Barkar Nash (Page 1,062)

The Thai embassy in Berlin is closely following German police’s investigation into the suspected murder of a Thai woman whose body was found in Schöneberg in Berlin last week, said the Foreign Ministry.

In its statement, the ministry said that based on information from the Thai embassy in Berlin, German police are treating the death of Siriya Saiwongpanya as a homicide. It is unclear if any suspects have been identified.

Siriya was identified as the owner of the “Thai-Art” restaurant in Charlottenburg in Berlin. She was found dead on the night of Aug 18 in Schöneberg in Berlin.

According to the ministry, her belongings were found at the scene, so local police believe she was unlikely to have been killed for valuables.

While the embassy waits for the autopsy, Thai officials in Berlin have provided assistance to the victim’s family and will coordinate with German authorities in renewing her daughter’s visa.

The ministry on Sunday also extended condolences to the family of the victim.

According to some reports in German media outlets, the victim may have been stabbed with a bottle, broken shards from which found at the scene.

Citing a police spokeswoman, German media reports said the wounds indicated homicide and the victim’s personal belongings, including a blood-smeared purse, were secured at the scene.

The victim is said to have run a successful noodle business.

The Metropolitan Police Bureau (MPB) has issued an order prohibiting public gatherings around parliament, effective from 8am on Monday to midnight on Thursday.

The order, signed by MPB chief Thiti Saengsawang, under the 2015 Public Gatherings Act, came after parliament was scheduled to vote for a new prime minister on Tuesday, said a source.

The planned gatherings during the parliamentary vote will affect peace and order, the source said. The MPB’s order bans gathering within a 50-metre radius of the parliament complex, from 8am on Aug 21 to midnight on Aug 24.

On Friday, parliament president Wan Muhamad Noor Matha said that the joint sitting of the House and Senate to vote for the country’s 30th prime minister on Tuesday would start at 10am, with five hours allocated for lawmakers to debate – two hours for senators and three hours for MPs. The vote is expected to start at 3pm and finish by 5.30pm.

The Pheu Thai Party as the head of the coalition is expected to nominate Mr Srettha, the former chief executive of the property developer Sansiri Plc.

Every Thai citizen is eligible to receive preventive healthcare services under the universal healthcare (UHC) scheme at almost 1,500 community clinics and drugstores nationwide regardless of whether they are subscribers or not, says the National Health Security Office (NHSO).

NHSO secretary-general Jadet Thammathataree on Sunday said that as part of a health promotion policy, eight preventive healthcare services are extended to all Thais free of charge.

Previously, these services were only available to UHC “gold card” subscribers.

According to Dr Jadet, the eight preventive healthcare services are now available for all at the NHSO’s 331 community clinics across the country.

They include birth control pills, condoms, pregnancy tests, antenatal care, iron supplements against anaemia, postnatal care, prevention of iodine, iron or folic acid deficiency and basic physical and mental health screenings, he said.

According to Dr Jadet, people can also seek six preventive healthcare services at 1,167 drug stores that take part in the NHSO’s health scheme.

They include contraceptive pills, emergency birth control pills, condoms, pregnancy tests, iron and folic acid supplements and basic physical and mental health screenings, he said.

Those interested can make an appointment through the Pao Tang app.

Deputy House speaker Padipat Suntiphada has come under fire after spending his parliamentarian allowance on treating 370 janitors to an all-you-can-eat buffet on Friday evening.

Each custodian received a voucher bearing Mr Padipat’s signature, which was used to dine at a moo krata (barbecue and hotpot) restaurant in the Bang Pho area near parliament. Each meal costs 269 baht, or about 99,530 baht for a total of 370 people.

Mr Padipat, a Move Forward Party member, reasoned that it was a sort of meeting to listen to the opinions of those who worked in parliament. He said his allowance for being a representative was about 2 million baht a year, and he would not spend all of it.

“I use the allowance because the 370 janitors are my guests,” he said, adding that instead of holding a formal meeting, dining together is a type of informal meeting where their voices can be heard.

“We must not forget the people who work for us,” he said. “They keep the parliament clean. We should thank them and hear their problems as well.”

However, not everyone agreed.

Ex-election commissioner Somchai Srisutthiyakorn on Facebook said on Sunday that it is clearly stipulated in state regulations that the budget must be used for state affairs.

The State Audit Office should investigate Mr Padipat’s action, he said, adding Mr Padipat should return the state budget he spent on the “party” to avoid more problems in the future.

Political activist Srisuwan Janya said he will file a petition against Mr Padipat’s action with the National-Anti Corruption Commission on Monday, accusing him of an ethics violation under 2017 Constitution.

