Barkar Nash (Page 1,090)

The Ministry of Public Health plans to open one dental hospital in each of the 77 provinces to enable core access to oral healthcare, especially those living upcountry.

Speaking at a seminar, Dr Opas Kankawinpong, the ministry’s permanent secretary, said the country does not have enough dentists to serve the population of 70 million people.

He said people should see a dentist twice a year. For those 70 million, it means people need access to dental services at least 140 million times per year.

“At present, the dental services can cater for only 10 million visits a year, about 7.1% of the 140 million visits needed to provide proper dental coverage.

“The ministry commits to taking care of people’s health in all dimensions — including their oral health. We need to increase the number of dentists and add more dental facilities so people have better access to treatment,” he said.

He said the number of dentists employed at state-owned hospitals is about 6,000. On average, about 800 students graduate with a bachelor’s degree in dentistry each year. But only a quarter of them end up working in the state-run sector.

“We aim to provide 100 million dental health sessions to people within 10 years. If we do not change anything, this goal will take 50 years, instead of 10,” he said, adding that one solution is to have more dental hospitals.

He said the ministry will upgrade the dental health bureau in state-owned hospitals nationwide so they can be classed as dental hospitals.

By the end of this year, 39 hospitals will turn their dental health departments into dental hospitals, including Buddhachinaraj Hospital in Phitsanulok, Lam Luk Ka Hospital in Pathum Thani and Than To Hospital in Yala.

The ministry aims to have one dental hospital in every province by next year, he said.

The ministry will work with the Budget Bureau and the National Health Security Office on a budget for building dental hospitals nationwide. These hospitals will also provide career growth opportunities for dentists to run and manage specialised hospitals.

Caretaker PM to have a big say in coming armed forces reshuffle as new government still weeks away

The armed forces will continue to lead in “protecting the country”, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said on Saturday when asked about the state of military stability amid rising political tensions.

Thailand is facing rising political tensions as attempts to form a government drag on, nearly three months since the May 14 election. There have been fears that a conflict between pro-democracy and pro-military camps may result in military intervention.

Gen Prayut, the caretaker prime minister and defence minister, is waiting to hand over power to the next government after his party and others allied with it were soundly beaten at the polls.

When asked if he had concerns about the future of the armed forces amid new political turmoil, he said that as long as there are still younger soldiers in the ranks and laws that affirm the importance of the armed forces, there is nothing for him to worry about.

“The armed forces aren’t left to work alone,” he said.

For the rest of his term, Gen Prayut said he would do his best to perform his duty as prime minister and defence minister until the next government takes over.

Asked if he would work behind the scenes and observe political developments from a distance after handing over power, he waved the question away and said: “We’re not there just yet.”

Gen Prayut was speaking after attending a ceremony on Saturday at the Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy in Nakhon Nayok to mark the 136th anniversary of its establishment.

An alumnus of Class 23 at the academy, he was seen talking with some senators who are also alumni.

Army chief Gen Narongpan Jittkaewtae was also seen talking to Gen Prayut for about 30 minutes at the event.

Gen Narongpan declined to comment when asked whether he had discussed with Gen Prayut the army’s reshuffle plan. No meeting has been held to formally discuss the annual reshuffle so far, he said, refusing to elaborate.

The leaders of the three armed forces and the chief of the Thai defence forces will all reach mandatory retirement at the end of September.

This year’s shake-up, however, will not be forwarded to the cabinet for approval.

Instead, the appointments of military top brass will be considered under the 2008 Defence Ministry Administration Act in which a seven-member panel chaired by Gen Prayut, in his capacity as caretaker PM and defence minister, will review the reshuffle list and submit it to the prime minister to be sent for royal approval.

Gen Prayut has reportedly asked the outgoing military leaders to hand in the list by the middle of this month so that it can be finalised the same week.

It is widely speculated that Gen Prayut, who announced in early July his decision to wash his hands of politics nine years after seizing power in a coup, will place his trusted men in top positions in his final act as prime minister before a new government assumes power, tentatively in late August or early September.

Dismembered body parts found in dump on Full Moon party island after slaying of Colombian plastic surgeon

SURAT THANI: A Spanish chef has admitted to killing his Colombian surgeon lover and dismembering his body before dumping parts in a landfill on Koh Phangan and his head and other parts in the sea, police say.

Daniel Sancho Bronchalo, 29, was taken to the Koh Phangan police station on Friday for questioning in connection with the disappearance of Edwin Arrieta Arteaga, 44, a Colombian national. He initially denied any involvement but eventually admitted to the act after intensive questioning by police, said a source familiar with the investigation.

The suspect is the son of the Spanish actor Rodolfo Sancho Aguirre and actress Silvia Bronchalo. A well-known chef in his home country, he also has a YouTube channel. The victim operated a successful plastic surgery clinic in Monteria, Colombia.

Police found more evidence believed to be human body parts after searching a hotel room believed to be the place where the killing took place, Pol Lt Gen Surapong Thanomjit, commissioner of Provincial Police Region 8, said on Saturday.

