang Rai; and Vernon Unsworth, a British cave diver who took part in the rescue mission.

Mr Atthaphon said an event marking five years since the Tham Luang Cave rescue will be held.

He said Tham Luang has become a tourist destination among international travellers, but the cave’s interior is vulnerable and can be hard to navigate, which complicates sightseeing.

Therefore, measures will be imposed for people who want to explore the inside Tham Luang Cave. Currently, only an exhibition zone and the area in front of the cave is open to the public.

In July, the national park will allow an entrance to the first cave chamber, some 150-metres long, he said. Each tour group must consist of a maximum of 25 people and each round lasts 30 minutes.

The authorities only allow 16 rounds, or up to 400 tourists, to the chamber per day, he said.

He said for the second chamber, only four groups consisting of 15 people each can visit that chamber per day, he said, and they must submit an entry application at least one week in advance.

For the third, only researchers and experts will be allowed entry, he said, noting they must submit a letter to the department at least 30 days in advance.

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The Move Forward Party (MFP) yesterday ditched the New and Chartpattanakla parties from its proposed coalition line-up, following a backlash from its supporters.

MFP secretary-general Chaithawat Tulathon announced yesterday the party will focus on lobbying for Senate support for its leader to be premier.

MFP leader Pita Limjaroenrat posted a tweet on Friday night, about the approaches: “I would like to apologise. I will keep reminding myself that a party is bigger than an individual. The people are bigger than a party.”

Bowing to mounting pressure from its supporters, the MFP posted a message on its Facebook page on Friday night, acknowledging that it had heard the voices of the people, many of whom opposed the inclusion of Chartpattanakla in its alliance.

The move came after the MFP held talks with Chartpattanakla on Friday regarding their support for Mr Pita’s bid to become prime minister and the formation of a coalition government, with MFP deputy leader Phicharn Chaowapatanawong confirming the alliance that evening.

The negotiations drew widespread criticism from the public, party staff, provincial-level panels and party members. Most shared the view that they could not accept the inclusion of the Chartpattanakla Party led by Korn Chatikavanij.

As the hash tag “Mee Korn Mai Mee Ku”, meaning “if you have Korn, you can’t have me”, trended on Thai language Twitter that evening, a meeting of prospective Move Forward MPs also expressed the same stance.

Opposition to Chartpattanakla stemmed from its leader Mr Korn, who participated in the seven-month-long Bangkok Shutdown and anti-Yingluck Shinawatra protests that led to the military coup that toppled her administration in May 22, 2014. Mr Korn, a former deputy leader of the Democrat Party, also voted in favour of Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha, the coup leader at the time, as prime minister.

The MFP, after winning the most House seats in the election, said the party would focus on convincing enough senators to back Mr Pita as PM, allowing it to form a government as soon as possible.

On Friday, the one-member New Party accepted the invitation to join the alliance, setting it on course to becoming the ninth party to do so. However, the party was also dropped from the proposed coalition line-up, following the online backlash, according to party leader Kritditas Saengthanayothin.

Chartpattanakla chairman Suwat Liptapanlop yesterday insisted the party had been approached to join the proposed MFP-led coalition bloc and not the other way around. The MFP said it was running short of MP support to form a government.

“We didn’t ask to be part of the coalition bloc,” Mr Suwat said.

The party merely wanted to see a post-election politics with a semblance of stability and for the country to be ruled by a government with majority support in parliament, he added.

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The Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand (MRTA) has extended the contract for the Pink Line monorail project for another 345 days, the third extension it has granted.

Highways Department director-general Sarawut Songsivilai, speaking in his capacity as the MRTA board chairman, said the expansion will change the estimated finish date from July this year to August 2024.

A deadline extension approval for the first 34.5 kilometres of the line was passed by the MRTA board on May 18, said Mr Sarawut.

The contractor, Northern Bangkok Monorail (NBM), cited Covid-19 as the main reason for the contract extension.

According to Mr Sarawut, this was the third time that NBM had sought an extension from the MRTA.

The MRTA initially extended the project deadline by a year, aiming to complete construction by September 2022.

However, NBM then requested a second extension of 290 days, pushing the new deadline to July this year.

One of the reasons for both postponements was a delay in the transfer process for the area that will be used to construct Nonthaburi Civic Centre Station and Nopparat Station.

Mr Sarawut also cited the complexity of the area.

He drew particular attention to a floodway construction project by the Highways Department, which could affect construction of Chaeng Wattana 14 Station, the Chaloem Phrakiat Government Centre Station, and TOT Station.

The Pink Line’s construction was 96.43% complete as of last month, he said.

The Pink Line has 30 stations linking Khae Rai in Nonthaburi to the Min Buri area in the east of Bangkok.

It will link with the Orange Line in Min Buri and will connect with the Green Line at Wat Phra Sri Mahathat Station.

The project is worth 53.4 billion baht.

The first trial run is expected to start next January for three months. Full service is expected to start later around June 2024, said Mr Sarawut.

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A man has been arrested in Chiang Mai for running a Line chat group that charged people membership fees to watch pornographic video clips involving minors

Police with a court-issued warrant nabbed Thawatchai Saengboon, 36, at a house in tambon Chompoo of Saraphi district of the northern province on Saturday morning, said Pol Lt Gen Worawat Watnakornbancha, commissioner of the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB).

Police also seized a mobile phone and bank passbooks.

He has been charged with human trafficking, exploiting and distributing pornographic materials for personal gain or trade, and importing such materials into a computer system.

Police searched the house after being tipped off by an international development organisation about the chat group.

The organisation alerted the CCIB after coming across Twitter messages sent via an account advertising pornographic pictures and videos, and inviting people to join the group for an entry fee of 199 baht.

Prospective customers were asked to contact the group administrator, who was found to be Mr Thawatchai.

The chat group, which targeted heterosexual customers, featured pictures and videos of sexual acts involving at least two underaged girls, according to the investigation team. It had 429 followers who were granted a password to access the chatroom after paying the entry fee.

Mr Thawatchai admitted he started out as a member of a pornographic chatroom before opening his own Line group called Chao Viking (Viking Folks), which he owns and runs.

Content was downloaded from various porn websites. He sometimes paid underaged girls for sex and recorded the acts, before sharing it to the chat group.

He also engaged in group sex, which he recorded on video and distributed, police said.

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