“Do not use the state budget to promote yourself,” he said. “This is your party’s policy, don’t you remember?”

“The allowance for being a representative you have is from taxpayers’ money,” he added. “Don’t use it to publicise yourself.”

A source said ex-House speaker Chuan Leekpai gave lunch boxes to janitors and service staff in parliament in December 2020 as New Year gifts.

Siripa Intavichein, acting deputy spokeswoman for the Democrat Party, said Mr Chuan gave New Year gifts to janitors every year using his own money.

Former Democrat MP Issara Sereewatthanawut said Mr Chuan received 500 empty food boxes from a donation so he distributed them to the staff.

The moo krata drama followed another where Mr Padipat posted a video of himself drinking beer brewed in his home province of Phitsanulok online last Monday.

Critics questioned whether his action breached the ethics of political office holders and the Alcoholic Beverage Control Act.

Former massage parlour tycoon turned political whistleblower Chuvit Kamolvisit rejects claims that his attacks on Pheu Thai’s prime ministerial candidate Srettha Thavisin are motivated by a conflict of interest.

Mr Sretta says Mr Chuvit’s attacks on him stem from his decision to not buy a prime plot owned by Mr Chuvit in the Thong Lor neighbourhood. 

The land, it was reported, was valued at two billion baht.

Mr Srettha’s claim follows accusations by Mr Chuwit of improper business dealings by Sansiri Plc, the property company which Mr Sretta led prior to joining politics.

Fending off the allegations ahead of the second round of voting for the next prime minister tomorrow, Mr Srettha insisted last week that Sansiri strictly abides by the principles of good governance.

Mr Chuvit has now accused Mr Srettha of lying, saying in a Facebook post he was the one who declined to sell the plot to Mr Srettha, as he had already received a down payment from another buyer.

In the post, Mr Chuvit said it was actually Mr Srettha who had his close associate begging him to sell the land to Sansiri.

“How dare he call a press conference to tell a lie?” said Mr Chuvit.

“Seriously, I wonder if any senator would ever trust him enough to vote for him.”

In the Facebook post, Mr Chuvit also claimed that a security guard who was used as a nominee in N&N Asset Co, which sold a plot of land in Thong Lor to Sansiri while Mr Srettha was CEO, is also named a board member in the company that owns the private road in one of Sansiri’s residential projects near Klong Phra Khanong.

Sansiri had previously claimed to not know the security guard; but the same guard whose name emerged in the Thong Lor land deal has turned out to be a board member in the company owning Sansiri’s private road in a different project, Mr Chuvit said.

And it was this same security guard who signed his name when receiving a 1-billion-baht cheque from Sansiri’s subsidiary before N&N Asset sold the Thong Lor land to Sansiri, according to Mr Chuvit.

In another development, political activist and former senator Ruangkrai Leekitwattana said he has petitioned Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha to order a check into N&N Asset’s tax payments.

A large number of red-shirt supporters of the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) from several provinces will travel to Don Mueang airport to greet former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra on his return on Tuesday, their leaders said.

Paetongtarn “Ung Ing” Shinawatra, his daughter and a Pheu Thai prime ministerial candidate, posted on social media that her father was scheduled to land at Don Mueang airport on Aug 22 at 9am.

Wattanachai Suebsiribut, alias Jiew, chairman of the Red-shirt Group of Korat (Nakhon Ratchasima), said on learning of Thaksin’s schedule to arrive home, he and fellow red-shirts were very excited and delighted. They immediately contacted other members and planned to travel to Don Mueang airport in Bangkok.

He said at least 300 red-shirts had shown their intention of joining the trip.

They would converge at the CEO market in tambon Nong Kra Thum in Muang district of Nakhon Ratchasima early on Monday night and start heading for Bangkok at 9pm, he said.

Most of them would travel in private vehicles and meet at an assembly point in Wang Noy district of Ayutthaya province where they would rest for a few hours.

Early on Tuesday morning, they would proceed to Don Mueang airport and plan to arrive there before 9am, Mr Wattanachai said.

Wattanachai Suebsiribut, alias Jiew, chairman of the Red-shirt Group of Korat (Nakhon Ratchasima) said at least 300 red-shirt members intended to greet Thaksin Shinawatra on Tuesday. (Photo: Prasit Tangprasert)

Saensuk Termsrisuk, 62, alias Jae Oy, another red-shirt member in Nakhon Ratchasima, said she has been waiting for the former prime minister’s return to Thailand and has kept following the news about him.  On Tuesday, she would not miss the opportunity to welcome him back, she said. and would bring her shop’s popular dessert, chao kuay (black grass jelly in syrup) for him. Thaksin used to eat this dessert at her shop and liked it when he visited Nakhon Ratchasima in 2002, she said happily.