Forensic officers collected samples of hair, fat and tissue from the room’s drain and sent them for forensic testing in Yala. The results would be known on Sunday, said Pol Lt Gen Surapong.

A police examination of security video from various places on the island famed for its Full Moon parties showed Mr Sancho was linked to the case, the commander said.

The Spanish man was the last person seen with the victim before the human body parts were found. Officers were gathering evidence to seek a court warrant for the arrest of Mr Sancho, said Pol Lt Gen Surapong.

Mr Sancho had gone to the Koh Phangan police station on Thursday night to report that Mr Arrieta was missing. This came after news spread that some human body parts had been found.

Trash collectors on Thursday discovered body parts, including a sawed-off pelvis and intestines weighing around five kilogrammes, inside a fertiliser sack at a garbage dump in Moo 4 of Koh Phangan.

More body parts were found on Friday in a black plastic bag at the same location. The bag contained two legs, a black T-shirt, a pair of shorts and a pair of red boxer shorts. (Story continues below)

The suspect: Spanish chef Daniel Sancho Bronchalo, 29. (Photo: danisanchobanus Instagram)

The victim: Colombian plastic surgeon Edwin Arrieta Arteaga, 44. (Photo: dredwinarrietacirujanoplastico Instagram)

Pol Lt Gen Surapong said relatives of Arrieta told investigators that he had been in a relationship with Mr Sancho for more than one year.

The pair had gone to Koh Phangan in Surat Thani to attend a Full Moon party. When Arrieta’s relatives were unable to contact him, they contacted Mr Sancho but the Spanish man said he hadn’t seen him yet.

The relatives then contacted the tourist police to inspect the hotel room the victim had booked, but there were no traces of him. They later learned that Mr Sancho had checked in at the hotel alone and later checked out before the victim arrived.

“We do not yet know the motive for the murder. We initially believe it might stem from a fit of jealousy,” said Pol Lt Gen Surapong.

“The investigation found that Daniel Sancho had prepared thoroughly by buying other items for concealing the body. After being detained for immigration offences and having his visa revoked, he showed clear signs of stress, but still refused to confess.

“I have instructed police to closely monitor him for fear that he might resort to commit suicide.”

Pol Col Panya Nirattimanon, chief of the Koh Phangan police station, said on Saturday that Mr Sancho looked stressed and did not sleep after he was taken on Friday for questioning in connection with the disappearance of the Colombian national.

A police source said that during questioning, Mr Sancho told investigators that he had taken Arrieta to his room. He claimed the man wanted to have sex with him, but he refused.

In a fit of anger, he punched his friend, causing the victim to fall and lose consciousness after hitting his head on a bathtub. Mr Sancho subsequently decided to cut the body into 14 pieces and put some parts into a travel bag. He also put some parts into plastic bags and dumped them in a garbage bin.

He took the travel bag to dump in the sea at Salad beach near his hotel. After that he returned to his room and checked out at 9am on Thursday.

He later went to a Full Moon party with two women he knew at the hotel. After returning from the party, he went to the police station where he filed a missing person report that his Colombian friend had disappeared.

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SAMUT PRAKAN: A hunt is underway for a middle-aged woman who made off with 37 gold necklaces in a gold shop robbery in Bang Sao Thong district on Friday evening.

The woman parked her motorcycle in front of Kittima gold shop at Muang Mai Bang Phli housing community at 5.52 pm on Friday as shown in a security camera of the shop.

Wearing a full-face crash helmet, a dark green jacket and black trousers, the woman entered the shop with her hand carrying something wrapped in a blue plastic bag.  She suddenly pointed the object, which turned out to be a gun, at staff members to force them to hand her trays of gold ornaments.  The robber immediately swept 37 necklaces, each weighing 50-satang weight of gold, and fled on her motorcycle.

Patrol police arrived at the scene minutes after staff pressed an alarm button.

According to a police investigation, the woman was found to be the same person who tried to snatch a gold necklace from a resident at Eua Arthon housing estate in Bang Chalong of Bang Phli district two hours before the gold shop robbery.  However, she failed to get the necklace before robbing the gold shop, about 6 kilometres away from the first spot.

Pol Maj Gen Panlop Araemlar, commander of Samut Prakan police, ordered officers to hunt down the robber.

Police inspect the gold shop in Bang Sao Thong district, Samut Prakan following the gold shop robbery. (Photo: Sutthiwit Chayutworakan)

SAMUT PRAKAN: A hunt is underway for a middle-aged woman who made off with 37 gold necklaces in a gold shop robbery in Bang Sao Thong district on Friday evening.

The woman parked her motorcycle in front of Kittima gold shop at Muang Mai Bang Phli housing community at 5.52 pm on Friday as shown in a security camera of the shop.

Wearing a full-face crash helmet, a dark green jacket and black trousers, the woman entered the shop with her hand carrying something wrapped in a blue plastic bag.  She suddenly pointed the object, which turned out to be a gun, at staff members to force them to hand her trays of gold ornaments.  The robber immediately swept 37 necklaces, each weighing 50-satang weight of gold, and fled on her motorcycle.