Mayuree Sawetasai, a red-shirt leader in Ayutthaya province, said about 500-800 local supporters would leave for Don Mueang on Monday night along with 200-300 red-shirts from the northeastern province of Nakhon Phanom.

The red-shirts of Ayutthaya would prepare about 10,000 boxes of food and 20,000 bottles of drinking water to be distributed to people at the airport hoping to see greet the former prime minister on his arrival, she said.

Ms Mayuree said several other groups of red-shirts from other provinces would also gather at Don Mueang airport on Tuesday morning.

Thaksin’s party Thai Rak Thai and its successor parties won every election in Thailand since it came power to 2001 – except for the May 14 election this year, when Pheu Thai narrowly lost to the Move Forward Party. 

Mayuree Sawetasai, a leader of the red-shirts of Ayutthaya province, said about 500-800 local red-shirts will leave for Don Mueang on Monday night along with 200-300 red-shirts from Nakhon Phanom to welcome Thaksin Shinawatra home. (Photo: Sunthorn Pongpao)

SONGKHLA: About 10,000 monks from four countries gathered in the middle of Hat Yai city on Sunday morning to receive offerings of alms from Thai and foreign Buddhists in a traditional event which is held annually.

A ceremony for the mass alms offerings started at 6am on Nipat Uthit 3 road in the Hat Yai Municipality, presided over by Somdet Phra Maha Vajiramangalachan, chief of the southern Buddhist sector, with Maj Gen Pakorn Chantarachota, commander of the 42nd Army Circle, in attendance.

The monks were from the 14 provinces of southern Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia.

The activity also drew thousands of Buddhist worshippers from the four countries.

Withaya Sae Lim, spokesman for the organising committee, said this year’s activity was the 20th after a three-year break because of the coronavirus outbreak.

The activity was also intended to boost tourism in Songkhla, particularly Hat Yai city.

“All hotels in Hat Yai were fully booked by pilgrims. It was believed at least 20,000 tourists attended today’s activity, generating at least 180 million baht in revenue,” he said.

The alms given to the monks would be further distributed to 323 temples around southern Thailand and to soldiers on duty along the southern border with Malaysia, he added.

A 77-year-old Scottish man was rescued eight hours after his kayak sank in a stream and he was swept away by strong currents to a muddy islet in Muang district of Udon Thani late on Saturday night.

The man told the 191 police radio centre around 3pm on Saturday that he had been swept in an unknown direction after his kayak sank in Lam Huai Luang stream,

Officers from Na Kha police station, tourist police, rescue workers and local residents began a search and eventually found him on Nong Bor Khlon islet at about 11pm on Saturday..

Rescue workers rode a jetski through bamboo forests to extract him from the muddy islet.

Police identified him only as Martin, 77, from Scottland. He looked exhausted with some bruises on his legs and body, and was taken to a local hospital.

Pol Capt Pongpat Kerkpiboonchai, deputy tourist inspector, said police and volunteers spotted his car left at Khok Kong villagei in tambon Sam Phrao of Muang district near the stream. He was found at about 11pm on the islet, about 5 kilometres from the spot where his car was parked.

It was difficult to get to the islet because rescuers had to go through a dense bamboo forest populated by dangerous snakes such as pythons, said the officer.

Mr Martin said he had lived in this northeastern province for six years and had no family. He liked adventure travel and peddled the kayak along the stream on Saturday before it sank. 

Fortunately, he had brought a mobile phone with him. He then sought help from police, according to local media.

The Scottish man, 77, shows bruises on his body to a tourist police officer. (Photo: Udon Thani tourist police)

Mr Martin is taken to a hospital ambulance after he was safely rescued late on Saturday night. (Photo: Udon Thani tourist police)

Three political parties will field candidates in the Sept 10 by-election in Constituency 3 of Rayong province, the Election Commission (EC) announced on Sunday.

The EC set Aug 15-19 as the period for candidates from political parties to register for the by-election.

At the end of the registration period on Saturday, three candidates from three parties had registered.

They are Pongsathorn Sornphetnarin, the number 1 candidate, of the Move Forward Party; Banyat Jettanachan, number 2, of the Democrat Party; and Pol Sub-Lt Ruangchai Sombatphuthon, number 3, of the Nation Building Labour Party.

The Constituency 3 election committee will take seven days to check whether any of them are prohibited by law from running in an election. The names of those qualified to run will then be posted at polling stations and other public places. A candidate found to be disqualified can petition the EC within seven days.

The by-election was made necessary by the resignation of Move Forward MP Nakornchai Khunnarong on Aug 3, after it was discovered he had served 18 months in prison for a theft conviction about 24 years ago.