Patrol police arrived at the scene minutes after staff pressed an alarm button.

According to a police investigation, the woman was found to be the same person who tried to snatch a gold necklace from a resident at Eua Arthon housing estate in Bang Chalong of Bang Phli district two hours before the gold shop robbery.  However, she failed to get the necklace before robbing the gold shop, about 6 kilometres away from the first spot.

Pol Maj Gen Panlop Araemlar, commander of Samut Prakan police, ordered officers to hunt down the robber.

Police inspect the gold shop in Bang Sao Thong district, Samut Prakan following the gold shop robbery. (Photo: Sutthiwit Chayutworakan)

Fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra said on Saturday he was postponing his return from self-exile, as Thailand struggles to overcome a political deadlock after the May 14 general election won by opponents of military rule.

Thaksin, a former telecoms tycoon, spent years trying to resist military interference in governments led by his populist party and was eventually ousted in a 2006 coup.

Thaksin posted on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, that he needed a medical check up and would delay his return, originally planned for Aug 10, by a couple of weeks.

“I want to postpone the return date to Thailand from (Aug 10) until not more than two weeks. I will inform the date and time again. A doctor calls me to undergo health check-ups.”

On Thursday, Pheu Thai Party deputy leader Phumtham Wechayachai insisted that Thaksin’s planned return to his home country remained unchanged, denying rumours of his delayed return.

On Thaksin’s 74th birthday on July 26, his daughter Paetongtarn “Ung Ing” Shinawatra, also a prime ministerial candidate of Pheu Thai, announced on Instagram that her father, who is widely believed to be Pheu Thai’s de facto leader, is set to arrive at Don Mueang airport on Aug 10.

Whistleblowers, including Chuvit Kamolvisit and Jatuporn Prompan, said they did not believe Thaksin will return to Thailand next week to face prison time.

The fugitive former prime minister has been living in self-imposed exile since being overthrown by a military coup on Sept 19, 2006.

A total of 35 standing committees of the House of Representatives will be set up before the new government is formed.

The House met on Friday, but the session did not start right away due to the lack of quorum.

While waiting for more members, which took about an hour, parliament president Wan Muhamad Noor Matha opened the floor for MPs to raise any concerns about such delays.

Mr Wan told the meeting that a Move Forward Party (MFP) MP had proposed the formation of 35 standing committees before the new government is sworn in.

He said he told Pichet Chuamuangphan, the first deputy House speaker, to chair a discussion to create 35 standing committees of 15 members each.

He said the secretariat’s parliamentary office will work on the details, to be completed by the end of the week.

MFP MP Parit Wacharasindhu, who raised the issue in the meeting, thanked Mr Wan for addressing his concern.

He said having the standing committees even before knowing which parties will be in the government or on the opposition side will have benefits for the checks and balances process, Mr Parit added.

Previous statistics showed that most of the presidents of standing committees were from political parties that have their people as ministers.

Therefore, appointing committee members and the presidents of such committees before the government is formed would enhance the rigour of the checks and balances carried out by the groups, he said.

Among the 35 standing committees will be the Committee on Legal Affairs, Justice, and Human Rights; the Committee on Transport; the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on the Armed Forces.

PHUKET: Local officials remain on high alert after five people, including four foreign tourists, drowned near beaches on this resort island over the past week.

Muang Phuket District Chief Pairoj Srilamoon said on Friday the five drowning cases were reported from July 28 to Aug 3. Since the beginning of this year, 12 people have drowned in rough seas there.

The recent five drownings include a Senegalese tourist at Freedom beach, two Indians at Karon beach, and one Thai and a Russian tourist at Surin beach. The latter’s body was found on Thursday.

Mr Pairoj said the Russian tourist was identified as Alexander Iunemen, 41. He travelled to Phuket with relatives and stayed in a hotel near Surin beach.

He said red flags have been erected along Surin beach to warn people that swimming is not allowed due to the strong waves and winds during the monsoon season. But some visitors violated the rules.

Iunemen’s body was found on Thursday evening. A lifeguard performed CPR before taking him to Thalang Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

With the increase in drownings on the island, governor Narong Woonciew ordered local authorities and lifeguards to keep a closer eye on tourist safety.

He ordered that clear warning signs be put up highlighting the rough seas and forbidding people from swimming in certain areas. Police must always patrol to safeguard tourists, he said.

Deputy governor Anuphap Rodkwan Yodrabam held a meeting on Friday with the public and private sectors to discuss safety measures.

Mr Anuphap said he ordered local administrative offices to check the number of lifeguards on each beach and vowed to hire more if needed.

Local authorities must also check if the lifeguards require more training and have sufficient rescue equipment, he said.

He said local authorities will join hands with the private sector to campaign for tourist safety while more safety information will be promoted. “Some drowning cases were caused by rule violations. That said, we have held constant discussions in a bid to prevent tourists from drowning since May,” said Mr Anuphap.